I have talked about this before, albeit briefly. In my Spotty Summer Scrapping Schedule, I did promise that I'd go into more detail about the much-lauded Effaclar Duo. So here you go!
The box claims that the product: 'Corrects the appearance of imperfections, unclogs blocked pores and fights against marks.'
'After 24 hours the product is supposed to make imperfections look visibly less red. After 8 days, imperfections should appear significantly reduced. After 4 weeks, pores should look unclogged, skin texture should look refined and this product is supposed to control the appearance of shine.'
I'm not sure that it solved all of the above problems for me, but if you suffer from spots and nothing else seems to work, I'd give this product a go. It's worth a try.
For me, this product seems to work about 50% of the time. Sometimes, it's a miracle product; getting rid of huge, horrid zits within hours. However, at other times, it just doesn't seem to do that much. I've no idea why, but one of my friends uses this product too and has exactly the same problem.
As an aside, it smells quite unusual. I'm really not sure how I'd describe it... You soon get used to it though.
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| Effaclar Duo balancing on a couple of Shakespeare's Sonnets; which I understand about as well as the instructions... |
When I first bought this product, I had no idea how to use it. I didn't know whether it was a moisturiser in its own right or whether it was more of a 'treatment' before moisturising. I saw the instructions and assumed that those would cover the steps...However, the instructions were only in German and French. I'm part-German and studied German at school but that doesn't mean to say that I can translate it word for word... I didn't do French at all, so I'd be absolutely useless. In the end, I had to resort to Googling it and reading instructions from La Roche Posay's website. (Which isn't really ideal, is it?)
It's for use on oily skin and can be used on sensitive skin too. I have the latter, but my skin's more combination than just oily. On its own, I found that it doesn't moisturise those dry parts quite enough. To combat that dryness, I often use this product in conjunction with a small blob of my normal moisturiser, so that my skin's definitely getting the nourishment it needs.
Obviously at £15.50 for 40ml, it's a pricey product. I thought it was risky to spend so much money on this product, but I wanted to see if it would help my ever-worsening skin. I've made it last for about six weeks, often using it just at night. Obviously, if you use it day and night, as advised, you'd run out considerably quicker.
I've suffered from red skin for years and it's something that I can hide quite well under foundation. This product boasts about eradicating redness and I do believe that my skin is a little less red. After I started using it, I kept on catching my own reflection and seeing that I looked paler, not beetroot-faced like usual. So either I'm ill or it's worked in that respect...
Regarding spots, I'm having fewer breakouts, but I don't know if that's due to lifestyle changes or this product. About three-four weeks into using this product, I had one of the worst breakouts I've ever experienced and had to launch a vicious assault on acne with myriad products; this being one of them. So I'm honestly not sure if it's worked.
It's one of La Roche Posay's flagship products; and I do like it, but I wish that it would've had a more dramatic effect on my skin. Maybe I expected too much from this product, on account of it being expensive and coming from a premium skincare brand?
Will I repurchase? I'm not sure. It's very nearly run out now, but I'm not made of money. As I said, I'm not sure if it has worked; so I'll give myself a break from the product to see if my skin worsens again without it.
Advantages:
- Good base for makeup,
- When it works, it's brilliant,
- Lasts a few weeks,
- Great for reducing redness.
Disadvantages:
- Expensive,
- Doesn't always work,
- Unusual scent,
- Can make drier patches of skin a little worse.
Have you tried Effaclar Duo? Did it improve your skin?
Thanks for reading!
Katie
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Ooooh. How exciting is this? Not very, you could argue... But please don't. I'm going to take you through my top five all time favourite products! Surely you're at least a little excited now...?
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
I buy the lightest shade which is 1 Fair. I mainly use it to conceal the dark circles under my eyes, and I'll let you into a secret: The older I get, the more of this I seem to get through. It's quite depressing really.
This miracle product retails for £4.19, but Boots have it on offer every now and again. The fact that it's quite often out of stock is a testament to how good this is (and how much everybody already knows about it...)
It also covers up spots wonderfully and seems to last pretty much all day. I don't know where I'd be without it.
Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara
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| I'm getting better at balancing mascara, aren't I? |
I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I love this mascara. It gives my eyelashes a dramatic lift and volume to make my eyes noticeable, without making them look too 'spidery'. I normally use Black/Brown because I have blue eyes and I don't want to emphasise them too much for daytime wear. However, the Black is great too.
Granted, at £10.99, it's quite expensive for a high street mascara. However, I'll also let you into another secret, Fragrance Direct are selling it for £7.99... You can thank me later...
Max Factor also offer waterproof and 24 hour versions* of this mascara, but I still tend to opt for the bog-standard one.
*Who's wearing mascara for 24 hours in one go anyway?
Vitapointe Leave-In Conditioner
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| I really need to buy some more, don't I? |
It costs £2.09 or £2.29, depending on where you shop. You can use this during the day, but I prefer to use it at night as a 'hair mask'. It's a white cream that smells quite 'soapy' to me and it just makes your hair look a lot healthier whilst making it feel softer too.
If you suffer from frizzy hair, this is such a great product to tame it with! It's so understated, but it's honestly a brilliant product and it won't break the bank either!
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Body Lotion
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| Yellow, gooey bliss in a bottle. |
It's bright yellow, super-nourishing and smells gorgeous; quite chocolatey. As someone who's quite picky when it comes to body lotion, I'm always after a good all-round product and this is probably my favourite 'cheaper' one. One problem is that it's quite difficult to get out of the bottle towards the end, because it's just so gloopy.
It's also supposed to be quite good at reducing the appearance of stretch marks and it's much cheaper than other alternatives which boast about having mark-reducing qualities.
The price normally ranges from about £4-£6, depending on what size bottle you buy.
Anatomicals Body Washes
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| Sud the Lot of You... |
I'm a huge fan of Anatomicals. With their tagline: 'We only want you for your body', they're a comical brand who don't really take themselves too seriously.
I have a bit of an obsession with their body washes, which I use every day. I've built up quite a collection of them over the past year or so, from 'Sud the Lot of You' and 'You Should Be So Mucky (Mucky, Mucky, Mucky)' to 'Shower to the People'.
They put a great deal of effort in to ensure that the names are funny and the packaging is littered with jokes too. All of the body washes that I've tried smell amazing and they also lather up really well too.
A little goes a long way and a bottle costs between £2 and £3. You can buy them from ASOS, Superdrug and selected Morrisons stores, I believe.
Have you tried any of the above products? Do you love them as much as I do?
Thanks for reading!
Katie
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I remarked upon the fact that it was a tad too dark for my very pale skin. I also remarked that it would be SO good if Max Factor created a lighter shade, and lo and behold, my prayers were soon answered.
I stumbled across a new lighter shade of this foundation on Fragrance Direct (a budget beauty and fragrance website, for those who aren't aware); which was 30 Porcelain. You'd think though, wouldn't you, that this would be ever so slightly lighter? However, to me, it doesn't really appear to be.
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| 30 Porcelain. I thought Porcelain was really white? Not... Orange? |
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| 40 Light Ivory. It doesn't look Ivory-coloured, does it? |
I'm gutted. I applied it yesterday and realised quite quickly that I looked like I'd been tangoed... Just the same as with the Light Ivory. If you compare the two pots, they look like the same shade, or at least, uncannily similar.
Boots and Superdrug don't sell the new Porcelain shade, which puzzles me. As I said before, I really like this foundation and I would seriously consider adopting it as my main foundation if Max Factor got their act together and created noticeably lighter shades.
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| Left: 40 Light Ivory, on the Right: 30 Porcelain. |
The foundation normally retails for £9.99 and when I bought it last week, Fragrance Direct were selling it for £5.99. I really like the texture and finish of this foundation, so I thought by finding a 'paler' shade which might actually match my almost deathly pallor, I'd struck lucky. Perhaps not, eh?
Have you bought this foundation? Have you found the two shades to be the same? If so, drop me a comment!
Thanks for reading!
Katie
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Is it really that time again? Here are my faves from July!
Sleek Contouring Kit
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| Teddies need to contour too, you know. |
I bought this in light, because I'm so pale... (It's genuinely becoming a catchphrase now...)
It's a fantastic product. Admittedly, I've not really used the bronzer section of this kit, just using the highlighter instead at the moment. I really like it, but I only use it on days where I need a little more sparkle.
The highlighter is sparkly, obviously... The bronzer is a matte one. I'm opting for a shimmery Natural Collection £1.99 bronzer instead at the moment. (Which has lasted absolutely ages and it does seem like it might well outlive me at this point...)
At £6.49 it's a really great value version of contouring kits made by other (much more expensive) brands.
Inecto Coconut Glossing Spray
I LOVE this! I'm not sure if it's readily available. I've been buying it every now and again from Bodycare. It smells amazing. Really coconut-ty. (Obviously.)
I also love this because it makes my hair really shiny. If I'm having a bad hair day, a spritz of this before blow-drying seems to help me to look a little bit less disheveled than usual.
I'd definitely recommend this to people who suffer from the dreaded frizz!
Bourjois Little Round Pot - Shade 54
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| This is after months of use and there's still loads left! |
It's shimmery, but not too much. It's perfect for day and night wear.
The pot has a little mirror and also a little applicator that bends over the mound of product. It closes with a magnet as well, so it ensures that it won't open by accident in your make-up bag, break into a powder and then go everywhere...
Bourjois offer loads of different shades and this product retails at £6.99.
Palmer's Coco Butter Lip Balm
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| No, I couldn't be bothered to take it out of the packaging. |
At £1.89 it's not pricey and they're easily picked up in Boots or other 'drugstores'.
Boots DermaCare Daily Moisturising Lotion
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| Teddies need moisturising too. |
This one's really only for those who suffer from the dreaded dry skin or eczema, like me. It's wonderful. A bottle will easily last me a fortnight or so.
There are different types of this that you can buy which are priced slightly differently. They're coloured-coded though, which helps! Yellow is cheaper than green... About a pound cheaper. It is more watery, but it's much cheaper, so bear that in mind.
The one pictured (green one) currently retails at £3.89, which is why I prefer the yellow one at £2.59.
It's a really well-hidden product. Boots seem to hide their own brand products (which are often really good) on bottom shelves.
Thanks for reading!
Katie
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