To Hydraluron or not to Hydraluron....

A couple of weeks ago I confessed to purchasing a rather expensive new product called Hydraluron by Indeed Labs, and at the time I promised a review.

The reason I haven't yet posted a review is because, to be perfectly honest, I haven't formed a cast iron opinion yet on this product.

One thing I can confirm hands down is that the product makes your skin softer to the touch.  This is a definite.  As soon as your moisturiser soaks in, your skin will feel dreamy soft.

I also think my foundation is easier to apply and even has better staying power.  I wouldn't say these effects are particularly pronounced, it was more something I started to notice over time.  My foundation spreads more evenly, blends in easier, and definitely stays better.  I suspect this is because the product is meant to prevent my skin "drinking" the water out of my foundation, and I can see some evidence of this.

But the product generally..?  I'm not sure.  It may be because I bought this expecting a wonder product.  I thought a couple of weeks down the line and I would literally be flawless and glowing.  Flawless and glowing I definitely am not.  But then the product does not claim to do this in fairness.  I still have red blemises; one of which has literally today just popped up into an angry, hot, red spot.  I also haven't noticed much difference in my pore size.  I suffer from large pores especially on my cheeks, and the product did claim to combat this.  Maybe it will be a more long-term effect.....

Something I found a bit weird was that the first night I used it, I woke up and my skin felt very tight and dehydrated...more so than normal.  So that morning I put more moisturiser on than normal.  I did the same that night.  I experienced this tightness for the first few mornings.  I did wonder if this was the product working...it does say that it encourages your skin to absorb and hold water, so maybe my skin was just so dehydrated to begin with that the product caused mass absorption!  I don't get the tightness anymore, and have gone back to using a normal amount of moisturiser.

The texture of my skin is definitely improved though - there's something more 'refined' about it.  It does seem a tad more 'glowy' but I think that is more down to a couple of cheeky sunbeds I naughtily indulged in (never again!)

Overall I can't decide about this product, but something tells me it is the type of product where I will notice the difference if I stop using it.  There is improvement, I just can't put my finger on what it is.  The proof of the pudding will come when I run out.  At £24.99 it is going to be a big decision as to whether I repurchase.  When it runs out I may not repurchase for a few weeks and see if I notice any difference.

I'll keep you posted.......

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UPDATE:

So, my Hydraluron has finally run out, which means it has lasted for 17 weeks of applying twice a day.  This works out at about 10p per application ... not too bad?

So it is crunch time ... am I going to buy again?  I was originally in two minds about whether I would re-purchase this, but now I have shifted to a definite yes.  There are two main things that contributed to this shift. 

Firstly, I was away at the weekend and forgot to take the product with me.  I didn't notice any drastic difference in my skin, but it did feel less 'well-behaved'.  One of the most noticeable differences was that my foundation literally melted into my skin within a few hours.  So on a review basis, I can definitely say that Hydraluron makes my make-up last considerably longer.  I guess this is because it creates some form of barrier which prevents my skin absorbing the foundation.  For information, I was using primer at the weekend as well, and my foundation still disappeared.  So the Hydraluron is doing something more than a primer.

Secondly, my skin is having a bit of a nightmare generally.  I think it is due to the change in the weather as I tend to get this every year.  My eczema is playing up, my skin is dry, I'm itchy and I've got lots of angry red patches on my arms and legs.  Noticeably though, I haven't had any problems with my face.  I'm putting this down to my new power partnership of Hydraluron and Body Shop Hemp Face Protector.  My skin is notoriously difficult in this weather, so the fact my face is coping well this year means Hydraluron must be packing some kind of punch in the hydration department.  Now all I need is a similar product for my body.....

Escape to the Countryside

I've just returned from a mini-escape down to Devon.  I haven't travelled down to this part of England since I was too young to appreciate it, and wow, what an amazing place.

We stayed at a hotel called The Three Crowns in Chagford on the edge of Dartmoor and I couldn't recommend it enough.  The perfect blend of rustic comfort and stylish class, with friendly staff and a chef who cooks up the tastiest of cuisine.

We spent four blissful days trekking the moors, climbing up waterfalls in our wellies, driving down narrow country lanes and having cream tea by the sea in Salcombe.  We were lucky with the weather..crisp cold air and brilliant sunshine. 

You just can't beat a break away in the English countryside; all you need is good company and a trusty cagoul and wellies in the car boot...

Obsessing about Essie

My local Boots has recently started to stock Essie nailvarnish.

I've seen Essie before on blogs etc, but it has never been on my radar enough to prompt online purchase.  Plus I am a bit of a die-hard OPI fan.

But the Essie display looked so inviting, and I have been looking for a pastel lilac nailvarnish and Essie had one right there on the shelf.

At £7.99 it is expensive for a nail varnish, and therefore takes itself into OPI territory.  So I went in sceptical.

But I must say, after my first application, I love it!  The colour is exactly what I wanted and I found it so easy to apply.  I find pastel nail varnishes can be tricky to get an even 'block' of colour without ending up with a thick gloopy mess.  But two normal layers of this Essie varnish was plenty enough.  I put my cheap Miss Sporty clear nail varnish as a base coat and top coat.  Generally the varnish dried quickly, it has stayed shiny, hasn't chipped yet and the colour is so pretty.

Problem is I now want more.  I've seen a dark red, a dark purple AND a mink colour I want already.  At least with OPI I have to order online so the effort needed tends to curb my purchasing...but we could be entering a danger area here.  Expect many more Essie posts to come!

This is the colour I bought.  It is called 'lilacism'.  Please note these are not my nails (mine are horrible and short) but it is a good representation of the colour, quality and shine.

H&M A/W drop

I arrived home from work yesterday to be greeted by H&M's catalogue detailing their Autumn/Winter offerings.  Muchos excitement.

I'm a bit of an H&M addict.  A combination of good pricing, small sizing and a decent sized store in my home town are all contributory factors to my H&M love affair.

A couple of items caught my eye in the catalogue....

I haven't seen this jumper in store yet, so cannot vouch for the quality and fit etc. But it is a NICE looking classic jumper.  The deep neckline is reminiscent of a Zara jumper that I coveted for most of the Spring/Summer.  The colour looks like a nice fresh cream as well, which is always a welcome addition to my drab winter wardrobe.  At £19.99 it's the upper end of what I would spend on H&M, but it looks like the makings of a classic "wear-every-year" jumper.  Now here's a dilemma...do I wait for it to come in store so I can check quality and fit?  Or do I order online now whilst they have my size (and in case it doesn't come instore).  I'm undecided...

LOVE this.  To start with, it is in this season's dark berry shade (tick), it comes with a belt to define the waist (tick) and it looks so warm (double tick).  But it starts at a size 8 so I doubt I'll purchase it.  My shoulders are where I am my tiniest, which means jackets that are slightly too big just look stupid on me.  Especially when I know how good this could look if it fitted well.  It's such a versatile piece though, it would go with boots, pumps and heels.  You could literally wear it with jeans, dresses, skirts or shorts.  It could easily be dressed up to look polished and classy, or dressed down to look stylish but warm.  It would look cute with a black hat as well, and so nice with a pair of black leather gloves.  A perfect way to get this season's colouring into your wardrobe as well.  Oh H&M why must you tease me!

Putting my faith in Hydraluron

I was having a wander round Boots the other day (as you do) and stumbled across the newest offering from Indeed Labs - "Hydraluron Moisture Booster".

I'd heard of Indeed Labs before, from the buzz surrounding their Nanoblur product.  Although I haven't tried Nanoblur, it did cause the kind of stir in the skincare world that is reminiscent of genuinely effective products.

My skin is extremely dry; it drinks anything I put on it, including moisturiser, foundation etc.  I have tried drinking more water, but I'll be honest, I'm rubbish at keeping to it.

This product has been hailed as "a drink for the skin".  Containing the purest form of hyaluronic acid, it is meant to create a "water reservoir" under your skin.  You are meant to apply it under your normal moisturiser, and it is a product that should actually improve your skin over time.

Sounds good. 

I tried a bit on the back of my hand and, I can't deny it, my hand felt SO smooth.  So it ignited a bit of excitement in me...always dangerous.

At £24.99 though, it's wayy outside my comfort zone with what I spend on skin care.  My moisturiser and eye makeup remover are both under a fiver, mainly because I go through them so quickly.  So this is quite a leap in price for me.  But I did my usual and looked it up on some blogs and it seems to be getting glowing reviews; I didn't manage to find one negative or even mediocre review.

So, I'm breaking my "no-purchase" rule for September and am going to use my hard-saved Boots Advantage card points to buy this.  I can't help being a bit dubious, but also stupidly excited.  I'm purchasing on my lunch break (eek!) so a review will follow in a few days, and hopefully it will be glowing...

Favourite blogs

I love a good blog, especially now when it is so obvious that magazines and the media endorse products for their own benefit.  It means you can't trust them for a genuine review anymore.

The magic of the blog is that it allows you to read the reviews of so many 'normal people' out there.  You can find people with similar skin types, or body shapes, or hair colours and 'borrow' tips and ideas from them. 

I'm not naturally good at putting clothes together to make outfits, so I often get ideas from blogs.  I know it's isn't particularly original, but I don't have natural style so am more than happy to let originality go by the wayside!

The two main sites I use for outfit inspiration is www.pinterest.com and www.lookbook.nu - I particularly like lookbook.nu as it gives you the link to people's blogs, so if you find someone whose style you particularly like, you can then follow their blog.

My two favourite blogs at the moment were both found on lookbook.

The first is http://www.charlottemmartin.blogspot.co.uk/ - a white-blonde-haired fashionista from Newcastle.  She has such a knack of putting clothes together, and a lot of her fashion is from the high street, which just shows you don't have to spend loads to look good. 

My second favourite blog at the moment is http://madamederosa.com - I don't use this one as fashion inspiration quite as much, because her look is so unattainable for me!  I absolutely love the way she styles herself, but I have no hope of ever recreating it.  She rocks an awesome dip-dye in her hair, and she has such a funky boho style.  Plus she currently has 76 pages of style you can lust through.

Colour of Autumn 2012

Burgundy, garnet, wine and dark berry colours look like they are going to be huge this autumn/winter, and personally I couldn't be more excited! 

As someone who wears a lot of black, these dark berry colours offer a softer and more up-to-date alternative.  It's a versatile colour, working well with black, white and all shades of grey, as well as brights such as coral.  I think it makes a look quite polished, and because it is such a rich colour by nature, you can buy cheaper pieces in it.  I've already bought a £9.99 burgundy jumper from H&M which looks a lot more luxe than its price tag suggests.  I bought some burgundy Leigh jeans from Topshop last year which will definitely be coming out this year! 

It is going to be easy to accent outfits with this colour as well - dark wine coloured nails, deep berry lips. These colours are already dominating the autumn/winter clothes that are popping up in the high street shops, and Cheryl Cole has been seen rocking the burgundy/black partnership on several occasions recently.

I think it is a flattering shade for most hair colours as well.  For information, the OPI nail polish in the photo above is "William Tell Me About It".  I bought this shade in the Lena White sale in the summer and love it.  I think it rivals the famous Lincoln Park After Dark as it is a slightly warmer version with more red/berry undertones.