Review 2 : L'Oreal Derma Genesis Eye Contour Cream

Recently I have been noticing some fine lines underneath my eyes. I think, not helped by the fact that I wear contact lenses and I am tugging at my eyes twice a day, also an overly drying undereye concealer (yes Studio Finish I am taking about you!) and sometimes forgetting my sunglasses.

I had a look online, and read a few reviews on MakeupAlley and really couldn't find anything to suit me that was easy to get hold of and at a reasonable price. I wanted something for fine lines, dark circles, but nothing too potent or aimed at mature skin.

Finally I decided to try L'Oreal's Derma Genesis line and their Eye Contour Cream. The Derma Genesis line is aimed at targetting the first signs of aging which was perfect for what I was looking for.

L'Oreal say "Specially developed for the delicate skin around the eye area, L’Oreal Derma Genesis Eye Contour Cream reduces dark circles to leave skin looking visibly revitalised."

"The anti-wrinkle, dark circle reducing silky formula is enriched with silicone, pro-xylane and naturally derived hyaluronic acid to nurture delicate skin cells. Fine lines are reduced and eyes appear visibly younger and radiant."

Enriched with cell boosting pro-xylane™ and hyaluronic acid. Anti wrinkle, dark circle reducing formula, Tautens, firms and smoothes skin around the eye.

The packaging of the eye cream is nice. It's a small tube with a pump (supposed to look like a time capsule apparently). It's easy to dispense, although I don't need anywhere near a full pump of product, I could probably do about 5 other peoples eyes too! So I only use a say lentil sized amount.

The product itself is a irridescent pink colour, which illuminates the eye area so I instantly don't look as tired, it can be used both morning and night which I like. It doesn't interfer with makeup and I can apply it fairly soon after using the cream.

So far I haven't experienced any irritation or redness around my eyes, as I say I wear contact lenses so sometimes my eyes can be super sensitive but I've had no problems.

EDIT : I seem to be experiencing some irritation from the illuminating particles. Nothing itchy but just that I have a strange pinky tinge to my undereye area. This got me completely freaked as I imagined my skin absorbing the glittery bits! I've stopped using it now and have started on Aveda's Green Science Eye Cream, I'm thinking the more natural the better because as I say the whole dark shadows the same colour as the pinky sparkley bits in L'Oreal's cream has scared me!

Have you tried this product? Can you recommend a good eye cream? 

Skincare Review 1 : L'Oreal YouthCode Cream

I am a big fan of skincare. I love it almost more so than makeup. If you have good skin then I think any makeup you apply will look gorgeous, you just need to start with a great blank canvas. I've decided to do a series of post on current skincare bits I've been using over the past few months, and give you some reviews on them. As with all skincare, what works for me might not work for you, and likewise, but it's fun to try new things out.

I've been trying out L'Oreal's YouthCode Day Cream for a while now. I haven't been completely faithfully to it because I was having trouble getting it to work for me, but having now finished the tub, I wanted to give a review. I am only 24 but I do worry about fine lines and ageing and am of the school that prevention is better than cure!

L'Oreal's blurb says "Mature skin and young skin behave differently when exposed to external aggressions. As you age, skin takes longer to recover and responds more slowly. The complexion loses luminosity, facial features appear tired and wrinkles deepen. Youth Code Rejuvenating Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream leaves your skin hydrated, smoother and more radiant. Skin behaves more youthfully: luminosity is improved and facial features appear rested."

The cream is a Day Cream with no SPF, meaning that it can be used at night too, which is a bonus for me, as there's not as many products to purchase or have loitering on the bathroom shelf.

The texture of the cream is unlike anything I've tried before. It is very mattifiying, to the point where I struggle to apply foundation on top of it smoothly. I don't have oily skin, maybe a little shine on the t-zone once in a while, but probably more normal to dry skin, so I wonder if this is where it's not entirely suited to my skin type. Although for the market it's aimed at (mature) I wouldn't say they would have oily skin either.

I have found that paired with Lulu's Timebomb Youth Juice (or any similar facial oil underneath for that matter) it applies much nicer, and foundation blends a lot easier. I also find that my foundation lasts amazingly well, and I don't suffer from any shine to my t-zone.

I don't think it's moisturising enough for me as a night cream, it sinks in quickly and leaves my skin feeling velvety, but it doesn't feel hydrated or nourished.

As for improving my skin tone, texture and helping with fine lines, I can't say I've seen a remarkable difference. The miniscle frown lines on my forehead may have softened slightly but nothing overly exciting.

I originally purchased this cream on the pretence that it was for the first signs of aging, apparently this is their Derma Genesis range in fact (an eye cream of theirs I am testing out at the moment). But I do think that it's not moisturising enough for my skin, so I have trouble seeing it working on older skin. The reviews on Boots' website are extremely favourable though, a lot of people say that it isn't greasy, maybe I just prefer greasy!

YouthCode just wasn't for me, and I won't re-purchase. I wonder though if it would be ideal for more oily to combination skin, as it really seemed to keep my foundation put and minimised the powder touch ups throughout the day.

Have you tried anything from this line? What are your thoughts on anti-ageing?

Review : Lush Porridge Soap

This is going to be a short but sweet review on one of my favourite products from Lush; their Porridge Soap. It's aimed at people with sensitive skin, because of the calming properites of the pinhead oatmeal when it comes into contact with water it creates a soothing milk which calms and softens the skin.

I buy this in a bigger size and cut it down into more manageable slices, I find it's really easy to cut, but be ever so careful please!

The oatmeal also does an amazing job at scrubbing away those pesky bumps on the backs of the arms, and any other dry patches on elbows, knees etc with hardly any effort whatsoever!

It leaves me feeling squeaky clean, smooth skinned and with no raw feelings, like I've just scrubbed the life out of my skin at all. Considering the soap looks and feels quite harsh and abrasive, I find that it really is very good for my skin.

It's not particulary foamy, but if I work the soap for a bit it gives a gorgeous milky lather.

The scent is quite difficult to describe. It's quite a comforting smell, milky but cut through with an orangey twist. A little like a bowl of milky porridge with a glass or freshly squeezed orange juice on the side! I have to stop myself from wanting to eat it!

You can read up a little more about it here on Lush's website and purchase yourself a nice big slab!

Some of my favourite things...

I've been a bit slack with blogging lately which I am sorry for. My heart just wasn't in it and I was feeling the pressure to write posts, however, I am happy to report that I've had a moment of clarity and have realised that I should only blog for me and about what I enjoy :) So from now on my posts might be a little different and a bit more of a mish mash.

So here are some of the things I have been loving since we last spoke!

Firstly, I have been really enjoying trying out different nail polish colours. I bought OPI's Here Today... Aragon Tomorrow about a month ago and have been really liking it, I've also been very much into gold / bronze nails a la Kourtney Kardashian; Models Own Champagne and OPI's Shim-merry Chic have been favourites lately.

Another thing that I have been enjoying is using the St Tropez Bronzing Spray. It's really helped lift my complexion and give me that healthy look that I've been seriously lacking recently because of the transition into Autumn. It's a definite keeper and I can see this being repurchased time and time again.

I am now embracing the change in season and have been on a mission to find the new Febreze Apple Spice candle which is limited edition and eventually, after searching long and hard found it in big Tescos. I love the spicy scent which isn't too overpowering and festive, perfect for the evenings which seem to be drawing in earlier and earlier.

I have been spending my evenings snuggled up with my candle lit and engrossed in a book. I had a moment of madness and went crazy on Amazon the other evening and also in Tesco and ended up with quite a few to choose from! I've finished Sweet Temptations which I really enjoyed and have just begun Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts.

Finally, have you been in Warehouse lately? You really should have a look, they have some really nice bits at the moment, and they are much better price and quality than Topshop, who seems to be a little bit above their station. I really don't have a problem in spending money on clothes but I expect them to last a bit longer than some of my most recent Topshop purchases have. Warehouse on the other hand seem to have the right idea, and I have been loving their pocket tank's and waterfall jackets to go from summer into autumn.

What have you been loving lately? Do you like these kind of posts?

Review : St Tropez Bronzing Spray

In search of the perfect tan, I purchased St Tropez's Bronzing Spray in Boots at the weekend. A little on the pricey side at £20.00 for a can, but my thinking was that a session in a St Tropez tan booth would set me back at least the price for one can, and I am bound to get more uses out of the can.

The product...

An aerosol can 200mls in size. I like the packaging, it's very shiny white, with a turquoise lid (I think to distinguish this from the Everyday version), which looks very professional. The canister is nice to hold and the spray nozzle is accurate and sprays a nice fine mist with no blockages. It can be sprayed at any 360 degree angle, which makes application a breeze. After application the bottle still looks brand new, and if you do any any marks on it, it can be easily wiped down. The product is tinted so be careful not to get it on anything, and make sure that you stand on a towel or in the shower cubicle or bath to apply.

The application...

To help with the application, I found a very helpful video on St Tropez's official website which can be found here. It shows exactly how they recommend you apply the tan and steps to take beforehand to ensure perfect application. I think it's really useful to see someone apply the product first and was very pleased that I found this video.

I made sure that I exfoliated in the shower with my exfoliating gloves and moisturised my knees, elbows, feet and hands, just as St Tropez recommend. I then laid down a towel on my bathroom floor to stand on while I applied it.

Now the only minor problem I encountered was on my legs, the directions say to hold the can 6 inches away, well I did this but it seems to come out quite streaky and I was using a lot of product as it didn't cover a very large surface area, so I misted the rest of my body, just as if I was getting the tan in a cubicle. I felt that this was the better method, because not only was I not wasting the product but it dried much quicker and I was able to get dressed pretty much straight away.

The smell...

The smell of the tan was really lovely when first applied, it was a nice perfumed scent which lasted for quite a while on my skin. Yes it did have the usual fake tan smell whilst developing but I'm sure that we are all pretty much used to that by now! It wasn't unbearable by any means, I found it quite a pleasant experience!

The colour...

As I misted the colour rather than using the St Tropez method, it definitely came out lighter than my legs everywhere else. Which I wasn't disappointed about, in fact I think it's better that way than to go from pale to brown overnight and have everyone wondering. I was able to get my hands and feet nicely covered and they didn't look orangey or patchy. I just looked like I had a healthy bit of colour, which just took the edge off my pale skin which was what I was aiming for. I had no streaks or patches anywhere on my body, except the backs of my heels, which although I had exfoliated and moisturised, seemed to absorb quite a bit of colour, so I will probably pay a little bit more attention to these next time.

Am I pleased and would I re-purchase...?

Yes and yes! I am very happy with the results, the overall package, the colour, the smell and the ease of application, no mess, no fuss. The only downside is the price, but I'd say if I can get this online, or on offer I would definitely stock up. You can purchase the tan here.