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I love beauty and skincare, and the excitement of trying out new products that might just be the one. Since I overhauled my skincare routine a few years ago my skin has been much, much better, and I am much more confident about it. I am always trying out new products, but I also have a few that I really love and trust, and have repurchased.
I absolutely love an oil for my face, and use them at least once a day, often twice. Oils are so good for your skin, even if you are oily (our skin produces excess oil when it doesn’t have enough of it, so using a face oil can actually help with oiliness!) and it’s probably my favourite part of my routine. It’s pretty relaxing and soothing rubbing an oil into your skin, especially after a long day or if your skin is feeling a bit tight or dry. I find they often give me a nice glow too, particularly if I don’t use a moisturiser afterwards (which is usually in the evening).
My routine tends to go: acid toner (like this one), facial spray, eye cream or oil, serum, oil, moisturiser. It may sound like a lot, but it only takes me about two minutes. Sometimes that routine varies at night when I might use a balm or overnight mask, or a retinol product such as Sunday Riley’s Luna. But during the day it pretty much stays like that, unless I’m in a huge rush and then I’ll probably skip the serum – I feel like a face oil has more of an immediate visible effect so I’d rather not skip that.
So I thought I’d share a few of my very favourite facial oils with you, most of which are available on the high street and are under £20. They all last me ages too.
I really love the Sanctuary Secret Facial Oil. I use it in the mornings and it gives a lovely glow to my skin, sinks in quickly, and feels lovely. I think it’s a good price at £17.50 from Boots, as it lasts me ages and is a good quality and 99% organic oil, but it is often on offer so I actually only buy it then (it’s £11.67 at the moment!). It is infused with pure essential oils and has been found to be as effective as a day cream 5 times it’s price!
Sanctuary’s Secret Facial Oil contains a blend of rosehip, sunflower, jojoba, wheatgerm, frankincense and rose and gives you skin-plumping hydration in just two drops to leave your skin looking fresh with a healthy, radiant glow.
I use quite a lot of sanctuary products now (see another below!); I find that they are really good value for money and they make really nice products. They actually made my favourite ever eye cream (the peptide repair one), but they very sadly stopped doing it a couple of years ago, and I have been looking for something that matches up to it ever since!
I love Neal’s Yard Remedies as a brand; I really trust their products and love that they are passionate about natural beauty, and letting you know exactly what is in the products you use. They make their products with the most organic, natural and wild ingredients that they can. I also find them to be really well priced and the packaging is just beautiful.
I have had their Argan Oil for forever now (I should probably get a new one!) and I still have loads left. It is amazing value for money. I probably only use it once a week, or more if my skin is really dry. The Argan Oil is SO nourishing and makes my skin feel amazing. I mostly use it at night, unless I’m not going out during the day and my skin is feeling dry and tight, and then I’ll slather a load on. I have also just discovered (from reading up about the product for this post!) that it is really good for your hair and nails too, which makes perfect sense, so I’m definitely going to start using it on them too. I love multi-purpose products!
It is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids, and apparently it helps to protect your skin against daily environmental factors like the weather, so I should start using it in the mornings sometimes too. It absorbs really nicely, despite being an ‘oilier’ oil and I love that is certified ‘Fair for Life’, which is one of the world’s leading independent social and fair trade accreditations – and Neal’s Yard are the UK’s first health and beauty company to achieve this certification. Their Organic Argan Oil is produced by an all-women cooperative in Morocco.
There are so many other products that I really want to try from Neal’s Yard – the Wild Rose Beauty Balm is high on my list (not just for the gorgeous packaging!), and there are so many of their essential oils that I’d like to try – a bath with some Lavender oil in before bed to help me nod off is exactly what I need at the moment.
I find this to just be a really soothing, gentle oil to use, and all of The Ordinary’s products are amazingly priced (this is £9 on Cult Beauty, and the serums are even less) and have a great scientific background (they are part of the Deciem umbrella, who I have gushed about more than once). It gets rave reviews for helping with acne scarring and redness, so I’m going to try using it a few nights in a row to hopefully help with a bit of scarring I have.
It’s a lovely oil, and 100% pure, cold-pressed and organic, that is rich in linoleic (omega 6) and linolenic (omega 3) acids, along with pro-vitamin A. Said to target signs of photo-ageing (premature ageing caused by repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation) and boost the skin’s overall health for a radiant result. It is also known to correct dark spots, hydrate dry, itchy skin and reduce scars and fine lines by encouraging cellular regeneration. That’s a lot for one little (extremely cheap!) oil.
I have used the Body Shop’s Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil for years now and I still love it so much. It is part serum and part oil, which means that it is thinner and runnier than the others and glides on beautifully. I use it at night a couple of times a week, or when my skin is feeling particularly dry, as I find it so moisturising and hydrating. I tend to put some on if I’m not going to bed straight after taking my make-up off, which makes my skin so comfortable for the evening, and then I’ll add a night moisturiser on top of it before I go to sleep, and wake up to soft, smooth, glowing skin.
It contains vitamin E, wheatgerm oil, and Community Trade sesame seed oil from Nicaragua, and gives an 8 hour moisture infusion.
I have really got back into The Body Shop again, after pretty much ignoring it since my Dewberry and White Musk days of yore. They make some brilliant products now – I love their face moisturisers for the summer months, their Pomegranate night cream is a staple for me (although I think they’re stopping doing it *cries*), and their bouncy sleep mask is really lovely and lasts ages. They always have good offers on too.
Another lighter oil, Sanctuary Wonder Oil is the least oily of all of these, probably because it is a serum and oil combined. It’s really light and comfortable, and easy to spread on the skin, and I use it the same way as I would a normal oil, sometimes skipping the separate serum beforehand.
The serum contains an active anti-ageing blend which works to reduce the appearance of fine lines and boost elasticity, whilst the oil provides 24-hour nourishment with a blend of moringa, jojoba and pomegranate oil to give an instant hydrating boost and giving healthier and plumper looking skin. It costs £19.50 but is on offer at Boots for £13 now.
Do you ever use facial oils? If so do you have a particular favourite?
This is a collaborative post.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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I too love The Sanctuary products-great choice and quality every time. Balance Me is another brand I like. My facial skin seems to thrive on oils, it must be extra thirsty! For anti-ageing, oils are the tops for noticing smooth, hydrated skin, normal day cream just does not cut it.