Product rave - Rosehip Oil - Kosmea and Essano (with acai berry)

I started using rosehip oil almost a year ago (July last year), which was when I started becoming more interesting in makeup and skincare in general. I've always had acne-ridden skin as a teenager, and I'd figured that the way to treat that was to keep as much oil off it as possible. Hence, the possibility of putting more oil on my face never even occurred to me.

However, as it turns out, stripping your skin of oil tends to make it produce more oil. I have combination skin, so the areas around my cheeks tend to be pretty dry. However, my T-zone was producing oil like nobody's business.

Since I've started using rosehip oil, my skin has begun to balance itself out. My T-zone still gets pretty oily, but less so than before. I've also seen a reduction in breakouts. I still get acne, but less of it, and not as much in my forehead area (which used to be an acne hotspot for me.)

Also, the drier areas of my face have become much more hydrated. Previously, it had gotten to the point where there were flaky patches of skin visible under my foundation, but while I still get dry patches - especially in winter - my face feels much more hydrated. Sometimes I put a drop of rosehip oil in my palm and dab it onto the dry parts before putting on foundation - this definitely helps!

I also have some pigmentation left from acne scarring, which rosehip oil is supposed to help fade. I haven't seen any overnight miracles on this front, and while my scar marks have faded this could just be a natural consequence of time.

So far, both of the rosehip oils I've tried have been lightweight and non-greasy. They sink into the skin easily and leave it soft and moisturised.

I apply the oil after having cleansed and toned my face. Recently, I've also started using the SK-II facial treatment essence, so my skincare routine is: cleansing > toning > SK-II > rosehip oil. Two drops is usually sufficient for my entire face, and an additional two drops for my neck and decolletage.

The Kosmea Certified Organic Rosehip Oil is different to other rosehip oils in that it is made from the whole fruit. The obvious difference is that the colour is much richer and orange than other rosehip oils which I've tried. The scent is the same - a kind of wheaty, bread-like or flaxseed type scent. It is also priced along the higher end of rosehip oils, at $25 for 20ml, and $42 for 40ml (above is the 40ml bottle).

I bought the Essano Certified Organic Rosehip oil with acai berry oil because the pink box caught my eye. I think that this is a relatively new product, because I haven't seen it in the shelves before recently. It also contains Acai Berry Antioxidant Oil, which sounded interesting. I don't know whether the acai berry has given any visible increase in benefits, but it is nice to have it in the oil. This one is $17 for 20ml.

Both bottles were dark glass to protect the oil from sunlight, but I always stored them in their box for extra protection. They also both came with droppers, which was super handy as a little of this oil goes a long way.

I don't, at this point, have brand loyalty to a particular brand of rosehip oil. I'm open to trying a bunch of different brands and seeing how well they work. The next brand I've lined up to try is Antipodes, which I picked up today from Priceline. Their Divine Facial Oil is a blend of avocado and rosehip oils, with orange and jasmine. It sounds pretty interesting, and I'm curious to see if it will work as well as straight rosehip oil.

Overall, I can't rave enough about rosehip oil. I never thought that adding oil to my skin would be the answer to my skin problems, but this has absolutely worked a treat. I would definitely recommend this to people with blemish-prone, oily-combination skin, or people with dry skin problems.