Blue Clay
I am a huge fan of pure clays as cleansing masks. I have been lusting after a blue clay since a couple of years and finally got my paws on this one. It is 100% kaolin, and so it's even gentler than white clay. It is perfect for dry or sensitive skin, and at the same time does a good job of cleansing and getting rid of impurities. It's also really fun to use, you look like a Smurf. After use my pores are cleaner and smaller, any oiliness is absorbed, and I feel that any irritation gets calmed down. The colour of the skin is also evened out, I think that this brightening effect is thanks to the high content of silica, a bit of which stays on the face.
You should always spritz the clay to prevent it from drying out on your face. If you want extra moisture you can mix it with yoghurt of flaxseed gel, however I prefer to just mix it with water or a hydrolate to get the undiluted cleansing effect and follow it up with something moisturising.
The one I have is from the on of the Mydlarnia stores in Poland, and I paid ca 4,50€ for 75g. I consider clays investment shopping since they never expire and a little goes a long way. On the website is says that it can also be used as a toothpaste or as a compress.
Sylveco Linden Micellar Cleanser
Very gentle and soothing, and does it's job really well. Removes all of my makeup without rubbing, I have a feeling that it does this better than the micellar solution from Cattier. It foams while cleansing, which I feel makes it even more effective. It doesn't dry out the skin at all, and doesn't irritate the eyes.
It leaves a gentle film behind, if this bothers you you can wipe it off with water or a hydrolate.
I got mine from Poland, but I also saw it online on Notino for ca 4,90€.
INCI: Aqua, Tilia Platyphyllos Flower Extract, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Panthenol, Allantoin, Hydrolyzed Oats, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Lactic Acid, Phytic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid.
Magic Of India Natural Solid Fragrance
I have always wanted to own a solid fragrance and I got this one as a gift. The label says Lily Of The Valle but it smells nothing like that flower; rather it is a lovely heavy oriental-sweet-woodsy scent. The jar is handmade out of rosewood and looks very well-made, and would make a nice gift. The solid perfume is, according to the manufacturer, made of natural essential oils, tea tree oil, wheatgerm oil, aloe vera extract, beeswax and vegetable wax.
Neroli (Orange Blossom) Hydrolate
I love to try out new hydrolates but I keep on coming back to this one. I use this hydrolate in the morning to gently cleanse my skin, or after evening cleansing to restore the acidic pH of the skin. Sometimes I use it as a base for serums or mists. I apply it with my fingers and not a cotton pad so as not to waste any.
Just like most hydrolates it tones and lightly moisturises. It also visibly refreshes the skin, and I think that is lightly cleans the sebum from my pores and definitely balances bits of skin that produce too much oil. The scent is really nice, very relaxing, a kind of orange-ish not but more green and not flowery.
I ordered this one from Zrob Sobie Krem. The only minus point is that the lid wasn't closed properly and the contents of the package were a bit moist.
Martina Gebhart Linden Face Lotion
I always come back to Martina Gebhardt moisturisers, although I try a different one each time. This time I went for the Linden one because it's a one-time limited edition, apparently Martina Gebhardt used a part of the over 1000-year-old Tassilo Linden tree that grows in the monastery where the brand is located. She also said that this is the only time that she will be doing this, as the ancient tree cannot stand much stress. Anyway, apart from the romanticism of the story I absolutely love the scent of Linden flowers, which led me to been reading up on the properties of the Linden -- antioxidant and calming, it also helps against discolourations.
The Tassilo Linde moisturiser is an ideal product for the summer, it really moisturised my combination skin which can very easily get dry, without being too heavy for the summer or under makeup/sunscreen. I also felt that my dark discolourations were slightly lighter. The skin looks relaxed and fresh for the entire day. The scent is amazing, a big part of using the Linden Face Lotion is simply taking whiffs of the product.
One plus point for the (opaque!) glass packaging, one minus point for the pump breaking before I used up the product.
This moisturiser is a limited edition, but it's still available in some online and offline stores.
Inci: Aqua, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil°, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter*, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter*, Cetearyl Alcohol, Tilia Cordata Flower, Leaf, Root and Bark Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Water°, Lecithin*, Sambucus Nigra Root Extract°, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract*, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract°, Cetyl Alcohol, Spagyrische Essenz von Tilia Cordata Flower, Leaf, Root and Bark Extract, Gold, Silver, Sulfur, Aroma* (ätherisches Öl von Lindenblüte*, Sandelholz*, Geraniol**, Linalool**, Eugenol**, Benzylalcohol**)
° demeter-certified, * certified organic, ** from natural essential oils
Konjac Sponge Cleansing Pads
I was really hoping
that they would be a zero-waste replacement for single-use cotton pads. They are advertised as makeup remover pads, so I tested them out by using them to clean off my
sunscreen with a micellar cleanser,. This normally takes three cotton pads, so I used three konjac pads. After that I used a cotton pad to cleanse my face and it was
absolutely full of sunscreen -- which means that the konjac pads didn't
do anything. It just doesn't grab the way cotton does. The konjac sponges have a smoother side and a rougher side, the rougher side does cleanse somewhat but the smoother side doesn't.
However they do a decent job of cleansing the face after the makeup has been removed -- for example to lather a cleansing gel, they gently buff off any skin flakes. I use them to wipe my face in the morning
with a hydrolate, and they are also great for applying liquid things
like toners (which I don't want to spray and breathe in, but always
fell a bit guilty to be waisting cotton pads on).
The konjac pads look really weird when they dry, they have to be hydrated in water and gently squeezed out, this makes them expand and become soft. After
use they have to be washed with soap and hug in a specially provided
mesh bag to dry.
I found them at my local TKMaxx, they were discounted from 24€ to 10€ which I consider to be overpriced, seeing as you can get a regular big konjac sponge for less than 5€.
What are your current cosmetic favourites? Did anything catch your eye? Let me know.
