Tag Archives: sarahfynn

HaruHaru Wonder Black Rice Cleansing Oil Review

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Another haru haru review! find out my thoughts on the deep cleansing oil and if you should try it!

Haru Haru Wonder 30 days Skincare Challenge

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hey hey everyone, happy new month! I hope this new month brings you joy! I’m so happy longer brighter days are coming!

This new month signals the end of my 30 day skincare challenge with Haru Haru Wonder! As you know, I started my challenge on 1st Feb, using mostly HaruHaru wonders in my skincare routine! I have so many thoughts on the products so lets get started!

a bit about my skin – i have normal to combo skin which is slightly drier in the winter. My main concern is hyperpigmentation. My goals for this challenge were increased radiance, fading of dark spots and maintaining barrier function. I was also looking for hydrated and smoother skin and overall health improvement.

What are my top 3 products

Coming to the end of my challenge, my favorite 3 products from the range are

  • Black rice deep cleansing oil- this product is 10/10 for its gentle but effective cleansing power! Its affordable and works really well against waterproof mascara and makeup! I have a full in-depth review next week!
  • Black Rice Moisture Airyfit SPF50- you know I love a good sunscreen! This chemical based one feels velvety on the skin and its lightweight! best of all 0 cast on dark skin- my demo & full review is be posted later this week
  • Finally I have to give it to the soft gel cleanser! I loved this since first use. it feels soft on the skin, and I really appreciated the unscented product. Im currently doing laser on my face and my therapist was happy when i mentioned this as my current cleanser as it would be very gentle on my sensitized skin! It doesn’t dry out my skin!
  • I have to give a shout out to the black rice toner too! its not listed in my top 3 only because I wanted to pick items from the new products I was using and the toner isn’t new to me. my full review will be posted next week.

Did I achieve my goal?

I think I achieved some of my goals. My skin has remained hydrated and healthy throughout the month. In terms of radiance, I switched to a new vit c serum at the beginning of feb and i hated it the texture so much but i don’t see a huge difference. In terms of fading hyperpigmentation the dark spot serum was ok i don’t think it made a huge difference but I want to reserve my full thoughts in my review when I finish the product. here’s the before and after pictures( after taken 3 weeks into the challenge)

Overall thoughts

I think the products are very gentle and suitable for all skintypes. I think that their products are good for skin care beginners because they do not contain high concentrations of active ingredients, they focus on barrier repair and hydration. Everything I used was very easy to incorporate in my routine. One thing I have to comment on was how well the products layered on top of each other! I had ZERO pilling during the last month and I really enjoyed that.

As a more experienced skincare user, I found some of the products didn’t quite hit the mark for me and its because my skin is used to higher concentrations of active ingredients. This isn’t a negative thing and Haru Haru’s more gentle approach is great for skincare beginners or sensitive skin. For instance the new retinol serum is mainly for retinol beginners as the conc is very low- great for beginners. As someone who has used tret & is on Medik8’s CR 20, the retinol serum is a step back for me. I did really like the texture & hydration the serum offered but I wont purchase it because Im on a higher retinal product but i will happily recommend for retinol beginners.

Overall I’m very happy with the brand and I want to thank HaruHaru for partnering with me for this challenge. I’m still using the products and will bring full detailed reviews as I finish them! I have a few reviews coming up next week-be sure to check those out! The only product I’m going to stop using ASAP is the eye cream because my eye area is a huge concern of mine and their eye cream isn’t doing much for me, everything else Im using up ????

Speak later!

Happy new month!

2024 Skincare Favorites

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hello hello everyone, you good? I hope all is well.

A new year is usually the time people take a look at their skincare routines and plan for a change! If you are taking stock or have a new year’s resolution to take better care of your skin, then this post is for you!

Today, I will be taking about some of my favorite skincare products from last year. Some are new products I tried and fell in love with and others are my holy grail loyal products I have been using for a while.

Let’s goooooooooooooooo (in no particular order)

Day Mallow Aquaron Watery Emulsion- this is a new product I tried last year from Stylevana & I loved it so much! its super lightweight and watery and deeply hydrates the skin. It was cheap too and the large 300ml lasted about 5-6 months! Its on Yesstyle here as its sold out on Stylevana

Naturie HATOMUGI Skin Conditioning Milk – This is my current emulsion/lotion after I finished my day mallow one. It’s so lovely, a nice lotion that also deeply hydrates my skin. full review coming soon. Another large size that will last ages. if you have dehydrated or oily skin and you prefer a lighter textured moisturizing product try this one. It’s available on Stylevana.

Haruharu Black Rice Toner- have you noticed a trend? I got back into k beauty big time last year! This product is so hyped in the skincare community and its worth it! I got the fragance free option and I love it. Its gentle and hydrating and just pleasant and easy to use. Highly recommended.

I have 2 items from Tatcha! The Tatcha Camellia oil cleanser and the rice cleanser. My full thoughts are here. Ive purchased the Tatcha Mini favorites gift set as it’s so worth the money and the sizes last a while as well! plus you get a free makeup/skincare bag

Estee lauder advanced night repair- ahhh my loyal serum! Ive been using this serum for years and Im never going to stop. It’s hydrating, brightening, leaves the skin looking so rested and healthy. I hope Estee Lauder brings back the buy 1 get 1 offer because its my way of stocking up lool and they havent done that for ages!

Ramsou bfida- another k beauty product? Yes! Last year I spent 6 months looking for a k beauty dupe for my beloved night repair serum (can’t blame a girl for trying to save some coins!) and this was the 1st one I used. whilst its not a 100% dupe, I did like it. Review here

No7 Future Renew SPF50- This is such a beautiful and lightweight SPF that leaves 0 cast on the skin! My full review is here

The Ordinary Buffet- for the last 2 years, I’ve been using peptide serums in my AM routine! This one from the ordinary has been a staple and the only one I have repurchased several times. Its hydrating and leaves the skin plumped

Farmacy Honey Potion- if you are looking for a hydrating mask that leaves the skin looking smoother and healthier then this is what you want. It just leaves my skin radiant and well rested. A staple in my routine.

What are some of your standout products of 2024? Wishing everyone a happy skin year!

This year I’m focusing on clinic treatments to deal with some long standing issues and I’m hoping to document most of these on here! Last year I tried looking for some dupes for my well loved products and whilst I found some nice ones, most of them were so disappointing. I decided then to stop looking for cheaper alternatives for these products. I was wasting more money trying to find cheaper alternatives that didn’t do anything than if I just saved and purchased the expensive product I loved and worked well for my skin! I don’t need to find a dupe for every product!

Anyways I hope you found this post helpful, if you have any questions, drop me a mail!

catch you laterrrr

Under Eye Treatments

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hey hey everyone, I hope all is well!

Today’s post will mark my ‘clinic journey’ of trying to improve my concerns with my under eye area. Before we jump into it, a bit of background

I have hollowness under my eyes coupled with fine lines and mild creepy skin that I have had forever, even from my teenage years! I also get dark circles and eye bags quite easily because I never sleep early & I don’t get enough sleep lol. I was fine with these issues before as they didn’t really affect my makeup, i.e., I could get away with using as much concealer & powder I wanted without dealing with creasing & separation so whilst it bothered me, it didn’t bother me as much. Fast forward to 2022, I started noticing my concealer creasing very quickly when I did my makeup. I was using the same products so I didn’t understand what was happening but I switched products and got some new concealers & powders anyway, hoping to fix the issues I was now facing but I didn’t get any better results.

I then also noticed my eye area was a little bit worse as I’m getting older: my eye area was drier, a bit more sunken but the fine lines remained the same so I knew this was probably the culprit . I had to stop using concealer all together(thicker concealers especially) and switch to a lighter shade of foundation to highlight & brighten my face. I also switched to using powder foundation to set my undereye. This worked for a while but the creasing and separation came back no matter what technique I used ( and I tried so many hacks/tips). I also felt like I looked tired and much older because of the dark circles and hollowness – this was when I started to be very bothered by it.

In 2023 I had a consultation to discuss undereye filler and any other treatments that would be beneficial but I was told I might not be a candidate for filler right away because of my skin quality but that I should complete a few sessions of microneedling with nctf booster then come back for filler discussion. I ended up just doing 1 session of the microneedling and put everything else on hold. Last year I decided again to actually try and treat my eye concerns because its now gotten to the point where I’m extremely unhappy with it. I’ve looked at a lot of clinic options and I think I have narrowed it down to a few I want to begin with.

I’ve also refined my under eye routine. It’s so crazy that as much as it bothered me I actually never got dedicated products for it lol (Its almost like I spent so much time been bothered and worried about the issue but not enough time actually trying to fix it). I would use the serums and creams I was using for my face in my eye area but didn’t take time to properly get better formulated eye creams. That has changed. As I have dedicated this year to trying out different clinic treatments I want to make sure my skin quality and eye skincare routine is up to par. I’m now using the same actives I use for my face for my eye area: I use the c tango eye cream which has vit c & peptides in the AM and in the pm I’m using retinol based eye cream ( currently switched to the Haruharu eye cream for now as part of my challenge).

Treatments & Expectations

Based on the 3 consultations I have had so far and lots and lots of reading, I’m thinking of polynucleotides, prf/prp or sunekos eyes and fotona smooth eye laser. The laser is the most expensive option so I will save up and probably get that later in the year or next year. I want to start the polynucleotide treatment asap (at least 2 or 3 sessions), give it a few months to notice results then try prp/prf or sunekos.

I know that I have to go through a lot of trial & error before I get the results I’m seeking. I’m been cautious and very realistic on what I can achieve, I know my issues are mostly genetic with some lifestyle influences which means I wont get 100% improvement with the issues but I think 30-70% improvement is achievable and realistic.

I am also making sure to go to qualified and well reputable clinics/injectors for any of these treatments. I’m following my shortlist of places on socials and I have actively been engaging with them.

My first treatment is actually coming up shortly and I will be sharing this with you soon. I’ve been taking lots of pictures so that I can also keep track of progress. Baseline pictures below, I can definitely say looking at these pictures that the C tango eye cream has helped a lot with my dark circles!

PS- I will be doing full reviews for all the eye creams in the pic!

If you have similar issues to mine or just interested in under eye treatments then I hope you find this series helpful! When I’ve been searching for these treatments I always look for what the treatment looks like on dark skin because I want to see how the bruising/downtime etc looks like on my skintone. Especially with the laser treatments as I know we need specific lasers for our skintone.

I’m excited and nervous!

catch you soon!

Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum Review

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hey hey people! I hope all is well with you.

Today’s post just highlights the importance of 2nd chances and why we should be giving people and products (lol) one * within reason lol

Today I will be reviewing the vit c serum from Naturium. This came in the Spacenk 2024 beauty advent calender

Let’s begin

This is a vit c complex serum which is formulated with highly stabilized l-ascorbic acid vitamin C complex, sodium ascorbyl phosphate and a bioactive fruit blend that helps defend skin from environmental stressors, promoting healthier-looking skin ( from website)

I started using this on 22nd Dec and run out of it on the 2nd of Feb so it lasted 6 weeks. I mainly used it in my am routine but also a few times in my pm routine. I experienced no irritation with it.

Experience

This is a lightweight serum that feels hydrating on the skin. I really like that it sinks into the skin with ease and doesn’t have any stinging sensations you can get with vit c serums. The brand directs users to use a pea sized amount but I have to tell you I used more than that- 2 to 3 pumps over my face neck and chest then hands with whatever was left

Performance? yes it delivers! I love vit c serums because they work to brighten the skin whilst protecting against environmental aggressors! This serum feels nice on the skin and a pleasure to use. After 2 weeks of use, my skin was glowing and overall my complexion just looks healthier! The serum is a combo of different types of vitamin c: ascorbic acid & SAP and fruit blends also known to have vit c. It also has aloe vera leaf juice which I have come to love for its hydrating properties esp for my hair! Look at my skin!

Verdict

oh how I miss vit c serums! I’ve been using the Paula’s Choice super antioxidant serum for a while and I really enjoyed it but I wanted to use Vit c serums again! This serum just reminded me why Vit c is the gold standard for skin brightening and a glowing complexion. The serum is well packaged to protect against the unstable nature of pure vit c, so it didn’t oxidize in the time I was using it.

I’ve used my fair share of vit c serums in the past and I can say this is up there with my favorite ones! I’m genuinely surprised by this product because I HAD written off Naturium as a brand! I have previously tried 3 of their most popular best selling products and they were so disappointing so I thought to never try the brand again. With this coming in the advent calendar I had no choice but to give it a 2nd chance and I’m really glad I did! I’m thinking of trying their peptide serum now ( even though I HATE their peptide eye cream lol) because of this.

I highly recommend this and will purchase this again!

the serum is available from Boots or Spacenk