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Review: Avène Extremely Gentle Cleanser

Eau Thermale Avène Extremely Gentle Cleanser*

Remember my personalised skincare routine from Avène?
Well I wanted to review one of my favourite products from it.
Avène’s Extremely Gentle Cleanser is for sensitive and irritated skin.
I think that pretty much sums up my awkward skin – so how did it work out?
Pros:
+ Non-greasy
+ Very gentle & light
+ A little goes a long way
+ Clears my skin up amazingly
+ Easily wiped away with a cotton pad
Cons:
– Quite runny

Notes:
This has been working wonders on my skin.
As soon as I started using it I noticed that it was clearing my skin up.
I always like to give products a few weeks to prove their worth, but this worked in a few days.
That might not be the same for everyone who uses it but my skin adores it. That said, my skin likes to get in a mood and break out if I happen to forget to use it (which doesn’t happen very often). Still that’s my own fault and I am happy with the results that I’m seeing from this so I will definitely be purchasing it after I run out. It’s extremely gentle and kind to skin, although the formula is slightly runny so be careful you don’t drip it everywhere when using it! It wipes off easily with a cotton pad and doesn’t leave a greasy feeling, or any product behind. I would definitely recommend this to people who have sensitive skin or react badly to some cleansers, because this is amazing and the price point isn’t bad either.
You can purchase Avène at Boots and in Boots stores nationwide.
bloomzy /

Avène Personalised Skincare Routine

Avèn3 Extremely Gentle Cleanser*, Eau Thermale Water Spray, Rich Skin Recovery Cream

It’s no secret that Avène are my favourite skincare brand.
They know how to look after sensitive skin, so they’re perfect for me.
I always stock up on Avène products in France, or Boots if I run out when I’m in the UK.
So when I signed up to the Avène website I was interested to see a personalised skincare routine.
The brand have decided to help those out who aren’t sure what products of theirs to use.
I decided to give it a go to see if they could recommend anything I hadn’t used before.
Using their Skin Diagnosis I filled out everything that applied to me and my skin.
I choose the ‘fair skin’ option and filled in the rest as follows:
As you can see they recommended me the three products I have above:
+ Extremely Gentle Cleanser
+ Eau Thermale Water Spray
+ Rich Skin Recovery Cream
My skin has not felt anywhere near as irritated as it was before I started using these together.
It stopped a blemish I felt that was on it’s way, and it has also cleared up my skin and left it fresh.
I really love that the site also tells you how to use these products and what they’re good for.
If you’re new to Avène or just want some help with your skincare routine this is for you.
They even sent me some samples of 2 of the products in my diagnosis after I signed up.
I don’t know if this is the same every time but I imagine they send them to everyone.
It’s handy for those who don’t want to invest in products without trying them first.
Find out your own personalised skin diagnosis here.
You can buy Avène products in Boots stores nationwide, and on Boots.com
bloomzy /

French Pharmacy Haul: Avène, Nuxe, Caudalie & La Roche-Posay

I think it’s safe to say I went a little crazy.
French pharmacies are my version of a toy store.
Once I’m let loose in them, you’re not getting me back for a while.
This holiday I think I outdid myself, this is probably my biggest haul so far.
I bought products I’ve tried before and adore, and new ones that I’d heard good things about.
I’m sure you know all of these but just incase let me introduce you to the brands & products I bought:
Caudalie
+ Beauty Elixir

La Roche-Posay
+ Serozinc Toner
Nuxe
+ Essential Travel Kit
+ Nirvanesque Eye Contour Cream
Avène
+ Trixera Emollient Cream
+ Cold Cream Body Lotion
+ Eau Thermal Water Spray
+ Skin Rich Recovery Cream
+ Eau Thermal Micellar Lotion Cleanser & Make-up Remover

The beauty of French pharmacies is that they have full collections.
It can be difficult to find French beauty products in the UK for a decent price.
For those who are interested in trying them out for themselves, I have included links.
It might seem like I’ve bought far too many products to try out, but trust me, you’ll be seeing reviews.
bloomzy /

Results: Escentual Micellar Water Trial

Remember the Micellar Water Blind Trial I did for Escentual?
(If you don’t remember it you can view it here)
Well 100 Bloggers voted and the results are in, and I was very surprised at the final scores.
It’s obvious by the results that what worked for me, didn’t necessarily work for others.
I think this trial is the perfect example of how everyone’s skin is different.
My favourite? Dior’s Micellar Water.
My least favourite? La Roche-Posay.
It’s funny how my favourite was in the bottom 3, and my least favourite was in the top 3.
Straightaway after using Sample A I knew that it had to be Dior, don’t ask me how.
Maybe it’s because I have expensive taste, or I could feel the quality?
Which would I buy again? Dior and Caudalie.
I loved the trial and it has helped me discover some great products.
Micellar Water is my thing so I’ll definitely be investing in some of these in the future.
bloomzy /

Pegasus Beauty Showcase

Snaps from Pegasus Beauty Showcase, and the contents of my goodie bag*

Yesterday I attended Pegasus PR’s Beauty Showcase at One Marylebone.
The ladies (are there any gents? I’ve not met one yet) at Pegasus PR are always so lovely.
I am always happy to meet and chat with them as they genuinely love what they’re doing.
They also represent so many wonderful brands, a lot of whom I own and buy regularly.
So I knew there would be some amazing brands at the showcase and I couldn’t wait.
I was literally one of the first to arrive – that’s how eager I was to check it out!
The showcase itself was set out very nicely, making it easy to notice (and chat) with each brand.
Some of the brands I know and have worked with thanks to Pegasus were there: Trilogy, Avène, Klorane, Dr Organic Australian Bodycare, and Holland & Barrett. It’s always nice to see tried and tested favourites. I was also happy to see a few new brands being represented such as Collection (formerly Collection 2000) and Witch. Even though I was impressed by pretty much all the brands there were several that really stood out to me. What were they?
+ Trilogy Sensitive Range – sfor those with sensitive skin. The serum was as light as a feather.
+ Dr Organics Snail Gel – sounded weird enough for me to try it, and smelt heavenly, like lemon sherbet.
+ Holland & Barrett Aromatherapy Oils – over 35+ oils in the range, each with its own purpose & properties.
SHOWCASE WINNER: Collection Gothic Glam Lipstick & Polish
I will be investing in literally all of these when they’re released later this year (apart from #1 Dramatic polish as that was in my goodie bag). The lipsticks are the exact colours I love and I know I would wear them everyday. The polishes also came in 4 brilliant shades that remind me a bit of crushed velvet – love it!
Thanks for such an amazing showcase Pegasus!
I can’t wait to try out the goodies in my bag and review some on the blog.
bloomzy /

Escentual Micellar Water Trial

The Escentual Micellar Water Trial*

On Saturday I found out that I had been lucky enough to be chosen for the Escentual Micellar Water Trial.
I was chosen amongst 99 other beauty addicts (i.e. bloggers, vloggers etc.) to try out 7 secret samples. These 7 samples, labelled A-G are all well-known/high-end brand Micellar Water’s, but whilst we know which brands will be taking part, we don’t know which sample belongs to which brand. It’s a beauty addict’s dream come true.

The waters on trial are:
I’m a Micellar Water convert and have been using it as a part of my daily skincare routine for over a year now.
I stick to Avène’s Cleanser & Make-up Remover, which is actually one of the samples on trial. However, even though I have stock of it, I’ve been curious about other brands, so I’m excited to give all of these a try and give my opinion on each. We have only 14 days to trial all 7 samples, which logically allocates 2 days per sample. I will be keeping track of each sample and writing up a review for the blog in 2 weeks time, when the trial has ended. I may even have a guess at which sample belongs to which brand – although I’ll probably fail miserably, but it will be fun to see if I can get any right.
bloomzy /

Review: Avène D-Pigment Light Dark Spot Lightener

Avène D-Pigment Light Dark Spot Lightener*

Avène is my favourite beauty brand by far! It might seem a bit odd to start with such an exclamation but I trust the brand. It’s products are specifically for people with sensitive skin, but that doesn’t mean that it only sells a few products. However the brand actually has over 20 ranges, all suited for various purposes. The Avène D-Pigment Light Dark Spot Lightener is part of the D-Pigment range. This range is specifically for targeting brown spots and evening out skin tone.

Notes:
First off I would just like to say that there won’t be any pros/cons on this review. I was confused to start with and thought this might help me with the marks left behind by spots and my uneven skin tone. Now I realise that this product was not suited to me or my skin problems – I don’t have any brown spots, I do have an uneven skin tone but that is due to redness however. I don’t want to say that this product was terrible and didn’t work because I believe it purely just wasn’t suited to me. I did see a slight lightening of marks left by spots, and the product was very lightweight and gentle, so it was worth trying. I just think it would be better suited to someone with brown spots who is looking to even out their complexion. If this isn’t you and you’re more like me, then it might be worth trying a product from their Antirougeurs range.

You can purchase Avène products in Boots stores, and online here.