Review: Elixir Skincare

Today the courier came guess what it was?

Some samples from Elixir Skincare!

Let's have a look:

Elixir Balancing Toner

Product Description:

Use this gentle toner after cleansing to remove any residue, restore pH balance, stimulate circulation, reduce oiliness and refine open pores.

Spritz face until skin is damp then tissue off excess, or spray toner onto cotton pad and gently wipe facial area. For normal to combination skin.

Size:100ml/ 250ml

INGREDIENTS: Distilled water, rose oil concentrate, vitamin E acetate, Santalum album (sandalwood), Lavandula officinalis (lavender)

A mild, odourless toner that is not harsh on the skin and purifies.

Elixir Balancing Cleanser

Use this light, balancing milk-based cleanser morning and evening to remove pollutants and dirt.

Apply to skin and massage in with fingertips to cleanse. Rinse well with water or remove gently with damp cotton pad. For normal to combination skin.

INGREDIENTS: Vegetable-based carrier lotion and carrier cream, water gel, surfactant, Santalum album (sandalwood), Lavandula officinalis (lavender)

Just like the toner, except this a cleanser and milkier. Lavender scented and gentle, but left my skin a bit dry afterwards.

Elixir Derma Gel Treatment Cream

Soothe, hydrate and purify your skin with this activating and rejuvenating treatment.

Massage liberally onto cleansed and toned skin. To treat dry skin, leave on overnight. For an oily complexion, leave on for 10 minutes and then rinse off with warm water and damp cotton pad; follow with night moisturiser. Suitable for all skin types.

Size: 50ml/125ml

INGREDIENTS: Aloe ferox, vegetable-based carrier cream, water gel, vitamin E oil, Eriocephalus punctulatus (Cape chamomile), Lippia javanica (zinziba)

Moisturised my skin quite a bit, happpy with the quality. Great texture.

Balancing Night Moisturiser

Product Description:

This rich formulation firms and nourishes your complexion while you sleep.

Apply after cleansing and toning face and neck. Gently massage in with fingertips, using upward movements. For normal to thirsty skin.

Size: 50ml/125ml

INGREDIENTS: Vegetable-based carrier cream and thickened carrier cream, sweet almond oil, carrier milk, Aloe ferox, Santalum album (sandalwood), Lavandula officinalis (lavender)

Another lavender scented night cream, it left me feeling confident in nourished skin before bed!

Multi Active Enzyme Exfoliator

Product Description:

Repairs damaged skin, antibacterial. Feeds skin, gently exfoliates and refines pores for a smoother skin.

This exceptional skin treatment exfoliator offers a mild skin peel that gently exfoliates using the lightly stimulating action of bamboo granules, fruit acids and papaya enzymes.  Rich in antioxidants, it repairs stressed and damaged skin. Aloe ferox gel fees the freshly exfoliated skin, offering a smoother, brighter complexion. Perfectly suited to mature or delicate skins, and gentle enough for frequent use. Can be used on all skin types.

Very impressed by this product, it removed dead skin cells on my face, causing me to reappear with more radiant, brighter skin.

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Thanks for allowing me to try out these tender products, Elixir Skincare!

For more info, be sure to check them out in the link below:

http://elixirskincare.com/

Why I Don't Use Pore Strips

I was a big fan of the “pore strips” from a lot of brands like Biore, Nivea, Tzone etc. Nivea has pore strips especially designed for the chin and forehead area too. At first, it seemed super exciting as to how this tiny strip would just remove all of my whiteheads and blackheads, but then my skin started to react awfully to these strips. After a long Google search and speaking with a few friends, who suffered the same reactions, I decided I need to inform you ladies about the same.

Usually, every brand recommends that we should use these strips once or twice every week. That being said, another research says we shouldn’t use these strips more than 3-4 times in a month. I followed all the instructions carefully and also took off the strip really carefully after it dried up. After a few months, I started noticing broken capillaries on the corners of my nose and on my chin. This is when I started searching online for remedies and causes. To my surprise, using pore strips can cause broken capillaries.

What are Capillaries?

These are the smallest blood vessels of our body that help in microcirculation of blood.  When these break, they appear as fine red threads of blood under the skin and are quiet visible. Broken capillaries occur when the capillary walls narrow  nd widen too quickly causing the muscles in the walls to tear. This in turn allows the blood to seep out resulting in broken capillaries.

How Can Pore Strips Cause Broken Capillaries?

The answer is simple. When you pull the pore strip off, no matter how slowly and carefully you’re doing it, you manage to damage the first layer of your skin. Your skin is pulled. The skin around your nose, cheekbones and chin is more sensitive than that of your forehead.

Broken Capillaries are permanent.  Luckily for me, there are just 2 tiny ones on my nose and 1 on my chin and aren’t very visible. I haven’t used pore strips ever since my horrible experience. I go for facials instead now; something that I got super broke or lazy to go for earlier.

Moreover, all this pulling and tugging of your skin by the pore strips tends to make your skin wrinkle faster according to a few studies. That’s not a surprise though since damaged skin ages faster than healthy skin.

Also, all those chemicals in the glue that help to get the blackheads out aren’t safe for your skin and I wouldn’t recommend using these strips religiously.

To conclude it all, pore strips definitely help to clear out your blackheads, but do they fight the main cause of the blackheads? No, they don’t. Blackheads usually appear in a few days to a week after using these strips leading you to getting hooked on to these strips and using them way too often. I would suggest sticking to regular facials which are safer for the skin and include proper exfoliation of the skin in your skin care regime.

Hope this review helps you ladies out and please don’t use those strips too often! Be nice to your skin.

Beaucíence Review

Readers

I was privileged enough to get sent a box
of goodies from Beaucíence earlier this week!

Beaucience, is a company that has developed a completely unique botanical skincare range. Their mission is to help you fight the signs of ageing in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
Beaucience products contain Proteasyl, plus a host of other natural plant-based ingredients. Beaucíence does not test on animals.

The first product that I unboxed and was the Beaucíence Cleansing Gel (250ml).

This is a soap-free cleansing gel. With ingredients like witch hazel, aloe vera, peach extract and organic green tea, this balances and cleanses your complexion without stripping your skin of its natural oils. This perfectly pH-balanced cleanser gently washed away existing residue(makeup, post-moisturisers) that were on my skin and left it soft and smelling fresh.

What I love is that they incorporated Witch Hazel into this wash. Witch hazel is a natural astringent that helps to keep your skin clear and also removes excess oil, dirt and make-up from your pores without drying out your skin.

When I used this product it foamed quite well considering that it doesn't contain soap, which is amazing. It did however create a dry, stretched feeling in certain areas of my face (cheekbones, nose area).

Other than that, it left my skin smelling absolutely incredible and when massaged into certain areas, relaxed my skin. I would recommend this to anyone with sensitive skin who needs something gentle and soap-free that will still leave their skin smelling fresh.

Second Product: Beaucíence Day & Night Moisture Cream(50ml)

Although it's main purpose is anti-age care, this cream can be used as a day or night facial cream and it is meant for normal/combination skin.

It contains Organic Marula Oil, Organic Green Tea, as well as a selection of essential oils.

I gently applied the moisturiser to the back of my hand first to get the feel and look of the cream and when confident enough I applied it to my face. Unlike the face cleanser, the cream has a warm, leafy, bitter smell. My skin absorbed it quite fast and felt moisturised, but only for a few hours.

Pausing at this point,  I must appreciate the wonderful eco-packaging that Beaucíence packs it's products in. Not many companies can pull it off.

This product is light and fast absorbing. I just wish that the effects lasted longer!

The final product: Beaucíence Enzymatic Exfoliator

This product is an absolute charm! Out of everything this has got to be my absolute favourite! Not just within the Beaucíence range,  but regarding ALL facial exfoliators and peels. This is the natural way of biological peeling, which removes dead skin cells and clears blocked pores.

Think of a snake shedding it's skin.

The back of the box reads: "Cell renewal is stimulated and a younger brighter soft and radiant skin is revealed. Natural extracts sooth, calm, moisturise and soften the skin. Proteasyl TP and Vitamin C stimulates the production of collagen in the skin."

Before using this I had to make sure that all of my makeup was properly off. This is very important as we want there to be no obstructions that might not let the gel have direct contact with the skin.
I applied a thin layer as said. After the first few minutes my skin began to feel a tingling sensation, which is expected when using these types of exfoliator peels. This sensation was more than enjoyable and not harsh on my skin at all. I left it on for about 15 minutes before removing it.

Upon removing it my skin already had a more radiant and fresh look to it. Dark areas appeared visibly lighter. The chapped effect that was on a few of my pimples was completely gone.

This is definitely a swear-by product!

🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿

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A huge thank you to the Beaucíence team for sending down these amazing products!

For more enquiries about their products check out their website:

www.beaucience.co.za

Beaucíence products are free from chemical contaminants, toxins, artificial colourants, petroleum products and synthetic oils.

Stay tuned for more reviews coming soon!

Himalaya Neem Mask Review

The Himalaya Herbals Neem Mask: 🌿

I was delighted to receive a set from Himalaya Herbals,  which included a Himalaya Face Wash and Himalaya Face Scrub, but what really stood out was the Himalaya Neem Mask.

It came in a compact tube which is delightful as I can open and close it and carry it around as I please.

My skin appears firmer/tighter, smoother,clearer, and more refreshed. It seems to draw out extra oils but does not overdry the drier areas. I tried not to smile, laugh, or talk while the mask was drying because the mask will crack and that would make it less effective on the problem areas on my face. I took my time when washing the product off so that I wouldn't pull on my skin. This is great for both guys and girls who suffer from acne prone skin.
This took some time, but the end results were worth it. 😊🌿🌿🌿

I suggest that you try this product as can guarantee you that it leaves a wonderful feel to your skin afterwards as well as noticeable results in fairness, tightening and lightening.

Be sure to give Himalaya Herbals a follow on Instagram @himalayabeauty :)!

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