Category Archives: beauty news

I realised that I’d spent most of the summer so far banging on about oil-free “weightless” sunscreens that “disappear into the skin” and “don’t leave a residue”. But there are people who don’t particularly want a weightless sunscreen; they want to feel as though they’re wearing something protective, or they prefer a slightly richer texture, or they find the alcohol in some of the very light versions a little drying. And so I’ve spent the past few weeks testing out SPFs that aren’t quite so light and fluid texture as Anthelios or Clinique’s Even Better; these have a bit of weight to them and more of a silky, hydrating feel. They’re by no means heavy; just not entirely weightless.

The first that I tried and, actually, one of my favourite sunscreens of the year is the Anew Clinical E-Defence SPF 50 from Avon. This is a stonking buy, it really is; broad spectrum, an array of antioxidants to help further protect the skin and a beautiful velvety texture that absorbs quickly and sits well beneath makeup. I really, really like it. I imagine that if someone blind-tested it then they would think that this sunscreen was far more expensive than it really is – it has a luxe, plumpish feel to it but isn’t greasy in the slightest. I actually find it hydrating enough to use without a moisturiser underneath, which is a bonus – it’s also fragrance free, and it can be quite difficult to find sunscreens that aren’t scented.

Just top marks all round, really, and the best of it is that the Clinical E-Defence is a very affordable £20. You can find it at Avonshop here.

Read more sunscreen reviews…

Continue reading →

This came around quickly, didn’t it? I’m still recovering from cooking the Christmas dinner! January Beauty Favourites; we have some hair stuff, some nice morsels of makeup and the results of my sponsored Olay skincare trial*. I also have another giveaway for you (UK only, this time) so keep on reading to find out how to claim a free serum.

If you missed the last couple of Olay posts then you can catch up with them here – basically I’ve been testing out the new Regenerist Luminous serum and SPF20 and have refrained from using all other skincare products for the past month. Five or six weeks, actually, if you want to be pedantic, but for the first week or so I was a bit ill (first trimester pregnancy woes!) and hardly got out of bed to wash my face, let alone apply serum. But anyway, to cut out the waffle, I have definitely given the serum a proper, full, month-long trial and am very happy with the results. I mentioned in one of the last posts that I was very pleased that Olay had added a serum to the line-up – easy to slip into any skincare routine, simple and quick to apply, but with targeted results. (Regenerist Luminous concentrates on helping to even out skintone and generally brighten the skin.)

I was particularly pleased to be testing the serum during pregnancy, because one of my skincare worries pre-conception was that my melanin production would go all wonky and I’d be left with dark patches; using the serum felt like a bit of a skin “insurance”. The key ingredients, niacinamide and Sepiwhite (see here for the science bit), not only help with excess melanin production but help to diminish existing signs such as dark spots and patches of pigmentation, so it felt like a good fit for me! I didn’t have any dark spots, but the serum definitely kept my skin on an even keel, I think, and it looked brighter and slightly more luminescent after the trial was up.

You can hear more about the serum and SPF20 in the video, but if you’d like to try the Skin Tone Perfecting Serum for free then the first 50 UK readers to email their name and address through to Olay will be sent one. [email protected]

There are some nice makeup treats in this month’s favourites; a pretty Chanel blusher, a great lip gloss and the new Roller Lash mascara (pictured above) from Benefit. It doesn’t launch until March, but I’ll make sure that I review it properly before then – it’s very good. Right, take a look at the video – the product links are below. Enjoy, comment, share…

Continue reading →

I had the original La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (reviewed here back in April 2013) which wowed me for the first eight weeks of use, but for some unknown reason, after I’d used it everyday for two months, it just stopped working. I found that whenever I applied it, it just did absolutely nothing for my skin so I ended up just giving up on it. When La Roche-Posay launched the new and ‘improved’ Effaclar Duo +, I knew I had to try it. The La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + is supposedly proven to correct the appearance of blemishes, unclog blocked pores, helps to refine the skin’s texture, controls the appearance of shine and fights against appearance of marks/scarring.

The Effaclar Duo + has a gel like consistency, whereas the original formula had more of a cream consistency. The directions recommend applying the gel all over your face morning and night, but I only apply it to my blemish prone areas; my chin and jawline. I find that if I apply it directly to broken skin or inflamed blemishes, it can sting a little; but not uncomfortably so. I’ve been using La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + for a good few weeks now, and I really don’t know how I feel about it. I can’t honestly say that I’ve noticed an improvement in my skin since using it.. my blemishes are just as frequent and my acne scarring is still existent. I have scoured the internet looking for a negative or on-the-fence review of the Effaclar Duo + and I genuinely can’t find one.. I just don’t understand why it doesn’t work for me? My breakouts are always hormonal so I don’t know if that’s the reason why I don’t see any improvement to my skin when using this.