Hydraluron Moisture Booster: Worth the Hype?

I've been using Hydraluron for months now (I'm actually about to crack open another tube) and I can't deny that it's done my skin some good but I don't know if the hype is justified. Don't get me wrong, this serum does dry skin the world of good, and I do think that it has helped even out my combination skin a little bit. However, I wouldn't want people who can't afford to dish out £25 on a serum to be sitting reading blog post after blog post feeling as if the world will end if they don't get their hands on a tube of Hydraluron. 

If you think that actually you'd rather buy a gig ticket, get the train home from university to see your family or even treat your partner or best friend to a present rather than yourself then don't feel as though you're missing out. It's a great product but it'll be around for a while still so there's no rush to jump on the band wagon. I like using Hydraluron (especially in the mornings) but when my second tube runs out (I bought them as part of a 3 for 2 offer back in June) I won't be repurchasing it. I prefer to use facial oils in the evening and then I tend to find that I could use anything I like in the morning and my skin doesn't change all that much. 

If you have seriously dry skin or if you have specific skin concerns that you think Hydraluron will help with then please don't overlook it just because it isn't Holy Grail for me. I just want to balance out the rave reviews a little bit, because if I'm honest I remember feeling as though I just had to try Hydraluron because no-one had anything but praise for it. And really, that's just not true. It's a great product, it feels good to use, but it hasn't completely transformed my skin - I still get dry patches, I still get blemishes, I still have an oily t-zone etc. 

If you want a good serum to use in the mornings (for a lot less money) I'd highly recommend the Body Shop's Aloe Protective Serum (I've reviewed it here) and then I'd suggest getting a facial oil to use in the evenings - these two products might add up to a similar price as Hydraluron together but they'll last you twice as long and depending on what oil you choose it might well do your skin more good than using Hydraluron. I'd recommend either Antipodes Divine Facial Oil or Trilogy's Rosehip Oil.

That's just my two cents, I know many people may well disagree with me. If you have any other more affordable morning serum recommendations then I would love it if you could let me know and feel free to leave links to any reviews you might have written - you could help someone find a product they might fall in love with!

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Collective Beauty Haul: High-er End Treats

Sooooooo... I went a little bit crazy on the shopping front. I've had a wish list the length of my arm for a while now and all it took was the promise of a few bargains for me to finally crack out my debit card and submit to the shopping urge. Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't get all of these beauties on the same day but rather over the last three or four weeks. I've tried a couple of them out but some of these items only arrived in the post this morning so in their cases it'll be more of a case of showing you them rather than having much to comment on!

Up first is my Escentual order, 30% off many french pharmacy brands (and a lovely £5 discount on the much acclaimed Dior Nude BB Cream) was too much for me resist. I picked up a 100ml bottle of Bioderma's Micellaire Water (with the intention to stock up on it later in the month if I like it),  Bioderma's Photoderm AKN Mat SPF 30 Mattifying Fluid and Dior's Nude BB Cream in shade 001. Look out for a review of each other these over the coming month! 

This purchase was very much made in the spur of the moment. With FeelUnique offering me a 10% off code I just couldn't help myself, Antipodes Divine Face Oil has been luring me in with its promise of plumper (and less oil prone) skin for the last few months. Along with my order came a lovely little perfume freebie.

I also made the most of Boots' 3 for 2 offer on skincare, one item has escaped this post (a Garnier moisturiser) but truth be told I don't really like it so it is not great loss, although I will still be reviewing it later this month. I was excited to finally get my hands on some Hydraluron (you can see I've stocked up!) and I'm currently trialling this with the hope of reviewing it next month. I haven't started using the Peptabright but I love the sound of it, I have a few marks left by blemishes which I'm hoping it can set straight. The other two products, both Soap and Glory, are wonderful and I've been using them daily since I bought them. I'll definitely be reviewing them both soon!

Lastly, I placed a small order with Naturismo so that I could pick up Jason's Vitamin E Oil 32000IU which is scar/stretch mark treatment. It isn't what I expected at all (but in this case that is a good thing) and I expect promising results for this. I'm testing it out on both scarring and stretch marks to see if it makes any difference. I don't expect I'll be reviewing this for a while as I'll want to use it for a month or two to see if it really works. In the meantime, I also picked up some Elemental Herbology sample sizes (Naturismo is brilliant for samples) and I'll be giving them a go and probably reviewing them all together. 

Sometimes you have to treat yo'self, and that I certainly did. Spending is going to be curbed in the meantime (although I do have a small Fragrance Direct order still to arrive, naughty me). I have a hell of a lot of products to test out and a whole backlog of reviews which I'm going to be catching up with. It's going to be a busy month, but a really fun one!

Have you been shopping recently? Found any absolute wonder products that you'd recommend?

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