We all love makeup. And we need (ok, we do love it too) skincare.
When 49% of men and women in the UK suffer from spots, blackheads and oily skin*, and 21% of those look for some blemish coverage, how great it is to have products that work towards beautifying skin long and short term?
Many brands now are investing in innovative products that not only prettify, but also care for the skin.
Plus, if a brand caters for problematic skin, you can guarantee I’m already half way being a fan.
And when they work… that’s how love comes about.
La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar range covers all acneic skin needs and recently they started branching out into tinted products.
I raved about the Effaclar BB Blur, which I use quite a lot still, and now they are pulling more out of the bag.The La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) Unifiant tinted moisturiser carries the same formula as the best selling La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo + cream, but has mineral pigments to make it a tinted moisturiser.
It delivers a very sheer and glowy coverage; used alone, for my skin, only in extremely good skin days. However, I find it’s a fabulous base for makeup. It is light applies very well.
I put it on after my primer, before foundation. Of course, I’m resting assured I have treatment on my face, as well as a sheer base that surfaces a bit of glow.
It contains anti-inflammatory niacinamide, bacterial infection-fighting piroctone olamine, healing/skin renewal agent LHA, sebum-combating linoleic acid and the ceramid procerad, which fights inflammation and helps minimise hyper-pigmentation scars.
Since getting it, I’ve been using everyday.
The new La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) Unifiant comes in two shades: Fair/Light and Light/Medium, costs £16.50 and can be purchased from retailers nationwide.
*Influencers and path to purchase study, 2014.
I am a huge fan of face mists, there is no denying.
All squeezed into in a handy spray. The very fine mist lands lightly and feels amazing on the skin, delivering immediate comfort. It is fabulous over makeup, to freshen up, but even better directly on the skin.
The Herbfarmacy is a company you cannot help but love. They love their plants: they take good care of them, they nurture and give them time and space to create fabulous organic skincare.
Now, I tried a few and have to say I am impressed.
The damask rose is toning, the marshmallow, nurturing and protecting, the calendula, calming, the evening primrose oil, anti-inflammatory, the rosehip oil, regenerating and the hempseed oil, restoring and soothing. Phew.
The Rose & Echinacea Toner (£17.50, 95ml) is fresh and cool on the skin. Echinacea is a natural astringent which helps detoxify and close pores. The damask rose is a skin tonic and also adds a lovely smell.
It is also multi-tasking as it can be used as a cleanser or a balm directly on the skin for fine lines or deep skin repair. I like it on lips, battered hands from hoop, scrapes and grazes, as well as around the eyes.
My obsession with face creams is never ending, so I was happy to also try their Replenishing Face Cream (£24, 60ml). It is pure skin food to rejuvenate mature or very dry skin.
What if you could give your skin an extra shot of hydration, with no oiliness, stickiness or that heavy feeling or layering up products?
Vitamin B5 and hyaluronic acid are the main ingredients, for a smoother, suppler complexion.
This product goes really well with another SkinCeuticals favourite of mine, the 
When Caudalie invited me for a pink night of cocktails and canapés to celebrate their new hydrating skincare range, I was very excited.
From the lighter pink, the Moisturizing Sorbet is perfect for dehydrated sensitive skin. It’s light in texture and melts upon contact, being absorbed in seconds.
Of course, it contains grape water, Vinolevure, Java tea leaves extracts, flax powder and Polyphenols. It is 92% natural ingredients, oil-free and does not cause acne, which is very important for me.
Difficult. That’s how I’d describe my skin on the best of days. It’s rarely happy – it’s always either dryness, sensitivity or breakouts.
Very mild and gentle on the skin, the Dermo Purifyer Clenaser does not contain soap or fragrances. It lathers well and does a great job removing makeup.
The Toner is slightly exfoliating with lactic acidd and it’s not drying. Skin feels comfortable and fresh after use.
The Adjunctive Hydrating Care day moisturiser is a star. With SPF30, it feels thicker than my usual, but is well absorbed by skin and behaves very well under makeup.
The Active Night Care moisturiser has extra strong ingredients to work while you rest and feels good on the skin. I wake up fresh and plumped.
For those extra stubborn spots, the Active Concentrate gel, also very mild and not tingling, contains lactic acid and decandiol and can be used many times a day.
Finally, for a more deep cleanse, there is the Scrub, which is not too abrasive but has a good grit to it. It also contains lactic acid and pore-refining particles that get deeper into pores.
Skin hydration as become a huge issue for me and I am always welcoming products that not only deliver that but also maintain it.
I do love a serum, and this one has a water-like consistency and applies extremely well, being absorbed really quickly by the skin.
Always worth remembering La Roche-Posay cares for sensitive skin types. It contains thermal spring water associated with hyaluronic acid fragments alongside arginine and serine. It does not contain parabens.
Love at first spray: Dove Soft Feel has been my deodorant since I tried it for the first time, when it launched last year.
The stunning powdery fragrance, developed exclusively for Dove with French fragrance house Givaudan, for me is the perfect way of celebrating today (21 March), World Fragrance Day.
I’ve been using it since June last year and the effects of that extra moisture boost really show; my underarms not only smell great but feel fab!
Because I love this aroma, Dove has challenged me to guess which notes are part of Soft Feel fragrance.
Soft Feel comes in three sizes: Compressed 125ml (£3.79) and 75ml (£2.99 and perfect for flying!) and roll on 50ml (£2.39, also great in-flight).
Ole Henriksen is a brand I came across quite recently. I was very pleased to try a couple products and their ultimate lift eye gel did not disappoint.
The gel has a firm consistency in a the pot but melts well on the skin.
Full of goodness, it contains biopeptide el-6, which firms & restores elasticity; diminishes crows feet & wrinkles, hyaluronic acid, which plumps and creates long lasting moisture barrier, red micro algae, for instantly lift and tightening and calming, cooling and de-puffing cucumber extract.
So Many Lovely Things 