Best Moisturizer EVER for dry skins!

Hello!!! I found a free Sunday from my crazy program and I thought I should make a small post-review about the best moisturizer EVER (as stated in the title- for dry skins).
If you have followed my blog for quite some time you would know that I really struggled to find a moisturizer good enough for my very dehydrated skin. And I finally did.

My good friend sent me a try out set of Biotherm's Aquasource line for dry skins. (the salmon-y/pink one).

photosource

A dehydrated dry (and sensitive) skin, is usually red with sometimes dry patches on the cheek area. Especially in cold weather it has the "pulling feeling" and sometimes it feels like burning. So this type of skin needs a cream that will moisturize well enough with results that last throughout the day and possibly to improve the texture of your skin.

And boy did this do its work nicely!!! This cream is excellent! As soon as you apply it you feel your skin soooo much relieved like you feel your thirst going away after you drank a long awaited glass of water! 

This cream not only moisturized well my skin so dry patches wouldn't show under my makeup but it made them go completely away! Amazing huh!? 

Not greasy, not thin either, my skin didn't complain not once even when i had full face foundation/powder products on for a whole day!

For the time that I used this sample my skin was feeling amazing! The effect even lasted a few weeks after my sample was over. Of course after stopping the use the skin started coming back to it's situation and that's normal.

I will definitely purchase the full size of this product once the Shiseido refining moisturizing that I am using is over - if not sooner - because it doesn't do anything amazing to a dry skin which is a bummer since it was SO expensive but that is for another post/review that I will make in the future.

The downside for this product is the price here, it costs around 50 euro at the Romanian Sephora but if I am lucky enough I will get it with reduction for the big beauty department store in Greece :)

If you  have dry, itchy, patchy suffering skin do give this a try, you will looooove it! This is a holy grail item!!!!! I wouldn't recommend it to oily skins as this product is super hydrating so it's not necessary to an oily skin.

- Are you satisfied with this product?

- HECK YEAH!

- Do you recommend it to others?

- Yes, to people with skin similar to mine.

- Are you gonna repurchase it?

- OH HECK YEAH! LOL

My rating: A+++++

Byphasse's Face Soft Cleansing Milk and Face Soft Toner Lotion Review.

Hello again. I'm sorry I haven't been able to make posts more often but I just don't have a lot of time :(. Anywayz I'm back with another of my bold reviews :P
In this post I will be reviewing 2 face products from Byphasse, the Soft Cleansing Milk and the Soft Toner Lotion. These are 2 products that I have them for sooooo long so I have a clear opinion about them. I have already finished the toner and my milk is also to its end soon (it will be in my empties :D )
Byphasse is a spanish company that its products can be found in Romania long time now and only a few years in Greece. They are really cheap and in big quantities.

Soft Cleansing Milk

It comes in a white bottle of HALF A FREAKIN LITER (500ml) with a pump on top which I find very practical and convenient because you don't waste a lot of product with containers with a pump. So plus 1 for this. The product itself it's a creamy white semi-liquid (not that runny, even thought it's a cleansing milk). It has a faded soft smell to it that doesn't really bother me (and i do get annoyed from smells). It's pretty standard to use, you just pump on your hand and massage your face with it and them remove with a wipe, cotton, cloth or/and rinse with water. It can be used to the face as well as on the eyes. At this point I think I will make a pros and cons list right here.
Pros:
- Cleans stubborn makeup (eyeliner, mascara) with the least effort and without having to rub again and again.
- It leaves the skin soft.
- Very big quantity so it lasts forever.
- Very cheap.
- Easy to find (super markets, cosmetic stores etc.)

Cons:
- It feels just a bit greasy but it works great.

It definitely takes 4/5 ★★★★✰

Soft Toner Lotion

The toner comes in a pinkish sort of transparent bottle of half a liter as well but without any sort of pump, it does have a smaller plastic cap inside that has the tiniest hole so you won't spill too much product so good work on the packaging. The liquid is pinkish and it has a fresh maybe a bit sweet smell to it.
Pros:
- Nice smell.
- Cools off the skin.
- Leaves the skin feeling fresh, clean and regenerated.
- Again, huge bottle, tiny price.
Cons:
- Doesn't really have but then again you don't really find often toners that are bad.

I give again 4/5 ★★★★✰

Have you tried any Byphasse products? Do you like them? 

Biotherm - AQUASOURCE - Gel Cream Review

My struggle for the perfect moisturizer keeps on for years. This summer - i think - my friend suggested that I try the Biotherm's Purefect Skin line. So I went to the huge beauty store chain in Athens (for those that know, I'm talking about Hondos Center) to ask for more info and maybe a sample because I don't like to try some specific stuff (like skin care or foundations) without trying them out first, otherwise it might not be good for me and why would I spend my money to buy a full sized product and then I'll have to toss it or give it away, since in Greece we don't have return policy whatsoever and shame on us! Of course like almost always this beauty store somehow NEVER has samples they are "always out" i don't know if that is actually true or they just don't wanna give the samples to people or WHAT-EVER. Of course the same happens at Sephora here in Romania. I mean in all the other countries people are more than happy to give you samples because this multiplies the chances of you buying the product, what's up with this cheap ass policy ???

ANYWAYS! The chick in the store in Greece, mentioned that the Purefect skin is supposed to be for oily skin, just because it gives a nice velvety finish on the skin. Which proves how little some sales people know about the products they promote. So she suggested that for my skin the Aquasource is probably more appropriate. I was like okay great give me a sample of both to try them out and I will decide. But of course THEY JUST DON'T GIVE SAMPLES. Well girl, I'm for sure NOT gonna give 45 euro (and why products are so much more expensive in Greece, i don't get it) to get a cream that you suggested while you clearly don't perceive a lot about your own products?

So I did't buy either of them but then luckily there was this magazine that had a 15ml sample of the Biotherm Biosource gel cream so yay me!

As stated above, it has a consistency between a gel and a cream. It's supposed to be and I quote from the site "Deep Hydration Replenishing Gel for Normal to Combination Skin" but okay! Which proves one more time that the sales lady knew nothing about anything because she "diagnosed" my skin as dry (ffs) and she wanted me to buy a normal to combination cream - i mean what the hell....  Continuing the quote "Our latest breakthrough, Biotherm's next generation AQUASOURCE formulation, delivers intense and long lasting hydration. For plump and radiant looking skin. Discover the innovative gel texture of new AQUASOURCE. Now paraben free and mineral oil free. A fresh and creamy touch that melts on the skin to help awaken the senses every day." The company also claims in magazine commercials that the cream is equivalent to 5000 liters of thermal plankton cellular water, that's just so fancy and "please buy our product" like, don't you think? Now to to my opinion.

First of all what I look for in a moisturizer is to get that cooling effect when I apply it, to make my skin smooth and to feel my skin hydrated all day long. So I will just tell you how much it covered my needs.
It does give an amazingly cooling feel on my skin when I apply it and that is something I love in a moisturizer so no doubt there, my skin really feels cooler and soothed JUST right after I apply it.
It does make the skin smoother, it gives a velvety feel which is also quite nice so thumbs up for that.
BUT, it doesn't make my skin feel hydrated all day long. Especially if I apply foundation (and even when i don't) after a few hours my skin feels poorly and tired and by the end of the day it just feels totally dehydrated and i have that "pulling" feeling at the sides of my cheeks (that I hate so much).

So to sum up. Yes it temporarily cools you off, yes it smooths out your skin for a few hours but it doesn't have lasting results.

I will just grade it with the 3 criteria above.

Cool and soothing effect on the skin: ★★★✰✰I give it a 3/5 because yes it gives a nice feel but it's gone after a while

Makes the skin feel smoother: ★★★★✰I'll give a 4/5

Lasting results: ★★★✰✰ 2/5 

I think overall as a general result it would get a 3 out of 5 which for me is not good enough to make the cut as my future moisturizer. Maybe it will work better or more oily skins but to my skin that is dehydrated and quite sun and weather sensitive it just doesn't do a great job. I'm really sorry to give such a review on a Biotherm product because I liked a lot their old face cleansing soap for sensitive skin which is now long gone discontinued. BUT, my friend sent me samples of the Purefect Skin line which I will start testing soon, once this sample is over. 

- Are you satisfied by this product?

- Well, not really. I don't think it's appropriate for MY specific skin type.

- Will you repurchase it (or purchase the full size)?

- No, not only it doesn't completely satisfy me but (in Greece and in Romania) it's so expensive! So, sorry but no.

Blanchette's Micellar Cleansing Water VS Bioderma's Sensibio H20 (review)

For those who don't know, Blanchette is a very affordable exclusive brand of the Kaufland stores. So in countries that there are Kaufland stores you can find most of the Blanchette products.

As I probably mentioned in previous posts I prefer removing my makeup with "water" cleansers and not with milk ones mostly because milk cleansers are usually greasy and the water ones are more suitable for sensitive skins and they USUALLY contain less chemicals.
My absolute FAVORITE water cleanser is of course the Sensibio H2O by Bioderma, but I always like to try other products that might be as good as my sensibio ones for a better price, why not ne?

A few words about this product, it's a clear solution that barely has any smell to it. It comes in a normal plastic bottle with a cap, not like we need any special bottle when it comes to cleansers. So no problem there. It cleans quite well the face makeup, you don't have to go through your face again and again to clean it, I'd say maximum 2-3 times and you are clean from foundation! Now for the hard part which is the stubborn mascaras and liners you do have to damp very well your cotton pad and let it a few seconds to make the removal easier but if you use a very stubborn gel liner it will take you a few minutes to clean it all off.

It didn't break me out, it didn't give me any rashes or anything like that and I do have a sensitive skin so it gets thumb up. It is extremely affordable since a 200mL bottle costs less than 2EU! How awesome?
In comparison with my 17EU Bioderma I'd say there is not a huge difference in quality to spend those 15euros in plus for it since it does the exact same job. The only difference is that the Sensibio one has no smell at all so it might be more suitable for those with ridiculously sensitive skin (but I doubt it since I have quite sensitive skin myself and I had no problems with the Blanchette).

I recommend this product. It has the whole package, it works well and it's cheap.
I grade it with 4.5
❤❤❤❤◐ 

Small Avon Haul Campaign 5

So I made my order last week for Avon's campaign no. 5 (March - April). I was in need of some moisturizers and my boyfriend broke by accident one of my perfumes so I just did an order (was looking for excuse, hihihi ).

This is what I got.... I will post a few pictures of everything, I am planning to make reviews for most of these stuff (I have bad and good opinions) but in this post I will just go over them fast.

So as I said I was in need of moisturizer so in this campaign the set of day cream, night and eye cream were of the "Avon Solutions, Beautiful Hydration" was only around 8 euro so I was really excited. Until now I was using the "Complete Balance" set from which I liked the day cream but not so much the night because it has gel consistency but I will try these for a few days and let you know :)

The second thing I wanted to order was the "City Rush" perfume (because my boyfriend dropped it ) which is a very nice perfume that starts off a bit strong but after a while it lets the most beautiful smell on your clothes and skin! <3

In this campaign there were also in offer the "Avon Naturals" hair sprays only like 1.8 euro so I got 2 cherry blossom smelling ones. They smell a-m-a-z-i-n-g but they contain alcohol :( i forgot to check before i order them, i will still use them though.

I also order the "Ideal Flawless Invisible Cream-to-Powder" foundation in Ivory on which I will definitely make a review (not invisible at all -.- )

There was also another amazing offer with only 3.5 euro a set of "Glazewear" Lip gloss with a mascara so I went for it! Here is the lip gloss, I picked the "Pink Watermelon".

I also got a "Supershock" gel eyeliner in "Shimmery Sapphire" since I heard that they are really good (I didn't really see it but I will make a further review in another post).

Last but not least, I got 2 lipsticks one of the "24k Gold" collection in "Pink" and one from the "Pink Crystals" collection in "Pink Sapphire". In the pictures you will see that they are very similar but the "Pink Sapphire" has pink/purplish glitters in it whereas the "Pink" has more gold glitters and it's more on the red pink side.

Pink Sapphire

Pink

So that's it. I hope you liked them, let me know if you tried any of these products and your opinions about them I will be posting in a few days a post with a lot of swatches from Avon lipsticks :) 

Take care!

XO, Heliana.

Cleansing Products that I love

As I mentioned in older posts, my skin is very sensitive and gets flaky with red dots in the winter. Having such a -difficult to cope with- it has always been hard for me to find products for my face, moisturizers, foundation, cleansers etc.

I tested a few products, most of them usually made my skin itchy or burning but I found 2 products that work for my skin. One is on the expensive and the other one is on the cheaper side.

Biotherm's "Biosource Biosensitive" Dermo-soothing cleanser

Very smooth, very gentle, fragrance free. It has a think consistency and makes a nice foam. Leaves the skin with a "clean" feeling and it doesn't give me any itchiness or the feeling that my skin has dried. Awesome, product - along with most of the products from this particular line - but it's around 25+ euro. The good thing is that it's quite large so it lasts long other than that it's very nice for sensitive skins.

Avon's "Clearskin Blemish Clearing" Foaming Cleanser

Slightly fragranced but not annooying - at least for me. I have to say about the same things as for the biotherm. This one does not have a thick consistency thought, it's more liquid-ish and a lot of times I pour way more than needed so I always waste more product that necessary. But the good thing is that it's much more expensive - around 5 euro but it does not last as long as the biotherm.

I really can't choose between them, I use both of them and I love them both. It really depends on your pocket, even though in my opinion it doesn't really matter as one product is cheaper but lasts less whereas the other one is more expensive but lasts longer so it's kind of the same thing.

Always take care of yourselves! :*

Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector - In Light

I avoid wearing foundation just because my skin gets irritated very easily and I end up feeling like my face is burning so I decided to try a BB cream (anyway I don't want a lot of coverage). The specific one if I am correct it has SPF 15 and it claims to be a tinted moisturizer/ sun protection/ primer/ illuminator. I got the one in light. (I couldn't make a proper swatch and be able to make it appear on camera so I used a swatch from the internet.)

This is pretty much how it looks like. Now, I am not tanned or anything but I am not vampire pale either. I would say I am a tiny bit on the pale side but not extremely, even so the light was a biiiiit dark for me but not very noticable.

I can't say I am disappointed but I can't say that my mind was blown away either. I mean, it just claims to be too much than it actually is. At the beginning my skin feels nice but then at around mid-day I feel my skin a bit dry but that can be due to the fact that my skin is very sensitive and a bit eczematic at the cheek area but it didn't give me a burning feeling. It didn't cause me any breaking out either. But I think I have to use an extra moisturizer before this to keep my skin in good condition.

It gives a very light coverage so if you are looking for a full coverage you will obviously have to use a foundation on top.

Basically if your skin doesn't have a lot of needs (in moisturizing, or coverage) then this product is appropriate for you. I will probably use it only in the summer when my skin doesn't feel miserable. But it still has a low spf so again I will have to use another product under it.

Pros:
- It's quite cheap (around 5 euro)
- Easy to find (even in supermarkets)
- It didn't cause me any skin problem
- It has a pleasant smell (citrus like)
- It has spf so in the winter you skip a step

Cons:
- It's in a tube and after using half of it it's hard to squeez the product out.
- It has waaaay too few shades. So not appropriate for women with pale skin or for dark skin.
- It will never replace a foundation, if you need coverage.
- It will never replace a heavy moisturizer if your skin has such need.

- Are you satisfied by the product?
- It depends. As a moisturizer it's not the bomb. As a very light covering product it is ok.

- Would you recommend it to others?
- If it's appropriate for their skin, yes.

- Will you repurchase it?
- Maybe, but probably in the summer that I don't want to wear foundation.


That's it for now, stay tuned for my future revews. I got a tone of Avon products the other day and I am planning to review them and put my own swatches, I promise!

Always take care of yourselves! Hugs and kisses!

Avon Solutions - Complete Balance - Day Cream and Night Gel

I used to be one of the people that when looking through an Avon brochure, I was passing the skin care section.
BUT,
since I have all the time issues finding products, appropriate for my skin, I thought I should try it.

My skin is very very sensitive, dehydrated but also ache prone (on the chin area). In the winter it my cheek area gets very dry, to the point that I feel like my skin is pulling and having a mild feeling of burning and I also get small red spots on the cheeks. On the summer it's not that bad but still my skin doesn't feel so smooth. So after searching on the internet I thought the "Complete Balance" series would be the most appropriate for me.

I was lucky enough to find an offer "order 2 for 5 euro" so I got both the day and the night product. But let's take it slow.



Complete Balance Day Oil Free Mattifier Spf15

First, I will tell you about the day cream. The brochure claims that this cream matifies the T zone while at the same time moisturizes efficiently the rest of the face. And it does indeed. This cream hydrates my face well enough to not get red spots or the burning feeling on my cheeks anymore, which is great. Plus I noticed that any type of face makeup applies much nicer on my face. My skin feels smoother only after a few weeks of using it. It also has SPF 15 so it gives some sun protection.

Complete Balance Night Oil Free Gel

The night product is a gel. The products promises that after you apply it in the night time, the next morning your face will be matt but also hydrating. I have to say that I was a bit afraid that being a mattifying product it would probably not be as hydrating but it gives a beautiful hydration. I have no complains, I think both products help my skin a lot. 

Pros: 

- Both products do what they promise.

- They feel light, not greasy but hydrating at the same time.

- Make the skin smoother.

- Only small amount is needed to be applied.

- The specific products are quite reasonable priced even when not in an offer (around 5 euros each).

Cons: 

- Both products are in jars which may be practical (you can use the product till the last drop) but it's not hygienic as dipping your fingers again and again even washed well leads to some bacteria.

- You have to be or know an Avon representative to be able to purchase it.

Are you satisfied by these products?

Absolutely!

Will you repurchase them again?

For sure!

Stay tuned for my future review on Garnier's BB cream :) 

Be happy and take care of yourselves! :*