The "Whats Up" with Facial Scrubs

Do you scrub? Its a bit of a marmite topic, some people swear by manual exfoliation such as the Clarasonic, others will wax lyrical about acid based exfoliators. Personally my skin can't tolerate either of those as exfoliation so I tend to opt for a simple facial scrub.

In times gone by I used to think that I couldn't exfoliate my skin because it was dry/sensitive. Recently however I have found that my skin needed a polish in order to properly absorb the great moisturisers I was using and heal.

My long time 'go to' face scrub has been the Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream which is daily gentle but can be worked into the skin to increase radiance and give a super soft feel. As with all Clinique products the scrub is hypoallergenic and tested for sensitivities which is a bonus and as it foams up slightly could also be combined with a clarasonic or similar. Personally I like to lather it up on wet skin and work in with my fingers. I then use a hot face cloth to remove before toning my skin.

A new addition to the fold however is the Soap and Glory Scrubatomic Amazing Daily Face Polish which I picked up recently on a trip to Boots while on holiday having left my Clinique offering at home. This is another 'finely abrasive' facial scrub and I love the smell of it, it smells like the facial wipes and other items in the Soap and Glory Skincare line. 

The scrub states that it is for all skin types and I found that even during a flare up of sensitivity I could use this product although I did find I needed to rinse my skin well and moisturise straight away as my skin felt slightly tight.

All in all these two are very similar and to be honest you probably don't need both in your arsenal. The Soap and Glory scrub is only £9 for 100ml where as the Clinique scrub is £19 per 100ml, so from a financial point of view the choice is fairly straight forward.

How do you exfoliate?

Ooh La La: French Pharmacie Skincare

French skincare is much raved about online. About 10 years I spent a summer in france and one thing I bought and used while I was there was Bioderma. Little did I know it would end up being a cult beauty product. I have used various things on and off but Escentual recently had 30% of french pharmacy brands so I indulged a little.

Avène is a brand I honestly normally just walk past in Boots. But this product caught my eye. As you will have read I am at the end *hopefully* of a serious eczema flare up and this cream, for irritated skin looked like a winner. In the basket it went and I didn't think much more about it. Having a google later on however and this product has great reviews so I was excited for the postman's arrival. 

The cream is very thick and soothing on red or irritated skin. I have been applying this morning and night and also throughout the day if I have not been wearing makeup. It will be much too heavy for most people however if you have dry skin that is easily upset, this fragrance free, paraben free formula may well be the one for you.

I won't go on too much about Bioderma as I am sure most people have tried it at least once. It is a great gentle formula that feels like water on the skin and yet removed makeup easily without hassle. I normally buy the 500ml bottle although this was out of stock at the time, so I settled for the 250ml bottle and also picked up another 50ml travel size bottle. These are great for holidays and travelling the only downside is they are not refillable...although if anyone has overcome this let me know!

And then finally, I have used the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo for about 18 months before they launched the + version. This is slightly more opaque in appearance and more hydrating on the skin. If I am honest I have no idea how this one works but it does calm breakouts and works with your existing skincare to keep them at bay altogether. I have naturally dry skin so I can't comment on it's oil control properties however I do find my skin is clearer when I use this, aside from small hormonal breakouts on my chin. This is regularly on offer somewhere, either online or in Boots so I tend to try to avoid paying full price. Worth a go however!

So I guess really it's no surprise that the french all have flawless skin while regularly chowing down on croissants and cheese...they have these beauties sitting in every pharmacie.

The Best Thing to Come Out of the World Cup? Benefit Beauty Score

Everyone loves a travel mini right? Well this new 'world cup' edition beauty kit from Benefit will makeup for the fact you may not get your other half back for another FIVE weeks!

The Beauty Score makeup set (available here) retails for £29.50 and given the size of some of the samples relative to the full size products actually represents pretty good value for money (on average £2.90 per item, actually calculated value will be posted below). The set contains 10 luxury samples which are the perfect size for on the go makeup bags or an ultra light holiday makeup bag.

I have never actually tried any of the skincare offerings from Benefit before so I am excited to try this eye cream. It promises to 'fade dark circles' as they all do, so I will perhaps report back in the future. This will be handy for travelling home however as you get a 3g sample which will last at least a couple of weeks given how little eye cream you generally need. The full size product is 14g and retails for £25.50 so this works out as being worth £5.46. A great way to try a quite expensive product without committing to the full size version. 

The next sample is of the best selling bronzer Hoola. This is the bronzer I use daily so I was quite excited that I would have a smaller more manageable travel size version to chuck in my makeup bag when jetting off on holls. The bronzer is completely matt and great as a contour as well as a general face warmer-upper. 

The full size version is just over twice the size at 8g but retails for £23.50 therefore this sample is actually worth £8.81.

As a long time fan of Benefit's Coralista I have never tried Bella Bamba as I always thought they were too similar to justify spending another £23.50 on, particularly as in recent years the boxes have gotten a lot smaller as I noticed when comparing my newer Hoola to my old box of Coralista.

This blush is more pink/blue toned than the peachy Coralista and I am sure will look fantastic with a tan. A subtle shimmer runs throughout and means you could easily go without highlighter. Travelling light? Yes please.

Again the full size of this £23.50 for 8g so this sample is also worth £8.81

I have already written about my love for the That Gal Primer in my empties post (here) so I will leave that for you to peruse. This sample is 7.5ml and I was honestly SHOCKED to find out the the full size version only holds 11g!! The packaging of the full version is MUCH bigger and would have you believe it holds far more. Anyhow, the full version retails for £22.50 therefore this sample is worth £15.34.

The Porefessional Primer is a new to be cult classic in the making. I like the formula of the product but I haven't much more that swatched it. This is again a 7.5ml sample of the full 22ml version (available here, RRP £24.50) so is noticeably better value for money than the that gal primer. This sample works out as being worth £8.35.

Another Benefit best seller, the They're Real mascara is raved about across the internet by beauty bloggers. I have previously had a sample of this but on discovering it had a plastic brush I passed it on to a friend. I am now determined to give it ago however given my mascara trials of late.

This sample is 3g compared to the full size product which is 8.5g and retails for £19.50, therefore this sample is worth £6.88 and is a good way of seeing if the product lives up to it's name before shelling out for the full size product rather than sticking with hughstreet alternatives.

Both of these products are ones I've owned over the years but are not currently in my makeup stash. High beam is a liquid highlight which is great applied on the top of the cheekbones and blends nicely with other cream based blushers and bases. A word for the wise, it doesn't like being put on top of powders so this one is a dewy skin day only kinda gal.

This sample and all the other small tubes are 2.5ml and come with a small doe foot applicator. Personally I think these are a great way of taking away your fave products without looking like you've packed half of Boots! The full size of the High Beam is £19.50 (13ml), so the sample works out at being worth £3.75 so not the best value of the bunch but mighty handy all the same.

The Benetint is the original version of Benefit's cheek and lip stains and is still going strong. A pink hued red looks good on most skin tones and is great as a jack of all trades product. I do find that this needs blending quickly to avoid 'dot' marks, so do one cheek at a time!

The full size 12.5ml Benetint retails for £24.50 so this smaller sample is worth £4.90.

I have never tried this next sample so I am looking forward to giving it a go. Ooh La Lift is an under eye brightening boost that promises to perk up tired eyes like an instant facelift. Bold claims so I will report back in the future as to it's success. It can be applied on bare skin or over makeup.

The full size product is 7g for £17.50 which means that the 2.5g sample is effectively worth £6.25

And then last but no means least, the Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer for concealers and eye shadows. I have never considered using a primer for concealer but those with greasier eye areas may find that this keeps everything in place all day. I would liken the formulation to Urban Decay's primer potion. A smudge over each lid is all that is needed to keep eye shadows from creasing. The full size version is 10ml at £20.50, therefore the sample is worth £5.12.

Overall, I think this set offers a great range of products and is an affordable way to test out new products before committing to buying the full size version. The total value of the set is just shy of £77 and comparing the size of the samples to that of the full size products was definitely illuminating!! I would encourage you to do the same.

A great summery set ready to be packed in a suitcase headed for somewhere hot and sunny. I guess the only dilemma left is where to go, and if I left during the World Cup would Jake notice??

Dry Skin? Say Hello to Your Secret Weapons

You could be forgiven for being a little confused with the timing of this particular post. No it's not winter and no it's not even been that cold, but I am one of the *lucky* ones who suffers from dry skin and eczema prone skin all year round.

I had a serious flare up last week which resulted in three days of strong steroid cream and no makeup what so ever! This was my own personal form of torture. It did however mean that my skin settled enough to do away with the harsh medication and move onto some ultra nourishing skincare to take over. So these are my dry skin secret weapons!

The first is a reformulation of an 'oldie but goodie'. Clinique have been producing their famous yellow moisturiser for well over twenty years. The Dramatically Different Plus formula was released in July 2013 as the only change to the moisturiser that has been made since it's birth.

Existing lovers of the moisturiser were promised that nothing has been taken away, only good stuff added, and they did not lie. This rich moisturiser sinks into the skin to leave it soft and nourished all day. It now contains hyalurolonic acid (as also in Hydraluron, mentioned in favourites post here) which holds 1000x its own weight in moisture.

Makeup can be applied over this without pulling and it would also sit well under a primer. I have been using this around my eyes and massaging into the any other dry patches on my face and within three days I have seen a marked improvement in both the texture of my skin and also the luminosity of it. 

The 125ml bottle is available from all Clinique counters and online and retails for £29.50 for the bottle with pump. Helpful tip...the extra £1.50 for this rather than bottle without pump is DEFINITELY worth it.

There are occasions however when you need to beef up your everyday skincare and the Origins Drink-Up Intensive Mask probably packs the most punch of the lot. An overnight moisturising mask which helps 'quench skin's thirst' and promises to perk up even the most dehydrated skin.

Origins recommend using once a week but I have found using every night for a couple of nights is a serious two fingers at any patches of dryness or dullness.

This 100ml tube will set you back £22 and given the quantity of product and also how little you need, it will last a long time. Value for money, yes please!

And then we get to this *slightly battered* looking wonder. I apologise for the state of it but it shows it has been well and truly loved. Palmers Cocoa Butter has been a favourite of mine for a while and their lip balm is my everyday go to. I have tried other offerings but this lightly sensed balm in it's handy no mess stick format is the winner.

It has an SPF of 15 which is great as I swear no one remembers to suncream their lips and has a fair staying power. Reapplied throughout the day this one helps to keep everything soft and is even readily swiped by my other half as it is not overtly girly.

In our house you are never more than 10 steps away from a lip balm, I have a slightly odd anxiety over dry lips, and at £1.89 (available from boots) it won't break the bank either.

What are your dry skin saviours? Let me know in the comments

Beauty Week: Review - Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

As mentioned in yesterdays Product Empties post I have recently been in the market for a new eye cream. I first heard about this one in a Zoella video and thought it might be a go-er for my dehydrated and sensitive eyes.

I popped into my local Space NK and annoyingly, although as expected they did not have a sample. I bought the 14g pot for £20 (which comes in as slightly cheaper than the Clinique offering)

The formula promises to be rich and nourishing. I personally would liken the texture more to that of a gel. It is hydrating but is not as thick or *greasy* as I would have hoped with the properties of avocado. I find that is pulls a little at the skin and sinks in quickly to a water based consistency.

I also find the pot a little messy. You dip in a finger and instead of only getting the minuscule amount you need this gloopy formula sticks to you and you end up with far too much which doesn't spread well on the skin.

I think overall I am a little disappointed with this product and VERY glad I didn't buy the bigger size online (which represents better value). I will use it up, it seems like it might just about be moisturising enough for the warmer summer months but I am not sure it's got the gumption to compete against central heating and more harsh weather.