Thursday, March 22, 2012

Night and Day

If there's a single rule I adhere to when it comes to skin care, it's the importance of changing it up. No matter how effective a product is, I always find that it doesn't work as well if I use it nonstop for a few weeks. Once I switch to another product (often returning to ones I've neglected or put aside), my skin generally appreciates and responds positively to the shake up. I'm truly unfussy about the creams I put on my face and haven't really tried any higher end or specialised skin care brands. I just need SPF in my day cream and pretty much anything will do for my night cream (though bonus points if there's some hocus pocus marketing buzzwords in the ingredients so I can delude myself into thinking "science" is working its magic on my skin while I sleep). Here's a few products I've been rotating:

Day creams


Dove Energy Glow Brightening Moisturiser I bought this cheaply at Priceline when it was on sale. I'd been using and liking Dove's Energy Glow Night Cream, so I was hoping that I'd feel similarly about the day lotion. While the formula is quite similar, I don't tend to use this one in the mornings. Firstly, the artificially sweet scent is cloying and off-putting. There are shimmery particles in this which do give a brightening effect, but I'm not convinced that I want my moisturiser to be glittery. If there's one thing I do like, it's that there is a slight white cast to this lotion which effectively lightens the complexion.

Dove Essential Nutrients Day Cream The product I continue returning to, I've used this for years and gone through numerous jars. It's very moisturising in a way that can exacerbate oiliness of the T-zone, so I usually just use this on my cheeks. I appreciate the fact it has a light scent in contrast to Energy Glow. It also makes a great base for foundation because the moisturising properties of the cream eliminate any dry areas and really help to absorb the foundation into the skin and blend it smoothly.

Neutrogena Healthy Defence (Combination/Oily) This was a freebie with InStyle a couple of months ago which I thought was a good deal since the moisturiser retails for $17 and the magazine was about $8. Initially the main thing that attracted me to it was the high SPF. I'm used to relatively thick creams so I found the runny and thin consistency of this lotion a bit unusual. This isn't all that moisturising, but it is genuinely effective in terms of minimising oil production during the day. It's light and quickly absorbed without any greasiness. It forms a kind of slipperiness to the skin which helps foundation to absolutely glide on. I use this around my nose, chin and forehead, but Dove Essential Nutrients on my cheeks. Because I'm weird like that.

Night creams



Nivea Soft I've used this since I was a kid. The perfume is a little too strong and it's extremely greasy, but it's just easy. When I can't be bothered, I'll take a generous dollop of this onto my palm, rub my hands together, close my eyes and massage my whole face. Instant hydration, and then I get to sleep. At the end of 2010 while I was in Shanghai in the midst of a terribly dehydrating winter, Nivea Soft was nothing short of a lifesaver. I keep a small jar of this in my bag in case I notice my foundation has become a little cakey on parts of my face. A dab of this rubbed over the area removes any unsightly dry patches.

Dove Energy Glow Night Cream An old favourite and one I repurchased constantly, but I think it's been discontinued so I'm most likely down to my last jar. Somehow, the scent of the Energy Glow night cream isn't as overwhelmingly sweet as the day version. While the day lotion can get a little chalky and I really need to work it into the skin for it to be absorbed, the night cream is more moisturising and readily absorbed. It's still relatively light for a cream and non-greasy. I wish they still made this one.

Elizabeth Arden Perpetual Moisture 24 Cream Picked this up a while ago at Chemist Warehouse while it was on sale for $19.95 (RRP is $80 or something ridiculous). Considering it was only a few dollars more than the Dove and Nivea I normally use, I decided to give it a go. At first it seemed a lot like certain cheaper hydrating/cooling/cucumber/"aqua" type lotions I'd used in the past. But after using it for a few months, I find it really works in bringing dry skin back to life. This has been my go-to night cream of late, though it's not marketed as such. It's seriously hydrating but still light, non-greasy and quickly absorbed. You really only need a small amount for the whole face. I also like that it has a refreshing, green scent that isn't sickly sweet or overpowering.

9 comments:

  1. You have so many lotions compared to me! I don't care to admit it but I'm too relaxed with my skincare and don't really have too many products. It certainly doesn't do my skin any favours. My favourite face moisturiser is the old-school Clean and Clear one. It's light but still moisturising and it sinks in well - no greasy feeling whatsoever! x

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  2. I, like you, like rotating products in & out of my routine just to change things up a bit. Not as frequently, but I definitely see a difference when I switch! I will have to check out that Dove day cream - sounds like a winner!

    Following you now - hope you can do the same! Keep up the great reviews :)

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  3. I like to rotate my skincare as well and I'm not fussy in any way about it. I think it works better to do that :) Great post! I'll have to check out the 24 hr cream. I can't believe it retails for such a crazy price though!

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  4. I know what you mean about rotating through products. I find for me, it's especially true for shampoos. If I use the same shampoo for a few weeks, it starts to lose its effectiveness. Lovely post! <3

    ~ Yun

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  5. Now I'm jealous, why do you have so many products that I don't find in my country? Snif! :D
    Dove glow night cream seems great!

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  6. Wished dove and nivea sold those skin care lines here! So i could give them a try, I'm looking for a new night time moisturizer. Thanks for sharing! :))

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  7. I like this post! You should do more skincare posts! I notice you don't do as many posts on basic items, I mean, you have 2 skincare and 2 foundation posts, which is surprisingly few, especially for such a well-loved and comprehensive blogger. I should really shake up my skincare routine a bit more, especially since I'm looking at getting A LOT of liquid foundations (my big break into foundation!): Neutrogena Healthy Skin, and if that Bourjois sale comes around any time soon, I want to get at least the Healthy Mix Serum because I was swatching (again!) and I found that 53 in regular HM is a bit dark, but HM Serum is perfect. So with more makeup coming in, I'm looking for a new moisturiser and maybe a night cream. I want to save up for the Clarisonic Mia, but who knows how long that'll take... :) x

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    1. LOL I just realised my "A LOT" of liquid foundations were two. Well, there's the Skin79 bb cream too. A lot imo. :P

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    2. Lol Cherie, you're way too kind - I don't think my blog/blogging fits that description, but you're very sweet :) I guess I don't do as many skin care posts for two reasons. I don't know much about skin care and I don't use many skin care products and generally, skin care is not as popular as makeup/nail polish in the beauty blogging world. At least from my experience judging by the number of posts about it. I see that Priceline is coming out with a beauty bag but in the form of skin care from tomorrow - you have to spend $50 on participating brands but you get a whole heap of goodies (apparently valued at $220 RRP). I'm somewhat tempted, but I don't really know how much face cleanser and moisturiser I could buy with that before having way too much :p I basically only use two foundations on rotation at the moment, Missha Signature BB cream in #23 and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in #53. I find both of them quite good but not perfect. I've heard really good things about that Neutrogena foundation, except I haven't seen it sold anywhere here. Interesting that the shades between HM and HM Serum are different - I could've thought they were the same. If you're new to liquid foundation, I would go with HM Serum as it seems sheerer and lighter than the regular one. When I first started wearing foundation, I only blended a bit around my nose and corners of my mouth, before eventually progressing to my whole face with a buffing brush in the mornings. I guess start slow :) I'm interested in the Mia but I doubt I'll splurge on it. I don't know if it'll be effective on me and either way, my interest in skin care is significantly lower than my interest in cosmetics hehe :)

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