La Roche Posay Effaclar 3 Step Anti Blemish System

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of La Roche Posay's Effacer Duo+ I spoke about it in great detail 1 tube in here and 2 tubes in here. When I heard that they were bringing out a 3 Step Anti Blemish System containing a much hyped toner I was very excited to give it a try. Here's what's in it and what I thought!

First up is the Purifying Foaming Gel, I have to be honest and say I haven't even tried this. I'm not a fan of foaming cleaners at all, they just don't agree with my skin so I passed this along to the boy to try and give me his verdict. Suffice to say he loves it! He said it doesn't foam too much but still leaves his skin feeling clean but not dried out (he has combination/oily skin). Since using it for the last couple of months he hasn't had a single spot in spite of having a terrible cold. He said he likes that it's an unfussy product in practical packaging and that he'll continue to use it and repurchase it indefinitely! 

The Clarifying Toner is only available as part of this set and it's the product I was the most excited about. It contains lactic and salicylic acid in a glycerin base so it's exfoliating but also moisturising. I've been using it for a couple of months twice a day and really like it although it doesn't tingle the skin as other exfoliating toners do. I'd definitely recommend it, particularly to those who have never used an exfoliating toner before. 

Last up is the Effaclar Duo+, I won't talk about this one too much as I've spoken about it in detail in previous posts, make sure you check those out if you want more info. In a nutshell it's a cream - serum hybrid that can be applied all over the face or just to specific areas. It's incredible at taking down spots in record time and also helps fade any scars they leave behind. A brilliant product that I'll always have at hand just incase!

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Good Things Manuka Honey Mask

I've not had the Good Things Manuka Honey Radiance Face Mask for very long but I can honestly say it's one of the best I've ever tried. The best thing about it is that it's a 3 in 1, it contains white clay, which like any clay draws out impurities and helps unclog congested skin. Papaya extract, a natural Alpha Hydroxy Acid which chemically exfoliates the skin making it look more radiant and finally Manuka Honey and Beeswax to nourish and hydrate the skin. Being someone who frequently buys and uses all 3 of these kinds of mask, finding an all in one is such a great time saver!

I find my skin looks and feels so much fresher, brighter and softer after using it. I use it about twice a week which has been working really well for me. It definitely helps with unclogging and radiance, if I can feel a few spots coming on I find using this can nip them in the bud and any blocked poses around my nose look a lot better. I think the addition of honey/beeswax makes it a lot more comfortable on the skin and doesn't leave it feeling tight and dry afterwards but it's not a mask I'd reach for if I was specifically looking to add more moisture to my skin as it's not the most moisturising. It is still a clay mask after all! 

I think it's a great mask all round mask for all skin types but I'd particularly recommend it to those who either don't have time to faff about with lots of different masks, if you're on a budget or if you're new to masks as it's a great all rounder. I'd be quite happy to use this as my only face mask as I could always just use some facial oil if I felt my skin needed some extra moisture. It's also such a bargain for only £5.99 from Boots!

What are your favourite face masks?

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REN Clarimatte Clarifying Toner

I've been using the REN Clarimatte Clarifying Toner for about a month and a half now and as I mentioned in my August Favourites, I love it. Of all the exfoliating toners I've tried (so far) this is my favourite. It's gentle enough to use everyday, I use it in the evenings, but it's still strong enough to actually make a noticeable difference. 

It contains a combination of exfoliating acids which break down and remove surface dead skin cells and increase cell turnover. This means any pigmentation or uneven skin tone fades quicker than it otherwise would. In the relatively short time I've been using it I've definitely noticed an improvement in dark spots and skin tone, plus I've still got just over half the bottle left! 

I've been using Indeed Labs Pepta-Bright for the last few weeks which has helped too, I think the combination of the two are working really well for my skin. I also think this toner would work well for all skin types (apart from maybe super sensitive skin), rather than just for combination to oily skin. It doesn't strip the skin or leave it feeling tight and contains lavender so it smells lovely and relaxing and is a pleasure to use. Definitely a product I'd recommend!

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The Body Shop Tea Tree Cool & Creamy Wash

I recently spoke about The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil, which I use in the evenings as it's really great for removing makeup, read all about that here. In the mornings I've been using their Tea Tree Cool & Creamy Wash and I've really been loving it. 

As you'd expect it contains Tea Tree oil which in combination with menthol smells amazing and leaves skin feeling unbelievable cool, fresh and tingly with out stripping it of moisture. It's perfect for anyone who lives in a hot climate or in a country currently experiencing a heatwave! 

It's a cream cleanser so it doesn't foam, something I really like about it as I tend to avoid foaming cleansers. I massage it into my skin and then usually remove it using a warm flannel/washcloth, this leaves my skin feeling really clean and soft. If I have time I sometimes leaves it on for a couple of minutes before removing it, I'm sure there are no skincare benefits to doing this but I just love the cooling sensation it has on my skin!  

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La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ Two Tubes in

Rather than doing a traditional style review of the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ I decided to write a post every time I finished a tube, that way I could share with you the progress and give you a good idea of how soon you can expect results. If you missed my pervious post, the one I wrote when I was one tube in, you can see that here. That post also contains all the info on what the product does, what it contains etc so give it a quick read if this is a product you're unfamiliar with. 

I mentioned in my first post that the most noticeable improvement was in skin texture and that's still the case, the clogged pores on and around my nose have almost completely disappeared, the area now feels smooth to the touch and the pores are barely noticeable. The second most noticeable improvement is my skin tone, it looks significantly brighter and my pigmentation has faded a lot. The marks I could perviously see standing a foot away from the mirror I can now only see if I get right up close to it. A lot of the ones that were already a bit lighter have now disappeared which I'm very pleased about!

I've now started using this just in the areas that I need it rather than all over so I'm expecting the third tube to last me a lot longer than the first two. Especially considering the area in which I need to use it keeps getting smaller and smaller.

As I said in my last post it's a great product that I'd definitely recommend to anyone with breakouts, pigmentation or uneven skin texture. Have you tried La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+?

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The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

When it comes to cleansers I tend to pass on the foaming ones and stick to cream, oil and balm formulas. I made the switch a few years ago now and my skin is definitely thanking me for it. I found foaming formulas left my skin feeling tight and uncomfortable whereas creams/oils/balms leave my skin feeling soft and nourished. 

I've been using The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil for a while now and I'm loving it. It's a really lightweight oil that you massage onto your dry, fully made up face and it completely dissolves makeup, including stubborn mascara. When it comes into contact with water the whole lot turns into a milky liquid and just rinses off making makeup removal incredibly quick and easy. You can also remove it with a damp flannel/washcloth which I sometimes do and this gives the skin a slight exfoliation, leaving it feeling even softer. 

I find one pump of product is plenty to do my whole face and as I only use it in the evening this bottle will last me a long time. I tend to follow it with another cleanse, just to make sure all my makeup is definitely gone and my skin in super clean, for this I prefer a balm cleanser or coconut oil as it's richer and leaves my skin feeling plumped up. I've heard great things about The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter too so that one's next on my list to try! 

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ - One Tube In

I spotted La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ on a 3 for 2 offer a while ago and in spite of never having tried it before I took the plunge and bought 3 tubes. I'm not usually one to bulk buy a product I've never tried before but I'd read so many amazing reviews of the stuff that I knew I couldn't go wrong. 

Rather than doing a traditional style review I thought I'd do a post of how it's worked for me one tube in and then again later on when I'm two/three tubes in. 

First of all, what is it? A non-sticky melt in formula that's designed to tackle clogged pores, blemishes  and the marks they leave behind while also controlling shine and refining the skin's texture. Niacinamide soothes, LHA and Salicylic Acid gently exfoliate and Procerad prevents red and brown pigmentation marks from forming.

Does it work? For me, in a word, yes. Although I don't often get spots, when I do they seem to stay put for a while and leave behind marks that take forever to fade. This manages to speed up the lifecycle of a spot, meaning it disappears a lot quicker. The biggest improvement by far has definitely been to my skin texture, it feels smoother and all the clogged up pores on and around my nose look noticeably better. My skin also looks a lot brighter,  any new blemishes I've had since I've been using it definitely haven't left marks and although the old marks are still there they seem to have faded a lot, thanks to the exfoliating properties I'm sure. I've even managed to switch from wearing foundation everyday to a CC cream, something I've never been able to do before because I've always needed that extra bit of coverage. 

I would definitely recommend this product, to those with oily/congested skin as well as to those with just pigmentation. I'll be sure to do another post 2 tubes in to update you on the progress!

Have you tried La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+? What did you think of it? 

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I've never been particularly interested in makeup removers as I've always used a cleanser that removes makeup and I hardly ever wear waterproof mascara. However, since I started reading beauty blogs and writing my own I've been hearing about Micellar Waters constantly, everyone seems to use them! The most popular is of course Bioderma but as it's not particularly cheap or readily available in this county I never got round to trying it. 

When wandering around Boots recently I spotted the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, an obvious Bioderma copy, even down to the bottle. As it was on offer for a mere £3.33 (regular price £4.99) I thought I'd give it a go, and I'm so glad I did, it really is amazing! It manages to remove an entire face  of makeup, including eyes, with just 2 cotton pads. No rubbing required, at all. I just soak 2 pads, hold one over each eye, press down for a few seconds and wipe away. I then turn the pads over to remove the rest of the makeup on my face. 

The bottle claims that it will last 200 uses, which I'm not entirely sure about, I'll have to get back to you on that on in one of my empties posts. I do however think it will last a really long time, I've been using mine for more than a month and as you can see from the picture I not that far through it!

Have you tried any Cleansing Waters?

REVIEW: Botanics Ionic Clay Mask

I feel like I've been raving non stop about the Boots Botanics skincare range as of late, but hear me out, I promise it's worth it! Their products are really well thought out and made with good ingredients so they're great value for money. Their Ionic Clay Mask is no exception, I've been using it for the last few weeks now and it's great for congested and clogged up skin that just feels like it needs a good clean. 

The consistency is a lot thinner than other clay masks I've tried, which means it dries a lot faster so there isn't so much waiting around. It rinses off really well without dragging or pulling the skin and leaves it feeling cleaner and fresher but not completely stripped and screaming out for  moisture. 

I've been using it anywhere between once a week, as a skin maintenance product, to every other day during times when my skin is oilier or more congested than usual. It's really great and speeding up the lifecycle of spots or just getting skin back to normal.

What are your favourite face masks?

REVIEW: The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals Loose Powder Foundation

Last week I reviewed the Liquid Foundation from The Body Shop's Extra Virgin Minerals range (which you can read here), unfortunately I didn't get on too well with that one but the Loose Powder Foundation from the same range is a whole other story. 

I'm not usually one for powder foundations as I generally prefer a natural / dewy finish rather than a matte one. I must admit, when I bought this I actually didn't realise it was a powder foundation! I thought it was just a loose setting powder and that's what I've been using it as. 

I really like the texture of this powder as it's quite finely milled so doesn't leave the skin with a powdery, caked on look. It manages to get rid of unwanted shine, set concealer and still look natural. It also has an added SPF25 which is an extra bonus. Definitely worth a swatch if you're on the hunt for a loose powder. 

March (+February) Favourites

Last month I missed out on doing my favourites post so this month I thought I'd bung the two in together. That means these products have been extra loved as I had to do a bit of narrowing down in order to fit them into one post.

First up is the Charles Worthington Salon at Home Moisture Seal range, I picked up the Shampoo, Masque and Leave in Conditioner a while ago in Boots when they were on 3 for 2 and I've been seriously impressed. Being someone who usually uses high end hair products I usually find drugstore ones to be a bit thin end up using half the bottle  in one go, not with these. The shampoo(full review here) lathers up well and leaves hair feeling clean but not stripped of all moisture. The masque (full review here) has a really thick consistency, so a little goes a long way. I leave it in for about 10 mins and it leaves hair feeling super soft. The Leave in Conditioner (full review here) has a really light gel like texture that still manages to inject a good dose of hydration into the hair. It also makes an amazing detangler! 

For fragrance I've been spritzing on Avon Amour Eau de Parfum. It's a lovely light and delicate spring scent with white floral heart notes and citrus top notes. I've been using it so much lately that it's nearly all gone! 

I've recently incorporated La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ into my skincare routine and so far I'm amazed by the results! I've found it's really been helping to unclog pores and speed up the healing process on spots. I'll be doing a full, in-depth review once I've been using it a bit longer so look out for that if you're interested. 

I've also been using Boots Essentials Cucumber Eye Gel in the mornings, it's a very lightweight gel that moisturises the skin and feels nice and fresh. I sits really well under makeup too which is great. (full review here)

What products have you been loving this month?