All posts tagged: skincare routine

The beauty of a beauty excorcism

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“The beauty exorcism” It was but a quick title in my inbox, with clickbait allures written all over it, designed especially to draw me in and extend my (already extensive) procrastination with another 15 – 30 mintes, but the words hit home and started living their own life, creating a story in my head and trickling into my subconscious. With Autumn in full swing, it is not only the perfect moment to transition into crisp skies, jaw-dropping foliage and sweater supremacy, but also a clear skin (and a clear mind). My skin has been playing tricks on me, so the need for a beauty detox matches that spin of words swindling around in my head, needing to be tamed and structurised for a greater effect. The last few months have been an (superfluous) overflow of products marching in an out of my cabinet, my routine, and while that much product testing is fun, it has been causing havoc. I’m talking blotchiness, redness, itchiness and that uncomfortable feeling of tightness and dryness, no matter how much water …

Voya Dream Restorative Night Cream

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The luck of the Irish is upon us! Or at least upon my skin. One of the latest additions to my skincare cabinet was the VOYA Dream Cream Restorative Night Cream*, brought in to fill the void left when I scraped the last bit out of my previous nighttime sweetie, the Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream. VOYA though probably not new to you beauty afficionada’s, is new to me (shame on me!). The core DNA of this Irish brand is  is organic seaweed, combined with the best botanical ingredients. In 2000, the Walton family re-opened the once renowed Strandhill therapeutic seaweed baths on Sligo’s rugged Atlantic shores, and after a few years, they started growing, harvesting and using organic seaweed to create their first own beauty product, the VOYA Lazy Days Seaweed Bath Soak. Fast forward a decade, and Voya has grown it’s range to well over a 100 products and a strong presence in spa’s and institutes all over the globe. If it’s good enough for the Walfdorf Astoria, is it good enough for me? The …

Kenzoki Amazing Waters

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Skincare, my my, Leen, it really has been a long time! True, and this article really has been a long time coming. And when I say it’s overdue, it really is overdue. So overdue, that it went on holiday with me early July (proof, this Instagram post), and I still haven’t written about it. I have used about 75 % of the bottle and I still haven’t written about it. That kind of overdue! So, let’s stop the lamenting, and start focusing on the product. Remember my minimal make up summer? Minimal make up also required less cleansing products at night, but still the Kenzoki Amazing Cleansing Water and the Kenzoki Amazing Exfoliating Water were put to the test rigorously. Both refreshing and uplifting in feel and purpose, that’s not the only thing they have in common. The star ingredient in both formulas is ginger extract, rich in mineral salts and essential oils and said to perfect for toning, revitalizing and all-round perking up of the upper layers of the skin. The additional Yuzu extract in the cleansing …

Sanctuary Spa Therapist’s Secret Facial Oil

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You know those times when you spent ages doubting the purchase of a certain products, countless times you hold it in your hands but always put it back, but when you then finally give and after the first use you wonder why you ever doubted buying it in the first place? Yes yes, I can see it, you know exactly what I mean! Allow me to take you back with me to my last trip to London earlier this year, and more specifically to my last moments in that glorious city, sauntering around the aisles of Boots at St Pancras station, awaiting the departure of our Eurostar back home. Once more I held that bottle of Sanctuary Spa’s Therapist Secret Facial Oil in my hands, and instead of putting it back like I had done a dozen times before, I bought it and took it home with me. Fast forward a few months, and I am rapidly approaching the end of my bottle (and bitterly regretting not having bought several bottles). Sanctuary Spa is one …

Guerlain Crème de Beauté Pure Radiance Cleansing Cream

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When Guerlain does cleansers, they’re sure to be a high end, luxurious, out of this world experience. So when the Guerlain Crème de Beauté Pure Radiance Cleanser* arrived on my doorstep, how could I resist? One fifth of a new set of cleansers, there’s also a mousse, a milk, a micellar water and a bi-phase eye-makeup remover, but you know me, I’m a cream and balm cleanser girl through and through! The entire 5-piece range is inspired by the ancient Nigella Damascena flower, which, shortly put, neutralizes the oxidation reactions caused by environmental pollution and UV-radiation. Free radicals are kept at bay, allow the skin to breathe and renew on a cellular level. So far the science class! First thing I notice is that beautiful, luxe-exuding, guilded letters adorned glass jar that quite honestly is as heavy as it looks. Not one to be pushed away in a leftover dark corner of my bathroom cabinet, the size and looks of this cleanser demand to be placed centre stage! But when a product looks and smells this good, expectations …

Verso Super Facial Oil

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Oils really are having their moment, and who can blame them! Their texture, results, versatility and easy application have turned them into champions of our skincare routines, with facial oils being so ahead of the curve they make you feel like they’re all your face will ever need. After Filipa K, Acne Studios and Alexander Skarsgard, Verso skincare is one of the hottest brands to come out of Sweden these last few years. Going against the current idea of a product for every imagineable problem, their concise line of skincare  exists of only a handful of products that are simple yet effective, all centered around one key ingredient Retinol 8 and each with the possibility to target several problems at the same time, depending on your skin needs. Sounds fancy? I know! The seventh product to be added to this line up is the Verso Super Facial Oil, a dry, airy oil based around Verso’s key ingredient, Retinol 8. High doses of Retinol 8 ( 8 times more powerful and less agressive to the skin …

I’m an Avène Skin Care Ambassador!

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Finally!!! After months of having to bite my tongue, I can finally let you in on a personal secret that I’ve been keeping for far too long. Together with 4 other amazing bloggers I’ve been selected to be a beautiful part of the official Avène Belgium Bloggers Team! As official Avène Skin Care ambassador (how I love that title!), we get to spoil you with tips and tricks, reviews, new product launches, inside info and anything else you want to know. For example, want to know why the Avène Thermal Water is the best option out there, and what else it does besides soothing and refreshing? Head on over to my first article as Skin Care Ambassador (for Dutch-speaking readers only sadly), and let me know what you think! http://blog.eau-thermale-avene.com/BE-nl/2015/08/05/avene-thermaal-water/    

Caudalie – Reigniting our love

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About a year ago, smack bam in the middle of a raging love affair with Caudalie, I started testing the Caudalie Polyphenol C15 range*. Life at home with newborn and a toddler and more sleepless nights than should be allowed left me looking like my mum (sorry mum!), and let’s be honest, I’m not 21 anymore, so whatever anti-ageing and general boosting miracle you would have thrown at me, I would have caught with open arms! “Primary function of the line is to act as a super antioxidant, ie being a fierce protector against free radicals and a mighty oxidant booster, imperative to keep wrinkles at bay or under control.  Key ingrediënts for this powerplay are the grapeseed polyphenols, ie powerful molecules Caudalie extracts from their own grapes, and has been proven to be 10.000 times more effective than regular Vitamine E. Additionally, these polyphenols have been coupled with stabilised Vitamin C, so that the youth-preserving and protecting capacities of both ingredients are even intensified.” As you could read in my first write up (head on over for …

Leen Travels – A Light Skincare Menu

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Aaaaand we’re off! A week-long break, a little R & R before the summer rush! The only problem here? Those kids take up a lot of space leaving only a slither of trolley and toilet bag space for mummy, and yours truly does not know how to travel lightly… Leen + no options = not a match made in heaven. That does not mean I don’t want to try, and with just a little make up bag and the type of holiday in mind, I pared it down the bare essentials. But boy, downsizing is bloody difficult! A good cleanser is indispensable, so the Ren Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth was the first to make the cut. A solid, no frills cleanser that can tackle every layer of make up or sunscreen, but is extremely gentle on my skin as well. Multitasking is key here, so that’s why the Pure Lavender Hydrolat Toner is also coming with me. A firm staple of mine since the first spritz (want to know why I love it so much? Check …

Philosophy No Reason to Hide

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Saturday morning, no alarm clock needed ’cause Kid nr 1 and Kid nr 2 take turns in waking everyone up before the crack of dawn! After that much needed cup of coffee, we wash, feed and dress the little ones, and before we’re off for a busy day filled with tennis trainings, errands and family visits, I sneak in 5 minutes in the bathroom. These are not the days for an extensive beauty routine, with my husband yelling outside the bathroom that I don’t need to put on make up, but, unlike Mr B, I know you dollies know exactly what I mean with “just wanting to erase that Saturday morning tiredness from my face” With 5 minutes to go before racing off, I’ve been reaching for the Philosophy No Reason To Hide Instant Skin-Tone Perfecting Moisturizer more than any other alphabet cream in my stash, and though Philiosophy products have a tendency of clashing with my skin, this is the first one that actually works for me. A tinted cream that promises to perfect the skin’s …