Rollin' in the Creams: L' Occitane, The Body Shop, Carex, Neals Yard

Soooo somehow between magazine freebies, gifts and half price offers I have accumulated a tiny hand cream collection. I know, I know it looks bad but in my defense I like hand creams and these will be used up. I have a little strategy in relation to using them as well, no fear there is a method in the madness. 

Christmas gift 2013

Magazine freebies, yup £58 worth of free handcream

The 30ml L'Occitane Shea Butter  hand creams I keep for carrying around daily/ on nights out. They are the perfect handbag/clutch bag size. I keep one in my Longchamp pouchette 24/7.

 These are good because they are super moisturizing and even the scented ones are not terrible overpowering.

 My sister knows of my "L'Occitane Love" and she bought me the L'Occitane gift box (pictured above) as a part of my Christmas gift. 

The Neal's Yard Hand Cream (Save The Bees guys) I plan to start using this as a hand bag cream when the weather really heats up. I tend to like citrus scents during the warmer months. 

Half priced purchases

The Body Shop Hand creams I picked these up for 2 reasons 1. I had been watching them for a while. From time to time The Body Shop emails would come to my inbox and I would have a gander  to see what products were on offer, these hand creams kept coming up peaking my interest. One day I gave in and purchased them when they were on offer with 50% off discount (these 100ml sizes are usually £10 each, I bought them for £5 each)

2. I toyed with the idea of giving each of my siblings a hand cream and a hand sanitizer as a part of their Christmas presents  (don;t judge one of my sisters gave me socks). Sadly The hand creams did not make it to the Christmas gift boxes but the hand sanitizers did. 

 

I use these during the day if I am at home and in the evenings before bed. I think these are great desk hand creams. 

Cussons Carex Antibacterial Hand Creams first let me say this was a great way for Cussons to diversify their product range. They make so many hand washes, it was just the sensible move for them to start making hand creams. Cussons -----------> WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? I bought these last August when they first launched in Superdrug and were half priced (£1.20). I originally had two of them the Vitamin E (pictured above, now resides on my desk) and the Aloe Vera ( which has been used and now rests with the hand cream gods). These I use at the office. 

There you are my lovelies.

 I told you there was a method to the madness. 

xx

Superdug Online

Lovelies, I found myself in a quandary the other day. I had no body moisturiser. I had 3 bottles of shower gel, 2 tins/cans of deodorant and no body lotions or creams, not even a spare body butter left over from winter.  

To make up this shortfall I ordered some of the Garnier Beauty oil moisturiser  along with 2 Pantene Pro-V Hair serums from the Superdug  via the website. I must commend the service. the ordering process is very simple and easy and the goods are delivered promptly. All in all it has been one of the better online shopping experiences I have had, and I hate online shopping. Also superdrug offers free delivery to store and you can choose which store you would like your items delivered. 

Superdrug online is a winner.

xx

The New Avengers:Skincare

The season has changed,  and some of my skincare products have finished. 

It is time for the changing of the guard, arise the NEW avengers. 

Lierac, Murad, Korres, The Body Shop, Nivea

TK MAXX Avengers  

LIERAC Cleansing Oil £5.99 (replaces Emma Hardie Cleansing balm £34)

KORRES Pomegranate Moisturising Cream/Gel £9.99 (replaces Origin Ginzing £23)

KORRES Wild Rose Brightening and Line Smoothing Serum £9.99 

Murad Perfecting Day Cream SPF30 £14.99 

Body Shop Avengers

Vitamin E Overnight Serum in Oil £12

Elderflower Unperfumed Eye Gel £7

Nivea Avenger 

Nivea Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream £1.98 (Love this stuff, went through 3 tubes of it at uni)

These are my skincare items for the Spring/ summer months. 

Lovelies have you changed your skincare regimen?

What new products are you using?

Comment and let me know. 

xx

The Skin Project - Moisturiser

                                                 

The first post of the skin project for the New Year is all about moisturising. 

Moisturising is the process of aiding the body's natural hydration of the skin. Moisturising  prevents the upper layer of the epidermis from getting dry through loss of water which occurs naturally through evaporation. When the water in the cells within the epidermis (top layer of skin) is lost,  the skin tries to pull water from the lower layers of skin. This loss of water  will cause the skin to become dry. When moisturiser is applied to the top layer of skin, the skin absorbs it, the hydrating agents  within the moisturiser helps the water already present within the skin cells. Composition of products along with skin type determines the effectiveness of a moisturiser, ie whether or not the skin will absorb all or some of the product. Eg My skin type - Oily will absorb 50 - 90% of a light moisturiser, but only 30 - 45% of a rich moisturiser.

Since my skin is Oily I tend to go for light and oil free formulas. Price is not a determining factor for me in relation to buying a facial moisturiser. I usually test the products first and if I like how it feels on my skin after it has been absorbed then I will buy it. Sometimes I like it a product after trying it once, other times it might be after 3 or 4 tries the love comes. One thing I wont do is force a product, if it leaves my skin greasy, oily or with any sort of film/coating it is a no no for me. 

My current moisturiser for the daytime is the Origins GinZing moisturiser, which is a light hydrating formula. It has a semi gel like feel, spreads very easily and absorbs very quickly into my skin. After application my skin feels plump and supple without looking greasy. The Origins Ginzing moisturiser layers up easily under my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser, MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural and the MAC Studio Fix finish. 

                                         

Review

In the evenings I apply the Boots Botanics Hydrating Night Cream All Bright (pictured above) as my night cream. This product is another face cream with a gel like consistency. It has a bit more body to it than the Origins GinZing, but it goes on light and absorbs quickly. I have been using  these creams for almost 7 months and I am still happy with both of them. 

Happy New Year to you all, for more about #TheSkinProject read posts by the other participants and the creator Lianne @ www.thebrunettesays.co.uk.

Be Re-newed

xx

Winter Skincare Series - Lip Balms

     Lip balms don't tend to bring the glamour or get as much hype/excitement compared to lipsticks and lip glosses. However lip balms are very important when it comes to keeping lips moisturised. Our lips unlike the rest of our body no not contains any oil producing glands, so all the moisture they receive needs to be applied externally. Our lips need care all year round  especially during the winter months, when the cold air and fake heat can cause chapping. 

Lip balms come in many varieties, some contain colour  shimmer, spf the *moist* important part is that they moisturise the lips!!! 

Nivea lip care essential - Been using this since 2001 and I always will, unless it is discontinued. This lip balm  contains JoJoba oil and moisturises lips very effectively. It is even guy friendly no colour/no scent/ minimum shine/ affordable, so my fellas you can upgrade from those tubs of Vaseline.

Blistex Lip Massage - it works well especially around the end of january/ early february when the snow is in full force. 

Blistex Lip Conditioner -  works the same as the lip Massage but it has more menthol and comes in a little tub. 

MAC Lip Gelee - this product is a thick but ultra moisturising product. It is not quite a lipstick or lip stain not quite a gloss and delivers a wash of colour and it lasts a longggggggggggggggggg time. 

MAC lip Gelee in moistly

There you have it guys and dolls. No reason not to have the perfect pout this season.

xx

Review - Nivea Daily Essentials Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream spf 8

Moisturises and regulates shine for a fresh skin feeling 

What Nivea  says:

Nivea visage daily essentials oil free moisturising day cream enriched with Natural Lemon grass and Rice extract, supports the natural balance of your skin:

• Regulates your skin:s oil balance to leave your skin shine free
• The light formulation hydrates your skin without clogging pores
• With spf8 and extra uva filters it helps to protect your skin from environmental influences and premature aging. 

What I say:

      This cream I have been using since February I purchased it since I had in spf and you guys know if you follow me on twitter (@Rebelle01) that I am very big on spf, I wear it daily. This was my first venture into the spf/suncreen moisturiser arena. As a face cream it does what it says on the packaging, it does keep my skin moisturised, and hydrated. It sinks in quite quickly,  spreads easily which I love, and there is no greasy after feel, to my skin. It lasts a really long time, which is def a plus point in my book. (yes it is STILL going strong, since I mostly wear it if I am staying inside the house these days, or if I need a moisturiser before I go out at night under my makeup)  
      The price point is very very very affordable, I paid less than £4 for this and it was 1/3 off the full price, though I am no budget fashionista, I do want to be as financially savvy as possible. As a girl with Oily skin this cream is a peach, I absolutely love it. The only downside is the spf factor, now that I have done thorough and in-depth research regarding spf, I am disappointed in regards to the amount of spf that is in this cream, it contains spf 8 where as the other two creams in this range contain spf15, so I feel we oily girls are getting jipped.

Nivea visage cream in the middle, current skincare routine.

Would I repurchase? - yes I would repurchase this cream for during the winter months dec/jan/feb

Would I recommend? - yes i would,  really like this cream, my only disappointment is the spf factor.

Would I buy full priced? - no probably not, it is always on offer somewhere.

Stay savvy my lovelies

Review - Avene Hydrance Optimale spf 20

        Now that I have told you about my cleanser, toner  and night time treatment that I am currently using, it is time to introduce those products work for me during the day. The #1 anti-age-ing skin product is SPF, sunblock, suncream whatever you want to call it. If you want to be looking at svelte and youthful in your latter years it is important to not only invest in a good skincare regime (which I am currently trying to do) but to also invest in some sunblock. 
     The harsh rays from the sun burn not only the top layer of skin but the under laying layer as well --------> this is what causes ageing. Not any old suncreeam will do, the one you choose to put ony our face and body must be a BROAD SPECTRUM sunscreen, meaning that it contains not only UVA but UVB protection as well. 

What Avene says:

Gentle, creamy moisturiser that restores skin;s hydration and helps protect it against environmental and UV aggressors. 

What I say:

     When you read the packaging it says for sensitive skin, however my skin is also oily, so at first I was apprehensive about trying it on. I later got over my trepidation and applied some of the cream, the formula was very light, easy to spread and it sank into my skin quickly. Another thing that I do love about this hydrating cream, is that even with its fairly high spf number, it does not leave my face with a greyish tinge, or a white circle where my hairline meets my face. I use this on days when the weather is overcast and then on days that are bright and sunny I wear Nivea Sun spf. 
      A little goes a long way with this product,  which I have tried and tested for myself. The cream comes in a little handy 40ml tube , so it has been very easy for me to pop this into my bag to apply on the go, or to re-apply as and when it is needed. Please note that between the time i acquired this product and presentday the level of spf has increased from 20  -----> spf 25.

Would I recommend? - yes

Would I repurchse? - yes (though this was given to me as a gift)

would I buy full priced? - Yes it is def worth it, skin protection in a light easy to use formula.

Miss Mai