Iope Essential Skin Boosting Serum Review

Iope Essential Skin Boosting Serum, 40ml

Late last year I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Iope Super Box from Memebox.com for a very reasonable price. Out of all the products I received, I wasn't overly excited about this serum, and wrote it off as moisturising product my skin didn't need. But even oily skin can become dehydrated. I still experience dry and flaky patches of skin around my cheeks and nose, which become blatantly obvious when I wear makeup. All you want to do is just peel it off, but that just makes it worse. When it finally dawned on me that maybe I did need some moisturising products in my skincare, I decided to give this product a go. This serum claims to boost hydration and prevent dehydration. It also works to maintain the right balance on your skin by strengthening its natural healing power and "moisture lock-in capability".

Ingredients: Water, alcohol, butylene glycol, cyclopentasiloxane, dipropylene glycol, glycerin, PPG-17, cyclohexasiloxane, dimethicone, nacinamide, squalane, lactobacillus (soybean) ferment extract, dimethiconol, phenoxyethanol, tromethamine, acrylates (c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, carbomer, fragrance, ethylhexylyglycerin, monascus (rice) ferment, saccharomyces, barley seed ferment filtrate, disodium EDTA, alpha-clucan oligosaccharide, witch hazel, soybean.

This serum has a light, watery texture that absorbs into the skin fast, without leaving any trace or icky film on the skin. My skin feels plump and soft after I use this, but what I really love is that it's not too moisturising that I can't use my serums afterwards. It has a light, floral scent on par with the rest of Iope and Laneige products, and doesn't irritate my skin (or my senses!) The pump is absolutely fantastic as well, it dispenses the perfect amount of product, and although it does come in a frosted bottle, it's possible to see how much is left with proper lighting.

Results weren't immediate, but after a week of regular use I noticed a huge difference in the dry patches around my cheeks. They had basically disappeared. When I wear foundations and BB creams now, I hardly notice any flakiness or scaliness anymore, nothing huge I feel obliged to tear away from my face anyway. It also hasn't caused any congestion or breakouts, and although my skin is still oily, I have been breaking out a lot less lately, and I think it's because I've finally lost my battle with sebum-controlling and oil stripping products and moved on to more moisturising products that actually keep my skin balanced and healthy.

Kosmea Rose Hip Oil Review*

Kosmea Certified Organic Rose Hip Oil, 10mls

Before I had extracted the final drops from my old Trilogy Rose Hip Oil, I was very fortunate to be sent the Kosmea Rose Hip Oil to trial. I've been curious about Kosmea's products for a while now, being certified organic, and an Australian owned brand, I thought it would be interesting to compare the differences of this oil to other foreign brand's that I've tried.

Ingredients: Rose Eglanteria Seed Oil

What I love about this product is that it's pure rosehip oil, free from harmful chemicals, colourants, fragrances, mineral oils and animal products.  Many Rosehip Oils out there on the market have a lot of extra ingredients packed into their product, which can be a bit of a hit and miss for some. This one is the purest I've come across on the market. Kosmea claim to extract the rose hip oil without heat or solvents like other brands, retaining all the anti-aging vitamins, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants that are naturally found in the plant. It's 100% USDA certified organic, and protects, repairs and adds radiance to your skin.

Comparison between the Kosmea & Trilogy Oils

This has to be the thickest rose-hip oil I've come across so far. A little goes a long way, and even though I only have a 10ml bottle it has lasted me three months. It has a very strong scent, and in the comparison photo above, you can see how much thicker and purer the oil is compared to Trilogy's which is very light in colour and texture. I've found that this is definitely a night-time only product for me. Because it is quite thick and has a very distinct orange tone it can make my skin look dark and oily. The oily texture has had no adverse effects on my acne or blackheads though. And obviously because it is a lot thicker, it does take a little longer for the product to absorb, but when it does it's barely noticeable.

There's been a huge change in the texture of my skin when I use this oil, it makes the skin feel incredibly smooth and silky, more so than any other brand I've tried so far.  I've also been using it on my legs and it really helps to heal my scars and sooth irritation from ingrown hairs and regrowth.

I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in trying out rose hip, and for anyone who is after a 'pure' oil that will help with scarring, texture, and anti-aging. It's pretty reasonably priced as well, about on par with Trilogy's oils (the 24mls is around $25). It's an Australian owned brand, and are currently stocked at David Jones stores around Australia.

(*This product was sent to me for reviewing purposes. Check my disclaimer for more information.)