Brand Alert: Dr Nick Lowe Skincare

If you follow me on twitter you're probably bored of hearing about the endless 'Dr Nick Lowe is amazing', 'I love the Dr Nick Lowe range' tweets so after 10 weeks of treatment at Dr Lowe's Cranley Clinic I felt it was about time to get down to the nitty gritty and give you a heads up on the brand. 

As well as having a clinic in London Dr Nick Lowe also has a range of affordable skincare that can be found in Boots. There are four ranges which are the Anti Blemish Range, Anti Age Range, Skin Solutions Range and Secret Is Out Range. There was one reason this brand appealed to me before I had even been to see Dr Lowe at the Cranley Clinic, I really liked the idea of a Doctors brand especially one that I  had seen some very impressive results on a couple of my friends in a short space of time.

The products I've been using is mainly from the Anti Blemish and Anti Age Range but here are the ones that stood out to me were...

- The Oil Control Day Cream (£15.31) a bit thicker than the creams I'm used to but it was hydrating as well as helping control blemishes. Full review here

- Hydrating Foaming Cleanser (£10.20) a white foam that can be used all over the face. It does leave that tight feeling on the skin but that can always be counteracted with a moisturiser. Even if I wasn't wearing makeup during the day I still felt as though it was removing all the grime

- Spot Gel (£9.18) I was seriously impressed with this after trying out soo many! Make sure to use up to four times a day and can also be applied over makeup       Full review here

- Sebum Control Cleanser (£10.80) I thought of this as more of a toner as I would just dab some onto a cotton pad and wipe over my t-zone after using the Hydrating Foaming Cleanser

Being such an affordable range with fuss free simple products I've noticed I'm not the only one obsessed with the range. Recently it seems everyone I know has something from Dr Lowe in their bathroom cabinet! One of my friends actually called herself a 'face cream stalker' the other day for the extreme lengths she took searching multiple Boots stores around London to find the Oil Control Day Cream!

It's certainly proved to be very popular even though I am quite fickle with my skincare and don't stick to one brand Dr Nick Lowe is the brand thats taking up the majority of my routine. I have had a noticeable difference in the appearance of skin but this could also be due to treatments with Dr Lowe at the Cranley Clinic in conjunction with all his products!

Overall I think the range is definitely worth giving a go especially if you've got troublesome skin! Have you tried anything from the Dr Nick Lowe range?

Skincare Disclaimer: Skincare products are very personal. Remember that what works on my skin may not work on yours. For reference my skin type is combination.

Loves Of The Month: May

I've discovered and rediscovered so many great items this month! So I'll talk briefly about each one I've been loving...

Firstly I know it's a bit over dramatic to say a hair mask has changed your life but that's the love I'm feeling for Fekkai Advanced Technician Colour Care Mask - works in three minutes and leaves hair SO soft and manageable, smelling amazing and prolongs colour! Full review here

Chanel Summer 2012 Collection Nail Polish in 617 Holiday & 607 Delight. I love these colours they are the perfect combination for summer, especially putting Delight on my ring fingers! You can see the whole Chanel range here

L'Occitane Almond Range - Using the body oil and shower gel have really made me a happy bunny this month, both smell divine, leave my skin so hydrated, smooth and moisturised! Read more here 

As it's exam time I've had a fair few blemishes due to stress so out come the stop zappers! I've discovered two great ones, Aesop Chamomile Concentrate Anti Blemish Mask which I just pop over the blemish overnight and during the day I apply Dr Nick Lowe Spot Gel four times (and even over makeup!) full post here

As well as blemish stress exam time brings about dry lips for me too! I've rediscovered my Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm which I apply before bed and it's still on my lips the next morning! Smells lovely too...you can read a more in-depth review here

Something that has made changing polish a lot easier, the Bourjois 1 Second Nail Polish Remover which is a pot of sponge infused nail polish remover. Just swish your finger around the hole in the sponge and your polish comes off! This isn't a new invention but compared to others it isn't so drying and leaves nails really moisturised, also smells lovely.

In this heat my bottom lash mascara tends to slide around and transfer onto my skin but not anymore thanks to Anastasia Lash Genius which is basically a coat of clear mascara that makes it waterproof! See how here

The eyeshadow I've been reaching for most is Burberry Pale Barley Sheer Eyeshadow which is the most gorgeous colour ever! I'm totally obsessed with Burberry eyeshadows, they are really blendable, very well colour pigmented and so creamy!

I've tried out a couple of new fake tans this month and all they did was remind my how much I love my Xen Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe and I should not have strayed from it! They others just didn't compare! Full post all about it here

After recently recommending Oribe Dry Texturising Spray to a friend and getting her addicted to it too my love for it was reinforced! Its literally like backcombing in a bottle...perfect for girls with heavy hair that want some volume! Trish McEvoy told me it was her hair volume secret a couple of months ago too!  Full post about here

An entire range I love... the Guerlain and Pucci Collaboration! Some of the most beautifully packaged bronzers I've ever seem! As well as amazing products including a blue lipgloss. This is definitely going to sell out soon! Full post about the range here

The Only Spot Gel For Me...

When it comes to spot treatment gels I've never found one I love, or even like for that matter. None of them seem to help in the reducing of redness or size, so after many trial and errors of many products I gave up. I've recently seen Dr Nick Lowe at his Cranley Clinic in London (more on that later!) for a number of treatments and skin related help. When he recommended I try his Spot Gel I had already made up my mind that it wouldn't work. He continued to recommend that I use his up to four times a day (who knew?) and even over makeup!

In the above picture are 9 over the counter spot treatments I have tried and failed, 10 if you include Origins Super Spot Remover which my friend took possession of. Others include Soap & Glory, which actually gave me a skin irritation, Clinique, Dermalogica and La Roche Rosay. I'm not sure why none of them worked, maybe because I wasn't applying them four times daily (even though the instructions didn't  suggest doing so). So as I was working one day, sceptically applying Dr Nick Lowe Spot Gel four times, I really wasn't expecting anything at all. By the evening my little face friend had drastically reduced to the point where it was hardly noticeable! I've continued to use Dr Nick Lowe Spot Gel religiously since then whenever I spy a little lurker appearing to help keep everything at bay. I love the great size too, I even bought an extra one to keep in my handbag for emergencies! 

In terms of applying it over makeup, I didn't seem to ruin foundation or concealer but it did seem to ruin blush as there was a little patch where I applied the gel. It's great to know that I can apply this on top of makeup during those days on the go where I can't be hibernating at home constantly reapplying spot gel. I think the trick to combat little face friends is to apply the gel as early on as possible.  Having treatments with Dr Nick Lowe at the Cranley Clinic and I haven't had much need for the Spot Gel recently but it's just nice to know should that situation occur I have back up options!

Tenth time lucky I guess      


Dr Nick Lowe Spot Gel is available on his site here or at Boots here for £9.18

Skincare Disclaimer: Skincare products are very personal. Remember that what works on my skin may not work on yours. For reference my skin type is combination.