Botanics Skincare

Although I love experimenting with pretty make-up, I’m definitely a skincare girl at heart. I just love trying new products, pampering myself a bit and to have my skin feeling the best that it can. Although I certainly have some favourite products, I do like to wander round a store or browse online looking at other products on the market, and I’m always interested in trying new things. A while back, I was running out of a couple of items so decided to ask around for recommendations, as well as having a browse around my local Boots store.

First up, I needed to find a new toner. I’ve tried all sorts of toners over the years, from budget versions from the likes of Garnier, Nivea and Simple, to more expensive ones like the Pixi Glow Tonic. Although I enjoyed using all of these, I fancied a change. And while perusing the shelves of bottles and boxes, I came across the Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner. According to Botanics, if you’re looking for a dose of radiance then this is the toner for you! I’m quite lucky with my skin, but one thing I do tend to find is that it can look a bit dull and tired. This toner contains Hibiscus, known for its brightening properties and exfoliating flower acids, which also improve skin’s texture and radiance. It sounded like just what my skin needed, and at £5.49, it wasn’t going to break the bank either.

I’ve been using it daily since then, and am nearly at the end of my bottle, so I feel I can now give it a proper review. After cleansing my face, I pop a bit of this on a cotton wool pad and sweep it across my skin, neck and décolletage. Unlike some toners I’ve tried, it feels gentle and delicate and hasn’t irritated my skin at all. It has a very subtle scent, which I quite like, as it doesn’t feel too overpowering. After using it, my face doesn’t end up feeling tight either – just cool and refreshed, ready for my moisturiser. I’ve received a few compliments recently, from people saying that my skin looks healthy and radiant, so I guess it must be doing what it’s meant to! Overall, I’m really enjoying using it (so much so that I’ve bought another bottle to replace this one when I finish it!) and am really happy with the way it leaves my skin looking and feeling. 

The next thing I wanted to replace was an under-eye treatment. Again, I’ve tried various things over the years, but my particular favourite was the No Puffery™ Cooling Roll-On from Origins. Unfortunately though, at £25, it isn’t something I can repurchase very often, so I wanted to try and find a cheaper alternative that gave similar results. I asked around on my social media for recommendations of a roller-ball eye treatment and a few people suggested I try the Botanics Brightening All Bright Refreshing Eye Roll-On. I really wanted to stick with a roll-on treatment because I just love the cooling and gentle massaging effect it has under my eyes at the end of the day. This one also contains Hibiscus, which was chosen for its skin brightening properties (essential when you have bags as big as suitcases under your eyes!) and it also helps to hydrate the under-eye area. 

As with the toner, I’ve been using this eye roll-on for quite a while now and am so happy to have found a cheaper alternative to my favourite Origins product (this one is only £8.99, rather than £25). It feels gently cooling under my eyes, which is great when they’re feeling uncomfortable and puffy, and it’s also really easy to apply. I tend to get a lot of headaches/pain around my eyes, and this feels so nice to apply – I’m tempted to keep it once it’s empty, just so I can massage under my eyes when the pain gets bad! The actual treatment is very gentle, with the same delicate scent as the toner. I definitely think it has brightening properties, as although I still have dark circles (it will take a miracle to get rid of those!) they do seem to be a bit brighter than they were before I started using this.

Although I’d heard of the Botanics range before, I had never really ventured in to trying any of the products. But after trying these two out, I wish I’d given the range a chance sooner! At Botanics, they believe in the power of plants for their holistic benefits to improve more than just your skin. They search for the most effective plant extracts to target skin’s specific needs and sustainably source these extracts from around the world. Their beauty products are formulated with plant extracts, natural and organic ingredients and are all developed to be effective while staying true to their ‘inspired by nature’ philosophy. They also like to make sure that their products don’t cost the earth, which is always a bonus.

After reading a bit more about the Botanics brand, and also trying a couple of their products, I will definitely be trying more from the range. I love that they are made from natural and organic ingredients and that they sustainably source these from around the world. The fact that the products feel gentle on my skin, whilst still working, is a massive positive for me. And, of course, it’s great that their range isn’t too expensive either!

Have you tried any products from the Botanics range at Boots? If so, what are your favourites that I should try out next?

Follow me on Bloglovin, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube

Clinique iD Blogger Event

*I was invited to have a skin consultation and makeover and hear about Clinique iD, but bought my own products and all opinions are my own

A couple of Saturdays ago, I was invited down to the Clinique counter in Boots at The Oracle Reading to find out more about the release of the Clinique iD™ moisturiser. I’d seen it advertised, but didn’t really know anything about it, so was interested to find out more. So after checking out some of the shops in The Oracle, and having a bit of lunch with my Mum in Pizza Express, we made our way to Boots where I met up with Kirsty from Unseen Beauty (another blogger from the South East Bloggers Circle) and Mariam, who works for Clinique and was organising the event. 

As there were only two of us, we were able to have individual consultations with the Clinique staff, which meant we could really find out about the best products for each of us. We started off by going through a skin consultation in order to find out about the type of skin we have and our main areas of concern. I chatted to Mariam about the fact I have relatively ‘normal’ skin, which can get a bit dry sometimes, and that my main issues were dark under-eye circles and my skin generally looking dull and tired.  

After we’d gone through all the questions, Mariam took me through a typical skincare routine using Clinique products that were suitable for my skin type. We started by using the Sonic Cleansing Brush with the foaming facial soap, which felt amazing on my skin. I’ve never used an electronic cleansing tool before, but after trying this one out I’m very tempted to save up for one for myself. The only thing is, I tend to use Micellar Water at the moment, which they don’t work with, and so I would have to change my cleanser. My next product was the Clarifying Lotion 2, which sweeps away pollution, grime and dulling flakes to reveal smoother, clearer skin. It’s a bit like a toner, but as well as toning it exfoliates at the same time.

Then it was time to be introduced to the new Clinique iD™ moisturiser. This is a completely customisable hydration system, which is based around Clinique’s signature Dramatically Different Moisturiser lotions. The idea is that each and every Clinique customer is unique, and therefore one type of moisturiser simply isn’t going to suit everyone. This is where Clinique iD comes in. It offers 15 different combinations of active ingredients that hydrate and treat your skin specific to your concern.

You begin by picking your base, which is in the larger, outer bottle. There’s a Moisturising Lotion, which offers 8-hour skin-strengthening hydration and suits very dry to dry combination skin; an Oil-Control Gel, perfect for combination to oily skin, as it promises 8-hour oil-free hydration; and lastly, a Hydrating Jelly, which is lightweight and oil-free, suitable for all skin types and gives 24-hour hydration repair as well as pollution protection. After trying a couple of these on the back of my hand, I opted to go for the Hydrating Jelly, as I liked the light consistency. 

Once you’ve picked your base, it is then time to choose your cartridge, which can be inserted inside the base bottle. There are five different options, each one a different colour and aimed to target distinctive skincare issues:

·     The purple cartridge is for Lines & Wrinkles - giving a concentrated dose of Whey Protein it smoothes fine lines and wrinkles, rehydrates and plumps the skin

·     The blue cartridge is for Pores & Uneven Skin Texture – with AHAs to improve skin’s texture and reveal fresher, brighter skin and tighter looking pores

·     The orange cartridge is for Fatigue – it contains Taurine to re-energise skin to minimise the signs of fatigue due to daily stressors

·     The green cartridge is for Irritation – Lactobacillus Ferment helps to provide instant and soothing relief for delicate, irritated skin

·     And the white cartridge is for Uneven Skin Tone – extracts from Japanese Angelica Root helps to provide a more even skin tone

A specially designed pump and Clinique’s Custom-Blend Chemistry Technology™ simultaneously dispenses a 10 per cent dose of targeted ingredients from the cartridge, with a 90 per cent dose of your chosen moisturiser. This has been worked out to maximise the therapeutic effect of each formula and to make sure both products absorb properly into your skin. As one of my main skin issues is dull, tired-looking skin, we decided to choose the orange ‘Fatigue’ cartridge to go with my chosen base. If only it could get rid of the physical feelings of fatigue as well!

After I’d used the Clinique iD™ moisturiser, Mariam gave me the Clinique Pep-Start™ Eye Cream to try. I’ve wanted to give it a go for ages, as I love under-eye creams that come with a roller ball and need any help I can get to make my under-eye area look wide awake and refreshed! It felt really cooling on my skin and I absolutely loved the applicator. Then, to finish off my skincare routine and begin with my make-up, I used the Superbalm Moisturising Gloss. It helps to treat undermoisturised skin, instantly relieves dryness and protects with antioxidants, as well as adding a bit of colour. 

Then it was time for a bit of a makeover. Mariam started by colour matching the Even Better Refresh™ Hydrating and Repairing Foundation to my skin, before blending it in. It gave me full-coverage but didn’t feel too heavy, which is exactly the type of foundation I look for. We decided against using any powder, so Mariam then popped a bit of eye shadow on my lids, followed by the High Impact™ Mascara, which helps to add maximum volume along with definition and length. I can be quite fussy when it comes to mascaras, but I really liked the way this one made my lashes look – they weren’t clumpy or too heavy, but looked full of volume and well defined. 

The finishing touches to my make-up look were the Chubby Stick™ Sculpting Highlight, which gave a really awesome glow across my cheekbones. And for my lips, Mariam used a Chubby Stick™ Moisturising Lip Colour Balm in Super Strawberry, which I was pleasantly surprised with. When she brought it over, I was a bit nervous because it looked quite dark and not usually a colour I would go for. But it came out looking a lot subtler than the packaging and I thought it really suited my skin tone. That’s the great thing about someone else doing your make-up for you – you find products that you wouldn’t have picked up yourself. 

And with that, we had come to the end of the event, but not before both Kirsty and I needed to make a purchase or two! Mariam had told us about an offer running on Clinique counters in Boots at the moment, where if you buy two Clinique products (one of which has to be foundation or skincare) you get a free six-piece gift worth £42. I’m never one to pass up a good offer, so, of course, I had to make a couple of purchases! I decided to treat myself to the Clinique iD™ and also the Chubby Stick™ Sculpting Highlight, and then was able to choose six items, from a range of eight different products, to take home in a cute Clinique bag, for free! If I’d decided to buy a third item, I would also have been able to take home a free full-sized bonus gift worth £17.50, so there’s definitely some bargains to be had!

After having a quick look around at the rest of the Clinique goodies on offer, it was time for us to head back home again. I had a lovely time with the Clinique ladies in Boots at The Oracle and am so happy to have been invited down there to try out their new Clinique iD™. I first started using Clinique products about twelve years ago, and even now, one of my favourite products is the Take the Day Off™ Cleansing Balm, so it was great to discover some more of their products to add to my favourites!

Are you a fan of Clinique products? Have you tried the new Clinique iD™ at all yet?

Follow me on Bloglovin, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube