Micellar Miracle?

L'Oreal Skin Prefection 3 in 1 Micellar Soultion - On offer at the moment but usually £4.99

Here's one of L'Oreal's newest product releases, along with that weird oil cleanser they've just brought out which I'm yet (but curious) to try. 

This product embodies the gradual process of sciencey high end products trickling onto our highstreet. The L'Oreal group incidentally also owns Giorgio Armani, Lancôme and La Roche-Posay beauty and skincare so it's no surprise that this brand is so high-end inspired. 

We can't really talk about this product without mentioning what it's clearly inspired by and attempting to duplicate - Bioderma. The product in reference is the micellar water, but the level of popularity it's received has lead beauty bloggers to refer to it simply by the brand name - all other Bioderma products seem to blur out of focus in comparison. This is the motherload. Every skincare lovers wet dream, (so it seems) it's a weightless make-up remover with a water like consistency which cleans all of your makeup off, seriously EVERYTHING, in one fell swoop. Even stubborn, crusty waterproof mascara.

So no hours spent scrubbing sensitive areas, which permanently wrinkles and damages more fragile skin e.g round the eyes, only to see that a disappointingly large amount of make-up remains stuck to your face.

Personally, I've never tried this. It's pretty elusive in the UK, although there are mutterings of it appearing soon in boots (!!!!) If you're in the neighbourhood, French pharmacies would probably be your best bet to bag yourself some of this liquid gold as buying it online usually comes with bumper delivery costs. Bitches. It's priced between £4.50 for a teeny tiny travel size to about £14.50 for a full size product.

Enough heartache over Bioderma, this is what l'oreal has created - a great highstreet dupe with even the packaging reminiscent of the chic clear and pink bioderma branding. Although this is only one of several that have popped up in the recent micellear-water-boom, how does it perform?

The bottle says:

'A high-performance hypo-allergenic cleanser for face eyes and lips, suitable for sensitive skin. Dissolves make-up, unclogs pores and removes impurities and tones and soothes the skin'

Pros

• Will remove all make-up efficiently with no scrubbing required
• Pretty much odourless
• Won't irritate sensitive skin
• Competitive price point
• Sleek packaging 

Cons

• Only 200ml of product which goes quickly if used daily
• Will sting eyes if direct contact is made

Overall not too shabby, although I'm still anticipating my Bioderma enlightenment - this will have to do for now. I've repurchased this and will probably remain to do so 8/10

Il Tape Sur Votre Visage

(That's French for slap it on yer face)

Here's a quick review of a Christmas purchase.

Le Petite Marseillais Face and Body Pot £6 for 150ml from French Click

Le Petite Marseillais is a French brand presumably named after the second largest City in France, which specialises in natural face, hair and bodycare. In the UK you can buy their products fairly easily online.

This face and body cream is a reliable and simple product which I'm yet to find significant fault with. The beautiful marriage of olive and almond oil is a dream for dry/dehydrated skin tones. I've been using it at night when my face is thirsty and in need of something a little heavier to slather on (when alone and under no pressure to look attractive) and it seems to be doing it's job fairly well. 

The tube says (in French mind you:) 

'Pleasantly scented with olive oil and sweet almond oil, moisturizing balm for the whole family to use as well on the body and face.'

'With its lightweight formula moisturizing balm Petit Marseille suitable for all skin types, including the most vulnerable such as children'

Excuse the grimeyness

Pros

• Thick and creamy consistency 
• A large pot for the price 
• Acts as a good handcream too
• Suitable for even very sensitive skin, it never irritates, even when rubbed over the eyes which I know you're not supposed to do - but whatever 
• Really leaves your skin feeling moisturized 
• I guess a plus that it's suitable for use on children if you have any around

Cons

• Not so good for greasy skin, unless a tiny amount was used, just where it was needed
• Pretty much no scent
• Wouldn't use all over the body
• Too heavy to be used as a day cream
• The packaging is perhaps a little unhygenic, you sort of just scrape your (germy?) fingers around to scoop some out.

Overall the French know their skincare, I fantasise about their pharmacies - Nuxe, Caudalie, Bioderma! Naturally all out of my price range. This particular product is good, not blowyourbrainsout good but handy and it won't break you out. I've tried some handwashes from Petite Marseillais too which although smell nice are a little drying. 

Overall a cosy 7/10

Steamers for Streamers

moody stock photo of steam £0.00

Are you ill at the moment? Well I am.

Ever steamed your face when you've been ill? It's real good for temporarily clearing your sinuses. We all know there's usually a little steam involved in fancy facials, right? I wanted to try it at home to see if it actually worked on improving not only my snot, but my skin.

Last night I got a large plastic mixing bowl out, washed off the grimey residue (eugh) put my kettle on to boil. 

100% tea tree essential oil £2.99 at superdrug

Method

1. Cleanse your face - make sure you've got no make-up on
2. Fill a large wide bowl just over half way with freshly boiled water
3. (Optional) Squeeze in half a lemon and/or a couple of drops of essential oils into the steamy water, I used tea tree oil which is good for spots and it smells tasty.
4. Lean close to the water and drape a towel over your head and the bowl like a tent to trap the steam in
5. Stay there as long as you want to, but i'd recommend no longer than 5-10 minutes at a time as you could run the risk of burning your face.

Pros

• After this I could breathe through my nose again
• My skin felt amazing, so soft like a baby's ass
• Gave a nice glow to the skin
• Pores were tighter and smaller after

Cons

• No bueno for people who have rosacea or irritated skin on their faces

Let's Get Botanical

Botanics Intenseley Hydrating Shampoo £3.49 at Boots Botanics Instantly Hydrating Conditioner £3.49 at Boots

The Boots Botanics range has always been quite appealing to me as they have natural ingredients extracted from plants in Kew Gardens - a national trust sight right round the corner from me. I've got vivid memories of Kew from school trips where the guide would tell us about how beatles are crushed up to make the colour in our smarties (the horror!)

Their skincare is good and cheap across the board, particular favourites of mine are the creamy cleanser and toner from the all-bright range and the oil based makeup remover. But I was curious about their haircare; these were on 3 for 2 at boots and I needed dry shampoo too for my greasy ass/dyed to hell locks. 

Trick is to only ever use shampoo on the roots to mid-lengths of your hair, especially if it's in bad condition, dry or damaged. The tube on this says:

"Quenches thirsty hair...tames frizz...formulated without sulphates and parabens...active plant extract White Quinoa is pack with plant proteins, sugars and amino acids which help to nourish the hair"

Pros

• Leaves hair feeling very clean, like very squeaking clean
• Nice sort of biscuity scent which lingers 
• Hair is pretty soft after
• Thick creamy texture which lathers up well
• Doesn't weigh down hair like many products

Cons

• Only 250ml - not the most economic choice for students with long hair
• Apart from that NONE

Conditioner should always be limited to the mid-lengths to ends of your hair unless you want a greasy scalp ew. The Tube:

"Rich conditioner quenches thirsty hair and tames frizz. It is proven to moisturise and help repair damage, leaving hair silky soft with a natural shine. It is great to moisturise and strengthen normal or dry hair"

Pros

• Left my hair pretty soft
• Nice thick texure
• Did make my hair kinda shiny
• Wasn't as frizzed or dried out in the following days

Cons

• Didn't get that dramatic results overall as my hair has been abused, dyed and dried out to the point of no return

7/10 for meeee

Basking in the Glory

Soap and Glory Clean on Me Shower Gel £6.00 at Boots Soap and Glory Mist you Madly Body Spray 100ml for £3.50 at Boots Soap and Glory the Breakfast scrub £8.00 at Boots - please click the link for that last one the picture on the Boots website is hilarious. 

Soap and glory is a sexy cult brand with girly as hell packaging. I have been coveting these little babies a long long time.

£8.00 for a body scrub is a little steep (still waiting on that student loan) but this as well as the whole range is worth it. Grab 'em when they're on offer at Boots.

 so good get on my body pls

First up's the breakfast scrub which smells like a maple orgasm, I applied it mainly to my legs, expoliating in circular motions. The Tube says:

"Oat, shea butter and sugar body smoother...with organic cupuacu bio scrubs, bananas, almond and honey extracts"

Pros

• Nice thick texture so you don't need too much
• Medium abrasiveness 
• Does get rid of lurking dead skin 
• Leaves skin super silky soft
• Smells like heaven
• Cute cute cute

Cons

• Perhaps a little harsh for sensitive skin
• Scent is very girly and artificial, so if you're not into that sort of thing then it's not for you
• What the hell is a "cupuacu?" Sounds like a Pokemon

Here's 'clean on me', the tube says:

"Smooth sexy skin whenever you want it...with natural mandarin peel and built in body lotion"

Pros

• Classic Soap and Glory scent which lingers for a little while after application
• Leaves skin super clean and soft
• Lathers up well
• Hygienic pump
• Large amount of product so long lasting

Cons

• I would recommend still moisturising afterwards
• Again a strong perfumey smell
• Still around the £5 mark which is fairly pricey

Finally, the mist you madly spray is usually in the section with all the miniatures in Boots as this is a half-size product, perfect for carrying stupid small bags. I find all the cheap impulse-type body sprays on the highstreet pretty gross smelling, but at the same time I have not the dollar for a proper perfume so this is a nice middle ground product. 

The tube says:

"Spritz Mist you Madly on whenever you need a flash of flabulousness" 

vom.

Pros

• Cheap
• Beaut scent as per of this range
• Not too heavy on the skin

Cons

• Not the most longlasting
• Very irritating if it gets in your eyes

That's it pretty much, I really hope I can finance more Soap and Glory in the future, although there are knock off brands in bigger Sainsbury's and Tesco's. I'm also delighted that Soap and Glory only test on humans!

Final thoughts -
9/10 for the range

Rose Water Toner

Pure rose water, £1.39

Inspired by the boots botanic's 'Organic Rosewater Toning spritz' I've been using pure rosewater as a toner for half the price. I picked up this bottle from my local Asian supermarket

Roses, traditionally associated with beauty, can be steamed and distilled to produce a concentrated, fragrant water with plenty of different properties. Simply apply to a cotton wool pad and sweep over your face after cleansing. 

Pros

• Anti-inflammatory to soothe irritated skin
• Source of anti-oxidants which encourage skin regeneration
• Fine for sensitive skin
• Hydrating
• Removes make-up well
• Naturally fragrant

Cons

• The smell of pure rosewater is super strong and perhaps a little overpowering

Total scores 9/10

Put a couple of drops in the bath too and you'll smell tasty all day

The Gender Neutral Moisturiser?

top tip, smoking makes your face look like s***t

This post is about a decent uni-sex moisturiser which is an essential, even for stinky boys.

Simple Kind to Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser £3.89 at Boots

This is Simple's rich moisturiser which is cheap as chips.

The tube says:

"Moisturiser with UV filters...keeps your skin feeling replenished and nourished all day long...with pro vitamin b5...skin loving nutrients...no perfume, no colour, no unnecessary ingredients, no harsh chemicals"

The reason why this product is so appropriate for the opposite sex is because it's extremely inoffensive, no smell, no fancy packaging, nice familiar brand etc. 

Our model Dav says: "It feels like cream" which is all 2 tru.

Pros

• Moisturising and leaves skin feeling soft
• Good for all skin/gender types
• Natural brand 
• UVA and UVB filters
• Make your man-dude buy it and keep it in his bathroom so you don't have to lug a tub of fancy moisturiser around everytime you want to stay over

Cons

• Very basic product
• Doesn't give you a deep level of hydration

7/10 overall

Simple's whole range is great to build a basic skincare collection, the face wash is lush.