Avène Eau Thermale VS Bionike Defence Tolerance Soothing Droplets

A few weeks ago I went back home from uni for a few days, and when I opened my travel make-up bag I realized I had forgotten to bring my beloved Avène Eau Thermale! I went shopping later in the day, so I decided to pick up the only similar product that I could find - the  Bionike Defence Tolerance Soothing Droplets. I'm not sure whether Bionike is available in other countries other than Italy; anyway, it's an Italian high quality pharmacy brand. I've been using their deodorant for years and their Defence Sun sunscreen (review here) this past summer, so I decided to try their soothing water out. Did I like it better than the Avène? Let's find out.

Both products claim to soothe the skin and provide freshness and relief; also, they can be used after shaving or waxing, on sunburns, etc. I mainly use thermal waters after glycolic acid peelings that my dermatologist does on my face, and when my skin feels itchy (which happens very often). I tested the Avène Eau Thermale and the Bionike Defence Tolerance Soothing Droplets in both situations and they acted in similar ways.

But, there's a but. I much prefer the Avène Eau Thermale for different reasons: it feels slightly more refreshing and it definitely perks my skin up more. Also, I find the nozzle gives a much finer mist than the Bionike's, which is pretty difficult to press down as well. But the thing I dislike the most about the Bionike Defence Tolerance Soothing Droplets must be the scent and taste: it smells like some solution a dentist would use (which brings back many unpleasant memories to my mind), and it has a weird taste too, while the Avene doesn't have one. All in all, I trust the Avène Eau Thermale more as it's just water, while the Bionike product is made in a laboratory made. Simple is better :) 

Have you ever tried any of the two products? Are you a thermal water kinda person? ;)

Favourite everyday lipsticks

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Having to go to Uni pretty much every day of the week, during the past month I have found five lip products that work with virtually any outfit and eye make-up. I can apply all of these even when I'm in a rush and I don't even have the time to look in the mirror. Some of them are my all-time favourite lip products, so let's find them out!

My life in photos #6

The Coliseum, the Fountain of Trevi, the Tiber, a delicious cupcake, Piazza del Popolo, a little Sephora splurge, the main street in my neighbourhood, my first Yankee Candle, a super yummy ice-cream ♥

Follow me on Instagram: @francivusk

Il Colosseo, la Fontana di Trevi, il Tevere, un cupcake delizioso, Piazza del Popolo, un po' di shopping da Sephora, la via principale del mio quartiere, la mia prima Yankee Candle, un gelato buonissimo  ♥

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

About a month ago I got my hands on the infamous Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. It was my first Laura Mercier product ever, so I was very excited to finally test it out! 

My skin is not in the best of conditions at the moment, so I usually go for medium or full coverage foundations on a day-to-day basis; anyway I really wanted to try a lightweight foundation to use on those days when I'm not feeling like wearing a ton of make-up. This product turned out to be a great choice. My shade is Nude, which is a perfect match for my very light skintone. The consistency of this product is light and creamy, and it blends effortlessly into the skin, giving it a nice even look. The coverage is very sheer and would be great for those who have good skin to begin with, but it can be built up on areas where you need more of it. The staying power is not the best -I usually have to powder about 4 hours in-, but I have oily skin so it's understandable. Maybe I should have tried the oil-free version!  

The main reasons why I like the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer is that it evens out my skintone and covers up my pores while brightening up my complexion. I still need to use concealer over my acne scars, but at least I can let my skin breathe a little more than if I used a proper foundation; also, I find that it works great as a base for my two go-to foundations, Chanel Vitalumière Aqua and Make Up For Ever HD. 

Have you ever tried the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer? Let me know what you think about it!

Gipsy Dharma

Avène Gentle Purifying Scrub

About a month and a half ago, my skin was in much needed help. It didn't have the best of textures and it felt basically gross all the time, so I decided to try the Avène Gentle Purifying Scrub - after trying the Thermal Water and Antirougeurs Anti-Redness Dermo-Cleansing Fluid from the same brand, I knew for a fact that my skin loved Avène products! 

Let me just say that when I got it out of its box, I saw that the little tube was like 70% full! Don't you just hate when that happens? I feel robbed! Anyway, on to the review. The Avène Gentle Purifying Scrub is supposed to eliminate surface impurities and unclog pores while being non-abrasive and gentle to the skin. Obviously it contains Avène water, which is known to soothe and brighten the skin. This scrub has a light gel formula with tiny exfoliating beads in it. It also is perfume-free, so it's completely suitable for sensitive skin. It can be applied on dry skin, but I usually use it on wet skin for a less harsh exfoliation. My skin definitely feels smoother and cleaner after using this, but I haven't seen any improvement in terms of unclogging my pores, which I'm afraid are too clogged for this mild scrub. 

So, I would definitely recommend the Avène Gentle Purifying Scrub if you are prone to rosacea or have in general sensitive skin but you're not looking any deep cleansing effects from a scrub. If, like me, you struggle with very oily and acne-prone skin, I suggest you try something more "potent", although this scrub could perfectly work as a weekly cleanser.

Urban Decay NAKED 3?!

I don't usually write about news in the beauty world, but this was too exciting to pass up. I read a few days ago on Twitter that Urban Decay was going to release a Naked 3, but it turned out to be a fake: the one you see in the photo, though, might be not. French blogger Babillages (the credit for the photo goes to her) has apparently managed to get one from Sephora - it might have been sold by mistake. Same thing happened to another French girl, Natacha Birds. It's really hard not to believe to several high-quality photos of the palette! By the way, it looks absolutely gorgeous and I'm already thinking of selling my Naked 2 -which I have barely used- to get my hands on the Naked 3! I really do hope it's not a fake, because it just looks gorgeous!

What are your opinions? Do you think it's a fake? 

Update - 18 November 2013

It's definitely not a fake! A few days after I published this post, Urban Decay released official photos and info about the Naked 3 palette. It's going to have 12 new pinky neutral shades (Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, Blackheart). They are all shimmery and glittery except for three. It will retail for $52, but the release date has not been announced yet. I have already sold my almost unused Naked 2 to make space for this new addition to the Naked palette family!  ♥

Update - 27th November

The Urban Decay Naked 3 palette is launching in the UK on December 16th!

Real Techniques Powder brush

After trying the Expert Face brush from the same range, last month I finally caved in and bought the Real Techniques Powder brush. It was much needed after using a BH Cosmetics dual-fiber stippling brush for a whole year! There are lots of reasons why I love Real Techniques brushes - they are so soft and dense, they don't shed or lose shape at all; basically, they are high quality products with very low prices. I got mine on Amazon for about €14, which is nothing considering I will be using the death out of this brush! Another reason why I love my Real Techniques Powder brush is that it is, like all the brushes from the range, the epitome of multi-tasking - in fact, I have been using this brush fror powder, bronzer and blusher. And last but not least, the base of the brush is flat so it can stand up on its own. How cool is that? It's much more hygienic than having your brush lay down flat when you're doing your make-up. 

Really, I can see no faults in this brush, except the fact that I would love it to be sold in stores here in Italy, but hey - as long as I can get more Real Techniques products online, it's fine. Have you tried any from the range? What do you think about them?