Posts tagged skin
Review: E45 Nourish and Restore Lotion (Bzz Review)
0I am a Bzz Agent and this is a Bzz Review…
Everyone has heard of E45 cream. I certainly had. I associate it with two kinds of people – those with skin complains that require a specific kind of product, and really old people. It is not something I had ever bought for myself – I want moisturisers to give me a bit of luxury, and I saw E45 as being a purely functional, pretty boring, product.
I get dry skin in all the usual places – hands, feet, elbows, legs. When I moisturise properly I generally use something thick like a body butter as in my head I think that has the best effect. Fairly runny lotions like this E45 Nourish and Protect are much lighter but can be really greasy too. And I have to say that I don’t think I’ll use a thick body butter again, this is so much nicer – easier to apply, not greasy or sticky at all, and works. You don’t need to use much at all as it goes a long way, and so the bottles offer good value for money which is definitely an added bonus. I will ignore the fact that it says “enriched for mature skin” on the bottle… I am still in denial on that front!
As for the fragrance, there is one, but it is very subtle when you apply the lotion and doesn’t linger – so it’s fine for perfume wearers and men too.
And everyone I gave my E45 sample packs agreed too. Non-greasy, easy to rub in, doesn’t completely disappear when you wash your hands, nice fragrance – this stuff is a resounding success amongst my friends.
Okay so E45 is still not a luxury body lotion, but I do really like it and my 250ml bottle is just about empty, and as a result I have a (rather battered) but smooth hand! I shall have to get some more.
Disclaimer: I am a BzzAgent and was asked to take part in the E45 campaign, which meant I was sent some lotion to try at home in return for telling other people what I think about it. I have not been told what to write and I have been no less honest as a result.
Review: Montagne Jeunesse Passion Peel Off Face Masque
0LincsGeek and I don’t do Valentine’s Day. We like to think that our love is obvious and doesn’t require a throw-away card or bunch of very expensive flowers to confirm it. Cards and gifts are lovely, but personally I much prefer a surprise something rather than a “because my diary told me I had to” gift.
I have received a Valentine’s card though… from Montagne Jeunesse – awwww you shouldn’t have! It contained one of their Passion Peel Off face masques. Combining pomegranate and passion flower, along with raspberry, grape and cranberry, this particular mask is designed to tackle blemishes and leave skin feeling fresh and ready for close personal contact!!
Tackling all my blemishes is a bit of an ask but this is another lovely, strong fruity smelling, relaxing yet invigorating product from Montagne Jeunesse. Since receiving my first mask from them a little while ago now I am definitely converted – they are a lovely way to spend a few minutes of “me time”. At just over £1 they are a complete bargain, definitely worth a try.
Disclaimer: I was sent this product to review. I have not been told what to say and have been no less honest as a result of receiving the product for free.
Montagne Jeunesse Exotic Fruits
0Montagne Jeunesse specialise in pampering for your face – they have now launched some exotic fruit face masks.
There are three peels in the new range – Prickly Pear Peel Off; Pawpaw Peel Off and Dragon Fruit Sauna. Each one uses unusual but beneficial all-natural ingredients, and are of course vegetarian and animal friendly.
Designed to use once a week (they make a fabulous Sunday night treat to help banish those Sunday night blues), they are very easy to apply and give you 15 minutes or so to yourself. I’ve got one on right now (it’s Sunday night) and I can feel it drying on my face, tightening my skin. And it smells fantastic too, a treat for my nose too.
Of the three I particularly liked the Dragon Fruit Sauna mask – it was warming and my skin felt really clean afterwards. They are £1.29 each and so a lovely way to treat yourself.
Disclaimer: I was sent one of each of the new Montagne Jeunesse Exotic Fruits range to try out. I have not been told what to write and have been no less honest as a result of receiving them for free.
Yves Rocher Expert Firming Balm and Repair Cream
0Yves Rocher is a 50-year-old botanical beauty company who grow the ingredients, manufacture the products and distribute them – quite unusual for a company I think. I have heard of the brand before, I think from being in Germany perhaps, but they are now getting bigger in the UK.
They kindly send me a couple of their moisturising products to try out.
Expert Firming Balm
This really lovely 150ml plastic tub contains a thick, really thick, cream that is designed to leave your skin feeling toned, soft and supple. It comes with a sealed foil lid which when you remove it reveals a pretty solid white cream. I mean solid too – I put my finger really gently into it and made no impression without quite a lot of pressure. I read somewhere a little while ago. before I received the cream, that it reminds that person of cottage cheese (sorry, I’d quote you properly if I could find your review again!), and I can see why they say that.
Yves Rocher recommend that you use this cream twice a day for a month and that if you do that you will really see great benefits. Well I didn’t do that. This blogger is not very good at looking after her skin, which probably explains the state it’s in. I used it most days for about a month, in the evenings before bed. I used on my legs and arms mainly. Despite being thick it does go a long way and rubbed in easily.
It has a lovely fragrance that didn’t linger too long – important when you’re using something and then going to sleep, I don’t want a perfume headache or anything. It smells of shea butter, there was a touch of sun cream flavour about it somehow, but not an unpleasant note at all.
Whether it firmed my skin, well I reckon I probably failed the test because I didn’t use it daily, but I didn’t notice my skin being more toned. I did, though, notice my legs were smoother and nicer to touch, so it did have some effect for sure. No miracle cream, but nice to use.
It comes in at £12.50 for 150ml.
Repair Lotion
Have you got dry elbows and knees? Other problem patches? The second cream I tested from Yves Rocher was their Repair Lotion for Extra Dry Skin – and boy did I need this! I know we’re in the middle of the wettest summer for ever and ever, but my skin still gets dry, especially my hands. So this looked like it was going to be perfect.
Like I mentioned above, I’m really bad at looking after my skin, but I have got a little habituated with this product, I enjoy using it on my hands and feet. It’s a fairly thick but fluid cream in a tube (not as thick as the firming balm) that soaks into the skin easily. And the smell is lovely, really nice, and it is soft and gentle.
My elbows really liked this, and what I have left is now sat on my desk at work to use as hand cream because I find the scent really pleasant and the cream non-greasy enough to use on my hands and then type away on my keyboard. When it runs out I will be very tempted to buy some more, it’s the nicest cream like this I’ve tried for a long time. I’m not sure if I’ll ever turn into someone who can moisturise regularly, but this certainly makes me want to more often.
The cost is £9.50 for 150ml.
Disclaimer: Yves Rocher sent me these two products to try out and write about here on Splodz Blogz. I have not been told what to write and I have been no less honest as a result.
Calm & Clear Mist
01 year ago
Tagged as “balance in a bottle”, this Calm and Clear Skin and Space Mist sounded like just what I needed.
Australian Bush Flower Essence Mists are made from pure botanicals, herbal extracts and aromatic oils, blended to “care for your emotions“. They are designed to be used any time.
The Calm and Clear mist has been formulated using Australian bush flowers to calm, clear negative emotions and help you refocus on natural balance in your everyday life. And we all need to unwind and relax from time to time.
As always when I try something with scientific claims I can’t really test that element of it apart from how it made me feel. This has very airy-fairy properties and I often think it’s just the act of taking a moment and a deep breath that calms and helps me re-focus, but the act of spraying this over my face did seem to help with that. I mean, to actually take a second and think “I’m going to use this product”, spray it, take a few deep breaths, close my eyes and clear my mine, does wonders in the midst of a stressful time. And actually the makers of this mist do say using this encourages you to make time and space for yourself. The lovely fresh and flowery fragrance of this just helps you to do that.
The little 50ml bottle costs £14.95 and you can find out more about this (and buy online) at Planet Health.
Whooga Ugg Boots
8
I received an email not so long ago offering me the chance to review a pair of Whooga ugg boots. Whooga ugg boots? Never heard of them… so I naturally had a look into them and discovered that they are one of a seemingly large number of companies making the popular Australian ugg style boots. So I said yes, and received a pair of “classic tall” boots in chestnut in double quick time direct from Australia.
As you can see the boots really only just fit my larger than average calf size. As such they are a little squished around the ankle. I am sad to say I’ve always had big calf muscles, it used to be because I was a hockey player and triple jumper as a teenager but it’s no longer muscle that causes the problem! But these are not uncomfortable and I think I just about get away with them. If I had bought my own I think, I know, I would have gone for the shorts to be on the safe side – I would hate to have to send something back because my legs were too fat!!
Apart from the narrowness of the boots the fit is great. I ordered my actual size and they are perfect, there was no need to go up or down.
Whooga say right from the off on the home page of their website that there are a lot of misconceptions about ugg boots and which are “real” and what are “fake”. Much of that is marketing talk, of course, but they make some valid points, and it’s sad they feel they have to in order not to be considered as fakes. Whooga uggs boots are of course the real thing – they are not “fuggs”, they are not rip off UGG Australia boots as the term “ugg” refers to a style of sheepskin boot not a brand, and you get the impression from the Whooga website that they feel very strongly about that! EMU and other brands are in the same position, and actually I reckon I’ve seen loads of other brands become better known – still top end prices and good quality products, but not the market leading brand.
Anyway… Whooga ugg boots are made with a thick inner fleece which wrap and blanket your feet in clouds of warm air. They work by trapping and circulating air in amongst the fibres, keeping feet warm in winter and cool in summer. Obviously I’ve only done the winter bit at the moment, and I can definitely testify to them being warm. These boots are made from twin faced leathers and are hand stitched and very light.
They seem to be made really well. The stitching is sound, the uppers are brushed evenly, and the thick liner is plush and soft and goes all the way down to the toe end of the boot. Whooga recommend you wear these with no socks – I tried them on with socks straight from the box but since then have happily gone bare foot when wearing them. It’s something to do with the thick shearling and how it traps the air, and the fleece does feel nice!
Now I admit that the only other pair of ugg style boots I own is a £30 pair I bought from River Island a couple of years ago. And I love those. They are shorts and are nice and wide – I wear them a fair amount under and over jeans. Like those, I would never wear these in the rain and definitely never in the snow. Those are thin though, not furry inside like these; these are much more cosy on the feet and while I will happily wear these with no socks, the River Island ones definitely require a pair between my toes and the inners. But I can’t compare these to the infamous UGG Australia boots that appear to be the market leader. For one I would never be able to spend £180 or there abouts on a pair of boots that you can’t go out in the rain in – not when I live in the UK!
The thing with this style of boots is the sole. My husband commented that you see girls wandering around walking on the side of the boot. He’s right – it looks terrible and must be awful for their feet. They are designed with soft uppers and light soles and as such collapse after not very much wear really. So far so good with these ones, and I would always be careful to walk properly anyway. The sole does seem pretty solid and has some grip on the bottom. I’ll let you know.
To be completely honest the jury is still out on whether I consider these fashionable or not. Ok so a lot of the fashion magazines say they are, but I wonder if that’s more to do with label rather than style. I don’t know. I mean, I’m no fashionista. But I do know that these are comfortable and very warm and that is what counts most of the time, and for that reason I’m giving these a virtual thumbs up. I shan’t be power walking miles in them but they are great for putting on after a long walk for my feet to relax in for sure. I like them.
These classic tall Whooga ugg boots come in at £89 (half the price of an equivalent UGG Australia boot).
