Video: Is My Skin Purging or Breaking Out?

Video: Is My Skin Purging or Breaking Out?

Here’s my second video. It’s based on my Purging vs Breakouts post, which I got a lot of questions on – I’m hoping that this video makes things a bit clearer if you’re trying to work out if you’re purging or breaking out from a new product! In it I cover: the science behind purging and breakouts tips on working …

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How Does Botox Work?

How Does Botox Work?

I talk a lot about topical products, but hardly ever about treatments! Today I’m diving into THE most popular cosmetic treatment: Botox. What Is Botox? I’m sure you’ve all heard of Botox – the (sometimes accurate) stereotype of how Botox stops your face from moving and you become an expressionless human mannequin with perfectly smooth skin. Botox is actually not …

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What’s the deal with fermented skincare?

What's the deal with fermented skincare?

There’s a lot of buzz about fermented ingredients in skincare. It’s been a big hit in Korea, with entire product lines revolving around the idea of letting ingredients marinate for a bit longer. Here’s the science behind fermentation. What is fermentation? Fermentation refers to chemical reactions performed using microorganisms. More specifically, it usually means reactions that convert sugars to other …

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Korean Skincare Review: Whamisa, Lagom, Huxley, Aromatica

Natural Korean Skincare Review: Whamisa, Lagom, Huxley, Aromatica

Franki + Seoul is one of the newest online Korean beauty stores in Australia. It’s run by two identical twin sisters Jayme and Jenny who are massive beauty nerds – they spent a year in Seoul testing beauty products and working with skincare companies, then received a grant from the City of Seoul government to start Franki + Seoul. Franki …

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Video: Why pH matters for AHAs and acids in skincare

Video: Why pH matters for AHAs and acids in skincare

I’ve been a little frustrated with what scientific concepts I can get through in words and crudely drawn illustrations on this here blog. When I teach at my day job, I do a lot of hand-waving, emphatic underlining, symbolic gesturing and smashing together of whiteboard markers, and not having the ability to show movement sometimes feels a bit like I …

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The Ordinary Skincare Review Pt 2: Niacinamide + Zinc, Buffet

The Ordinary Skincare Review Pt 2: Niacinamide + Zinc, Buffet

I’ve been trying products from The Ordinary, the budget-friendly, actives-focused skincare line from Deciem that’s just launched in Australia. I posted my review of Advanced Retinoid 2% and Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% a few days ago – now, here’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. A quick recap of the general notes I made on the products overall: Lots …

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The Ordinary Skincare Review Pt 1: Lactic Acid, Advanced Retinoid

The Ordinary Skincare Review Pt 1: Lactic Acid, Advanced Retinoid

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or just aren’t that into skincare, you’d have heard of The Ordinary by now. The newest brand from Deciem (parent company of NIOD and Hylamide) aims to bring effective skincare to the market at affordable prices. As a skincare science nerd, it’s very exciting because many evidence-backed ingredients are very cheap, but skincare …

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