Exfoliating Cleansers and another (slightly ranty) video

Following on from yesterday's skin cleansers video, these products are better suited if you just want a little more 'oomph' from your daily cleansing routine. Equally good if you can't use/don't want to use acids (which unless you have a proper allergy WHY NOT?!).

Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser - Rose clay, apricot seed powder and a plethora of gorgeous waxes make this a beautiful exfoliating cleanser without stripping or any harsh skin-damaging ingredients. This is my current first pick for either an AM cleanse or a fresh-as-a-daisy skin ready for retinols etc in the evening second cleanse. All skin types - extreme rosacea sufferers will need to avoid the cheeks.

Diptyque Multi-Use Exfoliating Clay - this can be used as a mask or a scrub depending on your mood. Marble powder (oo-er) and apricot kernel oil and trace minerals make this a luxurious way of polishing that boat.* Suitable for all skin types. Lovely for breakout-prone skins.

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Polish - I realise I didn't talk about this AT ALL in the video. The mind - it is easily distracted. This one is gentle enough for daily use and is runnier than the others so you need very little. It's oatmeal and shea nut shell powder. Not slice-your-face-open-husks. :) All skin types.

Lush Angels on Bare Skin - this needs to be mixed with water to make a paste, which is then applied all over. Leaves the skin really smooth and soft. Exfoliating agents are ground almond powder and kaolin. Suitable for all skin types.

OSKIA Renaissance Mask - ok so this isn't actually a cleanser, but I once accidentally used it thinking it was something else (it was really early and really dark) and the results were bloody marvellous. Technically you apply this and leave it for up to 20 minutes. In my case you apply it, rub it like you're trying to get that genie out of the lamp, wash off and HeyPrestolookatthatfaceradiance! I'd apologise for abusing it so, but frankly I was so astounded I started trialing all sorts of products in the exact opposite way to the way they were recommended and it was a revelation. Contains MSM (obvs), lactic acid and a whole host of fruit acids. Bloody lovely.

Su-Man Exfoliating Facial Polish - literally contains coffee grains, very gentle but very effective. I can't think about Dragon's Blood without seeing fairy tales and nonsense so can we please just say 'plant extracts'? Su-Man is great ml for £ value compared to a lot of higher priced products. Caffeine is invigorating without over-stimulating.

Thank you for watching and reading and putting up with my rants and basically everything. *heart swells*


Links are all available in the description box on the video.

*check your cockney rhyming slang reference dictionary

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads

First Aid Beauty is an American brand that is relatively under the radar. These pads however, deserve more attention.

Facial Radiance Pads are a good starting point for people a little scared of starting the exfoliating acid stage of my suggested routines or alternatively, make a great additional product to include in your collection enabling you to switch it up a little on a daily basis.

Who are they for?
Anyone.

What skin type?
All.

What's in them?
Water/Eau, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Water, Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Extract, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Fruit Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Phyllanthus Emblica (Indian Gooseberry) Fruit Extract, Polysorbate 20

What's not in them?
Parabens, alcohol, useless nonsense

What's good about them?
They're very gentle. I'd give them a 'sting' factor of 1/5. I use the word 'sting' not to make you think your face will fall off - just to compare them to say a P50 - which would be 4/5 - which is entirely altogether unhelpful if you've not tried that either. *makes note to do next post on strengths of acid toners*
I will always have these in my collection now.

When do I use them?
At the traditional 'toner' stage. After cleansing.

How much are they?
Around £20 UK - $30 US. Yes, my lovely US readers - these are easily accessible to you. :)

For more information on FAB Facial Radiance Pads in the US: www.firstaidbeauty.com
and in the UK they are available from Feel Unique and Beauty Bay.

Clarins Exfoliating Toner

Here in all its glory is the most searched for item on this blog. There were over 100 searches for it in December alone so I thought I'd best get to reviewing it.

This is automatically in my Top 10 Toners.

A few things to say up front: it does contain alcohol - which I am always asked about - but it counteracts it nicely with glycerin. If I hadn't seen the inci list I wouldn't have known there was alcohol present. There is absolutely NO feeling of dryness after use.

It also contains glycolic, salicylic and tartaric acid - in much smaller amounts than P50 and Pixi Glow Tonic - there is only the teeniest sting on open skin (after extractions) so this in essence is a lovely toner that will really gently exfoliate the surface of the skin without really over-working it and thus the danger of thinning it out..however, it isn't the gentlest with the hindsight of longevity. I would absolutely keep this as one of your go-to exfoliating toners, but it's not suitable for 2 x day every day. Mix it up. Alternate with other exfoliating toners.

You'll find that the bigger beauty houses steer away from using products that are too active - and always, always, protect themselves with very safe usage directions. It's not their fault - they answer to lawyers and shareholders and have to avoid any costly lawsuits.

So this says to use 1 or 2 times a week and to avoid the eyes. I purposely used it across my eyelids and undereyes (as I always do with toner) and this is absolutely fine. On me. I'm not suggesting you pour it all over your face - just giving you reassurance that for my eyes - which are actually quite sensitive - this was fine.

It also has the must-have legal requirement labelling about sunburn and AHA usage - saying to avoid the sun for a week after use. This is bog standard EU inci legislation that has to be applied to anything containing AHA's. 

Ridiculous when you consider that glycolic acid is the only one of the AHA's that actually makes you sun sensitive. Do read the packaging but don't be put off.

So yes, protect your skin and patch test on a Clarins counter if you are concerned, but this is a beautiful, softening, exfoliating, brightening, hydrating toner that should be in everyone's arsenal. 

Available from Clarins.co.uk priced £24.50.

* press sample

OSKIA Micro Exfoliating Balm - Review

OSKIA is one of those brands that has been on the peripheral for a while that you can feel just 'bubbling under' about to hit the big time.

Firstly, their website is great. I like a brand that puts themselves out there with confidence: This is Who We are, What We Do and Why. It's also full of great tips in general and has a full background on their key ingredient MSM - and why it is the backbone of the range. They label themselves as 'nutritional skincare' which appeals to me - there is definitely a link between what you can eat and what you can use topically.

The Micro Exfoliating Balm has worked its way into my 'always in use' box (I sense a blog post on that box coming up!) and I am really enjoying it.

So:

What's in it?

Full Ingredients
PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS (SWEET ALMOND) OIL*, GLYCERIN, SESAMUM INDICUM (SESAME) SEED OIL, DECYL OLEATE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, METHYL SULPHONYL METHANE (MSM), GLYCERYL DIBEHENATE, SILICA, TRIBEHENIN, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, GLYCERYL BEHENATE, HELLIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, COCO GLUCOSIDE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER*, CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FLOWER EXTRACT, PARFUM (NATURAL FRAGRANCE), MENTHA PIPERITA (PEPPERMINT) OIL, CITRONELLOL, GERANIOL, BENZYL ALCOHOL, ZINC GLYCINE, AQUA (WATER), INULIN, ALPHA-GLUCAN OLIGOSACCHARIDE, ALEURITES MOLUCCANA (KUKUI) SEED OIL, ROSA CANINA (ROSE HIP) SEED OIL, TOCOPHEROL, DEHYDROACETIC ACID.
*ORGANICALLY CERTIFIED INGREDIENT.

The exfoliation ingredients are a mixture of silica and pure MSM granules.

What's good about it?

It has a really lovely creamy, rich texture and holds its form in the pot.
A lovely list of 'nutritional' ingredients - this feels expensive on the skin.
Skin is left really soft, glowing and really smooth.
Gentle enough to be used 2/3 times a week and suitable for all skin types.
It has a won a multitude of awards - and awards usually mean something when the brand in question doesn't pay for advertising in the glossys. It means the beauty department like it enough to give it an award over a paying advertiser. Which is a big deal.

What's bad about it?

Nothing is bad with the product itself - but it's not cheap. It's £46.00 for 50ml. That would make me use it as a 'treat', when I prefer to use something as often as I need. The outer packaging is unnecessarily bulky and large. Considering research shows most people bin the box as soon as they've opened it, that seems a little excessive.
But that's about it.

All in all, if you can afford it - buy it.

If not, add it to your birthday list and give it to someone else to buy for you.

OSKIA Micro Exfoliating Balm is priced £46.00 and available here.


*PR Sample