Tag: Skincare

DIY SUNDAY: The Best DIY Face Oil For Dry Skin

Published on by Lee3 Comments

Face oils are one of the most effective ways to hydrate and nourish your skin. The right blend can pump your skin with skin-enhancing vitamins and protective antioxidants and give deep hydration while smoothing fine lines. But face oils can be expensive, which is why I’ve become absolute pros at making my own blend of face oils to target different skin types.

Face oils are especially great for dry skin as they’re lipophilic, which means they have a smaller molecular structure that can penetrate further into your skin, allowing your skin to retain hydration at a deeper level. Plus, oils are one of the richest formulas, so unlike other skincare products, like moisturizers, they’re pure goodness from nature.

Understanding Dry Skin

Dry skin is often dull, especially around the eyes, accentuating fine lines and wrinkles. If your skin is dry, your pores will most likely be small and barely visible (yay for you!). Your skin might feel tight and rough; it may even chap. Although, if your skin is extremely flakey, your skin may be prone to skin conditions like eczema or dermatitis.

DIY Face Oil Rules

Face oils are made of two different types of oil: a carrier oil and an essential oil. A carrier oil will act as the base, while the essential oil is much more potent and will have more healing and nourishing power.

Best carrier oils for dry skin: Avocado oil, Sweet Almond oil, Apricot oil, Camellia Oil.
Best essential oils for dry skin: Lavender oil, Geranium oil, Jasmine oil, Rosehip oil, Cedarwood Seed Oil.

Depending on what oils you have or can find, you can mix up your own. The general rule is for every 30ml of a carrier oil, you can use 1-2 drops of essential oil. You can also mix different carrier oils as long as you keep the carrier oil to essential oil ratio the same. Try to get cold-pressed, organic oils, as these will be the purest and most potent.

DIY Face Oil for Dry Skin

60 ml of Camellia seed oi
2 drops of Sea Buckthorn Berry oil
2 drops of Rose oil

Directions: Add all ingredients into a glass bottle and roll between the palms of your hands to combine.

The benefits: This oil is super nourishing, making it the ultimate cure for dry or sensitive skin. A Japanese favorite, Camellia Seed oil is crazy hydrating because its molecular weight is almost identical to our skin, allowing it to be absorbed quickly. It’s also full of skin-boosting omegas, just like Sea Buckthorn Berry oil, which is a rich source of omega 7, a rare fatty acid that’ll nourish, heal, reduce scarring, and strengthen the skin. Finally, the Rose oil will not only instantly brighten, but also contains a powerful antiseptic that can help calm breakouts.

Have you guys tried making your own DIY face oil before? Let me know if you’re going to try this in the comments below.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?


This $4 Cleanser Will Make You Ditch Makeup Wipes… FOREVER

Published on by Lee22 Comments

While I totally understand the appeal of makeup wipes, your skin doesn’t benefit from using them… At all. In fact, a lot of people (derms included) say you should ditch them entirely as they’ll dehydrate your skin and do a poor job of actually cleansing. Here’s where the Garnier Micellar Oil-infused Cleansing Water, $4, comes in to save the day! This uber-affordable cleanser will remove every last smidge of makeup while providing your skin with a surge of moisture. It’s basically a boujee micellar water, and I am obsessed with how it’s transformed my skin since. Here’s everything you need to know:

Why you’re going to love Garnier Micellar Oil-infused Cleansing Water

Okay, so you guys have probably heard of micellar water – it’s the beauty junkie’s staple for a reason. If you haven’t, I’ll give you the 411: Micellar water is made of tiny balls of oil molecules called micelles, which are suspended in soft water. The micelles are made of surfactants, which act as a magnet to attract makeup, dirt, and sebum, lifting impurities from the skin without stripping away natural oils.

This cleanser combines micellar water (yay) with antioxidant-rich argan oil making it even more hydrating. If you have oily skin, dw, it’s not bad for your skin. The oil will combine with any excess sebum (the natural oil your skin produces) and surface impurities, so when it’s removed all of those nasties are removed along with it. Plus, argan oil’s packed with fatty acids and vitamin E, which will plump your skin and strengthen its natural barrier, preventing future moisture loss.

I love it because it leaves skin feeling silky smooth and you don’t have to spend ages rubbing at your eyes to get rid of those last traces of mascara. The gentle formula’s suitable for all skin types; in fact, it’s ideal for sensitive skin as you’ll avoid removing any natural oils. Also, the cotton pad literally glides over your skin, so there’s no need to tug and pull, as you do with wipes.

To put it bluntly, it’s not only a total badass at removing makeup – including waterproof mascara – it’ll give your skin a major hydrating hug as well.

How I use Micellar Oil-infused Cleansing Water

Morning: Shake well before use to combine the oil and the micellar water. Soak a cotton pad in the cleansing oil and wipe away any makeup or dirt from your skin. You don’t need to rinse it off, as the formula draws out impurities and the oil locks in moisture.

Nighttime: I use this as the first and second step when I double cleanse. For the first step, we pour the cleansing water into our palm and rub our hands together until it lathers. Then massage it into my skin and rinse with water. After this, I cleanse again using the technique outlined above. This will ensure all of your makeup is removed, as well as any dirt, or pollution that’s sat on your skin throughout the day. Recommend following with toner and your usual routine – make sure you’re layering your products in the right order!!

Shop it here, $4.

Let me know if you’ve used the Garnier Micellar Oil-infused Cleansing Water in the comments below.

IGNORE Everything You Ever Heard About Pores – This Is How You’ll Make Them Smaller

Published on by LeeLeave a comment

It’s an unfortunate fact of life that we’ve all been cursed with pores – they’re the bain of our lives, here to ruin our makeup! I spend waaay too much time thinking about cunning skincare regimes to get rid of them once and for all, and carefully trying to disguise them with pore-minimizing primers and HD powders. You’ve probably bought products that claim they will shrink your pores and erase all trace of them, well we’re here to get your facts straight with the ultimate tea on pores from skincare expert Dr. Kelly. Here’s how you can minimize your pores in the only way possible, but curb your expectations too – sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

What exactly are pores?
Each pore is actually the opening of a hair follicle. On the face, the follicles are tiny or sometimes even invisible, but there are oil glands that live at the base of the follicle and these can over-grow making your pores bigger and more noticeable. This often starts at puberty, and feels like it never stops!

Why are some people’s pores so much more visible than others?
The size of your pores is mostly due to genetics and hormones. You have no control over your genetics, but there is a lot you can do to help manage your pores to make them look as invisible as possible.

How can we get rid of pores?
No product can permanently shrink pores, but there are some very effective products that do a great job of making them look smaller. The best topical agent for making pores look better is the nightly use of topical retinoids or retinol, which are forms of vitamin A (a natural ingredient). Retinoids do two things: it increases skin cell turnover, which helps improve the overall thickness of the skin, and they increase the purging of oily plugs from the pores – the less packed the pores are, the smaller they look. Salicylic acid is also an excellent ingredient as it exfoliates deep into the pores, which gets rid of dead skin cells that can make the pores appear larger.

If you have large pores, do you just need to accept it and blame genetics? 
Partly, but there are still many measures you can take to help them appear smaller and to prevent them from getting bigger. The most important thing you can do is use sun protection every day. Sun dehydrates your skin and makes the oil glands over-grow, making the pores look bigger. Some people get a tan because they feel it masks the pores and makes them look smaller, but this is a temporary effect, and in the not-so-long-run, it will make the pores bigger, as well as making blackheads and whiteheads worse from the excess oil that plugs the skin.

Will controlling oil with a good skincare regime improve your pores? If so, what do you recommend? 
Ingredients like salicylic acid, niacinamide, caffeine, and retinol can have an excellent impact on the size of your pores. Taking antioxidant supplements like niacinamide, zinc, copper, and folic acid by mouth can also be very helpful as they have powerful antioxidant and wound healing effects. They’re also anti-aging – who doesn’t want that benefit?!

Do natural DIYs actually have any effect?
DIY masks can have a temporary effect, but not a lasting one. Using egg white masks and yogurt masks, combined with honey can be beneficial for tightening pores. Honey has antibacterial and antioxidant properties, and it doesn’t clog pores.

Try: A gentle steam can hydrate the skin and make the pores more receptive to products you apply. Once your skin is soft and hydrated, you can apply a mask of yogurt and honey or egg white and honey for 5 minutes, rinse off, and then apply 1-2% salicylic acid lotion to help exfoliate deep into the pores. Top it off with a hyaluronic acid moisturizer as this will offer maximum hydration without clogging your pores. The result will be radiant, smooth skin.

I also get a lot of questions about the use of alcohol wipes for the treatment of acne and pores, but this does nothing to kill the bacteria that causes acne, it does nothing for the pores, and it only serves to dry out and irritate the skin.

There’s one other alternative for reducing pores: 
The Clear and Brilliant laser is also an excellent and gentle option for an in-office treatment to help reduce the appearance of pores and improve skin texture. I also find it to be safer than other lasers for my patients with skin of color.

Now that you know the truth about pores – aka you might just be prone to having bigger pores – we hope you feel better about your options. Basically, there are ingredients you can use to minimize the appearance of pores, and by using a thorough cleansing routine and non-comedogenic products (that don’t block pores), you can help to make your pores look as small as possible. You also need to realize that your pores look bigger to you than anyone else. Why? Because you spend all day focusing on yours and not staring at other people’s! And yes, most of the images you see online and in magazines have all been airbrushed, but I can promise you, celebs and influencers have pores too!

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

These 2 Small Changes Had A Major Impact On My Skin

Published on by Lee3 Comments

It’s amazing when you find an insane new formula that makes all your skin dreams come true. It might be the perfect pimple treatment, a new cream that’s making your fine lines disappear, or even just a serum that is giving your skin a legit glow. But, there’re two super simple things I’ve started doing to my skin that have made an incredible difference.

The first step – and I cannot tell you enough how important this is – is the process of double cleansing. Double cleansing basically means washing your face twice, which is essential because cleansing once will hardly even make a dent in the makeup on your skin – especially if you love wearing as much makeup as I do. By thoroughly cleansing, not only is all the dirt, oil, and makeup completely gone, but it means that your following skincare steps can penetrate deeper and better absorb into your skin, as there’s no barrier.

The most effective double cleansing method is to use an oil cleanser first, and then follow with a water-based cleanser that suits your skin type, like a gel, foam or cream. If you don’t have an oil cleanser, you can wash twice using your usual cleanser. And remember to take your time; gently massage your skin to make sure the cleanser can work its way into your pores. I like to spend at least 40 – 60 seconds on both cleanses, as this will also give time for any skin-boosting ingredients to perform. Check out my full guide and tips on how to double-cleanse properly here.

The second skincare trick I swear by has meant that the performance of each of my products has improved, and I’ve seen a massive change in my skin without even replacing my products. It’s as easy as switching the order that I apply my creams and oils – I used to use my face oil after toning, and I’ve noticed a huge difference since I made oil my last step. Layering your skincare in the right order is quite possibly one of the most important things you should learn. For example, if you apply a moisturizer before your serum and eye cream, because moisturizers have occlusives in (ingredients that create a barrier on your skin), the potent ingredients in your serum and eye cream wouldn’t even get a chance to penetrate your skin and work their magic. Typically, the rule is to always apply the most lightweight formulas first, finishing with the heaviest creams and oils. Check out my in-depth guide to layering products like a pro here next week.

Finally, the most important thing I’ve found when trying new skincare products is to do it one by one. I know it’s tempting if you’ve just bought a few new skincare products to start using them all at once, but if you do, you won’t know which are the ones improving your skin and which could potentially be breaking you out. So try to be patient, and don’t forget to double cleanse and ensure you layer your skincare in the right order. I hope you guys find this helpful, and let me know in the comments if you have any other skin concerns you’d like advice on.