3 products for smoother skin!

This Summer weather has been something else!!?? It’s been sooo gloomy, but insanely humid in Port Elizabeth! On the upside, humidity means heat, which means I was a slave to icy cold water over the festive season. Which to me, felt like the best skin care routine, in the absence of a perfect skincare routine. My skin has really been behaving during the latter part of 2019, so I’ve been focusing on improving texture and trying to decrease pigmentation. #2020Goals – Texture be gone! I’ve been using a few products that I feel deserve a special mention, so today’s post is dedicated to those products. Which products? Grab a cuppa….and let’s dig in!

Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant

Gentle, daily use exfoliating powder for all skin conditions. Unique Rice-based powder formula activates upon contact with water, releasing Papain, Salicylic Acid and Rice Enzymes that micro-exfoliate dead cells, instantly leaving skin smoother and brighter. Our unique Skin Brightening Complex helps to balance uneven skin pigmentation while a super-soothing blend of Green Tea, Ginkgo and Colloidal Oatmeal helps to calm the skin, leaving it extraordinarily clear and refreshed. Gentle enough to use on a daily basis. Formulated without artificial fragrances and colours.

I have used the daily microfoliant for years! I’ve repurchased it, and I’ve been lucky enough to receive it in PR once as well. I was a fan of this product long before I became a blogger. I love that the Microfoliant contains Salicylic Acid, as I usually develop a pimple or 2 every other month. These days, I don’t feel the need to use a dedicated acne fighting cleanser, so I find that this is a happy medium.

Confession though….I read the directions for the first time on my current bottle. I’ve had about 4 of these in my life…and this was the first time I read the instructions. I had NO IDEA I needed to massage for around 60 seconds. I feel that has made all the difference! My skin feels so much smoother and clearer after using this powder. Also, a little goes a long way.

Environ Tri Biobotanical Revival Masque

Revival Masque is formulated with a revolutionary combination of three powerful ingredients that may assist in enhancing the skins overall look and feel as well as resilience. This dynamic masque leaves the skin feeling smoother and looking younger with a healthy radiance. Revival Masque may be added to your daily routine when the signs of ageing, laxity and sun damage have become visible. It improves softness and smoothness, as well as firmness leaving the skin looking healthier and more resiliently youthful. Introduce it gradually, so that the skin can become more comfortable with each application. May eventually be used daily if well tolerated by the skin.

Okay, this masque is indeed a miracle in a jar! I love the packaging, as it’s really easy to dispense the product. Once you get the hang of it, you will figure out how to dispense as much (or as little) product as you need.

Initially I found that this has a weird scent, almost like a spice shop? I did check with a friend of mine and she agreed it had a spicy scent. It’s not off putting, but just so you know. When I started using this mask, I was going for regular peels and I didn’t feel any tingling at all. I thought it was a good mask, but it didn’t blow my mind. Fast forward to me being poor and not being able to afford peels anymore. As my skin is not used to peels, I find this seems to impact my skin a bit more now. The masque does tingle for a little bit, but nothing crazy.

This mask does the things to my skin! My skin just feels so smooth, supple and soft after using it. I immediately notice my skin looks more radiant, almost as if I have a filter on my skin, and my texture is gone. I really love this mask, and need to use it more often.

NOTE: This does contain AHA’s, so make sure you use a sunscreen to protect your skin during the day…which you should be doing anyways…right?? { Sunscreen is IMPORTANT!}

Elizabeth Arden Skin Renewal Booster

Did you know that the condition of your skin’s surface layer is directly linked to how healthy, radiant and youthful your skin looks? When the surface layer is damaged, your skin may not be able to retain moisture, lose its natural defenses to protect itself and, ultimately, loses the ability to renew itself. Arden Active Skincare introduces SUPERSTART Skin Renewal Booster, designed to fortify skin’s natural ability to repair and renew by restoring the healthy appearance of your skin’s surface layer.

Used before a serum or moisturizer, it boosts the effectiveness of your skincare products.

• 92% of women agree that SUPERSTART helps repair the look and feel of damaged or irritated skin.*

• 95% of women agree that SUPERSTART boosts the effectiveness of their skincare products.**

The Skin Renewal Booster contains:

• Sea Fennel and Flaxseed Extracts helps reinforce the integrity skin’s moisture barrier.

• Glasswort Extract boosts skin’s natural moisturization by reducing water loss in the surface of the skin.

• Probiotics Complex optimizes skin’s microflora to help strenghten its natural defenses.

This is a product that I got in a gift bag and it’s kind of just been lying there. During 2019 though, I’ve made a concerted effort to finish my skin care products before buying new products. Elizabeth Arden is one of my top skin care brands, so I figured I’d try this sample size of the product out. This has an almost gel-liquid consistency and sinks into the skin really fast. I’m not sure if used on its own, this has the same effect, but when coupled with the above products, I just find that my skin feels as smooth as a baby’s bottom the next morning. It quite literally boosts the effects of my current skincare routine. The problem now is that I need a full size of this!

These are products that I’ve been enjoying in my skin care routine. I’m really looking at expanding my horizons this year in terms of my skin care. I so hope I can eventually afford Dermapen, that’s my goal at this stage….because I want to enter my 40’s with the best skin I can afford! lol. If you have any tips or product recommendations for dealing with texture and pigmentation, please let me know in the comments below 😉

Disclaimer: These are skin care products that work for me. We all have very different skin care needs and product tolerances, so please sample products and do your research before purchasing products.