oily skin – sarah fynn

Caudalie Vinopure Purifying Gel Cleanser Review

Caudalie’s new Vinopure Purifying Gel Cleanser promises a lot of things. The brand says:

The first essential step in your beauty routine against blemishes, the Purifying Cleansing Gel, enriched in natural salicylic acid, grapeseed polyphenols and organic* essential oils, cleanses and purifies the skin without leaving it dry. Its gentle and effective formula works to tighten pores, reduce excess sebum and visibly reduce blemishes. Its gel texture leaves skin feeling instantly fresh and clean. A light and surprising, 100% natural scent derived from a unique complex of essential oils that delivers a breath of freshness with each use.

Benefits: Purifies, Tackles blemishes, Minimises pores and Reduces excess sebum

Experience

I received the 30ml size as a free gift with purchase from Beautylish.

I’ve been using this cleanser both morning and night (as a second cleanser)

What I liked: this cleanser has salicylic acid (BHA) which helps to reduce blemishes and reduce pore size. I really liked this cleanser because it did exactly that. I had a few breakouts in my lower cheek area and this cleanser helped. The cleanser produces a light foam which is easy to rinse away but doesn’t try out the skin. Normally around this time, my skin would be oilier but I have felt my skin be more balanced. It has a minty medicated scent but this doesn’t linger. It’s gentle enough for daily use. As a second cleanser, it works well to remove makeup and oily residue left over by my balm cleanser

Verdict

This is a great cleanser and I would highly recommend to oily and blemish-prone skin types. The BHA in the cleanser helps reduce breakouts and pore size as well and balancing the skin. I used this twice a day but it never dried out my skin. I like the fresh scent and feeling it leaves my skin. I won’t recommend this for dry skintypes

I will definitely purchase this but it would be a cleanser I use in the warmer months as that’s when my skin tends to be oilier and blemish-prone.

Caudalie Vinopure Purifying Gel Cleanser is £16 on LookFantastic

Farmacy Honey Drop Moisturiser Review

Farmacy is a brand I discovered through Instagram last year and since then I have loved every product I have tried from them. From the Green Clean cleansing balm and the Honeymoon serum, I am really looking forward to discovering more of the brand.

Farmacy Honey Drop Moisturiser is a lightweight cream that is quick-absorbing with a blend of Royal Jelly and golden Cupuaçu Butter Beads to leave the skin feeling soft, supple and moisturised without a greasy feel

Experience

Honey Drop is a gel-cream texture that really sinks into the skin with ease. Whilst I’m not a huge fan of the scent, the cream really leaves my skin hydrated with no oily feeling. I’ve been using this twice a day, AM and PM and I have experienced no irritation from it.

This lightweight cream works really well with other serums and doesn’t pile when layered on top of them. The Cupuacu beads melt as you rub the moisturiser into the skin. this moisturiser leaves the skin soft and hydrated. It works well under makeup to leave the skin hydrated through the day. Honey drop also has other beneficial ingredients like amino acids and triple hyaluronic acid complex

Verdict

There is not much to say other than I really like this moisturiser. I love the texture, last year I fell in love with gel-cream textures because of how hydrating they are. This cream is very lightweight, sinks into the skin and leaves it very hydrated and glowing. I have the travel size as I purchased in a set but it’s lasted the whole of March- I have just run out of it. Whilst I love the packaging, I feel as though it will be better housed in a tube or a pump bottle because the texture is fluid and lightweight, not as fluid as a serum or lotion but it’s not as thick as a cream

I love this moisturiser and I honestly feel like I’m putting water on my skin when I use this. if you have oily skin this would be a great moisturiser to use. I have normal to combo oily skin and this works extremely well with it.

I would definitely recommend

Farmacy Honey Drop Moisturiser (Full size) is £42 on LookFantastic. I would recommend you get the Mighties gift set which has 4 travel sizes of their best selling products for the same price. This is the set I got and it allows you to test out these products before deciding to purchase the full price.

The Mighties is £42 on LookFantastic

Best Face Masks for Normal to Combination Skintypes

It’s hard to find a good face mask for combination skin types. I have normal to combination oily skin: my tzone is slightly oily and the other parts of my face are normal/slightly dry depending on the time of year. In the summer my skin is more normal to oily and blemish-prone. I have used a lot of face masks and I found a few that work well with my skintype no matter the season! These are my tried and tested best face masks for normal to combination skin types

Pixi Peel and Polish

This is a mild enzyme peel mask that leaves the skin radiant and smooth! I like this mask because it doesn’t sting the skin and leaves it in excellent condition for makeup. It can also double up as a gentle scrub, I have come away from using manual exfoliants but if you still like that in your routine (just not walnut scrubs) then this is a great 2 in 1 product for you.

Nip Fab Dragon’s Blood Jelly Mask

I especially love this mask in the fall/winter but you can never go through with a good hydrating mask no matter the season. This one from nip fab is formulated with Dragon’s Blood which leaves my skin hydrated and plump. I love adding a scoop of Vitamin C powder to this mask for a brightening boost.

Beauty Pie Fruitzyme Mask

If you are a member of BP then you should try this mask. I think it’s a dupe of the Pixi Peel and Polish however the texture of this is very ‘gel-like’ compared to Peel & Polish. This has fruit enzymes and acids which is responsible for leaving the skin smooth. I don’t use this weekly but once in a while when I am seeing texture or as a quick prep for makeup.

Kose Vitamin C Sheet Mask

Who does love Vitamin C in their diet and on their face?! This K beauty find was something I fell in love with straight away. It comes in a big pack of 30 and the vitamin C infused sheet mask helps to hydrate and brighten. I used this as a morning toner and I really liked how it left my skin. Read my full review here

Garnier Moisture Bomb Sheet Masks

I have to add another sheet mask to this list, Garnier Moisture Bomb sheet masks are some of my favourites from the drugstore. I love the original Moisture Bomb mask but I have also tried the Super Hydrating Glow Revealing Mask with Camomile and the Super Hydrating De tiring mask with Lavender. These sheets masks are packed with hyaluronic acid so they leave the skin very plump and hydrated.

Other masks I love are Nip Fab Extreme sheet masks, Glamglow Supermud, Youth mud and Thirst mud and Sephora sheet masks.

I hope you are able to try some of these masks, let me know if you pick any up!

Catch you later

The Ordinary’s Acids Guide

Skincare acids have become more popular these days and I want to think it’s partly due to the range and affordability the Ordinary has brought. I have a previous post on skincare acids here and how to choose the best for your skin type. In this post, I will be talking about some of The Ordinary’s acids and which ones I have used. I hope this post will help you, in case you are wondering which one to get/how to use them.

Warning

Please note, skincare acids will leave your skin more vulnerable to sun damage! It is important that you use SPF in the morning, every day to protect your skin. You need an SPF 30 or above. There is no use of using acids if you don’t use sun protection because you will be doing more damage than good.

The Ordinary Acids

AHA is recommended for sun damaged skin and dry skin. There are many types of AHA e.g. glycolic acid (most popular) mandelic acid, lactic acid, citric acid.

BHA is recommended for oily to blemish-prone skin and because it is able to deep cleanse pores. For my knowledge (I could be wrong) the only BHA is salicylic acid.

Acids can come in different products e.g. toners, serums, face wash etc. Find the product that works well for you, I would recommend you get your acids in a ‘leave on’ product so that they stay on your skin and work instead of a face wash that is washed out.

Glycolic Toning Solution 7% (AHA)* Toner. I use once a day in the evening following cleansing. I won’t recommend this is this is your 1st ever venture into acids as it’s quite high and it will sting your skin. If you are a first-timer, start with 5% in case you react to it. Always patch test. Review

Lactic acids, 5% & 10% (AHA)* Serum. Two different strengths I have tried the 5% formula which was ok but I didn’t like the scent. Review

AHA 30% BHA 2% mask* Mask. A mild chemical peel with very high acid content. Please do not get it if you absolutely do not need it. This is a wash off mask designed to be used for 10 mins only 2 to 3 times a week. I love this mask because of how smooth it leaves my skin and also because I have hyperpigmentation. It will sting so patch test before putting this on your face. You do not need to combine this with other acid products e.g. an acid toner Review

Salicylic acid 2% (BHA)* this serum is for oily/blemish skin and great for deep cleansing the pores. I love to use this when I am experiencing congestion/blemishes or texture on the skin. Review

Non-exfoliation acids

Every acid isn’t exfoliating! The other acids I have tried from TO

Azelaic acid 10%* is this for texture and pigmentations issues. I didn’t like this as it left my skin quite dry and itchy. It also didn’t have an impact on my hyperpigmentation. Review

Alpha Lipoic Acid 5%* a highly concentrated serum for texture and pigmentation issues. This is actually an antioxidant designed to be used only 2 to 3 times a week. I have added this to my routine and I will be doing a full review soon!

Other acids they stock

Mandelic acid 10%* this is an AHA serum which is supposed to be gentler on the skin due to the larger molecule size

This is a quick introduction to acids and how you can choose and use them effectively in a routine. Please remember to patch test and start slowly with acids. Choose one for your skintype and needs. The most important thing is to use sunscreen every day, all seasons whether acids are in your routine or not but especially if you use them!

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum Review

Hey guys, I hope all is well. I shared my updated spring morning routine a few months back and got great feedback so I thought I would bring some reviews of the new serums I have been using from The ordinary. Amidst all the drama on their Instagram, The Ordinary is an excellent brand with effective products at excellent prices. I also like the site and all the good info it has on there. So without further ado let’s dive into this review

The Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum is for is for reducing skin blemishes and congestion whilst helping to strengthen skin, enlarged pores and uneven skintone. I decided to add this to my morning routine for the spring summer because I noticed from the last two years my normal to combo oily skin turns oily blemish prone in the warmer months. Niacinamide is great for oily skin so I thought it would give this a try.

Experience

The Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is a colourless odourless light-textured serum that sinks into my skin instantly. It leaves no residue and adds no hydration to my skin. I find it layers well underneath the essence lotion I use or just alone underneath my moisturisers. There is no piling.

This serum has worked well with my skin in terms of oil control. Usually, around this time of year, my skin turns oily/blemish prone but so far my skin has remained normal to oily combination! I am also experiencing zero texture on my skin, even throughout the mini heatwave we had in London PLUS I hardly breakout! I know it’s due to the introduction of Niacinamide serum because last year around this time, I was an oily blemish slick LOL. My pores have remained unclogged. This also works great with Salicylic acid: both known for minimising the appearance of pores.

I am so happy I introduced this in my skincare routine and I am actually almost out of it so I need to repurchase another! I will be using this serum till September, right before the fall season starts. For my skin type I won’t use this in the winter, I will switch to something more hydrating e.g. hyaluronic acid

Verdict

I will 100% recommend this for oily/blemish skin types! It will help strengthen the skin and reduce blemishes, enlarged pores and texture! I use mine in the mornings to prep my skin for the day. It’s also worked great with the addition of the other antioxidants I have introduced to my morning routine.

I will also recommend The Ordinary brand as a starting point for your skincare routines. They have a lot of serums and info on the site and the prices are budget friendly! A lot of people ask me how to pair the serums and which ones to choose. The best advice I can give is definitely to look at the regime guide on the site and also choose the serums according to the issue you are trying to fix!

NOTE- a lot of info says you can’t combine Niacinamide with Vitamin C as they cancel each other’s effects! Please note this only applies to PURE ASCORBIC ACID and it’s completely fine to use with VIT C derivatives. I use a lot of Vit C derivatives (e.g. Activated C) in my routine and this paired very well with Niacinamide. Always do your research when it comes to ingredients! And most of the time, a well thought out routine will combine 2 or 3 actives for the most effective results! A good place to start for ingredient research and myths is Paula’s choice

I hope you found this helpful. Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is £5.00 on The Ordinary

I am working on reviews on all the serums pictured above. Those are all the new serums I have been using.

Catch you later

Xxox

My current skincare routine- Combo skin with Hyperpigmentation

Hey guys, I hope you are all well! Thought I would do an updated and more detailed skincare routine post as I have changed a few products I have been using in my routine. I hope this helps and if you have a similar skin type and issue with mine, hopefully, this gives you some product recommendations

About my skintype and issue

I have normal to combination oily skin type. My oily areas are my tzone. My main skincare issue is hyperpigmentation. Now that the weather is getting slightly colder, I will also add more hydration/moisture to my routine.

Morning skincare routine

Tbh, I never bothered with a ‘proper’ morning routine, I just did the basics and headed out the door. Now I am learning to do a tad bit more in the mornings to help my skin heal quicker and protect it during the day. I haven’t worn makeup to work in a long time, simply because I just don’t want to spend time doing that and I hate rushing when I am doing my makeup!

For my morning routine, I focus mainly on hydration and protection.

Cleanser- African Black Soap. Purchase high-quality pure African Black Soap from Ghana on Shea Butter Cottage. Read more on African Black Soap here

Toner- I recently finished my Garnier Green Tea Leaves Purifying Botanical Toner (read the review on my Instagram) so I have started using this new Naturally Radiant 5% Glycolic Acid Toner (Superdrug is stepping up! I will review this product once I finish the bottle oh btw I got 2 bottles)

Spritz- Caudalie Grape Water. I always follow my acid toners or toners in general with a water spritz for hydration

Serum – Boots Botanics All Bright Radiance Serum. Review of this here

Moisturizer- I switch between The BodyShop Vit C Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 and B Confident Day Cream SPF 15. If I use the B Confident Day cream, I like to use Piz Buin SPF50 on top too

Serum- sometimes I follow with The BodyShop Vit C Skin Reviver. This is a must use if I feel like my skin looks dull or I haven’t had enough sleep (which is most of the time anyway lol. that damn Netflix! Yes I am still watching!)

Spritz- I switch between Pixi Wake Up Vitamin Mist or Superdrug Vitamin E Hydrating Mist

Eye cream- If I remember I use Boots Essential cucumber eye gel

Lip balm- Burt’s Bees

No makeup so I will finish here and off I go to work!

Evening Routine

I must admit I have been pretty lazy with my evening routines not following it as I should. But here is a list of everything I am using.

For my evening routine, I focus mainly on treating my hyperpigmentation.

Cleanser- Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel (yes I still have it, I have taken so many breaks from this but I am now desperately hanging onto the last drops of it). Combo with my Vanity Planet SPS face brush

Toner- Naturally Radiant 5% AHA toner

Spritz – Caudalie Grape Water

Serum- I layer two serums. 1^st – Kiehl’s dark spot corrector then The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin with HA (when layering serums you want to go from thinnest to thickest)

I may follow this with The Ordinary Azelaic Acid or go into my night cream. I will re-introduce retinol in my evening routine soon. But even with that, I would use it 2-3 times a week.

Night cream- Boots Botanics Hydrating Night Cream (I just finished this today! So I guess I will be switching to AA cream)

Eye Cream- Superfacialist Vit C

You know the deal with evening routines, 2-3 times a week is mask night. I switch between a couple of masks depending on what I feel my skin needs. Lately, I have been reaching for The Body Shop British Rose Plumping Mask and the Glam glow Gravity Mud Mask

Ok, that’s all folks. My current morning and evening routines and a list of products I am using. I have linked reviews to all the products I have reviewed on my blog so make sure you check them out if you want more info on that product. I have also linked other posts I feel may help you in building your routine.

How to create a skincare routine

Remember skincare routines require consistency and persistence so keep at it! If you miss a day or two or three it’s no biggie, it happens to all of us. Just try to get back on it again. You will see results soon!

Shoot me a comment or email if you need help or more info on anything!

Can you believe it’s almost Christmas? Sigh- my account ain’t ready for this!

Love always

Sarah

Skin Types & How Determine Your Skin Type

Is your skin dry or normal? And what the heck is combination skin? In my how to create a skincare routine post (shameless plug, I know) I spoke about how knowing your skin type really sets the tone for your skincare routine? Why? Your skin type plays a huge part in which products will work best for you (unfortunately your fav Youtuber’s holy grail moisturizer may not work for you, even worse break you out!) so knowing which type you have will not know save you money but time too.

Skin Types

There are five common skin types: dry, normal, oily, combination and sensitive. You can either have one ‘type’ all over your face or combination of 2 e.g. I have normal/combination skin i.e. my T zone gets slightly oily and the rest of my face is normal.

‘Blemish prone’ isn’t a skin type. Any skin type can be blemish/acne prone although for oilier skin type’s blemishes/acne is more common.

Normal skin – feels comfortable with little to no oil. Skin is soft and smooth

Oily skin – overactive sebaceous glands produce a lot of oil, especially in tzone. Large and easily clogged pores.

Dry Skin– low level of oil production. Feels tight with dry patches and flaky.

Combination skin– a mixture of 2 or more skin types.

Sensitive skin– easily irritated by heavy fragrances or allergens.

How to actually determine your skin type?

Tissue test or take a quiz? How about a little DIY experiment? There are lots of ways to figure out your skin type but it’s pretty easy and straight forward. I did a DIY experiment where I just took notes of how my skin was behaving at different points during the day. It matched up with the characteristics of normal & oily skin so I figured out I was normal/combo. I wasn’t extremely oily but I didn’t also have normal skin all over. There are a few resources online that can help (these helped me with my post)

E45- what’s my skin type?

Paula’s Choice Skincare

Ok, so which products do I use?

Once you got your skin type down, you’re ready to start playing around with some products! You can choose as much as you like as long as you cover your basics and tailoring the products to your skin type! In the How to Create a Skincare Routine post, I take you through the different types/categories of skincare products.

But basically, you need………………………………………..

A cleanser (& makeup remover for makeup), moisturizer (1 product for day& night plus SPF separately for day OR 2 products- day moisturizer that has and SPF and night cream)

It’s not that easy LOL, but if you have to strip it down to the bare minimum- these two types of products are what you need.

What about skin concerns?

A skin concern is an issue you want to fix e.g. dark spots from a spot you picked, large pores etc. any of the skin types can have skin concerns or you may be blessed to have perfect skin! It’s so easy to treat your skin concerns with so many products available for almost any skin issue you have! Please don’t waste money buying a dark spot corrector if you don’t have any dark spots but because your fav blogger mentioned it in her favs as leaving her skin soft. My main issues are dark spots so my skincare routine and products are tailored to help heal my skin.

Ingredient savvy?

Should you bother with the ingredient list? Yes! The 1^st five ingredients on any product are mostly responsible for the product’s claims. The last few are ‘packing’ ingredients- preservatives/perfumes/colorants etc. It’s worth knowing which ingredients to be looking out for too, especially when searching for a product to treat a skin concern (and in general too). AND more importantly, if you are allergic to any ingredients, in particular, you can easily avoid them.

Garnier has a fabulous new collection called 96% Natural Origins. 96% of the ingredients used in the collection are from a natural source. The collection features 4 ranges which target different skin types. Find out more info on this here

That’s all folks! I really hope you found this useful and got you started on your every own & exciting skincare journey! I have a lot more posts on skincare on my blog make sure you check them out and please shout if you have any questions!

Note- it pays to invest in your skin and skincare routines takes time. Please don’t be discouraged if you don’t see results straight away. It will usually take 3 to 6 months to see solid and lasting improvements. You don’t have to have perfect skin to start a routine but know you will be working towards it and ensuring your skin looks even better as you age.

Follow me on Instagram so I post daily skin care info on there. Instagram- Sarah Fynn

I will see you soon!

Oxoxo