Skincare products I currently use

My skin is sensitive combination, which means I’ve got an oily T-zone and some delicate dry areas like cheeks and under eye.  It’s a challenge to find just one face cream which can mattify oily areas and at the same time hydrate and nourish dry ones. Good cream and regular peelings are not enough for clear skin and to stay shine free. A little help is also needed from decorative cosmetics, but about that, some other time. Here are the product I currently use in my skincare routine:

Vichy Normaderm Night detox

This night cream is a real gem.  It’s my first night cream. I always thought, night creams are something unnecessary and for older people. But I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this. It’s a big difference if I use it or not. My skin gets super oily during the night, but if I use this before going to bed,  it’s much less oily the next morning. The difference is even bigger during warmer months, when the skin gets even more oily than usual. This cream has a bit of cooling effect, it’s very fresh, with mild scent. The texture has medium thickness with a bit of powder feeling. In official description there are some absorbing particles mentioned, which absorb excess of oils. Price is a bit high (17€), but this cream is going to last for about a year, because you don’t need to use much. I’m very happy with it, so I’m planning to repurchase it.

List of ingredients:  AQUA / WATER - GLYCERIN - ALCOHOL DENAT. - HYDROXYETHYLPIPERAZINE ETHANE SULFONIC ACID - ISONONYL ISONONANOATE - ISOPROPYL LAUROYL SARCOSINATE - PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAETHYLHEXANOATE - PEG-20 STEARATE - DIMETHICONE - CETYL ALCOHOL - SILICA - ZEA MAYS STARCH / CORN STARCH - CI 19140 / YELLOW 5 - CI 42090 / BLUE 1 - GLYCERYL STEARATE - TRIETHANOLAMINE - SALICYLIC ACID - SODIUM POLYACRYLATE - PERLITE - POLOXAMER 338 - TOCOPHERYL ACETATE - AMMONIUM POLYACRYLDIMETHYLTAURAMIDE / AMMONIUM POLYACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE - CAPRYLOYL SALICYLIC ACID - TETRASODIUM EDTA - EPERUA FALCATA BARK EXTRACT - XANTHAN GUM - DEXTRIN - PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE - ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER - ACRYLATES COPOLYMER - PARFUM / FRAGRANCE.

Vichy Normaderm anti age

After being so satisfied with night cream, I decided to buy another one from Normaderm range, for a day time moisturizer. I picked up an anti age version, because they say it’s never too early for it, and it also had very good reviews. I’m not so impressed with this one. I guess my expectations where to high. OK it supposed to have great and very beneficial ingredients, but what about mattifying my T-zone? It’s not doing it’s job on this area. Not even with a help of a good pressed powder. I still get oily very quickly, especially now in warmer days. It has a pleasant , fresh smell and thick consistency with the same powdery feeling  when applying like the night version. Cream works great on the dry areas (that’s only half of my face), but that’s about it, nothing spectacular, so I won’t buy it again (20€).

List of ingridients: AQUA - ALCOHOL DENAT. - GLYCERIN - DIMETHICONE - PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAETHYLHEXANOATE - PEG-20 STEARATE - CETYL ALCOHOL - NYLON-12 - PARAFFIN - SILICA - KAOLIN - CI 19140 - CI 42090 - GLYCERYL STEARATE - ZINC GLUCONATE - GLYCOLIC ACID - TRIETHANOLAMINE - DIMETHICONOL - TOCOPHERYL ACETATE - AMMONIUM POLYACRYLDIMETHYLTAURAMIDE - CHLORPHENESIN - ASCORBYL GLUCOSIDE - CAPRYLOYL SALICYLIC ACID - TETRASODIUM EDTA - BUTYLENE GLYCOL - ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER - PARFUM

Ziaja tee trea oil face toner

You all hear about Vichy, but what about Ziaja? This brand comes from Poland. it’s not present for very long on our market. They produce face and body products, I love their body butters. Ziaja provides high quality products for reasonable prices. I use their tee tree oil toner (4€) on a daily basic and I really like it. Tee tree oil is a natural antiseptic, so it is very appropriate for cleaning oily skin. It clean and refreshes skin very well without irritating it. I use it in the morning. To me, it smells like sweet mint, but that fades quickly. I also love the packaging, which is compact and travel friendly. It’s has a spray pump what reduces consumption. I consider to buy it again.

Balea micellar water

After trying the Garnier ones (omg what a terrible packaging, every bottle leaks) and some from Nivea, I decided to buy the cheapest option in drugstore. Balea is a brand from a drugstore chains in Europe – Drogerie Markt or DM. Generally speaking, it’s ok for it’s price (3.50€ for 400ml if I’m correct). But there’s something that bothers me – it’s written on a label that it doesn’t have a smell, but it does. And it’s not fresh, it’s more like chemically, reminds me on diluted nail polish remover. Another thing – it produces foam (big time) what I actually don’t mind, but it’s weird. Here’s the last thing – occasionally it irritates my eyes. None of my previous micellar waters did that. I can completely clean my face with it, it doing it’s magic (if I forget minor eye irritations), but I don’t think it’s so natural as it’s label says. Do I need to mention that I won’t buy it again?

List of ingredients: Aqua - Pentylene Glycol - Propylene Glycol - Glycerin - Sodium Cocoamphoacetate - Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Water - Sodium Salicylate - Sodium Benzoate - Citric Acid - Sodium Chloride - Tetrasodium EDTA

Melvita Argan oil roll-on

This is my recent discovery. I was curious to try if oils are better than creams, because they got so popular. I’m not comfortable with idea of putting oil on my oily skin, although I know that there are oils which reduce oiliness. But for using it on my dry areas – let’s try. I chose this cute roll on bottle, because it seems so handy and because of its size was also the cheapest one (10€ for 10ml). I use it just like an eye cream. It doesn’t irritate my eyes, sinks very quickly and has no smell.  It gives very comfortable feeling to the skin and I just love it. This oil supposed to be full of antioxidants and beneficial for skin, so it can’t hurt. The only thing that’s bothering me is expiration date, which is only 6 months. I mean just half a year for a natural product with certificate? I’m not an expert, but I was expecting much longer time of use.

Afrodita chamomile eye cream

Afrodita is a brand with long tradition, based in Slovenia. It’s well known in Balkan Countries and in Russia. They made a professional cosmetic line for salons and spas and also more affordable line for home use. Their chamomile eye cream is an old, cult product between women in our region. Everybody knows is and a lot of us love it. It’s a very thick anti wrinkle eye cream. It has a typical cream scent with some chamomiles added.  It leaves quite oily trace, and if that’s bothering you, then this cream is definitely not for you. I don’t have high hopes from any anti wrinkle cream, so I’m happy with this. It nourishes my around eye area very nicely, doesn’t irritate my eyes or skin, gets along with my concealer and that’s enough for me. I tried so many other eye creams, even the expensive ones, but I always get back to this (it’s around 5,50€).