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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