Ordinary Skincare has everything your hardworking skin needs

Let’s get real for a moment: Our skin is our largest organ, and therefore deserves lots of love, care and attention. But it can be tough finding the right products for your skin, especially if your skin type is dry or sensitive, or if you have hardworking skin… Am I right?

Let me be honest – I have very fair, sensitive skin that’s prone to redness and irritation, so I’ve been on the hunt for skincare products that will effectively help me stave off the first signs of ageing without irritating or burning my skin for quite some time.

I was on the verge of losing all hope up of finding products that work for my difficult skin type until last week, when I was handed a few products by the trendy and affordable new skincare brand that is Ordinary Skincare Co. I’m excited to announce that I’m now one week into using these new products and my skin is happier than ever before!

 

 

Let me touch a bit on the brand before I get to the products. Ordinary Skincare Co is the supplier of two skincare ranges: Plainordinary and Extraordinary. The company aims to offer honest skincare products for every skin type. They believe in providing products that are safe, that work, and that marry the finest that nature offers with the best of modern science. The ingredients in the products are ethically sourced and carefully chosen for their efficacy.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you’ve totally hopped onto the green (or natural) skincare bandwagon already. In that case, you’re dying to know more about the products I tried out – so let me tell you all about them and how they’ve worked for my skin. There are three products that I tried that I’m going to talk about: A cleanser, a day cream and a night cream.

 

 

Let’s start with the cleanser (R150). The soap-free, hypoallergenic and detergent-free formula is wonderfully gentle and mild – it’s just perfect for dry and sensitive skin! It’s made with olive oil for natural hydration as well as green rooibos extract for natural antioxidant action. There are no harsh surfactants in this product, so your natural skin barrier system isn’t harmed at all.

Since I started washing my face twice a day with this cleanser, I’ve noticed no irritations or flare-ups on my skin, which is amazing considering that most conventional cleansers break me out in a snap. It gives your skin and pores a great deep clean, and is effective at removing make-up thoroughly – even waterproof mascara. I’m just delighted by how safe and gentle but at the same time effective this cleanser is!

 

 

Next up is the day cream (R285). This moisturiser is intensely hydrating and is intended for daily application to keep skin plump and glowing. The cream is packed with an abundance of remarkably hydrating natural herbal antioxidant substances, including green rooibos, grapeseed oil, olive oil and shea butter. Co enzyme Q10 offers further antioxidant defence and superb anti-inflammatory performance.

At first I felt this cream was a bit too thick for my liking, but I’ve learned to love it. That’s probably because of the fabulous results it’s delivered since I started using it! I’ve noticed that my skin is softer and my skin tone is more even than before. Also, the appearance of fine lines under my eyes seems to have minimised. I apply it under my BB cream or foundation in the morning, and I find that it actually acts as a primer to help improve my make-up application. Pretty awesome, right? I’m all for multi-tasking beauty products!

 

 

Lastly, we have the night cream (R306). The fantastic deep and rich emulsion offers extraordinary hydration to hardworking skin. Brimming with antioxidant-rich ingredients like avocado and evening primrose oil, the cream aims to improve suppleness and tone of your skin while mopping up free radicals.

I apply the night cream to my face after using the cleanser every night before bed. I’ve noticed that when I use it, I wake up with a fresh complexion and hardly any facial lines. The product seems to almost “repair” my skin while I sleep… How incredible is that? What’s more, is I’ve even tested it out as a hand cream as my hands are also prone to dryness, and it works like a charm on this area of skin as well!

 

 

All in all, I’m simply obsessed with these products by Ordinary Skincare! In addition to the amazing skin-loving ingredients that they pack, they also come in nifty little recyclable, airless containers, which make them perfect for slipping into your handbag or suitcase. Apart from the three products I’ve tried, the range also has a SPF 30 day cream, an eye gel, a lip balm and a moisturising balm on offer.

For more information on these fabulous products, head over to Ordinary Skincare’s website by going here now. You can purchase any of their products online in just a few clicks (how convenient?). I can’t wait for you to experience these divine natural skincare products for yourselves!

Micellar water can pretty much replace your entire skincare routine

My mother and I are decades apart. Over the years, we’ve butted heads on so many things, from school to dating. But there’s one thing we’ve always agreed on: The importance of a good skincare routine.

 

Growing up, she told me to never forget to wash my face, to slather on SPF, and to let my skin go make-up free a few days a week. Mind you, though, this was long before the “no-makeup make-up trend” became a thing. And I listened. While I’m happy to use dry shampoo to get out the front door faster in the morning, I’ve never rushed my skincare regime.

 

To wit, I’ve done my fair share of experimenting with skincare products, and I’ve learned there are tons of labels out there that by no means live up to their expectations. They don’t clear up your spots overnight, or make your under-eye bags disappear in a matter of minutes.

 

So, when I was first introduced to micellar water, which is said to be a magical, no-rinse, cure-all that could replace your cleanser and moisturiser, I had a healthy dose of scepticism. Fast-forward to a month later, and I’ve ditched my face wash and cream in favour of this stuff! Let me tell you more about this skincare product…

 

At first, I thought micellar water sounded like a beauty recipe for a breakout!

Despite the fact that so many models swear by the French pharmacie and that many make-up artists tote around a bottle in his or her kit, to me, micellar water sounded like a lazy girl’s solution to proper make-up removal. What do you mean you don’t rinse it off? How can that possibly be good for your skin?, I kept asking myself.

Due to the popularity of this skincare product, I decided to do some research before falling prey to what I thought was just another silly beauty trend. I found out that micellar water’s actually been around for over a hundred years. It first gained its momentum in France. Parisians designed it to help with the region’s infamously harsh water supply.

So by now you’re probably wondering what exactly micellar water is. Well…

Micellar water formula is made of micelles – and can do some pretty awesome stuff for your skin

Micelles are tiny oil molecules suspended in soft water. “The technology of it is actually quite old, dating back from research at the University of Bristol in 1913,” says dermatologist and Simple skincare expert Dr Debra Luftman.

“Micelles are attracted to dirt, grime and oil, and they draw out impurities without drying out your skin,” she explains. Rather than containing a foamy, soapy solution that strips your skin and leaves behind harsh chemicals, micelles cling onto the dirt and make-up on your skin and dissolve them, while leaving behind a glowy, hydrated finish, I learned. And so, I decided to try micellar water out for myself!

I swapped out all my nighttime skincare routine products for micellar water and this is what happened to my skin

Okay, so my nighttime skincare routine isn’t extensive. It pretty much just consists of make-up remover wipes, and a basic face wash, exfoliator and toner. But still – swapping out four holy grail skincare products for just one product was a big move. I don’t like going to bed with make-up clogging my pores! But I tried it out anyway…

After using micellar water for the first time, I was impressed – and surprised. Very surprised! The water literally soaked up all the make-up and residue on my skin like a sponge. Seriously, it picked up residue that none of my staple products usually would. Unlike a traditional pre-soaked make-up remover wipe, micellar water is designed to be swept away with a completely clean cotton pad, so it doesn’t just smear your make-up around your face like those wipes do. This is what made me fall in love with the product! Can you say hello pure skin?

Another thing I just loved about micellar water was its gentleness. Compared to a normal toner (even a very gentle one like my all-natural Rooibos tea toner), micellar solution is very, very easy on the skin. So gentle that it’s perfectly okay to use it around the sensitive eye area.

So should you try micellar water? Absolutely! Here’s why

Considering the fact that micellar water requires absolutely no rinsing and is suited for all skin types (especially very dry, sensitive or acne-prone skin), it’s a serious game-changer. I can only imagine how handy this water will come in handy when I travel and don’t have full access to my toiletry bag too!

So far, I’ve only used the micellar water by Garnier. But, I’ve heard that Bioderma, a luxury overseas skincare brand, sells a fabulous micellar water too. I’m now a month into using my Garnier micellar water to wipe off my daily layers of blush, bronzer and tinted moisturiser, and though sometimes the product falls short of removing really stubborn eye make-up (especially waterproof mascara), it’s streamlined things for sure! I’ve certainly pared down the use of multiple skincare products. And the best of all, is that my skin has never looked better!

Why you should consider binning your bottle of face wash and taking a natural approach

More and more people are taking a look at the ingredients lists of their skincare products and questioning their decision to buy mainstream products due to their uncertainty. This includes myself!

 

The reason for this is that most skincare products, especially face washes, contain a number of different preservatives that can leave your skin feeling uncomfortably dry and tight – especially if you have sensitive skin.

 

Read on to learn more about why you should toss your face wash and go to natural route by making your own.

 

Why a natural face wash is better for your skin

Fresh, natural ingredients are just as effective at clearing your skin and keeping it in tip top condition as most store-bought products that are full to the brim with suspicious ingredients.

My favourite reason for making my own face wash is that I can adjust the ingredients I use to suit my skin at the time. For example, I use aloe vera juice as an ingredient during the summer when my skin tends to be shiny because it helps dry my skin out a bit. In the winter, I use coconut milk because it’s super hydrating and does my dry winter skin well.

Plus, using all-natural ingredients to make your own face wash can be more cost-effective than buying pricy branded cleansers.

How to make your own natural face wash

It’s easier than you think! First off, you need to identify your skin type if you haven’t already. Is your skin normal, oily, dry or combination?

Once you’ve figured that out, research a natural face wash recipe to suit your skin type.

Go here for a natural lemon face wash recipe for oily or combination skin.