anti-aging skin care

Nivea Sun Light Feeling Daily Face Sun Fluid 50+ Very High {Product Review}

Swathy · August 5, 2013 · 2 Comments

PS: There are no pros and cons in this review!

Actually, I am very good at adjusting with products. I never really end up hating anything but I do feel very disappointed when I use a product and I am not happy with it!! Doing a review while not bashing up the product entirely is a tricky situation. Anyways, you might as well have guessed that this is one of those products!

So, let me start with the claims and packaging. The biggest claim of this product is the instant sun protection as compared to the other chemical sunscreens which need a 20-minutes incubation period on the skin before they start protecting you.

Honestly, I have no idea about the formula and anyways I am not a chemist so I will not talk about that. The problem which I have with this product lies more in the application part.

It says a few drops would suffice. Now, in all of my knowledge of sunscreen, it takes quite a lot of product for adequate protection. So, this claim was a bit difficult to digest. I, however, tried to use the regular quantity. And, my face was like a pan of oil.

I am guessing that the base of this sunscreen is basically oil because if I do not shake the bottle, a transparent solution comes out which feels oily. So, its probably an unstable emulsion. Whatever it is, it really does not get absorbed into the skin and makes the face really oily which is a huge disappointment.

I tried using only a few drops which also did not bode well for my face. That was fine for my hands, though. But, then, I have doubts about how much it really protects. And, re-application is a forgettable job.

As to protection, honestly I have not used the product for more than a week overall because I could not bear the oiliness so I can not really comment on the protection aspect. And, I do feel very guilty about that but I couldn’t just do it. I will keep the product for now and will give it a try again when my skin goes dry in winters.

Price: Rs 449 for 50ml

How do you feel about the products you end up disappointed with? How do you manage to review them?

PS: Product sent by brand for consideration.

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Specialized Ingredients and Skin Care {Skin Care}

Swathy · July 18, 2013 · 6 Comments

PS: Please spare time and write honest testimonials about my blog here and make Perfect Skin Care for you one of the winners in Indiblogger Awards. You will have my undying gratitude 🙂 Now, let’s move on to today’s discussion.

So, I had decided early this year that I would resort to anti-aging skin care but unfortunately I am not really doing anything except trying to use sunscreen without fail! That itself is of such a big help that you do not really need anything else.

But, of course, you must have come across the information suggesting Retinoids, AHA’s and all kinds of things to get rid of wrinkles and other aging signs! Well, I totally agree that they work really well but I am of the league that better not try them unless you really need them or use them sparingly!

Retinoids and sisters/brothers are very strong!

I have heard retinoids being used for the eye area to prevent crow’s feet and fine lines around the eyes, majorly. They might also be useful for frown and laugh lines. But, the issue with them is that they make your skin extremely photo-sensitive and if you do not use adequate amount of sunscreen to protect your skin, you might be doing more damage to your skin!

Moisturizer Havoc

I have an example to quote in this. I had reviewed my mum’s long-time moisturizer, moisturex, long time back. But, soon after I had read the ingredients, it struck me that the product might not have been as good for her as I am supposing. The product has 10% of lactic acid and daily application of it has probably made my mum’s skin sensitive. Many of the reader’s comments also suggested this perception!

My mum has very sensitive skin and now I have realized that she can not even use something else because nothing else suits her! I once tried giving her a pampering treatment using Pond’s flawless white face mask sheets. After keeping it for like 10-15 minutes, she removed it and let the gooey stuff on the mask seep into her skin. But, soon after she started complaining that her skin was burning! I have tried those same sheets and never have I felt it doing anything to my skin, good or bad, lest burn my skin or tingle it!

May be I am presuming too much when I think the product has made my mum’s skin sensitive! Her skin often flushes when she comes back from being in sun but I do not remember if she had the very problem before using the above-mentioned product. So, I can not really conclude that the product made her skin sensitive or photo-sensitive!

Usage of Fresh Fruits on Skin

Ohk, not only the products but also the home remedies which we try out on a daily basis might not be a great idea! Few months back I had done a post on pH levels of citrus fruits to determine how safe lemon is for daily usage. And, turns out, it can make you age faster even if you see great results because it is very acidic!

Same goes for fruits rich in AHA’s like papaya or pineapple. They should NOT be used on skin for more than 5 minutes and should be used at most twice a week! AHA’s are very strong acids which no doubt are really beneficial to skin but they can be dangerous if misused a lot! In fact, in higher concentrations, they can cause skin peeling.

Vitamin C serums

There are a lot of DIY’s I have been seeing over-time using ascorbic acid or like. I have thought of doing them myself as well. But, may be they should also be used occasionally like once or twice a week for a skin prep instead of making it a daily routine.

Salicylic Acid Face Washes

No doubt, they are amazing on acne-prone skin but they do dry out the skin a lot, the effects of which might not be felt immediately. I have never really prescribed to the usage of such products but lately I had used Garnier Pure Active which has the acid as one of its ingredients. No doubt, I loved it but it fails miserably on dry skin and I am not using it in the longer run!

Long back I had talked about the aspirin face mask, DIY’s for which can be found immediately on googling but should not be used in more than a concentration of 1-2% because they can result in drying of skin and hyperpigmentation, not to say photo-sensitivity!

Thus, these are my personal observations and opinions that any product having specialized ingredients should be used with care and caution and exactly as prescribed. Any deviance from the instructions can actually be really harmful for skin.

Please note that this post is entirely my opinion and observations put in words. I would love to know what you think about the issue. So, comment on!

From the Archives : Oil Cleansing Method {DIY}

Swathy · June 25, 2013 · 27 Comments

So continuing in the same series, let me bring this long lost post. This is one of the very much recommended beauty practices for both oily and dry skin beauties. It helps with tan removal to acne healing. And, its amazing as it removes makeup and cleanses the skin and detoxifies it. Since it is a little intense treatment for the skin, it should be done only once or AT MAX twice a week.

Yes, by the name, you can make out it uses oil. So, please do not be afraid or prejudiced. I have always maintained that oil is amazing for skin when you know how to use them and which ones to use. So, here is a tip – Always use cold-pressed and extra-virgin or virgin oils whether it is olive or coconut or almond or sesame. Also, sesame oil is the one which is recommended heavily in ayurveda as apparently it is the only oil which can pass into the blood stream. Anyways, let us start with the post and please let me know of the doubts and clarifications.

A few days ago I had talked about OIL CLEANSING. Well, let me introduce to you something which I stumbled across a few days ago. I tried it and trust me, its amazing. I do not know how well it removes make up but it makes your skin squeaky clean without drying it. Rather, it leaves your skin smooth and supple. And, your skin glows the next day. You would love yourself.

It removes makeup fantastically as any oil would.

Before proceeding, let me give a little background into OCM method. Oil is said to dissolve all the grime and dirt and dead skin cells and blackheads and what not. So, in this method, we especially use castor oil because castor has the most cleansing properties of all oils. Since castor is a drying oil and is extremely thick and concentrated it is not advisable to use it naked on the skin. It should be diluted with some other oil. Many people in the west prefer olive but I would suggest almond or coconut or sesame. No personal grudges with olive but it is something I do not really find amazing. If it works for you, go ahead!

Procedure:

Start by keeping everything close to you. You would need a ~~dry~~ smooth cotton wash cloth (not too harsh for your skin), ~~a bottle containing castor oil and olive oil mixed in a proportion suitable to your skin~~* oils and running hot water.
Apply oil generously to your face and neck ~~skin~~ and massage it well ~~the oil~~ into your skin ~~well using firm hands~~ for around 5-10 minutes. It feels relaxing and is soothing for your face muscles. Exercise your cheek bone, jaw bone, nose, chin, forehead and eyes (use ring finger for eyes). The finger movements should be outwards and upwards towards the ear from the chin, cheeks, nose and upper lip area.
After massaging ~~to your heart’s content~~, soak the wash cloth in hot running water and cover the face ~~apply it on to your face~~. ~~Keep the warmth of wash cloth to the point you can bear~~. Make sure the cloth is not too hot and let the warmth seep into your skin. Keep it on the face until it cools down. Then, wipe your face to remove the oil. You will find a lot of oil gone from the face. Wash the wash cloth in running hot water and repeat this step until all the oil is wiped off from the face and neck. Use the same wash cloth.
Wash and soak the same wash cloth under hot running water for sometime to clean it and saturate it. Again apply it your face, keep till it cools and then, wipe away your face. Repeat this cycle till you feel your skin is clean. 3-4 times should be enough.
After you are done, DO NOT use any facewash. You can apply moisturizer according to the need of your skin. In place of moisturizer, you can apply a drop of the same oil used to cleanse your face. If it does not feel dry and tight, do not apply anything on to your face. Your face needs to breathe. Go and have a nice sleep.

Next morning, you need not cleanse your face. A wipe with a wash cloth or a splash of cold water is enough to clean it. Your skin would be glowing. Oil cleansing not only removes grime, dirt and make up from your face, but also, the blackheads and blemishes. This procedure should not be done too frequently. I think 2-3 times is fine in a week. Care should be taken not to scratch the skin.

Go and check it out for yourself. Have a happy cleansing.

* Remember, castor oil is quite thick and can be drying for the skin if used in large quantities. It has cleansing properties but is too strong on skin if used alone. That is why you need another light oil to dilute it. You can also use jojoba oil. For the mixture of oil, you can use 75-25 castor-olive oil combination for normal skin. You can experiment with different proportions till you find the one suiting your face. The proportion of mixture should be such that for dry skin people, castor oil should be less in proportion like 50-50 or 60-50 and people with oily skin can have 80-20 as the proportion. But, since every skin is different in its needs, you should find out the right one for yourself. It would take trial and error but remember one rule, do not use too much of castor oil. It will dry your skin irrespective of its type.

PS: Italicized and striked paragraphs/sentences are new additions. Rest of the post is as it was published earlier.