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Wednesday 24 July 2019

LA ROCHE-POSAY AT THE ALLERGY AND FREE FROM SHOW

In my last post, I wrote about the recent Allergy and Free From Show at the Olympia London.

La Roche-Posay are known for their gentle skincare products, specially formulated for sensitive skin and allergies. The brand played a prominent part at the show and their stand attracted many visitors.

La Roche-Posay at the Free From Show

At last year's show, I went to an excellent talk about sensitive skin and allergies, by  Dr Justine Hextall, a consultant dermatologist.  The event was sponsored by La Roche-Posay.  I heard that they were sponsoring her talk again this year, and that she had some interesting updates, so I was very keen to go to the Learning Centre to listen.


Dr Justine Hextall - Taking Questions from the Audience

Dr Hextall began by saying that sensitive, irritated skin and actual allergies were often confused. Irritation could be avoided by using products free from preservatives and perfumes and keeping to a simple and gentle skincare routine.  A gentle cleanser, followed by the right moisturizer (look for one with ingredients like shea butter and glycerin) to suit you, could make all the difference.  She also mentioned a new La Roche-Posay product - Toleriane Ultra 8. This is a fine mist spray that hydrates, soothes and protects and can be applied at any time, even over makeup.

Dr Hextall then told us something very interesting about eczema.  Although a child of two parents with eczema has a higher risk of developing it, if their skin is looked after when they are very young, this can be prevented and controlled.

She explained about skin barriers.  They are  less tolerant as we age and it is important to hydrate and protect our skin barriers when very young and older as poor barriers result in irritations.

Finally, Dr Hextall dealt with summer related allergies and irritation.  She gave some good tips on dealing with pollen and hayfever and also spoke about sunscreens that could cause irritation. Whilst it is essential to protect skin from the sun, she advised us to look for products that were free from preservatives and perfumes. She recommended La Roche-Posay's Anthelios sunscreens.

So the golden rules are soothe, hydrate and protect!  La Roche-Posay had given me a couple of small sample tubes of Toleriane Ultra Fluide (a light moisturizer for normal or combination skin) and a little sample bottle of Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser (a wipe-off cleansing milk), just enough to try for a few days.


LA ROCHE-POSAY Products
I applied the Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser with my fingertips and wiped it off carefully.  It removed my makeup and cleansed my skin gently, leaving it feeling soft, hydrated and comfortable.  The ingredients include glycerine and La Roche-Posay Thermal Water. 

I then applied the Toleriane Ultra Fluide and this again left my skin with the same soft, hydrated feeling.  Here the ingredients include shea butter as well as glycerin and La Roche-Posay Thermal Water. 

My overall impression of these two products is that they are both very gentle, perfume free, with a clean feeling.  Although they are both hydrating, they are not oily or greasy.  I would certainly call them soothing and hydrating.

I was also given a leaflet about Toleriane Ultra 8, the new spray mist mentioned by Dr Hextall.  I haven't had an opportunity to try this new product yet but I shall be looking in Boots to see if they have a tester for it. It sounds very interesting because it is formulated to soothe and repair the skin barrier.   


The products mentioned above were NOT GIFTED.  These very small, not-for-sale, samples were offered to all members of the public to try. 
















Saturday 13 July 2019

MY VISIT TO THE ALLERGY & FREE FROM SHOW 2019

Last Saturday, I went to the ALLERGY and FREE FROM SHOW at the London Olympia.  I always look forward now to this annual event, where brands display their products (food, drink, skincare, makeup etc). They offer products that are free from ingredients that can affect people who suffer from allergies or intolerances or have sensitive skin.  It's an ideal show for those who need food and drink that is gluten and/or lactose free or have skin prone to eczema.

The Allergy and Free From Show at Olympia London

In the morning, I enjoyed the Blogger's Meet-up. This was an opportunity to meet other bloggers and some of the exhibitors, who offered tasters and samples of their products.  I am not a food blogger and I really came to the show to learn about beauty products, so I didn't accept many of the food gifts that were being offered to us. 

However, I couldn't resist a Schär Gluten Free Seeded Loaf and a pack of Sproud Barista, a plant-based milk alternative.  
Whilst I am under no obligation to feature these 2 products in my blog, they were gifted to me as a blogger, so I am referring to my review of them below as :

GIFTED: Sponsored feature

The Schär Gluten Free Seeded Loaf is a lovely little sliced loaf containing flax seeds, sunflower seeds and millet seeds.  It is gluten and wheat free and made specially for people intolerant to gluten. Also, it is lactose free and suitable for Vegans. I would add that it is a source of high fibre and low in saturated fat (0.2g) and salt (0.29g) - that's per slice.


Schär Gluten Free Seeded Loaf 

Schär Gluten Free Seeded Loaf 

I enjoyed eating this wholesome bread as it was, but I also found that it was delicious toasted with my low fat olive spread and honey on it. 

SPROUD BARISTA M*LK comes from Sweden and is made of protein from dry yellow peas. It's milk free, gluten free, soy free, Vegan. It contains calcium and vitamins, and saturated fat per 100 ml = 0.3g, salt per 100 ml= O.2g.


Sproud Barista


Sproud suggest serving the "m*lk" warm and frothy with coffee - Cappuccino!  That was lovely but I also enjoyed it just added cold to instant coffee. I liked drinking it on it's own too and it was even good with my organic Swiss style muesli for breakfast.  With its creamy texture, it really is a good alternative to milk.  

Although I am not gluten or lactose intolerant, sometimes I find it's good for my stomach and digestion to have a break from those ingredients.  I would certainly buy these two excellent products and suggest them to people who are gluten and lactose intolerant.

The only beauty brand represented at the meet-up was La Roche-Posay, who offer very good skincare products. I was given some tiny sample tubes (offered to all visitors) and my attention was drawn to a new product.  I will be writing in detail about La Roche-Posay's skincare products in my next post.

After the meet-up, I enjoyed looking around the show and tasting some of the food displayed on the stands.

Then it was time to go to the Learning Centre to listen to Dr Justine Hextall's talk on sensitive skin and allergies, sponsored by La Roche-Posay. I was looking forward to this as I was so impressed by her talk last year.  This time, Dr Hextall added some very interesting updates to her advice.  I will write about her talk in my next post about La Roche-Posay.


Now it's time for a coffee break - a nice cup of Decaff coffee with Sproud!

The Schär loaf and Sproud Barista were GIFTED.


Friday 5 July 2019

CLINIQUE ALL ABOUT EYES Rich - What To Do About Dark Shadows Under the Eyes

In my last post, I wrote about my favourite foundation and mentioned that it helped to cover the dark shadows under my eyes.  Here's the link if you would like to read it: 


I have always had a slight problem with these under eye shadows, especially if I went short on sleep, but sadly these things have a way of getting worse as we get older.  I have been using CLINIQUE ALL ABOUT EYES (Rich) for some time now and have found that it helps to alleviate the problem.  Recently, I used up my little pot and didn't replace it for a few weeks, just applying moisturizer to the area. I  soon noticed the deterioration both with the shadows and in the condition of the skin around my eyes! So of course I went out to Boots and bought it again!


CLINIQUE All About Eyes Rich
CLINIQUE ALL ABOUT EYES (Rich) is a moisture-rich eye cream formulated to reduce the appearance of dark shadows, lines and puffiness around the eyes. It is 100%  fragrance free, something I always look for with eye skincare products. I apply the cream am and pm, as recommended by CLINIQUE, with a "gentle patting motion".

I find that as soon as I start to use it, there is an immediate improvement, but it really makes a difference when applied regularly and consistently.  I would emphasize that it does need to be used regularly and consistently.

In the past, using this cream and covering the under-eye area with the right foundation was sometimes enough. Now, concealer has become very important too!  I'm always looking at different concealers and they seem to be improving in quality and selection.  Currently, I am using an inexpensive one - Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - which I think is very good and excellent value at £4.19.  It goes on smoothly, covers well without being noticeable or forming a cakey texture, it doesn't settle in lines and it does last well. It's good for covering other blemishes on the face too. 

 I'm always interested to hear about concealers and hints on dealing with dark under-eye shadows, so I'd love to read your comments in the Comments box below.

None of the products mentioned above were Gifted.