Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser : Is it worth the price?

This is the most expensive facial cleanser I've ever had in my entire life. Even more expensive compared to my mom's SK-II, hahaha.

Bought it last year, a month before I got married. Simply because I was trying my luck with all the goodness this product claims.

These are from Cult Beauty:

WHY IT'S CULT

The first step towards a flawless, doll-like complexion, Sunday Riley's Ceramic Slip Cleanser is a must-have for those in pursuit of perfect skin. Gently foaming, its' potent blend of ingredients - including uber-expensive French Green Clay - lifts grime, absorbs impurities, tightens pores and gently exfoliates, so skin becomes smoother, clearer & more refined. Sunday believes the key to healthy skin lies in marrying botanical ingredients with biotechnology to unleash their potential & save our skins!

DESCRIPTION

This lightly foaming cleanser contains a cocktail of vitamins, minerals & essential oils to tone & balance normal to combination skin. Refined French Green Clay draws out impurities while Vitamin C reduces the appearance of discolouration & stimulates collagen production for a plumper, dewy complexion. Black Pepper promotes circulation, Sandalwood combats areas of sensitivity, Jasmine soothes & restores while Frankincense encourages healthy cell growth for firmer, porcelain-smooth skin. 

It was a gamble to buy this one since I have sensitive skin and the price is quite unreasonable. It was idr 700k for 125 ml, purchased it from belanjamimo.com (the cheapest around other online shop). Turned out: my skin loves it!

Actually I just purchased the second bottle just earlier this month. So on me, a bottle could last about 6 to 7 months, really a deal right, so yes it is pricier, but I can use it in a long time. Pat on my back, good job, Yun!

I use it every morning and evening. For evening, this is my second cleanser, because I clean my makeup first with extra virgin olive oil. The thing is, if I get too lazy, and just use this cleanser as the only cleanser, it works well too. It could cleanse even my eye makeup.

The packaging comes with a plastic bottle, but not a cheap plastic, don't worry. It looks simple and sleek, and it is very travel-friendly. It has nice cap that can be open and close for convenient sake.

The smell is quite unusual, some reviews said they don't like it, but for me it smells organic and healthy, not artificial fragrance whatsoever. It is quite therapeutic for me to just smell it. Seriously.

This cleanser does not dry my skin, leaves my skin clean, and most important one it does not irritate my sensitive skin. In more than 6 months use, I feel my complexion is getting clearer, I can be biased, but I really think this cleanser works THAT well on me. I used to have flaky skin around my cheeks, and it was long gone now. FYI, I don't use any other Sunday Riley, just this one. And it is already THAT good (Imagine if I use all the range! But for now, I am good with this only one, until I get some gut and money to splurge other Sunday Riley's).

So, yes, it is worth the price.

Goodness Skincare : Grab & Go Try-Me Kit

Aku mau review beberapa produk Goodness. Ini adalah salah satu organic skin care dari New Zealand. Aku lagi gencar banget beli yang organik karena selain lebih aman di kulit kan sekarang lagi hamil juga, jadi aku menghindari ingredients yang terlalu harsh. 

Nah, karena belum ada bayangan mau beli apa dari Goodness, aku coba starter kit-nya terlebih dahulu yaitu Grab & Go Try-Me Kit. Aku purchase dari Instagram @tokotujuhpuluh, harganya IDR 300,000. Untuk dapat 5 produk imut-imut ini menurutku cukup affordable ya, apalagi untuk yang suka coba-coba kayak aku, jadi kalo nggak cocok, nggak terlalu sakit ati ceritanya :D

Buat yang nggak tahu sama sekali, ini aku comot gambar dari website resmi mereka:

Pas datang paketnya, duh lucu banget, warna-warninya itu loohhh. Candies in my eyes! 

Review singkat pemakaian kurang lebih sebulan:

Goodness Chia Seed Oil
I love it! Aku pakai ini setelah cuci muka, pagi dan malam, sebelum menggunakan morning/evening cream. Chia seed oil ini tidak lengket di kulit, ringan, wanginya enak kalem menenangkan (somehow remind me of Castile Soap), tidak over-fragrance. Biasanya aku tunggu kira-kira 5 menit sebelum menggunakan moisturizer. Dalam sebulanan pemakaian, yang pasti tidak ada break out, dry patch berkurang, muka lebih lembap, dan foundation nempelnya lebih bagus, nggak cakey. Untuk manfaat lain mungkin belum bisa review terlalu detail. We'll see later after a couple months.

Goodness Every day Cream Cleanser 

Cleanser ini nggak ada busa sama sekali. Sampe aku ulang 2x cuci muka, karna parno belum biasa hahaha. Biasanya pake sabun cuci muka organik masih tetep ada busanya dikit, ini blas nggak ada. Jadi kerasa nggak bersih cuci mukanya >,<

Goodness Every Morning Cream 
Krim ini terasa ringan di wajah, light-weight, no sticky feeling, dan cukup melembapkan. Aku pakai ini setelah Goodness Chia Seed Oil. Jadi pas aplikasi foundation bisa lebih bagus. Packaging juga sangat convenient karena menggunakan tube. Dan warna packaging-nya lucu banget. Untuk yang mau beralih ke natural skincare bisa coba produk Goodness ini. Harga juga affordable banget 

Goodness Every Evening Cream 
Aku pakai krim ini pas malam, setelah cuci muka dan pakai Goodness Chia Seed Oil. Texture-wise produk ini lebih thick dari Goodness Every Morning Cream. Karena cuma dipakai pas tidur, I don't mind the stickiness, hehe. So far pemakaian seminggu, kulit lebih terasa lembap, dry patches juga hilang, dan nggak break out di kulit sensitifku.

Godness Every Week Face Scrub ini baru aku pake sekitar 3x, so far cukup suka karna produk ini nggak bikin muka merah atau kering. Teksturnya ada sedikit butiran halus, tapi begitu kena air dia langsung lumer, mungkin ini yang nggak bikin muka jadi kering ketarik. 

All in all, aku suka produk Goodness ini, tapi untuk purchase full-size masih pikir-pikir dulu. Karena masih kepikiran produk Australia/NZ lain, yaitu: Trilogy sama Antipodes hahaha :P

The Cleansing Oil Method using Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Virgin Coconut Oil

I am such a newbie for a skincare game. You know, all I knew just facial wash and eye makeup remover. I used to use random facial wash, and didn't have any particular brands or ingredients to be avoided. I think that was why I had a never ending story with dry and flaky skin, because later I know that SLS ingredients can break my skin badly.

Thank God,  I join Female Daily Forum and read so many information about how to handle dry skin and acknowledged about the oil cleansing method.

Based on wikipedia:

The oil cleansing method, often abbreviated to OCM, is a system for cleaning a human face using oil(s). Sometimes, oils can be mixed; one example is 50% extra virgin olive oil and 50% castor oil. This mixture can be optimized based on skin type and personal preference. Oily skin can make use of a larger proportion of castor oil. Other oils that are commonly used are jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, coconut oil, and grapeseed oil.

I also googled and I found this:

When massaged into the skin, oils in the cleanser bind to surface impurities [pulling out dirt without clogging pores] and allow them to be comfortably rinsed away leaving the skin clean, soft and hydrated, explained Dr. Diane Walder, a Miami-based cosmetic dermatologist. So, cleansing oil does not sink into your pores since it works to remove impurities and then gets washed away. - Huffington Post

When I know how a cleansing oil could be a game changer for someone who have dry skin, I thought let's do this!

I decided to go for a very basic oil and have an affordable price: the Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). It can be found in any supermarket, I bought mine at Ranch Market not more than IDR 100K, I tried Bertolli and Borges both are very effective. Yes, these oils are actually for cooking (mostly for salad), but I swear they are good for the face too!

I use this oil every afternoon before washing my face. Everyday I wear moisturizer - sunscreen - foundation, so this oil helps to cleanse the dirt. A little tips: I refill the oil into a pump bottle for easiness sake. One pump is enough for the whole face. Then I gently massage it on my face except eyes, in a round motion, and leave about 5 minutes before washing my face with my dearly Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser (should make a dedicated post for it, because I swear I LOVE it!). As a result my face is clean without tight stripped feeling and no more dry patches! I think now my face is looking radiant, not dull and more plumped.

Others say you can use extra virgin olive oil as a moisturizer, meaning to be used after washing the face. Or you can use EVOO as single cleanser: apply on dry face and wipe it away with warm clothes. I tried both ways, and failed! I saw some redness on my cheeks and I got acne on my forehead! So it's a no for me. I believe every skin has its own character, so get some trial and error. At least if you are not into this oil, you can still use it for cooking, right? Oh, I also use this oil as a hand and body oil. Talking about multi-purpose item! :D

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Another oil game for me is a Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO). Initially I purchased this oil for body oil, because I have dry skin, and allergic to some lotion. But when I applied on my leg, they become itchy. So did on my face, redness appeared on my cheeks. So I gave up, I stopped using it.

After some time, I was looking at Puchh's Instagram. Beauty enthusiast in Indonesia must know her. Stalk her and I bet you'll adore her! In her instagram, she posted about having an interview about her beauty secret (read this) and I know I have to be back using VCO again. This time as an eye makeup remover. And it works!

I put some VCO on my hand, and apply it directly to my eyes, massage it, so all the mascara and eyeliner are gone. And then continue to cleanse the face using EVOO. It feels comfort, no stingy feeling, no blurry eyes (just be careful not to get in the eyes) and it's so effective.

I order mine from Blue Stone Botanicals a Bali based company which using natural ingredients, including 100% pure essential oils.



All in all, I am so happy with my oils. I really want to try another oils such as Castor Oil and Grape Seed Oil, but as far as I am concern I have better complexion now, and happy with it, so I think it might take some time to try another oils :)

Sukin Skincare : Sulphate and Paraben Free

I did mention that I am allergic to Sulphate or SLS and Paraben last time, and I think I have to share my story here. In case anyone is wondering.

This allergic was so nasty, I had itchy and flaky skin, all over the body (except my face, it just dry or red, not itchy, thank God). I applied body butter every time after taking a bath, but the moisture only last 3-4 hours, I hate it, not to mention the sticky yucky feeling. The same thing happened when I apply lotion, the moisture even only lasts about 2 hours.

I tried almost every brand for soap and lotion, from The Body Shop, Sebamed, Loccitane, Bath and Body Works to Origins. Nothing really works. Some even brought me to itchy skin, I have to throw away the product or give it away for my mom or sister (they don't have sensitive skin like me,fyi)

So when I know that I might be have this kind of allergic, I changed my entire body care to Sulphate and Paraben free products. Thanks to Female Daily forum particularly in Organic Skincare thread, I found Sukin.

From their website:

Sukin is proud Australian brand, dedicated to offering the ultimate in natural personal care, free from the myriad of harsh chemicals used in many products on the market today. Sukin products do not contain Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES),  synthetic fragrances, animal derivatives, harsh detergents, propylene glycol, artificial colours, triethanolamine, mineral oils, EDTA, or parabens.

My picks are Botanical Body Wash, Purifying Body Scrub, and Hydrating Body Lotion. I purchased them from www.naauty.com. Been using it religiously since last month, and I significantly see the progress. My skin is not itchy nor flaky (very good point!) instead it's soft and supple. Cam't thank God enough.

Geez, I wish I found it this information earlier. I feel pity for my dry skin because of my ignorance toward the ingredients all of this years. I simply thought that I was born with 'that' kind of skin T_T

My not-so-complicated Skincare Routine

I believe a better canvas will make a better painting. And that's more or less the same with the face. So lately, since I love using makeup, I am more concern to keep my face healthy from within. I drink water as much as I can, but I do drinking coffee everyday, and being in an aircon office almost 10 hours every day. Once a while I walk out in sunny Surabaya to grab some lunch. So yeah, my skin is not in its very best : dehydrated and polluted I guess -_-

So I am now more concern to keep my face as hydrated as possible. I use moisturizer every morning and night before bed. I've been enjoying Shiseido Night Moisture Recharge for a couple of years now. Even though it says Night, but I use it in the morning too, because I found the morning one is stickier which I hate it. So I only get protected my the SPF that is contained in my foundation. 

Back to Shiseido Night Moisture Recharge, it has a very light texture, no sticky at all and I feel my skin moistured enough. Most of all, it doesn't break out my sensitive skin. I purchased it around idr 450k. Quite pricey, but I can use it up in 9 months, value for money, right. 

Lately I find my skin is drier and gets some flakiness, yuck, blame the Surabaya's hot weather >,< . And I think using moisturizer only is not enough. So I do some research on the internet, and found out Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, a serum which claims to create more smoother, hydrated and stronger skin. There you go.

Been using it about couple of weeks, and I can see it reduces the redness on my cheeks, doesn't really hydrated though, still can see dry patches here and there, but I think I have to use it up around one month to really achieve the healthier skin *fingers crossed*. 

Oh and sometimes in the morning before applying moisturizer I spray Avene Thermal Spring Water. The reviews say it can calm the redness, but I don't really see the result. To me it's just like spraying water on my face >,<. The only thing I do enjoy is the cool feeling after spraying it. I think I won't repurchase.

I think that's all of my skincare routine, not really complicated, right. 

Happy Sunday! :)