F.A.B Radiance Pads : Liquid Gold for Sensitive Souls?

I've been loving all things Glycolic Acid lately, the obsession started in similar way to most with Alpha H Liquid Gold. I love Liquid Gold but I won't use it more than once or twice a week at the most, as it make my skin kinda oily.

Liquid Gold contains alcohol, which is I believe is to stabilise the AHA's ( or something along those lines) which is fine apart from the face that anything with alcohol makes me horribly oily. I also don't think the Alpha H agrees with my skin when it's breaking out.

I use the F.A.B Radiance Pads every night in place of a traditional toner, the packaging states to use them in the morning as well, but personally the idea of using a chemical exfoliant before make up sounds a bit silly.

They are alcohol free but the Glycolic and Lactic acids give a good tingle on application and leaves the skin feeling really refreshed. Sometimes I use these with a moisturiser and sometimes I skip it, and let my skin breath, they don't make my skin feel tight or like I need to grab for a heavy night cream.

If you want a introduction to AHAs and the effect they an have on your skin the F.A.B Radiance Pads are a good place to start, they are a great way to incorporate some exfoliation into your daily routine.

Marks left from blemishes haven't been hanging around since I started using these and my skin looks a lot less dull and grey.

60 Pads ( a two month supply if used nightly ) costs £20 and is available from Boots or online at Feel Unique.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Skincare Routine: Make Up Removers and Toners

I’ve been meaning to do a skincare routine post for ages, but I’m worried if I did it all in one post in might be a bit too long! So today I’m talking make up removers and toners!

I always use a make up remover as soon as I get in from work, to get both my eye make-up and the majority of my foundation off. If I’m wearing quite a lot of make up I use the Bioderma Sebium H2O (I use this seller) on a few cotton pads, I find this really cooling on the eyes, and the best way I’ve found to use it is to hold it against my eye for as long as possible, so I don’t have to rub my eyes at all. I also use another cotton pad just to get the majority of my face make up off. A new addition to my collection is the No7 Cleansing Water, it’s great to see British High Street Brands catching on to the cleansing water trend, and I picked this up for £4 (£9 without a voucher). I really like this product but it isn’t as effective as Bioderma, and I struggle to remove all of my eye make up with it. It’s great as a refresher in the morning, but I wouldn’t rely on it to get all of my make up on it. I do LOVE the packaging though, having a pump is so useful, saves spilling it everywhere/overloading the cotton pad with product and I will probably decant my Bioderma into this bottle when it runs out, and I would repurchase it.

I don’t use face wipes to remove make up generally, but if I have no other choice, the only ones I have found that don’t irritate my skin are the Sainsbury’s Skin Therapy Sensitive Cleansing Wipes (link) which are fragrance free, and the wipes are moist enough that they don’t drag.

I currently have two toners in rotation, I use a few spritzes of the Caudalie Beauty Elixir (link) in the morning, which makes my skin feel refreshed and I normally pat it onto any blemishes, as I find it really calms them down. At night I prefer something a little more moisturising (also the Caudalie Beauty Elixir is ridiculously expensive!) so I use the Avene Gentle Toner which is really gentle and soothing on the skin.

What are your favourite make-up removers and toners?

Decleor Aroma Purete

Decleor are a skincare brand I am always fawning over and I love their Aroma Cleanse Phytopeel. So when I heard they were bringing out a range for oily/combination skin I had to share my excitement.

Apparently 50% of women in Europe have oily skin with visible pores, and Decleor have reformulated their Aroma Purete range to help balance oily skins.

The range includes:

AROMESSENCE™ YLANG YLANG SERUM 15ML, RRP £44.00 Expensive? Yes. But sounds amazing, oily skinned ladies should be afraid of products containing oils (this contains Ylang Ylang, Clary Sage, Lemon Essential Oil, Lavender Oil) I find starving my skins of oils really doesn’t help with my acne prone skin, and I am considering trying this when my Liz Earle Superskin runs out.

AROMA PURETÉ SHINE CONTROL OXYGENATING FLUID 50ML, RRP £24.00 A mattifying moisturiser is essential in my routine, and I don’t think £24 is a bad price for a good quality moisturiser. Another one to check out at the counter.

AROMA PURETÉ 2 IN 1 PURIFYING AND OXYGENATING MASK 50ML, RRP £22.00 This is an exfoliant and a mask in one. And I love a dual purpose product (except for those 2 in1 shampoo conditioner things – yuck) they save so much space and time. This contains Bamboo Tears, Egyptian Loofah Fibres and Spheres of White Jojoba to eliminate dead skin cells, hydrate and mattify.

AROMA PURETÉ IMPERFECTIONS ROLL ON 10ML, RRP £15.00 If you struggle with blemishes, you probably have a stash of spot treatments, and I always like to have one to hand for when I feel a spot starting to appear. I haven’t heard of a spot treatment that contains essential oils, so I think this would be an interesting one to try if more traditional spot treatments don’t work for you.

AROMA NIGHT YLANG YLANG PURIFYING NIGHT BALM 15ml RRP £32.50, 30ml RRP £55.00 This is the product I most want to try, I don’t have anything like it in my skincare stash. It claims to make skin looks cleaner, healthier and give a radiant glow.

Do you suffer with oily skin? Anything from this range you want to try?

Aroma Purete launches on Decleor counters on May 1st.

Introducing the Montagne Jeunesse Skin Heroes Range

I hope your all having a great long weekend! I always make the time to give myself a bit of a pamper during a long weekend. Montagne Jeunesse have recently launched their ‘Skin Heroes’ range which includes facial masks (all of which include a moisturiser or serum) and pore strips.

Each product is targeted to a specific skin concern, and like all Montagne Jeunesse products they are vegetarian friendly and BUAV approved.

I’ll be trying these out and giving some more detailed posts on each product so keep an eye out for them!

The Skin Heroes range is available at Asda and Montagne Jeunesse website (link) and cost £1.49 each.

Disclosure: Products provided by PR for consideration.

French Pharmacy Skincare: Micellar Solutions

Skincare has become a bit of an obsession lately. I have discovered a lot of  new products and brands that I had never tried.  I didn’t really know anything about French pharmacy brands, that was until I started watching Lisa Eldridge’s and A Model Recommends videos. That combined with the current 1/3 off at www.escentual.com/ and the 3 for 2 at Boots (finished on Tuesday) has meant I have now found my self with quite a stash of French Skincare.

Micellar Solutions are make up removers/cleansers, and in the bottle they jus look like water. Micellars are an oil in water formula which make make up removal really quick and easy. The most famous Micellar is the Bioderma Crealine H20, which I haven’t tried as it is very hard to get hold of in the UK.

I am currently using two Micellars; La Roche Posay Physiological Micellar Solution and Vichy Normaderm Micellar Solution (For Imperfection Prone Skin). They both remove make up really quickly and leave my skin feeling clean and fresh. I use three cotton pads; one for my face and one each for my eyes. I leave the ones on my eyes on for as long as possible, so they can really break down the make up, and I then don’t have to rub my eyes at all.

Unlike face wipes (which I despise) they don’t just rub the make up and grime around your face, they seem to just hoover up all the product from my face! Although these are very good at removing make up, they are very gentle and suitable for all skin types.

I have sensitive oily skin that is also very reactive. If my skin doesn’t like something, I will know about it the next morning! I haven’t had any bad reactions to either of these, but I do feel the Vichy one suits me better. There isn’t a massive difference between the two but the Vichy Normaderm makes me less oily than I usually would be.

I usually use these before doing a second cleanse with whatever cleanser I am using (currently Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser) but if I’m so tired all I want to do is go to bed I will just use one of these. I have also used them for cleansing in the morning, when my skin is too sensitive to use water.

I will be doing a couple more of these posts about other types/brands of French Skincare I am loving, which at the minute is a lot as it all seems to work for my sensitive skin.

If you are interested in French Pharmacy Brand you should definitely check out this video from A Model Recommends (link) and this one from Lisa Eldridge (link)

Do you use any French Pharmacy Brands? Let me know in the comments!

Elemis Fresh Skin Super Boost Moisturising Serum

Elemis is a brand I have always been intrigued but they are definitely a luxury brand, and they are just a little bit out of my price range! The Elemis Fresh Skin line is aimed at young skin (they say 16 to 25) and is much more affordable than the regular line, it’s still by no means cheap but it’s comparable to Clinique or Liz Earle’s pricing.

The Fresh Skin range will soon be launched at Superdrug, making it an easy to find and affordable option, for most. I was sent the Fresh Skin Super Boost Moisturising Serum to try.

The packaging is simple, functional but still nice enough to have on your dressing table. As with all Elemis products, the box carries the Elemis promise; all their products are free from Parabens, SLS, SLES, DEA, Mineral Oil, Artificial Colours and Silicones. Elemis focus on high performance natural ingredients and the lack of nasties in them make them a good option for all skin types.

This has a gorgeous texture, it’s really light and sinks in quickly, but still manages to be really moisturising. I have been using this morning and night, and I find it moisturising enough for my oily/sensitive skin, but if your skin needs more moisture you could follow it with a moisturiser.

I have loved using this product and I will definitely be buying it when it runs out, and will be checking out the moisturisers when they launch in store. If you don’t like heavy night creams or need an extra kick of moisture in your routine, this product is well worth a look.

Elemis Fresh Skin Super Boost Serum costs £18, and will be available at Superdrug.

Have you tried any products from Elemis?

Disclosure – Product sent by PR for consideration.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

I picked this up after Gemsmaquillage mentioned it a video and said it was good for acne prone skin. It’s a facial spray boasting extracts of grape, rosemary essential oil, orange blossom and rose extracts, benzoin, myrrh essential oils of organic balm mint in it’s ingredients. Caudalie is a French skincare brand that ‘formulate ultra effective and natural’ products inspired by the humble grape, this is the first product I have tried from them, and I am desperate to try some more!

Now the weather is getting a bit warmer, I love having a product like this with me to spray on the go when my face is feeling hot, or I just need something to perk me up a bit! I can really smell the mint when I spray this, and it really is a gorgeous, luxurious scent, it a great instant pick me up.

The packaging is feels very expensive and a more of a luxury than say MAC’s Fix +. I haven’t noticed any dramatic skincare benefits, but I will definitely be repurchasing this as it is so easy to use, and so refreshing.

I ordered my 30ml size from Feel Unique (link) where it costs £9.35. It is also available in a 100ml bottle.

Dealing with Acne: Exfoliation

Exfoliation as a big part of my skincare routine, and if you suffer with acne it can be something that really helps. For a long time I didn’t exfoliate at all, as I didn’t really know what to use. I had used Clinique’s 7 Day Scrub, and it was an okay product but for me it did nothing. I found it too rough, and my skin just ended up more aggravated than it did previously.

There are a few ways you can exfoliate starting with the more traditional scrub, something that is easily available on the high street, from more reasonably priced brands. One I used to love using, when I was younger and first getting into skincare was the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Blackhead Eliminating Scrub (£4.69), it’s not a miracle worker, but it does the job and is very reasonably priced. I no longer use it as is not my preferred way of exfoliating.

Another method of exfoliation is microdermabrasion, and this is the method I use. Microdermabrasion products are inspired by the popular salon treatments. And I find that the scrubbing particles in microdermabrasion products are a lot finer and more effective than scrubs. There are more particles in the formula so for me is exfoliates more evenly. My favourite microdermabrasion products are The Body Shops Vitamin C Microdermabrasion (£12.00)  and Soap and Glory’s No Clogs Allowed(£11.00) which can be used as a scrub or a mask. Microdermabrasion products are generally more expensive, but I find them much more effective, and if your savvy you can get brands like Soap and Glory and The Body Shop in deals (like the current 3 for 2 at Boots).

Scrubs and Microdermabrasion are both mechanical exfoliants, the third way of exfoliating is chemical. Chemical Exfoliation works by using acids such as Glycolic and Salicylic to exfoliate the skin, they seem to be growing in popularity and although I haven’t tried any I am desperate to try Alpha H’s Liquid Gold (£28.50) and Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant (£32.30).

Exfoliation can be a great way to get rid of dead skin cells and blocked pores, and in my experience it definitely helps with acne.  My skin seems to be quite lazy and if I don’t exfoliate it looks dull, and I get more congested skin.

I should note that you don’t want to exfoliate too often. I’ve known the temptation of just wanting to scrub my skin endlessly to get rid of that oily, clogged feeling, but don’t do it! About 2 or 3 times a week is enough, any more and your skin will be left feeling raw and it won’t help with your breakouts.

You can read my review of The Body Shop’s Microdermabrasion here and Soap and Glory’s No Clogs Allowed here.

Do you exfoliate? What’s your favourite product?

New Additions to my Skincare Routine

La Roche Posay Micellar Solution

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo

Elemis Fresh Skin Super Boost Moisturising Serum*

Just a few thing’s I am going to be slotting into my skincare routine. My skin has been behaving a bit weirdly lately, I’ve been having a few breakouts, along with some dry patches, and some odd reaction to something. A very lovely sight!

I bought the Miccellar Solution as I have heard a lot about Bioderma, and as it’s so hard to get here, I thought this would make a good alternative. I used it to remove my make – up last night and was amaed at how quickly and gently it got rid of it all! A brilliant alternative for people who are addicted to face wipes! It costs £11.50 for 200ml.

The Effaclar Duo is a hard one to describe, I will be using it implace of moisturiser in the morning, and it contains AHA/BHA’s to help clear pores, and calm breakouts. I’ve got high hopes for this and hopefully I will see some good results! It costs £13.50 for 40ml.

I was sent the Elemis Super  Boost Serum* and will be using it at night under my moisturiser, I have used it a couple of times so far and it feels gorgeous on the skin. Really moisturising, but not greasy and sinks in quickly. A great moisture boost for younger women with dehydrated skin.

I’ll be doing an updated skin care routine in a few weeks, when  I have had a really chance to test these products and settle into a real routine! In the mean time look out for a few more ‘Dealing with Acne’ posts, as I will be posting one on Exfoliating and Cleansing very soon!

 

Disclosure: The Elemis Serum was sent for my consideration by PR.

Lately I’ve Been Loving: La Roche Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel

I think I jinxed my skin. After saying that my skin was getting so much better, I’ve had a big reaction to something. An area on my one of my cheeks (somewhere I never breakout) had gone completely red,bumpy and sore and it pretty much covers the entire apple of my cheek. I’m not sure what's cause it, I’m think it was constantly wearing heavy foundation, but as I said I don’t know. Its been there just over a week/maybe 2 now and I’ve been at my wits end with it. I can cover it with concealer, but I would rather it went on it’s way now.

My current skincare routine wasn’t clearing it, although it wasn’t making it worse either. I wanted to try something new, so after  root through my stash and found a long lost sample of La Roche Posay’s Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel. I don’t know a massive amount about La Roche Posay, but I love their suncare.

I’ve been using this on the area around the reaction and my T-Zone after I remove my make-up with Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish. In 4 days the reaction is a lot less red, and inflamed. It’s still there but it’s a lot easier to cover now.

As it’s a foaming cleanser aimed at oily skin I was expecting my skin to end up dry and tight, but it just leaves my face feeling clean and comfortable.

I’m off to Boots to look for something to sort it out, and while I’m there I will definitely be looking into more of the La Roche Posay range, particularly the Effaclar Duo which sounds amazing!

You can find La Roche Posay at Boots where it costs £10.21 for 200ml

The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion

I picked this up last month when I had one of those £10 off when you spend £25 voucher that the Body Shop give out on their receipts, and needed something else to bump up the total, when stocking up on Banana Conditioner. It is designed for Dull Skin, and all through December/January my skin was a lot duller than usual, and my skin is normally on the dull side, and unless I exfoliate I get a lot of blocked pores.

I used a lot of different exfoliating scrubs, but I have never found one that didn’t either just scratch my skin, or do nothing at all. So for quite a while I just didn’t exfoliate, but something made me want to buy it!

The Body Shop describe it as a ‘Weekly home-spa exfoliation. With vitamin C rich camu camu and Community Trade shea butter’. As you would expect from a Vitamin C product it has a slight orange scent, which isn’t overpowering, and I quite like it. It has a thick and creamy consistency at first but once you start massaging it in it emulsifies with the water really well. As it is a microdermabrasion rather than a scrub it doesn’t have big, visible particles they seem to be more a part of the cream.

This scrub is quite rough, not in a painful way, you can just tell that it’s actually doing something although if you have very sensitive skin you might want to avoid this. I cleanse my face, and then while my face is still damp I take about a grape size amount of this and massage it in circular motions. I do this until the cream is completely dissolved and then rinse it off. My skin is left feeling really clean, and smooth, it doesn’t make my skin red or feeling sensitive which I often experience if i use more conventional scrubs.

As I mentioned in yesterdays posts my skin is a lot less prone to breakouts since I changed my skincare routine, and I would definitely give some credit to this product for that. I feel  like it definitely stops the build up of dead skin cells, and other rubbish that lead to the stubborn black heads and blocked pores I get.

If like me you have become tired of your normal exfoliating products and need something a bit more effective then I would really recommend this. I have been trying a lot of Body Shop products lately and I think it’s really easy to underestimate their skincare, I know until trying this I only went to them for hair care and the odd bottle of the Mango Shower Gel (which smells flippin’ amazing by the way!) but since trying this I will definitely be trying out a few more products.

You can find The Body Shops Vitamin C Microdermabrasion in store or on the Body Shop website where it is priced at £12

Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Cleanser

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I am a big fan of Good Things Skincare, they are a really affordable option for natural, nasty free skincare. Developed by Beauty Writer Alice Hart Davis it is designed for young skin, and uses superfruit extracts in gentle but effective formulations.

The Anti Blemish Cleanser is a 2 – in – 1 cleanser and toner, that helps to ‘unclog pores and remove excess sebum without stripping your skin’s natural oils’. I have been using this for the past few weeks, and have loved using it. I use it in the morning after my Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish or the Good Things Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser, and it makes my skin feel clean, and refreshed.
I personally wouldn’t use this as a cleanser in it’s own, I definitely see it as more of a toner. For me this is the perfect toner for the morning; the scent is a gorgeous uplifting strawberry scent, and my skin feels less oily but not stripped. Since I have been using this I have noticed I have less breakouts, and blackheads and blocked pores have definitely reduced. I also have changed a lot of other products in my skincare regime so the combination of products has probably also helped to improve my skin, I have tried a few other alcohol free toners and this one works better for me than any other so it will probably be a permanent feature in my skincare routine.
The packaging, like all of the Good Things range is simple, practical but still gorgeous to look at, and feels young and fun. The formula is free from Parabens, SLS, Mineral Oils and Animal Ingredients.
If you are looking for an alcohol free toner for oily or combination skin this would be a great one to try, especially if you love fruity scents!
You can find Good Things Anti Blemish Cleanser at Boots where it retails at £4.99 for 200ml

Disclaimer: PR Sample.

Face Oils for Oily Skin?

For the past eight or so years I have been using products targeted to oily or acne prone skin. I would always opt for 'oil free’ face products and wouldn’t moisturise as my skin already produced too much oil. I spent a year making my skin worse with Clinique’s harsh 3 step routine and have taken antibiotics to try and sort my skin out.

Not too long ago I realised, I was doing it wrong.

When your a teenager the likelihood is your skin will be oily, hormonal and you’ll have break outs. For the past decade break outs have been the bane of my life, to try and get rid of them I did as advertising/magazines told me use harsh products that will beat your acne into submission. Did it work? Not once.

Last month I had finally had enough, I’d cut alcohol and SLS out of my skincare routine a while ago but still my skin was irritated, red and I was having a breakout that covered my whole chin and forehead (a pretty picture I know) I switched back to the gentlest cleanser I knew, Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish and dug out a sample of their Skin Repair Light; a moisturiser for oily/combination skin that contains plant oils. In a week I started to see results, my breakouts were fading, I had no dry patches and my skin looked a lot less angry.

It wasn’t much longer that I saw Liz Earle’s Superskin Concentrate come up in a co-buy on BuyaPowa, I took the plunge and I have been using it for just over a week.

It’s too early for a full review, but I will say this; I’ve had no breakouts or spots since using this. I use it at night before my moisturiser and it doesn’t make my skin feel greasy, I just wake up with skin that looks a lot more radiant. A while ago I would have never dreamed of using an oil on my skin, and wouldn’t even use a moisturiser that had any sort of oil in it.

I’ll definitely continue using this and will be doing a full review soon.

Do you use oils or do you prefer to steer clear? Let me know in the comments!

You can find Liz Earles Superskin Concentrate on their website where it is available in 5ml/10ml/30ml (£5.50/£19.00/£38.75) sizes. Also Liz Earle is featuring a lot on QVC with some great offers including a very exciting Todays Special Value!

Review: Purity Conditioning Cleanser and Facial Wash

For the past month I have been testing out a few products from the Purity Skincare Line, to read up on the background of the brand read my introduction to the brand. Just to recap, all the products are Ecocert Organic, and free from parabens, GM and Petroleum based ingredients.

In place of my usual oil or Hot Cloth Cleanser, I have been using their Conditioning Cleansing Lotion to remove my make-up. I’ve put this to the test against some of my most stubborn mascaras, eyeliners and foundation and its stood up pretty well. After just a bit of massaging it into my lashes all my mascara was gone, and all without stinging my eyes. The lotion has a fairly thick consistency (but not as thick as Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish) but is easily spreadable on the skin.

After I’ve removed my make up, I refresh my face with the SLS free Facial Wash to stop my oily skin breaking out (if you have normal or dry skin you could probably skip this). I really like this face wash, it has quite a thin texture, and is great if you like to double cleanse/ to refresh your skin but will also remove light make-up (even mascara!). I’ve used this a couple of time when I’ve been to lazy to double cleanse and it removed all my eye make-up leaving me panda eye free!

Both products cost £4.99 for 150ml of product and are available from Purity Skincare.

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Review - Good Things Miracle Mattifier

I’ve found lately that none of my moisturisers were really working for me, all leaving my skin too shiny for my liking and not sinking in quick enough. Good Things a skincare line that keeps getting my attention with its great-smelling, chemical free products that actual work. It doesn’t promise you that natural skincare will change your life, rid you of all blemishes and wrinkles etc it just promise to be free from SLS, parabens, mineral oils and other nasties. As well as that all their products are vegetarian and vegan friendly.

Miracle Mattifier is aimed at people with an oily skin type and promises to sink into the skin quickly so skin stays smooth, matte and is less prone to break out. Surprisingly it has quite a rich thick texture, as you will notice in the photo below, but it really does sink in quickly. I massage it in for a few seconds and there is no residue left behind, my skin is left smoother and more matte.

This makes a great base for make-up and I have been using it under Bourjois’ Silicone Free Bio Detox Foundation (which can be a bit tricky to blend) and it gives a great surface to work on.

For your money you get 100ml of product, which is great, as you only need the amount shown to cover your face, so a tube will last you ages!

If you have oily skin and are looking for a well priced moisturiser to help you keep it under control then Good Things Miracle Mattifier may be worth a look. I wouldn’t recommend it to those with drier skins, as you might find it doesn’t give you enough moisturisers, but Good Things do a couple of moisturisers (as well as a cleanser) aimed at drier skins.

You can find Miracle Mattifier at Boots, Superdrug and Sainsbury's where it retails at £7.99 for 100ml

Review: Good Things Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser

I bought this as I wanted a cleanser that was quick to use in the morning and didn’t require any faffing around with a muslin cloth. I also wanted something that was SLS free, so when I spotted this at Boots, I picked it up.
It is free from parabens, sodium laureth sulphate and mineral oils, it is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans. It claims to use extracts of blueberry, mango and willow bark to ‘decongest the skin’ and keep ‘breakouts at bay’, I haven’t used it long enough to notice any skin benefits yet, but it does exactly what I need it to.

It’s a gel like consistency, but it doesn’t foam up a lot. After using this my skin feels comfortable and clean but not stripped; something that usually happens when I use foaming cleansers. I haven’t tested this cleanser’s ability at removing make-up because that isn’t why I bought it, I think a cream or oil based cleanser is necessary for make-up removal anyway.
It comes packaged in a simple white tube,so is perfect for travelling. Another thing I love about this product is the scent! It really does gorgeously and naturally fruity, a great scent to pick you up in the morning.
Here’s the ingredients for anyone who’s interested:

You can find Stay Clear at Boots priced £5.10 for 150ml.

My Skincare Routine

Most of the time I double cleanse, as I wear SPF daily and want to make sure it’s not blocking up my pores. My skincare routine starts with the MUJI oil cleanser I mention in my June Favourites post, I use one or two pumps onto dry skin and it dissolves all my make up.
 
After I have rinsed and dried my face I go onto cleanser number two, cult product Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish. I again apply this onto dry skin and remove with a damp muslin cloth (also from Liz Earle) before splashing my face with cold water, to close my pores.

I love Cleanse and Polish, the system works well for me as I find using harsh exfoliants and scrubs make my oily/sensitive skin overproduce oil, breakout and become red and sore . So using a muslin cloth to exfoliate daily works perfectly for me. 
Cleanse and Polish comes in a travel friendly pump bottle (a 200ml squeezy tube is also available), although I do find it frustrating that it is pretty much impossible to know how much product you have left.
I feel using Cleanse and Polish has made a massive improvement to my skin, a vast improvement on the gel cleansers I used to use think harsh chemicals would reduce my acne and skin problems.
 

I then follow this with Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic, an alcohol free toner that I couldn’t live without. It refreshes the skin, smells amazing and can be used for a number of things. I like to carry a spray bottle with some in in my bag to refresh my make-up during the day and it provides a lovely cooling sensation in the warm weather we’re experiencing.

Finally I use Lancome’s Genifique Serum, and if my skin is feeling a bit dehydrated some Clinique Moisture Surge. My favourite eye cream is Clinique All about Eyes Rich, having tried the regular All About Eyes and finding it wasn’t for me, I tried this one and I love it, its so rich you only need a very small amount so a jar lasts me around 6 months.
Liz Earle products are available here. Lancome and Clinique products are available from Debenhams instore and online.