Caudalie Beauty Elixir & why skincare is such a personal matter

One of the most raved about skincare items in the beauty world is the Beauty Elixir by Caudalie. Everyone and their mother owns and loves this, in fact I doubt I've heard or read a bad or even mixed review on it, apart perhaps in regards to its scent.

Now, to be fair, this won't be a bad review per se - it's just that to me, this isn't the be all and end all of facial mists. Allow me to elaborate:


I have very, very difficult skin. It's quite dry overall, with an oilier t-zone, very acne prone (a remnant of my teenage years, still) and slightly sensitive, in the sense that some skincare items will cause a tingly feeling on my skin and that a splash of cold water in the morning will often cause redness. At this point, I think you'll agree that I don't have it easy and that coming up with a skincare routine that addresses all those needs (and then some) isn't exactly an easy feat.

Having said that, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I tend to be very picky with skincare items, and highly unlikely to be instantly wowed by any. Unfortunately, the Caudalie Beauty Elixir does fall in that same category for me, despite me expecting to fall in love with it.

Basically, what this product is, is a mixture of essential oils in plant-derived alcohol. The whole concept behind this product is pretty noteworthy, in that the carefully chosen ingredients are meant to moisturise and pack your skin with antioxidants, and for that, I give it an A. It truly does moisturise my skin, and it does waken it up, giving it a radiant effect, but it's not at all soothing on me. If I'm too dry, I do feel that tingliness/numbness that I mentioned, and, also, in the areas where I'm broken out or have subsiding pimples, this doesn't help at all - on the contrary, it seems to aggravate them a bit. I've also had a breakout on my forehead recently, an area that doesn't often break out, and while I'm not 100% sure that this is the cause of it, it surely hasn't helped either. As for the scent, which has divided many, it's quite strong and minty, which I like, though I can see why most people that dislike medicinal scents would hate it.

Here's the full ingredients' list, sans all those nasty chemicals:


Bottom line: greatly designed product, unfortunately not for me. I know I'll be sticking to the thermal spring water sprays by the likes of La Roche-Posay and Vichy, which manage to both moisturise and soothe my (**** - of - a) skin.

How about you? Have you tried Beauty Elixir?
And have you tried any popular skincare products that just wont work for you?




What's your opinion?

  1. Hmm, that's interesting... I didn't expect it to contain alcohol- though I guess it's not as prominent as in, say, the Clinique Clairying Lotion. I also believe that too much of essential oils in one product can potentially cause irritation, perhaps this is to blame for your forehead breakout. Now I know I can skip the Beauty Elixir, no regrets ;)

    Well written review huni!

    xx

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    1. @Εvi: Yes, I think that the mix, as refreshing as it sounds, is probably a little too much for my skin!
      Many thanks doll and glad you found it helpful (or... shall I say your pocket, haha)! xxx

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  2. i smelled it several time in store, but i don't love the scent enough to shell out the $$ for it... :) maybe it's not for me either~

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    1. @Jacq H: Yes, I can see this not being a universally pleasing scent, however the minty-ness is refreshing, and most people get used to it after a while. I'd just wish for a slightly gentler formula, so that it could work for sensitive skins too! x

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