Skin Deep

I've been in a longterm relationship with quality skincare since my late teens... it turns me on just as much as make up, if not more.  Make up is the icing on the cake, but will not be shown at its best unless you treat what lies beneath with tlc.

For the past few years I remained faithful to Nuxe products, which I found brilliant and definitely improved the look and feel of my skin. I used Nuxe Creme Merveillance moisturiser for dry skin, which smooths and plumps the skin and Nuxe Eau Demaquillante Micellaire aux 3 Roses - Micellar Cleansing Water  (similar to Bioderma H20) for quick and easy cleansing with a gorgeous rose scent. I loved that this also removed eye make up, so no need for two separate products. I bought them from Escentual, though I've noticed they are now readily available from many chemists.

Lovely as these  products are - and I still recommend them - I fancied a change!  This little collection currently lives on my bathroom shelf...

My current skincare products from Elemis, Bioderma, Embryolisse & Oilatum

I'll talk you through them in the order we met...

Elemis Pro Radiance Cream Cleanser

Elemis Pro Radiance Cream Cleanser  £27

The blurb (love a good blurb)

I'll be perfectly honest with you - I bought this as I had an ASOS voucher burning a hole in my pocket!  My skin had become a little congested and I felt it needed a deeper clean than my Nuxe 3 Roses was providing.  This was the latest Elemis cleanser and got great reviews (I've been a review addict long before my recent discovery of beauty blogs!) and is a Beauty Bible 2011 anti ageing award winner. 

When it first arrived I ripped it out of the box and cleansed my face immediately (I can never wait to try new things!). It felt so completely and utterly amazing I repeated the whole process 5 mins later! The cream is massaged into the face dry, left for around 1minute, then removed with a warm, damp cotton mitt (provided). Packed with anti oxidants it has a divine fragrance (that'll be the essential oils) and truly left my face feeling  cleaner than ever before!

I love the tiny lid for the nozzle to ensure no congealed cloggy bits!

Of course one cleanser is never enough! What about the nights when we're too tired for the whole regime and just want to cleanse pronto and jump into bed?

Bioderma Crealine H20

Bioderma Crealine H20 £14.50

 This fragrance free cleansing water is also available in other versions for specific skin types, eg one for sensitive skins, though this one is super gentle in my opinion. I just soak a cotton pad, swipe it over face and eyes: clean face. It's not drying and for some reason you're supposed to splash your face with water after, but I never do! It's becoming a bit of a cult product and one which most make up artists seem to have in their kit at all times. In all honesty I don't think it cleanses as deeply as I'd like for everyday use, so I do switch it with the Elemis, but still love this product and don't intend to ever be without a bottle!

Oilatum Natural Repair face cream

Oilatum Natural Repair face cream £7.65

 I'm sure I wasn't the only beauty blogger to race out and purchase this after Nic at Pixiwoo sang its praises!  I'd used Oilatum products on my little boy for his eczema so was familiar with the brand and confident about trying it. This cream didn't blow me away, but it does make my skin feel very comfortable and is soothing on any sensitive patches. It is suitable for dry and senstive skins and contains no perfume or nasties.

 Embryolisse 24 Hour Miracle Cream Lait-Creme Concentre

Embryolisse

Another Pixiwoo rec (I'm such a sucker!) I just had to have this after watching Sam's YouTube video of her favourite skincare products. This is a beautiful texture and feels really soft and velvety on application... I'm just not sure if it's a little rich for me. I'd say I have normal to dry skin, so if yours is extra thirsty, then this is worth a go. Many, many people rave about it and the price is reasonable compared to some big name brands. Just goes to show one product does not fit all! 

Elemis Pro-Collagen Eye Renewal

Elemis Pro-Collagen Eye Renewal £51.30 (ouch!)

Anti ageing is a significant priority for me when it comes to skincare, but this is a price I'd seriously struggle to stretch to and was very lucky to get mine for around half that (just incase my husband is reading - seriously unlikely as that may be!). After being so impressed with the Elemis cleanser I decided it was time to seriously invest in my skin with something.that.really.works.  I hadn't used an eye cream in a while as I couldn't afford to buy one and believed the hype about this one.

From Elemis website:

"In just 28 days, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the delicate eye area by up to 60%*. Containing the revolutionary Padina Pavonica, Chlorella and Buckwheat, this dynamic cream gel helps increase moisturisation and firmness of the skin." *Independent Clinical Trials 2005                   

How could a girl resist?!

This eye cream has a slightly waxy gel-like texture and comes in a convenient pump bottle. It feels very nice. It keeps my eye area moisturised. It may be helping prevent further damage, but I can not see that it has made any significant improvement to the skin around my eyes. I'd say this product is suitable for 'ladies of a certain age' *cough cough* and may be too rich for 20 or early 30-somethings. 

I hope you've enjoyed these reviews - please leave a comment below if you have any questions (I promise to respond to all) and I'd love to hear your experiences if you've tried any of the above! Thanks for reading. x