Saturday, 21 June 2014

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Saturday, 31 May 2014

...May Favourites!

I have been going very fuss-free this month - exam season and all that! Here are a couple of things that have been on my head almost daily...

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo - £15.50
When I'm stressed I get spots - humongous, juicy ones - blehh. And because I'm just so damned white they always leave red marks. I'm not going to say this is a wonder product, but I have definitely noticed a big difference in the size and quantity of blemishes and also how quickly they disappear.

Bumble and Bumble Pret-A-Powder - £21.50
Once again, exam season has meant all day library shifts, late nights and a serious reduction in giving a crap about my appearance. This lasts a million times longer than dry shampoo in a spray can and also gives a nice little bit of volume/texture, allowing me to look a little less homeless.

Benefit Gimme Brow - £17.50
I'm sure you're noticing a trend emerging here... Speed and laziness. This isn't that great by way of adding shape, but it defines brows well and makes them a bit more groomed.

E45 Cream - £2.39
A bit of a standard here, but I have been using it all over the place recently; especially to soothe the horrible flaky skin that some blemishes leave behind. I've been using it after shaving my legs and sometimes even in the place of my normal moisturiser. It soaks in quickly, is fragrance free and is such a hard worker that I think it deserves a little recognition.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer - £23.50
Every woman and her mother knows about this so I'll spare you. I've just been using it around the edges of my face to make it look as though I've been outside recently (N.B. I haven't.)


Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Hibiscus - £19
I can honestly say, I think I'll still have this exact pot usable when I'm 80 years old. You need only to touch your finger to the cream to have enough for halloween makeup. I'm also a recent embarker on the cream blusher bandwagon too, and I'm very, very happy to be so! This is a lovely colour, albeit tough to blend sometimes. It's hard to tell if the red on your cheeks is from the blusher or the increase in blood flow from the fierce dabbing. Still a big fan.

Bourjois Cream Blush in Healthy Glow - £7.99
I love this since it's far more powdery and less of a task than Bobbi's. It's a really pretty colour and is very aptly named.


Topshop Lipstick in Infrared - £8
Despite my best efforts with the pictures (in natural light, I promise) this lipstick has ended up looking far more coral than orange. However, it IS orange, and that's what I adore about it. It's very bright if you layer it on thick, but becomes quite natural if you just dab a bit on and spread it with your finger.

And that's that.

Xxxx

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

Why Antioxidants Don't Work

Antioxidants are everywhere these days! You just can't get away from the damn things. Every smoothie, face cream, body lotion, packet of anything, all have claims of being "packed full of antioxidants" on the side. Why?

It all begins with one of the leading theories for why we age, and that is the presence of some nasty little things called reactive oxygen species (ROS). These are molecules that are highly reactive with the cells in our bodies - although they are naturally produced. In times of stress, or in response to something like radiation, lots more of these molecules are produced and they release free electrons (also known as free radicals). Free radicals are the devil, and they end up bouncing around our cells, damaging the DNA and disrupting the cells' normal function, slowing down our responses and causing us to age.

Antioxidants were toted as a possible saviour for this. Normal antioxidants are able to absorb these free radicals and stop them from becoming a real problem. Once this was learned it seems everyone shouted "hallelujah!", and decided they were going to be the key to aging and curing disease (a big part of cancer is problems caused by ROS).

But since then there have been many clinical trials, and sadly, the news is not good. It was found that not only do the antioxidants appear to do nothing, in some cases it was found that they are actually harmful. Vitamins E, C and Beta Carotene are well-known antioxidants, and they have been tried and tested for their effects against all manner of diseases; heart disease, altitude sickness, gastrointestinal cancers, colon cancer, etc. In all the studies I have read (links below) there was no evidence supporting the theory that antioxidants may reduce mortality - in fact, in colon cancer the supplements were found to increase mortality.

Now it must be said, there is criticism of these findings by those that say the doses of antioxidants used in the trials were high, and that there are still many wonderful benefits that are thought to come from the naturally occurring antioxidants in fruit and vegetables- I do not doubt this for one minute. It is only when levels of antioxidants reach the levels found in supplements that there are possible adverse effects, of course there are hopefully journals out there that say otherwise. However, using antioxidants to treat/prevent chronic disease has now widely been ruled as a no.

It was, as my lecturer put it; "a big disappointment for the scientific community". And yet, I feel the presence of antioxidants everywhere! Vitamin E supplements were found to increase risk of all-cause mortality, especially in elderly patients, and yet they're all over the shelves of health shops and supermarkets. Although research is always ongoing and it is unfair to rule them out completely, it seems that word just hasn't gotten out yet, that antioxidants, whether in face cream, supplement or health drink form don't seem to be doing anything.

Xxxx


Bjelakovic,et al. 2007  Randomised antioxidant trials
Baillie, et al. 2009 Acute mountain sickness
Jha, et al.1995 Cardiovascular disease
Miller, et al. 2005 Vitamin E all-cause mortality
Stanner, et al. 2004 British Nutrition Foundation review
Bjelakovic, et al. 2012 A systematic review (suggests supplements be considered medical products)








Friday, 7 February 2014

...Soap and Glory - Kick-Ass Concealer!

I was scraping the bottom of the pan of my Benefit Boi-Ing concealer one day, when it occurred to me that I should probably get a new one... However, funds are low in the Bank of Olivia and £17.50 on a concealer just isn't happening right now.

Thankfully, Ruth Crilly from A Model Recommends is around (I'd buy anything that woman told me to) and she gave the Soap and Glory concealer a good review. I've never used any make-up from this brand before, but I thought I'd give it a go.





First of all... The packaging.
I have to say, I'm not crazy about it. There are two layers inside this product; the first being the top layer containing a concealer setting powder and a little puffy-pad thing so you can apply it. This layer then flips up into the lid to reveal the second layer with two different concealers in it. This would have been a lovely idea, but every time you open the case, the powder layer always opens first and the pad falls out. Its also hard to not get the powder all over the rest of the case.



As for the contents of the packaging...
It's awesome! I can't really comment too much on the concealer setting powder because, although I have tried it out, I prefer to stick to my own setting powders as its a lot less fiddly. The powder is just translucent, and finely milled so it's very smooth to apply. There is nothing really remarkable about it, it does the same job as most other setting powders.

The concealers though, are great! The two different colours- one for the under-eyes and one for the rest of the complexion, work really well together. They are creamy, thick and easy to apply, although quite a lot of residue can end up on the fingers. They blend well into skin alone, or over the top of foundation. I've even tried them on top of a powdered face and there wasn't a hint of cakeyness.
They stay put all day, a good 12+ hours, and although they don't offer quite as much coverage as the Benefit Boi-ing  concealer, I'm just as happy with the results.

I suppose the annoying thing about this product is that Soap and Glory only have two colours available; light and medium. I got the lighter shades and they don't look out of place at all on my face.

Price - £10

One thing I really liked about the Soap and Glory counter, is that they don't fanny around with the whole "99p" malarkey. That drives me nuts! I hate ending up with a purse full of pennies.

Overall, I really do love this concealer. I think it might have made a firm replacement for the Boi-ing concealer - I don't even miss it! The only thing that lets this product down is the packaging, but I can get over that.

4/5

Xxxx

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

...Liz Earle, No.7 and Mark Hill.

I've been a little bit frivolous this week. The novelty of the student loan arrival hasn't quite worn off yet and I still feel like I've got loads of money - despite knowing that I'm going to need it to eat.

Still, Boots was calling and having run out of my Clarins Cleansing Milk (A good cleanser but it smells like old Imperial Leather soap) I thought I'd go and see what else was around. I know it's been a while since I put a post on here, but MY GOD did my lecturers pile on the work this month - 2000 words on the Zebrafish! *smacks head on desk*

So we have...

Liz Earle - Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit - £14.75
Wow! Now I knew already what a following this product has, and I'm seriously headfirst onto the bandwagon here. It smells good, it feels good, it gets every ounce of makeup off and it doesn't leave your face with a film on it - just gloriously soft!
This was a set that came with a 100ml pump bottle and two muslin cloths. I thought the cloths seemed a little scratchy at first so I wasn't sure, but when you run them under hot water they feel a lot softer and quite nice against the skin. They're also easy to rinse, so not like your normal bog-standard face cloth where makeup clings like mould to cheese.
I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love!

No.7 Beautiful Skin Blemish Defense Serum - £16
Boots are handing out those wonderful "£5 off skincare" vouchers, so this actually only cost me £11 - yay! I've been using this every morning at evening for about two weeks now and I've had two spots in total, so I'm pretty impressed! I usually get about two a week, so hopefully it's this serum that's doing the trick! It's hard to know sometimes, because I've been making an effort to eat more fruit and drink more water so there could be a combination of factors involved... But still, I'm happy to believe that this made a difference!
It's very thin when it comes from the pump, it sort of fires the product towards you, so you have to be a bit careful. One pump is more than enough for the whole face and it soaks in quickly. It leaves skin feeling a little bit sticky, but moisturiser soon gets rid of that feeling. You get 30ml and it doesn't look like I've made much of a dent in this in two weeks... Estimated time to finish - about a month and a half hopefully.

Mark Hill Dirty Little Stop Out Volumising Dry Shampoo - £5.99
This was on sale for £3.99 which was the only reason I picked it up. I completely love this, it blows Batiste completely away! It doesn't leave a speck of white residue in your hair, the bottle is smaller, even though it still contains the standard Batiste 200ml, and the smell is lighter and a lot more natural. I'm so glad I picked this up because I think it's going to become a staple!


I'm one happy lady with all these treats.

I really have to stop buying treats.

Xxxx

Tuesday, 14 January 2014

...Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer Review

I have a secret love for primers that I just can't explain... They always used to seem pointless to me, but having fallen in love with Smashbox Photofinish Primer, I've been on the look out for more to try. I feel like, having had bad skin in the past and still getting spots here and there, that a good primer helps to shield your pores from all the gunk that gets smeared over them day to day.

So the new edition to the primer collection... The Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer!


Firstly, it comes out of the bottle a baby pink colour and has a pearlescent look to it. There is a matte version of this product but I wasn't as interested in that. It has a pump on the bottle and is very pretty looking in general.

Price - £10.99 for 15ml.
As far as primers go I'd say this is in the middle to lower area of the price range, and 15ml can last a month or two if used every day.

Effect 
Bourjois say:

  • Non-pore blocking
  • Gives a radiant and hydrated effect
  • Leaves skin soft and supple

Well it hasn't given me any spots/blemishes of any kind, so that's good.
My skin definitely looks radiant after application, especially on my cheekbones, and this does look lovely under foundation and other makeup. It's not a look that I would wear on it's own as the product has such an obvious pink undertone that can look a bit weird. It actually stains the skin a bit pink if you dot it on your face and leave it there.
Leaves skin soft and supple? Mehh. The jury is still out on that one. I can't say that it really does.
In natural light. To the right I have blended it into my skin.

A few observations I have to make though; it absorbs into skin very quickly and is hard to spread over your face. The pump doesn't give enough product to cover the whole face so I have to use two. It has a very light scent, somewhat like baby powder. I don't think it makes any difference to foundation application, I haven't noticed any difference in the staying power or better blending results, but I don't think that's what it's designed to do.

On The Whole
I like it! It's great for giving you a healthy glow and I really enjoy applying it before my makeup.
4/5

Xxxx

Friday, 10 January 2014

...Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral Enriched Night Cream

What an incredibly long name this product has been given! The is one of the best-selling moisturisers that is made by Origins, a company relatively new to me. They seem to be one of those new-found brands (like Antipodes or Cauldalie) that gather their success from being nature friendly. Origins don't use harsh chemicals like parabens and pack their products full of plant extracts and natural oils.



Firstly it smells of citrus, cinnamon and vanilla, but only very softly. It comes in a jar and is a thick, viscous cream. A little does really go a long way, and I only need to apply a small blob here and there to cover my whole face. It seems to absorb into the skin, rather oddly, in two stages; firstly as you'd expect from a thick cream you have to work it well, massaging it into the skin, but when it starts to warm up and absorb it becomes like an oil. It does leave a bit of a greasy residue on the skin, so I blot this off with a tissue so it doesn't end up all over my pillow.

I haven't noticed any vast improvement with my skin, although it does feel soft and look a bit brighter in the mornings. I really enjoy using this as I adore the smell and it really does feel luxurious to use.

Price - £34
Quite expensive but I'd expect it to last for a long time. On the Origins website it says that 98% of those that used the cream regularly felt that their skin was renewed and refreshed in the morning, so I'm going to use this for at least a month before I decide if I'll repurchase.

Ingredients
This contains a hell of a lot of ingredients, so I'm just picking out a choice few.

Valeriana officianalis - Plant extract of the herb Valerian, often used as a mild sedative and, interestingly, can be an alternative to Benzodiazepam.
Centella asiatica - Another plant extract, commonly used as a supplement and is said to improve circulation, stress relief, asthma and many other ailments - however these claims have never had any reliable scientific testing.
Anthemis Nobilis - Chamomile, an anti-inflammatory and whitening agent.
Linalool - A fragrance oil, used in about 70% of all perfumed hygiene products. Also used as an insecticide.
Retinyl palmitate - Used in vitamin A supplements, known to help acne, psoriasis, sunburn etc.
Tocopheryl Acetate - A vitamin E supplement and a beneficial antioxidant for the skin to absorb.
Disodium EDTA - A salt compound used to give the product a longer shelf-life. Also shown to improve the absorption of other ingredients into the skin.
Folic Acid - Vitamin B9 or H.
Linoleic Acid - An omega-6 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory, acne reducing and moisture-retentive properties.
Citrus Aurantium Amara - Bitter orange, possibly effective for treating fungal infections, possibly unsafe if consumed as a supplement.

I've probably missed off a couple of good ones here, but there are so many ingredients on the label I had to be a bit choosy. I tried to make sure that I put all the good ingredients on, as well as some of the less desirable ones. There is nothing particularly out of the ordinary in this cream, and most of the claims of this product have some backing within the ingredients - quite a rare find actually!

Overall I am pleased with this, I've never used a proper night cream before but I really enjoy it! It's nice having a moisturiser that can have all these goodies in but you don't need to worry about how shiny it makes your skin, or how well make-up sits on top of it.

A decent 4/5

Xxxx