What's Oil the Fuss About?

Oh man that was a punny title! I hope we can still be friends after that, but seriously, I LOVE beauty oils. Whenever friends or family ask me what the biggest change I've made to my skin care routine is it has to be oils and serums, but so many people don't know about the majesty of oils or if they do they're terrified about putting an oil on their skin for fear of breaking out, so I'm here to dispel that fear for you!

Cleansing Oils

Let's start with the oils that most people would be a little more open to since you're going to rinse them off and not sleep with it on your face overnight. I love cleansing oils because I'm lazy and hate spending forever taking my make up off at the end of the day, with a little bit of cleansing oil the job takes seconds, even waterproof eye makeup comes off without a fuss, simply pump a little bit oil into your hands, massage it onto your dry face and then wipe away or rinse clean.

Past: MAC's Cleanse Off Oil/ Tranquil was the very first cleansing oil I used, a nice basic cleansing oil with some added botanical oils to soothe sensitive and redness prone skin. I found it did a great job of removing my makeup without being astringent but it didn't really do anything else for me.

Present: Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi Skin Refining Cleansing Oil this is my new favourite as it does everything that the MAC cleansing oil did but with the added bonus of brightening my dull complexion by removing and protecting against environmental pollution that can dull the skin.

To Try: The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil a couple of my favourite beauty bloggers have been singing the praises of this particular cleansing oil lately and with a price point of only $16 it definitely makes it the most budget friendly of the bunch, so it's high on my list of products to try once my current cleansing oil is through.

Body Oils

Still on the side of least scary oils we have the body oils, a great way to hydrate your skin before and after a shower (a little oil massaged into your skin 30 minutes before a shower will do wonders for dry skin!)

Past: Nuxe's Huil de Prodigieuse I first picked this up back in January and am already on my third bottle I love this stuff so much, it's a dry oil meaning it leaves your skin soft but not sticky which is a total plus! I use this stuff after my shower every morning.

Present: Caudalie Divine Oil I picked up the little $10 bottle of this at Sephora the other day because I can't resist anything miniature, I like that this seems to be slightly more hydrating than the Nuxe oil but I'm not a fan of the slightly greasy residue that it leaves on my skin, this would be best used before a shower or before bed, a little too sticky for every day use for me.

To Try: Aromatherapy Associates Relax Body and Massage Oil I am a bath junkie, there's nothing a like more than slipping into a hot bath full of LUSH products at the end of a hectic day to unwind, now if I had a body oil designed to soothe the mind what could be better? I've heard great reviews about the relaxing properties of this oil and the simple act of massaging oil into your skin is quite soothing; this gem is in my current Cult Beauty order that's somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean right now... (sidenote: if you're hesitant about ordering from Cult Beauty let me just tell you now that they are probably the best online store I've ordered from in a LONG time, free shipping that doesn't take months to get here and their returns department is probably the nicest, most accommodating and punctual return department I've ever encountered! So good in fact I sent them a card saying just that...)

Hair Oils

Hair oils are still fairly new to myself as usually I just slap some coconut oil on my hair before bed and call it a night but I got these samples and decided to give it a go; these are merely first impressions as I haven't been able to make the samples last longer than one application.

Agave Healing Oil Treatment I got this sample in my Birchbox a little while ago and finally decided to give it a try; it's designed to be used on dry or damp hair pre-styling, as my hair tends to get greasy I figured I'd use it pre-bed that way if it made my hair gross I cold wash my hair in the morning. The smell of this stuff was AMAZING, it didn't make my hair greasy or heavy but I also didn't notice it do anything all too special for my hair either. First impression: Didn't hate it but didn't love it.

Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil this was another hair oil that was just ok for me, maybe I'm just not a hair oil person? It tamed fly aways and made my hair shiny as claimed but I found my Difiaba Luminessence Shine Mist did the exact same thing but was lighter on my hair. First impression: meh.

Face Oils

Now this here is my jam, I freaking love face oils so let me get into this!

I'm always a little skeptical when a cosmetics company branches out into skincare but Tarte hit the nail on the head with their Maracuja Oil; it's lightweight and absorbs so quickly that I can use it in the morning under my make up and it won't affect my foundation application and it delivers that little bit of something extra to leave my skin looking soft, hydrated and supple. Also, how adorable is that packaging?!

In the evening is where I go a little bit buck wild with my Full of Grace, Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil concoction; I've already talked about this trio in a fair amount of detail so if you're keen you can read more about them here and here.

To Try: 

If you're oily: you can help limit sebum production in oily skin by using a face oil regularly; here are some to try! Bosica Tsubaki Beauty Oil, Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil or Kate Somerville Dilo Oil.

For first signs of aging: Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Nude ProGenius Treatment Oil or Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum.

Do you guys have any favourite oils? Let me know in the comments section below!

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