Empties - Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm

I have only done 1 other empties post here, mostly because I don't tend to finish products very often, but this is a different story and this product deserves a whole post to itself.

As defined in the title this is about the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm and I have previously posted first impressions of such product here. I have been using this product for the past 5 months nearly everyday and I love it, and I am sad that it came to an end but I am also impressed that I have managed to use up a full size cleanser in such a short amount of time. I will definitely repurchase this product but for the time being, I will be trying out the Clinique Balm which is similar, and I have posted my first impressions here.

Back to the Emma Hardie Balm, I love using this cleanser, it is soft and smooth and very gentle on my skin. In fact I could also use it even during my worse eczema and acne breakouts (which unfortunately I suffered both from during the past couple of months and still have acne scars). During such times most cleansers I tried made my skin more red, sore and tingled alot during application. On the contrary the Emma Hardie Balm had none of these effects on my skin and I could use it everyday without worsening my condition while leaving me with clean soft face.

It is an amazing product to use everyday and makes it possible to massage your face with every application. It also dissolves makeup very easily, even eye makeup as it is gentle enough to use on the eye area.

I would highly recommend this balm as I do think that this suit most skin types, however it does have a fragrance, which may cause irritation to some. The scent is soft with a light hint of citrus/woody fragrance which I love.

The texture is soft and very gentle and the product turns to oil upon application.

Final Verdict: This balm feels like heaven on my face, I would highly recommend it and although it is a bit pricey, I would definitely repurchase as it is worth every penny.

Until next time

First Impressions: Clinique - Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm

Clinique TTDO packaging (I got a little xmasy with this pic )

I have been using the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm for quite some time now, but as it is approaching the bottom, (and a dedicated post to thoughts on the EH balm will follow) I wanted to try something different for the time being.

My skin is quite sensitive and recently I have been having breakouts on my cheeks, so  I am quite conscious when choosing facial products. I wanted something balmy, as this is my favourite type of cleanser and without a lot of fragrance. After researching quite a lot of products, I settled on purchasing the Clinique TTDO balm, and after reading a review by Caroline Hirons where she recommended such product, I was sure that this is the product I want to try.

I purchased this product a couple of days ago, (literally 2 days ago) and I have since used it for both my double evening cleanse and my morning cleanse, and my first impressions so far is that I love this cleanser.

Its formulation is a thick balm,which turns into oil upon application, which is great for removing make up and giving the skin a deep cleanse.

How the balm looks - the dent is the amount I used so far

In comparison to the Emma Hardie balm, the texture of the clinique is thicker, however it turns oilier upon application. Also the clinique one is scent less where as the EH has a soft scent.

Final Verdict on First Impressions: I am loving this product and I think I would love using it as much as I have loved the Emma Hardie one. Well at least I hope so. The only downfall in my opinion is in the packaging, as when you open the lid, it doesn't have an extra protection cap, it opens directly to the cleanser and it comes without a box!

Have you tried the Clinique TTDO balm? or do you use a different balm cleanser? I am always looking to try different products.

Until next time!

Post Beach Skin Care

In Malta we experience extreme hot weather in summer and going to the beach is like a weekly thing for most people if not more frequent.

Although I don't go as often my skin feels rough and dehydrated after every trip. Recently I have found a routine that helps 'heal' my skin post beach.

Pre beach

I don't do much pre beach, I just put on a lot of sunscreen but I've been putting hair conditioner 'in my hair obviously' before going in to swim. This helps in preventing my hair from getting all dry and tangled and keeps sea salt or chlorine from getting stuck to my hair (or so it seems as my hair stays soft and easy to comb through).

Post Beach

After going to the beach I do 2 or 3 cleanses to make sure I remove all the sunscreen and sea salt of the day. I use the Pai cleanser as a first cleanse, then I use the Emma Hardie cleansing balm as a second cleanse, and then Emma Hardie again as a third cleanse and leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes before removing with a hot flannel. (All cleanses I remove with a hot flannel.

After the cleanse I spray on the Pai orange blossom and lotus bio affinity toner to refresh my skin.

Lastly I put on the Origins drink up intensive overnight mask and leave it overnight. This feels really hydrating and cool on my skin, I've only recently purchased this product but I am really liking it at the moment, the only thing is I can't find this in Malta so it's difficult to re purchase unless I travel to the UK.

As for the body, I use a body butter and at the moment I am using the body shop moringa body butter which I really like the smell of for summer. I also spritz my feet with the body shop peppermint foot spray.

Do you have any routine for post beach or really hot weather? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time!

Currently Loving: Facial SPFs

I've been using SPFs on my face for as long as I can remember. I have a very pale skin and tend to burn really easily when exposed to the sun for longer than 20 minutes.

I've been searching for a good facial SPF for a long time. Most of which usually irritate my skin or stings quite a lot (I have sensitive skin and am eczema prone) or leave my face really white (casper like).

As you may be aware I live in Malta and the summer here is really hot and the UV indexes are quite high, thus daily use of SPF is required.

This year I have added 2 additional SPFs face cream/fluid to my collection and I think I've nailed it this time as these 2 products seem to be protecting my face really well without it feeling really oily, no white patches and no irritation.

These 2 products are the Alpha H Daily Essential Moisturizer SPF 50+ and the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL 50+ (for sun allergies and sensitive skin).

These two products are quite different, the Alpha H is an excellent moisturizing cream as well as a sun protect-ant, thus I consider it as a 2 in 1 process. I don't use any moisturizer underneath this product as it is a moisturizer in itself and it stays well under make up. I usually use this on daily basis on top of my serum and underneath my makeup (although in this heat, my makeup is currently quite basic and rarely using any foundation), nonetheless when foundation is applied it blends well into this great moisturizing cream.

On the other hand the La Roche Posay is quite liquidy, it has more of a serum texture and it sinks quite well in the skin without leaving any traces. I usually use this on top of my moisturizer and I found this to be an excellent choice when my skin is more onto the oily phase (my skin tends to be really oily in hot weather especially in the T-Zone Area). This is my top pick when going to the beach or will be exposed to heat for prolonged periods of time as it is less creamy and more fluid based, thus leaving my skin feeling refreshed without the feeling of too much product put on.

Both these products have been an excellent choice for my skin type and generally fills all the requirements I look for in a good SPF!

Current Skin Care Routine

My skincare routine changes according to weather, skin conditions and current preferences. I do tend to change my routine quite often, but I've kept pretty much the same routine  for over a month now, and I did notice an improvement in my skin so I thought I should document it :)

I will be splitting my Routine into 3 sections; AM, PM and Alternate Evenings.



AM

CLEANSE: using Pai -Camellia and Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser, I will first massage it well into my face then remove it with a warm  flannel

TONE:  Pai - Lotus and Orange Blossom BioAffinity Toner, I usually spray this on and leave it to dry before applying anything else

SERUM: Caudalie - Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching Hydrating Serum, I use a couple of drops and work it into my face

MOISTURISE: Nip+Fab Day Cream, this is the next step after the serum, and I also work this into my face and allow it to absorb before applying make up


PM

During this routine I always double cleanse to make sure all makeup and traces of dirt are removed.

1st CLEANSE: using Emma Hardie - Amazing Face Natural Lift Cleansing Balm, I massage this well into my face, usually leave it on for 5-10 mins then remove it with a warm flannel

2nd CLEANSE: using Pai -Camellia and Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser again with a  flannel

TONE:  Pai - Lotus and Orange Blossom BioAffinity Toner, I usually spray this on and leave it to dry before applying anything else

SERUM: Caudalie - Vinoperfect complexion correcting radiance serum, I use a couple of drops and work it into my face

MOISTURISE: Caudalie - Vinoperfect cell renewal night cream, this is the next step after the serum, and I also work this into my face and allow it to absorb


Alternate Evenings

Every 3 nights I usually skip the serum and moisturize steps and instead after the toner I use ALPHA H - Liquid Gold. This is an intensive treatment which is most effective if used without applying anything on it. I apply liquid gold on cotton pad and pat it on my face same way I would with a toner.

Twice a week I also replace my second cleanse with ALPHA-H Micro Cleanse with Glycolic and Rice Bran. This contain rice bran which gives a scrubbing feel thus it is sort of a manual scrub and it also contains Glycolic which is a type of chemical scrub which gives the skin a good scrub and leave it feeling clean. If you suffer from sensitive skin, I wouldn't recommend it as it stings on sensitive patches. I tend not to use it during days when my skin is really sensitive.


Side Note:

I do tend to suffer from sensitive skin which is prone to eczema breakouts. I usually skip the Liquid Gold treatment on very sensitive days and I don't use it on eczema patches but I do tend to use it around the patches.


Until next time :)

First Impressions: Emma Hardie Amazing Face ~ Natural lift and sculpt Moringa cleansing balm

I've been looking forward for this cleanser for a long time. I've been hearing a lot of raves about this product and nearly all reviews were of excellent ratings.

My thoughts on this product are pretty much the same. To be honest I was expecting the texture of this product to be much thicker and solid, but infact this has a really soft texture with a light and refreshing smell. Basically this is an oil based balm, it feels very soft and nice on my skin. I usually hate the feeling of oil on my skin but this balm is completely different, it feels so nice and refreshing.
I tend to suffer from eczema on my face and when I do have these eczema break outs, it is very difficult to find a cleanser that does not sting on my skin, even ones for sensitive skin usually sting and leave me with red patches on my fave, but this balm was different.

Elemental Herbology: Purify & Soothe Facial Cleansing Balm

This is a thick consistency cleansing balm, which does exactly what it says on the tube; purify and soothe. 

When applying to the face it will transform into an oily texture which is really soothing, even when I have eczema breakouts, which I suffer from. This balm left my skin feel cleansed and soothed at its worst times. I am currently using this balm daily, as my eczema is currently at its worst and this is the only cleanser that does not irritate my skin.