La Roche Posay and skincare update!

I haven't done a skincare post in a while as to be honest, I've kept it simple and stuck to a routine very similar to the one I posted last November. However, one of my product changes has made such a difference and I need to tell you about it (hence the post) but more about that in a moment!

First to the routine . . .

I'm still using the No 7 Hot Cloth cleanser as it continues to cleanse my skin well and leave it feeling a little polished. It is also of great value. I swap between the Tea Tree water and products from the Botanics range (I tend to use the Skin brightening or Rosewater ones) to tone merely because sometimes I find it difficult to get to a Lush and Botanics, as a Boots brand is often more accessible and on some kind of offer.

As for moisturiser,I was using Oilatum back in November. At the time, I felt that Oilatum was a great product. It seemed to moisturise my skin gently without breaking me out and compared to many moisturisers out there was great value. It is of no surprise that I actually repurchased Oilatum a few times and considered remaining loyal to it.

Talk about tempting fate!

I should have known better, around Christmas I started to notice my skin feeling dry and no matter how much Oilatum, I whacked on (honestly, I was whizzing through the tubes), my skin continued to feel a bit parched in places.

It was at this point that I turned to moisturisers from La Roche Posay. I had used the Mattifying one before and really rated it so thought that more La Roche Posay action might be just what was required.

And yes, thank goodness, that seemed to be the right call!

I've used a few of the blue La Roche Posay products lately, Hydraphase Rich; Effaclar Duo;Mattifying Moisturiser; Effaclar Clarifying Lotion and I can tell you, I really like the brand!

Some of you early followers may remember the horrible trouble I had with my skin a couple of years ago and I think, that my skin only really started to get better after I'd exhausted all the high tech/big name regimes and slimmed my skincare routine down to more gentle basics. I've heard that the La Roche Posay products use the smallest number of ingredients possible. I can only think this is good. The less ingredients there are in a product, the less chance there is of encountering something that irritates your skin.

The Hydreane Riche Moisturising Cream . . .

The La Roche Posay product that has really, really impressed me recently is the Hydreane Riche Moisturising Cream For Sensitive Skin, a moisturiser I've repurchased three times in a row. Given my fickle nature, those stats leave no doubt that I am totally sold on this gem!

The Hydreane Riche is a rich moisturiser designed to moisturise sensitive skin without irritation.

As with all La Roche Posay products, La Roche Posay spa water is one of the main ingredients in the product. La Roche Posay is a spa resort in France which specialises in skincare and apparently is renowned for its success in helping so many skin conditions. The thermal spa water used is rich in the anti-oxidant, Selenium. The Hydreane Riche contains Hydrolipids which carries this magic water and the Selenium deeper in to the skin.

Now, all of this could just be clever marketing.  I'm a bit skeptical as to a 'magical' water being the only ingredient needed to make a skincare product work but what can I say?!

My current skin condition suggests that maybe this time there really is a little more to all the scientific babble then just words. La Roche Posay products and particularly the Hydreane Riche moisturiser seem to work fantastically for me

As far as the Hydreane Riche goes, from day one, I would say my skin 'instantly' looked a little more radiant and not long after that, it also carried a more polished and refined air. It now constantly feels well moisturised and is 'easy to wear'. What I mean by that is that it does not feel tight, parched or itchy. Also, it is pretty much blemish-free (yay!!!) and soo smooothhh. Honestly, the lack of little bumps when I use my fingers to apply products is probably the skin change that has struck me the most and I can't help but wonder if there really is a link between my new smooth skin and the La Roche Posay water, aptly nicknamed by many as the 'velvet' water.

The Hydreane Riche currently costs £14.30 in Boots and I use it both day and night. I am as happy to use this as a night cream as I am to use the Mega Mushroom from Origins or Embryollisse. In fact, I would say this is probably a little gentlier then the Mega Mushroom and a little more moisturising then the Embryollisse. Personally, I prefer it to the Clinique or No 7 moisturisers I have used in the past.

The only thing I would say is that I tend to mix the Hydreane Riche in with my foundation for day application (or on lazy make up free days, I use a very small amount) as it doesn't seem to sink in to my skin that quickly and can leave me with shiny patches for half an hour or so. Used twice a day in this way five days a week(ish!), I would say one tube is lasting me just under a month.

A word of warning though, this is a product I love and am happy to remain loyal to but when I have swapped it up for a day or two, my skin quickly seems to feel parched again (unless I use a damn good subsitutue such as the Skin Brightening Moisture Boosting mask from The Sanctuary) which makes me wonder how much the Hydreane Riche is actually doing for my skin in the long term. It seems my skin is only as good as long as I'm using it. The Hydreane does not seem to be doing anything to help my skin develop in a way to become less dependant on good quality skincare but then again, I don't see myself giving up on this moisturiser any time soon so I'm not going to stress too much about the consequences of discontinuing it.

Off I go, tempting fate again . . !

As much as I rate it, given the heightened nature of the Hydrane Riche, I am reluctant to recommend it to all of you especially if you have oily skin. Skin is very individual and we all have different needs. However, I do believe in the La Roche Posay brand and reckon that most of the products (especially the blue less fragranced, more sensitive line) do exactly what they say they are going to do, to the skins they say they can help so all you need to do is check out all the amazing products that the brand offers, find the one for you and give it a go. Don't forget to tell me how you get on!

Have any of you used La Roche Posay? What beauty brands do you have complete faith in?

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Credit to No 7 and a skincare update!

For the first time in a while (fingers crossed), I think I can declare that, my skin is in pretty good condition at the moment.
These are my current skincare products:

No 7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser; Lush Tea Tree Water; No 7 Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum; Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream

I actually think that I will stick with this routine for the time being. It just seems to work for me. Here is a little more about what I think of each product.

No 7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser
I have been in to hot cloth cleansers ever since I first used the Liz Earle one. They really seem to do the job and there is something about the whole regime that really leaves your skin feeling refreshed and yes, polished. I've also used the Soap and Glory one and the Botanics Balm. I have heard that the No 7 one is inferior to Liz Earle. I'm not so sure. I have nothing to complain about as far as the No7 version is concerned and it is so accessible, if you can find a Boots.

Tea Tree Water
This toner is billed to tone and detoxify oily skin with Tea Tree, grapefuit and juniper. Now, I'd say my skin is prone to dryness but I still use this product on cotton wool twice a day in a bid to keep any blemishes away. I also use it if my skin feels a little tingly just in case there is a nasty spot on the way. I just spray it straight on to the tingle and it seems to work. Still (fingers crossed again please) blemish free.

No 7 Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum
I have been wanting to incorporate a serum in to my skincare routine for a while. Serums no longer seem to be deemed as a luxury extra. They have actually secured a step all of their own in the ideal skincare routine. This one has always being on my radar. Who doesn't remember the headlines when it was first released in 2007 and proven to deliver its claims?!
This product claims to reduce 'the appearance of pores and smoothing lines and wrinkles in just 4 weeks' so I'm hoping it is doing some work on my forehead lines (the work the Frownies shirked) but I haven't really noticed that yet or giving the issue too much attention as the main reason, I brought this product was for the resurfacing. Although I've got rid of those horrible blemishes that blighted me a year or so ago, sometimes my skin still looks a little harassed but this serum promises to 'Reveal younger looking, beautifully refined skin with this powerful blend of protecting and renewing ingredients' and yes, I think my pores look smaller and my skin looks smoother and more refined. Yay!

Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream
This cream seems to be keeping my skin soft without annoying it. I use it twice a day and very occasionally, I feel a little dry around my forehead but that is soon solved with a fix of the Avene Soothing Moisture Mask. There are three big reasons why I like this moisturiser:
1/ It seems to do what a moisturiser is meant to in that it moisturises and keeps the skin soft
2/ It does its work without irritating my skin.
3/ This cream is so easy to use. It sinks in to the skin quickly meaning the face is ready to be made up quickly in the morning and there is no sticky residue on the pillow at night.
Hardly ground-breaking results but I can tell you it is fricking hard to find a moisturiser that delivers in such a manner.

I honestly think that the key to this whole routine is that it seems quite gentle. These products focus more on soothing and gently smoothing rather then attacking and scrubbing. My new routine and its products may seem a bit too simple, compared to some regimes and higher end products but all I can say is look back through my blog, I overlooked gentility and simplicity for a long time. I've used a lot of different skincare products and regimes and I do wonder if some sent my skin in to overdrive.

And also . . .
I really want to give the Boots No7 brand some credit. I have never really took much notice of No 7 before and have mostly only purchased make up brushes or nail polish from them when I've had one of the £5 till vouchers but recently, I've added more of their products to my daily routine and they have really stepped up to the mark.

I have already talked about the cleanser and the serum in this post but I should also give a shoutout to the Lash Adapt Mascara (see earlier post), I'm still loving it! Sometimes, I slap mascara on in the mornings without thinking about it and it is only when I'm taking pictures for this blog that I realise how fantastic this mascara is. It really opens the eye up and adds length. The only but is that as it has aged, I have noticed that this mascara does not behave quite as well as I believed (unlike Max Factor Lash Extension). In the rain, this mascara will smudge and layered up, it does sometimes clump a little on my lashes(contrary to its no clumps marketing claims). However, I'm not one to worry about a clump or two. The final look is more often then not what I mainly rate a mascara on and the wide eyed look produced by this mascara is up there with the best of them.

So at the moment, No 7 definitely falls on the right side of me and next time I need a new beauty product, of whatever nature, I will consider the offerings from No7.

What skincare products are you enjoying? What mascara should I try next? Ha, you know it is going to happen. I never stay loyal to a mascara for long.
Before I go, expect a post soon about my new dress. (This one! Click here!!) I have fallen for this one big time. I keep opening the wardrobe just to look at it!

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The verdict: The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. . . so far!

Okay, I may have been a little hasty. I had a post scheduled to go up today.

*Insert said post.*

The verdict: The Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

In short, this did not seem to work for me.


There was no noticeable difference in the state of treated skin and I certainly did not notice any spots disappearing overnight.


Maybe (just maybe) it soothed my skin ever so slightly. However, the flaffing around in trying to get the solution out of the bottle -I tried cottonwool balls and cotton buds- sort of stressed me out and outweighed any soothing benefits. I was so worried about the whole 'don't shake' thing that I'm sure by the end of treating my skin, I was so hot and bothered that my skin was as red and inflammed as it was to start with. Stress!


I know that you can repeat applications if your spot is a bit stubborn and does not disappear the first time. However, I found this pink lotion very noticeable on my skin and not something you can really wear as you go out and about. Therefore, I found myself using it more as a night treatment and could not really use it more then once (at a push) twice every twenty-four hours.


I tended to leave the lotion on my skin overnight and wash it off in the morning but for me, this lotion did not work and now I'm left with some pink residue at the bottom of the bottle which seems to have solidified and I can not get it out. It feels as if I have no choice but to throw half the product I brought in to the bin.


I doubt I was using this product properly but all I can talk about is my experience and it didn't work for me. It is a shame because I was so excited (read that post here) when I found out about it and read some of the raves out there. I so wish this was a rave and I knew how to make the lotion work for me. This product is not that cheap and at fourteen pounds something titters on the edge of the 'expensive mistake' category. Argh!


On a positive note, I don't think this lotion overly dried my skin out. Overdrying and irritating skin was one of the concerns I had gleaned from my internet research. However, thankfully, the condition of my skin was unaffected in this way. If only it could have banished the demon spots, boo!


If I was to buy this product again, there is no doubt I would want to talk to a skincare expert or an advisor before forking out for it.

So that was my thoughts a couple of days ago but it now looks like I may have been a little hasty and that to some degree my judgment was harsh.

After writing the review, I tried again to get the remnants out of the bottle with a cotton bud. It was pretty solid but with perseverence, I got some which I dabbed on to the spots and applied overnight before rinsing off the next morning as directed on the bottle.
The following morning, the selected spots were still there (NOTE: The selected spots had not vanished overnight) but I could not feel them. There was none of the normal itchiness or irritation. This made me think that just maybe the solution was doing something. I repeated the routine again yesterday afternoon and overnight, last night. This morning, my skin really does feel soothed AND it looks better. The selected spots are still there but they are flatter and no longer as red. They almost look more like marks.

So maybe there is hope, after all.

The label on the bottle states
'For immediate relief from unsightly whiteheads and pimples, dab one drop of the solution on each erupted area overnight. DO NOT SHAKE SOLUTION. To use: Dip a cotton swab into pink sediment. Dab on pimple and let dry. Wash off solution in the morning'

Reading that and it seems, that over the last forty eight hours, the lotion has lived up to any promises it makes.

I do wonder if it failed me before because the lotion had been disturbed in the post. Maybe now, it has settled and the magic can begin.

Hmm, time will tell. I will carry on using the remnants of the product at night and see what happens.

At the moment, I'm reluctant to call this a miracle product. I have used it several times before and have never lost a spot overnight. However, there is no doubt that over the last 48 hours, my treated skin is behaving differently and I have benefitted from immediate relief as the bottle promises.

Fingers crossed!

Have any of you experienced this product? Any thoughts or advice?

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