Best Beauty Products of 2017: Skincare Favourites

Best Beauty Products of 2017: Skincare Favourites

Vitamin C Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, December 19, 2017

I spent the major part of the last weekend ruminating over my wardrobe - as everyone, from my Mum and Gran to my friends, keeps telling me, it is boh-ring, old-maidish, and predominantly black. So I went out hunting for new outfits and came home with two - both black.
Mum came to see for herself, and lost it. She has now taken matters into her own hands. Apparently, for her Christmas present for me, she's taking me shopping in the last week of the year (I forsee getting half my hair pulled out in the mad crowds), and will CHOOSE my outfits. I also forsee some rather colourful rows.
She is right, though. From the time I started dressing myself, I've been choosing outfits that actually make me seem older, not younger. My favourite kind is the classic-length shift dress, and I own a few dozen of these in BLACK alone. I can see why she wants to take drastic action, although there is no way I can explain why I gravitate towards the same kind of clothes so much.
Before the chaos due to erupt during the wardrobe-revamping process, let's get this year's Best of Beauty series out of the way. I've started with skincare; stay tuned for makeup posts!

Scroll down for the first in my Best Beauty Products of 2017 series - this one is all about my skincare favourites!

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Beauty Expert 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar 2017 Unboxing, Review

Beauty Expert 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar 2017 Unboxing, Review

Unboxing Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, November 14, 2017

I cannot get enough of Beauty Advent Calendars this year. For one, there are so many new offerings. For another, existing players have upped their game with bigger and better boxes than before.
Today, I have Beauty Expert's Advent Calendar for 2017 to show you. It is titled the "12 Days of Christmas Collection". Everything in here is FULL-sized! And, the brands chosen are brilliant.

Scroll down for the unboxing and review of the Beauty Expert 12 Days of Christmas Collection Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017.

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Beauty Empties For August 2017

Beauty Empties For August 2017

Vitamin C Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, August 29, 2017

I only managed to use up a handful of products in August 2017. It has been a distracting month all around. I hope September is more stable.
Among my empties for August 2017 is one of the best facial oils ever, and the best rosehip oil I've tried (out of three different brands). Not much by way of makeup in here, save for the one mini-sized item. You'll see it all below.

Scroll down for the beauty products I used up in August 2017, and my mini-reviews in each.

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Beauty Products Emptied in January 2017 + Link Up

Beauty Products Emptied in January 2017 + Link Up

Yardley Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Several products among the January 2017 beauty empties have me torn up on whether to repurchase or not. On the one hand, they are brilliant, and they work. On the other hand, I do have quite a few equally brilliant replacements in my cupboard at the moment. Read on to find out which products.

Here are the beauty products I used up in January 2017, and my quick impressions of each.

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Makeup And Skincare Favourites: November 2016

Makeup And Skincare Favourites: November 2016

Winter Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, December 02, 2016

Twenty-four days to go. Have you decorated your Christmas tree and done your shopping yet? I'm in the middle of gift-wrapping and card-writing. It looks like I'm going to be travelling soon, so I have a week or so to get everything sorted. I'm also accompanying Gramps on hospital visits - he has been diagnosed with osteo-arthritis and severe anaemia. The latter is supposed to be the side-effect of ongoing treatment for cancer.
Meanwhile, I'll tell you about the beauty products I've been loving recently.

Scroll down to see my makeup and skincare favourites for November 2016.

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Holiday 2016 Gift Idea: Beauty Expert Rose Edition Collection

Holiday 2016 Gift Idea: Beauty Expert Rose Edition Collection

Skin care Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, October 07, 2016

If, like me, rosehip oil, rose extract and rose water are staple ingredients in your skincare routine, then there is great news that will save you a nice bit of money.
Online retailer Beauty Expert has a special Rose Edition collection put together for just £50, inclusive of worldwide shipping costs - everything is full-sized, and the individual cost of the products actually comes to a whopping £134. That's a saving of £84. Not bad, eh? 

Scroll down for more details about the Beauty Expert Rose Edition Collection.

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Beauty Products Emptied in July 2016 + Link-up

Beauty Products Emptied in July 2016 + Link-up

Soap and Glory Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, July 25, 2016

When you have a 10-step skincare routine - see here for the steps - and moisturise all over, two times a day, chances are that your empties will mostly be skincare. July's empties are no exception.

Scroll down for the beauty products I used up in July 2016, and my quick impressions of each.

Sunday Riley Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil

Sunday Riley Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil

Sunday Riley Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, July 22, 2016

Despite Sunday Riley facial oils being cult products, I tried Luna oil, which contains retinoids, and did not love it. So I had decided the brand wouldn't work for me. And then, Sandra of Cult Beauty suggested that I try Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil. "It is better suited for combination skin," she said. Here's how it fared.

Scroll down for the review of Sunday Riley Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil.

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Cult Beauty's Summer Goody Bag 2016

Cult Beauty's Summer Goody Bag 2016

Skin care Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Each year, online beauty retailer Cult Beauty - they ship worldwide - does Spring, Summer, Autumn and Best-of-the-year Beauty Bags. After having missed the Spring 2016 version by a whisker - kicks self; it even had Zelens - I was able to get hold of the Summer bag before it sold out. These bags are always worth it; the brands included are great, and the products are full-, half-, or at least deluxe-sized. No foil sachets to be palmed off.

Scroll down for a detailed look at the Cult Beauty Bag for Summer 2016.

Six Caudalie Must-Haves For Your Daily Routine

Six Caudalie Must-Haves For Your Daily Routine

Treatment Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, June 09, 2016

French beauty brand Caudalie was founded by Mathilde Thomas in 1995 - in a vineyard, no less.
Gentle, clean and free from parabens, phenoxyethanol, sulphates, phthalates, mineral oil, artificial colouring and animal-derived raw materials, Caudalie's main ingredient is grape extract - from Bordeaux, Champage and Burgundy in France. Wine country. Think lots of resveratrol.
Caudalie donates a percentage of annual sales to non-profit organisations that work for the environment. The company also works with the WWF to save the rainforests.
Despite being a clean brand with plenty of antioxidant goodies for your skin, Caudalie has quite a few budget options. The difficulty in doing this post was picking out which products to choose.

Here are the six Caudalie must-have products you need in your routine, from cleansing till moisturising.

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Beauty Routine Round-Up And Favourites: May 2016

Beauty Routine Round-Up And Favourites: May 2016

Treatment Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, June 01, 2016

After spending the first quarter of 2016 recovering from a bad staph infection, I now have a full-fledged skincare routine in place, complete with gentle cleansing, acid, hydrating mist, serum, facial oil and moisturiser at night. While the core remains the same, I rotate a couple of products every few days. Over the last month, I have been documenting my nightly routine every few days on my Instagram, and here is what I have been using.

Scroll down for a round-up of my beauty routine in May 2016.

Beauty Products Emptied In April 2016

Beauty Products Emptied In April 2016

Zymogen Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, May 02, 2016

M y new skincare routine includes drinking three litres of water a day - more if I am working out. I work out at least three times a week, even though my derm isn't a huge fan of sweat on my face right now. Also, six hours' sleep. I know, I know; we will get to eight eventually. Baby steps.
Product-wise, I go through non-foaming cleansing, acid toning/pads, hydrating mists, treatment, facial oil and a final coat of moisturiser - in that order - two times a day. Until January 2016, my routine involved a harsh cleanser, some kind of serum OR moisturiser - if I could be bothered - and oodles of benzoyl peroxide. Two - three at the most - glasses of water a day. What sleep? *Hangs head in shame*.

Scroll down to see the beauty products I emptied in April 2016 and for my quick thoughts on each.

Ten Facial Oils for Acne-Prone Skin

Ten Facial Oils for Acne-Prone Skin

Sunday Riley Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, April 20, 2016

A few months ago, during a consultation for a bad skin infection, my dermatologist advised me to use facial oils as my oily skin was actually dehydrated, and a well-formulated oil would actually help balance the skin. I spoke to Sandra of Cult Beauty and, with her guidance, selected some facial oils which my skin is now loving. I use them two times a day and they have not broken me out. Individual reviews will follow, but take a dekko at the list in the meantime.

Scroll down for a look at the best 10 facial oils for acne-prone skin.