L'Oreal Revitalift Total Repair 10 Night Cream

What a mouthful!  You can understand why, when I toddled into Priceline a few months ago to buy this (on special, of course) I was completely confused by what was on offer and what wasn't.  In the L'Oreal range, Revitalift and Revitalift 10 are two different things.  I'm still not clear on what the difference is - but this is what I ended up with ...

This night cream claims to fight 10 signs of ageing while you sleep.  A big plus for me is that its main ingredient (after water) is glycerin - something that my skin seems to love.  After that, an ingredient I haven't passed comment on yet: dimethicone.  This is really widely found in cosmetics (and related products) and is basically a silicone.  It makes creams very smooth and also helps fill in/smooth over any fine lines.  It can also act as a protective barrier (so make sure your skin is clean before slathering it on as it will help trap gunk too!).

Personally, I've found that products containing dimethicone have a nice feel when I'm applying them to my skin.  They spread easily and tend not to feel oily.

I absolutely loved this cream.  It was easy to apply, non greasy and I didn't need too much of it.  It made my skin feel plumped up and hydrated just before bed and in the morning I still felt the same way.

For much of the time I was using this, it was in combination with the Garnier Ultralift during the day, and those two in tandem is a combination I'd be happy to return to.  My skin felt great.

I was not such a fan of the little pump container.  It worked absolutely fine but there's no way to know if you've run out of cream or the pump mechanism is simply failing because there's not enough left.  However, even though it is a cheap plastic container, it does look reasonably luxe in your bathroom.

I would definitely buy this again.  I know I'm a bit younger than the L'Oreal Revitalift target age range but I figure that pre-emptive skincare is not a bad thing.

Widely available.  RRP is around $36 but you'll be able to find it cheaper.

L'Oreal.

Source:  purchase.

Pond's Age Miracle Dual Action Eye Cream

This cream, from the relatively recently relaunched Ponds, offers 'dual action' with separate creams for eye lid and under the eye.

Initially I was very sceptical about this, especially as the two creams are very different in appearance and texture.  And while the jar is quite funky (and also quite luxe for a relatively cheap product) I could see myself running out of one cream a lot sooner than the other.

This didn't happen - I have run out of the eye lid cream and still have a little of the under eye cream left, but it's only a tiny disparity.

As for the creams themselves - I actually quite liked the pale pink eye lid cream.  It was very smooth and light, went on easily and had a nice matt, powdery feel to it.

However, the under eye cream (and let's face it, that's where most of us are worried about wrinkles!) didn't do it for me at all.  I found the cream far too heavy and often, especially in slightly cooler weather, I felt like I was dragging it across the delicate eye area.  It also had a tendency to sit in the eye crease if I accidentally used too much.

In terms of performance, I'd rate this product as maintenance rather than anything else.  I didn't notice any improvement in terms of appearance but also I haven't come out of the experience looking worse.

The main ingredient in both creams (before water even!) is cyclopentasiloxane, a silicone that appears to most commonly be used in conditioners.  But it is used in make up and, like all the silicones, has emollient properties and can fill in fine lines temporarily but seems to be there more for feel (which makes it even stranger than that the under cream felt so heavy, but there you go) and its ability to deliver other ingredients to the skin.  The lower lid cream does contain glycerin (which appears to be my skin's favourite!) but it's well down the list of ingredients.

I picked this up from Priceline with the benefit of both some SisterClub vouchers and a special SisterClub discount so it set me back all of about $15, however it is normally more expensive.

Would I buy this again?  No.

Available from Priceline.  RRP $29.99

Ponds.

Source: purchase.

Garnier UltraLift 2 in 1 Serum (Day)

This a prize that landed in my letter box.  After being underwhelmed by the Garnier BB Cream, I didn't come to this moisturiser (in the increasingly popular "+ serum" format) with high expectations.

I could not have been more wrong.  This is a fabulous day cream.  My only criticism is that it doesn't have any sun protection in it.  That, seriously, is it.  My only complaint.

The cream is very prettily presented: two spirals of cream and serum so that as you pump you get the perfect blend.  It is very lightly scented (a plus in my mind) and the cream itself is super light and quickly absorbed.  I would guess that if you had very dry, dehydrated skin this might not do the trick - but, even if you are like me (my skin is routinely dehydrated) this is great.  You don't need to use very much (though at under $20 you could afford to!) and it softens and plumpens (is that a word?!) skin.

Initially I was using this both morning and night and I did find it wasn't quite powerful enough, with a few dry patches appearing.  But swapping to a proper night cream (and, I understand, that Garnier produces a night cream version of this) solved that problem.

Its main ingredient (after water) is glycerin - something my skin always responds well to.  Next up is pentylene glycol which, interestingly, has antimicrobial properties.  I wonder if this translates well into the cream not causing breakouts in those prone to them ...

I loved this.  Something I will definitely consider buying when I am next in the market for a moisturiser.  Top marks, Garnier!

Widely available.  RRP is about $20.

Garnier.

Source: prize.

Clairol Nice'n Easy

 This is a product which is readily available and very often reduced in price. I'll confess that I was seduced by not only the mark down but also a pretty comprehensive range of colours.
 
For the record, I chose 114C (Light Chestnut Brown) which doesn't appear on the Clairol website so maybe it's been discontinued.

As with all hair dyes, you need to do an allergy test 48 hours in advance. And here is the first con: you need to mix the colour and developer and use this for your patch test. I find this a massive pain as I can't just do the patch test on the spur of the moment. I have to be organised enough to find something to mix them together in and by that stage I have found something else to do.

You apply the dye to dry hair (a definite plus) and ideally you will have done a strand test to work out the perfect development time ... or you leave for 20-25 minutes.

As with all permanent colours, Nice'n Easy promises 100% grey coverage but I was a little disappointed.  Despite the much vaunted (by the ads) multi-tonal colouring, the greys turned out (as they so often do) a deepish pink which faded very quickly.

I liked that the conditioner treatment was resealable but, as far as I'm concerned, the faff with the allergy test and the less than awesome grey coverage far outweigh that.  In a hair colour, I think the most important thing is even, persistent coverage and on this count, Nice'n Easy did not deliver.

Widely available.  RRP about $12.99 though often on special

Clairol.

Source: purchase.

Sanctum Moisure Concentrate

A while back I read a piece in the Guardian about how, when buying moisturisers (or skin care in general) it's a good idea to have a quick read of the ingredients list.  If it's dominated by water (sorry, aqua) and mineral oil then you're really paying for glorified baby oil.  If it's dominated by the so called 'active' ingredients, then you're getting a bit more bang for your buck.

This Sanctum Moisture Concentrate (which I received as part of a prize) ticks the second box with the plenty of things like aloe, vitamin A, cocoa seed butter and jojoba oil.  It's also Australian made and owned, not tested on animals, vegan friendly and 87% organic.

So before you even use this, you feel good.

How does it stack up as product?  I really liked it.  It has a very herbal, savoury smell that is dominated by rosemary.  I liked this as it reminded me of expensive facials where they use very concentrated products!

I used the product morning and night (always a plus, in my mind) and found it a good base for foundation.  It did a good job of hydrating my skin although it wasn't always quite up to the winter weather.  At the same time, it didn't cause any breakouts but it is quite emollient so if you have oily skin (rather than combination) or you're prone to breakouts you might want to try one of Sanctum's other moisturisers.

This is another product I would definitely buy.  It's only $20 for a 75g tube and it lasted me for quite a while.  It seems like it might be a bit tricky to get hold of.  Here is South Australia it is supposedly available at Foods for Life in Gawler Place but the FfL website doesn't list it.  You can, however, buy it through the Sanctum website.  Sanctum offers loads of different products, including ones for men and babies, so if you are interested in organic and sustainable skin care you should have a look.

Available:  check the store locator on the Sanctum website or buy online. $19.95

Sanctum Australia.

Source:  prize.

Clinique Even Better Foundation

So, my tiny make up bag, complete with my foundation, has been stuck at work for a week and a half.  Long story.  And while I can (mostly) live without things like mascara and make up brushes (and it's been raining so much even going out make up is pared right down!), a lack of foundation causes problems.  Especially as I am increasingly falling out of love with my BB cream.

As I did actually have to go out somewhere other than the shops I had a ferret through my bags of samples and pulled out one for Clinique's Even Better foundation.  The sample was in shade Neutral (05) which was an OK but not great match for my skin.

However, I really liked this foundation and I'd definitely consider buying it.  Coverage is a bit more than I'm used to (Clinique describes it as 'moderate to full' and that's spot on) but it wasn't cakey at all and I found that it lasted quite well and faded gracefully (it didn't settle into wrinkles and creases).

Being me, I also love the fact that it has a proper SPF.

At $50 from a Clinique counter it is ~ $20 more expensive than the foundation I'm currently using (which I also like, but less coverage) but when I'm next in the market for a foundation I hope Clinique has a gift with purchase on as I'll be heading along to get a good colour match.

Available at a Clinique counter. $50.

Clinique.

Source: sample.

Olay Regenerist

I've got plenty of moisturiser samples hanging around at the moment which is lovely fun.  Many of them are small sachets with just one or two uses in them and, particularly with a moisturiser, I don't think that that's enough to write a fair review.

However, a small pot of Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Cream found its way onto the bathroom bench.

In short, I really liked this product.  Pleasant, but not over powering scent, and I am sure that over the period I used it my skin felt smoother and plumper, with fine lines smoothed out too.

I don't actually have anything negative to say about it:  I would definitely buy this product in future.

Widely available for ~ $40.

Olay.

Source:  sample.

Nivea Young Be Beautiful Tinted Moisturiser

Hot on the heels of the Garnier BB Cream, that I wasn't such a fan of, comes this:  a tinted moisturiser.  I've typically steered away from tinted moisturisers - I think I went through a phase of using nothing but when I was MUCH younger and have never really got back into it.

The Nivea Young Be Beautiful! Tinted Moisturiser is, as the name suggests, designed for young skin.  It should, in theory, moisturise, protect (it has a UVA/UVB filter, but no SPF rating) and even out your skin tone.

As with the BB cream, I didn't find this product nearly emollient enough but I also think I'm not the target market.  But when I used a moisturiser underneath, I found that this gave much better coverage than the BB cream.  Although I had the 'natural' colour, it came out of the tube a really scary dark brown but I found it blended in with my skin tone well.  It had a nice matt finish and I certainly didn't appear to be caked in makeup (or hhttp://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7093719917028615861#editor/target=post;postID=4605148760414607691ave a tide line!).

I'm struggling to find a retail price for this product, but I doubt it's exorbitant. 

If you're skin's not dry or dehydrated and you're after a foundation like product to have on standby, I would recommend giving this a go.  Given the lack of SPF I would make sure to use a sunblock too, particularly if you're going to be outside.

Not sure about availability.  The ever reliable Priceline doesn't appear to stock it.

Nivea.

Source:  sample.

Garnier BB Cream

Garnier BB Cream

 I know I'm the last person on the planet to review this stuff!  As soon as it came on the market, I was keen to get my hands on it, but even then it took me ages.  Which is ridiculous because it is so cheap (RRP is about $14 and it is very often on sale so you shouldn't have to pay more than $10).

The idea behind a BB cream is that it does everything:  moisturiser, foundation, sunblock, etc etc all in one magical tube.  As I have a toddler, something like this is very appealing because while I can always find the time for either sunblock or moisturiser a lot of the rest of the routine falls away, particularly if it's early in the morning and we're off to Kindergym.

The first thing I noticed on the box was that Garnier does specify an appropriate age range for the product (up to about 40-45) which I thought was very useful so no one has inappropriate expectations.

The product feels quite thick as you squeeze it out of the tube but it actually is very fine and light on the skin.  Coverage is extremely light but the first few times I used it I absolutely loved it. My skin felt and looked smooth and it did a great job of evening out skin tone without being obvious.  It had the right balance of matt and shine to it to look really natural too.

However, it clearly wasn't providing enough moisturiser power for my skin because after probably a week or so I found that my skin was really dry and little rough patches were appearing.  The BB cream was catching in the rough patches and looking ... less than good.

So of course then I had to go back to using a moisturiser underneath the BB cream and that kind of spoils the point.

If you have skin that has no tendency to dryness then this might well work for you.  However, while it does contain sunblock it is only SPF 15 so if you're spending time outside (or it's the middle of summer) you'd be wise to go an additional layer of sunblock.

And coverage is really light.  I know lots of people for whom it just wouldn't be enough and even I don't consider the coverage good enough for a night out.

It also only comes in two shades (I bought 'light' and found it blended to my skin tone absolutely fine) which I suspect might be a problem for some people with tricky to match complexions.  It also comes in sensitive and oil free formulas.

Overall, I liked this well enough and have continued to use it (although sporadically), but it's not made me fall in love with it.

Widely available.  RRP ~ $14

Garnier.

Source: purchased.

Biore Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser

I'd run out of cleanser so I decided to investigate what was in my large pile of sample sachets.  The first thing I came across was this Bioré Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser.

Normally I steer well clear of cheaper cleansers:  my experience has been that they are far too drying, even on my combination skin.  I remember once going for a weekend away and using my partner's cleanser (he's a proper man's man, so the fact he even uses something you could call a cleanser is a miracle).  In the space of just two or three days my skin was tight, dry and flaky.  Bleah.

So I was prepared to use this a couple of times and then discard the sachet.

But I've been really pleasantly surprised.  No dry skin and I actually really like this cleanser.  It's a gel which foams up, it's lightly scented (the scent is quite feminine though - think watermelon with floral notes ... might not really work for manly men!), and it washes off easily.

My skin has been left feeling clean, no squeakiness, and after about a week of using it - no dryness.  I'm seriously tempted to buy this when I'm next in the market for a cleanser (I have a LOT of samples hanging around!).

Widely available.  RRP ~ $11.

Bioré

Sample from magazine.

Garnier Nutrisse

I colour my hair intermittently.  As a rule, I don't make New Year resolutions, but I am on a constant quest to treat my hair better.  Last year I managed to do semi-regular hair cuts:  my hairdresser reckons I can get away with a cut every 10 weeks and I skipped just one of those.

I already have a weekly hair mask routine under control so this year, I'm going to try keeping my colour up.  After all, there's nothing worse than a last minute invite somewhere when your hair's looking a little sad.

Hair colouring in a salon is pretty expensive (my hairdresser charges about $60), but you can usually pick up a permanent colour for around the $10-15 mark.  That's a big saving, given that your time investment is likely to be around the same.  I'm sure a colour done in salon looks a little better but no one is ever inspecting my hair that carefully!

This time round I chose Garnier Nutrisse colour 5.25 (Frosted Chestnut).  Skin test done, I was ready to colour. 

Good things at the start:  you apply to dry hair, not too smelly and the conditioner comes in a resealable container, rather than a sachet.

I always find colours a pain to rinse out and this was no different. 


Grey coverage was very good, and the colour has lasted really well.  Unlike many reddish colours, the white hairs haven't faded to pink - they've held the actual colour.

Definitely both a product and a colour I'd use again.  Though knowing me I'd experiment with a different colour!

Clarins Cleansing Milk with Alpine Herbs

The Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel is my favourite cleanser at the moment but I finished it off and I seem to have a loads of Lait Démaquillant Velours from gifts with purchase.  I used it while I was on holiday (perfect holiday size!) and was happy with it, so I'm continuing to use it to clear something of a backlog (my mum uses Clarins too so I often get donations from her gifts with purchase!).

The normal-dry skin version of this works well on my combination skin - leaving it feeling nice and smooth.  Being a cleansing milk, you can either wipe or rinse off - I always rinse off and I apply it to dry skin and give it a (very brief) massage in.

It rinses off easily and has a pleasant, not too strong, herbal scent.  I personally prefer the way the gel feels and leaves my skin feeling:  it's almost like it's a bit more squeaky clean but without the drying sensation.  However,the Cleansing Milk would be fantastic for anyone with really dry skin or who is not into oil based cleansers.

I don't think I've tried a Clarins cleanser I haven't liked:  this is one area where the brand seems to really know its stuff.  Another solid tick.

Available from a Clarins counter.  RRP $40.

Clarins.

Source:  gift with purchase.

L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Cream

At some point last year I used L'Oreal's Youth Code eye cream and was pretty impressed with it.  The Youth Code range is pitched at people in their 30s whereas Revitalift is for women in their 40s.  While I'm not quite there (!) I like trying something new and the Revitalift eye cream contains Pro-Retinol A which is L'Oreal's trademarked vitamin A rich serum.  Vitamin A is an antioxidant and well known anti-aging ingredient.  And I'm all for as much anti aging as possible.

The cream is very light and I found I didn't need to use too much of it.  As it's very light and non oily there's no drag when you apply it which, around the delicate eye area, is a good thing.  I'm always a bit wary of products that are too thick and heavy.

I personally thought this was a good maintenance product but I'm not sure that, in the time I've been using it (I'm almost at the end of the pot, and I use it twice daily pretty religiously) that there's been any real reversal of any signs of aging.  L'Oreal claims that in 4 weeks wrinkles and crows feet will be visibly reduced but if they were, it wasn't so dramatic that I noticed.

This is a product I may, or may not, buy again.  I'd pick it up if it was on offer and I was in a hurry.

I do like the fact it comes in a pot so you can actually use ALL of it!

Widely available, RRP ~ $30.

L'Oreal.

Source:  purchase.