Review: La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo

A good few weeks ago I picked up some La Roche Posay (LRP) products as I'd heard a lot of great things about 1, and couldn't resist picking up another!

My main reason for going in was to pick up the Effaclar Duo, the much raved about product to help with blemishes, acne and any other complexion woes.

Many bloggers have tried and tested it including Tanya Burr who gave it her seal of approval after it helped her get rid of her blemishes that nothing else would on.
It contains 4 active ingredients to combat imperfections and sebum blocked pores, and the thermal spring water helps to soothe any irritation.

The product is a white cream you can apply to the entire face or to specific areas for targeted results. When applied the cream does not feel greasy at all, it's actually very matte but also hydrating and therefore creates a perfect base to start your day.

This seems to dry out the spot slowly and I was really impressed and how it felt on the skin as I expected it to feel drier due to the matte feeling.

The nozzle makes it so easy to apply the exact amount to wherever your spots are. I have applied this to my face and had no bad reactions other than my skin being a little dry after a few days application.
This is mostly down to my skin being drier than it was previously, so for me applying it to my whole face would be too much, but on specific spots it works a treat.

I have also applied it to a really random spot that inconveniently appeared on my chest and it helped it go down quicker than it would have otherwise. It's not a miracle cream by any means, but i was pleased with the results and would recommend that if you were having trouble controlling your blemishes it is definitely worth a go.

If there's one thing I know, skin is so subjective!

The images above show how the cream disappeared into my skin leaving a matte finish and easily allows make up to be applied over it.

This was a worthy purchase for me but not a miracle worker. It helped to reduce the size and number of my blemishes but it didn't work overnight so don't expect it to! Give it time though and it will work a treat!

Have you tried Effaclar Duo? What did you think? What's your favourite LRP product?

L xxx

Review: Skinetica (Part 2)

Hi all!

This post follows on from my previous post where I showed you all my horrible spotty skin and wrote about the product that was sent to me to try out, Skinetica*.
If you need any details on the product I have previously detailed them all in that post so take a look before reading this one!

You can read it here.

As you can probably tell from how I left that post, the results I have had since using Skinetica have been really positive.
I had had no luck whatsoever with other blemish fighting products that I've used in the past nor tested recently so this was a massive deal for me, especially as I had graduation the week before Christmas and didn't want my skin to look awful nor did I want to look caked in make up!

Sooo. I'm sure what you're most interested in right now is the results!

1 Week:
So after 1 week of using Skinetica the red lumps/cysts had reduced in size and in number.
They weren't as painful as they were and although it's still a task to cover them up, it's not as hard to do when they are smaller and less painful.

The healing time is still painfully long which seems to be why I have lots of red marks covering the majority of my face as they're taking so long to heal.
Skinetica does not help with this, but the amount of new spots and cysts I have been having has decreased.

Due to the nature of Skinetica, you can apply it and once it's dry you can still apply moisturiser and make up as required.
Because of this it meant I could go about my day as usual knowing that Skinetica was working underneath my make up and overnight whilst I slept with my night moisturiser and choice of oil to help with the scarring I was experiencing.

2 Weeks:
After 2 weeks of using Skinetica I was told that applying it without applying products afterwards would increase the effects, much like when using Alpha H Liquid Gold and other similar products.

After finding this out I did stop applying moisturiser in the evenings and noticed an improvement.
However, as my skin is slowly clearing up I am noticing that my t-zone is becoming oilier again and my cheeks/jaw line in need of moisturising so some nights I have had to compromise and apply both! But where I can I don't apply anything extra.

4 Weeks:
After 4 weeks of applying Skinetica my skin has cleared of 'active' spots and now I only have the red marks left behind to contend with.
The pictures do show a difference but as the marks/scars are still there, at a glance it might not look like much.

I can tell you though that having had the huge, painful lumps on my face decrease down to near enough nothing has meant that my skin is much easier to cover with make up and when I have it on you can barely see a thing.

The Proof:
Here are some pictures for you to compare.
I've put the same ones next to each other so you can compare the difference more easily.
The first photos are the original ones from my previous post, the second are after 2 weeks and the last photos (underneath the other 2) were taken yesterday which is after 4 weeks:

You can clearly see the difference between the first and last photos, there aren't any lumps on my face at all and all the spots have dried up.

The main thing you'll be able to notice in all photos is how much better my skin is generally, it is actually glowing which is never something I thought I'd say about my own skin!

M said as soon as she saw the pictures she noticed this which was lovely to know!!

Unfortunately a night out for New Year's Eve has brought me out in a lovely spot in the middle of my cheek, but this has already gone after using the Skinetica on the night after and only the red mark is left behind.

(If only late nights and alcohol didn't bring you out in spots!)

That is another good thing to note about Skinetica, your average white head spots often found on oily t-zones will usually dry up overnight meaning there is no need to pop them yourself!

I know the temptation can get too much and I am one of those people that loves popping them (immense satisfaction!) but the marks left behind are not worth it, plus the risk of bacteria making them worse.

Lastly this is the picture where the difference can be clearly seen and is quite miraculous!!

This area runs along my jaw line under my ear up to my hair line and was the place where most of the lumps appeared initially making them really painful as I could feel them every time I ate or talked....lush.

Now you can see that even the scars have almost healed up and gone!

To Conclude....
It has been a long and slow road to getting my skin to recover as my skin has been like this for a good 6 months now.
Although Skinetica claim that results can be seen in 2-5 days, this sadly wasn't the case for me.

However after 3/4 weeks usage morning and night my skin has improved with visible results and the number of new cysts has reduced to gaining 0 per week which is miraculous!

I for one am super impressed with the results I've had with this and have purchased myself another bottle from their website and it was so easy through paypal with super speedy postage again.
The first bottle lasted for 3/4 weeks with application morning and night.
I was so pleased with the results that I actually got my brother one to try as one of his Christmas presents ha, I'm sure he'll love me for it when the results start coming through though!


The next thing for me to tackle are the scars.

I have a choice of 2 other products which I will now be applying at night time to see if my skin will heal without any permanent marks at all and hopefully without any kind of relapse back into the cysts I was getting before.
At least I know what to use now if they ever come back!

What do you think of the results? Will you be trying Skinetica to get rid of your spots??

I am a number one fan!!

L xxx

Skinetica Part 1

If you're a regular reader of our blog you'll know that I've been stressing out about my skin problems for a good few months now.

I have never had perfect skin as I've suffered with the monthly break outs and the occasional few extras due to nights out, bad food etc. but it hasn't ever really been that bad either.

After spending a few weeks in the sun in America in May/June my skin was as good as it's ever been.

Largely due to an active outdoors kind of lifestyle with lots of water, no make up and a hell of a lot of showering (I spent lots of time digging in mud!)

This was at the airport on the way back where I am completely make up free (maybe mascara but that's it!) and although the photo isn't the best you can clearly see that I have almost no blemishes whatsoever.

Ever since I got back my skin has gone downhill to the point where I can officially say that I have acne, most probably caused by stress according to skin consultants.

Having never suffered this badly with it I've struggled to find products to deal with the outbreaks and with the scarring.

Alpha H Liquid Gold was great for helping with the monthly outbreaks that I get and helped the rest of my skin which is unaffected look more luminous and even in tone, however it didn't help to stop the outbreaks.

I've used face oils from Antipodes which have helped with the scarring (thank god!!) and also the monthly outbreaks, but again, not the cysts appearing along my jawline and cheeks.

Lastly I've been using face masks from Origins including the Out of Trouble mask and Clear Improvement, both of which have helped minimise the outbreaks but nothing seems to go to the root of the problem.

After 5 months of trying nothing and hoping it will go away, to slowly changing everything from cleansers to masks to moisturisers to oils, and assessing some other lifestyle issues such as stress, diet etc there was nothing else I could do.

Or so I thought.

The lovely Georgina from MakeUp-Pixi3 got in touch with me about a company who had a product that could help and so obviously I said yes.

I had my reservations that anything could help at this point, but I was prepared to give it a go.

So now it's time for me to show you my skin.....this was the hardest thing to take pictures of my skin and post them up so I hope you'll understand for me this was terrifying. (And sorry for my horrible skin)

You can clearly see how horrible, red and sore my skin and spots are all over my cheeks and jaw line.

The most painful ones being the 2 pictures side by side which were taken a few days apart and show minimal difference in healing time.

I've cried over it so many times you wouldn't believe.

I love putting on make up every day but trowelling it on in order to cover it up (like in the photo below) wasn't what I meant:

THANK GOD FOR MAKE UP. 

Luckily for me my forehead and nose area have been unaffected as of yet and so a combination of using make up and keeping my hair down to cover the sides of my face masks it for the most part.

Hopefully after those pictures you're still with me.

After a few emails with the contact from Georgina, 1 day later I received a package in the post containing a bottle of product.

You may recognise this if you've ever received Glossy Box, as it was a recent product in the November box (I think?).

It is of course Skinetica*:

Previously known as Acnigon, their website claims: 

A unique new solution that clears unsightly breakouts with visible improvements in 2-3 days.

• No harsh chemicals
• No side effects
• Kind to skin
• Dermatologically tested
• Non Toxic, non staining, non greasy
• Purchase online - order yours here

As you'll know, were big fans of minimal usage of harsh chemicals and environmentally friendly ones are even better.

Obviously, having these and also the desired effects is the icing on the cake so as long as it works this sounds like a pretty promising bottle of joy!

It was really simply to use, just apply to clean dry skin with a cotton wool pad and allow to dry.

After this you can apply moisturiser and make up as normal.

I was worried in case any of my moisturisers or oils reacted with the Skinetica solution but actually it didn't.

Not with my hydrating moisturisers or with oil reducing day ones, nor oils made with natural products.

Another bonus point!

If you include this as part of your every day skin care routine it's super easy to use.

The only thing that bugged me a little was the inclusion of fragrance in the ingredients.

I didn't notice any particular smell from the solution which made me wonder why it was there in the first place.

If it doesn't make a difference it doesn't need to be there!

The price is also great. At £6.99 for 100ml (£9.99 incl P and P) this product falls into the cheaper end of the market. Particularly as the more you buy, the cheaper it gets.

6 bottles are just under £38, which means they come in less than £5.85 with postage deducted.

So I've decided to reveal the results in an upcoming post.
My babble has reached a ridiculous length in this one post and I wanted to fully show the results after 1/2/3 weeks of use of Skinetica.

I will tell you now though....it is a positive review!

Have you used Skinetica? What were your results?

Check back next week for my results post!

L xxx

Review: Alpha H Liquid Gold

I've been waiting to write this for a very long time.

I was filled with lots of hope when I got my hands on some Alpha H Liquid Gold.

I'd heard lots of things about the results and after spending so long with skin problems over the summer I couldn't resist.

I purchased it asap and followed everyone's guidelines on using it, cleansed my face and then used a cotton wool pad to apply the solution to the entire of my face before bed without applying moisturiser (just my normal eye cream and lip balm!)

I felt a slight tingle on my face sometimes, but as I expected this to happen I'm not sure if it was my imagination as initially I was worried my skin would react to it.

I have sensitive skin sometimes and as it has been a problem for the past couple of months I was worried it would make it worse.

After my first use, the very next day I saw an improvement.

My spots has shrunk, some of them looked a bit weird like they were yellowy but didn't feel pussy or painful at all and the swelling had been reduced by a huge extent.

However this effect was short lived.

As I was using it every other day, by the time it came to my next use the spots had come back, and so began a vicious cycle!

Better skin for a day before the spots returned.

The Liquid Gold did help my scarring and this was improved by the use of another product which will be in an upcoming post as I used it on the alternate days I didn't use the Liquid Gold.

I continued using it this way for a few weeks to see if it got any better but unfortunately all my spots were just the same, if not a little worse.

I decided to try using it every day for a bit to see if this had any better effect.

This luckily didn't make my skin worse as I was worried that it would dry it out or just generally burn off my skin with that much acid use!

It didn't make it any better either.

Eventually I have stopped using it as I have used almost all of the bottle without any positive effect on my blemishes and spots.

However.....

The skin that is unaffected by my spots (around my nose and forehead) seemed to have a much better look about it.

It seemed more even in tone, my pores looked smaller and there were no blemishes to speak of at all.

It also seemed to have the 'glowy' look that makes you look a lot younger and I have been trying to get back for ages!

But I think after all my best efforts that Liquid Gold may not be for me.

I would be willing to try it again when whatever seems to be unbalancing my skin has been sorted out as i think it would improve the overall look of my skin, but unfortunately for me has not solved my skin woes.

I think this may largely be down to reviews on skin care from other blogs.

I know almost all have disclaimer that obviously what works for them may not work for you and that is very true. But a lot of bloggers who review skincare have never had skin problems in the first place to know whether the products work on ridding you of blemishes, which is something that I've noticed recently having bought and tried so many products deemed to help that actually haven't at all.

So just beware, as I've spent a LOT of money trying and failing over the past few months.

I have a second part to this post as it's related to the use of glycolic acid and also 'should' feature in everyone's skin care anyway....

Don't forget to enter our Christmas Giveaway for the chance to win a £20 voucher!

L xxx

Review: Origins Out of Trouble mask

So following my massive haul from America (post here) I've been using this like its water.

Origins Out of Trouble 10 Minute mask to Rescue Skin is a thick white mask that you apply for 10 minutes before washing off with a muslin cloth.

As I've mentioned many many many times before my skin has been playing up no end the past few months.

It's always been oily but for some reason has decided to become dry and giving me some marvelous breakouts, some of which are acne standard.

I manage to cover these up with make up but clearly this doesn't help the problem at all!

So I've been using this mask once or twice a week to help clear my skin of blemishes.

My normal routine is to cleanse my skin using Liz Earle C&P and then apply this whilst watching a film, reading, doing uni work etc.

It really does help to mop up excess oil, the cooling sensation and tingling helps calm any redness around spots and has managed to clear some spots completely in the time I've left it on for.

They recommend you leave it on for 10 minutes, I'd say do this as a minimum.

I often leave mine on for 30 minutes to ensure my skin has been cleansed as much as possible and think leaving it on for longer does work, and definitely doesn't cause any harm!

This contains Zinc oxide, Sulphur, Camphor and Salicylic acid so is a dream for problem skin!

I really can't rave about this enough.

I often follow it with the Drink Up Intensive mask to hydrate the areas of my skin that have been drier recently for a face mask double whammy though I only do this once a week max!

As you can see from the last picture the mask is thick and white which means when you apply it you probably don't want to be around anyone ;)

Have you tried this mask before? Do you love it as much as me?

It won't give you miraculously amazing skin after one use, but it was definitely cool redness, mop up oil and reduce the size and swelling of spots.

What other masks do you use? I've used so much of this I will NEED more....soon!

L xxx

Review: Origins Super Spot Remover

After waking up last Thursday with the biggest spot ever on my face. It had developed into painfulness from a few days earlier and was now an Angry mess. I decided enough was enough I had to try this product everyone was raving about.

WARNING the offending spot

 It doesn't look as bad here, but trust me it was huge. I'm sure you've guessed by now both L and I are huge Origins fans. What's not to love about a brand that make there products without so many badies such as parabens , animal ingredients and synthetic colours or fragrances.

I'd heard so many positive reviews about this little wonder product I had to try it myself. It's a clear gel easily dispensed from the bottle without getting to much out. This will definitely last a long time and for £13 you get 10ml. Worth it if you suffer nasty spots you want gone quickly.

You just need to cleanse the skin and apply a small amount directly to the spot up to 3 times a day. I was warned to avoid getting it on the skin surrounding the spot as it can dry that out but I found mind was ok. When I woke up the morning after applying it my spot was less sore, less red and a lot less noticeable.

After two days it had gone down and the redness left after a spot healed up a lot quicker than it normally does for me so this was a pleasant bonus.

It contains ingredients such as alcohol to dry the spot up, salicylic acid to treat it and witch hazel to ensure it doesn't get infected. These work so well together.

I will be using this again and again when they pop up and it will definitely be repurchased when it eventually runs out. 

Do you own this? What do you use to fight spots?

Love M

xxx

Skin Care Regime

I've seen a lot of posts recently about skin care and have invested in a lot of products recently, particularly from Origins and some French pharmacy brands.

I don't think I've ever done a post on my usual skin care so here's my general day to day products that I could not live without! 

(It's rather a long post so I'd grab a cup of tea and make yourself comfortable, there's lots of photos though!)

First up is the cleanser....the one and only Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.

I'd obviously heard rave reviews from everyone but had never invested until it came free with Red magazine a fair few months ago.

Needless to say I fell in love completely, my skin looked and felt so much better and because I was previously only using face wipes the difference was amazing!

This has definitely become a must have product in my collection and I'll probably never be without it.

I still have some other cleansers that I'm using up, particularly one from Neutrogena.

This is the 3 in 1 Visibly Clear Blackhead Eliminating Cleanser Scrub and Mask in One.

I believe Hayden Panettiere is in the advert for it?

I bought this when my Liz Earle ran out and I was penniless, and the Visibly Clear range was on 2 for £5 offer, which is amazing considering their normal price is around the £4.80 mark.

This obviously wasn't the same as the Liz Earle, but my skin has been so bad recently that I needed something more directed towards my spots and I have to say I was quite impressed.

The cleanser did work really well and all of my little spots and blackheads cleared right up and my T-zone was looking pretty good!

I also like that you can leave it on for a while as a mask which really feels like a deep clean for your skin.

This was great for when my skin was breaking out all over and if it happens again I would happily repurchase.

I was also sent 2 Actives from Etat Pur to try, after my previous experience with one of their Actives.

I had used their Zinc Glycolate (A20 which helps to restrict sebum secretion and to eliminate spots) and hadn't had a great response from using it. Initially it worked great but after 4/5 weeks I broke out and nothing would make them go away!

Their PR department noticed my reaction via twitter and kindly sent me another of the A20* to be used in conjunction with the Salicylic Acid 300mg (A22*) which when combined enhance each others activity and help get faster results.

I've been using this for a couple of weeks now and I would definitely have to agree that combined they produce a much faster response in regards to oiliness and helping to clear skin of blackheads and little spots.

My skin is very clear thanks to the combination of the Liz Earle cleanser and using these two products.

Unfortunately for me, I keep breaking out in larger spots along my jawline which can't have anything to do with oiliness as my skin isn't oily in these areas, just normal which is a huge shame as everywhere else where I am used to having spots is so clear!

Just my luck really! If you have any product ideas that might get rid of these please let me know as I really can't think what else to do!

My normal moisturiser for daily use is Vichy's Normaderm.

I bought this on a whim a few months ago and absolutely love it, it's not too expensive and Vichy seem to have some great offers on.

Their Normaderm range is quite popular and I can definitely understand why.

My full review is here and I bought this product in April. Considering that I have been using it twice a day since then that's a massive bargain as I've had probably around 5 months usage out of that one bottle.

I have of course used others on random occasions but for the most part this has been my moisturiser of choice.

I have a new Origins one that I bought recently and am desperate to try out but I would definitely repurchase the Normaderm moisturiser for the effects and the value!

As for a mask I have a few newbies in my collection including the Origins 10 minutes Out of Trouble mask.

The mask is a gorgeous thick white cream that you apply to the face and then wash off after 10 minutes.

It is so thick it feels really luxurious but isn't too thick to spread, it stays exactly where you put it which is great.

It also tingles on the skin but only ever so slightly, and has a cooling effect which I love.

It makes my skin feel great afterwards and was worth every penny!

I have also been given a sample of the Origins Charcoal Mask which I'm really looking forward to trying.

Lastly two of my favourite products to use....my eye creams!

I never used to use an eye cream until around March, when I bought Origins Eye Doctor (review here) as my eyes have become really sensitive.

But this was a perfect buy along with the Origins No Puffery eye gel (here) and it has really helped my eyes become less sensitive though they still don't like my contact lenses!

Needless to say having not used an eye cream before the skin around my eyes has improved dramatically and the fine lines I had have miraculously disappeared which was a massive bonus! 

I also was given a sample of their famous GinZing eye cream which I went on to buy in the full size as I loved it so much. So I used GinZing in the mornings to hide any bags and Eye Doctor and No Puffery at night and this seems to be combating my eye worries for now.

So there you have it! A rather expensive skin care regime to keep up with particularly as I don't have a job....but I'm a firm believer that skin care is a priority as you only get one of them so you'd better look after it!

When I get the odd spot I also have been using Sudocrem

This is so cheap and an absolute must for anyone, it's great for spots, dry skin and irritation and it's been great for the odd one that has appeared on my T-zone.

The only things I can see missing from my regime really is an SPF and a serum. I will have to look out for an SPF that's easy to incorporate in the morning and a serum would be great for helping to keep wrinkles at bay.

What do you have in your regime? Do you have any suggestions for my spot worries?

L xxx

This was my recent Origins haul and I'm so excited to start using them but I'm determined I'm going to finish up the old products first! 

Beauty Rehab post coming up tomorrow to show you how much I've been using up :)

 

* = PR Samples