My Thoughts Corner

My DIY Natural Facial Serum

by Hind - 9:48:00 AM

Few years back my skincare routine was limited to a cleanser, toner and a moisturiser and to be honest I can’t even remember the number of times I skipped all the three and slept with my makeup on … I know, I know, that’s awful and I have to agree as this concluded only to a dull and uneven skin tone with dark spots and circles.

I was convinced that nothing in the world would bring the radiance back to my skin. And of course I was wrong. After trying many things, there was this last thing that I was avoiding from the point that if nothing worked why this one would? But eventually I gave it a try and I’m SUPER GLAD I did… This last thing is nothing but essential oils.

| My Essential Oils |

My process was very simple; I restricted my skincare routine only to my DIY masks and essential oils. And guess what?? It worked. I can even say that my skin was never as great as it is. Another thing that I noticed; this regiment improved the dryness of my skin; it feels more hydrated and regains its elasticity…. Magic No?????

I couldn’t imagine myself calling a product a “Can’t live without”, but today I can definitely say it loud and clear about these essential oils. Having now a proper skincare routine, which will be explained in details in a future post, I of course have no intention to disregard my magical regiment. Therefore I decided to have it as a daily serum and I totally love it. So let’s get started!

P.S: The essential oils you get might be potent and powerful; therefore be sure to test on a small area to see you skin reaction before application on the face. Another thing that is advisable is diluting the essential oils with carrier oil. ~~You can check here for proper information about diluting essential oils~~. My lovely follower Liv from http://momprepares.com, suggested her Complete A-Z Guide on how to dilute essential oils, for both children and adults. (Thanks Liv :) !!).

Ingredients:

I use organic essential oils I got from Morocco. These organic ingredients should be kept in a dark glass container to extend the shelf life and potency of the serum. I’ve personaly re-used my clinique even better clinical dark spot corrector bottle.

| My Re-used Clinique dark spot corrector bottle |

Argan Oil – Check all the benefits in my previous post here.

Vitamin E Oil or Capsules – Provides moisture as well as antioxidant properties. Prevents and repairs free radical damage great for brown spots and scars. Speeds up cell regeneration.

Calendula Oil – Great natural moisturiser for dry skin. It has antiseptic, anti fungal, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, which make it a great option for treating skin infections. Helps reduce inflammation in skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis.

Lemon Oil - Good remedy for increasing the luster of dull skin. It is astringent and detoxifying in nature, and rejuvenates sagging or tired-looking skin. Its antiseptic properties help in treating pimples, Acne and various skin disorders. Lemon is also recommended for reducing excessive oil on the skin.

Beauty Oil With Rose – Helps to delay the effects of skin aging, assists with cell regeneration, and promotes collagen and elastin levels to increase. This results in firmer, smoother, and more youthful skin with greater elasticity.

Prickly Pear Seeds Oil/ Barbary Fig Seed Oil - Used alone or blended, it’s an extremely pure ingredient with claims to be the “ultimate” in beauty oils- the new argan oil! Rich in potent antioxidants soothe the face, help with signs of aging, and improve overall texture.

Recipe for my DIY day serum:

I use my Argan Oil only as my day serum just after my toner and before my moisturiser. I also apply it to my neck and eyes.

| Argan Oil |

Recipe for my DIY night serum:

The Vitamin E oil i’m currently using is very concentrated, a 40’000 I.U., so I decided to dilute it by 2% using the Barbary Fig Seed Oil as a carrier. In other terms; 2 drops per teaspoon of carrier oil.

Add to that:

1 tsp (5ml) Beauty Oil with Rose.
1 tsp (5ml) Lemon Oil.
2 tsp (10ml) Calendula Oil.

Et Voila!

I switch between these serums and sometimes I even use my day serum for night, it all depends on how I feel my skin that day. You can check the proper Skincare Order Of Application here. This recipe may need tweaking, to accommodate your skin care needs. There are other essential oils that seem to have a good effect on the skin too and I will definitely try them in future but for the time being I’m only using what I have on hand.

From the other hand, while the cost may seem exorbitant, in the long run it’s a much more economical scenario than buying high priced brand name serums and most importantly SAFER and keep in mind that just a little bit goes a long way.

So far, I’ve been using them for more than two year and again I LOVE IT…. Didn’t I say that too much by now??? I know but I’m really proud of my magical blend. My skin drinks it up and it looks much smoother and healthier and my panda eyes are completely gone.

This natural facial serum recipe is super easy to make. Just weigh the ingredients, mix and bottle. I hope you’ll give it a try and you’ll love it too!

1 comments

Review: Max Factor Face Finity All Day Primer

by Hind - 10:54:00 AM

Hello Everyone,

One of the latest makeup products tendencies is the primer. By now, I’m sure we all know the benefits of using it, whether to target redness or other skin problems, reduce appearance of pores or simply help the makeup lasts all day. However many of people skip it; I personally used to until I decided to spot my look with and without… As I’m guessing you already know the answer; the difference is huge and this is where Max Factor Facefinity All Day Primer, which I shall be reviewing in this post, played a key role.

When I first purchased it I used it only once and I hated it. I hated the smell, the texture and everything related to it… Please don’t ask me why, I myself have no clue. Thank god, I didn’t dump it away but instead it was simply laying in my vanity drawer for about 2 months.

It is said, that without the use of primer it’s better throwing the foundation down the sink as it would just not sit right on the skin without a primer. And yes I know best about this. My Makeup used not only to slide off my face, but by the time I was back, my face looked so tired and as if I’ve never put makeup from the first place. How I hated looking at the mirror once I was back home. I never understood why, especially looking at women with their makeup “untouched”. What am I missing??? …

Claims differ from a primer to another; some add luminosity while others blur imperfections and pores and so on and to be honest I never took any of this seriously. The real proof to me is how the product is doing in real life. Max Factor All Day Facefinity promises to “hold your flawless beauty look in place for longer” and this is exactly what it does, after giving it a second try :).

The primer is packed in a 30ml glass bottle with a convenient pump. This is one detail I’m thankful to Max Factor for. This way, controlling the amount of product is super easy rather than squeezing a tube which gets on my nerves Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

The product itself resembles to a super lightweight moisturiser or serum with a bonus of SPF20 and you can barely feel that it contains silicone like many other primers. It is super easy to apply and makes the face feel smooth. Max Factor do not claim that this primer blur pores or fine lines, however my makeup stays “untouched” for hours. Mel Arter, Max Factor makeup artist says it acts like velcro on the skin to ensure the makeup stays in place and the finish is maintained. I have to say it; I’m impressed as nothing holds my makeup in place like it even in this heat.

For those with oil skin, this may just be a holy grail primer for prolonging the wear time of the foundation. Many oily skin bloggers rave about how amazing this product is.

Hence, does this primer honour its promise of being an all day primer? Absolutely. I literally have been loving it. I feel that it lives up to the standards of a high end primer. If you are in the market for a new primer, make this your next purchase.

Hope you find this review helpful.