Dermatique Recuperating Cream review

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Heidi is winning in her war against eczema. Fact. It’s been a hard slog for both of us, with me reviewing cream after cream that promises to alleviate her symptoms. Some work, some don’t, so it’s been in many ways, like playing Russian roulette with my daughter’s skin.

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She’s been plagued with dry skin from birth. She outstayed her welcome in my tummy and had to be ejected “through the sunroof” which is fairly common for babies with post-birth skin complaints. Sure enough, after a few weeks, the dry red flaky patches grew bigger and angrier-looking. Although I appreciate it’s a blessing in disguise she doesn’t know how to scratch an itch, it denied her of even the most temporary relief from a bout of eczema.

We were offered steroid treatment for Heidi, but I refused. I suffered from eczema as a child (although not quite to the same degree as Heidi) and was prescribed steroid-based ointment. My skin reacted badly. If I showed a propensity to the nastier side-effects of steroids, what might happen to Heidi?

Thankfully, I’m here with yet another winner that’s been incredibly kind to Heidi’s sensitive skin - Dermatique.

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So who are Dermatique?

Dermatique was born out of another parent’s quest to find a 100% safe alternative to steroids when their daughter Patricia became exhausted and restless due to the effects of eczema. After a fruitless search for healthy alternatives, they decided to develop their own products for Patricia’s sensitive skin with no damaging side effects. They carried out all the research themselves, visited dermatologists and chatted to businesses to get their hands on the best raw materials and ingredients.

They claim their Recuperating Cream worked within hours after application on Patricia, and have now bottled the elixir for others to try - babies, teenagers and adults alike.

The Recuperating Cream

Let’s cut to the chase. It’s free from steroids (obviously), mineral oils, peanut, perfume, colour and parabens. You might think there’s nothing new here, but that’s not quite true. This really smells unscented. Far from being unpleasant, this is bloody welcome.

  • Works with the skin´s natural repair process
  • Gives you immediate hydration, helps heal even the driest skin
  • Proven to work on healing dry skin conditions such as Eczema, Psoriasis and Dermatitis
  • Absorbs quickly, leaves skin optimally hydrated, calmed, soothed & protected

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It’s not completely without synthetic ingredients, with a few cetyl esters, polyethylene glycol ethers, but all are lox toxicity and perfectly safe in low doses (virtually all body creams will have them). Most of the ingredients are vegetable & plant derivatives and there’s no dreaded sodium laureth sulfate in sight.

Since its launch in 1996 users have reported a 99% success rate. In fact, so confident are they that they can alleviate the symptoms of eczema and psorasis, they offer a 30 day money back guarantee.

Our thoughts

Love it. It’s noticeably different to other creams we’ve tried in that is a little greasy upon application, and does remain sticky on the skin for approx 3 minutes. This might sound critical but it isn’t. All I’m interested in are the results.

After two weeks use, I’m pleased to report that Heidi’s skin (and my legs) are beautifully soft. In fact, I tested this after getting a horrid shaving rash on my left shin that cleared up completely after two applications.

At £29 per tub, it isn’t cheap, but Heidi’s comfort is paramount and I’ve paid double this for creams that haven’t worked. I’m happy to add this to what is turning out to be a long list of safe products for Heidi-bum, and eczema treatments that really deliver.

To buy, head to Dermatique.co.uk, or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

 


Baby Eczema Diaries: 5 Stars for La Roche-Posay LIPIKAR Range

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So Heidi has blissfully glided through the last few months with the baby soft skin we always hoped for. Whilst bathing her last week, Craig turned to me and said “I guess that’s her eczema cured”, and we high-fived over the top of the bath tub.

As Craig has been delivering her post-bath massage for the last few weeks, I dragged him over to her skin care cabinet for him to point out his weapon of choice. It turns out he’d been using a cream I’d completely overlooked whilst using up the dregs of her other lotions. It was a cream I’d forgotten I had even consented to review!

Lipikar

La Roche-Posay LIPIKAR Baume AP+

Laboratoires La Roche-Posay created LIPIKAR 20 years ago. This range of body products for dry skin among adults and children has proved effective in a number of clinical trials, establishing it as a market-leader in the UK in emollient products.

La Roche-Posay will be familiar to many given it’s formidable reputation in the treatment of sensitive and atopy-prone skin. Despite this, I didn’t realise it was suitable for babies. Quite why, I’m unsure. Given La Roche-Posay is recommended by some 25,000 dermatologists worldwide and contains no potentially irritating fragrances or ingredients, it should have been an obvious choice for Heidi from the beginning.

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The LIPIKAR Baume AP + is designed to not only hydrate skin, but also to reinforce the moisture barrier. A Niacinamide & Shea butter (20%) formula is enriched with Aqua Posae Filiformis, to respect the microbiome (the population of micro-organisms found at the skin’s surface), and therefore ‘space out’ occurrences of extreme dryness.

  • 100% hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic
  • Contains no alcohol, no parabens and no alcohol -
  • Formulated with soothing, antioxidant La Roche-Posay thermal spring water
At the heart of the brand, a unique thermal spring water used in each and every skincare product produced by the brand. The efficacy and tolerance properties of the water are what differentiates the brand and give it its credibility with 25,000 dermatologists who recommend it worldwide to millions of women, men and children who use it every day.

How does it perform?

It’s a miracle cream.

Completely non-sticky, it glides onto the skin with ease, yet is so lightweight and non-greasy you can dress immediately after application. With no visible sheen it hydrates the skin perfectly. Every time I strip Heidi I’m amazed at just how soft she feels, yet there’s no sweaty patches under her rolls of baby fat, as though it sinks below the surface and soothes and protects from under the top layer of skin. This is exactly what we’ve been looking for since she was born so I can’t sing its praises highly enough.

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It’s a mild and subtle fragrance, barely there at all. Her red, sore and tight skin is now soothed and reinvigorated and looks like her big brothers. We never sought advice from a doctor for Heidi as her skin complaints are clearly environmental and not a result of allergies, I simply knew that a pro-active and sensible approach to her diet and skincare regime would help her. La Rouch-Posay LIPIKAR is positively invaluable for us as it delivers where few creams have before - providing long-lasting hydration whilst soothing inflammation and leaving her finally comfortable in her own skin.

The LIPIKAR range also features a body wash which is on the to-buy list here. Given our hard work is so often undone by long baths and unsympathetic cleansing products, I can’t wait to see how this works on Heidi. I understand their KERIUM extra gentle gel shampoos are also suitable for children, so on the face of it, this appears to complete my line-up of MUST-HAVE products in the fight against baby eczema. Having spent literally £100s caring for Heidi’s problem, I’m so chuffed to have the ideal solution to steroids.

Any reservations?

I have a 200ml tube here and it’s a nightmare to squeeze. I appreciate La Roche-Posay like to strike a balance between optimal protection for their formulas, whilst making packaging as sustainable as possible, but this is pet hate of mine. With a third of the tube left, I’m already biting the tube to get an adequate amount of product for Heidi’s massage. Given 400ml is available in a pump action dispenser, it would be great to see this rolled out for 200ml sizes too (especially given these the latter is the most widely stocked by high-street retailers).

To find out more, head to LaRoche-Posay.co.uk, or discover more skin solutions from the brand by following them on Twitter or Facebook. You can purchase LIPIKAR Baume AP + for yourself, a 200ml TUBE is available at Boots for £12.50

 


GIVEAWAY & REVIEW: MyChelle Daily Basics Age Spot/UV Recovery Kit Worth £65.25! (CD:27/02/2015)

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I’m an ambassador for a number of skincare and beauty brands. Part of my role is to continually promote branded products that I feel are a cut above the rest. Yet my most heavily advocated product on social media isn’t tied into an ambassador program at all, nor do I get paid for shouting about it. I recommend it so regularly (at least once a week) because I love it, and because it really has revolutionised my skincare regime; It’s MyChelle’s Advanced Argan Oil.

Since discovering MyChelle Dermaceuticals and their range of beauty journo recommended products, I’ve become a huge fan of the brand; their commendable stance on the environment, cruelty-free promise and commitment to non-toxic 100% natural ingredients chimes solidly with my own skincare ethos. So when I was recently asked if I wanted to try something new, I took the opportunity to trial something I’ve been eying up for a while.

Mychelle Brightening

Apple Brightening Serum

The Apple Brightening Serum combines clinically proven ingredients to rapidly diminish the appearance of discolouration and sun-damage. Revolutionary PhytoCellTec™ Apple Stem Cells trigger skin’s natural regenerative process while reducing line depth up to 15% in just 4 weeks, whilst breakthrough Peptide Melanostatine®5 interrupts the reaction that causes hyperpigmentation to deliver a 33% improvement in skin’s tone and clarity.

Mychelle Brightening Serum

It’s recommended for skin affected by photo-aging and hyperpigmentation where the sun and other environmental pressures have taken their toll. On the face of it, this might not seem like the best fit for my relatively immature and youthful skin, but in fact I do have some spots of rosacea on my cheeks caused by severe sunburn when I was a teenager. For years, I’ve covered these small superficial dilated blood vessels up with make-up and haven’t made a conscious effort to treat them.

I’ve been using this vegan-friendly and gluten-free serum religiously now for some 3 weeks (in conjunction with a gluten and dairy free diet as part of my Juice Plus+ trial). I didn’t have huge expectations given these burst blood vessels have been with me for some 10+ years now, and I honestly did not know how Mychelle’s Advanced Argan Oil can be bettered in terms of hydration and skin soothing. But once again, I’m hugely impressed.

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I’ve been using the serum in the mornings before applying make-up, and it’s great for taking excess oil out of my skin and creating a matt base. Around week 1 my pores began to shrink and areas of dullness looked revitalised. Now, at week 3, my skin is clear, the tone has evened out and my entire complexion has lifted. The elasticity of the skin just above my cheeks (my only problem area) is tighter than it’s been since my teens.

Scentwise, the apple really comes through, and there’s a vaguely medicinal smell too. It’s a fresh and clean scent and not offensive whatsoever.

It’s one of the pricier serums from MyChelle but worth every penny at £38.

Apple Brightening Cream

This luxurious Apple Brightening Cream powered by Apple Plant Stem Cells and Daisy Flower Extract delivers a luminous and even-toned complexion. Rich in Antioxidants to hydrate and plump, your skin will look radiant and healthier.

Apple Brightening Cream

At night, I’ve been using this moisturiser to hydrate my skin whilst I sleep. It’s rich, mild and soothing to apply and sinks in beautifully. In the winter parts of my complexion suffer from dryness (on my cheeks, around my hairline and in the middle of my forehead) due to radical temperature changes and the reintroduction of central heating. This is improved dramatically by argan oil and intensive nightcreams - yet Mychelle’s apple brightening cream is really holding its own as a standalone solution.

Upon waking, my skin gets its usual deep cleanse and is left far more supple and hydrated than before. Its physical appearance is as described above and has a natural luminosity previously lacking. If I’m staying in for the day, I use this in the mornings and go make-up free. Despite long days sat by radiators and without natural sunlight, my skin stays smooth and firm to the touch, with zero dryness or blemishes. It’s a bit of a miracle.

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I also give myself a weekly facial be applying a generous layer of this then popping a warm damp cloth on my face. Much like a spa, this acts to cleanse pores and coax out dirt, old sebum and traces of make-up. It’s like giving your skin a drink of water and flushes out all the usual nasties. For the following few days I really notice how fresh and clean I look and have had a few comments from family and friends.

The scent is very similar to the serum, but with hints of mango and blood orange extract. All for this for a very reasonable £24.50 from MyChelle.

More information

To experience the range for yourself, go to mychelleuk.com or check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube or Instagram.

Want to try Mychelle yourself?

Well MyChelle have given me a trio of full sized goodness to giveaway (including the apple brightening serum reviewed above). The entire set (details here) is dedicated to treating tired, aging and sun-damaged skin and boasts impressive clinical trial results and recommendations from beauty journalists at Women’s Health and The New York Times. The set is worth £72.50 but is currently priced at £65.25, and one of you is going to win it! WIN Mychelle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions
      • UK entrants only – you must be over 18 too (sorry)
      • The winner will be contacted by email and must respond within 3 days of having been emailed (I’ll try all known avenues to contact them) or a new winner will be drawn
      • When the giveaway is closed, Rafflecopter will select the winner completely at random
      • The winners name will be published on this site
      • There is no cash alternative

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