At the moment in my skincare cabinet, I feel like it's an oil rig. I've never really been that into applying oil(s) on my face and body. They used to freak me out a little simply because of its oiliness. Now I feel like I'm stepping into a different skincare circle - it's all about OIL.
One of the beauty excuses I made for myself soon after finding out I'm pregnant is to shop for creams/ oils to apply on my belly to avoid stretch marks in developing later on during pregnancy. The first thing I tried on was Bio-Oil which is relatively well-known for its ability to prevent stretch marks from developing, fading scars and hydrating dry skin. I started applying them day and evening every day as soon as I entered my 2nd trimester (week 13). I applied them for about 6 weeks, it helped my skin feeling very hydrated. As (thank god) I don't have any stretch marks yet so I can't say if this has been useful.
Then I came across the Pai's Pomegranate & Pumpkin Seed Stretch Mark System (£45.00). It's a 2-step system which consists of a day and evening treatment. In the morning, I'd apply the Pomegranate & Pumpkin Seed Stretch Mark Cream which is a buttery textured pale yellow colour cream. It's very quickly absorbed by the skin, I would target the application around my bump, thighs, hips and around my breasts areas. I'm not particularly fond of the scent, it's hard to describe, it's not fruity or floral, it's kind of organic. In the evening, I would then apply the Stretch Mark Oil, which is the 2nd step of this system. It is again very easily absorbed by the skin and I would apply it in the same areas as I would in the morning with the cream. I've heard that some pregnant ladies would be allergic to some stretch mark products, so far neither has Bio-oil or this Pai's stretch mark cream and oil system have asked any problems to my skin, N.B. I have quite sensitive skin for both my face and body. I'm yet to see any results, I have been applying this for 2 weeks now and I'm 21 week pregnant. If anything, stretch marks could start to develop in the next few weeks so I shall see if this system has been able to reduce the chance of developing it or have completely prevented it from happening!
The two facial oils I have absolutely been loving are Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Pai's Rosehip BioRegenerate oil. I first came across the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate based on my sister's (@forksandbrushes) strong and confident recommendations. When she was in Hong Kong last Christmas visiting me, I finally bought it and have been using it religiously for 5 months. I use this in the evening after I cleansed and toned my face, and only use this but nothing else, i.e. no moisturiser. I found that this oil is enough to keep my face hydrated. I noticed a stark difference when I first used this, the next morning when I wake up my skin would look significantly refreshed; however as my skin has got used to this I found that the result is less 'magical'. Nevertheless, I still find that this is a fantastic product. What I noticed is that, since moving back to London 3 weeks ago, the weather is a lot different here than it is in Hong Kong, my skin is a lot drier so after applying this oil, I also need to apply moisturisers on top to help locking up the hydration of the skin.
Pai's Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil is the latest addition to my skincare cupboard. I've heard of this product for such a long time and almost everyone has positive things they want to talk about it. I bought this whilst I purchased the Stretch Mark Cream and Oil system (above). I have to say it's a fantastic product, it really is. My pregnancy hormone is really playing my skin up big time, I've never had so many blemishes creeping up so regularly. Interesting observation, since coming back to London, my skin has definitely has a drastic improvement - less blemishes and has brightened up! However, there are still quite a bit of scars left on my face from all the blemishes. I've been using this Rosehip oil for 2 weeks, and there is definitely an obvious change: the scars have faded away, blemishes have healed much quicker and my skin is a lot calmer. You are supposed to use this 2-3 times a week, I think in the first week I used this about 5 times a week, and slowly reduced to 2-3 times a week using only this in the evening; then mixing it with the Midnight Recovery Concentrate other days in the week. I'm hoping that by continuing using this oil, it will help to keep blemishes at bay, and improve the quality of my skin. A fabulous product to recommend!
The final oil I wanted to talk about is Tea Tree Oil by The Body Shop. I've never tried tea tree oil to treat my spots as I was afraid of it being too strong for my skin. When I was desperate for the situation on my skin, I thought to myself there's nothing to lose now, so when my sister offered me to try her Tea Tree oil, I welcomed it straight away. I would use a Q-tip which is soaked in Tea Tree Oil and lightly dab on the blemishes, it stings ever so slightly, and I have to say I quite like the scent of tea tree. Within 2-3 days, the size and the redness of the blemishes are significantly reduced. At that point, I wouldn't apply this anymore, I would let it heal naturally, under the help from the Pai's Rosehip oil. I found that this remedy is great!
Are you a fan of oils? What's your favourite face/ body oil that you use?
