avene skin recovery cream - calming formula

 

 

this is one of my favourite moisturisers because of the amazing effect it has on my skin. it feels quite light and has no strong smell like the rest of the avene brand i've tried (it's aimed at sensitive and irritated skin which is probably why.)

i use about a pea-sized amount morning and evening and it doesn't leave a greasy residue as some moisturisers do. it also absorbs quickly and feels very soothing. in terms of how it makes my skin look, i'd say it was just a lot clearer and fresher than usual. in the winter i need something heavier (i usually use olay double action day cream) but this winter i'm considering just getting this moisturiser in the 'riche' version. howver, when it's not freezing cold, this works really well and as an occasional sufferer of dry skin i haven't seen any dry patches since i started using this moisturiser again!

you can purchase avene products from boots and this moisturiser costs £12.50 - well worth the money in my opinion!

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!

avene freebies!

how i've been blogging for almost five months now and haven't mentioned one of my favourite skincare brands i do not know! i was introduced to avène by my local pharmacist. for some reason before i went on holiday a couple of years ago i decided to buy a really strong and scented cleanser and ended up coming home with a sort of red bumpy rash/breakout - yuk! he told me to try the 'rich skin recovery cream' and the rash soon went away.


following this, i started trying some of their other products, namely their moisturisers and their 'extremely gentle cleanser' and have since been convincing friends and family (and pretty much anyone else who will listen) how great this brand really is. 

i then came across the avène website which not only has an informative (and quite cheesy) video on it about avène water that you can watch here, but it also has a skin diagnosis area where, if you register, you can complete a form about your skin type and they will send you samples that are selected specifically for your skin type. freebies, yay! here are the samples i received and have been using for about a week now...

 

this is the gentle gel cleanser and is similar to the extremely gentle cleanser in smell and texture - i'd say a combination between a gel and a cream, but thinner in consistency than you'd expect - but is formulated for normal to combination skin as opposed to sensitive skin. it works well at removing make up and feels really gentle and soothing. after using this for just a week my skin hasn't had any flare ups or blemishes surface. 

 

i've been using the gel cleanser combined with this light hydrating cream that is also spf 20. this moisturiser is very light and usually i prefer something heavier just because i like the feel of it but really i don't think i need it. like i said, my skin has been blemish free for about a week and doesn't look like it's going to break out any time soon so something must be working! ideally, i'd like to use this as a day cream and then the rich hydrating cream for nighttime.

although i wouldn't say avène is pricy at all, especially for what you get and how long it lasts (it ranges from about £5-23) i urge anyone who hasn't already to fill in the skin diagnosis form and at least try the samples... trust me, you'll be a convert before you know it!

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!

use it up - #1

 

so this is my first ever 'use it up' post. i generally enjoy reading other people's use it up posts as i think it's good to share thoughts on products that are worthy of completely using up and potentially re-purchasing. plus, i think it's a good idea to have a bit of encouragement to actually finish products as opposed to just finding another place to store the half empty bottles.

kiehl's - 'creme de corps'. £27.

 this body moisturiser is one of my all time favourites. i was desperate to try it so purchased some last year in new york where it's a little bit cheaper and i was feeling extravagant. it feels like rubbing melted butter into your skin (in a good way), leaves your skin feeling so soft and smells really nice, but not of anything in particular. i also love the packaging. it's so simple yet effective, and i'd love to have a kiehl's filled bathroom for this reason alone. unfortunately it's £27 for a 250ml bottle and at the moment i just don't have that kind of money to be spending on moisturiser! i'd still consider it a firm favourite though and will re-purchase as soon as possible!
 

batiste - dry shampoo (blonde). £3.99.

who isn't a fan of dry shampoo? o.k, it doesn't make your hair feel great but when you're in a rush and have long hair like mine sometimes there just isn't time to wash it in the morning. i'm naturally blonde so i bought this a while ago but have since become a brunette. although technically this means i should no longer use this product, before the batiste range became as big as it is now everyone had to use the same original dry shampoo (shock) and so i figured using this on my brown hair isn't that different. it does make my hair look slightly lighter but it isn't noticeable so i'm determined to finish this up and then invest in some of the 'medium brunette' variety.

soap and glory - 'sugar crush' body scrub. £8.

i really love this body scrub and i'm not quite sure why i haven't blogged about it before. it has the signature soap and glory smell but is slightly more tangy and so is great for getting you to feel a bit more summery whilst exfoliating off any remnants of winter. i personally feel it could be a bit more grainy (i'm not sure how good this would be for my skin, i just enjoy the feeling of freshly scrubbed skin!) but i have solved this problem by purchasing a pair of these and together they give you a great body exfoliation. the best thing is is that when the scrub runs out the gloves are still there and will do the job nicely.

boots hairspray - maximum hold. £1.62.

unfortunately, this is a case of you get what you pay for. the words 'maximum hold' enticed me in but this hairspray just doesn't cut it. it claims to be unperfumed which is untrue - it still has that slightly floral aerosol smell. it also doesn't hold the hair well at all. my hair is naturally a bit wavy so it's fine for a quick mist after straightening but only managed to hold curls done with curling tongs in place for about an hour before they dropped which is a shame. sorry boots, but despite usually pulling through with your own brand products, i won't be re-purchasing this time!