Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen High Protection review

Dear readers, if you have oily skin and have always had difficulty finding a good quality daily sunscreen, this post is dedicated to you!

Staying true to my summer resolution about wearing a cream with high SPF daily, I searched around and opted for this city sunscreen by Clarins. I've been using it about a month now- and for what it's worth, I found it approaches HG quality!!!

[If only for one little detail that I'll explain at the end of this post...]

As you may have encountered yourselves, having oily skin makes it so hard to find a sunscreen lotion that doesn't feel greasy or clog the pores, with both factors leading to excessive oiliness and acne breakouts. I'm happy to report I've come across an excellent solution to this problem!

Before I get on with this review, here's what you firstly need to know:

This product is not water-resistant, which means it can only be worn in the city. Also, it has almost zero moisturising properties, which makes it suitable to all skin types as long as a proper moisturiser is applied underneath.

Not your typical sunscreen lotion, eh?
Moving on to its pros...

Sun protection: has a high SPF 40 that covers both UVA and UVB rays. In particular, the "PA+++" inscription means it offers the highest protection possible from UVA rays that cause premature ageing and skin cancer. Please note that it carries only physical filters of mineral nature, not chemical. It also contains a powerful antioxidant that comes from organic cantaloupe melon, making it even more effective as an anti-ager.

Texture: as mentioned before, it's suitable to all skin types- however, it performs its best on oily complexions, as it's oil-free and has a runny texture that gets spread on the skin like a dream! Now, I'll be honest with you: it does feel like sunscreen, which is unavoidable because of its physical filters. However, once it's fully absorbed after a couple of minutes, it feels as almost nothing! Makeup goes beautifully on top, this sunscreen won't rub off a bit.

   Its little flaws:
* It leaves a slight white film on the skin- but again, it's inevitable
* Packaging looks cheap; sister told me it looks like a shampoo sample!

But, my biggest let-down is its price!!! €40+ for 30ml of product is way too much, and considering I use it whenever I head out in the sun and always take it down my neck and decolette, this thing goes out really fast... It's only been a month and the bottle is already half-empty!

Overlooking its hefty price, this Clarins sunscreen lotion is to me like a wish came true! As much as I've looked around for affordable alternatives, I had no luck: the only comparable options I've come across were by Shiseido and Kiehl's... So, until I find a less costly city sunscreen, I'll stick to this one!

Now, tell me: what sunscreen lotion do you wear daily?
Would you consider paying more than €40 for a face sunscreen?

Evi   xx

The Body Shop summer makeup haul

In the midst of Greece's football team losing to Germany *sob sob*, I needed an outlet to disperse my extra energy...

So, blogging it is!

Time for yet another haulage by yours truly :P
These are a few of the Body Shop goodies I've accumulated over the past month. Enjoy the photos and let me know your thoughts on the products!

     A bronzer, a new Shimmer Cubes palette (just because), some eye pencils and an
     eyeshadow brush- probably my last TBS purchases... until September, that is ;)

     Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in #03. This is much darker than my beloved
     #02 shade, just what I need for my summer holidays.

     Four eye pencils- Eye Definers, to be exact. Standard quality, a bit on the hard side
     I should say. On the other hand, this means they won't smudge or come off quickly.

     Left to right: Rich Brown, Taupe, White, French Navy
     Taupe is my fave: it's a cool-toned brown that works with my eye colour, score! 

     A new Smudger brush; this thing gets ruined so easily, though it works pretty darn
     good with shimmery eyeshadows.

     And of course, the green Shimmer Cubes #22 which deserve a post on their own!

I hope you enjoyed my little haul ;)
P.S.: I'd love to read your thoughts on tonight's game, comment away!!!

Evi   xx

Sunbathing with Garnier Ambre Solaire Golden Protect!

My darlings!!! How you've been?
After a short hiatus, I'm finally back to my everyday routine and internet service- for the life of me, I couldn't stand being offline for any longer!

But enough with the nagging:

As you may have guessed from the title, last weekend I went for my very first sunbath of the season! Guess who was my pal for making my pale skin look a little bit more presentable? The new and amazing Garnier Ambre Solaire Golden Protect sunscreen!

I'm gonna say it straight from the beginning: this was given to me for free, since Garnier values the bloggers' feedback on their products- however, I'm pretty positive once I run out of it, I'll purchase it myself!

So, what's the beauty behind this sunscreen?
I'll sum it up in five points:

1. The broad spectrum SPF: as you may already know, Garnier sometimes benefits from the L'Oreal laboratory patents; one of their latest innovations is the Meroxyl SX, the first and only sun filter that protects from short UVA rays. This is very important (and I only found out about it a couple of weeks ago in this article Tina wrote for Beautytalk.gr), because UVAs are the ones that cause wrinkles, skin aging and cancer- all that good stuff...

2. It's tinted! See the following photo? Granted, it won't give your skin a bronzed tint like a self tan does, but it helps to balance out the natural sun protecting ingredients that leave a white cast on the skin, making it look paler than it is. One word of notice: because of its slight tint, this sunscreen might temporarily stain your towels.

3. It's glowing! Which means that the skin looks prettier and a bit more golden and overall healthier. Below I've taken a photo of my legs after a generous coat of Garnier Golden Protect, scroll down to see it ;)

      Left: Golden Protect sunscreen and a blob of (white) face cream, for comparison
      Right: heavy layer of the sunscreen. It glows, alright!

4. The smell: O-M-G. To me, the scent is its big selling point. Think of a floral monoi scent, mixed with a bit of exotic coconut and a dash of that sunscreen smell that gets you going, come summer? I don't have to wear a separate perfume when I'm wearing this on my body; I urge you to give it a sniff next time you're in front of the Garnier sunscreen racks!

5. Its price. Officially, the SPF30 version costs €14.49- although I've spotted it in my nearest super-market for only €10. Using an affordable body sunscreen means that you don't run the risk of sparing it and applying too little product, thus not offering your skin the adequate sun protection it needs.

     See? Ma legs glow under the sun!

To sum it up, the Garnier Golden Protect sunscreen has got to be one of the most pleasurable products I've come across lately. If you're looking for an affordable body sunscreen that offers reliable sun protection while making your skin look prettier, this is the one for you!

So, tell me: what's your experience over the years with the Ambre Solaire sunscreens?
Are you in favour of affordable or expensive body sunscreens?

* Product was provided by Garnier. That doesn't affect my opinions: I'm staying true to my lovely readers, as always!*

Evi   xx

Three things I learned last week...

This is a quick and random post on some things I'd like to address:
two cases of cosmetics samples, and a makeup fail.

Enjoy!

1. Sephora samples!
Did you know that you can get samples of almost any high-end skincare product at Sephora? I say almost because the good ones are always tucked away inside the drawers, out of the customers' sight where they're supposed to be... Anyway, that didn't stop me when Argiro, Ria and I went on a little shopping trip last week, so here's my loot! Admittedly, I filled those little pots in the most generous manner ;)

In case you're wondering: the one on the top right is the Estee Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Release moisturiser, the one at the bottom left is the Clarins Daily Energizer gel

2. Fresh Line samples!
Fresh Line has some amazing offers at the moment- last week, they were giving away a sample of a fruity face mask to any passer-by, so naturally I picked one up! Then, because I made a little purchase, they also gave me a sample of their best-seller Vanilla hand cream (and the free gifts get more awesome if you make a bigger order). Well done, Fresh Line!

As for the makeup fail of the week...

3. Elf Studio Cream Eyeliner, shade Coffee
If I could advice you only one thing on shopping at www.eyeslipsface.co.uk, it would be this: whatever you buy, use it while it's still new! I've had this particular product for 1,5 year and now it has dried out to the point where I can't use it anymore. In all fairness, it had an amazing staying power when it was still usable, though the colour wasn't as dark as I'd like it to be. Black would have been a better option!

I hope you found something interesting in those bits and bobs!
Now it's your turn: be random and comment about anything ;)

Evi   xx