Showing posts with label Skincare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Skincare. Show all posts

Over the last six months or so, my acne has gotten much worse. It went from a few pimples on my cheeks to having a full beard of red marks and occasionally painful spots. It's been so itchy and I couldn't even cover up the redness with makeup. It got so bad that I didn't like looking at my face in the mirror and seeing all the inflamed redness. They say not to pick your spots because that could make things worse but let's be honest, we've all picked a spot at some point in our lives. The good news is I've managed to curb that habit and I'm just hoping it'll clear in its own time.

I thought I could sort it without the help of a medical professional but even my Effacular Duo couldn’t save me.

What I’ve tried:

What haven’t I tried! I went through a list of things that could possibly be making the acne worse; I changed my diet and stopped using certain products that I thought were harsh on my skin.

I went through this list, cutting out dairy completely, eating anti-inflammatory foods only, cutting out sugary foods, and only noticed a slight difference in the redness of my skin but the acne didn’t go away. I tried cutting out meat entirely which didn't make much of a difference either.

I've also tried using different products that have worked for other people. I stopped using the Pixi Glow Tonic (read my review) in case it was too harsh. I applied Sudocrem which seemed to reduce some of the redness but didn't do anything to my acne. Additionally, I also tried an over the counter 5% Benzoyl Peroxide gel, Acnecide. It worked on a few spots but I ended up having an allergic reaction to the gel so I had to stop that treatment. My face swelled up so much to the point I couldn’t even suck in my cheeks. My face was extremely dry especially on my neck and around my eyes which hadn’t even come in contact with the cream. It took me about two months and plenty of Aveeno to improve my skin texture. 

Where I am now:

My doctor first thought I could be suffering from hormonal acne and prescribed me the combination pill Lucette to help regulate my hormones and Epiduo, an acne treatment cream. Epiduo contains 2.5% Benzoyl peroxide and 0.1% adapalene. Both those chemicals together target the spots on my skin and those forming underneath. The adapalene, according to my Doctor, also irritates the skin and makes it quite sensitive to the sun. I try to keep out of the sun where I can and wear plenty of SPF.

After speaking to another doctor two months later, he prescribed me with a course of antibiotics called Lymecycline. From what I know, these are only prescribed to those suffering from acne. I’m only on day 8 so I’ll share another update when I finish the course.

Love, Aoife xo


Who remembers the Micellar water craze a few years ago? When everybody was raving about how amazing micellar water was. Or was that just me? I’ll admit, I was part of that craze. I loved sprinkling the holy water on a cotton pad and watching all my makeup disappear from my face. But what if there’s a better, more effective, way of removing makeup? Like, oil cleansing?

In the last month or so, I have been obsessed with Nay (@LABeautyologist). Her Twitter is filled with skincare advice, tips and tricks. As a licensed esthetician, she also provides scientific explanations so you can understand more about what each ingredient or step in your skincare routine does and make your own informed decision. One night, I ended up in a YouTube black hole and watched all her YouTube videos. I learnt about double cleansing, toning and all about oil cleansing.

The Oil Cleansing Method...

I have oily acne-prone skin and so the thought of adding oil to oil and spots can be a little daunting. However, it has been tried, tested & shouted from the rooftops that using an oil cleanser can help the skin’s oil balance and won’t make it more oily. The oil cleanser itself doesn't leave any residue behind and is not drying.

The way oil cleansing works is by gently massaging a few drops of oil onto your face for at least 60 seconds. Remember to keep your palms and face dry when you apply it so it can work properly. The oil lifts the dirt from clogged pores, excess sebum and removes dead skin cells from your face. You can read more about the science here or watch Nay's video here. Once you've massaged the oil around your face, you gently wipe the oil off with a wet face cloth. It's a really good method of clearing out build up from your pores and has really helped with my acne. 

What I found...

In this experiment, I used Simple’s Hydrating Oil cleanser (recommended by HeyitsMorgan). It's made with 100% grapeseed oil and is incredibly soft and gentle on my skin. I use a 1p coin-sized amount of oil and massage it around my face for at least a minute. I follow the #60secondrule so whenever I cleanse my face I rub the cleanser in for at least 60 seconds. 

The fun part of oil cleansing is the longer you massage the oil in, the more dirt it picks up from your skin. I think the longest I've oil cleansed is 4 minutes. You can often feel gritty bits coming away from your skin and see little beige dots on your palms; these are the oil plugs that have been lifted from your skin. It’s the most satisfying part of oil cleansing.

The Results are in...

Out of the two cleansing methods, I prefer oil cleansing. I feel like it's more suited to my skin. It’s a much gentler and cleanses more than just the surface. This is evident by the grit you can see on your palms. It's not as drying as Micellar Water and my skin looks a lot less red. I’ve noticed a big difference in the past month on the appearance of my pores and the regular facial massage has helped improve my blood circulation, so I am practically glowing.

I love that you can spend more time cleansing and massaging your face than with a face wipe or micellar water. The massage really helps me to unwind in the evening and is perfect for when I need to escape the chaos of my flatmates.

What are your thoughts of oil cleansing? Do you think you'll try it?

Love, Aoife xo


It’s no secret that skincare is one of my favourite things to purchase. In this new series, I want to put to the test whether some of the holy grail and most talked about products are worth the hype they receive. In the first post I’m reviewing Pixi's Glow Tonic.  

Pixi’s Glow Tonic is a staple feature when it comes to skincare products appearing on my Instagram feed. The bottle’s iconic packaging of an orange tinted plastic bottle with a pea green lid and label is instantly recognisable anywhere. The 250ml bottle retails for £18, but 100ml and 500ml are also available to buy from most beauty outlets. The 250ml bottle lasted me about nine months.

The Tonic contains 5% glycolic acid which is a micro-exfoliant. (Read here what glycolic acid is and it's benefits.) On the label, it recommends using the tonic either in the morning and at night or when needed. At first, I used it at both times at the day before switching to only at night. I actually prefer using the product once a day as two times is too strong for my skin. After consistently using the product for about a month, I slowly started using my exfoliating scrub less and less. However, I still exfoliate once a week to smooth my skin and give it a little TLC boost.


It also contains Aloe Vera to soothe and hydrate the skin as well as ginseng to improve circulation for a brighter, healthier looking complexion. I agree that the tonic has helped improve my skin’s appearance in looking brighter and healthier. My pore’s have also been looking pretty great at the moment.

It took me a little while to understand this product. It might seem a bit silly but at first I wasn’t quite sure what its purpose was. I understand slightly better now that it's a light daily chemical exfoliater. The results were quite gradual and for the most part, I’m still on the fence. However, I stopped using the tonic for a week and I could really feel and see a difference in the texture of my skin. 

Overall, I’d say this product is worth the hype. It’s a bit of a luxury to add to your routine and I like the simplicity of it. It’s a micro-exfoliant that works best with regular use.

Have you tried Pixi Glow Tonic?


Love, Aoife xo




There’s nothing quite like getting me out of a blogging rut than doing a skincare post, my favourite kind. I sort of took an unofficial blogging break to get things and my life back in order. After taking some time to myself, I have come back inspired and motivated to get back into blogging. For this blog post, I wanted to share some common skincare mistakes that I’m pretty sure that we are all guilty of doing at some point in our lives.


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Not removing your makeup- How many times have you laid down in bed, got all comfy and wanted to just go to sleep except you've forgotten to remove your makeup and wash your face? We've all been there. But not removing your makeup is far worse than disrupting your almost sedated state. It only goes downhill from there, unfortunately, as your skin is most likely to get worse and you'll probably find some breakouts. There's a post on Good Housekeeping you can read to learn all about the detrimental effects.

Insisting you need to buy a whole skincare range- But it looks pretty though *crying emoji*. Great skincare products are designed to complement other great products. I've learnt that if a product is good enough and lives up to what it says, it will work on its own without the aid of the other products in the range. 



Thinking a good skincare routine will solve all your skin problems- Trust me, it's more than just the lotions and potions you put on your skin every morning and night. The truth is, good skincare is more than just how often you wash your face. Although that really does help. It's about diet, the body's hydration, mental wellness etc. Set yourself a challenge of drinking more water in a week and see if there's a difference in your skin.

Sun cream is only for the sun- Except it isn’t. We all use sun cream in the summer, we put it on our arms, legs, shoulders and faces. Sun cream is designed to protect us from UV rays which are the cause of sun damage and skin cancer. It’s important to wear sun cream all year round to protect your face from UV rays. You may not be able to see or feel them, but they are there. Remember to slap some on before you next go out. If you don't believe me, check out the real doctors here.

Using toothpaste to get rid of spots- Is it just me who thought this was a hack? I'm sure my friend told me about it. As it turns out, it's anything but a hack. The acidity in toothpaste actually causes your skin to erode, removing healthy layers of skin. I found out the hard way when my chin was left peeling for about a week. I couldn’t even cover it with makeup as it continued to peel throughout the day. There’s a reason it’s called toothpaste and not multi-purpose paste.


So there you have a list of five common skincare mistakes. How many are you guilty of? Got any to add?


Love, Aoife x

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If you’ve kept up with the latest beauty news then you know that Korean beauty a.k.a K-Beauty has become a new market favourite. Their quirky but phenomenal products are revolutionising the market and I am in full support of it.

One of my favourite Korean beauty products is the Faith in Face, I Need Relaxing Care pearl cellulose sheet mask. As far as sheet masks go, this is the most hydrating mask I have ever tried. When you take the folded sheet out of the packet, it is dripping in serum. It took me by surprise the first time I used it as I juggled with it my hands. The serum was easily and quickly absorbed by my skin, leaving it with a much-needed burst of hydration. The pack recommends that you leave it one for 15-20 minutes. It's longer than most masks but sitting down and not doing much for that time with a cooling mask on your face is seriously one of the most relaxing activities.

K-beauty is impressing everyone and it's obvious as to why. Not only do they have quirky packaging but they're selling quality products and adding fun back into beauty. I've only had a snippet of k-beauty and I'm excited to try what's next. 


Love, Aoife x

I've only been able to find these masks in person in TK Maxx but I have found them available on Amazon.

P.S- you can read more of my beauty reviews, here.

P.S- you might like my review of Jo Malone's velvet rose & oud candle.
That feeling of bliss and hope all rolled into one because you’ve finally found skincare products that ACTUALLY work on your skin! In that moment you know that the product in your hand will irrevocably change your life for the better. You’ve finally found it!

It’s no lie that I love a good skincare product especially when it makes my skin feel great, look good and removes the pesky excess oils from my skin. I have oily skin, open pores and it’s spot prone. Basically, a nightmare! I spoke to someone at a skincare event earlier last year and she gave me some advice on washing my face regularly with certain products which will hopefully help to maintain my skin’s natural sebum production. (P.S- I've learnt that when looking for skincare products to target oily skin look for Zinc PCA in the ingredients)

It was around October/ November time, I received my first blogger mail (yay!). They sent over some skincare products from La Roche-Posay which is a brand I’d never really heard of before. I wanted to wait and try their whole range so I could get a feel for the type of products they were and to give you the low down. And let me just say… WOW!



The products I had been using were nearly finished and weren't exactly doing an effective job so I had started to look at different skincare products especially from French brands because their reputations are really good. So, these products literally could not have been sent at a better time. The products I received are from the Effacular range including the Purifying Foaming Gel, Effacular Duo(+), Unclogging purifying Sebo-controlling mask, and Serozinc.

The Effacular Range is targeted at oily and Acne prone skin and I could not recommend it enough! The foaming gel wash lathers really well and worked from day 1 stripping away all the excess sebum/ oils on my face. Using it regularly has really helped in maintaining my skins natural production of oil. In other words, I no longer spend 3/4 of the day with oily skin. Yipee! The face wash is now officially a staple in my routine.

I’ve also been using the mask that’s in the range and it does what it says on the tin, my skin looks purer and less oily use after use. I use this a couple of times during the week before I start my normal routine, putting on a really light layer and leaving it for around 5 minutes. It’s perfect! It's light, smells good and gives my skin that extra boost. A cheaper alternative would be L'Oreal Pure Clay masks but since applications are meant to be thin, the Effacular will last longer and be better value for money.



The Serozinc spray, which I’ve been using for a while is one of my faves! It’s so refreshing and cooling on your skin. It feels great after you’ve just dried your face. It's incredibly lightweight so you don't have to worry about clogging up your pores!

I also received the Effacular Duo(+) which I had mixed thoughts on up until two days ago. I couldn't tell if it was a moisturiser or not because it didn't say it explicitly on the box- it's not btw. Anyway, It has a matte finish which is perfect for oily skin and it targets blemishes which has really helped in clearing my skin. I think it can also double up as a primer as well because the texture when dried is very similar. As it's a very light moisturiser, I top it up with my usual moisturiser (Simple, oil balancing moisturiser).

The products cost a little more than the usual Clean & Clear, Neutrogena etc but it will last you a long time and with the results I've seen, it's definitely worth it or at least considering. If you were to get any of the products, I'd recommend the face wash and Serozinc. It lasts such a long time- I’ve been using the face wash twice a day for almost three months now and I haven’t even used half of it!



With that all said, I can’t tell you how great it is to have finally found products that work and have made a huge impact on my life and confidence. My skin feels and looks a lot like how it used to be pre-puberty. I would definitely suggest it to anyone with oily and acne-prone skin.

I was told when you find a product that works for you grab it and keep a firm grip on it -that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Love, Aoife xx

Have you guys found any skincare products that have worked for you? Also if you’ve used The Ordinary, is it any good?