A F Beauty

Discontinued Products (or how I hate beauty companies)

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Post by AF Beauty

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If you live in Australia, you will be used to products appearing in your life and then disappearing, never to be seen again. Mostly though, this happens at the supermarket, yes I’m looking at you Coles and Woolworths. Woolworths recently got me with a double whammy discontinuing both my favourite yoghurt AND my favourite granola within a week of one another. HEARTLESS!!

But for me, the real pain is the discontinuance of beauty products. Chances are, a beauty product will last you weeks or months and you’ll not know a product has been discontinued until you go to repurchase only to find the racks bare and a SA offering you a poor substitute. Woe.
The following products are some that have been discontinued to my dismay – if you see these – BUY IMMEDIATELY because they are amazing ☺

Discontinued Products

(or how I hate beauty companies)

NUTRIGANICS™ SOFTENING CLEANSING GEL Body shop

The first, Body Shop Nutriganics Softening Cleansing Gel

This was a beautiful soft gel that softened to an oil, which on contact with water became milky and rinsed away leaving only soft skin. Lovely. I went to buy a few weeks back only to find it gone. I’m sort of heartened that they still have it on the website, if only to say it’s not available – perhaps they will bring it back?

I was persuaded in store to buy this alternative, which I am presently using and will review among a bunch of other cleansing balms and oils. (but suffice to say, it’s not my softening cleansing gel ☹)

MAC Cosmetics Raquel Welch Icon Collection

Next, from MAC, a face powder. MAC are truly evil in this regard because they specifically do Limited Editions JUST TO MESS WITH YOUR HEAD. I found this powder when it came out years back – it was in the Raquel Welch limited edition and was a light powder called Peaceful. It’s the powder in the very bottom left corner of the picture above.

This was a beautifully light even powder – I was lucky enough to find a store which had one left when I went back to repurchase, but it’s never been seen since unfortunately. And I search in vain for a near match. This Rimmel one isn’t too bad, but Peaceful was lighter and peachier, the Rimmel is too much of a bronzer – but I get that it’s intended to be a bronzer so….

Poison Tendre Christian Dior FragranticaFragrantica

My last product discontinued is one you guys will likely be most familiar with – Dior’s Tendre Poison. I’m prepared to admit, this might be nostalgia rather than true longing, it has been that long since I even smelled this perfume. I wore this for about 4 years straight in my early 20’s only to find it discontinued one day I went to buy more. From what I’ve learned about perfume, this turnover of fragrances is increasingly common and normal – I honestly don’t know how you guys cope.

What favourites of yours have been discontinued? Did you manage to stock up before they vanished for good, or were you caught surprised and then saddened?

Beauty = Contouring: AAARGGHHH!

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Post by AF Beauty

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If you go anywhere near Pinterest it is easy to get caught up in make up trends which, of course, look pathetically easy. They show a few before and after pictures, nothing looks that difficult and quite probably you’ll find yourself in the nearest beauty store looking for the next gizmo that you’ve seen in an effort to replicate this easy fix on your face.

Cue contouring.

Contouring. Scared and Hopeless? (i.e. me)

CONTOURING HIGHLIGHTING YouTubeYouTube

I had seen this on Pinterest, the before and after pictures were impressive, it was just a little bit of powder here and there; et voila!

Australis AC ON TOUR Kit 21g PricelinePriceline

I had originally only seen this done with powder and this Australis palette was one of the ones recommended in the Australian market. I bought a slanted contouring brush, cracked open the palette, dipped and swiped across my face. THE HORROR!!! I’d completely underestimated how pigmented the powder is and I looked like I’d swiped my face in dirt!! No question though, this is my (lack of) skill, not the palette!

Dutifully, I went back to Pinterest, tried to give it another go, several times and then eventually just gave up and accepted my complete ineptitude.

Fast forward 12 months – maybe more. A group I belong to on Facebook and there’s a thread about contouring. I always read these things in a vague hope of finding some miracle answer. This one has a video, I often can’t be bothered to watch the videos, but I did, and I’m so glad I did!! Here’s the link for anyone interested – else skip to my experience…

Illamasqua Shadow ContourIllamasqua

The video recommends a Illamasqua Shadow Contour and a MAC highlight. I can’t find the exact colour on the MAC website, sorry.

MAC Cream Color Base in Pearl MakeUpAlleyMakeUpAlley

I dutifully toddled off to Myer to look at both products but the Illamasqua contour didn’t appeal, so I went off to find an alternative. I knew by then I wanted a cream rather than a powder – I was already looking at MAC, for the highlighter but they had no obvious contour product. Wandering around the store I went and tried the Clinique and tried the Sculpting Contour Stick which actually worked surprisingly well. So I bought the Clinique stick and the MAC highlighter and skipped home to try the daytime contouring look. I basically followed the instructions in the video and….. IT WORKED!!!

I have to admit, I am still working on the different locations of shadow and highlighter and trying different combos. It is easy to start applying and think that your face just looks like a dirty mess – but persist!!! Don’t get caught up in the small detail on your face, it’s the bigger picture, how your whole face looks that’s important.

I used a foundation brush to apply the bronzer the first time but since travelling I’ve continued with just some fingers to guide the application for both bronzer and highlighter.

I have to say, I’ve really converted to this look and now feel a little ‘underdone’ when not applied some contour to my face. It has been a real turnaround.

Have any of you tried contouring? How have you gotten on? What about other make up disasters? Any that have come good eventually?

Beauty Surprises: Finding The Good Shit!

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Post by AF Beauty

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Beauty Surprises

Almond Shower Oil LOccitaneL’Occitane

I had been reading online about the shower oil from L’Occitane, so on my recent shopping trip I popped in store and had a look at the oil with a plan to purchase. When I arrived and checked out the oil, first there was a sharp intake of breath at the price and then a furrowed brow at the packaging.

The oil was in a container with a press lid, that looks like this. I wasn’t impressed, so much so that I didn’t make the purchase. These sorts of lids make product dispensing almost impossible and if I dropped the bottle in the shower it would surely spill oil everywhere and I would likely slip and die, only to be eaten by the cat. Death in mind, I moved on.

Finding The Good Shit!

Shea Fabulous Oil LOccitaneL’Occitane

However, I had the idea of oil in my head, so I carried on looking around and found this body oil, aptly named Shea Fabulous Oil. Here, breath intake was even sharper for this costs an eye watering $45. But for me, so far, it is worth every cent. The oil is designed for use on hair and body, I’ve not used it on my hair, but my body has had a good lathering. My usually flakey and scaley legs have been transformed. For the first time in a long time, I have legs that look like they belong on my body and aren’t some lost limbs of an aged dinosaur.

Garnier Ulimate Beauty Oil PricelinePriceline

I have been raving about this oil, mostly to myself, for the last couple of weeks, but I wasn’t necessarily convinced that *this* particular oil was that special, (hi, my name is AF Beauty and I’m a cynic.) so I went off and found a cheaper option and found this Garnier Ultimate Beauty Oil costing $12. At face value, this oil isn’t too bad. It promises to be a dry oil, not affect your clothes and to moisturise the skin. I used this after the gym for the first time and it was good. It is light and my skin did feel smooth after using it. As I’ve been using the Shea oil for a few weeks already, I can’t say at this point whether it would have had the same long term effect – I will have to wait until the Shea is all used to answer that. *BUT* I did notice, that despite saying it was a dry oil, the Garnier oil did linger on the skin a bit too much, to the point where I couldn’t cross my legs without them feeling very greasy – a feeling I don’t get from the shea oil and it’s a horrible feeling.

I really can’t recommend the L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil enough, it is truly a surprise find for me that has been well worth the cost. One of my favourite things about beauty products is finding that one that surprises and delivers more than you ever expected, it is an unusual treat.

What products have you found that have surprised and delighted?

Not All Wrinkles Are Bad

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Post by AF Beauty

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These few weeks I have been traveling, you will be pleased, I hope, to discover I have filled my suitcase with enough goodies to start my own shop, but hopefully it’s not so much that will incur the $300 excess baggage charges….

I have a few items I’m looking forward to reviewing – but this week I’m not writing a review.

Not All Wrinkles Are Bad

Wrinkles London Unsplash PixabayPixabay

I have been here in the mother country with the people I grew up with. Some, quite literally, others I’ve known since Uni. Being here, spending time with them, it is an interesting challenge. I love many of them as though they were my family. We laugh until we cry; we talk of this that happened twenty and thirty years ago. We make plans for the next ten years and predict our futures. At the same time, we mourn deaths of the people in our lives, reminded by the loss of famous stars, already this year David Bowie and Alan Rickman and we are reminded life is short.

But while I’m here with these people, I have left behind my other family in Australia. Not my blood but my choice, people I laugh with until I cry, we talk of what happened, five and ten years ago and fill in the blanks of the other years to twenty and thirty. While I’m away, there have been laughs, deaths and changes that I’ve missed and I feel bereft that I wasn’t there for them in person. There is no substitute for a hand or hug that says more than words over email, text or Skype.

When it comes to beauty and my face, I often wish for the skin and face and condition of my youth. I teeter on the edge of aging, fighting time with a few of my favourite products but I look at furrowed forehead lines and wish for times where I never noticed it. I look at the lines at my cheeks and wonder how my years of laughter as a child has manifested in this?!

Portrait of a man, Delhi IndiaWikiMedia

But I am also thankful. Those lines tell the story of my personal stresses and pain and that of my friends and family. If they could talk, they would tell stories of poorly constructed and unfunny jokes, made funny by being unfunny. They reflect the years of emotion I’ve felt. But in honesty, while I would sometimes with for smooth skin, I would not trade any of those lines for any of my tears or laughter. Each one contributes towards the face I see in the mirror as much as the person behind that.

It used to be more that we would see a life lived in a face wrinkled with time, whereas now we see only age. Isn’t it time we started to see again that not all wrinkles are bad?

Wrinkles discutivo daniel craig omega-da-man FlickrFlickr

Some of the people I admire the most are not fresh faced teenagers but men and women who’s faces tell their story, think Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench, Dawn French, Daniel Craig and George Cloony. I wonder if they have taken Botox over tears?!!

How do you feel about your wrinkles? Would you sign up for Botox and fillers, or are you prepared to show them as evidence of your life lived?

AF Beauty Travels to Singapore

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Post by AF Beauty

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I have been lucky enough to travel to the U.K. this December and as part of that trip I stopped over in Singapore. Although I would tell anyone this was to try and avoid the jet lag and to break up the ridiculous flight (and that is true,) the other part of the reason is because Singapore has such diverse and numerous shops, especially in the beauty department!

AF Beauty Travels to Singapore

Laneige cushion foundation

For a while, I have had my eye on the Korean brand Laneige, they are well known for their cushion foundation, but I had had such an average experience with the Lancôme version of the same, that I wasn’t sure that I wanted to risk spending money on the Laneige version – but I was enticed into the store when I saw their beauty app on their iPad in store.

It is called Beauty Mirror. It’s probably the best version of this sort of app I’ve ever seen, it does actually work like you’re applying makeup realistically, so much so that I probably thought I looked relatively decent by the time I finished, but really that was just what I’d “applied” In the app!! I was very impressed how accurate the colours were and how realistically they applied to my photo. I’d feel a lot more comfortable to take the risk to order colour specific items online with this app. The downside of the app (depending on your location or willingness to create another iTunes account) is that I’ve only found the app in the Korean iTunes Store. Still, I will probably make the effort to get it if I want to order more Laneige products.

Anyway, back to the actual goodies, after having a okay with the app I estimated the best colour foundation for me and asked the SA for some help. She offered me a slightly different colour, based on the fact that my skin is Caucasian as opposed to Asian, but reverted back to the original app recommendation which was a perfect match. They offer the same shades in three different formulations and she led me down the path of getting the anti ageing version, which I read as, “Lady you look old!”

Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream_EX

Anyway, insults aside, I have being using the product now for about a week, have used it as regular morning makeup and after the gym and both have been very successful. The coverage is considerably better than the Lancôme version I previously tried and I feel I could wear it comfortably without powder for a more natural look, or add powder for something more long lasting and set. That SA did advise me that the anti ageing version had more coverage than the original version, so perhaps that is part of the better outcome here.

Overall I’m super pleased I took the gamble on the product and now better understand the hype around these products. I’m planning to do some research on other Laneige products so I’m better prepared for my next travels and will know what to stock up on!

What are your key travel purchases?? Being perfumistas, do you even have time to browse the other items in duty free or are you caught only by what’s on offer in the perfume aisle?!!

Shower Time Fun + Beauty

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Post by AF Beauty

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Hi APJ,

So, in the last few years there has been a bit of a move towards products which can be used in the shower in order to save time and make you feel amazing. For me, the verdict is still out on whether they do actually save money or make you feel amazing.

Shower Time Fun + Beauty

Nivea In-Shower Rich Body Lotion Skin Conditioner

First up, Nivea In-Shower Rich Body Lotion. I’ve had this in my shower for about a year. The bottle is massive to start with – and while that might sound great, let me tell you two things. First, massive bottles are difficult to handle with wet shower hands. Second, massive bottles cause massive bruises when you drop them on your feet. (You’re welcome.)

Well, ONCE you’ve managed to dispense some product, then you need to apply and actually it’s not too bad. It has the classic Nivea aroma, which is comforting to me. The product is thick and feels a little waxy as you apply. It’s a very difficult texture to describe – initially you’d not notice anything different to a standard lotion, but if you rub your hands together it feels that you’ve rubbed your hands in lip balm! That said, if you apply as instructed and rinse, basically don’t rub your hands together, it’s not too noticeable.
Once out of the shower your bod is, undeniably, softer and smoother although I did find some parts didn’t sink in as well as I expected.

An hour after the shower and the Nivea scent is gone, which is a bit of shame. However, all that said, I will make more of an effort to use it again and when I run out; I’ll try a different variation. I’ll also look for a pump-action dispenser for my inept hands!

St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower

Next up, a newbie in Australia, St Tropez In Shower Gradual Tan. At a pretty expensive price point compared to other self-tan products ($40!!) I was expecting good things from this. I ordered on a pre-order and was thrilled when it arrived. I went to use it the first time after the gym in the shower at work one day. I have to get lifts into the basement at work to use the showers, it would appear that the lift destination is actually the Antarctic, it’s freezing!

The instruction for this product is to apply with the shower off and let it sit for three minutes. Let me tell you, three minutes in the cold shower without water is actually eternity. I tried this a few times and I was bargaining with myself on how long I would be able to stand the cold. I have no idea how this is so popular in the UK where it’s freezing!

The product still had that biscuity smell of self-tan and I didn’t really notice a change, I guess because I couldn’t tolerate the wait.
Personally I would prefer to use an out of shower self-tan and tolerate the smell.

I’d love to hear if there are any fans of either product here?

New Year, New You? Beauty Resolutions

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Post by AF Beauty

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Hi APJ,

So we’ve had Christmas and New Year – if you’re reading this on the right day, you might still be swearing to never drink again, you might be cancelling your credit cards because you’ve lost them in a cab and you might be looking in the mirror at your face and wondering where the last year went!

But rather than look back, this week I’m going to challenge you to start anew and set some beauty resolutions! Here are my three:
I’ve had a few busy weeks through November and December and I’ve fallen into the bad habit of…. *hides with shame*…. going to bed without washing off my make up! GASP!!!

This is up there with the most heinous beauty crimes of all time. Of course, few things could be worse for your skin. You’ve had makeup on all day – or you might’ve exposed your face to the elements, including pollution, sun and a dozen other nasties. If you fail to wash it off, well, this way madness lies. You skin’s pores get clogged, your skin dries out and you wake up looking like you’ve partied all night, not worked all day!

New Year, New You? Beauty Resolutions

Beauty Resolutions Facecloths Elin FlickrFlickr

So my first resolution will be to wash my face every night. My first choice will be nanna-cleansing and next choice will be Simple’s Micellar water wipes.

 Beauty Resolutions Sun WikipediaWikiMedia

Second, and this applies specifically to those of us who either like the sun, or find ourselves in the sun through location (*waves from Sydney*) The sun is an interesting beast, we can’t live without sunlight, but equally overexposure can lead to leathery dry skin. Type leathery skin into google and switch to images for the full horror.

My point is that sunshine is not good for the aging of your skin. Yes it’s good for Vitamin D, but you can get this through very little sun exposure but also, depending on the time of year and your location, maybe not at all. This article explains it simply.

So you have a few ways to avoid over exposure to sun. The first is the simplest, avoid it! Stay out of the sun during the hottest hours, you could use an umbrella shade or wear a hat. Your second option is to wear sunscreen. There is a LOT of debate about sunscreen and which is the most effective. For the purposes of skin protection, I’d be going for a zinc oxide base – the downside is it’s not very attractive, but then, neither are age spots.

Beauty Resolutions Face Mask PixabayPixabay

The last resolution is face masks! I’ve written about masks before – a few different sorts, yet as much as I’ve written about them, I use them inconsistently and probably don’t get all the benefits. There is, I think a balance here of not going over the top with masks, I won’t be wearing a different mask each day of the week! This year I am planning to evaluate my skin monthly and choose a monthly mask that I’ll wear once or twice a week, depending on what challenges I face.

What are your top three beauty resolutions? Did you make resolutions last year? Which did you keep?

Beauty Is About Serenity: Part 1

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Post by AF Beauty

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As we head towards the festive season, or if you’re in the northern hemisphere, you’re probably over the festive period already – it’s easy to get caught up in the stresses and pressures of the season. There are expectations, promises, family and friends, presents and no presents (!) and inevitably, something’s been forgotten.

For these days, rather than frown and develop those fine lines, you need serenity! And I’m here to suggest that glorious smells are a good way to start you down this road. I have been testing a number of candles – less so in smell – because, as you sophisticated perfumistas will surely know – smell is so very much a personal thing, I’ve been considering the rest of the package, including, unsurprisingly, the packaging, the burn, the wick and the smokiness.

Beauty Is About Serenity: Part 1

Candles

Ecoya French Pear

The first candle I’ve used this season is from the Ecoya range. This is an Australian brand of soy wax candles – I’ve tried the jar in fragrance, Wild Frangipani. Typically, since I’ve tried this fragrance, they’ve discontinued it! But the range is wide as you can see at the Ecoya Website. The packaging on this candle is great, a very solid glass jar, comparable to this alternative fragrance, comforting in it’s heaviness. The candle burns well, evenly so you’re not left with half the candle up the sides and smokiness is minimal. The wick is reliable and strong and doesn’t burn off so you’re left with a stub, that’s just irritating. I regularly rebuy this range as it’s so reliable.

Voluspa Crane Flower Candle

The second candle I’ve tried is from the MOR Voluspa range. This is a range developed in California and, if you ask me, slightly oversells their product range by talking up the range being used by the Hollywood elite. To quote Shanian Twain, that don’t impress me much! However the candle isn’t bad. I have been testing fragrance Crane Flower in a large base candle with three wicks. This is an interesting smell in my opinion, but the thing I like most is that the candle burns incredibly evenly with no smokiness at all, which I really like. The container is beautiful, but metallic and I am worried about it causing a burn on the bookcase as it starts to reduce. Best of all it’s only $20 online at Voluspa.WoodWick ESCAPE™ Candle - Large Creekside Cabin

 

Lastly I’ve tried the Woodwick candle range by Virginia Candles, another US brand. The selling point of this candle is that the wick burns and crackles like a fire. This is particularly tempting during winter where the sounds of a wood fire would be endearing. But this candle is very disappointing. I was so keen that this would be lovely, that I’ve tried two different versions. Both let me down. The crackle *is* pleasant, but let’s face it, unless you’re sitting in absolute silence, it’s almost impossible to hear. Add to this, the wick itself sometimes burns too low and then is difficult to relight. But the worst thing about this candle is the smokiness, it’s far too much in my opinion. So much so that I had to burn this candle on the balcony as I was so worried about smoke damage to my walls! Currently on sale at Woolworths

Do you have a particular favourite candle range? Do you favour particular smells, or do you look for the way it burns? Or are you obsessed with smokiness, like me?!
AF Beauty

Hair Removal – I suffer the pain, so you don’t have to

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Post by AF Beauty

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So before I start, I’ll have to give away that this post will probably contain more TMI moments than any of the others before, but have faith that I’ll not take it too far ☺

Hair Removal

I suffer the pain, so you don’t have to. (Unless you want to!)

I have a very light hair removal/tidy routine, half legs, underarms, eyebrows (tidying, not removal).
I am not very daring or extravagant, I can tolerate pain, but rarely when others inflict it, so these are a couple of hair removal techniques I’ve tried – along with varying levels of success and pain scales.

Starting at the top – Eyebrows.
I used this Nad’s Natural Hair Removal Facial Wand Eyebrow Shaper. It’s odd – it’s very little like wax. It has the texture of a thick glue. The pen has a nib of sorts through which the wax comes through like a globby ink. It has a squareish end that is useful for smoothing out the wax across the right spot of the eyebrow. It comes with cotton strips, cut with pinking shears to minimise fray. You simply apply the wax, smooth the cotton over the wax, then strip (in the direction opposite to hair growth – for eyes that’s usually toward the middle of your face).

nads-natural-hair-removal-facial-wand-eyebrow-shaper-3dNads

The wax washes off the cotton strips, super easily and they dry quickly to be re-used. I find this pretty easy to use. The wax comes out a bit uncontrolled with the way you need to turn the twiddle at the end to get it to come out – I always end up with a bit more than I’d ideally need. But it’s easy enough to apply once out. I’ve been using this for about a year, and so far I’ve not ripped off an entire brow! ☺
Success rating – 9/10 depending on skill of wax application.
Pain scale – 7/10

Down at the bottom – Legs.
I either shave – because it’s quick – or use an epilator, if I have time and want to be hair free for longer. I use this epilator but looking at the website, there are a load of new versions, which look very exciting!

ph-silk-epil-7-7681-sticker-global-x-cdn-en-1Braun

The epilator is a unique beast. Basically it has rotating wheels which create tweezers that pull out each of your hairs, one by painful one. If you’re reading this and you’ve involuntarily crossed your legs and winced, then you’ve correctly determined the appropriate level of pain. The epilator *is* effective – if you can tolerate the pain. No question there are times when pain is more tolerable than others, choose that time to use the epilator, choose other times to shave. One other thing to note, use the epilator in the brightest light you can find, preferably natural light. Take this as a free lesson to not walk away “finished” only to discover that patch of hair you missed just as you walk down the street on your night out or at work when you look down during an important meeting!
Success rating – 8/10 depending on diligence to cover all areas
Pain scale – 200/10

Obviously the easiest option for hair removal is shaving, but depending on your skin type and hair type it can be uncomfortable or cause ingrown hairs. What do you do to control hair?

What do you do with your excess hair?
AF Beauty

My Beauty Fallbacks: Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil

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Post by AF Beauty

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Testing makeup and skincare products can be exciting and amazing, especially when you find a wow product or something unexpected – that’s always a total buzz. However, testing can also be a buzzkill, sadly. At something-something age – I do have a fairly good idea of what my skin needs and likes and if something I’m testing is not as wow as I hoped, I have my fallbacks where I can trust that I’ll get my skin back to an even playing field before starting on the next test.

My Beauty Fallbacks: Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil

Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment OilNow, I’ll be honest, this oil is totally scathed by Paula’s Choice review. They say this is as “good for for dehydrated skin as massaging it with sandpaper!“. Interestingly, the comments on the site (only two) are positive – neither written by me! – but I would add my endorsement to their opinions.
I’ve used this on and off for about 5 years now having seen it recommended in another beauty column. The whole oil will help with dehydration thing is a bit of a mind bend, but for my skin it works.

This is how I use it: First is simply as a step in my usual routine. I would normally wash my face using the nanna flannel technique with whatever cleanser is on the go at the time. I wipe my face with the flannel till clean but don’t then reach for the towel. My face isn’t sopping wet, it’s more damp than dripping. I reach for the oil, drop a few drops in my hand – usually between 2 and 5 depending on how my skin is – warm the oil in my hands and then pretty much apply as if it were a moisturiser, pressing a little in here and there in spots which I feel need some extra TLC. Clarins have a whole little video on how to apply which is far more tender and serene than my description – you can see that in the link in one of the pictures of the product. Once oil is applied I then go for serum or moisturiser as usual – I wouldn’t use it before applying make up.

Avène Thermal Spring WaterI do occasionally also use this as a treatment of itself – especially on a weekend where I am feeling the need to pamper. Either I’ll wash my face in the usual way – or if I’m feeling posh, I’ll wash then apply a fancy spray water to my face to moisten and ready for further application. I’m currently using the Avène Thermal Spring Water. I then take the oil in the same way as before and apply. If I’m applying as more of a treatment, I’ll do this, wait about 30 mins, then reapply again – spray with the water and reapply the oil. You could then apply a mask of your choice over this as well. Overall I notice with even just a week’s application my skin hydration improves – I think quite significantly. I really notice the plumpness is restored to my skin and I have fewer dry lines.

David Jones online or in store Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil $52
Priceline has Avène Thermal Spring Water $9.99/50ml

There are a number of Clarins oils for various skin conditions, have you used any of them? How did you get on? Are you a fan or do you side with Paula?