Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel

Ahhh Oskia... Pure nutritional skincare brand and I have tried both of their cleansers yet neither of them have disappointed me! I had used up the Perfect Cleanser by Oskia which is my all time favourite balm cleanser. I'll link it here for you if you haven't read already. It is honestly a good one, trust me! But today is not about the Perfect Cleanser, I think I just find something as good if not better. Meet: Renaissance Cleansing Gel by Oskia. 

New Makeup New Look 

I have been wanting to try this in such a long time especially after my favourite beauty gurus Anna from viviannadoesmakeup and Amelia Liana talked about how much they loved it. I trust their recommendations 100% especially when it comes to skincare cuz these 2 ladies know what they are talking about! I got mine from beautybay.com but you can also purchase from cultbeauty.co.uk or uk.spacenk.com.

I'm gonna jump straight to my verdict here: I love this! I love how it smells, how it works, how it feels and how it looks, everything about it. I'm falling head over heels with this stuff. It just made it to my top 2 favourite cleansers of all time, I even stopped using my Emma Hardie cleanser which is my HG. Yeah that's right I love it that much! But Emma Hardie is the first balm cleanser I've ever purchased and loved so it always has a specially place in my heart. 

The Renaissance cleansing gel by Oskia contains so many wonderful natural skincare ingredients which are good for our skin such as:

• Lactobacillus/Cucurbita Pepo Ferment Extract (Pumpkin Enzymes) which removes dull skin cells without irritation. 
• Vitamin A Palmitate which is good for sun damage and perfect for dry and mature skin
• Vitamin C & E that are good for skin pigmentation and protects the skin against free radical and environmental damage. 
• Starflower Oil: a powerful source of gamma-linolenic-acid
• Omega 6, Vitamins B2 & C and Magnesium which help improve elasticity and firmness while nourishing the skin.
• MSM: the most bio-available form of sulphur, helps soothe the skin.

This cleanser is also free from artificial fragrances, colourants, silicones, parabens, sulphates, and proplylene glycol etc which is another reason why I love Oskia skincare products. Just feel so safe to use! 

FYI don't be fooled by the name because it is not a gel formulated cleanser, it is an oil based cleanser although it does look like a gel. It feels soft, so easy to spread unlike the Perfect Cleanser which is quite thick. It smells divine but I can't quite put my fingers on what it really smells like, however I do know that it doesn't smell strong at all, very mild and pleasant. 

(If you add water, it'll turn into a milky lotion like all balm/oil cleansers do)

I use it twice a day. It kinda feels like I am in a luxury SPA getting a facial or something while I'm putting this on, feels so good. It comes out sort of pinky coral coloured and I just smooth this all over my face, really massage it into my skin and take it off with a muslin cloth or with my Foreo Luna Cleansing Device. The most I like about this cleanser is how my skin looks and feels after I take it off. It just glows, glows and glows, feels super soft and fresh. Honestly I have never seen my face glow that much with any other cleansers. 

Another interesting part of this cleanser is the enzymes. It cleans and exfoliates the skin at the same time but very mildly and gently, perfect for someone who has sensitive skin that cannot tolerant fruit acids. 

I would recommend this cleanser to anyone. This would make such a great Christmas gift to your loved ones. The only thing I am not too keen on is the packaging. It's kinda bulky and takes up space in my bag when I travel. But I can live with it because the product is that good. I will keep repurchasing till the day I die. I might be over exaggerated there but you get what I mean. I love it! love it, love it!

That's it guys, hope this is somewhat helpful to you. Seriously try it and you'll know what I'm talking about. Hope everyone is having a great christmas and wishing you a very happy 2015! xoxo

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My all time favorite balm cleansers

Hi beauties, happy Thursday! Since cleansing is the most important step in my skincare routine, well it should be yours as well, so I thought I would show you my all time favorite balm cleansers which in my opinion are the best type of cleansers in the market. 

I only use balm cleansers both morning and evening because they are gentle on the skin and cleanse really well in terms of getting rid of makeup and daily grime. I'll link my current morning and evening skincare routine  so you can check them out if you like. 

If you are still using form/gel based cleansers then you should think about chucking them away because they tend to strip skin's natural oil and make it rather dry and tight. Balm cleansers however don't do that at all and they are suitable for all skin types even the oiliest ones. Some people with oily skin are afraid of oil based cleansers, but in fact they do exactly the opposite of what you think they might do to your skin. Come on think about it, the reason why your skin produces so much oil is because it is lack of its natural oil, and by using form cleansers you are stripping away all the natural oil on your face so to balance that out your skin needs produce excessive oil. It makes sense right?! So if you are still using form cleansers then it's time to think about switch over to balm cleansers. 

Today I have 2 here to show you. Both of them are my favs and I don't think I can't live without either of them, literally! 

First up is the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm. I think I can save my breath on this one because it is a highly raved product in the beauty world. Everybody uses it and everybody loves it. I don't think I have seen even one negative review on this cleanser because it is that good. It is so lush! It smells like a SPA and the balmy texture feels so nice on the skin. It takes off absolutely everything on the face. It comes with a cloth which is great for wiping away all the makeup and dirt. I can't say enough good things about this cleanser. If you haven't tried then please hop to it! You won't regret I promise! It's packed with good skincare ingredients and essential oils. It's not the cheapest cleanser but it lasts absolute ages. It is in my opinion worth every penny. NOTE: if you are allergic or sensitive to essential oils then I suggest get a sample to test out before purchasing the full size. 

I feel like the Emma Hardie cleanser is doing something extra to my face as well. I mean I can't quite put my fingers on it but I swear every time when I use it my skin feels plumped, even and just so healthy looking. I just love it so much and I think nothing would ever replace this lovely cleanser for me. 

Next up is the Oskia Perfect Cleanser. This is another lush balm cleanser that I think I would always come back to. It's like the Emma Hardie one but a tiny little thicker in texture. It's not as easy to spread and it leaves a little residue on the face if you are not using a cloth, but I like this formula because I feel like it's doing something and my face feels so hydrated afterwards. I know that a lot of girls swear by the Clinique Take the Day off Cleansing Balm but I am just not convinced. It's so waxy and thin. I mean maybe it's just me that like thick textured balm cleansers but honestly the thickness does feel nice on my skin.

Left: Oskia Right: Clinique (I hope you can see how waxy is the Clinique one. I mean it just looks like pure wax from a candle. Not for me)

Anyways the Perfect Cleanser feels so smooth and luxurious on the face. It works just as well and costs the same as the Emme Hardie one. Oskia Perfect Cleanser comes in a tube so if you are not a big fan of digging fingers in pots then this is the one to go for. It smells lovely too! I am not gonna go into too much detail because I have a full blogpost dedicated to this cleanser just click . 

That's it guys. I hope this is helpful. If you do think about buying a good cleanser then I would highly highly recommend these 2. They are not cheap I know but a little goes a long way with them, and just think of these are an investment for your skin. If you cleanse well then your serums and creams would sink in deep to your skin so much better, am I right?

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Updated Morning Skincare Routine

Hey guys. Another weekend has begun and I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Today I want to talk you through my Updated Morning Skincare Routine because it has been almost 4 months since my last one and some of the products have changed in my morning routine so I think it's time to show you the updated version. I'll link my old Morning Skincare Routine right  for you if you fancy giving it a read. 

Basically I have changed my entire morning skincare products apart from my Oskia Perfect Cleanser and my Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm. Those two items are just my staples and I can see myself using them for a very long time. I don't think I want to replace them anytime sooner to be honest and that's just to show you how much I love them. I am not gonna talk about these 2 products again so please click the link above if you wanna know more. 

Let's move onto the toner. The one I have been using and enjoying lately is the Avene Thermal Water Spray. This stuff is so refreshing. It's perfect for summer. It feels comfortable on the face. It's hydrating and it calms the redness on the face as well. This is also great for taking it on the go or to the beach for a little refreshment for the face. It is also really affordable so can't go wrong with it. 

My morning moisturizer and eye cream are both from Caudalie and they are from the Polyphenol C15 Anti-Wrinkle line. They are lovely products, light yet moisturizing. I have a full blogpost dedicated to these 2 products so I'll link it  for you if you wanna see details. The moisturizer has SPF 20 so I normally skip sunscreen but if I know I'm gonna be in the sun for a long time then I would use my Kiehl's Ultra Light Sun Cream which I had talked about in the past I'll link it  if you are interested in what I had to say. 

That's it guys. Very simple but effective for me. I like to keep my morning skincare routine really simple especially for the summer as I hate layering too much product and the feeling of stickiness is just unbearable. These products work really well together and never irritate my skin. So if you are thinking about a change in your skincare routine then I highly recommend these goodies. All the products that I have showed here are generally for all skin types as almost all of them are French Pharmacy products so they would never irritate or do any harm to any skin. 

I hope you have enjoyed looking into my morning skincare products and as always please follow me on Twitter and Instagram @eflicciardello. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I would be happy to help. Thank you so much for reading and I will see you all next time. Bye! Muahh!

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Oskia Perfect Cleanser Review

Have you ever said to yourself that would I ever find the perfect cleanser? Well come and have a little read on my thoughts of Oskia's Perfect Cleanser! It might just be the perfect cleanser for you. 

I thought it is time to start a blog post on reviewing Oskia's Perfect Cleanser because there aren't many reviews on this cleanser and let's face it it is not the cheapest cleanser so it would be nice to read all about it before splurging on it!

Oskia Perfect Cleanser £32.50 from cultbeauty.co.uk

I am not gonna write down what it says on the box or it will just be a very long boring post. You can however go to the cult beauty website for details of this cleanser. 

The perfect cleanser is a balm cleanser that comes in a  very nice tube which makes it easier to squeeze out the product, and when you rub it between your hands it turns into an oil which I really like. It doesn't feel waxy on your face and it is very easy to spread. Then what you do is add a little water so that the balm turns into a milk lotion and after that you can either rinse it off or wipe it off with a muslin cloth like I do.

Left: with the cleanser on and right: rinsed off

Now you can tell after I rinsed it off my skin looks very glowy and health (no filter photo) 

This cleanser is all natural and very beneficial to your skin. It contains not 1 but 8 beauty boosting active ingredients. 

1. MSM for collagen production
2. Coconut cleanses and removes impurities 
3. Zinc Glycine Complex heals, soothes and reduces redness
4. Prebiotic Oligosaccharide protects the skin from harmful bacteria 
5. Rosehip seed oil encourages cellular synthesis and collagen production
6. Vitamin E protects agonist free-radicals
7. Phytosterols, triglycerides
8. Omegas 3,6&9 repair the skin's barrier function to restore softness and elasticity 

Ingredients list 

I have normal to combo skin with a slight sensitivity to it. I have tried many balm cleansers in the past (FYI I don't ever use foam cleansers as they do dry my face out and I just don't like the tight feeling on my skin) and I have to say that this one along with the Emma Hardie balm cleanser are the best ones out there in the market. If I have to compare this one with the Emma Hardie one to be honest I can't tell you the difference apart from the fact that they do smell differently but equally divine. They both remove makeup and cleanse the skin very well, not waxy and easy to spread. They both cost the same but with the Emma Hardie one you get 100ml as for the perfect cleanser you do get 25ml more so 125ml in total. So I would suggest get the Oskia's perfect cleanser over the Emma Hardie one just because you get abit more with what you paid. The Emma Hardie cleanser lasted me 8 months so you can imagine how long the Oskia's one would last me. You do the math. 

All and all this is the perfect cleanser for me. It suits all skin types, very gentle and beneficial to the skin. My trick is that leave this cleanser on your face for like 3-5 mins after you rub it on because it will really penetrate deep down your skin and absorb all the good ingredients.

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