I was recently sent this cream for review purposes, along with a couple of items from Elemis’s new “Fresh Skin” range (review to come on those!). I’ve heard a lot of great things about it, and I’ve also just looked online at the price – the cream is available HERE for an eye watering £76.60

Given the price of this cream, I was hoping I’d hate it, or at least not be majorly impressed with it. I was hoping to be able to say it was too rich, or even *horror* that it broke me out.

Unfortunately I can’t find much bad to say about it, apart from, you know, the old price tageroonie.

This is a richly hydrating, yet light in texture, and easily absorbed cream that simply sinks into my normal-dry skin, and keeps it feeling velvety soft and superbly hydrated and comfortable all day long, no matter whether I’m in and out of central heating (usually a hydration zapper for me).

I’ve not experienced any sensitivity or breakouts from it, it’s just left my skin feeling really good.

I also love the scent of this cream, which I’d describe (in my possibly uneducated manner…) as a kind of grown up baby powder scent. Comforting, fresh but not overwhelming. Lovely. And it doesn’t linger too long on the skin either, however I wouldn’t really mind if it did…

I’ve also had no issues with any greasy feeling on the skin after use, which is something I often notice with some richer creams – they seem to “sit” on the skin for a while before sinking in.

The Science Part… As for active ingredients, apparently this is enriched with Mediterranean fan .shaped algae, which has rich anti-ageing properties. These in turn increase the level of Glucosaminoglycans in the skin, which attract water. The cream is also rich in free-radical protection from Ginkgo-Bilboa, Rose and Mimosa… So far I’ve noticed my skin looks smoother, and more evenly textured in the two weeks since I started using it.

I’m totally loving this cream… so the big question is would I recommend it to others?

Yes if – you are looking for anti-ageing skin care which doesn’t overload your skin. Also worth considering the depth of your pockets here – I know I’m going to want to repurchase this time and time again, but I’m not sure how I’ll be financing this yet.

No if - you don’t need anti-ageing skincare, and you don’t want to develop and addiction to expensive skin cream.

BUT – bear in mind, this is a hot seller on QVC, and can often be snapped up on special value deals or as part of a set… Also, well worth asking for a sample from your local Elemis counter. This cream is too expensive not to try before you buy!

Disclaimer – This product was sent to me for review purposes. All reviews are honest and based on my own experiences with a product. Please bear in mind your own skin type and needs, and I would always recommend reading as many reviews as possible before making any purchases.

And it ain’t a big fish. Ladies and gents, I’m talking about minerals. More specifically those found the few ranges of french “drugstore” skincare brands currently available in the UK. 

There are three popular brands from france that are widely available in the UK – Vichy, La Roche-Posay and Avene, and all three contain spa waters. As well as spa waters, the lines are also based around the idea that sensitivity can occur in ALL skintypes, rather than just dry skin, which is fabulous. Often my skin reacts badly to anything designed to “treat” a certain skin issue, so while I wouldn’t class my skin as classically sensitive, it definitely has issues.

I first dabbled with Vichy when I was approached by a PR and I was experiencing a lot of breakouts at the time – I was sent some products from the Normaderm line, and had great results - you can see the posts HERE and HERE. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised – I’ve always been slightly dubious about the claims people make about spa waters, but the results spoke for themselves.

I then picked up a couple of the canned water sprays in the Avene and Vichy lines, when my skin was a bit uppity recently – actually it was pretty much a disaster zone after my recent makeup course. Having makeup applied and removed 2-3 times a day will do that though. The water sprays were one of the only things that calmed it down and made it feel less sore.
They seemed to “put back” the vitality that all that makeup application and removal had leached from my skin.

So when my skin recently started to play up again I decided to mosey on down to Boots and see what else these spa water containing products could do for me. I went for the La Roche Posay range, because I hear a lot of raves about it from bloggers like Dil at Skin Care for Men, and British Beauty Blogger.  I was also attracted to the range because it was new to me, and I love the basic, clean functional look of the like.

The first thing I picked up was the Physiological Cleansing Gel. This is designed for normal to combination skin, which summed up my skin type best at the moment.

Different versions of the Physiological cleansers are available for different skintypes – there is a micellar solution (a water based cleanser which you sweep over the skin with cotton pads, negating the need for rinsing with water, which some people find drying), and a cleansing milk, designed for dry skin.

All are suitable for sensitive skin, and there is also a scrub and an eye makeup remover available in the range. Oh and the “Physiological” moniker refers to the pH neutral properties of the range – it is in synch with the pH of skin so less likely to cause any sort of imbalances

The cleansing gel I chose has a lovely clean scent with no artificial chemical overtones – if you can imagine the smell of pure mineral water with a slight floral tone, then you are probably along the right lines.

This is applied over dampened skin, and massaged over with fingers before rinsing. I was pleasantly surprised by how effective this was at removing makeup from both the face and the eyes – it dealt well with my daily mascara, however I’d anticipate it struggling with anything ultra pigmented. For a daily cleanser though, this does a great job. More importantly, it doesn’t leave the skin feeling tight or dry in any way, just soothed and refreshed – due in no small part I’d guess to the spa water content. I’m seriously impressed with it to the extent I could see this becoming a staple product to fall back on – I get sent a lot of products to review, and its good to have a reliable staple to fall back on that you know will just sort out, and calm everything down once in a while. This for me is pretty much that product – I’d also take this on holiday with me as I feel this would be especially soothing to sun damaged skin.

I also picked up the Physiological Soothing Toner. Again this is a pH balanced product, which respects the skin, and is described as suitable for all skin types. It can be used to freshen the skin between cleansing, and also suitable for makeup removal – this is not how I’ve used it, as I’ve simply stuck to using this as a straight toner.

As with the cleanser, this soap, alcohol, paraben and colourant free and contains the magical spa waters too.

This complimented the cleansing gel really well for me, and there was absolutely no dryness or discomfort caused by using it. It’s gentle enough on my skin for use even around the eyes, which is an area I’d never previously dare to use a toner on.

Often toners have that very “astringent” feel to them – this on the other hands feels a lot more softening and kind to the skin. Another total winner.

After cleansing and toning I usually then spritz my skin with a water spray – I’m currently using Vichy’s as I have had it for a while, and let that dry on the skin, or alternatively dab off with cotton wool.

This just seems to give the skin back the vitality that everyday activities leach from it – it’s a small step, but in my opinion the waters are now a total essential skincare product – they are available in two sizes as well, in all three ranges – I have the largest sized Vichy water which has lasted me a good few months with daily use and cost about £6-7.

The final product I picked up was Toleriane SPA Soot
hing Protective Cream

This is, as the name suggects hydrating and soothing, and again contains the spa water.

A little of this cream seems to go quite a long way – on initial application it can feel a little but oily – it almost seems to leave a very light film of oil on the skin, but on my skin, after a few minutes it sinks in and skin is just left feeling soft, smooth and comfortable. 

This is going to be a real staple in the winter months I feel to sooth chapped and weather beaten skin.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in then it’s also well worth checking out Avene’s Skin Recovery Cream

This basically works in a similar way and is available in a lighter and richer version, depending on how dry your skin is – I’ve been using the regular one and find that works well for my dry-combination skin, although in the colder months when my skin tends to be even drier, I’d probably plump for the richer version. This one seems to sink in slightly faster than the La Roche-Posay version, and has no oily residue. I have to say though I have been using the La Roche one a little more, ass it soothes the skin a fraction more. Neither have aggrivated any existing blemishes or created any new ones – in fact my areas of congested skin seem to be (finally) starting to clear up. 

Again the Avene range is free of chemical nasties, and contains spa mineral waters.

So it seems all that stuff about the Spa waters I initially dismissed as a load of bunkum really does merit a second look – I’ve previously also raved about the (far more expensive) biotherm range, which I also love – and which is also rich in “water derivarives” – in this a plankton extract which boots the moisture levels of skin. Vichy, La Roche-Posay and Avene are all available in larger Boots stores and  online, and are priced from about £5 to £15. Obviously this review is based on products I have chosen for my skin type, but there are products available from all three ranges which are designed to target a wide range of skin issues as well as protecting the skin and dealing with sensitivities.

They are well worth a look!

So, this product has stood the test of time and has been around for thirty years apparently – it has recently been relaunched with the addition of chronolux technology, which we’ll come to later (pens and pads at the ready for that – Its gonna get “sciency”!)

I was recently sent a little sample bottle of this – similar to the sizes you sometimes get free with magazines etc. This was meant to last a week, however I can safely say that a little of this goes a long way – I’ve been using this at night for about a month now and I’d barely used a quarter of the bottle, so despite its hefty price tag (£36 for 30ml or £49 for 50ml), I’d expect a bottle to last a long time! The product was sent with no press info for once – a good sign in my book, when companies dont try to dictate the content of blog posts lol… I also enjoy doing a bit of research myself from time to time!

The Science Bit…
The theory is that environmental assaults (pollution, stress, smoke, sunlight and even stress) cause DNA damage, which in turn causes ageing. Now we all know that skin does much of its repairing and renewing at night while we sleep – the old adage of “beauty sleep” is definitely true!

Apparently though, our skin cells contains clock genes – if these are “in sync”, then this night time repair occurs optimally. However, the problem is that environmental assaults mean that the clock genes are frequently knocked out of sync, so aging occurs.The Advanced night repair contains “chronolux” technology, which sets to work on clock genes, synchronising them, and therefore making the skins natural defenses against ageing more effective.

So does it actually work?
I’ve seen reviews on you tube making claims that this serum heals blemishes overnight, and other such miracles. While it didn’t do that for me, I can say it did seem to speed up the process significantly – After a blemish I often get a red area on the skin which can take a few weeks to disappear completely. I noticed while using this serum that such marks were reduced within about a week to ten days. My skin also feels very smooth and soft in the morning, and I definitely look quite “well rested”

The serum is also easily absorbed too, and easy to use – I’d say I apply 3-5 drops at night (thats a rough estimate – the proper sized product comes with a dropper, which my sample does not have…) prior to my night cream (Clarins Multi Active).

As for long term anti-ageing results, I think this would only be possible to really assess over the course of a few months, so I’m not really prepared to say yay or nay to this. So far though I’ve been impressed enough to say I’m likely to pick up a bottle when my little sample runs out. This also comes in an eye cream, which I’m interested in trying when my current eye cream runs out too…

Have any of you tried this or any other products from the range? I’m feeling that I’ve neglected to look at the Estee Lauder skincare products for a long time – for example, the Daywear range sounds right up my alley – SPF 30 and antioxidants? Fab!

MizzWorthy xxx

I was given these products ages ago to test out, however as they are aimed at acne sufferers, I decided against using them on my skin – although I have had breakouts in the past, I wouldn’t say I have acne, or acne prone skin… Mr MizzWorthy was very excited when he saw them though (well, he kind of looked at them quizzically and asked, “Whats so special about them? I don’t mind giving them a go for you” – this is skincare excitement for Mr MizzWorthy…)

A little bit about Mr MizzWorthy – He’s a swarthy mediteranean type, but he’s also a bit sensitive, suffering the double edged sword of eczema as well as facial acne.

The GloClear line from GloTherapeutic is clearly aimed at the high end of the market… Available at Renew Medica Skincare Clinics, and Wigmore Pharmacy.

This is fine for people living in London, but limited access for the rest of us, means I wouldn’t normally put this product on the blog… But Mr MizzWorthy really liked one of the products (to both of our surprise), so to celebrate this momentous occasion, I thought I’d do a quick review
It’s not cheap either – The cleansers are both £27.85, and the pads are £31.51… I warned you this was aimed at the hight end of the market…

The packaging is quite nice – fairly clinical looking boxes, but the pump bottles themselves (made of plastic, so no dropsy bathroom mishaps can occur) are vaguely reminiscent of Neils Yard packaging in that they are blue, and… well, thats about it really! Oh, a good feature is that the pump is lockable and so easily transportable.

Mr Mizzworthy felt that the packaging was “excessive” – “You could probably knock a quid off production costs easily by getting rid of the boxes” – He’s a silver tongued devil! Still, Men are from Mars and all that jazz… To be fair though he does kind of have a point. The bottles are quite small given the size of the boxes…

Mr MizzWorthy was most impressed with the GloClear Anti-Blemish Cleanser. Initially, he wasn’t expecting much, even when he discovered that this contains 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide “Panoxyl make one too!”, however we were both pleased with the results of this – In the two years we’ve known eack other his skin has never looked so clear. Mr MizzWorthy says “This is the best one for people with ongoing acne and not just a few spots… I noticed that I wasn’t waking up with morning pimples and I definitely noticed my skin got worse when I didn’t use it” I noticed this too for the record! Success all round then – Mr MizzWorthy did not like the price however! Myself on the other hand – I’ve spent similar amounts on cleansers and so I guess it’s an individual choice!

Sadly the swarthiness of his bistles meant he had limited success with the cleansing pads – His manly bristles just shredded them…

He also tried the Acne Cleanser, which contains Salicylic acid and Scrubbing beads. This treatment is more aimed at people with occasional blemishes and breakouts – its a treatment rather than a preventitive maintenence product. This does lather well, and the foam is heat activated, which is a bit different too… (I mean it’s activated by your body temperature…)

While Mr MizzWorthy may baulk at the price of these products I know full well that some readers will spend this much on skincare, while others will also be horrified… The limited availability of the range is also a bit of an issue… The positive reaction (in relative terms) of Mr MizzWorthy meant that I wanted to tell you all about the range though… Mr MizzWorthy is not easily impressed by skincare, after all!

Have any of you tried any products from this range?

MizzWorthy xxx

As you know a few weeks back a few of us were invited to a fab event thrown by Clarins in Selfridges London, where amongst other things we were all given a skin analysis and sent some products to test out – you can read about the event here.

Clarins were very generous and gave us full sized products to try so we could really see how well the products work.

I personally found the skincare analysis with one of the consultants really helpful – I learned that your skin type can change with the seasons, age etc. I was told I have combination skin, which was dehydrated.

As you can see I was sent a range of products – cleanser, toner, moisturiser, night cream, eye cream and a face scrub, as well as cult beauty product Beauty Flash Balm.

The range as a whole worked well for me, and there were some definite stand out products I really liked…
Cleanser – Foaming Cleanser with Tamarind and Purifying Micro-Pearls (Combination or oily skin). This costs £15 for 125 mls. Despite using this twice a day, there is a LOT left in the tube – I’d expect a tube to last 4-6 months. Its a very fresh smelling creamy feeling cleanser which rinses easily and is not over drying on the skin. It also contains quite large “Micro-Pearls”. These don’t so much scrub the skin (they are too big for that), but more give it a gentle daily “polish”, which feels really nice. This will not remove eye makeup – a separate remover would be needed for that, although it seemed to remove face makeup effectively. If you were wearing a particularly full cover/heavy foundation, you might need to remove with a stronger cleanser first.

Toner – Toning Lotion with Iris (Combination or oily skin). This is £15 for 200mls. Again clean smelling and it does a good job of freshening the skin. This does also appear to remove any grime left on the skin after cleansing, which is good – it preps the skin well for moisturiser and doesn’t leave it feeling tight. I’d expect a bottle to last around 3-4 months with twice a day use. I personally like to tone, as I don’t feel like my skin is properly “clean” if I don’t… I know a lot of people skip this step though without any skin related disasters ensuing!

Face Scrub - Gentle Exfoliating Refiner This is an expensive product at £21.51 for 50mls, which is quite a smal tube, however you really do only need to use a small amount – I’d expect this tube to last me about 4 months with use once or twice per week. The grains in the scrub are very fine, so this really gets into the nooks and crannies and clears out the pores well – I’d liken this in texture to the Body Shop Vitamin C skin re-finisher, however the grains in this are even finer. It does seem to make a difference to the pores on my nose – they appear clearer for a couple of days after using the scrub. A great product, just a shame you don’t get more for your money.

Moisturiser – Hydraquench Lotion with SPF15
This is made for normal to combination skin or for hot climates, and is £30 for 50mls. I was sent this as the Hydraquench range is meant to solve issues of dehydration in the skin – in other words, you only need to use this until the skin regains its hydration levels. 1 pump of this was plently for my whole face – you can tell when you don’t need to use it as it starts to feel too heavy on the skin. This took a couple of weeks before I noticed it was starting to feel too much. I still use this if I do a face mask or scrub, just to top up the moisture levels in my skin. I’d say the Hydraquench range is well worth looking into if you have dry skin. The lotion itself smells fresh, with a bit of a marine scent, but it doesn’t last for long on the skin. It comes in a pump and is therefore really hygienic to use and it travels well too

Night Cream – Multi-Active Night Lotion. The Multi-active range is aimed at those of us in our thirties who are seeking to hold at bay the first signs of aging for as long as possible (sob…). In the past whenever I’ve used a night cream, I’ve always found them really thick and heavy feeling – and while that is kind of the point because your skin does all its regenerating and restoring at night, I don’t want to be applying something that feels like it leaves my skin all congested. This one feels very very light, more like a serum in texture and feel – it sinks straight into the skin and is quickly absorbed. It leaves no trace of any greasy feeling on my skin at all. My skin feels softer in the morning and I look like I have slept well, even if I haven’t. I really real
ly love this product – its pricey at £40 for 50mls, which I’d expect to last for 3-4 months. I personally think it’s worth this price, and its made me want to look into other products from the range in the future. Definite stand out.

Eye Cream – “Special”Eye Contour Balm – softens fine lines for dry skin. Designed for the first signs of ageing – this claims to soften fine lines, and also contains reflective pigments to give skin a more even appearance. This is another stand out product for me – I have used Clarins eye creams before and had equal success with them while I was younger – I used the eye contour balm in my 20′s and did notice it made a difference, and I can say the same for this one – it worked really well for me. It won’t shift dark circles as it’s not designed for that, but I’ve noticed an improvement in the fine lines around my eyes. The area looks more hydrated and fresher, which makes this a winner in my eyes – it costs £23.49 for 20mls. You need a tiny amount each time you use it and it sinks in easily without leaving a greasy feeling on the skin. Love this one.

Beauty Flash Balm – £25 for 50ml.
Can you believe this cult product has been around for 20 years! (God this post is making me feel old!) I used to swear by this in my late teens and early twenties for a post-hangover skin pick-me-up. Then I went to uni, and could no longer afford the £25 price tag (50mls). I suppose I also started to rely more on the power of a decent concealer and foundation for perking up the skin. My mum used to top me up every couple of years with a tube and me and my sister both continue to love it. A tube lasts about 5-6 months. This is not a product I use every single day, just when my skin needs a pick-me-up – probably once or twice a week.

It can be used a few different ways. I personally like to smooth on a very thin layer – ie not rubbed completely in, but rather left on the skin and left to settle in. It can also be used as an overnight treatment when applied a bit more thickly to the skin and slept in. Basically the product brightens and hydrates the skin, leaving it feeling soft and looking well rested. Perfect for a hangover…. so perfect in fact that it didn’t take long for drugstores to produce a dupe – one of which can be found in the Superdrug Natural High Range.

The Clarins original has a soft, comforting yet still clean smell.

So there you go – well done if you have made it to the end of the post – hope this has been useful!
Any recommendations for products in the range are always welcome too!

MizzWorthy xxx

Yesterday I was invited with Olivia and LipsAndLashes to an event in Selfridges in London by Clarins – ButtonSoph was also invited but her car broke down on the way! Lovely Olivia met me in the station and we navigated our way to Oxford Circus (all of two stops on the tube – we truly were explorers of the unknown lol!)…

When we arrived we were met by a couple of lovely PR peeps from Clarins, including Alexandrea who sent us the invites. We had a look at the new Autumn range called “Nude Inspirations”, and a look around the new skin spa. At first I thought the idea of the skin spa in the middel of Selfridges seemed a little strange, but believe me, when the door is shut, that place is like a little have in the middle of London – blissful… I wanted every treatment in the book lol! They apparently have achair that scans your body and does a massage tailored to you while you have a facial – I want some of that!

We also each had a skin consultation and then went off for breakfast – We were told to expect a parcel by special delivery this morning, but I have to say I felt very sorry for the poor post lady who kindly lugged a huge pack of goodies up to the flat for me this morning;

I was totally bowled over when I opened it and saw all this!
So we recieved our skincare regimes (further posts and reviews to come about this as I am still testing another skincare regime at the moment!) – but yep, thats Beauty Flash Balm in there!
And on top of that we received absolutely loads of makeup!

I have to say, I wasn’t expecting too much from these eye-shadow mono’s as the last time I swatched them at a counter (a couple of years ago…), I thought they were poorly pigmented and the colour choices were a bit… safe? I have to say though, they have definately improved in terms of pigmentation and although the colours are still fairly safe, you could create a lot of different looks – nude, smoky and coloured. I’ll be trying to create a few looks over the coming days and weeks to see how versatile these are! These retail at £12.73 each and also have a mirror in the lid which is always useful for us cosmopolitan girls on the go (well at least thats how I like to think of myself….)

They also sent this nude quad palette out – I can see this one being popular too! I’d personally use this with a fierce black winged liner and a bold red lip to get that classic pin up look, but I know a lot of people will be relieved to see such an easy to use combination of colours…This retails for £25.44.

We also recieved 6 shades of “Joli Rouge” Lipsticks. These are a lot better on than they look in the tubes – the one that looks brown (4th from the left) is actually a lovely sheer plummy pink. They have a lovely fruity scent (Blackcurrant with a touch of liquorice and vanilla apparently!) and are supposed to be extremely kind to the lips with skin loving goodies such as mango butter and vitamin e – stay tuned for a review!

We also recieved three tubes of their reformulated “Wonder Perfect” Mascara in three shades – Wonder Black, Wonder Brown and Wonder Blue – Coloured mascaras seem to be rocking right now! In fact though these are quite subtle – the blue is almost navy and not 80′s at all – I tried it this morning in bed to see if it matched my PJs (as one does) and it makes the whites of the eyes look very clear… I still need to try the concealers too – they sent me three shades and I’m hoping one will be pale enough for me!

Finally we received a face an blush duo (retailing at £28) which is a lovely two tiered affair containing a face powder and illuminating powder on the top layer;

… and a peachy blush (this reminds me of NARS orgasm!) and a bronzer embellished with a golden powder section – very pretty! Can all obviously be used swished together or seperately…

The other great product in the collection they showed us was the eye brow pro palette – which I really liked the look of – it had three brow powders in good ashy colours (ie no red undertones – a giveaway in a bad brow powder!) – black, brown and blonde shades, a setting wax, highligher powder, mini tweezers, spoolie brush and sponge applicator – thats going to retail at £28, and I can see myself making a purchase…

My initial thoughts? I’m surprised by the improvements in quality in the Clarins makeup range, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of giving this neutral collection a MizzWorthy twist!

So, how did I spend the rest of the day? I met up for lunch with Alex from Illamasqua and had a good gossip about the next competition which we’ll be launching soon! I was great to see her again for a catch up as I didn’t get to speak to her at the Illamasqua masterclass – she was too busy being the model for Alex Box, so can’t really blame her lol!

I also met a couple of lovely PR ladies – Jen from FuelPR and Lisa from Immediate PR, who have also furnished me with loads of other goodies to review including Sun Labs fake tan which smells of baby powder, (this is never a bad thing in my opinion), an anti acne range for Mr MizzWorthy to test, some new hair products and some BarryM – I am pleased to announce I finally have the lip paint in Peachy Pink – and I agree its a lovely colour – here is the obligatory lip close up!

I also made a trip to the Selfridges beauty hall (rude not to!) and picked up a couple of OPI shades – “I’m a Princess and You’re Not” and “Done Out in Deco”… I also popped to MAC to get one of those Naked Honey Skin Salves and some clean up tips, and I was actually amazed by how bad the service was there – One girl behind the counter just ignored all the customers and the one who did eventually deign to serve me called me “babe” several times in a very patronising manner, and actually asked me “what colour” salve I wanted! Proof positive that they are bringing out too many collections – the poor dear clearly couldn’t keep up. Poor service aside though, I am liking the salve…

I then had to hang about for my train so I painted my nails with OPI’s “I’m a Princess and You’re Not”, which is a pretty colour but I fear it makes my hands look a bit dead… opinions please?

I have no idea what to play with first though, so please feel free to make requests etc!

MizzWorthy xxx

A while back I posted about a range of products I have been sent by Vichy to test. I was asked by the PR company before I recieved the products about my skintype/skin concerns and so I was sent the products in order to address the issues I had (Combo-dry skin, breakout on my chin!). I’ve been using these for around a month now (I think that you have to give any skincare regime a month before you can tell whether they are going to work for you or not!), and so the time has come to give some feedback on the products and say how well or otherwise they worked for me! You can check out my earlier post about the products here – http://mizzworthy.blogspot.com/2009/06/vichy-products-on-test.html

I added in the Purifying Astringent Toner myself ie I picked it up in my local large Boots branch. It cost £10 for 200mls. I actually only added this product in because I personally like to use toner and feel like it helps my moisturiser sink in better. I have used this for a couple of weeks now and so far I like it. I have actually noticed a marked improvement in the “breakout zone” since I added it, so I’m not sure if this is prepping the skin for the concentrate to work better? Or maybe it would have improved anyway at this point? I just have a bit of a thing for using matching products lol! I suppose ultimately though, using a toner or not is down to personal choice. One thing I would say though is that this would work better in a pump bottle as its a bit difficult to dispense this without getting dribbles down the side of the bottle…

I was also sent the Concentrated Blemish Perfector, which contains 4% salycilic acid. This product claims to calm burning and redness, and visibly clear the impefection in 24 hours…

Often spot treatments can be very drying and this means that finding a decent blemish treatment for sensitive and dry skin can be a bit of a mare. I’d say that this is definitely worth a try for those of us with dry or sensitive skin who are prone to the odd breakout.

This is a green cream, with a clean but again not overpowering scent. Obviously the green works to diminish the redness of blemishes/spots on a temporary basis. It took about 2 weeks to see a definite marked improvement in the “breakout zone” as although the treatment worked reasonable quickly on existing blemishes, I was finding that initially I still had blemishes coming through. Once this stopped happening I was happy with the results and found that the breakout started to clear up without my skin feeling like it was being stripped off layer by layer, as with other blemish treatments I’ve tried… This comes in a 15ml tube for £10, which some might feel is a little expensive.

This is probably not the treatment for people who want overnight miracle results, as it simply won’t do this. It didn’t produce miraculous results in 24 hrs, but I would add that prior to starting this regime, my chin was actually feeling quite sore due to the cystic feel of some of the zits, but I found that this made my skin feel a lot less tender and sore, which was great.

I was also sent the Pro Mat which promises “Non-stop Matte effect hydrating care”, and claims to protect against shine. I was fairly sceptical about this product at first as I doubted that it would be hydrating enough for my skin, however I was pleasantly surprised by it!

Again, this is a pale green lotion which has a very very faint clean scent, which disappeared effortlessly into my skin. I used a large pea sized blob and found this adequate for my face. I think I’ve probably used about half the tube in a month, and again I think this retails for £10-15. I liked this as it hydrated my skin adequately without looking shiny. It did struggle to keep shine and oil at bay a little during the relly really humid days we had a couple of weeks ago, but I doubt anything could have handled that.

This also comes with an SPF of 15, and I personally need a higher SPF than this on my face in the summer, so I topped this with a facial spf of 50, but that is personal choice – I think this is a great moisturiser to try for combination or oily skin, but I am not sure how well it would work for dry to very dry skins…

For night time use, I recieved a couple of products from the Aqualia range, aimed at dehydrated skin. The range claims to provide 24 hr hydration.

First up, the Aqualia Themal 24hr Hydrating Concentrated Serum. I really really loved this product, it felt very refreshing on the skin, almost like a big glass of water… I noticed as well that this made my skin feel nice and soft and really well hydrated. I can’t rave enough about this, and I would use this under any moisturiser to boost its performance and generally make the skin feel more comfortable. Love it! I believe this retails for £15 for 30mls in the uk. This comes in a glass pump bottle, which is quite heavy – not one to drop on your foot in the morning!

I also recieved Aqualia Light fortifying and soothing lotion, which I believe costs £10 for 40mls. I felt like this was a decent basic moisturiser, which is sometimes what you need when you are experiencing breakouts or other sensitivities. Definately hydrated the skin well, but contains nothing fancy, and some people might want more from a night product – this is also available a s a rich version too, for those with very dry skin.

Finally, I got to try the thermal purity Calming Cleansing Water. Again, I would have prefered this to be in a pump bottle as it was difficult to dispense without dribbling it down the bottle. The product itself however worked really well – similar effect to the Body Shop Camomile Eye makeup removing lotion, but for the whole face. Put simply it feels like rubbing a cotton wool pad soaked in water over the face. It removes all traces of makeup gently, and leaves no nasty film over the skin, feels very gentle, and doesn’t dry the skin at all. I belive this is £10 for 200mls.

Of the products I recieved I would Definitely repurchase the serum, and the cleansing water. I wouls also repurchase the normaderm products if my skin broke out on a regular basis, and I’d definitely keep a tube of the anti blemish concentrate in for isolated breakouts in the future, although possibly not everyone would feel that the anti blemish concentrate would be worth £10 or work quickly enough, but its def worth a try if you don’t wish to upset sensitive skin…

What do you think? Anyone tried any other Vichy products?

MizzWorthy x

A couple of weeks ago I was emailed by Camilla from the PR company which represents the french skincare lines Vichy and La Roche-Posay, which are launching in the UK at the moment. This was a bit different to the normal PR emails however as instead of just blindly sending me a few random products to try, they actually asked me about my skin type and current concerns before sending me things to try – top marks for that!

Finally for night time, I recieved the “Aqualia Thermal Fortifying and Soothing 24Hr Hydrating Concentrate”, which is a serum like formula which is designed to rehydrate the skin etc (Camilla advised me that my skin sounds like it may be dehydrated rather than simply “dry” (dehydration leads to the skin producing more oil which leads to spots see!) I also recieved “Aqualia Thermal Hydrating and Soothing Lotion” which is basically a light textured but very hydrating moisturiser.

All of Vichy’s products contain “Mineral Rich Thermal Spa Water”. Vichy claim that this water is enriched with 15 minerals and 13 trace elements – they say it sooths and comforts the skin, is rich in anti-oxidants, helps maintain the skin’s pH balance and reinforces the skins natural protection.