#71 - Skin Edit - May Favourites

Halfway through June? Better late than never, right? I’ve not actually done monthly favs before so here we go.

The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%

So the pre-text of this is that you will not see immediate results, much like most peptide products that you do need to give it time. This has been a nice serum (and high strength) that is. The guideline is not to use this with vitamin C - I used to use this with the vit C powder as well as the reversatol serum. This didn’t really affect my skin much, if at all, but it may have reduced the efficacy of it.

More recently I focused this more around my eyes where there are fine lines due to dry and dehydrated skin and have seen a slow improvement and slowing down of the fine lines. This could just be hydration under the eyes as you’d be more susceptible to fine lines with dry and dehydrated skin.

I went with this instead of the Matrixyl and I genuinly cannot decide which one I like better. In terms of texture it’s easier to tap/absorb in around the eyes with this formula being much thinner than the Matrixyl.

ATRUE Real Black Tea True Active Essence

This would be the THIRD time I mention this product in the past 2 weeks. That’s a big deal for me since I don’t tend to repeat or consistently mentioning products I enjoy so I can give more options. And also there are so many new products to love.

First of all, it’s fermented skincare. So far my skin adores fermented skincare - products just work better as it’s broken down and more easily absorbed. This is no different and this product being an essence rather than a toner, it’s more potent than a toner so less layers required. This product is 81% double fermented black tea using finest tea grades (as it claims). It will tell you it does everything - skin texture, brightening, purifying, moisturising, make you a glass of cocktail… It’s really hard to track these so I go by how it FEELS on my skin and the experience in using it.

Some people don’t like fragrance, for it it depends what it is. This product has a subtle sweet tea smell that isn’t overpowering. It’s such a lovely scent to wake up and prep myself in the morning. The texture is not watery but nowhere near as thick as some other toners that you can get, so you can still pat it in your skin and it doesn’t feel like it just sits on top of the skin, which is my experience with some thicker, but not necessarily better, toners.

I love the GLOW that this product gives in the morning - not the WET look, but truly a hydrated glow and plump looking. This is perfect for me if I ever go outside again to wear under SPF and makeup that is stronger than a toner to keep my skin hydrated for longer

Sheet Masks

Huxley Sheet mask, oil & extract: this is one of my favourite masks to use. It’s a little tedious because the prickly pear sea oil is separated from the sheet mask that is drenched in cactus extract. Maybe I get it wrong all the time, but I do struggle with the “simple” steps of folding the bottom pouch 3 times til it pops. Because sometimes it doesn’t in one go so it’s like trying to figure out the physics of bursting that pouch through using that air bubble.

But I digress. Huxley is a brand that uses minimalist aesthetics in their packaging and they are known for using desert plant extracts, specifically prickly pear and cactus - they are the reason why I like these 2 ingredients. I haven’t seen these popping up that often (maybe i haven’ looked hard enough). These sheet masks are luxurious to me (mainly because they’re higher on the price point) and once you get past the bubble bursting, you get to put on a nice fitting, hydrating and nourishing, slightly scented but not overpowering at all.

The main difference I’ve experienced with this is having softer and more supple skin.

Missha Mascure Hyaluronic Acid Mask: This was such a surprise because this is one of the most hydrating masks I have used to date. There was not only the usual water and hyaluronic acid in sheet masks, with sodium hyaluronate pretty high up on the ingredients’ list, it also has a blend of oils that won’t leave you skin oily. This mask brings you hydration that lasts. I have sheet masks that I use and layer on other products and it’ll “wear off” after a few hours. This one left my dehydrated skin feel plump and like it drank a lot of water.

This mask was PR-gifted to me by Mask Time and I will always, always promote them because they curate some of the best selections of sheet masks in their subscription boxes and I get 3 months of it to my friend every year for her birthday.

You can look at this product here. If you want to consider a subscription, you can wait for seasonal sales, or use my code JAYE15 for some money off (not affiliated)

Creams

Final stretch now. One eye cream and one face cream, both from the YEHWADAM line from The Face Shop.

I’ve never been into the Face shop so this never clicked with me that it was a line from them. I tried the eye cream in a sample that Jolse included when you order (including that exfoliator that you will never wear out). How much is the hype on this? I’ve not seen this floating all around social media so assumed it is a little underrated.

This line is pricier than some of their other products and the line is marketed as early anti-aging skincare with traditional Korean herbs (ginseng and flowers)

Let’s do the face cream first.

What stood out to me for this face cream is the texture. It’s got a “sticky” consistency that when applied, sits on the skin comfortably and slowly sinks in. This is what I would consider a thicker cream (but not THICC) and I would only really use this in the evening as it feels oilier and heavier than a day cream that I’d use.

Notable ingredients are: turmeric root extract, meadowfoam seed oil, soybean ferment extract, Panthenol, safflower seed extract, ginseng root extract, barley seed ferment filtrate.

I don’t think the texture would necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, but as something that likes her PM cream quite thick to help with my poor dry and dehydrated skin, this works for me. Whilst the texture takes a little while to get used to, it didn’t take me long to fall in love with it. It feels thick without being actually thick, it spreads well and it just sits nicely on the skin without feeling greasy and effective enough to work through the night.

You may want to do a cleanse in the morning because of this thicker texture .- I do anyway because I like to layer products in the evening.

Next is the eye cream (I know, we’re there).

Eye cream is not a necessity, no matter how many times I talk to you in an informal conversation and diss you for not using eye creams. If you don’t take your moisturiser around your eyes, then you should try that first.

For me it depends on what my moisturiser is like, and habits. I’ve tried a ton of eye creams and I can and attest to the fat that other than keeping your eye area more hydrated and moisturised, they really don’t do a lot of what they claim unless they contain ingredients specific to the troubled area (hence why I use stronger serums around my eyes if I can get away with it).

I choose to use eye creams, and I bought this YEHWADAM one because I fell in love with the texture that came in a sample in my purchase.

The base of the formula is pretty similar to the face cream, so if you do like using the face cream around your eyes, you absolutely can. The differences is the order of some of there ingredients, making the formula different and therefore the texture different. The extracts are pretty much the same and there isn’t really any “active” ingredient that will target any problems that you may have in your under eye area.

Which is why I say I choose to use eye creams because I like the different and sometimes much thicker texture on my dry under eyes.

(you need HALF of that small blob)

This is a 25ml product, but it comes in a VERY LARGE container. It’s a bulky packaging that makes the product look bigger than it is, same with the face cream, which is 50ml. You really do need very little as the “spreadability” of this product is just as good as the face cream. This is actually a pretty thick eye cream, which I personally love, because, dry under eye area.

So here’s the thing, as much as I love the YEHWADAM products, these are heavier products in terms of texture that if you have oily skin or combo skin may not be as much a fan of as someone who has drier skin. That watery glow after you apply it is real, but by no means they are more watery and hydrating products and I don’t use them to be hydrating products - that’s what I have my toners and essences for.

So that’s my (long) round up. Do you agree? What have you used, what else would you recommend?