Sensitive Skincare Routine

Posted on October 18, 2012 by tinnipoo

As mentioned a few times before, cosmetic procedures are common in Taiwan, and as a result, fairly cheap. So much so, that a lot of people (including me) treat them as facials, and incorporate them into their skincare routine.

I’ve been getting IPL and Clear & Brilliant Laser fortnightly, which I’ve found to have good cumulative effects in improving the clarity and firmness of my skin. It has no downtime, however does make the skin more sensitive so a milder skincare routine is required.

This is the routine that I’ve worked out so far, which would also be suitable for post-peel, and anyone with long-term or short-term sensitive/allergy skin. It’s gentle, yet still has enough nutrients in it to improve the skin (I can never be a cold cream kinda girl).

Generally, it’s all about what NOT to use when you’re post laser or have allergy/sensitive skin:

No brightening/whitening products
No Alpha Hydroxy Acids of any kind
No abrasions eg. scrubs, exfoliants
Some fragrance

Cleanser & Toner

POD Liquid Detox is great if you have sensitive skin that is oily (review here). My all-time favourite cleanser, Simplicite Plant Gel Cleanser for Oily/Combination skin would work quite well too. Both effective at removing all the dirt, excess oil and makeup from the face at the end of the day, without leaving the face feeling tight and dry.

For toning the skin I stick to plant or mineral water sprays. Kuan Yuan Lian Cucumber Water Moisturising Mist is a good, cheap option. Even better is Uriage Thermal Water Spray (left it at work so I couldn’t photograph ) as it has healing as well as soothing and moisturising properties.

Serums & Creams

Hydration is paramount post-laser as laser zaps away some natural oils. It’s equally important for sensitive skin as it aids the natural healing abilities of the skin. Unitec Advance Hydrating Essence is a great cheaper alternative to For Beloved One HA serum, both hydrating and don’t break me out.

For night time, I layer on the Hyaluronic Acid serum with Avene Skin Recovery Cream, which I completely adore for serious cases of allergy on the face. It immediately relieves the itchiness, and in the morning I can see visible reduction of the redness and allergy bumps on my face.

For day time I switch to Uriage Aquaprecis Refreshing Gel-Cream* (also applied over Unitec serum), as it hydrates my face without making it more oily, and is great under makeup. Note that this does a fair bit of fragrance, but does not cause me any irritation.

Uriage Aquaprecis Relaxing Eye Gel* is a great general purpose eye gel that reduces puffiness.

Masks

Stick to hydrating masks without any brightening agents. I love my emerginC Vitality Mask as it soothes and delivers a huge dose of antioxidants to my skin (get your hands on it if you can, it’s seriously good stuff). For lazy days I opt for L’Herboflore Q10 + Marine Collagen Anti-Ageing Mask that gives my face extra bounciness.

Makeup

First of all, sun protection is a MUST. It’s a must for everyone everyday but especially so post-laser/peel. I have been and will continue to use Bioré UV Aqua Rich SPF 50+ Watery Mousse, which is the best sunscreen I’ve ever come across.

For base makeup, I choose products that don’t say that it whitens (like a lot of Asian base products now), but have added SPF and are mineral based. Face of Australia Stick Foundation ticks all those boxes, and offer good coverage that is also buildable. I top it off with Face of Australia Translucent Powder to set the foundation and reduce shine without adding more coverage.

So there you have it, my post-laser skincare routine that I’ve nutted down after 3 months of trial and error. This should work well for most people, however my last and best piece of advice would be – consult your dermatologist when in doubt. Also note that good cosmetic clinics should offer you a take-home sheet of post-procedure skincare instructions.

Products marked * have been provided for consideration, for my disclosure policy see here.

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POD Puraceuticals Liquid Detox

Posted on April 24, 2012 by tinnipoo

There are a number of products in my skincare regime that are Aussie made and owned, and at the risk of this coming out the wrong way, it wasn’t my intention. The products I use on a regular basis are there because of their great formulation, and most importantly, deliver results on an on-going basis. So it’s from an unbiased point of view that I can say that Aussie made skincare products are awesome in quality – which makes me so proud

POD Puraceuticals is an Aussie skincare company that offers anti-ageing skincare that utilise all natural ingredients. Liquid Detox is essentially a cleanser.

What they say:

A three-in-one treatment that cleanses, tones, and exfoliates the skin.
Dramatically reduces blackheads and pores for an even skin tone.
Uses a breakthrough triple enzyme derived from papaya to gently break down dead and dull skin cells without abrasive chemicals or scrubbing
Helps dramatically reduce blackheads, blemishes, hormonal bumps, and sun-damage
Accelerates skin renewal for a younger looking complexion without damaging the skin
No sulfates means this cleanser won’t dry and strip the skin or leave a greasy residue
Replaces the use of cleansers, toners, exfoliants, and purifying masks

Ingredients:

Not sure if the way they’ve line-listed the ingredients in a little pamphlet is the legit way to display ingredient listing. The 3 enzymes are Subtilisin, Protease, Papain, and Liquid Detox also includes antioxidants (Pomegranate, Green Tea, Calendula), Kakadu Plum, Shea Butter and various essential oils.

For a detailed ingredient list please see in store or email POD Puraceuticals.

My experience:

Dispensed from a airless pump, the formula is a gel that has a slight honey tinge.

It lathers up slightly when rubbed on with water, more than it does on the face than on the back of my hand in above picture (maybe because there’s more grime on the face?). But you can see that the foam is very very fine, which is great for mature/ageing skin. Cleansers that foam up too much strips the face of natural oils and exacerbate ageing – so I avoid them at all costs!

The scent is a almost non-detectable natural woody smell, from essential oils such as rose damask, nag champa, geranium bourbon ylang ylang etc. I love my botanical smells so actually would love it to come through more.

I use this cleanser either on its own in the shower, or as a second/third step cleanser (after my Simplicite Plant Gel Cleanser and Bioderma Crealine H2O Micellar Cleansing Water). Either way it’s very effective at cleansing all the makeup, oil and dirt from my face at the end of a long day. I can really feel that it cleanses right into the pores, but does not leave my face feeling tight and dry.

Squeaky clean is great for the dishes, but not the face! So I’m happy that the POD Puraceuticals Liquid Detox leaves my skin “non-squeaky clean” – and that makes it another All Aussie beauty in my skincare regime!

POD Puraceuticals Liquid Detox retails $60 for 150ml and is available from Priceline, National Pharmacies and online. For stockist info please visit http://www.podpuraceuticals.com/store-locator

*This product was provided for consideration, for my disclosure policy see here.

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My Sorority Sisters – Melbourne Beauty Blogger Event (MBBE)

Posted on November 28, 2011 by tinnipoo

It’s such a happy coincidence that I’m writing this post today, when it’s the 6 month anniversary of this blog! Yippee! I know that’s only a little milestone, but considering it was only 10 months ago when I was still thinking, “I can never start a beauty blog”, please allow me to indulge myself in some self-love (the pat on the back kind, in case your mind was in the gutter)

To quote Amy, the adorable gal behind Things I Love, the MBBE is like a sorority. They have welcomed me into the group when I wasn’t even a beauty blogger yet, and now I consider them as my close friends integral in my life.

It was beyond awesome that I was invited to the 2011 Melbourne Beauty Blogger Event – organised by Val of Ponikuta and held at Miss Fox on 12th November.

Miss Fox is a gorgeous salon in Melbourne CBD that offers a range of cosmetic, therapeutic and grooming services, great beauty products and event venue hire. They generously treated us MBBE gals to super yummy Pimms, cupcakes, luxury hand massages, manicures and makeovers. It was such an indulgent experience and I have already enquired about holding a hen’s night for a soon-to-be married girlfriend.

After the pampering and a whole lot of chattering (and we are a talkative bunch!), we had the pleasure of listening to Kate Morris, the founder of Adore Beauty, about her journey as an entrepreneur who changed the landscape of the Australian beauty retail business. I have been a customer of Adore Beauty for many years, not just for the great array of brands but also their beauty services, online forum and product reviews.

The best thing is that Kate is that she is a makeup junkie who has a true passion for beauty, and the drive to make her dreams a reality. A serious case of girl crush here? You betcha!

Kate was so lovely she stayed for the entire event, and presented to us the prizes for the raffle draw and beauty quiz (I won an Illamasqua pack yay!)

We shared in the delight that was Jacie’s win of Beauty Directory Star Beauty Writer (Online) of the Year Award for 2011 – presented by Passion Pop Lover AKA Kimmi of The Plastic Diaries.

We walked away with our arms full of goodies – provided by Miss Fox, Benefit, Lancome, Clinique, Kit Cosmetics, i.d. bareMinerals, Guinot, Illamasqua, YSL, Alpha-H, Dermalogica, Soap & Glory, KMS, Goldwell, POD Skincare, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Face of Australia and Prada fragrance.

In case you haven’t realised my affection for the MBBE bunch, I have to declare that my favourite part of the event was the company – these ladies are inspiring, smart, loving and beautiful. We laughed so much together and will continue to support each other through all our endeavours – blogging and everything else