If you have read my previous post, 'My Skins A Mess', then you would have seen that PHB kindly put me up for the challenge to take part in the 30 Day 'Transform Your Skin' Challenge. It's a challenge to use their products, a choice of Cleanser, Serum, Moisturiser and Mineral Foundation for a month and to track my progress every week and see if they 'transform' my skin.
I've been using these products for a week and after a few days of my skin rebelling to the new routine and products my skin is really improving. In my first post I said what I wanted out of these products which are mainly improve the scaring from dermatilamania and to improve the plumpness and brightness to make me seem more well and awake. I chose the Ylang Ylang & Papaya Cleanser*, White Birch and Frankincense serum*, Frankincense & Sandalwood* and the Pressed Mineral Foundation* and you can see more on why I chose these products over on my previous post here.
The Ylang Ylang & Papaya cleanser is a milky consistency with small amount of a gritty texture. The cleanser in itself is very moisturising and smells amazing. It's honestly feels like such a luxurious product and smells like your in a spa. This cleanser is very gentle on the skin, I remove my makeup with coconut oil and it removes the oils and any remnants of makeup. Its leaves my skin feeling fresh, plump and bright. I did try using the cleanser to remove my makeup and it worked. I was reluctant at first as it didn't want to burn my eyes while removing eye makeup but it didn't sting at all. I'll still be using the coconut oil to remove my makeup as I find it more enjoyable and quicker.
Out of all the products the White Birch and Frankincense is something I could maybe leave out of the routine. It feels more like a leave on toner but I still think this is still essential to the whole routine. I see it more as a toner as it can be a bit harsh on my skin and after the first go with this serum I quickly learned to not put this anywhere near the skin surrounding the eye area. Not meaning the eye area itself but the couple of cm after that sensitive eye area. After using this serum it seems to dry and create a film over my skin creating a tightening feeling but this soon rectified after I apply the moisteriser or massage my skin for a second . I really do believe that although this serum is a bit harsh, it is quickly eradicating and stopping the growth and development of spots. As I said in my first post, 30 Day 'Transform Your Skin' Challenge, frankincense is an amazing thing for my skin. I've only tried one product before and the cream I used was a holy grail for me, just not the company it came from. This other company are a legit cruelty free and vegan company and apart from the extortionate price, the company customer service was horrendous, they blamed me for it taking months for them to replace a lid that was broken during delivery, they were very nasty. I'd much prefer to support small independent businesses, like PHB, where their ethics are all on their products and the customers.
The Hydrating Frankincense and Sandalwood Moisturiser is something else I chose because of the frankincense, I also wanted something hydrating to plump, protect and soften my skin so this moisturiser was a done deal for me. I'm a big believer in hydration from within but protecting the outside is just as important. It has a thick consistency which sinks into the skin quickly but similarly to the serum, it can leave a thin film once it sinks in so needs a quick little massage for a second or rub lightly to loosen it up. I'm really liking this moisturier so far, it makes my skin look really refreshed, plump and awake so exactly what I wanted.
Last up is the Pressed Mineral Powder in the shade fair, this is slightly to dark for my skin, giving me a slight orange president sort of vibe. I have been using it as a light bronzer to warm up my face and it works perfectly for that. Its a finely milled powder which doesn't cake at all and is nicely pigmented. I honestly don't think that the lighter shade would of been the right one either, its hard to guess what shade you are when you order online but from the picture it looked very pale.
After a week of using this new routine the redness from the existing spots and scares have reduced dramatically and my skin feels very plump, soft and hydrated. A few new spots came up at the end of the week, just before I took these photos, as payback for being fatigued. I was dubious whether a new cold sore was developing as a result and yes I was correct. Thankfully it didn't develop into much but it has scared the skin between my nose and lips. As for my dermatillomania, I was able to stop myself throughout the week but it was hard to manage it when the spots came up at the end of the week. I had no promise that this challenge will stop me picking completely as its very hard to but it does affect the results as it causes a lot more redness and inflammation so keep that in mind.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Week Two entails. I'm pretty sure my skin has never been softer, making it such a lovely fresh base for my makeup. My oily t-zone has reduced and although it hasn't magically healed it in a week I'm sure it will continue to get better over week two. So far I have kept my makeup routine the same, even though I really want to try out my new Body Shop Clay Foundation, I want to limit any reactions to any new products. I'll post my current makeup routine in next weeks post or maybe in its own post entirely so keep an eye look out that.
Devon
Due to dyslexia some things may not make sense or are not grammatically correct so please let me know if there are any problems so I can correct it. Thank You :)
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