My Current AM/PM Moisturisers

Since around Christmas I've really been enjoying using Organic Surge products. When I first started this blog I was a self-confessed skin care snob 'What, it's under a tenner? Nah, won't be any good!' sad but true, that was my way of thinking. One of the good things about blogging though is getting the chance to try products you (a) haven't heard of before or (b) more than likely wouldn't have tried. I've came across some brilliant beauty bargains over the last few years so of course I want to share them with you. Who doesn't want to save a few pennies where they can?

Blissful Daily Moisturiser, 50ml, £8.49*: This product doesn't target wrinkles, dark spots or anything like that, nor does it claim to. What it does do though is keep the dry/dehydrated areas of my face happy with just the right amount of moisture which keeps fine lines at bay but it also rebalances my oily t-zone. Oily skins looking for a good daily moisturiser that won't increase shine throughout the day even when worn under foundation would get on brilliantly with this, as would anyone with normal combination skin. The texture is lovely, it's light and a little goes a long way which is rare for something this light. It's quickly absorbed and leaves behind a healthy looking complexion. However, if your skin is extremely dry or you want something that's going to target specific skin concerns then this isn't for you. I'm almost at the end of my pot now and still like it as much now as I did when I first tried it. It's also worth mentionin I'm prone to hives, even products formulated for sensitive skin can cause them to pop up all over my face but I haven't had that problem with this.

Overnight Sensation Night Cream, 50ml, £8.99*: Yes, this has been designed for night time use but when my skin is looking and feeling a bit drab I use it in place of the Blissful Daily Moisturiser. I also use it at night but unfortunately it isn't as moisturising as I'd hoped. In the morning my skin does look smoother and brighter but I always feel like I need more hydration. Paired with an oil it does the trick though so more often than not that's how I use it. Just like the Blissful Daily Moisturiser it sinks into the skin quickly, you aren't left with that heavy greasy feeling which I know will appeal to those of you whose skin is more on the oily side or maybe you just don't like the feeling of product on your skin.

Once my pot of BDM runs out I'll switch to using the OSNC as my AM moisturiser then might give the Super-Intensive Daily Moisturiser a go just to see how they all compare. 

Have you tried either of these creams from Organic Surge?

Let me know how you got on with the Super-Intensive Daily Moisturiser if you've tried it.

All products mentioned are available from www.organicsurge.com

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Budget Beauty: Good Things Manuka Honey Refining Scrub

Skin care is my weakness but more often than not you need to pay a bit more for something that actually works. Nine times out of ten (in my experience) you get what you pay for when it comes to skin care so for that reason I don't mind paying extra for a product that really delivers and makes a noticeable difference to my skin. BUT, every now and again an affordable product comes along and wows me. As you can tell from the title of this post, the product I'm talking about is Good Things Manuka Honey Refining Scrub* 

If you aren't familiar with Good Things, it's an affordable skin care brand developed by beauty writer Alice Hart-Davis to care for young skin. The products are free from SLS, Parabens and mineral oil, and can be found in Boots. Even though the line is designed to care for young skin, there are a few products which could be used no matter your age, the Manuka Honey Refining Scrub being one of them. The Manuka Honey range has been designed to help keep skin clear and hydrated. Usually products targeted towards keeping skin clear are very harsh and leave the skin feeling stripped to within an inch of it's life but not this one. The texture is very creamy (think Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish) and packed full of oatmeal. The oatmeal really gives a good scrub but without feeling sharp and scratchy, it feels like massaging porridge all over your face. It also contains Kaolin to draw out excess oil and sweet almond oil which leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth.

So how affordable is it? It's currently on introductory offer at only 3.33 but even at full price it's only 4.99 for 150ml (yes, my pound sign still isn't working) No matter your budget, give this a try if you're a fan of manual scrubs.

Have you tried this?

Feel free to share your bargain skin care products in the comment section.

Good Things Manuka Honey Refining Scrub is available from www.boots.com

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Current Cleanser: NUXE Melting Cleansing Gel With Rose Petals

My current cleanser of choice is NUXE Melting Cleansing Gel with Rose Petals. Unlike the Avene Gentle Purifying Scrub, this is one of the products I had on my to buy list. It's available in the UK though so if you fancy the sound of it, you can easily purchase a tube.

NUXE isn't a brand I know a lot about, I've only tried one or two products, so, for blogging purposes and because my cleanser stash was running low I decided to try something different and went for this rose scented cleanser. For some reason I was expecting the texture to be a very light balm. I know it's called Melting Cleansing Gel but the melting part made me imagine a balm. The texture is gel but not like any other gel cleanser I've tried before. It's almost like a cross between a lotion and gel, and an opaque light cream/pink shade. The directions say to massage it on to wet skin but I apply it as I would a cleansing balm, adding water after giving my face a good massage first and remove it with a flannel. It removes makeup well and a double cleanse removes mascara completely. This cleanser is designed for people with normal to combination sensitive skin which I definitely agree with. Although I don't find it drying, I imagine anyone with very dry skin would need something more noursihing like a balm but for most skin types it makes a great AM cleanser. It feels light, fresh and doesn't leave any residue behind.

The rose scent is quite strong. If you don't like anything rosy, you won't like this. I was expecting the scent to irritate my eyes but it hasn't at all, same goes for my skin. Again, I can't remember how much I paid but I know it was a lot more than it is in the UK. Why is Paris so expensive? I was expecting the French brands to be so much cheaper over there but no.

Have you tried this cleanser?

NUXE Melting Cleansing Gel with Rose Petals, 12 quid for 125ml from uk.nuxe.com

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The Good & The Bad : Avene Gentle Purifying Scrub

One of the skin care products I picked up while in Paris was the Avene Gentle Purifying Scrub. It wasn't something I was planning on buying and I mainly rely on chemical exfoliants now as I find actual scrubs can dry my skin out and feel too harsh but I've heard good things about Avene products from people with sensitive skin. 

Anyone who likes scrubs such as St Ives, this isn't for you.

Avene claim that this scrub is effective yet gentle and will eliminate impurities gently with it's exfoliating micro-beads causing no irritation to sensitive skin. It uses something called a Keratoregluating agent which stimulates skin cell renewal and can also help with minor skin imperfections. As promised, the micro-beads are gentle, they don't scratch the skin. The beads are held within a light gel which feels cooling and one rinsed off, my skin feels fresh and smooth. I don't experience any redness when using this scrub and would recommend it to anyone with sensitive skin who prefers a manual exfoliator but at the same time I wouldn't - The tube claims to hold 50ml of product but mine was just over half full (30ml max) plus it was sealed so I know no-one had used it before me. I can't remember how much I paid but I know it wasn't cheap. It hasn't helped to even my skin tone or help with minor imperfections so for that reason I more than likely won't be in any rush to repurchase a half empty product.

 If you've tried this before let me know if you had the same problem.

Avene Gentle Purifying Scrub is on offer right now at www.escentual.com 

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Organic Surge First Class Mask

It's not very often I come across a face mask which claims to deep-cleanse and purify the skin and am actually able to use it. Readers of this blog will know I have sensitive skin, if a product is going to cause irritation, I'm most likely to feel it in my cheeks. I have a lot of dehydration and high colour in that area so for me, my cheeks are a good indicator of how good a product really is for sensitive skin.

Organic Surge First Class Mask* is a deep-cleansing mask which also nourishes the skin at the same time. Unlike most deep-cleansing masks, it hydrates the skin rather than than leaving it feeling taught and crying out for moisture. After cleansing and exfoliating I apply First Class Mask all over my face avoiding the eye area and leave it to work it's magic for around 15 minutes. During this time it dries slightly on the skin but doesn't turn solid and is easy to remove with a flannel and warm water which I think is one of the reasons my skin doesn't find it irritating as with most face masks of this type you almost need to scrub roughly at your face with a flannel to remove it. When rinsing you can feel how nourishing the mask is, my hands felt slightly oily which is something I've never experienced with a deep-cleansing mask before. My skin looked brighter, smoother, cleaner and even by the next morning I was still amazed at how clear my skin looked. First Class Mask has a light, fresh lemon-y scent to it. The texture is like a lighter version of a cream cleanser and is white in colour.

My first experience with Organic Surge has been a good one. First Class Mask not only works well but is really affordable and free from ingredients such as parabens, synthetic fragrances and colourants.

Have you tried this mask?
Or any other products from Organic Surge?

Organic Surge First Class Mask, 8.49 from www.organicsurge.com

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Great For Irritated Skin: Yon-Ka Creme 11

Me and my big red face are always on the look out for products to help calm my skin and reduce redness. I haven't tried too many lotions and potions targeted towards redness so if you have any recommendations please let me know. This post is long overdue but thanks to my crazy skin over the last few months I didn't get to fully put it to the test untill around four weeks ago.

Yon-Ka is a French skin care brand which has been around since 1954 but I've only recently started to hear about it, mainly on blogs. 

Creme 11* is a 2-in-1 soothing cream designed for people with sensitive skin and redness. The first thing I noticed about Creme 11 was how thick and rich it felt. I don't like my skin to feel heavy with product but I needn't have worried, it sinks into the skin immediately and instantly makes my skin feel smoother. While on my skin it has a calming effect and takes the heat out of my cheeks where I have the most redness. The redness does die down a bit but doesn't disappear completely. At first I was really disappointed as I was expecting the redness to leg it but I noticed my face wasn't getting as itchy. If you have a lot of heat coming from your face you'll know it can get very itchy, blotchy and having a good scratch only makes the redness worse. If I apply Creme 11 asap after cleansing and toning, any redness and irritation I get is kept to a minimum.

The directions say to apply the cream to red patches and follow with your usual cream but it does such a good job of  moisturising that I slather it all over my face and don't need to layer anything on top. I really like the packaging, you can squeeze out just the right amount of product and it's handy for travel.

It does work but don't be expecting miracles, you'll just feel disappointed like I did at first. 

Have you tried any products from Yon-Ka?

Yon-Ka Creme 11, 40ml  35 available from www.elementsthebeautysalon.com

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Essential Care Organic Rose Petal Tonic

I have a bit of a soft spot for toners. They're one of those products that most of the time don't make an obvious difference to the look and feel of my skin but on the rare occasion I drop them from my skin care routine, I notice, and it aint pretty. I use toners for a number of reasons.. On a cotton pad after cleansing to remove any residue that might be left behind, to reset the skins acid mantle after cleansing with water, over my makeup if I've gone a bit mental with the powder, to cool me down when it's really warm and if it's a hydrating toner I'll use it throughout the day to add some moisture back into my skin.

Essential Care Organic Rose Petal Toner* is formulated to rehydrate and soothe dry, normal, mature or inflamed skin. It smells like turkish delight thanks to the blend of pure organic rose water and is hydrating enough to be used on it's own without layering moisturiser over the top yet it didn't cause my oily t-zone to resemble a chip pan. I've tried it in all the ways I listed above and absolutely love it. It refreshes the skin and is very addictive - the smell and how it make's my skin feel had me reaching for it several times a day. I always compare moisturising toners to Liz Earle's Instant Boost Skin Tonic as it's very moisturising and I know a lot of you have tried it. Essential Care's Organic Rose Petal Toner gives the same level of moisture but unlike IBST, it doesn't make my skin look shiny so would be great for oily, dehydrated skins too.

As with all products from Essential Care, this toner is suitable for vegans, Soil Association Certified and preservative free.

Are you a toner lover?
Have you tried this one from Essential Care?

Organic Rose Petal Toner, 30ml, £7 is available directly from www.essential-care.co.uk