Cold Weather Skin Care Routine: Kosmea, A’Kin, Burt’s Bees, DIY

In the last couple of weeks the temperature has dropped pretty dramatically where I live, and I’ve started (reluctantly) to turn on my reverse cycle air con for heating each morning and evening.

This time each year my skin tends to become very dry, sensitive, and I can start to look like snake lady if I’m not careful. This post is about what I’m using at the moment to give my autumn skin some TLC- so far my skin is going really well with this regime.

Kosmea Replenishing Moisture Cream

Since trying the Kosmea Replenishing Moisture Cream for the first time as part of the Kosmea Travel Set, It has quickly become a staple in my regime. I use this as both my day and night moisturizer (one of those rare products that is rich enough for overnight treatment of my dry skin, yet absorbs quickly and completely to form a great base for makeup during the day). It leaves my skin beautifully soft, balanced, and nourished.

It’s chock full of luxurious botanicals- green tea extract, carrot oil, nettle extract, horsetail extract, and of course, a high concentration of their certified organic rose hip oil.

Kosmea Replenishing Moisture Cream

Price: $44.95 AUD/ 50mL

Availability: www.kosmea.com.au , www.echolife.com.au (free shipping) , David Jones

Full Ingredients List:

Water (Aqua), Rosa Eglentaria (Rose Hip) Seed Oil*, Cetyl Esters, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Water, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Hypericum Perforatum (St. John’s Wort) Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea),Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Tocopherol, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Beta-Carotene, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Root Extract, Maltodextrin, Silica, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Linalool, Geraniol, Citronellol, Benzyl Benzoate, d-Limonene, Eugenol.

note: this product was sent to me by PR for consideration

DIY Oil Cleansing Method facial cleanser

DIY OCM facial cleanser

I’ve been wanting to try OCM (Oil Cleansing Method) since early last year, and even more so after hearing about Sarah’s fantastic experience with it (she describes it in detail including her recipe in this post on dempeaux.com ).

OCM has quite a cult following across all skin types for it’s ability to dissolve the sebum plugs that form blackheads, and it’s ability to cleanse dry skin while reducing Transepidermal Water Loss .

My favourite thing about using OCM is that it is FREAKIN AMAZING at removing stubborn eye makeup. I just massage the OCM cleanser onto my skin, and then remove it with a fairly warm washcloth. Waterproof mascara no where to be found. True story.

Current OCM mix:

10% Castor Oil

20% Polysorbate 80 (emulsifier)

40% Olive Oil

30% Apricot Kernal Oil

Keep reading after the jump!

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Posted by myfunnyvalentine on Apr 18th, 2012 in DIY Skin Care, Reviews, Skincare | 0 comments.

Tags: A'kin, Burt's Bees, Kosmea, OCM

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things: 20/03/12

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I finally got some time to indulge in some major blog reading the last couple of days, and I’ve forgotten how much I enjoyed reading ’what’s in my bag’ and ‘monthly favourites’ type blog posts.

I decided to photograph and list some products which have been staples in my makeup bag recently.

1. Z Palette with some MAC and Inglot shadows that I use almost daily. 2. Make Up For Ever waterproof eyebrow corrector. 3. Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Illusoire 4. MAC Bronzer in 'Golden'

1. Z Palette with some MAC and Inglot shadows that I use almost daily

(I have swatched and listed them below)

2. Make Up For Ever waterproof eyebrow corrector.

This gem of a product is all I use on my brows now. It’s the only thing that will last all day on me and will even stay on during a sweaty gym session. I reviewed and swatched this in my waterproof makeup post.

3. Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Illusoire.

Such a versatile product- I use it during the day to dress up a neutral work look, and during the night to add sparkle/dimension to a smoky eye. I swatched it here, and featured it in a taupe and purple FOTD here.

4. MAC Bronzer in ‘Golden’

Hello cheekbones! I’ve discovered the joys of contouring and wild horses can’t drag me away from bronzer.

5. Becca Beach Tint in Peach 6. NARS Chihuahua lipgloss 7. Burberry Lip Mist in Blueberry 8. Make Up For Ever HD Blush #8 PDA , 9. Kosmea Replenishing Moisture Cream

keep reading after the jump!

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Posted by myfunnyvalentine on Mar 20th, 2012 in Dizzy, MAC, Miscellaneous, NARS, Skincare | 2comments

Tags: BECCA, Becca Beach Tint, Burberry Lip Mist, Favourites, Kosmea, Make Up For Ever

My HG gel cleanser: Kosmea Clarifying Facial Wash

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Kosmea Clarifying Facial Wash review

Kosmea says…

Removes make-up, dirt and skin impurities without over-drying the skin. For squeaky clean skin that feels super-soft!

This sodium lauryl sulphate-free formula still gently foams on the skin giving you that squeaky-clean feeling, but won’t over-dry or irritate the skin. Great for younger and oilier skin types, this every day facial wash also contains skin-conditioning properties of organic rose hip oil and Australian quandong and lilly pilly extract which leave skin feeling soft, and moisturised.

price: $34.95 AUD

Availability: David Jones department stores (Australia), www.kosmea.com.au (with international shipping) , selected pharmacies and health food stores.

Review:

A few weeks ago, Olivia from Kosmea asked me what my absolute favourite Kosmea products are. Without even needing to think about it, I told her that it was the Kosmea Organic Rose Hip Oil (which I reviewed here) and the Kosmea Clarifying Facial Cleanser.

Can you guess what arrived in the mail for me a week later? :)

Meet my Holy Grail gel facial cleanser.

Kosmea Clarifying Facial Wash

keep reading after the jump!

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Posted by myfunnyvalentine on Sep 17th, 2011 in Skincare | 0 comments.

Tags: Facial Cleanser, Kosmea

Saturday Skin Care: Kosmea Rose Hip Oil

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From Kosmea website:

Nature’s first aid kit for the skin and a fantastic anti-ageing beauty oil! Also perfect for mother and baby!

Rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants, this easily-absorbed oil is a real treat for the skin. It may help smooth wrinkles, even out skin tone, reduce appearance of scars, moisturise and soothe dry skin, nourish and hydrate ageing skin, balance oily skin and reduce the appearance of blemishes. Great for giving that glow to dull, tired skin!

Price: 20mL: AU$24.95, 42mL: AU$44.95

Availability: www.kosmea.com.au, David Jones (Australia), selected pharmacies and health food stores. Check website for international stockists.

Kosmea Skin Clinic Organic Rose Hip Oil is the first pure plant oil I tried, back in 2009, and this product singlehandedly started my passion for organic skin care. I remember the first time I used it- the idea of applying an oil to my face was completely alien to me, but when I saw the results I was hooked. In fact, I remember posting about Kosmea’s Rose Hip Oil when my blog was only 2 weeks old (awwww..) here.

Rose Hip Oil, when extracted properly, is a powerhouse of antioxidants, with high levels of Vitamin A, Lycopene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Beta Carotene. This makes it great for fighting oxidative damage, healing acne scarring, and bumping up collagen production.

I like to use it straight after a shower, when my skin is maximally receptive to treatment. After massaging about 4-5 drops into my skin, the oil absorbs very quickly and I’m left with glowy supple skin. The best bit is waking up the next morning to beautifully plumped skin. I use it about 3-4x a week.

The Rose Hip Oil itself is a deep orange colour, and has a wheat-ish herbaceous smell. I know some do find the smell a little too strong for their liking but I really don’t mind it at all, particularly since it’s a good sign that the oil has been minimally processed (if you buy a Rose Hip Oil that has no smell, it has been deodorised and probably gone through harsh extraction processes which destroy the nutrients in the oil).

Because the antioxidants and nutrients in the Rose Hip Oil does tend to react with sunlight and air over time, I prefer to buy the smaller 20mL bottle and replenish my supply more often to ensure freshness. The 20mL bottle lasts me about 6 months.

Have you used this liquid gold?

note: this product was sent to me by PR.

Posted by myfunnyvalentine on Aug 14th, 2011 in Reviews, Skincare | 0 comments.

Tags: Kosmea, Oils