La Roche Posay Lovin'

About 2 months ago one of my best friends decided to make it so that all of her skincare came from the same brand, something I'd never really heard of but when thinking about it, makes a lot of sense. By doing a bit of research (reading a few blog posts) you can figure out what brand would work for you - this depends on what you look for in your skincare: what ingredients they use, whether they are natural, what skin types they specify for, whether they're suitable for your skin etc. etc. The theory is that if you use skincare from the same brand it should all mesh together in a lovely little pot of goodness. Although many people like to use different brands and products to target different problems with their skin, I personally think if you find a line that works for everything you need (which is becoming a lot easier as the industry grows) it all just becomes a bit more harmonised.

My brand of choice was La Roche Posay - purely because their effaclar range specifically fits my needs - helps tackle blemish prone skin, keeps shine at bay but also thoroughly cleanses and rejuvenates the skin. I'd also used the effaclar duo before and LOVED it. So let's take a look at what I've been using.

The Cleanser
The cleanser I chose was easy - the effaclar purifying foaming gel. Claiming to "lift dirt, grime and sebum away from the surface of the skin without disrupting its delicate balance", I was drawn to it. I have used foaming gel type cleansers before so knew they suited my skin and my routine, this one is a thick gel that lathers into a foam, but it's not so foamy that you look like you've made a bath-bubble beard (we all done that as a kid right?) and can be washed off really easily with your hands or a hot flannel. I find that this doesn't leave my skin feeling dry or stripped at all, it just makes my skin feel clean and refreshed and it also has a lovely fresh scent; the same as all the la roche posay line, I really like the not-really-there clean smell it has, so next time you're in boots, go have a whiff. 

The Toners
For toners I of course had to pick up the serozinc zinc sulfate solution which is a facial spray that has been raved about plenty of times by fellow bloggers. This one's great for if you have generally troublesome skin and need a light layer of treatment post-wash, something that's not at all harsh and actually quite moisturising but does the job of giving a little more something. However, for those days I feel extra grubby - whether I've worn a lot of makeup or sweated it out at training that day, I feel I need an extra mini-cleanse/bit of exfoliation after my first cleanse. For this I picked up the Effaclar Astringent Micro-Exfoliant Lotion (phew). This bottle of lovliness works wonders, I find that even after a really good deep cleanse it still manages to pull any extra grime from my face, and the micro-exfoliant part makes sure my skin is resurfaced everyday, without being stripped of all the good stuff, as those beady exfoliators tend to do.

The Moisturisers 
What would a LRP post be without a spot of effaclar duo+, ay? I won't go on too long about this because I'm sure you all know the deal - it's a very lightweight, easy moisturiser that works wonders on blemished skin, and that I can definitely vouch for. I use this as my daytime moisturiser as it is very light on the skin but also puts some hydration back into it, it also works very nicely under makeup, giving a semi-matte finish that is easy to apply foundation over. I have definitely seen results from this product, and would highly recommend it. For my night time choice I wanted something a little different, the duo+ is lovely and light but for bedtime I like something that sinks in a little deeper and keeps me hydrated for longer, also in comparison to the size of the cleansers and toners, LRP moisturisers do have a little less product in them (my one bugbear about this line) so I require two. For this I went for the effaclar H. I had never heard anything about this product before but bought it, blindly trusting the brand. And I'm very glad I did. It's literally just a ticker, slightly more moisturising version of the Duo+ and works well to keep my skin nourished overnight whilst doing the same job to help out any blemishes.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my skincare routine at the moment, it works well for my combination, blemish prone skin and I feel a lot better knowing all the products come from a brand I trust and love. Can I also point out the immaculate service from the people at Escentual (no I have not been paid to say this) - I ordered all of these products at the same time and they came incredibly quickly, in a really good standard package, with all the bubble wrap you could want, and their twitter team impressed me with their amount of communication. Bravo, Escentual. I would highly recommend using their site for brands that are harder to find, and they always seem to have some sort of deal or offer. When I bought this lot, there was 1/3 off French pharmacy which is why I went crazy - but my order totalled to under £40 so I was very happy with that.

So that's my skincare story as of now...

What skincare do you rely on? And have you tried anything from LRP?
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