How To Repair a Damaged Skin Barrier

Recently I had been feeling that my skin was getting dry and tight, but it took me quite a long time to realise that it was because my skin barrier was compromised. 

I had been exfoliating almost every day for weeks (stupidly following some "simple" routine for breakout prone skin I saw in a magazine), giving it a few days rest a couple of times here and there, thinking maybe my skin type had changed and became dry because of central heating and dehumidifiers, and while that may have contributed, it was definitely not the main cause.

Now that it feels like my skin is ruined I'm on the search for nourishing and gentle products that can help accelerate recovery and repair my damaged barrier, and some ingredients that could help are:

Ceramides: Maintain the barrier function and prevent trans-epidermal water loss. 

Find it in Elizabeth Arden HA Ceramide Capsules £45 and The Inkey List Ceramide Treatment £15

Shea Butter: Antioxidant, soothing and moisturising while being non comedogenic.

Find it in Avène Skin Recovery Cream £17.50 

Vitamin B5: It is hydrating, anti-inflammatory and stimulates the skin's repair process.
Find it in The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 £5.90 and La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Lavant B5 £12

Centella Asiatica: It helps soothe and repair the skin as it is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

Find it in SNP Prep Cicaronic Soothing Cream £18 

Hemp Seed Oil: It's soothing, anti-inflammatory and helps repair the skin barrier and seal in moisture.

Find it in Simple Hemp Calming Facial Moisturiser £8 and Garnier Organic Hemp Sleeping Oil £12

Other ingredients to look out for are Peptides or Amino acids which can be moisturising and calming, and Niacinamide which can help reduce redness. Some of the products on the list already contain these ingredients as well.

So pictured above are some products I will be looking out for in my next shopping trip. I will let you know how it goes, and remember: exfoliating every day is never a good idea.

xo

Vaseline Expert Care Instant Dry Skin Rescue

A couple of weeks ago I was sent the Vaseline Expert Care Instant Dry Skin Rescue to try out and provide some feedback on. Now that the survey has been answered it is review time!

The Vaseline Expert Care Instant Dry Skin Rescue is a body lotion for very dry skin that claims to help repair it from the 1st use thanks to a "fast dry skin healing formula" containing Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin and Vaseline Jelly.

The ingredients are quite basic, yet effective at moisturising and locking in hydration. The second ingredient is glycerin which is a great humectant that works similarly to hyaluronic acid, however the smaller sized molecule is capable of getting absorbed more effectively by the skin.

I liked how even though the formula is meant for very dry skin it is still very comfortable to use, not being heavy on the skin or leaving a sticky residue, and leaving actually a velvety finish. The product is unscented so it would be ideal to use on sensitive skin as well. The only issue I have with this product is that it could have been packaged differently so that the product can be dispensed more easily, so storing the bottle upside down might be helpful.

If you would like to try a gentle, basic but effective moisturiser that is not heavy or greasy I would recommend trying Vaseline Expert Care Instant Dry Skin Rescue.

Find the Vaseline Expert Care Instant Dry Skin Rescue in Feel Unique and Superdrug.

xo

Update Your Hairstyle With Uniwigs

*This is a sponsored post.

Have you ever wanted to try a new and completely different hair style but were too scared to actually commit to it? Or maybe you always dreamed of having waist length hair but for some reason your hair refused to grow past a certain length. Perhaps you wish you could dye your hair a new colour (jet black or even pastel pink) but worried that it could damage your natural hair.

Well, that is where today's sponsor comes in: Uniwigs, which is an online wig store that offers human hair and synthetic wigs, hair extensions, hair toppers and pieces for women who want to feel more confident and to look their best. It doesn't matter if you want to try a wig for fashion, for fun or to conceal hair loss or thinning hair, as you will be able to find the perfect product for your needs at Uniwigs.

As we are currently in spring it is the perfect time to experiment with pastels - I've been after a pastel yellow cardigan a bit unsuccessfully but that's a different story - and Uniwigs has some lovely pastel pink wigs available. See above for my personal favourite offerings: on the left we have the Tonya, a pastel pink shoulder length synthetic lace front wig. It comes in a sleek straight hair style with blunt ends and visible dark roots to add a more natural, grown-in look and give it an edgy twist. On the right side we have the Peach Sorbet, which is a synthetic lace front wig in a short and wavy pink bob with a fringe. This wig would be suited for a more sweet, girly look, thanks to the lighter pink colour and the soft waves. 

If you are not the biggest fan of pink hair, then you will be delighted to know that Uniwigs also carries products in a multitude of colours, including even ombre wigs. However if you have always wondered how you would look like with Rapunzel-style lengths, then you can now easily find out with one of the super long wigs on sale at the Uniwigs website.

Above you can see a couple of my favourite long wigs, on the left we have the Macarons, a synthetic layered long pastel blue lace front wig, which features beyond-waist length in a baby blue shade, complete with dark grey roots that give a slightly more natural looking transition. This pastel wig would look great in the spring because of its light shade, but also during winter as it uses a cool tone for lengths and roots. On the right we have the Becky, a synthetic long bleach blonde wavy lace front wig, which can be very versatile, as you can style it in many different ways. For inspiration look to Daenerys Targaryen!

Have you every tried wigs before?

xo

New In: April 2021

KLAVUU Deep Ocean Gel Comforter

New Adidas Tennis Luxe Collection

Cardigan £65 // Polo Shirt £35//  Socks (2 pairs) £12 // Tennis Skirt £35

Tennis Dress £50 // Graphic Sweatshirt £50

Adidas has recently launched a tennis-inspired collection called Tennis Luxe which is full of items in pastel as well as neutral colours that can be mixed and matched. Wear with your favourite edition of Stan Smith trainers for an instant sporty-cute look ;)

xo

The Body Shop Body Butter Packaging Evolution

Being interested in graphic design, I've always found it fascinating when faced with retro packaging for pretty much any type of product. 

Above is a gif showing how The Body Shop Mango Body Butter packaging has evolved throughout the last few decades.

xo

Garnier Micellar Rose Water

For my birthday last year Dot got me a few skincare bits and the Garnier Micellar Rose Water was one of them.

As we haven't been going out as much, I wasn't really wearing a lot makeup so didn't open this product until a couple of weeks ago (!). I have tried a few Garnier Micellar waters before and liked them, so ever since I saw that there was a rose version coming out, it had been on my skincare wish list as I love rose based and rose scented beauty products.

The Garnier Micellar Rose Water is designed for dull and sensitive skin, and promises to remove makeup, cleanse and add glow thanks to the use of Rose Water in the formula. As any other micellar water, it does not need rinsing off but I will still rinse any product off my eyelids and proceed to use my face cleanser.

At the end of the day I use the Garnier Micellar Rose Water to remove dirt, oil and the day's skincare products and it lightly cleanses without making my skin feel dry or tight, however I wouldn't rely on this as my only cleanser.

If I have been wearing makeup during the day I will use this micellar water to remove my eye makeup and any powder or tinted products I may have used on my eyes and face. It is gentle and does remove my eye makeup very effectively.

What I was most excited about was the scent, but that left me a bit disappointed as it is not as fresh and beautiful as I expected, it still smells of roses but rather a more powdery version, however it does not put me off using it or buying it again in the future.

Find the Garnier Micellar Rose Water at Look Fantastic and Superdrug.

xo

Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser & Glycolic Toner

A while back I ordered some products from Superdrug and received a free set of mini Naturally Radiant products, including the Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser and the 5% Glycolic Acid Toner.

Having tried a few products from the Naturally radiant range, I was almost certain I would like the glycolic toner, however was a bit unsure on how the Hot Cloth Cleanser would be like as my skin is prone to breakouts.

The Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser claims to awaken the skin's natural glow, and to cleanse while lightly exfoliating the skin. It contains Kiwi and Mulberry extracts to help even out skin tone, it also lists several other natural and fruit extracts in the ingredient list such as lemon, maple, sugar cane, bitter orange and blackberry.

This cleanser is very creamy, doesn't lather at all but it is easy to remove and leaves my skin feeling very soft and moisturised, thanks to the cacao seed butter, glycerin and almond oil in the formula. Great for drier skin types or when you need an extra moisture boost. It is also worth mentioning that it didn't cause me any breakouts.

The Naturally Radiant 5% Glycolic Tonic is a liquid chemical exfoliant with 5% AHA in the form of glycolic acid, as well as Kiwi, Lemon and Mulberry fruit extracts and Witch Hazel to help refine pores, smooth skin texture and even out tone, as well as brighten the skin.

This toner is quick and easy to use and as well as being affordable it is effective too. After using my skin feels smoother and softer, and also helps fade some hyperpigmentation scars from breakouts, which is great. If you are looking to start using a chemical exfoliant this would be a nice product to try.

Have you tried any of these Naturally Radiant products?

xo