#reviewsdaytuesday: B. Skincare

To complete my two part look into the B. product range here is my review of some of their skincare products! If you missed my cosmetics review post you can find that here.

Glycolic Cleansing Peel. This face mask works wonders. You apply a small amount (about the size of a large pea) all over your face, leave for three minutes then wash off using the muslin cloth supplied. It has a really milky consistency, leaves my skin feeling really fresh. It is a peel in the sense that the glycolic acid strips a layer of your skin off rather than a mask that you peel off. I probably use it twice a week, and although the product suggests using it in the evening I often use it in the morning and don't notice a difference in results. It says its suitable for combination, dry and oily skin, which I would agree with.

Micellar Water. I've heard loads about these new micellar water products that every makeup company is bringing out. I don't think its the miracle product that everyone is saying it is, but it does a good job on  lazy day when I can't be bothered to take off my make-up, cleanse and tone. I don't think it does an amazing job of breaking down eye-make-up, in particular my waterproof mascara, so I normally remove that with a separate product before using this one. When i run out of my current toner I'll probably use this instead.

Exfoliating Cleanser. I wouldn't necessarily call this product and exfoliant. Even though it does have microbeads in it, the formula is so milky that it doesn't feel very abrasive - which is great if you have sensitive skin. The most exfoliating aspect of this product is probably the salicylic acid, which is meant to unblock pores. I've been loving it, and the longer I've used it the happier I've been - and since I was looking for a two in one exfoliant and cleanser to use in the shower in the mornings this one fit the bill nicely. My housemate gave this product a try out and loved it so much she couldn't stop!

Night Serum. I got this in skin phase one - for use in your twenties and thirties. I'd wanted to try a night serum for a while, so when I saw this was half price I picked it up. It applies really well, it soaks in pretty quickly and doesn't sit on the skin, and when I wake up in the morning the skin still feels moisturised. I'm pretty happy with it so far!

I'm really looking forward to trying more B. products as they grow as a company and start to expand their range. If you've tried any B. products, let me know by tweeting me @VickiMaitland or leaving a comment below.

Empties #1

I've been saving up these bottles and bits for so long - almost since I came back from Austria - and I think I've finally got enough to make a decent empties post.

E.L.F Pressed Powder in Buff. I loved this product so much not only did I re-purchase it but I also got it in a lighter shade so I could wear it all year round! It applies really well using a brush (for lighter coverage). The application pad that it comes with gives much heavier coverage and isn't as easy to use. I wore this product almost daily over summer, as it gives a really natural matte finish.

Another E.L.F product which I've re-purchased is their Liquid Eyeliner in Black. It applies pretty well, doesn't sting or burn like other cheap eyeliners I've used, and is generally good value for money.

You might remember me saying how excited I was for this product back before summer. It's Superdrug's Uplifting Red Cherry and Fig Conditioner. This product was pretty 'meh' for me. It wasn't as moiturising as I'd have liked it to be and I had to use a pretty big palmful to get the results I was after. I will try a different Superdrug conditioner though, as I'm determined to find good, cruelty free hair products, but I won't be buying this one again. I'm still working through the shampoo in the same scent.

I've used this Simple Kind To Eyes Nourishing Eye Make-up Remover Cream for years! Clearly I really like it. It feels like you're doing something nice to your face by taking off your makeup, rather than putting chemicals on it to burn off other chemicals. When this one ran out I didn't have a chance to re-purchase it, but I'm definitely going to go back to it as soon as I can. My only problem with this product is the packaging - the lid almost always breaks, making it awkward to store.

Another Simple product that I've been using is this Kind To Skin Smoothing Facial Scrub. My mum got this for me on a two for one deal thinking it would be good to take travelling etc and I hadn't thought much of it till my other exfoliator ran out and I began using this everyday. It gives good results and, as it's pretty moisturising, it feels nice on your skin too. I've got a small stock pile of these, so I'll keep working my way through them, but I'm looking to switch to a more environmentally sustainable exfoliant. I will say that this does use rice granules rather than micro-beads, which is better but still not fabulous. 

Another product that I've used for years is this Shockwaves Curls and Waves Mousse. I use it everyday and I love it. I'm so gutted it isn't cruelty free though, and I am looking to switch, so if you've got any suggestions leave a comment and let me know!

This B. Undereye Concealer in Light/Medium has been great, and I repurchased it a while back. I use it everyday and think it really brightens up my eyes.

Olay Complete Care SPF 15 Daily Fluid for Normal/Oily Skin. I inherited my love of this product from my mum, who has used it everyday since I can remember. It soaks in really quickly and sits really lightly on your face - you only need a tiny bit to go a long way. Plus it has SPF 15 in it, which is a huge moisturiser must for me. When my new one runs out, I am going to switch to Superdrug's own brand version as I really want a cruelty free moisturiser, but I'll be sad to see this one go!

Last but not least, Vaseline Active Fresh 48h Protection Pro Derma Anti-perspirant-deodorant. I love this deodorant. It applies really well and doesn't take ages to soak in and dry which is my main issue with most other deodorants. I really want a deodorant which doesn't have anti-perspirant in it, but until that day I will keep using this product.

I hope that post was helpful - let me know which products you can't help but re-purchase in the comments, or tweet me @VickiMaitland.ski

My Experience with Skin Cancer

Please don’t joke about skin cancer. This should be an obvious thing to say, and I shouldn’t really have to ask, but whilst on holiday my (now ex) fella quoted South Park (or Family Guy – one of the two) in which they made a joke about sitting outside sunbathing with the words ‘I’m just getting me some cancer’.

Skin cancer (or, to use its proper name malignant melanoma) is a condition most often (although not exclusively) caused through skin damage due to over exposure to the sun. Everyone I know has a mole on their body somewhere, and this is usually the first sign of skin cancer. Most of the time, these moles are benign, but they can turn cancerous. You should take photos of all moles on you and monitor them for any changes in shape or size (particularly if they stop being round), if they form lumps, or they have an uneven tone (particularly if they have dark patches). If you are worried, speak to your GP, and they can examine them more closely. Despite the story I’m about to tell you, getting your skin cancer spotted early gives you the chance of the best possible outcome, and GP’s are very good at their jobs (and their equipment has improved vastly over the past twenty years).

This is my story about my relationship with skin cancer.

My dad has always had a lot of moles on his body, and he did visit the doctors on a number of occasions to get them looked at. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma – some of the moles on his back had turned, mutated and become cancerous. My dad isn’t the kind of guy to walk around with his top off, but when he was younger he would. A couple of bad burns in your childhood can have devastating results later in life. Remember, your skin never forgets.

Despite having the moles removed, sadly the cancer had already spread into his lymphnodes (found in your glands, they are designed to attack illness). He had to undergo serious surgery to have all the infected lymphnodes removed from one side of his body. He was in hospital for a number of days, and had lost a lot of strength for several months after the operation. He still has to wear a compression sleeve to counteract swelling from fluid retention, and he has to be very careful whenever he is ill, as his immune system is permanently damaged.

My story is a lucky one. Dad didn’t have to undergo any kind of chemo or radio therapy. He is now cancer free and has been in remission ever since the operation. He still has to go for check-ups at the hospital every 3-6 months, and he has been left with big scars down his side and over his back.

What I’m trying to say with all this is that skin cancer isn’t a joke, and shouldn’t be treated as such. Getting a sunburn isn’t funny, and not wearing suncream isn’t cool. Just because you may not see the immediate effects now (other than painful red skin or a strong tan) doesn’t mean that you’ve escaped permanent, potentially life threatening, damage.

The paler you are, the more easily you burn, but just because you might have an olive complexion doesn’t mean you’re immune to the effects of the sun, so be careful out there.

I know summer is drawing to a close, but every time it’s out and shining, make sure you put on a bit of cream. At the very least wear moisturiser or make-up with SPF in it. Make sure you’re protected against UVA and UVB, and cover up at midday. If you’re on holiday at altitude or nearer to the equator, the sun is stronger there too, so be extra careful.

I’m sorry about the mini lecture, but the joke made on holiday really shocked me – I couldn’t believe someone so close to me even thought about joking about skin cancer. (I should point out that the joking in no way lead to our break up.)

Lighter hearted content will resume in my next post – probably a beauty post or book review. Until then, stay safe.

Beauty: Skin Care Routine May 2014

I posted my last skin care routine this time last year. I've mixed a few bits up since then, so here's what I do now. 

I've got normal-oily skin. I don't have a problem with acne, but I do have a problem with blackheads. As disgusting as it is, I can’t seem to get rid of them. I’ve only got myself to blame – I didn’t see the need in washing my face every day till far too late into my teenage years, and by that time puberty had done its damage. If you’ve got any recommendations for how to get rid of them, I’d love to hear them!

At the moment I use 5 main products on my skin.

1)     Simple - Kind To Eyes Nourishing Eye Make-Up Remover Cream

2)     Simple - Kind To Skin Vital Vitamin Foaming Cleanser

3)     Simple - Kind To Skin Smoothing Facial Scrub

4)     Simple - Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner

5)     Olay – Essentials Complete Care Normal/Oily SPF15 Daily Fluid

If it’s the evening I start by removing any eye make-up I’ve got on (usually some combination of eye shadow, liquid liner and mascara, as well as some under-eye concealer) by applying a small squirt of (1) to a cotton pad and rubbing it gently over my eyelid and through my lash line. I cannot fault this product, it does exactly what it says on the tin, but if it gets in your eyes it still stings a little, so apply this carefully. Besides, it’s not good to apply pressure to your eyelid. I rub my eyes till a majority of my makeup is off and the pad is nice and dirty. If it’s the morning I don’t have anything on so I skip this step.

I then dampen my face with warm water, squirt a couple of pumps of cleanser into my fingers and massage it over my face, focussing on my T-zone. This also gets rid of any face-makeup I’ve got on (not that I often do a full face).

I rinse that off, squeeze not even a penny sized amount of exfoliator onto my hands and rub all over my face – focussing on my nose and cheeks (I suffer from a skin condition which means I have over-reproductive skin cells on my cheeks and upper arms. It’s mostly gone away on my face now, but if I don't remove the dead cells I can get small lumps, and it means that my cheeks are constantly rosy).

I rinse all that off too and pat my face dry with a flannel. Using another cotton pad apply a little toner in upwards motions over my face and let it dry for a few moments whilst I brush my teeth. I then apply a 20p sized amount of moisturiser to my face and neck. I never used to moisturise as I always thought my skin was too oily for it to be necessary, but I’ve since learnt that all the harsh oil-removers I was using was only causing my skin to think it was de-hydrated and needed to produce even more oil! Since I’ve started applying moisturiser twice daily I’ve noticed a huge difference in how my skin looks and feels, as well as how much oil it produces.

That’s pretty much it. I don’t always do everything, and I don’t always do it twice daily – it just depends how much of a rush I’m in. If I have got a few extra minutes to spare, I’ll also use Superdrug Dead-Sea Mud Mask. My skin always looks and feels so much nicer after I’ve used it, and the great thing about it is you can actually see the oil being pulled from your skin – which is disgusting and interesting all at the same time. If I apply this, I’ll do it after my wash routine, but before my moisturiser. Most Superdrug own brand products are also cruelty-free, and as I’m trying to make all my facial care cruelty-free next time I run out of any of the above products I’m going to try an own brand alternative. I’ll keep you posted!

It also goes without saying that I use a clean flannel (I try to change them weekly) and always wash my hands before touching my face. IIf it’s the morning I try to have a drink of water (hot with a slice of lemon is my favourite, or black or green tea with lemon if I need a caffeine boost). Hydration is the key to healthy glowing skin, and every night you breathe out a load of water, so it’s best to revitalise that as soon as possible.

Let me know if you know any affordable cruelty-free duplicates for any of the products I’ve used – particularly the eye make-up remover cream and the daily fluid. You can leave recommendations in the comments or tweet me @VickiMaitland

xx