{Beauty} Boots Botanics products review

Time for another very short beauty review! I pledge my allegiance to Korean skincare and if I could I would rub myself with K-beauty products only. BUT! I’m an European gal living in Europe, so I can’t quite go to the K Market everyday.

Plus in UK we have Boots. Yay!

When I arrived in Scotland at the beginning of March, I was armed with a small but efficient set of skincare products from home. But they couldn’t preserve my skin from the cruel biting wind of the east coast, so I had to look for something a little stronger.

I found a few products from Boots Botanics on sale (though they’re very affordable even without promotion) and I thought I could give them a try. I like the fact that there’re supposed to be plant-based, and the All Bright range in particular is developed in collaboration with Kew Botanic gardens, which is pretty cool if you ask me. They’ve very recently redone all the packaging, so the products on the website look different from the ones in my photos.

(1) Botanics Radiant Youth Hydrating Eye Cream

This is a no-no for me. To be honest, I still have to find my holy grail in terms of eye cream, so this one wasn’t much worse than others I tried in the past. It’s just like using a regular moisturiser (while eye creams should be richer), I couldn’t feel or see any specific effect after using it. Plus it did a very unpleasant thing – I went to visit my parents for 20 days in May and I left it at home; when I was back the liquid part had completely separated itself from the creamy one. Very annoying outcome. Definitely won’t rebuy.

(2) Botanics Radiance Concentrate Serum All Bright

I didn’t like nor dislike this serum. The brightening effect is not particularly visible on my skin, and it’s fairly hydrating but not like others I tried in the past. All in all is not a bad product (I discovered that with gel-like products it’s better to pat them on the skin rather than rubbing), but to be honest I’m looking for something a little more hydrating for the kind of skin I have and the climate I live in.

(3) Botanics Radiance Balm All Bright

This one is the product I actually liked the most. The only problem with this is that the cream itself is very fluid and it tends to spill out of the bottle every time I open it. I think for this kind of fluidity a top-opening packaging would have been better. The product itself is a creamy, light-textured balm that gives the skin a nice subtle glowing look. I used it in the morning right before day cream and SPF as a sort of in-between. If the new packaging has fixed the problem of product spilling I would definitely consider rebuying it.

 

All in all, I think Botanics products are very good for young, fuss-free skin types (especially considering the price). For moisturisers and serums I’d rather buy something a little richer, but I would like to try something else from their All Bright line, especially the face scrub and the cleansing cream.

 

{Beauty} Current morning and night routine #4

This is pure vanity and I’m perfectly aware of that, but still, we all need some mundane moments in our lives and I’m no exception. I don’t particularly like to talk about beauty, let’s say that it’s mostly part of my list making habits and my OCD obsession for doing things in a clear order.

The one thing I’m happy about is that I’ve really simplified my routine. I mostly use the same products for night and day and tbh it makes a lot more sense this way. Of course I also have some extra products (like face scrubs) that I use weekly/fortnightly but I don’t think I should feel bad about them. Should I?

 

I’m experimenting with the entire face set of Acqua delle Rose [Rose Water] from Roberts. Here are my current products in order of usage:

1| Robert’s Rose Micellar Water (only at night)

Wow: good cleaning power
Meh: goes down very quickly
(Dis)Approval: I think this is the best micellar water among those I’ve tried so far. It removes almost all my make up (for mascara I still use my beloved coconut oil) without burning the eyes at all. I also love the slight scent of rose, but this is a matter of taste.

2| Robert’s Rose Face Cleanser

Wow: silky texture, light foam easy to remove
Meh: dries out the skin like all other face cleanser
(Dis)Approval: this is a very light, oil free cleanser that can be used  either in the morning or at night. Leaves the skin very soft but also a little dry.

3| Robert’s Rose Face Toner

Wow: absorbs very quickly
Meh: not that hydrating
(Dis)Approval: toners are the kind of products I can’t really see an aim for, but every beauty blogger swears over their essential presence in everyone’s skin care routine and I follow the precept religiously. I’m actually enjoying this one in particular more than others before as it is very light and it doesn’t take ages to dry on my skin.

4| Robert’s Rose Night/Day Moisturiser

Wow: not greasy, easy to apply
Meh: not super moisturising
(Dis)Approval: both the night and day moisturisers are of easy use and they decently do their job – as usual, I find regular moisturisers not enough for the dry skin I happen to have during winter. For super dry skin an additional aid of some sort is required.

 

I’m not using any serum at the moment as I’ve created a DIY oil mix (jojoba, argan, sweet almond, castor and rosehip) that has worked just fine so far helping the dryness of my winter skin. I do love serums though (way more than other kind of highly concentrated products like eye creams) and I found their moisturising power extremely effective, so I may re-intruduce one of them sooner or later. Recently I’ve also been reading more about Asian beauty and I’ve come across this concept of ‘essence‘ that is kind of intriguing – I’ve also seen one at Muji but for now I’ve restrained myself (・・；) need to finish a few products before buying new ones!