Review: Bioderma Créaline H2O Solution Micellaire

Hello!

Another little review of one of my French purchases: The Bioderma Créaline H2O Solution Micellaire.

I had read quite a lot about this only and so I wasn't going into this purchase blind. I was, however, going in with pretty high expectations. Logically I didn't think that these could be met. Remarkably they nearly were though. From the multitude of reviews I had perused, I anticipated magic. To just waft this near my eyes and all my mascara to disappear. So no. It did not do that. What it does do is very gently and effectively remove all my make up with minimum effort, better than any other cleanser I've used.  

 

The consistency is just like water. Totally liquid, totally clear, almost fragrance free. The blurb is all in French and my French has somewhat regressed since my GCSE all those years ago... In fact I can pretty much only say, "la souris est sous la table". Which is great if you are an Eddie Izzard fan. Less good in a Pharmacie. But from what I can gather the Bioderma is hypoallergenic, fragrance free and formulated for sensitive skin. Now the rest of my translation is shakier but the bottle does mention pH balance too. 

I have been using this with the Boots Baby Extra Large Cotton Wool Pads (as recommended by Zoella in one of her haul videos). I pour some of the Bioderma into the centre of the pad and then just press it against my closed eye. After a few seconds, I will gently wipe across my lashes a few times. I use 3 cotton wool pads - one for each eye and one for my skin. The results are impressive. With that little effort, pretty much all my make up is gone. I then go one to cleanse my face more thoroughly with the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. Whilst the Bioderma is very effective, it just feels too gentle to be deep cleansing. 

The packaging is basic - clear bottle with pink lid. I don't really want any more from the packaging. It looks clinical and clean. Plus wouldn't want it to send the price stratospheric.

I bought a double pack of 500ml bottles. It was around 16 Euros. This seems like a very good price for a litre of cleanser. With such a large bottle, it does mean I tend to splash more onto the cotton wool and generally be a bit more reckless with it. And the spout is not terrible precise. I have had it a month and probably used 150 - 200ml. So hopefully my supply will last a while. It does also  mean that my precious Liz Earle is lasting longer as I am not double cleansing with it in the evenings.

I would really recommend this to anyone for its make up removing prowess. Fingers crossed if they start stocking it widely in the UK they keep the price low.

xxx

ELF (Eyes Lips Face) Open Box Haul

Hello!

So much for my promise of no more hauls for a while... This one is a little different though. I spent £30.14 online at ELF (or EyesLipsFace) and got quite a lot! It was 30% off but they do fairly frequent discounts. So I opened the box for the first time and tried everything out on camera. See the results here:

The products I bought were:

Powder Brush

Small Angled Brush

Studio Brow Brush

Golden Bronzer

Studio Blush in Pink Passion and Fuchsia Fusion

Mineral Eyeshadow Primer in Sheer

Shimmering Facial Whip in Spotlight

Flawless Eyeshadow in Tantalizing Taupe

High Definition Powder

Studio Makeup Mist and Set

If there are any I love (or hate for that matter) I will do individual reviews in due course - let me know if you have any specific requests.

xxx

Review: Caudalie Beauty Elixir

I know I'm a little late on the Caudalie Beauty Elixir bandwagon but time for a little review. 

And I cannot begin without mentioning THE SMELL. Oh the smell. The smell is to Beauty Bloggers what Moses was to the Red Sea. The Marmite of skincare, if you will. There is no avoiding this as it is incredibly strongly scented. I would go so far as to say that this is the most scented product I have ever used (excluding perfume naturellement). At first I hated it. It doesn't smell nearly as natural as the product pertains to be - really quite medicinal. However, much to my surprise, I have grown to enjoy the smell. Maybe, like Pavlov's dog, I now associate it is refreshed skin. Or luxury.

This is the blurb on the packaging:

Inspired by the "elixir of youth" used by Queen Isabelle of Hungary, this skincare smoothes features, tightens pores and provides an instant burst of radiance to the complexion.

For all skin lacking radiance. Beauty Elixir is an exceptional anti-dull complexion treatment.

Ingredients:

- extracts of grape essential oil of rosemary, orange blossom and rose extracts, benzoin, myrrh 

- essential oils of organic balm mint and mint 

That is a whole lot of different scents as you can see. And "myrrh"?! It appears to be both good enough for Queen Isabelle of Hungary AND little baby Jesus. Wow that is a lot of royal / religious referencing for one blog post.

Now if all this chat of the Three Kings and funny smells hasn't put you off, I do really enjoy using the Beauty Elixir. But how do I use it?

Toner:

I was using it as a toner for a while whilst I was abroad. I wouldn't really recommend this as it is not a noteworthy toner. You can buy as good / better toners for much less money (£32 for 100ml). Beware also that this contains alcohol so could be too harsh for regular use. I did not notice my pores being especially refined over any other regular toner use. I will never waste it as a toner again. If you love the range the Caudalie Toner is much cheaper, alcohol free and (comparatively) fragrance free.

Setting  / Refreshing Spray:

I am now solely using this as a spray - and really rate it. After I apply my make-up in the morning, I have been spritzing my face directly. It delivers a very fine, light spray and so won't drench the skin. I find that this makes my skin glow. I often fear that I look powdery after I have fixed my foundation with powder, used a bronzing powder and a powder blush... But spritzing some of the Elixir will just lift this into a fresher, dewier look, without losing any of the underlying effect of the cosmetics. Always shake it first or the ingredients separate.

I also have a little travel sized one that I carry around when I touch up my make up - just to regain that dewy look (realising at this point I need a thesaurus). I am yet to be totally convinced at its setting properties but I use a very light coverage foundation anyway so it wears gently. Though my blusher does seem to last longer these days.

That said I bought the 100ml bottle in France, where is it much cheaper, at 24 Euros or so (around £19 at time of writing) and the 30ml was 8 or 9 Euros (£6 -7). Though that is still expensive, I would repurchase at that price. But £32? The jury's still out. It is a lot of money for the level of effect you get. I would much much rather spend that on an amazing foundation (such a Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua) which will give you great skin. I raced through a 30ml bottle, but not sure how long this 100ml one will last but I am not sure I can afford to keep up the habit on top of cleanser, toner, moisturiser, foundation and all the rest...

xxx

Fashion Haul: M&S, Uniqlo, Tory Burch

SURPRISE SURPRISE!

It's another haul...

Rather unusually (Olympic onesies excepted) this is a fashion haul. Clothes shopping trips are getting fewer and fewer as I spend my days in suits. And my existing wardrobe doesn't get exercised enough at the weekend.

To totally undermine what I've just written above, since filming this haul I may have *accidentally* bought another pair of Tory Burch Reva ballet pumps. Again from the Outnet  and, again, so seriously reduced it would have been rude not to buy them...

I have been desperate for a pair of animal print Tory Burch ballets for so so long. To the extent that I planned part of our California roadtrip last summer around a visit to her outlet store. Only for them to have sold out. So, given they could have cost me a flight to the States, not only did I save money buying them in the sale here, but I practically made money. Truesay.

So here are the rest of the bargains:

Marks and Spencer Limited Collection Stiletto Heel Platform Court Shoes in Caramel
Uniqlo Colour Skinny Fit Tapered Jeans
The Outnet Tory Burch shoe collections (specific ones sold out)
Mine were Caroline Elastic in Sand/Black and Reva in Fig Plum

xxx

Drug Store Haul: Boots and Superdrug

Right Folks.

I realise this has got a little ridiculous. A whole bunch of hauls. I'm a hauloholic. In my defence (would it stand up in a court of law?!) these last few videos may have been filmed together but I promise that it was the hauling work of a good month or so. And this one has a lot of basics in... Alas, like my videos, my shopping can get a little tangential, and I go in for plasters and come out with lipstick. Sure. It happens. 

Products in this video:
Elastoplast Fabric Strips
Compeed Blister Packs
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lipbalm Stain in Rendezvous
Make Up Academy Professional Eye Palette Heaven & Earth
Sleek Make Up Face Contour Kit in Light

xxx

Olympic Haul

Hello!

I suppose this is a punny title as my hauls (collectively) have been of Olympic proportions recently. I am in close contention for a gold medal. Also, if I may say so myself, my Olympic spirit has been medal-worthy. Steve Parry thought so when he tweeted this pic on Saturday:

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS.

I filmed this video last week but only just writing this the day after the Closing Ceremony and I a bereft. I miss the Olympics so much already. I was beyond lucky with the number of events I got to go to. And I have plenty of souvenirs.

The London 2012 shop can be found here. The Olympic scarf is also available at Next. Our onesies are from Primark.

xxx

Online Beauty Haul

Evening!

OK. I'll admit it. There has been rather a lot of shopping of late. I was really good for quite a while. I saved. I budgeted. I rationed. Then I went on holiday. Hit up the pharmacies. And opened the floodgates.

This little batch was all bought online over the period of the last month. Rather embarrassingly I got back to the office after my holiday to find my desk obscured by parcels. Whoops.

As a lot of the products were from the sales there are very few links I can provide you other than Space NK Sale, cheapsmells and BuyaPowa. Go forth and bargain hunt!

The products I mention are:

• Space NK make-up bags
• Eve Lom Creme Universelle
• VIP By Terry Lip Expert - Mythic Shine 07
• Laura Mercier Sequin Eye Colour in Brilliant Rose
• Elemis Balancing Lavender Toner
• Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer
• Essie nail polish in Tarte Deco and Mademoiselle
• OPI Spiderman collection (my favourite is Just Spotted the Lizard
• Kerastase Elixir Ultime
• Nars blush - Deep Throat
• Kevyn Aucoin - Celestial Powder in Candlelight

xxx