Holy Grail Beautyy . . .

• Cruelty Free NO
• Fragrance Free NO
• 30 mls
• Pump bottle
• Expensive at $85 AUD

My skin is oily/combination, fair with freckles and 38 years old currently.


I have never used Clarins products before so this was a new experience for me with the brand.  I actually won this serum in an Instagram competition with Clarins Australia.

Beauty Guru

I had just finished my Lancome Genefique Sensitive Full Concentrate and this prize came at just the right time! I believe this is an updated incarnation of the original serum.  This version contains approximately 20 or so plant extracts

The bottle is a pump action one with two settings one for a small drop of product and the second setting for a larger drop of the product.  There is two separate products that are contained within the component which combine when you press the pump and then you mix the liquid with your finger before applying to the face.

I ended up using the larger setting and it lasted two months at least.  I used it once a day at nighttime on my face, neck, decolletage and tops of my hands.  It definitely feels nice when applying to the skin but I am undecided as to whether it made that much of an impact on my skin. 

 It does contain sodium hyaluronate so your skin will appear plumped up and there is ton of plant extracts including plants that are known skin irritants such as Perilla seed oil which is part of the mint family (if you want to know more about any of the ingredients listed just click on the name and you will be directed to an information source *not affiliated*).  It contains a large amount of fragrance and is listed way up in the first quarter of the ingredients list which is also not what you want in this type of skincare and with the price of this product it shouldn't be included.  Personally, I would rather it smell unappealing or of nothing at all. 

It also contains mineral oil which a lot of people have issue with on their skin and from a consumer ethics aspect.  It doesn't cause irritation on my skin but with the fragrance as well its not a good mix.  Some of the more proven beneficial ingredients such as Vitamin C are on the bottom of the list which means that their concentration in this serum is low to almost non existent.  Even with all the botanical extracts most of them are of average benefit and are only big in skin conditioning or are emollients and which would make this an expensive, fragranced, and light moisturiser. 

I do not recommend this product for purchase.  I didn't notice any particular changes that this serum did for me, and I have gone back to The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA which I saw an improvement in my skin again in a few days.  Interestingly, the Clarins serum also contains Matrixyl but at what percentage I do not know.  I do recommend trying The Ordinary's Matrixyl 10 % + HA instead for a fraction of the price.

This product could have been improved by removing the fragrant ingredients; the ones that are there purely for scent purposes, the mineral oil base, the Perilla seed and the Parsley extract in this serum is also known to have adverse topical applications.  For $85 AUD you don't need this product.


Ingredients

• Fragrance Free
• Cruelty Free
• Inexpensive
• Dropper component
• 30 mls
• My skin is now 38 years old, fair with some freckling and oily/combination.

This is my second product from The Ordinary to try for the first time and I have been using it for a month.  I feel that using a skincare product for a month or two really helps with giving a product review.  The formula is created by a French company by the name of Sederma which The Ordinary  Deciem are not affiliated with.

Beauty Guru

This serum is clear and in a dropper bottle.  It has a similar viscous quality to it but slightly more thinner than the The Ordinary Buffet serum which had a more raw egg white consistency.  This serum is easily spreadable across the face and neck and I put it on the top of my hands also.  You are advised to use it morning and night and it is specifically made for fine lines and wrinkles.  I have to tell you it did not take too long to work either, about a week as I remember thinking my God that was quicker than the Buffet serum!.  It truly was actually faster than the The Ordinary Buffet serum and it really impressed me; it gave an incredibly comparable effect to the Lancome Genefique Sensitive Concentrate serum which is a huge price drop for the consumer.  I used all the same skincare to elicit a true result.

*This product is created to address the static and dynamic wrinkles on our faces.  The dynamic wrinkles are those that move when we move our face via expressions.  So when you smile, laugh or frown.  Static wrinkles are wrinkles that don't alter with movement almost like they are "set" in-sit u.  I feel it gives the whole face just a whole youthful look.

My only gripe with this product is the dropper.  You inevitably get some on the bottle and surface the product sits on after a while.  It is a little sticky when this happens but not a deal breaker.  I am happy to put up with an issue like this for the wonderful product it contains within!

I definitely recommend Ten out of Ten!  

This paragraph is an excerpt from The Ordinary's website - "This highly-effective composition has been shown to reduce the look of *static and *dynamic wrinkles. This formula contains two generations of Matrixyl, Matrixyl 3000 and Matrixyl Synthe'6, at a combined concentration of 10% by weight in a specialized Hyaluronic Acid delivery system. The peptide in Matrixyl 3000 is palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 and the peptide in Matrixyl Synthe'6 is palmitoyl tripeptide-38."



Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.

Thank-you for reading.
Not sponsored.
Image by me.
Deciem The Ordinary 

• Cruelty-free NO
• Fragrance Free NO
• Vegan NO
• 20 mls
• Jar Packaging NO
• Expensive
• My skin type is oily/combination fair with freckling here and there.

I have never used any Lancome skincare products before, and I had the opportunity to review this product by Australian website Beauty Crew, and if you suited the skin profile criteria and put in your review after a month of use you received it for free.  I have already posted my review for the product as I promised and now I will share it on my blog.

Beauty Guru

Lancome has a Genefique line of products that contain a main active ingredient, yeast extract.  This ingredient is a yeast and it is used for skin conditioning in skincare.

I used it in conjunction with the rest of my nighttime skincare regime and inserted it after my Derma e Overnight Peel with AHA and then Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive moisturiser then I applied the Genefique Sensitive Full Concentrate serum.

I found after a week and a half or so of consistent night time application, that my skin did indeed look different, it was soft focus different, it definitely clarified my skin that was distinct from my other products results.The fluid is a milky blue opaque colour.

You get 20 mls which is a month supply.  There is two components; one contains the Blue Booster which you pair with the second component  and twist the product until the blue fluid becomes apparent and then shake to merge the two liquids.  The serum is very silky feeling.  There is a few things that I pause on with this product and the first is it contains fragrance.  It is meant to be a sensitive skin formulation and most people with  sensitive skin would prefer fragrance free to minimise any potential extra issues with their products.  The other formulations in the range contained denatured alcohol which was omitted in this version.  The second reason is the price in Australia it's AUD $109.  The third reason is that it has no chance of ever being cruelty-free. 

It is meant to be used though, during times when skin is experiencing a lot of changes and needs soothing and clarifying and other skin TLC. 

There are other versions of Genefique in Lancome's range of skincare.

I do recommend this product but if you are concerned about fragrance in products then the choice is up to you.  


BLUE BOOSTER 1.8ML INGREDIENTS (76143352):
Dipropylene Glycol ● Tocopherol● Ferulic acid● Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate● CI 60730 / EXT. Violet 2 ● Coco-betaine ● Arginine ● CornFlower Water● Propanediol ● Citric Acid ● Aqua / Water ● Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer● (F.I.L B201457/1)

SERUM BASE 18.2ML INGREDIENTS (76143351):
Aqua / Water ● Bifida Ferment Lysate ● Glycerin● Propanediol ● Betaine ● Pineapple Fruit Extract ● T-Butyl Alcohol● Lactobacillus Ferment ● Tocopherol● Sodium Citrate● Sodium Hyaluronate ● Madecassoside ● Sodium Benzoate ● Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein ● Sodium Dehydroacetate ●Sodium Succinate ● Phenoxyethanol ● Faex Extract/Yeast Extract● Adenosine ● Caffeine ● PPG-6-Decyltetradeceth-30 ● PEG-32 ● Arginine ● Chlorphenesin● Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate ● Xanthan Gum ● Pentylene Glycol ● Edelweiss Extract ● Caprylyl Glycol ● Papain ● Disodium EDTA ● Citric acid ● Potassium Sorbate ● Methionine● Glycine ● Perfume● (F.I.L B201446/1)

Thank-you for reading.
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Images via Google.
Lancome Australia 

Storytime

I used to have very obvious pores and I once got stopped in a department store by a Clinique sales assistant and was offered to sample a pore blurring product.  This was at least eight years ago.  I ended up purchasing it I can't remember the exact name of the product but it was a blurring product of a light mousse texture in the shade light.  I didn't think anything of it to be honest, but as I got older *I will be 37 in Sept* it was becoming more of an issue.  I have mentioned my current regime in other posts, especially ones pertaining to the products I used or use now.

***The AHA I am still using has been discontinued now by Olay under the Regenerist range, but apparently it has been re-released under the Olay Pro X range.  I have yet to be able to buy off the shelf in Australia and when I run out of my last bottle of it I will need to find a replacement product.

Beauty Guru

Once I started paying more attention to my skin my large pores did look better but it was not until I introduced my essential trifecta: Neutrogena Anti-wrinkle deep wrinkle night SA Moisturiser, Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir and a Vitamin C product.  PLUS I also use my Swisse Skincare Argan Face Oil  nightly also.  The vitamin C was the kicker, it took my skin to another level.

I am waiting for my new Vitamin C product to arrive from America from Skin Actives, so I am leaving a specific product out of the regime description.

Vitamin C is a potent anti-oxidant for the skin; it can remove dullness, diminishes discoloration, refines the surface for a younger skin look, it assists the skin with a robust barrier from your environment which aids the skin in conjunction with sun protection products. It softens fine lines and wrinkles, I had one horrible line under my left eye and now with five months of using vitamin C with my Olay Regenerist Resurfacing Night Elixir, Neutrogena Anti-wrinkle Deep Wrinkle Night SA Moisturiser and now the Swisse Skincare Argan Oil as well; the wrinkle has really improved and my skin overall is on another level.

I believe in using good ingredients but you do not have to spend crazy amounts.  I like products that have factual empirical research on the efficacy of the ingredients not just the potential and hyperbole advertising to work in the hopes that I might be the lucky person the ingredient that may work, works on me.  Most people don't have money to spend on inefficient products.  Below is my simple skincare regime:

I now rarely use a face primer that is pore hiding specific.


PRODUCTS AND PRICES

The Neutrogena Anti-wrinkle Deep Wrinkle Night SA Moisturiser is $30, the Olay Regenerist Resurfacing Night Elixir was $50,  Serumtologie C Serum 22 Treat/Correct incl shipping to Australia and a small exchange rate was $50 dollars and the Answers From Nature Peptide C Serum was very expensive but that was a markup from the chemist selling it from US $35 to AUD $84.95 which was crazy! The Swisse Skincare Argan Face Oil  is $15.99.  The Skin Actives Vitamin C product was AUD $23.

DAYTIME 

In the morning I use Neutrogena extra gentle cleanser.  Twice a week  This leaves my face feeling good and not stripped dry.  If its daytime, I will also use Klara Cosmetics RESET Instant New Skin to remove any left over dead skin so I can then apply my daily face product of choice Revlon Photoready BB Cream Skin Perfector SPF 30.

EVENING

I cleanse again with the Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser, dry my face off and I apply my Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir  next and leave that for a while before applying my Swisse Skincare Argan Face Oil ( I alternate between oil or the retinol moisturiser), as the face oil does not layer very well with the previous products and will start to ball up in places.  Same thing for when I use my Neutrogena Anti Wrinkle Deep Wrinkle Night SA Moisturiser.  I always use the cream last as anything you put on top of creams will not be able to be absorbed as well as it could be as there is a thick barrier to the skin now created by the cream.

WEEKLY

Twice a week I will use Neutrogena Pore Refining Cleanser, I only use it a few times a week because daily use is too harsh and leaves the skin tight and dry feeling.
I use a face mask once a week.  My next mask is by Skin Physics Spot + Blemish Anti-Spot & Pore Refining

DIET & EXERCISE

I do not drink full sugar sodas or juices only water and a dietary fizzing supplement called Berocca.  I only drink alcohol probably twice a year as it causes premature ageing and I quit smoking a year ago.  Sugar is an anti-ageing enemy as it breaks down the collagen fibers in our skin which leads to our skin ageing. Sugar and Your Skin


I also exercise very regularly doing step aerobics, yoga, Pilates and walking, which is important for many reasons one being efficient circulation through out your body and the sweat that is produced to enable toxins to be removed regularly.
So really all you need is to have a solid skin care regimen coupled with healthy lifestyle choices with alcohol in moderation to follow plus consistency in your regimen *Sunscreen is mandatory* and soon you will be ditching those extra products to cover pores which will save you money, time and vanity desk space.

Thank-you for reading.
Not sponsored.
Photos by me.