As winter arrives I tend to try a few new skincare products to take away the inevitable dullness and central-heating induced dry flakes (Ahem. Who am I trying to kid – I am a product junkie, any old excuse…).
Just to let you know, I don’t go on about items to invest in on RMW unless I have used them myself (for a good month or so) and the results are impressive, and although I certainly can’t account for all the different skin types out there or make any miracle-in-a-bottle promises, I will only recommend stuff that I think actually works, and is therefore worthy of the O’Shea bathroom cabinet.
Fortunately these last four weeks or so I have discovered some real winners, unfortunately they all fall into the Lady Luxe category in terms of price. Sorry about that folks. Brownie’s honour I will do my best to find you some covetable bargains soon.
And as always I would love to hear if any of you gorgeous lot use any of the lovely listed below or if there are any fairly recent discoveries you would like to share with the RMW community, just drop us a wee note in the comments section. And of course feel free to ask me any questions (I could talk about cosmetics forever…)
Poreless Flawless
The rubbish thing about having de-hydrated skin (apart from making you look five years older) is that the constant build up of dead skin cells makes for congested pores. Yuck. And apart from frequent exfoliation (which often leaves my prone-to-redness mug looking like a giant tomato) the only way I seem to be able to combat the problem is careful and thorough cleansing both morning and night. I have tried all the usual big named raves, Eve Lom (allergic), Liz Earle cleanse and polish (um…allergic), Clinique 3-step (face practically fell off…although I do like their ultra mild soap bar for when I have an attack of the greasies), Some new fancy one from Chanel (it made my pores worse if anything, and as a result was promptly returned to the very nice ladies at John Lewis)….. you get the picture. I don’t have much luck.
Then I read about Rodial Glamtox Cleanser in The Anti-ageing Beauty Bible (which if you are a self-confessed beauty whore like me will provide hours of entertainment) and due to the positive reviews thought I’d give it a whirl. It gets rid of every scrap of make-up and when used with a warm flannel seems to remove the vast majority of unwanted flakes, it also turns from a pleasant balm to a milky-like consistency on contact with water which I like and includes anti-inflammatories as well as a whole host of moisturising ingredients. My skin is substantially clearer as a result of using it – that’s all I can tell you.
Rodial Glamtox Cleanser retails at a staggering £50 (I know – told you it was Luxe) and is 100% paraben free, you can buy it from Space NK. Rodial also do “Boob Job In A jar” which might be the weirdest and most random thing I’ve ever heard of. However, if you’ve used it and it does the trick then of course let me know…
Softly Softly
As well as a good cleanser I love a really good moisturiser. And although I want it to essentially um….moisturise I also want the perfect base for make-up – i.e nothing super oily. After receiving some rather generous samples from Elemis I fell head over heels for their Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream (you may have heard of their ever popular Marine cream which is in the same range). It goes on like silk. And sinks in like a dream. And yes it’s called a night cream but I have been using it in the day too, it also doesn’t contain any silicones which seem to block my pores and cosmetics manufacturers insist on putting ‘em in practically EVERYTHING these days.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream retails at an eye watering £90 for 50ml but does contain some especially lovely lubricants such as Shea Butter, Avocado and Rosa Damascena oil. If you are feeling the need to self-gift you can buy yourself a tub from John Lewis.
Drink Up
Aptly named “Intense Hydrating Booster” this little bottle of magic by facialist-to-fancy-famous-types Sarah Chapman does exactly that – adds an extra bit of hydration to thirsty weather-ravaged skin. It is basically a serum comprising of Hyaluronic acid, universally praised for its water binding properties and the ability to visibly reduce the appearance of fine lines and crepiness.
I put in on clean slightly damp skin under my moisturiser and it makes my epidermis all dewy and radiant. Apparently you can also add it to your favourite foundation to make it more sheer – bonus.
Sarah Chapman Intense Hydrating Booster is available from Victoria Health (I have mentioned this on-line mecca before but if you missed it you are missing out people). It retails at £57 per 30ml…. and I have officially given up apologising for the price of everything.
Lit From Within
To add an extra extra glow for the recent party season I was very much taken with the Elemis Visible Brilliance brightener, a silky liquid that makes you look lit from within and just like you have had a good nights sleep (even if you haven’t). I like it so much I think it might even replace my current go-to primer.
This was another freebie sample but I will be going out to treat myself to the full size version once my plastic has recovered from Christmas. I sincerely hope this is sooner rather than later.
Elemis Visible Brilliance is available from John Lewis as before but also Debenhams if you don’t happen to have a JL near you, both stores seem to be quite generous in terms of try-before-you-buy. It retails at about £40 and you only need to use a pea-sized amount, yes even if you are inflicted blessed with a giant moon head like moi.
A Veil Of Loveliness
After all of that prepping it would be a travesty to cover yourself in a thick make-up base and tons of powder – let your natural (and sparkling) skin shine through I say.
Although I am not a fan of the cleanser I am a fan of Liz Earle Skin Tint - it is both rich and surprisingly blemish-hiding considering its translucent finish. I also like the fact it has yellowish undertones and as a result hides blue-hued under eye circles.
Liz Earle Skin Tint in available at the on-line Liz Earle store. It retails at £21 but a little does go a long way – honest.
My Body Is A Temple
Actually it isn’t (especially after all that seasonal sugar) but Skin Nourishing Hand an Body Lotion by Elemis sure makes me feel like it could be a shrine to all things smooth and touchable. And before you ask no, I do not work on commission for this brand. And yes this was a freebie but a FULL SIZE freebie that came in the very sexy goody bag Team RMW received from the Matthew Williamson trunk show that we attended last month.
It feels luxurious. It smells luxurious. It isn’t in the slightest bit sticky and the fragrance doesn’t assault your perfume like some whiffy limb-specific creams can.
Elemis Skin Nourishing Hand and Body Lotion is about £20 (and that is practically a bargain compared to everything else I have shown right?), you can go grab yourself a tube (or two) from John Lewis or Debenhams.
And just to show that men really are from Mars….
(Vix has just slathered herself in the above product)
Malc (Vix’s fiancé): You smell nice, is that new?
Vix: Yes it is a very posh body lotion, I love it..
Malc: Hmmm yes it smells like..it smells like….Shake and Vac?
Shake and Vac?(!)
Do they still make that stuff?!
I think he meant fresh and kind of powdery. Or at least I hope he did. Because if he didn’t both Vix and I are spending 2012 with an aroma reminisent of my Nan’s carpet.
Big Tell Us What You’ve Got In YOUR Bathroom Cabinet Love
Charlotte xxx
P.S – a nice lady on the RMW Facebook page has just let us know there are generous discounts (20% +) on Elemis products available on Hqhair.com …..maybe I can bag that brightener after all?
