DIY oatmeal exfoliator video

I had a question from someone on my recent Live Native skincare post, wondering if the Exfoliating Cleanser would suit very sensitive skin that doesn't get on with more usual manual exfoliators. I suggested doing a trial with some home made oat exfoliant first to be sure that the method is suitable, before buying the cleanser.

Here's a short video (please excuse the completely naked face - without brows, lips and a bit of concealer I do look odd!) showing how I make it and the press and release technique for using this type of exfoliator/cleanser.

The ingredients are very simple - a teaspoon of oil (I used almond as I happened have some in the medicine cabinet) the same amount of ground oats and a little water to make into a smoothish paste.

Beauty Spotlight Team - What's in Shannon's drawers?

It's time for another Beauty Spotlight Team "What's In Your...?" post! This week, we're going to take a peek into Shannon from Lipstick Musings' monstrous cabinet of beauty products. Click on the picture below to go to her blog and see just how much she's got hiding in her drawers!

Shannon and I have very similar colouring and shade preferences, so I am intrigued to find out what she's got stashed in these!

Ambre Mango & Carrot Seed Extra Concentrated Hand Cream

Look at that label. 100% raw plant source. Not a vague 'natural' claim. There is no daisy waving* going on here.

Ambre Botanicals is a new independent skin care brand that is made in London from 100% raw plant oils and extracts, with no alcohol or water added to the products. Raw skincare is something I'm increasingly keen on; the only two raw brands I was previously aware of are Dr Alkaitis and RMS Beauty. I've recently started using Live Native, another raw brand with very good results, and now I'm also very impressed by this product from Ambre.

Ambre Hand Cream is a thick, yellow orange balm texture. It smells beautiful - herbal yet clean and soothing.

As there is no water, you need a very small amount - a 5p piece sized dab will do both hands. The bit dabbed on the back of my hand is enough for that whole hand.

Using the correct amount doesn't leave any residue, but rejuvenates the skin and leaves it feeling and looking soft and even. This is the same hand a minute after rubbing the cream in. The effects last well too - I apply once in the evening and my hands feel soft and comfortable for the whole of the next day.

I bash my hands around a lot - I nearly always have some kind of cut, burn or bruise on them. It might be coincidence, but an old burn scar has faded quite significantly in the few days I've been using this, and I noticed that a cut just above the top joint of a finger healed much quicker than I'd expect it to normally.

This is a very, very good hand cream. Of course, the real test comes in the colder weather, but I've already been impressed enough with this product (which was a PR sample) to place an order for another two body products (a soap and the body cream). Ambre also make facial skin care products which look very good from the ingredients lists.

Ingredients of Mango & Carrot Seed Hand Cream:

Ambre products are available at www.beingcontent.com, and directly from the Ambre website www.ambrebotanicals.com. The Hand Cream costs £17 for 60ml (which will last for months used daily).

PR sample

*for an explanation of 'daisy waving', please see the comments on this post. I love Modesty Brown.

Live Native Essential Collection skin care review

Live Native is a skin care range made by hand by a very small team living on the Isle of Skye. It's a raw range, which means none of the ingredients or formulas are heated above 115 F (about 46 C in old money). In addition, many of the ingredients are organic, wild harvested or Fairtrade (or a combination of these). The principle behind raw skin care, much like a raw diet, is that the nutrients and enzymes of the ingredients are not lost in the heating/cooking process.

After reading an interview with Vicky Ewbank, the lady behind the brand, on Danny's Holistic Green Beauty blog,  I bought a collection containing all three of the core skin care products in the range; the Essential Earth Exfoliating Cleanser, the Essential Mist MSM Toner and the Essential Woman Frangipani Fresh Moisturiser.

The Essential Earth Exfoliating Cleanser looks like mud mixed with oil, and has a somewhat earthy smell (which I like, but it might not be everyone's cup of tea). It is an absolutely brilliant gentle exfoliant and cleanser if you can get past the slightly weird appearance, and has converted me to being a morning face washer (I used to just splash with water in the mornings). You mix a dab (I use about a 5p piece size) with the same amount of water in the palm of your hand to make a smooth paste and apply using a pressing motion to a damp face. If you've used the cleansing creams from Dr Hauschka or Jurlique, you'll be familiar with the concept and the technique. I prefer the Live Native as it does not contain alcohol (none of the products in the range do) and the oil/earth/oats combination just works well for my skin. It's a bit odd looking, but I love it (which makes it the Iggy Pop of cleansers.)

A quick word of warning - when this first arrived and was full, some oil did tend to lie on top of the paste. It's not a product to chuck in an overnight bag when it is full - decant a little into a completely tight container, or seal the lid with some kind of tape when travelling.

Ingredients for Essential Earth Exfoliating Cleanser: ( 90% organic )

 Oat (Avena Sativa) Kernel Meal*, Rhassoul Clay (Montmorillonite)*/***, Chamomile Macerate in Sunflower oil*, Argan (Argania Spinosa) Kernal Oil*/***, Coconut (Cocos Nucifera) Oil*, MSM (Dimethyl Sulfone) from Pine Trees, Chamomile (Chamomilla Recutita Matricaria) Flower*, Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Root Powder*, Kelp (Ascophyllum Nodosum)**, Marigold (Calendula Officinalis) Flower Oil*, Vitamin E (natural d-alpha tocopherol), Glyceryl Caprilate, Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis) Seed Extract in vegetable glycerin, Acerola cherry (Malpighia Glabra) Fruit Extract*.

 * organic | ** wild harvested | *** Fairtrade

The Essential Mist MSM Toner is a toner with MSM from pine trees (anti-inflammatory) and acerola cherry extract (very high in vitamin C). The dispenser gives a very fine mist, and the smell is beautiful - a gentle, exotic, but calming floral blend. This is more than just a toner; it calms and soothes the skin and acts as very light pre-moisturising serum.

Ingredients for Essential Mist MSM Toner: ( 93% organic )

 Rosa damascena (rose) floral water*, Dimethyl sulfone (MSM from pine trees), Malpighia glabra (acerola cherry) fruit extract*, Rosa damascena (rose otto) essential oil*, Santalum austrocaledonicum veill (sandalwood) essential oil*, Plumeria rubra (frangipani) absolute, (*denotes organic) contains the following components of essential oils: citral, citronellol, eugenol, farnesol, geraniol and linalool.

 * organic

The Essential Woman Frangipani Fresh Moisturiser smells so good you'd think you could eat it (you probably could, but it's too good not to put it on your face). It's a solid but easily meltable balm-cream texture, and it does become more liquid when the temperature rises over 24 C (as you can see from my picture below, taken on Sunday). This doesn't affect the performance of the moisturiser and if anything makes it easier to pick up and apply a small amount (I find I need a little more in colder weather and slightly less in warmer weather). This moisturiser feels beautiful on the skin. It doesn't feel at all heavy or greasy (if you can see or feel any oil a couple of minutes after applying you've probably used too much) and leaves my skin feeling plump and peachy soft.

Ingredients for Essential Woman Frangipani Fresh Moisturiser: (96% organic )

Virgin Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil*, Aloe barbadensis miller (cold pressed aloe vera)*, Butyrospermum parkii (raw shea butter)**, Rosa damascena (rose) floral water*, d-alpha tocopherol (natural vitamin E with mixed tocopherols in GMO free soy oil), Rosa damascena (rose otto) essential oil*, Santalum austrocaledonicum veill (sandalwood) essential oil*, Glyceryl caprilate (from palm and coconut oil), Plumeria rubra (frangipani) absolute, Sodium levulinate, Sodium anisate, Cupressus sempervirens (cypress) essential oil*, Citrus sinensis (orange) essential oil*, Aqua, Glycerin, Ascorbic acid, Xanthan gum. Contains the following components of essential oils: citral, citronellol, eugenol, farnesol, geraniol, limonene and linalool.

* organic | ** wild harvested

I bought and started using these products at the end of April, and I am extremely happy with how my skin feels and looks on this routine. I'm using the Oskia Perfect Cleanser in the evening as my night time cleanser and La Bella Figura Decouverte Serum as my eye product, but other than this I've been using Live Native products pretty much exclusively (apart from a couple of tests of the Nourish Skin Care I wrote about last week) for the month.

Live Native products are available from the website, www.livenative.com. As well as the full size set of the three products for £99, you can buy a smaller starter kit of the three for £50 to see how you get on with the range before investing in full sizes (the cleanser and moisturiser are about half the size of those in my set, and the toner is 1/5 of the full size). All products are also available individually (and it's £10 cheaper to get the three full sizes individually, although the set does come in a very nice and sturdy box).

Mu London Organic Hemp Moisturiser

Mu London Organic Hemp Moisturiser is a favourite of everyone in the London family for the same reason - it's excellent on patches of eczema or dry, irritated skin for all three of us. Miss London gets a patch of eczema behind her right ear (I think she sleeps with it rubbing against the pillow) and Mr London has a patch on his knee. I don't usually suffer, but a period of working twelve plus hour days on a stressful project recently resulted in some dry and itchy patches on my left shin. Having catalogued the various London scabby bits, I can report that Mu London Hemp has sorted them all out - it calms down the itch almost immediately and then gets to work repairing the dryness and redness. Skin is noticeably less rough after a single application, and twice daily application sorts out persistent patches within a week or two even in very cold weather (which seems to make it worse for all three of us) in our experience.

The smell is a subtle woody/green scent which is acceptable and pleasant to all three of us (this would be a good choice if you are looking for a Mu London moisturiser for a man to use). It is a thick, solid balm texture like the rest of the Mu London moisturisers; you just scoop a small amount out and melt between your fingers then apply to damp, clean skin. If you use a small amount it doesn't leave any film on the skin - it's best to use a little and apply more if you need it.

Mu London Hemp Moisturiser is £15 for 60ml or £9 for 30ml, and available from www.mulondon.com.

Ingredients:
Vitellaria Paradoxa (Shea Butter)*, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp Seed Oil)*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Oil)*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary Extract)*, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp Essential Oil), Picea Mariana (Black Spruce Essential Oil), Vetiveria Zizanoides (Vetivert Essential Oil)*, Cedrus Atlantica (Cedar Wood Essential Oil)*

* denotes certified organic ingredients

An experiment in not wearing sunscreen every day

I know, I know. I haven't been body snatched, honestly.

I've been reading quite a bit about vitamin D deficiencies caused by lack of exposure to the sun caused by constant use of sunscreen and about increasing your own inherent resistance to sun damage by the use of antioxidants (particularly carotenoids) taken as supplements.

I've decided to experiment by simplifying my own skin care routine. I've been taking Well Well Well Inc Krill Oil supplements since the middle of April (I bought my own jar after using up the sample I was sent.)

For skincare, I've been using a simple plant-based skin care routine from Live Native, a raw skin food company based on the Isle of Skye - I'll be reviewing it soon, but in a nutshell, I love it. It takes a bit of getting used to as the textures aren't the same as mass market skincare, but it's been worth the (small) effort for me.

I have also stopped using all glycolics/retinoids etc. I'm just using a very simple cleanse, tone, moisturise routine from Live Native. I don't have particularly photosensitive skin inherently - I'm my mum's fair depth of skin, but with my dad's olive tone. If you have very fair/pink skin, I'd strongly recommend sunscreen whenever the sun shines.

Things I won't be doing:

• Changing my attitude to general sun avoidance. I don't sit out in the sun and I don't intend to start doing so.
• Being stupid - on days and in situations where I put a sunscreen on my child (and/or my husband) I will still apply a sunscreen myself. I've pulled out the Super by Perricone Daylight Savings the last few days. 

My facial skin has darkened very slightly, but now it matches the skin on my tummy (which never sees the light of day) and the rest of my unexposed body. I'm still a fair olive, but a less porcelain tone. I'm about 6 weeks in to this routine, and for 5 of those weeks it did rain almost non-stop. My skin hasn't been any drier or spottier with the simplified routine, but if anything seems more balanced.

It'll be interesting to see if my face falls into disrepair after a few months - so far, it doesn't seem to have done so ;)

Beauty Spotlight round up 26 May

Here's this week's Beauty Spotlight Team round up, with lots of reviews and articles to keep you busy if you're taking a break from the sun! Hasn't it been lovely to see some sunshine finally in the UK?

Revlon's new Summer 2012 Escapism Collection catches Pammy Blogs Beauty's eye this week. Check out what she got from the collection in her recent Revlon Drugstore Haul.

Forget matching your shoes with your purse, as Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed has discovered it's now all about matching your lips with your cheeks thanks to Benefit's Ultra Plush Gloss! Check out her swatches and see if they have you feeling all matchy-matchy!

Modesty Brown gets a pleasant surprise swatching Rouge Bunny Rouge Umber Firefinch eyeshadow. If you were put off by the description, this is definitely worth a second look.

The Pink Sith imagines herself in an infomercial when she reviews the Natura Bisse NB Ceuticals Eye Recovery Balm.

A product that promises to provide a moisturiser, foundation, sunscreen, concealer and anti-aging cream all-in-one, Visionary Beauty reviews the Omorovicza Complexion Perfector BB SPF 20 to see if it delivers.

Who doesn't need an outstanding concealer? The ladies of Beauty Info Zone certainly do so they appreciate Tarte's Maracuja Creaseless Waterproof Concealer and think you will too.

Perilously Pale brings us the beautiful limited edition collection of four new Eyes to Kill Intense eye shadows from the Armani Beauty Summer Collection. Prime Beauty takes to the beach and discovers Hourglass Cosmetics Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Dune.

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic learns how to add volume to her braid without teasing her hair!

London MakeUp Girl reviews La Bella Figura Decouverte Eye serum, an all natural oil-based serum that works on fine lines, dark circles and puffiness.

Did you miss the original KardashianKolors collection from Nicole by OPI the first time around? Jessika from polish insomniac shows us how to score the best colors in the new Pretty Petites collections!

At Everyday Beauty, Zuzu*s Petals marveled on the wonders of red lipstick.

Paula, from Older Girl Beauty is excited to announce that she is an Ambassador for RoC Skincare. Find out who else was chose for this year, too.

Loving this MakeUp Artist Blog - Wendy Rowe

Wendy Rowe is an extremely talented makeup artist who I first heard of through Twitter. She's Artistic Consultant for Burberry Beauty, and also very friendly and down to earth.

Anyway, I'm absolutely loving her blog, and particularly the 'Recreate The Look' articles which give a helpful breakdown of exactly what products she's used to do a particular look, even though they are stirring up some potentially expensive Burberry lemmings for me again (although she doesn't just feature Burberry products).

Her website is at www.wendyrowe.com.

RMS Beauty Karma, Myth and Rapture face

I'm completely enamoured of RMS Beauty Karma eyeshadow. The soft black-brown cream eyeshadow is an excellent base, and makes the reddish copper Myth eyeshadow easier to wear. In these pictures, I've applied a base of Karma and a little Karma with an eyeliner brush in the middle of my lower lashes, then smudged Myth on my mobile lid over it.

I also used Rapture Lip2Cheek high on my cheekbones (almost where I'd usually put a highlighter) using the warm blood red Rapture to pick up the reddish tones of the eye.

I also dabbed a little Rapture on my lips, then topped with balm to give a glossy finish. The eyes look less dramatic in photos than they do in real life, although it's still wearable for daytime.

Nourish Skincare - Balance

I was recently sent a set of skin care from the Nourish Skin Care company, a relatively new natural* skin care company. Nourish skin care is available from the website www.nourishskinrange.com. The products have been developed by a team that includes Dr Pauline Hill, whose previous experience includes 20 years as Technical Director at Neal's Yard Remedies.

*Nourish uses the term 'natural' in the commonly employed skin care shorthand for 'from plant origin'.  The ingredients lists are simple but in my opinion very good; the bases of the products are plant oils and aloe, the Balance range (which I was sent) contains vitamins C, E, B3, B5 and B6. None of the products contain mineral oil, artificial colourants, sulfates, parabens or silicones. The Balance range does currently contain an artificial fragrance; there is no apple essential oil.

This isn't going to be a full review because these products are designed for a more combination/normal skin and haven't been quite moisturising enough for my normal to dry skin in the recent cold weather. I have used them all a handful of times to try them out and make sure that they didn't completely disagree with my skin before writing about the brand (they didn't).

The cleanser is a gel formulation which applies like a face wash to damp skin, but does not foam on my skin. It rinses cleanly and does not leave my face feeling tight like many face washes do.
Ingredients:

The toner comes in a spray bottle that dispenses a reasonably fine and even mist - a couple of squirts dampens the whole face, but doesn't feel like shooting a soda spritzer at yourself.
Ingredients:

The serum is an excellent product for combination skin, or any skin suffering from spots. It adds a boost of moisture and vitamins without oiliness or heaviness, and the niacinamide it contains is a great anti-inflammatory ingredient.

Ingredients:

The moisturiser is best suited to a combination/oily skin, and the gel cream formulation did not provide enough moisture for me (I'd probably be better off with the moisturiser for dry skin). It sinks in quickly though, and doesn't leave the silicone film that many oil-free moisturisers do. It does contain some oil, but that's not a bad thing for oilier skin - a good light oil can help an overactive skin to regulate itself, particularly when combined with the niacinamide that's also in this product.
Ingredients:

As I wrote at the start of this post, I have tried all of the products only a handful of times. If anyone with a more combination skin would like to try my samples and review them fully for me, please drop me an email (UK only, sorry, as they are quite heavy to post!) (Volunteer found already, thank you!)

The products are priced between £9 for the toner to £16 for the serums, which is an excellent price for these sorts of formulations, and a more accessible way to try a cleaner (by that I mean a no mineral oil etc) skin care range, which is why I particularly wanted to feature this brand on my blog. I know a lot of the skin care I review is expensive, but I do believe that avoiding mineral oil etc has really helped my skin. There are also gift packs containing all four products from a range for £40.

The three other ranges are

Protect - for dry skin
Relax - for sensitive/stressed skin
Radiance - for mature skin

Disclosure: PR samples