Witch Anti Blemish Red Relief Moisturiser

I’m one of those unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on how you look at it) girls, who doesn’t need to wear that much blusher because I have natural rosy cheeks. Which is absolutely fine for the apples of my cheeks, but I absolutely hate the fact that the lower area down towards my jaw line get quite red as well. So when I won this moisturiser, in a giveaway held by Nav, I was keen to give it a try.

Packaging: One thing that I’ve noticed whilst on my journey to find a good moisturiser for my issue with oily skin, is that a lot of them come with nozzles, as does this one, and I really like that because I always find that I don’t need to use a lot of moisturiser, and if I do my skin just feels like an oil slick. But, the nozzle feature allows me to easily regulate the amount of product that I use.

Product: When I first got this, I’d never really heard of the product and hadn’t used anything from the Witch range since I was at Uni (and that was probably only Face Washes, since that was typically as far as my skin care regime went back then!!). I never really gave any thought to the fact that it stated that it was “redness relief”, other than the very basic assumption that it would contain active ingredients that would, I suppose soothe the redness. I don’t know what I was expecting really, but it certainly was not this…

Yup, the product is green!!

I’m not going to deny that I was surprised to see that the product was green, but in reality it makes perfect sense.

I first discovered that green concealer was an ideal for redness when I went to a Virgin Vie party back in 2009, and I actually bought there mini palette consisting of the typical skin coloured shades, a green tinged one and a purple (or pink) one. And I do use green concealer, but it seems like a brilliant idea to give the concealer a green tinge, as it removes one step out of the skin care process, which we all know is a good thing in my books 😉

Smell: It has a very light smell that I can’t quite describe. It doesn’t smell anything like most moisturisers that I’ve used, but you don’t really notice it that much, which I like. I really hate moisturisers with really overpowering scents.

Use: I found the moisturiser to be quite gentle, and applies very lightly, with the greenness melting in transparency incredibly quickly. I don’t think that it leaves my face looking as ill as most green concealers do, which is a huge plus point, because it doesn’t force me to wear foundation with it.

I’m not overly convinced about how moisturising it actually is, but for oily skin types, like me, we don’t really need that much anyway.

Would I buy this product again? Definitely. I love the green colour, and think it works nicely. It’s a great, light product that is perfect for anyone who suffers from redness, and especially those with oily skin, who need to a lighter-based moisturiser.

I think that for anyone who has particularly dry skin, however, this might not be a brilliant product. I think it would be good for targeting the red areas, but probably only in those areas, and I’d recommend using another moisturiser more suited to drier skin. That’s just my opinion of course, from my own experience, I’m certainly no expert 🙂

Price: £6.99, which for a “drugstore” type product does seem a little bit pricey, especially taking into consideration the overall size of the product. But, I’ve found that a lot of oil-free products are similarly priced. Plus you have to take into consideration the fact that it has the added benefit of being a green concealer, in a sense.

Buy it: Boots.

Has anyone else tried this moisturiser? Did it feel weird using a green product, or was that just me being crazy 🙂 And anyone who hasn’t tried it, what do you think of a green moisturiser?

Sanctuary Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser

Why I bought this brand: So, I’m getting straight into the review today, and the reason I bought it was quite simple! I had a £5-off voucher from Boots, which included the Sanctuary facial skincare range! Well, that’s only half the reason, to be fair. I’ve actually tried a couple of Sanctuary products over the years, and I have to say that I’m always really impressed.

Yes, Sanctuary is expensive, but sometimes, I think that it’s nice to have some expensive spa-type products, that I use occassionally, meaning that they last longer, and because they were expensive and only used rarely, when I actually do use them, they feel kinda special, and it makes the event a nicer one.

Why I chose this specific product: In all honesty, it was because it was one of the cheapest products in the Sanctuary range, that a. my local Boots stocks, and b. that I haven’t tried in the past.

I was also interested as to how a “hot cloth cleanser” would work, and I was quite intrigued as to what would actually be in the box. So, this is a completely new experience for me.

So, what does come in the box? More than I expected actually, since I wasn’t expected much more than a fancy face cloth. But, inside the box was:

• A Muslin Cloth – This is different to a normal face cloth, because they are made using a tighter weave, and some experts claim that they they slightly exfoliate your skin, in a gentle way. I don’t know if this is true or not, because I’ve never used muslin, or even really heard of it, other than in passing.
• 125ml tube of Cleanser

 How do you use it? This product is really easy to use:

1. Soak the muslin cloth in hot water (from the tap is fine), wring it out quickly, and open it out before placing it over your face. This is done to open up your pores, allowing the cleanser to get into them.
2. Squirt a little of the cleanser onto your hand, and carefully massage the product all over your face and neck. The packaging recommends doing this is circular motions.This works at clearing grease and dirt out of your pores.
3. Soak the cloth in the probably now warm water, and carefully wipe off the cleanser. The packaging calls this “polishing”, but to me, it’s just a fancy marketing term for wiping it off!!
4. Run your cloth under the cold tap, and rinse the product off it.
5. Whilst the cloth is still cool place it flat over your face for roughly 30 seconds. This will close your pores up, ensuring that no dirt can get inside them. 
6. Pat your face dry using a clean towel.
7. Apply a good facial moisturiser, of your choice.

What did I think of the cleanser? Personally, the cleanser didn’t smell particularly nice at all. It was a very light, but strange smell that I just couldn’t describe at all. It was a much thicker cleanser than the kind I typically use.

What did I think of using the Muslin cloth? I actually really enjoyed the whole process of laying a warm and then cold cloth over my face. There was something quite relaxing about it, especially when I was using the cloth hot.

I’ve read a few people saying that they use muslin cloth for their cleanser, instead of using cotton wool, and I can definitely understand why they do, for a couple of reasons:

1. I sometimes find that cottom wool has hard bits of cotton in. Of course, we have to remember that cottom is a natural product so it’s inevitable for these bits to get left behind sometimes, but I find that they can be harsh and scratchy.
2. Let’s face it, throwing away cotton wool after every use isn’t very environmentally friendly. So, the fact that you can machine wash a muslin cloth, and many claim that they last a very long time, the environment likes them much better!

Overall Result: My skin felt really great after the very first use. It felt really clean, and refreshed. Nicely, it left my skin feeling slightly tight, but not as irritatingly tight as some mud packs do, where you have to exercise your face just to stop it feeling so weird. Instead, the tightness is more gentle, and feel more normal, if that makes sense.

Was it worth the money? Was it worth the £5.20 that I paid with my £5-off voucher? Yes, it definitely was. I certainly intend to keep using it, as it was intended (you know how sometimes you buy these fancy sets, but you only end up using part of it, because the whole process is so fiddly?).

Was it worth the original price of £10.20? Honestly, I’m not so sure. On the one hand, I can imagine both the cleanser and the muslin cloth lasting me a long time, but on the other hand, I can imagine that it’s possible to have a similar experience cheaper, by buying a pack of muslin cloths, and a normal cleanser.

But, despite that, I’m glad to have learnt a new way of cleansing, instead of having to buy cotton wool every couple of months!

Simple Oil Balancing Moisturiser Review

When I started out this blog, one of my main focuses was controlling my oily skin, and I’ve been keen to try lots of different products, from a wide range of brands, that are aimed specifically at tackling this issue. From past experience, I’ve become quite fond of Simple’s Oil Balancing Range, having tried their Facial Wipes and Exfoliating Facial Wash, so when I ran out of my trusted Neutrogena’s Visibly Clear Oil Free Moisturiser, despire being really quite fond of it, I decided to give Simple’s Oil Balancing Moisturiser a shot.

 

What Simple Say:

Active ingredients Zinc PCA and Natural Antibacterial. After cleansing, no matter what your skin type, it needs daily moisturising to keep it nourished.

Eliminate shine and maintain moisture levels with our Oil Balancing Moisturiser which keeps your skin looking fresh and healthy.

• Active benefits.
• Zinc PCA gently absorbs excess oil.
• Natural Antibacterial helps reduce blemishes.
• 100% Shine Free mattifies all day long.
• Dermatologically tested & approved.
• Experts in sensitive skin.

What I Say:
One thing that I always appreciated about Neutrogena’s Moisturiser, was the fact that it has a thin nozzle for distributing the cream. The nozzle meant that I didn’t squeeze too much product out (which I often accidentally do). Unfortunately, the Simple Oil Balancing Moisturiser doesn’t have such a small nozzle, and I find myself unwittingly putting too much product into my hand. As a result, I find that the moisturiser doesn’t really balance the oil on my skin, but seems to make it worse, making my skin look shiny and feel disgusting.

As a result, I’ve taken to rubbing the cream in my hands before applying it to my face, which is a little bit annoying. But, it leaves me missing the nozzle of Neutrogena’s.

Another issue that I’ve had with this moisturiser, is that it smells really bad. I didn’t actually notice it, until I started using it after another product, that smells of oranges, which seemed to bring the foul scent out even more, but now I’ve noticed it, it really bugs me.

Price:
£3.99 isn’t too expensive, and it does seem to last a long time.

Would I buy it again?
No, but only because I’ve found myself preferring Neutrogena’s moisturiser, which is unusal since I normally choose Simple over any other brands!

Eye Roll-On Review and Comparison

Garnier Eye Roll-on and Body Shop Vitamin C Eye Reviver
I’ve been trying out both of these for the past two weeks, using the Garnier one first thing in the morning, and the Body Shop one before bed. My main hopes for both of them were:

• Tackling dark circles
• Tackling fine lines beneath eyes
• Reduce dry and sore eyes
• Refresh eyes, especially in the morning, reducing tiredness
• Brightening eyes up

General Results: Ultimately, I still have fine lines, but although they are still visible, my dark circles are a little less obvious.

Packaging:

Garnier: I love the curvy design, which is chunky and makes it easy to grip. The colour fits in with the Garnier skin care range.

Body Shop: The packaging was a little bland, and I wasn’t really keen of the colour. I did however, like the fact that it was double-ended, which made it feel more value for money.
Image via WikipediaI definitely preferred Garnier‘s packaging, in both style and colour.

Application:

Garnier: The roller ball was a good size, and applied easily. It was really cooling, and made my eyes feel quite refreshed and alert. Perfect for first thing in the morning.

Body Shop: This one comes with two applicators. The roll-on, which is ultimately a smaller version of Garnier‘s, and this is it’s downside. The smaller ball made it less refreshing, and most times, I wasn’t convinced that any product was coming out. Well, except for one time when I managed to get product in my eye, and despite rinsing it with cool, clean water, it took a long time for the stinging to calm down. I also found that because the ball was so much smaller, it felt like it was pulling at my skin in a rough, and potentially damaging way, that left my skin feeling a little sore.

The under-eye wand was a little more successful, and did feel quite moisturising.

Pricing:

Officially, both Garnier and Body Shop‘s eye roll-ons are priced at roughly £10, and it is debatable which one is most cost-effective at this price, because whilst the Body Shop one has two products in one, they’re both relatively small, whilst the Garnier roll-on is just a single product at twice the size of the Body Shop roll-on (if that makes sense!)

Despite that, shopping aroundrecently, I’ve actually found Superdrug and Wilkinson‘s have been selling the Garnier Eye roll-on for half price!

Price aside, Garnier was always going to win this with me. It was a huge amount more refreshing and didn’t pull at my delicate under-eye skin the way the Body Shop one did. I’m not overly bothered that I still have dark circles, because dry and tired eyes were a bigger issue for me.

I’m Back!!

Afternoon my Lovelies,

Some of you might not have noticed, since the blog has been nicely updated pretty much all week, but I’ve actually just returned from a week’s holiday (thank heaven for Blogger‘s Scheduling!), but I spent the past week in a part of Wales with no signal. I thought that it would be tough without my mobile phone or internet access (I didn’t even bother taking my laptop at all! But, it was actually really refreshing.

This must be the longest I’ve gone without my laptop since I started the move into Freelance Writing (June 2009), so this holiday was a big deal for me.

My laptop and internet weren’t the only things that I managed without either! I actually took my hair straighteners and make up with me, but I managed the whole week without using any heat on my hair, for which my hair is truly grateful, and I only wore make up once, which my skin is probably grateful for.

I did keep up my skin care routine, as I tested out my Body Shop products, which I’ll be reviewing sometime in the next week. I’ve had some pretty mixed feelings towards each of the products, but I won’t say anymore until then.

The day I left to go on holiday, I actually received a Rimmel Vinyl Lip Gloss that I’ve been sampling and will hopefully have a review of that heading this way very soon. And whilst I was away, I was forced to buy some Veet and a new Rimmel nail polish (both purchases, of course, have stories behind them), so you can expect more reviews on those.

So, the holiday is over, and I have plenty to keep me busy!

In other words, reviewing service will resume tomorrow 🙂

Sunday Tips: Keeping your Brushes Clean

Today’s Sunday Tip is courtesy of You Tub Guru Michelle Phan, and I’m passing it on because it really works (for me, anyway).

In the past I’ve had trouble cleaning my brushes so that the inside bristles get as good a clean as the outside ones, this has been especially so with foundation brushes. I’ve also struggled to get the bristles feeling lovely and soft.

The answer? Olive Oil.

I know, it sounds bonkers, but Olive Oil is a great ingredient in so many natural beauty products because of it’s moisturising properties. So, you know that not only is the Oil not going to be irritating your skin with additives and yucky stuff, it will also keep your brushes soft whilst really digging out the dirt and grease.
It’s best to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as this oil has been extracted from the first press of the Olives, which makes it the highest quality Olive Oil that you can buy.

Soooo, what do you do with the oil? I’ve found that there are a couple of effective ways of washing your brushes with Olive Oil:

1. Splatter a dollop of oil onto a plate, and swish your dirty brush around in it. Once your brush is sufficiently coated, swirl it around in the palm of your hand and rub the bristles in your fingers. This ensures that you get into the middle of the bristles. Rinse the brushes in tepid water (make sure the water isn’t hot, as this will just soften the glue that holds the bristles in.

2. Fill a small bowl with water, and add a dash of oilive oil. Swirl your brushes around in the water, and you’ll quickly see the oil has coated the bristles. Rub your fingers in the bristles to get the inner ones, and rinse the brushes in tepid water.

If you want you can add Anti-Bacterial Handwash or Washing Up Liquid to disinfect and make the brushes smell nicer.

Once your brushes are clean, place them upside down in a pot (using Brush Guards if you own them, or if you don’t own any you can easily improvise with rolled up cardboard). This stops the water from running down the brushes which would soften the glue and thus encourage the hairs to shed, which of course we really don’t want.

Good luck with your brushes, and please share your stories with effective ways that you use to clean your make up, and art, brushes.

Me and my Oily Skin

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had what I referred to as “shiny” skin, which generally culminated around the obvious areas of my forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. When in my teens, I once had a sample of some “Blotting” sheets, but that was really as far as my combating ever went.

Unfortunately, as I’ve gotten further out of my teens, my skin never seemed to shake-off the “spotty skin” that I had always assumed only teenagers got (thanks to the lovely people in the media!!), but it’s only been the past couple of years that I’ve begun to realise that it’s most likely down to the fact that my skin is oily.

Why does Oily Skin cause break outs? Oily skin occurs when our body produces excess amounts of Sebum, due to an over-active sebaceous-gland. As a result, the extra sebum builds up on the surface and blocks pores, meaning that any dirt gets trapped and results in outbreaks of spots. It also causes a build-up of dead skin cells that further clog pores, and generally make skin look dull.

The excess sebum is thought to also be the cause of hair becoming greasy quickly, which is also a common cause of outbreaks across the forehead (especially on people who have a fringe/bangs) and around the hairline.

What can I do to combat Oily Skin? The most common “attack” on breakout is to wash your face lots and lots, but the problem with a lot of products that so many of us use for Spot Treatments (face washes, cleansers, toners etc) is that the majority of them are too harsh for oily skin, and a lot of them end up either drying our skin out, or just pumping copious amounts of oil into our already overly oily skin. Inevitably, neither of these are very good for our skin.

Instead, you want to opt for skin care products that are gentle on your skin, and/or that are oil-free. Your skin is, as you are aware,already oily, so packing it with more oil is not going to do you any favours. A lot people think that using an oil-free product means that you’re stripping away your skins natural oils, but you’re actually not, because although these products are oil-free, many of them are water-based which is very moisturising, but the moisture is controlled in such a way that your skin gets just the right balance.

So, for your skin care, look for the following things:

• Oil-free
• Non-Comedogenic, which means that it won’t clog your pores (you can find out more here)
• Gentle
• Contain Salicylic Acid,which is known to combat  oily skin (you can find out more here)

Skin Care Products to Try:

• Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturiser (you can find a Review here)
• Simple’s Clear Skin Oil Balancing Range, including
• Oil Balancing Cleansing Wipes (you can find a Review here)
• Oil Balancing Exfoliating Facial Wash (you can find a Review here)
• Oil Balancing Facial Scrub
• Oil Balancing Moisturiser
• Simple Oil-Free Eye Make Up Remover
• L’Oreal Paris Perfect Clean Wash with Salicylic Acid for Oily Skin (the Scrublet gets right into your pores, whilst the Salicylic Acid balances the oil).

What Make Up should you use on Oily Skin? Not too long ago, I was under the misconception that I should be hiding my breakouts behind concealer and high coverage foundation, but without realising it, all I was doing was suffocating my skin. But our skin needs to breathe, so smothering it in heavy cosmetics is actually more likely to encourage more breakouts.

If you have your skin care regime whipped and in good shape, you should notice that your skin looks clearer, so opt for lighter foundations that allow your skin to breathe. Your best option, is Mineral Products, but why?

Mineral Products:

1. Are 100% oil-free, making them non-comedogenic…say hello to unclogged pores!
2. Generally contain absolutely no harsh chemicals that harm your skin
3. Are so light, you’ll feel like you’re not wearing any, and your skin will be able to breathe!

However, despite a good skin care routine, and the use of lighter cosmetics, some women still experience breakouts, and this could easily be down to your brushes.

Every time that you wipe a brush across your face, to apply foundations, eye shadows, blushers etc., the brush is picking up sebum from your skin. The next time you use your brush, that sebum has manifested into bacteria, and in effect you are then transferring bacteria to your skin, which will cause spots.  This is why it is so incredibly important to wash your make up brushes properly.

Summary:

• Opt for gentle oil-free products
• Look for products that are Non-Comedogenic
• Look for products that contain Salicylic Acid
• Try mineral-based products that don’t contain oils, and are light
• Clean your brushes regularly
• Remember that there is no cure, but there is a way to control it
• Love your skin. People with oily skin tend to wrinkle less!!

NB: Regulars will know that I am not a trained Beautician, all these things are what I have learnt from experience, and might not be suitable for everyone. We’re all unique and what works for me, might not work for you. But, as a general rule of thumb, if you have oily skin, these ideas are definitely worth a try!

This post is just meant as guidance in a world full of misinformation.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation Review

Today’s review is a little different to normal, because this isn’t something that I went out and bought, but rather something that I won in a Rimmel Giveaway. The incredible thing is, that I actually received a whole bottle of this foundation, so it’s not even like it’s just a sample! And Rimmel gave away 10,000 of these?? Crazy! But, I’m not complaining! I’ll try to review this in a similar fashion (although not entirely the same) as my normal reviews!

My Problem Areas: Normally, this is where I write redness, but in all honesty, since my gentle and oil-balancing skin care regime, including the usual use of a mineral-based foundation, my face really doesn’t seem to be so red anymore. I do, however, have a few spots which are in desperate need of hiding.

What does the Foundation claim to do? The name “Perfect Match” pretty much sums up what Rimmel claim this product does. It is supposed to “adapt to skin tone and texture” to give the wearer a “perfectly flawless finish”. This is apparently because of a technology called “Smart Tone” which “mimics” your skin tone. It is supposed to be very blendable.

Does it do what it claims to do? I’ll be honest, I got shade 201, which is Classic Beige, and it is far too dark for my skin tone. But, when you think about it in a literal sense, if this “Smart Tone” is as good as they make out, surely it should still adapt to my skin tone, right? Yeah, who am I kidding!

It’s very watery, so when I tried applying it using a foundation brush, I thought that it was a bit messy, but this the watery-ness meant that it did blend incredibly well, and it smelt really nice too.

Good Points: Blends well, smells quite nice, seems to last a really long time, and it had really great coverage, covering my bad skin perfectly.

Bad Points: It was quite messy, and unfortunately the shade was too dark. It feels awful on my skin, and never really seems to dry fully, which is really annoying. To the touch, it’s weirdly sticky.

Overall: I really wanted to like this product – it was free, who wouldn’t want to like it? But, unfortunately I don’t. I think that even if I had a lighter shade, the feeling it leaves on the skin would put me off. Going on nicely, is important for me, but feeling good is just as important to looking good. I guess it’s about feeling confident.

So, it’s fair to say, that no, I wouldn’t buy this product in the future.