Bored of the Old Routine.

I'm so fickle. While some may say 'if it's not broke don't fix it' I'm more inclined towards change for changes sake. My current skin care routine is perfectly adequate but I'm bored, I want to mix it up a bit & try some new products.

The Status Quo

I currently use Elemis Rehydrating Rose Petal Cleanser, followed by Olay Anti Wrinkle Wash & Elemis Ginseng Toner. If I've worn particularly heavy make up or my skin feels it needs something a bit richer I like to use a hot cloth like Soap & Glory The Fab Pore or Boot Botanics Cleansing Balm. To remove my eye make up I use good old Johnson & Johnson Baby Oil. I've had stick about this in the past but I find it is the only thing that cuts through stubborn mascara and gel liner, whilst being gentle on my eyes. I usually use a face mask once a week, something deep pore cleansing or moisturising if my skin is a bit drier. 

On to pastures new...

Inspired by the many posts I've read about cleansing oils I've ordered some Shu Uemura Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil and as I'm a bit weary of putting oil on my combination skin I've stocked up on an old favourite Bioderma Crealine H20 to use as a toner as although not really necessary I find the squeaky clean feeling I get from using a toner reassuring! I'll probably continue with the Olay Anti Wrinkle wash in the mornings as its quick, I like the gentle exfoliating effect and my skin seems quite keen on it. I've also invested in a sample of Clarins Lotus Treatment Oil which I'll be using at night as it is meant to be very good for rebalancing combination skin. 

 Lotions & Potions

In terms of creams I use a bit of a mixture depending on what kind of mood my skin is in. When its really dry I use Elemis Maximum Moisture Day Cream but its a bit rich for me so often I just dab that on the dry bits. I had been using Nivea Q10 Pore Refining Day Cream until I received a sample of Vichy Idealia (http://www.esmesbeautifulthings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/vichy-idealia-day-care-cream.html), its so nice that this is my current day cream of choice. I'm also quite keen on Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture if my skin is good and my pores are having a skinny day! I think I'll probably stick with the Vichy for now as its been well over a week with no breakouts (yeay!)
At night I tend to stick with Old Faithful, Olay Anti Wrinkle Instant Hydration. However, I'm coming to the end of a pot and I'm eyeing up (boom ,boom!) L'Oreal Revitalift Repair 10 Multi-Active and I've seen this on offer somewhere lately so think I've give it a shot. 
My eye area tends to be a bit greasy and because I use baby oil to remove my eye make up I'm usually quite sparing with the eye cream at night, I'm using Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream morning and night at the moment because it does seem to lift and brighten nicely. I'm think of adding  ROC Multi Correction Anti Age cream at night as I think its probably time to take a stand against fine lines and wrinkles!!

So that's my new skincare regime for the new season, here hoping for some positive results!!

My First Glossybox

After much procrastination, last payday I subscribed to Glossybox. I'm a sucker for a sample & often pick them up from eBay so the beauty box concept is right up my street.
This evening I was feeling rubbish, snuggled on sofa when it was delivered. It was the pick me up I needed. After reading a few spoilers on various blogs I had a pretty good idea what to expect but I still couldn't help the excitement I felt as I opened the box.
It was beautifully packaged & the limited edition pale green box designed by illustrator Maggie Li (if you like the box check out her website, particularly the type section) is a treat in itself. I loved the tissue paper & ribbon, it felt like I was opening something really classy & special.
So I sat there, looking like death in my dressing gown (currently poorly, not just lazy!) I felt like I was holding a rather lovely gift & I began to consider the contents.
Firstly, an envelop containing 4 sachets from Rodial, 2 Glamoxy snake serum & 2 five minute  facial masks.

 I've been keen to try these products for a while but I have fussy skin that's easily angered so have yet to take the plunge & pay full price for something I'm not 100% sure will suit me. These products are normally sold in boxes of 10 sachets, the snake serum costing £29 and the mask £10.95, so these samples go some way in justifying the price of the box. I intend to give these products a post of their own once I've tested them, so I won't start waxing lyrical on my excitement for these right now.

Delving further into the shredded black packing I find a sample of the new Lady Gaga fragrance. Now, I'll freely admit my disdain for celebrity fragrances, so this isn't something I'd normally try in a department store. I was pleasantly surprised. On first sniff it put me in mind of My McQueen but it settled into something sweeter but by no means sickly. I wish I could put my finger on what it reminds me of, perhaps Paco Rabanne Black XS? Whatever it is, its actually very nice & seems to be lasting well.
                                                       

The addition of the Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream pleased me. I had a sample of this free with a magazine & have been using it as my day time eye cream frequently over the last few weeks. I have just finished the sample and was definiately considering buying a full size one. It really is very good, it smooths my under eyes well & brightens them up nicely. I much prefer it to the Weleda Wild Rose eye cream I had been using. The sample is a 7ml tube which is almost half the 15ml full size product which retails for £20, so again this is a good proportion of the cost of the box justified, especially as I know I'll use it. As an added bonus there's a discount code offering £5 off any of the Balance Me extra care products when purchased via their website. 

Next I found a 15ml jar of Vichy Idealia Day Care Cream. My sister and I are quite keen on Vichy products and although she uses the skincare I've only ever tried the foundations and conclearers. The cream claims to smooth and illuminate, improving complexion radiance. I'm yet to give this a proper road test but I popped a little bit on my sallow looking face and it felt lovely, quite rich but quickly absorbed.The tiny amount I tried did leave my skin feeling smoother but as for radiance, the jury is still out.  It is quite heavily fragranced but its a pleasant, fruity smell that doesn't linger. The full size product costs £25 and theres a discount code for 20% off from the sempleandsemple website.  

Finally, the only product I was vaguely disappointed with, Maghrabian Hair Oil. Now I've been using Macadamia hair oil every couple of weeks for nearly a year and my hair is certainly all the better for it. I was sceptical at first as my hair is both fine and greasy and the idea of oil was initially horrifying, but there was no residual greasiness from the oil and the condition of my hair improved considerably. I guess this would be the perfect way to try an oil if you haven't already but for me it was a bit of a 'blah' inclusion in what is otherwise a good little box of products. I compared the ingredients of the Maghrabian to the Macadamia and they are virtually identical, both offering nutrition and hydration to condition and add shine and vitality. I'll probably save this sample (10ml vial) to take away on holiday instead of carting my big 125ml bottle with me. Price wise, the Maghrabian sells for £24/100ml and I get 125ml of Macadamia for £15 from amazon so I'll more than likely stick with that one in the future. 

All in all, I am rather pleased with my first Glossybox, I feel the contents of the box justifies the price, the smaples are generously sized and especially with the Lady Gaga frangrance, its pushed me to try something I'd not usually consider. I'm already looking forward to my next delivery and I'm not going to read any spoilers so its a complete suprise when I open the box. I do love a suprise!

So pretty!