Moisturiser

L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil

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Post by Portia

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In one of the packs my mate Lesley of L’Occitane gave me recently was a bottle of L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil. Currently I am working my way towards the end of a couple of my bottles of moisturiser and I wanted to finish one before starting something new, well I did finish the Amouage Epic Body Lotion and am on my last couple of pumps of Sanctuary Kyphi Shea Almond Body Lotion so I thought, “What The Hell”. Let’s give this guy a squirt.

L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil

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This stuff glides on so smoothly and the smell is unbelievably good. I get a great gush of lovely carrot/iris, some deeply warming resins, some vanilla and maybe tonka and a hushed wash of some flower that could be ylang and some other bits & pieces I recognise but can’t name. What I can tell you is that I smell AH MAY ZING! My skin is heavenly to touch and it feels like I have either talc or silicone sprayed on me, so soft and supple my hands just glide over me even a couple of hours later.

L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil has this nutty, tropical vibe but it’s also creamy sandalwood and cacao sweet. It’s so complex and utterly enthralling. Basically I have been sat here between typing with my hands on opposite shoulders and elbows lifted to the ceiling so I am engulfed by fragrant flesh. It’s not comnfortable for long but the smell is too good to miss a second of it. You won’t need fragrance, L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil is enough.

L’Occitane Shea Fabulous Oil HENRI_ROUSSEAU_-_La_Encantadora_de_Serpientes WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Edited from L’OCCITANE and Press Release: Shea Fabulous Oil is a hair and body oil that helps to add moisture to the skin and leave hair softer and shinier. The Fabulous Oil combines Shea oil with 2 rare plant oils from Africa (baobab and desert date palm), sunflower, carrot seed and 5 per cent shea oil to help give a subtle satin finish to the skin. The oil has a lightweight formula that is absorbed easily and does not leave any oily residue.
Shea Butter is an ideal beauty ingredient, used by women in Sub-saharan Africa to help nourish and protect their skin and hair. L’OCCITANE uses shea butter from Burkina Faso, harvested in a sustainable and fair trade partnership with the women who produce it.

L’OCCITANE Australia has $45/100ml

It’s rare for me to say you need a product in your life but this is $45 so well spent, when I’m done with this bottle I will happily pay Full Retail to replace it.

Portia xx

Dior Prestige: From the Rose to the Skin: Film

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Post by Portia

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DIOR. One of the great western fashion houses that even the name gives me a thrill of lux. Its history, even its modern change from Galliano to Simmons. I love the current way the house is moving, though now that the Exclusives line is available in department stores it doesn’t feel so exclusive. The crew down at our Sydney DIOR standalone store are wonderful, always ask for Jolanta when you’re there (she doesn’t work Mondays) because she will take extra special care if you tell her Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies sent you.

Dior Prestige Christian Dior 1

Anyway, I love the DIOR ads and this one is no exception,

I hope you enjoy it,
Portia xx

Dior Prestige – From the Rose to the Skin

 

Dior Prestige Christian Dior

No, not affiliated, just love their stuff.

CLINIQUE 3-Step Skin Care System

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Post by A F Beauty

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The past month I have been trialling the Clinique Three Step Program. I’ve never used the proper three step program before mainly because the cleansing step always used to be a soap bar which I’ve never been keen on. The pack now contains a liquid cleanser, so I gave it a go.

CLINIQUE 3-Step Skin Care System

clinique 3 step cleanser SephoraPhoto Stolen Sephora

I’ll start with the moisturiser. This is a reformulation of the original, now called Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+. They also have a gel formulation. My Clinique skin-type at the time of purchase was Type 2 which recommends the Lotion+. I like this moisturiser a lot. The texture is light, but the moisturisation level good. It’s OK under makeup, but it wouldn’t be enough for night time (for my skin). It is fragrance free, which is OK but either I am heavy handed or they are light on the pack size – the 30ml didn’t last an entire month for me using the system twice daily.

Next the Clarifying Lotion. With this I am very much in two minds. The Type 2 lotion contains menthol which I dislike at the best of times. It smells very chemically and menthol-y. I used it as instructed for most of the trial, but I have noticed towards the end my skin is more sensitive to other products – perhaps because this one is doing the job so well in exfoliating. The intent of this product is to tighten pores and clean the residue off the skin but I noticed as I swept the lotion over my skin it goes slightly pink and feels tight. I don’t like this. Objectively I can’t tell if my pores are any better – I think they are slightly – but is it worth it? If I’m honest with myself, I wouldn’t use this particular clarifying lotion again – I may go and check the others to see if they are of comparable formulation. For my skin I would prefer an exfoliating cleanser, either with texture or AHA/BHA and if absolutely necessary, a more soothing toner – but most likely I’d skip a toner. (The Clinique SA gave me a sharp look when I told her this!)

Lastly the cleanser. This time a gel liquid soap – very thick and glossy, needs a fair bit of water to break down and emulsify. Once it’s done it cleans well – is fragrance free like the moisturiser and the little tube in the sample pack goes a long way. I don’t think it is necessarily better than any other specific foaming cleanser, but it’s good enough. My skin felt pleasantly clean but not tight after using it.

Overall, I’d stick with the moisturiser, I wouldn’t say no to the cleanser and I’d not go back to the toner. The trial pack is a good way to see how your skin will respond to the three-step or to re-try some of Clinique’s products. Do you use any of the Clinique skincare products? Anyone else use a different Clarifying lotion? I’d like to hear reviews on the other three versions.

Clinique Australia has the Gift Set Sampler $39

AF Beauty xx

Side note: Some of Clinique’s website reviews are based on testers who are provided the products at no cost, although they do disclose this in the review. I purchased the Clinique three-step set with my own funds and the review is my opinion only.