Plant Essentials, Townsville

As some of you may know if you follow my Youtube channel, I am currently in Australia. I wanted to experience some local skincare (natural skincare, of course) while I was here, so I popped into Plant Essentials on Flinders Street to check out their stock.

It turns out they have their own line of natural skincare made with a lot of natural ingredients and based in aromatherapy. The shop smells amazing! Their products are made locally and are free from:
-Petrochemicals
-Synthetic Preservatives
-Colours
-Fragrances
-Animal Testing

Plant Essentials: Walnut & Fennel Eye Cream and Hemp Cream

I picked up their Walnut and Fennel Eye Cream and Hemp Cream.

The eye cream comes in what seems like a huge amount for an eye cream. It's 25ml of product and comes with a pump for about $17 AUS. The consistency is incredibly light, almost to the point of being comparable to a cleansing milk. The fennel scent predominates, but the overall smell is light and not overpowering! It absorbs well into the skin and does not leave the area feeling greasy or oily in any way, so this is perfect for a daytime eye cream.

I asked the lady in the shop to advise me on the best moisturising product to tackle eczema and she pointed me in the direction of the Hemp Cream. It's 125ml with an open-close pump for about $18 AUS. Cocoa and I have both been using this product non-stop since buying it, and may have to go back for another!

I have used it on heat rash, which cleared up overnight; Cocoa uses it on his sunburn and eczema for extra hydration. It smells like Club Lemon: a strong zesty, citrus scent which pulls towards lime. It does have lime essential oil in it, so I'm wary of applying it during the day in case of photosensitisation, but I do love it at night.

Again, it has a lovely light consistency that melts into the skin. The scent is stronger in this product and I would keep it away from the face for this reason.

Altogether Plant Essentials is a lovely shop with friendly, helpful staff! I would recommend it if you are in the Townsville area!

The Skincare Tag

I just read Naturalla Beauty's version of this tag and it looked like a fun and interesting post to do! Technically she didn't specifically tag me, but she welcomed anyone to do a post... So here I go. I am used to doing tags on YouTube, but I'm going to embrace them on my blog as well. :)

Describe your skincare routine in 5 words:
Cleanse– I love to keep my skin clean and free of excess makeup. Although I am guilty of flopping into bed with a full face on occasionally, I am usually thrilled to take my makeup off at the end of the day.

Spritz–This step is crucial to helping my moisturiser be absorbed by my skin. I use rose water or George's Alway Aloe.

Hydrate–As a dry-skinned girl, I need to keep my skin plump and soft with moisture. I use mainly oils such as avocado, argan and jojoba.

Protect–Especially in the summer months, I use SPF to protect my skin. Zinc Oxide is my preferred SPF and I'm currently using Andalou tinted BB cream and Davita Solar Protect.

Pamper–A girl's gotta give herself some pamper time! I love to don a mask while I'm in the bath, usually home-made. There are some excellent recipes online for whatever your skin is currently dealing with!

Andalou Naturals BB Cream and Devita Solar Protective Moisturiser

What's your skin type?
I have dry skin for the most part.

What's your favourite skincare product?
I absolutely adore rose water. I love most things that I can spritz on my face, but rose water tops that list. It smells amazing, rehydrates parched skin, preps my face for serums or moisturisers, helps prevent breakouts.. did I mention that it smells amazing? It's like a mini aromatherapy session; I'm a sucker for anything that smells lovely. The best thing about rose water is that it is suitable for all skin types, from dry to acne prone! I recommend one without alcohol and that is made with essential oil as opposed to synthetic fragrance for the best benefits.

Rose Water

Top blemish zapper?
I've recently been suffering from some hormonal acne, so I've been experimenting with some natural acne remedies. So far, I've been loving using an acidic wash such as lemon or apple cider vinegar (both diluted with water at least 50/50). I swipe a cotton round over the affected area and leave on for 5-10 minutes, then rinse off.

I also love using tea tree oil (at night) on stubborn blemishes to reduce bacteria and keep it clean.

Face wipes: yay or nay?
Absolutely NAY! I haven't met a face wipe that hasn't completely irritated my skin, especially around the eye area. It actually makes me cringe to see anyone using a face wipe on their face. I would use them to clean my hands in an emergency, that's about it.

Toner: yay or nay?
I say yay. My skin is not in particular need of 'toning' but I do use either rose water or George's Always Aloe spray to mist my face before moisturiser.

High-end skincare or high-end makeup?
Skincare. I'm not a fan of high-end prices, but I am a fan of high-end quality. If the product works for my skin, I will usually sacrifice paying more for it. For example, I'll usually fork out more to get an organic version of a product. High-end does not necessarily mean high-quality, so I look for products that work for me rather than the most expensive.

What's the most unnusual skin care product you've tried?
I once had a charcoal mask by The Sanctuary that heated up once it was on my face! It was such an odd sensation, but I loved it. I think it's quite a common thing for clay masks to heat up, but that's the only one that I've tried.

You're in a pharmacy and can only pick one item up–what is it?
Coconut Oil. If they stock coconut oil, that would be my first pick. I use it all over my body as a moisturiser, after shave balm, hair treatment, lip balm, face moisturiser and sometimes as a makeup remover.

Organic Coconut Oil

Tell us your top skincare tips?
Eat more fruit.
Drink more water.
Get more sleep.

Water and Oranges

These three things are so important. People sometimes neglect these areas and think they can 'fix' their skin with lotions and potions. It's so much more effective to get radiant skin from the inside!