REN Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm

Skin feeling the chill? If you're in need of a little something extra to soothe your face this Winter, REN have you covered with their Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm.

First things first, this balm is without a doubt the richest night treatment I've put on my face. It certainly means business and trust me when I say a little goes a very, very long way.

The balm is thick and 'oily' and offers instant relief to tight-feeling, dried out faces; the perfect product for this time of year when it can become bitterly cold and central heating saps moisture from our skin.

The recovery balm was developed to support the natural balance and moisture barrier of the skin all the while alleviating visible signs of dehydration and stress. Specially designed for use at night when the skin is most susceptible to repair and healing, it contains a range of oils including jojoba, sunflower, olive, almond, borage and linseed as well as beta-glucan, which is a moisturising anti-irritant derivative of oats.

Perfect for sensitive skins, the balm treats inflammation and dryness and has a 'balm to oil' texture. In other words, it starts as a balm formula but melts quickly into the skin on application or when warmed between finger tips.

I use the balm as the very last step at night and have found it to be particularly good after retinol use to counteract any drying effects. You really do need the tiniest amount of this- a pea sized amount is probably even too much, to give you some idea, because it is super rich. If I apply slightly more than I need it leaves me looking and feeling very oily and I find it doesn't absorb brilliantly if I overdo it.
Now that I've figured out the amount that works well for me, it's a brilliant overnight treat which my skin has been loving. I've found that it's fantastic for sore nostrils that have seen a lot of tissue-action recently too!

As a parting note, the Overnight Recovery Balm smells like absolutely nothing, which is great on one hand as it will suit virtually everyone but left me missing that little bit of sensory joy that comes with sleepy-scented night products.

REN Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm is available at any good retailers that stock REN as well as on the REN website for £40.

Weleda Skin Food; why you need it in your stash

It's nothing new (in fact it's been around for almost a century) but Weleda Skin Food is having a moment. Read on to find out why every makeup artist and Aesthetician worth their salt has a tube in their stash and you should too.

Skin Food is one of those products I'd always see on both physical and virtual shelves but never felt compelled to buy. Now that I actually own some, I totally get the hype and I'm pretty sure I don't ever want to be without it to be honest.
Supremely talented makeup artist and queen of dewy skin, Katie Jane Hughes regularly mentions Skin Food, which is actually the main reason I ordered some for myself. I think Katie's actually responsible for getting a lot of people hooked and it's easy to understand why; this stuff is quite simply brilliant.
I got my first tube in September last year and I just know it's going to become a staple in my household.

Weleda Skin Food Review

Skin Food is very, very thick and almost 'gummy' in texture, if that makes any sense at all. The formula (I don't know whether to call it a balm or a cream, because it's not really either!) can be applied basically anywhere that needs a little love. That includes elbows, knees, knuckles, cuticles , feet and even the face. In fact, my face has seen more skin food than the rest of my body has because it's exceptional on dry, flakey, generally annoyed skin.
It has both moisturising and protective qualities and you can use it on your face for everything from soothing wind-chapped lips to adding a touch of sheen to cheekbones, so it's a worthwhile addition to anyone's skincare stash.

In case you're interested to know, Skin Food is not a vegan product as it contains lanolin as well as beeswax in two forms - hydrolysed and non-hydrolysed. The ingredients are all natural as is expected from Weleda and include sunflower oil, organic calendula, organic chamomile and organic rosemary leaf and pansy extracts.

For some reason I expected Skin Food to be scentless when in fact it has quite a strong smell. It's a citrusy sort of scent and actually reminds me a little of citronella candles (you know, the ones you burn to ward off mosquitoes!) but I don't find that the smell lingers, so if you really don't like it, the way it smells shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Weleda have recently brought out more products in the Skin Food range including Skin Food Light for people who find the original formula a bit thick, a lip product and body butter. You can find it anywhere that stocks Weleda including Look Fantastic starting at £7.95 for a 30ml tube (it comes in a metal tube, which I really love).

Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream

The Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream seems to have quite the cult following and I'll admit that the name alone was enough to make me want to buy it. I'll also admit that I've never really been hugely interested in Korean skincare. I have no idea why really because it's such a huge industry!  Nonetheless I've got a few bits to try at the moment thanks to Gothamista's Box of Wishes from Wishtrend. The box contains products from popular Korean brands Klairs and I'm From which are both skincare brands that specialize in clean/ green ingredients and sensitive skin. The Midnight Blue Calming Cream was the item that made me want to try the box but I'm so far extremely impressed with the other products. I don't think there are any 'filler' products in the box at all- a really great selection! 

Because I'm very much into anything to soothe and/or protect the skin at the moment (see my previous post), the Midnight Blue Calming Cream couldn't have come into my life at a better time. Specially designed for sensitive skin, the cream is full of non-irritating and soothing ingredients including Guaiazalene, which comes from chamomile oil and is what gives the cream its beautiful blue colour. Other ingredients include Argan Oil, Ceramide 3, which helps to strengthen the skin's barrier, and Centella Asiatica Extract. I've recently discovered that Centella Asiatica is an ingredient found in loads of Korean Skincare products; it's a type of plant rich in antioxidants that is used in wound healing and also promotes collagen synthesis, which is quite interesting.

Strictly speaking, the blue cream is designed for oily, acne prone and sensitive skin and its purpose is to calm rather than moisturise. The formula creates a sort of 'barrier' on the skin to protect it as it soothes. The cream is primarily for applying to areas of irritation rather than to cover the whole face, though I don't imagine there would be any issues if you did coat your face in the stuff. I've been dabbing it onto the sides of my nose and around my eyes, which are both areas that have seen a bit of irritation since starting with Retirides. This cream offers instant and lasting relief so I'm very happy to have it in my skincare stash at the moment!
As mentioned, my tube of the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream came in the Gothamista Box of Wishes but you can find it at most Korean Skincare stores online for around £28 (for the limited edition 60ml tube) or £22 for the 30ml jar. It's also available in the UK from *Skinspace.

*Affiliate Link

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Deep Moisture Balm

I would say I'm kicking myself for not buying Kiehl's Ultra Facial Deep Moisture Balm when it launched a few years ago but truth be told I don't think I really needed it way back then. You see, my skin was what could best be described as 'normal' before baby Tom but as I've said too many times before, since going through a pregnancy, breastfeeding and not really sleeping for two years, my skin has changed. And by changed I mean it's become mega dry. Of course I see the silver lining in this change; that is now I can try out all the lovely rich products I wouldn't have had much use for before. One such product is the Ultra Facial Deep Moisture Balm. 

This is described as a 'hydration blanket for the skin' which I have to agree is a pretty accurate description. Like a turbocharged version of Kiehl's best selling Ultra Facial Lotion, the thick, rich balm forms a sort of barrier on the skin while it's moisturising ingredients get to work. Speaking of which,  the balm contains olive-derived squalane, edelweiss extract , glycerine and antarcticine (a type of marine 'bacteria'). Squalane and antarcticine are moisture retaining ingredients which feature in other products in the Ultra Facial range while the edelweiss extract (edelweiss are famous for their ability to thrive in high altitudes) help strengthen the skin's barrier function.
You may have noticed I made a point of writing that the squalane is olive derived. This is because squalane used to be largely sourced from sharks (ugh!) or sugarcane. Thankfully most large cosmetics companies (including L'Oreal) no longer use shark squalane in their products these days but there are sugarcane- derived products on the market such as the Indeed Labs Squalane Oil. I had issues finding any huge difference between the olive and sugarcane variations other than that olive-derived squalane may be a little thicker than the sugarcane variant. If you're reading this and happen to know the difference please let me know in the comments because I am curious!

In addition to my already dry skin, I've been 'experimenting' with some Retirides (a Retinoid product) that I picked up in Spain a few months ago which is resulting in a bit of uncomfortable flaking and peeling in some areas and I've found this balm to be very helpful in keeping this at bay. When my skin balances out a bit I'll probably mainly reach for the balm at night as a treatment while I sleep but for now I'm happily smoothing it on morning, noon and night as and when I feel like it. If you don't have dry to very dry skin/are not about to go on some kind of arctic trek, this product might not suit you. It is very thick and as mentioned, it doesn't absorb quickly at all (which I personally love in cold weather particularly) and forms a sort of barrier on the skin. It just feels comfortable and cocooning and soothing and I feel like my face is in safe hands when I've got it on. Due to the thick consistency of the balm, you really don't need much product to sufficiently cover the face so you could expect it to see you through the Winter and then some. You can find Kiehl's Ultra Facial Deep Moisture Balm anywhere that stocks Kiehl's but I bought mine from Escentual for £24.50

Space NK Black Friday Event!

My love for Space NK is currently going strong -have you seen their latest drops?- and today for Black Friday they've got an amazing deal, which I don't think they've actually done before! From today until Monday, you will receive a free full sized product when you spend £50, £100 or £150. 

Each spending threshold features a selection of different products to choose from- in other words, if you spend £50, you can choose a free product from a selection, spend £100 and you choose from a different selection, spend £150 and choose a free full sized product from yet another selection.
The free full sized products are from covetable brands including Sunday Riley, Herbivore, Omorovicza and REN and I imagine that the higher the spend, the more luxurious the item! A great chance to do a bit of Christmas shopping and nab a freebie for yourself really! 

You can take advantage of the offer by clicking over now to Space NK