Atrixo Enriched Moisturising Cream Review

When I was contacted by Atrixo a few months back I couldn't quite place the brand name. The logo and the name rang a bell somehow, somewhere, but I couldn't quite figure out where I'd seen them.
Atrixo make a variety of hand creams catering to different skin type needs at very reasonable drugstore prices. One of the products I got to test out by them was the Enriched Moisturising Cream.

If you've read any of my other hand cream reviews you'll know that I'm quite awkward with hand creams. I hate the greasy, sticky feeling they leave on my hands and will pretty much never use a hand cream during the day, preferring to lather up over night, when getting cream on everything I touch doesn't bother me.

The Enriched Moisturising Cream comes in either a squeezy tube or a pot. The cream is pretty much identical, though I find that it's a little bit thicker in the tub and also seems to sink in a little bit faster.

As soon as I had a little whiff of the cream, it hit me straight away where I'd heard of Atrixo before. It turns out my mum used to use this cream religiously a few years back. So you might be able to imagine that the soft camomile scent instantly transported me back to my childhood, wrapping me in a warm blanket of comfort.

As for the formula, I have to admit I'm quite impressed considering the budget price tag. I've even found myself using the potted version during the daytime and carrying a little handbag friendly pot in my handbag for slathering on on the go, which is something that doesn't usually happen. I won't lie and say it sinks in straight away, as I do find myself waving my hands about for a few minutes after application, but it doesn't take anywhere near as long as most other hand creams I've tried.

I like to use the squeezy tube over night and it does enough to make my hands soft over night - not to mention the camomile scent actually helps me relax and unwind a little, making for better sleep (at least that's what I tell myself). For winter, when my hands get extremely dry to the point of skin cracking, I think it wouldn't quite be strong enough, but for the rest of the year it does an excellent job.

I also have the "intensive" and "regenerating" versions of this to try which I imagine will give my hands a stronger hit of moisture, so maybe more suitable for when the temperatures turn back to freezing. I'll keep you posted on how I get along with them, but for now let's enjoy this "summer", shall we?

The Enriched Moisturising Cream is available in a 200ml tub for £2.80, a 100ml squeezy tube for £2.50, or you could opt for the mini size at £2.05 for 50ml.

Soap & Glory Peaches And Clean Review

This is another item I received in one of those massive bumper packs of Soap & Glory items you could buy in Boots just before Christmas. Apologies for the rubbish pictures, I took them when I was extremely tired and didn't even notice how badly they turned out up until I'd already used this up completely.

Peaches and Clean is a mild cleansing lotion with an absolutely amazing sweet but not sickly peach smell. It comes in a pump which makes for hygienic and easy use. I used two pumps in the mornings and three in the evenings when my skin needs more of a thorough cleanse.

While I found that it was very gentle on the skin, the product didn't quite give me that feeling of thoroughly cleansed and soft skin that I get from other cleansers. It performed alright and did get rid of all of my daily make-up residue and dirt and grime. However, I just felt that there was something missing - this sort of glow that I've been getting off other cleansers I loved.

I've seen this raved about on plenty of beauty blogs, so I guess it just goes to show that different products work for different products and while I don't want to give this a bad review, I just cannot help but feel a bit "meh" about its performance.
At £7 for a 200ml bottle, it's reasonably enough priced to find out for yourself, should you wish to try it out. And it's worth giving it a whiff for the amazing scent alone.

Primark Haul!

Thanks to our recent move into a new flat and the costs of moving/decorating/van hiring, plus deposits and bills mean that I've had to seriously tighten the belt when it comes to beauty and fashion spending. But when my friend/new flatmate just kept coming back with new Primark goodies every time she left the house, I simply couldn't resist popping in myself.
Primark's printed t-shirts and brightly coloured jeggings have pretty much turned into my work uniform and I just cannot believe how good their things have become in the recent months. So, naturally, I didn't quite leave empty-handed.

First up were these amazing sunglasses for a bargain £3. Granted, you'd get some funny looks walking down the street in these, but for festivals or for going out these will be amazing. Absolutely adorable!

I love phone clutches, they are just such a practical invention for when you want to go out without taking a big bag. They also allow you to hit the dance floor without having to have a designated bag watcher person or making that awkward pile of bags and jackets on the floor while sorta dancing around it in clubs. This was £6.

I still remember those times during my early teens when my mum kept buying me "happy socks" with colourful patterns and prints and I thought it was the most embarrassing thing in the world. All I wanted was some plain black socks... how things have changed. I went a little wild for the neons here and at £2 for three pairs or £1.50 for three pairs of the ankle socks I just got all the brightest ones.

Onto more formerly embarrassing things: Onesies! I am a firm believer that everyone should own at least one onesie (I now have three) and wear it out in public at least once in their lives. Me and aforementioned friend/new flatmate simply couldn't resist buying matching strawberry ones, so that we can hang out in our lounge and be strawberries together. As you do. This was £12.

Onto some home-y items. I'd describe my style as loud and bright with a dash of rock'n'roll, but when it comes to home decoration I'm a massive fan of countryside interiors and anything vintage. I just couldn't say no to this comfy floral print and polka-dot owl cushion which again was a snap at £4. I've not yet decided on a name for my pet cushion though, any suggestions?

Carrying on with the owl theme here is this bath mat, as pictured on our incredibly glamorous bathroom floor. You know that horrible moment when you're all warm and cozy in a steamed up shower and then you have to get back out again into the cold real world? I just made that moment just a little bit more bearable with this cute little mat, which cost £6.

Last but not least I couldn't resist a little bit of jewellery. The above picture actually shows two sets of bracelets, but I got so excited about them I put them all on straight away and then I couldn't remember which came in which set. Awesome for summer, they're hippie, grunge and rave all in one go. Unfortunately the poor manufacturing showed in these straight away, as most of them broke just a few days after I bought them.

Have you been to Primark lately?

Crystal Clear No Shine Serum Review

Following my review of the Crystal Clear Deep Cleanse Gel, I now have another goodie from the same brand to tell you about. The No Shine Serum is a light serum aimed at oily and spot prone skin. My skin is more normal to combination, but I've been using this in the mornings on my T-Zone only, as this is the area of my face where I get quite a bit of shine from time to time.

The serum is light, but creamy and sinks into the skin immediately, leaving it feeling beautifully refreshed. It also has a zingy citrus smell, which I just adore in any beauty product and is particularly great as a pick-me-up in the mornings.
While I struggled to come to grips with the Deep Cleanse Gel at first, this is a whole different story. My skin loves this stuff. I've used it on my cheeks a few times and while I didn't get any obvious skin benefits from using it, it didn't dry them out either, like some products aimed at oily skin can.
On my T-Zone, however, it's doing an amazing job. Just like it promises on the packet, it keeps oil and shine at bay, which means that my make-up lasts much longer during the day. And instead of just sliding off my face in the afternoon, I just get this sort of dewy look whenever I use this serum - shiny, but in a very, very good way. As for impurities, I don't really get that many, but I have noticed a bit of an improvement where I sometimes get hormonal breakouts at "that time of the month".

The price may be a bit of an issue for some. At £42 for 50ml it doesn't come in cheap, but then most serums wouldn't. 50ml will last for quite a while, as you only really need to use this in the mornings.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this serum to any skin type that gets shiny in places, but particularly for oily skin and those suffering from acne, this is a god send.
Pretty impressive!

Avene Very High Protection Emulsion SPF 50+ Review

Sorry about the recent absence! I've indulged in a little holiday towards the end of May and moved into a new flat straight after coming back and our internet still isn't switched on. By now I've had enough, so snuck into the pub around the corner with my laptop to indulge in some free wifi, blogging and a glass of Pimm's in the sunshine.

Speaking of sunshine we all know how important it is to protect ourselves from the sun's harmful rays, no matter how much we fancy a tan. For my very pale skin in particular, a high SPF is a must as soon as the sun decides to show its face. I found this out the hard way about a month ago when I burnt to a crisp thinking that factor 15 would be enough on the beach "cause it's just England". Yeah... no. No, it's not.

I received this offering by Avene a while ago and didn't get on with it straight away, so decided to give it another shot. This is my first Avene product and considering how much beauty bloggers all over love their facial spritz, surely they must be doing something right.

First up the packaging: A light plastic tube with a pump applicator shielded by a harder plastic cap. In my personal opinion, the packaging is absolutely genius. It's light and saves on space but still makes for easy application on the go. Two thumbs up from me!

The emulsion is aimed at sensitive skins - I got the one for normal to combination skin - and offers an impressive SPF of 50+, protecting from both UVA and UVB rays. For some reason it's still fairly tricky to get sun protection over 30, especially for the facial area. When it comes to sun lotion for the face I always have two main concerns:
1) Will it cast an ashy tone over my complexion?
2) Will it make my skin greasy and sweaty?

The first issue was not a problem: The emulsion slid around my skin without the slightest of colour casts. No whiteness, no ashy glaze, no odd shimmery bits.
As for the second issue, this is where me and the Avene Very High Protection Emulsion must part ways. No matter how little I used or how much I rubbed, I could never get it to fully sink into the skin. Throughout the day it felt heavy and I could always sense that there was this "layer" on my face. My skin constantly felt and looked oily and soon began sweating resulting in my make-up melting away - in 20 degrees.

I wouldn't mind if it was aimed at dry to very dry skin, but for normal to combination skin (which I have), this is just way too rich and gloopy and I cannot imagine anywhere I'd want to wear it.

Maybe if your skin is on the drier side you can make it work for you, but for me it was a disappointing first encounter with Avene.

The Avene Very High Protection Emulsion SPF 50+ retails at £15 for 50ml.