 - Image: istockphoto.com © Alina Solovyova-Vincent
Don’t you find that sometimes too many hours in front of the computer screen, not enough time to eat properly, interrupted sleep, maybe a bit more stress than usual, and life in general can play havoc with your skin? What with recession blues and tighter purse strings, trips to the spa have become considered purchases lately which means that I, for one, am in the market for some home treatments.
Recently, I have been looking for a home moisturising treatment that would deliver a boost to dry, tired skin so I was very pleased to be given a free sample of a new facial oil from the Trilogy range by my local pharmacy. It is the CoQ10 Booster Serum from the Age Proof range and it comes in a little bottle with a dropper which is great for delivering the oil in a hygenic way. The serum is rich in anti-oxidants and pleasant to use.
I’m not sure how Trilogy recommend applying the oil but I achieved good results by adapting a technique I learned from Decleor, I used the dropper to put three drops in the palm of my hand, then rubbed my hands together to warm and disperse the oil before applying it in light sweeping strokes to a cleansed face.
The list of ingredients in the Trilogy Age Proof serum is Macadamia Ternafolia (Macadamia Nut) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Nigella Sativa (Blackseed) Oil, Calophyllum Tacamahaca (Tamanu) Oil, Lecithin, Ubiquinone (Co-enzyme Q10), Retinyl Palmitate, Parfum, Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Citronellol, and Linalool. It smells and feels wonderful on the skin and I noticed an improvement in the appearance after just one application.
Facial oils are a really useful addition to your moisturising routine and well worth experimenting with if perimenopause is affecting your skintone and condition.
The Trilogy range is stocked in my local pharmacy and is reasonably good value by comparison with similar products. If I was giving out stars, this one would get a five star rating from me.
I was robbed this week! I really was. Admittedly it isn’t the end of the world because all that was taken was my make-up bag, but it has been surprisingly upsetting and, as the days have passed, I’ve come to realise that there was more in that little bag than I realised. So far, my losses include:
- My crystal nail file that was supposed to last a life time. It cost me an arm and a leg.
- My very best Bare Escentuals brush – a synthetic one that they don’t do anymore
- My newest Bare Escentuals natural brush
- My Bare Escentuals foundation
- My Bare Escentuals Clear Radiance
- My Bare Escentuals Buxom Lip Gloss
pauses and sobs
- My brand new hand bag size L’Occitane hand cream
- My Avon mascara
- My Avon brow pencil
- My Liz Earle Superskin Moisturiser
- My Origins White Tea Skin Guardian
And
- the jewelled mirror my sister in law gave me for my 50th birthday
To make matters worse, I lost my favourite hair accessory this morning too.
Things can only get better …
Yesterday I finally got my hands on a copy of the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible by Sarah Stacey and Josephine Fairley (Kyle Cathie Limited, 2011). It was worth the wait. I spent a good two hours soaking up their words of wisdom which go beyond skincare and cosmetics tops to provide some practical and sensible advice on fitness, yoga, diet and supplements.
 Being a skincare and cosmetics junkie, I already have some established favourite products so there was nothing in the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible that was likely to persuade me to forsake my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish while on the moisturiser front, Philosophy’s Hope in a Jar and Decleor’s Hydrafloral remain my firm favourites. That said, I will be reviving my Liz Earle Skin Repair moisturiser – not for my face, but to try as a neck cream because – once again – it gets a great write-up category.
Anti-ageing miracle creams
But let’s forget moisturisers for a moment because the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible puts the spotlight on what they describe as anti-agening miracle creams. Interestingly, their top-scorer is L’Occitane’s Immortelle Divine Cream but the one that caught my eye was the Neal’s Yard Frankincense Nourishing Cream. Frankincense is such a wonderful scent that to use this as a night cream sounds like a blissful experience. That’s the first tick for my shopping basket and I’ll let you know how I get on with it.
Anti-ageing hair products
Other products that caught my eye include Head & Shoulders hydrating shampoo and conditioner. Colouring your hair tends to make it dry and I, for one, am definitely in the market for good hydrating shampoos. I’ve tried a number of different products, few of which have delivered the desired results (John Frieda’s Brilliant Brunette Conditioner is my current favourite). Head & Shoulders hasn’t been in my bathroom since my twenties but, if the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible is correct, then it’s time to take another look so this is another one for the shopping list.
Anti-ageing body treatments
On the body treatment side, dryness is a common complaint for women once they hit their forties and fifties. L’Occitane’s almond based range gets good reviews in the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible. I’ve tried the shower oil from this range (and loved it) so I’ll definitely consider adding the body products to my list.
Also favourably reviewed by the girls is Decleor’s Aroma Sculpt Divine – the thought of sculpting is enticing but price points mean this will have to go on the wish list. (Decleor’s Excellence de L’Age product is another one of the recommended anti-ageing miracle creams). Although Decleor is a bit on the pricey side if you’re just purchasing to try out the range, their gift sets around Christmas are very good value and watch out for their in-store promotions which sometimes offer really good value. If you’re in Dublin, you’ll find a Decleor counter in Clerys and in House of Fraser or you can purchase online from the QVC, the shopping channel.
Anti-ageing hand and foot care
Like the body, feet too seem to become drier with age. Thanks to a stroke of luck, I recently won Bliss’s Sage and Lemon body moisturiser so I’ve been using that extravagently for foot massage and moisturising. Bliss is well named! But, based on the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible, I’ll be saving up and adding Aveda’s foot relief to my shopping list.
For hands, Liz Earle’s Hand Repair is favourably mentioned as are a number of other naturally-based product. The one I’ve selected for my list is the Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream on the basis that it’s not expensive and I’ve seen some good results from Weleda products.
Eyes
I’ve blogged recently about the importance of the eyebrow and Shavata remains my favourite for shaping and grooming the brow, but based on the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible reviews, I’m now adding Soap & Glory’s Arch de Triumph Brow Shaper to my list of ‘must purchase’ items. And, if you’ll parden the pun, the other product that caught my eye is the Bourjois Effet Smoky Pencil. I want one of those!
Conclusion
Overall, the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible is an informative read that is as enjoyable as a good chat with your best friends. It’s a pity that it’s not yet available for the Kindle because I would love to have it with me whenever I am shopping for skincare and beauty products. I’ve only touched on some of the topics it covers – there’s lots more, from coping with sleeplessness to dealing with sunspots and rosacea, from getting over aches and pains to the facelift diet. Do get your hands on a copy if you get the chance. You’ll enjoy it!
Izzy’s Anti-Ageing Beauty Wish List
- Head & Shoulders Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner
- Marks & Spencer Advanced Formula Solutions Anti-Redness Serum
- Aveda Foot Relief
- Soap & Glory Arch de Triumph Brow Shaper
- L’Occitane Milk Concentrate Firming & Smoothing with Almond Milk
- Decleor Excellence de L’Age Sublime Regenerating Cream
- Decleor Aroma Sculpt Divine Rejuvenating Cream
- Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish
- Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Rejuvenating Face Serum
- Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream
- Liz Earle Hand Repair
- Neal’s Yard Remedies Frankincense Nourishing Cream
- Bourjois Effet Smoky Pencil
Better value skincare is a priority for me ever since saving became the new religion. I have been hearing a lot about the Lacura skincare products at Aldi and have been keen to try them out. This week I finally got my opportunity and picked up two moisturisers to sample.
 The first is Lacura Shimmering Day Cream. I like the bottle, I like the texture, I like the idea of the shimmer, I like the price but I don’t like the smell. In fact, I don’t like the smell so much I didn’t want to risk putting the cream on my face so, so far, I’ve only risked using it on my arms.
My second purchase was Lacura Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream. This time, I like the texture, I like the price, the smell is fine, and the packaging is acceptable. In fact, the price was so good, I feel I can be lavish with the cream so I experimented by trying some on my dry, cracked feet. Interestingly, I saw an immediate improvement that persisted for a couple of hours. I’m quite impressed because I had tried a couple of other creams on my feet in the last few days and none of them produced as good a result. I haven’t tried this one on my face either, but I may risk it before the week is out. If I do, I’ll let you know how I get on.
As for the savings to be achieved from this shopping for better value skincare experiment, well the trick seems to be to stop spending. Unfortunately, I haven’t mastered that part yet.
 - Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Scrub
If I am ever going to retire early, I will have to cut down my spend on skin care products. I don’t why they hold such fascination for me but they do. I am addicted to exfoliators, moisturisers, serums, gels, oils – anything that makes the skin feel cared for and comfortable. After all, I rely on it to hold me together so it’s only fair that I do my best to keep it in decent condition.
My latest find is Soap and Glory. You’ve probably known about it for years but I invested a few euro in it for the first time this week. I purchased several of the scrubs and have begun putting them through their paces. And the verdict is that I’m impressed so far.
This particular Soap and Glory Sugar Body Scrub is the one that’s currently in my bathroom. I like the tub and, in particular, I like the lid which is easy to get on and off. There’s none of that messing about with foil or getting sugar or salt stuck in the crevices of a screw cap lid so, on the packaging alone, this one is a winner in my book.
But never mind the lid. What about the scrub itself? I didn’t think I liked sugar scrubs but I’ve changed my mind. The texture of this one in the tub is very good. I’ve like the zingy scent of the lime. It smells clean, if you know what I mean. And the sugar and macadamia oil seem to do a good job. I used it on my arms, legs, bum and boobs and it was fine everywhere but what really impressed me was the impact it had on the backs of my hands which were instantly smoothed and softened. That alone would make me purchase Soap and Glory again.
So impressed was I, in fact, that I risked using it on my face – just around the pores on the nose and chin area. It’s a bit too abrasive for the face so I am not recommending that you try it. I was very gentle with it and it didn’t do me any harm but I’ll be sticking to body applications in future.
On the cost front, this is a lot cheaper than my usual brands (Philosophy and Sanctuary). It’s just as effective in my opinion. In fact, I prefer it. Boots stock it and it is discounted at the time of writing.
|
|
|
