SKINCARE SUMMER 2021
Your skin is personal. So much so it can be quite an ordeal to search and find the right product for you skin. But that doesn’t mean you should take shortcuts by following what you friends might be doing, or take as gospel whatever influencers are being paid to promote. Instead, take the time to study your skin after using different products, and visit a trained facialist or medical professional to identify exactly what your skin needs. Then invest time in caring and protecting your skin until you find the right regime and product ingredients that best suit you.
Hashtag Life has picked a few skincare brands worth investing in because we’ve done the research, and find these brands dedicated to the science for multiple skin varieties and needs.
CLEANSERS
Cleansing is the beginning of every skincare journey. There is no point in considering what serums, or creams will transform your skin if you don’t first remove impurities and clear out the pores, which either prevent or allow your skin to absorb any subsequent topics.
The beauty of Drunk Elephant is that it is formulated with biocompatible ingredients, meaning that your skin knows what to do with. We love the Beste No.9 Jelly Cleanser that unites multiple mild cleanser ingredients so it is suitable for all skin types, and make-up and dirt dissolving emollients (such as coconut and Marula oils) to gently cleanses away every impurity of the day, to leave skin soft and pH balanced. Perfect for a “wash-and-go” kind of morning followed by of any one of the amazing Drunk Elephant Moisturisers – so keep reading on!
If you suffer from acne or breakouts, then COSRX is your new Korean Beauty solution. In fact COSRX offers different cleansers for every skin type.
COSRX’s Advanced Snail Mucin Power Gell Cleanser was designed especially for those who are looking for an ultra-gentle cleanser that can be used on irritated skin in need of the skin rejuvenating effects of snail mucin. COSRX develop products containing only necessary ingredients that are gentle on the skin and encourage the skincare health. COSRX Low-pH Good Morning Cleanser is a gentle cleanser with mildly acidic ph softly removes wastes and leaves skin hydrated all day long. It will protect your skin barrier and will not strip your skin from its natural oils. There is also the Low pH Goodnight Soft Peeling Gel which offers a gentle PHA based cleanser to remove dead skin and impurities with hydration from 3 forms of Hyalaronic Acids.
The Healthy Zone is a revolutionary range of 100% natural cosmetics and skin care products which exploit the incredible benefits of sprouted brown rice transformed into an innovative form called BioSuRice®, a protected unique patent from Italy. It stimulates cutaneous structure regeneration and skin cells reparation through an immediate anti-inflammatory action, whilst eliminating impurities without altering the skin’s natural balance. The Cleanser gel form is activated on the skin, and easily massaged, working with other key ingredients such as anti-inflammatory Aloe Vera, soothing Chamomile, and anti-bacterial Rosemary.
EXFOLIANTS
Exfoliants, scrubs, toners are different forms of post-cleansing products that work beyond the surface of the skin, to get deeper into the skin’s pores, where impurities and excess oils cause blockage. In our research we wanted to make sure we tested for the products ability to clear out blackheads, white heads, remove dead skin, and promote cell renewal and retexturize your skin.
Nicola Russell’s own skincare line, The Skin Geek, is truly our new obsession. This 2% Salicylic Acid cleanses, clarifies and refreshes skin with the purifying, exfoliating and soothing benefits of Licorice Root, and Green Tea Extracts. Combine this cleanser in a double cleanse routine with the Glycolic Acid Cream Cleanser for the ultimate baby-soft skin. Effectively removes excess oil and exfoliates away dead skin.
SERUMS
Taking the time every morning and evening to add a short facial massage into your skincare regime allows your blood flow to bring more oxygen into the skin, promote de-puffiness through lymphatic drainage, and replenish moisture back into the skin barrier. To get the best out of your mini facial we believe in “practice makes perfect”. We also love small gadgets, such as the BeautyBio Glow PRO Microneedling sets we’ve spoken about before, as well as our latest find, the Cryo Roller by Nicole Russell. Our favourite Serum finds are:
This serum by The Healthy Zone is suitable for all skin types, with a light and velvety texture, boosting the patented BioSuRice® making it ideal for preventing and counteracting the appearance of wrinkles and skin relaxation. The serum is a rich and precious formulation with Rosemary, Lavender and Chamomile, perfect for rebalancing skin reactivity caused by pollution and atmospheric changes. A little goes a long way, lightly tapping into the skin and then massaging in. it is also deeply moisturising thanks to Aloe Vera, which helps normalise the sebaceous glands, so particularly great for oily/combination skin.
UBUNA Beauty is a Japanese skincare label that focuses on delivering targeted beauty treatments for specific skin needs. We have a detailed review coming soon for the entire range, but we couldn’t resist a mention when taking about serums!
The label has identified 4 key skin elements and created powerful serums that offer the ultimate in customizable skin aging protection. Choose from Brighten for dull or lacklustre skin, Drench for dry skin, or Re-Gen and Resist for tired or aging skin.
FACIAL TOOLS
The Cryo Roller is by Nicola Russell’s The Skin Geek. This is the answer for an ice cold blast to the skin whenever you need to depuff and sub-zero pick me up.
Get started by popping the Cryo Roller into the zippy bag provided and store in the freezer. On clean skin, apply your favourite serum and taking the Cryo Roller, roll up and down, left to right across your cheeks, around your eyes, jawline – working towards the ears, neck and chest area until you and your skin feel perky and revived! Give yourself 5-10 minutes. Easy to clean with warm water and soap, allow to dry, and then simply pop back into the freezer.
We are big fans of BeautyBio because it gives us professional beauty tools and skincare products to use at home. If you ask us “What’s the perfect gift for a beauty-lover?” we will always reply with: BeautyBio!
It’s best to use in the evenings, when you know you’ll be staying in and won’t mind the slight redness post-treatment. Build up your tolerance until you can manage 3 times per week. The microneedling heads should be replaced after 2-3 months of use. We love to use BeautyBio micro needling for the face and body, and add The Radiance face or body oil, because it is packed with anti-aging and brightening Rosehip Seed, the Omegas, and Vitamin E.
MOISTURISERS
By this stage, you will have cleansed, exfoliated, and applied targeted nutrients to access the sub-dermal layers of your skin. Moisturisers focus on the top layer of the skin, what we see and feel. It is important to always replenish your skin’s moisture barrier to avoid dryness or over-sebum secretion, depending on your skin’s natural reactions. Balance and hydration are the main focus.
Fuaraìn Super Active Moisture Cream is your answer to maximum hydration. We love this moisturiser for it lightly whipped texture, and that it is full of active minerals from Scotland’s Deeside Mineral Water hillside. This cream is the ultimate manifestation of pristine clear waters, capable of healing, that you hear of from lands far away – and yet here it is! The cream is complimented with carefully chosen potent natural botanicals, such as heather and horsetail botanical extracts,for advanced and efficacious skincare results at every application.
Lines appear softened and skin feels replenished and ultra supple over the course of the day. Infact, Fuaraìn is clinically proven to significantly improve skin hydration by 47.8% when tested only 4 hours after application. This cream has the added bonus of being fragrance free and suitable for all skin types.
COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream is a nourishing moisturizer is particularly beneficial for any dry/dehydrated skin. However, if you suffer from fine lines or dullness of skin, then this is the cream for you! We love the potency of all the COSRX ranges, in particular the Snail Mucin products, and this Hyaluronic Acid based cream also makes it to our shortlist. Hyaluronic Acid, aka HA and Sodium Hyaluronate, has become a star product for moisture retention. HA holds moisture in your skin like a sponge can hold water, but also is capable of drawing even more moisture into your skin. Other moisturises can include HA but are bulked up with ingredients such as Jojoba, Argan oil, Glycerin, which give off the impression of moisturised and supple skin, but only temporarily. COSRX are adamant to include the key ingredients and that is it, and as such they create a very effective formula. Works great with the COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Power Essence. You’re welcome!
DEFENCE
Digital Defence is the new skincare range from Higher Nature, and this moisturiser epitomises modern science and scientific discovery. Did you know that blue light travels at a different wavelength to UV rays. It penetrates the skin at a deeper level and easily passes through most sunscreens. Blue light waves need a separate, scientifically developed formulation to block them and keep them from ageing our skin. Whilst Digital Defence does not contain SPF, it is an essential pre-final step to your beauty regime, because blue light is everywhere and cannot be avoided.
The Digital Defence range is a natural, organic skincare regime that protects against the skin’s daily assault from high energy visible blue light, emitted from digital screens such as smartphones and laptops. It helps restore skin, and reduce the visible signs of digital ageing.
So even if you work-from-home, be sure to include this anti-blue light moisturising and protection cream in your daily regime.
Always include a SPF product day and afternoon, winter or summer. We love this quickly absorbed and lightly whipped SPF cream called Synergy 6 NX-Gen SPF 50, which is available from WOW Facial and uses liposomal technology to prevent the absorption of the chemical filters by the skin, and a 3D physical filter to guard the skin against environmental pollutants such as heavy metals, smoke and air particles.
It also features protection against blue light, and a blend of antioxidant, growth factors and increase hydration. It actually smells divinely citrus, as if a Vit-C moisturiser. Based on research conducted by WOW Facial, Synergy 6 NX-Gen SPF 50 minimises the damage caused by infrared heat, increases skin firmness by 11.9%, elasticity by 4.8%, and reduces the appearance of wrinkles by 20%.
If you are interested in a bespoke treatment with WOW Facial, then we have a lot to rave about following a hyper tailored, multiple step, facial experience at Vie Aesthetics Clinic at 2 Harley Street, London W1. Feature piece coming soon!!
