Yves Rocher Daily Exfoliating Cleanser and 24 Hour Intense Hydrating Gel Cream Reviews

This is the time of year when I have to change my facial routine again and go back to my tried and true Ponds Cold Cream.  With oily skin I have 2 skin care routines that I use during the year:  Ponds during the warmer months when I need just an oil based cleanser and no moisturizer and for the colder months when I need a cleanser and a water based cream.

Last winter I used Burt's Bees Sensitive Skin Cleaner and Daily Moisturizing Cream.  I liked the cream but hated the cleanser.  See my review of this duo here.  I am a very loyal Yves Rocher customer and would prefer to give my money to them if they have a similar product.  Plus YR gives rewards and free products.  I switched over to Yves Rocher's 24 Hour Intense Hydrating Gel Cream and Daily Exfoliating Daily Cleanser in Mid-December when the temps started to drop.

Cleanser:

My Review:  YR's Daily Exfoliating Cleanser is a great product that not only cleans but also exfoliates the dead skin cells that are left by the cold and windy weather.  This cleanser does not dry my skin out which is big for me since dry skin equals more oil.  I really hate when i wash my face and it  drys out then over night it becomes oily.  I like a balance where once I leave the bathroom my face is comfortable.  I will be purchasing this again next year when the weather cools down.  I like how it gentle exfoliates my skin and removes the flakes from the wind yet doesn't scrubs off the top layer of skin and makes it raw.  The scent is very pleasing and not over powering like some.  I bought a tube of this for my sister-in-law to use as well for the winter as she was looking for a new cleanser as her's was discontinued after eight years.

Here is some info on the cleanser from Yves Rocher's website:

Daily Exfoliating Cleanser

Purifies skin

The exfoliating cleanser for acne-prone skin with botanical micro-beads:
- Eliminates excess sebum,
- Purifies skin and clears pores, 
- Prevents the reappearance of skin problems with its exfoliating action.

The Plus: Its soap-free formula, which won’t dry skin
Paraben free formula.

4.2 fl.oz. Tube / 125 ml

Gel Cream:

My Review:  I am on the fence about the 24H Intense Hydrating Gel Cream.  It worked fine.  It hydrated my face nicely during the winter and didn't make my face oily.  I don't really know why I am not in love this this product.  I prefer Biotherm's Aquasource Deep Hydration Replenishing Gel to this gel moisturizer.  It's not a bad product.  It does what it says it does.  I think it is just the texture I don't like.  It absorbs quickly but it is thick for a gel product.  I like a more runny gel like product.  I would give this a 4 out of 5 stars but only due to the thickness compared to other gel moisturizers.  I would recommend this to others who have oily skin and at the price it can't be beat.  The Biotherm product is close to $50 and expensive for me at this time.
Here is some info on the Cream from Yves Rocher's Website:

24H Intense Hydrating Gel Cream

Skin is filled with water, essential for lasting hydration!

The 24H Intense Hydrating Gel: 
- Intensely and durably moisturizes skin for 24 hours,
- Leaves skin visibly resplenished, fresh and radiant.

For Normal to Combination Skin
Formula tested under dermatological supervision

Botanical-based ingredients: maple sugar, organic agave sap, betaine, organic witch hazel water.

1.6 fl.oz. Jar / 50 ml

Yves Rocher's Botanical Scrub Review

I have been using Yves Rocher's products for over 10 years.  I got a packet in the mail years ago and had to try them.  I was in search of face care products and was intrigued by their natural skin care lines and had been through the drugstore and mid lines at department stores.  At that point nothing really had worked for my oily skin that made my skin comfortable.  With Yves Rocher, I loved that you got free gifts with your purchases.  Plus you could purchase mystery bags and get a great value of products to try/give away as gifts.  When I moved back to Canada I loved the stores and their free in store skin analysis and sales girls.  I have found some great products I love.  They get new items in often and their products are definitely worth a try.  

This time, I was in the market for a new scrub while I was waiting for my mail order scrubs to come in a few months back and I was tempted by this one.  So I purchased Yves Rocher's Botanical Scrub.  It comes in a 5 oz flip top tube, not a tub so it is very hygienic, more desirable than the tub format most scrubs come in.  Now this was an impulse purchase and sometimes those impulse purchases are downers but not this one!  It has a delightful scent and works great.

The scent is what was the selling point for me.  Oh boy is it delightful.  I want this in a fragrance oil for my home.

This product is said to scrub your skin as you purify it.  YR has used ingredients in it such as naturally exfoliating apricot kernel powder, purifying saro essential oil and Mexican agave sap from organically grown ingredients for its moisturizing properties.  Some find that apricot kernel powder is too hard to use on their skin to exfoliate  especially if they have sensitive skin but the good thing with apricot kernel powder is that it does not dissolve like sugar does and sloughs off dead skin cells longer.  The agave sap moisturizes your skin.  


How I use this product:  What i end up doing is that i stand out of the spray of the shower, apply the scrub an area of the time, scrub then move on to another area.  Then once I have applied the scrub to my whole body I go back and exfoliate my body again and focus on the dry areas.  Once i feel that I have gotten all the dry areas and satisfied I rinse well.  Once I am done I have smooth skin with a nice fresh, invigorating scent on my skin that lingers til the next morning.

I use this often and find that i will need to repurchase this before the end of the month.  This is one of the two scrubs that I keep permanently in my shower.  I highly recommend that you get your hands on this scrub and give it a whirl!


ORGANIC APRICOT KERNEL

The key ingredients of Botanical Scrub are Apricot kernel powder to refine the texture of the skin, the essential oil Saro sheet from Madagascar to purify and Agave sap for its moisturizing properties.

Black Friday Musings - Sales and Such

Black Friday has come and gone.  In Canada, Black Friday turns into a 4 day sale in stores and turns into a 5 day cyber sale on Monday. Canadian Retailers a couple of years back decided to have their own Black Friday sales to keep Canadians north of the border.  It has been a big hit plus in Canada the doors and sales can start Thursday night at 8pm or earlier for Black Friday sales.

Some websites for handmade items start their BF sales the week before BF, so on Monday, November 19th.  That way they can get the orders in and then send them out the last week of November.  I love handmade soaps, body scrubs and fragrances.  They don't have preservatives or sulfates in them.  Due to my severe sensitive skin these days any sulfates causes me to break out in a rash.  I snagged a Black Friday sale from ScentSations out of the Cayman Islands.  The owner of the Etsy store was having a sale already but added free shipping with orders over $25.  I was able to get twice as much since shipping to Canada is about half the cost through her site.

I also made a purchase from Yves Rocher with a $20 off $60 purchase and free shipping.  I needed a couple more stocking stuffers and some face wash.  I received my order within 3 days as they have expedited shipping.

It seems that all stores and websites were having sales that were really good.  It is hard to pick which ones to buy from.  I always pick the ones with the best prices, products, good CS and quick shipping.  If I know that 1 website will ship out within 1-2 days and has the same price as another website that ships in 4 -5 days I will purchase from the first one.  Canada Post at this time of year is slower than usual and you want to be sure that you get your stuff in the mail in time to wrap it.

One thing I don't understand is spending half the night out in the cold, standing in line so you can rush into let's say Walmart and snag some toy for 70% off.  If you watch on youtube or the news there was so nasty fights over toys.  Isn't your time worth more than $20 or even $ 100?  I would rather spend that time and aggravation in the comfort of my own home and purchase items on those companies' websites.  I wanted to purchase a new HDTV for my parents so instead of going to The Brick for 6am I purchased the same tv online at 8:40pm for the same price.  I still would of had to wait to pick it up BUT I didn't have to get up early and deal with grouchy sales people and customers.

I don't find getting in line all night and rushing in with mobs of people worth it any amount of money.  Black Friday sales aren't the only ones of the season.  People get trampled on, others get violent and get arrested if the stores have the proper security, many get pick pocketed.

Did you participate in Black Friday?  Tell us your experiences.