Liz Earle, Daily Eye Repair - Product Review

I want to apologize in advance for such a long post but this product deserved it. If you are short on time, as always: skip to the end of the post and see my answers to the two questions in orange (Will I repurchase it? Do I recommend it?). I hope you can fall in love with is product as I have. :)

An eye cream that really works? That’s right!

I have lots of problems with my under-eye area: from super dry skin and fine lines (and I’m just 22!) to puffiness and the dreadful dark circles – I’ve got it all. Until I came across this little guy I had given up on brightening eye creams. I’d tried both drugstore and high-end super-raved ones, but nothing worked – worst even, they would leave my under-eye area feeling super dry and hence made my concealer look cakey. So I resorted to a really hydrating eye cream (my favorite so far was the Estée Lauder Hydra Complete Multi-Level Moisture Eye Gel Crème) and a brightening concealer – that’s it. I wasn’t really satisfied but there wasn’t much I could do about it.

The packaging seems carefully thought about, with these lovely drawings on the sides.

And then, the Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair came into my life. I didn’t have high hopes for it, I’ll admit. I got it, as my free full-size product, a while ago when I purchased the Liz Earle Monthly Essentials. But then I tried this preciousness and got hooked from day one.

Ingredients

This is an amazing product. I don’t know how it works to achieve that but it does, it ticks all my boxes (yes, all of them and some extra ones, I didn’t know I had).

But first things first - what the brand has to say about this product:

“Use this triple-action cream every morning after moisturising to help reduce the appearance of fine lines. Light-reflective particles brighten dark under-eye shadows, while SPF10 mineral sunscreen helps protect this delicate area from UV light.”

After testing this product for a while I can assure you of something: this ISN’T a triple-action cream. It’s an at-least-FIVE-that-I-remember-action cream.

This eye care product meant for the mornings, has a thick creamy consistence and a slightly herbal scent – so far I bet you’re not so impressed, right? Let me just tell you this – forget the scent for a while (it doesn’t last, anyway, and it’s not strong at all) and apply this white cream under your eyes. I bet you’re thinking “How the hell will I be able to apply my makeup afterwards?” Yes, I know it looks a bit too dense for a morning cream but if you’ll just pat it under your eyes – yes, you’ll notice, it isn’t at all. “Maybe this isn’t moisturizing enough for me…” - it might occur to you. That’s because in less than a minute it looks like the product was completely absorbed and you no longer have that sensation of just having applied moisturizer to your skin. So why was I raving about this product after all?

This product is definitely the underdog that ends up coming out on top. It doesn’t seem anything special right after you’ve applied it but then:

• You’ll notice that you under-eye area is brighter and you look more awake. How? Do you know those light-reflecting concealer/highlight products (like the YSL Touche Eclat), that are so super flattering? Imagine those in a translucent/no-color-to-them version. This is what this product looks like. You can’t see the light-reflecting particles (not even on a magnifying mirror – don’t worry) you just look more awake and really well-slept. It’s really beautiful. And after, perhaps, two weeks of using this non-stop I started to notice that my dark circles were getting less and less prominent, even before applying this product in the morning. Since day one you’ll notice that your need for concealer will decrease (because of the light-reflecting particles your eyes will immediately look brighter) and given time the appearance of your dark circles will get better and better- they’ll be less and less noticeable.
• Hydration-wise you’ll have to wait up until the end of the day to see for yourself how this product works. Right after applying this eye cream, you may have your doubts about is replenishing powers, but the reality is that more than 12hours later if you touch your skin it still feels as nourished as if you had just applied your cream. I’ll be honest I had never, never tried an eye cream that kept my skin as hydrated for such a long time (usually after 6-8 hours I need to reapply them because otherwise my under-eyes get really itchy and I feel uncomfortable).
• You might also notice that you don’t have as many fine lines after a couple of weeks of using this (at least I did!).
• Another achievement for this product was reducing puffiness. It doesn’t promise to do so but the thing is, after a week I realized that my lids didn’t feel so heavy anymore (but dismissed it). However, after 3 weeks I couldn’t deny it anymore – the difference was visible (to me, obviously – this probably won’t have your friends asking you if have just done some plastic surgery to that area – but it was enough of a difference to make me feel more confident about a part of my body I used to hate).
• Last but not least, two important extras: it contains SPF10 – which is not the highest but since I always wear sunglasses - and would never apply sunscreen around my eyes anyway (except on the beach/pool) because they’d be to drying – this is just a nice bit of extra protection (and ageing prevention too!); besides, this cream results from lots of nice ingredients instead of a bunch of chemicals put together on a tube.

Will I repurchase it?

YES! YES! YES! It’s just a wonderful product that works like no other I’ve known. Already a holy grail in my collection!

This product makes me look fresher and feel prettier every single morning. And at night, after taking all of my makeup off, my under-eye area still feels and looks properly taken care of and ready to enjoy the full benefits of whichever night cream I choose to apply.

Moreover, it’s much cheaper than many, not so effective, eye creams I’ve tried (it retails for 17,75euros (10ml tube) on the Liz Earle Website - but a little goes a long way!)

Do I recommend it?

In all honesty, I couldn’t recommend it more: no matter how old you are, whether you have a problematic under-eye area or a flawless one – just give it a go (they have it in a travel version too).

This product just works: it brightens the under-eye area; diminishes dark circles, wrinkles and puffiness; it’s very hydrating, but not too much, so it just works brilliantly under makeup; has SPF on it which also helps preventing ageing and wrinkles; it’s made out of very nice ingredients; it isn’t ludicrously expensive and finally it’s suitable for all skin types.

Please, let me know if you have already tried this eye cream. Do you share my thoughts on it?

Any suggestions for future posts are very welcome! :) Thank you for your time!

Yours,

M.

Essence, My Skin Moisturizing Cream-Gel - Product Review

Hey, you!

Today I have another review for you. It's from a very affordable and very much loved (at least by me) brand. I’m talking about Essence and this review will focus one of the products in their My Skin skincare line, the Moisturizing Cream-Gel.

The My Skin is a line especially designed to satisfy young skin’s needs. The range of products in the line consists of: a gel cleanser; a face wash/scrub/mask, the all-in-one type of cleanser; a refreshing toner; two varieties of face wipes; a paper face mask; an eye roll-on; a tinted moisturizer and three different moisturizers, one for normal to combination skin, another for normal to dry skin and finally one suitable to all skin types. I’m going to review to the latter.

But firstly I’d like to share my opinion on Essence’s products since I have already tried several of the products from this My Skin line (both cleansers, the toner, the eye roll-on and the tinted moisturizer; I’ve also bought the mask but haven’t tried it yet) as well as a bunch of their makeup products and some skincare from the Pure Skin line.

The main thing I want to share is: they are super safe – so don’t be afraid to try them! I tend to stick to high-end skincare products just to be safe but I can honestly say that I have never been afraid to try a new/different Essence product. Even though their products are really cheap their philosophy is really to save on advertising to invest on better quality products. They also don’t test on animals!

Obviously their products won’t have state-of-the-art technology involved or the best anti-ageing ingredients on the market but that isn’t the brand's purpose either. Their products have in mind young girls, in their teens, with not a lot of money that want to have a nice basic skincare routine and that want to wear makeup that won’t make them break up, won’t cause any allergic reaction and (most important, perhaps) won’t lead them to bankruptcy. So if you haven’t reached your twenties but want to start taking care of your skin from an early age and don’t have a lot to spend this is the brand for you.

And before I get down to the moisturizing cream-gel itself, I just want to apologize for the detour but I really wanted to share the information because I know a lot of you might be reticent to try such cheap skincare products. And so was I before I started using their products. That’s why I decided to do a little reading, back then, and after using their skincare products for almost 2 years now (and makeup products for 7 years) I can really vouch for them.

Now, about the My Skin moisturizing cream-gel: as all products from the line it is dermatologically approved so not likely to cause any nasty skin reaction (unless you have super sensitive and reactive skin and if so I’d look for professional advice before trying any new skincare product), oil-free (so it won’t clog your pores) and has uva/uvb filters (I do still super recommend using an spf separately - this filters are not enough to stop sun damage!).

According to the description in their website this “cream-gel is absorbed quickly and offers your skin 24h of intensive moisture while protecting it from damaging environmental influences with uva and uvb filters” (once again you need extra SPF!- just saying!). “Enriched with lime and cucumber ingredients ensures a radiant complexion, it also contains light-reflecting pigments for a subtle glow”. It is recommend for all skin types.

In my perspective, I do agree with most of it.

It reads:
This energizing cream-gel is intensively moisturizing
and the light-reflecting pigments inside let the skin glow

This is a very fresh and cooling light textured moisturizer. It’s even lighter and fresher than the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. The texture actually reminds me of the Garnier Skin Naturals Fresh Essentials 24Hr Hydrating Day Cream for Normal/Combination Skin but a tiny bit more liquidy.

It’s so light that you won’t feel like you’re pilling up too much product on your skin - if you’re like me and follow your moisturizer with sunscreen (as you should) and then a full face of makeup. At the same time it keeps my skin moisturized for a good 8 hours I’d say – keep in mind I have combination skin.

I particularly love this cream to use in the morning, because it really gives a more awake and radiant appearance to my skin but in a very subtle, non-oily way. It’s almost imperceptible – it gives me glowing but not shiny-looking skin.

Don’t get scared though: in the packaging the product glows in the dark. It won’t happen on your skin though, if you massage it in (which is super easy due to the almost liquid consistency) – so don’t worry.

The scent really helps to wake me up as well. It has a very citrusy fragrance but toned down by the clean scent of cucumber.

I really enjoyed using it during my beach vacation. I would slather this on my face throughout the day, every time before I’d reapply my spf. This kept my skin from getting dry due to the sea salt and also was a great way to refresh my skin. And since the prince range is bellow the 3euro mark I didn’t feel guilty to go through this cream in such a short amount of time (a little over a month – liberally applying it on my skin up to 5 times a day!).

It also works perfectly before my gym classes. I go to the gym right before dinner. And since I hate exercising wearing makeup – if you do, you’re much more likely to get clogged pores – I usually wipe off my makeup right before leaving to the gym. I don’t like to have my face without any moisturizer on it but I hate to use my more expensive moisturizers when in an hour time I’ll be washing them off during shower. This, I found, was the perfect solution. It leaves my skin feeling: fresh again after taking my makeup off; moisturized but not with that heavy feeling that would bother me during exercise. And, once again, it's super affordable so after my practice I wouldn’t mind having to shower it off.

Those are some of the reasons I so adore this product.

 

Unfortunately, I would say it is not moisturizing enough for very dry skin and I probably wouldn’t advise you to use it as a night cream either no matter what your skin type is, because you might need a bit more moisture.

However, if you are the type of person that hates the feeling of moisturizer before going to bed (and it is better something than nothing – am I not right? ;)) or live in a hot humid place and just want something refreshing on your face to help you get to sleep - this might be the perfect nighttime product for you.

For people with really oily skin during the hot summer months: I’d recommend using the mattifying version of this product on your T-zone or using a serum with mattifying properties also on your T-zone (I really like the Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner Serum) to prevent your skin from every looking greasy but keeping the glowing and fresh looking skin.

Do I recommend it?

Absolutely:

•   To normal and combination skin: to apply all mornings all year long.

•   To oily skin: to apply all mornings except in the summer months (unless you apply just to your cheek area or with a mattifying serum underneath it in your t-zone).

•   To dry skin: to apply in the mornings during hot weather.

•   If don’t have super sensitive or super dry skin.

•   If you haven't reached your thirties yet. (If you have: it's time to start spoiling you skin with some better quality products ;) : I'd sugest looking into French Pharmacy brands because they have products that are as effective as the ones from high-end brands but much cheaper)

- If you have acne-prone skin Essence has this Pure Skin line that has products specifically designed to prevent and/or disguise acne spots, in case you’re interested - however, if you have serious acne issues you’d better seek a Dermatologist’s advice.  

 Will I repurchase this product?

- Yes, I probably will. But, for now, I’m very curious to try the mattifying version.

Sorry for all the rambling but I really wanted to be thorough. 

Please leave a comment down bellow telling me if this post helped you! I'd also love suggestions of products to review.

Yours,

M.

Essence, Stay all day Concealer - Product Review

My first review will be about Essence's Stay all day 16h longlasting concealer.

I decided to start my reviews with this product both because it is very cheap (and as such many more of you might actually be interest in trying it out) and because it is a product I have a love/hate relationship with.

But first things first.  The Stay all day 16h longlasting concealer (couldn't they have picked a shorter name?) is  a liquid/creamy  concealer (liquid but with some consistency to it) with light-reflecting pigments that the brand claims to be very longlasting, up to 16 hours (the key is in the up) and which is advertised as perfect to cover dark circles, redness and shadows and give you a radiant look.

Let's start on the love/hate thing then. When I first bought this product, I guess it was around Christmas, I used it a couple of times and then put it away. I bought it on a whim: it was super cheap and had ligh-reflecting written in its description (which for me translates as: I have to have it! - if my under eye area is concerned). But then, when I tried it the next morning I couldn't have hated it more. It was not about the consistency or the colour but the fact that it looked streaky and instead of covering my dark circles it would build up in my fine lines. I put it away and didn't  think about it again until the day I run out of under eye concealer. With no other alternative available I had to use it. I started applying it with my fingers and just wanted to cry, it looked awful. In pure desperation I grabbed a foundation brush to try and fix the situation and surprise, surprise it worked and it actually looked ok. There was still some product accumulated in my fine lines but nothing I couldn't deal with.

From then on I have used it almost every single day up to now and have to admit that this concealer scored some points with me:

- The colour (20- Soft Beige) is a perfect match for my under eye area, just a little bit lighter than my skin tone, and it has a certain salmon undertone to it that helps with the bluish of my circles. I have to admit though that the colour selection couldn't be much worse - there are only two colours available and they're not that different I guess, so if you have a darker skin tone this product isn't for you.

- I really like the coverage of this concealer, it covers enough but not too much, . By this I mean, I don't look flawless but I look very natural and awake especially due to the light-reflecting pigments that make my skin look brighter.  I don't really care for full coverage concealer in a daily basis and think that in me it just looks a bit unnatural but I also HATE my under eye circles and like to have them disguised to a point that they are there but just barely noticeable (is this strange? I guess i must be crazy for not prefering a full coverage concealer... ).

- The duration isn't bad at all. It certainly doesn't last 16 hours, so the packaging is deceiving but in the website they say it can last up to 16 hours not that it actually lasts 16h, but anyway it was unnecessary to have the 16h duration reference on the product's name. Especially because the truth is not that bad, this concealer lasts  6-8 hours without a powder on top and up to two more if powdered (so 8-10 hours) which is not bad at all for the price. It is also very resistant, even when I am sweating a lot or have been crying it barely moves and I love that I don't have to worry about it melting all over me.

- The application is the thing I least enjoy about this product. I can't really apply it quickly with my fingers and be out the door - if you don't have any fine lines you may get away with doing it, though. I always have to use a brush to apply it. It looks best applied with a classic foundation brush - I used the Sephora one- and then gently pated with fingers on the edges to ensure a seamless blend. More recently I discovered that when applying it with the Real Techniques foundation brush (comes in the Travel Kit) I didn't really find a need to pat the edges because this brush blends the product while applying it in a fantastic way.

- About the fine lines build up problem, I found a good solution recently. I started following Lisa Eldridge's site (she is amazing! - she is the Queen of makeup) and the way she applies under eye concealer makes it much less prone to get into those lines, not just with this concealer but in general. She also makes Youtube videos so if you want to learn about this tip, I strongly advise you to check Lisa Eldridge's website.

All in all, even though it bugs me that I can't really apply it with my fingers I have to admit that this concealer isn't bad at all. In Portugal it costs about 3euros and brings 7ml of product. It is not one for using on pimples due to the light-reflecting properties (unless you want to highlight those problematic areas - and if so: great, keep doing it if that's your thing! :)) or for reapplying throughout the day (it's not liquid enough for you to be able to do so without your makeup looking cakey) but I do advise it if: you have a light skin tone, want an under eye concealer with light-medium coverage, want something to brighten your under eye area and make you look more awake  (you can also use it to illuminate the bridge of your nose or any shadowy areas you might have - but not to correct redness because of its salmony tones), don't wear make up for more than 12 hours daily (the most you'll get from this concealer), have a foundation brush (or doesn't need one- skin under the eyes is not dry and no fine lines), want a concealer that you don't have to worry about in case you cry or sweat a lot and most important want a good quality concealer for the cheapest you can get them (at least in Portugal) and that will last you a really long time.

Sorry for the testament but I really wanted to be thorough. Please tell me if there is anything I can help with.

I hope it was helpful. :) 

Yours,

M.