Holy Grail Moisturiser - L'Occitane Angelica Hydra Vital Cream

This is by far the best moisturiser I have used in a long while and I feel like it definitely deserves its time in the spotlight! I've been using this for four months now and it hasn't disappointed. 

My skin is beyond sensitive and one thing that aggravates it more than anything is a change in weather. I live in grey Leeds and often it is humid and rainy, although you'd expect the humidity to help with dry skin, for me it does the exact opposite, but thankfully this cream has helped massively. 

I recently went on a European tour in which we visited five different countries in the space of three weeks, although it was an amazing opportunity I'd be lying if I said I wasn't stressing about dehydration! But I had nothing to worry about! I didn't once notice those horrible flaky patches around my forehead or nose that always crop up at the most inappropriate times, nor did I feel after a day in the sun like my skin was made of old wrinkly leather. Whether you're spending long days in the heat or sat in front of the air-conditioning (which is SO drying) I can't recommend this product enough.

As you can see it is a creamy consistency, yet it feels extremely cooling on the skin. After a hot shower, putting this all over your face honestly feels heavenly. The scent is completely unobtrusive, think expensive spas, cucumbers and all things fresh and you won't be far off. 

This product claims to not only nourish your skin after application but also to enhance the skins ability 'self-hydrate'. Obviously hydration is the key to softer, plumper and more radiant skin so helping your skin to hydrate itself is a massive plus.

The name 'Angelica Hydra Vital Cream' comes from the Angelica plant which is sourced in France, I feel it's similar to Bamboo in the instance that it grows in an extremely short space of time, this is thanks to its ability to self-hydrate. Now, at first, all of these facts spilling out of the shop assistants mouth sounded to me like a bit of a myth, but true or not this product really follows through on its promises. 

At £32 it's far from cheap, yet if you're like me and would be willing to pay more than your rent for something that will get rid of that horrible tight feeling, then I would absolutely recommend this skin saviour. 

Benefit and Bourjois Battle It Out!

 (Benefit 'They're Real' & Bourjois 'Volume Glamour Ultra Curl')

Since I can remember I have been in LOVE with the Benefit 'They're Real' mascara, since first purchasing it I haven't found a better mascara, or even one that comes close...until now! Being a student I find it hard to justify spending so much money on a product that runs out after a month or so. But luckily I seem to have found a cheaper alternative that I want to share!

This is the magical Bourjois 'Volume Glamour Ultra Curl' (bit of a mouthful) Now I can't take complete credit...or maybe not even any at all, I am merely the messenger! I had that usual debate with myself whilst standing in the makeup section of boots wondering what mascara to buy. I always feel nervous when choosing as if you make the wrong mistake thats a tenner down the drain, especially as there's so much rubbish out there. After spending an unacceptable amount of time making up my mind, my friend suggested this little beauty. At first I turned my nose up as I thought the wand looked pretty pathetic and when I took it out of the tube the product looked gloopy. But she assured me it was great so I went ahead and bought it. I'm so glad I did. (Thank you Lily!)

(Here's the Bourjois product on the lashes)

I don't have very thick lashes and as I'm naturally blonde they're rather light, so I like a product that will lengthen, thicken and is nice and dark (not much to ask hey!) and I feel like this mascara does just that. It holds the curl really nicely and completely opens up the look of my eyes, just like the benefit one. As you can see it separates the lashes well and so far I haven't had any fall out which is great. I can't recommend this product enough! 

I think price wise it's a much better alternative, in an ideal world I would love to be able to repurchase the 'They're Real' but unfortunately I cannot do so. But I am very pleased with this find...my 'Drugstore Dupe' if you will. One thing I cannot say yet is how long the tube lasts, I feel like for the money the Benefit one doesn't seem to last long enough, but as I haven't finished the Bourjois yet I can't compare the two. However at £7.99 from Boots compared with £18.50 I can't really complain if it doesn't last beyond 6 weeks or so. I hope you take my recommendation and check this mascara out and let me know if you have any good dupes! Enjoy!