French Skincare Saviour // Uriage Thermal Water

I am a huge advocate for facial sprays, and am partial to French brands as I find they work wonderfully on my skin. I often suffer from dry and dehydrated skin, and use thermal sprays to keep flaky skin at bay. I find they settle my skin and moisturise any flaky patches that I have, which are most often on my forehead and around the chin area.

Midway through the day I tend to blot and powder my t-zone with Maybelline Dream Matte powder, and finish off with a spritz of my Uriage Thermal Water* to leave a dewy look to my skin. I think this would work for all skin types, as it does not exacerbate oily complexions and provides a good shot of moisture without disturbing your makeup. It is said to be especially good for those with sensitive skin, or who suffer from skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. My man is partial to a spritz of this from time to time, and I am a fan of the slightly salty taste when you lick your lips, it takes me on a beach vacation journey in my mind every time.

Uriage Thermal Water is rich in minerals and trace elements, and great for a pep up on hot days, and for a moisture boost on cold ones. It retails for $10.95/50ml (perfect lightweight handbag size that lasts for ages!) or $26.95/300ml (great for keeping on your desk!)

For Australian stockists, head to http://www.cosmetiquesdefrance.com.au/ and check the store locator. They also let you know about Nuxe and Bioderma ranges, it is a wonderful site to bookmark if you are a French skincare lover like me.

Have you tried thermal facial sprays, or do you use rose/lavender sprays? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the differences.

Emma x

*Product was provided for consideration, but I am honest in my loving review of it. Honesty, always.

We Have A Winner!

I wanted to thank all who entered my Botani birthday giveaway for making my very first giveaway so successful! One of the best things about being offered things to trial for this blog is finding stellar products I wouldn't have come across otherwise, and I'm so glad I get to share this great body scrub with one of you!

The New Years resolutions you shared were great, and ones I will definitely take on board!

-spending more time & money on memories rather than material objects

-becoming more organised

-exercising, taking vitamins and just generally taking care of yourselves

-working on blog and making money to travel more

-stop being a wallflower (that was my 2011 goal, I aced it, and feel like I can do absolutely anything now!!)

-finding a part time job after being a SAHM

All wonderful resolutions, ladies!

I decided to skip using sites to choose my winner, I wanted to do it the old school way...

Wrote all of your names down on a sheet of paper

Chopped 'em up, folded 'em

Made my sick Mum stick her hand in the bag with her eyes closed- all she asked was "Did I enter?"

CONGRATULATIONS KARLENE!!
I've emailed you and your Botani Spirulina Salt Scrub is on the way!

Thank you all again for entering, I'll be sure to have another giveaway soon! Perhaps I'll pick something up while on holiday for you to nab!

Freeman Salt Body Scrub-Guava

 

I stand (and type) before you, a self-confessed scrub addict.

It's one of my favourite times of the day, that moment when I step into the shower and choose a scrub from the collection at hand. A recent acquisition that I burned through quite fast was the Freeman Salt Body Scrub in Guava, which is essentially large salt pieces suspended in a heavily scented gel. This is a formula unlike most of my other scrubs, which is perhaps why I found myself reaching for it constantly (and why it then featured in my last 'empties' post) I tend to favour scrubs that resemble sand in texture and are in tub form, but this squeezy tube was a nice change and worked well in the shower. A plus was the 'easily crumpable' packaging which meant I could get to every last bit of this stuff- I'm not a scrub waster, no no.



Clear scrub filled with salt pieces



A seemingly crappy image that better shows the scrubbiness of the prod



The scent wasn't terrible by any means, but I do think I would choose a different one the next time I buy this, as it wasn't 'wow' for me. The scrub was quite effective and left my skin pretty smooth, but I was annoyed by the ever-so-slight residue it left behind. I kept in mind, however, that it only cost me five buckaroos, and so was not deterred by this minor fault. I found that the salt was quite sparse in the gel, and I needed quite a bit for it to really exfoliate. You really have to work for your scrub and some may find that too much of a hassle. Here I will admit a dorky favourite feature:

The first part of myself that I scrub are my arms (no idea why) and the salt felt amahhzing when it hit my hand on the way down, when I was rinsing it off. Weird, yes, but ultra relaxing for unknown reasons.

Pros:

*Affordable and works well for it's price

*A range of nice scents to choose from

*The 'salt running over hand' factor

*Easy to use packaging that works in the shower

Cons:

*Packaging looks a little cheap

*Need to work for good exfoliation

*Salt pieces a little sparse

*Need to use quite a bit, therefore you burn through it fast

Freeman Salt Body Scrub in Guava retails for $5 AUD and is available at Priceline.

In the U.S I do believe it retails for $3 USD, and is available at some pharmacies/drugstores.

Overall I enjoyed using this, and though it's not my favourite scrub (I am loyal to my sand-scrubs!) I will be repurchasing. For it's price I think it's a winner, and would love to know what your opinions of it are- so do share!

emmabovary xx