Skincare: Pre-Cleanse Dermalogica Review

( source: dermalogica.ie)

Hi everybody welcome back to a new blog post. I am going to try really hard to do as many posts as I can this year, however, as I am in my final year in college I am not too sure how this is going to play out.(I'm sure many of you will understand the struggle!!)

This weeks post is a review of the Dermalogica Pre - Cleanse. I recently put a poll on my Instagram stories in relation to creating more content based on skincare and a lot of people voted yes so I will definitely be doing more skin related posts/reviews over the next while.

You may not know this but I recently started a new job as part time receptionist in a spa while I am in college. I am learning so much about skincare and different products. It was in here that I was introduced to the Pre - Cleanse from Dermalogica and I am so glad I was! 

According to Dermalogica this should be used as 'Step Zero' in your skincare routine. Basically the skincare mantra for a long time has been to cleanse, tone and moisturize, however, now we are recommended to carry out a 'pre - cleanse'. You may have also heard it being refereed to as the 'double cleanse'. 

The Dermalogica Pre-Cleanse is a lightweight oil which melts any excess sebum and makeup off the skin prior to the use of your daily cleanser. The idea of this is to ensure your cleanser can fully do its job. 

The key ingredients of this product include:

Apricot Kernel Oil 
Sunflower Oil
Vitamin E 

Directions for use:

1. Dispense one pump into dry, clean hands.

2. Massage onto face (still dry) focusing specifically on any problem areas / congestion.

3. Add water to emulsify the oil and once again massage face.

4. Wash off any excess oil off the face with warm water.

The Verdict:

I absolutely love this product! It has become part of my daily skincare routine and I honestly do not think I could live with out it. I use it every morning and night even if I have not worn makeup that day. It leaves my skin feeling so soft and this combined with my cleanser I feel my skin is genuinely clean. 

If you are looking for something that will literally melt everything off including mascara and eyeliner then I recommend this to you 150%. 

The only downside to this product is that it is quite expensive at €44 per 150ml, however, in saying that one pump is sufficient per use so it should last you for a while and I promise you will not be disappointed! If you are interested in purchasing this product you can do so here.

If you are wary of spending this much money on a product you have never tried before, Dermalogica do offer a travel size which you can purchase here.

Let me know if you have used this product before and what you thought of it or if you do purchase it let me know how you find it!

Until next week, 

Shauna
xoxo

Free Radicals and Antioxidants

Hello everyone, welcome back to another skincare post. My last skincare post on Vitamin A seemed to go down pretty well so I thought I would do another one. This week I am focusing on Free Radicals and Anti - Oxidants in skincare. When I was researching Vitamin A and Vitamin C these two words seemed to pop up a lot. I  had not heard of them before and so I did some research and they seem to be a key player in skincare, especially in the likes of anti - ageing. Like my last skincare blog post I am going to try and explain this is as easily as I can and how I understand it to be - again I am not a professional so do not take any advice before consulting with somebody who has more experience! 

What are free radicals? 

This took me ages and a lot of research to understand ( I was not good at science in school!!!) 


The cells in our body our made up of molecules which in turn are made of atoms. Inside these atoms there is protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons and neutrons make up the middle while the electrons are around the outside. 

In simple terms a free radical is an unpaired electron in an atom. Something has happened to cause this and they are now unbalanced. An electron must always ensure it is paired with another electron if not it will look for some way to pair with an electron to ensure stability within the atom. 

The electron looks for another source to become stable and so it will "steal" an electron from the nearest atom available. This atom will be a healthy cell and once the free radical takes the electron that cell that was once healthy is now also a free radical and now it is looking for a way to become stable triggering a chain reaction. The more free radicals we have in our body the faster the ageing process will happen. They can also result in dead and lifeless skin.


Where do Free Radicals come from? 

Free radicals are naturally in our body already through a process of oxidisation. Similar to bacteria it is OK and sometimes even good to have some free radicals in our body. The problem is when we have too many. 

Free radicals can come from poor diet, the environment e.g. pollution in the air, smog and cigarette smoke, stress in our lives, illness and UV penetration. 


How do we treat/ get rid of free radicals?

After reading all the bad free radicals can do to the skin, I wanted to know HOW we can get rid of free radicals or even help to improve the damage they have caused. The one answer that popped up time and time again was Antioxidants. I have heard this word so many times before but I was not too sure what it actually was and how it worked. 

What are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are basically what fights and cleans up the "bad" stuff in our body. They are most likely found in foods and work when our body digests them. Antioxidants work by replacing the missing electron in the atom. There is no need for the neutron to now take one off a healthy cell and therefore the chain reaction is stopped. 

Where can we find Antioxidants?
We will most commonly find antioxidants in the forms of Vitamins. The most popular ones are Vitamins A, C & E. We can source these Vitamins through the foods we eat and we are also seeing them become more and more popular in skin care ingredients. I have already done a separate post on Vitamin A which you can find here . I am going to do a separate blog post on the other two C & E.  

Basically we have to increase our intake of fruit and vegetables. After researching and putting together this blog post I am now closer to understanding why certain foods are good for us and how certain things actually affect our body. Again I have to point out I am not a professional, I am just really interested in skincare and I thought I would put together a series of posts on how I understand topics that are being talked about in the skincare world. If you are looking to start something new into your routine always ask the advice of a professional!!! :)

I hope you all enjoyed this post and sorry it took me so long to post ( it took me quite awhile to get my head around!) Keep an eye out for some more skincare posts.

Lots of Love,
Shauna 
xoxo

Vitamin A 

Skincare 

Hello everyone! I have always had an interest in skincare and for the last while I have heard many people talking about vitamin this and vitamin that so I thought I would do some research and try breakdown each element of skincare and try to make it more understandable. To be honest I had not a clue before I started looking into and it is amazing what all these Vitamins can 'supposedly' do for us. I have no idea if they work or not so do not take my word for it!! Anyhow I have broken down what I have learnt in this post. Also I am not in anyway a skincare professional this is merely what I have learned from doing my own research so you should always get professional advice before you incorporate something new in to your skincare routine.

What does Vitamin A do?

Vitamin A is said to help with anti - ageing, improves skin texture and over time will reduce the amount of oil we produce therefore resulting in smaller pore sizes.  

Where do we find Vitamin A?

Vitamin A can be found in two sources. One in food and the other in our skincare products. In food we have two types of Vitamin A -

   Active 

Active forms of Vitamin A ( also known as Retinol) is ready to be absorbed and is found in mainly animal products for example egg yolks. 

Beta - Carotene

This is found in plants for example colourful fruit and vegetables. After the food is ingested it is converted to Retinol (Vitamin A). It can be found in sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach & kale. 

Vitamin A is also found in many skincare products. It was first used to treat acne however after using for a period of time people began to notice that it helped in effectively reducing fine lines and wrinkles. This is because it increases collagen which slows the normal ageing process. 

To begin incorporating Vitamin A into your skincare you can add some of the foods mentioned above and also begin to use skincare products which have forms of Vitamin A in them.

What should you look for? 

There are different forms of Vitamin A - some stronger and some weaker. You will most likely find the strongest form in prescription products. Retinoic Acid is a powerful strength of vitamin A which is usually prescribed by a doctor for acne sufferers. 

If you are looking in over the counter products look for products containing Retinol, Retinyl Palemitate and Retinyl Acetate. However Retinol is a stronger form of Vitamin A and you will most likely see results quicker from this than the other two mentioned above. 

How do you use? 

Because Vitamin A is such a powerful product is important to incorporate it slowly in to your skincare routine. They can tend to irritate the skin when first using and it is normal to see redness/ sensitivity/ dry & flaky skin until your skin becomes acclimated. It is recommended to only use before bed and only as your PM skincare routine. 

To start incorporating into your skincare use the product once a week for a month and then build it up. This way your skin will become used to the new aspect of your skincare routine. Use products which have 0.2% in order to see any changes on the surface of your skin.

It is also SO important to use sun cream when you are using any form of Vitamin A as they can increase UV sensitivity. 

Vitamin A is not recommend for women who are pregnant. 

Products

There are two products I am going to link which are both Vitamin A products. 

The Ordinary Retinol 1% 

Click Here

The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2%

Click Here

There is my guide to Vitamin A. I have tried to explain it as best I could and how I understand it to be. And again I am not a professional so do not take this to heart!!!

Shauna

xoxo