The idea of
slathering my oily, blemish prone skin with yet more oil used to terrify me to
the core and for many, many years I scoffed at the mere idea, shaking my head
at these crazy oil-wielding fools as I continued to douse my face with a series
of harsher and harsher products aimed at oily skin in a manic attempt to
strip away every last ounce of oil from my poor face (bad, bad idea. - don't do
it - dehydrated skin produces more oil.) Since trialing a few different oils
and updating my skincare-know-how I've finally realised that using oils
can actually help balance your skin's
natural oil production, as well as keeping it radiant, comforted and hydrated
and will not cause blemishes! I am now
a full blown beauty oil convert and have these delights currently on
rotation...
Hurling myself onto my bed after another long day at work my
first thought is 'GET THIS MAKEUP OFF MY FACE RIGHT THIS INSTANT' so I tend to
swoosh a Bioderma-laden cotton pad over my face and then, as it's far too early
to do the 'proper bedtime cleanse' (and all I want to do is lie on my bed,
watch E4 and scroll mindlessly through Twitter and Instagram on my iPhone for
the next three hours at least), I treat my tired face to a little treat in the
form of a good dose of either the Willow Organic Liquid Gold Facial Oil
(£42*) (which contains organic rose oil, manuka honey, argan oil, vitamins
and antioxidants) or the balance Me radiance face oil (£15)
(packed with conditioning and softening Amazonian buruti, moringa and camellia
oils plus soothing Roman chamomile, yarrow and
benzoin) massaged into my skin and left to absorb and do it's job
for the next few hours. Whizz through a few episodes of How I met Your Mother,
Big Bang Theory and New Girl and it's time for the 'proper bedtime cleanse'.
First up for the nighttime oils is the Nude Progenius Treatment (£58). A
yellowish oil that smells a bit like garden (in a nice way though, honest) it's rich in omega 3, 6, 7 & 9 and
claims to 'provides a precisely balanced diet for the skin.' I'll reach for
this if I don't want to 'rock the boat' - meaning my
skin is actually behaving for once and I want to keep it that way - this has
never, ever broken me out and is fantastic at ridding any odd little dry
patches. If my skin is feeling slightly on the dry side (as it has been this
week due to a rotten cold!) or I want a serious moisture and radiance boost
I'll opt for the luxurious and sumptuous Aurelia
skincare products, Firstly the Aurelia Cell Repair Night Oil (£45- I only have a sample size of
this - it's the unmarked brown bottle) (containing Kalahari oil, Mongongo oil, Kigelia, Omega 3, 6 & 9 and the antioxidant properties of Hibiscus) followed by the technically-not-actually-an-oil-but-a-serum (in my books a wonderful serum/oil/mosturising hybrid as I'd never use a serum without a moisturiser afterwards, but you can do with this) Aurelia Revitalise & Glow Serum (£47*) (which
deposits probiotics, peptides and antioxidants, Omega 3, 6 & 9, Kigelia Africana and Hibiscus combined with
a powerful dose of vitamin E.)
The wonderful thing about facial oils is that they are so versatile so you can completely switch up your routine and use them in a multitude of skin-friendly ways. I've used the Willow Organic Oil as part of my pre-pampering session before a recent Hen Party and also used it as radiance boosting, hydrating overnight treatment, the Nude Progenius was featured in my 'feeling balmy facial post' along with Clarins Lotus Oil (which has run out, boo!) and I have since used the Aurelia products in it's place - versatility! I'm so so glad I took the plunge and included facial oils into my skincare routine and my skin is definitely thanking me for it.