Review of Eucerin DermoPURIFYER Cleanser

Recently my skin has been somewhat more oil-prone than usual, I'm not entirely sure why but this oily spell came at a time when Escentual were offering bloggers the opportunity to try out a cleanser targeted at tackling oily skin, so of course I jumped at the chance to give it a whirl.

What arrived in the post a few days later was Eucerin's DermoPURIFYER Cleanser (RRP £9). I must admit what first struck me about the product was how 'basic' the packaging looked, superficial I know. However, on further reading up on Eucerin, I soon realised this wasn't a brand you buy for how its packaging looked but rather its effective results. Eucerin claims to be 'the dermatologist-recommended skincare brand based on honest skin science' that contains 'active ingredients' in order to create high quality, effective products.

This soap and fragrance free, gel type cleanser works by removing excess sebaceous-gland lipids and reduces growth of bacteria, while gently removing make-up and dirt.

I've been using this product for the past month now every night before going to bed and I can honestly say this product does remove make-up and dirt effectively, while being extremely gentle on the skin. I lather it with water, which creates a  gentle foam.

Alongside the cleanser, I have stuck to my usual skincare routine which comprises of a micellar water before this cleanser, then followed up by a serum and moisturiser.

Post use I like how my skin feels, it leaves my skin thoroughly cleansed and feeling soft, and I have noticed a reduction in my skin's oiliness.

Those of you who suffer with oil-prone skin I can't recommend this enough and until June 30, Escentual is offering up to a 1/3 off French Pharmacy brands, so what are you waiting for?

Alongside this cleanser, Escentual also kindly send me an array of other goodies and two that I'm looking forward to trying is Eucerin's Even Brighter Day and Night creams. I will have to let you know how I get on with those.

Have you tried any Eucerin products before? Were they effective for you?

Follow me on Bloglovin':

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11870233/?claim=7hx5e9ntq8w">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

April favourites

Despite April probably being the busiest month of the year so far, it was definitely my favourite month of 2014 yet. Lots of hard work was done but there were a couple of lovely birthdays celebrated, my best friend, Craig has gone to work in Mallorca for six months, despite feeling sad that he's gone, I'm thrilled that he's having a wonderful time over there, oh and there's been plenty of blog progress, including a lovely little revamp - thanks to the boyfriend for that. Oh and I'm sorry to be a total fangirl BUT... *cough* the wonderful Essie Button shared my blog with her 76k+ Twitter followers *cough* - she enjoyed my Essie Button made me... post! Win!

So yep, April was pretty good but now I shall hush up and crack on with my most loved and reached for beauty products of the past month, and I've got to say, it's quite a luxurious list. Here goes:

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette - £37

If I could use any iPhone Emoji to sum up my feelings on this palette, it would be the 'heart-eyes' one, you know the one! I've had this little treasure of a palette for just over a month now and I adore it. Throughout April I reached for this palette on a number of occasions to create some lovely night time looks. One look I enjoyed creating in particular, was a subtle shimmery eye teamed with some winged liquid eyeliner. This look finished off my outfit at one of my best friend's 21st birthday Gatsby party perfectly. The shades I used to create this look were Dust - an extremely shimmery, peachy pink with A LOT of glitter, Buzz - a glittery, satin rose, and Nooner - a matte taupe. I wore Nooner all over the lid and finished the look off with the shimmery, glittery shades and of course, the winged liner. (Apologies for not having any pictures of this eye look!) I know this is a favourites post but I do have one gripe with one shade in this palette and oddly enough, the shade is Dust - that I have just mentioned. There is far too much fall out in Dust! Other than that, it's a stunning palette.

Ciate Paint Pot in Pocket Money - £9

This was another beauty product that finished off the Gatsby party look. It's a beautiful nude shade, that's somewhat pinkier than your typical nude nail polish. It's an extremely elegant shade and the formula is lovely. It lasted me a good four to five days without any highly noticeable chipping. This is a little pinkier than Nooner, in the Naked 3 Palette. Being a sucker for pretty packaging, I must say the bottle is presented beautifully with a lovely black ribbon to finish it off. Trés elegant.

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lipstick in 33 La Distinguée - £26

This is not just an April favourite, this is a lifetime and a day favourite. I reached for this little beauty a number of times in April and as always, it finished off any look, day or night, gorgeously. La Distinguée is a moderately dusty pink with a very subtle hint of peach. It's beautiful and my all time favourite lipstick shade. This isn't a Gatsby party themed post I swear, but teaming this with the Naked 3 Palette and Ciate's Pocket Money was just a dusty pink dream! Despite its matte formula, I don't find this drying at all. Look out for a post dedicated to this lipstick in future because as you can tell I adore it. 

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner - £13

This product featured in my Essie Button made me... post. I've worn a winged eye a number of times this month and I've absolutely loved it. The pen makes the detestable liquid eyeliner application process somewhat less detestable for me - big praise indeed! As I've previously said, it's the perfect black liquid eyeliner for me and it does not budge all day/evening.


La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + Plus - £15.50 *

Its predecessor featured in my February favourites and since using the revamped version over the past month, I'm smitten. This product reduces any redness that comes after any skin outbreaks and I've found its actually improved the overall redness of my skin, which has given me the confidence to go a number of days foundation-free during April! See here for a full review of this.



Have a fab May and lovely Bank Holiday weekend all - I'm off to watch McBusted tonight in Birmingham, so I'm a tad excited to say the least! Thanks for reading!

Follow me on Bloglovin':

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11870233/?claim=7hx5e9ntq8w">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + Plus

I'm one of those people that lives by the old saying: "If it ain't broke don't fix it" - I had been a huge fan of La Roche-Posay's original formula, Effaclar Duo for around 12 months. I even repurchased the stuff - a beauty addict's way of saying: "this is some pretty good shizz". So at the start of the year when I'd heard that the much-loved spot treatment had been discontinued BUT replaced with a revamped version, the Effaclar Duo + Plus I've got to admit, I was a little anxious but I had heard it did everything that the original did, on top of helping to reduce and prevent scarring.

About a month ago, the kind people at La Roche-Posay offered me the chance to try out the new formula, which was fantastic as I was keen to see whether the Effaclar Duo + Plus lived up to its predecessor.

I've never really had particularly problematic skin but I found that using the Effaclar Duo daily helped to keep my skin clear. It claimed to 'reduce the appearance of imperfections and unclog sebum-blocked pores' - which it did.

Does the new version do this? Yes, it does. Like the original, it helps to keep breakouts at bay. It's a preventative treatment, so with that in mind, remember it won't clear up current outbreaks on first application but it will reduce the frequency of them in future. This is a product that you have to persevere with - but not for a terribly long period of time, I found it to be effective in around a fortnight.

Now for the 'newness' - this updated version claims to prevent red and brown marks. La Roche-Posay claim that the new formula not only targets blemishes, clogged pores and excess sebum, but it also eliminates acne marks from the moment they start to form, thanks to an exclusive anti-marks active ingredient called Procerad.

Do I believe this updated version does anything in tackling the marks that come after blemishes? Yes I do and in fact, I feel that the product has done wonders in reducing the overall redness of my skin, so much so that this month, I've gone many days without wearing any foundation at all! Don't get me wrong, my skin has always been okay but it's rare that I feel confident enough to leave the house without any sort of base on my skin.

Overall, I'm thrilled with the results of the revamped formula and like I did with its predecessor, I will certainly be repurchasing this stuff when it eventually runs out! The original Effaclar Duo was great, however the Effaclar Duo + Plus just goes that step further for your skin.

You can get your hands on La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + Plus (RRP £15.50), from Boots or via online beauty and skincare hotspot, Escentual.

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on Bloglovin':

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11870233/?claim=7hx5e9ntq8w">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum

Being new to this whole blogging lark, I was extremely excited to have been sent Avene's Soothing Hydrating Serum  (£17) from Escentual to try out and review.

Firstly I've got to say I've never used a serum before, nor have I ever considered using one, so I have nothing to compare this product to. However, I've used this product for a week and a half now and I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far.

This silky feeling serum sinks into my skin right away and doesn't feel greasy at all. I use this morning and evening after I've cleansed my face. I leave it for a few minutes before applying La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] - expect a review of that soon.

How the serum looks.

Post use, my skin feels so supple and soft! If I had used this product during the colder months, my dry, winter ravaged skin would have been banished for sure.

The product, which is highly concentrated in Avene Thermal Spring Water, aims to soothe and moisturise even the most sensitive of skin. It also contains glycerin which improves the skin's hydration and suppleness.

Overall, despite never considering using a serum before, having been pleased with the results of using one so far, this will continue to make up part of my daily skincare routine. I can't wait to see the long term effect this serum has on my skin, I shall keep you updated on that.

In the meantime, while I'm raving about this product, why not try it out for yourself by visiting www.escentual.com, Escentual is the go to place to get your hands on a variety of French skincare brands including Avene, La Roche-Posay, Vichy and Bioderma, to name a few. What's more, Escentual are currently offering up to 1/3 off French Pharmacy brands until the end of March - so I suggest you have a browse now if you fancy mixing up your current skincare routine!

NB - The box arrived dented.

Follow me on Bloglovin':

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11870233/?claim=7hx5e9ntq8w">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>