lets talk about beauty.
- Simonette Boekel
- May 3, 2018
- 7 min read
Today's post is all about skin care and beauty. (Heads up, this is going to be an extremely long post). I'm not super into beauty, and admittedly, i am not the best at keeping up with a regular skincare routine. I hate products that require long periods of use before you can see or feel any results. I want to be able to see or feel a change in my skin immediately. So I thought I'd compile a little post about my some of my current favourite beauty brands and the products i've been loving from them.
Let's start off with Aesop. A brand I'm sure you're all more than familiar with. Not going to lie, I initially bought into the Aesop craze for the sole purpose of some incredibly aesthetically pleasing packaging, and the perfect flatlay props. I personally don't find Aesop to be overpriced, you get amazing quality products for your money, but they also aren't the cheapest. So of course I couldn't solely use them as instagram props and decided to give them a go, and needless to say, i fell in love! There are 3 products in particular that I find to be so worth it. They honestly make such a difference to my skin, and I love the way they smell and feel.
#1 Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm
A classic product from Aesop, one that I feel a lot of people have. But for good reason. This balm is super hydrating, smells incredible, and perfect for your hands as it doesn't leave behind any sticky residue. I find it to be super lightweight and non-greasy, whilst still providing all the hydration you may need, especially during the colder months. A must have from Aesop!
#2 Geranium Leaf Body Scrub
SUCH AN AMAZING PRODUCT
I received a sample of this product with one of my first Aesop purchases and after one use it was immediately added to my wish list. It has a lovely fresh citrus scent, which i love, and the texture is amazing. I love a scrub I can actually feel working. Although this scrub is quite coarse it still manages to be super gentle on the skin. This scrub is meant to be used on your body. (It makes your legs feel amazingly smooth), but I find it is also amazing for the face. Of course, as it is quite an intense scrub, I limit using it on my face to once or twice every couple of weeks. One I would definitely recommend. You will notice a difference immediately!
#3 Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque
I find it quite difficult to find face masks that I like. Although I love the idea of a pamper night, applying a face mask, wearing a fluffy robe and drinking champagne. I hate the thought of leaving something uncomfortable on my face for 20 minutes or sometimes longer for it to then be difficult to take off and not make the slightest difference to my skin. This mask is quite the opposite and it is hands down my favourite one to use. You only need a thin layer. It is super easy to apply, just with your fingers, it's nice and thin, and cooling on the skin. It only takes 15 minutes to dry and is not uncomfortable on the face at all. It also comes off in an instant with warm water and makes your skin feel oh so clean and smooth! I'm obsessed.
The next beauty company I'm going to mention is The Ordinary. As I've probably said about 3 times in this post already, I'm not super into beauty. But I do love products that enhance natural beauty, I always love the look of a fresh face, kind of that whole 'your skin but better' vibe. I think The Ordinary are the perfect place to find such products. Likewise with Aesop, the packaging is extremely instagrammable, which is definitely crucial in my books (kidding, but not really). The other thing I love about this brand is that it is SO affordable! I ordered 4 products from The Ordinary through Adore Beauty, and with the help of a $10 off online code, I managed to get my order total down to $44, which I think is amazing! Also quick shout out to Adore Beauty. I would 100% recommend them, I was so impressed with them. I got free express shipping, the products were packaged beautifully, I got 2 free samples, and a TIM TAM, are you kidding me?! So good, would definitely recommend them. Anyway, back to the actual products I'm supposed to be talking about.
#4 Serum Foundation
This product is so lovely! It has quite a light watery consistency, but still offers a decent amount of coverage and the perfect dewy finish. It's definitely not full coverage by any means, but I'm never after a super full coverage look. I don't if my imperfections can be seen (what up hormonal acne), but what I do look for in a foundation is that it evens out my skin tone a bit, and this is perfect for that! I do find that I need to powder my face to set this foundation, because I prefer more of a matte finish, but if you are into the dewy look, this would be perfect for you!
#5 Moroccan Argan Oil
This product is multi use, which is what I love about it! I appreciate the dropper application, and find it's super easy to apply and will readily absorb into the skin! You can also use it to promote hair, lash & brow growth which is super cool! A small amount goes a long way! I try not to use this product on my skin toooo often, as it is an oil after all, but if I'm finding my skin particularly dry, a couple drops of this at night works a charm. The only downside is that it doesn't have the most amazing scent. But it's okay, something I can definitely deal with.
#6 Fluid Primer
This product is perfect for makeup beginners like myself. I've never understood the need for a primer, but this one really does help to smooth my skin and create the perfect base for makeup. The only other primer I've tried in the past is the Pore-fessional by Benefit, which is amazing, but is quite thick and really fills in the pores. This one is super thin, lightweight, has 0 pigment to it, and just helps to prepare the skin for makeup and provide a layer between your skincare and your makeup, which is great! It's easy to work with, and something nice to provide a perfect base for your makeup!
#7 Frank Body
Can we just talk about how good Frank Body is?! I of course discovered them through instagram, and heard so many people talking about their amazing body scrub that I had to give it a go for myself and see what the hype was all about. And WOW! I use their coconut coffee scrub (apologies for the lack of imagery of this product, I had just run out) and it makes your skin feel incredibly soft. It's such a good exfoliator, and really helps with skin look, feel, and even with it's firmness. The only down side is that it can get a little messy, but I think they've brought out a new product which is meant to be less messy, I am yet to try it! Their lip scrub is also amazingg!
#8 Face Halo
Last but definitely not least! I'm going to give an honourable mention to Face Halo. I only just recently invested in some after seeing them in my local Priceline. After hearing about them all over youtube (thanks Chloe Morello), I really did stop to think about how many makeup wipes I use, and felt sick at the thought of all of them ending up in landfill. I also love that you only need water to remove your makeup using these! I have quite sensitive skin, that is easily irritated, and the perfumes and soaps they add to makeup wipes can sometimes do more harm than good. I've been using these for a couple of weeks now and I can safely say that I'm OBSESSED, so easy to use, removes ALL my makeup, even mascara, and they are super easy to clean. Although it's $30 for a pack of 3, which is a little steep, I feel it's justified, because that's the price of about 4 packs of makeup wipes anyway, which would only last me about a month, and these will last far longer than that. I would definitely recommend this product, so happy with it so far!
#9 Avene
I would also highly recommend checking out Avene if you are looking for some products to keep acne prone skin under control. I'm currently trying to put more effort into clearing up my skin, so stay tuned for a separate blog post about that, where I will go more in depth about specific Avene products, because they are AMAZING!!
Kudos to you if you actually made it to the end of this post. I wasn't intending for it to be this long, but I have a way of rambling about anything and everything. I'm by no means a skincare expert, I struggle a lot with my skin! But these are the products which help me to manage it and to feel more confident! Hope you have enjoyed these beauty recommendations. I've linked everything I could find down below!
Until next time, Sim x
credit: individual product shots of aesop products were sourced from the aesop website. individual product shots of The Ordinary products were sourced from the Adore Beauty wesbite. All other images are my own.
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