Recent Skincare Repurchases

I think it's always great to see what people have repurchased, it gives me more faith in a product if I know someone has used it up and liked it enough to get it again rather than trying to find something better so I thought I would share my recent repurchases!

Happy shiny new products, sad empty products.

I have repurchased the Emma Hardie cleansing balm, which is by far my favourite cleanser I have ever tried. With a price tag of £34 this beauty isn't cheap, but it is fantastic! I actually have a whole post dedicated to the amazingness of it right here, but to recap it just removes all the make up and underground grime from my face and leaves my skin feeling very clean and soft.

I went to Scotland the other weekend and didn't take my cleanser as I only had hand luggage, I'm not surprised that I am now breaking out, something that hasn't happened since I started using the cleanser.

The other product I repurchased is Pixi Face Shield moisturiser with SPF15.

This is a lovely basic moisturiser, with minimal ingredients and feels great on my skin. 

I have had issues with moisturisers in the past where I get a rash of little bumps under my skin which I think is a allergy. I know it is probably one ingredient that would set the rash off but I've never managed to figure out what it is, but luckily this moisturiser doesn't have that ingredient in it!

It sinks in quickly, moisturises my dehydrated skin, is unfragranced and without any nasties so it doesn't upset my eczema and its just a great basic product that I think would suit a lot of people, and lets not forget it has SPF!

I believe Pixi skincare is only available to buy in store at the moment, I purchased this from the boutique on Carnaby Street and it was £26.

Have you repurchased anything recently? Or are you more of a 'grass is always greener' type person?

My Kiehl's Skincare Consultation

If you follow me on Twitter then you probably know I like to complain. A LOT.

I am bit of a stickler for customer service considering I worked in it for so many years, and while I do think it's important to complain about bad service, I also think it's important to applaud good customer service too.

The other day whilst out with the lovely Sophia from Tattooed Tea Lady I received such exceptional service I had to share my experience.

We was in Liberty and I mentioned how much I wanted the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate, so Sophia encouraged me to have one of the Kiehl's free skincare consultations that comes with samples.

The Kiehl's consultant asked me what I was currently using and if I had any areas of concern or anything in my routine that I would like to change.

After the initial discussion she then placed some pads on my face that showed the oil levels of my skin. That part was very interesting because although I suspected my skin was dry it's always nice to have someone else confirm your beliefs.

After the talk through my skin care routine the consultant then went on to tell me about products that she thought would enhance my skin care routine, and this was more about adding certain products to my routine that would benefit me, rather than completely changing all my current skin care items for Kiehl's products. 

This is something that I found very encouraging, there is nothing worse then a pushy sales assistant who will try to get you to completely over haul your skincare products using only their brand.

The consultant clearly knew the Kiehl's products very well, and she also knew quite a lot about other brands including some of the ones that I use which is great as she clearly knows the skincare market well. She never bashed any other brand either or said that Kiehl's would be better, which I have seen some other assistants do and it's really off putting. 

The products she recommended for me was the Midnight Recovery Concentrate (great because I wanted to try this anyway) and the Midnight Recovery Eye because I currently use the same skincare products in the morning as I do in the evening and these products will be good additions to help with my dry skin.

She also recommended the Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado because I told her I wasn't satisfied with my current eye cream. 

I also received a couple of samples of the new Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Masque, which I am excited to try as I have been thinking of picking up the Origins masque.  The other samples I received where of the Cucumber Herbal Alchol Free Toner and the Ultra Facial Cleanser.

I left feeling confident in the knowledge of the products recommended to me and excited to try them out, I also left feeling incredibly confident in the consultants skin care knowledge.

The whole consultation experience was lovely because it gave me a one to one chance to find out about Kiehl's as a brand and the products, and believe me, I asked a lot of questions, most of them probably really stupid. Not once did I feel pressured to buy anything. 

If you are near a Kiehl's stand or store definitely go for one of these consultations, they are so informative and interesting, and most importantly free! 

I know I will definitely be picking up the two eye creams and Midnight Recovery Concentrate with my next pay check. And probably the masque too...

I will also be emailing Kiehl's about the amazing customer service I received as I have the name of the women who served me, customer service this good deserves to be rewarded, so if you receive great customer service in the future, be sure to tell the company!

Have you used Kiehl's before? I'm new to the brand and so excited to try it!

Skin Care Superstar - Aesop Parsley Seed Masque

My second entry into my Skin Care Superstar series is the Aesop Parsley Seed Masque, which has quickly become one of my favourite masks.

This is what Aesop say about it:

A clay-based masque to deeply cleanse and refresh most skin types.

This blend of premium clays and botanicals lifts deep-seated impurities, imparting wholly clarified and refreshed skin. Parsley Seed extracts deliver potent anti-oxidants while other botanical elements cleanse and revive skin.

It is definitely a great cleansing mask and my skin feels very clean and purified after use.

I have tried other clay masks before, and they often leave my skin feeling rather tight and dry afterwards, but I experience none of that discomfort with the Aesop mask so I think this mask would be fine to use even if you have more dry skin.

Even after the first use I noticed that my pores where smaller, and my skin just looked so much clearer and even in tone, and since using it regularly I haven't been getting the odd spot like I used to.

I have been using this at least once a week for the past 3 months and still have a fair bit left in the tube, which is good because it's not the cheapest of masks! 

I think this works really well in conjunction with my Alpha H Liquid Gold at making my pores smaller and having less black heads, something that I think most people like to see from their skin care.

Definitely check this mask out if you are after a good cleansing mask.

Skin Care Superstar - Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm

I have decided to start a new series on skin care because I have gotten into it so much recently. 

I am going to share with you my skin care superstars, products that I would definitely repurchase and think they have made such a positive difference to my skin care that I would recommend them to anyone.

The first product to receive the superstar treatment is one lots of you have probably heard of, it's the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm. 

Here is what the official Emma Hardie site has to say about the product:

Benefits:
- Thoroughly cleanses and moisturises the skin.
- Helps to purify and minimises the appearance of open pores.
- Calming for sensitive skin
- Revitalising for dull and mature skins.
- Can be used as a rescue balm, ie on dry elbows or knees, or as a lip balm.
- Doubles as a soothing mask if left on the skin for ten minutes

Key Ingredients and what they do:
- Moringa seed extract, Wild Sea Fennel and Vitamin E:Balance, purify and help to minimise the appearance of open pores
- Orange, Neroli and Mandarin extracts: Rejuvenates and revitalises the skin.
- Jasmine, cedarwood and Rose:  Helps to recondition dull, dry, dehydrated and mature skins

I pretty much agree with everything that they have said about the product.

At first I was pretty skeptical about using such a oily product on my face, because although I don't have oily skin, I haven't had much success with other cleansing balms before, most notably Lush's Ultra Balm, which felt like it had left a oily film over my face.

This product however, is nothing like the other balms I have tried. After using it my skin feels so clean yet soft, with no residue left behind.

I have been using this twice daily for the last 3 months and I have found it has definitely made my skin look less dull in the winter, something I normally have big issues with, helped with my eczema and I definitely have had less spots.

To use the cleansing balm you just get a tiny amount (and I mean tiny, a pea size amount will do it for me), mix it with a tiny bit of water and then massage all over the face. Remove with a warm damp face cloth. 

Because you use such little product as well, this lasts for ages, which is good because it's not exactly the cheapest of products!

I love the cleansing balm and this has replaced all my foaming cleansers that I used to use and I can definitely see the skin care benefits.

If you are in the market for a new cleanser I cannot recommend this one enough!