Skin Saviours - Top New Skin Care Products and Skin Care Tips

Hello everyone, I've finally got round to doing a beauty review yipeee. I have so much stuff to review it's unbelievable. It's Easter, so I should have loads of time on my hands, but organising the bloggers North meet up party (read about my plans here) has kinda taken all my time up, so I haven't actually had any blogging time *cries*. I haven't ever used Elemis skin products before (bad blogger, I hear you cry), but I know so many people who are obsessed with them and swear by them and that many people can't be wrong. I've always used Dermalogica, but it feels like it's stopped working on my skin recently and not to mention, it's so unaffordable, £40+ for an exfoliator? Who can afford these things? So,  a trip on the Elemis train was my next stop. All aboard. I've recently been doing Rosie from The Londoner's anti-diet (it's amazing, stay tuned I will update you on my beach body ASAP) and I decided, why not also detox my face. Now, this detox was going incredible, until I went on a few too many nights out and one of these, actually resulted in the sin of all sins, me sleeping in a full face of make up. Yes, I sinned. Karma is gonna get me. Or, the bad skin fairy is really going to destroy all of my good work. I can't remember the last time I did this, I am usually so good at taking my make up off. But, the lack of sleep, nutrition and the fact that my general well-being just erm, hasn't been up to scratch lately, has clearly played havoc with my skin, so this week, I am having THE worst skin week. That means, I have a week to get it back on track, as, I don't want bad skin for my bloggers meet up! So, I thought I'd talk you through my new products because I really have seen a difference with my skin... (before I went on a binge week)

Cleansing is obviously an essential part of skin care, and for some reason, I used to just use face wipes. Erm, complete and utter no go, they seem to just strip the skin of any goodness and not to mention, dry it out. Recently, I've been using Elemis' purifying face wash and then I use the skin glow exfoliating face mask over the top. If you're coming to my bloggers event, you might just be lucky enough to get to try one of these items in your goodie bag. I like plain cleansers, so this cleanser is just parfait pour moi, according to Elemis it is 'a balancing facial wash to detox and purify the skin... with antiseptic properties, the wash promotes healthy cell growth to repair damaged tissue. White Willow Bark provides gentle exfoliation whilst Cedarwood and Cucumber soothe the skin.' Ah I love the purity of Elemis products. This foams really nicely on the face and, to my surprise, it only cost £12.00, which I think is really reasonable for such a good, high end product. 

Next step, I'm a big fan of exfoliating and do think that it's important to do it daily, to get rid of grime and just general yackiness on the face. Elemis say that their Skin Glow exfoliating wash has 'a deep pore cleansing action, this exfoliating facial wash contains cherry powder and jojoba beads to gently polish and help refine skin texture. Enriched with mandarin and aniseed to soften and condition, leaving skin clean, brighter and more radiant.' I like that it's enriched with good ingredients and i'm not going to lie, the name 'Skin Glow' did tell it to me, everyone wants glowing skin right? Right. Something which excited me about this product, is the fact that, again, it only costs £12.00, my usual Dermalogica exfoliator, costs around £40.00, I could buy three of these for the same price. We are in a recession ladies. All hail Elemis for great yet well priced products. Hooray.  

What I would say about changing your skin care routine is, don't panic if you break out after the first week, don't forget, the impurities need to come out first so that you can maintain good skin. You've kind of got to have  bad skin week, to get to your good skin week.

For dryness - I think this is something that most of us may have suffered from over the past few months. I know I have, with the horrible-ever-changing British weather. Every time I have a skin consultation I'm told that I need to hydrate my skin and put some moisture back into it. I've never noticed how dry it is until this week. But, lucky for me, these masks from Elemis saved the day. They may look like a little box, but inside, there are 6 handy little sachets, which make this item perfect for travel. I haven't used the purifying face mask yet, but I am hooked on the magical moisture quenching face mask. Here's what they say about it: 'This super softening mask contains white lupin, artic cranberry seed oil and apple extract to deliver an instant moisture boost to dry skin, while aloe vera gently soothes. Leaves skin radiant and exceptionally soft. ' So it is actually good for your skin. I just needed something to make my skin feel softer and brighter. I leave this on for ten minutes before bed or, before a night out if I'm having another bad skin day. I feel like it just waters my skin and quenches it. After applying this twice, I've noticed that the dryness of my skin's gone and I can finally apply foundation again.

Another incredible product for dryness is this, Vichy's Aqualia Thermal moisturiser. I haven't ever used a Vichy product before, but I have been in need of a good moisturiser for far too long, I have no idea why, but it's something that I've never spent a lot of money on before but a good moisturiser is such an essential item. This is only around £15.00 at Boots and they often have money saving offers on, so watch out for that. I love it because it's a French brand, and I just love France. Now, I like to research my products and Vichy say that this is: 'formulated for dry, sensitive skin to help restore it's barrier. Concentrated with Vichy Thermal Spa Water and enriched with hyaluronic acid. Soothes and makes the skin more resistant to daily aggressions and the skin is intensely hydrated the skin for up to 48 hours.' It's not greasy at all and the smell is just incredible, it kind of reminds me of after sun and every time I apply it, I feel like i'm on holiday. You literally need to apply the tiniest bit because it is so rich, but it is suitable for every day use. Pairing this with my Elemis moisture masks has really quenched my skin.

So, I hope you liked hearing about my skin detox and the new products that i've been using.  My aim is to have glowing skin like the Victoria's Secret models above. I have been using an incredible Skin Clear treatment gel by Elemis but unfortunately have misplaced it, so I will review this when I re-find it. You can buy Elemis skin sets from FeelUnique for like £19.00 which is so reasonable and makes me realise that actually, you don't have to spend hundreds of pounds on skin care. What's your skin care routine like?

Lots of love, Em x

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