Turns out empties are like buses you have none for ages and then about 50 come along at once. I only wrote an empties post a few weeks ago here but suddenly I have another box of empties. I suppose like most people I fly through skincare much more quickly than makeup so my skincare stash is quickly running out. Let’s take a look at my latest beauty buys heading for the bin.

La Roche Posay Serozinc - so I think this must be the seventh can of Serozinc that I’ve finished. This spray is just brilliant for cooling and soothing my easily irritated skin. I usually spray this on a cotton pad and swipe it over my face morning and evening. It’s great that you can now get this in pharmacies across Ireland and it costs €10.

La Roche Posay Hydraphase Intense Riche Moisturiser - So my love for LRP continues. I usually have at least one La Roche Posay moisturiser in my stash at any time. They have a great range that really suits my dehydrated and sensitive skin. This moisturiser provides a great shot of hydration and doesn’t feel too heavy on the skin. I also love the pump packaging on this moisturiser. This costs €23.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation - This is my staple day to day foundation and I go through a jar of this every few months. This foundation just provides great coverage, doesn’t dry out my skin and lasts a full day in work. This costs €17.79, I think it’s a great value foundation, I just wish they would put a pump on the bottle!

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads - These pads are super popular in the beauty blogging world and I did a full review of these here recently. I like these but they just aren’t strong enough for me to feel the acid exfoliating benefits. These are perfect if you’re a newbie to acid exfoliators and cost €17 for the smaller tub of 28 pads.

Ziaja Sensitive Micellar Water - I really love the Ziaja range it’s no fuss skincare that packs a punch. This micellar water is really gentle on my skin and does a great job at removing makeup. It also costs just €4.50 so won’t break the bank

Nuxe Prodigieux Le Parfum - I’m so sad that I’m finished this This is my second bottle of this perfume and I just adore it, it’s perfect for summer. I’m useless at explaining fragrances but if you like the Nuxe Prodigieux Oil then this perfume smells the exact same. It’s not the cheapest at €50 for 50ml but it just smells scrummy.

So there you have it more of my rubbish! Are there any products here that you love?

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Ziaja Micellar Waters

If you haven’t heard of polish brand Ziaja you are really missing out. They do some great value skincare. The packaging isn’t always the fanciest but the contents inside really deliver what they promise. As we all know micellar waters are the new cleanser du jour. I like to use micellar water as a pre-cleanse before I get at my skin with a balm/oil using water and a flannel.

There are a few micellar waters in the Ziaja range and I’ve tried two of them. Ziaja segment their product by different skin concerns, so there is a Rose Butter range which targets more mature/dry skin and the Sensitive range obviously aimed at us sensitive types. There are about six or seven different ranges, you can check them out here. I have both dry and sensitive skin so I thought I’d try both the Rose Butter and Sensitive ranges. There are three other micellar waters in the range Jasmine, Marine Algae and Aloe.

Both waters come in a generous 200ml bottle. The formulas are extremely gentle. My skin is easily set off by any very perfume or alcohol laden products but these contain neither. The main difference between these is the level of glycerin. Glycerin helps skin to retain moisture so there is more of this ingredient in the Rose Butter version. Both do a great job of removing makeup but you can feel the slightly more moisturising qualities of the Rose Butter one. 

These waters are bargaintastic at just €4.50 each. They’re a great daily skincare staple. Have you tried anything by Ziaja? I can also recommend their Sensitive wash and mask which I reviewed here.

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I’m a big fan of a peeling mask as I find they suit my skin really well. I don’t really like to use very scrubby type products on my skin as it’s sensitive and tends to aggravate my mild case of Rosacea. As I result I’ve developed a collection of enzyme/peeling type products to help exfoliate and brighten my skin. Here’s a round up of my favourites.

4 – Philosophy Microdelivery Peel

I think this would be my least favourite of the bunch as it does contain a scrubby element but it’s still a great treatment for smoothing and brightening skin. There’s a pot of a vitamin c enriched scrub which you apply all over your face then after a minute or so add a teaspoon of the liquid lactic acid. It’s really effective though at brightening and not to harsh on my gentle skin. This ain’t cheap though at €76! You can read my full review of it here.

3 – Ziaja Sensitive Enzyme Peeling

If you haven’t tried Ziaja where have you been! They do such good quality skincare at bargain prices. This is a cream texture fruit enzyme based mask. It contains the same papain enzyme as the Elemis one but in smaller amounts. It leaves skin feeling smooth and moisturised and costs less than a fiver! You can read my detailed review here.

2 – Ren Glycolatic Radiance Renewal Mask

This mask is a close second and mainly because I find this a bit tingly on my skin sometimes but you can really feel it working. This contains a combination of fruit enzymes in a mask that is kind of a sticky balm. This does a good job at brightening skin but also firms things up a bit. It does smell a bit funny to me though. This costs €28, you can read my full review of it here.

1- Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel

Probably no surprise that this one is my top pick, I have loved this for years! This is a cream based fruit enzyme mask that does a great job of smoothing and brightening skin but also leaves it feeling moisturised and soothed. I have a lot of red in my skin but it visibly calms down after using this mask. It’s a perfect formula for my dry and sensitive skin. It’s not especially cheap at €38 but worth every penny in my book! You can read my full review here which happens to be one of the first ever review on my little blog.

So that’s a roundup of my favourite peeling masks for brighter skin. Let me know if you have one that you love!

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Ziaja Skincare Sensitive Range

My local pharmacy has a big range of the Ziaja Skincare. It’s a Polish brand that is really affordable. The packaging is nothing fancy but that’s because they focus all their effort on the quality of the product than to the wrapping. Their ethos is ‘focus on skin’ which is what you really want from a skincare brand.

The Sensitive range does what it says on the tin, it is formulated for sensitive skin types. The range contains no perfume, mineral oils or silicones. I have skin that is easily irritated so this range is right up my street.

I decided to buy the Sensitive Enzyme Peeling as I had seen rave reviews from some fellow bloggers. I’m a huge fan of the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel and I was hoping this might be a budget dupe. I love enzyme masks and cleansers as its a way for me to smooth my skin without using a scrub which can irritate my skin. The Ziaja peel contains the same Papaya enzyme extract (Papain) as the Elemis product so the products are quite similar.

The mask does a great job at dissolving dead skin cells in just 10 minutes. This caused no irritation to my skin but it really helped calm and soothe my skin. It’s not quite as soothing as the Elemis peel but I could live with that as this is a good €35 cheaper at €4.99!

Ziaja Enzyme Peeling Ingredients

The second product I bought is the Creamy Wash Gel for Face and Body. I mainly bought this because I really love products with a pump for the shower and also thought it would be handy as you can use it on face and body. This is a really gentle cleanser that causes no irritation on my face at all, it’s a perfect everyday cleanser. This reminded me of the popular Cetaphil cleanser, it does exactly the same job but is a lot cheaper at just €4.99 for a generous 400mls. This is one I’ll definitely be buying again.

Have you tried anything from the Ziaja Skincare range? Let me know if you have any other recommendations.

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