balance Me pure skin face wash; skin-balancing cleanser!!!

I'm always on the hunt for a good facial cleanser, I want something that feels nourishing and leaves my face feeling clean but not stripped. So I picked this up with the latest issue of Glamour magazine, I've not used many balance Me products, but always been quite intrigued. When I saw this cleanser as a freebie, I thought it was a great opportuinity to try it, especially as it's targeted towards combination skin.

This 50ml size costs £11, it's 98.8% natural based product and here is what balance Me say about the cleanser;

"A gentle yet effective non-drying sulphate and petroleum free face wash to cleanse skin of make-up and daily grime. Formulated with anti-oxidant rich moringa and rice bran oils to brighten and polish the skin and leave it smooth and gently cleansed. Ideally suited for normal to combination skins." 

It's a thick, white cream that is emulsified with water and applied to dry skin to dissolve daily grime, I usually remove my initial layer of make-up with a wipe, so can't fully comment on it's make-up removing abilities. However it does remove water-resistant mascara and leaves my face feeling clean but not stripped., I usually remove it with a muslin cloth, which adds a mild exfoliation aspect to the cleansing process. It has a strong frankincense scent I'm not massively keen on, but it's not a major deal breaker for me. 

I have really enjoyed using this cleanser and would definitely purchase this product, it's great for days when I want to give my skin a break from all the glycolic based products I use, while still feeling like my skin is being thoroughly cleansed and nourished.

From the 19th you will be able to purchase this cleanser from debenhams.com, so bring on the beautyclub card points!!! Have you used any other balance Me products, what other products from the range would you recommend? 

 

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex

Hourglass Mineral Veil SPF15 Primer!!!

Hourglass is a luxury beauty brand that's been gaining a massive following in the UK in recent months, I absolutely love the ambient lighting powder in dim light, review here. I'm eager to try more from the brand, but there products aren't the cheapest and my closest spacenk store that stocks there products recently closed down, meaning colour matching and swatching in person is difficult. However for my next dip into the hourglass pool I ordered the travel size mineral veil primer from the spacenk website, at 10ml this will set you back £20, a full size 30ml bottle costs £52. It's probably one of the most expensive primers I've used, but with the warmer months unusually warm for the UK and my combination oily skin setting in, I thought it was worth seeing what all the hype was about.

What Hourglass say about the product;
A mineral-based, water-resistant primer with SPF 15 that creates an impossibly smooth canvas and seamless look. Veil eliminates redness, minimizes pore size, softens fine lines and creates a uniform canvas for a flawless makeup application and minimises shine. This clean, satin-finish formula helps keep makeup looking fresh and prevents fading, while SPF 15 shields the skin from the sun.

 As you can see, it's a white, thinkish liquid, that looks like it would give my darker skintone a white cast, but doesn't. This definitely prolongs make-up wear and helps towards mattifying the skin, it got daily use during the heatwave, but now I try to reserve it for long make-up wearing days or events. The SPF is a nice bonus, although a little low for me during summer, so I still use sunscreen prior to this. The product keeps going, everytime I use it I think this is going to be the last pump, so this small size will still last a decent amount of time.

So far Hourglass is a brand I'm becoming increasingly impressed/obssessed with, I will definitely be trying a few more of there products, currently on the list is the No28 primer serum, for the colder months and the immaculate liquid powder foundation. I'm also toying with the idea of getting one of the new nude lip stylo's and possible the No28 lip treatment oil, among a myriad of other things, the list just keeps growing!!! 

Have you tried any hourglass products? What were your thoughts? Recommendations welcome.  Let me know what you would like to see on the blog.

Thanks for visiting today

Alex.

 

EX1 Cosmetics; Invisiwear foundation and compact powder!!!

So EX1 is the new cosmetics kid on the block, born out of Farah Naz's frustration to match her Asian skin tone, with a biochemist background she designed her own foundation. It's a capsule collection targeted towards Asian, Middle/Far Eastern and Mediterranean gals, with yellow, golden to deep olive undertones.

Now you're probably thinking how the hell do I fit into any of these categories, my intrigued was piqued as I regularly fall in between shades and find it notoriously difficult to be matched at beauty counters. I'm usually somewhere between an NC45-50 in mac, I'm between B70-80 in YSL le teint touché éclat, I'm inbetween bobbi browns extra tinted moisturiser in medium deep and dark...I could go on. I was even color matched by the Boots no7 machine and had a foundation applied on my face, I later glanced in the mirror and I looked grey, the beauty consultant also thought she'd give me a sample of the next shade up to take home commenting that it would look good when I tanned, bearing in mind this was the end of last summer how much darker did she think I was gonna get in autumn/winter. Plus isn't that the purpose of the machine, to remove the beauty consultants subjectivity?! I think you're starting to get the picture. If I use a foundation that's too red my face doesn't look like it belongs to my neck and chest, too light and I look ashy or just wrong, so I'm regularly mixing in Face Ateliers white foundation or mixing too shades together. I was hoping this would be my solution, is there finally a foundation that honours my golden yellow undertones, while respecting the depth of my skins tone, I decided to take the risk.

There are 5 shades in the invisiwear liquid foundation, F100, 200, 300, 400 & 500, I'm the darkest shade. It's housed in a plastic bottle, with a pump and gorgeous rose gold detailing, it's priced at an amazingly affordable £10.50, but I bought from beautyexpert for £7.72 and got a free blusher with 2 purchases. The foundation is thicker than the average liquid, but blends well into the skin, evening out your skintone without being cakey or heavy.

FlashDaylight

It initially looked like it would be too light, bear in mind my arms are currently extrememly tanned with the great weather we've been having, but it blends in beautifully on my face. It gives a semi-matte finish, which on my combination skin and with the current heatwave is great.

Heavily swatchedBlended out

The invisiwear compact powder comes in three shades, P100, 200 & 300, I have the darkest again. It cost £8.99, but I bought for £7.23, not sure how long beautyexpert will sell it at this price, so be quick if you're interested. It states that it mattifies, while hydrating the skin without caking and is oil-free. The first ingredient is talc, so for some this maybe a no go, it comes in the same rose gold packaging with a large mirror.  I found it felt light on the skin, and it did help to mattify my oily t-zone on my combination skin, and didn't look cakey at all. I expected that this would not be a good match for me at all, I assumed it would be too light and make me look ashy, I was wrong. I really like this powder, I can use it to set other foundations I have and it brings back some yellow into a foundation that maybe to red for my skin tone.

The free blusher is in the shade Natural Flush, it's a gorgeous pink hue, that doesn't read chalky or ashy on my deep complexion. I tend to use more coral/peach blushers in the summer, but I've been mixing this in to get a gorgeous pinky peach shade and it will definately get more use in the winter months, plus I love the screw top packaging.

                                     Foundation and powder used in a complete face of make-up!!!

So my risk paid off, I really like this brand, it's affordable, good quality and matches my undertones beautifully. There's also a concealer and mineral powder foundation in the range, which can also be purchased from lookfantastic.com, I'm contemplating ordering the concealer.

Have you tried this range? Any further questions, please put them in the comments below, thank you for visiting the blog today.

Alex

Perricone MD; The Glycolic Cleansing Bar!!!

This is without a shadow of a doubt my most repurchased Perricone MD product!!! I remember when they sold one 85g bar for 40 something pounds (can't remember the exact price), it's now 3x85g bars for £59.50, still expensive but much better at £19.83 a bar. Plus with Mankind offering 20% off, how could I resist

If you've read any of my previous posts this week, you'll know that my obsession with glycolic based products is at an all time high. It's so easy to find glycolic products for your face, but this one can be applied over your entire body, which is one of the reasons I love it.

Glycolic acid exfoliates the top layers of skin, to reveal smoother, brighter, more even toned skin, with the addition of olive oil it treats without stripping and drying out the skin. Based on a 4 week study dermatologist Dr. Perricone claims that consumer reported 95% improvement in clarity and brightness, 91% reported improvements in the skins texture, 86% reduction in visible size of pores and 84% improvement in skin dryness & less oily.

I absolutely love this stuff, I use it about 3 times a week on my body, I let it sit on the skin for at least 2-3 minutes to give the glycolic acid time to work. My skin feels softer, smoother and looks brighter, great if you're about to go on a beach holiday and will be revealing more skin or if you just want even toned skin all over, why should your face be the only even toned skin on your body?! I use it on my face daily, if I'm not using any other glycolic product, it's free from parabens, sulfates, phthalates, synthetic dyes & synthetic fragrances.

Have you ever tried any perricone MD products? Are you as addicted to glycolic products as I am?

Thanks for visiting the blog today, come again soon

Xoxo

Alex

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner!!!

So if you've read my Nip+Fab post (here) you know I've been struggling with blemish marks over the last couple of months, while the Nip+fab range has helped, there's still some residual marks left. So after Caroline Hirons recommendation, I finally decided to pick this up to see if I could shift the last of the marks I have left, plus with 3 deluxe GWP samples at John Lewis how could I resist. (Search aallexxy on instagram to see what samples I chose).

You use this after cleansing, in the place of your normal toner, it's slightly thicker in consistency and very soothing on the skin. It's recommended to use 1-2 times a week, but initially I used it a little more frequently, I have now reduced my usage. It contains glycolic acid (AHA) to gently exfoliate the top layer of the skin to reveal brighter, smoother skin, at £25 for 125ml it's not the cheapest nor the most expensive glycolic based skincare product on the market. Ensure you wear SPF protection whenever using glycolic based products.

I noticed a difference in my skin after only a couple of uses, my skin appeared brighter, the texture was smoother, and the dark marks definately seem to be reducing in intensity. Needless to say I'm a little addicted to its use, I'm absolutely loving it and it's definately a product I would repurchase.

Have you ever used this or any other glycolic based product?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer!!!

So if you've read my Nip+fab post then you'll know I've spent the last couple of months trying to fade some blemish marks on my cheeks, in the mean time I had to cover them up, and found none of the concealers in my stash upto the task. After hearing so much about secret camouflage I decided to take the plunge, at £26 it's not exactly cheap, but it definitely lives up to it's name.

 

I have the shade SC-7, second to the last darkest shade in the range, it contains two compartments one with a yellow based concealer to match your undertones. The smaller side is a more red based concealer, to match the depth of your skins tone, this enables you to customise your shade all year round. It's a very dry consistency, and I would beware of using it under your eyes, especially if you have dry skin, lots of fines etc. However one of the beauty consultants stated that she mixed in a little serum and it works fines, I have used it under my eyes and had no problems, but when my skin gets more dry in the colder months I may steer clear.

I dip my brush in both sides, using more of the yellow side to match my undertones and buff over the areas I want to cover, I then sometimes pat in further with my fingers to fully warm the concealer up on my skin.

Top pic; FlashBottom pic; daylight

 

I absolutely love this concealer, it has great longevity, and covers without looking heavy or cakey. Some days I use this, just a light powder like the chanel les beiges (Click for blogpost) and it looks great and natural, while offering great coverage.

No concealerSecret Camouflage

 

As you can see my blemishes are no longer as severe thanks to the Nip+Fab range, but it still covers what's lingering behind, and I have no other make-up on in this picture (other than brows).

Have you tried this concealer, what do you think?

Thank you for visiting the blog today

Alex

Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Cleanser and Exfoliating Facial Pads!!!

So the early May bank holiday always brings celebrations for my besties birthday, this year we went up and had a great long weekend in Manchester, with family, friends and a few late nights. This meant I wasn't quite as diligent at properly removing my make-up before bed, note to self; baby wipes do not equal a thorough pre-bed cleanse, needless to say I promptly broke out all along my cheeks. The usual area that bears the brunt of my lazy ways, this time around however it seemed to take an eternity to fade these dark marks, so I searched the aisle of Boots for something to help my cause.

In comes Nip+Fab glycolic fix range, I purchased the cleanser and exfoliating pads, I'm pleased to say it has helped to significantly fade the marks, but it has not completely gotten rid of them. However for a drugstore purchase I'm very pleased with how it performed, at £12.99 for 60 pads and £7.95 for the cleanser it's a bargain, compared to other glycolic containing skin care. The cleanser contains 2% glycolic acid and the pads, I believe contain 4% glycolic, try to leave the cleanser on the skin for at least 2 minutes to give the glycolic acid time to work.

I mainly used the pads at night, but you can use them twice daily, however ensure you use SPF whenever using products with glycolic acid. I found the pads so hydrating I often wouldn't use a night cream with it, I mainly used the cleanser in the morning, it cleansed the skin without a tight feeling after.

I'm now interested to try some other products in the range, like the serum and the scrub, have you tried any products from the brand/range?

Thanks for visiting the blog today,

Alex

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder - No50!!!

I'm sure most of you have heard about the latest release from Chanel, the healthy glow sheer powder from the Les Beiges collection, inspired by freedom and light as air make-up. I had a £10 Debenhams voucher and decided to put it towards the purchase of this £38 powder, I'm getting a litle bored of my MAC mineralise skinfinish and with these new powders on the market claiming to prevent cakey over powdered application, while mattifying and giving the skin a glow all at the same time I had to see what it was all about. I have the hourglass ambient lighting powder (review here) and absolutely love it, but due to the universal shades it offers no extra coverage when setting make-up. My skin is a little crazy at the moment, I have some horrible blemishes on my cheeks that refuse to fade, so I need something that will work towards disguising them without having to wear a full coverage foundation. Saying that the powder is incredibly sheer, so coverage is minimal, which is great if your wear little make-up and/or have great skin. I use this powder to set my foundation and concealer, it also has SPF 15, which is personally a bit low for me in the summer months, but can help to top up your SPF throughout the day (better than nothing).

The packaging is gorgeous and chic, the powder feels soft and buttery to the the touch and it comes with a large mirror and brush for touch up's on the go. I have used the elf powder brush and real techniques buffing brush to apply this, but my favourite at the moment is the elf mineral powder brush. I love the feeling and finish of this powder, it never leaves me looking over powdered or cakey, it does have a strong scent, but I don't notice this once it's been applied to my skin. I got the shade No50, but think in the winter I would need No40, however the powders are incredibly sheer so I could probably get away with either shade. The powders can also be used as a bronzer if you purchase a shade or two darker than your skintone. The shade range goes upto No70, but I'm not sure how many of these shades are available in the UK, the darkest shade the counter I purchased mine from seemed to be the No60.

Heavily swatchedSlightly blended out

It looks light initially, but blends out beautifully to give a demi-matte, sort of satin smooth finish to the skin. I believe these powders will be realeased in the USA in August, I can't wait for the cream blushes that are already avalable as part of the fall collection in America to launch here in August.

The powder with Laura Mercier's secret camouflage concealer

Do you have any chanel make-up, have you tried this new powder? Share your thoughts and any questions below.

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

Alex

Knot Extensions!!!

Hi all,

I first found out about knot extensions from Soraya of styleismything fame, I follow her on instagram and noticed how her hair always looked so nice and full. I then discovered that a guy call Ozzy (email: ozzytudo@hotmail.com) does her hair, he has a salon in manchester, but travels the UK to do knotextensions. He has done my hair previously, but just a brazilian blow dry/keratin treatment (info here), I redid the keratin treatment, but also decided to get the knot extensions this time.

Knot extensions are when an elasticated thread, colour matched to the hair colour of choice, is used to attached your hair extension to your hair. No glue or sewing, you can wash your hair, colour it, put it in a ponytail etc. I used 10' and 12' brazilian hair that was attached to the weft, which Ozzy just cuts off, but you can buy the hair loose from Ozzy (or elsewhere if you know where to get it). I bought the 10' hair from Beyondhairuk and the 12' from essyvirginhair, the 10' I had previously bleached and the 12' is the natural 1B colour in came as. I had the 10' from previous sew in weave installs and decided to get the 12' to add a bit more length, I used just shy of 3 bundles, but my hair is fine. Ozzy states on average people use between 3-4 bundles, Soraya who likes extra volume uses about 6-7 bundles. So you can individualise it to your needs, also longer length hair, tends to be shorter in weft length, so you may require more bundles.

You don't have to get the brazilian blow dry done if your hair is relaxed, if your hair is natural you may want to get the treatment so the extensions blend better with your hair, or buy hair extensions that have a closer texture to your hair. This method can be used on most hair types though, even caucasian hair, search Ozzytudo instagram for pictures. The extensions can last between 3-4 months with good care, I have heard some people keep them in longer than this, but ensure to care for your hair appropriately to prevent breakage. This method of extensions itself is very safe and doesn't break your hair, but you need to care for your hair and the extensions. Mention this blogpost to Ozzy for a great price.

Have you ever tried this method of extensions or are you interested? Any further questions you have please leave in the comments section below.

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

Alex

Clinique Moisture Surge SPF 30 CC Cream!!!

We had BB creams and now CC creams, next it'll be DD creams lol, but seriously I actually read somewhere that this is next on the market. I've only ever tried one BB cream, the sleek be beautiful blemish balm, review here. Let me predicate this post by saying, I think some of these creams are labelling and hype, so I just think of them as tinted moisturisers or bases with added extras. So for my first ever CC cream, I went with clinique, the shade range of CC and BB creams are usually quite limited compared to foundations. Clinique have 9 shades for their moisture surge CC cream, but most beauty counters only stock the most common 6, the darkest shade Deep was the closest match for me. So if you're darker than an NC55 you may not find a shade to match, saying that the coverage is light-light medium and can be used under foundation, so if used like this colour match isn't as important.

 

The cream is very thick and almost feel like it would be difficult to blend, but it does blend, I use fingers and/or a brush. This will not cover blemishes completely and if applied over a heavy moisturiser or sunscreen with leave you looking very shiny, oily skinned gals beware. I find it applies best on my combination skin without moisturiser or sunscreen, the product offers good hydration and has good lasting power like this, it evens out my complexion nicely.













I like this cc cream and how clinique don't claim that the product will do a million and one things for your skin, just hydration, SPF protection and colour correcting. My skin always feels soft when I take this off, for a little extra coverage I set it with MAC's MSF, otherwise I just use my Hourglass ambient lighting powder (review here). But it doesn't really need to be set, depending on your skin type. I do think the shade range is limiting for a darker skin girl, but clinique offer more shades on the whole than some other brands with similar products.

I love how it evens out my skin, with a supper natural, my skin but better look!!!

Have you tried this CC cream or any similar product, let me know your experiences?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex