Review | La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+

Back in February I posted a review on the original Effaclar Duo and deigned it holy grail status. Since then I have been road testing the new and improved Effaclar Duo+* and unsurprisingly I'm still in love. So whats changed?

The original Effaclar Duo treated my spots, blemishes and clogged pores with ease. My skin was visibly brighter and any spots were zapped immediately. So why fix what isn't broken right?

Well, I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that spots and blemishes leave us with red marks and scarring long after the spot has actually cleared up. My skin in particular is SUCH a slow healer so any blemish or spot will stay with me for a long time after. This is where the Effaclar Duo+ comes into play. It contains a new ingredient which rebuilds the skins surface ensuring you aren't left with any of these marks. Amazing news for anyone with skin like me!

It literally is a skin saviour; helping to prevent spots appearing in the first place, targeting them straight away if they do arrive and cleaning up after them so that no scarring is left behind.

I find that the texture of the Duo+ is slightly thicker than the original Duo but it still sinks in really well and leaves my skin feeling super moisturised. You can use the Duo+ with or without a moisturiser over the top, its completely up to you. I find that in the morning it really helps to prime my skin before I apply my make-up and so I only use the Duo+. But in the evening, I also use my Emma Hardie AM/PM Treatment Moisturiser.

All in all, the Duo+ is still HG status for me.

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*This product was sent to me as a PR sample for review consideration. Despite this my review remains 100% honest and true to my own opinion.

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Review | La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo

I feel a little silly reviewing this product now considering that the Effaclar Duo+ has now been released! But, as there are only a few differences between the Duo+ and the original Effaclar Duo I thought it was still relevant.

I've been using this product near enough every day for almost two months now and I love it. I've featured it both in my Love At First Use post and my January Favourites video, I love it that much! My skin has noticeably cleared up and is looking better than it has done for a long time now. I hardly ever get a blemish now, and when I do it goes much quicker than it used to. I feel like my skin looks much brighter and clearer now too!

Its a thin serum-like consistency that spreads really easily across the face and sinks in super quickly. I only use two small pea-sized pumps on each application so the tube has lasted me really well. Even with the fact that I use it morning and night! I do like the fact that the tube is small as its handy for travelling! But, I wish it was a pump applicator as I never feel like I can get all the product out and I hate to see wastage!

At £13.00 I think its really good value for money actually, as it'll last you so long! Boots always do really great offers too. It's definitely become a Holy Grail product for me, and I don't ever want to be parted from it!!

Have you tried the Effaclar Duo before?

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Love At First Use!

Ever bought a product and fell in love straight away? Sometimes I think you just know whether you're going to get along with a product or not, and for me, the three products above are those in question. I bought all three products nearly two weeks ago, and literally can't stop using them! So here is a mini review of each, with my initial thoughts. :)

Soap and Glory products have long been a fixture in my bathroom cabinet, but somehow I hadn't tried the Pulp Fiction Body Scrub before. Now I don't know how I lived without it! It has a gorgeous scent, really fruity as the name suggests and although its grainy and feels like its really buffing your skin, its not painful like some body scrubs can be. I've used this every day in the shower now for about 2 weeks, and my skin really does feel noticeably smoother and softer. I slather on the Sugar Crush Body Wash (my favourite scent!) after using the scrub, and it literally feels like a dream smoothing it on. Just SO soft! So far? Its love. :)

The La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo is most likely a staple in many a beauty bloggers stash, but I hadn't gotten around to trying it. When I saw it with £3 off in Boots a few weeks back however, I couldn't resist! I use it before my morning routine and last thing at night. My skin really does seem noticeably clearer and its helped to clear up a little breakout I had recently. I loveee how quickly it sinks into the skin without leaving you feeling tacky. Only needing a small amount for the whole face and neck is great too, it'll definitely last a while! So far? Its love. :)

Lastly, after re-purchasing the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer a zillion times I decided to branch out and finally try the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. I loved the foundation throughout summer when I wanted a healthy glow, but I'd never gotten round to trying the concealer. I love the consistency of this, its so creamy and blends out really well. Its quite a high coverage which is great, and brightens under my eyes nicely. I hear its a dupe for the Nars Creamy Concealer which just makes me want to try the Nars version even more! So far? Its love. :)

Do you find yourself loving products straight away, or does it take you a while to decide?

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Micellar Waters: A Comparison

Ever since I first read about Micellar Waters and bought my first bottle I've been a total convert. I love how clean and fresh my face feels after using one, and I've definitely seen a marked improvement in how my skin looks since I first started using them. I don't break out half as much as I used to, and my skin looks a lot more 'awake' now. It makes me worry about how much make-up I used to leave on my face when I was only using a simple face wipe! :S

As I've used quite a few different brands I thought I'd do a little comparison for you!

First up: the Vichy Normaderm Solution Micellaire 3 in 1. This was the first micellar water I purchased and I have to say it is really great. It is actually for sensitive/acne prone skin, which although I don't suffer from acne, at the time I was breaking out a fair bit so I hoped this would combat that! The water itself cleans your face really efficiently and only takes a few swipes to get all my eye make-up off. Although I do really like this water, at £10.50 a pop its a bit on the pricey side for me as I've found better cheaper options!

Secondly is my current favourite! I've actually repurchased this three times now, and I have a back-up in my cupboard too....obsessed? Me? Never.. Its the L'Oréal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution! I've seen quite a lot of bloggers saying this is a dupe for the ever famous Bioderma! I've never actually tried Bioderma (mainly due to the price!) so if it really is a dupe then I'm so glad I found it! I really love this solution, it makes my skin feel so refreshed after using and its really gentle on my eyes too. This might be a bit of a sad point, but I really like the simple packaging too! It currently retails at £4.99, although every time I've bought the bottle its either been on a BOGOF deal or has been reduced so you can't really complain! :)

Third is the B. Pure Micellar Water and is the only bottle not to be 200ml in size. The actual solution is very similar to the L'Oréal water in my eyes, but being 50ml less with the same price tag doesn't make me as much of a fan! I would also say that I've found I use slightly more product to remove my make-up than the first two waters.

Lastly is my least favourite. Its isn't actually a water either - rather its a gel formula, which yes I know doesn't really fit with my theme but being a micellar gel I thought I'd include it. Sue me! The La Roche-Posay Micellar Make-up Removal Gel is actually aimed at people with sensitive skin. Like the Vichy water I bought this a long time ago when my skin was more sensitive and prone to break-outs. Initially I was intrigued by the gel formula, but to be completely honest I hated it! It felt like it took me double the time to remove my make-up, and I felt like I really had to rub at my eyes to remove it - not so great for sensitive skin! On reading other reviews it seems I am in the minority as most people love it, but for me at £12 I know I'll definitely be sticking to micellar waters from now on.

I feel like that was rather lengthy! Oops! But I hope it was an interesting read - I definitely recommend the L'Oréal micellar water if your looking for an affordable option :)

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Spending Splurge, oops! Vol #2

So I might have had a little splurge recently, and as I'm a nosy person and enjoy seeing other peoples purchases I thought you might like to see what I picked up. :)

First up I went to Boots straight after getting my hair cut where the hairdresser had curled my hair using a small bristle brush. I already have a large barrel brush, but I wanted to try and recreate the curls she'd given me so I bought the Kent Small Radial Brush. So far I'm still struggling to perfect my hair, but its definitely not in detriment to the brush, rather my awful styling skills!

I then picked up a few Revlon items, they had a 3 for 2 deal so it was a bit of a bargain! The PhotoReady Perfecting Primer is something I've been wanting to try for a while, and so far I'm really enjoying it. I'm sure I'll post a review soon! Also in the PhotoReady range was the Cream Blush in Coral Reef, I already have this blush in Pinched and really love using it so I thought I'd try out this shade as well. It looks so scary in the pan, but actually blends out to be a really lovely colour. Lastly, I picked one of the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains in Rendezvous. I love my Clinique Chubby Stick (review HERE) but I wanted to try a cheaper option of the stains. So far, I haven't had a real chance to road-test it but the colour is lovely and really pretty for spring.

A new purchase for me was the La Roche-Posay Micellar Make-Up Removal Gel as I'd never tried anything from this brand before, and I'd never tried a gel formula to remove my make-up. I have to say, so far I'm really not enjoying using it. It seems to be such hard work to get all my eye make-up off, and leaves my skin feeling strange and dry. I'm going to keep trying it but it's definitely not love at the moment!

Finally, I popped into Lush to finallyyyy buy one of their infamous Lip Scrubs. One of my best friends Emily recommended these to me ages ago, and after seeing all the blogosphere hype I knew I had to get in on it. Its just taken me so long to actually get around to buying it! Anyway, long story aside I bought the Mint Julips flavour and not only does it make my lips super smooth, it tastes so damn good! Mint Chocolate on the lips? What could be better! I also bought a Big Blue Bathbomb as I was really fancying a relaxing bath that night and I wanted to feel like I was in the ocean - as you do. :)

So there we have it - my recent purchases! See anything you've tried? Let me know if they're any good :)

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