Skincare heroes 2014

I tried a fair few new products throughout 2014, some I downright disliked, some were ok & these above, I've loved & if I haven't already repurchased, I will do so very soon!!

Simple eyemakeup remover - I've talked many times about this & no matter how much I spend on other products, nothing works like this little beauty.  Great product for little money.

She Anti Aging Rosehip Oil - I found this little beauty in TK Maxx one day & as I'd been about to try the Trilogy Rosehip Oil, I though I'd try this one first for £5.  It's such a good, non-greasy oil & it has really helped (along with other products!) to help clear up my acne scarring.  It's an Australian brand though & I can't find it anywhere else in the UK :(

Indeed Labs Hydraluron - Again, another product I've spoken about before & it is a total saviour for dry, parched, dehydrated skin.  You only need the tiniest amount of this clear gel/serum & layer your normal day/night cream over it.  It helps your skin to retain any moisture & I really notice when I stop using it.  I'm now on my 3rd tube!

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel - this was part of the Elemis gift set I won on a Twitter giveaway & I'll admit, the word 'peel' put me off trying it for quite a while due to my rosacea & sensitive skin.  I needn't have worried as it's so, so gentle & my skin looks radiant when I've used it.  It does have a super fruity scent but it doesn't bother me & is a lovely thick cream.  Apply & leave for 10 minutes to work it's magic.

Botanics 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz - I bought this one day when I was looking for a soothing toner to alternate with my Clarins Exfoliating toner & it's a great product.  It feels really moisturising & doesn't leave your skin feeling stripped, as some toners can.

Botanics Firming Day Cream - another random purchase that ended up being a great choice.  A lovely, soothing, non-greasy day cream with SPF 15.

Indeed Labs Retinol Reface - this was a product I'd wanted to try for ages after reading many rave blog reviews.  It's a really thick balm-like cream that I apply at night under my usual night cream or oil.  As it contains retinol, an ingredient known for it's ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines, I don't use it if I've used the Elemis peel or the Clarins exfoliating toner to make sure my skin doesn't become too sensitive.

Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Gentle toner - I'm now on my 3rd bottle of this too & I really think that this is the product that has most transformed & helped my skin over the last 18 months.  It's a very gentle acid toner but don't be afraid to try it even if you have sensitive skin.  I've never had any reaction or even slight redness from using it but it's helped significantly with reducing my scarring on my chin.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - I've been a huge fan of micellar waters since the minute they were introduced & although I like many of them, this one by far offers the best value for money.  I use as my first cleanse to remove my makeup before second cleansing with an oil or balm.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + - Clinically proven to correct marks & blemishes, this is another product that I swear by & can tell a huge difference in my skin if I stop using it.  It's really moisturising & a little goes a long way.  I use about two grains of rice worth for my chin & cheeks applying only where I have scarring & then apply my usual day or night cream on top.  I don't use if I've used any other products with acids or retinol though.

So what skincare are you swearing by lately, any recommendations I should be trying?

Review ~ Clarins Be Long mascara

Clarins Be Long mascara, full sized price £21.00, see here.

This came as part of a great gift with purchase last year & to be honest, I put it in my makeup drawer & kind of forgot about it!  I found it last week so thought I'd better try it out.

First of all, the packaging.  As this was a GWP, it's a weeny sized tube, ideal for travelling & is not the usual Clarins gold casing.  I sometimes find these sample sized mascaras really difficult to use purely due to the length - or lack thereof - of the wand but because this has quite a small brush anyway, it was pretty easy to use.

It has a plastic wand & works really well to lengthen & lift the lashes & it grips the tiniest of lashes perfectly.  This was the first time I'd ever used a Clarins mascara but I was pleasantly pleased with it.  It removed easily but there always seems to be the teeniest bit of residue left behind the following morning.  Clarins say,

"This revolutionary new mascara combines an instant strengthening formula and exclusive new brush design making it an absolute must-have for lashes lacking in length."

I seem to be on a mascara mission this week!  What's your favourite?

Elemis skincare

Way back in October last year I was fortunate enough to win a Twitter giveaway of this fabulous skincare set by Elemis.  This is a brand I have very little knowledge of as they are generally only available online or in salons &, much to my distress, I haven't stepped inside a beauty salon for many years now.  In fact, the only product of theirs that I've ever tried (& loved, btw!) has been their Pro-radiance Illuminating Flash Balm that I got as a magazine freebie last summer!

But I was totally made up with winning this amazing set with it's own cosmetic bag, especially when I realised that the contents alone were worth £145!!  Let me talk you through them....

Soothing Chamomile Cleanser 200ml (£22.00)
I'm not sure if it's because I'm so used to either oil or balm cleansers now or whether it's the smell I'm not keen on, but either way, this is the only product that's not really floating my boat.  Don't get me wrong, it works perfectly well at removing makeup without any tautness of my skin afterwards, but I certainly wouldn't rush to buy this (or any other cream cleanser for that matter) again, I'll be sticking to balm cleansers.

Soothing Apricot Toner 200ml (£22.00)

This hydrating toner smells delicious!  It's fruity, obviously, but not in an overly sickly way & I use this alternatively with my Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Toner & in the mornings.  I like that it's a spray application too, I find it wastes less product.

White Flowers Lip & Eye Makeup Remover 28ml (£4.26 approx.)

This is a clear bi-phase remover that turns a milky white when mixed.  It works brilliantly at removing even the most stubborn of eye makeup & red lipstick but I'm still not a huge fan of an oily remover for my eyes.  The size is perfect for travelling though so I'll be saving it for my weekends away this year!

Papaya Enzyme Peel 50ml (£31.00)

I was in two minds whether or not to try this one out as my skin can be so sensitive & I suffer with rosacea too & usually, anything containing fruit acids (AHAs) can irritate it too much.  However, I read reviews online & everyone seemed to comment on how gentle this product was so I decided to give it a whirl - oh how glad I am that I did!!

It's a lovely thick cream that I smoothed over my freshly cleansed skin, avoiding the eye area.  I left it on for 10 minutes & had no tingling or reaction to it whatsoever.  On removal, my cheeks had the merest hint of pink, but no more than after a usual cleanse but oh my goodness, my skin was ridiculously smooth & soft afterwards!!  It really felt amazing & I will definitely repurchase this when I run out!

Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream 30ml (£57.00 approx.)

I am totally in love with this product, so much so that I don't want to use it as I don't want to run out!!  It smells divine & if I could find a perfume that smelled exactly the same, I'd wear it every single day!  It's a beautiful rich night cream that serves to plump up my skin with absolutely no greasiness, stickiness or puffiness the following morning.  I really cannot rave about it enough & I could cry as it's a product that is soooo out of my usual price range.  I'll have to keep an eye out for any offers on QVC as I would love to repurchase!!

Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules 14 capsules (£9.28 approx.)

This was a week's worth of these amazing moringa oil-filled capsules, 7 each of the rose (day) & lavender (night).  You break open the capsule, squeeze out the oil & smooth over your face & neck.  I love these too although I tend not to use the rose one in the morning as I'm not keen on using oils on my face during the day so have been using them both at night.  Rose isn't usually one of my favourite scents but this is so delicate that I don't mind it.  The lavender on the other hand is gorgeous!

Again, these are something that are usually out of my price range but I will be putting a set of these on my next Christmas list - are you listening Santa?!

So that's the run-down of my prize, amazing don't you think?!

Have you used Elemis products before?  Any other recommendations for me?

Skin saviours

 

Ugh, I can't tell you how bad my skin has been over the last 8 weeks or so.  I've always been lucky in that I've had great skin all my life, even as a teen I was never really plagued with spots or acne.  Every now & again I'd get a hormonal spot or two but not very often so when my skin suddenly took a very bad turn for the worse, I didn't know how to treat it!

 

I have the Liz Earle Spot-On Treatment Oil that I roll onto any spots usually but even this, which normally works a treat, wasn't working.  My chin & upper lip were covered in big, angry lumps that were really bloody painful & no amount of clay masks or spot treatments were working.

 

I though for a while I was having a reaction to a product that I loved using it but I've come to realise now after a trip to the GP that it really was down to some serious hormonal issues I have going on at the minute.  I'll bore you with the details another day!

 

Anyway, as my normal skincare products seemed to be exacerbating my already problematic skin, I decided that now would be a good time to completely change my products & I want to tell you how I'm getting on with them. 

 

1.  Clarins Pure Melt Face Gel  £19.50 for 125ml

I apply a pea-sized amount of this thick gel cleanser which, when rubbed over my face, turns into a light oil so massages in comfortably.  When water is applied, it emulsifies into a milk but I usually gently rinse mine off with a muslin or flannel.  My skin feels scrupulously clean with no oily residue left behind. 

 

2.  Clarins Gentle Exfoliating toner  £25.00 for 125ml

I was really cautious about using this beauty blogger favourite as I also suffer with rosacea & anything with AHAs usually makes it flare up but after reading so many reviews saying it was suitable for the most sensitive of skin, I decided to give it a whirl.  I spoke to a sales assistant about my worries beforehand so she gave me a sample to try first & after only a few days, I noticed such a huge improvement in my skin, I went & purchased a full bottle.  I get no tingling sensation or irritation whatsoever from this slightly viscous toner but my scarring & lumps have lessened substantially in the 2 weeks I've been using it.  I use it probably 4 or 5 times a week, more than the recommended use, but my skin seems to thrive on it.  This is definitely my new skincare BFF!!

 

3.  Clarins Beauty Flash Balm  £29.00 for 50ml

This is another blogger favourite that admittedly I had been using for years but hadn't replaced when my last tube ran out about 6 months ago.  My skin feels so nourished when used as a mask & looks so much better when used as a base primer.  There are oodles of reviews online about this fabulous cream so I won't bore you with another one!

 

Indeed Labs Hydraluron  £24.99 for 30ml

After reading Caroline Hirons banging on about this product so much, I decided a few weeks ago to try it when it was on offer for a third off at Boots.  My first impression on opening the box was how teeny tiny the tube looked but this product really goes a long way.  I use the tiniest amount over a freshly cleansed & toned face, applying just where my skin feels really dehydrated (my chin & cheeks at the moment) & then apply my moisturiser over the top.  My skin has felt so much plumper since using this & my scarring is getting better too - I'm sure this in conjunction with the Exfoliating Toner is working its magic on my poor skin & I will definitely be repurchasing when it's ran out.

 

Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream  £40.00 for 50ml

I had a generous sized tube of this cream in a Clarins GWP so have been using it for a few weeks & again, my skin seems to love it.  I've had no adverse reaction to it & I alternate between this day cream & another for my rosacea, which I'll review another time.

 

So slowly but surely, my skin is clearing up.  The large angry bumps have gone but I still have a couple of smaller lumps still hanging around.  The redness seems to be kept in check & the pigmentation & scarring is much less noticeable now.  I'll keep up with these products for another few weeks & report back on how my skin is again - watch this space!