Hello to you all, hope you're all well.
I just wanted to do a little post on a couple of bits I picked up on a trip to Boots. I don't know why I said a few bits because it now seems I actually bought quite a lot...Ooops.
Boot's is one of those places where you can go in looking for one very specific item and end up coming out with a basketful of stuff you didn't know you needed... Well at least that's what it's like for me.
I initially went in to purchase some products from the Boots Essentials range as I had heard excellent reviews and the products are so inexpensive it wouldn't be that big a deal if they didn't live up to the hype.
I purchased ...
- Boots Essentials face wash
- Boots Essentials eye make-up remover
- Boots Essentials cleansing lotion
- Boots Essentials cucumber eye gel
- Boots Essentials cucumber 3 minute clay mask
- Boots Essentials cucumber facial scrub
All but the face mask cost a lot under two pound which is brilliant in my opinion. And the face mask was only over my a few pence, and it's worth every single one of those pennies.
As I blogged previously, I've been an avid supporter of Clinique's 3-step system but as of late, the novelty and the results have waned. If possible, the system has made my skin even more sensitive than it already was and the red, blotchy results I can bear no more.
I've read a lot of reviews on the essentials range and buzzwords such as gentle, fragrance free and non-drying kept popping up so I thought it would be worth a punt. Just looking at the ingredients list I would be inclined to agree as the formulas are for want of a better word basic. They don't contain any fancy ingredients nor do they make ridiculous claims which they can't live up to. They are basics which simply cleanse, tone and moisturise.
My thoughts
I bought the products just under a week ago but I have used the fash wash and cleansing lotion everyday since and though there haven't been any miracles just yet, I can see subtle changes in my skins condition. First and foremost the redness has subsided so I don't look constantly embarrassed anymore, woohoo and secondly they haven't broke me out or irritated my skin further so I haven't a bad word to say about them as of yet.
The eye make-up remover has also been a really good find in my opinion. I normally use the Simple Kind to Eyes eye make-up remover but I've found that I have to use a lot to get rid of all my eye make-up. It's particularly a nightmare when my eyes are fully made up; no matter how much I scrub, I always wake up looking like a panda. Well panda eyes no more, this gentle but effective lotion removes all traces of eye make-up and I could not be happier. A few gentle strokes and my lashes are clear and my eyes aren't red from scrubbing. It's so wonderful. It's a lovely fragrance free, thinnish white lotion which glides on effortlessly and I can't recommend it enough.
I use the eye make-up remover in conjunction with the eye gel and even that's a wonderful product. It's a slightly watery gel formula which cools and soothes under eyes and leaves them looking fresh and bright. For best results, I keep mine in the fridge so it perks my eyes up that little bit more. With regards to eye creams, I've been loyal to Clinique's All About eyes but I just find it difficult to justify the twenty plus pound price tag on a student budget, but at the same time I didn't anticipate a cheaper product could achieve similar if not better results. Well, this little gem certainly proved me wrong and I wouldn't turn back. As lovely as All About Eyes is, at this time in my life it's just too expensive so I will be sticking with my Boots Essentials for the long haul.
Lastly, the scrub and mask. I used them as part of my weekly facial routine where I treat my skin to a bit of pampering. Before I purchased the Boots scrub, I'd been using a tube of Clinique's 7 Day Scrub and I can honestly see no difference between that and the Boots one aside from the huge difference in price. It's a thick white cream with good sized grains suspended inside and it works a treat to remove dead skin from the face without being scratchy which is a plus. The mask was just an additional treat as I tend to stay clear of them as they irritate my skin and there's nothing I hate more than redness. This one however doesn't which is a relief as the effects it has are wonderful. It's a thick white cream, which spreads easily and has a lovely tingly feeling.
I also got two things which I really didn't need but they were on offer and would eventually be of use. They were two Boots Essentials lip salves. One was lovely and the other is absolutely horrendous. I got the Strawberry one which is a lovely clear balm with a yummy strawberry smell. The other said on the package that it was tinted and would improve on the natural lip colour. I don't know whose lips they had in mind, but whoever it was must have had ridiculously pale lips. When I thought tinted, I expected a rosy pink balm, what I got was the equivalent of a strawberry mini-milk. It looks ghastly on the lips and I can't imagine it being flattering on anyone. No matter how cheap, I would not repurchase the tinted one. But nevertheless, the strawberry one is lovely and a bargain so I'd recommend it to anyone, it's nothing special but it does the job and is cost effective.
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