Antipodes Anti-Ageing Minis

Antipodes is a New Zealand brand focused on natural and organic skincare with scientific backing, to provide a product based in nature with great results. These are the first two products that I have tried from Antipodes and it is such a great introduction to the brand. I picked up this super cute little set in the Priceline 40% off skincare sale (it only ended up costing $12, bargain!). It includes the Joyous Protein-Rich Night Replenish Serum and the Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream.

The Joyous Protein-Rich Night Replenish Serum promises to repair dry and damaged skin and freshen the complexion. The Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream promises to prevent the signs of ageing along with soothing and mositurising the skin. It also promises to neutralise free radical damage.

The night cream smells AB-SO-LUTE-LY incredible, all herbal and fresh and slightly pear-sweet (turns out this is a combination of ylang ylang, jasmine and sandalwood, hah). I love applying this at night as it is so calming to the senses. The Joyous serum is so silky and delicious and smells clean with a slight tang of blackcurrant.

After cleansing and layering up on toner, I pat 2-3 drops of the Joyous serum all over my face, neck and décolletage, followed by a pea-sized amount of the night cream. The night cream is ultra-rich but easily spreads all over your skin. In the morning, I wake up with hydrated, smooth and plump skin that is (dare I say it?) soft to the touch. The night cream can feel a little greasy when you first put it on as it does not immediately sink in to the skin. For someone like me with dry skin, I relish the heavy feeling but for anyone with more of a combination skin type, this might be a bit much!

Over the five weeks that I have been using this pair nightly, I find my skin to be much smoother and clearer in general and, if anything, breakouts have been reduced and are healing quicker. I also haven't had any issues with dry, flaky skin, except the typical patch on the tip of my nose. Does anyone else have that problem?

Both products feature some wicked, skin-loving ingredients. The Joyous serum includes blackcurrant oil, goji berry extract, raspberry seed oil, hibiscus flower extract, Reishi mushroom extract, natural berry fragrance, essential oil components...and that's it! How's that for minimal ingredients? The Avocado Pear night cream has a shea butter base and includes vegetable-derived squalene (for hydration), avocado oil, manuka honey, macadamia nut oil, calendula oil, coconut oil, grapeseed extract, and vitamin E amongst others.

I am really keen to try out more from the Antipodes brand, what an amazing skincare range! I also might have noticed that they have a small makeup range when browsing their website...uh oh.

Price: $19.95 (Adore Beauty website - this particular set doesn't seem to be available from Priceline any more, but the full sizes are) [$1.00/mL] (the minis are a cheaper way to buy the serum, but you are better buying the night cream full size on a per mL basis)
Rate: scent, luxurious, ingredients, calming, improvement in skin appearance
Hate: relatively expensive for full-size purchase
Verdict: would definitely repurchase both (hopefully in full size)

Skincare

I like to subscribe to the Caroline Hirons method of skincare. Admittedly, it makes my skincare routine a helluva lot longer than it was a year or two ago, but the results for my skin make it 100% worth it. I thought I would take some time to explain my morning and evening skincare routines, which are more or less based on Caroline's, so that my reviews make a lot more sense in what I am actually looking for in a product.

Typical morning line-up

Morning:

1. Cleanser! I like to use a creamy, milky cleanser in the mornings that is light but will still get rid of any built-up sweat and gunk from overnight.
2. Hydrating toner to start the hydration process for my skin.
3. Eye cream. I apply this before serum so that it actually absorbs into the eye area.
4. Serum. I don't like to use an oil-based serum in the morning if I am going to be wearing makeup during the day as I find it doesn't sit as well on my skin. If I am staying home and not wearing makeup...bring on the oil! My skin can use all the extra hydration it can get.
5. Moisturiser. Because my skin is almost always dehydrated, I like to use a thick, creamy (not quite night cream level) moisturiser that will last the whole day.
6. SPF. Every day. It's Australia, you just cannot get away with not using an SPF.

Typical evening routine

Evening:

1. Double cleanse. My New Year's resolution is to try to do this as soon as I get home from work instead of letting my makeup sit on my skin until I'm ready to go to bed. More time for my skincare to do its work! My double cleansing method involves an oil-based makeup remover to get rid of eye makeup and the top layer of foundation and then a cream or oil-based (non-foaming) cleanser to massage the rest of the makeup and grime off my skin. Remove with a warm flannel.
2. Exfoliating acid toner. I use a mild exfoliating toner on a cotton pad swiped all over my face to keep my skin fresh rather than a traditional, manual scrubby exfoliator. Once in the evening is enough - using it in the morning as well can cause problems in my skin. I find chemical/acid exfoliating works much better for my skin, but if I'm out of my acid toner I will use a manual exfoliator two to three times a week.
3. Hydrating toner, as for the morning routine.
4. Eye cream.
5. Serum. Here I will layer a few treatments if my skin needs it. Water-based serums first and oil-based serums last.
6. Night cream. A nourishing layer of night cream or facial oil depending on how my skin is going. And, done!

Chemical vs. manual exfoliation products

There you go. Yes, it's a good few layers of skincare morning and night but the change in my skin since I've adopted a good routine is incredible. It's all worth it - even the boy has seen a lot of improvement in his skin after adding a few extra steps to his skincare routine as well ;) Again, all credit to Caroline Hirons for the basis of these routines and skincare tips. She's a genius and has definitely revolutionised the way I take care of my skin.

Burt's Bees Sensitive Night Cream

I have always loved Burt's Bees products, especially their lip balms, and the gorgeous retro-style packaging. Their products always have a homely feel. Whenever I'm running low on Burt's Bees, I will jump on one of their Grab Bag promotions, which include a big range of products at a discounted price. They actually have two of these running on their Australian site at the moment which you can check out here.

I received their Sensitive Night Cream in a Grab Bag I purchased in winter and have been using it ever since. It's not a very thick cream, fragrance free and absorbs into the skin really quickly. One thing that I did love about this night cream was that it never caused any redness in my skin straight after application, which tends to be a common occurrence with other products.

My skin tends to be really dry and can be flakey with the changes between seasons. I prefer to use a much thicker night cream to keep my skin nourished and avoid any dryness, so whilst this night cream is really gentle and nourishing, it isn't the best suited to my skin type. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with oily skin or for someone looking for a lighter option over summer.

A downside to this night cream is the packaging. Given the runny texture of the cream (more of a lotion), I would have liked to see it in pump packaging. So much more hygienic and you always distribute the exact right amount. Although, the glass jar does look very classy sitting on my dressing table.

In terms of ingredients, this night cream has a really lovely base of natural ingredients including sunflower seed oil, cotton flower extract, aloe vera, and shea butter. It doesn't contain SLS, mineral oil or synthetic fragrance (winning!) but it does have small amounts of phenoxyethanol (a synthetic preservative) that can be toxic in high concentrations, though I'm not worried about the amount in this, just something to be aware of.

Price: $29.95 (Burt's Bees website) [$0.60/g]
Rate: fragrance free, gentle, natural ingredients
Hate: thin texture, glass jar packaging
Verdict: would not repurchase, as it does not suit my skin type