Showing posts with label Elemis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elemis. Show all posts

Saturday, 13 September 2014

Recent skin care additions including Elemis, Bioderma, GLAMGLOW and TheBody Shop
























I have been absolutely loving my skin care recently. Although let's be real, I've always loved skin care. I've been chopping and changing it up and I've tried out some right gems. In fact, I have another skin care post coming very soon - crazy! Although don't worry, I have been using every item for a prolonged period of time. This post has been a long time coming...

When it comes to skin care, I really rate Elemis as a brand. These three Elemis newbies aren't half brilliant. In terms of diminishing fine lines, banishing acne or fading scarring well, they won't do that. But what they will do is ensure your skin is kept balanced and hydrated throughout the day - and night. I use the Hydra-Boost Day Cream* more than the Hydra-Balance Day Cream* because although my skin is combination, it can become extremely parched and thirsty as the day goes on. It balances my skin beautifully and the gel-like formula makes my skin feel gorgeously soft. As for the Hydra-Nourish Night Cream*; it's fabulous. I wake up with glowing skin that's ready to face the day. No complaints. 

As I mentioned above, my skin easily becomes dehydrated and the new GLAMGLOW THIRSTYMUD Hydrating Treatment* has become a necessity in my skin care routine. I slather a generous layer on my skin every Tuesday evening and my skin soon drinks it up. I find that I don't have to wipe off any excess as it melts away into my skin and leaves it nourished. Pricey, yes but a product I'd have no problem repurchasing. 

Throughout the summer months, the Bioderma Sebium Mat Moisturising Mattifying Fluid* became my go-to day time moisturiser. As I've mentioned, my skin is combination so when the sun is at its hottest it tends to easily get oily throughout the day. This gel-like moisturiser instantly mattifies the skin yet leaves it feel hydrated. It also uses lots of fancy ingredients to help prevent blocked pores, speed up cellular renewal and tighten the pores. Oh, and did I mention that it's unbelievably lightweight on the skin?

Although The Body Shop Aloe Protective Restoring Mask* is branded as a face mask, I use it as an intense night time moisturiser. Aloe is great for calming the skin so personally I love using it when I have a breakout. The following morning, redness has toned down and my skin is left feeling beautifully soft and hydrated. Sticking with the aloe theme; The Body Shop Aloe Eye Defence* is one that I've been loving. It doesn't really have an instant effect but then again, I wouldn't expect an eye cream to - prevention is better than cure after all. This eye cream is lightweight and cool and almost brightens the eye area. I love the fact that it's a pump bottle which means application is quick and easy. 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser* has quickly become my everyday primer and it's made me more determined to try out the store's Instablur. This primer smooths over the skin and leaves it nicely matte and prepared for make up. In terms of pores, I tap a bit of product over them and it instantly fills them on and leaves my skin look - almost - flawless. I wouldn't recommend this if you're not a tea tree scent fan though - it's quite prominent.

One that I'm still not so sure of is The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Make Up Remover.* Don't get me wrong, it does everything it says it should but I do think that when it's full priced, it's quite expensive compared to a lot of similar eye make up removers out there. It is gentle, it does melt away eye make up and it does leave the surrounding skin feeling soft.

I found out which products best suited my skin by using The Body Shop's Skin Diagnostic Tool which is free, quick and easy to use. It asks you a number of questions and then works out which cleanser, toner, moisturiser, exfoliator, serum and special treatments are better for your skin type and concerns. Genius. I wish every brand did something like this as it's a fabulous way to discover suitable products.

Phew, that was a long 'en! What skin care products have you been loving recently?
*PR Sample
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Monday, 1 September 2014

August Favourites



I woke up this morning glad to see the back of August. It hasn't been the greatest, and I was ready to face September head on. I have a few things to look forward to this month, mainly my graduation. But today I've had my MOT and my car has failed badly. Needless to say, I'm in a bad mood and I hope September disappears as quickly as August did. Anyway one good thing that came out of the past month is some beautiful products that I'm excited to share with you.

I basically bought these because they're cheap. I haven't chemically exfoliated in a while and now it's getting to winter and the sun isn't out in full force, I decided it was about time I started again. These pads smell delicious and exfoliate the skin gently but effectively. The pads are completely soaked so you don't have to worry about them drying up over time. I do thing they're soaked a bit too much though as I do have to leave my skin to dry for a few minutes.

I'm addicted to this stuff. Elemis' Frangipani Monoi range has been around for ten years and to celebrate the anniversary, the brand has released a new addition to the range. The body cream is extremely indulgent and allows you to get a spa treatment daily. The fragrance itself is warm and exotic and I hope to god they release a perfume one day. It leaves the skin feeling incredibly smooth and locks in moisture throughout the day. The scent is also very powerful and I find it lingers on my skin nicely. I've received countless amounts of compliments. 

I took this small sample on holiday with me and at the time, I thought it was the foundation that wasn't breaking down, even in the heat. But when I came home I used this with a different base and it's incredible. I think it's pricey for a primer but it's what I'm going to be using on graduation day. My foundation tends to break up throughout the day and disappear, but this hold it in place.

Another primer and I've had this a while. I use this around my nose and cheek area as I have quite enlarged pores. I tap this into my skin and it instantly fills my pores in and gives me a flawless looking complexion. It leaves the skin feeling velvety and allows make up to apply much easier. It also gives a nice matte finish to the skin so it's perfect for those with oily skin. It doesn't, however, dry my skin out. I don't find it makes make up last any longer - it's just great for concealing pores.

I do love Good Things as a brand and when I saw that this was on such a wonderful offer, I rushed to Boots to pick it up. The first time I used this cleanser I tweeted about how glowing and young my skin looked it and felt. Since then, it's continued to get better. This cleanser feels luxurious to uses and smells good enough to eat. It leaves my skin feeling very soft and and looking radiant. I definitely need to try out the rest of the range.

When I first got this brush, I had no idea what to do with it. I love my Real Techniques Expert Face Brushes too much. Recently, I've been using this to apply cream and powder blusher. It gives a light diffused look that's almost airbrushed. Since using this I've found that the overall finish to my blush and make up in general is much better. I love it. It also washes really well without any shedding.

Joan Collins Brow & Eye Definition Kit* - £25.00 (available October/November)
Before recently trying out a few things from the brand, I'd never heard of Joans Collins. I got my eyebrows threaded a couple of weeks ago (after growing them out) and this palette has made my eyebrows look even better. It comes with a black powder, a brown powder, a pink champagne highlight powder and a brow wax. As well as this, there's a decent sized mirror, mini tweezers, mini comb and mini brush all housed inside a beautiful compact. 

What products have you been loving this month?
*PR Sample
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Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Holiday packing: skin care



This time next week, I'll be going on my first cruise. I'm incredibly excited as I haven't been on holiday for a while, and also there are eight other family members going. For me, the best part about going on holiday is picking up miniature beauty products. They look adorable, and you get the chance to try out new things. So although I have another week before I go away, I have already packed my beauty bits (minus fragrance and make up) so I thought I would show you.

Cleansers
I'm not someone who uses face wipes often as I'm a big believer in the double cleanse, but they are useful and definitely come in handy. These face wipes are my favourite. They remove make up incredibly well and leave the skin feeling hydrated and refreshed.

I haven't tried this cleanser before but I'm incredibly excited to. I've heard wonderful things about it and I'll be using this as my pre-cleanse/make up remover each night. It's to be used like the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish - massage it into skin, and remove with a flannel.

Korres White Tea Fluid Gel Cleanser* - full size £15 (from the Best of Korres Gift Set* - currently £12.67)
I haven't tried this face wash before but I trust Korres as it's a lovely brand. I'll be using this morning and evening to clean my skin and rid it of any impurities. It's also supposed to brighten, moisturise and nourish the skin which is a definite bonus.

Toners
Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner* - full size £22 (from the Elemis Summer Set Glow collection* - £49.50)
Once again, another product I haven't tried but this smells delicious. It's quite big for a travel sized toner, but who am I to complain? Elemis claim that this toner soothes the skin to give it a radiant appearance and also say that it's perfect for sensitive, delicate and hormonal skin.

For some reason, I can't find this listed anywhere in the UK. I was contemplating whether or not to take this with me but a quick spritz on the face and it was instantly packed in my bag. It's very refreshing and cooling, so it's perfect for the heat.

Treatments/Serums
This is my facial sunscreen of choice as the packaging for it is perfect. It's really small and compact, which makes it a must-have for travelling. The sunscreen itself feels lightweight on the skin, doesn't leave behind a white cast and is SPF50. Perfection.

I decided to take a face mask for a bit of a mid-week treat. I'm taking the Deep Clean Purifying Mask from this set as it's a great way to draw out impurities, balance the skin and reduce pore size. I also get around four uses from this sachet so I'm sure all the ladies in our party will also be trying it out.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+]* - full size £15.50
I've tried the original Effaclar Duo before but not the new version. This one claims to be a lot stronger on scarring, which is perfect for my skin, especially because the sun is deadly when it comes to hyperpigmentation. 

I really do like this spot treatment as it's gentle and non-drying yet fast working and hard hitting when it comes to blemishes. I'm going to be taking this just in case my skin reacts to any new products, or even to the weather. You can never be too prepared!

Moisturisers
For me, deciding which moisturiser to take proved to be a pain. My skin is combination, which means that sometimes it can be incredibly dry, and other times exceptionally oily. So I decided to take three different moisturisers which will hopefully help with each skin condition. 

The first is the Korres Wild Rose 24-hour Moisturising and Brightening Cream* - full size £20 (from the Best of Korres Gift Set* - currently £12.67) which I'll be using if my skin is particularly dry and also at night time. I've used this before and I love it. The next two are for when my skin is more on the oily side. Both the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ - full size £17 and the Clarins Daily Energizer Cream - full size £21 (from the Clarins Daily Energizer Kit - £15) are wonderful lightweight moisturisers. They sink into the skin instantly yet leave it feeling hydrating.

Extras
I chose this eye cream because my two everyday eye creams are quite bulky. This one is great as it hydrates the eye area and helps diminish dark circles. It also contains SPF 10 which in warm weather is a definite bonus. 

And finally, SPF for the lips. This one tastes and smells incredible but sadly, it doesn't add any moisture or hydration to the lips. It does, however protect them from the damaging sun, without interfering with any make up.


Are you going on holiday this year? What beauty products will you be packing?
*PR Sample
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Tuesday, 27 May 2014

BRAND WEEK | freshskin by Elemis






As I've been trying out a few different brands over the past few months, I've decided that each post this week will focus on a particular brand (John Frieda, Clean & Clear, Rodial and Elemis) and the products that I've been loving - and not loving so much - from them. First up is the freshskin range from Elemis, a brand I've never explored before. The freshskin range is targeted at young skin, doesn't contain any unnecessary anti-anging ingredients and helps to construct a great, healthy skin care routine. I'm all about promoting healthy skin and a good skin care routine from a young age, so I was extremely intrigued by this range.

This skin pampering duo contains three 7ml sachets of the Deep Clean Purifying Facial Mask and three 7ml sachets of the Magicial Moisture Quenching Face Mask. I managed to get two uses out of each sachets (and I have a big head!) and this is my only complaint. I'd rather have 12 smaller sachets as I'm someone who hates the look of opened sachets.

But putting that little tiny niggle aside, the two face masks themselves are absolute gems. The Deep Clean mask reblances the skin and uses natural clays, goji berry extract and frankincense oil to draw out impurities and vitamin E to soften the skin. This mask really is a lovely clay mask. My skin was left looking brighter and balanced and my pores were reduced, all without drying my skin out.

The Magical Moisture mask injects an instant moisture boost into the skin and uses white lupin, artic cranberry seed oil and apple extract to instantly moisturise the skin, while aloe vera soothes it. This mask truly is a pampering treat. After using it, my skin was left looking radiant and plump and feeling soft. As I have combination skin, moisturising masks normally leave my dry areas moisturised and my oily areas shiny, but this one balanced the skin out beautifully.

After one use, this eye cream instantly found its way into my skin care routine. I've been using this every morning to de-puff my eyes and leave them looking bright and awake. This eye cream uses aloe vera to soothe the delicate eye area and give an instant cooling and hydrating effect. I found this eye cream (well, it's more like a gel) wonderful during the late nights of my dissertation and final assignments. I adore it.

I absolutely love night creams and this one is no exception. It's been specially formulated with vitamins A, C and E and helps to promote and improve skin radiance whilst sleeping. The blackcurrant seed oil and barley extract both work together to refine the skin's texture and increase the smoothness. This moisturiser is literally a facial in a bottle. I go to sleep looking like a zombie and wake up looking like I've had the most perfect night's sleep. It also has a beautiful, calming scent which is perfect for aiding a good night's sleep.

Overall, I've been loving the freshskin range. The entire range contains no nasties and is perfect for those in their teens and 20's. It promotes a healthy skin care routine which during the early years of our lives, is extremely important. Whilst searching FeelUnique, I also noticed their wonderful little sets. I'm planning on buying one for my holiday in July, so if you have any recommendations please do let me know!

BRAND WEEK:

Have you tried anything from this range before?
*PR Sample
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