To really get a sense of what I think about a product, I think it's vital to truly test it out and give it a proper once over. So many products come and go with barely any getting finished, being pushed to the side in favour of something new. When products become empty, you know you have fully road tested them and your opinions are certain, so here's what I've finished off recently.
Unfortunately, the Estee Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher did not live up to my high expectations after I fell in love with the brand's iconic Advanced Night Repair Serum. Despite Estee Lauder's abundance of claims about this skin refinisher, it just didn't deliver the results I'd wanted. Yes, it smoothed out my skin and made my pores disappear initially, but when I applied moisturiser over the top of it, as instructed, the smoothing effect seemed to disappear. Even though it did make my skin feel smooth and silky, my skin lacked the added luminosity promised. If anything, the serum left my skin looking too matte, which is what I'd expect from a smoothing primer, so I'm confused about the radiance-boosting claim. After use, it felt as though there was a thick layer of residue sitting on top of my skin, as if no moisture had actually penetrated. It didn't help to get rid of any dry areas or roughness, and it didn't even out the pore-related texture around my forehead and T-zone over time, either. Basically, I wouldn't repurchase this skin refinisher, especially at £40 for just 30ml of product, as both the immediate and long-term benefits were minimal. If you're looking for an instant pore-minimising product, I'd try a smoothing primer applied on top of your moisturiser instead. Long-term, incorporating a chemical exfoliant into your routine should help to minimise the look of larger pores.
The Biotherm Source Therapie Skin Perfection Catalyzing Serum is another that I've finished recently. Compared to the EL serum previously mentioned, this one feels so velvety on the skin, but actually smoothes and helps to diminish the look of visible pores. The skin is slightly moisturised with use, not masked, as the texture is so light and fresh. It claims to perfect your skin with lasting results, but I found that it only really had an immediate hydrating and smoothing effect when applied. It didn't make my skin more even or radiant after using an entire bottle, which I was hoping, but it may take longer to work its magic. I love how the serum has a pump, giving you just the right amount of product for one use, and that you can see how much serum you have left thanks to the transparent glass bottle. This 30ml bottle cost £29, so I don't think it's worth repurchasing. Sorry, Biotherm.
The V05 Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixir is an affordable haircare hero. Without all the fuss of the older version (when you had to actually heat the product up before application), you still achieve silky smooth hair. You apply this oil pre-treatment before you shampoo and condition, and as soon as it's rinsed out after just a couple of minutes, you can feel the transformation. It leaves me with really glossy locks that I can't help but run my fingers through all day. Any frizz is tamed, you get an abundance of shine, and it helps to banish any barnet blues. As the bottle states, it actually is a miracle product and delivers on its claims to a higher degree than even some of the higher-end hair treatments I've tried. At only £4.29, it's a complete steal, and I make sure I'm stocked up on this at all times for whenever my tresses require a moisture boost. As long as V05 make it, I will buy it!
MAC's Studio Sculpt Concealer is unlike any other I've tried - the formula is so unique. Sitting somewhere between a gel and a cream, the texture can feel sticky and quite wet at first, but this makes it a dream to apply and blend. This concealer provides great coverage both under the eyes and on top of blemishes, although I do have to set it with a light dusting of powder to prevent any creasing and to ensure it lasts all day as it's quite slippy. A single pot lasts an exceptionally long time due to the high coverage finish it provides, so the £12 price tag seems more than fair to me. Another bonus that comes with buying any MAC products is that they can be used in MAC's Back-2-Mac scheme (swapping a number of empty MAC products for one of their lipsticks!). I do think I'll be trying out some other concealers before repurchasing this, but I would happily use and buy it again.
I have literally scraped the barrel with the Origins Eye Doctor Eye Cream. The creamy gel is so refreshing under the eyes and sinks into the skin in an instant, leaving you with a smooth, hydrated eye area. The formula is so moisturising without being too heavy, and my eyes feel so soothed and calmed after use. I have found that the brand's Ginzing Eye Cream can make my eyes sting slightly, and so I steer well clear of that. This one, however, gave me no problems at all. I'm not too concerned about aging around my eyes just yet, but I do always like to think that prevention is better than cure, so any products that plump and hydrate my eye area are a winner for me. This pot has lasted about five months, I think, which is very good going. £26 for 15ml can seem quite hefty at first, but I do think that the formula is worth it considering how long a pot lasts, and I'll definitely be buying it again.
Please excuse the mutilated packaging of this cult product (I like to cut the tube in half so that I'm using up every last drop!). Recently, I've returned to the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser to remove my makeup in the evenings, after abandoning it a month or so ago in favour of some new products I wanted to get to grips with. Whilst I find this product does cleanse my skin well and leaves it without the dreaded tightness that some cleansers can, I don't really ever see any improvement in my skin after using it. I also hate the strong herbal scent that it has, which somewhat takes away from the relaxing evening self-care experience. I find that the 100ml pump packaging doesn't last very long, so I've always bought the 200ml tube, but the pump bottle is mess-free and more hygienic. If you also buy the tube and don't cut it in half to rescue the leftover product inside once it no longer squeezes out, you may not realise you're wasting a ton of product! I do think Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish is priced fairly at £12.75 for 100ml, especially as so many people swear by it, but it just isn't a product that I can get on board with. I do love cleansing with a cream cleanser and muslin cloth after using a cleansing balm/oil in the evenings, but there are other cleansers that I'd reach for before selecting this one again.
Which products have you used up recently?
AGB X
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