In and Out!

A little fun post of things I am loving ... and those I am not loving quite so much!

IN 


OPI NAIL POLISH

I'm back to natural nails and as such rediscovering the variety of nail colours I own. Whilst I am a true nail whore  and own over 100 polishes by Chanel, Orly, MAC, CND  plus the usual high street suspects - I would say OPI remains my favourite for quality and staying power. I am looking forward to getting out my pastels and hot pinks and oranges for Summer! Here are just a few from my collection:

L'OCCITANE HAND CREAM

Well if I am going to wear lovely nail polish I need to get my hands looking good and winter has left them a little war wounded. I recently re-discovered the joy of L'Occitane dry skin hand cream with 20% Shea Butter. Leaves my hands feeling soft, looking smoother and - big bonus - it smells divine!

L'OREAL BODY EXPERTISE NUTRILIFT (DRY TO VERY DRY SKIN)

Fake tanning, exfoliating and fake tanning again over and over to infinity means my skin takes a proper battering. I am not very good at remembering to moisturise but at my age I can't afford not to anymore. This body lotion is one of the best I have tried (even surpassing - for me - more expensive brands such as Clarins). It doesn't irritate my skin, absorbs quickly (so practical) and leave my skin looking and feeling better. Plus Superdrug have L'Oreal on 3 for 2. Who could ask for more?!

OUT


CLARINS BEAUTY FLASH BALM

Try as I might to love this product (and over the years I really really have tried) - I just doesn't seem to make any difference. I have applied it as a thin layer prior to make up, or as a thick layer as a mask then removed with toner (i.e completely as directed) and yet it never makes my skin look any better. I wish I was one of the people it worked for - I so wanted it to! Sad face.

LANCOME GENIFIQUE YEUX

Been using this consistently since November - and its another one that I had such high hopes for only to be sorely disappointed. I will use it to the end of the pot (mostly because it was REALLY expensive) but then I suspect I will go back to my beloved Kiehls Avocado Eye cream which has the heavy creamy consistency that seems to work much better on my type of skin.

L'OREAL STUDIO SECRETS SMOOTHING RESURFACING PRIMER

Broke me out. Massively. That is all. :(

L'Oreal Youth Code Serum

During my Superdrug splurge last week I found myself drawn to the L'Oreal 3 for 2 offer. I was already purchasing my favourite body lotion - L'Oreal Body Expertise Nutrilift for Very Dry Skin (too much exfoliating and fake tanning and exfoliating again has left my skin a little lacklustre) so it seemed like a no brainer to pick up another couple of "gilty pleasures".

Immediately I saw the L'Oreal Youth Code Serum I found myself struck by the physical/aesthetic similarity to Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate - a product I have lusted after for a long time. Here is a little compare and contrast:

Apparently Lancome and L'Oreal are owned by the same company - and some intense Googling shows that, according to some, the ingredients are similar. I personally haven't tried the Genifique Concentrate but I have been using the eye serum since November last year and haven't been wowed. To be honest I haven't even been that happy with it at all (hence the slightly dusty lid!) I am really just using it up as I feel guilty at the cost despite purchasing at Geneva airport Duty Free! 

L'Oreal claim Youth Code "significantly diminishes the signs of aging" - well that's pretty general and I guess they would say that. Now - here's the science bit. Concentrate! They also state the secret to the formula is that it uses L'Oreal's "breakthrough" Pro-Gen technology (the "secret of genes") which includes 2 key ingredients: Biolysat (which acts at the epidermis level and tells genes to act faster in the recovery process) and adenosine (a molecule that is found in skin cells that acts at the dermis level to produce collagen).  Now I pretty much flunked biology but it all sounds pretty promising to me. Especially as it promises to transform my dull skin into something younger and more luminous! Hell yeah - count me in.

I have been using the serum as directed (nights and mornings on clean skin prior to moisturiser) for the last 5 days. It has a light scent but nothing too nause inducing. Plus it hasn't broken me out (as yet - touch wood!) or made my eyes stream (a la the L'Oreal Collagen cream)  which is always my biggest fear when trialling new products. No "wow I look 10 years younger" moments yet - but its a serum not a wizard!

I'll keep you updated on how I progress with it! 

until next time.............xo