SMS (Save My Skin)

It's been a stressful few months recently (which is my excuse for the lack of blogging!) and it has begun to really reflect on my skin. I find myself rubbing at my face all day in work with the result that by lunch time I look more mismatched than a patchwork quilt. Added to the fingerprint smudges, my face is also becoming more drier which accentuates the whole dishevelled look that personally, I'm not really a fan of. The other day I decided something had to give before my coworkers start thinking that I'm coming in following a 9 hour bender so I decided to ditch the powder and find myself some new basics.


No7 Instant Illusions Radiance Balm

As my regulars may know,  I have been an avid fan and supporter of Smashbox's hydrating primer for a number of years (see this post for details) but as a treat for myself over Easter weekend I decided to branch out and trial something different so I opted for No7 Instant Illusions Radiance Balm.


My only criticism of the Smashbox primer was that it was a little watery, which I felt may be contributing to the patchiness - especially given the rush in which my makeup gets done some mornings mean I don't always give it the drying time it deserves. The No7 balm is slightly thicker with the texture of a moisturiser and has a lovely glow to it. After 30 seconds the face feels almost smooth and prepped for foundation.




Smashbox Studio Skin foundation

The decision to change my foundation (I have regularly used Dior Forever for a couple of years now) was based on a desire to find something more long-lasting in an effort to ditch the patchy/dryness I have been experiencing. After browsing some reviews and chatting to a few fellow bloggers I decided to try out Smashbox's Studio Skin foundation. This won based on the fact it claims to last for 15 hours and, mainly, because it is an oil free formula. I mentioned above that I had already decided to ditch powder as when this mixes with certain foundations that do contain oil the result is cake looking makeup - however given that my bronzer and blushes are powder based I thought it wouldn't hurt!

True to it's description this has to be one of the most hardworking foundations I've tried for a while. The formula is again, quite thick but it doesn't actually feel heavy on the skin to my pleasant surprise. With the Dior foundation, I applied this with a stippling brush however the bristles on my small Mac tool are not dense enough for the Smashbox to work efficiently and so I have reverted to using a more traditional flat foundation brush (I think sponges would also give a really nice finish). In terms of coverage just look at the before and after pictures below! This is purely the foundation - no concealer or powder have been applied.

I applied the Smashbox over my new primer at 7am, and at 9pm my skin looked just as good as when I had left the house which was a massive massive plus - it's rare to find a product that lives up to it's claims especially when trialled by a serial fidget!

All in all, my experiment wasn't very scientific in that I don't know whether it was the primer, foundation or lack of powder that has revitalised my makeup but I'm certainly very pleased with the change! Whether the foundation continues to please will depend upon its performance when summer arrives, I fear it might be a bit thick for hot summer sun but I would definitely consider it again in the summer.

Definitely a good find!
Carly x

The latest innovation from Japan

I'm a sucker for gimmicks and I'm addicted to cosmetics which is why my friend knew I'd be desperate to try the latest innovative skincare tool that's travelled over from Japan. This particular friend is addicted to bargains and was browsing QVC when she spotted the 'Slim Cera Facial Roller' and promptly bought it (for £25 instead of, wait for it, £170!)

Although it looks uncannily similar to a bottle opener, as the name suggests the tool is actually a facial massager that is rolled across the skin in an effort to revitalise the skin and draw out impurities. At £170 it's potentially one of the most absurdly expensive tools I've tried.

The roller has been designed to mimic the motions the skin experiences at the hands of a facialist, with the movement stimulating the muscles beneath. The rollers are 'diamond cut' to remove dirt and debris from pores - declogging them, leaving the skin clean and fresh - and are made from a number of minerals that are supposed to smooth the skin. 

The idea is to roller your bare face three times a day for three minutes at a time for optimal results -but can a roller really make that much of a difference?

The benefits of massage are widely publicised; relaxing the muscles in the face reduces the appearance and the creation of wrinkles, and the movement and pressure stimulates the lymphatic system which drains away toxins. However, I'm skeptical that a gadget with a £170 price tag will produce results much superior to using a good cleanser and your own fingers - but for the sake of £25 I'm willing to try it!

I'll update soon with results

Carly 

x

Marvellous Advantage or Misleading Advert?

I was doing my usual lunch time browsing in Boots recently when I spotted something that made me a bit mad - an advert for Revlon's "Age defying with DNA advantage" foundation. I may only have an A-Level in biology but I was pretty sure that, as of yet anyway, scientists haven't found a way to mass modify our DNA by applying a formula to the surface layer of skin and hoping it seeps far enough in to make an impact.


However I decided to kind of give it the benefit of the doubt and do a little read up when I got back to my desk. The reviews themselves are iffy. MakeupAlley gives it an average of 2.9, Boots customer reviews are 4 star and Amazon 3 (do people buy makeup from Amazon?!) but to be honest for once I wasn't interested in the texture and durability I wanted to know and understand the science behind this claim. It's one thing to say a product will reduce the signs of ageing but to say that it has a DNA advantage..

 First of all and most obviously this foundation contains SPV which will prevent further damage from UV rays. UV rays are one of the most talked about causes of ageing, because when the UV rays penetrate the skin they actually distort or destroy the DNA in cells. When this is destroyed the cells lose their instruction manuals for how to function properly which is what causes wrinkles and a loss of elasticity in the skin. So the SPV in this foundation will help to prevent further damage, hopefully keeping us looking younger for longer but what about the damage that has already been done?

Well Revlon's miracle cure is yeast (Source - FutureDerm). This supposedly magic ingredient works by causing the DNA cells to repair themselves however the scientific evidence of this is thin and contradictory, so it surprises me that Revlon have been allowed to continue with this claim by the Advertising Standards board.

Furthermore, a study at the University of Bath a few years ago found that even the most expensive skincare creams were not able to penetrate the skins outer layers (the epidermis) to reach the cells that would most need to be repaired (in the dermis). Without getting too technical - foundation, which is generally of a thicker consistency than most moisturises principally because it's purpose is to sit on top of the skin, is therefore very unlikely to reach the inner layers of skin where action could be taken. Think of someone who has botox and how long that needle is - can a foundation really penetrate that far?

 I'm skeptical and certainly won't be buying the foundation for it's anti ageing properties but I have read that the consistency of the foundation means it "sits in the cracks" well creating a smoother appearance and minimising the noticeability of fine lines. So if you're looking for something that makes you look younger maybe this foundation is perfect for you, but please think twice before buying into the "DNA advantage" malarky. Once DNA is damaged there is very little that can be done to reverse the damage, remember the saying "prevention is easier than cure"!

What do you think, have you tried this?
Carly x

Time to Scrub Up

Everyone knows we’re supposed to exfoliate. The magazines tell us, the adverts tell us, our mothers tell us - but that doesn’t mean we all do it like clockwork. Although I do love the deep clean feel, I’m something of a panic scrubber, meaning when I pick up the tube I already have the dried skin and spots exfoliating would have prevented (when I say dry I mean the kind where your makeup looks patchy as opposed to flaky). 

I’d say on average I exfoliate once a week - twice if I’m feeling particularly grubby/ felling particularly like being a goody two shoes. For somebody who regularly forgets, I seem to have gathered a fair few products designed to shed my dead skin and invigorate my pores.

In the interests of spring cleaning I decided to test all four over the course of a few weeks to see how they compared and narrow down my products!

Simple

I first picked this up to compliment my makeup remover and toner that I got from the same Simple range, expecting similar great things from the well known brand. However Simple’s ‘Kind to Skin’ exfoliator lived up to its name in the worst possible way. It was so kind to my skin that I wasn’t sure whether I’d accidentally picked up a cleanser instead. As you can see from the picture it even looks like a lotion! It also smelt very chemically which is strange for a range that are dedicated to sensitive skin and natural ingredients. As a regular user of their other products in the range, I’m really disappointed in this product - although girls that are looking for an everyday exfoliator may find this one beneficial as the softness means your skin won’t dry out as it would with something a bit rougher. AT £3.30 (from Boots) it won’t break the bank to give it a try anyway.

 St Ives

The St Ive’s is equally inexpensive at £4.30 (again - boots) but I feel the quality is far superior. A pea sized amount really is all you need and it has a wonderfully soft texture for a scrub. The apricot smell is delicious and for those of you who are concerned about cosmetic chemicals - this product is 90% derived from natural ingredients. The exfoliation is quite robust, there’s definitely more to it than the Simple version, and my skin feels like a polished stone afterwards.

Although I'm a bit of a tyrant with my moisturising regime (see I stick to some rules!) after using this product I don't feel the urgent need to slap some on as you can often experience with other exfoliators. Given that this product isn't even tailored to dry skin types I find it impressive that they've managed to find a hydrating formula that still does its job as a scrub.

I also love the fact that you can pick up 30ml versions, such as the one I have, to throw it in your makeup bag or take it on board planes. As a frequent traveller with my full-time non makeup blogger job this is something I've learnt to appreciate in recent years! 

Soap and Glory

Soap and Glory is one of my favourite brands and is often the main culprit of my Boots binges, although the ‘Greatest Scrub of All’ comes in quite cheap compared to some of their products at £6. I’m struggling to decide my favourite between this and the St Ive’s as it has a lovely fresh smell (I think it’s a bit minty) and it’s definitely a lot more granular than the Simple version, although it has a lovely foaming sensation when you apply it. Again my face feels very polished, although I think using this more than 2-3 times per week would be too harsh on the skin. The tube claims the formula contains ‘smooth-boosting spheres that pop open when you press on them’ - personally I think this is a bit of a gimmick as I certainly didn’t notice a sensation of that description, but maybe I just didn’t press hard enough!

Whilst we're on the topic of Soap and Glory I've also used their  'Scrub Your Nose In It' exfoliator quite a while ago which is a more basic version of this one (no popping spheres) but I hadn't gone back as I found that to be a really drying formula.

The 'Greatest Scrub of All' appears to have been rebranded since I bought my version a few months ago, but I've also seen a few rumours circulating on the internet that this is to be discontinued in the near future, so if it sounds like something you want to get your hands on get your coat on quick! At the date of posting this, it is still available on the Boots website.

Bobbi Brown

The final exfoliator I own is something very different to the previous three. I discovered this a couple of years ago on a trip to New York and I think this may be the only exfoliator, apart from St Ive’s, that I’ve replaced! The buffing grains can be applied with water or with cleanser, I tend to favour the second which gives the more traditional exfoliation feel. It does feel like you are scrubbing your face with sand but the clean feeling is on a whole other level! I use this in addition to my usual exfoliation routine about once a month during the summer months and maybe 2/3 times during the winter as my face tends to get drier. It is pricey at £28 but honestly it lasts for a year or more so you do get value for money (don't take the above picture as an indicator of how much you need - it's a very fast spilling bottle!)

Verdict - if you can afford it I would definitely recommend the Bobbi Brown buffing grains for a nice treat every now and then, and out of my three ‘everyday’ exfoliators I think I’ll be sticking with the St Ive’s.

Carly x

The perfect berry lips

After a bit of a mental breakdown in work a few weeks back, I decided that the only thing that would cheer me up was a trip to the Selfridges makeup department (I know I'm not the only one that seeks this solution). Approximately an hour and £150 later I left feeling, as I knew I would, like I could solve all of my problems now that I had the materials to face them.

Like most people when they're feeling down and resort to shopping to cheer themselves up, I normally have the following reaction - "I shouldn't have spent that money"/ "I don't even like this"/ "What was I thinking" which is followed by me returning said splurge.

For whatever reason though, I very rarely get this from splurging on makeup even when it's an eyeshadow that I may only wear a couple of times a year and this trip reminded me of that because three weeks later I am still absolutely obsessed with an item I picked up on this particular trip.

I bought the usual everyday essentials that were in need of topping up and then decided to treat myself to a lipstick to match my outfit for a concert I was attending at the weekend. I found myself lingering around the NARS counter when I spotted the most wonderful berry coloured crayon I have ever seen.

Now normally I'm not a fan of pencils for whatever area of my face as I often find them quite dry and the colour never seems as bold as it should, however swiping this pencil across the back of my hand nearly brought tears of joy to my eye.

The NARS description reads "Satin Lip Pencil dresses up lips in statement shades that seduce with rich, color-bright pigments while drenching them in decadent moisture. A modern, long-wearing, vitamin-enriched formula in a jumbo pencil format to provide great wear and intense color with a satin finish. Use for lining, all-over lip color, or pairing with another lip product" and I think this may the first time I've found a pencil that lives up to its promises!

Although the pencil is quite chunky the colour glides on with no tugging and the colour is so vibrant it literally takes one quick application to reach the desired vibrancy. I wore mine as an all over colour (with no lipgloss) and it lasted me through a three course meal and half a bottle of wine without showing the slightest hint of a smudge/fade - I was amazed!

The colour I chose was 'Palais Royal' - the perfect combination of red and purple, evoking images of rich luxurious wine. I'm not sure whether the vibrancy of the colour was down to the crayon being of a darker shade, but come payday I'll definitely be investing in another more everyday colour to try it out! At £17.50 it's quite a bit more than I would normally spend on a lip product but it truly outperformed, and as a crayon it's also much bigger than your usual lipstick so really you're saving yourself money (us girls have an amazing ability to justify these things don't we?!)

So if you too are looking for the perfect berry shade have a look at the NARS counter next time you're out and see what you think.

Carla 
x

Two-tone Lips

We all know that two-tone, or ombre, hair has been all the range over the last few months but I've also seen some pretty impressive images of two-tone lips so I decided to give it a go myself. There are some amazing outlandish examples, but as I was going out for dinner last night I decided I'd opt for something a little more subtle like the pink example to the left.



To achieve this, I used two lip brushes to apply the product (1), Mac Pro Longwear in 'Dress it up' (3), Illamasqua 'Welt' (2) and Mac Pro Longwear paint pot 'Chilled on Ice' (4).

I started with foundation covering my lips as this provides a good surface for the colour to stick to. I roughly outlined my lips using the thinnest brush and the dark Illamasqua lipstick and then used the brush to drag the colour into the middle (but not all the way). I then applied the lighter Mac shade into the remaining space and proceeded to blend the two together which gave quite a subtle look.

I think the next time I try this, I may use a third even lighter call as my end result was very subtle to the point where I'm not convinced the photo does it justice - I promise it was much better in person!

To finish the look I used my fingertip to add the 'Chilled on Ice' paint to my lips which gave it a gorgeous glittery sheen.

What do you think?

Do you want mayo with that?

Whilst on one of my many wanders through the magical land that is Boots, I stumbled across a brand I had previously never heard of - ORS or Organic Root Simulator. As the name suggests they specialise in haircare and have an array of products designed to make your hair shinier and stronger.

I picked up their tub of Hair Mayonnaise which was £6 for around 500g. Normally I use Aussie hair care and just a sachet of their hair mask can cost £1 for one use so I was pretty happy with my bargain.

The wording on the tub promised to "mousturise and strengthen damaged, over-processed hair". Like most girls I tend to give my hair a tough time with the curlers and straighteners and bleaching so suffer from split ends quite a lot. Anything that can help to prevent this is worth a try in my book!

The treatment has a similar texture to cake mix and whilst I couldn't put a name on the smell it's really comforting and reminds me of being a small child for some reason!

To use it, I shampooed my hair with my normal product and then squeezed out any excess moisture before applying a large scoop from the tub and working it through my hair focusing on the ends (I would advise to avoid your roots as conditioner and the like can cause your hair to become greasier).

Now the label tells you to put a plastic cap on your head to let the product develop but unfortunately it does not come with one and I forgot to pick one up. Instead, I loosely wrapped my hair in a towel. You are then told to apply heat for 15-20 mins which activates the products key ingredients (olive oil, wheat germ and egg protein). I used my hair dryer on a low heat setting but must admit my arms grew tired after 10 minutes of wafting and so just chilled in my towel for the last 5.

When I got back in the shower to rinse it off, I admit my hair felt really weird at first but as the product came away I could feel it growing silky soft in my hands and it still smelt delicious!

After all this nourishment, I probably should have towel dried as advised by the tub but I am a slave to a cheeky blow dry! My hair felt amazing and I could definitely notice a shine to it that isn't normally achieved with my everyday shampoo and conditioner.

The only thing that lets this product down in my eyes is my own laziness - having to get out of the shower to heat activate it and then get back in is a bit of a chore and we all know the worst part of a shower is turning off the hot water and stepping out into the cold! I'm not sure whether the steam generated from the shower is enough to activate the ingredients but I may well give it a try.

Apart from that, I think the hair mayo is amazing and I would definitely recommend. ORF do a few other hair treatments such as carrot oil and hair fertilizer that I'll be trying in the future, all of which are available from Boots.