SuperFacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C Brightening Skin Renew Cleansing Oil

SuperFacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C Brightening Skin Renew Cleansing Oil (takes a breath) is a product I’ve come round to. I initially tried this a couple of months ago and wasn’t really bowled over by it but I ran out of my beloved Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm and wanted to use up some other products so I returned to this. And this time I’m pleasantly surprised by it. 

This lightweight cleansing oil contains Sunflower seed oil, Olive oil, Grape seed oil, Raspberry seed oil, Sweet orange oil, Passionflower oil, Rosehip oil. Basically ALL the oils. Unfortunately it contains fragrance. Now this doesn’t seem to bother my skin and I don’t find the smell particularly unpleasant (it’s an orangey smell) I’m just not sure there’s any need for it. That aside it feels very nourishing when using it. When water is added it turns milky and is easily removed from the face (I always use flannels). It doesn’t leave any residue and removes all my makeup. I sometimes double-cleanse though with this because I don’t think it does as good a job as Clinique’s balm. In fact, it’s recommended you double cleanse with this product but it’s only necessary if you’re wearing heavy makeup, I think.

The Vit C cleansing oil doesn’t strip the skin or leave it feeling tight, it just feels thoroughly cleansed and soft. If you have oily skin don’t be put off of using cleansing oils or balms. They do a great job at deeply cleansing without harming the skins barrier and this can help in regulating oil production. Skin being harshly stripped of its natural oil will overcompensate and actually cause more oil production. So gentle is the way to go.

When it comes to retexturising the skin with this product I can’t say I have noticed any significant changes and I have quite an uneven skin tone. Despite this I think this is a good cleanser, especially for your morning cleanse as it does seem to perk skin up best then for me. All skin types I think would benefit from this although really sensitive might be wary due to the fragrance.

Have you tried any products from this range?

 SuperFacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C Brightening Skin Renew Cleansing Oil is available from Boots for £10.99 

Currently Reading and To-Reads

Recently I've found some time to read again. I have a few minutes here and there but most of my time is taken up with my whirlwind of a 19 month old boy. So at night, when he’s fallen asleep I read on my Kindle app on my phone. We co-sleep so it almost feels like I'm a teenager again, reading Stephen King books or Dean Koontz in the dark with just a flicker of light to see. I do miss holding a real book though and book covers have some of the most beautiful art. I’ve been trying to read 2 books a month and it’s going not too bad, the main problem I have is finding something that holds my interest. I’m often very fatigued in the evening so I need something that isn’t too challenging but still requires a bit of thinking. My current genre of choice is Psychological Thrillers, I always seem to read them in the Summer. I’m currently reading Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. I chanced upon it while in Waterstone’s and it seemed the perfect Summer read. I’m not too far into it but parts remind me of American Psycho: the sneering cynicism, and the pretence of being someone you’re not. I’ll do a proper review once I’m done but I’m hopeful so far. 

I have read The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkin.I really enjoyed it. It’s told from the perspective of several different people, none of which are entirely likeable or dependable narrators. I liked the pace of the book and it held a good amount of suspense: a good Summer read.  My to read “pile” contains Under Your Skin by Sabine Durran,  Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes,  and In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware.

Have you got any recommendations for me?

BUDGET BUY : Botanics PROTECTING DAY CREAM RADIANT YOUTH SPF15

I’m a big fan of Boots Botanics range. I use several of their products regularly. The price range is very appealing and they’re often on offer so you can pick up some good quality skin care for a really affordable price. This is the first time I’ve used Botanics Protecting Day Cream but I have been using it for around 6 weeks now so I think that’s a decent amount of time to get acquainted with a skin care product. 

Reading reviews on the Boots site it seems this is a reformulated product. It certainly has a bit of scent something I guess the previous version didn’t have. This doesn’t bother me too much, it fades pretty quickly. However, I can’t put it near my eyes as it makes them water up so a separate eye cream is needed with this. 

The product itself is a light, creamy texture that absorbs easily and doesn’t leave any greasy residue behind on my sensitive/combination skin. It leaves a slight glow on the skin that gives an instant look of perkiness, which is good. It’s comparable to MAC’s Strobe cream but not as in your face. It claims to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles but unfortunately I haven’t seen any evidence of this. It contains provitamin A and “targeted hyaluronic acid technology to help boost collagen production” which is supposed to fight visible signs of ageing.  It also contains Ginkgo, a powerful antioxidant. And it has an SPF 15. Despite it not really living up to it’s claims for me, I like this day cream. It doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin, it absorbs nicely and doesn’t exacerbate oiliness in my t-zone, and it leaves my skin soft and smooth for makeup application. Plus I bought it for something like £3.99 on offer.

Have you tried the Boots Botanic Range?

JULY BEAUTY FAVOURITES

Here we are half way through the year already, Christmas stuff will be hitting the shelves soon (sorry). There hasn't been much of a Summer here in Scotland so perhaps that's why both my favourite lip colours last month have definitely been Autumnal. I'm still a big fan of Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets and I've been wearing a lot of Grand-Cru. A beautiful burgundy shade that at times can be a bit patchy but when it works it's the most stunning colour. The Barbara Daly lipstick in Damson is quite similar in colour but a bit lighter and with a different finish. This is great if you have thin lips as it has boosting agents in it, I absolutely love this colour and I picked it up from Tesco for only a couple of pounds. 

The Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite mascara is a sample I received with a purchase. It's brilliant! One of the best mascaras I've used. It's quite a wet mascara so it covers all your lashes easily, it dries down quickly without any clumping or mess and it doesn't budge. I'll be purchasing the full size. And finally, one of my long-standing favourites Illamasqua Katie blush. It's just the perfect light pink for pale skins that lasts all day. 

what's been your favourites recently?

Links:

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet 

Estee Lauder Mascara 

Barbara Daly Lipstick 

Illamasqua