Two Skincare Empties (Alongside what I'll post next!)

I love makeup, don't get me wrong, but it's not something I wear all the time or every day, even though I've been thinking of lighter looks for casual use. Some things I do use every day, however, are my skincare products, and I have two tubes that I've emptied entirely so I can give you my opinion on the products mentioned.

First, there's the First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay, and after that there's the Bioderma Sébium Hydra Moisturiser.

I'll start talking about the cleanser. In all honesty, I'd give it maybe a 6 out of 10. I bought it at Sephora for about $25, which is a pretty decent price as far as cleansers go, after my Philosophy cleanser had been used up and tossed out. I'd been going back and forth between it and an Origins cleanser, and the sales associate suggested this one as it was targeted towards people with more sensitive skin and was less likely to cause a negative reaction - which is true.

Unfortunately, that's where the benefits ended. While it didn't break me out or cause any redness, it also didn't do anything exceptional for my skin. It cleansed alright but it's not amazing at removing makeup, which I still had to use my makeup wipes for. And it really only cleansed alright - it didn't clear out my pores completely as I'd hoped a red clay cleanser would, but was in fact just about as useful as a bar of soap.

It's texture is also a bit off. It's not exfoliating, which I prefer for my daily cleansers, and its starts out as a runny, red, and for some odd reason, glittery gel in your palm. (That's right, glittery.) After that, it doesn't foam all that much as you're cleansing either, which, since I have very oily skin, I try to look for in a cleanser. It's not bad at all - just mediocre. I've heard a lot of good reviews of First Aid Beauty though, so maybe I just chose the wrong product to try out.

All in all, I'd say it's good for someone who might have sensitive skin and wants to get the job done, but not great for anyone who's looking for more out of their cleanser and wants it to do something special for their skin. I won't be repurchasing it.

The moisturiser, however, tells a different story - I adore this. When I moved here from Dubai, I bought three tubes to get me through, and my last one, unfortunately, is completely empty now (I desperately need a new moisturiser that's not my mum's Nivea cream!)

I bought this in Dubai for around 70 AED or so per tube which translates to roughly $20. I can't be sure as now that I'm looking it up online, it only seems to be sold in a handful of countries - which makes me very upset as I'd hoped to buy more of it.

The Sébium line is targeted towards people with oilier skin such as myself - and I don't know about the other products but this one definitely works. It takes a while to seep into your skin nicely, but once it does, it leaves my skin soft, smooth, and most importantly, not looking like an oil slick. The time it takes to sink in also isn't much of a con in my books, as it means my skin is nicely moisturised for me to apply makeup.

It does a very good job at keeping excess oiliness at bay for a good few hours as well which, honestly, is a miracle in itself, especially with skin like mine. It's not drying either at all - instead, you're left with a nicely dewy finish that holds well under makeup and looks nice even if you're taking a break from it.

Its only con would be that you have to use a relatively large amount to moisturise your face and neck properly, and it's a small tube. It's definitely a good choice for someone with oily skin year-round, like mine, or a temporary option for people who'd like to use it to control excess oil in the summer. This is something I'll certainly repurchase.

Last but not least, I was at the mall today and I happened upon samples of the Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado (for my mum) and the Origin's Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask - if you check the Origins Facebook page you might be able to pick up a free sample for yourself! They normally offer it in a small tube but as they were out they instead filled two little pots for me.

I've been thinking about adding a few posts on first impressions - a First Impressions Friday, perhaps - and I feel that sample sizes will let me do that, even though it won't be a comprehensive review. That's exactly what first impressions are, after all.

If anyone has any suggestions for new cleansers and moisturisers, any ideas for future blog posts or products that you'd want me to take a look at, or simply want to say hello, please leave a comment down below!

Thanks much, lovelies,