Lockdown Skincare - Part I

Clear pigmentation-free skin has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. After Ezra was born and the pregancy glow had gone, my blemishes took a turn for the worse. I really wanted to take care of my skin, especially as we were in a lockdown with nowhere to go and no need to cover my face in make up.

By chance, I was scrolling through Instagram when Motherly went live with Marcia Kilgore, the brilliantly beautiful mind behind BeautyPie. It was fantastic and before it was over I knew I finally had to sign up. I‘ve been a member since then, July 2020, and it’s been the best move I’ve made for my skin.

In case you’re late to the party, BeautyPie is a luxury skin care club. You decide if you want to join or not. If you don’t join, you can still buy the products but you pay industry standard prices on what you put in your cart. If you do join, you pay a monthly membership rate which allows you to buy products at a discounted rate within the limit based on the membership tier you choose.

Memberships range from £5 - £20 a month or you can pay annually. I’m on the £10 a month membership and I can order up to £100 worth of products at a discounted price. Over the past 7 months, I’ve slowly grown my pie stash and have genuinely loved everything I’ve bought and enjoyed taking a few minutes out of each day to spend on my skincare routine.

I set £15-£20 aside each month for skincare. I look through Instagram and the Beauty Pie newsletters to discover products that might suit my skin (oily, hyperpigmentation), save them to my online wishlist then add them to my cart and check out every 2-3 months depending on my remaining allowance.

I’ll go through the products I have in case you have a similar skin type / concerns as me or there’s something you’ve had your eye on and want to try. This post isn’t sponsored, I just really love the brand and the products and wanted to share the joy. I’ve also included the discounted member’s price and / full non member price (correct at time post uploaded) so you can compare.

CLEANSERS

Japanfusion Transforming Cleanser £7.47 / £25 - MY FAVOURITE CLEANSER EVER (yes the caps were necessary!) I’ve always felt like I needed a foaming cleanser and a squeaky clean face for my oily skin so the gel to oil to milk consistency of this cleanser took me a moment to get my head around. It’s brilliant at cleansing and removing makeup without foam and drying out my skin. I used it every morning and evening TWICE - it’s that nice!

Plantastic Cleansing Balm £13.93 / £50 - Another really lovely cleanser. Much like other balm cleansers. It was the product every pie lover I knew recommended so I had to try it. It smells divine and has a thicker texture so for me needs to be massaged in for longer and extra rinsing. My skin prefers Japnfuaion so I’ve saved this to use as part of a double / triple cleanse for when I have makeup on.

Super Healthy Skin Purifying Cleanser £7.86 / £22 -

This is a new one in my rotation but will be a staple. Clay makes my face happy so I try and make sure I use clay based products every couple of days. This has slight foaming action, similar to an Estée Lauder cleanser I used in my 20’s, and perfect for hormonal flare ups.

TONERS

Dr Glycolic Glow Toner £11.47 / £30 - LOVE IT! As good as Pixie Glow Tonic (if not better). Smells like Body Shop Pure Resurfacing Liquid Peel. I use it daily.

Japanfusion Prep Lotion £8.70 / £25 - Another new one for me for just in case Dr Glycolic is out of stock or to layer with it. I‘m liking it so far.

MASKS AND SCRUBS

I‘ve learnt that my skin responds well to daily masks so I have added a few in and use according to how my face feels in that moment (including non Beauty Pie ones - I’ll go through those in part II)

Oxygen Refuelling Mask £15.91 / £50 - This works best for me in the run up to that week of the month to keep hormonal breakouts to a minimum. Have also used in overnight on a couple of occasions and woke up to very good skin the following morning. A new staple

Fruitizyme AHA Five minute facial £10.80 / £60 - I’m a little old school and textured scrubs are my jam! It has superfine microbuffing powder (similar feel to Dermalogica Microfoliant) and keeps my face fresh and smooth. I usually use this when my face feels a little congested or after a heavy spin bike workout.

TREATMENTS

Plantastic Micropeeling Drops £9.59 / £50 - I ordered this because it was recommended for hyperpigmentation on the website. It has salicylic acid which is a key ingredient for me. I use it after Dr Glycolic daily. I wouldn’t be without it.

Superactive Vitamin C Capsule £13.83 / £50 - Wonderful. Perfect dose, perfect consistency, perfect packaging. I’d previously used the Ordinary’s Vitamin C which went on too greasy, felt too grainy and left white marks. This is much better albeit at a slightly lower percentage. I have the lower dose serum on my wishlist for my next box so I can alternate. Capsules pods are compostable too.

RETINOL

Super Retinol High Dose Booster Treatment £16.58 / £90 -

I’m a retinol newbie and a bit of a rebel so didn’t start on a low dose treatment, nope I went for the booster! it was also my very first Beauty Pie purchase. My skin broke out in the first few days then I got upset so stopped using it. I pulled it out of the drawer again as part of the January Retinol challenge run on Instagram and it’s going much better second time round.

I use it in the morning and follow with the tinted SPF . After a month of constant use alongside a more establish BO routine, my skin is the best it’s been in over a decade and even Fred has noticed the pigmentation is fading - YES!. A few dark spots on my neck have completely gone. I will do my best and take photos now so I can do a side by side in a follow up post.

Plantastic Miracle Face Oil £10.14 / £60 - This oil is magic. I tried Luna Oil by Sunday Riley a few years back and it’s possibly the best possibly I’ve used but the cost is prohibitive so have always wanted to find a substitute. This is it. It goes on beautifully, works well with my Body Shop face massager (which I use most nights before bed) and it hasn’t broken me out. It’s smells really really calming (no fragrance but does have essential oils). I’ve even used it on Fred’s perfect man face and beard and he didn’t complain (practically a rave review!)

MAKE UP

Tinted SPF 20 £6.95 / £28 - Zoom face saviour. I use it most days as I’m at home and barely going out. Lovely texture and barely there coverage. Enough to make me look put together when connecting to all the homeschool zoom sessions. Teamed with a concealer or powder foundation would give me a flawless look but I have no where to go for that right now.

I have the shade Medium Deep, which is a touch too light on my neck so I now also have the shade Deep so I can mix together as needed for the colour matching as the seasons change. The shade range is a weakness, hopefully that will change. It’s a nicer consistency and better coverage than the Nars Tinted Moisturiser that I previously had.

One Powder Wonder £6.91 / £26 - Uberlucent Universal Silky finish, slight halo effect if not blended in properly but works well on my high shine and face mask areas. A little goes a long way and it’s got great staying power whilst retaining a weightless feel.

Super Healthy Skin Deluxe Crème £15.08 / £50 - Another one Fred and I both agree on. The texture, the scent, the silky skin feel - there’s a lot to like. The smell takes Fred back to his youth and I‘m here for the Shea Butter. My go-to moisturiser was the Shea Lotion from Body Shop. This one has taken first place so we’ll be stocking up.

If you’re still reading, you’ve made it to the end! I really hope you‘ve found the post helpful. I’m so happy with how my skin has improved and I’m so excited to discover more of the Beauty Pie range as I would previously would have been afraid to try anything new.

I do have a Refer a Friend code / link you can use if you’d like to join the club. You get your first month‘s membership for free and I get a boost to spending allowance - win-win!

https://share.beautypie.com/x/E7b5TY

Until the next post!xx