I love being outdoors, literally any excuse, whether that be walking the dog, out for a hike, run (jog), getting covered in mud at an obstacle race or cycling.
This does of course mean my skin is always exposed the elements and I have noticed over recent years that it has become more and more dry.
I attended a pre launch evening with Bianchi Dama to try some of their bikes and find out more about their collaboration with CJ Skinhealth towards the end of last year, which you can read my blog post from here. At this evening I was gifted their active cleanse and enhance & protect products, a two product skin regime ahead of their launch in November 2018. I noted in my previous blog post that although I am a keen cyclist I was probably not the correct demographic for the skincare range as I was quite lazy with my skin routine and if I am honest whatever I had in the shower was what went on my skin (I know I know…..).
It is now more than six months on and I said I at the time I would update with a follow up and I am pleased to say I am still using the products. Not only that but I bloody love them!
As I said I love being outdoors but do notice the effect it has on my skin and whilst I am not even willing to consider changing spending more time outside than inside, I can look at how I look after my skin and I can honestly say that aside from day to day usage these two products are the first I pack when going anywhere. Since I have had the products that includes:
- over a dozen muddy obstacle runs at various locations in the UK
- Beachy Head marathon
- hiking in the Peak District
- hiking at Snowdon
- training camp in Lanzarote
- 3 cycling events in Sweden
- numerous cycling events in the UK and over 3,500 miles on the bike
I am due to go to Sweden again later this week and Fuerteventura in September and again know these will be right there at the top of my packing list.
So what is my skin exposed to? Sun, wind, rain, heat, cold, mud and of course sweat! I am lucky that I have never really suffered with breakouts but I do have very fair skin and with exposure to the sun one of the biggest factors impacting the appearance of skin, and the fact that I burn really easily (think the sort of factor you would use on a baby), these products having SPF 30 and UVAPF 30 sunscreen in them is brilliant for me. Protecting your skin from harmful rays is so important – according to Cancer Research there were over 15,000 cases of melanoma in the UK in 2014-2016, with over 2,000 deaths – of these 86% caused by UV and were preventable. There is nothing worst than putting on cream or sun block and when you start sweating it runs and ends up in your eyes (ouch). Plus it smells amazing and stays on the skin.
According to Statista the retail value of the beauty and personal care market in the UK shows that for 2019, the market value for beauty and personal care has reached approximately 16 billion euros, which is showing an increasing trend and value moving forward and highlighting how large the industry is and the trends in this area that are driving growth.
According to Glamour magazine, in an article they published last year, they published the findings from a survey to see how much women are spending on beauty products and it averaged at almost £500 per year with some having anything up to a 10 or 12 step process with some using 16 products – 16?! I am all for having good skin but that seems excessive and quite frankly I’d rather be out on my bike than doing all of that! It is not surprising, however, especially when there is a product for every possible situation; day cream, night cream, sun scream, hand cream, foot cream, body cream, waters, cleansers, milks, oils, serums and lotions with the list seemingly being never ending!
I was pleased to see earlier in the year that Lucy Charles is an advocate also. Lucy is a professional triathlete who has had huge success and I am sure we will see that long continue. She is also the most down to earth lovely person. Lucy has an intense training program and again this means her skin is exposed to the elements constantly and I spoke to her about the products to get her opinion on them, which was as follows:
‘I have been using CJ Skinhealth for 6 months now and the products have been a game changer for me. As someone who has struggled with dry skin and breakouts since my early teens I never thought I’d find just 2 products that could solve the problem. I use CJ Skinhealth every day pre and post training sessions and I have noticed a huge difference, I even get complimented on my skin now which I never thought would happen!’
One of the ladies I met at the pre launch is Beth and she is part of the Bianchi Dama race team, so one of the ladies instrumental in the testing and feedback process. I spoke with Beth about the products and she said in using the products this is her opinion that is also shared with some of her other team mates also:
‘It’s really added to my confidence. When competing your confidence can play a big part in how your race goes and feeling more confident in myself and my skin being completely bare, with no make up, has just given me that extra boost. I think everyone can relate that if you look good you feel good, it’s not often the thing that makes you look good is also the best thing for your skin! These products have given that to me’
I would happily recommend these products to anyone and if you check out the CJ Skinhealth website you can see others who use them too and read their reviews.
What I really like about good product is being able to speak to people who really know what it is they are trying to achieve with it and are not just a sales person. Talking to James about his studies in advanced cell cytology and work he has done with the innovation lab and Harley Street skin specialist in order to create these products, that make great skin health accessible to all, was fascinating to my inner geek.
This is a company that have taken time to leverage research, experience and advanced science to produce these products specifically for active lifestyles. Also don’t be fooled by thinking this is a women’s product either – this is completely unisex though I won’t tell my husband that or I fear mine will run out pretty quickly!
The other thing that appealed was that they were bringing this product to market using the very people who would benefit from it. So as a cyclist I know the team from Bianchi Dama have tried and tested this, in different weather and environments, and their feedback, as well as other athletes ranging from winter to water sports, has helped with the various iterations of the products. They know how it works and how these products would benefit someone like me being out and about on the bike whilst also solving the challenge of eliminating complex and time consuming skincare regimes, which lets face it very few of us have time for – I know I don’t!
If you would like to try the products you can use my affiliate code FATGIRLFIT2015 for a 10% discount.
I was gifted the skin products, but all opinions are my own.
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