March Madness

I thought I ought to write a quick post to explain my recent blogging absence. Without me really intending to, I've managed to take a couple of weeks off.

March tends to be a busy month for us but this year seems to have been busier than usual. So far I've had my parents to stay, celebrated my birthday, Mother's Day, missed my blogging anniversary, painted four rooms and a hallway, had some lovely friends to visit and survived a really upsetting assessment appointment for one of my children. I've also attended my first event in ages, volunteered myself for some fundraising work at nursery and had a brief dalliance with the idea of being an Avon lady. There's been tears and laughter but not much time for writing and the never ending bad weather hasn't helped much either.

New purchases

Although it's been busy, makeup and skin care hasn't been entirely forgotten. I've bought a few new bits recently and I've also started trialling some PR samples for review. I'm still focusing on using things up: the Avene Anti-Rougeurs moisturiser is my most recent empty and I'm really close to finishing the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm, Live Native Exfoliating Cleanser and Pai Rice Plant & Rosemary BioAffinty Tonic. So there are definitely plenty of posts in the offing, I also have pictures and swatches ready for a little taupe eyeshadow comparison (see sneak peek below). Hopefully I can ignore the call of the paint brush long enough to get some writing to go with the pictures!

Testing, testing...

Empties and almost-empties

Have you had a good March so far? Any new good purchases to share?

Winter Skincare Routine

Over the last month or so I have added a few new products to my routine so I thought it would be a good time to write an update about what I'm currently using and enjoying. I also wanted to mention a product that hasn't been such a success, which is probably just as useful to share.

MORNING

Nuxe Micellar Foam Cleanser
Before anyone tells me off, yes, yes, I know current wisdom suggests that it's a bad idea to use a foaming cleanser. However, my skin always feels rank if I completely stop using a foaming cleanser as part of my routine. I'm certainly not advocating them for everyone but I do like this one very much. I find the Nuxe similar to the Emma Hardie foaming cleanser in formula but the Nuxe foam feels a little creamier. I bought this from Escentual.com during a 1/3 off French Skincare promotion.

Nourish Radiance Refreshing Toning Mist*
I use this to dampen my face post cleanse, before using either the MuLondon moisturiser or Suti oil. It has quite a powerful spritzing action, a bit too powerful to be honest and it makes me miss the very delicate mist of the Live Native MSM toner.

MuLondon Organic Rose Moisturiser*
I thought it would be nice to revisit this moisturiser as my skin was feeling a little dry and weather beaten. You can find my original review here. It has a solid balm texture which melts with body heat. I tend to scrape up a small amount, melt it between my hands before massaging into my face and neck, which I dampen with toner beforehand. I prefer to dampen my skin as I don't need as much of the moisturiser that way and it makes it easier to spread. 

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm*
I'll sometimes use this in the morning if I didn't get opportunity to have a thorough cleanse the night before (see below for an explanation). It always leaves my skin feeling lovely and clean when used in conjunction with a hot flannel.

EVENING

The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover
I finally allowed myself to re-purchase this old favourite after finishing off all my half used bottles of eye makeup remover. I've dabbled with bi-phasic and micellar removers but I much prefer this light cream formula. It's quick and effective, I also find that it can double as an all over makeup remover when I'm feeling very lazy.

No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser
I've returned to using this cleanser as it's very nearly empty and I'm still on a major drive to use up products. Although this was also an old favourite (I've been through several tubes in the past), I think the love affair is definitely over. I still like the creamy texture but the fragrance is too synthetic and I suspect it irritates my skin very slightly. I much prefer the Pai cleanser and Emma Hardie cleansing balm to this. I'm actually tempted to do the unthinkable and throw it away before it's empty. 

Bioderma Crealine Micellar Water
I've had to use this as a makeup remover quite a lot over the Christmas period. It's not ideal but unfortunately our bathroom backs on to my daughters room and if she's stirring as we go up to bed, running lots of water often wakes her up. I'll take a sticky face over getting her back to sleep any day! As I mentioned above, I will use the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm in the morning to make up for it.
 
Suti Rejuvenate Organic Facial Oil*
Although facial oils seem very popular in the beauty community, it's not something I use very often. I don't think I've ever managed to review an oil as I am incapable of applying daily for a 28 day period. However, an excellent guest review of the Suti Rejuvenate oil on London MakeUp Girl encouraged me to give this a proper try. I apply this in a similar way to the MuLondon moisturiser, I ensure my skin is thoroughly dampened with the toner spray before massaging in several drops of oil. When I use it in the evenings, I find I wake up with beautifully soft skin without a trace of greasiness.

Before I started using the Organic Rose moisturiser in the mornings, I often used the Suti oil and found it an excellent prep for foundation. I find that in winter, foundation can sometimes accentuate dry patches (even when you thought you had none) but both the MuLondon and the Suti oil are very good at counteracting this. The Vapour Soft Focus Skin Perfector is also very good for this.

OCCASIONAL

I noticed there was a bit of theme to these three supplementary items. The short days, winter winds and central heating all do an excellent job of making my skin look rather dull and grey. I use all of these products in the quest for more radiant skin.

Live Native Essential Earth Exfoliating Cleanser*
This lives in my shower and I use it a couple of times a week. It has quite a gentle exfoliating action so it doesn't feel over the top to have this and the exfoliating mask in my routine.

Omorovicza Radiance Renewal Serum*
Before I switched to using the Suti oil, I used this serum to supplement my moisturiser in the evenings. The moisturiser I had been using wasn't sufficiently hydrating on its own and I felt that the  serum helped to counteract this.

Sjal Pearl Enzyme Exfoliating Mask*
I used this on Christmas day and before my night out at the beginning of December. It's an expensive item that I can't see myself replacing, so I feel the need to eke it out! It smells very odd (and not in a good way) but the pay off is smooth, glowing skin. A cheaper, less smelly alternative is the Dr Darren McKeown Mask from Superdrug. 

DIDN'T LOVE

I really wanted to love the Antipodes Rejoice Light Facial Day Cream and my initial impressions were good. It smells beautiful and the texture is lovely but much richer than you would expect for a light cream. Despite the rich texture, I found it behaved oddly on my skin. Rather than being absorbed or leaving a film, after a couple of minutes it would begin to dry on the surface of my skin. Whilst it didn't exactly make my skin tight, it was an uncomfortable feeling. I would also need to use something else before applying foundation as this left my skin too dry to apply directly. I'm hopeful that I can make it more servicable by adding a drop of oil as I apply it.

Have you discovered any new skincare favourites over the last couple of months or have you been re-united with your old winter favourites?

* The items shown here are a mixture of items purchased by me and PR samples. The samples are all indicated with an asterisk.

November Empties

I've had another flurry of finishing products off recently. Unfortunately, it only includes one makeup item which reminds me that I must update you on my progress with project Use it Up.

The first item that I finished off was my tube of Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre. I quite like the Embryolisse as a fairly bland moisturiser that I turn to if my skin is upset or used in conjunction with other more active products. I know it has a garnered rather a cult status but I wouldn't refer to it as a must have. I can see why it's very useful for makeup artists but I can also understand the 'huh, is that it?' anti-climax from people expecting a wonder cream. I may ask my Mum to replace it when she's next in France but for now, I'm concentrating on using up other products.

The Kneipp Pure Bliss Bath* is something that was actually adopted by my children. I like to think that it helped calm them down before bed. It certainly calmed my nerves whilst bathing them and left them smelling beautiful. They were also quite keen on the fact that it turned the bath water pink. We've replaced it with the Kneipp Lavender Bath product which I find needs to be used more sparingly for the children than the Pure Bliss.

I was really sad to finish both the Live Native Essential Mist MSM Toner* and the Rahua Conditioner. The Live Native has such a beautiful fine misting action and I've appreciated it even more now that I'm using something with a much more vigorous spray. This is something I will definitely replace. The Rahua Conditioner was the first bottle out of the shampoo and conditioner to go but the shampoo isn't far behind. It's not unusual for me to use up two bottles of conditioner to every one shampoo, so I think it's lasted very well. I've loved using the Rahua but in the run up to Christmas, I can't justify the expense of replacing it. I won't rule out repurchasing when I'm feeling more flush though, as it's the nicest 'clean' haircare that I've tried so far.

The last item to go was my Max Factor Second Skin foundation*. When the pump stopped working towards the end, I took to using the tube inside as a spatula. I've always liked this foundation as the finish was between a tinted moisturiser and a foundation on my skin. I believe it has been discontinued now so unfortunately there's no option of replacing it. I do feel a strong urge to try a new winter base but I'm still working at finishing off various bottles of half-filled foundation and tinted moisturiser, so hopefully I will stay strong instead of adding a new bottle to the pile!


Disclosure: Items indicated with an asterisk were originally received as PR samples for review.

Skin Pampering Favourites

On Sunday, I tweeted about a trusted few products that helped perk up my skin and I thought I would share this here too. The majority of these are products that I have been using for a while, they are from a mixture of brands but the combination is a good one and guaranteed to make my skin look better immediately.

I started off with a thorough facial massage with Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm* (if you haven't read Face Goop's recent review, you really should). There's something about the texture and scent of this balm which encourages me to take more time over cleansing that I normally would. To remove the balm, I used a hot flannel which I left on my skin for a moment before wiping everything off. Rinse and repeat.

I followed up my cleanse with a spritz of Live Native Essential Mist MSM Toner*. I've been using this twice a day for a few months now and it's an absolute pleasure to use. It's refreshing, hydrating and smells beautiful. I find the Live Native concept of using raw ingredient in their skincare absolutely fascinating and it makes a lot of sense from a scientific perspective. There are some skincare ingredients that I assume are biological inactive (or unavailable, like collagen) once they hit your skin but oddly I'd never considered the impact of heat during the manufacturing process. It's certainly more food for thought.

With my skin still slightly damp from the Essential Mist toner, I applied a pump of Perricone MD Advanced Face Firming Activator*. I still really rate this and find it does a good job of softening my fine lines, although the fishy smell does limit its popularity. I have to confess that last month I made a terrible mistake whilst using it. In a sleep bleary state I slapped it on moisturiser style, taking it down my neck and decolletage. Later that day, the skin on my chest was covered in fairly large bumps which took over a week to disappear. There's no doubting that the active ingredients in the Activator really are active!

My skin felt really good after using the EH Cleansing Balm, Live Native Essential Mist and Face Firming Activator and I consider these three to be a golden combination for my skin. Alongside the massage and the hot flannel, of course. Although my skin felt well hydrated at this point, I finished off with a moisturiser out of habit. I've just started using the Antipodes Rejoice Light Facial Day Cream so I will refrain from my making any comments but I will say that its scent did an excellent job of masking the post-Perricone smell. I also used the Zelens Triple-Action eye cream* which I previously reviewed here. Job done!

Do you have any trusted face favourites?

* PR Samples

Simple Pleasure: My Shower Routine

Sometimes, it really is about the little things. I'm not really a morning person but the products above are currently combining to lift my mood before I step out of the shower.

Firstly, the Rahua Shampoo and Conditioner. I really hesitated over this purchase because of the cost but the products are so highly recommended, I had to give them a try. As promised, you don't need to use a lot to get the desired results and I'm thrilled to report that the shampoo foams and rinses away completely, which is something I've had trouble with previously with other SLS free formulas. I really like the smell too which is always a bonus.

The Live Native Essential Earth Exfoliating Cleanser* has a really unusual texture and looks a little strange. To use, you scoop out a small blob of the paste and mix with water to get the desired consistency. I prefer to use it in the shower as it creates less mess. It's recommended that you use a press and roll type action with it but I confess, I tried this and failed and resorted to my more usual massaging in large slow circles method. This works just fine for me and I think of it as my little cave woman moment!

I bought the Haus of Gloi Spring Tonic #1 Whipped Soap with my Valentine's order and it has sat patiently in a drawer ever since. I've not tried any of the whipped soaps before but I love the texture. It feels a bit like a very creamy shaving foam (the tradition variety). The Spring Tonic #1 scent is refreshingly zesty without being overpowering which is perfect for my grumpy morning self.

What are the simple pleasure in your morning routine?


*press sample