Eucerin Dermo Purifyer Active Night Care

Eucerin Dermopurifyer Active Night Care - £9.50

Recently I have been struggling with awful skin, I thought I had my skin routine sussed but something was clearly causing it to become angry and full of spots. Every morning I was waking up with another blemish, always angry and painful. I upped my water intake and became more vigilant with my cleansing but no luck. My trusty Effaclar Duo + just wasn't being magical enough. I searched Boots, even tried the traditional Clearasil sport fighting products but they were far too drying.

I have used some Eucerin products before but for extremely dry skin, I did not know they had a range for blemish prone skin. After some serious reading of the packaging I decided to go for the Night Care cream, hoping it would work miracles and I would wake up with radiant clear skin. It has a high concentration of Lactic Acid, a AHA, to help improve skin turn over. 

You know what? It works. I've only used it for around a week now but my skin has calmed down, no longer am I waking up to a new angry spot every morning. I shall keep using it and will report back, but now on my wish list is the rest of the Eucerin Dermo Purifyer range!

Four Things That Saved My Skin

My skin is a constant battle, these are just some of the things that have helped turn my forever blemished skin into blemish prone but still red / acne scarred skin. It is a work in progress! Next up to tackle is scarring..

Cleansing Properly

This might sound so simple to most hardened beauty bloggers. But simply ensuring I removed my make up properly (without using face wipes) has made such a difference. I now have a ridiculous collection if cleansers to use depending on my mood. I even double cleanse these days, who knew! First I use an oil cleanser which helps remove every trace of makeup, the oil just clings to all the dirt and makeup.  I love The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil. Second up I use a balm or gel cleanser. Emma Hardie Moringa Balm will forever be my luxury choice but the The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter is equally as effective. On lazy nights I use a micellar water, such as Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water before cleansing to really make sure all my makeup is removed instead of double cleansing. 

Chemical Exfoliator 

I used to use harsh alcohol based toners, in a way they were exfoliating but also stripping my skin. I first tried the Alpha H Liquid Gold that every blogger flipping adored (not so much I see!) but now I am onto my third bottle of the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner. The fruit acids really help finally remove any left over dirt as well as boosting the skins renewal. On my wish list is the PIXI Glow Tonic however it is never in stock when I can buy it. (It is right now and I am resisting all temptation to tap in my card details)

La Roche Posay

I know I know. Stop harping on about them. Effaclar Duo has honestly improved my skin ten fold. I don't know the magic behind the white cream but if I don't apply this to my cheeks, chin and jawline at night by the morning I always have a pesky spot appearing from somewhere. My understanding is  LHAs and Salicylic Acid exfoliate the skin with added Niacinamide to soothe the inflammation. 

Moisturising

Having oily skin I was always too scared to add extra oil to my skin. I would strip all the oil from my skin leaving it red and sore but at least I had no spots! I would barely even moisturise my skin in fear that I would cause more breakouts. Now I swear by the Vitamin E range from The Body Shop, which I have raved about before. It is for very dry skin but find it perfect for my forehead that really struggles from dehydration lines. 

Honourable Mentions
The Body Shop Facial Massager, really helps with the under the skin spots. Read Caroline Hirons' directions here. The Caudalie Beauty Elixir was in every bloggers wish list / holy grail / hand bag a year ago. As always I'm slow to the trends but this is perfect for soothing redness and just smells amazing. The REN ClearCalm Clay Cleanser is amazing. I find it too drying to use every night but find it perfect to use in the morning before applying make up. The clay really helps clean my skin, I tend to massage it on for a few minutes before washing off with a hot flannel.

I love La Roche-Posay

La Roche-Posay are a blogger favourite, a French skin care brand from the La Vienne region. Their famed thermal skin water claims to be beneficial to the skin due to the high selenium content. My first step into their products was the cult Effaclar Duo product which was a miracle for my skin, shrinking blemishes but at the same time not drying my skin out. Since then the Efflaclar Duo + has been introduced with all the benefits of the original product but with the added benefit of helping the scars blemishes leave behind.

The Effaclar range is aimed to help oily, blemish prone skin. There are cleansers, treatment creams and a soothing moisturiser. The most popular is of course the Effaclar Duo +, I use this every night on my chin and cheeks and it keeps spots at bay! It is far too drying to smother your face in. Next up is Effaclar Mat which is my go to moisturiser in Summer. I don't tend to struggle with such oily skin in Winter, the drying weather takes its toll on my skin. It leaves my skin feeling smooth and matte and helps control shine all day. It is the perfect base for make-up. I have never really come across such a good mattifying cream that actually does leave your skin matte but also long lasting hydration. 

The Effaclar Astringent Micro-Exfoliant Lotion is  to be used after cleansing, it contains LHA and other cleaning agents to help ensure all pores are left unclogged and pore size reduced. I find this too drying to use every morning and night but like to use it when my skin is feeling a bit dirty after a night out or a long shift at work. It leaves your skin refreshed and completely clean. 

Effaclar H is aimed to be used on skin that has become victim to over drying spot treatments, it is all too tempting to strip all oil from blemish prone skin in a hope that drying out spots will make them vanish. This provides skin with lipids to help weak and fragile skin feel comfortable again. 

I have saved the best to last, not in the Effaclar range the Cicaplast Baume B5 is a truly wonderful product. It is a "Soothing Repairing Balm" which helps repair and soothe skin. I was recently in hospital and only had this in my bag when I was admitted. I used it on my face, on my hands, on my lips. The hospital made my skin so dry and this was just lovely to treat me skin to. The combination of copper, zinc and manganese in theory should also help with any scarring or marks on the skin. Next on my wish list is more from the Cicaplast range, especially the lip cream and Cicaplast Skin Recovery Accelerator.

La Roche-Posay is currently 1/3 off at Escentual throughout March, as are other French Pharmacie brands such as Vichy. Now is the time to give them ago! They can do no wrong in my eyes.

Pass me a flannel!

Face wipes. Hands up who has a packet by the bed for those nights you just can't face properly cleansing. Or are you firmly in the use face wipes to remove everything camp. I used to be. I loved Simple wipes for removing my makeup, get in drunk, wipe my face. Sleep. That was my entire routine.

Then I discovered the cult Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. A lovely creamy cleanser and a cloth, it removed all my make up and made my face feel amazing. Beauty "experts" are in two camps about Liz Early C&P, but it worked for me. I even ordered some cheap muslin cloths from ebay to continue my cleansing quest.

As I started reading more and more on skin care, namely Caroline Hiron's blog, discovering there was so much more to cleansing. Rebecca introduced me to double cleansing! So within a year I had gone from just removing my makeup to double cleansing with a flannel. I started to barely ever get a spot, I'm sure leaving my skin with makeup on was having a detrimental effect on my skin. 

My favourite cleanser at the minute is Clarins Gel Cleanser, however I left it at a friends so am loving No 7s Gel Cleanser. Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm was an extravagant purchase but it smells amazing, I don't use it every night but have it as a little treat for my skin.

But, use whatever cleanser you feel like. Just buy some flannels. They are dirt cheap in Primark, go in the wash and are perfect for removing EVERYTHING from your skin. I cover my skin in cleanser, brush my teeth and then wash it all off with a hot flannel. More effective than face wipes, trust me.

Evening Primrose & Starflower Oil

My battle for perfect skin is a constant one, I've tried every face wash / cleansing method but nothing has stopped my skin from just hating me. I picked up Evening Primrose in Sainsbo's the other day, the vitamins were on a 3 for 2 so I also picked up Star Flower Oil and your basic multivitamins. 

After doing alot of research on adult acne I came to the conclusion mine was mostly hormonal, due to my implant most likely. Many people found taking these supplements helped ease the acne and even make it disappear. Acne.org has a lot of reviews here and here

Sainsbury's Evening Primrose Oil (& Star Flower Oil) capsules contain GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid), which plays an important role in helping to maintain hormone balance and healthy skin

I only bought the smallest bottle of each, but after again doing more research I found most people took around 3000mg a day of Evening Primrose Oil in order for the effects to be apparent. I instead took 1000mg a day, two of the tablets after seeing they were also sold in 1000mg. Did they work? Yes yes yes. My skin has cleared up remarkably, now I can't credit it to the Starflower Oil or Evening Primrose but will continue taking them! 

My skin isn't perfect, but I no longer have to rely on a full face mask of make-up before I brave the outside world. I noticed results within 3 days, but every day it is getting a bit better.

Zoey xox

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation

Still on the hunt for the perfect foundation I stumbled accross Vichy Dermablend when watching Lisa Eldridge's youtube video on covering acne.You may have heard of Dermablend after watching the fabulous "Go Beyond the Cover" with the gorgeous Zombie Boy. The Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation promises to give "total coverage" with twice as much coverage as a traditional foundtion. So off I went to Boots and found the foundation amonst the skin care, the lightest shade is "Opal 15" which is a little darker than I usually go for but the model in Lisa Eldridge's video seemed to be of similar shade to my skin so bought it anyway!

 

I have been using Double Wear religiously, it's staying power is unbeatable. It can look a little cakey and of course causes serious Ghost Face. So how does it compare? Well the coverage is the same, you can either apply it as a concealer as in the youtube tutorial, or buff into the skin as with a normal foundation. It blends beautifully into the skin, you don't have to work as fast as you do with Double Wear. You can also build on the coverage easily without it going to cakey. Now the shade is a little darker than I am used to, however I have had more compliments on my skin looking healthier instead of being the same me colour as paper.

It is currently my go to foundation, my skin is worse than in the Blemish Balms post to give you some idea of what it is covering beneath! 

Without flash / With Flash

The flash photograph has no blush on for some reason, I took these photos as I was curling my hair so did my make-up in-between letting the curls set! I am pretty impressed with the foundation, it is aimed at people who feel the need to cover up blemishes / scars and does the job perfectly for me. At £15.50 it is more than your average high street foundation but still cheaper than a high end one. It works with my skin, which is oily in places and dry in others. However the limited choice of shades will put many people off. I do have to be extra careful to blend it into my neck so no clear foundation line, but with my normal pale powder on top it is fine.

Zoey xox

No 7 Beautiful Skin

I ended up in Boots the other day trying to kill some time, was 30 minutes early for work so seemed like a good idea. They had little starter packs for £5 of their new Beautiful Skin range from No7. I picked up the Normal / Oily one which included the Cleansing Water, Day Cream & Night Cream.

I've been using the range for a week now so thought I would give my take on the range, my skin is blemish prone, with an oily t-zone and dry cheeks and nose for reference.

Cleansing Water - I never use makeup remover.. I know I know, a beauty sin. I use skin care wipes and then a foam soap / cleanser. I was horrified to see how much makeup the Cleansing Water actually removed! Would I pay £9 it though? I'm a stingy bugger. But the kit came with a £5 off voucher so if this can be combined with the current 3 for 2 on No7 I will probably pick it up.

Day Cream - I am constantly on the search for a cream that both helps with my dry cheeks but controls my oily forehead. This does both, but could be a little more moisturising on my cheeks but still leaves a lovely base for makeup. My skin is however getting drier by the day due to working in a freezing cold supermarket so might pick up the Normal / Dry Skin Day Cream with the voucher.

Night Cream - Now, I never wear a night cream. Maybe I should start as I am turning 24 this summer so surely I am meant to start tackling wrinkles soon. It is lovely on my forehead and everywhere else I am not prone to spots. It does promise to be a "non pore blocking moisture cream" but it doesn't seem to be doing my acne any favours.

I did however test the No 7 BB Cream which might be amazing, it was pale and went on my skin so nicely.. but as I don't get on with BB Creams I may give that a miss.

Do Blemish Balms Work?

So BB Creams are everywhere! They are also olddd news. They all promise to be a foundation, tinted moisturiser and everything else inbetween in one tube. Amazing right? Well not really. The lighting in my flat is particularly bad at the minute (hello Manchester winter, dark by 4pm) so you can't see the orangeness on my skin but it is there. As always the light shade doesn't work for us with pale skin.

Now going to warn you now, nice photos of my skin! I have struggled with bad skin all my life, it is actually getting a little better but frequent changes in hormones is messing around with it again. But the easiest way to see if it works!
 

First up 17's take on the Blemish Balm, it is slightly thicker than Garnier's. Now this photo failed a little as I got the angle of the second photo wrong, but concentrate on scar from a nasty cigarette burn (thanks horrible man in a nightclub). It does calm the redness down, doesn't make your skin too greasy. Does it reveal flawless skin? No not really. My usual combination of Q10 Anti Wrinkle Serum (yes, I'm 23) and Botanics Pore Perfecting Day Cream works just as well. 

Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector offering is even more orange. It is useless on oily skin, as you can see my skin is more greasy than it was before (I owe Lush's Fresh Farmacy for a wonderful matte base for makeup) and doesn't really do anything. It does even out the skin a little bit, leaves a lovely moisturised base for foundation but that's nothing a good moisturiser doesn't do.


Just to prove I do have a nose and eyes here is my full made up face! I currently am in love with Angels on Bare Skin. If I don't use it for a day my skin misbehaves but another post on that soon!

So to recap? Are Western BB Creams an amazing product? No. I'll stick to my usual routine.

Zoey xox