facial oil Archives - Conversations through the middle

It’s that day again, the day when I climb ever further into my 40s. It amazes me just how quickly time passes – and how blinded we are by it. When I look in the mirror I still see a woman in her 20s and I feel no different than I did when I was 18, except perhaps I’m a little bit wiser and a lot more cynical.

One thing I’ve noticed when it comes to beauty, in your teens and 20s it doesn’t matter what make-up you use or even if you have a skincare regime, you look good regardless. A couple of decades later and it does matter, very much so. This is the time that lack of cleansing, moisturising and sun protection comes back to bite you on the bum and when what you put on your face affects not only how you look but the ongoing appearance, even health of your skin.

I’m lucky in that my mam was very conscious of skincare and cosmetics. Her advice and enthusiasm rubbed off on me and I’ve been using moisturiser since I was at least 15 years old, perhaps younger. Her favourite was Nivea then Oil of Ulay (when it was Oil of Ulay). I still can’t pass a Nivea tin without sniffing it and being transported back decades. Oh the power of fragrance memories.

I now have my own favourite skincare products and they have become more sophisticated over the years, each designed to do a different job in holding back the years. Not all of them are expensive, many are natural (I have a soft spot for organic ingredients and plant extracts) and some are luxuries that remain on my wishlist rather than in my bathroom for the majority of the time. In no particular order they are:

A great day or night cream that feels gorgeous even as you’re applying it.
You only need a little and it sinks into the skin very quickly

I’ve been using this for years and it always does the job.
This is as good as some of the more expensive creams I’ve tried and it’s better than a few others

My current favourite eye treatment and one I told you about here

Melvita organic skincare is another of my favourite
brands and its Youthful Skin Serum is lovely under moisturiser

Lovely and light, this is one of my favourite daytime moisturisers. I blogged about it here

I have told you about this before here. It smells fabulous,
it makes a change to using night cream and as it’s an oil, you only need a few drops

Finally, as a sunscreen for your face, I haven’t yet found anything to beat this.
It’s not too sticky, not too thick, absorbs sort of quickly (quicker than other facial sunscreens I’ve tried), and it smells good. I first posted about it here

So just to finish off, I would like to say have a (virtual) piece of cake on me and a refreshing cup of tea (or wine) and let me know about your favourite beauty products in the comment section below. Enjoy the party!

As I get older my skin seems to get more dry and lined (you don’t say) so I’m extremely interested in facial oils, which seem to be becoming more popular in skin care. I was at a launch a few weeks ago for Trilogy’s new rosehip oil that also contains lycopene from tomatoes, known for its anti-cancer properties. I have been using it on and off for a while and it is very moisturising but strangely enough, without leaving a greasy finish. It has a sort of powdery feel, which is a little weird but means your hands aren’t all sticky after applying it. Any residue left on my fingers I just rub into my hands as a moisturising boost to my hand cream. The Trilogy oil is formulated for day and evening use, but I find it’s not quite rich enough for overnight, my skin needs something more, for daytime thought it’s fine and you don’t need much of course, being an oil, so it should last ages.

Hey, I’ve just noticed, the oil goes into shops today! Timing.

The second oil I’ve tried lately is Radiance Night Oil by Living Nature, a company from New Zealand that uses organic native plants in its products and and does not include parabens or synthetic preservatives. It is also not tested on animals, which is another bonus. The manufacturers claim lab trials in Italy confirm the oil “increases hyaluronic acid synthesis, needed by the body to improve skin firmness and hydration as well as aid cell repair and rejuvenation, resulting in fresher, firmer, more youthful-looking skin”.

Whatever the science behind the product, I have found the oil is rich and nourishing, and really like it. I only use it at night and my skin does look smooth and more plump in the morning, the kind of effect a good night cream gives and a better result than a lot of middle market creams I’ve experienced. It also smells lovely, possibly due to the rose petals, frankincense and calendula it contains. This one also contains rosehips.

The final oil in my trial trio is Huile Quintessentielle by Melvita. It’s no secret that I love Melvita products, I’ve blogged about them before and will do again (soon in fact). Alas this oil is not on my faves list. It’s okay to use but really quite greasy and it tends to separate in the bottle (or maybe that’s just my sample), which makes it difficult to apply and absorb even when shaken beforehand. This is only one of several in the range and I might get on with one of the other versions better, but this is the only one I’ve tried so far. I only use this at night as it’s far to sticky for daytime, but on the plus side it is organic, contains lots of goodies including carrot, myrrh, rosewood and neroli essential oils, hemp and argan oils, has a lovely light fragrance and is great as a once-a-week massage treatment for your face.

40s Chic – and so I am (!!)

A trend for oils in skincare