OIL CLEANSING

OIL CLEANSING

I know the fear associated with placing any oil on your face, especially if you already have naturally more oily skin. Do not be afraid, your skin produces oils because it needs it, oils play an enormous role in keeping the largest organ of your body, healthy, allowing it to function properly. Natural oils provide lubrication for the skin, not only that but it also protects, heals and moisturises, leaving the skin looking and feeling soft, clear and glowing. Oil it's self does not cause breakouts, nor does it cause zits, blackheads/whiteheads, cysts etc. For that we can point our fingers and thank our hormones, bacteria, dead skin cells and how about a mixture of all of them together. Just stick with me, and let me explain.


By using the right combination of oils you can dissolve other oils that have hardened with impurities and bacteria in your pores to cleanse, balance the skin naturally and to provide the necessary lubrication for your skin to prevent it from over producing oil. I know a lot of oil talk is going on, and it can get a bit confusing, so to break it down lets look at the science behind it to really understand what on earth I am writing about. Being a science student we are explained that "like dissolves like" in this case, Oil dissolves oil. Sebum/oil is a non-polar solvent, it can be dissolved using another non-polar solvent that is very similar in composition which is of course another oil.
So ladies, lets all nicely pack away our theories that placing oil on our face will cause more oil and horrific breakouts in a nice box, tie it up with heavy duty rope and set it on fire.

Ill start off with two oils which in combination work magic together, which I would suggest starting off with if you're looking at oil cleansing. Eventually more oils can be added into the combination or into your skin care regime.

The first and primary oil we will be looking at is, caster oil. Caster oil not only has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti fungal and antiviral properties, it is also very strong healing, cleansing and hydrating. This is exactly why caster oil makes it the perfect oil for cleansing the skin, and why it is used as the primary oil. If you just want to leave it at that, just remember that a little bit goes a long way (seriously), and too much can leave you with dry skin (shocking, I know).


Since caster oil is very thick, and its properties are so strong, it should be diluted down with another oil, that is much thinner in it's consistency but still very beneficial in it's properties for the skin.

Keep in mind that the secondary oil that you pick really depends on you, your skin needs and the beneficial properties of the particular oil. When choosing your secondary oil, make sure you choose form organic, natural, cold-pressed seed, vegetable or nut oils, and not mineral or other refined oils, as these do not have nutrients, vitamins and fatty acids.

Here are some examples of oils which can be used as secondary oils:

Sweet Almond Oil           Carrot Seed Oil          Olive Oil
Coconut Oil                    Myrrh Oil                   Sunflower Seed Oil
Argan Oil                       Sandalwood Oil          Grape Seed Oil 
Rosehip Seed Oil           Frankincense Oil        Avocado Oil 

When picking an oil, I suggest doing a tiny amount of research, to find the right one for your skin needs, as each oil has different properties which have different benefits, make sure you pick one that can target specific problems/issues you have with your skin. For explanation purposes ill be using Olive oil as my secondary oil.

When creating your own blend of skin cleansing oils, make sure to keep in mind your general skin type. Remember to keep your first batch small, as it will take a little bit of trail and error to come up with the right oil ratio for your skin type. Once you get a general idea of how ratio of oils looks like, It will be much easier to create larger batches at a time for your convenience.
You can use this as your guide when creating your blend:

Oily skin: 30% caster oil to 70% of "olive oil"
Balanced skin: 20% caster oil to 80% "olive oil"
Dry skin: 10% caster oil to 90% "olive oil"

Now to store your personalised oil blend, I store mine in a travel plastic flip-top bottle, they come in various sizes, shapes and looks. I get mine from the toiletries/travel section of K-mart or Coles. Usually comes in a pack of 4, which is great, when I run out of my oil blend, I throw out the used bottle and reach for a new one, to place and store the newly made blend in. Replacing the bottle prevents the introduction of bacteria and or water to the bottle.

WHEN AND HOW:
Oil cleansing should only be done in the evening, before bed. You should not need to deep cleanse your face in the morning, if you're waking up with cleansed skin from the night before. Make sure not over cleanse the skin, as this can cause irritation and more oil production.

What you'll need:
Soft washcloth
Your oil blend 
Hot running water 

Pour a generous amount of oil blend into the palm of your hand (size of a 1$ coin), rub your hands together to warm the oils up and begin to massage it on your face/neck, using slow, firm motions, focusing on your most problematic areas. This will begin to remove any makeup, dirt, sunscreen, and other impurities (no need to use make up remover prior, the oils break up even water proof mascara). Take your time with the massage, you really want the oils to work into your pores. Once you feel that you have worked the oils into your skin and pores, soak a clean washcloth in to steamy hot water. You want the water to be warm enough to further open and soften your pores up to rid of any impurities and oil. (Cold water will not open pores nor will it rid of the oil properly). Hold the cloth wash over your face, allow it to stay there until it cools. Then begin to wipe the skin gently, rinsing the washcloth 2 or 3 times more.

This cleansing method should be done regularly. You will know if you're deep cleansing your skin to much by the dryness that your skin will start to show. Once you have unplugged old oil/impurities from your pores, they will begin to function properly again within a few days. Understanding that new oil coming from your skin is now an actually good sign and your skin will balance itself out very shortly, just make sure to be patient with the process. All changes take time to adapt, your skin will take time to adjust and you will start to see major changes with your skin almost immediately, but give yourself a few days as an adjustment period (you might get a breakout or two, do not worry it happens, just give it time). Trust me when I tell you, you will love the way your skin will begin to feel and look, say goodbye to that congested and thick feeling of your skin for good !

More cleansing oil recipes: (replace "oil" with another if needed/wanted)
Acne prone skin: 20% castor oil 40% "sunflower oil" 40% grape-seed oil
Dry skin: 10% caster oil 30% "sunflower oil" 60% avocado oil
Ageing skin: 10% caster oil 10% "sunflower oil" 40% evening primrose oil 40% reshape oil

Buy it here 
Buy it here
Buy it here

xx d 

BARE SKIN PURE SERUM FOUNDATION

BAREMINERALS
BARE SKIN  PURE SERUM FOUNDATION

Lately my skin has been not only feeling but also looking like the Sahara desert (In the dry sense, not the hot sense). Im not a fan of a matte finish on me at this moment in time, strangely just about 6 months ago I was all about that matte life, god forbid my skin had some glow to it that wasn't intentionally placed there,  now Im all about that "natural" glow that takes about 10 make up steps to achieve (I'm sure everybody knows about what I'm referring to). Of course its everyones personal preference to what finish they want/need and I'm sure many switch things around depending on where they are going and how long they need their foundation to last for.

On a day-to-day basis I like a dewy, very lightweight, almost skin-like but maybe 75% better looking skin finish. I want something to provide me with good coverage to hide certain blemishes, most importantly redness and to even out the skin tone without feeling like I'm wearing anything ... on my face that is. This foundation gives me a brighter looking complexion, with a dewy finish and moderate coverage that is not drying, as it's a liquid serum base which is so important for me right now, with skincare ingredients to help keep the face well hydrated, repairing, protecting and providing anti-aging benefits with the help of mineral active titanium dioxide which provides broad spectrum protection from the sun. Do not get me wrong, this does not replace my daily skin care or any of my favourable skin serums but it sure does give my dry skin a helping hand throughout the whole day.
For application I tend to use a buffing brush and then go over with a beauty blender where more coverage is needed and to really just work the product into the skin. Application is quick, as the product is a liquid serum and is very easy to work with and blend. If more coverage is needed at any point I dab into my concealer, and spot conceal any blemishes or redness. I tend to set it with a veil (Nude by Nature), only focusing on my T-zone and under my eyes as that prevents creasing and provides more longevity.

To sum it up:
- Finish is dewy (not all will appreciate esp oily/combination skin)
- Mineral liquid foundation
- SPF 20
- Brighting
- Coverage sheer-light (Personally think - build-able)
- Plastic packaging, can get quite messy due to nosel
- Lightweight, blends easily, easy to work with
- Fragrance free
- Reasonable colour range
- Has not caused breakouts
- not tested on animals (woo)

Buy it here 

xx d

ALL ABOUT BROWS

ALL ABOUT BROWS

Focusing on my teenage make-up history, around the year of 2011 is when I began experimenting with my brows, and by experimenting I mean, running a dark brown eyeliner through my untamed, un-groomed brows, with no particular skill or knowledge. And let me tell you back then, I thought I looked like an absolute different human being, a whole new "better" Dijana emerged in my mind. And hell yes to that, I applaud young girls confidence, anything that makes a young gal feel fantastic about their appearance in an environment such as high school.
In saying that, knowing what I know now I look back at old photographs of some-what teenage Dijana, and cringe with absolute horror ! Like girl, what was I thinking !?
Back then I wasn't aware of the whole "you can search how to apply brows on youtube" thing, that would have made things so much easier for everybody. All I had was the pure wisdom and encouragement of some girlfriends and my mothers brown eyeliner.

I think as young teenage girls, we all go through phases that we don't really want to remember, some of us wore blue eyeshadow, most of us wore the wrong colour foundation, no one knew about the power of a good concealer and just like me we had troubles with our brows.

Now, not a lot of time has passed since 2011 but my knowledge of make-up has definitely increased by a dozen. Im not saying that I didn't go through a lot of bad brow experiences, I did and plenty of them since then, but those bad experiences have definitely taught me a thing or two about my brows.

First thing first, ladies go get your brows tamed by a professional, wether it's a waxing trip to the mall, threading or just plucking some strays away. They will provide you with a great canvas to work with. If it's your first time, ask your beautician for what she thinks would be the best shape for you, she/he deals with eyebrows on a daily basis, they know what they are doing!

I personally would have my eyebrows waxed every two weeks, and just look after the little hairs that come through by myself with a pair of good tweezers at home. I now feel confident enough to wax from home (I use: Nad's Facial wax) working with the natural shape and growth of my brows.
If you have flawless brows, that's all you will need a good grooming and you're done. But if you have sparse/bold patches like me, or you just want more full, or more defined brows, or maybe you want a different shape or a higher arch, whatever that is you're looking for there is a product out there for you and your wants/needs!

Let's start off with brushes and tools

I only every use these three: A small concealer brush (Avon my brush is the older look)
                                              A small angled brush (BYS)
                                              A standard spoolie

There are a lot of great brushes out there, and when it comes to brushes I say; each to their own. 

Picking the right brush is a very personal thing to each individual, it all depends on your budget, on your preferred brand, look and feel. I have been using this trio for the longest time now, and they have been doing wonders so I don't feel the need to change just yet. 

Now lets chat about my favourite products that I use. I tend to stick to certain products that I feel comfortable with and know 100% work on me, it's very rare that I branch out and step out of my comfort zone when it comes to brows (very sensitive about my brows you might say). I find what works for me, and stick with it. The only time I do venture out is when and if my hair colour changes or when I'm doing a different then normal makeup look. 

My holy grail brow product, (smash box brow tech) this has been a revolution for me. I have been using this product nearly on a daily basis for the past year, and I cannot express enough love for it.

 The packaging is small and very travel-friendly,  it comes with three products. Two powder shades, one shade is a taupe and the other one is a soft brown. My brows are quite ashy in tone, and I always have trouble finding a shade that isn't too warm/red looking on me. The combination of the two colours is the most perfect shade for my brows, it matches my root colour on point. It's also very handy and useful having two slightly different shades in one package as it allows for depth to be built up to achieve a more natural looking brow (lighter shade in the beginning blending out to the darker shade closer to the tail of the brow). Another handy thing in there is the wax, the wax is clear and holds brows in place for a great time. I use the wax in two ways, the first way I dip my angled brush into the wax and then into one/both powders. This way, the colour pay off is much more opaque, and the hair-like strokes are more defined. I tend to do this when I'm going for a more full, defined, night time brow. The wax helps the product to stay for much more longer, especially if I'm out dancing. 

The second way is what I tend to do on a daily basis, I lightly feather in my brows using the two powders, once thats done I reach in for the wax and gently run the same brush in strokes following the natural growth of my hair to emphasise and add more definition to certain areas. 

After filling in my eyebrows, I use a light concealer to clean up the edges and highlight the brow bone. My favourite concealer is Maybelline Fit me in Fair Claire 15 (Fit me), super bendable and great coverage. This is a step I don't always do, but it's definitely worth it. 

A product I recently discovered and have fallen in love with is the Essence make me brow gel 

mascara (Essence) , it's affordably incredible ! 

For just the price of $5AUS, my mind has been blown. The applicator,  is very similar to Benefits Give me brow. It plumps up brows, adds magnificent volume with the help of little fibres within the product that cling onto your hair and provide extra Va Va Voom and fullness, especially on those sparse areas. The gel provides a good lasting hold, my brows don't move and the products I layer underneath stay put for hours on end. 

If I'm in a rush I reach for these two products, a nice brow pencil will always do the trick, it provides quick easy coverage and shape without having to spend to much time on them. I top that off with a setting gel and I'm out the door. 

                             

     

                                    Buy it here

                                   Buy it here 

AND that's it ! This sums up my brow routine, if you don't like reading you can always check out the Vlog he-he or por que no los dos ?  Watch it here

Thanks, xx d