Trilogy Skin Saviour

Brrrrr...I think Winter has finally landed. It's a freezing morning here and I have turned the heating on. It's a slippery slope till Spring my friends! The only inevitable outcome of this is drier skin (for me anyway) so it's time to load up the nourishment and for me this means buying my annual bottle of Rosehip Oil by Trilogy. It's organic and outrageously good for keeping skin looking and feeling good when switching between warm and colder temperatures. Massage it in night and day and watch that dry pelt turn to softer skin before your very eyes!

P.S. anyone living on Dublin's South Side should check out this Trilogy offer from the fab Select Stores (and have one of their to-die-for juices whilst there!)

Vichy Normaderm - An Anti Age & Anti Spot Hero

One of the great injustices in life is the arrival of spots beyond our teens. I broke out in horrific acne just before my 30th birthday and it took a long trial of many different products and treatments to make it disappear. I was told it was due to stress or crazy hormones acting up because I hadn't had a baby yet! I was a bit peeved at that theory - can my skin really be annoyed I hadn't joined the baby making forces? I'm not sure but it is one of those infuriating concepts that are bantered around that only add to the stress of actually having acne I ultimately found out that my skin needed glycolic acid treatments to improve but they were costly and a bit irritating. The other concern for skins in the plus 30 bracket (me!) is anti-aging. I haven't really found many mass market products that address the two issues; increasing lines, open pores and changing texture as well occasional breakouts.
So I was intrigued to try this product from the Vichy range, Normaderm Anti-Age does indeed address all the concerns I mentioned. It contains glycolic acid to act deep into the epidermis to stimulate skin renewal, LHA (Lipo-hydroxy-acid) which acts on the upper layers of skin to gently exfoliate. Remember that scrub exfoliators are an enemy to a skin that is broken out. Vitamin C is included to brighten and help with the production of collagen which is what we begin to lack as we age. Ever wonder why a babies skin is so amazing? They have tons of collagen!
Vichy claim that after 4 weeks people have seen purified skin, less blackheads, smoother texture and reduced wrinkles. Seeing as Vichy generally know what they are talking about, I've taken the challenge. I've just finished week two and the mini pregnancy breakout I had is almost gone and my skin does feel very smooth and clear. I love that it is oil free but my skin does feel moisturised enough... so many products for breakout prone types leave your skin feeling like the Sahara. Not so here.

It will be available from pharmacies in September at €17.50 which is a great price for a product of this calibre.

A Safe Tan?

Here's another little tub of wonder from St Tropez. This is the SPF 30 High Protection for face with tan enhancer! So we all know that 30 is the minimum we should be wearing these days but sometimes we don't (myself included). But in last weeks semi heatwave, I took this down from the shelf and liberally applied it all over my face, neck and chest. I was outdoors for most of the day and of course I didn't burn as the SPF level was superb but the really interesting thing was that I got a little bit tanned! This is more or less unheard of  for me so I put it down to the magic tan enhancer they are calling 'Melanobronze' (love the name!) that claims to increase your melanin production. It also contains vitamin E and raspberry seed oils to nourish your skin, so it's a win/win product....moisture with protection and a hint of real tan, what's not to love!

Super Serum

Along with most people I like the concept of 'quick fixes'. I tend to be a sucker for anything making claims of 'overnight miraculous effects'! Alas, I am informed enough to know that these are generally rubbish and that our skin is more complex than that. With our skin's various growth and shedding cycles, it takes a while for skincare products to really show their worth. Of course they can show immediate effects such as added hydration and smoothness but when it comes to any anti-aging claims, you really must go the distance to see if they work. 'How long must we wait?' I hear you cry.... well most skin professionals would say you must use at least one bottle, ideally two bottles, in order to make a proper judgement.
So, I am mid-way through my second bottle of the much praised Regenerist 3 Point Super Serum from Olay and I feel I am ready to appraise it now. Firstly I love the texture; it is silky and easily absorbed. I could see an obviously increased level of hydration after two weeks and was checking the mirror daily for it's claims of firmer skin. To be honest, that did take a while but I do now think that my skin looks tighter and brighter. It is chock-full of amino peptides which are the ultimate anti-aging warriors - there's no point using a serum without them. I'm using it twice daily under my moisturiser and I am very happy with it. I would like it to contain an SPF as it doesn't but nonetheless, I will be purchasing a third bottle.