End of the summer empties - cleansers

I haven't posted anything for a while so thought I would start with some empties. It is all bar a few pieces, skincare. 

First up cleansers

God cleansing, makeup removal, call it what one will, it is my favourite pass time, ever. It is probably the only time of the day, bar putting on my makeup that I actually connect with my face, and by connect, that means scrutinize and frown at really, but no matter I enjoy the experience.

I am a fully paid up member of the double cleanse club, sometimes triple or quadruple cleanse dependent on amount on my skin and texture of the cleanser, I like to balm cleanse and then cream cleanse.

So from right to left 

Clinique TTDO Cleansing Milk - new to me, I really like this, I like the smell (none), I like the texture (light lotion), I like the packaging (effective pump, slim bottle), I like the fact that I can rub it into my face decently and then some more as it sort of gets a second wind. It works well in the evening as a second cleanse and in the morning as a wakeup cleanse if my skin feels in need of a bit of calming. I will repurchase.

Clinique TTDO Cleansing Balm - my second tub. I rather grumpily finished my first tub of this, because there was nothing to distinguish this in my mind from a tub of lard. But it really is exceptional at makeup removal, thoroughly and cleanly. It does not make my eyes sting, it may make somebody else's sting but not mine. No bells and whistles but good decent basic cleansing.

Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser - over the years I have probably purchased at least 3 of the small 100mls tubes and a couple of the larger 200mls tubes. It is very hydrating, perfect for just cushioning and caring for my skin. When I go away I tend to take this with me because it works on my skin and I know that it won't cause me any problems. However more recently the fragrance, which is very lovely, a sort of bright fresh citrus, has not sat well with me, maybe something to do with menopausalness which I have heard can muck up previous favoured scents.

Votary Super Seed Cleansing Oil - As I get older (51 and counting) I find that I rely more on richer textures and by that I mean oils. This is a lovely cleansing oil, it feels rich and luxurious on my skin, as if I am really caring for it. There is a deep oily smell, a bit like warm wheat I suppose, it reminds me of when I was little and the corn we used to feed our chickens was housed outside my attic bedroom on the landing where in the afternoon sun it gave off a comforting warm smell. It removes makeup but I use it for the sheer pleasure of its smell and texture.

Sunday Riley Blue Moon Tranquility Cleansing Balm - I have posted about this before, indeed I became somewhat obsessed by it, I like to apply it and then apply it again before getting in the shower. But this tub was more of a chore to finish, I dunno really, something to do with the texture? It felt a bit less textured and more smooth this time around. 

Eve Lom Cleansing Balm - I have used this for as long as my eldest son has been around ie 26 years if you include in the womb. I just like it. I like the smell, I like the slightly granular texture, I like its effectiveness. It suits my skin. 

All bought by me at various points throughout this year.

Sunday Riley CEO C+E antiOXIDANT Protect and Repair Moisturiser

I bought this very recently as in last weekend as part of my purchases to qualify for the SpaceNK summer beauty bag. As such my thoughts are based on five mornings worth of use. 
Here is the blurb taken from the back of the box

To my mind it is a vitamin C enriched day cream.

And a vitamin C enriched day cream is right up my street currently, because I am struggling to get some vitamin C into my skin care routine and am failing - The Ordinary Vitamin C suspension in the tube does nothing for me other than smell somewhat of fake tan and give me a unfortunate warm glow to my already ruddy skin.

This is far more appealing to me. The texture is a rich, creamy gel, sort of cushiony without being claggy and cloying. It sits happily on top of my various layers of serums, and does not cause roll off of previous serums or subsequent SPF and makeup.

I was not an initial fan of the scent which is a sort of artificial orange smell a bit like those frozen Sun Lollies which were part of my childhood promising so much but in reality an awkward triangular dripping mess, smelling of oversweetened orange juice and tasting of water. Still the scent does dissipate and is with subsequent use rather pleasing. And oh what a joy see something so cheerily orange in the mornings.

£60 for 50mls I bought mine from SpaceNK 

A lighter base

A change in the month and my thoughts at least turn to lightness and shedding of outer layers and general brightness, not the least in my base of choice.

Goodness I struggle, like I think most of the population, too oily for a hint of a tint, and too old for powder, I do tend to become a shiney sweaty mess come mid summer. However we are far from high summer in the UK, being just into April, but even so the sun is out and I need something less heavy on the face.

My bases of choice for this time of the year are Chantecaille Just Skin and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser. What I like about both of these is their sublime texture, they really are both like moisturisers with colour, and not just a hint of colour either, both have a significant amount of pigment to even out tone a little, and make my skin look a bit less tired and a bit more alive, they seem to both be able to impart a bit of bounce and bloom.

I do struggle a bit with the shades, Just Skin's palest shade is "alabaster" which is a somewhat yellower pale and does oxidise on my skin. LM's Tinted Moisturiser cites "porcelain" as its palest shade but has always been somewhat dark and yellow on me, but thankfully they have a pale pinky shade "cameo" which is lovely.

If I had to choose it would be Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser as my favourite, it is about half the price of Chantecaille Just Skin, doesn't oxidise, is light enough in colour and lasts a good 6 hours suprisingly, I do look a bit shiney by then but is it all good. I bought both from Space NK.

Some more empties

There is immense satisfaction in using up a product and then discarding it, whether it is for repurchase or never to darken one's door again is neither here nor there, it is the deepest of pleasures, a real sense of achievement - at least it is to me.

So 
Avene Sun Care Very High Protection Cream SPF50 - currently £12 instead of £16 on escentual.com. I bought this because the Eve Lom SPF 50 did not sit happily on my skin, I couldn't get on with Vichy SPF50 either and I was looking for an SPF50 which I could use as a primer before makeup - my spf of choice is Ultrasun Anti-Pigmentation SPF50 Face which comes at a far earlier point in my am rountine.
This works very well for me, it is quite rich, there is a lotion form with blue writing on the orange tube, it has a pump. It has that slight whitening sheen which knocks off the redness in my face and it sits happily under most foundations. A repurchase.

Babylena BioLinement OleoCalcaire - I bought this in City Pharma in Paris last October. It is an olive oil lotion, with nothing much else in it. I have used it to remove makeup when my skin is feeling a bit sensitive which has happened frequently over this winter, but I use it most as my pm moisturiser - it is quite difficult to rub in but I don't care really, I love it, comforting and soothing it is about £8 for 1 litre and I have just repurchased.

Pixi Double Cleanse - this is Caroline Hiron's collaboration with Pixi and is a double compartment of makeup removing balm and cream cleanser, 100mls in total, 50mls of each. I liked this very much. The formulations are fragrance free and have a sophistication about them, the makeup removing balm is thick, but melts into an oil, it is far superior in texture to Clinique's Take The Day Off in my opinion, it does remove makeup with 1 pass. The cream cleanser really is very lovely, it is thick and cooling and marvellous really, it makes my skin feel cushioned and cossetted and I like it very much. I did use them up at exactly the same time, but I was careful, I would much rather one could buy each one separately in 100mls sizes.

The Ordinary Nicinamide 10% + Zinc PCA 1% - This is a little bit of a cheat because I bought this for my son who used about one quarter of it and then I reclaimed it and finished it. I don't know about this product really, I don't know about The Ordinary full stop - I feel a bit as if now that I have started I can't afford to not continue, but more in a lengthier later post. I am not sure if this is a correct serum for me, but I do get red, I do become inflammed on occasions and I like the idea of soothing and calming. It has done me no harm but I am yet to see anything significant. I have repurchased though, just in case.

Pai Lotus & Orange Blossom BioAffinity Tonic - I have used this in the past but bought it recently at the beginning of the winter because my skin was reacting to many different products and I wanted something hydrating which I had used in the past. I like it, it has a brilliantly fine spray and definitely feels hydrating on the skin. I am not sure that I would repurchase, currently I switch between Caudalie Grape Water and Avene Spring Water which seem to manage to be both hydrating and cooling for a cheaper price.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer - Hands down this is my most favourite primer, I just wish it came in SPF50. It has been repurchased.

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask - my thoughts

I love a good face mask, I don't mind the faff or the mess or time consumingness of the whole ritual of it all. 

I wanted to try the new Charlotte Tilbury Sheet Mask because, well, it's Charlotte Tilbury innit? I have yet to try a product of hers that I have not liked.

Much as I love a good face mask, I am a sheet mask virgin so whilst I realise that the CT sheet mask is different from the majority of face masks because it is dry, I have no experience of trying one - actually that is a damn lie because as I type this I realise that I had an Erno Lazlo Sensitive Hydrogel Mask in the Harvey Nichols GWP bag last autumn, a delightfully slippy oozey deeply hydrating sheet mask which I happily applied several times over the Christmas period - see below bottom right

This mask is entirely different, the polar opposite of Erno Lazlo mask. It is made of a thickish fabric which has a stretch. It feels dry, like fabric feels dry, not paper dry, but not damp in anyway, no moisture. So one attaches it to one's face, massages the skin through the mask, and again there is no feeling that one is releasing anything, but I suppose the skin does slightly become attracted to the mask, no sticking mind, just an attraction! And then one sits back and waits, or gets on with whatever one was doing before, or going to do, for 15 minutes.

I don't really know what I was expecting, but my skin felt moisturised, toned, rested, it looked plumper, creases were lessened, it looked rested.

I tried it 3 times in total as advised, maybe I could have got another go out of it but for me it would have been pushing it.l I tried it last thing at night and first thing in the morning, each time after cleansing my face. It was most successful as a pre-makeup mask.

Now it is £18 for a single mask, or £60 for 4 masks, so either way it is £6 per use (single mask) or £5 per use (4 masks) based on getting 3 uses. For me that is a good price. I am happy and will be buying the set. More information from Charlotte Tilbury.

The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution - first thoughts

So I purchased this and it arrived yesterday and I tried it last night - that is a very civilised explanation of a  frenzied "got to get my makeup off and get this stuff onto my face" which was coupled with a slight anxiety about whether my face would fall off in the process.

You see since the beginning of October really, my wimpy 50 year old skin has thrown in the towel and decided that it really cannot cope with cooler weather, I have had flaking red patches of skin on the base of my neck and on my eyelid, weirdly not bilateral nor on the same side, and my lips are permanently peeling and sore. Whilst I have always felt that my skin can be reactive, I would never have labelled it as sensitive, but everything that I put on it other than the heavy duty Avene Cold Cream left me itchy and red. I have every sympathy with those cursed with chronic sensitive skin - it really is the pits.

Thankfully it seems to have largely resolved although the peeling lips remain whatever I use, so I did apply this with trepidation.

The packaging describes this as "10-Minute Exfoliating Facial"  and The Ordinary advise that it is for regular acid users - ie don't go from never using any form of acid toner to using this one. And only leave on the skin for 10 minutes, no longer.

Now I have used acid toners, from Clarins, to Clinique, to Pixi Glow Tonic, to P60 (the "v" version) although I have lessened my use over the past few months. My skin is generally prone to redness and thread veins so again maybe contraindications but I didn't care, I was going in.

Interestingly it is a rich beetroot red. It seems ironic to me that one applies a beetroot red coloured product to one's face which may cause one's face to turn beetroot red - it is a bit like the Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm, which is a grimey grey/black shade, with the function of removing the grey/black grime of the day. Now neither of these products have anything in their ingredients list that I can see suggesting artificial colouring has been added but I don't know, happy coincidence or careful construction? Eitherway it is "interesting" shall we say? On further reading The Ordinary website states "This formula contains a studied Tasmanian Pepperberry derivative to help reduce irritation associated with acid use. This derivative is of plant origin and varies in colour seasonally and this colour variation may be apparent in the formula from time to time". So that explains its hue..

So what was the result of my gung-ho approach to my skincare yesterday evening. Well, it applies very easily although there are no instructions as to how much one applies. The texture is like a slightly oily serum, thicker that water, no real smell. And it does tingle, not sting or burn on my skin but yes a tingle. It is very difficult to describe the difference between the tingle of something doing something and the sting of something which your is not liking. This did not cause anything overt on application.

Whilst on the skin, apart from the tingle, there was no tightness and no uncomfortable "I need to get this off my skin now" feeling.

It removed easily with tepid water as directed. And what was the result? Well if I am honest there was no immediate difference in the appearance in my skin, nothing, my pores remained in all their glory, my blackheads were, well black, my thread veins remained. Okay, I thought, it is my first application, I have only spent £6.30. 

But, application of my other lotions and potions were, I don't know how to describe it, easier? And in the morning my skin seemed thinner, but in a good way, a sort of plumped out thin, if that makes sense, firmer maybe?

I don't know, it is a "watch this space" sort of product, at least my face didn't fall off.

January Favourites

So these are the products that I have really enjoyed using this last month, 2 skincare and 2 makeup, seems about the right balance to me.

Bioderma Hydrabio Creme - I first heard about this moisturiser on Caroline Hirons blog bought and thought it was a bit rich for my oily skin and put it away. It was not an expensive mistake, I think I bought mine during one of the "1/3 off French Pharmacy" promotions which Escentual do every few months or so and it was less than £10 but generally it is around the £15 for 50mls. However as the autumn/winter progressed nothing seemed to touch my rather sensitive, weather beaten skin, but this did.
There is no scent to my nose, the texture is sort of bouncy thick, a bit like butter icing, importantly for me, it does spread but it doesn't disappear. I use it as a day moisturiser and am really liking it. Ruth (amodelrecommends) likes it too.

Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder - Again another product which I bought and didn't like initially and now am delighting in. I have oily skin and feel as if much of my life has been spent trying to erase the shine, pressed powder has played a considerable role in this. Trouble is that I am not someone who touches up their makeup during the day, I just am not that bothered really, or I forget, and now as my skin is older, I can easily look over powdered. This is very fine textured. I have the shade "white" which is more of a worn out faded white tee shirt white than a brilliant dulux white, and it is really very good. I apply with a brush and sort of stipple/press it on rather than use the supplied puff.

Pai Rosehip Bioregenerate Oil - My skin really has suffered over this winter, thread veins and red patches more frequent, dehydration more prevalent, spots more frequent, sensitivity heightened. I have used rosehip oil and Pai's rosehip oil in the past, but I found the scent a bit much and other facial oils with rosehip oil as an added ingredient rather than the only ingredient took precedence. However in the face (ha!) of increased sensitivity I went back to this and have found that it, I was going to say "soothed" but that would be untrue because this is quite a dry oil on my skin, and sinks in quite quickly, a more accurate word would be "repaired" - I found that my skin looked better after a couple of days use and was more tolerant of other products. I use it immediately post pm cleanse, wait a bit, then apply any other serums and oils, and then reapply before I go to bed. Maybe overkill? But currently it is working for me. 

Zoeva 110 Face Shape Brush -  Lisa Eldridge uses this brush regularly in her videos. I bought it purely on her endorsement, and promptly realised that I am not Lisa Eldridge, it just didn't work for me, I put it away. I always apply my foundation/TM with my fingers and whilst I can see the sense of stippling product in with a brush to cover redness or open pores, I tend to use a flat concealer brush for that. But I persisted and I find that as a sort of finishing brush, to blur the edges and make sure everything is blended evenly, this works very well. A bonus is that it washes quickly and well, and is quite robust.