For Christmas last year, one of the lovely gifts I got was a Boots voucher (always a winner with me). I love getting vouchers because it gives me an excuse to buy expensive things that I wouldn't usually buy... like fancy cleanser and toner, what a treat!
I've been using this cleanser and toner from La Roche Posay for about a week now... I'm definitely still making my mind up about the Toleriane cleanser - although I don't have particularly sensitive skin, I much prefer using a lotion cleanser in the evening as opposed to a wash-off one, as I find wash off cleansers can really strip my skin and leave it feeling quite dry and tight. This one works reasonably well removing makeup (I use it to remove skin makeup, and use an eye makeup remover for my eyes and eyebrows), although it's not proved itself the best in terms of speed and efficiency... or perhaps I just have ridiculous expectations since Micellar waters graced our bathroom cabinets. To be honest I tend not to wear heavy foundation, but I can imagine for those who do this cleanser just wouldn't cut the mustard. It's almost a little too gentle, and I can't imagine it ever removing my 5am-just-got-in-from-the-club face (yeah, that one). The lotion itself isn't as thick as the No7 cleanser I mentioned in my last post but it's not quite as runny as a cleansing milk - it's difficult to describe, but it's almost like trying to remove your makeup and cleanse your face with a light moisturiser. All in all, it's a good product, but it's certainly not an all-purpose cleanser, and within that price range I think there's probably better products around. Maybe for more sensitive skin types this could be a holy grail, but for me, although it does leave my skin feeling soft, hydrated, and clean, its basic functionality as a makeup remover is a little too flaky for my taste. Perhaps my opinion will change once I get used to the formula, but for now I just don't have the patience to be cleansing my skin 3 times in a row every night.
The Effaclar Astringent Lotion, however, is a whole other kettle of fish - and it's only £8.25 in Boots at the moment. I bloody love this! I use this after cleansing, putting a little on a cotton pad and then sweeping over my face avoiding my eye area. The product contains salicylic acid (for more on that, read my post on salicylic acid facials), which makes your face tingle for a few seconds as you apply it - this also gives it quite a strong smell, which I actually really like as I think it smells very clean and refreshing, kind of like when you give the bathroom a really good scrub. I feel like using this really helps to balance out some of the oil in my skin so I don't wake up super shiny, and also really helps calm down any breakouts that might be trying to surface. I've really noticed it helping a lot with any spots I've had, with redness and swelling noticeably reduced overnight, and I feel like it helps close and even shrink my pores after cleansing. I couldn't ask for more to be honest! The Effaclar range is also specifically designed for 'imperfection-prone skin', and is definitely a range that I've found really suits my skin type, which is oily/combination and spot prone. I think next time I will definitely get a cleanser from the Effaclar range, too, instead of the Toleriane range.
Finally, I thought I'd just briefly mention the Effaclar Mat Moisturiser (also currently on offer for £10.87 at Boots). I previously really liked the Effaclar Duo moisturiser, however - laugh at me if you will - the bottle was too long to fit in my makeup bag which bothered me far too much to carry on purchasing it. This one is a bit shorter and a bit wider, and has that matte packaging which feels so luxurious. This is perfect, again, for oily skin types like mine. It sinks in really quickly, feels very light on your face, but also is almost completely mattifying, it's insane! The one thing I would say is that you don't get so much for your money... this bottle will only last me between 6-8 weeks, so I think it works out quite an expensive moisturiser. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about wearing this under makeup. I really like a dewy skin look, and find that using this can sometimes dull my face a little when I put makeup over the top. But for days when I don't bother, it's a lifesaver. If you've got oily/combination/spot and shine prone skin, this is definitely worth a try!
Ruby x
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