Face & Neck Oils (L-R): Fresh Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil, Yes to Blueberries Age Refresh Face and Neck Oil, Caudalie Divine Oil, tarte Pure Maracuja Oil
I feel like all I post about is dry skin or lips these days. In my defense, it is winter and I’ve been subjected to a ton of super-drying indoor heating systems for months. You, too? While I am grateful that warmth is an option during these chilly days, my skin has started up its usual winter-time protest by flaking and itching, and my cheeks are suffering the worst of it.
I knew that a face oil would be a great option since it should, in theory, help balance oil production. So I’ve been trying out a variety of oils with varying results for the last few months and am eager to share my experiences with you.
FYI: My skin is sensitive, acne-prone and combination type, with intermittent oil flares in my t-zone and dryness everywhere else. I only applied these oils in the evening, during my usual nighttime skincare routine. During the day, I stuck with my moisturizer/SPF combo.
Caudalie: Divine Oil
I need to get this out of the way first– Caudalie’s Divine Oil gave me a small break out. I don’t know if it was from the combination of oils used to create the formula itself or the ingredients used to create the oil’s fragrance. Yes, this oil does indeed smell divine, as the name would imply, but fragrance isn’t something I really desire in skincare products, as most ingredients intended for fragrance can themselves be irritating. For sensitive skin, a fragrance this strong, but admittedly delicious, is a no-no.
My skin is moderately sensitive and definitely didn’t like something in this product. Most people tend to use this as a body oil, and as a body moisturizer I can see why it gets such great reviews. But I will be completely honest with you: while I like Caudalie as a brand and use more than one of their products regularly, if something irritates the skin on my face, then I am not comfortable using it anywhere else on my body as our skin works as one huge organ.
So, I’m going to give this oil a shot on the ends of my hair which will allow me to enjoy the fragrance without any of the irritation.
tarte: Pure Maracuja Oil
It is hard for me to articulate exactly how much I dislike the rollerball on this product. I realize that you can buy the larger version sans rollerball, but I wanted to try a smaller size first, and I’m glad that I did. And, as you can see in the picture above, the bottle is a dark purple glass which should help protect the oil from light.
There isn’t anything about this oil that I have a particular problem with except that it isn’t quite enough to deal with the driest areas of my face in the middle of winter. I don’t have any particular issues with it, it just didn’t stop all of the flaking I’ve been experiencing. For someone with slightly oilier skin, I think this product would likely work wonders in helping to balance everything out. All said and done, this is one of those products that I will definitely try again in the summer to see if I have better results.
Yes to Blueberries: Age Refresh Face and Neck Oil
After the issues I wrote above about fragrance, you’re going to find that it’s a theme with almost all of these oils. The Yes to Blueberries Age Refresh Face and Neck Oil uses what I think smells like a natural citrus extract to make the formula appealing in scent. I don’t mind it; it didn’t cause any irritation or break outs.
This is the only drugstore oil formulated specifically for the face that I tried, and for the price– it is a wonderful addition to my skincare routine. Only a drop or two is needed to cover the entire face/neck area and it absorbs relatively quickly. The bottle it comes in has a dropper and the glass bottle itself is blue, which is good because the blue should help light from disrupting the oil. It definitely helped out with the dryness I’ve been experiencing and after a few nights, I no longer had visible flakes on my cheeks in the morning.
However, I will say that this oil seems pretty heavy duty. I’m not sure how else to put it, except that my intuition tells me that this product may be too much come the warmer months. If that proves to be true, I have no problem keeping this product for the cold months only, as switching up my skincare routine with the seasons is my norm. However, for mature or especially dry skin– I think, given the price, this product is worth trying no matter the time of year.
fresh: Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil
Hands down, this is my favorite face oil of the four. It works well enough to tame the dryness on my cheeks and balance out my T zone at the same time. It does have a fragrance that smells sort of medicinal, almost herby, which I don’t mind, and doesn’t irritate my skin at all. In fact, this oil feels soothing. It absorbs quickly and keeps my skin from flaking after my morning rinse. Also, the bottle is slightly darkened to protect the oil from light and comes with a handy dropper.
This has turned out to be one of those products that I look forward to using. It actually makes me want to start my nighttime skincare routine earlier and earlier just so I can apply it. Perfect. This is exactly what I was looking for in a face oil.
If you have any questions about any of the oils I listed above, or a recommendations, leave me a comment. Thanks for reading!
