Dry Skin? No worries, I found the perfect trio

As many of you may already know, it’s currently winter transitioning to spring in Canada but it’s still extremely dry outside – My skin needs all the help it can get. I wanted to share 3 products I use back to back to ensure I never ever have to come across dry, reptile-like skin. The Bioderma shower oil and also the atoderm creme. I’ve been using Bioderma sensibio for many, many years but I have never ventured out to try out their other products until recently. They sent over these two for me to try out and let me tell you, I’ve already finished both the shower oil and atoderm creme.

How to use: Shower Oil

So the concept of this is quite unique since I’ve never used any product like this before. You use this in the shower, apply it onto the skin and massage.  It dispenses out like a silky, rich body oil but lathers up a little bit and becomes into a soft foam. The moment it comes into direct contact with the wet skin, it forms a strong protective barrier for the skin and you can visibly see and feel it when using it. I rinse the remaining product off my body and dry my body for the next step.

Once my body is dry, I apply a thick layer of the atoderm creme all over my body and ensure I massage the cream thoroughly as I do not want any white residue behind. If you own these two products, repeat these steps every single day after your shower and you will notice a significant difference in your overall skin feel. I am very guilty for taking scorching hot showers and drying the crap out of my skin and I use to be very guilty for neglecting my body and not applying creams after my showers. I’ve only started making the changes roughly 2 years ago and it has changed my life forever. No more dry skin days and also no more scaley, reptile-like skin because that was just gross.

I follow up with the atoderm creme and it’s just the divine. It’s a thick, whipped consistency that glides beautifully on the skin and moisturizes it while protecting the barrier. I never have to deal with reptile skin whenever I use these two together because they synergize so well together. The two main nourishing ingredients they use for this is vaseline and glycerin. This softens the skin while providing long-lasting moisture.

 

During uncertain times, I’m sure many of us are taking the extra precautions as needed to fight against this virus and protecting ourselves so I’m guessing some of you are on consciously washing your hands more frequently. I definitely am and not ashamed of it. However, I found that my hands got a lot more drier from doing so I’ve started to use the atoderm hand creme and let me tell you, folks, this stuff means business. It reminds me of the atoderm body cream except it’s a lot thicker and really protects the hands from any moisture loss. This little guy comes in 50ml but you need half a pea size for both hands and it should last you a while before you need replenishment.

I’m so impressed by Bioderma’s products and I’ve been using their products for years. They’ve always surpassed my expectations and I will continue to purchase from them. If you’re in Canada, you can find their products at Shoppers Drug Mart.

 

 

 

[REVIEW] PAPA RECIPE BOMBEE HONEY PUDDING CREAM

Honey, anyone? Papa recipe has one of my favourite sheet masks and I thought it would be nice to try out their skincare products to see how well it will perform on my skin. If you have used the Klairs Vitamin E Mask before, this texture will somewhat remind you of that. The differences I would say between the two are, this one is a lot denser, richer gelatinous texture whereas the Klairs is a lot lighter. I got this product at a whim because I was curious about it for a long time but never wanted to splurge on it so I got it with a coupon. In case you were interested in where I purchased this, I purchased this on Goryeo’s Cosmetic website. I would highly recommend you to check them out, they offer a nice variety of skincare and beauty products for a reasonable price, customer service is excellent and shipping was quite fast.

Claims

• Enriched with organic propolis and honey extract, making it intensively hydrates, replenishes and nourishes the skin.
• It builds up a barrier against possible irritants for stronger, healthier skin, and also locks in moisture.
• Its pudding texture enhances the moisturizing effect without generating heaviness or stickiness.
• You can immediately see a healthy radiance and feels plump and silky smooth after application.
• Moisturizing, nourishing, reduce wrinkles and tighten pores, enhance skin elasticity, protecting the skin, and use as a sleeping mask.

Key Ingredients

Honey Extract has a lot of moisturizing and antibacterial properties.

Propolis Extract is known for its healing, antiseptic and restorative capabilities. Propolis can also heal and calm skin. It also promotes cell growth, decongests pores, protects against bacteria and functions as a great anti-inflammatory agent.

Urea is often used as a medicated topical cream and is applied to the skin to treat against dryness and itching symptoms ex: psoriasis, dermatitis, or ichthyosis.

Lactic acid is specifically used to treat hyperpigmentation, age spots, and other factors that contribute to a dull and uneven complexion.

Papaya Extract makes an effective, nonabrasive exfoliant. An enzyme in the fruit, papain, helps to remove impurities and slough away dead skin cells.

Hyaluronic Acid is a very well-known and popular ingredient that has some great qualities and benefits such as it can reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and also speed skin recovery. It also is fantastic for retaining moisture in the skin.

 

List of ingredients:

Water, glycereth-26, butylene glycol, peg-240/hdi copolymer bis-decyltetradeceth-20 ether, 1,2-hexanediol honey extract (10,000 ppm), phellinus linteus extract, caria papaya (papaya) fruit extract, propolis extract, hydrolyzed collagen, hydroxyethyl urea, polysorbate 80, arginine, ammonium lactate, usnea barbata (lichen) extract, urea, zanthoxylum piperitum fruit extract, carbomer, pulsatilla koreana extract, sodium hyaluronate, fragrance.

My Skin Type and concerns:

Combination | PIE | Congested | Dehydrated | (Occasionally) Sensitive

My thoughts & Ramblings:

There’s a really interesting blend of ingredients here, the ones that really stood out to me were honey extract, propolis extract, papaya extract, ammonium lactate (lactic acid) and urea. Honey & Propolis that heal the skin and are packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. We also have AHAs that help exfoliates, improve overall skin tone and resurface the skin such as Papaya and Lactic Acid.

When I first applied this on my skin, the gelatinous texture broke down into a comfortable, cool gel-cream texture and I could physically feel my skin feeling a lot more hydrated when using this cream. I also noticed from using this cream continuously for 2 and half weeks, my skin significantly looks a lot brighter and even out.

I enjoyed this cream, I’m not quite sure if I would repurchase it because I have a lot of products to go through and this isn’t something I would label as my holy grail because I can live without this. It is a nice addition to your skincare routine if you suffer from dehydration, dry skin issues that you really want to fix, this will definitely help out with that and you’ll notice your skin is a lot more hydrated and even brightened from using this.

How to use:

They instruct to use this after cleansing and toning, however, I have an extensive skincare routine because my skin needs it and as much as I love the concept of a 3 step skincare routine, I can’t do it. I use this after I apply my serums then I sleep with it on. You can use this a day moisturizer and also a sleeping mask.

When scooping out product from the container, take a pea size amount and apply on the back of your hand and massage the product until it transforms into a gel-cream texture, do not apply this directly to your face, you will find yourself dropping the product everywhere.

Overall

• Texture: 4/5 – It’s oddly satisfying to look at but for me, the application process can be tricky for some so be sure to apply to on your hand and break down the product prior to applying directly on the face. Please reference the photos/gif to have a better understanding of why the texture was a bit strange for me. It leaves a protective coat/film behind the skin when trying to rinse off. I found my skin feeling a lot softer and hydrated. My skin is dehydrated and even more dry during winter so I would often have dry patches if I’m using a moisturizer that is not compatible or not giving me enough moisture but I didn’t have any issues with this and my skin looked really nice every time I used it.
• Scent: 3/5 – I’m not crazy about honey scents because it smells “natural” and the smell does linger for a while before it goes away. I also do not like the fact they added fragrance because it’s so unnecessary and if I can have my skincare without any sort of fragrance, I would prefer that. Papa recipe, please consider making unscented products – it would be more ideal for “all skin types” because sensitive skin folks can use it too.
• Price: 3.5/5 – Kind of pricey for what it is however it does work and if you like papa recipe, honey-based products, you definitely should give this a try.
• Performance: 5/5 – Worked like a charm, my skin felt renewed, refreshed and a lot brighter which is always the goal for me. I love to brighten my skin and reduce the appearance of dullness.
• Packaging: 5/5 – It’s cute. It functions fine and I like how they included a spatula to scoop out the product. It may look like honey but don’t fooled, it’s just a moisturizer. 🙂
• Overall: 4/5 – Although it didn’t break me out and worked nicely – I like it but not enough for me to repurchase it because although texture may be important to some people, I just like a simple creamy moisturizer with no added fragrance to it. In case you’re interested in trying this, feel free to use code DORKIE1 when checking out on Yesstyle.

Available on: Goryeo | eBay | Amazon | Yesstyle

 

 

 

 

[REVIEW] NARUKO JING CHENG 60 ACTIVES LA CREME EX

NARUKO’s team kindly sent over some of their products for me to try out and share with you all. They carefully curated a package together to fit my skin’s needs and did a wonderful job. I’ve been a fan of their sheet masks from time now so it was amazing when I was given the opportunity to try out their lovely skincare products.

The first product I will be sharing with you all today is from their anti-ageing line, also known as the Jing Cheng line. The story behind this cream is it’s a combination of Chinese medicine and western aromatherapy all in one. This is created with 60 precious herbal essences that can revitalize the skin, reduce the appearance of ageing and reveal skin’s glow.

Claims

• Firms and smoothens out skin texture
• Improves skin elasticity
• Prevents against signs of ageing
• Improves skin’s dullness, age spots and enlarged pores

 

My Skin Type and concerns:

Combination | PIE | Congested | Dehydrated | (Occasionally) Sensitive

My thoughts

The first thing I noticed when I opened this cream was it’s very subtle rosewater scent and how thick the consistency was. Think of really thick buttercream, this texture resembles that.

TIP: Scoop a dime-size amount out of the container and massage the product in between your fingers, you should start noticing it breakdown and turn into more of a creamy consistency that glides into the skin easily.

Overall

• Texture: 5/5 – I wanted a thick cream and NARUKO definitely gave me one. This one is like no other thick cream and I own. This texture is incredible and may require some time for those to get used to. If you’re not a fan of thick creams, I still do believe you can make this work. Follow my tip on how to breakdown the cream and make it easier to apply and you might just enjoy it.
• Scent: 4/5 – It’s lightly scented and smells like rosewater. Very clean and airy, I really like it and it gives this “spa-like” feel.
• Performance: 5/5 –  I’m blown away, guys. I found this cream surpass my expectations and in fact, it does what it claims. The biggest claim that stood out to me and I was skeptical of was the ability to minimize the appearance of your pores and it truly does while deeply moisturizing and nourishing my skin. I can feel a significant difference between using this and my all-time favourite Cerave moisturizing cream.
• Packaging: 4/5 – This packaging is quite extra, has this luxurious appearance to it and I like it! It obviously isn’t travel-friendly but you can always transfer it into a smaller container to bring with you.
• Overall: 4.5/5 – I love this cream and I would repurchase it, however, the price is hard to get past and kind of makes me grind my teeth when looking at. It’s $109 CAD and will vary where you purchase it from. I’ve seen a couple sources online that are cheaper and around $70 but nonetheless, it is a pricer cream but if you want something effective that can do the job – definitely look into this cream. I would HIGHLY recommend it to those who suffer with dry, combination, dehydration, parched skin issues. This is the ideal cream to seal in all the hydrating products you put on prior to.

Available here: NARUKO  | eBay

 

 

Disclaimer: I was given this product in exchange for an honest review. All views and thoughts of this product are my own. What may work for me, may not work for you so please keep that in mind.

 

[REVIEW] PHYKOLOGY Bright Tomorrow Guardian Cream

Hello, hello dear friends! I’m finally back on here and wanted to share a product I have been using a lot lately and has been part of my evening routines for these couples of weeks now.

Introducing… the PHYKOLOGY Bright Tomorrow Guardian Cream, this cream is specifically formulated to strengthen and hydrate skin moisture barrier. Winter in Canada has been a brutal time for me and I can honestly rely on a cream with ceramides in it. This cream naturally enhances the skin’s strength and defends the skin to stay moisturized, soft and remain plump throughout the day. As you can see, this cream is on the thicker side for creams and I absolutely love that for winter. I can’t get away with a simple gel based cream because winter here, is extremely dry. Temperatures drop low as -45 degrees Celsius here. The moment I get home, my skin feels numb and all the moisture has been zapped out. I find this cream is able to quickly restore my skin’s texture and feel when I use it.

PHYKOLOGY Bright Tomorrow Guardian Cream
50ml ~ $33.37 USD / $43.72 CDN

| Phykology Facebook | Phykology Instagram| PHYKOLOGY Official Website|

Check out the ingredients below:

The star ingredients that I liked from this product:

Undaria Pinnatifida Extract – This is the very first ingredient of the list and I always appreciate brands that don’t use water as a filler ingredient. This ingredient is a brown algae potent with antioxidants, provides the cream and formulation a thick+dense texture and provides skin hydration.

Centella Asiatica Extract – is a plant-based ingredient that has multiple healing properties. The extract is rich with amino acids, fatty acids and etc that can help treat and prevent acne, calming down skin inflammation and promote collagen growth.

Beta-Glucan – is a polysaccharide sugar derived from yeasts/oats. It has skin soothing and some antioxidant properties that are fantastic to improve the skin’s appearance by reducing redness and any signs of inflammation.

Ceramide NP – Ceramide are lipids that assist and protect skin barrier by retaining skin moisture and they protect the skin from any environmental irritants. They can also improve the look and feel of dry skin instantaneously.

* PHYKOLOGY is also vegan. 

You can see how dry my hand is and the texture of this cream is dense enough to restore and repair my skin’s lost moisture. I only need about a pea size amount of this cream on my face and it usually does the trick. I always go in with my skincare steps prior to apply the cream and I seal everything in with a facial oil of my choice. The facial oil I have been using a lot lately is the Teami Blends Soothe Facial Oil. It’s formulated with Blue Tansy (anti-inflammatory) , Lavender (purifies) and White Sage Leaf (wrinkle prevention and reduction). If you’re interested in purchasing it, please feel free to use my discount code: DORK15 and get 15% off your purchase!

TIP: dispense a pea size amount of the cream and with clean hands, massage the product to breakdown the thick consistency into a creamy, smooth texture. This allows easier application rather than applying the cream directly onto the face and massaging it. The warmth from your hands will make a huge difference in the product’s texture.

Overall thoughts:

I’m impressed with PHYKOLOGY as an overall brand choosing to be one of the very few k-beauty vegan brands and they are focused in creating quality products. Their minimalist packaging is absolutely gorgeous and very travel friendly! You can purchase this cream here: Bright Tomorrow Guardian Cream

• Texture: 5/5 – Dense, creamy and spreads wonderfully on the face. It does not dry down sticky or tacky on the face. Comfortable to have on and perfect for cold weather conditions because it’s able to recover your skin within a short period of time.
• Scent: 5/5 – No detectable scent, perfect for those who are sensitive to scents.
• Price: 3/5 – It is a bit on the pricier side but varying in your budget, I would reccomend this to those who would like to try out new products and need an excellent winter cream. Also, do keep in mind this is a vegan product.
• Performance: 5/5 – Fantastic, I have no complaints here. It works exactly how it claims. My moisture barrier has been slightly damaged from the terrible weather conditions here in Canada and I know I can rely on this cream to save my skin overnight. I would apply this right after my hydrating serums and ampoules for the best results!
• Packaging: 4/5 – The standard aluminum tube that looks similar to medical topical creams/gels packaging. Aluminum tubes are easy to dispense product out, look and feel nice! This is small enough to travel with and you don’t need that much to cover your entire face.
• Overall: 4/5 – I did enjoy this cream and had no negative reactions/skin irritation from using it. I will continue to use this cream.

This product was kindly gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. I am pleased with this product and I look forward to share with you further ways how I like to use it in my routine. Be sure to stay tuned for my instagram story posts and feed posts. I always post daily :)!

Have yourself a fantastic day!

[REVIEW] Innisfree Jeju Orchid Fluid

Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your weekend. I’ve been meaning to do a review on this product from time but I haven’t gotten the opportunity to until now. This is one of my favourites to use for my night time routine and I will share why! This product is part of the Innisfree Jeju Orchid line and this particular line is specifically for anti aging. The Jeju Orchid products were formulated to reduce wrinkles, evening out skin tone, nourish the skin, pore care and elasticity. This is my FAVORUITE line of all skincare products because not only it is affordable, every product has a generous amount where it will last you a long time and also is very effective+gentle on sensitive skin. I have sensitive, combination and acne-prone skin so I have to be very cautious of what products I apply on my face. There is a light fragrance to these products however I have not noticed my skin getting irritated or getting inflamed from using them.

Innisfree Jeju Orchid Fluid

Initially, I was confused about what exactly this product might be because I don’t own anything like it. It has a very thin, water-like consistency but yet disperses very evenly on the skin and is nourishing. I usually shy away from these types of consistencies simply because they don’t usually do much for me however this product surprised me how well it absorbed onto my skin. This gives me very similar results the Laneige sleeping pack does. See the photo below of how the consistency of the product looks like:

how it looks evenly applied:

Overall thoughts: I personally really loved this product. There was absolutely no tacky residue and I found this product fine underneath makeup. It didn’t make my makeup shift, oxidize or change the overall look of it. This is all around an amazing product and can be used during the day time, underneath makeup, regular skincare and also a sleeping pack! If you have never smelled any of the orchid line products, you have to when you get the chance!

Available on: eBay | Yesstyle | Amazon

Thanks for reading, I will see you next time~

Cheers!

 

*some links listed are affiliate links