Skin 180 - Riding the hydration wave

 

It's been ages since I've done a skin update and am really quite keen to get a virtual record of this because its not something I've ever been able to say before nor may never get to say again but shivering sebaceous glands - I HAVE DRY SKIN!!!

I KNOWWWW!

After all the years of being text book combination, with a congested t-zone and all the coarseness and open pores and lumps, scars and bumps that came with it my skin has dropped a gear, pulled a Uie and without even a glance in the rear view mirror, bolted off in the other direction, destination normal to dry.

Now I'm not complaining - I am smoasting (new fav word I stumbled upon this week that describes Social Media Boasting!Good one huh?)

Smoasting because combination skin leaning towards dry is heaps more fun than combination skin sliding toward oily.

I mean it has it's issues like the urgency you feel you need to slap on slap after washing or showering or perhaps makeup clumping to dry spots or even that extra crepieness to wrinkles when extra-parched.

But hell give me that anyday in exchange for cautiously adding moisturiser in fear of breakouts or make up sliding off oily skin or the constant cycle of spot lurking under surface, spot erupting, spot healing, red mark.

Now I'm sure this is just a positive of being a pregnant walking waddling hormone and all that former skin woe is patiently and menacingly lurking in the background just waiting to come bite me in my post pregnancy saggy ass, but carpe diem folks, I'm gonna play this hand to my advantage. Plus my current extreme fat feet and cankle where the joint formerly known as ankle lived, seems to balance the karmic retribution adequately.

But boy oh boy am I taking pleasure in spritzing & layering oils and serums on and being able to slather potions and lotions on without fear of the dreaded breakout.

So being the new kid on the dry block - I thought I'd share some of the new skincare treats I'm enjoying of late to remedy my skin 'problems' and riding that hydration wave like there is no tomorrow (there may not be...)

Cleansing:
I felt my usual wash-off gel cleansers were not right so I called on the cleansing oils again ( I know - been there tried that, and haven't forgotten this trauma that may or may not be oil related?) but I went with the gut and starting reusing a cleansing oil nightly - aromatherapy legend Audra James's Skin Cleansing Oil, (remember the Turkish delight/Jaffa cake lovechild oil).  My skin loves it and feels so mighty soft after the massage on dry face to degunk/ compress off about six times with a warm washer process. My pores are refined like they have never been in my life, thickened oily skin is no longer so thick and congestion is at an all time low. (Smoast dance)

Toning in spritz format:
I'm spritzing like a good thing. Before moisturising to help soak in extra goodness, after make up and during the day. Currently loving the pom-wonderful Savi Organic Passionflower and Pomegranate Facial Spritz because a) it's got pom in it b) the mist is so fine and c) it smells so pommynumnums

Moisturising by day:
Post pom spritz (obsessed?) goes a pre-moisturiser serum. I find this is when my skin feels driest. I was using & adored & will use again Simplicite's Results Lift Gel which is quenching and frankly heaven. I then whored, excuse the crudeness but I did really whore through a bottle of Vanessa Megan's Kakadu Plum Anti-Ageing Serum a mega Vitamin C meets marine Hyaluronic Acid hybrid, quenching and light (my old skin would have used this with unclogging confidence) but it suffers a little from the same pong factor of noni juice/ Kosmea Daily Facial Exfoliant if the truth be known.... I've now landed at Sukin's Intensive Firming Serum which is a good rich meets light gel-cream happy medium containing Argan oil, acai and goji fruit extracts with cocoa butter to lock in moisture which glides on like a dream.

Post serum goes either the remnants of supergod Kosmea Daily Moisturiser SPF 30 (which I don't have to hoard anymore as they have re-release after a long years wait - huzzah, please say the formula remains unchanged) or Dermalogicas's Super Skin Shield* - both adequately moisturising yet sun shielding.

Moisturising by night:
This is where the oils ante has been upped. I'm currently using a combination of alternating between Be in Awe's Lightning & Be in Awe's Calming serum* (post pom spritz) and then ( you guessed it post pom spritz again) either a few drops of mega-oil cocktail Kosmea's Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost, my favourite of any skin oil like evs or a few drops of Sukin's Hydration Booster Serum which contains argan oil and immortelle and is really rather lovely and was just lurking unused in my stash, what an oversight. All this nighttime oiling combined with current heatwave conditions (42 deg in Tassie- unheard of) plus all the layers of excess blubber I'm carrying around and I still wake up without a hint of oil on my face. INCREDIBLE! Amazes me every morning.

Exfoliation:
Now I'm devishly doing the at home micro-dermabrasion at the moment which I will disclose soon, so really just want a gently, gently mid week top up exfoliation in the form of one of the two gentlest scrubs that have ever graced my mug; cheap but truly beautiful,  slippy and fresh and oh so fine textured Avado Cetified Gentle Organic Scrub and the rubbery, made of gum, soft textured granules that are in L'Occitane's Angelica Exfoliating Gel (bit irked that they have added fragrance but I do like the texture)

Masks:
Okay so old habits die hard and I feel the need for at least one weekly clay mask to degunk pores. I change between  Absolution, Le Soin Purifant* the most moisturising clay mask I've ever used or if I need a little bit of healing anywhere Comvita's Pore Refining Mask* - clay based but with oodles of manuka honey so still brings a moisture punch.

I'm also quite taken by a new moisturising mask in the ranks, Arbonne's FC5 Intense Hydration Mask*. Right so the name irks me but the texture I love. A gel-creme that doesnt give that cloying or slimy feeling some moisture masks can give. Its light and fresh, sets slightly on the skin without greasiness, so much so I forget about it for at least an hour or so. After rinsing skin is comfortable and fresh ad plump but not sort of slimy or coated. My old skin would also love it, bless her.

It helps that it smells like sunshine, can't describe it any other way, it smells the same way that Dr Organic's Vitamin E range does which is interesting as they both contain sunflower extract and the mask is all natural fragrance wise may I add, am on to something here. Sunflower snout aside there is a plethora of plant and fruit extracts in this mask , this ingrediogeek was rather impressed. Check it

You may have picked up one flaw in this dry skinned noob's plan. A good hydrating night cream. Something to layer over those oils with some good old fashion moisture plumping oomph. I'm on it! Roll on payday!

So here it is in writing, the time my skin was dry. GASP. Who knows what sort of skin changes are waiting round the corner but for now I'm riding this hydration wave and it sure is a blast, weeeeeeeeeeee! Splash!!

Has your skin ever done a 180?
Which would you prefer combo/breakout or parched/dry?
Any hydrating plumpers you just love right now?

*Products supplied for consideration. Pom spritzing obsessions, smoasts & opinions all my own

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