I’m always on the hunt for the right kind of beauty products for my skin. My skin can be pretty sensitive, it’s pale and can get pretty dry in the cold winter months. But lately I’ve come across some great products for keeping my skin smooth and hydrated, especially over winter.
One of my favourite brands at the moment, which makes up my entire daily skincare routine, is Sukin. They’re an Australian brand, all organic and great for your skin. The products range from face, to body and even hair care. At the moment my little Sukin kit is made up of their cream cleanser which I use every night, revitalising facial scrub (also creamy) which I use two to three times a week, facial moisturiser which I use every morning, micellar water which has been amazing for removing makeup and general dirt on your average day and when I’m feeling lazy and can’t be bothered cleansing before bed; and last (but certainly not least, its probably my favourite product) their facial treatment oil. This oil has made such a noticeable difference to my skin that I don’t think I’ll use anything else any time soon.
I always had the idea that if you had troublesome skin, prone to breakouts in my case, that using oily products would only make it worse. But as most people are well aware these days, oily products actually have the benfit of controlling the amount of oil that the skin releases. Since I started using the whole range of products, the face oil in particular, friends and family have made comments about my skin looking better and I find that it’s less dry and tight which is great in winter when your either outside in the cold wind or inside with a blasting heater. It may sound like I’m just pushing products, but I really love this brand and it’s worth a trial. You can get them online from the Sukin website or from most chemists (Chemist warehouse, Priceline) at really great and affordable prices, which is always great when you’re a uni student.
Something else I alway have trouble with, and not just in winter, is a condition called keratosis pilaris, which is pretty much just bumpy skin on the back of the arms and sometimes in other areas such as the always troublesome thighs. It isn’t a big deal and in my case not very obvious, but it does mean that my skin can be really dry and rough at times and in the case of thighs can make shaving uncomfortable (more than general). So I’m always on the lookout for great hydrating body washes, lotions and exfoliants.
A range of products that I’m thrilled about, that I came across recently on Instagram and bought straight away, is from local Melbourne company Summer Salt Body. All their products are inspired by the ocean, the website opening with the phrase “Salt is the cure for everything – Sweat, Tears and The Sea”; words to live by. Their range of products are vegan, chemical free and organic where possible and are handmade in Melbourne by the companies founder Sarah.
All of Summer Salt Body’s products include amazing ingredients such as natural sea salt, Himalayan salts, Celtic Sea Salts, sugars and organic oils including coconut oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil, jojoba oils and essential oils. The other day I ordered the the Pink Grapefruit Himalayan Salt Scrub, Coconut and Lime Salt Scrub and the White Clay Nourishing Mask. I was also lucky enough to receive a small free sample of the Avocado Lime Salt Scrub. After only using the coconut and lime scrub once so far, my skin already feels better. I know that sounds a bit ‘as if’ but I exfoliated the day before I shaved my legs and after shaving they were smooth, and no where near as dry as they normally would be. I’m looking forward to trying out the others and you’ll know when I do; planning on trying out the clay mask this afternoon 🙂
But if those flavours don’t do it for you they also have other delicious flavours such as rose, lavender, mandarin, strawberry, pineapple, watermelon and mango; and as delicious as they sound don’t be fooled and eat them! They also have a range of coffee scrubs, bath products, healing oil, jewellery and a sick little anchor tattoo for those of you who would literally like to leave their mark on your gorgeous new skin. They come in handy re-sealable bags and once opened need to be used within six weeks, which is plenty of time for scrubbing.
Face masks aren’t something I’ve always put effort into, but after coming across another local brand on Instagram I thought I should try them out. Ms. Soho is a Melbourne based label, inspired by the fresh faces found in Soho, New York. Their two main products are their Beautitox (which I bought recently) and their Collagen Cleanse (which I plan on buying next). The Beautitox is a five day skin treatment that includes five masks with different beauty properties.
Day one: Aloe Vera – Calms and soothes skin, fades any redness and blemishes, and begins to activate and regenerate cells
Day two: Grape – Powerfully nourishes skin to reduce fine lines, restore firmness and promote anti-ageing.
Day three: Blackberry – Extracts grime and dirt from the skin to thoroughly detox your pores, whilst balancing oils.
Day four: Fig – Softens the harshness of skin in order to help brighten and shine the complexion.
Day five: Green Olive – Replenishes moisture into the skin to hydrate and refresh, whilst supplying and reserving collagen.
The idea is that you wash face and make sure it’s clean and dry, apply the face mask and add any extra liquid to your face for the best result, leave the mask on for 20-30 minutes (depending on the time you have), remove the mask, rub in any extra liquid and look beautiful! I was worried about the last direction of rubbing in any extra liquid and just leaving it at that, thinking that it wouldn’t be enough to leave my skin moisturised for the night but I was gladly surprised to find that just rubbing it in was enough moisture to keep my face going until the next morning.
These face masks left my skin feeling refreshed and a lot less tired after days in cold weather and evenings in a heated and small apartment. I would take advantage of the 20-30minutes it gives you each day to just relax or nap (I didn’t on some days) because you will feel thoroughly refreshed which is either great for heading out into a busy day or before jumping in bed. They would be great to do three or four times over winter to keep the moisture level in you skin up and even over summer when we spend most of our time outside in the sun or swimming in some body of water.
I’m yet to use any of the Collagen Cleanse products but I am looking forward to trying them out. Ms. Soho’s Collagen products are three day treatments that come in three different forms. Each of them are made from collagen and gold, and have their own properties and benefits when targeting a specific area. They include Facial Elasticity, Lip Plump and Eye Firmer and being three days if you start on hump day you can have a plump, firm face ready for a weekend out!
Other products I keep in the bathroom pantry are my go to body lotion from Aveeno and the always useful/multipurpose coconut oil and both of these products I use on a daily basis. Aveeno is all Jennifer Aniston talks it up to be. It’s scent free which I don’t mind and literally leaves my skin feeling full of moisture for the entire next day! You don’t have to use much and given that it absorbs quickly it doesn’t leave your skin feeling oily (not that that’s always a bad thing, cue coconut oil).
Coconut oil, well we all know it’s just brilliant. I use it as a moisturiser, mainly for my legs after a I shave and I’m jumping in bed. Lathering it on before bed means that they have the whole night to soak it in and you don’t have to worry about clothes or couches getting any oily stains on them. And given it’s health benefits it helps with any irritation that might occur from razors. I also tend to rub into my hands (particularly my nails) and my lips at bed time, I find that it helps keep them smooth and it keeps my nails strong even when I’m working with dishes and wet cloths at work.
And on the subject of shaving, a little tip of mine that you may or may not have come across before, is using either sorbolene cream or conditioner in place of shaving cream. It’s generally cheaper depending on which brand you go for, it helps keep moisture in the skin when your shaving, their both water soluble so they don’t muck up your razors and sorbolene can just be great for the overall health of your skin.
So get exploring with your products, I’d love to hear about any you that you love. And remember to love the winter skin you’re in!
*All information for these products has been taken from their corresponding websites and some is word for word description so as not to give any other idea about the product than the one the company intends. All the opinions are based purely on my own skin experiences and will obviously vary between individuals who use the products.
Ronnie 