Your Say: What skincare are you using day and night? Here is mine!

Paris B 104 Comments

Last year, I shared some of the skincare I was using on a daily basis and 2 years ago, I shared my day and night skincare routine. I thoroughly enjoyed how everyone chipped in to share all of your day and night routines too! I thought it would be interesting to revisit it annually and see how far or not we have come and whether my and your routine have been working for you.

skincare routine day and night

Towards the end of 2012, and in early 2013 my skin went crazy. I had a lot of problems with breakouts and for some reason, everything went out of control. I didn’t even change my skincare which really puzzled me. What I did then was to pare back my skincare to the bare minimum – cleanse, tone and moisturise. Slowly, I got things under control and then, I started getting back into a routine.

It might interest you to know that for the most part, I have been using this range of skincare day and night for at least 6 months now in various combinations and I’ve had the best skin that I’ve ever had in all my years *touchwood*! Granted, it’s not flawless nor perfect, but it’s the best I’ve ever had, I can walk out without makeup if I wanted to (imperfections and all) and that makes me very happy.

So here is my present skincare routine and some quick notes on what I might change or switch out as I go along. I can’t say I’ll be using this same routine in another 6 months, but who knows eh? Do share your routine too! Has it changed from a year ago? Is your skin doing better now than it was 6 or 12 months ago?

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When my skin felt like it needed a difference, along came Origins Make A Difference Plus+

Paris B 24 Comments

My last experience with Origins wasn’t a good one. I tried something from their organic line and it broke me out so badly! Since then, I stayed far away from the brand and over time, forgot about them. Recently, I was gifted with a tub of the Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Moisturiser and I was a little hesitant to try it.

origins make a difference plus rejuvenating cream

As I told you before this, before I jump into anything new, and with the memory of the breakouts after trying Origins before this, I checked up online to see what others thought about this cream. Opinions were quite divided. Some people reported that it did not suit their skin while others raved about how lovely it was.

I recently finished up my hydrating moisturiser so I decided to make a difference (hur hur 😛 ) and try this one for better or for worse. I have kept to a very minimalist skincare routine in recent times ever since I experienced my terrible breakouts and super dry skin. Well, I’m happy to report that this one works for me and not only that, I actually seem to be having better skin. You cannot imagine the huge sigh of relief I heaved when I realised it LOL!

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Review: Skincare: Origins Organics Nourishing face lotion

Paris B 23 Comments

I have never felt compelled to check out Origins skincare for some reason. But I received a sample of the new Origins Organics Nourishing face lotion and with great trepedition, decided to give it a try.

The Origins Organics Nourishing face lotion comes in a pump bottle which is hygienic. However, because its solid, you can’t tell how much you have left in the bottle. The texture is liquid and light and I found it spreads easily and absorbed quickly into my skin.

There is a strong herbal/medicinal smell. It doesn’t bug me, and in fact, I rather like it. However, there are people who don’t like it at all so make sure you take a healthy sniff at the counter to see if you do like it. The smell doesn’t linger for me though.

The Origins Organics line is supposed to be certified 95% organic. The Nourishing face lotion contains the following key ingredients as quoted from the website:-

Organic Cocoa Butter: Creates a superb protective barrier between skin and the environment.

Organic Coconut Oil: An effective moisturizer, it helps rehydrate dry skin.

Organic Glycerin: Glycerin is a soothing humectant which draws moisture from the air to the skin. It is most well known for its skin soothing, softening, smoothing and hydrating properties.

Organic Rosemary Extract: Known to help tone skin and reduce dryness.

Now, some people who are more familiar with ingredients have said that cocoa butter and coconut oil on your face is a sure recipe for disaster. These are supposed to be pore clogging and can cause pimples and worsen acne.

My sample lasted me nearly 2 weeks with day and night use. I personally had no problems with the Origins Organics Nourishing face lotion in the first couple of says. However, I also did not see my skin looking any better for having used this lotion exclusively. After a few days I noticed 2 painful spots appearing. I’m not sure if its 100% attributable to this lotion but this is the only new item in my skincare routine. Needless to say, I’m not continuing with my experiment!

So, my answer to whether I’d purchase this is No. It also has no SPF but that doesn’t trouble me because I use a separate sunscreen everyday anyway.

A 30ml bottle retails for US42.50 (RM136) I’m not sure how much they are actually retailing for here.

Pros: Hygienic packaging, light and absorbed quickly

Cons: No SPF, ingredients are potentially pore clogging, expensive

[rating:3/5]

Review: Origins Organic Cleansing Body Bar

Paris B 3 Comments

I saw a fleeting article in the newspaper about Origins Organics range being brought into Malaysia. It reminded me that I was sent the cleansing body bar a while back and it slipped my mind to review it!

The Organics range by Origins is made of organic ingredients and according to the Origins website this is what the USDA says about organic ingredients:-

According to the USDA, an organic ingredient is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.

rganic ingredients are produced without using most conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bio-engineeringing or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled “organic”, a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure that the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA standards.

You can read more about it on the Origins Organics website. I can’t link you directly because its a flash site, but if you go to the main site, you can click around for more information about organic materials and what is organic certification.

Anyway, I have the Origins Organics cleansing bar, which is essentially a bar of soap. It is a pale yellow colur and has a rough feel to it unlike the usual processed soaps with the waxy smooth feel. I really like the smell. There is a strong herb-essential oil smell to it that doesn’t linger on the skin and it really perfumes the bathroom. This is because it contains Organic Clove, Rose, Lavender, Patchouli and Red Thyme Essential Oils.

I find that this soap bar isn’t drying as soap bars usually are but cleans nicely. Point to note is that it doesn’t leave the skin feeling moisturized either. It just doesn’t make it feel tight and dry. Some ingredients that can be found in this cleansing body bar are:-

Organic Coconut Oil: An effective moisturizer, it helps rehydrate skin. In addition, Coconut oil makes an excellent massage oil as well.

Organic Olive Oil: Used for centuries to soothe, smooth, refresh and renew worn-out skin.

Organic Palm Oil: Softens and conditions skin, renews and helps eliminate dryness. Often used in combination with Coconut and Olive oils.

One other thing I noticed about this bar of soap is that it lasts. It doesn’t melt away in the shower and one bar has lasted me more than 2 months! Its hell for someone who likes to change her shower stuff often, but it makes it worth the money you spend on it.

Honestly, for someone who prefers to use shower gels, I really like this soap. It retails for US$15 for a 100g bar. That means it’ll probably cost about RM50? Ouch! Expensive!

[rating:4.5/5]

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