Skincare Haul

Recently I have been on a bit of a mission to try and find a new cleanser that I can use on days that I am being lazy and don't want to use an eye makeup remover and have no clean muslin cloths or flannels! 

I had asked at a few beauty counters but they were being professional and kept saying they always recommend an eye makeup remover... Then I saw on Essiebutton's blog that she had bought Avene's gentle cleanser, I thought a gentle cleanser would be perfect to use to remove my eye makeup, and I read some very good reviews on makeupalley, so I took advantage of Boots 3 for 2 offer.

 I thought I would share my skincare haul as I love seeing other bloggers posts, and it helped me find a new cleanser to try! I have been using the products for about a week now so I can tell you my first impressions.

Eau Thermale Avène Gentle Gel Cleanser - £11.50

So far I really like this cleanser, as the name suggests it is very gentle and leaves my skin lovely and soft. The cleanser is pretty good at removing all my makeup, there are still traces of mascara but it's nothing Bioderma wont take off very quickly, so I would still class this as my lazy day cleanser! I really like the packaging, the pump means you only get the amount of product that you need.

You can find it here from Boots.

                        Eau Thermale Avene Cleanance Anti-shine Regulating Lotion - £10.50

This moisturiser caught my eye when I was looking at the cleanser on the Boots website, and it had great reviews on makeup alley. I really like this moisturiser it leaves my skin feeling matte and I do think it helps keep the shine away, although with tricky foundations (Revlon nearly naked foundation!) you still need to apply powder around lunchtime. 

You can find it here from Boots.

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Eyes - £14.50

I have the Hydraphase mask (post here) which I love so I thought I would gamble on this as I needed a third item for the 3 for 2. So far it's ok, I haven't noticed any difference around my eyes maybe it needs a good while, but it's good to know my skin is being hydrated.

You can find it here from Boots.

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator - £20 

I bought this from Boots.com when I bought my new Revlon Lip Butters (post here), it wasn't part of the 3 for 2 offer. I don't have dry skin but during the winter (and spring apparantly) the cold weather has been battered my skin leaving me with dry patches, so I have been using this as a rich night cream or over night mask. I really love it, I have noticed a huge difference in how soft my skin feels and my skin also feels less sensitive. 

You can buy it here from Boots.

I love reading Haul posts so feel free to leave any links for me to read.

Elaine

Uh-oh I've been shopping

Recently I have been overhauling my skin care routine, I was beginning to realise that my Simple face wipes and foam wash just weren't cutting it anymore, I also learnt that my skin was dehydrated, which seemed strange to me as my skin is combination/oily, but my skin is actually lacking in water, so I have been trying to invest in products to help my dehydrated skin so that it can become more balanced and trying to drink more water.

So when I found out a couple of weeks ago that Escentual.com had a 1/3 off french pharmacy brands I jumped at the chance to get some new skin care products, the offer is running throughout September, if you spend over £30 you also get free delivery, which is great. I have spent more than I ever normally would trying to get good skin care products as Caroline Hirons says on her blog "If you would spend more on shoes, handbags, lipstick, jeans or fashion in general than you would on high quality skincare - you will be a sixty year old woman (and man) with a vintage wardrobe and a face like an alligator" so to find an offer like this was perfect timing!

Avene Hydrance Optimale Legere - Light Hydrating Cream, £8.99 normally £13.50
This moisturiser is also available with SPF, I chose not to get that one as I intend to use this at night time or during the winter months as I am happy with my Olay day moisturiser which contains SPF 15.

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Masque, £10.56 normally £16
I used this tonight and so far I really like it, my skin feels throughly moisturised and very soft, review to come soon.

Vichy Purete Thermale Refreshing Toner - Normal to Combination Sensitive Skin, £7.26 normally £11
I have used this a couple of times and my skin does feel refreshed and very clean, but I have noticed I have had quite shiny skin recently and I'm not sure if it is due to this toner... So I'm going to keep trying it out and let you know what I think.

Avene Thermal Spring Water - 150ml, £4.33 normally £6.50
I admit I only bought the big can so that I could get the free delivery, but I am excited about using this product to set and also refresh make up.

Not content with this, when I got paid at the weekend I went straight to Boots...

Indeed Hydraluron - Moisture Booster with the purest hyaluronic acid, £24.99
Caroline Hirons raves about this on her blog, and when I was looking through her clinic she strongly recommended it to a lot of people who had dehydrated skin which was nearly everyone, so I'm looking forward to trying this out and I have to admit I have high expectations. Although for the price it won't be something I will use everyday but as and when it's needed, which may be quite often now it's getting colder.

Botanics Radiant Youth Hydrating Eye Cream, £5.99 normally £8.99 
I figured if the rest of my face needed a drink then so did the skin around my eyes. I have been using this daily since I bought it, and I really like it as it sinks into the skin quickly and isn't tacky. 

Collection (2000) Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light, £4.19
I bought this ages ago in fair and I have never 100% been happy with it, the colour always felt too light for my skin tone even though I am quite pale, I know concealer should be a shade lighter than your foundation but when I used this in fair I looked odd. But after a week or so of hardly any sleep I needed a heavy duty concealer so I bought this one in Light and mix the two together and it gives me the perfect shade, I really wish I had done it sooner!

Elaine