Reviews of the Month March 2014

Reviews of the Month March 2014

March is a month of freshness and renewal, and that’s a sentiment that extends right the way to our bathroom cabinets. We’ve had some seriously good reviews this month from those who have already had a bit of a revamp – so if you’re in need of some fresh inspiration, you’re the right place! Just take a look at what these guys have to say about their favourite recent purchases…

Standroid’s review of the Nuxe Creme Prodigieuse Anti-Fatigue Moisturising Cream

Get some today. I’ll be honest. I stumbled across this product by mistake in my eternal quest for a night cream that comes in a tube. I read somewhere that bacteria under your fingernails breed in pots of emollients and I don’t fancy smearing my face with e coli. I’m funny like that. The Nuxe brand was familiar to me through use of their body oil, but I hadn’t clocked this cream either in the shops nor have I ever read a review of it.The cream is truly amazing.I would even go so far as to say life changing. Sad, eh ?

It is rich and glossy and smells absolutely delicious. It keeps my tired, sun damaged 50+ skin well and truly hydrated. It fits neatly into a small sponge bag, it doesn’t cost a fortune.I haven’t been ID’d yet, but I really think I look younger. You would be nuts not to buy it.

Snowbarows’s review of the Valentino Uomo Eau de Toilette Spray

When you open the beautiful packaging, the first thing that hits you is the bottle, it stands like a fine whisky decanter, heavy but comfortable in your hand, the brass plaque telling you that this is unmistakeable quality, VALENTINO UOMO. It has a large press pump that fits a man’s finger perfectly (no more shots in the eye by mistake), and then the smell, its a round full bodied warm fragrance,slightly sweet, slightly spicy, very masculine.When I put this on it’s like a warm hug from a loved one, strong,comforting, beautiful, and very reassuring. The fragrance hangs in the air, and lasts and lasts. I have so many people ask what it is, and they always nuzzle into my neck for a deep breath of deliciousness !

Sirilovise’s review of Clarins Instant Radiance Boosting Complexion Base

Your other primers are trembling on their shelf, because Clarins new skin perfector is so much more than a primer. Yes, it makes for a lovely, glowy base to be used underneath foundation, or on it’s own, just to prolong the wear of your makeup and offer a subtle lit from within glow, that also works to create the illlusion of a smoother skin surface. Gorgeous!

If you want, though you can mix approx 1/3 of the base with your foundation. This too will provide all the benefits from using it underneath your foundation, but also allows for an even more radiant complexion. Personally, I like to use both methods. I’ve got a bit of a redness issue, but as the base combines colour-corrective pigments of mauve, green, pink and white, this won’t compromise the coverage of my foundation, bb or cc cream – whichever I use at the time.

Finally, it’s a brilliant multi-tasker as it also works for highlighting. A small drop dabbed and blended into the skin on the high points of the face, and my one (ok, I’ve got two) tube of this stuff has provided me with a base, glow-booster and highlighter all in one. BUT as this is Clarins there’s also the added skincare benefits – in this case there’s the brands anti-pollution complex and ingredients to soothe sensitive skins as well as provide a bit of moisture. And with that it has effectively made the rest of your primers redundant.

Stephie14’s review of the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

So good that I bought the Litre Bottle! I picked this up on recommendation from my mum who told me her hair never felt so soft, and she was right! After using this my hair is silky smooth and feels in far better condition especially at the ends. This product is a pre-shampoo treatment, which is brilliant as with my fine hair, i find a lot of hair masks are too heavy for my hair and leave it looking flat and limp, but as you shampoo this out you get none of that but still reep the benefits! I usually use this once a week and leave it on for about 20 mins before I shower, and then every couple of months I put it on before bed and leave it all night before I shower in the morning for extra moisture! I initially bought the tub, but once I finished that I realised it was much better value to buy the litre tub, so I kept the old tub and just decante into that so it is more travel friendly etc. If you want soft, conditioned hair then you NEED this in your life!

HannahG’s review of the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF50+ Dry Touch Gel-Cream

Careful application needed, but excellent product.

This gel-based sunscreen really is one-of-a-kind – and I’ve tried a LOT of sunscreens! If you’re like me and have oily/combination skin, there’s really nothing else on the market to match it. Plenty of other sunscreens call themselves “oil-free” and “light”, but that doesn’t mean they have a matte finish, and in fact they generally tend to feel at least slightly greasy.

So this matte formula is a godsend. However, its unique consistency also means that you need a slightly different technique for application: rapid spreading over the skin with quick swirling strokes to evenly distribute the product. Failing to do this can result in whiteness and powdery patches as the gel dries into a dry layer. Practice makes perfect!

Finally, I should mention that the range of active ingredients is second-to-none: a broad array of both organic and inorganic sunscreens that combine to give protection from the entire UV spectrum, from burning UVB rays right up to the deep-penetrating long-UVA range. You’d be surprised what a vast proportion of sunscreens on the market don’t cover this full range, and with new developments in our understanding of skin cancer, it matters more than ever.

Review your past purchases at Escentual and every month we’ll pick the 5 most insightful reviews to receive a £20 Escentual gift voucher each. Sounds good, right? Review your past purchases here.

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