Empty Bottle Review: Biologique Recherche Emulsion Gel Biosensible S.R.

I have been lucky enough (or unlucky if you ask my husband) to do some amazing beauty shopping during my travels this past year. I’m working on putting together some roundups of my shopping destinations from England, Croatia and the Netherlands so stay tuned for those! One such too damn expensive magical experience happened in the legendary beauty department at Liberty London, where I was final able to snag a bottle of Emulsion Gel Biosensible S.R. from my favorite brand, Biologique Recherche.

As soon as the woman behind the counter put some on my hand and I saw how quickly it absorbed, I knew I had to have it. This moisturizer is for oily skin (S.R. = Seum Regulating) so it has a texture that is lighter than a cream but not sticky at all. I ignored the exchange rate, declared it a souvenir and had her wrap it up, all the while convincing another woman at the BR counter she needed everything they had recommended for her. Where’s my commission check?

As soon as I got it home, I worked it into my daily routine. Following my cleansing and toning in the morning, I applied my two main serums and followed it with Emulsion Gel Biosensible S.R. But here’s where I went wrong…

I added another moisturizer on top of it.

I’ve heard over and over how oily skin is the most dry and you need to add more hydration to help balance it. While I don’t totally disagree with this, I learned you can go overboard. My skin was feeling oilier and my makeup was practically sliding off. I thought it could take the place of a hyaluronic serum but I was wrong. This was not the feeling I had expected. I didn’t break out, but I had definitely tipped into the overdoing it category.

So, I remembered what Coco Chanel said and I took one thing off before leaving the house (she was totally talking about skincare, right?). Once I did, I started to notice the benefit of the product. My skin was smooth, hydrated and looked even. No redness or tightness and no acne. I wouldn’t call my skin sensitive by any means but I can see how soothing this would feel to anyone with tightness or inflammation. It was almost the most pleasant smelling BR product I’ve tried.

The one bottle did last me almost six months, applying just a pea-size amount per day, but I will probably save it for a special occasion before purchasing again. I personally would rather spend more on a night cream that my skin has all night to reap the benefits of, without competing with makeup and pollution.

But if you’re looking for something light — and certainly luxe — and know how to follow instructions, you won’t be disappointed.

See what else I’ve used up here.