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.

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.

Mineral Powder Foundation: Laura Mercier and Lily Lolo

A grubby photo of two far from grubby products, truthfully these were meant to be in an empties post but that didn't happen, they are empty but this is not about empties, it is about these two powder foundations, neither is it a head to head, rather observations about them.

I have a checkered past with mineral powder foundation, I have an oilier skin and theoretically, powder foundation, beit mineral or not, is suited to an oilier skin, it keeps it matte whilst covering imperfections. However as I have aged, my skin has become less oily, from the periphery in, so my oily "t" zone has become an oily "i" zone and even now this is reducing to an oily nose and chin.

What I like about both Laura Mercier and Lily Lolo is the shades in that they are sufficiently pale and neutral for my skintone, and the density of the powder, as neither have particularly heavy coverage on first pass, and that suits me, I can go in gently and then go in again and even again as necessary.

Now there is a but to this post, and it is more to do with the vagaries of my own skin rather than any deficit in the products. My skin is oily but it is also older, and thinner and menopausal and changeable. What I mean is that it can be dry and oily at the same time, which probably means it is dehydrated but whatevs. I can apply a layer and buff and buff until my arm falls off and achieve a lovely glowy skin like finish, and then when I by chance glance in the mirror, there is migration of product around my eyes (dry) and nose (oily) and generally my skin looks like an old dried out chamois. I suppose I could keep a kabuki type buffing brush about my person ready to whip out every passing hour but really? 

Like I say perfectly fine products trying their hardest on an unpredictable skin.

A few empties

These are the empties which I have used up over the last few months. 

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm - I have posted about this previously and this is my second 200mls pot. I like this as a makeup remover, it is a soft gel in the pot which needs to be scooped out, it is not so soft that it melts into an oil like say Emma Hardie Moringa Balm, but neither is it as as solid to get out of the pot as say Sunday Riley Blue Moon Tranquility Balm. It massages into the skin and when water is added it becomes a thicker cream. To my nose the scent of geranium is quite strong and that is probably my only slight criticism. It does the job effectively but it does sting my eyes - not the fault of the product, but the fault of me who can't be bothered to use a separate cleaner for the eye area. Whilst I am unlikely to repurchase again soon, I will repurchase again at some point because of its effectiveness.

Zelens PHA+ Bio-Peel Resurfacing Facial Pads - I have tried many facial exfoliating lotions as can be seen here

And they have all been and indeed are effective, but at the moment my skin needs something gentler but with a bit more ooomph than Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion. The Zelens Pads are of a gentler weave all together and I think that that allows my general heavy-handedness to not result in sometimes worked over feeling skin, and post use my skin feels comfortable without the immediate need for moisture. I have already re-purchased.

Sunday Riley Bionic Cream - Bloody hell £90 for a moisturiser, but a bit of careful use of codes and Ndulge points reduced the initial outlay somewhat. I bought this because of the reviews on the SpaceNK website, I wanted a nighttime moisturiser and this was what I chose. It has a sweet almost bubblegum scent which is a little over powering for me. The texture is, well bouncy for want of a better word, there really is an elasticity to the texture. It is very moisturising and my skin feels a bit sticky post application but I like that, I don't want my nighttime moisturiser to sink without a trace. As I have said before, I have a bit of a thang for Sunday Riley products and I enjoyed using this very much, it suited my skin through this last winter with occasional supplementation of oil or serum and was a pleasure to use. I have too many other moisturisers waiting in the wings to re-purchase this again in the near future, but it remains on the radar.

MV Organic Skincare Gentle Cleansing Cream - Lovely lovely lovely. This is not a bog standard cream cleanser but a richly textured gently scented comfortable comforting cleanser. The cream is thick, it does emulsify with water, but again throughout the winter it cossetted my skin like nothing else. Am/pm, any time, I absolutely indulged in this cleanser. I have repurchased and am using currently.

MV Organic Skincare Rose Soothing and Protective Moisturiser - I found this perfect for over the winter. It is thick in texture and has an almost mattifying effect on my skin which I did not like to start with and coupled with a rose texture was almost ready to give up, but the texture sinks in gently and it really makes my skin feel comfortable and calm. I used it day and night and it worked equally well whatever time of the day. I am missing it already.

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue Cream - I enjoyed using this eye cream very much. The texture is a light cream, perfect for around my eyes. There is no scent that I can smell and there is enough of a texture to feel that it is doing something. Sadly for my eyes the rot has set a long time ago, and my eye woes are too far gone for creams I fear, but this one left my eyes feeling moisturised and looking a bit less crepy than before applying and I can't ask for more than that. I have too many eye creams to go through to currently buy again, but it is certainly one that I would repurchase in the future.

What I have used up in January 2016

I was going to upload a video but chickened out, maybe next time. So what I have I used up this month?

Starting at the top left Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Cream. I bought this back in May of last year, and no it did not last this long, it took me a little while to get started with it.

The texture is quite thick, I have scrapped the last little bit out on my hand to show below.

There is a slight opalescence to this cream. It applies beautifully to my skin and does not feel thick or claggy or oppressive in any way, it lays beautifully over my serums and feels like a cloud of comfort on my skin. I will buy this again when I have used up my next day moisturiser.

Moving on in a clockwise direction, MV Organic Skin Care Energising 9 Oil Skin Tonic. I have never been particularly sure that I am using this in the correct way, it is I suppose a treatment cleansing oil. I apply it in the evenings after my pm cleanse and then leave it on whilst I get in the shower, and then remove. I use it when my skin is feeling a bit in need of a purge, a good deep down cleanse, but with that little bit of added comfort. This product gives my skin a thorough cleanse with an extra bit of care, effective, but gentle. I have a back up.  

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner. I was a bit late to the party with this exfoliating toner, I think because I believed that I needed a product with more oomph. But this is lovely, it has a texture more akin to a serum and I suppose at a push one could apply with fingers. I tend to only use exfoliating toners in the evening, but if I was to use one twice a day this would be my am one of choice. I reviewed this in more detail here

Ultrasun Face Anti-Ageing & Anti-Pigmentation Sun Protection SPF50+. This product is a given for me, everyday, rain or shine, this is the first product to go on my face after I have cleansed in the morning. It has lessened the appearance of my hyperpigmentation and I would not be without it. A more detailed review here

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil - an update

For the final post of the year I thought that I would update on the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil which I purchase back in April and I would have to say is the one product which has made the biggest difference to my skin.

So I have finished my Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil, and my replacement has arrived and is ready to be opened.

I bought my original back in April - no it hasn't lasted me eight months, that would have been pretty phenomenal. I used it for about two months every night, then I dropped it to a couple of times a week, sometimes three times. I had a bit of a break of about a month, and then back to a couple of times a week.

I have never used a retinol product before, and all I can say is that this one product has made the absolute difference to my skin this year. Yes I still have all the little niggly bits which come with my age; uneven skin tone, broken thread veins, blackheads, open pores, but this product has evened everything out, as if it has put a sheer wash of optimism over my weary features and said "yes you may no longer pass for twenty five, or thirty five or even forty five, but your skin is in pretty good nick."

What I like particularly about this product is that it is easy to apply, the texture is an oil, so there is no difficulty in dripping it out from the dripper into my hand and then getting it onto my face which can be a problem with some products which have a texture almost like water.

My original review is here this product is now available from SpaceNK and Cult Beauty and I would indeed buy it again in a heartbeat. £85 for 30mls

Sunday Riley Good Genes

So I have finished this up after around 6 months of use - it was a bit stop/start because I wasn't really sure how and when to use it, more about that later.

I wanted to try it because it is purported to be good for all those niggly irritations that my nearly fifty year old skin has in spades, thus hyperpigmentation, open pores, redness, dullness. And if I am honest, every product that I have tried from Sunday Riley has given results.

It has a slightly gel like tacky sort of texture with a strong lactic acid scent, and on me it does tingle, a bit, not much but it is there, even after regular use.

The full list of ingredients are as follows - Prickly Pear Extract, Blue Agave Extract, Lady's Slipper Orchid Extract, Cactus Extract, Aloe Leaf Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer, Stearic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, PEG-75 Meadowsol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Extract, Triethanolamine, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Steareth-20, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, DMDM Hydantoin

Touted as both a serum and a mask, the idea is to apply post cleanse on clean dry skin and leave to do its magic overnight, or one can apply a layer as a mask, and then remover, or one can add a pump to a pump of Sunday Riley's Ceramic Slip Cleanser.

I got a bit confused. It doesn't take much. I got confused about how much to pump out, 1 pump seemed rather paltry but 2 pumps seemed somewhat excessive. I applied it as a mask and sort of tentatively patted it into my skin, but then decided to stop being such a wuss and massaged it in more vigorously. And I used it a couple of times and was not really bowled over, and felt the tingle designed to make me feel like it was doing something, so back into the cupboard it went.

Then I read a bit more about it and decided that I would up the use a bit, so used it regularly as a mask.

However for me I think that it is best used as a nightly serum, post cleanse, pre oil (although apparently if one is using Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil one needs to apply that first and then Good Genes). This is what I have been doing for the past 3 weeks or so. And I have found that my skin is generally brighter, however I think that the Luna Sleeping Oil is a significant factor.

At £85 for 30mls this is a considered purchase for me. I am currently considering a re-purchase.

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner

Sometimes I look at my poor old face with its broken capillaries and redness and open pores and discolouration and think, maybe it needs a bit of TLC and a break from all the acid toners and double cleansing.

This is when I reach for this product for it is truly lovely. The texture is quite thick, a bit like a jelly serum and I find that I can apply and there is no tingle whatsoever, it is almost a comfort to apply and it has some level of hydration and soothingness on my skin.

This is currently £26 for 125mls, and is probably a staple for me, I forget how good it is.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm

So I am coming to the end of this 200mls cleansing balm - I am scraping the so called barrel, although it is a plastic jar.

I rather like the jar, yes it is plastic, but it is a sturdy, solid plastic with a silver lid and importantly for me it is wider than it is tall, not by much, but enough to allow easy access for those final scrapings.

The texture is oily buttery, a bit like butter that has been refridgerated, there is a solidity to it, so that it does not immediately turn into an oil which I rather commend it for. There is sufficient slip for a decent massage.

It emulsifies into a thick milk. And it removes makeup efficiently, a couple of passes but that is to be expected.

It is strongly scented, to my nose geranium comes to the fore, and this is my problem, it is just too strongly scented for me.

Which is sad because this is a good cleansing balm - maybe a little on the drying side post cleanse, but I like the texture and the packaging and the effectiveness, just not the smell and often that is the deal breaker.

It does come with two excellent face cloths, denser than most and a little on the small size their close weave makes them both effective but gentle.

Currently £39.50 for 105g but I purchased mine from QVC for £44.52 (+ £4.95 p+p) for 200g.

Aurelia Refine & Polish Miracle Balm

So I like this so much that I have purchased a second, and there is still life left in the first.

This is a hard to define product, it is an exfoliator, and a mask, but giving it those names suggests textures and useage which to my mind belie the hidden gemness of it. I will settle for calling it a treatment.

Housed in a squeezy tube, this is the texture and shade of a rich golden honey, it is sticky and soft with a gentle rush of eucalyptus, if eucalyptus can ever be described as gentle - I suppose what I mean is that it is not a "clear the sinuses" sort of eucalyptus.

I like to use this applied to clean dry skin, massage in, leave, and then remove. It is extremely gentle as an exfoliant, but could be rendered gentler with the addition of water, for it does emulsify as can be seen below.

The ingredients are listed below.

This is currently £57 for 75mls, from SpaceNK and from the Aurelia website.

MV Organic Skincare Gentle Cream Cleanser

Another day, another am cleanser. This is the Gentle Cream Cleanser from MV Organic Skincare, an Australian brand which I stumbled upon after reading this post by Sali Hughes, and I love a good organic skincare range, and the idea of rich and unctuous appealed, my skin maybe oiler but it is thin and ageing and reactive and sometimes all it wants is uncomplicated comfort.

This 70ml cleanser came as part of a travel set which had an offer on at the time on Cult Beauty, and in the set were the 70mls cleanser, 70mls of the Rose Hydrating Mist and 70mls of the Rose Soothing Protective Moisturiser.

The texture is delightfully thick, obviously not so thick that it cannot be pumped out but it comes out in a satifying dollop.

And it is beautifully soothing and comforting. The scent has some rose but it is more gently citrus to me, I have used it to remove makeup and it does that with a second pass, but it is more an am cleanser for me. I like to apply dry hands dry face, massage in to allow to sink in which is does, and then to re-activate with the addition of some water, massage again and then remove with a cloth of some sort. 

I have gone on to purchase the 120mls size.

Now in the kit was a little tool to enable one to get the last dregs of product out when the pump no longer works, and this is a godsend to all products with pumps. I hate products with pumps because invariably they cease to work with a good couple of days worth of product left - this little tool is perfect, and effective.

Ingredients - Water, Camellia (Camellia Oleifera) Oil, Ceteary Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Vegetable Glycerin, Olive (Olea Europaea) Fruit Oil, Coconut (Cocos Nucifera) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Vitamin E non GM (Tocopherol), Honeysuckle (Lonicera Caprifolium) Flower Extract, Honeysuckle (Lonicera Japonica) Flower Extract, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, with essential oils of mandarin, chamomile and rose geranium.

£34.50 for 70mls or £54 for 120mls

Omorovicza Rose Lifting Serum and Radiance Renewal Serum

I have come to the end of these two serums from Omorovicza. I have a few products that I have purchased from Omorovicza, which is a higher price range than what I can afford on a day to day basis, but the textures and scents are sublime and with a judicious use of discount codes and present requests I have been able to explore the range a little.

If one purchases from the website there is always a choice of sample sachets which although are too small to see any effect on the skin, give enough to decide whether texture and scent are pleasing enough to consider a full size purchase.

So I have used the Radiance Renewal Serum am and the Rose Lifting Serum pm. 

They are incredibly light in texture and very "wet" if that makes sense, I suppose really serums are meant to be light and wet, with a texture which allows for easy spread around the face but not for full on massage so that the ingredients can sink into the skin.

Photographed below one can see the texture, the Rose Lifting serum is marginally thicker but it is marginal.

I have tried to show the slight pink sparkliness which is the pro ruby crystals as one of the key ingredients in the Rose Lifting Serum.

These are undoubtedly very lovely products, they are light, instantly hydrating and easily absorbed. 

They are housed in heavy glass bottles with lockable functioning pumps, with a gentle scent which does not irritate or jar.

There is a little pilling of subsequent products in the morning but given that I am applying sunscreen, serum, and moisturiser as well as primer and foundation that is hardly suprising, it is minimal and I can live with it. 

Rose Lifting Serum ingredients:
Aqua (Hungarian Thermal Water), Glycerin, Corundum (Pro Ruby Crystal), Phospholipids, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Pullulan, Saccharomyces (Hungarian Thermal Water) Ferment Extract, Carbomer, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Mica, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Chlorella Vulgaris/Lupinus Albus Protein Ferment, Pectin, Silica, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Tripleurospermum Maritima (Sea Mayweed) Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Extract, Sorbic Acid, Dextran, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Linalool, Geraniol, Citronellol.

Radiance Renewal Serum ingredients:
Aqua (Hungarian Thermal Water), Glycerin, Saccharomyces (Hungarian Thermal Water) Ferment Extract, Alcohol Denat., Mannitol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Niacinamide, Benzyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Zinc PCA, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Chlorella Vulgaris/ Lupinus Albus Protein Ferment, Nasturtium Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract, Phospholipids, Yeast Extract, Xanthan Gum, Dehydroacetic Acid, Pectin, Parfum (Fragrance), Linalool, Limonene, Eugenol, Geraniol, Citronellol, Benzyl Benzoate.

If my budget allowed I would repurchase these, they are £80 and £75 respectively for 30mls, and the pump pumps out a very little amount although amply sufficient, which means that these have both lasted me a good five and half months of daily use.

Sunday Riley Charisma Creme Cleanser

I have almost finished this up and it has taken me the best part of four months of regular am and pm use to work out how best to use it.

So this is a cream cleanser aimed at dry to normal skin. It claims to remove makeup and I have found that it does with a bit of work ie a good couple of passes, but I tend to use it more as an am cleanser or a cleanser post makeup removal.

It is housed in a functional plastic pump which is see through enough to see when one has almost used up. And the pump is lockable.

It is very light and liquidy and spreads easily around the face.

And here is my problem, I find that it tends to sink into the skin, which is fine but it does not easily emulsify with the addition of water so I find it quite difficult to remove which irks me somewhat and it seems to leave a bit of a film on my skin which I am not sure I like although it does not have any adverse effect.

I like to use it a bit like a treatment mask which to be honest is how I use all my am and post makeup removal cleansers.

I think the ingredients are rather impressive for a cleanser which is why I like to leave it on my skin for a bit.

For me the best way to use this is to apply a decent amount, at least 3 pumps worth, apply to clean dry skin, massage for a good couple of minutes, maybe adding a tiny amount of water to loosen a bit, massage a bit more, leave whilst I am in the shower and then remove.

What I have found is that it is non irritating and non stripping but suprisingly deeply cleansing.

£35 for 125mls I think I will be repurchasing despite my raptures over Aurelia Miracle Cleanser.

Sunday Riley Start Over Active Eye Cream

I have almost used this up, and I reckon I will have had around six months use of it, day and night.

So this is a thick gel cream texture, thick in that it retains it shape when pumped out, and it feels thick when spread around the eyes, not so thick that it does not spread easily, but it needs some massaging in which in my opinion is no bad thing. It has no discernible scent that I can discern at any rate.

I am not a hundred percent sure about this eye cream even now that I am almost finished it. 

The positives are that I like the texture, the thickness and massageability is perfect. I like that it is unscented. I like that it feels instantly cooling and tightening on my eye lids, it does not interfere with any other product which I put on before or after, there is no pilling off. Also although it is £65, that is for 30mls where most eye products are 15mls in size.

But for me it irritates and stings, not on every application but every now and again even after six months of use.

I also have a problem with the packaging. This is housed in a glass bottle with a pump. The pump has ceased to function but I still have a good couple of weeks worth left of pumps and no way to get the product out which does not include a hammer.

Interestingly in the Cult Beauty goodie bag which I purchased at Christmas, there was a 15mls tube of the Active Eye Cream.

With a metal applicator, cue extra cooling.

Ingredients: Prickly Pear Extract, Blue Agave Extract, Lady's Slipper Orchid Extract, Cactus Extract, Olea Europea Fruit Extract, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Methylsilanol Carboxymethyl Theophylline, Butylene Glycol, PEG-75 Meadowsol, Ammonium Polyacrylate, Isohexadecane, PEG-40 Castor Oil, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium, Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Glucosamine HLC, Urea, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Lecithin, Cholesterol Olry, Cholesteryl Chloride, Punica Granatum, Astaxanthin, Lycopene, Alpha D-Tocopherol, Thioctic Acid, Lutein, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, DMDM Hydantoin  

Currently £65 for 30mls.

Pixi Glow Tonic

I first purchased this when it was in the utilitarian white plastic pump bottle which I rather liked and following this review from Caroline Hirons, which almost broke the internet at the back end of 2012. I have since gone on to purchase it a further four times.

Prior to Caroline's review I was not very au fait with exfoliating toners, but this product was somewhat of a revelation, a toner which seemed to have a noticeable effect on my skin in terms of brightening and evening out of tone. My skin can react and is quite oily, this is gentle enough to use both morning and evening, and I find that I can use it even in the depths of winter when my skin can feel a bit done in but still needs something other than a manual exfoliator to smooth my skin out.

Ingredients: Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Seed Extract, Glycolic Acid, Ammonium Glycolate, Glycerin, Glucose, Fructose, Sucrose, Urea, Dextrin, Alanine, Glutamic Acid, Hexyl Nicotinate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Biotin, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance.

This is currently £18 for 250mls.

Nude ProGenius Treatment Oil

This is the first facial oil which I purchased and used up right until the end without veering of into another product, and I suppose it is the benchmark by which I measure every single facial oil.

The Nude ProGenius Treatment Oil is a thickish, rich, dense oil and initially I felt that maybe even as a lover of a thicker texture, this maybe somewhat too oily and rich for my oily skin. This was not the case. The product has enough slip to allow a decent massage and although it does not sink in straight away (hallelujah), it does not sit on the surface, there is a residue left which is like a Redibrek glow around my face, and I can apply a night moisture post application, or not.

There is minimal scent to this product which I like. I enjoy a beautifully scented product, but smell is so very subjective and products which have certain essential oils in can not only jar in smell but can irritate on the skin, this product just smells of what it is, plant oil, albeit many many plant oils as can be seen in the ingredients list below.

Ingredients: Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Nigella Sativa Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Commiphora Mukul Resin Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Tocopherol, Vanillin, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Rapeseed Glycerides, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Alcohol, Bht, Ci 75120 (Annatto)

At the moment I am working my way through the very lovely Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil but this will be my next purchase.

Currently £58 for 30mls

Swell Advanced Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner

I bought this following an article by Sali Hughes in the Guardian  which highlighted her top 25 products to help with signs of ageing. My hair has thinned exponentially. I look and feel my daughter's hair which is like a rope, it is weighty and heavy and bouncy and full of life, and mine is thin and frizzy and insubstantial, when I gather it all into my hands it is like a thin piece of string. I used to say about my hair that it was fine but there was a lot of it, now I say that it is fine and there is not a lot of it.

The range is manufactured without silicones, parabens or SLS and I have found that not only is my hair thicker in texture post application, but the loss of hair is less.

The range has expanded since I started to use it and now has a hair mask and a dry shampoo along side the shampoo, conditioner and advance root nutrient complex.

There is more information on the Swell haircare website and the range is also available from Marks and Spencer. The starter kit is around £20 for 50mls of the shampoo and conditioner and 25mls of the Advanced Nutrient Complex.

Diptyque Multi-Use Exfoliating Clay For the Face

Although this is a sample 5mls size, I feel that I have enough of a trial to give make some cogent and relevant points.

This is an exfoliating clay, now the "clay" I get but the "exfoliating"? Goodness it is but a whisper, there is the merest whiff of texture that is in anyway granular in the texture of this product. 

The product is a thick cream, it can be squeezed out of the tube, and is suprisingly light, but dense, it has a faintly herbal scent.

When applied to the skin, it feels as if one is applying something with clay in it, it has that cooling rather dense feeling on the skin. I apply it to clean dry skin, sometimes with a serum underneath, leave it to dry and it does dry but not to a stiff immobile mask, more like an extra layer, it sort of settles. Then I add some water and massage it around a bit and rinse off.

This is not a cheap product at £44 for what looks like a 50mls jar but it has been a joy to use, and when one has blackheads and thread veins vying for attention, a product which is gentle but effective on both skin concerns is rare.

For a far more eloquent review please read amodelrecommends

Aurelia Revitalise & Glow Serum

Another day another Aurelia Probiotic Skincare empty. The brand has really satisfied and placated my picky, dehydrated somewhat oily skin.

This is a serum obvs. It is a light slightly tacky serum which applies easily, skips over the skin with a satisfying amount of slip and then sinks in without a whisper of a trace but imparting a gleam and indeed a glow.

And amazingly, my skin looks more glowy post application, and that glowiness lasts and is not shiney, and moisturiser and makeup apply more easily and my skin feels comfortable.

This has a light citrussy scent and really is such a pleasure to use. 

Ingredients: Aqua/Water (purified water), Aloe barbadensis extract (Aloe Vera), Bifida ferment lysate (probiotic culture), Cocoglycerides (emollient from coconut oil), Glycerin (vegetable glycerine), Lactose (probiotic bifidoculture milk extract), Lactis proteinum/Milk protein (probiotic protein), Coco-caprylate (coconut based emollient), Cetearyl glucoside (corn sugar emulsifier), Cetearyl alcohol ( vegetable based thickener), Kigelia Africana fruit extract (botanical Kigelia Africana), Hibiscus sabdariffa flower extract ( Hibiscus flower), Adansonia digitata fruit extract (Botanical Baobab), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Citrus nobilis peel oil (Mandarin essential oil), Helianthus annuus seed oil (Sunflower oil), Jasminum officinale flower extract (Jasmine essential oil), Plumeria acutifolia flower extract (Plumeria essential oil), Polianthes tuberose flower extract (Tuberose essential oil), Xanthan gum (natural based stabiliser), Sodium stearoyl glutamate (vegetable derived emulsifier), Sodium magnesium fluorosilicate (nano) (naturally occurring mineral salts), Sodium phytate (natural origin), Glyceryl caprylate (coconut-derived emulsifier), Benzyl alcohol (preservative), Dehydroacetic acid (preservative) , Citric acid (fruit derived pH regulator), Limonene*, Linalool*, Benzyl benzoate*

£47 for 30mls more information from Aurelia Skincare website.