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

2012 Favourties... Skin Care and Hair Products

2012 was definitely the year of skin care for me, when I first started blogging I was quite happy with my face wipes and simple face wash that was until I started reading other blogs and learning more about skin types and skin care, so now I am trying out new products to see what is the best match for me, so these are my 2012 favourites of skin care products that I love and will definitely be buying again and again.

Ren Mayblossom T-Zone Control Cleansing Gel
This cleanser leaves my skin feeling really clean and refreshed, but doesn't dry out my skin at all. I've already bought another bottle of this cleanser and have recommended it to friends. (You can see the post here)

Clarins HyrdaQuench Moisturiser
I love this moisturiser it has really improved my skin, especially in the cold months, I have been using it twice a day in the winter, but I think it will be great as a night time moisturiser in the summer. (You can see the post here)

La Roche Posay Hyrdaphase Intense Mask
I use this mask all the time, it leaves my skin lovely and moisturised, I love it and will definitely be buying it again. (You can see the post here)

Decelor Ylang Ylang Balancing Face Oil
I got this on a bit of a whim after a lovely lady at the Decelor counter gave me advice about my skin care, she said that my oily skin was probably being made worse as my skin was unbalanced and that the ylang ylang will balance my skin. It is really expensive but I bought it for half price in Paris and you can get it cheaper on feel unique. I love using this as it smells gorgeous and my skin feels lovely when I use it. (Mentioned in this post here)

Emma Hardie
This has done the rounds on most blogs, I was lucky enough to get a sample size for free to try from Whats in my handbag, I love this cleanser it smells gorgeous and just melts my makeup, leaving my skin lovely and soft. (You can see the post here)

Figs and Rouge Lip Balm
Sorry I forgot to include this in the photo! I really like this lip balm, for me it is just as good as the infamous Nuxe lip balm but half the price! (You can see the post here)

I'm not really that into hair care products, it's not something that has ever really interested me, but at the same time I am obsessed with trying different volume products to find anything that give my hair any sort of boost. These products are the only products that I use again and again, I can't get loads of volume but they do give my hair a bit of extra body and shine.

Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam

Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo and Conditioner

V05 Miracle Concentrate Elixir with Argan Oil

Elaine

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Masque Review

A couple of months ago escentual.com were running an offer of 20% (ish... I can't remember) discount on French pharmacie brands, as I had just come back from Paris I was a bit obsessed with pharmacies so took full advantage of this offer, you can see what else I bought here.

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Masque caught my eye as I have dehydrated skin so I was looking for a product to help keep my skin nice and soft especially in the winter. 

La Roche-Posay: When skin lacks water it can seem dull and sallow. This velvety fresh gel-cream delivers high performance hydration for dehydrated, sensitive skin. An intensive formula that will plump up the complexion with moisture, ensuring that it glows with health and appears more uniform.

The Hydraphase Intense Masque is enriched with two unique ingredients: La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring water, a natural anti-oxidant to sooth and calm the skin, and hyaluronic acid fragments to infuse and retain water in the skin for optimal hydration.

La Roche-Posay actually have a dehydrated skin section on the escentual.com website, which I think is really helpful if your new to investing in skin care, as I was.

The mask has a cream consistency and can be used weekly, now the weather has gotten a LOT colder I will be using this mask twice a week and will definitely be using this after any other cleansing or radiance mask to ensure my skin stays hydrated. 

The mask is unscented and is suitable for sensitive skin.

The directions say to apply a generous layer and leave for 10 minutes, but I often leave it on for longer and have no problems. I really love this mask, it makes my skin feel extremely soft and hydrated even when I only leave it on for 10 minutes, I have tried Origins Drink up Mask which is an overnight mask and I much prefer this one.

I bought the mask for £10.56 and it normally costs £16 for 50ml, which may seem a bit pricey but I definitely think that it is worth it, when I double checked the price on escentual.com I noticed that there is another offer on and you can buy this at the moment for £13.60!

I will definitely be buying this again I have had no problems with it at all, and I would happily recommend this mask to anyone not only if your skin is dehydrated.

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