In the last 6 months I have been trying all sorts of skincare products!  I have, whilst trying new products, completely revamped my skincare routine.  (If you want to know more about my current routines see Skincare Revisited – Morning Routine & Skincare Revisited – Evening Routine)

November last year, I was given a set of skincare products by a friend of mine for my birthday!  All four of these products I decided I would try together rather than pick out one thing to try………I was trying and testing quite a few other products so these were put into my draw of things to try.  Fast forward to this week!  In layering my skincare I use a few different products, some every night, some every other night, and some once a week.  The Ordinary’s Advanced Retinoid is a product that I tend to use every other night, not that I have any reaction to using it every night, I have just chosen to make that something that I alternate with my Estee Lauder Advanced Night repair (totally different products but I don’t want to overload my skin every night!!).

Having read that some people like to use an oil over the Advanced Retinoid, I thought I would perhaps try The Ordinary Cold Pressed Rosehip Oil (which I will be doing soon I hope!) however this was out of stock online.  Remembering that I had a Waitrose Pure facial oil in my draw that I hadn’t opened, I thought I would revisit this little package of skincare goodies!

I actually decided to try the Face Cream first.  I am quite fussy with moisturisers but am happy to use heavier ones at night given I won’t be applying makeup in my sleep….well at least I hope I don’t!!  After applying my usual layers of evening skincare, I applied a small amount of the face cream.    It contains Shea Butter and Vitamin E which are extremely hydrating but those ingredients, I would personally expect quite a thick consistency.  I was amazed at just how lightweight this cream is!  I really wasn’t expecting it to be!  It absorbs really well and although I have only used it at night, it is something that I would be tempted to try during the day without fear of it interfering with makeup as my skin felt super soft.   When I first read the ingredients I did my usual little freakout at the word alcohol but after researching, was interested to learn that ‘Cetearyl Alcohol’ is actually a fatty alcohol and is used as an emollient.  It is completely different to other forms of alcohol used in products which can irritate the skin.

The Facial Oil was the next one that I tried, again on the top of my Advanced Retinoid.  I wasn’t expecting this oil to do much given it is quite thin in comparison to a traditional oil, almost watery.  That said, I applied it…it sat on my skin as most oils do, not sinking in quickly, but I wouldn’t expect that from an oil anyway.   What I also didn’t expect was to wake up to find my skin feeling soft and non-greasy!  Some products that I use do leave my skin feeling a little greasy the next day, but I am happy with that as the first thing I do is cleanse my skin (hopefully you do too!!  😛 ).  My skin felt calm and hydrated.

If you have read my recent skincare posts, you will know that I moved away from ‘foaming’ cleansers and moved towards oil based cleansers.  The difference in my skin has been amazing and I have to say I am really enjoying using oils.  That said I really wanted to review this range as a package so I tried the Cleansing Wash.   The clear gel-like cleanser foams up to a lather with water….which I then removed with a face cloth but felt the need to also rinse with a splash of water (I don’t do this with my oil cleansers).  I have to admit, my skin felt incredibly clean, smooth and soft after just one use of this.  If you are a fan of squeaky clean foaming cleansing, you’ll probably love this product.  I have moved away from these cleansers as despite feeling my skin is clean, during the winter especially, this type of cleanser leaves my skin tight and slightly dry.  I will admit however, I found this to be not as drying as I have found with other foaming cleansers!   I just have my preference elsewhere for daily cleansing and have found it to be better for my skin.

The Eye Gel is the one product that I tried a few times not liking it but this was purely because I was applying it far too close to my eye.  I am used to a cream texture which doesn’t move much further than where I apply it, but being a gel, these products do so should only be applied around the orbital bone.  That said, this eye gel does contain menthol so as far as being suitable for sensitive skin, I wouldn’t like to comment.  Applying it in the correct part of my eye area, I found this gel to be very refreshing and today I was suffering from a migraine so actually found the menthol to be quite pleasant!!

Overall view

The price range of these products is ridiculously affordable and many people don’t even realise that this range exists.  I am assuming that Waitrose are altering their range as the Oil, Cream and eye gel are currently just 50p!!  The face wash is still £2 so this range may be basic but is a total bargain.  There are many products that I have used over the years that I would never use again but I have paid a stupid amount for…these are extremely affordable and are quite lovely to use.  I won’t say that I will replace my routine at this stage but that is based on the fact that I love my current products but I would happily recommend these, especially if you’re on a budget.  The face cream and oil are the two I would recommend the most. Just to note also, the new day cream and night cream that I found on the Waitrose website are £3 each, just to give you an idea of how affordable this range is.

Have you ever tried this range?  What did you think?

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments box below or on my facebook page. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook….links below🙂

Facebook……….Twitter……….Instagram