Dr LeWinn's Day Cream Moisturiser

 

Goodness - I dislike this product! I feel bad saying that because I know it is a cult product, one that (supposedly) was originally formulated for patients after surgery but ... BLEAH!

I received a small trial pot (so that was one blessing, as this baby is not cheap) and I was looking forward to trying it because I actually quite like the Dr Lewinn's night cream.  But so much disappointment ensued.

Firstly, it smells awful.  This seems to be a resounding comment around the web and while fragrance free is commendable "scent of ever so slightly old play dough" is really not what you expect in a $70 cream ...

Once you get over the smell the cream is quite thick which means that you don't need much (seriously, this tiny wee pot is lasting me ages) and even though the cream is thick it is absorbed quickly and doesn't leave a greasy slick.

But does it perform? For me, no.

Now I tried this out under some pretty hard conditions.  I started using it straight off a long haul flight to the northern hemisphere where my skin had to battle not only dehydration but cold weather.  And this moisturiser failed miserably.  I really struggled with my make up as small dry patches flared up on my cheeks and over the course of a couple of weeks I never really felt as though my skin was recovering.

Ironically, it was the plane journey back home where I slathered my face with Clarins Hydra Quench that gave my skin some relief.

The Dr Lewinn's Day Cream Moisturiser's main ingredient (after good old water) is dimethicone, which might explain why I didn't get on with it.  This is basically a silicone and does a great job of smoothing out your skin (many of those 'five second blur' type creams have a dimethicone base).  After dimethicone is apricot kernel oil and I wonder if that it what contributes to the disconcerting smell. It looks like apricot kernel oil does have some skin benefits and it can be great for prematurely aged, dry or irritated skin.  If that sounds like you, it might be worth seeking out just the oil for a quick massage over a clean face before bed.

Another downer on this product for me is that it offers no SPF protection.  That, combined with expense, smell and under performance make it a no-go for me.

Palmers Daily Calming Facial Lotion

Somewhere along the way I received a little sample sachet of this Palmer's Daily Calming Facial Lotion.  I've never really associated Palmers with (face) skin care - I've always thought of it more as a body care company so I was a bit hesitant about trying this.

When I first opened it I was surprised by how thick it was - 'lotion' suggests to me something that is quite runny whereas I'd describe the texture of this as quite cream like.  It felt quite heavy and I was concerned that it might be a bit rich.

But it isn't oily at all and while it feels thick my skin drank it up quickly and there was no oily residue or anything like that.

And for a couple of days I was really ho-hum about it.  It seemed to be doing an OK job of moisturising my skin (just off a long haul flight - your skin really knows about dehydration at that point!) but I really didn't dig the texture of it on my fingers as I applied it and it has no sun protection built in.  Also, being 'fragrance free' (for sensitive skin) it has that kind of 'fragrance free' smell ... I'm sure someone out there will know what I mean!

But then I put some foundation on ... and wow - for me, at least, it worked as a really good base for foundation.  It was rich enough to smooth out the dry patches so foundation didn't catch, the foundation went on easily, and looked really even (something I have real trouble with if a moisturiser has too much dimethicone in it!).

All of a sudden I went from ho-hum to really impressed!

I've done a bit of research - the main ingredient (after water) is ethylhexyl palmitate which is often used in cosmetics as an organic substitute to silicone.  The use of this, rather than a silicone definitely explains why my foundation went on evenly.  Unfortunately, ethylhexyl palmitate is derived from palm oil so ... I've tweeted Palmers to find out if the product is sustainable (not everyone cares about these things, but I do to the extent that I can ...).  I'll report back when I get an answer!

I can't figure out how widely or readily available this is ... it is listed on the Priceline website (which shows it as 'out of stock') but I can't find it on (the difficult to use!) Palmer's site but other sites do list it as in stock.  Make of that what you will.

Performance wise, this product, after an uncertain start gets a thumbs up from me!

Palmer's Australia.

Innoxa Skin Clear Clarifying Night Complex

 

 I bought this through OzSale and as it's no longer listed on the Innoxa website I guess it was run-out end-of-line discontinued stock.  However, it meant I picked it up for $8 rather than the $35 Innoxa night creams are normally.

The Skin Clear range is for oily/combination skin which is pretty much perfect for me - I have the typical oily t-zone and dehydrated (rather than necessarily dry) cheeks.  I also used this product over winter, which is a great litmus test for me with a moisturiser, as over winter is when my skin really struggles.  By which I mean it becomes so dehydrated that it starts to flake and then wearing foundation becomes a real challenge.

I loved this night cream.  It was very light and very easily absorbed, both of which can be a bit tricky to find in a night cream.  Initially I was concerned that it wasn't going to do the job because it was so light - but I've come out the other side of winter with remarkably smooth skin (maybe my day cream needs some credit too, but you know what I mean).

It was very lightly fragranced, I didn't need a lot of it (the 50mL jar lasted the whole of winter) and it did not cause any breakouts.

Things get better because this product is Australian made (I love being able to champion a locally produced product) and it's paraben free, dermatologically approved AND not tested on animals.

The only thing that's not to love about this is that you can't get hold of it!  However, my really positive experience with this does mean that I'll have no qualms about trying out other Innoxa products in future.  The Skin Clear range at the moment only carries a cleanser and anti blemish shine control lotion but other ranges, such as Anti Ageing and Sensitive, have a much fuller set of products.
Innoxa products are widely available.

Innoxa.

Source: online purchase.

Face of Australia Glossy Lip Crayon

I'm more into skin care than actual cosmetics but lips are one thing I do pay some attention to.  I have my favourite ever lip liner (I chose wisely once and managed to pick a colour which seems to go with everything) and I have a pretty broad (but in many cases old) collection of lipsticks and lip glosses.

But last week beauty blogger Sarah What posted the most GORGEOUS coloured lip crayon (Face of Australia Glossy Lip in Berry Brulee) on her instagram feed.  At the time I 'liked' it but didn't think any more of it.

Then a day or so later, I thought about it again and remembered that the brand, Face of Australia, wasn't particularly pricey and it was probably worth investigating further.

After a bit of scrolling back through instagram, I found the product and a bit of a google suggested it should be available easily for the bargain price of $8.  The first Priceline I walked into didn't have it (well, if they did I couldn't find it) but I eventually made my way into a BigW where I found it straight away.

I was tempted by a couple of other colours at the same time but prudence won out (it always does): I thought I should see how one performed before investing in many!!!

The colour is great and it builds up easily.  The crayon glides on making it super easy to use.  I haven't used lip liner with it and it doesn't bleed/feather.  It also lasts surprisingly well: even after a couple of cups of tea and something to eat there was still some colour.  And the colour fades nicely - rather than looking like a colour which has worn off it just becomes paler and more subtle.

The one downer for this product is the smell.  It's very pronounced and is a little girl sickly sweet confected berry fruit kind of smell.  Fortunately, it does drop off (or I grow accustomed to it!) quite quickly. If I weren't in love with the colour and performance of this product, I'd find the perfume enough to put me off.

But put off I'm not.  I love this and I might even treat myself to the

Widely available. RRP ~ $8.

Face of Australia.

Source: purchase.

Sanctuary Foaming Shower Mousse

While this product isn't available in Australia, I've decided to review it because it is part of the current Sanctuary range.  I received this as a present a while ago and the packaging has changed but it is still in the pump-to-mousse format and (as far as I can tell) the same product.

Firstly, I have to say that I was really impressed that the pump lasted as long as the product did.  So often, moving parts in beauty related products fail long before the product is finished which means you either waste some product or you spend time battling packaging trying to use up whatever it is.  This is not just with the products aimed at women - my partner has had some impressive battles with various shaving foams.

This mousse also lasted really well.  A single pump doesn't dispense too much and I got excellent mileage from this.  I'm an intermittent (couple of times a week) mousse/gel/wash user (er, not because I only shower a couple of times a week - normally I use soap and I am in a hurry!) so most products in this category last but occasionally fragrances fade or, worse, go off.  I'm pleased to report that this didn't happen with this.

The fragrance is very citrussy - think mandarin rather than anything else.  The foam is soft and silky and is definitely not drying on the skin at all.  I used this on a loofah pad and got excellent coverage from 3-4 small pumps.

In winter you won't get away without using a moisturiser after your shower, but in warmer weather (or, I guess, depending on your skin) I can imagine that this mousse would be sufficiently moisturising to be a one-stop shop.

In the UK this is available for just £6 so I would definitely recommend giving it a go.  It's both refreshing and moisturising and, if it makes it to Australia, it will be perfect for summer in particular.

Not available in Australia.  Available in the UK from Boots (at least), £6.

Sanctuary Spa.

Source: gift.

Biore Blemish Clearing Scrub

Bioré has a reasonably complicated array of cleansers available.  I'm a big fan of the Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser - months on now, my skin hasn't dried out and I'm using such a tiny amount it feels like the never ending cleanser.

I won a full size of the new Blemish Clearing Scrub.  Now, I'm not normally a fan of combination scrub/cleansers.  Firstly, I'm not convinced I need to exfoliate like that every day and secondly, I often find them drying.  However, my other half does use this type of thing so I figured even if it wasn't quite right for me, I'd be able to find it a happy home.

Unlike the Balancing Cleanser this scrub has a very strong scent which is dominated by mandarin.  Also, the main ingredient after water is not glycerin, but laureth-4 carboxylic acid.  This is used in acne treatments and is a surfactant, so it basically helps the product foam.  Having done this tiny bit of research, it's not surprise to me that I found this product dried out my skin.  Also, I really disliked its strong scent.

Handed over to my other half, he's decided it's not as good as his usual product and, like me, he finds it 'too orange-y'.

So overall, this product is a miss, rather than a hit.

Widely available.  RRP ~ $11.

Bioré.

Source: prize.

Skinvitals Eye Brighten Cloth Eye Treatment Mask

Part of my personal beauty routine, such as it is, is a weekly(ish) home facial.  This usually just incorporates exfoliation plus a mask.  I do use separate moisturising and clarifying masks and the moisturising mask I currently use is suitable for use around the eyes.

However, I was tottering around Priceline the other day and caught sight of a single use mask that promised to deal with dark circles and that would brighten and invigorate the eye area.  Skinvitals produces a range of cloth masks and Eye Brighten just happened to be at my eye levels.  A single packet was about $5 (less the 40% Priceline was having off skincare) but from the website it looks like these also come in packs of three for $10.50.

Although the packet extols the fact the mask contains Vitamin C and licorice the ingredient after water is sodium hyaluronate.  If you were just reading the back of the packet, this might sound vaguely scary but a bit of googling shows that it is absolutely the opposite.  In one form (hyaluronic acid) it occurs naturally in the body, including in the eye's own vitreous humour.  This form is quite large (on a molecular level) and doesn't penetrate the skin well but it is often used in injectable fillers (mmmm, doesn't that sound nice?).  Sodium hyaluronate, however, has many of the same positive properties but is smaller and more readily absorbed by the skin, taking its moisturising properties with it and providing a bit of plumping at the same time.  Unsurprisingly, this makes it popular in skin care and, as it occurs in the body, it is very low risk in the allergen stakes.

The mask is easy to use:  cleanse your face, open the packet, pop the cloths under your eyes and sit back and relax for 15 minutes or so.  The cloths are very cooling and I loved the feel of this on my skin.  Because there's not a lot of preparation involved, this is definitely a very quick pick me up.  When you're ready, remove the cloths and any excess serum can be wiped away with a tissue or cotton pad, or patted into your skin.  I didn't find that there was really any excess.

So you can judge for yourself whether or not a one off application had any brightening effects, here are before and after photos (sorry they aren't at quite the same angle - I think the pre-angle is more flattering ...).  I have a toddler, so if anyone is going to have dark circles and puffy eyes, it's me!

Personally, I wasn't convinced that as a one off this had any incredible immediate effects but I do think that expecting that is unrealistic.  I can see myself definitely buying this again and I'll definitely be trying out the remainder of the SkinVitals range.

Available from Priceline.  Other stockists on the Skinvitals site.  Around $5.

Skinvitals.

Source: purchase.