Kiehl's Facial Fuel Energizing Moisture Treatment For Men

Look alive boys, look a-live! That’s the whole idea behind Kiehl’s Facial Fuel. A vitamin-enriched moisturizer that uses a plethora of caring ingredients that stimulate the face, causing it to feel more refreshed and revitalized, this product acts like a cold splash of water first thing in the morning.

The caffeine and vitamin enriched non-oily formula helps to jump start and hydrate the skin while banishing any shine. It contains vitamin C and vitamin E for rejuvenation and to help improve the skin’s look and texture and protects against environmental aggressors. Soy and caffeine for revitalization; the overall effect of these stimulants leads to skin that seems a little less dull and a bit more awakened.  The key ingredients are:

• Chestnut Extract - Its key property is its ability to retain and restore its lipids.
• Vitamin C -  also known as Ascorbyl Palmitate,  an important antioxidant, it also offers clarifying benefits.  And is an effective antioxidant.

I love the Kiehl's Facial Fuel because it has the perfect level of hydration and oh, it smells great too! It doesn’t leave the skin greasy or shiny; I actually find it keeps my skin matte. I always use it because I know that no matter what, it will adapt to my skin’s needs and always make it look its best. I have seen it revive tired, severely hung-over, neglected skins (not on me obvs!)

Looks can be deceiving you know; this humble little blue tube is way more sophisticated that, according to Kiehl’s, can be used in conjunction with your regular moisturizer. A remarkable claim indeed, but a few applications with my Effaclar Duo [+] proves that you so can without looking like a grease slick by 11:00.

This is the ideal product for those guys who want to appear rested even if they got little sleep or could use the extra help.

Kiehl's Facial Fuel is €29/125ml and is available at Arnotts online or by phoning their store in Wicklow St, Dublin (01 670 6667)

*I would actually again recommend phoning the Kiehl’s store, as they give out free samples!*

Avène Cleanance Expert

I like Avène; their products are really effective and always gentle and tend to work in tandem with your skin rather than against it. This latest offering from Avène’s is very intriguing! Cleanance Expert can be used in conjunction with any acne medicines you might be using. But most importantly it can also be included in a skin regime which involves layering skincare. So this is ideal for slotting into your finely honed skincare routine, when you need a bit of SOS from spots.

When I was first tried this product, I thought that it would be something similar to my beloved La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+] (you can read my full review here). On first impressions, Cleanance Expert appears to be quite different though. In terms of formulation, Cleanance Expert is a light, hydrating, non-drying and lightly scented emulsion, suited to the most sensitive skins. From using Cleanance Expert, an emulsion is some sort of a fusion between a gel and a cream texture – heavier than a gel but not as heavy as a cream.

There are two ingredients in this product which really appeal to me. It contains an exfoliating agent called Xpressin, which Avène claim has the same chemical power as 6% Glycolic Acid but is far gentler on the skin. I absolutely love Glycolic Acid, it is stellar at treating breakouts by exfoliating the skin and unblocking pores but it also significantly reduces acne scarring. Because the product doesn’t contain Glycolic Acid, it has a pH level which matches that of skin, which is great. The skin’s pH is slightly acidic aka its acid mantle. The optimal pH of human skin is 5.5. When the skin’s pH level is off kilter, bacteria levels can rise or drop, resulting in an imbalance and thus breakouts.

Avène also patented an ingredient called Diolenyl, which seems ingenious. It tackles the bacteria which are the main offenders in causing acneic breakouts, but the Diolenyl only targets those specific acne-causing bacteria. It the silver bullet equivalent to acne! So it works only where and when it’s needed, and it doesn’t kill off any of the good bacteria which are beneficial to your skin.

I can categorically state that this is a fantastic product. It not an over-night miracle worker but it did sort my skin out when I had a cystic breakout. In the usual spirit of Avène skincare, this product is as super gentle as it claims to be. It greatly speeded up the healing time of that breakout but also the usual accompanying scarring.  It didn’t dry out my skin in the slightest but gave it that extra nourishment that it needed. Over extended use; I found it excellent for keeping my skin clear – in particular any pesky blackheads I would get. I love that I can reach for this in my hour of need and it fits in seamlessly with any other products I’m using. The emulsion texture makes this super hydrating but light-weight on the skin. I would actually say this would be as versatile in the winter as the summer.

Do you like the sound of Cleanance Expert? Which products do you find really effective for acne and breakouts?

Avène Cleanance Expert is €19 and is available here online at Boots and Escentual and in-store at Boots and pharmacies nationwide.

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