moisture – sarah fynn

Beautypie Superdose Vitamin C Oxygen Boosting Moisturizer Review

I have been a member of Beauty pie for 9 months and so far so good. My BP challenge earlier this year introduced me to some great products and since they teased a lot more exciting products for the year, I decided to stick around for a while.

The Superdose Vitamin C oxygen boosting moisturiser is one of those products I was looking forward to. Vitamin C in a moisturiser that can be layered on top of anything else PLUS brightening properties?! YES PLEASE take my money!

This moisturiser boasts of 3% Nikkol VC-IP which they say is the most powerful most of cosmetic vitamin c. it also has an oxygen booster for tired skin ( 3%) Brightenyl (2%) for hyperpigmentation, lemon and Shea butter.

Experience

I bought this as soon as I saw it on the Instagram page and did more research into the ingredients. The ingredients especially Nikkol and Brightenyl seemed very promising for hyperpigmentation and since that is my main concern I decided to try it. The moisturiser comes in the same tube as the SPF and has a thick creamy texture. Whilst I don’t find the scent pleasant it doesn’t linger and I have not experienced any irritation from it.

To be honest, I did not like this moisturiser because I couldn’t see any improvements in my skin. I have been using this every morning and sometimes at night – although it was only a few times. I’ve been using this for 2 months and I have just a small amount left to take it to 2 months and a few days if not a week. The ingredients seemed every promising but for me, my skin did not show any improvements in terms of hyperpigmentation or a general brightening effect. I also don’t like how the moisturiser looks on my skin upon initial application. It looks like there is a slight cast and my skin looks slightly dull. It does provide some moisture which lasts through the day. I have mixed this with ferulic acids and its fine, it doesn’t pil on top of other serums even with the drops added.

Verdict

I am very disappointed with this moisturiser. I was very excited to try a stable vitamin c moisturiser and I was hoping for improvements in my skin. The only reason I would prefer it as a moisturiser is because of its antioxidant properties but that’s not enough for a repurchase. I have spoken to another Pie member who absolutely loves this moisturiser (but also dislikes the super healthy daily lotion I love).

For me, I didn’t see any improvements. I’m still a member of BP and will be for a while, they have a lot of exciting stuff coming. I want to try the makeup range and provide swatches on dark skin as there are hardly any out there. The amazing thing about BP is that your allowance rolls over, so I have been saving my PIE since March and have a good pot saved for a haul.

I’m so grateful for all the feedback I am getting for my Beautypie reviews, there aren’t many in-depth reviews so I will keep it coming

Beautypie Superdose Vitamin C Oxygen Boosting Moisturizer is £10.14 for members on Beautypie

Hydrating vs Moisturising: What’s the difference?

With the cold weather fast approaching, we are all starting to pull our out winter jackets/coats/boots etc. For me, this also means starting to incorporate more moisture in my skincare routine so that the cold weather doesn’t wreck too much havoc on my skin. Cue all the lotions and potions with ‘moisturising’ and ‘hydrating’ properties on them but these two terms actually mean two different things although they work hand in hand. I have been doing some research on them and hopefully, this post will shed some light on them and give you some direction on how to build your routine for the coming seasons. Dry skin types this one is for you but all skin types will benefit from adding more moisture/hydration in their routines too.

Hydration vs Moisturising

The main purpose of hydration in the skin is to increase water content.

The main purpose of moisturising is to seal moisture into the skin.

The skin is the largest organ and along with all organs in the body, it needs water in order to perform properly. When you drink enough water, you hydrate your skin from the inside out, leaving it soft and supple ( which is why it is always recommended you drink a lot of water to keep everything including your skin in check too) think of hydration as ‘working on the insides’ (although you can have topical hydrators too). Moisturising mostly deals with the topical application of oils or butters to help seal moisture (water) in and prevent its loss.

For instance

Dehydrated skin lacks water. Physically it looks dry and may be tight and itchy. Whilst drinking water may hydrate the skin internally you probably won’t see a huge difference until you put some cream on. Why? Because the skin needs both hydration internally and moisture externally working together to keep it healthy.

It’s the same with dry skin. Dry skin has little to no oil content hence water easily evaporates and it feels rough. Your skin may be hydrated but it’s lost its natural moisturisers. Think of when you come out of the shower, your skin is basically hydrated because it’s been in contact with water, but when you dry yourself with a towel you realise your skin feels dry and tight so you reach for your lotion etc.

Dehydrated skin needs water. Dry skin needs moisturisers but both hydrators and moisturisers are needed to keep a good moisture balance.

Products & Ingredients

Hydrating products have ingredients that increase water content in the skin. Humectants attract water from the environment into the skin. Examples are aloe vera gel, AHA like lactic acid. Hyaluronic acid is by far the gold standard as this molecule can hold 1000 time its weight in water. It’s also naturally present in our skin. Read more on hyaluronic acid in my previous post here

Moisturising products usually have rich butters like shea or cocoa butter or oils like jojoba, argan and olive. These will lock moisture into the skin

How to incorporate this into your skincare routine?

The trick with skincare is knowing which ingredients do what, the finding products with those ingredients then knowing which (best) step in your routine to use it for.

For instance, you want to start using hyaluronic acid because you want to incorporate more hydration in your routine. You can choose a hydrating face wash but think about it: how long do you actually spend washing your face? 30 seconds? 1 minute? The best way will be introducing it in products that stay longer on your face meaning you reap full benefits: face masks, serums (best choice) creams.

I love using hydrating serums in the mornings followed by my day cream with SPF. I have reviewed The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid & Boots Hydration Burst Serum on my blog. Be sure to check those out. I also love using thermal water face mists in the evenings after my acid toners to hydrate my skin.

Conclusion

Hydration/hydrators/hydrating- deals with water content in the skin. And will work to increase it. You can hydrate both internally by drinking lots of water and externally by topical application of humectants.

Humectants draw water/moisture from the air into your skin.

Hyaluronic acid is gold standard for hydrating the skin

Moisture/moisturising/Moisturisers- deals with sealing in moisture by preventing water loss from the skin. You moisturise skin externally by topical application of oils and butters.

Take home message- you need both hydration and moisture to keep the healthy skin balance and moisture levels in your skin.

I hope you have found this post helpful and hopefully you understand the difference between these two terms.

Winter Skincare Edit

Hey hey, first off Happy New Year! It’s a bit late but I have been doing some thinking of what I want to do and achieve this year. You forgive me right?

With this cold spell we are having at the moment, it’s only right the 1st post of 2017 is about skincare. I must admit I been very lazy these last weeks with my skincare routine so doing this post really helped me get back on track.

The Winter Skincare Edit

Its cold outside but your skin doesn’t have to show it! Having a routine even if it’s a simple one will go a long way of helping you lock in moisture and banish dry skin. If you want a very simple routine, check out my Drugstore Guide to Skincare post

Remember with skincare, one product isn’t enough, you have to layer and use diff products to achieve your goal. And it’s a skincare ROUTINE because you have to be consistent with it in order to get the long term benefits! I’m still surprised when people say products don’t work for them but have only used it once (but we have moved on from that right? We are the evolved that use products for a while, we are the brave that try new brands and pray for no side effects, we are the junkies that want every new product although we have no space for them we are the beauty addicts! LOL)

Let’s get into this glow

Moisture baby

Moisture moisture moisture is key even if you have oily skin. I have used a lot of moisturisers but my favs for daytime is the Murad Hydrodynamic Moisturiser- I have reviewed this here, Bee Good Plump & Firm Moisturiser and The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Moisturiser

For extra moisture and something that really gets into your skin. Try layering your day cream over a serum. Serums are highly concentrated and are designed to really get in there. Try The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid Serum or the Boots Botanics Radiance Serum

Sun Protection

You’ve probably heard use SPF in the summer right? But in actual fact, SPF is needed all year round and yes us brown skin beauties still need it. Especially if you are treating your skin with acids or battling with hyperpigmentation. Choose a cream that has SPF in it or if you don’t mind the extra step use SPF separately if your fav moisturiser doesn’t have any. I like Ultra-sun Face Anti-Ageing & Anti Pigmentation SPF 50 SPF as it has no flashback although it can be a little bit oily (as with all higher SPF’s). For a matte finish, try the Benefit Dream Screen SPF 45 which is oil free (Youtuber Jackie Aina raves about this!)

Night Time Duties

Nothing beats waking up to soft skin and that’s why you need a night time moisturiser. Something rich but not heavy and will be the perfect aid to the repair work your skin will be doing. For me, nothing beats my Nivea Regenerating Night Cream ( thinking about trying Nivea, catch my review first!) layered on top of my Ziyanda Facial Oil My review is here

Lip service

So apparently chapped lips is now a trend? Not for me! I absolutely HATE the look and feel of dry lips either on me or anyone else. Vaseline is £1 use it lol. Or for fancier lip concoctions, I love the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Lip Balm or Balmi Cubes

Eye see u

Your eye area is delicate so you need products that are lightweight but effective. I must admit I am only now getting into the flow of products for this area and I’m yet to commit to a full size product (thank God for sample sizes!) I have tried a lot but the ones that impressed me are the Murad Renewing Eye Cream, Decleor 2 in 1 Dark Circle & Eye Wrinkle Eraser and YSL Eye Zone Serum.

Eye patches are in and apart from the disaster in the form of those Collagen Gold Dust Eye Masks I tried lol, I love the Sephora eye patches and the DHC eye strips

Other points to keep in mind

Drink water and lots of it

Change your pillowcase often, yes your pillowcase

If you use a face brush, try to change it every 3 months

That’s all folks! Give me a shout if you pick up any of these products, I love to hear from you.

I hope you guys have had a fab 1^st week of 2017 and I hope to bring you more useful posts, affordable products and inspiration to invest in your skin and hair

Wishing everyone a very good year of 2017!