Beauty Spot: Let’s Get Sensitive (or “Feelings about my Face”)

As Cailtin has already alluded to, I have very sensitive skin that reacts poorly to many (if not most) of the world’s favourite skin care products. When I was younger, my skin was so sensitive to chemicals that I couldn’t even wear makeup; a traumatic thought at the age of 13. Thankfully, and due in part to the power of a fantastic moisturiser, these days my skin seems to be more agreeable to most kinds of makeup, though I do have to be careful when selecting makeup brands.

Although I’ve never had to contend with super terrible acne, my skin is naturally very dry, flakey, and prone to breaking out in eczema if I’m not careful to keep it away from harsh chemicals or soaps. What can I say? I have a lot of feelings and so, it seems, does my skin.

I have always been jealous of people who are able to use delicious smelling products on their faces. I know that Caitlin waxes lyrical about her Lush skincare routine and, as much as I love going into that store,  I’ve tried a variety of their products on my skin, all of which have had less than desirable outcomes (except their lip scrub; man I love that lip scrub). This is a pity because I love a good face mask (provided, of course, that it doesn’t make me come out in an awful rash) and their products really do smell lovely.

Anyway, I digress. If, like me, you tend to find yourself confused as to what products you can safely use on your face that are a) affordable and b) won’t irritate or redden your skin, here are a few of my top picks. Best of all, most of them are available from your local pharmacy!

Dermalab Gentle Cleansing Face Wash

What does it do? For a long time, I struggled with finding a cleanser that I could use daily. On my quest, some brands and products fared better than others but inevitably, whether it was after a day or a week, my skin would end up becoming super dry, scaly and/or patchy; the tip of my nose would start peeling (Bizarre? Yes.); and I would have to start my search for the perfect cleanser all over again.

My search came to an end earlier this year, however, when I stumbled across this product in my local Farmers. Made with natural ingredients such as New Zealand Manuka Honey (which, among other things, is meant to be anti-bacterial); oatmeal (edible AND good for your skin); and extracts of Harakeke, which is also known as New Zealand flax, this product says that it is safe to use on skin types that are prone to bad acne, eczema and rosacea and is suitable for everyday use. It’s also not tested on animals, which is especially rad. 

This product is pretty much free of anything that could potentially upset the delicate ecosystem that is your face. It’s colour free; fragrance free; paraben AND lanolin free. I’ve been using this every day since I first purchased it and, if anything, my skin has gotten softer and smoother and I haven’t had any breakouts at all. Sure, I still have a few dry, red patches here and there, but my face is significantly better than it once was and I attribute its improvement solely to this product.

Any gripes? Granted, it’s not the most attractive looking product; squeeze some of it into your hand and it looks a bit like you’ve coughed up some phlegm with bits of oatmeal in it. Now that’s some delightful imagery right there, isn’t it? It also doesn’t smell particularly interesting, but that’s to be expected for an all natural product designed for people with problem skin. I know perfumed things aren’t great for me, but I still like my beauty products to smell like something, you know?

 

No, I didn’t just sneeze into my hand and take a picture. That’s actually what it looks like.

Beyond those inconsequential complaints though, this product has been nothing short of a miracle for my hyper-sensitive face.

Primera Cresswhite Brightening Cleansing Foam 

What does it do? Shortly before my discovery of Dermalab, my father returned from a business trip to Korea with a hamper full of goodies that was given to him by a client (thank you!). Amongst these gifts was a series of products by a Korean cosmetics company named Primera. Now, I’d never heard of this brand before but I do love giving new products a go (despite what they may do to my face) so tentatively, I decided to try the travel sized Cresswhite cleanser out.

What a great life choice that was! This product is made with natural ingredients such as watercress (hence the name), lotus flowers, and green tea (an ingredient which is known to soothe redness in your skin). The bottle helpfully told me that it would “remove fine impurities and skin debris [!] from inside pores” and, after gently using this product, it stayed true to its word by making my skin look shinier and as though I’d just been to a spa for a lovely facial treatment. The other thing I instantly noticed is that this product definitely makes your skin look brighter and as though it has removed every trace of dirt from your skin. 

It also smells divine, like green tea and lemons, and it has tiny little blue beads that burst when you really scrub it in. A product that smells lovely, is fun to play with AND doesn’t make my skin sad? Heaven.

My little bottle of happiness

Any gripes? Given that it is a Korean beauty product, there aren’t a lot of reviews readily available for this product so it’s difficult to know what it contains, other than those ingredients listed in English. I have to confess, I was initially a little worried that this product contained skin whitening products (as many skincare brands in Asia tend to do),as I don’t like the idea of putting anything potentially bleaching on my face. However, what little information I can find on the Internet has reassured me that it contains mostly natural ingredients, so I think we can safely say the brightening effect is a result of all those layers of grime being wiped away. Now that’s a relief!

I don’t use this product on a daily basis because I feel as though doing some would be excessive. Having almost run out of it though, I was delighted to discover that W2Beauty will ship this to New Zealand for around $25 USD. This site also appears to have no shipping fees! Awesome!

Simple Spotless Skin Quick Fix Cleansing Wipes

What does it do? Everyone needs a go-to product for when they’re feeling lazy and this is my staple! Simple wipes are, as the name suggests, a simple way of removing your makeup when you’re on either the go or just too tired/lazy/hungover to care. This particular brand of disposable makeup wipe is designed with sensitive skin in mind which, considering some other brands of makeup wipes have left me COVERED in eczema the following day, is a pleasant surprise. They are perfume and colour free and, despite not containing as many ingredients as other wipes on the market, they will remove every trace of makeup from your face; even most waterproof mascaras are no match for these gems! Also they’re super cheap; at around $8 from the supermarket, they’re not going to break the bank

Any gripes? Although they’re great to use from time to time, they will dry your skin out if you use them on the daily. Use them sparingly, though, and they’re a great alternative to any evening facial cleansing routine. 

 So those are my favourite face products that are guaranteed to leave my skin feeling happy and healthy. Do you struggle with sensitive skin? What are your favourite products? I’m always up for trying new things, so let me know what works for you!

Analiese x