Eye(s) Cream Dream

Hello there lovelies

Today’s offerings are my two favourite eye creams. I never really used eye creams until towards the end of 2012 when I got a No7 one and really liked it. Prior to this I questioned the point of eye creams and how they differed from a regular moisturiser but I enjoyed using it so have continued to use eye creams since then. I then made the discovery of this dream duo and have been hooked ever since. These are the second of these little pots of joy I have bought and they have become firm favourites and must have items in my skincare routine.

Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado. To call this thick would be an understatement, it's so thick and creamy but doesn’t feel heavy under the eyes, it feels so nourishing and like it's really benefiting my skin overnight, I prefer to use this at night as it’s thicker and I find it more nourishing. Although it’s incredibly thick it doesn’t feel greasy in the slightest and absorbs really quickly. I haven’t used this in the morning so can’t comment on whether it affects makeup, but I imagine that it would be a good base for the heavy-duty concealers. As it's so thick a little goes a long way so although it’s pricey it really does last.

Antipodes Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream. This is such a lovely cream and although its quite rich it feels so light, and I mean light, but it doesn’t feel watery or wishy washy like its not doing anything. This is a beautiful cream that really hydrates the delicate eye area and doesn’t affect makeup application. It’s completely fragrance free and just a really nice cream to use. It’s quickly absorbed with no oily residue left on the skin, it just gives eyes that little extra in the morning, it gives eyes a lovely hydrated base for concealer to be applied and prevents it drying throughout the day.

These two are both definitely luxury items and the price is not for the faint hearted but I think they’re worth it as eyes can be the first area to display the signs of aging and fatigue. I really don’t think I could pick a favourite from the two as they are both equally amazing and for me to replace either of them with another eye cream it would have to really impress me. I can't recommend these products high enough, if you're looking for a light hydrating cream then go for Antipodes, if you're after a richer nourishing cream then go for Kiehl's. I have sensitive eyes and both these creams are suitable for me as they are both fragrance free.

  

What’s your opinion of eye creams? Can you recommend any cheaper alternatives?

Until next time

POTW 10 Go Bananas

Hello there lovelies

This weeks POTW is The Body Shops Banana Conditioner. I think this was discontinued for a while but has recently made a come back and oh boy am I glad it’s back. I used to use this many many years ago and it was always my “holiday” conditioner along with the shampoo. I absolutely LOVE the smell of this, one of my favourite smells of all time, a bit like banana yoghurt, the texture of this has changed from how I remember, it used to be really thick with little black bits in just like mashed up banana but now it’s a brighter yellow in colour and not as thick but it smells just as lovely. It leaves hair silky smooth and smelling so good, I don’t use it too much as I don’t think it’s best for coloured hair but I just can’t resist the smell. It’s really good at detangling therefore would probably work really well for long hair, it always did when I had long hair and if I didn’t have colour treated hair I would use it all the time. It’s my little treat once (or twice) a week and just gives me a change from my usual conditioner. If you don’t like the smell of bananas then steer well clear of this one but whatever hair type you have I recommend this product, as it’s near on impossible not to love the smell.

What Body Shop products do you love? What products do you love the smell of?

Until next time

Revealing the Concealing

Hello there lovelies.

Concealer is one of those makeup products that I just don’t get very excited by. I find them a bit boring, I just see it as a necessary stage in my makeup routine- something that just has to be done and I don’t really think too much about it. These are the concealers I use and what I think about them.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat. This is my favourite concealer of all time, although recently I’ve seen it being used as a highlighter rather than a concealer, something I never knew it was meant to be, I always thought it was a light reflecting concealer that hides all the nasty’s and adds a radiance to the skin. Whatever it’s meant to be I use it as a concealer and have done for many years. I find it hides everything I want hidden without being in the slightest bit cakey, it doesn’t flake or become visible throughout the day, its completely weightless and blends like a dream. I can’t imagine any other concealer knocking this one from my first place position.

Collection Lasting Perfection. This is certainly a heavy duty concealer, its great for the price but I do find it dries and breaks down a bit under my eyes throughout the day. It claims to last for 16 hours, I cant say that I’ve worn it for that long so wouldn’t know whether that is true or not. I don’t seem to love this concealer as much as everyone else seems to but I still think it’s a good budget product.

No7 Instant Radiance Concealer. This is extremely comparable to YSL and the one I will use in its place, it has pretty much the same features as the YSL without the price tag, good medium coverage, lightweight and easy to blend.

Origins Plantscription Anti-aging Concealer. A nice lightweight silky formula that glides on under the eyes nicely it lasts well without drying or going cakey and has pretty high coverage.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. I wrote a post about this one. Completely contradicting what I said before this is the one concealer I did get excited about but I was more excited about the fact I’d finally managed to get my hands on it than the fact it was a new concealer. This is another heavy duty concealer, it certainly has high coverage but doesn’t feel heavy it blends really nicely without it looking like your trying to cover anything up, it effortlessly conceals everything you want with good staying power.

Concealer is absolute must for me to hide those dreaded dark circles under the eyes, I just wish I could get a little more excited about them.

What concealers do you recommend?

Until next time

Battle of the Micellar Waters

Hello there lovelies

Ever since discovering Bioderma I’ve been looking out for a similar product to use in case I can’t ever get hold of it, as when I first started using it it was a real travesty if it ever ran out. Micellar waters are in no short supply; they seem to be cropping up all over the place and are quite easy to get hold of but are they any good? And can I use any of them instead of Bioderma. I’ve been testing a few to see how they compare. Let battle commence!

L’Oréal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution. This has really mixed reviews but I’m one of the ones that actually don’t mind this, it does a good job at removing makeup and I didn’t find it left a noticeable residue on my skin. Yes I agree that the packaging is below par it’s just an awkward bottle to use properly and deposit the right amount of product onto the cotton wool pad but the product inside the bottle is pretty good.

Boots Time Delay Micellar Cleansing Water. YUK! That’s one thing I can say about this, I don’t really like this one, it leaves a very noticeable almost oily residue on my skin and I don’t like the way it leaves my skin feeling. If you don’t mind the oily feeling then this product may be worth trying but it’s just not for me. The bottle isn’t great either; it has a big opening like on nail varnish remover so you have to be careful, as it doesn’t have anything squeezy to put it onto a cotton wool pad. This is one that I won’t be repurchasing.

Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Petals. I really like this one with its subtle rose fragrance, which I was a bit worried about how my skin would react at first but all is ok so far. Removes makeup quite well although I do wake up with a tad of mascara under my eyes with this one but that is easily overlooked as I love the smell, it’s as if your walking past a rose bush in the summer and leaves skin feeling refreshed. A good product and one I will continue to use.

La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution. This one is quite nice although it does have quite a strong generic fragrance free smell and doesn’t feel as “soft” (if that makes sense) when I apply it to my skin. My skin feels nice and clean after using it though and it does a good job on the makeup removal front too.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. This is the one that I’ve found to be the closest to Bioderma and I really like it. It’s good value too at £4.99 for 400mls, the packaging is easy to use with good control over how much product is deposited. Should the worst happen and I have to go with out my beloved Bioderma then I’d happily use this one in its place. Although I don’t seem to have a shortage of Micellar waters at the moment and I’ve been quite fortunate with staying stocked up on Bioderma.

To be honest if you want a product as good as Bioderma then get Bioderma, it’s in a league of it’s own, but there are other good products out there if you can’t get hold of Bioderma. If you’re after a good makeup remover that doesn’t cost a lot then I recommend Garnier and if you want a nice micellar water that’s not Boiderma then I recommend Nuxe.

What micellar waters have you tried? Which do you like best?

Until next time