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2014: The Year of Oils

I have always been quite fond of beauty oils, but they have never really formed a big part of my beauty regimen. Last year changed that. 2014 saw amazing skin and hair oil launches and I also had the opportunity to try products that have been around for a while. I have fallen in love with so many oils that it is quite difficult to choose a clear favourite in each category so I decided to give you a round up of products that I highly recommend you give a try.

Essential-Oils

 

FACE

In the past I have been weary of facial oils as I was always worried that they would cause more oiliness and congestion, but I quickly learnt that it is not the case. Facial oils work wonders for my skin especially during the winter months as my skin can become very dull and even flaky. Change of season is particularly harsh on my skin and oils have proved to be lifesavers. Winners include Lipidol Overnight Face Oil, L’Oreal’s Age Perfect Extraordinary Oil and Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse (and yes… this oil is as good as they say). An oil that deserves a very special mention is Naturals Beauty’s Sweet Orange Wrinkle Banisher. This oil takes top spot on days that my skin is very sensitive. It is amazing and I will be making sure that I have enough of this beaut in my stash when winter comes a knockin’. This is most definitely one of my best beauty buys of 2014.

I also tried a couple oil cleansers and two really stood out: Dermalogica’s PreCleanse and Lipidol’s Cleansing Face Oil. You will note in my review of the Lipidol Cleansing Face Oil that I liked it as a pre-cleanser, but I don’t use it just for removing make-up anymore. It has proven to be a perfect morning cleanser and it works beautifully as a second cleanse. It has been a godsend on sensitive skin days and this product will be repurchased again and again.

BODY

My skin is very dry and body oils work the best to combat scaly, dull skin. Favourites of 2014 include Lipidol’s After Shower Oil and the REN Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra-Moisture Body Oil. I have recently discovered Nivea’s Firming Body Oil and I adore it! It is light, absorbs very well and does not aggravate my eczema-prone skin. It is true love, people. Well worth a go. Yet another Lipidol product that deserves 5 stars is the Lipidol Sunscreen Oil. It feels like the After Shower Oil but with an added SPF… need I say more? One of my best beauty discoveries of all time is the TanOrganic Self Tanning Oil. I am allergic to the chemicals in self-tanning products, but this organic self-tanner gives my a gorgeous tan with no negative reaction. Read my full review HERE.

HAIR

I don’t think a day has gone by that I have not used a hair oil since discovering what a major difference it has made to the condition, look and feel of my dry, chemically treated hair. To treat my hair I love to use Africa Organics Hair Treatment Oil (I love their hair care products) or good old organic coconut oil. To treat and style, INOAR Extreme Premium Oil and Moroccanoil can’t be beat. My full Moroccanoil review is on it’s way. I now understand why the brand has such a cult following. Great budget-friendly options include Dark and Lovely Amla Legend Oil and OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco (available at Foschini).

xoxo

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Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Review

I have been coveting the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse multi-usage dry oil for months now (a friend told me about it after she spotted it in a mag – dankie Hester!) and I have been green with envy every time I read a review. I have not heard a single bad thing about this product. At our first #BloggersWhoBless event I spotted a 10ml bottle of this precious oil in our bag of spoils and all I wanted to do was go home, wash my face and try it out. Is it really as fabulous as it claims to be?

Hell yes! I love it. A few drops is enough to cover my face and neck and it sinks in immediately. My skin is left feeling so soft and supple that I can’t keep my hands away from my face. It smells lovely too. We all know that facial oils are beneficial and can be used on all skin types. I was still a bit worried to try it on my face as the past couple of weeks have been terribly hot and my skin tends to look like an oil slick within a couple of hours after cleansing. Damn hot and humid I tell you! But because the oil doesn’t sit on your skin, I never felt as though I was suffocating and my skin did not seem to be more oily than usual after using this. I have only used it on my face, neck and hands as I am way too stingy and I want this bottle to last me a long time (or at least till my birthday next month… family and friends reading this?!). Even though I am using it very sparingly, I think the big bottle will last you ages. A little goes a long way.

Here is a little bit more on the oil (as per the Nuxe website):

‘98.1% of the ingredients in this Dry Oil are of natural origin, it is a unique combination of 30% Precious Plant Oils and Vitamin E to nourish, repair and soften your face, body and hair in a single step. Your face and body are left feeling soft and silky. Your hair is supple, soft and shines with health.’

I am enjoying every single drop of this oil and this is a product that I will definitely buy for myself. This is going to be invaluable during the colder months.

You can get yourself one at Truworths: ZAR210 for 50ml and ZAR330 for 100ml. I think the 100ml bottle is a great buy.

Have you tried this oil? What do you think?

On a side note… look out for limited addition bottles like this one. Thanks Heather for making me want it even more!

 

I love Paris in the Spring time!


xoxo

 
 

*Disclaimer: This product was sponsored and received at an event. I have not received compensation for this post and the opinions are my own.