luxury skincare – sarah fynn

Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist Review

Hey all, I hope all is well with you.

I’m quite excited about this post today because I am finally reviewing the cult classic, crowding pleasing Queen of Hungary mist by Omorovicza.

Let’s get into it!

What the brand says:

A quick spritz of this neroli and rose-scented facial mist refreshes the skin and lifts the spirits! Purifying and hydrating, it was inspired by the Queen of Hungary Water, the world’s first recorded perfume, formulated for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary in the 14th century. Perfect for a midday pick-me-up or as a post-cleanse toner.

Experience

Ever since I became a skincare fanatic and master of facial mists (yes I gave myself this title lol), I was interested in this product. I finally got the mist this year in my annual Val’s day skincare haul (don’t ask). I got this in a set from Beautylish but you can also purchase this in the UK via the Omorovicza UK site.

I used this mist twice a day, in the morning and evening after cleansing. The Queen of Hungary mist sprays in a fine weightless mist and leaves no residue. It feels as if there is nothing on my skin because of how fine it is but then I feel my skin softened, hydrated and soothed. I also love using it through the day as I have been working from home as a quick pick me up for my skin.

I particularly loved the delicate scent of the mist and it instantly transports me to a fancy boujie spa, I don’t know why but the Gellert Thermal Bath I went to in Budapest (ironic uh) comes to mind. It’s not lingering or overpowering and it dissipates as soon as the mist dries down. All this is housed in a luxe frosted glass bottle

The mist is enriched with humectants and emollients to hydrate the skin and you also get antioxidant protection thanks to Acerola fruit extract.

Verdict

She’s fancy but she’s so worth it! I’ve used a lot of mists but I’ve never used one that sprays in such a fine mist as this. For me, it’s easy to see why it’s so popular because not only does it hydrate and protect the skin, but you also get some form of aromatherapy with that delicate scent. It’s easy to add to any routine and I didn’t experience any issues with it.

She is pricey, it’s £20 for 30ml but I got a secret for you! You can get the 30ml size and the 30ml Cleansing Foam which I LOVE (full review) for £22 on the Omorovicza site

I would have purchased two more if I wasn’t doing a no-buy challenge but as soon as this is over, I’m getting it!

Best of the Decade: Face washes

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I’m starting my Best series again with some of my favourite products I have used over the last years. I have used a lot of favourite washes over the past decade but these are some of the best products I keep repurchasing and recommending:

B Creamy Foam- this drugstore cleanser is one of the best low-cost cleansers I have used. With salicylic acid, it gently cleanses and smoothes the skin. Review

Dermalogica special cleansing gel– I remember using this many years back and fell in love with it. A luxury cleanser that gently cleanses the skin removing traces of makeup without stripping it. Review

Estee Lauder Micro-Foam- this year, I really fell hard for Estée Lauder. This cleanser produces a gentle foam which leaves the skin feeling clean without drying it out. Review

Pixi Glow Mud– this AHA cream cleanser was the first of its kind for me. It doesn’t foam which was also a first for me but it leaves the skin so soft, smooth and clean. Review

Murad AHA, BHA cleanser- what don’t I love about this cleanser? It’s a combination of 2 of my fav acids plus it leaves the skin clean and smooth. Review

Peter Thomas Roth anti-aging cleansing gel – PTR really have some of the best gift sets for a luxury brand. I got this cleanser in a giftset and immediately fell in love. It’s a luxury gel cleanser that rinses away easily and leaves the skin smoother. Review

Some by mi AHA BHA PHA cleansing bar– this year was a k beauty year for me. I bought a few items and one of the items I fell in love with was this bar facial cleansing soap from Some By Mi. the AHA BHA PHA combo leaves my skin so soft yet there isn’t a dry and tight feeling. Review

That’s all folks, check out these products and let me know what you think. these are some of my favourite face washes and I have used and reviewed all of these on my blog! So many other worthy products but I really want to keep my lists short. Check out my review index to see more reviews.

Catch you soon for another instalment.

Collosol Eau De Lait Review

France is known for many things and luxury skincare is one of them. Collosol Water milk cleanser is a cult classic among many and it’s finally available in the UK. I had never heard of this brand but I was very excited when I saw it on the gram many months ago. I was sent one for review and I decided to test it out straight away.

Collosol Eau De Lait (water milk) cleanser gently cleanses and removes makeup. It promises velvet and smooth skin with no oily residue. It also promises the benefits of a cleansing milk and micellar water to leave the skin comfortable, purified and moisturised. There’s no need to rinse afterwards

Experience

I received the 100ml size of the cleanser and used it every night as a 1^st cleanser. It lasted just over a week. I experienced no irritation from the cleanser. The scent is a delicate powdery scent, whilst it’s very pleasant, the scent is potent and lingers. The texture of this is literally like water. I did see some sold particles but it’s nothing that scratched my skin or anything.

The Water milk feels extremely gentle on the skin and I am very impressed on how effective it is at cleansing the skin. It removes makeup, dirt and grime easily without stripping my skin. I have used this with cotton pads and my makeup remover cloth but I prefer the cotton pads as it’s much easier to use. Whilst they say there is no need to rinse afterwards, I do always go in with a second cleanse in my PM routine. This rinses away clean, not that it leaves a residue on the skin anyway.

Verdict

Is the Collosol Water Milk effective? Yes! This cleanser is very effective against makeup and daily dirt and grime. The cleanser leaves my skin feeling clean and not stripped. I did really like this as a 1^st cleanser in my routine. Collosol has a strong powdery scent. It’s pleasant but if you don’t like fragrance in you products you may not like this one. The packaging makes this easy to use.

If balms/oils are not your thing, this is a very good alternative for a first cleanser. It’s very similar to a micellar water but provides better cleansing than some micellar waters on the market.

Collosol Eau De Lait 100ml is £9.50 on Feelunique

Love Micellar water? check out my micellar water recommendations

Gifted product

Tri-Balm 3 in 1 Cleanser Exfoliator and Moisturiser Review

When a celebrity facialist comes out with a new skincare brand and product, you listen attentively! This is the case for the new Tri-Balm 3 in 1 Cleanser Exfoliator and Moisturiser created by Frances Prescott. Frances has worked in the industry for years and together with her sister Pauline, they created a brand they describe as a luxury skincare collection made with natural premium ingredients to nourish and nurture and promote naturally glowing skin. I received the press release about a month ago and paid attention to it, then requested the product for a review!

What is it?

A multi-benefit 3 in 1 luxurious balm to cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise the skin. It’s packed with naturally derived ingredients and free from silicones and sulphates. It’s formulated with oils for moisture and antioxidant protection, hyaluronic acid, pumpkin enzymes for gentle exfoliation and beeswax to help remove impurities.

Tri-Balm is cruelty-free

Experience

I have been using Tri-Balm every day as my morning cleanser initially but I have bumped this up to twice a day: both morning and night recently. It’s been over 3 weeks since I started using Tri-Balm. It is an easy to use twist up balm and I simply swipe this on my face and neck before jumping into the shower to rinse off.

It really is a luxurious solid balm that melts into oil in contact with the skin. I like to leave this on for a few mins most days before gently massaging the balm in with a bit of water to emulsify it. For an oil, it rinses off clean with no oily residue!

Tri-Balm using pumpkin enzymes for gentle exfoliation which means it leaves my skin smooth without the need for harsh granules ( honestly if you haven’t come away from using scrubs for exfoliation what are you waiting for?!) it has also helped keep my pores & texture at bay. My skin is left silky soft and moisturised and I have a feeling it is due to the oils and hyaluronic acid loaded in it.

The packaging is lovely and very travel-friendly! Just twist up and swipe! It’s also a mess-free application and no spilling too! I am also in love with the box it came in (I actually still have it lol)

It has a pleasant botanical scent thanks to the natural oils in it. It doesn’t linger for long and disappears after you rinse your face.

Verdict

A luxury cleansing stick balm that melts into an oil on the skin! Tri Balm is an effective cleanser for removing excess dirt and oils. It helps to also keep whiteheads at bay, although it is not as effective as using space using a face brush (obviously). I really like it! This year I have been enjoying using cleansing balms and creams and Tri-Balm is definitely up on the list!

Tip- combine Tri Balm with a face brush like the Vanity Planet spin for perfect skin and it leaves your skin seriously clean and smooth without stripping it of its oils! It still emulsifies with the brush and it takes cleansing deeper! I really love it in combo with the brush!

If you love luxury skincare, make sure you check Tri-Balm out!

Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture Review

I must admit I have been loving luxury skincare products lately. I swore I would never but taking care of my skin and getting to know ingredients has allowed to look at products slightly differently. Don’t get me wrong, you will still have me using my drugstore products but there something about a luxury label….. That’s how I feel about the Murad Hydro- Dynamic Ultimate Moisture.

The Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture promises to lock in moisture for 24 hours and leave your skin silky soft and hydrated. It’s formulated with coconut extract, sunflower and olive oils, avocado oil and shea butter.

Experience

My skin type is normal to combination with oily areas in the tzone. More on the normal side.

In the winter my skin can feel a little be dry so I always focus on moisture. I have found some moisturisers tend to leave your skin oily or can feel quite heavy on the face. Let me tell you what the Murad Hydro Dynamic Ultimate Moisturise did for me. It left my skin soft and moisturised without the heavy feeling or the oiliness! I am in love with the texture of this: smooth not too heavy or light. It sinks into the skin and absorbed quite easily! I love it. I haven’t had any dry patches on my skin nor does my face feel dry during the day.

My skin feels like silk mixed with softness and just something made of a cloud LOL. The ingredients alone is perfect: coconut oil? Shea butter, avocado oil? It also has some hyaluronic acid in there (more on Hyaluronic acid in my skincare ingredients series)

I also love the packaging. It came with a little spatula and the tub itself is quite nice too.

I didn’t experience any breakouts or irritation with this product.

Verdict

IT DOES WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN

A hefty price tag but worth it if you love luxury skincare. With luxury labels, I realised most of the time, you are actually just buying for the name and you get left with a subpar product. But this isn’t that, at all!

This is my first Murad product and I must say I really love it! Definitely worth investing in.

I was gifted this some time ago, tbh I was going to give it away but the product junkie in me wanted to tested it out first. And look at God lol I would have missed out on an amazing product. I only wish is that it has SPF as well but I am able to overlook at because of its effectiveness. I just layer my SPF underneath this. Yes, it’s still essential even in the winter and for black people!

Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture is £55 on Murad

Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel Review

Dermalogica is an amazing and effective brand which also comes with a big price tag. Today’s post will be a full review on the Special Cleansing Gel I received last year. I can’t do the review without telling you the background of how I got into skincare lol.

I remember attending the launch event for the Overnight Retinol Cream and I had my 1st ever face mapping analysis done (it’s free btw). I was slightly disappointed with the results, it wasn’t bad but it was indicative of my then current skin routine (which was no more than makeup removal and some cleansing and some moisturiser no SPF), since then I started to take skincare a bit more seriously. After the face analysis, you are told how you could improve and given a sample skincare kit that targets your areas of concern. I was recommended the Special Cleansing Gel, the Power Bright Pure Day and Night Creams (check out my review here). I was gifted the full-size products of these and I started using them right away! This was November 2015.

In February/March 2016, I went for another face mapping analysis (bear in mind I was using the Dermalogica products consistently and together) the results were so much better! And I couldn’t be happier! My skin was less decongested and clearer too. The only thing she recommended to add was a milder exfoliant (this births another story of how I got into acid based toners) and keep up with my (then) skincare routine (makeup removal, cleanse, tone and moisturiser with SPF)! Phew!

Now onto the actual review

Experience

The Special Cleansing Gel is soap and fragrance free and supposed to gently cleanse the skin and remove traces of makeup dirt and impurities.

It doesn’t produce a lot of lather which at first made me think it’s not cleansing properly (I love lathering products) but I was so wrong. It effectively removes the last residues of makeup and cleans pores. It’s non-drying on my skin. I haven’t experienced irritation or breakouts and I use it every time I take my makeup off (I follow the double cleansing method, my current makeup remover is the Bioderma Sebium h20 which I have a review on). I use it alone (with my hands) or with a face brush to take cleansing a step further.

Verdict

It’s a luxury product but one you should consider investing in if you have the budget for it. If you love using luxury products, Dermalogica is a brand you should try if you haven’t already. If you are looking to splurge this season, splurge on Dermalogica and your skin will thank you for it!

Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel starts from £28.00. Available on Dermalogica

Other Dermalogica reviews

Pre-Cleanse Oil

Skin Perfect Primer with SPF30

Above all else, keep your heart