My Skincare Routine - Part 1: Night time routine

Having a skincare routine is very important to keep your skin healthy and looking beautiful.

During the day your skin is exposed to makeup, dirt, bacteria and other environmental elements which can be harsh to your skin. Therefore it is really important that you have a routine starting from removing your makeup and cleansing your skin to ensure all the dirt and bacteria on your skin are all removed.

My night time skincare routine is definitely more elaborate than my day time which is why I wanted to post this first.

I always start off by removing all my makeup. This is a must. If you wear makeup during the day you always need to remove it before you go to sleep. For this step I use BioDerma Crealine H20 or Coconut oil or both. If I have lots of makeup on (if I have gone to a party or special occasion) I start by applying coconut oil and then I apply the Bioderma on a cotton pad and wipe off the coconut oil and makeup.

Then I start my cleansing routine. Recently I have been double cleansing my skin. First I use coconut oil again and do the OCM (oil cleansing method). I apply the coconut oil all over my face and down to my neck and I massage it into the skin. I then apply a muslin cloth that has been soaked in warm water over my face and let it sit there until it cools, then I wipe off the oil off my face. The second step is to apply my Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser. I apply a small dollop and massage it on my face and my neck. I then rinse the cloth I used earlier in warm water and apply it on my face and leave it there until it cools. I repeat this step again a couple of times. The muslin cloth I use to cleanse my skin is the Pai muslin cloth which is 100% unbleached organic cotton. It feels great on the skin and gives me a gentle exfoliation.

The next step in my routine is applying Hada Labo Hyaluronic Acid Lotion. I squeeze a few drops on my palm and pat it on to the skin.

While my skin is still moist from the hyaluronic acid lotion I apply the Botani Olive Skin serum. I only just started using this serum a few days ago. Prior to this I had used Antipodes Divine Face Oil (Avocado and Rosehip) but I just finished the bottle. I had the Botani serum on hand so I thought I would use this first before buying another bottle of the Divine Face oil. I really love this serum. It is an oil serum and it keeps my skin feeling really hydrated and plump. It sinks into the skin quite fast and doesn't leave any oily feeling.

After the serum sinks into my skin I apply the Antipodes Joyous Protein-rich Night Replenish Serum. I like to apply this serum by massaging it into my skin. This serum is also an oil serum and it takes a bit longer to sink into the skin. However I really love this serum. It keeps my skin so hydrated and when I wake up in the morning my skin feels really soft and plump.

After the Joyous serum has sink into my skin I then apply my night cream. I have been using the Antipodes Avocado Pear Night cream. I love applying this night cream as it smells so lovely. It's very rich and moisturising and I do not need much at all. It gives me that added moisture as my skin is very dry.

And last but not least, I apply my eye cream. I have been suing the Elixia Multi-Action eye serum. It comes in a gel texture and it absorbs really easily into the skin. I purchased this when Elixia had their sale so this eye serum, a moisturiser and face serum only cost a total of $29. My skin around my eyes have been feeling really hydrated and smooth so I think the eye serum is doing its job.

So that's my night time skin care routine..... and Wow!! That was a long post... I just realised how much products I'm using at night time. And I also try to use a face mask once a week. I have been using LonVitalite face masks and they have been really great. I also use Guinot instant eye mask once a week...sometimes I forget though so it ends up being once every 2 weeks.

So, is your skin care routine as elaborate as mine or do you only use a couple of products?

My current skincare wish list

So today I wanted to share my current skin care wish list. As you can see there is definitely a single common factor in the above wish list. All the products are from the brand Antipodes. You may have seen that I found out about this brand on my visit to Wellington NZ back in Feb where I purchased Antipodes Rosehip & Avocado Oil and Antipodes Grapeseed butter cleanser. Well, after I started using these two products I fell in love with this organic brand and I really want to get more of their skincare range.

At the moment I am using a mixed brand of skin care products. However I am trying to use more organic products or at least products that are paraben free and natural. So, I am now on the mission of trying to finish my current skincare products so I can buy more from Antipodes and start getting the products on my wish list.

So here are the products that I would really love to get from Antipodes:

1. Apostle Skin-Brightening and Tone Correcting Serum

This is a water-based serum to help target pigmentation, brighten your skin and restore even tone. It contains natural ingredients like Waiwera mineral-blessed water, Vinanza Oxifend, and Kiwi Fruit enzyme.


2. Joyous Protein Rich Night Replenish Serum

An intensive oil-based night serum that helps restore elastin to damaged and ultra-dry skin. It contains Himalayan goji, a blend of superfruit oils, subtropical hibiscus flower and kiwi seed oil.


3. Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream

An incredibly nutritious cream featuring native New Zealand manuka honey, a powerful antibacterial agent to assist in keeping skin completely clean and free of blemishes.


4. Saviour Skin Balm

Offer sure salvation to skin troubles with this potent conditioning balm. Nature's richest oils blend with the power-packed antibacterial and antifungal healing properties of totara and Australian tea tree, while antioxidant-rich echinacea and Vinanza Grape optimise cell and skin repair.


5. Aura Manuka Honey Mask

This facial mask delivers an intensely moisturising, cleansing and antioxidising treatment. It is the ultimate solution for spots and blemishes.


6. Hallelujah Lime & Patchouli Cleanser

A pure base of avocado oil gently removes impurities while carrot seed oil promotes skin that glows with good health. Highest quality essential oils of lime and patchouli work wonderfully to deeply cleanse, freshen and uplift.


7. Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream

This night cream contains 100% pure avocado oil, calendula oil from marigold petals, active manuka honey and Vinanza Grape.


8. Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream

A luscious yet light eye cream for a cooling and soothing sensory experience. Ultra-rich Vitamin C from the seed of New Zealand kiwifruit works superbly to help rescue damaged tissue.

Note: Descriptions of products taken from Antipodes official website


So there it is. There are quite a lot of products here so I definitely won't be able to afford it all but I am hoping I can get some of these on my next trip to Wellington coming up soon in June.

Have you tried products from Antipodes Nature?

Antipodes Divine Face Oil - Organic Avocado Oil and Rosehip review

Today's review is on the Antipodes Divine Face Oil - Organic Avocado Oil and Rosehip. I purchased this a month ago on my trip to Wellington NZ. I purchased this along with the Grapeseed Butter Cleanser which I have reviewed last week here.

The Divine Face Oil claims that it has been scientifically shown to stimulate synthesis of collagen production in human skin cells by up to 51%. It also claims to lift tired, stressed and sun-damaged skin and help to reduce the appearance of lines, age spots and scars.

I've been using this oil for the past month now and I am loving it. My daily routine now involves applying 1-2 drops of the Divine Face Oil after cleansing and before applying moisturiser. I apply the oil both day and night. Some of you may ask - why do I use it during the day, wouldn't it be troublesome putting makeup over a face that's been covered in oil? The answer to that is no, I do not have any trouble at all applying makeup after applying this oil since it absorbs into the skin quite quickly. Even straight after application of this oil my skin does not feel oily or greasy.

After I started using this oil my skin feels more supple, healthy and hydrated. The oil keeps my very dry skin hydrated all day and all night long. I usually apply a few more drops at night time and in the morning I wake up with soft, smooth and hydrated skin. The oil definitely gives my skin that extra hydration boost that it needs especially I work everyday in a dry air conditioned building.

In terms of appearance of scars, I do have a couple of very light pimple scars which I got recently and I have found that these scars are disappearing slowly. I still can see a tiny bit of redness from the scar but it is not as bad as what it was before I started using this oil.

I love this oil and I will definitely be repurchasing. Even though it is a small bottle (30ml) I think this will last me at least a few months since I only need to use 1 - 2 drops per application.  Update: It's been a month since I posted this review and there is still over half a bottle left so it does last a long way.

Review: Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser

Around a month ago I went to visit my younger sister in Wellington, New Zealand. Before departing Wellington, I was browsing at the airport and I discovered the brand Antipodes. Antipodes sells organic skincare and makeup (I only found out about the makeup range on their website). I was just browsing their products at the airport and was not planning to buy anything but their products attracted me. After browsing for around 15 or so minutes, I ended up buying a couple of products, the Grapeseed Butter Cleanser and the Avocado oil and Rosehip Divine Face Oil. I also got a free hand cream with my purchase.

Anyway, this post will be about the Grapeseed butter cleanser. I will be reviewing the Avocado oil and Rosehip Divine Face Oil in a different post.

The cleanser comes in a jar. I know the first thing in mind that comes up is a jar?? That's unhygienic because you have to dip your hands/fingers in it and germs can go in the product. Well...this is not the case. The cleanser comes with a tiny little spatula to solve this problem.

Anyway to the product itself. The cleanser contains many nourishing and soothing ingredients such as cacao butter, olive oil, harekeke oil (antibacterial), Vinanza Grape extract (comes from New Zealand sauvignon blanc grape seeds to repair skin), lavender, blue chamomile and hibiscus flower.

To use the cleanser pick up the product using the spatula and massage all over your face (dampened, not wet). You really don't need to use a lot as it spreads really easily. When you first pick up the cleanser it feels quite solid but as you massage it on your face it becomes really silky and creamy. After you have massaged it all over the face and neck, rinse it off with a face cloth dampened with warm water. This cleanser really does remove all my makeup off including my eye makeup. After cleansing, my face feels thoroughly clean yet supple, soothed and moisturised.

I definitely recommend this cleanser and I will definitely be repurchasing this although this may last me quite a while.

And just to show you how good this cleanser is, see the photos below. I swatched several eyeshadows, bronzer, blush, eyeliner and foundation then I applied the cleanser and massaged it onto my skin. After wiping it off with a wet cloth all the makeup is removed. It's amazing!!!

Wellington, New Zealand Skincare Haul

So I mentioned in my last post that I was in New Zealand for a long weekend last weekend. I went for 3 days and 3 nights to Wellington. My main purpose of visiting Wellington was to visit my younger sister who just moved there last month to study. However, the other purpose was just to have a nice weekend away and the return flight was a birthday present for me from my mum.

Because I only spent 2 days and a half day I didn't get to do much. The places I did visit were Zealandia Sanctuary, Te Papa Museum, Wellington waterfront, Wellington city and Botanic Garden. Wellington is such a beautiful city. I loved it there and I definitely would love to visit again.

Anyway, during my visit I did a bit of shopping (even though my intention was not to go shopping). On my last day, since I spend a few hours waiting at the airport I bought a few skincare products. I bought a Rotorua Mud face pack with Manuka Honey (NZ$18) and I bought a few Antipodes organic skincare products.

The Rotorua Mud Face Pack is basically a mud face mask which you apply, leave on until just dry and then rinse off. The product claims to deep cleanse the skin and restores skin tone and vitality resulting in a refreshed and revived complexion. I've only used this mask once so I still can't give any opinion whether the product is true to its claim. I will be using this mask 1-2 times a week for the next month. After this I will post a review on the product and the results, if any.

The other skincare products I purchased was from a brand called Antipodes. It's an organic brand from New Zealand. I discovered this while I was waiting for my flight at Wellington Airport. I was not going to purchase anything at first but my temptations could not be resisted so I purchased 2 products. A cleanser and a face oil. 

The cleanser I purchased was the Grapeseed Butter Cleanser. This cleanser is yellow in colour and looked very buttery. The instructions that was on the package was to massage the cleanser onto dampened skin and then use a wet warm face cloth to rinse off. The cleanser comes in a jar and I sometimes do not like these kind of packaging since you have to use your hands to get the product out but this cleanser came with a spatula. 

The Antipodes Divine Face Oil is an organic avocado oil and rosehip. The oil claims that "it has been scientifically shown to stimulate Type I collagen in human skin fibroblast cells by up to 51%". I don't really understand what this means other than the oil helps to stimulate collagen in the skin. The sales assistant advised me that I can use this oil twice a day before applying moisturiser or if I use a serum, before applying the serum and moisturiser.

In addition to the 2 products above, they had a promotion going on at the time where if I bought 2 products I get a hand cream for free. So the hand cream that I received in the promotion was the Deliverance kowhai flower hand cream. It was a decent size so I'm very happy with the purchase. 

I am really looking forward to trying out these organic skincare products from Antipodes. I will post reviews on all these products once I have used them for at least a month.

Have you used any of the above products before? If so, what do you think of them?