Caudalie Beauty Elixir

OK,but not extrordinary,leaves your face glowing and refreshed,but that it is.
Way to expensive for what it does.

This product is cooling when sprayed on the face. I do love that about it, but what I love most is the scent. It reminds me of my Grandmother's linen closet in her bathroom. It's comforting to me. Yes, it is expensive and I admit the top of the dispenser sometimes messes up. That's why I took off points for price and packaging. I will continue to purchase this.

I am on my second (mini) bottle of this.

I love the way it makes my skin feel. It's extremely refreshing, due to the menthol. It is an excellent product to use as a toner, or a pick me up mid day.

I have to say I am disappointed with the price tag. For a tiny bottle, it's just too expensive to make this purchase frequently, so I alternate this with other botanical toning mists.

Gives my skin a pink, circulatory glow. Feels like it clarifies pores and balances skin tone.

Would definitely recommend but be sparing with application.

Saw this in the Sephora aisle near to the counter. Was around UDS15 for this bottle (I'm based in Singapore). Doesn't do much but I guess it makes my skin more matte. You can put this on before or after your foundation to prep the skin or brighten your complexion. Has a minty, bitter orange smell that I guess "wakes" you up after you spray it. Exactly the same as a mineral water spray which I have a lot of.

Love love love this product. It's my everyday beauty regime. made my sisters and mum hooked up on it too. It refreshes and rejuvenates your face. While at the same time the essential oil tighten your pores. giving a firming effect to your face. It can be used before and after makeup and kid me not, even as a quickfix moisturisers.

So I give this a 4 and I don't really know why. I'm not sure what this is supposed to do but I like it. I spray this on my face after I am done my makeup and it does remove any powdery-ness I have going on without making me look undone or oily. I also like to apply it on non makeup days at random or just when my skin feels a little dry. This does smell weird to me and I hated the scent at first but now I kind of like it. Honestly this just feels nice as a product, not sure it's doing a lot but I like having it around and using it. It's enjoyable to use and feels fancy lol. I only buy the little bottles which are still too expensive at $22cad but at least it lasts a long time. Would repurchase.

Love the new Jason Wu scent. This is my second bottle. I use it at home throughout day. I'm not even sure it has a function, except it makes me "feel" pampered. Otherwise, too much alcohol in product.

I'm addicted to this stuff. Absolutely addicted - I need a few backups on hand otherwise I feel uneasy. The first time I bought the Caudalie Beauty Elixir was at an airport duty free in a triple pack of 3 minis a couple years ago and since then, we've been inseparable. My first experience using it was awful btw: this is a floral mist and the oils naturally separate and rise to the top of the bottle. You have to give it a shake before spraying (oh and close your eyes too) otherwise you WILL end up writhing on the floor with your eyes on fire, wondering if you might end up permanently blind, and begging for the pain to stop. The fact that I actually used this again after that first experience was sort of amazing because I am a wimp, big time. Thankfully I persisted and that awful experience has never occurred since.

So two years later, I'm writing this review and I love this stuf. Yet here's the thing:....I don't actually think this does anything for my skin. I've been using it a fairly substantial amount of time now and have come to the conclusion that this neither makes my skin better or worse. The reason I love this stuff has nothing to do with its effects on my skin. I love it because it perks me up, refreshes me, clears up headaches, gives me some relief from the hot muggy tropical climate in which I live, etc. For me, this isn't a skincare product - it's more of a wellness and aromatherapy type product.

CLAIMS - (according to the Caudalie website):

"This beauty enhancing mist is the secret of the stars and make-up artists for its many benefits:
-Smooths away fine lines
-Tightens pores
-Sets make-up
-Gives a boost of radiance."

It is recommended for all skin types, for both day and night use and generally promoted as a radiance enhancer.

DOES IT DELIVER?

Okay, so running through that list, I'm going to confess I have no idea whether the first thing is true (to be fair, if this mist is the secret of the stars, how could a mere mortal like myself possibly know?). As for the next few claims, I don't have fine lines (yet) so can't assess the truth of that claim but I'm highly skeptical of topical products which claim to produce results like that.

Tightens pores: I don't believe pores open, close, tighten, loosen or generally do much of anything except sit on our faces. I see no difference in the size of my pores from using this spray.

Sets makeup: I don't use setting spray regularly but I suppose this would be fine for that. I have sprayed it over makeup in the middle of the day (to perk myself up more than anything else) and it's...fine? Doesn't really make any difference imo. When I do over powder my face or my foundation looks a little cakey, I prefer something like the Tatcha mist which has a much dewier effect and is able to get rid of powderiness.

Gives a boost of radiance: Yes! OK, radiance is subjective - I'm not saying I spritz this on and am instantly transformed into some luminous goddess radiating moonlight. But when I use this mist, I emerge feeling radiant. Really. There's something about the lemony-minty, slightly sharp, very green scent which just perks me up like nothing else. A venti double shot on ice has nothing on this. I'm not even joking - I live on a city right on the equator with 80%+ humidity and getting through the day is like being a slowly wilting flower. You just feel drained by 3pm. The Caudalie beauty elixir wakes me up and gives me that boost to get through the rest of the day without turning me into an over caffeinated monster. As for whether it makes me look radiant, well, sure - as long as I don't go overboard because then I just look like I'm dripping water.

PACKAGING: Luxe! Glass bottle with a lovely design and thankfully Caudalie has recently done something about the nozzle dispensers which now dispense a reliably fine mist instead of leaking, sealing up, etc. That was really annoying. My last 3 or 4 bottles (i buy the big sizes, it's more cost effective) have all been free of nozzle related issues. One tip: if ordering online, be aware that this is extremely fragile and the only etailer that has gotten it to me every single time without a breakage occurring has been Net-a-Porter. Buying this in person is best. As for travelling with this, well, I wouldn't carry it around in my handbag given the glass bottle and aforementioned issues. I do really love the luxury of the glass bottle but I wish the travel sizes came in more durable packaging. Hint, hint Caudalie!

BOTTOM LINE: So is this worth it? It's hard to say - for me, it's indispensable. It literally gets rid of my migraines and makes the tropical heat easier to deal with. For those of you who live in less extreme climates, this is lovely for summer. But let's be real: this is a pricey product and the lack of (evident) skincare benefits is what makes it impossible for me to give this 5 stars, even though this is one of my ultimate HG products. I think some people will love it, some will - quite reasonably - wonder why on earth it's so hyped. Basically, YMMV.

Grade: My personal grade is an A+, but I'm giving it four stars because objectively I do not think this is a true skincare miracle in a bottle. But forget skincare, this makes me feel uplifted and awake and for that reason, I'm going to be buying this forever.

INGREDIENTS : AQUA/WATER/EAU, ALCOHOL*, CITRUS AURANTIUM AMARA (BITTER ORANGE) FLOWER WATER*, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE)*, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF OIL*, POTASSIUM ALUM, GLYCERIN*, MENTHA PIPERITA (PEPPERMINT) OIL*, STYRAX TONKINENSIS RESIN EXTRACT*, COMMIPHORA MYRRHA RESIN EXTRACT*, MELISSA OFFICINALIS (BALM MINT) LEAF OIL*, ROSA DAMASCENA FLOWER OIL*, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) FRUIT EXTRACT*, TOCOPHEROL*, CITRAL*, LIMONENE*, LINALOOL*, CITRONELLOL*, GERANIOL*, FARNESOL*, BENZYL BENZOATE*, EUGENOL* (010/024) *Origine végétale - Plant origin

I'm no professional in the beauty industry but I've done my fair share of reading up on certain ingredients in skin care. First off, whether plant based or not, pure alcohol in the second ingredient in this which is a HUGE red flag to me. There are certain types of alcohol made out of fatty acids that are good for the skin but this is not that. Even if it feels nice initially (and it certainly does), overtime, it will break down the skins barrier leading to premature aging. I i wish caudalie would reformulate their skin care with NO alcohol or fragrance.

Wasn't too sure what to expect with this- when the S.A. at sephora sprayed one side of my face to set my concealer, I then went and took a walk to continue with my shopping. I noticed that the side she sprayed didn't look remotely as dry as the side without. - I went back and picked up the smaller bottle.
Fast forward to the near future and I am back to work in the hot humid weather and began using this to set my makeup! Head over heels- my face feels fantastic after using this and it works so well for me as a setting spray. Better than ubran decay which always felt a little weird and sticky.
It has definitely become part of my daily routine. However, it is ridiculously expensive - which is the only major downside.