Lancôme Hydra Zen Masque Anti Stress Moisturizing Serum-in-Mask | Review with Before & After!

Hi Everyone!
Hope you all are well :)

It has been three years since I last posted about a skincare product for the face and that is purely down to the fact that I stick to what I know. My skin is very problematic and for that reason I don't like trialling new skincare items. I have highly sensitive skin and understandably I never want to run the risk of a reaction, which unfortunately can be the case a lot of the time when testing out a new product. Recently though despite sticking to my regular trusty skincare routine, my skin has been acting the ham. My acne has made a return, my eczema flares up quite frequently and I'm suffering from very dry flaky skin. All a bit of a nightmare really! So when this Lancôme mask arrived in my post box a couple of months ago I figured sure look, i'll give it a go. Things couldn't really get that much worse could they? 

This product is labelled as a mask but it also doubles as a night cream. I mainly use it as a night cream because I find thats how it works best with my skin. I apply a thin layer at night after I have cleansed my skin and then I follow up with my regular eye cream routine. I find that leaving it on while I sleep really allows the cream to fully nourish and hydrate my skin.

If you would prefer to use this as a face mask you just apply a thicker layer of the product, leave for 5-10 minutes and then wipe away the excess cream with a cloth. The aim of the Hydra Zen Masque is to offer the user immediate and all-night hydration. Lancôme claim that with use:

"Skin feels nourished, softer, supplier. Skin looks healthier, revitalised, more beautiful - like after a good night's sleep."

Consistency wise it's gel like but it isn't extremely thick. It feels very lightweight on the skin and what I like the most is that it doesn't sit on top of the skin. I've been using this cream for a couple of months now and I've barely made a dent in the tub, honestly it looks brand new. You only need the smallest amount of this product to cover your entire face, a little really does go a long way.

Before I started using this product my skin was very dry and irritated, I had some dry flakey patches of skin on my cheeks in particular. To try and combat that I used this product 3-4 times a week for 2 weeks and the results were as follows.

After using this product for a couple of weeks I noticed a massive difference in the appearance of my skin. My dry patches cleared up, my skin looked a lot less red and irritated and overall my skin had a nice glow to it.

I'm so delighted that I tried this product out because I'd be lost without it in my skincare routine now. The Lancôme Hydra Zen Masque is priced at €55 and is available from Debenhams. Honestly, it's worth every cent! If it ever runs out i'll be straight to Debenhams to pick up a pot. If you're interested in trying it out go in and ask for a sample, you won't regret it!

Until next time,

Eimear x 

Lancome Christmas Collection 2015 | La Palette 29 Faubourg Saint Honore Review

Hi Everyone!
Hope you all are well :)

It is finally December my favourite month of the year and I'm nothing short of over the moon. I could go on and on about why I love this time of year. My birthday is in December, I adore the lights, and the festivities in general. Also in the months of November and December two of my loves combine in the form of makeup Christmas Collections, which is what I'm talking to you about today.

At the beginning of November Lancome launched their Christmas Collection for 2015 and I was drooling over the range. In the collection there are some nail varnishes, a lipstick, a mascara, and a face powder but what really grabbed my attention was the eye and lip palette.

Prior to this palette I had never tried any makeup from Lancome so I suppose the range intrigued me in itself but I was very curious about the way in which the lip colours in the palette were stored. I'm yet to come across a single eye/lip combo palette that I have enjoyed. I just find they generally don't work. When you pick up a little eyeshadow on your brush 90% of the time you will have excess product in the pan. The problem then is having a cream product next to the eyeshadows, it usually ends with the two textures mixing which can be extremely inconvenient. Not to mention the aspect of cross-contamination!

However, that won't be the case with this palette as there is a swing lid which adds a layer of protection for the lip products. Such a simple concept but extremely effective!

For the price I had expected the palette to have been a little larger, I was slightly surprised when it arrived to be completely honest. 

The palette houses six eyeshadows, a hydrating lip base and two matte lip colours. There is a dual ended eye and lip brush contained in the palette and also a decent sized mirror. Stuck onto the mirror there is a step by step guide showing you how to create a day and night time look using the palette. The shadows and steps are numbered so it is very easy to follow, a great guide for beginners. Being that the palette is small and contains a brush and a mirror it is handy for on the go, especially if you need to top up the lipstick.

As you can see the eyeshadows are contained to the left hand side of the palette while the lip colours are towards the right.

Eyeshadow 1: Matte cream coloured shade

Eyeshadow 2: A shimmery golden coloured eyeshadow

Eyeshadow 3: A bronze shimmery eyeshadow

Eyeshadow 4: Slightly grey toned pink with a shimmer finish

Eyeshadow 5: Medium plum toned shade with a pearlescent finish

Eyeshadow 6: Dark purple eyeshadow with flecks of glitter running throughout

Lip A: Hydrating lip base

Lip B: Cherry red lipstick

Lip C: Burgundy lipstick

I rarely use the brushes that come with eyeshadow palettes because a lot of them generally aren't great. The limited edition Lancome palette comes with a dual ended eye and lip brush and it's pretty good! I love the angled eyeshadow brush it's great quality, nice and dense and packs eyeshadow onto the eye really well. It's also great for blending the edges of the eyeshadow to ensure no harsh lines.

The lip brush is also good, its not revolutionary but it gets the job done.

The only thing I feel that is missing from the palette is a dark matte shade to add depth to the eyes. I found the dark purple with the glitter in it a little too chunky and not ideal for creating depth. I just found the look too shimmery then overall. I would have preferred a matte black or brown eyeshadow in place of the hydrating lip base as I can't see myself using that too much.

Other than that its a really nice palette for creating a glamorous smokey eye. The lip colours in the palette compliment the eyeshadows nicely and when worn together I think they create a nice party ready look for the festive season...or for any season for that matter!

I've filmed a step by step tutorial showing you how to use the palette which includes all products in the palette! If you would like to see how I created the look then just click on the play button below :)

The Lancome Christmas Collection 2015 is available now at select counters in Debenhams and the La Palette 29 Faubourg Saint Honore will set you back €55. The range is limited edition for Christmas so if you see anything you like snap it up quickly!

Until next time :)

Eimear x