Review: Caudalie Beauty Elixir

Caudalie Beauty Elixir | 30ml £10.35, 100ml £28.80

Available from Feel Unique

All of us cave and fall for hyped products at some point or another, it's just one of those things when it seems that everybody is raving about how amazing something is and how they 'can't live without it' then it seems crazy not to get yourself in on the action to see what all the fuss was about, and that's exactly what I did with this product. Sometimes the hype lives up, and sometimes it doesn't. The 'Beauty Elixir' from Caudalie is quite a controversial one, with the blogging community split probably 50:50 on whether or not this is worth the money.

So.. what is it supposed to do?

From Feel Unique: "Inspired by the 'elixir of youth' the Caudalie Beauty Elixir smoothes features, tightens pores, and gives the complexion a burst of radiance". An apparent favourite of Victoria Beckham this solution is intended to be an excellent base for make-up and an anti-dull complexion treatment.  There are a multitude of ways that this can be used: on a clean face for a freshen up, before moisturiser as a spray-on toner, inbetween foundation and powder to perfectly set make-up, or on top of a completed face during any point in the day for a radiance boost.

The main ingredients are: grape, orange blossom, rose, organic balm mint and rosemary to create a smoothed complexion, natural glow and radiance burst on the skin. The mint is the most detectable scent in this and it creates a gentle tingle upon application, but the mint combined with the scents of grape, rose and orange creates something really unique. It's not a scent to everybody's taste, and at first I wasn't sure if it was something I liked or not but as time went on I found it to be incredibly refreshing and calming at the same time and it became quite addictive.

So.. what do I think?

It has taken me quite a while to form an opinion on this, but I think the fact that I did repurchase it almost straight after finishing my first bottle shows that I do feel there is an element of worthiness with it. Spending £10 on 30ml of 'water' is not a decision to be taken lightly!! It's an odd one this because sometimes it feels like it's not actively doing anything to your skin, and there are no instantly visible benefits, it's just a spritz of tingly minty water onto your face.. yes, admit it, by using this that is all that you're really doing. But once you've tried it you'll understand how nice and refreshing it feels and there is no going back! It's strange to enjoy using something so very simple. This is the conclusion that I have come to: Is it worth the money? No, it is overpriced. Is it worth the hype? It's worth a little hype, not a huge hype. Would I repurchase again? If Feel Unique had a sale/discount code and I was feeling flush.. I would treat myself, yes.

I guess it's personal preference how you use this, but for me personally I like to give my face a couple of spritzes in the evening, after I've cleansed my face and before I apply night cream just before I hop into bed. It sits pretty on my bedside table, looking luxurious in it's frosted glass bottle with French writing it all over it, and I've found it to be the perfect night time treat to calm down my skin. Other times that I use this are if I've finished putting on my make-up and something just 'doesn't look right' still with my complexion, especially as I've got quite generally dull skin, I just close my eyes and spray once for that little something extra and I really enjoy using it. 

Is this 'Beauty Elixir' something that is in your life?

Have you ever been curious of the hype surrounding it?

Leave your opinions below!

Skin Care and Make-Up Haul | ft. FeelUnique & Boots

I've had two mini splurges this week and treated myself to some new products, not many, just a few. One lot was an order from www.FeelUnique.com and the other from a trip Boots.  I've split this weeks haul into two parts: 1) 'skin care and make-up' (this one right here that you're reading right now) and 2) 'hair care' (which will be posted tomorrow).

Clean & Clear Morning Energy Shine Control Lotion

Reduced to £2 in the 'clearance' section of Boots. I couldn't find the original price anywhere on the Boots website but on the Superdrug website it says £3.99.
I always have a little nosy at the 'clearance' section in Boots if I'm wandering past just to see if there's any little bargains to be found. I spotted this lotion with a big £2 sticker on it and I thought 'ah, I'm looking for a new toner and I have oily skin too' so thought it would be good to give a try. The bottle says that it's gentle enough to be used daily and can be used either morning or evening, so I first tried it out on the evening that I had bought it. After cleansing I opened the bottle and gave it a sniff and thought that it smelt absolutely gorgeous! So fresh and fruity with a strong hint of apple - lovely. So I tipped some onto my cotton pad, started rubbing around my face and it started burning my eyes and felt like I was rubbing pure vodka around my face! Such a strong alcohol smell that I could almost taste it. I looked on the ingredients list and there it is, second in the list: alcohol denat. It's something that I guess I could get around because it did seem to work and I felt as though it did keep the oil at bay for the whole day, but it is an incredibly drying product at the same time. Explains why it was in the clearance section! I will keep this product, but it will get put in a drawer and used on the odd occasion when I'm feeling super oily - it will definitely not become a part of my every day skin care regime. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick - 016 'Heart Breaker'
£4.99 in Boots.

This was my first dip into the realm of Rimmel lipsticks and I felt a little overwhelmed looking at the stand and seeing all of the different ranges that they had; the Kate Moss ones, the new Kate Moss ones, the Lasting Finish ones, the Moisture Renew ones.. it was a bit 'agh what do I want?!' and to not help matters there was a severe lack of testers available. After a lot of deliberation I settled for a Lasting Finish lipstick in the shade 016 'Heart Breaker' - a very deep redish pink, quite a 'vampy' shade I would say as it's so dark, not a colour that I'm used to wearing on my lips. But I've fallen pretty hard for this new lipstick and cannot wait for autumn/winter to come around so I can wear it every day. I love the texture, it feels lovely and smooth, is super pigmented and definitely long lasting. Plus, at less than £5 it's a great price too! Winning.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir 30ml

£9.90 for 30ml / £25.92 for 100ml, from Feel Unique.
I've had this for 3 days now and used it just one time each day so of course I cannot give my full thoughts on it just yet. I do plan on doing a full and in depth review of this in the future as I want to do a little series of reviews on some of the 'Blogger Hypes' featuring the most raved (and ranted) about products, starting with this beauty elixir and including other coveted items such as the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, the Bioderma Solutions and the Origins Super Spot Remover. My first impressions of this beauty elixir is that it's very nice and refreshing on the skin, a lovely little 'wake-me-up' in the mornings or as a refresher part way through the day, I'm just not very keen on the scent. It does have a very strong scent and I'm just hoping that it's something I can get past/get used to.

*Free samples included with Feel Unique order:

- Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Fluid SPF15

- Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum Complexion Correction

- Paco Rabanne 'Lady Million' Eau de Toilette
The two Caudalie samples were part of a promotional offer and you received the duo as a complimentary gift with the purchase of any beauty elixir. I've enjoyed using these two samples and they feel extremely luxurious but I doubt they'd be something I would repurchase as their main aim is to target dark spots, something that I do not have. When I saw the tiny 2ml sample I thought that I wouldn't even be able to cover one cheek with it, but I actually managed to cover my entire face 3 times! A little really does go a long way. With just the three uses I did not see any noticeable complexion correction but I'm sure you would do with prolonged use, and the day perfecting fluid made a lovely base for make-up. I felt that it had similar properties to a primer with the way that it smoothed out the skin tone as well as moisturising and creating a radiant glow on the skin. A range that I would be very interested in if I was around 30 years older perhaps!
The EDT sample was just popped in there as a bonus. This is a very loved and raved about perfume and after trying out this sample I can see why - definitely popping this onto my birthday list!

♥