Summer Skincare Discoveries - Hydraluron Moisture Jelly Review

Why is it that all your skincare runs out at the same time? You would think that a cleanser would get used up at a different rate to a serum, but no. In the last month I have had to replenish my cream/balm cleanser, wash-off cleanser, daytime moisturiser, anti-ageing serum, and both kinds of toner. So no spreading the cost of beauty for me - it's been one big expensive month. And of course, being the fly-by-night, promiscuous, disloyal consumer I am that means an opportunity to try some lovely new products. Here is the rundown of my latest skincare discoveries.

Melvita Nectar Pur Purifying Cleansing jelly -£16 @ Feel Unique

First up is a new brand for me - Melvita, a French, natural, 'resolutely organic' cosmetic company- and their Purifying Cleansing Jelly. This is lovely. It's light and refreshing so ideal for a morning cleanse, and it feels ever so gentle. But your skin feels incredibly clean after using it - brighter and fresher and radiant without any tightness. This one is a keeper. Find more Melvita at Feel Unique - I'm currently coveting their Organic Rose Beauty Mist and Pulpe de Rose Plumping radiance Duo (a flower water spray & facial oil in one - you gotta love a multi-tasker!).

REN Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser - £16

I am becoming slightly addicted to skincare smelling of roses at the moment which is what led me to try my next newbie - Ren's Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser. Having become a convert to cleansing with a hot flannel every evening with balm cleansers I thought I'd give a traditional Liz Earle-style hot cloth cream cleanser another go. This smells DIVINE - hypnotically heady with the scent of rose which is delightful in a bedtime cleanser. The cleanser itself is perfectly good - it does seem to remove all traces of make-up and dirt when double-cleansing as I always do at the end of the day. I could never get on with the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish as I always felt it left a residue on my skin. This is better, much better and I will continue using it until it runs out. But there's something about the texture that will keep me from repurchasing it. I think I'm more of an oil/ balm cleanser kind of a girl and so next on my 'to try' list is Ren's rose balm cleanser. But if you love your Liz Earle or other cream cleansers - give it a go. It costs £16 and comes with a cleansing cloth - it's worth it for the smell alone!

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads - £20.50 @ Feel Unique; Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair - £43-£82 available nationwide; Murad Hydrating Toner - £20.70 @ Feel Unique

A quick whizz through the next three. I have given Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II (that name just trips off the tongue, doesn't it?) another go after it was recently reformulated. It's okay. Just okay. I mean it has a nice serum texture, sinks in quickly (with a little stickiness) and my skin feels nice and soft the next morning. But I'm not convinced that my skin wouldn't look just as soft and plump from wearing just my night cream. And for 40 to 80 quid a bottle I want to feel sure it's doing something. Personally, I think there are far better serums out there for the same or less money - Decleor's Aromessence range, Ole Henriksen, Perricone MD, Alpha H - all lesser known brands that take a little more hunting down but are well worth searching for. Sometimes your local beauty counter just doesn't cut it. I shall finish the bottle, but I shan't be repurchasing.

Onto the toners - Murad's Resurgence Hydrating Toner is lovely. It comes in a spray bottle, smells glorious and is lightly and refreshingly hydrating. And it lasts - I've had this for nearly a month, using it morning and evening and just look at that bottle - at this rate it's going to last well into the new year. Not earth-shattering or World-changing but really blooming lovely! The First Aid Beauty pads are great, too. Lightly exfoliating, they are the gentlest acid toner I've tried and leave the skin radiant and ready for better absorption of the rest of your skincare routine without leaving them ravaged like some of the stronger ones. A new staple I think.

Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron Moisture Jelly - £24.99 (currently £16.66) @ Boots

Finally comes my favourite - Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly (currently on offer in Boots for £16.66 down from £24.99). First of all, let's just talk about the packaging, shall we? My God that colour is incredible, it (very importantly) looks great on a bathroom shelf! And the clear pot is a fab idea as you can see exactly how much product you have left. The press top dispenser is an ingenious design, releasing the perfect amount for the whole face cleanly and easily. Incidentally, I have only ever seen this sort of pot used by top end £60 plus creams, so the fact that Indeed Labs have managed to manufacture this and keep the price below £25 is, indeed (sorry!), remarkable. This stuff is wonderful - packed full of hyaluronic acid (which encourages your skin to hold on to moisture) and filled with hydrators in a water-based gel. It sinks in immediately and leaves your skin smoothed and plumped without any residue or shine. Perfect for combination skin. Make-up glides over it. Love love love this moisturiser. Buy buy buy it!

Pure and Simple - Eucerin DermoPURIFYER Cleanser Review

Well, this post is quite exciting for me as it is the first time I have been sent a product for review. So I am looking at this as my first legitimate blogger review! Hooray! Of course, as I haven't purchased the product myself this leads us into new territory and so, from now on if I am reviewing a PR provided sample I will mark the item with an asterisk (*). But, rest assured I will be as honest as ever. I will not blog about a product that I don't think would be of interest to you (or me, for that matter) and all opinions will be my own (good or bad) and not that of the marketing department. There - that's that little bit of housekeeping done!

Base Layers - Clarins EverMatte Foundation Review

I've fallen out of love with foundations in the last few years. Since the advent of BB and CC creams, I have tended to use those in place of a regular foundation. In spite of my being prone to the occasional breakout, I am not a fan of major coverage preferring to enhance and allow my skin to show through rather than cover it. I have also struggled to find the right shade and often, even when I think I have a match I have found it has oxidised and turned a bit orangey over the course of a few hours. This is especially common with us oily types.

But with my skin being so out of kilter lately, I have felt the need to cover up a little more. So, after

Weekend in London - The Details (The Wren falls in love with The London Edition)

"When a man is tired of London, then he is tired of life"

                                                                     Oscar Wilde

What a weekend! It was at least two days too short, but our two day sojourn to the Big Smoke was a feast for the senses. It almost ended before it had begun with all trains cancelled from Worcester to Paddington (aaaaarrgh!) but a detour to Birmingham and a mad dash across New Street station to make the connection meant we arrived no later than originally planned.

A black cab took us the short distance to our hotel - The London Edition on Berners Street. When you walk into the lobby your jaw hits the floor. It is INCREDIBLE! The grand period features - double height ceilings, unbelievably ornate cornicing (there are angel carvings, for goodness sake!) and wrought iron balconies give the feeling of intense old-moneyed luxury whilst the furniture and fittings remaining entirely modern. Breathtakingly beautiful...

Photo by Nicholas Koenig

Toning up. Facial toners - the missing step

I have never really been a 'cleanse, tone, moisturise' kind of a girl. Well, not since my Clinique 3 step days as a teenager (maybe that's what put me off - what a disaster that was). I always thought that because I used a wash-off cleanser I didn't need to use a toner and I could just slap on my serum and moisturiser post cleansing. But since discovering Caroline Hirons skincare-Bible-of-a-blog and reading her take on the uses of toners I decided to reinvest in some. Now, this woman knows about skin (if you haven't read her blog I suggest you check it out) and she suggests a double toning routine. So, after cleansing (twice again - the first cleanse removes

Striking a Balance - Clarins Lotus Oil and Caudalie Beauty Elixir Review

Earlier this month I posted about my extensive skincare purchasing (here). The new routine is going pretty well - double cleanse at night, double tone, serum and moisturiser on a good night - and I'm loving playing with the new products. My main problems still are the odd spot and how to deal with them/ calm them and ultimately, prevent them as my skin has been feeling terribly unbalanced. Step forward two stars of the routine who already seem to be making a huge difference in this area.

First up is Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil. It may seem

Routine Improvements - Skincare Overhaul

My skin is all over the place at the moment. I seriously have no idea how it's going to behave from one day to the next. It's oily one day and so I'm getting breakouts (I am 36, for God's sake!!), but the next day it's feeling tight with dry patches. I am trying to deal with some pigmentation issues, I'm still going into daily battle with the ageing process and it just looks dull. So dull. Clearly it has become apparent that my current skincare routine is not working for me and so the time has come for a complete overhaul. And I mean complete.

Back Row L-R Darphin Intral Toner, Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Corrector, Ren Clarifying Toner, Ren Clarifying Clay Cleanser, Alpha H Liquid Gold, Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil; Front Row L-R Darphin Hydraskin Light day cream, YSL Forever Eye Cream, Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, Rodial Dragon's Blood Night Cream.

I have replaced pretty much everything

Spring Greens

The sun is still shining! It's been at least 3 days in a row and it's time to cast of those wintry wine coloured nails and go for something altogether more seasonal. I am loving my bright blue nails at the moment, and I am on the hunt for a perfect yellow but yesterday I tracked down the most gorgeous bright green.

Revlon Nail Enamel - 571 Posh

It's 'Posh' by Revlon (no. 571)

15 Minute Face

I adore make-up. I have loved make-up since I was about 7 years old and first sat at my mother's dressing table playing with her jars of Estee Lauder and her Lancome lipsticks. I have a lot of make-up. I mean - drawers full of the stuff. And yet as I hastily applied my school-run face this morning, it occurred to me that