Tuesday 10 January 2012

Antipodes Divine Face Oil



I was asked if I could recommend a facial oil on Twitter today. And obviously I was very happy to oblige! But this made me realise how I get asked a lot of questions about facial oils. Probably because I rant about them to anyone who will listen. After discovering how good facial oils were I more or less ditched every other moisturiser I was using and subsequently told almost every person I met who may have merely hinted (probably with regret) at their vague interest at what I might be using on my skin.

So.... Oh yes, I have been happily using facial oils for about 8 or 9 months now. The Antipodes Divine Face Oil has been my current love. It's a beautiful blend of avocado, macadamia, jojoba and rosehip oils in that order and if you've been paying attention even slightly you will already know how good all these plant oils are for your skin. If not, quick recap:

Avocado oil is rich in chlorophyll which, along with lutein, is what gives it that gorgeous green colour. Chlorophyll and lutein are a potent antioxidants and these help support skin cell function, eliminating toxins and free radicals roaming around your body, willy-nilly. Or something like that. And, let me say that again, and avocado oil has been credited with stimulating collagen production by up to 51%. Good grief. That's actual 'charts and graphs' proof for you right there.

In fact all these oils deliver powerful and naturally balanced essential fatty acids into the skin. These act to promote skin healing, reduce inflammation and sun-damage, deliver moisture deep into the dermal layers, keep skin hydrated and retain its elasticity. You couldn't ask for more.

I feel like quoting Jimmy Nail at this point, "Ain't no doubt it's plain to see...." *insert own lyrics now*  "...a facial oil like that is..." *original lyrics* "good for me!" Please note: Geordie accent is optional of course. That's enough of that.

The Divine Face Oil smells just that, divine, it's a light subtle fragrance of ylang ylang, jasmine and sweet orange. It absorbs quickly, giving you time to massage it in but without leaving you time to sit there and notice how you really need to dust your dressing table more often. And it can be used morning and night. And I do. Both.

It's simple, it's very effective. I never feel like I've missed a step of my skincare routine. My skin feels comfortable and moisturised without feeling sticky or greasy in any way. Plus it lasts all day. It seems to be giving my skin exactly what it needs. And I thoroughly recommend that!

It's also very reasonable in price too (at least it is when you are used to paying well over twenty-smackeroons for facial products...) at £18.99 and I can tell you I have been using mine for a good three months now and I'm still going with this bottle so it's fair value for money.

So there you go. Listen to Jimmy!

Antipodes Divine Light Facial Oil is £18.99 for 25ml
I bought mine from Naturisimo I believe...

8 comments:

  1. Great review, I don't use oils during the day but I do like them as an overnight treatment especially in the winter months

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  2. This sounds really nice, the only oil out those I've used is jojoba, so I'd love to try all the other ones. I've heard good things about all of them!

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  3. Do you prefer this over the Pai BioRegenerate Rosehip Oil? I have combo-ish skin, with spots (lovely) and I'm not afraid of oils at all! I swear, whenever I used products with 'rose' or 'rosehip' in them, I think my face gets worse. Maybe I'm crazy? I have Pai's Geranium and Thistle mousturiser, but I think I need something a wee bit more during the evening...

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    1. I'm not sure about rosehip and acne prone skin though in my research for others I have seen this flagged up as something to be weary of. I think it's a case of when your skin is already inflamed and angry its best to avoid, but DON"T quote me on that... I really haven't researched it enough to know. I love the Pai oil, its very potent and I think its a really good option for a pure rosehip oil. If you don't get on with it, try avocado oil maybe? Like this one. NYR do a neat avocado oil 100% which I'm going to try next. Maybe think about diet and the ph of your skin if you are prone to bouts of spots...Also where they appear on your face can hint at where the imbalance in your body is e.g. around the mouth for example is related to hormones. Hope that helps, thanks for commenting :-)

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  4. Hey Sarah, can you explain how you use it - i.e. under make-up or just overnight, with or without Moisturiser etc.

    I use Nude replenishing Night oil and its great but thats specifically for use at night and I dont think it would be ok under make-up etc.

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    1. Well most people don't like using oil before make up application because a water based moisturiser supposedly takes less time to absorb. But I don't really agree with this and wonder if this is a myth that has arisen from using mineral oils and the problem of skin over reacting to these oils contained either in the moisturiser or the foundation they use. Perhaps?

      Obviously everyone's skin is different but I use mine morning and night and I don't think it takes any time to absorb whatsoever. In fact, because it delivers such a whack of nourishment I use less of it, instead of slapping on the cream because it doesn't feel like its enough. If that makes sense. And I don't get a slick of oil in the afternoon. I mean I do have an oily T zone but it makes no difference whether I've used an oil in the day or a cream. IN fact, I do think I have less oily skin after switching to natural skincare and natural mineral foundation. I even used coconut oil based foundation (RMS) and it doesn't result in the oil slick you might expect!

      The Nude night oil might contain a fair bit of jojoba which is actually a wax ester at room temperature and this does take a little bit of time to absorb in my experience??

      Thanks for commenting! Sorry for the essay!

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  5. hi, thanks for the review. i was recently told i have dehydrated skin so doing some research into what i need to use before buying. i'm currently torn between this oil and caudalie's sos serum....can you help me made a choice?! :)

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  6. Hi Thanks for commenting! I haven't tried the Caudalie products - tempted but I usually spot an ingredient in there that I don't like. I can very much recommend this oil but you might be interested in the facial oils by Neal's Yard ( currently trying out the Frankincense oil) and see my post on Suti for one of my favourite oils.

    Loving the cream cleanser and exfoliator form Antipodes too right now - I think they are a great brand with very effective products.

    Let me know which one you choose. (NUDE also gets very good reviews though I haven't tried that either!! YET!)

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