Dragon's den

I wrote about my war paint yet most of the time I’m happily bare-faced. That said I still want  the 'natural no-make up’ look but with actually no make-up.

Sadly though my face has been break-out prone lately, something new as also having acne as a teenager would have been just too cruel. Not only that but despite the warmer weather my face is dryer than the Sahara. And a cold for each month this year, with the last one cracking my lips so badly they scarred, it was time to look at my face care regime. I really like my lotus cleansers from Rituals because they leave my skin feeling ultra clean and fresh. But since I feel and look super dehydrated I took a leap and tried a new cream. I really, really like the cream I opted for. Dragon’s blood Hyaluronic moisture from Rodial. Even when I’m literally flaking it pumps back the moisture and keeps it there and yet I don’t get my oily midday slicking. Did I mention baby soft, even after a run? I’m not a product girl and use the same cream for day and night and it feels equally good both times. This product might be a bit light for winter but is perfect for spring. It absorbs quickly and sits nicely under make-up which was a down side for a beauty oil I tried that was hard to apply my concealer over and I love me some under-eye concealer action. Did I mention the smell? Amazing. I tried a other cream but the texture and smell akin to what you imagine your mom's cream to smell like it was a no-go. This smells fresh and citrusy but not at all overbearing.

That brings me to number two. The spot I mention every time I mention beauty; the eyes. My eyes are naturally dark-rimmed but get even darker the less I sleep and I don’t sleep eight hours, who does? I tried one or two eye creams before but those burnt (literally) and face cream is generally not sensitive enough and I end up watering like I spent the day chopping onions. Since I like sticking to the same brand I decided to up the ante once again which is big because any beauty product over 20 bucks and not from the local drugstore makes me winch. But heck, I decided my face is important and since lapping up litres of water a day and eating better seems to be causing my face major withdrawal issues, it deserves a little pamper. I went with Glamtox eye from the same brand. Hello, wide eyed and bushy-tailed. While I’ll never have the luscious eyes of my kids with their long dark lashes, I now have that I’m so fresh ‘I kept mom up all night hogging the bed’ look. 

And for a boost on the daily regime, I wanted a mask. I did a weekly exfoliate but with the dryness of my skin lately I wanted to add in moisture as well as remove the pore cloggers. I went with the Super acid X-treme hangover mask from Rodial. Not extreme in use but very soft and not shrink-wrap tight like some other masks. Yet super effect with dewy awake skin. Non-hangover in my case but still A plus.

Last is lips. I have some sort of balm with me 24 hours a day and wake to reapply at night..several times. A habit since before my teens hit as my lips are the dead zone. I had an April cold that wrecked my lips like never before. Three deep gashes which I subsequently chewed in my sleep left a noticeable scar on my bottom lip. Sorry but the only thing that kind of helped the pain was a unsexy thick layer of pure Vaseline. So on the hunt once again for a stronger balm but still not with the taste and oil-slick look of petroleum. I went with the watermelon and vanilla (yum) balm from Grown Alchemist. Hydrating and nourishing like my teen staple but not greasy looking and with a super scent and taste. Pricier than both the Rituals eve kiss I used for years and the No.17 almond coconut balm from L:A Bruket but so much more moisture and not nearly as much reapplying.

When the containers finish will I be repurchasing? I can’t quite say because I see now the value in changing things up according to season and skin needs but for now these are exactly what my face needs! But I will most probably purchase again at Skins for the wide assortment en sample option.