Creme De La Mer: Gel Moisturiser

I had a make up session with my friend last week, and showed her a different technique with her gel eyeliner. As a thank you I was lucky enough to receive a little pot of Creme De La Mer gel moisturising cream for me to review. The words "gel moisturising cream" are a true description, as the product lies happily in between the two - a semi-opaque amalgamation of gel and cream.

This product smells beyond divine - what is my obsession with smells?! It's so luxurious it verges on the intoxicating. I dipped a pinky-finger into the pot, having been instructed that I needed a miniscule portion of product (quite rightly too, given it's humungous price tag). The trick is to rub the product between the tips of your fingers to warm it up, then gently apply the product to the face and neck in a dabbing motion. The website informs me that it is gentle enough to use on the delicate eye area, which I can attest to. Once applied the product feels soft and gentle - I didn't get so much as a tingle on my face. With every minute that passed, the effects of the product became more palpable. My skin felt more and more sensational. It's hard to describe something that feels "perfect", but it really did. It feels a tad silly to even mention the fact that it wasn't oily, greasy, drying - anything other than perfect.

Four hours after application, my face still feels soft and supple, but I'm actually craving more product. Not because my skin feels thirsty, just because it was a joy to apply. Maybe I've fallen in love with the product partly because it does feel more "exclusive" because of its hefty price tag. It's like the cost effect in reverse - rather than being more critical due to its expense, I feel like I'm actually being less critical, so convinced I am that it's worth every penny.

Having said that, would I really buy a 30ml jar for £95? The answer is: probably not. This may be a shocking statement considering my gushing review, but I genuinely won't be buying a pot of this anytime soon. It really is just TOO expensive. I would genuinely feel guilty if I encouraged anyone other than a millionaire to purchase this product. However, I can recommend that if anyone is even remotely interested in this product should attempt to acquire a test pot. The one I have is 3.5ml and it will do you a fair few tests. See how you feel about it at that point, and if you really like it, save up and take the plunge. If you're even slightly in doubt, look elsewhere.

Creme De La Mer Gel Moisturiser is available at the official website: http://www.cremedelamer.co.uk/

I just had to show you the cute little tester pot. So miniature!

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation review

If I'm ever in need of a new high street/drug store foundation, I make a beeline for the Bourjois counter. They've had some interesting foundations in the past (namely with unhygienic brushes attached to the bottle) but in general their foundations are top-notch, and very competitively priced at around the ten quid mark. My latest acquisition is the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation. I bought shade 51 (light vanilla) which is just my shade. I rarely find a high street foundation which matches my pale, yellow-toned skin but Bourjois always hit the mark. I find their shades in general err more on the side of yellow tones, but believe me, there are plenty of pink toned foundations on the high street to keep everyone happy! This is quite a thick foundation, around the texture of double cream, but it blends exceptionally well. I like to apply it with my fingers, as it responds well to the heat from my hands. The finished result is quite brilliant: flawless coverage, even application, and the smell is divine. It's quite a distinctive smell - of fruit - but if you like that you'll be happy. If you have an oily to combination skin you'll need to powder with this. It claims to have "up to 16 hours" wear, but I would focus on the "up to", as with all products which sport this claim. It's very unlikely to last 16 hours without touch ups. My favourite thing about this product is how soft my skin feels after application, and even more so when applied over a very softening moisturiser.

All in all, it's gorgeous, and one of my all-time favourites. The price is brilliant, too. I bought mine from Boots: www.boots.com