La Roche-Posay Skincare

La Roche-Posay is without a doubt my favourite skincare brand.  Within a short space of time, I have used and repurchased 5 La Roche's products.

La Roche-Posay is affordable and at the same time, effective.  I feel that their products are very gentle, too.  La Roche's products work on skin types, Dry/ Dehydrated/ Sensitive skin , Oily Skin, skin prone to redness.

The Effclar Duo Cream (£13) was the first product I tried.  I heard good things about this to clear up clogged pores or any imperfections on skin.

Effclar is a range of products of La Roche-Posay, targeting at people who have blemishes prone skin/ oily skin.  Even though I don't have oily skin (I have dry/ sensitive skin), my skin can be prone to the agony blemishes on a monthly basis. I applied this cream on areas which may be affected by blemishes or slightly congested.  I found this useful in keeping my skin free from blemishes.  However I don't apply this cream everyday but only use it when a particular area of my skin is not in good condition.  I also found that if I continue to use it everyday, it somehow overwhelmed my skin.  So I only use it on areas which are a little congested until it goes back to normal, I'll stop using it.

Whilst on the hunt for a new facial cleansing product, I turned my decision to invest into another La Roche-Posay's product.  I have been using a cleansing foam for years as I was told it suited my skin more.  I guess as time went by, my skin has also changed a little bit.  I was lucky enough to meet a La Roche-Posay skincare expert and she suggested that I should consider using the Physiological Cleansing Milk (£11.50) instead of a foam as it doesn't dry my skin out like a foam or gel does.

I found that since using a cleansing milk, my skin feels softer and less dry (even though I still have dry patches round my nose).  I like this cleansing milk quite a lot and I have used up 2 bottles of it, I'm not sure if it is solely because of this product or is it down to a combination of products I am currently using; I definitely felt a difference on my skin.

Next up is probably a cult product as I would call it or people know about it.  A can of Thermal Spring Water (£7.50).  This is not just a can of thermal water inside, this water is full of antioxidant Selenium which claims to fight sign of ageing, helps to soothe skin irritated by external factors such as the sun or dermalogical treatments, etc.

I team this thermal water together with my cleansing milk as part of my morning and evening skincare routine.  I spray this on before and after I have cleansed my face, then use my face towel to pat dry ( no rubbing of face anymore, just gently pat dry with my floral towel).  I am yet to see a big difference of adding this thermal water to my skincare routine (I am currently on my 4th bottle) but it hasn't upset my skin in anyway and I do feel a lot more refreshed having used this product.  I must have fallen into the 'cult' again as I have stocked up on another 2 cans whilst Boots was on offer for 3 for 2 across all skincare products.

You will have read about my skin mayhem in the past months, if you haven't you can click here and here to see what happened.  I just wanted to say that this Effaclar A.I. Targeted Breakout Corrector (£9.19) has become my saviour to sort those blemishes out in an effective but gentle way.  Anything too strong or potent doesn't do my skin any good but the opposite.  This corrector can 'kill' a blemish in 2 days for me and within a week's time, it can significantly reduced the scars left behind.  I'd strongly recommend this blemish product for people who have dry and sensitive like me.

Last but not least in my La Roche-Posay's collection is this Nutritic Lips balm (£6).  I have to say I tried this because the packaging looks very much like my favourite Lip Conditioner by Caudalie.  Basically I was confused and thought that these two products would be the same purely by the similarities in their packaging.  However they are actually different.  The Nutritic Lips is slightly less moisturising to my lips whereas the Lip Conditioner is much more creamier in texture and very hydrating and moisturising to the lips, great to use as an overnight lip treatment.  I would say the Nutritic Lips is much more of a daily wear, good as a base before applying lipsticks if your lips are a bit on the dry side.

What about you?  Have you used any of these products before?  Have I tempted you to give these a try?

Disappointing Product #6: Watson's Olive Hair Mask

God help me, I am forever struggling with how dry my hair has been since the very day I discovered the excitement that dying my hair can give me.  

A bit of background to my hair, I started dying my hair at home at the age of 17, 18.  I bleached it, dyed it into all sorts of colour: purple, red, blonde, brown; dark blue; you name it I had it dyed.  As if that hasn't killed my hair enough, a good few years ago I ventured into hair perm which looks amazingly good on me (I think) but as times went by, the conditions of my hair has certainly gone from worse to un resolveable.  

Look how curly my hair used to be!

So I stopped doing anything artificial to it or tried to keep it to a minimum.  I even had it chopped off at least a few inches half a year after my wedding.  I love having shorter hair and felt that it has improved the condition of my hair, especially those horrible split ends.

However, I haven't stopped taking care of my hair.  Now that I have a healthy habit of going to the gym I made the most of the steam room/ sauna facilities that I have access to - slap on some hair treatment mask on my hair before stepping into either of these rooms.

One of the first things I had to get when I moved to Hong Kong which I didn't bring with me all the way from London was hair mask treatment.  I went into Watson's (the equivalent of Boots or Superdrugs for those of you who are in the UK) and thought I would try something of its own brand (perhaps a bit of a mistake!) instead of trying out some Japanese brand products.

So I picked this one by Watson's called Natural's Olive Hair Mask.  I used to use olive oil (yeah you heard me right, olive oil; those that you drizzle over salad!) to nourish my hair, it worked amazingly well and at the same time it saves up loads of money, so when I saw the word Olive I was led to assume that this might be a good product.

I have used up the whole tube, sadly it has done absolutely nothing to my hair.  Seriously, I have wasted money (I can't recall how much I paid for this and couldn't find the information on Watson's website, it wasn't a lot but still), and wasted opportunities to treat my hair well.  Sorry my short hair.

The texture of this hair mask is very creamy and smells of florally fragranced.  It didn't leave my hair greasy but it didn't leave my hair feeling hydrated or moisturised at all either.

I think you can guess what I'm about to say, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.  My first attempt to try something of a drugstore brand in Hong Kong was a bit of a failure!  However, since finished using this hair mask, I purchased something else and it's working rather well so far.  I'll test it out for a bit longer and may feature it on here!

What's your secret to quench the thirst of your hair?

What's been emptied?

A good thing about going on a shopping ban or should I say launching a restricted shopping habit means that more products are getting used up.  Recently, I saw 7 of my skincare/ beauty products had been truly well loved.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - I did a review in my August Favourites so I'm not going to talk about this again in too much details.  I first bought the taster kit, fell in love with it then purchased the full size version, and later finished this.  I loved using this so much, the creamy formula managed to dissolve the very last bit of any makeup that I couldn't remove totally.  The muslin cloth helps to exfoliate any dead skin on my face.  I used this as part of my evening skincare routine, I found my skin looking clearer, and more supple.

Eucerin AQUAporin Active moisturising cream (Rich) - A tried and tested product which I gave a full review on my blog previously.  This little tube of cream contains 40ml of product but has lasted me a good 4 months of usage.  I used it day and evening, a tiny amount was enough to inject the moisture that I needed.  A word of advice though, when I used this in London where the weather was much cooler and less humid (even though in the hotter months that we had this summer), I found that the formula not greasy at all even it is the rich moisturising cream I used.  However when I used this after I relocated to Hong Kong, I found it a little too rich especially on the 2 weeks when it was really humid here.  I would, may be give the 'light' version a go later.

The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Makeup Remover - I must have loved it so much because you can read yet another full review here. 

Sanoflore Micellar cleansing droplets - I bought this on my trip to Paris in the summer.  I was so excited to shop in French Pharmacies and was determined to pick out something like a makeup remover there.  I have to say I wasn't too impressed by this.  I chose this based on its packaging (silly mistake!), price range (under £10 mark), it claims it's for face and eyes (handy!), it's tested on sensitive skin (my skin type) and contains no paraben.  It seems to have ticked all the boxes.  I wouldn't recommend using this to remove eye makeup as you would end up feeling quite frustrated.  I tend to wear quite light makeup, or even if I would wear smokey eye looks, it would be quite a soft one but this wasn't enough to remove that.  So I used the rest to remove makeup that I had on my face which worked fine.  It has a nice and mild floral fragrance, it doesn't irritate my eyes.  See... I wasn't excited by this, I wouldn't repurchase this.

Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint & Precision Shaping Pencil (Brownie Points) - I'm already using my second pencil of this.   I love love loved using this eyebrow pencil.  It has two ends - shaping pencil and a brow tint brush; but I only use the shaping pencil.  I loved the shade of brown (light but not too light that it wouldn't look awkward with my darker hair colour but matches with my fair complexion).  I love how soft the pencil is but at the same time it is very easy to control when I filled in my eyebrow.  The colour stays put really well and doesn't fade away.  If your eyebrows are easy to manage, this eyebrow pencil fits in the category of  'fill 'em in and you are go to go'.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I. Targeted Breakout Corrector - I did a comparison of blemish treatment products on here.  This is by far, the best spot treatment cream I have used and suited almost perfectly for my sensitive and dry skin.  I learnt that with treating spots, you really have to be patient.  I found that my spots heal much better, and leaving less prominent scars, aftermath.  Slapping on a thick layer of this cream on the area you needed, you go to sleep then the next day you notice that the spot is a little bit calmer.  It takes about a week (5-7 days) for the whole cycle from start to finish.  It sounds a little slow but when you have sensitive skin like me, you don't want anything too strong, too potent to damage your skin, e.g. salicylic acid which can be too much for sensitive skin to take.

Laura Mercier creme de pistache hand creme  - each year before Christmas, Laura Mercier has some exciting xmas giftset launch.  I got this hand cream last christmas which came in a set of 4 handcream (£20 for a set, as opposed to £13 a tube) (pistachio, fresh fig, almond coconut cream and creme brulee).  The creamy texture moisturises your hands like no tomorrow, it leaves your hands feeling soft and hydrated rather than greasy!  Laura Mercier body and hand cream products feel so luxury, perhaps this can be a treat for yourself?

What have products have you finished up recently?

Kissable lips, my evening lip routine

Who doesn't know I have the driest lips all year round by now? I've said it like every time on my blog now I must have bored you guys to heaven!

I am enjoying a rather effective lip hydrating combo for nearly a month now and I thought it's about time I should share with you.

Nuxe Reve de Miel Baume Levres Lip Balm (£9 or HK$165 available from Sasa).  It is a lemoney scented lip balm which gives a matte finish; so unlike your average lip balm which makes your lips shiny and glossy.   You definitely don't need much of these, but I tend to slap quite a bit on my lips and used it as a lip mask (I might well just go for it!). As I usually use this as part of my overnight lip treatment so it's brilliant in that sense.  After using this lip balm, I realised that actually, lip balm doesn't have to be greasy nor sticky to do its job right. 

Before I moisturize my lips, they need to be prepped. When I discovered Being Content, a hidden gem in Marylebone High Street; I learnt about ILIA Beauty and her fabulous lip product range. 

I picked up this Balmy Nights Lip Exfoliator (£20) because ILIA started her range specialising in lip products, I reckon ILIA must know how to keep her lips sexy and juicy!  One other lip scrub product I had tried in the past was by Lush. It worked really well but it often ended up in a messy act. Whereas this one by ILIA, as it is in a stick form, all you need to do is twist, turn and slap on your lips. Then I would use a couple sticks of cotton bud to rub on the surface of my lips to get rid of any dead skins. Any remaining exfoliate bits can then be swiped off by a dampened cotton pad or with a flannel. 

Then apply some of these lip balm by Nuxe, dependent on how dry my lips are; I would adjust how much I put these on.

I think I've found a lip treatment routine that worked for me. Do you imply a similar routine? What lip products do you use?

You can totally take the eyes off with.....

The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Makeup Remover (£8) or you can get it at a slightly more expensive price at HK$139 if you live in Hong Kong.  'I wanna scream and shout and let it all out', this is an amazing product.

I like products which are effective, efficient and trouble free, most important of all; reasonably priced.  This makeup remover has ticked all these boxes.

This makeup remover is designed for removing eye makeup, and is something you would expect to see, a bi-layer oil and water mixed product.

Something I have tried which is similar in the past which also amazed me was Clinique's Take The Day Off Makeup Remover for Lids, Lashes and Lips.  It is one of the best ones in the market in my opinion.  If comparing the prices, the Body Shop's one is definitely the winner, for £8 you get 150ml but with the Clinique's one it will set you back for £17 but only for 125ml; double the price but less product you are getting.

However much makeup I have on the day, this makeup remover can easily take all the most waterproof eye makeup you have got on.  Soak a small amount of these onto cotton pads, cover your eyelids and gently massage it into your eyes for just a few seconds, voila - all the yuckiness and gunk are transferred onto the cotton pads.  Make sure you use a proper cleanser to clean your face, too.  This good stuff doesn't sting my eyes at all, it is very gentle in formula.  It also has a very mild floral scent (must be camomile!) which is always a bonus!  I have sensitive skin and have been using this for over a month now, it didn't cause any irritation to my skin.

I can't take my eyes off this product and will most certainly repurchase, and recommend this to the world!

Shopping ban update

The rules, simple;

• No purchase of handbags and mascaras from 7 October to 25 December 
• Limited/ restricted shopping/ purchase of skincare and beauty products unless absolutely necessary, i.e. complete run out of either category

Why?

• since the relocation to Hong Kong, realised living spaces are a whole lot less and scarce 
• to avoid my handbag drawers becoming overflown (yet again)
• learn to appreciate my own collection of fashion and beauty items
• learn to give time to use up beauty items, hence can show better reviews with you guys
• learn to rediscover existing fashion and beauty items
• my weakness is in the handbag department, I have so many there is no more reason to buy more
• my overflowing mascaras collection - waiting to be used

Update

• failed on day 1 after announcing the ban - bought one more handbag
• felt guilty but more determined
• previously completed a 2 weeks shopping ban on beauty products - successfully accomplished, started using up more products and learnt to appreciate what I have in my collection
• a 'what have been emptied' blog will be uploading soon

What handbag made me failed on day 1?

This, another yet again 'Chanel' look alike handbag.  I love the size of this, the heart shape pattern and the fabric materials, and with a very reasonable price tag of HK$139 (£11).  You see why I couldn't resist, and so to break my rule!  Please forgive me, I learnt another big lesson.

My dream bag is a Chanel quilted handbag, but as you fashion lover, trendy people know how expensive it is.  If I stopped buying anything, and I do mean anything - beauty, skincare, clothing, shoes, etc. I might be able to own one myself..........

One day, this will be achieved and I'll post a picture.

Are you with me on a shopping ban?  Have you tried banning yourself from shopping?

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint Review

Liz Earle is most famous for its Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleasner because it is a product which has received all the hype all these years.  It seems like people of all ages who have used it found it equally good and suitable for their skins.  I have recently become a new fan (I was wowed by her signature hot cloth cleanser!) and have decided that this is one of the best facial cleansing products I have tried.  But today, I want to share with you a less talked about product in Liz' makeup line: Sheer Skin Tint.

I got my hands on this Sheer Skin Tint as a complimentary gift (worth £21) when I bought its Essential Cleansing Set (Hot Cloth Cleanser, Instant Boost Skin Tonic, Moisturiser).  I wasn't expecting anything but I thought of it as a brilliant complimentary gift.  When I tried it on the first time, I was totally amazed by it!

 This Sheer Skin Tint is available in 4 shades and I chose the lightest shade in #01 Bare which matches my skin perfectly.  It contains SPF 15 which is always handy to provide extra sun protection to your skin.  The packaging is nothing fancy but a dark blue plastic squeezy tube which is handy to get the product out.  You have to shake the bottle before squeezing out the product as it is quite a watery texture (it reminds me of Chanel Aqua Vitalumiere Foundation) despite the description of the product on the website says it's a rich and creamy texture; it is definitely a very lightweight formula.

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint Only

 Blending this Sheer Skin Tint on the skin is extremely foolproof.  Fingers is your best tool when it comes to applying this product. It provides a light coverage and a transparent and dewy finish to the skin.  I think this formula is especially suitable for dry skin type because of the radiant and moisturising finish and texture.  I have worn this for quite a number of times and each wear lasted for at least 6 hours and the performance of the Sheer Skin Tint has been impressive as it doesn't make my skin greasy.  It has definitely lived up to the standard of a good tinted moisturiser as opposed to a bb cream.  It sits on your skin like you have never put anything on but transformed your skin at the tip of your fingers.

It does give such a healthy glow and natural finish to my skin and a great product to provide a (near) perfect and flawless base.  I wore a bit of the Maybelline Eraser Foundation Concealer (in light) for my under eye areas, round the nose and on any areas I wanted a little bit more cover up to even out skin tone.

It's also worth mentioning that when I wore this in London, I felt that the formula was moisturising enough to keep my face hydrated, especially round my nose area.  I have been reluctant to wear this in Hong Kong since I came back 3 weeks ago because the weather in here is so humid and hot.  Until this week I have finally given this another whirl to test out how it reacted to the humid weather.  I found it slightly greasy on the face but this is not because of the product itself, it's mostly because of the weather.  I'd suggest that this is to be worn in cooler months in drier climate, that way you can benefit from what this product would suppose to do.

Have you tried this before?  What do you think of it?