My skin sits at the top of the list of things about me I hate. It’s horrible. And so you’ll forgive me for a random beauty product post on my otherwise now-focussed-on-the-outdoors blog; but when it comes to sorting my complexion out I need all the help I can get.
Like so many people, my doctor told me I had acne when I was a teenager. I was prescribed this and that, and every now and again would return to see her to see if I could try something else. By the time I was in my twenties I’d given up, and now I’m in my mid 30s (ugh to that) I just try to look after my fickle skin the best way I can. I continue to look out for new products that might just do the trick, I’ve also looked at my diet and have experimented cutting food types out for a month at a time (e.g. processed sugar), but so far nothing has come close to giving me a clear complexion.
I have good weeks and bad weeks. Actually it’s not even weeks at a time, it’s days. Sometimes I have a handful of breakouts and that’s it, and that feels wonderful; other weeks I will look in the mirror and would rather not bother with the day. It is the thing that attacks my self-confidence more than anything else. Even at 30-something I still get called pizza face… yep, some kid actually said that to me very recently. So hurtful.
Naturally, then, when I was contacted by Farmaline and asked if I’d like to try Avène great moisturiser for spot-prone skin I said yes. They also sent me the matching cleanser to go with it, and some eye makeup remover that is supposed to be really soothing. It’s the cleanser and moisturiser I’m talking about here.
Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel Without Soap is a light blue liquid water based cleanser without soap that refreshes and deeply purifies, designed for skin with impurities. It’s a foaming gel that is gentle, helps prevent shine, and softens the skin whilst cleaning all the muck away. It does a great job at cleaning off make-up and after using the skin does indeed feel very clean but not stripped bare.
The Avène Cleanance Hydra Soothing Cream is a compensating hydrating cream to off-set the drying effects of acne treatments (which really do dry out the skin leaving it prone to cracking). The idea being, as you will imagine, so use any treatments I’m already using and then use this moisturiser on the top to sooth the skin and bring balance back. It is creamy but not oily, and soothes the instant it’s put on the skin – you feel like it is doing something to benefit your face straight away.
I’ve been trying these two products out twice a day for a couple of weeks now; morning and evening in place of my usual cleanser and moisturiser. The cleanser definitely makes my skin feel clean – it foams up when you apply it to a damp face and easily cleans off all my make-up, suncream and additional dirt that outdoors-loving girls always have on their faces, and is easy to rinse off with lukewarm water or under the shower. The moisturiser is thin and soaks in very easily leaving no greasy trace. As a pair I like them, they appear to do the job of cleaning my face as well as any product I’ve ever tried. Both products are lasting well, too, only a little is needed each morning and evening – my 100ml cleanser and 40ml moisturiser will last the rest of the month and probably beyond with no problem.
But I’m afraid I am still left with horrible skin. The bits of my face without spots feel great, but I am still getting breakouts. My skin is definitely no worse than it was before I started using the Avène, but I’m not convinced it is any better, either. What a shame. To be fair, having tried so many different things, I wasn’t expecting a miracle. But it would have been nice. I am not knocking these products as they are lovely to use and the moisturiser is especially nice, but they haven’t provided me with beautiful skin for my next close-up… yet. Two weeks may not be long enough, though – I will continue to use these until they run out and let you know if things improve any more.
Have you got fickle skin? What do you use? Do let me know. Next on my list is a special multi-vitamin that is said to improve skin, hair and nails – a friend of mine found that adding it to her daily routine has left her skin much better after one month of taking it, so I’m going to give it a try.
Thank you to Farmaline for sending me these Avène products to try out. Check out the Farmaline if you want to try the cleansing gel and moisturising cream.
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