THE BEAUTY DIARY @ NEWS ONLINE | SEPTEMBER 2020
The Beauty Diary: Pharmacist Creates "Lazy" solution to lengthy skincare routine
A Sydney pharmacist has created a brilliant product for tired people that not only saves you time – but is also good for you.
The best things in life happen in bed: sex, sleep and skincare.
In the past few years there’s been a huge spike in the number of products designed to be slapped on your face so it can work its magic while you get some Zzz’s.
As someone whose default mode is “lazy”, I sometimes find I skip skincare steps at night because I’m too tired even though I know its beauty blasphemy.
While I’m sure some of you reading this just whelped at that admission, I know it’s a naughty habit others can relate to – just ask Shoshana Eisner.
The pharmacist and mastermind behind QED Skincare said skipping cleansing at times when she was particularly tired inspired her to create a skincare product that was so quick and easy to use, she had no excuses.
“I had two small kids and I was working as a pharmacist and by the end of the day, I WAS SO TIRED! Too tired to cleanse my face. Too tired to splash water everywhere. Too tired to be careful and not wet the hair around my hairline and get a fuzzy, red halo around my face,” she told The Beauty Diary.
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Sydney pharmacist Shoshana Eisner is the brains behind Australian QED skincare. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied
Explaining she often “felt guilty” about it, Shosh decided to find a solution that would allow her to “lazily and effective cleanse” from the comfort of her bed or even at the gym or while sitting at her desk.
“I needed it to cleanse my skin well, removing dirt and even a full face of makeup,” she said, stressing that most importantly it “needed it to not be messy”.
During her research, Shosh discovered another reason why she wanted to create a “no rinse cleanser” – the fact that water can be drying on skin.
“Washing off with water itself also can dry out your skin,” she said. “I also couldn’t see the point of filling a product with amazing actives which you then literally rinse down the drain.”
QED Skincare’s No Rinse Cleansers are now one of the brand’s hero products, with four different versions for different skin-types, as not washing the product off means the cleanser can also contain actives that treat your concerns.
As well as the lazy person’s cleansing solution, there are a range of other skincare products on offer from QED, all of which are powered by plant-based active ingredients and come fragrance free.
You can also add an essential oils based scent to any product, another clever move Shosh credits to her years spent working in pharmacies before she began concocting her own products.
“The first thing everyone does when they choose skincare, is inhale the scent,” she said, explaining she’d witness first hand shoppers buying products that appealed to their noses and not their skin-types.
At the time my skin was flaky after spending weeks in lockdown overdoing it on face masks and home peels and I had a good old whinge about how my face got towards the end of the day.
Since then, my skin has come on leaps and bounds. My afternoon sheen has completely disappeared and overall it is just a whole lot happier. I’m so delighted with the results.
Here are the QED Skincare products I now can’t live without.
QED SKINCARE LITE PROTECT NO RINSE CLEANSER
Cuts out messy cleansing and treats your skin concern at the same time. Winning. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied
Available at qedskincare.com
Price: $48
While I don’t have the same excuse as Shosh, I am generally just a tired person. Being someone who is particularly fond of getting a full eight hours, I’m guilty of skipping the odd skincare step every now and again, I have to say, I have fallen in love with the simplicity of this product. We went for the “lite” version of this rather than the deep hydration because while I was looking for moisture, I can also suffer from pilling with products that are too heavy. At night it’s not an issue, but in the day when I want to apply make-up and look fresh, I can’t have that gross build up. I’ve been using this every day for four months, applying after I have oil cleansed to remove my make-up and it’s so good. As I’ve already removed my make-up, I tend to slather it on my face with my hands and wipe off with a cloth or cotton pad, dependent on what I have to hand. After, my skin is so soft I honestly don’t feel like I need moisturiser – that horrible tightness we’re all familiar with just doesn’t exist with this. Plus, as Shosh said previously, it cuts out all the mess. And if you really want to, you can do it in bed – perfect for when you crawl under the covers after a few glasses of wine.
QED SKINCARE BALANCING FACIAL MIST – NEROLI + BERGAMOT
Honestly, my face can’t thank this product enough. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied
Available at qedskincare.com
Price: $32
This is so, so, so, so, SO, good. While it does a lot of things, but the biggest (and best) thing it has done for my skin is get it to level out. I regularly complain about my face getting oilier as the day goes on. It’s really annoying as it causes my make-up to separate and lift, resulting in this gross thing where I can literally move my foundation around with my finger. Setting powders helped but I’d never really got to the bottom of “why” it was doing that. Turns out, my skin was actually dry – and the oil I’ve been experiencing isn’t excessive, but just the normal amount. However, as my skin underneath gets dryer the longer the day goes on, not helped by things like the cold and aircon, it causes a separation. This mist though is a delicate astringent that, when used with a product treating my dryness effectively (more on that in a min), absorbs the oil and stops the separating. HALLELUJAH.
I’ve been spraying this on after cleansing and before applying a serum in the mornings. It has a lovely refreshing feeling to it, perfect for those tired faces, and the damp surface actually helps serums to absorb better. My arvo shine has pretty much disappeared and my skin is much more settled, which reflects when wearing things like foundation, bronzer and blush. It’s honestly now the product I will never skip and I literally can’t live without it.
QED SKINCARE LITE PROTECT FACE CREAM
I’ve managed to beat annoying pilling with this light moisturiser. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied
Available at qedskincare.com
Price: $46
Now, as I mentioned above, my skin has been a little dry. There has been a mix of things causing it, including over doing it on my fave chemical peel from Mecca (you can read about it here, it’s fab). But as a result, my skin wasn’t functioning properly. Along with the mist that soaks up any unwanted oil on my skin, this quick absorbing moisturiser has been a total dream. It hydrates my skin without leaving any residue – bye bye pilling – and has helped to combat my oil problem. The formula does this with antioxidant rich ingredients full of vitamins A, C and E that are all plant-based. Compared to some creams I’ve used it feels so airy and doesn’t clog me up or cause any congestion. A little goes a long way too, as I don’t need more than a pea sized amount of this to reap the benefits.
This column is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad free.
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