Salon Skin Care: Dermalogica

If like me you are big into skin care, you are really spoilt for choice when it comes to great skin care brands. There are so many that I enjoy to use, but I do have a soft spot for so called salon skin care. I love the concept of getting a professional consultation and treatment and then to be able to continue maintain my skin using the same products at home. Another benefit of salon skin care is that you're less likely to be bedazzled by fantastic looking packaging and glamorous marketing. Instead it's all about the quality of the products and proven results, and a few great examples of brands like these is Gatineau, Décleor, Elemis and Dermalogica.

This is the first post in a series on salon skin care and I thought I would start with a brand that I actually haven't tried much from - Dermalogica. Since I had only tried the Daily Microfoliant previously, I was very interested to try some other items from their range. 

First up is the Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel* which is a nice and light soap free gel cleanser, with a lovely invigorating scent of subtle lavender. Apply the gel to slightly moist skin and you'll find that despite being soap free it works up a really good lather and gives a great deep cleanse without dehydrating the skin or leaving any tightness. The formula contains mint balm, which helps to balance the production of oil in your skin and as such it's perfect for oily to combination skin, but it also works really well on my skin which is normal to combination, controlling the oil and shininess of the T-zone. You can use this as part of your morning and evening routine, but since my skin isn't particularly oily I especially like to use it in the evening. First I use a separate eye make up remover, and then the cleansing gel for a relaxing and thorough cleanse, getting rid of any grittiness and build up of impurities after a long day of wearing makeup, leaving the skin feeling very refreshed.

The most famous Dermalogica product is probably the Daily Microfoliant* and it almost has sort of a cult status with a loyal following amongst celebrities and models alike. It's a dry exfoliating powder based on rice extracts which are great for a gentle but deep cleanse, and you mix the powder with a little bit of water to create a frothy paste. It's tender enough to be used on daily basis, after an initial cleanse to polish and decongest the skin to reveal a glowing complexion.It's very effective and leaves your skin supple and velvety smooth.

As I mentioned earlier I had tried this product before, but after an initial honeymoon period when I loved the soft and bright skin that it gave me I stopped using it since it caused tiny little breakouts to appear on my skin - and it was exactly the same for me this time around. It is a nice and gentle exfoliant that definitely gives results, but unfortunately it also gives me skin irritations so it's not for me and it won't be getting a permanent place on my bathroom shelf.

After using the exfoliator my skin was a little uneven, and with tiny red marks I desperately needed something calming and comforting (for my skin, not just my nerves), so I was interested to see what the Dermalogica Ultra Calming Relief Masque* intended specifically for sensitive skin, could do to improve the situation. The formula has a lovely silky, pearlescent consistency and it instantly soothes and calms angry skin. I used about half of the sachet for each application, so I managed to get two luxurious pampering sessions out of it. I know my skin has a tendency to be dehydrated and it almost drank up all of the masque leaving very little to be wiped away with a hot towel after 10 mins. My skin felt completely calmed down afterwards and I would definitely recommend it to anyone with sensitive skin and I can imagine it would also be lovely to minimise redness from harsh windy weather or sunburn, or even for Him Indoors to care for any razor burns. A real treat!

 

Since I spend most of my day staring at a computer screen, it's very important to me to care for the delicate area around the eyes and having tested quite a lot of eye creams and I now know exactly what I'm looking for. It needs to be rich, hydrating, nourishing and protecting anti-ageing qualities. As you can tell I'm demanding to say the least, when it comes to eye creams and the Dermalogica Total Eye Care* was up against a very tough critic. The consistency is amazingly light and whipped, almost mousse like and it has a lovely buff colored tint to it as well for an instant subtle under eye coverage. It also has light reflecting particles that help to add brightness and to reduce the appearance of puffiness and dark circles. The long list of ingredients all intend to hydrate, strengthen and smooth the eye area, which is exactly what I'm after. You only need a tiny grain sized amount and it's so creamy that it blends into the skin immediately, leaving it feeling buttery smooth and protected, without any tackiness or oilyness.

 

Of course you can use the eye cream both in the day or during the night, but because of the subtle coverage and the light reflecting ingredients this eye cream really work at its best during the day time. I would even say that you may not need to use an under eye concealer since the cream does that for you. I was a harsh critic, but this eye cream easily won me over and I am absolutely blown away by how lovely this is. It's so pleasant and refreshing to wear, it give a lovely radiant glow to the under eye area and most importantly, it keeps the hydration throughout the day and in the evening my skin stills feel soft and smooth - I will definitely be repurchasing it.

If you're tempted to add some Dermalogica products to your routine, Beauty900 has a vast selection to choose from and they also offer free delivery and samples with every order - and we all like free samples now don't we!