Something New - Liz Earle Superskin Eye Cream

I don't need a new eye cream, I am perfectly happy with my Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue thank-you very much (reviewed here), but when a free sample appears in the post it seems rude not to give it a go.

So Liz Earle Superskin Eye Cream is the newest edition to her Superskin range, which is aimed I suppose at me, with older crappier skin, not that all older skin is crap but mine has woes which seem inexorable so I have to do the best with what I have got - in the eye area that is dark circles and baggy eyelids, the latter I am resigned to, the former I want to disguise.

The premise is that this product will be an eye cream for all ages from mid twenties to sixties and beyond with high levels of plant based botanical ingredients - listed below

Ingredients: Aqua (water), Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), Sodium polyacrylate, Borago officinalis seed oil, Rosa rubiginosa seed oil, Myristyl myristate, Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) seed oil, Soybean glycerides, Propanediol, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract, Punica granatum fruit extract, Medicago sativa (alfalfa) seed extract, Spilanthes acmella flower extract, Alaria esculenta extract, Rheum rhaponticum root extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium stearoyl glutamate, Lactobacillus ferment lysate, Butyrospermum parkii butter unsaponifiables, Sodium hyaluronate, Xanthan gum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae extract, Hydrolyzed lupine protein, Arginine, Trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate, Lactobacillus ferment, Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, Chlorphenesin, Caffeine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Aspartic acid, Ascorbyl palmitate, Sodium chloride, Citric acid.

And it is reassuring for me to see borage seed oil and rosehip seed oil high up in the ingredients list.

Now there is not much that one can tell from a 2mls sachet - I eked out four applications pm, am, pm, am. And what I found was that the texture is a cream rather than a lotion, it does not have a fragrance that I can tell, it felt instantly cooling but sank in rather too quickly for my liking - I may investigate further but currently I am happy with my Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Cream

£35 for 15mls

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Elderflower & Rhubarb

This is the newest limited edition elasticizer from Philip Kingsley - I am presuming it is limited edition, it may not be, I hope not for it is amazingly scented, of elderflower and rhubarb!

One of my first posts on this blog was about the PKE in geranium and neroli and it is also beautifully scented - see here

I am pretty low maintenance with my hair, in that I hate it, I wear it up and hope for the best. I have my mum's hair, I didn't, up until I was about forty and then all of a sudden it shrivelled and shrank and frizzed and thinned - much I think to do with stress as there were great ropes of it disappearing down the plughole. 

I won't lie and say that this product has lessened my hair loss, but it has made a huge difference to the condition of my hair, it makes it smoother.

Currently this is the Beauty Pick of the Month on QVC UK so it is £57.96 and on 3 easy payments of £19.32 - no p+p for 1000mls - for that size it is perfect to use every time I wash my hair.

Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser

I have been using Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser for some little while, and they had a recent offer to purchase the product in its new tube and with and new cloth for £10 off what the usual price. Needless to say I bought it.

Pai have thought carefully about this packaging, I don't personally mind pumps but there is always that little bit of awkwardness at the end when one hacks into the outer plastic, usually with an incompetent implement and injures oneself, all in the spirit of getting the last dregs out. No such difficulties here, I have showed how squeezy this tube is below.

I find that creamy cleansers are becoming a more reached for cleanser and makeup remover than my more usual balms which can feel a bit full on, especially at this time of year when the UK spring is accompanied by stiff breezes which leave my skin needing something cooling and calming and this cream cleanser from Pai is one of my favourites. 

What I like particularly about this cleanser is that it is so gentle and very hydrating, although I have an oily skin, I find that whenever I remove my makeup or generally cleanse my skin, my skin feels parched and in need of something - with this cleanser, my skin can wait until I have at least got the top off my serum/moisturiser.

The new cloth is interesting - I have always found the original Pai muslin somewhat rough in texture and have tended to use an Eve Lom muslin or a bog standard flannel (so saying the flannel which comes with the Votary Cleansing Oil is far from bog standard and is delightfully pile dense).

This cloth has a muslin on one side and a flannel on the other, both have a soft, loose weave which is gentler on my face. And this does remove all my makeup, with 2 passes but then that is normal for me.

Just a word on Pai's beautiful packaging below.

£38 for 200mls with the cloth. 

Sarah Chapman Skinesis Liquid Facial Resurfacer

I do have a bit of an obsession with exfoliating toners, I think once I got over the "acid" word, and saw the benefits, it was a race to grab armfuls of the stuff and as with all product categories, shop until I drop and find the one I am happiest with whilst sampling others along the way.

So Sarah Chapman Skinesis Liquid Facial Resurfacer is a relatively new product, it was available on QVC on two lots of easy-payments and I watched Sarah herself demonstrate it, I liked what I heard and thought I would try it.

I have enjoyed Sarah Chapman products in the past, I like the fact that it is a British brand, I like that I can watch her on QVC and find out a bit more about the products by listening rather than reading, and I like the range of ingredients many of which I can pronounce and have a working knowledge of what they are meant to do.

The product comes in a bottle with a pump, and the design does mean that some of the product escapes around the underneath, which is annoying but not sufficiently so to impede useage and enjoyment.

And this really is good. It is satisfyingly dense in texture, a bit thicker than most toners and more like a thin serum, and it does tingle, in a good way, in a way that suggests effectiveness, a tingle and not a sting, there is a difference, I have experienced both with exfoliating products and I know which I prefer.

I have listed the ingredients below, interestingly ingredient of the moment copper is high on the list and it is blue, as can be seen in the application video below.

Here are some of the other exfoliating toners I am currently using on rotation.

It can be used am and pm but I prefer to use am only, as with all exfoliating toners, the advice is to follow with a sunscreen.

Having only been using this for a week, it is difficult to make any claims, but I feel that it easily fits in with the other exfoliating toners that I use, and I am inclined to ditch the others and see how this performs over the next couple of months.

Currently £36 for 100mls

What I have loved in January 2016

So these are the products which I have really enjoyed using this month.

By Terry Denisiliss Concealer is a concealer which I had wanted to try for a very long time because the reviews I have seen have been glowing, but at £44 the price was a little prohibitive for me until Father Christmas came to my rescue. 

I use this under my eyes and on my upper eyelid, I don't have especially dark circles but I do have discolouration and with crepey eyelids and folds upon folds, any concealer that I apply around my eyes is liable to disappear or crease. This doesn't, at all, ever, I almost cannot believe it, but it works.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. I am embarrassed to confess that I bought the full size of this product (no mean feat at £52) and then fell out of love with it, and it languished in a drawer unused and unloved for a good six months until I got fed up with trying to make SPF50 sunscreens work as primers and dug it out, and I haven't looked back.

What I like about this product is that it is white, which suits my pale discoloured skin, it that is lessens the red bits, and skims over the hyperpigmentation. I like the texture which is light enough to fill in the open pores without clogging them up. I like that it makes my base product last all day. My only gripe is that the pump on mine does not work especially well, so I have to unscrew the top and spread some from the tube and I tend to use too much.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Ink. I don't do eye shadow, or upper eye lid flicks and kicks. My eyelids are well documented awnings and it is a waste of time and energy and an immense disappointment to attempt any form of upper eyelid lining. I do do tightlining and with these pencils by Urban Decay, there is no travel. Ink is a suprisingly bright navy which is rather flattering on my sludgy brown eyes. My Mum, bless her, likes to think they are green but she is my Mum.

Charlotte Tilbury Rock 'N' Kohl Iconic Liquid Eye Pencil in Eye Cheat. It makes me look awake. End of. Unlike most usual "flesh coloured" eye pencils, this is neither too pink or too white, and suprisingly it lasts more than the time it takes to apply it to the other eye. I also like it as a spot concealer.

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

Charlotte Tilbury Eye Magic Rescue

This is the new eye cream from Charlotte Tilbury, I had seen that it was out before Christmas and having had somewhat unexpected success with her Magic Cream, I decided to try a sample, which turned into two samples and then I had to purchase the full size, it was that good.

I am a bit of a sucker for an eye cream, I think partly it is because I have quite low expectations in that I was virtually born with awnings for eyelids and nothing other than surgery will improve that, so I enjoy eye creams safe in the knowledge that they are not going to change my eye area hugely. 

But I do have some pre-requisites. I want a product that doesn't have a scent, I want a texture which allows for some massage, and I want it to not sink without a trace, but then neither do I want something which sits around for ages, and causes my eyeliner to migrate down my cheeks.

And this ticks all the boxes for me. It has a mild scent of nothing very much, inoffensive. But it is the texture which did it for me. It has a beautiful slightly sticky gel cream, not sticky in a cheap old lipgloss way, but more that it has a substance, a presence, there is something to work with, a bit like a liqui-cream texture, there is something serumy, and a little bit oily but again in a good way that affords some decent massage around the eye to get the product in and enable a bit of puffiness reduction.

What I have found is that after use, my under eye area especially feels smoother, as if there has been some resurfacing, and although I feel a bit as if it is wishful thinking because I have only been using the product for three weeks, I am sure that the milia in my eye area have reduced, and that is no bad thing.

£40 for 15mls jar.