Review: Avene Cleanance Gel Soapless Cleanser

Avene was a new brand for me, until I tried their Cleanance Gel Soapless Cleanser I had not tried any of their products, but as this cleanser seemed suitable for me, due to my oily skin, I decided to give it a try.

I must say I am not disappointed by the cleanser, but I am kind of underwhelmed. The scent is nothing special and quite boring, the packaging is okay, but again: boring. And while it does clean my skin, I did not think it was better or worse than any other cleanser I have tried. That said, it did not cause any dryness or break outs either, like some cleansers can do, so it was not bad, just very... well, boring.

I would say this is an okay product all in all, but not one I would recommend to anyone (there are far better cleansers for oily skin out there) and not one I will be purchasing again. I will be using up what I have though and I am still glad I tried it, as I doubt I will be rushing to get any more Avene products after this first encounter with their products.

Review: Bioderma Sebium Serum

It's no secret that I have had issues with breakouts in the past and that I definitely have combination skin. This is why I am always on the lookout for products that will help me tame oiliness and breakouts, but products that actually work well for that are really hard to find, as I am sure anyone struggling with the same issues will agree with me on.

However, on a recent trip to France I decided to give a completely new brand, Bioderma a try, as a lovely French pharmacist recommended their Sebium Serum, and boy am I glad I did!

I mean, this product is not perfect, because what it does, if you feel some breakouts coming on, is (I guess? I did not develop this product after all) pull all the yucky stuff out, causing you to really break out the day after, but once that is over with, your skin is definitely less breakout prone and oily. That is a huge relief for me, because previously, I would have breakouts for weeks, and while this product should not be used in order to prevent breakouts completely (Bioderma might have other products for that though, not sure), it does shorten the time you need to suffer from a breakout, as it all comes in one day (you put this on at night, and in the morning... my oh my!), and then your skin looks pretty good for a long time afterwards.

Besides the impressive results, I also like the nice, runny cooling consistency of this. It does feel like a typical French pharmaceutical product (which it is!), and I like that. But people looking for something very luxurious might be disappointed by that, I guess, so still wanted to mention it.

Supposedly, you should get even better results if you use more products from the Bioderma Sebium range together, so that is definitely next on my to do list! And yes, I would totally buy this again, and probably will!

Review: Hermes Eau D'Orange Verte (several different products)

While in Paris recently I stayed at the lovely Hotel La Bourdonnais, which I highly recommend by the way, because unlike most hotels, they do not give you just any old soap, they actually give you complimentary Hermes products!
I love anything Hermes so I was thrilled by this discovery, and even more so when I noticed that it meant that I would get to try a new Hermes scent I was not previously familiar with.

The scent happened to be Eau D'Orange Verte and I like it... but don't love it. I am by no means supergirly (not that there is anything wrong with that!) but I do feel that this scent is a tad bit too masculine. It is supposed to be a unisex scent, but I really don't think it is. And I am all for the idea of unisex scents, I just don't think this one works all that well.

The scent is lovely for a guy, though, at least if you like citrus (I do! And so does my husband), as I think it is one of the better orange colognes I have ever smelled.

But as for the staying power... I am not all that impressed by that either. I have noticed the same thing with other Hermes scents, however, so maybe they do not intend for their scents to linger very long? Who knows?

All in all, it was a nice experience to get to try another Hermes scent, but sadly, this is not one I will be buying for myself. But maybe for the husband?

(I tried the eau the cologne, the shower gel and the body lotion - all pictured - as well as the shampoo - not pictured - from the range)