With Sunday Riley and Kate Somerville this post is all about my luxury beauty buys from the USA. While both brands are available in the UK, they’re not the easiest to find in brick & mortar shops and the prices are eyewatering on this side of the Atlantic. (While they’re a bit more affordable at Sephora in the USA, they’re still on the higher end as far as price points go!) Yes, these purchases were splurges for me. No, I don’t use these products every day because then I’d use them up so quickly and be gutted. But here’s what I think of them, because I know that’s what you’ve come for, you clever thing you… 

Kate Somerville Clarifying Treatment Toner – This toner is designed to help decrease shininess and clarify skin without stripping or over-dying, and it’s also alcohol free. As someone with oily skin I naturally wanted to give this product a go, and I’m glad I did! When I use it in the morning and find it helps keep my skin from turning into an oil slick mid-afternoon, and I’ve found that my skin looks better when I use it for multiple days in a row. With this particular bottle design I find I tend to extract too much product because I press the pump too many times, which is the only downside for me – and also a lesson to slow down and be a bit more patient; it’s possible to go back for more, but not put product back.

Kate Somerville Nourish Daily Moisturiser – For the longest time I was going back and forth between the Nourish Daily Moisturiser and the Oil Free Moisturiser, so I put off making a purchase in November the last time I was in the USA till my most recent trip in May. While the Oil Free was designed for oily skin, and it would make sense for me to purchase, I decided to go for the Nourish with winter in mind. During winter my skin tends to struggle with dehydration from all the forced air, and when my skin is dehydrated I find it begins to produce more oil! So, I picked Nourish. And I’m pleased I did. So far I’ve been using it throughout the warm months, and my skin feels so soft and looks nicely un-oily. It also has Vitiman A and Retinyl Palmitate which are intended to soften and smooth, so hopefully my skin will still look this great in another ten years!

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Clay Cleanser – Way back when I had a consultation with Caroline Hirons she gave me a few sample sachets of Ceramic Slip which I used up within days. However, I loved how clean and fresh my skin felt, and how balanced my complexion looked after using those sachets and ever since Ceramic Slip was on my wishlist. Now it’s in my bathroom cupboard and I use it as a second cleanse in the evenings. It’s a gel-based foaming cleanser rich in Vitamin C and essential oils and it’s meant to balance the skin. It can also be used as a mask when mixed with the Sunday Riley Good Genes. I like it a lot.

Sunday Riley Good Genes – I was also introduced to this product via Caroline Hirons, and in my personal routine this is a ‘special occasions’ product. It’s a treatment to use under moisturiser, and is meant to smooth, refine, clarify and brighten while also improving skin thickness and elasticity. If I use it daily my skin looks incredible, but I try to restrict use to every few days so that I can stretch out how long this product lasts. (Also, my skin looks just fine on the days between use, so long as I’m using a more budget-friendly – though admittedly not as effective – treatment in its place.) I especially like to use it the morning after a night out, and find my skin looks much brighter than it would otherwise. It should be noted this product is not suitable for sensitive skin types. 

All in all I’m really pleased with these purchases and the results they’ve provided me. Because I haven’t been disappointed with any of these I do feel like it’s money well spent, and I’m finding myself lusting after additional luxury products!

Have you tried any of these products? Do you use any luxury beauty products? Let’s discuss in the comments section! x