Karin Herzog "Oxygen Face" Face Cream

Karin Herzog is a well-known Swiss brand which built its reputation by its works with active oxygen. The secret patent on which the whole range is based allows the oxygen to be stabilized into an emulsion, and when applied onto the skin, the oxygen gets gas form and gets injected into the skin.

One of their main products is the Oxygen Face face cream, which is part of the Oxygen cream. It is designed for problematic skin, but it is also fine for normal skin. Oxygen is a natural antiseptic, which makes it great to clean the skin. It also contains salicylic acid, which is a essential ingredient to brighten the skin. The cream is also oil-free, so it can't clog the skin.

Karin Herzog Oxygen Face

It is a little different from a normal face cream. You don't make it melt onto the skin : you apply it, while minimising the contact between the cream and the fingers, to avoid the cream to melt into them. You then wait for it to act, without massaging it.

It can delay a little your beauty routine on the morning, because you have to wait around five to ten minutes before it has completely gone onto the skin, but it is worth it. It really helps balancing the skin. It is also soft enough to be applied on the eyes. 

I find this cream quite efficient. I personally don't use it every day, because it is a little too heavy for a daily use, but on week-ends, when giving the skin a full facial, it is really efficient and nice to use.

It is quite expensive (49 euros), but you really don't need to use a lot of product. I have been using my tube for almost six months now and it is still half full.

Pâte Grise, by Payot

The Pâte Grise – "grey paste" – by Payot is one of these cult beauty products that hardly need any introduction in France, and seems to keep its excellent reputation only through word of mouth generation after generation. I can’t remember having seen any ad for this particular product – ever – and yet it is a cult product unlikely to be dethroned.

Its goal is quite simple : getting rid of spots before they appear. So, when you feel one of these nasty buggers under your skin, you put a good dab of Pâte Grise on it, go to sleep with it, and in the morning, it will have work its magic and the spot will be gone.

It is certainly a wonderful, life-saving product. Simple, isn’t it?

Actually, it is not that simple. Pâte Grise is very efficient, but it is not intended as a remedy against, acne, for instance. For it to keep being useful, it can’t be used every day. It is very useful, but is the skin gets used to it, it won’t keep being that efficient. Moreover, it has to be used at the very beginning of a breakout, not when it is already there. If you use it on a already grown spot, all it will do is either reduce it a little, ot make it grow faster. It helps getting rid of it faster, of course, but if you have a special occasion the next morning... careful.

It can get on your bedsheets, so don’t use fancy ones – although it drycleaning will get rid of it.

Still, even with the extra care you have to take when using it, it is a great product, extremely efficient. It doesn’t dry the skin, which is fantastic, and it gets the job done.

Liquid Gold, by Alpha-H

Liquid Gold is one of the most famous products in the cosmetic industry, brought to you by the Australian brand Alpha-H.
They have a whole range of products made with glycolic acid – the secret of this « liquid gold », but I yet had to talk about the star of the line.

Liquid Gold is a product that presents itself as a serum : you put it on a cotton pad and you apply for the night on your skin, but it differs from a serum in one main aspect : you don’t need to use another product when you have it on. No need for a night cream, or a moisturizer, for it works as all of these.

The glycolic acid which is in Liquid Gold tingles when you apply it – although after several months of use, I have to say that my skin must get used to it, because it doesn’t tingle like it used to, and sometimes not at all. This sensation is normal : the product is very concentrated and it means it is working. During the night, it will keep the skin hydrated, and it quickens the renewal of skin cells. In the morning, the skin is tighter and brighter. Liquid Gold is a very good anti-aging product, it also works very well against acne and acne scars.


Since it is a very concentrated product, you don’t need to apply it every night. Every other night is fine, or even less frequently if you prefer to. The results are flabbergasting both on the long run and after one use.

The only complaint I would have with this product is its price. It is quite expensive and you run out of it rather quickly. I use the 100ml container in two or three months – so, not that quickly, but since it became a crucial part of my beauty routine, I find myself reordering it quite frequently.

"Oh my Cream!" - Cosmetic store in Paris

This article is for Parisians who have trouble finding their favourite cosmetics from abroad outside of the Internet.

I discovered a wonderful little concept store in the rue de Tournon, in Paris. Oh My Cream is an online store created by a French beauty-addict tired of seeing the same old products everywhere. The online store now is a real store and beauty institute. 

You can find a lot of brands that you can't find in France otherwise, like Alpha-H, Tata Harper, Aurelia, Ren... 

It is really cosy and welcoming, and the people are very nice. I have bought some products there and was always very well received and advised. 

It is really great to find your essentials in a shop when you are tired of ordering them online, and to discover new ones.

Find them at 3 rue de Tournon, 75006 Paris, or here, or on Facebook.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold Perfecting Mask

I love the Australian brand Alpha-H. Although it is not the most glamorous brand with their white  and no-nonsense packaging, their products are very efficient and do everything they promised.

They Liquid Gold line is especially efficient. I will review the Liquid Gold in due time, but this mask is really great on its own. 

Liquid Gold Smoothing and Perfecting Mask with Lavender

This mask is designed to clarify and brighten the skin. It also makes for a quick chemical exfoliant. The lavender helps to soothes the skin. As with all of their products, it is very concentrated. This mask is concentrated in glycolic acid (one of the AHAs acids), so you feel a mild tingling sensation when you apply it. Ten minutes one the skin are also enough.

I find that it really helps for a quick efficient treatment when you need to unify and brighten your skin on the spot. It really does the trick. It is also a good treatment on the long run, and you don't need that much product for every use so you don't run out of product very quickly. As for all the AHAs products, they are good against imperfections, adult acne and aging.

It really is a good reliable mask. 

It costs 46£ for a 100ml bottle.

Bath experience with Aromatherapy Associates

I discovered Aromatherapy Associates a few months ago thanks to Cult Beauty. They sent me a sample of their Relax Deep Bath and Shower Oil. I loved it and couldn't wait to try it again. I ordered the full-size bottle recently and I have used it enough so I can review it. 

I have tried quite a lot of bath products which are supposed to help decompress, so I am a little jaded and skeptical, but this one...  oh, this one is just perfect.

This is a very powerful blend of oils like vetivert, sandalwood and camomile that you put in your bath or on your body. It really is incredible. I am a little skeptical towards aromatherapy in general, but this one is just so efficient and so glamorous. It is absolutely beautiful, the smell is gorgeous and stays quite long on you. 

It really helps to destress and makes for a fabulous bath experience. You just want to stay there forever and to go to sleep immediately after. 

It doesn't hurt that the bottle is cute. It is certainly a little pricey for a bath oil, but it stays a long time. A 55ml bottle costs 39£ (around 45 €).

Armoatherapy Associates are just great with their nurturing, high-quality and self-indulgent products. They have other products that I would like to try eventually, the Revive Morning or the Inner Strength Bath Oil, which is supposed to uplift and boost your spirit. Right now I mostly need help relaxing, but if it is as good as the Relax Deep, I will certainly give it a go some time. 

CC Cream by Erborian

After the trend of BB Creams last year, we now have a new type of cream to replace our old-fashioned foundations : the CC Creams.

The difference between these two products are their target. BB Creams were created in Asia, especially in South Korea, where cosmetic surgery is very frequent. To hide the scarring, or to put make-up on a very sensitive skin after the surgery, cosmetic surgeons created a very respectful and efficient kind of foundation. A BB Cream is supposed to be quite thick when you first apply it, and then it melts onto the skin.
CC Creams are a bit different. They offer less coverage, but are more targeted. They generally have a higher SPF and they are more appropriate to the different needs of different skins.

As one of the first BB Cream on the European market was Erborian's, I tried their CC Cream first.

I have been a little disappointed with their BB Cream, which I found very efficient but comedogenic, so I was a little afraid to use their CC Cream.

Fortunately, it is very respecful of the skin. It really lets the skin breathe. It doesn't cover the skin as well as a BB Cream, but it is very unifying, it gives the skin a nice glowy look and it looks very natural. And since we are now in summer, the high SPF is certainly appreciated.

I really use it a lot now, and it looks like it is very well tolerated by the skin.
It is a great product that Erborian created. Of course, one of the main downside of this brand is the price. It costs 35 euros for a 45 ml tube. It is expensive for a CC Cream, and it doesn't last that long. By comparison, the L'Oréal CC Cream is at 14,50 euros for the same countenance. Their BB Cream was really great, so I still have to test their CC Cream, which is really good from what I have heard.

To be continued...

What you didn't know you needed to get rid of acne

Acne is a really tricky condition. Although it is very common (between 80 and 90% of teenagers suffer from it at one point or another), it is not that well understood or treated, because it has very different forms and can occur for various reasons that are not always clear.

Let's start from the beginning.

Acne develops as a result of blockages in the pores by sebum. Sebum is vital to keep the skin supple, but when it is produced in excess, it can block the hair follicle and create a comedo. 
There is two kinds of comedo : whiteheads and blackheads. They are basically the same, except a whitehead is trapped behind the skin when a blackhead isn't. Depending on the severity of the acne, you can also get nodules, which are solid elevations of the skin with no visible fluid. When scratched, they can get infected.

Acne comes from the excess production of sebum. Contrary to some beliefs, acne does not come from poor hygiene. You can be the cleanest person on earth and still get acne. This excess production of sebum generally comes from hormonal activity - hence the apparition of acne during puberty. It can also be genetic, or stress-linked. It can also be a consequence of a diet - but more on than later, because this is a controversial topic.
Because the causes of acne are varied, you can get acne at every point of your life. For a lot of people, it will clear out after puberty. But you can still get acne later in your life, should it be from a change in your hormonal activity, or an increased stress-level, or a pregnancy. Infortunately, you are never too old for acne and it can point its head when you least expect it.


With this little summary, let's talk treatment.

To get rid of acne, you will need :

A dermatologist

The first thing to do is go see a specialist. Even if you have to most common form of acne and the least severe, you should go see someone. Getting informed on your own is essential, of course, but the first step to informe yourself is to get the opinion of a specialist. If you don't have the money or can't go see a specialist, a GP will suffice.

I will take this opportunity to repeat that I am not a doctor, and that this post just countains general knowledge about acne that I gained from personal research. It is by no mean a tool to diagnose yourself. I will not advise any medical treatment for acne, although they are numerous and the first thing you should try before cosmetics. Only a specialist can give them to you.

It doesn't matter how young (or old) you are, you should go see a dermatologist, and the sooner the better. There is no shame in having acne. If the treatment s/he gave you didn't work, go back and tell him so.

Medical treatments are varied. They can go from topical creams, to antibiotics, to hormonal treatments, to vitamins. I will not discuss them here, because I do not have the slightest qualification for this. 

I will however say that they are not magic potions, and if one of them don't work, you should go back to your doctor and discuss a change in your treatment.

A good hygiene

Although acne doesn't come from poor hygiene, it can be managed with a beauty routine which keep the skin clean. It can avoid or decrease the risk of inflammatory acne, especially since the skin is vulnerable to infections because of the spots. This is why you should always clean your hands before touching your skin. This is also why going to bed with make-up is absolutely wrong.

When you have acne-prone skin, it can be really tempting to overwash your face, because the oilyness makes it seem like it is dirty. It is not, and overwashing your face actually worsen the problem. So you have to find a way to keep the skin perfectly clean without washing it with agressive soaps or treatments. It has to be clean, because if it isn't, there is no way any product will penetrate the skin.

The first thing is to get a cleanser designed for acne-prone skins. I would recommand La Roche-Posay Effaclear Purifying Foaming Gel for Oily Sensitive Skin. It is a really efficient and respectful product. It really cleans it well, without attacking it. 

Effaclear Purifying Foaming Gel by La Roche-Posay

The Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera by Alpha-H is also great, but more expensive. 

Kiehl's makes a good cleanser too : Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser. It is a little exfoliating, so you don't need to use it every day for it to be effective. It does a good job at purifying the skin. 

Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser with Amazonian White Clay by Kiehl's

If you have a lot of money, there is always the Eve Lom Cleanser, best cleanser in the world. A cult product which comes in a pot and leaves the skin radiant.

Generally, I find that products that come in oil (like Shu Uemura Skin Purifier, a wonderful product but unfortunately unfitted for my skin) are not right for acne-prone skin, because they have a tendancy to clog the skin. 

Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/l by the wonderful brand Shu Uemura

As for the products that are very foamy, like The Body Shop Foaming Cleanser, they tend to dry it. So, careful with this product, it is not for a daily use.

Teat Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser

You might think that drying your skin will balance it, because acne come from to much sebum, but you will actually make it create more sebum to compensate. Drying products are bad for acne-prone skins (except for medical treatments ; some of them really dry the skin, but it is intended. A good rule, on your own, is to avoid drying or agressive products).

Milky makeup removers are a little tricky. The thing is, it is not recommended to leave them on the skin, even if the bottle says you don't have to rinse it. I got this trick from my beauty therapist. It can be comedogenic after a while, so be careful with these cleansers. Generally, always take the ones intended for combination, oily and sensitive skin. If you absolutely prefer milky makeup removers, I find that ultra-mild cleansers for babies are really effective.

When you have used your cleanser, to make sure your skin will be completely clean, you can use a micelle solution designed for your type of skin. The best micelle solution I found is Bioderma Sébium H2O for Combination or Oily Skin. It is really soft, but really efficient. You can also use it durig the day when you think your skin gets a little oily, or in the morning after waking up, it is really refreshing.

Bioderma Micelle Solution for Combination and Oily Skin

A good hygiene will help manage acne and will get your skin ready so the products can act.

Products that respect your skin and work for you

Unfortunately, acne-prone skins are really sensitive to all kinds of things, and a product that doesn't do anything in one person will trigger a breakout in the next. It is really difficult to say what your skin will bear and what it won't ; you just have to try and see. 

For a daily routine

An acne-prone skin is still a skin with the same basic needs as the others. So, always moisturize. You just have to find a light moisturizer which will work well without drowning your skin.

Alpha-H Hydrator Gel does a good job and is especially fitted for oily skins.

Alpha-H Clear Skin Daily Hydrator Gel with Eucalyptus

Nuxe "Crème Prodigieuse" is also very respectful of the skin, and leaves it soft and well hydrated.

Karin Herzog is a very good but expensive brand. Their moisturizer, Oxygen Face, can be used with oily skin, it balances it. You apply it on the skin and let it work. It is a little heavy for a daily use, I find, so I generally only use it on week-ends.

A really great moisturizer. Karin Herzoh makes wonderful products, and is one of the favourite skincare lines of Kate Middleton - and she certainly has great skin!

If you don't know where to start, brands like La Roche-Posay, Avene or what you will find in your pharmacy are generally good quality products and they will not attack the skin.

It can be difficult to find efficient and respectful makeup, but with experience, you will know what products are comedogenic on your skin. 

In general, it is a good rule not to cover your face with powders, or oil-based products, or rich creams. Powders can be okay if they are dermatologically tested. I find that the Bare Minerals are really respectful and generally don't trigger any kind of breakout. The cheaper brand by Sephora is also fine. Most others do, however. 

Bare Mineral MATTE Foundation with SPF 15 - Fairly Light

It is extremely important to find these products that will work just well with your skin, because the comedogenic products are more efficient at triggering breakouts than the anti-acneic products are at eliminating them. 

For other skincare products

There are all kinds of products on the market that claim to treat acne : masks, serums, exfoliants... Here is what I have gathered from my research.

- Do not exfoliate that much. Or at all, actually. If you absolutely have to, do it with a soft exfoliant, and not more than once a week. The softest I found is the Exfoliating Gel with organic angelica water and essential oil by L'Occitane. It is really pleasing to use, the texture isn't aggressive. 

Exfoliating Gel by L'Occitane en Provence

But in general, for acne-prone skin, chemical exfoliating products are really better against spots.

The best one I ever tried is Liquid Gold by Alpha-H. It is glycolic acid in a bottle : you use it every other night alone on the skin. It really does wonder against breakouts, acne scars and wrinkles. Really, really effective to give the skin a clearer and plumper look. 

- Masks are not magic treatments. They don't clear out the skin in one evening, but they can help, purify it if you use them well. Open your pores with hot water in a bowl and a cloth over your head, apply the mask and let it really work. Take it off with a hot cloth or warm water. Use it once a week ; more, and they tend to dry the skin.

- The secret overnight treatment : Payot "Pâte grise". With acne, there are no magical treatments. Except this one. You apply a little bit of the paste on the spot that starts developping and keep it there during the night. It is not supposed to penetrate onto the skin. It really helps reducing spots.

Pâte Grise by Payot

Keep things simple

I believe Eve Lom when she says we are doing far too much for our skin and the skin doesn't like it. It stops functionning properly. 

When you have acne, it can be really tempting to use a whole lot of products on your skin and hope they will work. It is good to let the skin breathe and work by itself sometime. 

As a rule, it is not a good idea to drown the skin with lots of products. Acne-prone skin is very sensitive, and you don't want to attack it, you want to balance it gently, not attack it to change its nature.

Cleanse, moisturize and treat. You don't need that much more. Keep things simple.

Money (but not that much)

Acne requires money, unfortunately. Visits to the doctor, trials of products... : it can quickly add up. 

The good news is, you don't have to ruin yourself to treat acne. A lot of products can be found with a budget : stick with the ones you find in your pharmacy, they are generally between 10 and 20 euros, and will last several months.

Avoid fancy make-up which promise the moon and keep things simple on your skin. Get freaky with the eyes and the mouth if you absolutely have to.

Self control

Don't pick your skin. Just don't. It will worsen your acne, while leaving your skin scarred.

Patience

This is probably the most important item in my little list. When you go to the dermatologist, and get out with a prescription, or when you buy really good products, you are under the impression that your acne will clear out for good with one product.

Actually, it never works this way. Acne takes time to clear out. Even with the most effective products, you generally see the effects after weeks of using them. It is actually quite logical, because acne comes from an unbalanced skin, and you want to balance it again. It can't happen overnight.

Managing it takes time. The time to try a product which happen to be inefficient, or to worsen your condition, to try another one and see if it works... The time to find that one product which used to work doesn't anymore, and you ave to find a replacement.The time to understand why your acne came back, what changed in your life to make it reappear... 

Patience is the key. It is hard, but necessary. With a good beauty routine, products you can trust and a good knowledge of yourself and your skin, it does get better, eventually.

Good luck!

Eve Lom Rescue Mask

Eve Lom is one of the most efficient and well-known brand for facial products. I discovered it just recently because it is not distributed in France, where I live. I have to order it online, but it is quite worth it.

Eve Lom is the brand that gave us the "World's Best Cleanser", according to Vogue, and is recognised as the Queen of Cleansing. This mask is a emergency treatment for tired and stressed skin. It is made with Camphor, Almond and Honey-infused Kaolin Clay.

Eve Lom Rescue Mask, 35£ for 50 ml

It is really efficient when you have a puffy skin or when it is prone to redness.

I have two beauty tips with this particular mask :

As a regular mask

I prefer to use it after I prepared my face with hot water steam mixed with essential oil (lavander or tea tree, depending on my mood). For even more efficiency, I put a cloth on it, and leave it for fifteen to twenty minutes. It creates a slight tingling sensation when you are applying it. The smell is quite fresh, I rather like it. It is a really dense mask, so you don't use the tube too quickly.

As an eye treatment

If you mix a little bit of the product with some warm water and apply it under your eyes for no more than five minutes, it really decreases puffiness and dark circles.

Body Lotion by La Sultane de Saba

I have discovered a great brand of products inspired by Oriental beauty rituals, La Sultane de Saba. I have tried several of them on a thalassatherapy trip I took recently.
I will review them in time, but I found I had a bottle of green tea and ginger body lotion from this brand.

La Sultane de Saba, a French brand of Oriental and Asian-inspired products with healthy and natural products.

The idea is to recreate the beauty rituals from the East with simple, natural and rich products. This body lotion is a very fresh and light cream which penetrates the skin very easily. It leaves the skin very smooth, even and beautiful. I was very pleasantly surprised with what I thought would be a ordinary body lotion. But it is more fancy and efficient than a simple moisturizing lotion. It is quite expensive, though, and probably too pricey for a body lotion, however efficient it may be.

I will certainly buy and try products from La Sultane de Saba, but considering the fact that they are all quite expensive, I will focus on the more unique products they offer, like their Black Soap or the Elixir of the Bride, a purifying lotion made with rose and orange blossom water. I will also try the Sugar Cane Mask, which I just can't wait to try.


La Sultane de Saba Body Lotion with Green Tea and Ginger, 28€ for 150 ml.

Kusmi Tea BB Detox

As I am obsessed with every new product who might improve the skin and as I just love Kusmi teas, I had to try this one!

It is a new tea from the range of Detox by Kusmi. It is a blend of green tea, maté, roobois, guarana and dandelion. Green tea, rooibois and maté are proved to have antioxydant and anticarcinogen effects. It also helps reducing cholesterols levels. Rooibos helps with nervous tension, and dandelion reduces the risk of infections.

All in all, it is quite tasty for a detox tea and very good to drink. I am quite skeptical regarding any direct effect of this tea on the skin, but since the ingredients are all very healthy, it really can't harm. I think the effects on the skin might be increased by a general diet.

Anyway, as every tea Kusmi does, it is a very good tea, and with all its claims, as soothing on the tongue as on the conscience.

"Crème Prodigieuse" Moisturizing Cream by Nuxe

I want to present one of the best creams I ever tried. Nuxe is a wonderful brand with very efficient, luxurious feeling products, although not overpriced. They are very pleasing to apply, with wonderful smells and textures, and this one doesn't disappoint.

The Crème Prodigieuse, which loosely translates to "Miraculous Cream" is an anti-aging, anti-oxidant and anti-akin stress moisturizer. It is designed to suit normal to combination skin, whoch makes it a perfect match for me. This cream really balances and calms the skin.

One of my all time favourites !

Contray to a lot of products aimed at combination skins, this one manages to be efficient, light and very  pleasing to apply. The smell is incredible, and although the cream blends very easily, you kind of have the feeling of applying a rich and luxurious texture onto your skin. It is a very nice change from the medical feeling you get from a lot of creams designed to help balancing the skin.


I find it does a very good job at calming redness and puffiness. It also helped me get rid of breakouts in time of stress.

I used it for a whole year daily and now I use it every other day now because, like every cream you use too often, the skin gets used to it and the cream loses its efficiency. I alternate it with Alpha-H Clear Skin Hydrator Gel, and while this one is a very good product, I always am very happy to go back to the Crème Prodigieuse as this is one of the most wonderful product I ever tried.

It is 22,3€ and a tube stays for two or three-months in average.

Vichy Idéalia BB Cream - Searching for the perfect BB Cream (3)

I tried this rather new BB Cream, from the Laboratoires Vichy, a nice brand of dermatological products. It is the kind of brand which you know is never going to attack your skin.

This particular cream has an SPF of 25. I am currently trying to always have some kind of sun-protection on my face to avoid aging and sun damage, so this cream has an advantage.
It is also paraben-free and is very well tolerated by sensitive skin.

It is presented in a pretty pink tube, which is a nice change from the brands of dermatological products, which are often quite medical-looking.

This BB Cream is quite liquid, though it doesn't blend very easily, but it is expected for a BB Cream. The only thing I don't like is that when you put a moisturizer before, you really have to wait for it to have sept into the skin before applying the Idealia BB Cream, or it will create some residue on the skin.

When the cream is applied, it really blends well with the skin, though, it matches my skin tone perfectly, and it isn't greasy at all. It is the less greasy of all the BB Creams I tested, and it stays this way all day long, which is quite rare. It especially impressive because the cream has a enluminating agent which is hardly noticeable, but gives a nice glowing aspect to the skin without making it look greasy.

It also does a nice job of covering up imperfections, although not perfect.

In the end, it is a perfectly good moderate-priced BB Cream. It is very efficient and it keeps its promises. You really don't have to use a lot of product - especially with the residue problem I mentioned - which makes this 21,5€ tube stay longer.

Din Beauty Night Cream with Hyaluronic Acid

Din Beauty is a new brand that I discovered in The Green Stil, a beauty box specialised in organic cosmetics. It is a brand of eco-friendly products, with a multicultural backgournd. The founders aim at joining the wisdoms of East and West to create a brand of organic and respectful cosmetics.

Night Cream by Din Beauty

I got this Night Cream some time ago, and tried it by curiosity. I don't use night cream because my skin generally doesn't tolerate it, I prefer using Liquid Gold every other night. But this one I was quite surprised with.

It has hyaluronic acid in it, which is used in cosmetic surgery to fill soft tissue defects, such as wrinkles or acne scars. The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) cleared it for its uses in cosmetics in 2003. It is also very used in a medical context.

So, now to the actual cream! The packaging is very simple, not the most attractive, but I don't really mind that. The cream is odorless and melts easily with the skin. It is actually very light, it didn't trigger a breakthough during the night, which is rare with my skin. It really lets it breathe, which I was quite surprised about, since it has shea butter in it. Shea butter is really good for the skin, but my I generally can't even put it on my face without triggering all kind of problems. With tbis cream, on the morning, my skin was definitely plumper, softer and clearer. It is also an anti-aging cream, which are mostly preventative of wrinkles, so I think I might consider using this cream more regularly from now on.

UPDATE : I have used this cream every other night for a month now, alternating with Liquid Glod by Alpha-H and it is really a great cream. Every morning, the skin is plumpier, softer and it gets rids of very redness and flaw. After several weeks, it really helps make the skin look well-rested, plump and glowing.

You can find it on line, and it comes at 16,90€ for 50ml, so it is quite a good price, especially since you don't need that much product every time.

I will definitely keep an eye on this very promising new brand.

Using Cult Beauty

I don't know about you, but in order to test make-up, I have to try it from all over the world, and even in Paris, you can't find everything.

So I have a few sites that I like to use in order to try out new products. One I would like to talk about because it is just brilliant.

Cult Beauty is a British website with has a lot of great features for make-up lovers. A wishlist, reviews, grades, expert picks and detailed description of the products, which is not that original but it is essential, I think.
If you create an account, you will have frequent offers and updates, which is always nice.

They offer the best products, and especially some that I can't find in France - like the Hungarian brand Omorovicza, the Australian brand Alpha-H or Eve Lom products.
Of course, these cosmetics are really expensive, and even more so if you have to pay for the shipping fees. Cult Beauty frequently offers these fees, you have to look for their offers. But even then, it can be daunting to spend that much money on products you haven't tried.
Cult Beauty allows you to try three samples of products, which you choose from a list. They are really good products, and I really love getting to try them before buying them. It is really addictive.

They have a Special Offers tag which is great, especially if you are a fan of a particular brand. Right now, they have great offers for Dr Hauschka, Minus 417, Tela, Tay Skincare, Ren and Anne Semonin fans : for any product bought, or for over a certain amount of money, you get one of their most famous product for free.

Besides, Cult Beauty often have tempting offers, like at the moment, for every purchase worth over 50£, you get a goodie bag worth over 55£ with :

NCLA Limited Edition Nail Wraps Peter Som Collection
Tammy Fender Bulgarian Lavender Oil

Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax 

Ginvera Marvel Green Gel
Elemis Pro Collagen Body Cream
Anastasia Covet Noir Pencil
Alpha H Liquid Gold
Dr Lipp Original Balm 

Astalift Make Up Remover Oil 

With the gift code OhGoody, you get this really nice gift bag. 

Also a special offer for you make-up fans : with the code CULTAH, you get free shipping for every purchase ! 

I find that this site allows me to try on a lot of products, to compare before buying, wich is really appreciated. 

Moreover, I never had any trouble with my orders, even though I require international shipping. They are fast and efficient.

Really a very good site!   

 

L'Oréal Nude Magique BB Cream - Searching for the Perfect BB Cream (2)

My search for the perfect BB Cream continues, and it still no yet completed. I have tried really disappointing BB Creams, some really efficient coverage-wise but which affected my skin the way foundation would - and I don't like that.

An efficient and cheap BB Cream.

This one I found quite surprising. It is rather cheap, which is always welcome - and you can find it easily in the supermarket. It is very liquid, which is odd for a BB Cream, and it's white, with little grains in it. At first I was unsettled, because I didn't know what to think of these grains which melt onto the skin when you apply the cream. I was afraid it was going to be abrasive, but it is not and you get used to it.

Coverage-wise, it is quite good - not perfect -, but satisfying. It unifies the skin and it is not greasy. I find that with a little powder it makes for a good natural makeup. For its price, it is certainly a very good BB Cream. For someone who has a good skin to begin with, I assume it makes for a perfect one.

It is 14,9€ and it is quite a big tube.

Spending the night

How to spend the night out and still be presentable on the morning ? That’s the question we all have asked ourselves once in a while.  I have become quite good at doing with what I have with me to still be able to go to work on the morning without looking like a zombie when I have spent the night at a friend’s house.

First of all, it is always useful to have with you some kind of make up kit. I have one (in a very cute Chanel make up bag I was offered once when I spent a ridiculous amount of money on lipstick) in which I always have the following items :

-          A sample size of the mascara Maxi Lash by Guerlain : it is always useful to keep the samples of the products you like, because you can carry it around.

-          A hand cream by l’Occitane : I love them, it is always useful to have a bunch. I have some at home, one on my desk at work and some in my hand bag. And when I haven’t been able to use my regular products, it is nice to have something familiar to rely on. And I can always use it as moisturiser if I can’t borrow one. And the Paris metro smells bad, so it is nice to have lovely rose-scented hands…

-          A Normaderm corrector pencil by Avene which I honestly never use, but I still keep with me “just in case” (of a pencil corrector emergency? Don’t ask…). I don’t have one at the moment, but I will add a concealer soon. I don’t use one generally, because I don’t like too much product on my skin, and I try to sleep rather that having to fake it, but I think it is typically the kind of product you need when you have spent the night elsewhere on a whim.

-          A travel size brush

-          A Nuxe lip gloss which is also quite nourishing. I have very sensitive lips, I always have to hydrate and protect them, so I have to have something with me at all time and it does the trick. I could have regular lip balm but I forgot to buy some more.

-          Pressed powder I bought at the pharmacy the other day.

-          Two Chanel “Rouge Coco” lipsticks. I use them quite often so I like to be able to apply them after eating during the day, but I find that if I don’t have all my products with me on the morning, it can add a nice touch of sophistication on a rather nude face.

I want to add some new items, like lenses solution (I can’t believe I don’t have that yet, that’s really stupid for someone so short-sighted as I am) and a lenses case.

I should also have a travel size moisturiser. I just bought the Alpha-H Clear Skin kit, so I have a little Hydrator Gel that I can have with me and keep the big one a home.

Maybe a little bottle of make-up remover, like Sephora makes.

But that’s all, I don’t think it should be a huge bag, because you don’t want to carry heavy stuff every day.

But for a while, I didn’t carry make-up with me, so I had to make the best of what I had with me. You can’t always borrow products.

The first thing to do is always remove your make-up. I would rather do it with a regular bar of soap (and I have) that go to bed with a maked-up skin. I have used soap, shower gel and even physiological saline once.

A very good trick to remove eye make-up is olive oil. It does the trick and it nourishes the fragile skin around the eyes.

It is a very good product, actually. If you don’t have oily skin, I guess you can use it as make-up remover for all your face but I wouldn’t push it too far… It is still olive oil.

You also can use it on your hair to condition it. My hair wouldn’t bear it, so if I had to nourish them with only olive oil, I would put it on them as a pre-shampoo, keep it there for a while, and then go wash them.

If you are a contact lenses wearer like me, you can always keep your lenses on a glass of water, and to lubricate them on the morning, put them in your mouth for a while. Saliva is a natural lubricant. But don’t do that every day or they won’t get sterilised. For an emergency, it works, though.

It is not that big a deal not to be able to use your products for a night, it is good to be impulsive and have fun, so spend the night!

xx

Mathilde

Hydreane BB Cream - Searching for the perfect BB Cream (1)

As everyone right now, I am using a BB cream. Actually, I’m trying a lot of them, and I haven’t quite found the perfect one yet.

I don’t really use foundation, because I don’t like it, I’m not that good at applying it, my skin can’t breathe and it generally triggers break out sooner or later. So BB creams really are the perfect solution for me.

I have tried a lot of them, I will review them one at a time.

Today, it is Hydreane BB Cream by La Roche Posay, which is a wonderful brand which I love and can’t do without, especially their cleansers and their skincare range. Really respectful of the skin, efficient, and for a very reasonable price.

Hydreane BB Cream. I use the lightest colour and it really blends well with my skin natural colour.

I was not, however, completely convinced with this BB Cream. It is very easy to apply, it hydrates really well and it covers little imperfections quite efficiently, but it makes my skin look really oily, and I have to powder it every time I use it (generally more than once during the day).

Moreover, it has a tendency to become quite pasty as the day goes by, which is one the reason I don’t use foundation, it always does that.

I guess it is an excellent BB cream for sensitive or normal skin types, but not for oily or combination ones, expect if you really bear powder well.

xx

Mathilde

The importance of cosmetics

Today is the International Women’s Day. It is a day to celebrate our accomplishments, but mostly to highlight our struggles, our pains and our difficulties to reach equality.

I have always been a feminist. The kind that believes, like Simone de Beauvoir or Judith Butler, that gender is, not an illusion, but a social construct ; that our place in this society is ruled by social norms that are presented as natural, when they are in fact oppressive, unfair and violent.

It can be seem paradoxical to love fashion and make up, and to devote quite a lot of time (and money) to them, when deploring at the same that we teach little girls that how they look is more important than how they think.

Make up and fashion are certainly tools in the construction and longevity of this “beauty myth”. They sell a dream, a dream of beauty and perfection. As time goes by, this perfection never looks the same - some day it is Kate, some other day Jennifer, and twenty years ago it was Cindy or Naomi. This beauty is unattainable, polymorphous, photoshoped and discriminatory.

Make up and fashion can be a prison if they become a mask under which we hide ourselves, when we just can’t do without it. They become instruments of self-hatred and they nurture it.

But I personally believe in the wonderful power of the unnecessary. Fashion and make up are completely superfluous, and this is their best quality. They colour our life, they polish it and make it fun. 

Young woman, by Berthe Morisot

The best make up is the one which still make us feel pretty when we remove it. And for this particular reason, it is very important. We all use make up, some of us because we feel we have to, some of us because we like it, some of us because we want to hide under it. But whatever the reason, we have to get interested by it, to know what we put on our skin, to know how it is produced and how it is sold. 

 

I want to buy products from brands that respect me as a woman and as a consumer, that respects my body without putting rubbish in their products and that respects its employees and the environment.

For that reason, cosmetics are so very important.

                                                                                                  

But most of all, it is for me a tiny way of bringing in my life beauty, creativity, fun and even silliness if I want to.

xx

Mathilde

Mascaras : a top five

I find it hard to find an ideal mascara. While it is a must-have in my make-up bag, I very rarely stay faithful to one brand or one type, because they rarely satisfy my criteria.

My eyelashes are quite small and fair, so I am always looking for a mascara which will make them gorgeous and natural : catch-22, really… I don’t like when they make my eyelashes look rigid and hard, I really aim for a natural but full look.

I tried loads and loads of mascaras, and here is my top-five pick.

Diorshow Maximiser, Guerlain Maxi Lash, Diorshow Extase, Smoky Lash by Make Up For Ever and Mage Plush Volum' Express by Gemey Maybelline

1. Maxi Lash, by Guerlain

Called “Cils d’Enfer” in my native France, this mascara is just wonderful. Its packagind is really beautiful, first of all, which does not hurt.

It really stretch the eyelashes without covering them with material.

I love it, this is my new personal favourite, for a long time, I think.

2. Diorshow Maximiser

While this is not strictly a mascara, I really cannot not include it. I have used this mascara serum base for a while now. You can use it under all types of mascaras, and it really makes a difference. It parts the eyelashes, it elongates them and it makes the mascara easier to apply. I find it essential now.

3. Volum Express Mega Plus by Gemey Maybelline

I have it in brown, and I really like to use it when I want a softer look. I don’t need to use my Diorshow maximiser for it to have a very nice effect. It works really well, it stays all day and it isn’t pasty.

Gemey Maybelline is really a wonderful brand for mascaras, and they are quite cheap too. Definitely one of the best affordable brands.

     4. Smoky Lash by Make Up For Ever
I have to say, at first I was quite disappointed with this one, especially since I had heard so much praise about it. It is not the easiest mascara to apply, you have to be careful not to use to much material, because it can glue the eyelashes together if you do. But when you get the hang of it, it really is a great mascara for a glamourous look. I wouldn't use it every day, but definitely for an evening.

     5. Dior Show Extase
This is quite a good mascara for a "heavy" makeup, even during the day. It really creates a sophisticated eye make up, and I like the intense colour.

xx

Mathilde

Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask : a mask like no other

 I am not a big fan of masks. I like them, I like applying them but I have never really found them that efficient in the long run. I guess I am quite impatient and I really want results, and nothing I found convinced me that much.

Until… I found the Deep Cleansing Mask by Omorovicza. I waited a bit before buying it, because it is very expensive and can’t be found in France, where I live. But I finally gave up and I ordered it a month ago.

Omorovicza is a really luxurious Hungarian skincare range which uses the properties of thermal waters and Mineral Cosmetology, a patented system developed by the founders of the brand with the Nobel-prize winner Laboratory of Dermatology of the Albert St George University.  

I have been using the Deep Cleansing Mask once a week for a month now. It is presented in a heavy jar, with a nice simple white lid. The mask itself does look and feel very natural, almost muddy, but in a good way ; it is grey with little grains, but it is not abrasive.

Deep Cleansing Mask, by Omorovicza

The smell is really fresh, and the texture is not too pasty for a mask,  it is quite easy to apply

Applying it, you can really feel it working, because it tingles for a while. I leave it at least 15 minutes each time, more like 20 minutes, to really let it work on my skin, and then I take it off with warm water.

It really is cleansing, at the point that it can trigger a breakout. But after that, the skin really feel softer, cleaner and in better condition. It works even better if you can put your face over steaming water for ten minutes before (with drops of the essential oil of your choice, for instance). 

It definitely is The Mask of all masks ; of course, it comes at a price, but if you are looking for a really thorough way to purify your skin without cleaning it off, it is really worth the money.

You can find it here or on this site.

xx

Mathilde

Simple maths...

I have been fascinated with beauty products for a long time now. I have used them ever since I found tiny lipsticks from the seventies designed for my mother’s dolls. They were as large as my eight years old pinkie, and I used them to paint my lips with colours best suited for the Dallas starlets…

Years later, when I had some pocket money, I loved to go and buy make up for myself from brands I could afford like Yves Rocher, Bourjois, or brands I found at the departement store. 

A long time ago, playing with make-up...

Of course, my relationship with make up was not always completely an agreeable one. For one thing, my teenage years were riddled with skin problems, and make up was not there for fun - it was just a mask which left me feeling unpretty as possible. My mother did not wear make up, and didn’t use cosmetics for the most part, so she couldn’t advise me on the proper way to use make up, how to choose creams or the importance of removing make up with soft and respectful products.

So I chose cosmetics which worsen my skin and did not make me feel good at all.

I know better now, but choosing beauty products is still a quest - a pleasant one this time ! It can be hard to find the right product, which will work for you for a long time, or just to treat a specific problem. 

After load of experimenting, I now much prefer to invest a lot of money in a product which respects my skin. I found that with the right skincare, I spend much less in make up, and will avoid drowning my skin in products. Of course, it all depends of your personal preferences !  I do love the nude style…

This is not to say that you have to spend a lot to find great products. For one, not every one has a temperamental skin such as mine. And even I have some brilliant stuff which were not that expensive. All the La Roche-Posay brand is wonderful, for instance ; same for the Avene, or some products from Nuxe (but more on that later). 

All in all, it all comes down to simple maths. I treat my cosmetics as my food ; after all, a great part of what we put on our skin ends up in our blood. I would rather spend more and have my mind at rest at whether what I’m using is not quietly attacking my body.

But in the end, it can be an arduous task to find just the right product. This blog is mainly the story of my personal quest through this shambles… 

xx

Mathilde