Holy Grail Beautyy . . .

• Cruelty Free YES
• Natural fragrance 
• Cheap at $12.90 AUD for 30mls
• 100% Cold Pressed Argan Oil
• Dropper bottle
• Alcohol Free YES
• Gluten Free YES
• Silicon Free YES
• Vegan friendly YES

My skin is now 39 years old and is oily/combination.

This is one of four reviews I have made on The Ordinary skincare brand, you can read them Buffet, Matrixyl 10% + HA and Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%.

Beauty Guru

I have tried other brands of Argan oil but this is the first 100% cold pressed oil I have used.
The product is housed in a dropper bottle and the oil is simply luxurious, like liquid silk!  I apply it last over all my other products at night and also in the morning.

Be aware of using too much as the more you use the longer it takes to absorb and you truly do not need much especially if you have oily skin.  The price is so right too! Argan oil is a good oil for most skin types; it contains vitamin e, linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid and more. 

It leaves your skin feeling smooth and makeup applies beautifully on top of it.  One thing to watch is the dropper can be a little haphazard and may drip if you are not gripping it properly.  Other than that I have no negatives for this product!

Ingredients

100 % Cold Pressed Organic Moroccan Argan Oil

I definitely recommend!

Thank-you for reading.
Not sponsored.
Image from The Ordinary
The Ordinary

• Paraben Free
• Cruelty Free YES
• No perfume
• 100 % Carbon Neutral
• Vegan friendly
• Australian owned 
• 25 mls for $20.95

This is the first skin care product I have by Sukin. 

Beauty Guru

I bought this oil after I had run out of my favourite staple oil by Swisse Skincare which you can read about here.

This oil smells the same as the body butter that I have by Sukin Organics.  It smells like a delicious lemon meringue pie!   It contains other beneficial oils such as maracuja, sunflower seed, rosehip, wheatgerm and vitamin e.

It comes in a dark brown dropper bottle at 25mls.  The colour of the bottle is important to keep your product ingredients stable and not deteriorating in sunlight.  The dropper is good but I prefer a pump instead.  The lid screws onto close but it does not actually tighten the whole way and springs back a little which has no bearing on the actual product but always strikes me as somewhat odd.

My Swisse argan oil has 20mls and runs out a lot faster than this Sukin one which has 25mls which is actually a lot.  I would say it lasted two weeks more than the Swisse.

Below the ingredients are linked to information on the net that I am not affiliated with in any way.  The ingredients in bold are known skin irritants to some people.

I definitely recommend! 

Ingredients:

Sunflower Seed Oil, Argan oil, Rosehip oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Coconut Alkanes, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Maracuja Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, (Tangerine) Peel Oil, (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, (Lavender) Oil, Vanillin, (Vitamin E), (Soybean) Oil, Limonene*, Linalool*

Thank-you for reading.
Not sponsored.
Image via Allorganicstore.com
Sukin Organics

Storytime

I haven't stayed loyal to any face cleansing wipes thus far, and tend to buy the ones that are on sale.  I decided to try this brand of wipes by Nivea and let you all know how these wipes worked out!

Beauty Guru

These wipes contain argan oil and aloe vera.  Its made for all types of skin.  Basically, yes it does remove cosmetic products from your face but when I used it on my eyes it stung! I tried it again and again it stung! So now I avoid my eye area completely because of something contained within the wipes.  The wipes are for sensitive skin as well as stated on the packet twice.  My skin is oily and can usually handle more chemicals or substances than sensitive skin but this is a no go for me.  The stinging goes away as long as I don't keep using it near my eyes.  So I won't be buying it again because I need the wipe to remove everything before I cleanse properly.  What baffles me is that Nivea states that this is suitable for sensitive skin as well as all skin types and is compatible with dermatologists tests yet it contains multiple high irritant ingredients.  So no wonder my eyes sting so much! I would say the majority of the ingredients are irritants.  Why Nivea?

Ingredients

• Water
• Isopropyl Stearate
• Argan Oil
• Aloe Vera
• Tocopherol
• Glycerin
• VP/Hexadecene Copolymer
• Sodium Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyle Acrylate Crosspolymer
• Ethylhexylglycerin
• Phenoxyethanol
• Methylparaben
• Linalool
• Limonene
• Citronellol
• Benzyl Alcohol
• Butylphenyl Methylpropional
• Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
• Geraniol
• Parfum  

I cannot recommend this product because it stings my eyes badly and the false advertising that it is safe for sensitive skin and all skin types is simply not true.



Thank-you for reading.
Not sponsored.
Image via nivea.com.au
Nivea 

Storytime

I had run out of my Palmer's Cocoa Body Scrub and needed a new body scrub before my skin became rough and built up on the area above my elbows but at the back of the arm.  I saw this Garnier product and it was on sale so I thought good enough to try it out and let you guys know if its any good or not.  I am not a user of any Garnier products prior to this body scrub.

Beauty Guru

This body scrub smells lovely; it reminds me of a warm, sexy amber type scent but it is not overpowering at all.  It is strong enough to smell but it does not linger once rinsed off.  The exfoliating beads contained within the amber coloured gel start to break down and turn into a white lather exfoliating dead skin but moisturising the skin at the same time.  Once rinsed from the skin, it will feel clean and soft, with no residue.  Your skin may feel extra smooth once rinsed but it is not a residue.  I use it with a puffy sponge that you can hang in the shower.  It contains the following:

Argan oil
Almond oil
Macadamia oil
Rose oil
Cupuaçu Seeds
Salicylic Acid
Glycerin
Water
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Polyethylene
Cocamide Mea
Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Powder
 Fragrance
Sodium Benzoate
Sodium Hydroxide
PPG-5-Ceteth-20
Caramel
Sodium Chloride
Coco Betaine
Citric Acid
Acrylates copolymer

 I really like this product but I don't feel it is a good product to recommend because it contains plastic beads that we know now affects marine animals terribly.  I was under the assumption that the beads had been banned now and I hastily bought this scrub as it was on sale.  Absolutely my bad.  I won't be buying it again and will look for an alternative scrub for the body that does not use the plastic beads.



Thank-you for reading.
Not sponsored.
Images by me.
Garnier  

Storytime

I had not tried any charcoal products as yet and this looked interesting.

Beauty Guru

This mask contains some good and some known irritants in it's ingredient list. Eucalyptus Oil is a good and bad product The product is a grey paste with large black bits amongst it.  You apply and leave it on for five to ten minutes and then you wet your skin and simultaneously rub your face to cleanse the skin and you rinse it off.  Whilst it was drying on my face, I felt my nose throbbing! It was a pretty bizarre feeling let me tell you!

The mask left my skin very soft which comes from some for the ingredients and my nose had been vacuumed by the product! All the sebaceous filaments had been removed and it was super clean looking.  Sebaceous filaments are similar in appearance to black heads but are not the same thing at all.  Sebaceous Filaments and Blackheads - The Difference

It contains the following "active" ingredients:

Moroccan lava clay What are the benefits?
Green Tea  What are the benefits?
Charcoal Powder What are the benefits?
Argan Oil What are the benefits?
Shea Butter What are the benefits?
Tea Tree Oil What are the benefits?
Eucalyptus Oil What are the benefits and cons?
Aloe Vera What are the benefits?
Pumice What are the benefits?
Menthol Is it good for skincare?
Menthoxypropanediol Is it good for skincare?
Linalool Is it good for skincare?
Limoene  Is it good for skincare?
Fragrance Is it good for skincare?
Geraniol What are the benefits?
Caramel What are the benefits?
Caprylhydroxamic Acid What is it?
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter What are the benefits?
Phenoxyethanol What are the benefits?
Melaleuca Alternifolia What are the benefit?



Other ingredients are preservatives and similar.


I feel that the amount of fragrance added to this product as well as the menthol, limoene, linalool which are irritants depending on the person that this is another product that is up to the individual and how your skin reacts with known irritants.  I had a good experience with the product although I am unsure if the very slight throbbing of my nose was ok!  Sometimes products with known irritants or ingredients with dubious claims to do amazing things do work for some of us and you really should take into account how your own skin reacts.  I won't buy this product again because I prefer sheet masks for ease of use, less mess and ones that have no potential irritants in them.  One other thing is that even though some products may not irritate your skin straight away, over time they will destroy your skin slowly.

My recommendation is up to you!

Thank-you for reading.
Not sponsored.
Image via Ulta.com
The Body Shop
 

Storytime

By now, if you are interested in beauty and skincare you would have heard of the now ubiquitous argan oil.  A lot of us are/were wary of putting literal oil products on our skin, especially if you have oily skin it would seem odd to put even more oil atop of your skin.

BUT, putting the right oil on your face for your skin's needs could be the best thing for your skincare regime that you never knew!

Swisse Wellness is an Australian company that was founded in Melbourne, Victoria in 1969 by Kevin Ring.  

Beauty Guru

Whilst I have been finessing the best regime for my skin's needs which are - anti ageing (as I am 37 in September), combination of oily and dry areas, sun protection and occasional break outs usually hormonal ones.

In order to keep my skin looking youthful as much as possible, hydration is essential.  Argan oil contains sterolins which in layman's terms are a plant version of fatty acids.   The fatty acids are excellent hydrating ingredients for skin.  These ingredients will plump skin and soften it substantially.

Anti - oxidants are present in argan oil and prevent oxidation of the skin and also helps in maintaining the skin's appearance.  The body has skin to protect it but when you get a cut, some cells may become damaged or die and free radical scavengers can be created.  Just like when you cut a slice of apple and leave it out, it turns brown because it is left out without protection having been removed from the body of the apple.  Smoking for example causes so much cell death and damage to your body; like your lungs and skin etc.  Argan oil is a wealth of anti - oxidants and in this particular Swisse product the excellent result is very visible in cleaning up those free radicals. http://www.thedermreview.com/argan-oil/


Vitamin E - The vitamin E based anti-oxidants help to eradicate damaged cells and assist in new cell growth which will help the overall appearance of the skin and acne scars.

Skin Types

Oily skin - Applying an oil like argan oil to an oily complexion is not a misnomer! By regularly applying an oil like argan oil, it will help to balance the skin's oil production, with the body producing lesser amounts of oil.  The skin over compensates for being dry by producing excess sebum.

Dry skin -  is skin that cannot hold onto moisture levels naturally.  Applying a 100% natural facial oil will naturally indicate to skin to now hold onto this new moisture from the applied oil.  Argan oil will help reduce skin flakiness and irritations.

Combination skin - I have combination skin with a normal cheek area and temple area and a full forehead, nose and chin area the classic T zone that is oily.  I apply the most oil to the T zone area and still apply to the drier areas of my face and I also apply it to my neck, decolletage and tops of my hands.  Applying the oil in this fashion will help to balance the differing sebum levels of the skin.

It is preferred to buy only 100% facial oils as impurities can damage the skin with free radicals which refutes the purpose of what you are trying to do. 

When using oils in your regime you should apply them first and any cream moisturisers last as the oil can be absorbed by your skin and the moisturiser will seal everything in if applied last of all at night.

I definitely recommend this product.

Thank-you for reading.
Not sponsored.
Photo by me.
Swisse Skincare

Anti Ageing + Oxidant Silk Sheet Facial Mask is the second of the silk sheet masks from the brand Essenzza Health that I have bought and tried.  This contains some great ingredients to assist in skins appearance and overall health.  On opening you smell the rosewood oil which was lovely!  Here is some of the ingredients in this particular mask:

• Argan Oil
• Rosewood Oil
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Hydrolyzed Collagen
• Vitamin C (Asorbic Acid)
• Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3

This is a 3 layer sheet mask, so on opening the sachet you pull it out and remove the first shiny layer as per instructions.  Pop it onto your face and finding the eye, nose and mouth areas and then pull off the blue layer.  You then leave it on for 20-30 minutes.

It does not dry completely on your face so do not expect that to occur.  After the allotted time, you then remove it from your face and let the product absorb into your skin over night as I did or during the day.  It does feel wet on the face and when I woke up my face was noticeably softer to the touch which is great for me as I have dry skin and also my skin looked brighter thanks to the Vitamin C.

I definitely would buy this mask again out of the three that Essenzza Health sell.  The other two masks are:

• Moisturise & Smooth Carrot Seed + Coconut
• Cleanse & Exfoliate Citrus + Pineapple Enzyme

Here is the link to their website and the masks http://www.essenzzahealth.com/collections/face-masks

Thankyou for reading.
Not Sponsored.
Image from Essenzzahealth.com