I've loved French pharmacy brands ever since I can remember. My first serious moisturiser was from Vichy when I was a teen. They provide brilliant ingredients and cater for all needs for a fraction of the price of luxury brands. Most of them are fragrance and paraben free too which means even the most sensitive types can use them.
Needless to say, when I heard there is another brand launching in the UK, I was instantly on the case. After the first few tries, they both feel rich but not heavy, not sticky, nourishing and soothing. I love the simplistic packaging and it is excellent for those on a budget. My first impressions about the brand are very positive so I will definitely invest in some more.
Founded by Dr Roger, a young pharmacist at the time, Mixa has been around from 1924 which shows you how it stood the test of time. It was formulated for women in the workforce (launderettes mostly) who needed soothing for their dry, irritated and chapped skin.
The range in the UK consists of 5 body lotions (Anti-dryness, Soothing, Cica Repair, Restoring, Firming), 3 hand creams (restoring, SOS hand repair and anti-dryness) and the multi-purpose Cica Repair Balm. My skin feels quite irritated and itchy on my legs so I went for the Soothing Body Lotion and just to try on my hands, the Repair Balm.
The Cica Repair Balm is enriched with panthenol (Vitamin B5) and sunflower seed oil. it soothes, repairs, strengthens fragile skin and provides relief from irritation and extreme dryness.
You can use it on the face, body (great for elbows, heels even) and hands too, so it is an excellent all-rounder in a home beauty kit, even kids can use it from the age of 3. It is fragrance and paraben free so perfect for you with sensitive skin types.
On application, it felt thick but it sank is beautifully and it didn't feel sticky at all. After using it my hands felt nourished (even after washing my hands a few times) and super-soft and it was comfortable to wear. Now it's sitting next to my bed, so I'm gonna let it do its job during the night too.
The Soothing Body Lotion is enriched with luscious oat milk and though it's not fragranced it has this comforting creamy smell that I love.
The formulation feels rich, non-sticky and silky, it sinks in quickly leaving the skin smooth, nourished and relieved from irritation. After application, it is easy to slip into your pyjamas, because it doesn't sit on the skin as so many body lotions do.
I love the practical pump applicator, it makes application so much easier and less messy. It is fragrance and paraben free.
Mixa is available exclusively at Superdrug at a very low, introductory price.
I am always on the lookout for good lip care that hydrates, repairs, softens and doesn't leave a nasty white mark on the lips. I tried so many I couldn't even list them all, I have different favourites all the time but here are the ones I really love at the moment:
By Terry Baume de Rose Lip Care
Baume de Rose is a beautiful classic, well-loved multi-purpose balm in the beauty world, no wonder why. It is super nourishing, repairs damaged lips and cuticles and it contains a lipo-regenerating complex made from rose flower essential wax and pastel oil to boost cell renewal. The added Vitamine E serves as an antioxidant while the shea butter leaves the lips feel super smooth. I actually prefer this new format over the pot because it feels more hygienic and portable to me.
Baume de Rose Lip Car is free of Phthalates, Parabens, Sulfate and is Cruelty-Free.
It is £14.00 at Space NK.
Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil 03 Red Berry
Clarins has extended the shades of their lip oils and they all taste great too! This plant oil infused slightly tinted nutritious formula is great for nourishing the lips and give it a little bit of a healthy shine without leaving it sticky. The luxurious blend of Hazelnut, Jojoba and Mirabelle oils turn lips silky smooth within days. I would even use this on my cheeks if need be. I find the sponge tip applicator a bit too bulky, but hey-ho, the product itself is great. It was actually really hard to pick one, they all taste so good! I might just collect the whole range just in case. These used to be limited edition but I do hear this time they will be permanent to their collection which is great news.
The Clarins lip oil is retailing at £19.00.
Bioderma Stick Hydratant
I've been a huge fan of French Pharmacy brands for many, many years and I keep discovering their ever-growing ranges. This is the first time I've tried Bioderma's lip balm and I am impressed. This handy stick filled with Shea Butter, Avocado oil and Laminaria is extremely hydrating and comforting for the lips, it repairs damaged delicate skin and has a light raspberry taste. Top marks for this, it will definitely stay on my favourite list for a long time.
The Bioderma Stick Hydratant is fragrance-free and preservative-free, it is £5.10 at Boots.
Lush Lip Scrub Kiss
(this formulation was limited edition, but other lip scrubs are available in other forms at Lush)
This is another classic. If you want to be dead skin free and get the blood flowing in the lips, this is for you. The combination of caster sugar and cocoa butter leave the lips super smooth and silky soft. Lipsticks go on like a dream after a good scrubbing session with this. I can even deal with the sweet candy-like scent because it's not overpowering at all. This little pot lasts for absolute ages, so it really worth the money.
The Lush lip scrubs are vegan and retailing at £5.95.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream
Hands up who hasn't tried the Eight Hour Cream? There's not many of you I bet! Well loved by beauty fans and makeup artists since 1930 (!), this legendary beauty icon is still going strong. Why? Simply because it works. This multi-purpose yellow looking, funny-smelling balm is a saviour for dry, cracked, irritated skin, it protects, soothes and heals. It is a brilliant SOS product in a makeup artist's kit, I even used it as a brow gel and a highlighter on the cheeks when doing makeup. I have one in my private beauty stash too, but I mainly use it on my lips. Nothing works like this and I have no doubts that the Eight Hour Cream will rule the beauty world for many more decades to come.
The is available in a fragrance-free formula and retails at £26.00 for 50ml.
I know The Ordinary is not for everyone, I know, but my fascination with the brand continues as finally, they've launched Glycolic Acid products. I have never ordered something as fast as their 7% Glycolic Solution and just for good measure, I added the Acid Peel and Niacinamide to try.
Glycolic Acid is one of the most anti-ageing acids and it works really well on my skin. I am a huge advocate of Alpha-H's Liquid Gold (one of the best resurfacing treatments with 5% Glycolic Acid) and I am always on a lookout for other alternatives. I also use Pixi's Glow Tonic sometimes (a gentle toner that contains 5% Glycolic Acid).I think The Ordinary toner with 7% Glycolic Acid is right in the middle in strength. A fair word of warning: If you are not experienced in using acids, take it slow, start with lower concentrations and always, always use SPF during the day.
Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
Glycolic Acid is an AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) that exfoliates the skin. This has been my preferred way of exfoliation for years with amazing visible results. This mild peach coloured solution lifts off dead skin, brightens and for improves the appearance of skin texture. It contains Tasmanian Pepperberry derivative to help reducing irritation, Ginseng Root and Aloe Vera for radiance and soothing.
At first use, it felt quite strong, effective but not irritating. Let me stress one more time, I have a lot of experience with using acids and I don't have sensitive skin, so tread carefully if you are a newbie. I've just started to use this (after cleansing, before other treatments and a moisturiser) but I really like it so far and what a fantastic budget solution for anti-ageing this is! For £6.80? It is a steal! Another thumbs up for The Ordinary from me.
AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
Now here is what I was really interested in trying: a high concentration of AHA and BHA peel. Boys and girls, this is for the advanced skincare junkies, it packs a punch!
This strong exfoliating facial masque containing AHA and BHA is great option to revive dull, tired looking skin, exfoliate, unclog pores and improve skin texture. It contains 30% Alpha Hydroxyl Acids (Glycolic, Lactic, Tartaric, Citric) and 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid (Salicylic Acid).
This formula has a distinctive purple colour that made using the product really fun for me (it might scare some people though). It contains a Tasmanian Pepperberry derivative to help reducing irritation, Hyaluronic Acid to sooth the skin, Vitamin B5 for healing and Black Carrot as an added antioxidant. I used this twice and I know this will be a keeper. My skin felt super smooth, bright and refreshed after just one use. Acids work like nothing else for me and if I can get it at this low a price (£6.30), then bring it on!
Don't use this more than twice a week, use it only in the evening and you should use SPF during the day all the time to preserve the results.
When using it please follow the directions on the website closely and don't leave it on for longer than the designated 10 minutes.
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc is a vitamin and mineral formula with high concentration of Niacinamide and Zinc, a skin treatment serum for blemishes, congestion and balancing sebum.
Why did I order this exactly? I'm not so sure anymore since I'm not prone to blemishes that much. It sounded intriguing I guess. Okay, I might try this on my visible pores around my lips and nose, see how it is performing when it comes to balancing the skin. Niacinamide, which Vitamin B3, is a powerful antioxidant that is great for improving skin health in general, it boosts the skin's moisture retention ability by strengthening the epidermal barrier and was proved to reduce the appearance of lines. Well, that's sounds good to me! The added Zinc helps to heal damaged skin and encourages collagen and elastin production. That sounds great too!
The see-through liquid is easy to apply and feels light on the skin. I introduced this to my morning routine after cleansing and before The Buffet (also from The Ordinary) and my moisturiser. I've heard various reports and mixed opinions on this one, I will see how it performs and I will report back on it later on. Even if it doesn't do anything for me, those £5.00 I spent on it will not be a great loss.
Ever since I worked for Mac I've been stuck in my ways and kept using their mascaras. They worked really well for me and I didn't think of using anything else. Only recently I started to venture out to a quite uncharted territory of using other brands. I've been loving Chanel's Inimitable Mascara... But I wanted to see what's available on more of a budget price. There's a lot of buzz around Rimmel at the moment so I picked 3 of their mascara (including two new releases) to compare their performance.
First things first: Scandaleyes Extreme
What they promise on the website: "The dual action brush captures lashes bringing them to their max. Curved side: Volumises and loads up lashes for xx-treme look. Flat side: Defines and lengthens lashes from root to tip. No clumps."
Packaging: bright pink chunky plastic tube, not the greatest looking thing.
Wand: this one has the most interesting looking wand out of the three. One side is straight for lengthening and the other is curved for volume.
The colour: intense black.
How it performed: I quite liked how this lengthened my lashes and did not go clumpy though I've found the wand slightly on the large size for my small eyes. The colour kept its intensity during the day. It's good but it's not great, it took me quite a few coats and careful navigating of the wand to get the desired effect. I've had ones that are quicker so I'm not sure I would get it again.
Price: £6.99, very reasonable.
Volume Shake
What they promise on the website: "Rimmel London Volume Shake Mascara features a first-to-market patented shaker system that refreshes the volumising formula whenever it’s needed. The volume defining brush gives you a beautiful fan of lashes with maximum separation from corner to corner.
-Breakthrough shaker technology
-Beautiful clump-free volume
-Stays fresh from first to last use"
Packaging: a bit heavier and chunkier than your average mascara because of this new 'shaker' technology, the colours are green and gold which doesn't really do much for me.
The wand: it looks like a typical volumizing wand, nice and thick, doesn't take out too much product from the tube. This one again is slightly on the large side for my tiny eyes.
The colour: intense black.
How it performed: I really wanted to love this one because I like the idea of a mascara that stays fresh for longer, but I've found the formula a tad bit too wet and despite normally being precise with application this was hard to navigate and it went on my upper lids as soon as I blinked. It puts on way too much product on the lashes, to me, it was hard to control. Ideally, I wouldn't want to wait that long for the product to dry either. I also felt that soon after application this formula weighed my lashes down and ended up not getting much of a result at all. The intensity of the colour was fading too during the day. After a few days of trying I felt I had to correct it with another mascara to get the desired effect. What a shame.
Price:£8.99 very reasonable.
Last but not least my favourite out of the bunch Volume Colourist.
Having struggled with very fair lashes forever I've found the idea of a lash tinting mascara intriguing, so there was no question I went for it.
What they promise on the website: "Reveal darker lashes with and without mascara!
• Darkens bare lashes in two weeks*
• In an instant, lashes appear fuller and longer.
• Tapered, lash-intensifying brush wraps every lash with blacker than black pigments"
Packaging: nice, thin, sleeker than the others, good colour combination too.
The wand: this is longer than the rest but still has the density of a volumizing formula. It is still a bit on the large size but this time I don't mind because I am way too intrigued by the tinting effect.
How it performed: I had to put fewer coats of this to get quite an intense effect, it lengthens and volumizes quite well. After using it for a week I am happy to see that my lashes started to darken a little and I experienced no irritation whatsoever. This one is a definite keeper and I will update you about the results.
Price:£7.99, very reasonable.
I hope you enjoyed this mini comparison post, I definitely did enjoy trying on these mascaras. Even if some are not for me it doesn't mean they are bad, they might work for other eye shapes and lash types. I am excited to do similar comparison post with other brands too.
