Bioderma Atoderm Huile de Douche

Bioderma has just introduced a number of new products to the Irish market which is always an exciting release. The one that has caught my attention is the Ultra  nourishing anti irritation shower oil. To explain why I have been drawn to this particular product I go back a few months to my little boy(1) being rushed to hospital with suspected menangitis. While thankfully the suspicions were unfounded he was still seriously ill. After a number of tests we found out he had a bacterial blood infection caused by staphylococcus bacteria. This bacteria lives on all of our skin but my little man had rubbed it into his bloodstream through a small patch of eczema under his eye. It was a truly terrifying time for us and took almost two weeks on iv antibiotics and a couple of overnights in hospital to be cleared. After that it took about 3 months for his little body and happy self to return to normal.
The skin barrier therapy patent of this oil claims to biologically prevent the binding of staphylococcus bacteria. What I understand from this is that the formula protects the skin from being attacked by this bacteria that causes flare ups in dry skin conditions. For me anything that can reduce the likelihood of this bacteria entering the bloodstream is definitely worth a try!  I started using the shower oil about a week ago to clean the little mans face and behind his knees morning and evening (where he has his eczema) and then using all over in his bath. After two days I could notice an enormous improvement in the skin on his face and had a few others comment on how much better it was looking.
I then picked up the atoderm cream and have been using that along with the oil.
I'm so impressed with how this is working. For the very first time my baby has baby soft skin not rough skin with giant red flare ups.
I've only been using it on him for a short time so I hope it continues to impress but with the science behind it's definitely one I'll keep using with my fingers crossed I never hear the word staphylococcus infection again.
I have focused on the barrier therapy part of this product but they're are also some other great points about it. It feels lovely 😊 it claims to be a non greasy oil and it really isn't , it's a pleasure to use as is the cream.
It also contains vegetable biolipids and vitamin PP which do the following.

Vegetal biolipids* soothe the feeling of tightness and increase the resistance of the skin by recreating a protective film of the skin. Vitamin PP, capable of increasing the synthesis of lipids, helps to restore the skin barrier which improves the skin's suppleness and durably restores comfort.

It can be used by anyone from 0 months to 100+ years.
It retails for €7.50 for 200ml and €15.50 for 1litre so for anyone used to buying products for eczema it's definitely on the affordable side .
Among Bioderma new releases they have a hydrobio mask. I'm hoping to get my hands on this really soon and this one will be all for me!

#not a PR sample

Beautiful Irish Brands : NIA Skincare

Hi everyone

Welcome to my new post series Beautiful Irish Brands. There is an amazing array of Irish beauty brands in the market right now and I want to put a spotlight on some of the best. I am so excited about starting this series and I hope you will love it too. Every week I will post and review a different brand starting today with nia.

Nia was founded by a lady named Celia O'Grady.The goal of nia is to create 'natural, easy and cost effective solutions that will integrate mind and spirit'.
All nia products are hand made in Limerick  and the brand believes that it is important to eliminate peoples contact with as many chemicals as possible. Following this all of the ingredients used in nia products are Natural and where possible organic. Nia balms are the first 100% Natural formula of their kind and here comes the science bit!!  they are formulated like a cream but without using water so they dont need emulsifiers, preservatives or chemicals which also gives them a longer shelf life in turn making them better value for customers :)
For my testing section of this post I have tried out some small pots of Just Balm and Intensive Restoring Facial Moisturising Balm. I have been sent these as samples and as always put a * next to them, opinions are honest and my own.

Just Balm* were told is a fragrance & steroid free moisturising balm aimed towards treating ecczema, dermatitis and psoriasis to name a few. I myself suffer from a horrible skin condition called pompholyx eczema on my hands where at any time for unknown reasons my fingers swell up and all of the skin turns scaly dry cracks and becomes very painful. When I read the info card that I got with this I knew exactly where to test this out. Im very aware of what I use on my hands because Im not sure what sparks off the eczema. I was happy enough to trial this as I am a bit of a believer in Natural things not causing as much harm as chemical filled counterparts. This balm felt more like a souffle to me It was really light and fluffy and melted into my skin. Once it is on it sits on the skin like an oil for a while before it dries. Its the type of product that you need to use when you have a little time for it to sink in  rather than applying it on the go. After a few days of trialing this It definitely gets the thumbs up from me It was very gentle and really improved the dry skin on my hands especially underneath my rings. I can imagine that this would be the perfect product to use for babies with eczema or other dry skin conditions because it is unfragranced and so gentle. I would most definitely not only purchase this for myself but also reccommend others with dry skin conditions to try this out too. 150ml retails at €12.95.

Intensive Restoring Facial Moisturising Balm* we are told this is a blend of natural butters, oils and herbs for the care of dry,sensitive and irritated skin. This balm like the Just balm is in texture more like a souffle light and fluffy.It has a very earthy smell  which is not unpleasant. The facial balm is less oily on the skin and the first time that I put it on my skin sucked it up very quickly as It was a little dehydrated oops! It says to use the balm morning and evening however after the initial day I did find It was slightly too moisturising for me during the day and so I used it as a night time treat instead. I also loved how gentle this balm was on my skin while it gave great hydration. The facial balm retails at €24.95

Nia has also got a great range of other products one especially that caught my eye was the Hot Oil Massage Candle R.R.P. €19.95. I love relaxing and de-stressing and this looks like such a fun way to do this the fact that you can relax with the aromas of the candle before your massage has me sold and this item has made its way onto my wishlist.
All of the products are available on www.nia.ie and there are a list of stockists on their website.
Well done to all at Nia for creating such a Beautiful Irish Brand.
I hope you have loved reading as always please leave a comment.
Clare x