Imedeen Derma One Review

Back at the beginning of February, British Beauty Blogger did a post on starting a trial of Imedeen skin supplements and it piqued my interest as I take quite a few supplements but not anything of this nature for my skin.

Something I was not aware of is that Imedeen do Derma Scan skin scanning so you can see at a deeper level how good your skin is. The scan is free and open to anyone, and at the end of the assessment, you get a 15 day trial pack.

I find these sorts of things fascinating and I like seeing exactly what condition my skin is in rather then guessing so I booked in for a Derma Scan back in February which was carried out by Emma. She scanned the skin (it's done on the forearm, not on the face) and I was surprised to hear that my skin was a little better than average. For reference I am 29 and my skin is acne-prone (this has calmed down somewhat over the past year), combination/dehydrated, acne scarred (my main issue) so I wasn't expecting much!

Emma recommended the Derma One which helps to 'combat loss of radiance and moisture associated with the first signs of ageing' and contains an 'exclusive Marine Complex™, vitamin C and zinc, the formula contributing to the protection of cells from oxidative stress, supports normal collagen formation and helping to maintain healthy skin'.

I went away with my trial pack and started taking the supplements straight away that same day. You take 2 a day and they are small so easy to swallow.  Typically it takes 12-24 weeks to see results which is what I was expecting so I was rather surprised when I looked in the mirror a couple of days later and was like 'no way!'
It was a minuscule change but my skin appeared somehow improved - my acne scars seemed a tiny bit refined, fractionally smoother maybe and my skin seemed softer. Thinking it was maybe my imagination, I didn't think too much of it but it wasn't until a work colleague commented several days later and asked what had I been doing as my skin had more of a 'glow'. I really could not believe that someone had noticed a change and that I was seeing results so fast.

Even after this I still was curious to see proof and the opportunity came about again when I went to the Vitality Show in March and Imedeen were there, along with the Derma Scan, so I had the scan again and here was the result:

The black line on the left side represents the epidermis - the top part of the skin you can see and touch, and on the right the coloured dots represent collagen, elastin and moisture retaining elements in the invisible dermal layer. The darker the colour and the more evenly distributed the dots, the better the quality of the skin.

Derma Scan on 9th February 2013

Derma Scan on 23rd March 2013

The first pic is the 'before' scan, and you can see that the area is not as densely packed with coloured dots. In the second 'after' pic you can clearly see a marked improvement in the density of the skin - in values it went from 45 to 67.

I am so pleased with these results and after I finished my trial pack I did go out and buy 6 months supply from Boots (thank goodness for 3 for 2!). 

It's been exactly 3 months today since I started taking Imedeen and I'm hoping with prolonged use that my skin will continue to improve and that my acne scarring will be less visible. So far, so good!

Thanks to BBB for bringing Imedeen to my attention and the lovely Emma at Imedeen!


*I am not a beauty/healthcare professional and am not affiliated with Imedeen. Opinions are my own. 
 As with any supplementation, it is advisable to seek professional advice beforehand*

MuLondon Organic Rose Foaming Face Wash

The MuLondon Face washes have been on my radar since their launch but seeing as I had a load of cleansers I wanted to use up first I've only recently got round to giving them a go.

There are 3 different cleanser types:

Rose - dry, irritated or sensitive skin types
Lavender - all skin types, including dry and sensitive
Fragrance free - all skin types, especially sensitive

I am rather crazy for rose in skincare so naturally I went for the rose variant. MuLondon uses organic and steam distilled Rose Otto oil (30 roses are used to make one drop of oil). Rose is beautifully healing and soothing for the skin as well as giving the cleanser a wonderful fragrant rose scent.
Along with the Rose Otto, Rosehip extract is used which is a great repairer and helps with scarring and wrinkles as well as rehydrating the skin.

The base of this cleanser is an organic castile soap, free of synthetic detergents (like SLS) so it gently cleanses the skin without stripping it.

I've had a good experience using their Hemp moisturiser, but there was a part of me that was a little hesitant about this cleanser as (a) it is made from castille soap and I've used other cleansers with this as an ingredient and I wasn't particularly keen; and (b) it is foaming. But MuLondon is unlike those others and indeed these doubts were soon case aside after I used this cleanser, it feels unlike any cleanser I've used before.

Once you dispense some of the product in your hands it looks like a light foam but as soon as you start massaging it, it produces a light, creamy lather that feels lovely and soft on the skin, no soapy bubbles!

On the face of it this seems like a simple cleanser, but as I have found with their moisturiser, this still is remarkably effective. It leaves the skin feeling soft and has a little bit of a calming and clarifying effect. Initially it does have a little bit of a squeaky-clean feel once rinsed (which I'm not keen on in particular), but I found that if I've used nourishing products like oils and serums at night or during the day, then once I've cleansed my skin I get less of this sensation, and am left with more of a natural feel.

This makes a great morning cleanser but I think it works even better as part of a double cleanse. In the evenings I've been removing my makeup with organic jojoba oil and a warm washcloth (I always use a separate product to remove makeup) then following up with the MuLondon cleanser and it works a treat.


Ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Potassium Sunflowerate (Saponified Sunflower Oil)*, Potassium Cocoate (Saponified Coconut Oil)*, Glycerin (vegetable, naturally occurring)*, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Citrate (Potassium Salts), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Oil)*, Rosa Damascena (Rose Otto Essential Oil)*, Rosa Canina (Rosehip Extract)*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary Extract)*    *Certified Organic Ingredients

The cleansers come in a trial size (50ml) and the full size (150ml).

I purchased this from mulondon.com

Shower Time Selection

When it comes to shower and bath products, I'm all about the scent and tend to go for products that are uplifting and refreshing for everyday use, with lovely textures so thought I'd share my current selection.

Intelligent Nutrients Harmonic Body Wash

I love Intelligent Nutrients, ever since I first used their Harmonic shampoo I was completely taken by them, so when they recently brought out the matching body wash, I did not hesitate to give it a whirl.

This has the same light, creamy texture as the shampoo and also the same beautifully refreshing scent from the peppermint, spearmint, rosemary and menthol.

Cleans well without stripping the skin of moisture. Wonderful stuff!

Ingredients:

Madara Fresh Mint Soap

This is my first foray into Madara and so far I am liking this lovely and gentle soap. Madara is a Latvian natural skincare brand, that uses ingredients from the Baltic region in it's products and is free from synthetic ingredients, perfumes and preservatives.

This one has a slightly lighter texture, sort a gel like soap but again it doesn't strip the skin and effectively cleans with a fresh mint scent. I don't think its as complex or aromatic as the Intelligent Nutrients, but it's honest in it's simplicity and does a good job. I use this one as a hand soap as well.

Ingredients:

Nourish Uplifting Shower Gel

When I saw this on online, I was taken by the cheery yellow packaging and by the 'uplifting' in the name, and this certainly lives up to that. This contains high omega shea butter to nourish the skin yet it doesn't overwhelm and washes cleanly. A good consistent gel texture with a wonderful sweet citrus scent, this just makes me happy when I use it, what more could I ask for?

What I'm liking about the Nourish range is that the price points are rather reasonable for the quality of the products with many of the formulas containing over 90% organic ingredients. For body products I have mostly converted to natural brands, but I probably don't venture as high price-wise as I would with my skincare so it's nice to have a brand that is a bit more purse-friendly.

Ingredients

Life NK Jump Start Sugar Scrub

This was a bit of an impulse buy from Space NK as I was taken in by their bold typographic packaging and the zingy grapefruit scent.

A lovely simple scrub which a good gel-like consistency that feels refreshing and rinses away easily without any greasiness.

The only gripe I have is with the packaging - the texture of the scrub is quite thick and the hole in the tube small so you have to really squeeze it - I'm taking the scissors to this as I find it a bit annoying!

Ingredients

*All products purchased by me*

The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream

In the past I have used several products from The Body Shop's Vitamin E range, although never the moisturiser so I was interested to see how I fared with this as I feel a bit more willing to experiment as my skin has improved on the acne front these past few months.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream is part of their range of skin products containing vitamins to help 'hydrate and protect' the skin and 'leave it soft and healthy-looking'.

The texture of the cream feels light and absorbs quickly so at first I wasn't exactly hopeful that this would provide adequate hydration as in the colder months I normally lean towards moisturisers for normal to dry or sensitive skin as even though I'm a little combo, I'm also dehydrated and apart from my t-zone, the rest of my face can feel a little dry in this changeable weather.

To my surprise this provides just the right amount of hydration without feeling I have much on my skin and I find that it works well when layering with other products as the formula is light.

Overall a good moisturiser, but it does leave me craving a little something extra in my skincare as now I'm in my late 20's (approaching 30 in July!) I have been taking a few more preventative measures skincare wise.

Ingredients:

Aqua (Solvent/Diluent), Isopropyl Palmitate (Emollient), Sorbitol (Humectant), Lanolin (Emollient), Glyceryl Stearate (Emulsifier), Cetyl Esters (Emollient), Steareth-2 (Emulsifier), PEG-100 Stearate (Surfactant), Ceresin (Stabiliser), Triethanolamine (pH Adjuster), Tocopheryl Acetate (Antioxidant), Steareth-20 (Emulsifier), Carbomer (Viscosity Modifier), Methylparaben (Preservative), Parfum (Fragrance), Benzyl Benzoate (Solvent), Butylparaben (Preservative), Ethylparaben (Preservative), Hydroxycitronellal (Fragrance Ingredient), Isobutylparaben (Preservative), Propylparaben (Preservative), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Cinnamyl Alcohol (Fragrance Ingredient), Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone (Fragrance Ingredient), CI 14700 (Colour).

*PR sample*