Morning ladies & happy hump day! I don't know if you've noticed but Spring is definitely on it's way & whilst the temperatures might not yet be playing ball the Spring bulbs are flowering plus there's a definite change in the number of hours of daylight, which is always good for the soul. On top of this there's some fab discount codes currently doing the rounds that I thought you might like to know about. Perfect timing for buying a few new additions to our Spring wardrobes ;-) I've picked some of my favourite pieces from the brands above & as always just click on the indivdual picture for further details & use the arrow buttons to navigate.
I also wanted to share with you a new skincare range that I've been trialling.
Now regular readers will know that I overhauled my skincare range just under 2 years ago & then over the course of the last year or so have added some new products to my regime (see here for full details) & I have to say I was pretty happy with it. So when I was approached by Viv Derma I was a little hesitant to agree to trial their new skincare range but in the interests of research I decided to give it a go as there were a couple of products that really caught my eye.
The first product I've been testing is their Comforting Gelle Cleanser, which was probably the product I was most apprehensive about using as I have never got on with any balms/oil cleansers, always preferring a gel that you can use in the same way as soap with water & lather up. However, this gel is a little similar in that you apply it straight from the pot to your face & massage the cleanser into your skin for approximately a minute (I've been using my facial cleansing brush to do this). Then after a minute of massaging the product into my skin I've applied water to the brush, which turns the gel into a milk like substance before washing off my face with warm water.
Initially I thought my skin felt that I still had traces off the product on my face but I think that was just me getting used to a different type of product to my normal cleanser & I have to say my face felt lovely & soft & clean afterwards. Plus the gel even removes all traces of make up so apart from my normal eye make up remover I didn't have to use my normal product to remove the remains of my make up. And as a Brucie bonus the product is packed with vitamins E & C plus Moroccan Argan oil to soothe, soften & prep the skin for treatment.
After cleansing I have then been using their Purifying Skin Tonic to close pores, which is designed to gently exfoliate & re-texture the skin's surface & I can honestly say it left my skin feeling truly cleansed.
I then followed this with their de-ageing eye cream, which I found to instantly absorb into my skin. This eye cream is designed to hydrate as well as smooth fine lines & wrinkles. As well as reducing the skins of tiredness & stress, which I don't know about you is something I need on a daily basis!
As I was already really pleased with the effects of my normal daily moisturiser (see here) I didn't want to change this so I've continued using my normal moisturiser but a product that really grabbed my attention on their site was their Cellular Recovery System.
Now this product isn't cheap but it's an intensive course that is designed to be used over a four week period only & only needs repeating 3-4 times a year. Plus you'll be delighted to know there is more than one course of treatments in the bottles :-)
So what is the treatment designed to do? Well the product contains Retinol that is increased in strength over the course of the 4 weeks, hence the 4 bottles to be used over a 4 week period & is designed to fight fine lines & wrinkles, lighten & brighten photo damaged skin, clear age spots, smooth mottled rough skin as well as maintain & build skin firmness.
Application is really simple as you just add 2 drops of the product to a fully cleansed face preferably of an evening & prior to moisturising.
I tried to capture a picture of the serum but it absorbs that quickly into the skin it was impossible but you can just about make out in the picture above where I've applied the product.
Now in the interests of research (& apologises if you're eating your breakfast!) I've bravely taken a picture of my skin prior to using any of the products completely bare faced (warning no make up or skin products have been used!!). You can probably tell what I was thinking when hubby pointed the camera so close to my face but if not it was something along the lines of get this over & done with quickly & don't point the lense so close!!!
I've also added a picture with make up on prior to using the treatments, where I'm slightly more relaxed at the proximity of the lens!
So those are the before pictures & here are the the after photos, taken 4 weeks after using the products & after completing the 4 week cellular recovery system course & here are the after ones.
So what's my view on the products & brand? Well I have to say I'm honestly really impressed. In terms of the cleanser I think it's a personal choice & comes down to preference on product/application but it's certainly opened my eyes to not just using a wash on & off gel/foaming cleanser & I really liked using a tonic again, which I haven't done for years.
If I to choose one 'must have' it would certainly be their Cellular Recovery System. As I mentioned above I've still got plenty left so have already diarised a reminder in a couple of months to repeat the process & I'm planning on keeping it going even when I run out as I do feel there's been a change for the better in my skin & certainly others have commented (without knowing I've been trialing new products).
Back to today & I'm going all black but adding interest to the look with various textures including these stunning ruffle sleeves, which I'm teaming with leopard print, distressed denim, stud detailing & leather.
Jumper - Marks & Spencer
Belt - The Kooples
Jeans - Zara
Biker Jacket - Zara
Trainers - Golden Goose
Jumper - Marks & Spencer
Belt - Mango
Jeans - Mango
Biker Jacket - Mango
Trainers - Marks & Spencer
So ladies anyone heard of Viv Derma? Or interested in giving it a try? They do lots of other products, which you can see here, all targeted at specific needs. I'm definitely impressed, so much so I'm planning on giving their Sculpting Neck & Chest Cream a go next, as that's probably an area that should be given a bit more attention at my age!
Have a great day & as always I'll see you in the morning.
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