... beauty: Nip + Fab Clean Fix Oil review ...

I love oil. I love it for my skin, I love it for my hair. Love it.

Therefore, I thought to myself, surely an oil cleanser is the logical next step?

I was particular about my choice: I needed a rinse off oil that could handle heavy eye make up.
After a bit of research I decided on Clean Fix. It is at the lower end of the cleansing oil price spectrum and is readily available in Boots.

image: johnlewis.com

Things didn't get off to the greatest start when I had trouble finding a bottle that wasn't covered in oil, but I just put that down to people fiddling about and testing the product, as demonstrated on most of the un-manned make up counters. This was a mistake.
The product itself is lovely, it dissolves waterproof mascara easily, it smells beautifully of Neroli and rinses off easily with water. Perfect then? Not quite.

The first problem is that the main ingredient is mineral oil.

The second problem with this product is the pump. It leaks. Badly.
I used the oil on the first night and on the second night went back to my bathroom cupboard full of expectation for more loveliness but when I picked up the bottle I realised that it was covered in oil. I looked closer and saw that it was actually in a puddle of oil. The product seemed to be continuously seeping out of the hole in the base of the pump.
Naively, I thought that maybe this was a first night issue and that after this initial regurgitation it would somehow right itself. Sadly, after my first night clean up, the same issue greeted me the second night.

If this product was cheap these problems would be annoying but at over £10 they are unacceptable.

So the search continues, next up for trial: Cetaphil.

Thanks for reading, feel free to share any thoughts.... :)

...beauty: L'Occitane Divine Cream Review....

So it's been a while since I wrote about my seven day trial but, finally, here are my thoughts on L'Occitane Divine Cream.

image: http://www.fabuloussavings.co.uk

I had five sample sachets rather than the little pot of goodness in the picture, but the effect was not spoiled at all all. This cream is lovely. As I mentioned before it smells gorgeous and has a gorgeous texture - rich enough to quench thirsty skin but not heavy or greasy at all.

I cannot say that I noticed miraculous results, but the cream is meant to have a cumulative effect so if I'd been using it for longer maybe it would have made more of a difference.

Something that I actually find more important though is the fact that it did not break me out at all.

Would I recommend this? Absolutely, if you can afford it, go for it !!

...... Kimberly Sayer Ultra light Organic Facial Moisturiser SPF25......

Here comes the blurb, courtesy of www.lovelula.com :

A lightweight, protective day cream. with mineral sunscreen that’s easily absorbed and won’t clog pores or cause breakouts. Kimberly Sayer Ultra Light Organic Facial Moisturiser contains lemon to detoxify the skin and minimize the production of oil, while drying up acne and zits. Ideal for use under make-up. 


-Suitable for oily and acne skins.
-Easily absorbed lightweight formula won’t clog pores.
-Sea Algae extract to protect against UV-A oxidative stress.
-Kimberly Sayer uses non-toxic sunblock derived from minerals Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide to offer UV-A and -UV-B protection from the sun without irritating the most sensitive of skin
-Use daily and under make-up 

I have been using this moisturiser (on and off due to general product whoriness) for almost three years and I wholeheartedly agree with all the claims.
I first came across the brand in 2008 in a Los Angeles branch of Whole Foods when I was in the middle of a 3 month American Odyssey and found myself without a daily SPF cream. Now, I have probably mentioned before, but I have the greasiest, most reactive skin in the world (dramatic, moi?!) and the sad truth is that most products break me out. The magic of this one is that is doesn't. It gives me a light layer of moisture, protects my skin from the elements, and that is all. I love it.

It comes in a large, airless pump and costs around £25. Oh, and it is THREE TIMES THE SIZE of most day creams.... that's right, you get a GIGANTOR 150ml for your hard earned cash - amazing.

Here's where I usually buy mine, sign up for periodical £5 off vouchers:

http://www.lovelula.com/pd_kimberly_sayer_ultra_light_organic_facial_moisturiser_-_spf25.cfm

I am not affiliated with lovelula.com or Kimberly Sayer and can only wish that I was sent this product free.....

Thanks for reading.
xxxx

Beauty: La Roche Posay Effaclar Review

Inspired by the lovely Lollipop26 and an rather unsuccessful encounter with an Elemis kit from QVC (not so rave review to follow) I paid a visit to my local Boots to pick up some (very generous) samples from the La Roche Posay Effaclar range: Purifying Foaming Gel, Effaclar Duo and Effaclar K.

PURIFYING FOAMING GEL

This cleanser is nice, but nothing special. It does its job and is actually paraben free but it still contains sodium laureth sulphate and sometimes feels a little bit drying.

EFFACLAR DUO

This is another product that I found to be only ok, although the fact that it is an acne treatment product that did not break me out is quite an achievement in itself.

The Elemis kit had left me with very small, sometimes red, bumps all over my cheeks, along with milia - nice - and this product, along with the cleanser, did seem to help a bit, but I really had to look to see any difference.

Maybe if I had used it longer it would have had more of an effect but, for the moment at least, I don't plan on buying a full size one and finding out.

I used it morning and night for one week.

EFFACLAR K

This is the product that I think I might actually buy in the full size. I have been using it for three days, morning and night, and FINALLY the bumps seem to really be getting smaller.

This product feels like a light lotion and actually hydrates my skin a little, unlike the Duo which waas more of a gel-cream texture and did very little to moisturise.

I will update if anything bad happens, but at the moment I am looking forward to a red bump/milia-free face!

It was very easy to get samples of these products (thank you to the very friendly SA in Boots, Swansea!)

and I highly recommend that anyone with problem skin give them a try.

Beauty: Review of Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

I was able to pick up a sample of this last week and finally got a chance to try it out today.
It went on really nicely, very smooth and with good coverage. I was even able to add a second layer and it looked great.

The finish is satin-matte on me, I have very oily skin, and I did feel the need to powder afterwards, but I was very happy with the look it gave my skin and I left the house feeling rather good.
A couple of hours later I happened to look in a mirror and my good feeling turned to horror -

I was orange.......shiny and orange.

I will be trying this again over the next couple of days to see if different application methods make any difference. My biggest hope, I think, is trying it with a layer of my, supernaturally pale, Bare Minerals over the top to see if that curbs some of the oxidising.

I tried Ecru which is the palest Neutral shade in the range.

If you are brave enough to risk orange horror head on down to your nearest Estee Lauder counter where they will be happy to match you up with your ideal shade.

Beauty:NARS Sheer Glow Review

Ok, so I am definitely in the minority here in Blog-World but I am very sad to say that I was not impressed with this foundation.
I had read a seen so many good things about this product that by the time I arrived in John Lewis I was like  a two year old on Christmas Eve and spent the rest of m evening smiling moronically knowing the potentially life changing treasure that lay nestled in my handbag.
The next morning I rushed through the rest of my routine in order to get to my foundation application as quickly as humanly possible. I opened the box, shook up the sexy little bottle and, gingerly, tipped a little out on the back of my hand. I dipped in my foundation brush and applied it to my cheek.........
Nothing happened.
I tried a different brush......
Nope.
My fingers.....
Nada.
My skin is ok. I have the usual imperfections from old acne war wounds and areas of redness on the sides of my nose and Sheer Glow did NOTHING to cover them. I could see colour on my skin but no actual coverage. Very weird and so disappointing.
My next complaint is the texture of the product. It was quite hard to blend out and had a tendency to look patchy on me. The powderyness(?) of the product made it set too quickly but did nothing at all to stop oil breakthrough during the day.

Now, I have seen a review on YouTube where the reviewer has some of the complaints that I did and those complaints were fixed by trying a different colour. Sadly, as I live in the UK I am denied this opportunity: if you buy the wrong colour, you keep the wrong colour. At least you do where I bought it.

So, would I recommend buying this product? No.
Would I recommend trying it out if you have the chance? Definitely. I wanted to love it and maybe I would have in a different colour but I guess I'll have to wait for my next holiday to find out if that's true.....



Here is the review I mentioned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LzFs230bYk