Mon Amour: Bioderma

It’s only the most befitting tribute to the wonderful gift the French have given us.

Ladies, it’s true. Bioderma is everything everyone is raving about and much more. Legend has it; a bottle of Bioderma Crealine H2O is sold every 6 seconds worldwide. Wow! Right?

Bioderma Crealine H2O is hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, soap-free micellar water.

So, what’s Micellar water? That was the first question that popped into my head. I researched a bit and here’s a gist of it for all of you (Thank you Ziba-Blog)

Micelles are spherical structures that surfactant molecules form when they reach a certain concentration in water.

Surfactant molecules have a hydrophilic (water loving) head and a lipophilic (oil loving) tail. In aqueous solutions, the water loving heads spontaneously position themselves to be closer to the water, while the oil-loving, water-repelling tails group themselves in the centre in order to be far away from the water.

Cotton is hydrophilic, and when you pour the micellar solution on the cotton pad, the hydrophilic heads are attracted to the cotton, leaving the oil-loving tails sticking up to trap oil and wax based substances, like makeup and sebum.

So, the ultra-gentle micelles help capture fatty molecules such as dirt, oil, and make-up from the face, leaving the skin well-cleansed. And not a drop of water, can you believe it?

Here’s why I love Bioderma:

• It’s so gentle that you feel butterflies are kissing your face. No redness, no irritation. My sensitive skin thanks you.

• I am a little partial towards fragrance-free products. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a perfume junkie all the way, but when it comes to skin care, the fewer chemicals and additives, the better.

• It’s a one-stop-shop for lazy bums like me. I prefer not to stand in front of a mirror for more than a few necessary seconds. And that’s all the time Bioderma takes to effectively clean my skin.

• A loyal travel buddy, it’s the easiest cleanser on the go. If you need a bigger incentive, Bioderma has a cutsie travel-size bottle too. 

• The tough water-proof mascara. Gone! Just soak two cotton pads and apply it on your eyes for about a minute each. The best thing? It doesn’t irritate your eyes one bit. 

• My make-up needs are virtually non-existent but if it works for runway models and make-up artists then who am I to question its magic.

I use the Body Shop organic cotton pads with Bioderma. It’s only fair to use Michelin Tyres for your swanky Mercedes. Right?

These pads are gentle to use, have two differently textured surfaces for lotions and liquids, do not tear during use and do not leave any flaky residue on your skin like cheap synthetic cotton does. And so, I love ‘em. Even my bottle of Bioderma approves.

So ladies, all I can say is that it’s the beginning of a love affair that will never end. Sometimes, you just know it, at the first touch ;)

Love!

Cleansing Must-Have: The Clarisonic

Do you need a Clarisonic? Yes. Every girl must own a Clarisonic. Period.

I have had mine for about 4 years now. Still as shiny as I first bought it, the robust machine still gently whirs into action, ‘300 movements per second’ cleaning the dirt and grime from my face, one pore at a time. Yes, I admit, it broke my bank at that time but it was madness! Everyone was raving about it and I had to have it. So, a few skipped meals, some heart-breaking window shopping and I made my peace with it in a few months.

Now ladies, it wasn’t a whim. I spend hours researching any and every product that I purchase. This was no different. Almost all reviews were positive, if not profusely glowing. There were a few negative comments but they didn’t faze me. These mostly dangled $10 brushes and claimed they did the exact same thing as the Clarisonic. Blashpemy!

I had to test it out. I bought one of those. Just to put that one nagging suspicion at the corner of my mind to rest. Rest assured, my purchase withstood those claims. My bank heaved a sigh of relief and I stuck my tongue out at those nasty comments.

Anyways, let me list out some of the wonderful things about Clare (Is it so bad that I named mine?)

• It is water-proof, so I don’t need an extra step in the cleansing routine. Just pop it in with me while I shower.
• It comes with the option of different brush heads to suit your skin type. I use the sensitive brush head. Guess what, its mild enough for daily use!
• The beeps tell you when to move to a different part of the face. (That really helps when you’re in the shower and out of the blue! George Clooney pops into your head)
• The black heads are gone. Poof!
• A much more even skin tone, not an airbrushed effect per se, but definitely a marked improvement from the previously bumpy skin.
• The Clarisonic goes deep into the pores and pulls out hidden debris. This means, lesser breakouts.
• The pores around my nose are like craters. Ok, slight exaggeration but you get the idea. Regular use of the Clarisonic has greatly diminished the size of the pores.
• It sloughs off the dead skin. Those expensive night creams finally get a chance to absorb into the skin & work their magic.

I use mine with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. It is hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and fragrance-free. I have found the combination of the two almost like Thelma & Louise.

And if the going is good ladies, then, as Thelma said “Let’s keep going”.

Love!