- Advertisement information: this post discusses items gifted to me with no obligation to share them (marked *). In addition I have / have had a brand relationship with Cult Beauty & Beauty Bay (gifting). Links to Wow You! Skincare are affiliate (added 29/09/19) and my blog has Skimlinks and RewardStyle installed to automatically monetise purchases of products I link on my blog, therefore this post may contain affiliate links. All opinions remain my own and please refer to my Disclosure Page for further detail -
- SERUMS -
The first of those that I want to share with you is the Freshly Cosmetics Blue Radiance Enzymatic Serum* | £31. Freshly is a brand I've tried a couple of nice products from but this is the one that's really impressed me. This is a natural-based skincare and body care brand and their products are designed to be sustainable. The serum is blue in colour and has a consistency somewhere between watery and slightly gel-like. Obviously the colour disappears once you massage it in and I like how fast-absorbing this is. It contains papaya and pomegranate extracts to chemically exfoliate the skin without the use of AHAs and also contains a plant-derived alternative to retinol and vegan marine hyaluronic acid. So, pretty much a cocktail of all my skincare favourites! It's great if you're looking for a more natural alternative the the usual acids and retinols available on the market. And it works! I used it daily for about two months and my skin was smoother and softer, with the tone, texture and overall quality definitely improved. It was gentle, didn't irritate my skin at all and restored that healthy vibrancy to my complexion.
If you're looking for a serum-oil hybrid - try the UpCircle Hydrating Face Serum* | £14.99. This brand is now available from Holland & Barrett, as well as Beauty Bay, so watch this space! I'd personally seen them advertised on Instagram quite a lot so when they reached out to see if I'd like to try a couple of their products, I was definitely interested. UpCircle use recycled coffee grounds to create beauty products for the face and body that are vegan, cruelty-free and sustainable. This is marketed as a serum but I see it as more of an oil-serum - it's suitable for normal, combination and dry skin during the day but I'd say if you're oily, it would be better applied before bed. Not only is it hydrating but it contains brightening Vitamin C and tone-correcting rosehip. My skin looked and felt smooth and even whilst using this product and it really helped with my dehydration. I'd just caveat that it does have a scent to it - whilst this is from all-natural ingredients, it could still irritate the sensitive-skinned amongst us.
- CLEANSERS -
I'd honestly never heard of this brand before receiving a few products in the post but I am definitely a fan of the Gym for Your Skin Warm Up 4-in-1 Cleanser* | £22. This is a great cream-based, non-foaming cleanser that's so incredibly moisturising! It's formulated with Vitamins A, B, D and E to nourish and replenish the skin, fatty acids, calming zinc, hydrating glycerin and coconut water, green tea to purify and a small amount of lactic acid and salicylic acid to even out the tone and texture of your complexion. It feels light on the skin and is intensely nourishing, leaving everything so incredibly soft and smooth. I also really like the concept behind this brand; every product in their line is designed to 'work your skin out' and provide transformative results.The next product is from a brand I used waaaaaay back when it first launched as For Me Skincare (or something along those lines. Their moisturiser was my jam!) This is the Facetheory Vitamin C Cleanser C1 | £11.99. It's a stabilised formula and it's in this dark packaging to keep the Vitamin C (sodium ascorbyl phosphate) effective. It's also formulated with glycerin, fatty acids and sweet almond oil. This is the mandarin version but if you're sensitive to fragrance, there's also an unscented formula too. Facetheory's products are cruelty free and free from any nasties, plus come in at a really great price-point! This is a moisturising cream cleanser that's very gentle and everyday-appropriate. I tend to use this as a second cleanse to replenish my skin and soften it. So far, it definitely perks up my skin so it looks healthy and vibrant - I've only been using this for about three weeks so I can't say if it's helping the evenness of my skin just yet but I'll update you when I can.
Next we have an oil formula: the True Skincare Certified Organic Clarifying Safflower & Geranium Cleansing Oil* | £12. I was really impressed when I checked out the website of this brand - the packaging looks premium but the products come in at really affordable prices. They're all about natural skincare and they don't test on animals. The formulas are nothing fancy but these are ingredients that often work for my skin. I'd say that if your skin is sensitive to fragrance such as those naturally found in oils extracted from flowers; this range may not be for you (or at least the leave-on products may not be). I've really been enjoying this cleansing oil as both a morning cleanse and for makeup removal (as it doesn't sting my eyes and really does lift everything up so my face can easily be taken off with a damp cloth). It isn't thick or heavy, it doesn't leave an excess on my skin and actually feels really quite luxurious to use. It's rich in fatty acids that moisturise and replenish the skin, as well as containing hydrating Vitamin E and jojoba. It leaves my skin so gorgeously nourished and soft!
- MOISTURISERS -
I've mentioned it many times on this blog before, but I still wanted to give a shoutout here to the Too Cool for School All-in-One Egg Mellow Cream* | £29.50 | full review. This is so nourishing, so smoothing and just gives my skin that gorgeous glow. It's formulated with egg extract and collagen to give the skin more elasticity and leave it seriously hydrated and healthy. The 'all-in-one' tag comes from the fact you can pack this on as a night treatment, it has a great evening-out quality so you can prime with it and it's also rich enough for the eye area. This is a fun, effective, quirky Korean skincare brand that's worth checking out!
I finally caved after a being bombarded with ads on Instagram and placed a Wow You! order. So far - they have not disappointed and in this post I wanted to spotlight the Wow You! Glow to Sleep Retinol & Rosehip Night Moisturiser | £18. Their products are mad-affordable, clean, cruelty-free and even come with a 30-day money back guarantee... This was unlikely to be a fail because it combines two of my absolute, all-time favourite skincare ingredients: retinol and rosehip. Why, oh why hadn't it occurred to me to combine these before?! It's a gorgeous cocktail in a lovely whipped cream. It nourishes, smooths and clarifies my complexion, so it looks its absolute best by morning. It seriously plumps up my skin and I'm even noticing some little scars from spots are clearing up extra-fast. I'm loving this already... (Update: I now have an affiliate code with Wow You! Use JASMINE15 for 15% off!)
- EVERYTHING ELSE -
I'd had my eye on the Holika Holika Good Cera Super Ceramide Emulsion | £19.95 | for ages and finally picked it up a few weeks ago. This is a gel product that's just more on the creamy side, so dry skin types may like this as a serum but if you want something very light; use this in place of a moisturiser. However the way it's really intended in a Korean skincare routine is as an extra step before moisturising. I absolutely love ceramides for nourishing the skin and reinforcing its natural barrier (making it great during the winter months to protect your skin). This formula is so softening, it plumps my skin out and just gets rid of any dry patches so my complexion feels smooth and looks healthy.
Here we have a bit of a hybrid product in the Fourth Ray Matcha Face Milk | $10. I really wasn't sure what to think when ColourPop (my favourite affordable makeup brand) branched out into skincare, however I've been so, so, so impressed with everything I've tried from Fourth Ray so far! I actually have a brand overview coming up once I've had the chance to try everything out from my recent big order. I originally tried the Watermelon version of this but I think Matcha might have taken over from it in my rankings... It might be too soon to call but it's saying something if this is featured in a post already! So, what is this product? It's essentially a serum but I think you could use it in addition to one or mixed in with your moisturiser as a booster. I think most skin types would still need a moisturiser too but it's a lovely extra hydrator formulated with kale, matcha milk, rice milk, white tea and jojoba milk. It's so hydrating and softening but - best of all - it brings my skin to life in the morning, giving it a healthy, radiant look.
A recent addition I've been using every other night since it arrived is the Sukin Rich Moisture Facial Masque with Rosehip* | £11.99. Sukin is a fantastic, affordable natural Australian skincare brand that you can pick up in Boots. This is a cream mask that I leave on for around 15-20 minutes and rinse off for incredibly nourished and softened skin. It contains my hero ingredient - rosehip - alongside Vitamin E, aloe vera, pomegranate and kakadu plum. If you have dry or dehydrated skin (especially as we head into the colder months): give this a go! It just works.
Here we have a bit of a hybrid product in the Fourth Ray Matcha Face Milk | $10. I really wasn't sure what to think when ColourPop (my favourite affordable makeup brand) branched out into skincare, however I've been so, so, so impressed with everything I've tried from Fourth Ray so far! I actually have a brand overview coming up once I've had the chance to try everything out from my recent big order. I originally tried the Watermelon version of this but I think Matcha might have taken over from it in my rankings... It might be too soon to call but it's saying something if this is featured in a post already! So, what is this product? It's essentially a serum but I think you could use it in addition to one or mixed in with your moisturiser as a booster. I think most skin types would still need a moisturiser too but it's a lovely extra hydrator formulated with kale, matcha milk, rice milk, white tea and jojoba milk. It's so hydrating and softening but - best of all - it brings my skin to life in the morning, giving it a healthy, radiant look.
A recent addition I've been using every other night since it arrived is the Sukin Rich Moisture Facial Masque with Rosehip* | £11.99. Sukin is a fantastic, affordable natural Australian skincare brand that you can pick up in Boots. This is a cream mask that I leave on for around 15-20 minutes and rinse off for incredibly nourished and softened skin. It contains my hero ingredient - rosehip - alongside Vitamin E, aloe vera, pomegranate and kakadu plum. If you have dry or dehydrated skin (especially as we head into the colder months): give this a go! It just works.
Do you love any underrated skincare products that deserve some love?
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