Five Skincare Favourites June 2019

June 28, 2019July 1, 2019 - Vicki Leave a comment

Alex Steinherr Miceller Cleansing Gel

I was so excited back in May (after months of waiting to get to a Primark that stocked it) to finally get my hands on the Alex Steinherr skincare collection. I bought 4 products and all under £10 each, and they have all slotted right into my skincare routine. I love them all. This cleansing gel is gentle, soothing and will remove light makeup, I love using it in the morning to freshen up my skin. It works perfectly for a morning cleanser, as it will only remove light makeup, although you could use it as a second cleanse in the evening if you removed your makeup with a balm or something a bit more effective.

Tropic Skincare Pure Lagoon Serum*

If I only had one word to describe this serum I would use the word incredible. I received this serum at a time when I needed it more than ever, I was turning 40 and my skin had decided to breakout and go nuts like never before. It became my skincare saviour, I used it religiously for months and low and behold my blemishes calmed down, my pesky blackheads all but cleared up. This blue (yes it is really blue) serum has been formulated to prevent blemishes and blackheads as well as reducing sebum production. If you are blemish prone, your skin is in seriously good hands with this in your skincare arsenal.

It is jam packed with so many fantastic ingredients such as Blue Spirulina and Malachite Crystal Extract – which give the serum its blue hue, they’re also rich in copper and are anti inflammatory. The serum calms angry red spots and help your skin become calmer and have a more clarified complexion. It has Hyaluronic acid and watermelon fruit extract think amazing hydration and boosted moisture levels. This might be a lightweight feeling serum but it is very hydrating too. The fact that this is a preventative skincare product is what I love most about it, it prevents the build up of dead skin cells and sebum, so over time skin produces less blemish causing bacteria and is smoother, calmer, hydrated and it helps your skin break the spot forming cycle.

Tropic Skincare Face Lift Brightening Mask*

This is a wonderful mask that targets skin that needs tightening & lifting. It helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles whilst helping to keep saggy skin at bay. I use this mask on a weekly basis and apply it to my forehead, chin and neck. It has a very thick, almost clay like texture and I leave it on for around 20 mins. It is a great mask to use when multi masking, I apply it to targeted areas, to get maximum results.

It contains so many incredible skin loving ingredients, including – Agave nectar (rich in amino acids) and sea buckthorn extracts (rich in carotene) which work to hydrate and plump skin. Turmeric and glycolic acids promote a brighter, more even complexion and electric daisy extract works to tighten skin and minimise fine lines. So this mask is packed with nourishing, hydrating and firming ingredients which promote long term results. This is my 3rd pot in 2 years and I wouldn’t be without it.

B Radiant Day Cream SPF15

Rich, creamy, hydrating and a wonderful moisturiser to wear under your makeup. It keeps your skin smooth, soft and very hydrated. I love applying my foundation after this, it just goes on with ease and blends so well, I really like this B By Superdrug skincare, it is very affordable, and they have such a great selection of products. I’m slowly working my way through them and have tried quite a few products to date, the highlights so far have been this day cream, their acid retexturising pads and the Hyaluronic Face Mist.

This day cream contains some great ingredients to keep your skin looking its best including Tetrapeptide which improves elasticity and is great for plumping which reduces the appearance of those pesky fine lines. Hyaluronic Acid locks in moisture and keeps your skin hydrated throughout the day. Olive leaf and Jujube Seed extracts calms skin and fights the build up of bacteria whist Niacinamide improves moisture retention and boosts skins radiance.

SuperFacialist Vitamin C Micro Polish Wash

I wrote about this in my recent Skincare For Radiant Skin post & I am on to my second bottle. Still enjoying as much, if not more a couple of months on. It really gives your skin that refreshed feeling, it smells of citrus and I love that it is such an invigorating uplifting scent. Think gentle but effective & in short that is this exfoliator. It has a refreshing gel texture which is infused with biodegradable micro-beads (good for your skin and the ocean) to softly remove dead skin cells & daily impurities and dirt. It is boosted with antioxidant ferulic acid and vitamins C & E to promote brighter looking skin, help protect against environmental aggressors. So if you have quite dull skin and get a little texture where dead skin forms around your nose, chin area then this is perfect for addressing that! Packed with Vitamin C and natural skin brighteners, it encourages skin’s renewal and energises the complexion to keep it looking fit, radiant and youthful. I also like how well my makeup applies after using this and that my skin is smoother and super soft! Affordable and great for daily use!

*Products marked with an * have been gifted as PR samples. The words and opinions are my own. This post also contains one affliliant link.

Elemis Biotec Skin Energising Skincare

May 2, 2016February 8, 2018 - Vicki Leave a comment

The Elemis Biotec range is focused on combating depleted cell energy which is often the result of lifestyle, environment, diet and stress which takes its toll on our skin. It makes our skin look dull, dehydrated, less firm and fatigued & these three products help to reboot our skins performance.

Biotec Skin Energising Day Cream £75

Both the day & night cream are bi phase and are packed with so many amazing ingredients to improve skin function, help your skin look radiant, protect it and encourage cell turnover and function. The white part has a creamy texture whilst the green part is a gel, two pumps massaged into your skin is all you need to deliver a boost of ingredients to help improve your skin’s performance,

Intensely moisturise skin with the BIOTEC Skin Energising Day Cream from Elemis. Specially formulated with an energising trio of acids, including Succinic, Lactic and Ferulic to hydrate and nourish skin, revealing a smoother, replenished complexion. With the brand’s Bio-Energy™ Complex of encapsulated Zinc and Copper, the lightweight moisturiser increases cell energy, whilst working to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Skin Energising Night Cream* £85

This is much like the day cream in texture and feels similar on the skin, it contains much the same cell boosting ingredients and is also a bi-phase formula. It contains these incredible ingredients for your skin:-

‘Intensely hydrate the skin whilst you sleep with the BIOTEC Skin Energising Night Cream from Elemis. Specially formulated with an energising trio of acids, including Succinic, Lactic and Ferulic to deeply nourish skin, revealing a smoother, replenished complexion. Powered by the brand’s Bio-Energy™ Complex of encapsulated Zinc and Copper, the lightweight moisturiser increases cell energy, whilst Calcium PCA and Sunflower help to minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.’

I’ve been using the day & night creams for about 3 weeks now, I do think they have helped give my skin a lovely boost of hydration and radiance. I thought the formula was rich, creamy and made my skin feel incredible, instantly smooth and hydrated. It feels like they’re giving my skin a shot of nourishment, I would say that I saw instant results and also over the past few weeks I think my skin is looking less red, not so dull and a little more refreshed. They leave skin feeling silky smooth and very soft.

The day cream feels lovely under makeup and my skin felt really moisturised throughout the day. The night cream is my favourite because its rich formula just seems to work a little magic overnight and I wake up with lovely refreshed skin.

The price point is more on the luxury side so if I had to recommend just one of them it would have to be the night cream over the day cream because I feel that overnight we get the most out of our skincare and we don’t pile makeup on top or SPF so I think the product is able to work a little better whilst we rest and I always see better results in the morning.

**Elemis Biotec Skin Energising Cleanser* £39.50**

This is a gel cleanser which you massage in with warm water and remove with a warm damp cloth, It did leave my skin very clean but I just wasn’t as impressed with the cleanser. I liked using it more in the morning because it felt energising on my skin but I felt like my skin didn’t feel very hydrated. Elemis say that:-

This step kick-starts the BIOTEC system, preparing the skin for optimum performance, creating a dynamic environment to activate the BIOTEC day and night moisturisers.

But I’m not 100% convinced. I will continue to use it a couple of times a week and see if I grow to like it. I have read quite a few glowing reviews so maybe I am writing it off a little too soon. I might try it as a first cleanse and follow it with more of a cream based product. It’s all trial & error I guess. The cleanser also contains some great ingredients for your skin:-

‘Specially formulated with an energising trio of acids, including Succinic, Lactic and Ferulic to reduces excess oil and rebalance skin, revealing a refreshed, revitalised complexion’

All in all I think these products are exciting and skincare seems to be getting more scientific by the day. Lots of advancements mean our products have a more impressive and potent list of ingredients which is deliver just what our skin needs. I’m excited to continue to use the Elemis Biotec Skincare System and I hope to see continuing results.

If you do want to try these but feel the price tag of the full sized products is just too much for you to commit to, Elemis do a great discovery version which includes a mini version of all three products for £35.00. This is a great way to try them all and see how they work for you.

Elemis Biotec Discovery Collection

Let me know if you have any Elemis products that you enjoy using.

PR Sample*

Aldi Lacura Caviar Skincare

February 22, 2016December 30, 2017 - Vicki 5 Comments

When Aldi first released its eagerly awaited Caviar skincare range it sold out almost immediately which isn’t surprising after all the rave reviews it received, from the likes of Good Housekeeping to the Guardian. I have tried a few skincare products from budget-friendly supermarket Aldi and I have to say they have always impressed me. I love to find purse friendly alternatives that work.

So the Lacura Caviar range has ingredients that you expect to find in more expensive brands but Aldi are known for bringing affordable alternatives to the masses and they hit the headlines with this range. The key ingredients that everyone’s talking about are

Caviar – This ingredient is known to revitalise and promote regeneration and collagen production. As well as protecting skin from environmental aggressors.

Snow Algae – This ingredient is known to help restore your skins natural glow and increase hydration

**Lacura Caviar Illumination Day Cream SPF15* £6.99**

This moisturiser isn’t lightweight as I hoped but it doesn’t feel greasy on the skin, I like to take a minute to massage it into my skin and I don’t use too much product. It has a generic cream scent which isn’t unpleasant or overpowering. The cream feels very hydrating and leaves my skin soft. I like that it contains SPF15 UVA & UVB protection as well as Hyaluronic Acid which has become such a popular and sought-after ingredient in skincare because of it ability to help skin retain moisture, it’s also good at protecting skin from environmental aggressors. It contains the two ingredients mentioned above, Caviar & Snow Algae so for a very affordable price you’re getting an ingredient rich moisturiser. I can see why this flies off the shelves and has become so popular.

**Lacura Caviar Illumination Night Cream* £6.99**

This has a similar texture and scent to the day cream, it’s slightly creamier in colour. This has been a really lovely night cream and it leaves your skin feeling supple, hydrated and smooth by morning. It contains mostly the same key ingredients as the Caviar day cream but it also has Pro-Vitamin B5 which helps soothe and repair skin, so by morning your skin is looking and feeling a little better. Again this night cream contains that sought-after Caviar, Snow Algae and Hyaluronic Acid so if you use both the day & night cream in your routine you’re giving your skin a real boost of hydration and nourish your skin so it looks more radiant.

The packaging of both products feel luxurious, the pots are glass which is quite weighty with silver plastic lids. The design looks simple and a lot more expensive than they are. Yes, I’m very impressed with this range, I wasn’t expecting much but they’re as good as many of my more expensive products. I will be recommending it to my mum, I think she will really like the night cream especially.

I think this duo is pretty fantastic and the price point just makes it all the more incredible. People with oil-prone skin may find the day cream a little heavy but I would recommend trying these out and for the price, I think you will be surprised at the positive results.

Let me know what your favourite affordable skincare products are.

Lacura Caviar Skincare is available in Aldi stores nationwide.

*PR Sample

A Moisturiser For The Winter

October 17, 2013February 9, 2015 - Vicki 6 Comments

I’m new to the world of Organic Surge* although I have read some really good reviews of their products and so was very excited to try out their Super – Intensive Daily Moisturiser. I was a worried that this moisturiser might be a little heavy for me as I often have quite oily skin in places. I was surprised that although this is quite a rich cream it wasn’t greasy or heavy on my skin, it actually absorbed quickly.

This moisturiser is formulated for dry / mature skin and I think it is perfect as a winter hydrating moisturiser. I’m 35 so would say I have quite mature skin and I liked how this gave my skin hydration and was quite soothing. My skin can get quite red and dry over my cheeks and whilst using this cream found it calmed my skin and it felt very soft and smooth. It has quite a strong floral scent, but that doesn’t linger on the skin. The only downside of this cream for me is it doesn’t contain SPF so I have to apply that separately, thats my only negative point.

It is packed full of goodness

Shea Butter – great for promoting cell renewal

Cocoa Butter – good for skin tone

Glycerine – locks in moisture

Green Tea – reduces inflammation

Chamomile – very soothing

Aloe Vera – repairs, calms and moisturises

Organic Rose Geranium – helps revive a dull complexion

With its hydrating, soothing and calming properties this is a perfect winter daily moisturiser. It will keep your skin hydrated and give it radiance. I’ve been teaming this up with my Hydraluron for a double moisture boost and it is working a treat. So if you’re looking for a great value, hydrating moisturiser I would highly recommend you give this a go. Organic Surge are also Organic, Vegan Friendly and Cruelty Free, which is always a plus. You can purchase their products online from OrganicSurge.com

I would love to hear what products you’d recommend for me to try from Organic Surge.

This sample was provided to me by Baobella. This is an online beauty community which I’ve been part of for a while. It’s a site where beauty addicts and bloggers can build a profile, get access to information about products and apply for free samples to try from a huge number of brands. They also offer discounts, as well as access to a community of like minded beauty addicts. Are you a member?

Until the 31st of October you are able to get 20% off Organic Surge with the code BAOBELLA

Now thats a great offer, I will be stocking up! Let me know if you use the code and what you stock up on.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

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