Le Visage
"Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty." - Coco Chanel
"Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty." - Coco Chanel
Being a part time beauty therapist/consultant, a great deal of my clients have told me during their consultations that they don’t have specific daily skin care routines, or that they only use soap and nothing else. It seems a little strange then, that it's the same people that wonder why their skin is looking more and more worn out as time goes on.
Whether it’s oily, dry or normal you should always be looking after the largest organ you have since the more you take care of it, the less make-up and/or procedures you will need later on in life.
We’ll start with the face –
At the moment I am using various Neals Yard products for normal skin.
Organic oil free Eye Make-up remover with damask rose, antioxidant white tea and aloe vera (can actually be used as an all over make-up remover) – removes waterproof makeup and gently hydrates the delicate eye area. Only drawback is that it doesn’t smell that wonderful – 9/10
Chamomile Cream cleanser – may also double up as a make-up remover. Use this as a superficial cleanse to remove oil, dirt and make-up. Leaves skin feeling clean and smooth – 9/10
Rehydrating rose toner – Used daily, refreshing cleansing formula for pore shrinkage, also used to remove last traces of cleanser. – 10/10
Honey and Orange facial scrub – with rice powder and kaolin. Used as a bi weekly exfoliating treatment, very abrasive, perfect for polishing face in prep for mask application. Removes dead skin, impurities and unclogs pores, smells like Terry’s chocolate orange, mmmmm. – 9/10
Palmarosa purifying facial mask – deep cleansing and oil balancing bi weekly treatment. There’s nothing like washing this off with cold water and feeling your skin afterwards. Perfection in a jar. Apply with mask brush and leave on til dry – 10/10
Frankincense Hydrating cream – Used twice daily as day/night moisturiser, wonderful antioxidant formula that smoothes and firms, very fast absorption rate, doesn’t linger on the skin – 9/10
White tea facial mist – Used as and when, usually on a hot day for some cool relief or as an anti stress spritz. Can spray over makeup or on freshly cleansed skin. Handbag must, (particularly for office cooper uppers) doesn’t last that long however – 9/10
White tea toning eye gel – miles better than an eye cream, the gel cools and reduces puffiness and the appearance of dark circles. Defends against aging effects and free radicals. I pat this around the eye area while mask does its magic. - 9/10
...and the rest
I decided to try Neal’s Yard products on my clients down at the salon, so I’m now another consultant as well as a beauty therapist ;) It’s a lot easier to buy in bulk this way, plus myself and a few others have branched out into party planning and special occasion make-up so it’s definitely come in handy for that.
The price might be a bit off-putting to some, but it actually works out to be more cost effective since a little of each product goes a very long way. You’ll notice I only gave some of these products a 9/10. Unless I specified otherwise, it would be because the jars mean that many will be tempted to stick their fingers in and scoop, which is incredibly unhygienic. You do require other tools such as spatulas and/or brushes for healthier application, which are not provided.
I’d definitely recommend Neal’s Yard for anyone that wants to take good care of their skin. Feel free to email me with any queries, just please bear in mind that this is a weekend gig for me, I will not be available most of the time during the week since I’ll be at the office.
This collection is technically my ‘Plan B’ however it is just as amazing and effective. The only reason I don’t still use these daily is because unlike Neal’s Yard, you have to use more product for a satisfying result, which means they run out quite quickly.
They are all combination apart form the exfoliating lotion which is from the dry skin range (I found the others to be too soft.) The cleanser is more of a lotion as oppose to a cream, which glides a bit better, but leaves more of a residue to be removed with water/toner. I would give all these products a 9/10 again because most come in pump action or squeezy bottles, but they do not last as long as NY.
Not sure if you can read the bottles but Natural elements produce are all free from petrochemicals, synthetic perfumes and parabens, just like NY. They’re not quite as nice smelling, but they do the job just fine.
The first step then, is to identify your own skin type.
Oily Skin:
Blackheads/spots
Oily T zone
Face becomes noticeably shiny only a few hours after cleansing
Make-up slides off hours after application
Combination/Normal Skin:
Some dry spots on occasion
No particular problem areas
Sensitive:
Red blotches
Stinging
Bleeds with excessive exfoliation
Dry:
Slight/severe flaking
Fine lines are more visible
Once you know which you are, you can then begin browsing products to suit your own needs.
Application and maintenance is pretty straightforward after that, however I will post a tutorial for a full facial at some point in the months to come. Happy shopping!
Leo =X=
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