In an attempt to soothe my sad, aged and properly dehydrated skin in the sudden albeit seasonal drop in temperature in the UK, I decided to compare and contrast a couple of products that I have in my stash.
Compare and contrast takes me back to A-Level English Literature; Compare and Contrast the Poems of Gerald Manley Hopkins and John Donne with Particular Reference to Form, or some such fancy.
So Nude Overnight Mask is that, an overnight moisturising mask - I first came across this after Ruth's review on a model recommends, whereas First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream is marketed as a rich hydrating moisturiser. Nude is housed in a tub, and First Aid in a tube. Neither is fragranced that I can tell.
I have shown the textures below, both blobbed and then sheared out slightly.
The Nude has a thicker texture, and is more of a smear and leave sort of application and it feels more oily than the First Aid cream which really is more of a thick cream, dolloped on rather than smeared if that makes sense.
I like both of these, my skin feels comfortable immediately post application with each product and in the morning my skin feels like it has been taken care of, it feels hydrated and comfortable. But getting down to the nitty gritty of texture, the First Aid is immediately cooling on application, it feels more immediately hydrating I suppose, however in the morning there is no residue, maybe a good thing for some, but for me I want evidence that a product hasn't been sweated off in the night. The Nude, whilst it does not feel cooling, and if truth be told, on me feels a little greasy on application, it is still there in the morning, and at this time of year, my skin needs that.
Nude Advanced Renewal Overnight Repair Mask is £42 for 75mls - I bought mine from SpaceNK
Ingredients: Water (aqua), butyrospermum
parkii (shea butter), caprylic/capric triglyceride, glyceryl stearate se, glycerine,
beeswax (cera alba), Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter, cetearyl alcohol,
cetyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, hydroxypropyl starch phosphate, sclerotium gum,
ethylhexylgycerin, palmitic acid, stearic acid, lactose, milk protein (lactis
proteinium), sodium dehydroacetate, glycyrrhetinic acid, citric acid,
galactaric acid, ficus carica (fig) fruit/leaf extract, bifida ferment lysate, helianthus
annuss (sunflower) seed oil, lactic acid, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary)
leaf extract, honey (mel) extract, phenethyl alcohol, glycolipids, sodium
hyaluronate, tocopheryl acetate, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter) nut extract,
potassium sorbate, tocopherol,
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream is £9 for 56.7g - mine was free in a You Magazine Beauty Box
Ingredients: Colloidal Oatmeal, Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Dimethicone, Xanthum Gum, Disodium EDTA, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus, Ceramide 3.
So, more products that I have used up in the past couple of months - probably over the summer if truth be told.
Sunday Riley Blue Moon Cleansing Balm - I have gone through two full sized tubs straight and have given myself a bit of a rest from this product, not because I have fallen out of love with it, but because I love it too much, and I zip through it if it was going out of fashion. For my skin, it just works, it is nourishing and hydrating. I have another pot to see me through the winter - my original thoughts here. £46 for 100mls
Margaret Dabbs Foot Hygiene Cream - another regular purchase for me, although for some reason I haven't lately, maybe the cooler weather. What I like about this product is that it removes and then prevents build up of dry skin on the feet by simply massaging it in everyday. Original thoughts here £18 for 100mls jar
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - I never got Bioderma, it just didn't suit me. This is cheaper and more effective. To be honest I only ever use it after my main makeup remover to check everything is off, it is almost a redundant step, and often it leaves my skin a bit too wet, almost an unwelcome cold and wet wakeup call after my soothing massaging of my current cleansing balm/oil, but sometimes I want the extra insurance, especially if I am going to follow on with a mask of some sort.
Omorovicza Copper Peel - I am very dubious about using any sort of abrasive exfoliant nowadays, my skin just can't take it any more and my thread veins have a nasty resemblance to ice skates on an ice rink. This is a two-phase product, a green paste applied all over and quickly followed by the clear gel which makes a sort of foam. There is no irritation at all, and my skin looks brighter, end of. £90 for 16 tubes, I use less than a third every couple of months or so.
Omorovicza Gold Eye Lift Cream - A very lovely, very nourishing eye cream. I find that Omorovicza does light but dense textures very well. I am not sure that I would repurchase this eye cream because I found my samples of the Blue Diamond Eye Cream by Omorovicza more suited to my needs. I can't find this on the Omorovicza website so maybe it is no longer available.
Nude Advance Renewal Eye Cream - I do have a bit of a thing about eye creams. This one is a repurchase several times over because it does slightly tighten, comes in a pump, is light enough to use am, but rich enough to use pm £48 for 15mls.
This is the first facial oil which I purchased and used up right until the end without veering of into another product, and I suppose it is the benchmark by which I measure every single facial oil.
The Nude ProGenius Treatment Oil is a thickish, rich, dense oil and initially I felt that maybe even as a lover of a thicker texture, this maybe somewhat too oily and rich for my oily skin. This was not the case. The product has enough slip to allow a decent massage and although it does not sink in straight away (hallelujah), it does not sit on the surface, there is a residue left which is like a Redibrek glow around my face, and I can apply a night moisture post application, or not.
There is minimal scent to this product which I like. I enjoy a beautifully scented product, but smell is so very subjective and products which have certain essential oils in can not only jar in smell but can irritate on the skin, this product just smells of what it is, plant oil, albeit many many plant oils as can be seen in the ingredients list below.
Ingredients: Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Nigella Sativa Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Commiphora Mukul Resin Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Tocopherol, Vanillin, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Rapeseed Glycerides, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Alcohol, Bht, Ci 75120 (Annatto)
At the moment I am working my way through the very lovely Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil but this will be my next purchase.
Currently £58 for 30mls
I received a sample of this product after a recent SpaceNK trip.
This is a newish cleaner from Nude Skincare. I think it is a most enticing name, what fun to clean one's face with jelly.
The product is a gel texture, with a slight herbally scent maybe? It is difficult to say, the scent is neutral to my nose. It is easily spread, and emulsifies with the addition of water.
Not the greatest of photos and as can be seen in the background I did go on to buy the full size.
This does remove my makeup but I would not use it primarily for that, for me and my skin it is an anathema to use a product which washes off as the first step in makeup removal. For me this is an am cleanser, and maybe a pm cleanser after the makeup has first been removed.
What I like about this product is that the packaging is slim and elegant - sad but true packaging has a big influence on my intent to purchase, and I could make all sorts of snorty nudge nudge double entendres about packages and satisfaction, but I won't, suffice it to say the slim elegance of the tube with its matte lilac shade is visually pleasing.
I also like the fact that the ingredients list is relatively uncomplicated; Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Coco-Caprylate, Water, Glycerin, Sucrose Palmitate, Sucrose Laurate, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Iris Florentina Root Extract, Bixa Orellana Seed Extract, Tocopherol, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Fragrance, Limonene.
And it is a joy to use, the texture is dense enough to allow for some concentrated massage, when the water is added it becomes a thick lotion rather than a thin runny lotion and it does rinse clean away.
£32 for 100mls. I purchased mine from SpaceNK
.JPG)
.JPG)
