My Favorite Things: Avène Skincare Products
Today’s favorite things is Avène Skincare Products which helps keep my sensitive skin fresh, clean, and acne free. Learn a little about this French company’s history and find out about the products that help me put my best face forward every day.
Brief History
Avène skin care traces its routes back to 1736 in a small town in the southwest of France called Avène. It was known for its spring called Saint Odille. According to its history, the Marquis of Rocozels had let loose a sick horse suffering from a skin disease and the horse came back to him healed after rolling around in Saint Odille’s spring water. After discovering the spring’s healing affects, the Marquis set up a facility in 1743 to help people suffering from skin ailments.
The reputation of the springs spread all over the world. Spring water was sent to victims of Chicago’s great fire in 1871 and in 1966 the French medical security system began reimbursing hydrotherapy victims who sought treatment at the springs.
In 1975 and beyond, Pierre Fabre Laboratories purchased the springs and built a state of the art hydrotherapy center and began producing a line of skin care products containing water from the springs. Today, the hydrotherapy center accommodates up to 4,000 patients.
My favorite products:
Cleanance Gel
When I asked my general physician about dealing with the acne that comes during the ebb and flow of my monthly visit, my doctor recommended a soapless cleanser that wouldn’t dry my skin and damage it with harsh chemicals. She sent me to my pharmacist who recommended Eau Thermale Avène Cleanance face washing gel.
The Cleanance gel is gentle enough to use twice a day and leaves the skin feeling clean, but not tight. The cleanser is not a makeup remover, but it does remove foundation and lipstick. I recommend using a gentle eye makeup remover before as the Cleanance gel is not strong enough to remove waterproof mascara and eye liner.
The smell is light and clean and the gel produces a nice foam without having to use more than a dime sized amount for each wash. Priced around 10€, the Cleanance gel is highly affordable and lasts for months. The Cleanance Gel is great for men, too, as the Mr. enjoys using it daily.
Clean-Ac
When I went to a dermotologist last year to address my occassional acne, I was prescribed a treatment that literally burned my skin and left burn marks for weeks. When I spoke with my general physician, she prescribed another type of treatment called Rozex, and advised using a daily over the counter cream for blemish-prone and sensitive skin like mine.
When I went to the parapharmacy, otherwise known as a drug store, the parapharmacist recommended Avène’s Clean-Ac. Once more, the cream is light and smells clean and a little goes a long way to treating acne without any harsh side effects. The cream actually leaves my skin feeling smooth and healthy, moisturized, but not oily and goes well under foundation.
Couvrance – Correcteur De Teint / Compact Foundation Cream
Because I have genetically dark under eyes it’s tough to find a color that won’t make them stand out even more without piling on layers of makeup. A professional makeup artist for burn victims advised that since my undereyes have a grey tint, I would have to find a non-yellow based foundation that would offset the grey. This challenge was even tougher than I thought.
A year after moving to France, I wandered into my local drugstore and asked to sample different types of coverups. When I explained my condition, the parapharmacist immediately recommended Couvrance which is an affordable medical foundation with SPF 30. The tints are porcelain, beige, honey, and natural and each come with a choice of formula for oily skin or dry skin. The coverup is great for those with sensitive skin after surgical procedures and those with dermatological skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, rosacea, vitiligo, and burns.
I was so happy to find a coverup that wasn’t drying or oily and that matched my skin tone perfectly. Application is light, easy and quick and it also provides sun protection. What I like about this foundation is that it’s sweat and water resistant, fragrance and preservative free, and hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic. Couvrance is perfect for ladies and busy mothers who don’t like to spend more than five minutes applying makeup and want the appearance of naturally even skin and the feeling of having nothing on.
Priced at around 16€, Couvrance is extremely affordable and provides incredible results. However Americans, take note that Couvrance is found at a physician/dermatologist’s office in the U.S. and I’m unsure of its corresponding price. An alternative over the counter SPF 50 version retails around $30.
For more information visit: http://www.aveneusa.com/
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