Skincare empties

It's been a while since I did a skincare post - it's been a while since I posted anything other than Insanity! So it's time to get back on it, and what better way to do so than with all the products I've finished in the last few weeks?

Soap & Glory Supereyes Moisturising Gel

I've not been serious about eye treatments all that long, but since I've been losing a bit of weight I've noticed my eyes are looking a little more tired now there's less fat in my face to keep the skin plump. And when I do long hours at work and don't sleep enough, it REALLY shows. I've had this eye gel a little while, but not using it religiously until a few weeks ago, and I have to admit I'm not sure how effective it is. It has a lovely cool gel texture and is pretty wet for easy application (not too thick, doesn't drag the skin). If I've exfoliated, I get a slight tingle too, which makes me feel like it must be doing something. But I haven't really noticed any visible difference - though I'm aware I maybe didn't give it a fair trial. The jury's out.

Cost: I think this was around £10, but it appears to have been discontinued so I guess it doesn't really matter!

Repurchase? I might have given it another go, but if, as I suspect, it's no longer around, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

Balance Me - Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm

I wanted to love this. I so wanted to love this.

I'm a huge fan of Balance Me's signature rose scent, their lip balm is one of my all time favourites, and I'd heard great things about this cleanser, but I just couldn't get on board with it. It's a really thick balm, and I struggled to get enough slip to really massage it into my skin. Then I had issues in removing it effectively even after going over my face 3 or 4 times with a warm wet flannel.

It smelled divine, and I'm sure it would be ok on a dryer skin (or perhaps in cold weather where it feels like it might do some good against cold air), but I just couldn't stop feeling like it had left a sticky residue. I did however use it up - mostly using it as a pre-exercise make up remover - so it wasn't a total waste.

Cost? £18 for 125ml
Repurchase? Sadly no

Bioeffect EGF Serum

I got a tester of this in my advent calendar, and having done a little research I was unsure as to whether I should use - there has been a lot of debate as to whether EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor) technology is safe to use on the skin, but having discovered that Bioeffect's EGF is plant-based (meaning it's copied from human DNA rather than cloned from it), my mind was suitably put at rest.

And then once I decided to use it, I discovered how much it cost and decided I REALLY didn't want to waste this stuff if it was going to be anywhere near as effective as the price would suggest. So, having read that's it's most effective when used on fine lines, I decided to use it in a targeted area, focusing on the fine lines around my eyes for as long as it lasted to give myself the best chance of seeing a difference. So did I? Not really... Maybe my lines aren't severe enough to see a marked difference. But at £83.33 per 10ml I wanted to see SOMETHING.

Cost? £125 for 15ml
Repurchase? I'd maybe give it another go sometime if I had any particular areas of concern, but only if I was feeling particularly flush. So probably not.

Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins night moisturiser

My last night cream - by my beloved Lancôme - was just a little too rich for me, so I did a lot of research before investing in this little beauty. And boy am I glad I did. My super oily skin still needs a big old moisture hit, but the traditional thick night creams leave my skin feeling smothered, and I wake up feeling greasy. I've used a cream-gel day moisturiser for a while, so I guess moving to a more gel textured night cream was an obvious move. And they do an oil-free version for greaseballs like me.

I LOVE this. It's a lovely cooling translucent gel which feels incredibly moisturising but also very light, and it has an amazing refreshing orange scent. In the evenings, when I layer up with toner, serum and moisturiser, this lets me enjoy the combination of different products without feeling like my skin is clogged and suffocating.

Cost? £34.50 for 50ml (currently 10% off in Debenhams)

Repurchase? Already have :)

Ax

Lancôme GWP

I've been meaning to post this for ages now, so I hope the GWP is still running for anyone who wants to take advantage!

Popped into Boots last week to stock up on my favourite day moisturiser (Lancôme Hydra Zen Neurocalm Extrême Soothing Moisurising Cream-Gel. Catchy name.) and was obviously a walking target as the second the girl on the counter mentioned the free gift I had a supersize bottle of their Galatéis Douceur in my hand.

But onto the gift. And what a gift!

Just look at how the bag bulges! *snigger*

Lancôme always do great gifts - this time last year I bought their Genifique and Visionnaire serums, and as it was geared up for Mother's Day I got both of them in gift sets, plus got an additional gift bag - which summed 3 x mini lipsticks, 3 x mini mascaras, 2 x mini Genifiques, 2 x mini Visionnaires, a full size Galatéis Douceur, mini Hydra Zen day and night creams, and 3 x mini bottles of their La Vie Est Belle perfume! But I digress.

And I think I love this year's offering event more.

The big box and bottle were my purchases, but the rest was all free free FREE!

That's:

• 125ml (full size) bottle of Bi-Facil eye make-up remover
• Mini lipstick in L'Absolu Rouge - a lovely nude pink
• Mini Hypnôse mascara
• Mini Le Crayon Kohl in Noir 
• 7ml bottle of Advanced Génifique serum
• 15ml pot of Hydra Zen Neurocalm day cream
• 5ml tube of Hydra Zen Neurocalm eye contour gel cream
• 2.5g Blush Subtil in Rose Paradis - a perky but subtle pink which would suit any skin tone

God I love Lancôme.

Ax

Skincare review - Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix exfoliating facial pads

I've been flirting with glycolic acid for a while now. Saucy. I started with Alpha H's famous Liquid Gold - maybe my expectations were too high, but I just didn't love it. Used 2-3 times a week as a treatment at night, I'd wake up with my skin feeling greasy and grubby. I then moved on to First Aid Beauty's Facial Radiance Pads which I did like a whole lot more. At around £18, they're not overpriced, and I found them pretty effective. I was all ready to repurchase when I was in Boots one day and spotted Nip + Fab's Glycolic Fix exfoliating facial pads on offer. So here we are.

Used at the toner stage, they're gentle enough to use twice a day, but I just use them in the evenings - meaning that a tub of 60 lasts two months. Each pad is saturated with enough product to treat the entire face and jawline, the pads stay moist right to the end of the tub, and they are lovely and refreshing with a light, pleasant fragrance. The glycolic acid gently exfoliates, with a little assistance from the pads' bumpy texture, and hyaluronic acid replenishes moisture. Since using, I've noticed a slight improvement in skin texture - and my oily, spot-prone, easily aggravated skin hasn't broken out.

I've just purchased another tub of these, and might try upping the ante to using them twice a day to see if they show any faster improvements, but for under a tenner (as they're always on offer) I'm pretty impressed.

Nip + Fab's Glycolic Fix exfoliating facial pads cost £12.99 for 60 pads, but they're almost always on offer somewhere - currently Boots has them at a third off, and Superdrug has them at half price.

Ax

Skincare review - GLAMGLOW YOUTHMUD mask

I treated myself to an advent present in November, in the form of a beauty advent calendar that contained about £250 of products for a bargainous £50. One of the first products to catch my eye was GLAMGLOW's YOUTHMUD mask, a mask that constantly pops up when I'm searching for new mud masks, but I've never gone ahead and purchased - so you can imagine my joy when I got a 15g sample in my advent calendar. I love treating myself to a face mask, and mud masks are highly recommended to absorb oil and calm and balance blemish-prone skin like mine, so I'm always looking for new ones - and this one promised a lot. More on that later.

First things first, on trying the product out, my initial reaction was confusion - as I was trying to squeeze the product out of the tube, it was getting all clogged up with only the tiniest bit of product coming out. I couldn't work out why, until a firmer squeeze sent a long black strand of tea leaf out. I don't know enough about the "science" of the product to know if having these large pieces of tea leaf left in the product is actually beneficial, or just for show. I imagine all the goodness has been extracted from the leaves by the time the mask is packaged and they're just left in for aesthetic purposes. Personally, I find the large pieces annoying, as they clog up the hole in the tube, and fall off my face when I apply the mask.

Ignoring the oversized tea leaves, the mask does go on really nicely - a thin layer is all that's needed. As an exfoliating mask, there are also exfoliating beads in the formulation. Usually I prefer to exfoliate with acids than scrubs, but the beads in this mask are tiny, much finer than any of the facial scrubs I've used previously, so while I'm no expert, they don't feel scratchy or potentially damaging.

The official marketing promises A LOT:

There's nothing GLAMGLOW doesn't do - feel the tingle as it works its magic on your skin:
> Skin Collagen Synthesis for a noticeable 3 day glow.
> Brighter, radiant skin in minutes.
> Leaves skin noticeably soft and smooth.
> Multi-level resurfacing exfoliation.
> Penetrates into the deepest layers of the skin to soften fine lines and wrinkles.
> Tightens, tones and lifts the skin.
> Relieves dark circles and minimises pores.
> Absorbs impurities without removing natural oils.
> Helps protect against everyday environmental aggressors.
> Suitable for all skin types, all ages and for both women and men.
> Contains no artificial colours or fragrances.
> 99% paraben-free, cruelty-free, and suitable for vegans.

I wouldn't say I noticed a glow lasting 3 days, and I can't speak for any of the long-term benefits, but after using it there is a noticeable glow, and my skin is particularly soft and smooth. I've been using it to revitalise my skin after the indulgent Christmas period, and it's helped fight the effects of January. With the instant glow it gives, it's also a good mask for using before a big date or night out.

Until I've seen some long-term benefits, I'm not sure I could recommend it at the RRP of £50 for 50g, but you can find it on various beauty websites for around £35 which I'll probably treat myself to at some point. Plus, my little 15g sample tube has done at least 5 or 6 treatments, and there's probably still one more use left in the tube, so a 50g tub should last a LONG time.

Have you tried GLAMGLOW products? What do you think?

Ax

Skincare review - Lancôme Galateis Douceur

It's an oldie, but a goodie.

I've always avoided cleansing lotions and milks like the plague, knowing many of them (though not this one) contain shea butter - a nightmare for my oily, spot-prone skin - and preferring the safety of balms and clay based cleansers. But after spending a small fortune on Lancôme's Génifique and Visionnaire serums a few months back, I was given a rather generous free gift set including mascara, lipstick, perfume, miniature serums, and this wondrous little cleanser.

I put off using it for months, terrified it might break me out, but finally cracked it open in November, and boy am I glad I did.

It's a thin lotion, which smooths across the skin easily (meaning you really don't need much), gives enough slip to massage in, and then is easily removed with a damp flannel. It removes light make up easily, but heavy eye make up or sunscreen would need a separate make up remover. Resultantly, I tend to use it as a second cleanse after an oily balm has taken care of my make up.

The good
I find it to be super gentle, so good for sensitive skin and not an issue around the eyes, and I've had no new break outs when using it - even less occasional spots than when I've been using Ren Clearcalm which was always my safest cleanser.

The bad
It does contain mineral oil (find out more from Caroline Hirons here), but while I know it's not *good* for my skin, it hasn't clogged it up in the slightest, and I'd say it's as clear as it's been in recent months.

It won't be for everyone, but for me - especially given my aversion to milky lotions - it was an unexpected success. At £23 for 200ml / £35.50 for 400ml (though often on offer), it's not the cheapest, but nor is it particularly expensive, and it's a small price to pay for the soft, clear skin I'm currently sporting.

Have you tried it? What did you think?

Ax