Beauty ponders

A tube packaging is always on my positive list and there's a handy pump on it with a dop so you can put it up straight. The orange colours is typical sunscreenlike. It contains 50ml and costs around 15euros - available in IU-stores, pharmacies or online shops. Dispensing with the pump goes easily, 1 thourough pump is what you can see underneath (on daily basis I use 1 pump, when spending time outdoors I minimum use 2 pumps). Something that I've noticed with continued use is that you best use a whole pump and don't cut off with a little bit, otherwise the product gets left behind in the front part of the pump and dries up.

The product truly is an emulsion/lotion and is very light - it's easy spreadable. Scentwise it has that typical sunscreen scent, but it's not too strong - it's present but not too disturbing. The product feels a bit sticky and needs some time to sink in, proper blending is necessary. Then again it does leave a matte surface which is easier for makeup (I have dry skin, don't know about oily skin). If you blend thouroughly you won't see a white cast, but I've found that when I'm in the outdoors and reapply every few hours a white cast is inevitable. The product doesn't irritate my skin, nor does it irritate my eyes. I've been wearing this sunscreen when going to work or when spending a day in the outdoors and whenever I put it on, I don't get sunburned - thumbs up. For reference I sunburn very easily and have fair skin, an SPF of 20 doesn't do me much good.

The goods: nice ingredients (no perfume, no alcohol denatol), decent protection, pump packaging, no white cast when blended properly, easy to spread, leaves a matte surface, no irritation

The bads: slightly sunscreen scent, white cast when used frequently, product can dry up in pump

Overall I consider this to be a good product with decent ingredients and proper protection. There are a few minor discomforts that I would like to see gone but it isn't easy to come across a sunscreen that has everything I desire. This however is a close call and I can live with its negatives, hence my repurchasing. Nevertheless I'm still on the lookout for a better one, but for now I'm happy with this one and would recommend it!

My morning cleansing routine is really simple and basic, my dry skin doesn't need a thorough cleansing in the morning, my current routine which I've been using for more than half a year now works like a charm. I take a damp cloth, lightly go over my face with it, dab dry with a towel -if necessary- and then I take a tissue with a micellar cleanser on it, go over my face with it and that's it for the cleansing part. Easy, not? Off course this is my method and it works best for my skin, it's really important that you find your skins personal needs.

I've already used several micellar cleansers such as Nuxe, Caudalie, Louis Widmer but they just weren't "it", my search continues. A couple of months ago while browsing my favourite store for a new cleanser, Avène caught my eye and I decided to give it a go as I use products from their range and am quite happy with them. For 14euros you get 200ml -good price-, it's also available in a larger bottle of 500ml I believe for about 20euros. You can buy it at IU stores or in drugstores and pharmacies.

Technologically advanced cleansing water removes impurities and make-up. It is based on a micelle principle that protects and releases the softening active principle.

Benefits: No-rinse cleansing water cleanses skin and effectively removes all traces of make-up on face, eyes and lips, Hydrates and calms the skin, leaving skin moisturized and soft, Pleasant fragrance tolerated by sensitive skin, Preservative-free, oil-free, Soap-free, oil-free, alcohol-free, Avène Thermal spring water to soothe and soften skin, Hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic.

The bottle is made from plastic and looks really basic but nice at the same time, this applies to all Avène products and I am a fan of practical packaging. At the bottom you can find the expiry date which is 2 years from now on. When opening it, you see a dispenser which I'm fond of - great for using as much product as you need without wasting it. But if this isn't your thing you can also take it off and use the "big hole" :). The product itself doesn't have any colour and has a light scent to it that I can describe as fresh. This is a big plus because other lotions I've used in the past always came with a strong scent and I didn't like it in the morning. This one however doesn't bother me.

This lotion has different uses: you can use it as a make-up remover or as a cleanser. The product is intented for sensitive skin that is prone to redness. My skin is sensitive as well, especially on my cheeks where I can get redness if I use harsher cleansers - so basically this should be the product for me!

I've used it as a make-up remover and it works great, however if you use make-up everyday you will run out of this product quite fast. That's why I prefer my Bioderma make-up remover as it's cheaper and does the same thing.

I've mainly used it as a cleanser in the morning for the last 3 months and I'm really loving it. I love the scent and I like how it refreshes my skin. I didn't get any breakouts during this period so it cleanses deep enough -for me-. I didn't find it irritating and my cheeks didn't turn red either - this sometimes used to happen with my other micellar lotions.

Overall a great product with a small pricetag that I will surely repurchase and recommend to everyone, especially if you have sensitive skin. So far this is my favourite micellar lotion ever used. I still have some other lotions on my list to purchase, curious to see if they will overwhelm this baby...

I've already mentioned that I only cleanse my skin thourougly in the evening due to my dry skin, this works better for me. I prefer to use a milk cleanser. I've used face washes and foams before but they are just too drying for me - I didn't like the way they made my skin feel so I've banned them completely.

When I discovered Nuxe skin care last year while shopping I saw they had a cleansing 3 Roses line. I love them Roses scent, it wasn't too long before I purchased these products. I ran into Avène a couple of months ago when it was mentioned on a blog somewhere (weirdly enough I hadn't come across it sooner because it's supposed to be really popular here in Europe or maybe I just didn't pay that much attention to it) and decided to have a look next time I would go shopping. And I did, off course I came home with some goodies from their line.

Now let's see...
Nuxe - Lait démaquillant:
Effective by nature: a creamy texture fragranced with delicious jasmine notes which gently removes make-up.
Precious benefits for my skin: your face is perfectly cleansed, your skin is supple and comfortable.
Star active ingredients: blended with a soothing and softening natural cocktail of 3 Roses (Red, Black and White) and anti-oxidizing Vitamin E, Hazelnut Oil nourishes and moisturizes, while Orange Floral Water relaxes and calms.

Avène - Lait démaquillant douceur:
Very rich cleanser specially formulated for dry and very dry sensitive skin. Moisturises while cleansing and removing make-up. Contains mild cleansing agents to avoid any irritation. Gently cleanses without altering the skin’s natural protective barrier. A milky formula which leaves skin soft, supple and smooth.

Both products come in a 200ml flacon but have different operating systems. You have to squeeze the Nuxe one, whereas the Avène has a pump. Personally I like a pump more because it's easier to get the proper amount out of it. If you squeeze you have to be carefull and I always tend to get too much product. The downside with a pump mostly is that you waste a lot of product that you can't get out of the bottle BUT the pump from Avène isn't sticky, you can easily take it of the bottle. Both products are priced around 15euros and are available in most pharmacies.

The Nuxe cleanser (left) is obviously thicker than the Avène one (right). Nuxe has a beige colour whereas Avène has a white colour.

While spreading it you see again that the Nuxe is more creamy/thicker.

My thoughts:

Nuxe - This cleanser has a strong scent (fragrance added) and it doesn't remind me that much of roses. Sometimes if my skin is really sensitive, this cleanser isn't soft enough and is irritating (even though the bottle says 'sensitive skin' don't believe what you read). Using the cleanser is easy and it cleanses my skin enough. It doesn't leave my skin dry and works a bit hydrating as well.

Avène - This cleanser has a softer, fresh and clean scent that I really love - subtle. Using the cleanser is easy, it's quite runny, it cleanses my skin enough and leaves it refreshed. I can use this cleanser anytime, it doesn't effect my sensitive skin at all. It doesn't leave my skin dry and works a bit hydrating as well.

Result: My preference clearly goes to the Avène cleanser because of my sensitive skin and the pumpsystem (I love cleansers that support this system). I'm still using the Nuxe cleanser until it's empty but I won't repurchase due to the heavy fragrance and sometimes irritating effect. If you have dry, sensitive skin -like me- I would give this Avène cleanser a go, it's worth it and it isn't too expensive. There is also a gel cleanser available for normal/combination skin.

I still have some cleansers on my wishlist to try, but I think it will be hard for them to top this baby... ;) Do you have/use products from this line?

A couple of weeks ago when I was driving I looked in the mirror and oh no -horror- panic - between my eyebrows I could see 2 expression lines (as they are called) appearing or slightly formed. The foundation I was wearing made it very clearly... When I came home I checked again in the bathroom but it was less clear in indoor lighting. Since I have (very) dry skin, I know I'm prone to early wrinkles but I always moisturize intense to delay this, which works like a charm on my eye area by the way. As it's best to prevent or treat at an early stage I began browsing online for a spot treatment on local areas because hey I don't need it all over my face. My search ended with Avène, a brand that I'm fond of.

Eluage concentrate recommended for furrows of the visage for a visible smoothing effect. Complexion is more radiant and facial features softened. Thanks to its non-greasy peachcolor texture, the concentrate is very pleasent to use. Package in airless doser bottles. Use in the evening on spot areas only. Dab in until absorbed.