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.