The Escentual Micellar Water Blind Trial

Hi everyone! So you may have heard already about the Micellar Water Blind Trial which Escentual ran a little while ago. I was lucky enough to be one of the bloggers chosen to take part, and now that the results are out (read them HERE) I thought it would be a good idea to share what I thought of each of the products!

Escentual sent me 7 sample products to try over the course of 14 days - each one in an unmarked glass bottle. I was so excited when I received the samples, I couldn't wait to give them a go! Here's what I thought of each one...

Sample A - DIOR Instant Cleansing Water

The first impression I had of this product was the strong smell - it really smelled like it was full of chemicals, kind of a similar scent to sun cream actually. I didn't think this worked very well at removing my make up, which is the main reason I use micellar water before cleansing. It felt quite harsh on my skin and left my neck extremely dry. Afterward my skin felt normal and there was no leftover residue.

Sample B - Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Petals 

When the results came out and this was the Nuxe Cleansing Water it didn't surprise me. I found this product to be very heavily fragranced and really floral - which I didn't like because my skin is quite sensitive. However this product was incredibly effective at removing make up and it just lifted off my skin when I swept it over my face with a cotton pad. My skin tingled after using this, and it didn't leave a residue but instead my skin felt very soft.

Sample C - Caudalie Make-Up Remover Cleansing Water

Sample C was a really soft, gentle and sensitive product which smelt really lovely and citrus-y to begin with but after use it left a strange afterscent. It was quite tricky removing make up with this product and I did have to use several cotton pads to get it all off, plus it left my skin feeling quite tacky.

Sample D - Avene Micellar Lotion - Cleanser and Make-up Remover

The Avene Micellar Lotion is one I'd been intending to try even before the blind trial started, so when the results came out and I discovered it was one of the samples I was pretty happy! This product smelt the best of them all, very soothing and like aromatherapy oils. It is also quite thick and nowhere near as watery as some of the other products. So far so good, but unfortunately I found this a really difficult make up remover as the product doesn't wipe off the skin very easily, probably because it's so thick.

Sample E - La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution

This was one of the best products for my sensitive skin as I didn't suffer any tingling or dryness after use. It was very lightly fragranced but nothing too strong and oppressive. This product was very effective at removing make up and afterwards my skin felt soft, fresh with no tacky residue. My second favourite of them all!

Sample F - Bioderma Sensibio H2O - Micelle Solution

As a keen reader of beauty blogs, I have been intrigued by Bioderma for a very long time! When I used Sample F I thought it was a nice gentle water which was unscented and skin to my sensitive skin. But at the same time it was very good at getting my make up off with little effort, and left no residue. My only real complaint is that it left my skin feeling clarified rather than soft, so I thought it might be a bit too harsh for every day use.

Sample G - Vichy Purete Thermale Calming Cleansing Micellar Solution

Now onto my last and favourite of the seven! The Vichy Micellar Solution was mostly unscented save for a very slight chemical-y smell, but I didn't mind too much. It was the most sensitive on my skin, but amazingly also the most effective at getting rid of my make up! My skin was beautiful, glowing and soft after use. Definitely my favourite, I will be purchasing a full size soon to try it out over a longer amount of time!

So my top three were:

1) Vichy Purete Thermale Calming Cleansing Micellar Solution - a soft, gentle but incredibly effective make up remover

2) La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution - a close runner up but a tiny bit more fragranced than the Vichy one, and marginally less effective

3) Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution - a smidge too harsh for me to use on my skin every day, but otherwise a definite all-rounder

For more information on each of the micellar waters featured in the blind trial, check out Escentual's edit HERE - can you spot my comment in one of the reviews? There are also a few offers on at Escentual so you might want to pick up one of the products and save yourself a few pennies!

Have you tried any of these micellar waters before? What did you think of them?

xx

Follow via: Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

NUXE Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm - in stick form

Happy Sunday evening everyone! I hope you're all having a lovely weekend. You might have read my rave review of the NUXE Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm a month or so ago. I was really impressed with this allegedly HG lip product, and I've been using it religiously ever since! However the 'original' product comes in a gorgeous glass jar, which is somewhat impractical for travelling around with. I decided to try out the same product but in stick form to see if I would love it as much, and here's my review!

Although it's exactly the same product, I think the stick version feels a lot less thick and luxurious on the lip. I'm almost certain that the formula must have been changed if only just a little to make the balm more 'solid' for the stick, and so it doesn't apply to the lips as smoothly.

Another thing worth mentioning is that I found I had to reapply this more often than when I use the pot. I said in my original review that reduced reapplications was one of the big bonuses of this product for me, so I was disappointed that the stick version seems less effective. That said, when compared to other 'stick-form' lip balms this is still a definite winner for me, and I will definitely repurchase so I have one handy in my bag for lip emergencies!

If you like the sound of this product, it retails for £5.50 and you can pick it up in all sorts of good beauty stores, including Feel Unique HERE. Alternatively, if you'd like to win it for FREE make sure you enter my giveaway for the chance to win HERE!

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

NUXE Reve de Miel Baume Levres Ultra-Nourrissant Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm

NUXE Reve de Miel Baume Levres Ultra-Nourrissant Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm - bit of a mouthful isn't it? I came across this when Googling around for a HG lip balm as my lips are in the worst condition at the moment! Probably a result of it being winter and me being a fan of cheap lipstick! Anyway, I bought this from feel unique for £9.50 - much more than I would usually pay for a lip balm, so I had high hopes for how it might change my life (an exaggeration perhaps??)..

I was really happy with the service I received from feel unique - having never ordered from them before I didn't really know what to expect but was delighted to find my order was dispatched super-quick and arrived equally as fast! As a bit of an eco warrier I was slightly dismayed at the amount of packaging the product came in, but they chucked in a little sample which made me smile.

The lipbalm itself came in a tiny little box which I thought was a nice touch. I don't often invest in higher end items so I was pleased to find the jar, although small, lived up to my expectations in terms of packaging...

It comes in this decidedly simple, classic and just beautiful little glass jar - it feels quite heavy and substantial in your hand and I will be delighted to have this little beauty grace my bedside table in the winter months!

As for the product itself, I had read plenty of reviews prior to parting with my hard-earned cash and expected it to be a waxy, thick substance. The lip balm contains Plant Oils, Shea Butter and Grapefruit Essence and you can tell as it is very thick and sticky and you don't need much product to cover your whole lips. I massage the balm into my lips a little and find this warms it up a little and makes it easier to apply.

It's so thick that it forms almost a barrier over your lips & isn't easily licked off. I think I am a bit of a fidget when it comes to my lips (that sounds strange) - I am constantly chewing my lips, licking them etc and as I constantly drink water I find most lip balms need reapplying at least once an hour. Not this bad boy. When I apply it on a night before bed (which I now do as a ritual every night!) it still lingers on in the morning, and when applied during the day I reckon it takes a good 2-3 hours before I don't feel it on my lips anymore. But the really good thing about this product is that even when it's worn off, I don't feel like I have to reapply instantly. My lips are so soothed, moisturised and generally happy after wearing this lip balm that I only apply it 2-3 times a day, and once before bed. This is a substantial reduction for me, which I think demonstrates that this lip balm is a HG product and really does WORK!

I find this a relief as it means I haven't wasted £9.50 on just another lip balm that does nothing for my chapped lips. But honestly, I really recommend you try it if you haven't already. If the price is putting you off, bear in mind that because of the consistency of this product and the reduced amount of applications you'll need, this apparently small jar will probably last you months and months and months! I can't really see myself having to repurchase until 4-5 months' time!

So overall it's actually very good value for money, especially in these harsh, vulnerable lip months. Now I've tried it, I can't imagine facing winter without it!

Have you tried the Nuxe lip balm yet? Are there any other brands you recommend for people with chapped lips this winter?

xx