garnier intensive seven day challenge - update

 

a couple of weeks a go i took on the garnier intensive seven day challenge which involved using a sachet of their shea butter moisturiser on one area of the body (i chose my legs) every day for a week. before and after the week i used the enclosed 'skin reader' to measure the amount of dry skin on my legs. as promised, here's my (very late - oops!) update on how it went and some before and after shots of the skin reader provided. sorry if this grosses anyone out and if so look away now because here they are!

before - top; after - bottom

as you can see from the 'before' skin reader, my legs were a sorry state of affairs. i have to admit i hadn't been keeping up on the moisturising routine i had forced myself into and i'd run out of exfoliator - double whammy! i can at least say it was an incentive to carry out the challenge for the full seven days.

       

 i also have to admit that my 'after' skin reader wasn't actually used as directed - two hours after the final application. this was mainly down to me choosing to apply the moisturiser at night and although i carried the full challenge out, there was no way i was sitting up waiting for two hours just to do a skin 'reading'!

instead, i did it the next day after my shower and was pleasantly surprised when in fact the moisturiser appeared to have made a difference. i'm sure this could have happened with any moituriser and for anyone wondering, i'm well aware that this test isn't a scientific skin-softness phenomenon! but either way, any kind of visual evidence that my skin is less dry is encouraging.

overall, i did like using the shea butter moisturiser and it made my skin feel softer too. plus it's really cheap (around £2.99) and there are loads of varieties if you don't like the smell of shea butter. i will be purchasing a full sized bottle soon!

garnier intensive seven day challenge

 

i requested a garnier intensive 7 days moisturiser sample pack a few weeks ago but haven't yet taken the week long challenge so figured if i let you all know i was participating then it may give me a bit of motivation to actually get moisturising! unfortunately, garnier seem to have run out of sample packs as i found out here, but as the cream is so cheap (£2.99 in superdrug) it'd be relatively easy to take the challenge yourself if you still wanted to!

 

the sample pack comes with a 'skin reader' which you're meant to use before the challenge and after the seven days to test levels of skin dryness. as far as i know the black circles on the skin reader are there to pick up dry skin cells. the less 'white' (dry skin cells) it picks up, the less dry your skin is. lovely! if you're lucky (and it's not too gross) i may even show you a before and after skin reader shot in the review... just maybe!

 

 

it also comes with seven individual sachets of the moisturiser in the shea butter variety for dry to extra dry skin. i wouldn't say my skin is extra dry but i figure the more intense the moisturiser the less i have to do it and that's always a bonus!

 

so the plan is, in seven days i'll be able to come back to you with as accurate a review as possible of whether this moisturiser actually does what it claims to do... here's hoping!

garnier - hydrating day care moisturiser

 

i recently ran out of my favourite moisturiser, olay double action day cream, and thought i'd try something new. i do this once in a while despite knowing how well olay works for me because like most girls, i get excited by pretty packaging and endless promises. i'm also attracted to low prices (who isn't?!) and so when i saw this moisturiser in sainsbury's for just under £3 (although it seems to be £4.49 online so maybe it was a local deal?) i picked it up.

it's a 'gel-cream', something i've never really tried before. the consistency is a lot less creamy than what i usually go for but it feels light and sinks into my skin well. i think it would be a good base for the summer when olay can get a bit heavy and dryness isn't an issue.

it says it's 'enriched with grape water selected for its refreshing properties'. not sure how refreshing grape water actually is (and surely when grapes are squeezed they make juice or better still, wine?) but it does have a summery smell which i'd say was a mix between grapes and cucumber so i'm not complaining.

overall, i'm glad i bought this moisturiser. i'll definitely always revert back to olay, but garnier's hydrating day care is a nice cream and will get a lot more use when (and if) the sun finally returns to england. fingers crossed!