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Tried & Tested: The Ultra Fine Hydrating Mist

by Victoria Williams ,
Tried & Tested: The Ultra Fine Hydrating Mist

Cleanse, tone and moisturise - the three steps hammered into us as teens with the promise they'll bless you with a life of flawless, youthful skin. Flash forward 10 years and things aren't so simple. Now on top of the basic, twice-daily routine we have to think about primers, serums, masks, oils, essences, acids...the list is never ending. The latest skincare essential on our summer radar is hydrating sprays. We put the Milky Hydrating Lotion from French skincare brand IXXI to the test!

Summary
  1. · Lareese - Editor
  2. · Victoria - Community & Product Reviews Manager
  3. · Helen - Social Media Editor
  4. · Pascale Day - Staff Writer

Lareese - Editor

Is there a branch of OCD that whereby you have attachment issues with face mists? If so, I have it. I have obsessive compulsive misting. I would mist all day if I could. Long haul flight? No problem. Polluted city air? You're going down. Pizza sweats? Be scared.

Nothing gives my skin an instant hydration fix quite like a facial mist so you can see why I was all over IXXI's offering. Their Milky Hydrating Lotion is great for giving clean, cleansed skin that extra moisture hit and unlike other formulas, there's no danger of taking your eye out thanks to its gentle spray-bottle top. Which means, you can spritz away as much as you like - go cray-zay. Also, you know you're onto a good thing if Parisian gals are loving it, right?

Priced at £15 it's not the cheapest product ever and I'd say it's not something that you'd necessarily need to have in your skincare routine if you're already using an effective daily moisturiser. That said, evening primrose, acacia honey and pine water make for one refreshing spritz, so even if it is for pure indulgence and wellbeing, it's bound to make your skin pretty darn happy.

Victoria - Community & Product Reviews Manager

It was only recently I learnt there was an actual difference between dry and dehydrated skin. Apparently the reason that my foundation disappears from my face and appears patchy by lunchtime isn't because I'm a giant greaseball but because my skin is so dehydrated that it's taking in all the moisture from my makeup in an attempt to rehydrate itself. Pretty grim, right? This discovery had led to me looking for any attempt to reintroduce hydration to my skin and trying just about any product that promises to do so.

The idea with IXXI's Milky Hydrating Lotion is to spritz it onto your face post-cleanse and pre-anything else you want to layer on top, morning and night. In the bottle the liquid looks like a milky water rather than a lotion and when sprayed it appears like you have spritzed your face with water. Unlike some other hydrating sprays I've tried this one didn't just seem to just vanish in to thin air when sprayed. Once dry my skin felt amazingly smooth and soft. If you have dry skin or also think your skin might be dehydrated like mine I would definitely consider adding this super quick and easy step in to you skincare boost for an added boost of hydration.

Helen - Social Media Editor

I can't say I lead by example when it comes to the upkeep of my skin. Don't get me wrong, I do cleanse, tone and moisturise twice a day but I often slack off on the once-a-week exfoliation which could be why my skin isn't in the best condition right now. Added to my chronic laziness is the fact the soFem office is located in Central London and I dread to think what microscopic nasties are wreaking havoc with my precious pores - it's unnerving enough that a once over with a makeup wipe at night reveals a grey layer. Gross.

Anyway, after recently reading about the rise of pollution-protection products, I was keen to try IXXI's Milky Hydrating lotion to the test. The packaging instructs you to spray it on your face and neck after cleansing to instantly replenish moisture levels which can only be a good thing when your skin is forced to battle against elements such as stuffy tube carriages, office air-conditioning and the UK's sixth highest level of air pollution every day. While the product felt light on my skin and left it feeling baby-soft, I'm not sure it's an entirely necessary item. That said, I plan to use it for the next month or so to see if it does have a long-term effect on my skin.

Pascale Day - Staff Writer

I have to admit, the word milky doesn't particularly entice me into buying a product. I'm not too sure if I want anything milky on my face, not in this heat thank you very much. But - praise the lord - this isn't like slathering your face with a yoghurt and then heading out into the midday sun. This milky hydrating lotion is ultra fine and provides a refreshing burst to your mug in the morning before you put on your makeup. Now summer is finally here, and we need all the help we can get when it comes to keeping our skin in check, so a little spritz of acacia honey and primrose extract before bed is going to go down a treat.

We will be giving 20 Milky Hydrating Lotions to give away this week on Experts Club

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Victoria Williams
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