Tag Archives: skincare

Toners: Comfort vs. Balancing

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It’s well documented that I love Madara skincare, I even have an older in-depth spotlight post dedicated to all the products I had tried at the time here. Since then I’ve been using a couple of other products, two of which were these toners from their basic skincare line. I’m always looking for the perfect toner, it’s my favourite skincare step. Whether it’s a mist or one applied with a cotton pad, I always have a couple open and in use.

Madara actually offers three toners from their basic line and I’ve ended up with two of them – one to balance and the other to offer a little moisture. The third is for oily skin and since having a baby my skin is anything but oily! It’s actually been super dry and I’m struggling to adjust as I don’t really know what works for me anymore! I’ve just been layering on the moisturiser and hoping for the best!

I purchased the Balancing Floral Toner (£14/200ml) first before my skin really started to get dry, and I found it to be great and very refreshing on the skin. The toner has a base of rose water to remain nice and gentle, but also contains lactic acid to gently exfoliate. It’s also PH balanced to return your skin’s PH to normal after cleansing and helps the skin absorb products applied afterwards. There’s also Baltic raspberry, plantain, cucumber and chamomile in there for their added nourishment, balancing and calming properties.


The Comforting Toner (£14/200ml) is very similar, but with fewer ingredients making it more suitable for sensitive skin. Rose water, chamomile and glycerin make up the bulk of the ingredients here to soothe and hydrate dry skin. I do notice a difference using this compared to the balancing toner recently, especially if my skin is looking flaky and very dry. I apply this to a cotton pad and press the toner into the skin with the pad, then move it in circular motions to gently scrub away any flaky bits. That’s probably bad for my skin, but it seems to be a habit now.

Both of these contain alcohol so if your skin is 

very

 sensitive I would say to give these a miss, but I’ve found them both to be very gentle indeed. In that first week or two after Oliver arrived, I barely had a moment or the energy to bother with skincare, and used quite a bit of micellar water to clean and followed up with the comforting toner (or Balancing & Comforting mixed together) on my skin to get rid of that typical icky feeling after using a cleansing water. And that’s it. Who has time for moisturiser? (that’s probably why my skin is so dry now, come to think of it, oops!). I remember my skin was pretty great in those early days from the lack of fussing over it – and I think the blood loss helped my complexion look clear for a bit ha! grim. 

So there we have it, as usual some more great products from Madara for your face. I think I’m obsessed? They have another toner available as part of the Time Miracle range that comes as a mist and sounds gorgeous, so you know that’s on my list to try soon!

Are you a fan of Madara?


Review, Swatches: Dr. Jart + Ceramidin Cream & Liquid: How To Restore Skin Barrier Strength & Moisturize

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Did you know that Dr. Jart + was the dermatologist who introduced BB creams to the US market?! I do remember seeing the letters years ago, wondering what the buzz was all about. Clinique’s New Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + Plus improves skin barrier strength as well! Read all about it —> HERE! Now, Dr. […]

Spotlight: Esse Probiotic Skincare

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This South African, organic, all vegan, probiotic focused brand caught my eye back at the beginning of the year and boy am I glad they did. It took me quite awhile to get around to researching the extensive range (it’s a big ‘un!) to see what was for me. I read all of the product descriptions three times over and plenty of reviews to get a good feel for the brand and what to expect. It just sounded so good!

They have a core range split over different skin types, a range of body products, a special line for sensitive skin and a higher end super high-tech line of targeted anti-ageing products called ‘esse plus’. So there really is something for everyone here.

After much deliberating, I decided to try the serum from the core range. My skin was feeling a little dry and my current skincare wasn’t working to banish any flaky patches as effectively as usual so this seemed perfect. The serum contains a high dose of hyaluronic acid and a nice blend of soothing, hydrating ingredients such as rose, aloe and rooibos. There’s also inulin as a prebiotic for skin microbes, kigelia to lighten and much more, too.

This serum promises to deliver intense moisture (without overwhelming the skin with oils), reduce inflammation, brighten, firm and clean up any damage from pollution and everyday skin stress. It really is a little wonder and I fell in love with it very quickly.


The serum is a gel formula that is best used in the evening and applied to damp skin before following up with the rest of your routine. You can really tell it’s packed full of active ingredients as the gel is dark brown in colour and only a small amount is needed. It’s like a drink of water for your face!

My only negative is the size! This serum is just 15ml for £37 and I’ve used it up in around 3 months. I suppose this is a good thing to keep the ingredients fresh and potent, and just looking at the clean ingredients list below, everything has a purpose for bettering the skin.

I will compare it to something like Glossier and their hydrating serum Bounce, which is also 15ml for just £24, but contains a bunch of filler and rather useless ingredients that I wouldn’t want on my face.

Bounce full ingredients list: 


Water/Aqua/Eau, Biosaccharide Gum-2, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Caprylyl Glycol, Peg-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Polysorbate 80, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Octyldodecanol, Isohexadecane, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate.




Esse Serum Ingredients:

Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos) Leaf Extract*, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Water, Inulin, Glycerin, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Astragalus Gummifer Gum, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract*, Sodium Hyaluronate, Kigelia Africana Fruit Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Extract, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil*, Salicylic Acid, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Levulinic Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Water (Aqua), Tocopherol, Limonene***, Linalool*** *ingredient from organic farming ***component of natural essential oils 99.9% of the ingredients are from natural origin 49% of the ingredients are from organic farming 7% of the ingredients are fair trade

For me, esse wins hands down. 

Luckily for us, the brand stands out with their really great trial packs for the core and sensitive ranges, so I was able to sample some more of their products before committing to a bunch of full sizes. The trial packs aren’t too expensive, come in sturdy tins that are perfect to re-use and contain everything you need to get a feel for the products you’re interested in.


There are 4 trial packs available; oily/combination skin, normal skin and dry skin variations which contain 6 mini products for £31, and the sensitive set which contains 3 products for £23.

As you can tell I went with the sensitive kit, because even though pregnancy has been quite kind to my skin, I have tried to be as gentle as possible with any new products I’m using to avoid any reactions.

The sensitive kit contains the cleanser and both light (hydro) and rich (nourish) moisturisers from the sensitive range. The only product missing is the sensitive serum, but as this is quite an expensive product and the full size is only 15ml I can see why they chose to leave this out – though, even a tiny sachet would have been nice to include just to fully test the whole set of products, especially as I’m really interested in the sensitive serum and it’s benefits for reducing redness and repairing barrier function.

I really enjoyed using the cleanser and two moisturisers, and have been considering a purchase of the full size lighter moisturiser as it really seems to calm my skin and works well in both the morning and evening. I really like that it contains both pre and probiotics and I’ve been so interested to learn more about how these can help our skin. The cleanser is a nice and creamy gel sort of texture, it’s exceptionally gentle and removes light makeup – one for those of you who have very reactive skin types as it’s just so gentle. I also really liked the nourish moisturiser as it paired well with the serum to help dehydration, but I don’t think it’s something I would want to use long term as my skin usually doesn’t agree with shea butter and this contains it.

And that’s our brief introduction to Esse!


This is definitely a brand I want to explore more of. The sensitive serum is on my list, and they have a gorgeous sounding mist/toner with probiotics! I do love a good misty toner.


If you’re interested in dipping your toes into this brand I would definitely suggest a trial kit, or picking up some sachet samples from the Love Lula sample section, they have some of the cleansers and moisturisers for 50p each!


*products received as part of the LoveLula blogger programme*

The Hydration Dream Team.

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John Master’s is most well known for their killer haircare range. It’s certainly how I was introduced to the brand and it was quite awhile before I realised they also had a range of skincare! The range is fully established with several options for different skin issues and skin types, they use mostly all organic ingredients (70-100% of the formula), and also include no irritating preservatives such as phenoxyethanol (which I try to avoid).


I had wanted to try some of their skincare for quite a while, and when looking for some good hydrating products for my dehydrated skin a few months ago I liked the look of these two rose based hydrating products.

I’ve been using both serum and mist daily now in my routine since the very beginning of May and finally need to share the love!

The Rose & Aloe Hydrating Toning Mist was a no-brainer purchase, I do love a good toner, and as I wasn’t too impressed with the one I was using at the time I was relieved to find that this was everything I was hoping for.


The ingredients list is simple with aloe, rose and glycerin being the main trio. All great for dry, dehydrated, stressed, tired, hormonal and spotty skin. Yes, it turns out it’s possible to have that many things wrong with your face at once. The mist is great (always very important) it doesn’t shoot water at your face and spreads a fine mist evenly so that I need only 2-4 spritz per use. Used day and night since the beginning of May I’m now on my last 1cm of toner in the bottle, so I feel like it was pretty good value too, as I do tend to use toner up faster than the speed of light.

Ingredients:


Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice*, rosa damascena (rose) flower water*, glycerin*, leuconotoc ferment filtrate, oryza sativa (rice) extract*, camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf extract*, centella asiatica (gotu kola) extract* 

*Certified Organic Ingredient

I was less sure about what I was getting into with the Green Tea & Rose Hydrating Face Serum as I didn’t read any reviews and just went off of the description and ingredients list. It sounded like a great match for the toner and something my skin would benefit from. Luckily my gamble paid off and this fit into my routine perfectly and has also been used daily ever since. 

The serum is a very light cream texture that sinks into skin very easily, I’ve been using 1-2 pumps of this mixed with some moisturiser and two drops of cacay oil for my morning skincare routine. I much prefer mixing everything I want to use together and applying in one layer rather than layering up my skincare. It seems to overwhelm my skin less and helps the oil sink in too, making the perfect base for my foundation that doesn’t develop into dry patches as the day goes on. 

I wouldn’t say this serum is the be all and end all of serums, I’ve used better, but I’ve also used worse! For £25 it’s an absolute gem and totally helped my skin rebalance itself over the past couple of months. I’ve used about half of the bottle now and will continue to use it as a hydrating little boost for my face. 

Key Ingredients:

  • green tea – rejuvenates skin
  • rose flower oil – nourishes skin
  • rice – softens and heals while helping to prevent wrinkles
  • sea algae – soothing and nourishing to skin
  • sunflower – retains moisture and protects skin
  • aloe vera gel – anti-inflammatory; soothing
  • radish root – new all-natural preservative; protects against harmful bacteria

Ingredients:

Aloe barbadensis (aloe) vera leaf juice,* helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil,* glycerin,* coco glucoside, coconut alcohol, rosa damascena (rose) flower water,* leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate, borago officinalis (borage) seed oil,* oryza sativa (rice) extract,* camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract,* spirulina platensis (algae) extract,* butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter,* rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract,* lecithin, cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil,* rosa damascena (rose) flower oil,* anthemis nobilis (chamomile) flower oil,* boswellia carterii (frankinscense) resin extract, sclerotium gum powder, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate

*Certified Organic

What do you think of John Masters Skincare, have you tried anything from their range? I’m definitely interested in trying more and really like the look of the Bearberry Oily Skin Rebalancing Face Serum and the Moroccan Clay Purifying Mask! Maybe you’ll see a review for those on the blog one day 😉 *hides purse*

Review, Swatches: Lancôme Absolue L’Extrait Ultimate Eye Contour Collection – Balm-Elixir, Massaging Applicator, Mask

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Absolue-LExtrait-Yeux-crop

The visibly transforming eye balm-elixir and the massaging applicator are paired with an innovative eye mask. Specially designed and created by Lancôme’s laboratories, this exceptional eye collection combines our most precious and powerful ingredients, with a custom-made application tool for a unique sensorial experience.

The balm-to-elixir texture fuses with the skin, leaving it feeling nurtured, deeply hydrated and more comfortable. The innovative eye mask, made from an exclusive bio-cellulose, leaves the skin feeling divinely fresh. Used together, the eye balm-elixir and cooling eye mask provide visible results.*

*Based on self-assessment of women in a 6-week study applying the eye balm twice a day and the eye mask once a week.

Elixir Ingredients: AQUA / WATER / EAU,GLYCERIN, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER / SHEA BUTTER, ALCOHOL DENAT., PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAETHYLHEXANOATE, DEXTRIN PALMITATE, PTFE, POLYMETHYLSILSESQUIOXANE, SUCROSE STEARATE, CERA ALBA / BEESWAX / CIRE DABEILLE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, OCTYLDODECANOL, CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES, MICA, SODIUM POLYACRYLATE, HYDROXYPROPYL TETRAHYDROPYRANTRIOL, HYDROLYZED LINSEED EXTRACT, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, STEARIC ACID, PHENOXYETHANOL, ADENOSINE, PALMITIC ACID, POLYSILICONE-11, CHLORPHENESIN, SILICA, PALMITOYL TETRAPEPTIDE-7, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, PROPANEDIOL, CAPRYLOYL SALICYLIC ACID, DIPEPTIDE-2, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER
ROSE EXTRACT, DISODIUM EDTA, HESPERIDIN METHYL CHALCONE, SODIUM BENZOATE

Mask Ingredients: AQUA / WATER / EAU, CELLULOSE

Visible Results*

• See a smoother look to the skin around your eye contour – the texture is visibly improved and the skin tone looks more even.
• Feel firmer, more elastic skin around your eye contour – nurtured, deeply hydrated and more comfortable.
• See a fresher, more beautiful eye contour – dark circles seem softened, eye bags appear minimized, signs of fatigue seem visibly reduced.

*Based on self-assessment of women in a 6-week study applying the eye balm twice a day and the eye mask once a week