I was wondering, briefly, what I would take if I had to pare down my skincare routine right down to its very, very basics. I get lots of people mentioning that I use a wide range of products on my skin, and if I think that's a good idea, bearing in mind that my skin is quite sensitive. My reply is usually that whilst I do rotate products quite a bit, I tend to stick to tried and trusted favourites, and just swap in one new product into my routine at a time. If you follow me on Instagram at all, you'll see my morning face routines on the day, and there's usually a core of products that I use, and only swap one product or so a day.
Picking my core, desert island skincare was difficult. Very, very, very difficult.in the end, I narrowed it down to these nine items, and I made them mostly old favourites, because, whilst I've trialled some amazing skincare - some that I'm convinced will be future classics, I haven't been using them long enough to see if they make the "repurchase" hall of fame. All of the products featured here, with the exception of one, have passed that particular hurdle, and in spades.
First things first, cleansing. I picked two cleansers, one a basic no frills, no scents, no luxury cleanser, which is perfect for sensitive skin, and also makes a great makeup remover, and that is Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Oil. I've not reviewed this yet (but I will), but I love it for days when my skin is acting up, and I want something that my skin won't - can't - react to. For a cleanser that is the exact opposite, that is luxurious in every single way, smells divine, beautifully textured, and fantastic for a second cleanse, I chose Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm. Follow the link for a full review.
Toner. There was only ever one "toner" on this list, and that was, of course, La Roche Posay Serozinc. I play with others, but the zinc in Serozinc makes all the difference to my skin. For an acid tone, however, I chose Zelens PHA+ Bio Peel Facial Resurfacing Pads because they are glycolic-free, and my skin tolerates them better than any other acid toner on the planet. There is a rumour going around that I only bought the Caroline Hirons Beauty Box recently because I needed to stock up on these, and I only wish I could deny that ...
Serum-wise, I went with Artemis by Sunday Riley. This was an incredibly difficult choice, and I uhmmed and ahhhed about putting Hydraluron in its place instead. In the end I went with Artemis because it is more of a multi-purpose product, which you can use as an oil or a serum, and it's anti-inflammatory qualities make it a great product for skin prone to sensitivity or redness, like mine. I'd miss Hydraluron though.
I guess you could also call May Lindstrom's Blue Cocoon a serum, but it's a balm that turns into an oil, and it's fantastic for sensitive skin. I use it whenever my skin is flaring up, or when it needs a little extra protection, either from products or from the weather. It's truly a desert island product in that I can't imagine life without it.
Speaking of balms, the Nuxe Reve de Miel never ever makes it onto my skincare of the day posts, but it is a product I use every single day without fail. It softens the lips beautifully and prepares them for lipstick perfectly. I love the matte texture, and this version, "Love" has a lovely orange flavour, which I like more than the original honey version.
For eyes, I chose Omorovicza Blue Diamond Eye Cream, which I have enjoyed using a great deal this year. Whilst I wouldn't describe it as my holy grail eyecream - which I'm not sure exists, tbh - it is a very, very good eyecream. Except the price will make your eyes water ...
And finally, moisturiser. Now, I'm pretty much of the opinion that if you get everything else right, you can use pretty much anything as a moisturiser, to be honest, but I make an exception for this, Kate Somerville Goat Cream. Moisturising, soothing, and also gently exfoliating (it's packed with lactic acid) this is a moisturiser beyond compare. I can't wait for Kate Somerville skincare to come back to the UK. I hear rumours that it's on the horizon, and, as soon as I hear anything confirmable, I'll let you know.
So there you go. If I could only use a few products, these would be the ones I would choose. I think. What skincare products couldn't you live without?
The Fine Print: PR Samples and purchases
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Last year Nuxe released a perfume version of their cult Huile Prodigieuse, which I liked a great deal (and reviewed it here), and this year they're releasing a Shower Oil version, which, I'm not going to lie, I like a great deal.
Smelling identical to both the oil and the perfume versions of Huile Prodigieuse, it's a creamy floral, suntan-lotion scented shower oil in a slightly balmy-texture. It has a slight golden shimmer (similar to the Huile Prodigieuse d'Or version) throughout, which will leave your skin with a slight gleam, but not looking like you've showered with a drag queen. It lathers up nicely with a shower puff, and leaves skin feeling clean and moisturised, without drying or dragging.
All in all a very nice product, I'll be packing this one to take away with me this year. After all, if you can't smell like you're on your holidays when you're actually on your holidays, when can you?
It'll be instore soon.
The Fine Print: PR Sample
This post: Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Shower Oil originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
By Get Lippie
Those two great French skincare competitors, Nuxe and Caudalie, have both brought out perfume versions of their cult body oil products this summer, and I managed to get my hands on both so I could compare and contrast each of them.
Nuxe is probably the cult body oil product in the UK, and this summer, the iconic rectangular bottle has been re-issued with a cute limited edition design, which I surprisingly rather like. The perfume bottle is a flat oblong with a bronzed ombre effect over. It looks rather staid in comparison to the limited edition bottle though, I think!
The scent is warm, redolent of jasmine and sunshine, with a small hit of coconut. It actually has a rather sunscreen-y scent, instantly transporting you to a beach and the tropical cocktail of your choice. On first spraying, it is intensely heady and rather strong-seeming, but this headiness wears off rather quickly, just leaving a floral-musk skin scent behind, which is rather nuzzly and lovely. It's very discreet in wear, you're not going to offend any perfume-phobics in the office in this one.
In comparison with the scent of the oil itself, it holds up very well indeed - on first sniff, they're practically identical - the oil has a more rounded profile, and because of the oil base it's less sharp-seeming than the parfum, which feels a little thinner than the original formulation. That said the two are to all intents completely indistinguishable from each other. Lasting power for the fragrance, even though it's a parfum formulation, is around 4-6 hours, but as it wears very close to the skin, sometimes you'll have to hunt for the scent whilst you're wearing it. Nuxe Prodigieux le Parfum costs £43 for 50mls.
Packaging is, for me, a very important part of any product, and hands down the Caudalie bottles win this particular context. Not only is the circular shape of the oil bottle easier to handle (I struggle with the flat rectangle of the Nuxe, owing to having very small hands, and the bottle is too wide for me to grip properly in use), but the metallic ombre effect on the Parfum Divin bottle is quite, quite lovely. I also like the wooden lids, which add just a little extra touch of luxury and texture to the overall presentation.
Divine oil is just a couple of years old, but has spawned a couple of offshoot products already - a body scrub, and Divine Legs, which is a lightly tinted body moisturiser - and the perfume is a natural extension. A lighter, fresher, fragrance than the Nuxe Prodigieux. In comparison, Parfum Divin has an almost cucumber-y ozonic scent, atop a base of blonde woods, cedar and white flowers. I can catch a hint of jasmine here, but it's far less punchy than in the Nuxe. It dries down to a more woody skin-scent than the Nuxe, but they are both somewhat on the discreet side, and dry down to a gentle inoffensiveness.
Whilst less initially heady than the Nuxe fragrance, it's actually a slightly more sophisticated scent overall, being more redolent of a spa than a sunscreen, but it does still manage to smell almost exactly like the original product, in the same way. Again, the fragrance is a little sharper, and a little fresher than the oil, but this is down to the formulation, as an oil fragrance will always seem a little "fatter" to the nose, than an alcohol-based spray. The lasting power for both fragrances is about the same. Parfum Divin de Caudalie will be available for £39 for 50ml when it launches shortly. There's a candle version of the fragrance too, which really, really, really needs to join my candle collection, tbh.
So, do you need both fragrances? Probably not, to be honest. Both the fragrances are wonderful companions to their respective oils, being respectful recreations of the originals, and they're both wonderful for layering over the oils for a little extra oomph (the oils will anchor the fragrances to your skin, making them last longer), but which one you prefer will depend on which oil you have a preference for. I can't actually pick a winner - the Nuxe is a cult product for a reason, it smells great, and is instantly evocative, but, the Caudalie is sophisticated, and (for me) a better bottle. Which one do you prefer?
The Fine Print: PR Samples. But I'm ordering a candle, oh yes. No, I am NOT obsessed.
This post: Nuxe Prodigieux le Parfum and Parfum Divin de Caudalie originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
