There's Something in The Water...

And it ain't a big fish. Ladies and gents, I'm talking about minerals. More specifically those found the few ranges of french "drugstore" skincare brands currently available in the UK. 

There are three popular brands from france that are widely available in the UK - Vichy, La Roche-Posay and Avene, and all three contain spa waters. As well as spa waters, the lines are also based around the idea that sensitivity can occur in ALL skintypes, rather than just dry skin, which is fabulous. Often my skin reacts badly to anything designed to "treat" a certain skin issue, so while I wouldn't class my skin as classically sensitive, it definitely has issues.

I first dabbled with Vichy when I was approached by a PR and I was experiencing a lot of breakouts at the time - I was sent some products from the Normaderm line, and had great results - you can see the posts HERE and HERE. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised - I've always been slightly dubious about the claims people make about spa waters, but the results spoke for themselves.

I then picked up a couple of the canned water sprays in the Avene and Vichy lines, when my skin was a bit uppity recently - actually it was pretty much a disaster zone after my recent makeup course. Having makeup applied and removed 2-3 times a day will do that though. The water sprays were one of the only things that calmed it down and made it feel less sore.
They seemed to "put back" the vitality that all that makeup application and removal had leached from my skin.

So when my skin recently started to play up again I decided to mosey on down to Boots and see what else these spa water containing products could do for me. I went for the La Roche Posay range, because I hear a lot of raves about it from bloggers like Dil at Skin Care for Men, and British Beauty Blogger.  I was also attracted to the range because it was new to me, and I love the basic, clean functional look of the like.

The first thing I picked up was the Physiological Cleansing Gel. This is designed for normal to combination skin, which summed up my skin type best at the moment.

Different versions of the Physiological cleansers are available for different skintypes - there is a micellar solution (a water based cleanser which you sweep over the skin with cotton pads, negating the need for rinsing with water, which some people find drying), and a cleansing milk, designed for dry skin.

All are suitable for sensitive skin, and there is also a scrub and an eye makeup remover available in the range. Oh and the "Physiological" moniker refers to the pH neutral properties of the range - it is in synch with the pH of skin so less likely to cause any sort of imbalances

The cleansing gel I chose has a lovely clean scent with no artificial chemical overtones - if you can imagine the smell of pure mineral water with a slight floral tone, then you are probably along the right lines.

This is applied over dampened skin, and massaged over with fingers before rinsing. I was pleasantly surprised by how effective this was at removing makeup from both the face and the eyes - it dealt well with my daily mascara, however I'd anticipate it struggling with anything ultra pigmented. For a daily cleanser though, this does a great job. More importantly, it doesn't leave the skin feeling tight or dry in any way, just soothed and refreshed - due in no small part I'd guess to the spa water content. I'm seriously impressed with it to the extent I could see this becoming a staple product to fall back on - I get sent a lot of products to review, and its good to have a reliable staple to fall back on that you know will just sort out, and calm everything down once in a while. This for me is pretty much that product - I'd also take this on holiday with me as I feel this would be especially soothing to sun damaged skin.

I also picked up the Physiological Soothing Toner. Again this is a pH balanced product, which respects the skin, and is described as suitable for all skin types. It can be used to freshen the skin between cleansing, and also suitable for makeup removal - this is not how I've used it, as I've simply stuck to using this as a straight toner.

As with the cleanser, this soap, alcohol, paraben and colourant free and contains the magical spa waters too.

This complimented the cleansing gel really well for me, and there was absolutely no dryness or discomfort caused by using it. It's gentle enough on my skin for use even around the eyes, which is an area I'd never previously dare to use a toner on.

Often toners have that very "astringent" feel to them - this on the other hands feels a lot more softening and kind to the skin. Another total winner.

After cleansing and toning I usually then spritz my skin with a water spray - I'm currently using Vichy's as I have had it for a while, and let that dry on the skin, or alternatively dab off with cotton wool.

This just seems to give the skin back the vitality that everyday activities leach from it - it's a small step, but in my opinion the waters are now a total essential skincare product - they are available in two sizes as well, in all three ranges - I have the largest sized Vichy water which has lasted me a good few months with daily use and cost about £6-7.

The final product I picked up was Toleriane SPA Soothing Protective Cream

This is, as the name suggects hydrating and soothing, and again contains the spa water.

A little of this cream seems to go quite a long way - on initial application it can feel a little but oily - it almost seems to leave a very light film of oil on the skin, but on my skin, after a few minutes it sinks in and skin is just left feeling soft, smooth and comfortable. 

This is going to be a real staple in the winter months I feel to sooth chapped and weather beaten skin.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in then it's also well worth checking out Avene's Skin Recovery Cream

This basically works in a similar way and is available in a lighter and richer version, depending on how dry your skin is - I've been using the regular one and find that works well for my dry-combination skin, although in the colder months when my skin tends to be even drier, I'd probably plump for the richer version. This one seems to sink in slightly faster than the La Roche-Posay version, and has no oily residue. I have to say though I have been using the La Roche one a little more, ass it soothes the skin a fraction more. Neither have aggrivated any existing blemishes or created any new ones - in fact my areas of congested skin seem to be (finally) starting to clear up. 

Again the Avene range is free of chemical nasties, and contains spa mineral waters.

So it seems all that stuff about the Spa waters I initially dismissed as a load of bunkum really does merit a second look - I've previously also raved about the (far more expensive) biotherm range, which I also love - and which is also rich in "water derivarives" - in this a plankton extract which boots the moisture levels of skin. Vichy, La Roche-Posay and Avene are all available in larger Boots stores and  online, and are priced from about £5 to £15. Obviously this review is based on products I have chosen for my skin type, but there are products available from all three ranges which are designed to target a wide range of skin issues as well as protecting the skin and dealing with sensitivities.

They are well worth a look!

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair.

So, this product has stood the test of time and has been around for thirty years apparently - it has recently been relaunched with the addition of chronolux technology, which we'll come to later (pens and pads at the ready for that - Its gonna get "sciency"!)

I was recently sent a little sample bottle of this - similar to the sizes you sometimes get free with magazines etc. This was meant to last a week, however I can safely say that a little of this goes a long way - I've been using this at night for about a month now and I'd barely used a quarter of the bottle, so despite its hefty price tag (£36 for 30ml or £49 for 50ml), I'd expect a bottle to last a long time! The product was sent with no press info for once - a good sign in my book, when companies dont try to dictate the content of blog posts lol... I also enjoy doing a bit of research myself from time to time!

The Science Bit...
The theory is that environmental assaults (pollution, stress, smoke, sunlight and even stress) cause DNA damage, which in turn causes ageing. Now we all know that skin does much of its repairing and renewing at night while we sleep - the old adage of "beauty sleep" is definitely true!

Apparently though, our skin cells contains clock genes - if these are "in sync", then this night time repair occurs optimally. However, the problem is that environmental assaults mean that the clock genes are frequently knocked out of sync, so aging occurs.The Advanced night repair contains "chronolux" technology, which sets to work on clock genes, synchronising them, and therefore making the skins natural defenses against ageing more effective.

So does it actually work?
I've seen reviews on you tube making claims that this serum heals blemishes overnight, and other such miracles. While it didn't do that for me, I can say it did seem to speed up the process significantly - After a blemish I often get a red area on the skin which can take a few weeks to disappear completely. I noticed while using this serum that such marks were reduced within about a week to ten days. My skin also feels very smooth and soft in the morning, and I definitely look quite "well rested"

The serum is also easily absorbed too, and easy to use - I'd say I apply 3-5 drops at night (thats a rough estimate - the proper sized product comes with a dropper, which my sample does not have...) prior to my night cream (Clarins Multi Active).

As for long term anti-ageing results, I think this would only be possible to really assess over the course of a few months, so I'm not really prepared to say yay or nay to this. So far though I've been impressed enough to say I'm likely to pick up a bottle when my little sample runs out. This also comes in an eye cream, which I'm interested in trying when my current eye cream runs out too...

Have any of you tried this or any other products from the range? I'm feeling that I've neglected to look at the Estee Lauder skincare products for a long time - for example, the Daywear range sounds right up my alley - SPF 30 and antioxidants? Fab!

MizzWorthy xxx

Vichy Products on test...

A couple of weeks ago I was emailed by Camilla from the PR company which represents the french skincare lines Vichy and La Roche-Posay, which are launching in the UK at the moment. This was a bit different to the normal PR emails however as instead of just blindly sending me a few random products to try, they actually asked me about my skin type and current concerns before sending me things to try - top marks for that!

Anyway, for those of you who are interested, my skin type is combination to dry and I am currently suffering a (?hormonal) breakout on my chin, which is not normal for me, and makes me feel rather gross!

WARNING - BREAKOUT CLOSEUP AHEAD! lOOK AWAY NOW IF YOU ARE EASILY DISTURBED OR OF A NERVOUS DISPOSITION!

So this is how my chin looked (delightful) when I started using the products that were sent to me... Now I admit this may not look too bad to a lot of people and I know there are bigger skin problems people have lol, but this is not normal for my skin, so therefore a bit annoying for me - I do get the occasional spot every now and then on my chin/jawline but not like this.

I won't be reviewing the products today, as I like to give a new skincare regime a month to see if it suits me or not, and also to see how it works with the delightful monthly hormonal cycle mother nature decided to grant us ladies... I just thought I'd show you all what I was sent and why for now...

First up I recieved some products from the "Normaderm" range.

NormaDerm is Vichy's "Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care" range for skin - ie it is designed to reduce imperfections and shiny patches on the skin without drying it out. I recieved the foaming cleanser, Anti-Imperfection Concentrate - a cream to apply to imperfections to get rid of them faster, and finally Pro-Mat daily mattifying moisturiser with SPF 15.

I also recieved "Purete Thermal Calming Cleansing Solution" - I love cleansers like this, they feel like water but are designed to get rid of makeup and grime quickly. This product is also designed for use on lips and eyes, ie its sensitive for sensitive areas...

Finally for night time, I recieved the "Aqualia Thermal Fortifying and Soothing 24Hr Hydrating Concentrate", which is a serum like formula which is designed to rehydrate the skin etc (Camilla advised me that my skin sounds like it may be dehydrated rather than simply "dry" (dehydration leads to the skin producing more oil which leads to spots see!) I also recieved "Aqualia Thermal Hydrating and Soothing Lotion" which is basically a light textured but very hydrating moisturiser.

All of Vichy's products contain "Mineral Rich Thermal Spa Water". Vichy claim that this water is enriched with 15 minerals and 13 trace elements - they say it sooths and comforts the skin, is rich in anti-oxidants, helps maintain the skin's pH balance and reinforces the skins natural protection.

I have been using the range for about two weeks now and so far, the standout products are the cleansing water, the serum and the anti-imperfection concentrate... I'll be posting full reviews in a couple of weeks though...

I was however also really excited to learn that Boots are going to be launching a skin health consultation service in larger branches where you will be able to get specialised skincare advice and recommendations - the consultants will be able to assess you skin for type (based on "shine index"), hydration levels, age (eek - "wrinkle and facial contours assessment"), sun sensitivity, pigmentation and sensitivity levels (biological and environmental). I'm definitely keeping an eye out for this service at my nearest branch!

Has anyone else seen this service on offer or used it yet? I would love to know what it's like! Anyone else used any Vichy?

MizzWorthy