My Skin Consultation with Caroline Hirons

Last week I met with the Caroline Hirons, UK skincare guru and all round lovely person, for a skin consultation. In Sydney I see Amy Erbacher who is amazing ... but Sydney is a long way from London which makes keeping stock of my current skincare products by Aspect a bit of a logistical nightmare. Having been an avid reader of Caroline's blog (which you can see here), I was keen to share with her my skincare woes and to see if she could tweak my regime and recommend products that are more accessible now that i'm based in London.

My and Caroline taking a selfie ... as you do ...

Caroline consults from a lovely office just off Westbourne Grove. Be warned shopping friends, this neighbourhood is dangerous. I may or may not have taken advantage of the Claudie Pierlot half price sale that was taking place across the road! Caroline in real life was a lot of fun. She even obliged me with a selfie! She also has amazing skin as you would expect and she knows her products like the back of her hand. She was able to asses my skin issues and recommend affordable and attainable alternatives.

My hormones have been through the wringer over the years due to several rounds of fertility treatment, and there is evidence of it on my skin. Caroline was able to go through the extensive list of products that I own and help whittle it down to what my skin really needs in this climate. She recommended products at several different price points and I really got the feel that her extensive knowledge meant she could confidently cherry-pick the best of what is out there.

The samples - I am totally in love with the Aesop Fabulous Face Oil already!

One key message that came across was - don't buy your skincare from a makeup brand and don't buy your makeup from a skincare brand. This makes sense and I should really have known this already. Another interesting point was the issue of SPF and vitamin D deficiencies - while you obviously still need to use an SPF in the UK, I don't need to be quite as strict on it as I have been. I also discovered that the eye cream Eyesilix from Indeed Labs is not suitable for those in my age bracket.

Following my consultation I have picked up a couple of new products to work in with what I already have - the RMS Coconut Cream cleansing balm, the Ole Henriksen Truth Is In The Eyes peel and the REN Omega 3 serum. I will also be buying myself  a few new face flannels to use in my cleansing regime.

Caroline Hiron's approved!

Meeting with Caroline is not as hard as you may think, just go to her website and request an appointment (here). It may take a little while to get seen, but the wait times were not ridiculous when I booked.

And if you are based in Sydney, go and see Amy (contact details here), she is brilliant.

Come Fly With Me - My Realistic Long Haul Flying Routine

Throughout the year I do my fair share of flying, but it is usually short hops within Europe with the odd trip to NYC thrown in. However, once a year I fly home to Sydney and that flight puts the LONG into long haul. For those British readers who are unaware, to get to Sydney you must endure two flights, each of which are between 8-12 hours. Your entire body is confused, your stomach wants a steak at 6am and no amount of coffee or alcohol can make you feel better. This joyful experience is happening to me and my family next week and the only way I can cope with the thought is by planning a few little in-flight skin treats to look forward to.

Once you have taken off and got your little ones settled, slip into the bathroom and do a quick cleanse of your face. I think this is one of the only times that Caroline Hirons supports the use of facial wipes, so go for it. They are easy to transport and cost effective. Take off all your makeup as if you are going to bed. Then it is time for some moisturising action. If you can't get to the bathroom, you can even do this step in your seat.

I picked up these masks in Boots recently on a 3 for 2 offer. The Moisture Boosting Mask is the one i'm going to use on-board. Once my face is cleansed, smooth this on and like it states on the back - 'leave on overnight for an extra moisture injection'. Apply some really good lip balm, I am using the Malin + Goetz Mojito one which you can read about here, and I will continue to reapply this incessantly throughout the flight. Now sit back and relax.

Face masks by The Sanctuary Spa, available at Boots

Before you land, slip back in to the bathroom and wash off the mask with water. Apply a layer of Hydraluron (you can read more about this wonder product here), then apply a generous layer of moisturiser. For this purpose, i'm using my Keihls Ultra Facial cream (details here).  

If you want to take it one step further, I recommend a quick application of tinted moisturiser and concealer before you disembark to pep you up. Slide on some lip gloss and you are good to go. As a good friend once advised me - 'you've got to touch up before you touch down' !! 

I'm also slipping this little multi-purpose balm 'Coiffette' by Jao into my carry-on, the makes of the fabulous Goe Oil. It moisturises cuticles, hair and skin and smells lovely.

My Cold Weather Survival Kit

It is only October but already temperatures have plumeted, central heating has gone on and it feels icy and bitter. I shudder to think that we have another possible 6 months of this. I arrived in London in January of this year and my mood and my skin took a little bit of time to get used to our new surroundings. This year I am going in to Winter armed with particular products to help me make it through. 

The Lip Scrub by Sarah Happ in Brown Sugar - a brown sugar flavoured exfoliating treatment for dry, wind ravaged lips. £19.00 from Beauty Bay here.

Malin & Goetz lip balm in Mojito - I received a sample size of this on a Qantas flight once and had to buy the full sized product it was that good. A clear gel which lasts for hours. I wouldn't be without it. £10.00 from Space NK here or $18 from Mecca Cosmetica here.

Clinique Deep Comfort Hand & Cuticle Cream - not until I lived in such a cold climate did I understand the need for hand cream but come February this is an absolute must every day. This is one of the best I have found. £18.00 from Clinique online here (UK) and here (Australia).

Hyradluron by Indeed Labs - a transparent gel that you apply under your regular moisturiser to super-charge your regular moisturiser. Caroline Hirons swears by it (her review here) which means the rest of the world follows suit. £24.99 from Boots here and $34.99 from Priceline in Australia here.

Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream - I picked this up before a ski trip earlier this year and was delighted to find how quickly it absorbed and how nourishing it felt on my skin. £24.00 from Kiehls here (UK) and $34 here (Australia).

Kora Organics Hydrating Mask - A Friday night in winter just isn't complete with a bath and a facial mask. This is the first product from the Kora range I have tried and i'm impressed! £37.00 from Netaporter here.

I'm really thankful that I will be having a Winter break and am heading home for a month for Christmas and New Year. Sydney - i'm coming for you! 

Indeed Labs - Nanoblur, Hydraluron, Pepta-Bright and Eysilix

Indeed Labs is a skincare range that launched here in the UK last year. They have been reviewed lots and lots - with mostly rave reviews - so I was super keen to get my hands on some of their products. They are sold exclusively through Boots in the UK and Priceline in Australia which means one main thing - affordable prices and easy availability. First up I love the no-nonsense packaging. A tube is by far the best way to dispense a product. I have previously described my frustration at pump dispensers and open jars of creams!

The first product I tried was Nanoblur which was a shame really as it was my least favourite. It is a skin perfecting cream that can be mixed with makeup, applied under  or over makeup and reduces the appearance of fine lines and age spots. I found the consistency of the cream to be a little strange. It didn't sit well under my makeup as I found the product just balled up and didn't sink into the skin. When I tried patting it in over my makeup it didn't blend well either and seemed to disturb my foundation in an unflattering way. I love the idea of it, I love the before and after photo's on their website (which you can see here) but it didn't work for me in practice, and I tried over several weeks. If you have tried this product and have an opinion I would love to hear so pop it in the comments box below. Nanoblur costs £19.99 from Boots here and $29.99 from Priceline here.

The second product I tried though is the bomb.  Hyrdaluron is probably the best known in the range. It is a clear gel that you apply under your moisturiser which boosts the action of your moisturiser due to the pure form of hyaluronic acid the product contains. If you want to read more of the science behind how the product works then go here. From my experience, it certainly plumped up my skin and sorted out some dry patches I had on my cheeks. I think it is going to be a fantastic product to use for some long haul flying I have coming up. A massive thumbs up from me and pretty much anyone I know who has tried it. It costs £24.99 at Boots here and $34.99 at Priceline here.

The eye cream Eysilix is also fantastic. I bought this after reading rave reviews on Caroline Hirons blog (here) . It is a really good eye cream for a really good price. My only gripe is that a little like the Nanoblur, I find it doesn't sit nicely under foundation. Am I using too much product? I'm not sure but I have trialled it over several weeks and have regaled it to being my night eye cream for this reason. It costs £24.99 from Boots here and $34.99 from Priceline here.

Pepta-Bright is another product to apply prior to your moisturiser that helps reduce any pigmentation and age spots while also encouraging radiant skin. I am unsure about this one as so far I haven't seen any real tangible results however I haven't been using it religiously. I may have to do a concentrated effort and report back in a few weeks on this one. It costs £29.99 from Boots here. It is not currently showing on the Priceline website so it may be out of stock at the moment. 

Speaking of Caroline Hirons, if you love reading about skincare and product reviews from someone who really, really knows her stuff you should check out her blog here. I am booked in to have a skin consultation with her in 2 weeks and I cannot wait. I see the fabulous Amy Erbacher in Sydney (who you can find here), but sadly my skin has changed due to the different climate in the UK and it is not behaving as it should. I'm hoping Caroline can put me back on track. Stay tuned as I will definitely be reporting back once I have seen her.