My Newest Bathroom Gadget

It's official, I'm obsessed!

I haven't been this excited about a skincare gadget since the Clarisonic, and although it doesn't do anything 'special' it encourages me to keep up a morning routine I've never previously stuck to. 

For those who don't know, this is the Clearasil PerfectaWash. It's essentially a dispenser for a regular face wash but the hands-free sensor activation means it's much more hygienic and when we're talking breakouts the last thing you want is to be washing your face with grubby hands! I use mine with my Clarisonic and it foams up nicely, smells gorgeous and leaves me feeling squeaky clean.

I can't say much more about the cleanser itself as it's pretty basic but does the job, the real star is the dispenser. If I could house all liquids in such a device I would. Saying that it does have it's flaws. It gives you a measured dose of cleanser which  is good and bad.. you're not going to use too much but if you want less there's no way of getting it. Another thing is you have to be careful about is accidentally setting off the sensor when you're doing other things. I, for example, ended up cleaning half my bathroom with PerfectaWash last week which left it smelling lovely but was a big waste of product. There's a switch on the back to turn the sensor off which I now do when not in use but that kind of defeats the purpose of the hands free dispenser, no?

 

You can see here the refills are basically bottles that slot in to the machine. 

They're priced at £4.99 each and available in two formula's and the dispenser itself is £12.99. 

You can buy the range from Boots online here 

Overall I like the system, I think it promotes hygiene (in theory) and gets us excited about cleansing again. Clearasil have always been a great drugstore brand for blemish prone skin so the cleanser itself was never in question, I knew it would work and it does but I'd never have tried it if it hadn't been for my interest in the dispenser. I'm hoping they will collaborate with other brands to create new refills in the future but it's my guess you'll see other versions of this popping up everywhere soon.

Miss BB

*This was sent to me as a PR sample but as always but opinions are unaffected

Cleansers 101

Looking for your perfect cleanser? First you need to understand a little about your skin type, this will go a long way to identifying it's needs and how to treat any issues you have. Secondly don't assume that because something has worked for you in the past it will always work.. I for one know that skin types can change as I've recently gotten much drier where I used to be Combination/Oily.

So, I'll run down my recommendations for each skin type, this is just a guide for those unsure of or starting out in the world of cleansers. There are so many on the market it's tricky to understand what you're looking for so hopefully this will be of help to someone.
 

Dry Skin

There are different degrees of dry skin so be aware that a product that says it's formulated for 'dry skin' may not be the one for you. It's can be the toughest skin type to work with but the following cleansers are a good place to start if you're looking for something new.

Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser £5.99
I bought this looking for a cheap alternative to the Liz Earle favourite, if you'd like a full comparison let me know. This was much thicker and left a residue, much better for drier days/winter months than summer when it could be a bit much. It's safe to use on eye makeup though which is a huge time saving plus for me.. it does however smell like sun cream.


Botanics Organic Cleansing Balm £6.63
Also a product I bought hoping to find a Liz Earle dupe.. this was completely the wrong choice. It's a balm as opposed to a cream or a liquid so totally different to anything else I've used. It's supposedly a dupe for the Eve Lom cleanser (I may have been confused) and although at first I hated it I came to realise it has it's place. It's all natural and soothing so for those with skin prone to react with products it's probably going to be perfect. Not unlike the Vitamin E cleanser it also leaves an oily film so I decided it was more suited to dry skin types.

Oily Skin

A common misconception for those with oily skin is that you should avoid moisture at all costs when in fact the opposite applies. All skin types need moisture but often products targeted at oily/blemish prone skin are high in alcohol which strips your skin of the oils it needs causing it to over compensate and produce even more oil leading to breakouts.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2in1 Face Wash/Mask £3.99
I used this on and off for years during my blemish prone periods and it's a great product to have in as it doubles as a face mask. It's really effective at keeping excess oil and breakouts at bay.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Gel Wash £4.89
First of all this smells amazing. There are 3 options which I believe are targeted at different levels of oil control. The scrub was a little too drying for me, this was much gentler yet did the job and I think if you're on the oily/combination fence you may be more at home with the cream wash.

Combination Skin

Combination skin is trickiest when you're trying to clear your skin of blemishes. Just as above the last thing you feel like you need is something thick or oily but the drier patches crave it. You're looking for something that will meet two needs and restore a balance and these are those I've tried myself and found effective.

Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean £7.00
This gives a deep clean while smoothing with fruit acids to gently exfoliate. It's creamy and refreshing and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this smells divine! Most importantly it's not drying and it goes some way to evening out combination skin.

Clinique Facial Soap £13-£14.00
As you probably know you can purchase this is liquid or bar form. For combination skin I would suggest the milder formula and if you err more on the side of dry than oily I would go for the liquid over the bar however the bar lasts a lot longer. Most importantly you don't have to use this in conjunction with Cliniques 3 step programme.. it doesn't suit everyone but the cleanser is still really effective and something I would recommend everyone try at some point.

Sensitive Skin 

I have never suffered from sensitive skin myself so can only empathise with your problem and suggest the following cleansers which seem to work for others of the same skin type. I would recommend going organic and trying the all natural approach if you can as this seems to be the best answer for those that react to everything they try.

Cetaphil £8.99
 Now I have actually tried this and have to say.. I wasn't impressed but I'm led to believe that for those with very sensitive/problem skin it's a life saver.

Dr Organic Rose Otto Cleansing Milk £8.19
The Dr Organic range has a lot of fans and if you're in to that kind of thing you might want to pop over to Holland and Barrett to check it out. This is a cleansing milk as opposed to a wash which often people with more sensitive skin prefer as it's a little more soothing.

All Skin Types

I wanted to avoid using the term 'normal skin' as I don't think there's such a thing. Throughout our lives we'll all probably have our oily/dry/sensitive moments but some less than others. These are the cleansers that claim to suit 'all skin types', you should find less irritating ingredients in an 'all skin types' product but if you are sensitive always check the label!

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser £14.25
No matter what phase my skin is in this cleanser always works for me. It's gentle but be warned your skin can become reliant and break out when you stop using it.

Simple Refreshing Facial Wash £1.32
If you have no skin woes.. why spend a fortune when you don't have to? All you want is to feel fresh and clean and this will do the job for a bargain basement price. Some of us spend a fortune looking for 'the one' so why not take advantage of your enviable position?

The most important thing I learnt about cleansers recently is not to be fooled by texture. I used to hate creamy cleansers 'cause I never felt like they were doing anything until I discovered exfoliating acids. Whether they be glycolic or citric they can smooth the skin just as well as any face scrub so like I said.. always check the label! My favourite cleanser of the moment has to be the Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean which contains said acids and leaves me feeling squeaky clean so unless you've already found your holy grail skincare regime why not throw out any preconceptions and try something different?

...and if you have found your HG cleanser let us all in on your secret!!!

Miss BB

Peaches & Clean

This wonder stuff is my new cleanser. I was looking for something with a creamier consistency than my regular Liz Earle to use with my Clarisonic and this is absolutely it. It feels like a buttery soft lotion but I would never have used the word 'milk' to describe the consistency (as they do on the bottle). I consider a cleansing milk to be one designed to be used with a cotton wool pad whereas this is very much a soap and water kinda deal! Here's a look at what's inside the bottle...

I started using this and Loreal's Youth Code serum at the same time so I can't be sure which is doing something awesome but one of them is! My skin has never been so smooth. Contrary to what the name might suggest it has a fresh mint (not a chewing gum mint but a mojito mint) scent.. nothing remotely peachy. Very refreshing after a long day!

Peaches & Clean is available from Boots here for £7

Miss BB

EDIT - I've since been advised by Lee that is does indeed smell like peaches (as well as fresh mint) my mistake!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

Everyone raves about this stuff and if you know me.. the more people say how great something is the longer it takes for me to buy it. I'm always sceptical.. there are so many bloggers out there that seem to be paid to review things positively you never know which reviews are truly honest. That's not a dig at any particular bloggers FYI... it just seems to be a growing trend. Anyway.. I bought a 100ml tube on eBay thinking it was expensive but I think I ended up spending around the same money I would have had I bought them from the site itself. I couldn't wait to try it out and busted it out as soon as it arrived but upon first use I was distinctly underwhelmed. It was a pain that I had to stand over my sink for 5 minutes to use it when I'm used to cleansing and toning in bed. I must have tried it on and off for about a week before I decided it was over-hyped and it was relegated to my beauty cupboard. 

I don't know what made me want to give it another go but a month ago I reached for it again. I worked it in to my nightly bath time routine. It was never going to work for me having to stand over the sink twice a day but while I'm in the bath waiting for my conditioner to do its stuff I have some time! I used it every night for two weeks and my skin had never been so soft but as soon as I stopped using it (I ran out) my blemishes returned.. perhaps even worse than before.

How I use it...
I use one pump for my whole face
I massage the cleanser in to my skin an leave it to sit for a minute
*I try to have the sink/bowl filled with hand-hot water
I immerse the muslin cloth (included) in the water and ring out
I lay the cloth over my face to create a mini steam treatment
using circular motions I "buff" the cleanser off my face

My skin has never felt so smooth and clean and the cloth itself is gentle yet super exfoliating (be careful not to over exfoliate.. I've made my skin raw in parts before) The ingredients are all natural and its really not as expensive as I first thought when you consider how long it lasts. I would definitely recommend the pump bottle as it's easier to measure how much you use and I think it will last me longer than in the original tube. Liz Earle offers discounts on bulk buys and if you're a convert as many are that's definitely something you'll want to take advantage of. Once you start using this you really need to keep it up. This stuff did wonderful things for my skin but it may well be one of those products than your skin relies on and I'm not sure that doesn't do more harm than good in the long run. I now have a giant 150ml pump bottle so I will continue to use it until that runs out but I'm not 100% sure I shall repurchase.. especially as I've just taken receipt of a Clarisonic (exciting!).

You can buy 100ml starter kit in pump bottle here £13.75

Miss BB

Cetaphil - Why The Hype?

I bought this a while ago to review as everyone seems to rave about it.. I had to give it a go, right? 

Recently it's been popping up on my blog feed again because it would appear Boots are now stocking this "wonder cleanser". I'd like to point out I bought this months ago in Asda.. they've had it for a while but nobody seemed to make a big song and dance about that, did they?. 

I have always considered my skin to be "problem" in that I get regular blemishes but I think I've been giving it harder time than is due as I've realised my breakouts are hormonal, mainly occurring around the same time each month and they tend to stay around my chin. I've read that chin pimples are aunt flow-related and that the side of your chin relates to which ovary the egg has been released from. Whether that's true I don't know but it sounds plausible and it makes me feel generally better about my skin type. I do tend to get oil though my t-zone and on my chin but I wouldn't say my skin is greasy per se. If I use over-abrasive products or too much alcohol I can suffer dry patches but my skin isn't really dry, it's combination at worst.. normal at best. I used Cetaphil thinking that after a week or 2 I would be singing its praises and renouncing all other cleansers in my arsenal... but I am not a fan. It doesn't leave me feeling clean. I like microbeads, a bit of exfoliant...something! A creamy cleanser just doesn't do the job.. I like to feel scrubbed and fresh. I'm sure it's great for people that break out because their skin is sensitive but mine really isn't so I don't think I was the best test subject. I haven't actually seen any bad reviews of Cetaphil and I guess this isn't one either. Not everything works for everyone and this is just not for me. 

Unless you have real problem skin I would give it a miss.. there are plenty of other cleansers out there that you will probably prefer and that come in much cuter packaging and smell lovely as opposed to this pharmaceutical looking face wash.

Sorry if I'm speaking out of school and mortally offending you Cetaphil converts

Miss BB

The Secret To Super Clear Skin?

In the late stages of my pregnancy I wasn't sleeping so well, I spent hours watching YouTube videos on the widest variety of topics imaginable but one I randomly stumbled upon I actually found really useful. I love Ruth at AModelRecommends.com but I'd never watched her videos before. I trust her advice when it comes to product recommendations as she's tried so many different brands and seems to really know her stuff. I will link said video at the bottom of the page, it's really insightful but as she says she has combination skin and is 30.. not everyone's skin will react the same way to the products she uses. I am not 30 but I'm not teenager and children definitely take their toll so I think what she recommended will work for me.

I have recently started using my Liz Earle cleanse and polish again after writing it off as too much hard work and not really seeing a marked improvement in my skin. I have used it for about 3 weeks and in that time the closest I've come to a breakout is a little, rash-like patch of blemish "threats" on my chin which never developed in to anything. I have always suffered with hormonal breakouts and they are usually around my chin so if this cleanser can prevent those it is absolutely a winner in my book. Of course the true test will come now that I am no longer pregnant and benefiting from all of those lovely hormones that give you glossy hair and great skin... will it continue to work so well? I am ready to persevere.

Anyway... Ruth mentioned Liz Earl as one of her favourite deep cleansers, suggesting you leave it to soak for several mites before buffing it away with a muslin cloth or Clarisonic (I wish). She attributes her clear, healthy looking skin to this daily deep cleanse and one more thing...

Overnight Exfoliants.

I'll admit I am a total skincare novice. Just as I think I have it sussed I hear something like "overnight exfoliants" and realise I am still so far from well educated in that field. There were a few bits and pieces she mentioned that I was already aware of, one of which was that if you totally strip your skin of oil it will then over-produce more to compensate.. leaving you with a much higher chance of break outs. It took me a really long time to realise how important it was to replenish the moisture in your skin even if you are oily. I am so used to my night-time moisturiser that the thought of using anything that leaves my skin feeling tight or dry is definitely out of my comfort zone but if a model recommends, what can we mere normals do but follow, right?

The main point Ruth was trying to get across in the second half of her video was about cell renewal. As we get older this slows down and leaves our skin looking dull. Since she's used exfoliants she has found it appears brighter and her other products are allowed to penetrate her skin more deeply and therefor work more effectively. The exfoliants she talked about were all Glycolic acid based. Now as i said.. I'm no expert (which is why I am linking her video) but I've seen a lot of products on the market recently trading off this ingredient so I was already semi-aware of the benefits. Lot's of bloggers have reviewed the Sanctuary's peel off mask (part of a 30 day skin renewal system) which I've been dying to try and after Ruth's video I am absolutely convinced it's what's missing from my routine.

I am probably going to start off with that as it is a mask and allows me to still wear a regular moisturiser to bed but if I see any results whatsoever I am almost certainly going to have to try Ruth's "Hero Product", Liquid Gold. She had already raved about it on her website and for those wanting her full review as well as great places to buy you can find that here.

I understand I'm not giving you any new information here, it's a lot of regurgitated recommendations really but for those of you that don't follow amodelrecommends.com I couldn't let you miss out on her fantastic advice, you really must get over there for yourselves! I also wanted to let you know this is the new skincare I will be following over the coming weeks/months (we'll see how it goes) so if you see a great improvement in my skin you'll know why. I will of course review the routine once I have first hand experience but for now.. here's what I'll be using...

As it is I use my Liz Earle and alternate my Clean and Clear moisturiser with Soap and Glory's Wish Upon A Jar so the only changes I'm making are introducing a facial brush (I don't feel the muslin cloth really leaves my skin as smooth as it could be) and the Glycolic peel. I am very interested to try the liquid gold but I'll start with the Sanctuary mask and see how I go. 

*for stockists click on the photos to be taken to the website*

Here's Ruths video as promised...

Have any of you tried Glycolic Acid on your skin?

Miss BB

My Daily Skincare

Hey There! I have recently become a little bit skincare obsessed. 

I've never been into cleanse, tone and moisturise and that lark, mainly because my skin has been acne prone and so any treatment I gave it was targeted to those needs. I've come to realise lately that I am not getting any younger and eventually (hopefully) my problem skin will improve but I may find that the lack of care I've taken   catches up with me. So... I've taken steps..

It was 3 for 2 in superdrug on L'Oreal so I figured there was no better time to try their skincare range.

There are lots to choose from but I plumped for the Triple Active.. I may move on to the Youth Code if I get on with this as I've heard very positive things.

So thats my 3 step..

But I needed an eyecream, right?

I picked this Bliss one up in Debenhams better than half price! It was reduced from £24 to £7! Bargain! 

I can't tell you if it's doing anything yet but it can't hurt!

Now I am still true to my old faithful Clean and Clear moisturiser for night time... it works wonders on blemishes while keeping your skin soft.  

And I am totally loving this new Garnier Body 7 day moisturiser.. it's totally amazing and smells devine.. again this is on offer in superdrug right now! 

So that's my current skincare regime..

I'm liking it so far but am always on the look out for new things..

what are your fave skincare buys? 

XOXO