Jude of Love Lust & Fairy Dust takes over today and she’s reviewed a body scrub that I’ve been meaning to try for some time – so over to you my beauty blogging pixie!
When Annabella asked me to guest blog for her I was absolutely delighted to accept. Annabella and I seem to share an obsession with finding the perfect body scrub. Now over the years I have tried hundreds of body scrubs and there are only a few that I have repurchased, Clinique Sparkle Skin is one of the few.
If you have read any of my previous body scrub posts on my blog at Love Lust & Fairy Dust then you will be aware that I am quite critical and particular about my scrubs. I like a scrub to be manly and gritty, I can’t be doing with a whimpy, insipid scrub at all. So you may be surprised that I chose an exfoliating cream as one of my favourites.
Now this is no ordinary exfoliating cream, this cream stimulates, refines, invigorating granules take even rough, hardened skin to glowing smoothness. The cream is oil free and contains no artificial fragrance. It contains Lemon, Grapefruit, Menthol and Spearmint. It smells absolutely divine and makes the skin feel cool and tingly. You massage the cream onto wet skin, it also lathers a little, then just rinse off. Although this is a cream it has a decent amount of grittiness to it so that you really can feel the exfoliation. Skin really does feel polished after use.
Sparkle Skin is perfect to use prior to self-tanning and will help to extend the life of a natural tan.
You can purchase Sparkle Skin at all major department stores where there is a Clinique counter. It retails at £20 but you get 250ml and that will last around 4 months using twice a week.
Thank you Annabella for letting me loose on your lovely blog.
Kind Regards
Jude
www.lovelustandfairtydust.com
Back in April I discovered that I had this hidden away in a box thing on wheels and that I’d only used it a few times and then it got relegated to the box! I made a vow that I would start using it on a regular basis. Well it’s been exactly 13 weeks today and I’m ready to give you my thoughts.
First off let me say I really don’t know why I stopped using this as the texture is perfect; light with a refreshing almost sun-tan lotion scent. It absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave my skin tacky and is a perfect base for my makeup. I’m not a big fan of finger dipping with skincare but I don’t mind this so much and I’ve got a few spatulas that I can use anyway. Even though this is £33 for 50ml I found (as with most Clinique products) it’s lasted a long time and this will see me through the rest of the summer.
So has it worked? Well this has definitely improved the texture of my skin and I did try taking before/after pictures but they didn’t really show the difference that I feel would fairly represent how much smoother my skin is. It is recommended to use this after applying the Even Better Skin Tone Corrector but as it’s a serum I’m staying well clear. I don’t know if this has really taken away any of the redness that I get however I think my redness is reactive and probably won’t go away completely. Using this with Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base and the Even Better Foundation keeps my skin smooth and calm. This can also be used on the chest and hands which is useful as it also contains an SPF of 20.
Now that I’m happy with the results of this I’ve bitten the bullet and purchased Clinique Youth Surge Night Moisturiser. At nearly 41 I feel like my skin needs an extra boost! I will let you know how I get on with this one towards the end of the summer.
Thanks for reading and Happy Friday! x
I suffer from redness and some days are worse than others. Certain things definitely make my skin flare up, like raspberries or strawberries which are known irritants (it doesn’t stop me from eating them tho). I’d say my redness is worse in the morning so a light coverage foundation doesn’t always hide my blotchy face which is why I bought these to try. I’ve used both Avene and Clinique skincare off and on for several years and I’ve had some hits and misses with both brands. Warning close-up of my face ahead!
Avene on the left, Clinique on the right
My skin after applying Avene Diroseal Tream Cream for localised redness
The Diroseal Treatment Cream is quite thin and gave my skin a Frankensteinish tinge, I know it is green to correct the redness but it gave me a sallow hue. I found this to be quite sticky and tacky in texture and it just sat on my face and didn’t absorb. I left it on for a few minutes before applying foundation but it didn’t make much of a difference and actually made applying foundation a messier affair than normal.
This didn’t dry fast enough for me and I certainly wouldn’t be happy just to wear it without foundation. The only thing that I thought was useful was the long nozzle which prevents too much product coming out. This is available from Boots at £22.oo for 30ml, but as you are probably aware Avene is often part of their skincare events so you may be able to get it cheaper.
My skin after applying Clinique Anti-redness Daily Protective Base with SPF 15
This absorbs much more quickly then the Avene, and the texture is light and easy to apply. I don’t know if it’s because the Clinique cream is a lighter green but it makes my skin look a lot better. I don’t think the redness actually goes away as such, but it gives my face a bit more luminosity which improves the look of it in my opinion.
I’ve also been using Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturiser SPF 20, and Even Better Makeup SPF 15 so it makes sense that the Daily Protective Base works well with the other two. I’ve never been one for using all of my skincare or makeup from the same brand but as a trio these work well together. This is available from Clinique at £14.50 for 40ml.
If you suffer from redness what colour correcting products do you use?
