If there’s anything I’ve learned via having a jet setting li’l sis who now lives between Lille and St. Tropez, it is this: If you are glamorous and French, you will most definitely have Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse multi-use dry oil sitting in your bathroom cabinet. That and that it’s super rude to drink from a can and only troglodytes put Tabasco on their oysters. (For the record, I’m a very merry cavewoman.)

Anyway, I was thrilled to receive a little hamper of NUXE goodies the other day. While the brand prides itself on being made up of almost 80% natural ingredients, I mostly love the fact that they’re oh so ‘European’. They’re definitely one of my ‘Frenchie favourites’ along with Bioderma (Sensibio is the best eye make-up remover on the planet), Clarins (Liquid Bronze is the best facial self-tanner I’ve ever used), Bourjois and La Roche-Posay who do a great retinol cream, Redermic R.

Of everything I got to try, I most enjoyed using NUXE’s Aroma-Perfection Unclogging Thermo-Active Mask for combination and oily skin (R195).

I applied it to damp skin and it heated up on contact which feels lovely but sadly doesn’t last too long. I then move the scrub around my face with my fingers to make use of the exfoliating beads and then leave it on for a few minutes to soak up my oilies.

What’s nice about this mask is that it’s got an almost crème-oil texture despite being packed with oil-absorbing kaolin so, afterwards when you wash it off, your skin is left feeling clean and matte-looking, but not dry or tight thanks to the oil. I even did a test by applying it to the back of one hand and not the other and my flat mate could easily tell which one felt softer without having to deliberate. Nice!

Oh! And I also adore the scent, a soft, nutty-floral scent because, if I close my eyes, it conjures up the feeling of a ‘warm, fluffy towels in a darkened room at a very cosy spa’. From a sensory perspective, this is where you want your pamperlicious treatment goodies to take you.

Another goodie? NUXE Nuxellence Jeunesse Youth and Radiance revealing fluid (R490).

NUXE’s fluid can be applied before any other serums you’re using and, if your skin is oily or combination like mine, it can replace your daily moisturiser. To see the benefits, however, NUXE reckon you should use it at least once a day, be it morning or night.

NUXE’s fluid makes several promises, the biggest being that it contains botanical extracts like passion flower and poppy petals that, they reckon, can help repair and protect your skin’s mitochondrial DNA. (Mitochrondria are the energy cells of your skin and if they’re kept in top nick they’ll assist your skin in performing tasks like renewal and what not at its best.)

It also claims to help reduce the appearance of fine lines thanks to moisture-boosting hyaluronic acid and several more botanicals; even out your complexion with cocoa cells and olive leaves and boost circulation with maca root.

I haven’t been using it long enough to see any beauty benefits but I like its soft, floral scent and light crème-gel texture that hydrates my combination skin to perfection without riling up my oilies. I’ve been using it as my daily moisturiser, on top of a RoC retinol serum and under a Bioderma SPF 50 sunscreen and everyone’s been playing quite nicely together.

Last but not least, if you’re looking for a lovely new nourisher, consider NUXE’s mineral oil-free Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing lip balm (R130).

I know it’s intended for your lips but I’m currently stuck on Blistex DCT for that as it contains AHAs to sizzle off any flaky bits. NUXE, however, has been living next to my bed and taking perfect care of my cuticles which I now can’t stop sniffing thanks to its fab honey and grapefruit scent. If you’re looking for stocking fillers, keep this baby in mind.

Anyway, if you’re looking for NUXE goodies, know that they’re no longer being stocked by Edgars and are now sitting in selected Truworths stores across the country.

Now tell me, are you one of the zillions of women across the globe with a NUXE dry oil in her bathroom cabinet?

Love, love

Leigh