Hey there pals!Today's post is a little bit of skincare and a little bit of travel combined. As you'll know if you've read my blog, or followed my Instagram (or... read my diary) for a while, La Mer's been a long-term favourite of mine. The first time I was introduced to their products was when I was 12 and my Mum was given a tub of the Creme de la Mer cream as a gift for her 40th (please no one use that to work out what age my Mum is or she'll have my death warrant issued instantly) and it became known as 'that special tub on the shelf that we could look at but not touch', and long after the cream was finished that tub remained there as a little ornament. Fast forward a good few years and I started to use La Mer myself; I've been lucky enough to try out a range of their products over the years and started to understand for myself why that ornamental tub - capitalised for dramatic effect - was so special. I've genuinely yet to meet a La Mer product I don't like. I remember chatting with one of the lovely PR's a few years ago at an event and she said the question she gets asked most is, 'is it actually worth the price tag?' to which her response is always, 'try it and you can let me know'. Because it totally is! They really do know their stuff those La Mer geniuses. The products I tend to use most are the Creme de la Mer cream, the soft cream, the treatment lotion, the eye concentrate and, more recently, the concentrate. 'But what is the concentrate?', I hear you ask. It's a magical* restorative treatment that's infused with a concentrated form of Miracle Broth and is aimed to gently calm inflammation and to sooth and stabilize dry, irritated or inflamed skin.
*Technically it's not actually magic but if you told me it was created at Hogwarts.. I wouldn't be surprised
If you're a frequent traveller then this product is a great one for you! Here's why it's a good one to have in your arsenal:
- It's lovely to use mid-flight when your skin is having its scheduled help-me-I-need-hydration meltdown. Give your face a good cleanse and then apply the concentrate before you apply your moisturiser - if you're in need of an extra hydration boost, use a few wee drops of the renewal oil in between the concentrate and your moisturiser to seal it all in!
- It's specifically designed for fragile skin and to soothe irritation so is a lovely one if your skin's in need of a little bit of TLC after a day in the sun, of frolicking in the sea or even after a day in the snow. Any extreme weather conditions, really. If you're a little bit sunburnt (it happens, don't worry, we're all friends here) then this is lovely and soothing to use; both the redness and the tightness that you usually wake up with the next day are minimised massively.
- Aircon. Good god, it's hard to sleep without it but it really ravages your skin doesn't it. This again will provide a nice barrier for your skin and restore it to its normal healthy self.
- Again on the the travelling front, a tiny little bit works wonders on an insect bite! I used it on a mosquito bite in Cuba and it really calmed it overnight (let's also not ignore the small miracle that I managed to escape with only one mosquito bite, a proud first for Amy)
When it comes to how to use it, it should slip very seamlessly into your skincare routine. I just pop it onto a clean face before applying a gentle moisturiser (again, the soft moisturiser is lovely to use after it) and Bob's your Uncle! It has a lovely, almost medicinal smell to it - you know the lovely aromatherapy smells that usually accompany a facial that let you know a product's going to do all the good stuff to you before it's even on your face? That - and leaves your skin feeling soft and silky, yet stronger and more resilient at the same time. It is, of course, a wee bit pricier than your usual skincare product so it's entirely up to you how you use it, but the glorious thing about it is that a little bit really does go a long way. You can incorporate it into your usual day to day routine as a serum if you feel you need it, or you can save it for when your skin is in need of a little bit extra TLC.
Whilst I can't vouch for them myself, I just wanted to add in a few testimonials I've seen online when I've been reading up about it. I've read that it helps with discolouration, acne scarring, rashes and dry, flaky skin. I also remember reading that Caroline Hiron's Mum uses it if she's in the midst of a lupus flareup (Caroline's my walking, talking, breathing skincare bible so I'm forever reading up about products on her blog before I take the plunge). Everyone's skin is different and, like I say, I can't vouch for any of these myself but I just wanted to share them in case anyone themself is suffering from these and wanted to keep it in mind.
I hope that helped for those of you who are curious about it! If you'd like to try a little bit and see what all the fuss is about, pop past your nearest La Mer counter - which you can also find in most airports - and you can try a little bit on the back of your hand to get a good feel for it!
Amy
I hope that helped for those of you who are curious about it! If you'd like to try a little bit and see what all the fuss is about, pop past your nearest La Mer counter - which you can also find in most airports - and you can try a little bit on the back of your hand to get a good feel for it!
Amy
Post in collaboration with La Mer
