Sarah Chapman Skinesis Overnight Facial

Some time last year QVCUK.com did a Today's Special Value (TSV) where you got a 7 piece Sarah Chapman set (all full size) for just under £80, I had been wanting to try the range so couldn't pass up on such great value. The Sarah Chapman Skinesis overnight facial sets you back £46 for 15ml alone, but it was a trap because now I'm dreading this oil running out, what will I do without it.

So let me tell a little about this oil, this serum-oil hybrid has a gorgeous silky texture, one of the best textures in oil form I've experienced. It contains a cocktail of antioxidants, vitamins, anti-inflammatory omega oils, firming Dermaxyl peptide, to brighten and even out the skin tone in conjunction with jasmine and rose for a gorgeous scent. I apply this at night after serum and before moisturiser, and I'm glowing already, by the time I wake up skin is plump, smooth and ready for the day. Over a time I noticed an evening out of my skin tone and I believe this oil has helped me stave off the usual cold weather dehydration. Sarah Chapman designed this to mimic the effects of a Skinesis facial, but in your own home, the oil contains concentrated active ingredients such as Renovage to increase the life span of cells, anti-ageing vitamin A, vitamin C and E (seems to be the magic concoction that works for my skin), Meadowfoam seed oil, Hemp seed oil, melon oil, baobab oil and Jojoba to name a few, these leave your skin refreshed and radiant with the signature Skinesis glow.

Even for a small bottle, this product has lastest a while, but due to the packaging it's hard to see how much I have left, I dread the day I get to the last pump. However the airless pump and opaque packaging protect light and air sensitive ingredients, to keep them active and potent, so you won't hear any complaints from me. It's something I will definitely repurchase, and I'm currenlty keeping an eye out for any offers, and am also eager to try the morning facial. 

Have you tried any Sarah Chapman products? What did you think? Any items on your wishlist?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex

DECIEM; Grow Gorgeous, Hand Chemistry and Inhibitif

I'm so intrigued by Deciem released products, it's a collection of brands launched under the Deciem umbrella, they wanted to release a host of products that will change the beauty industry and have been doing so one launch at a time. I've tried a range of items from the brand, so thought I'd give an overview of what I've tried to date, also see the Hair Molecule review from Fountain.

First up is the Grow Gorgeous Hair Growth Serum; Designed to give lethargic hair follicles a kick up the behind, this will not work on dead follicles. It's an ultra concentrated formula with a blend of 21.5% (that's really high apparently) active complex, that includes hyaluronic acid (of course) with 7 technologies working together to make hair visibly longer, thicker and fuller (same thing?!). It comes housed in a glass bottle with pipette dispenser, for accurate application to the scalp, it's recommended to apply 20 drops daily and the 60ml bottle at £30 should last 2 months. I absolutely loved this, I mainly focused on applying this to my hairline, as this is my main area of concern, so it lasted longer than 2 months. I definitely noticed a thickening of the hair along my hairline and will definitely return to using this once I'm done testing another hair growth product (stay tuned).

The next product is the Hand Chemistry Intense Youth Complex hand cream, designed to improve the 8 signs of hand ageing with visible results promised in 11 days, it also had the tag line of 'Making hands look 10 years younger in 10 days'. Being in my 30's I'm lucky to not be so worried about wrinkles on my face, but they do say your hands can give away your true age and with very dry hands I'm always on the search for the best hand cream. However my hands did not look younger, and I did not find this hand cream moisturising enough for me, at £19 for a 100ml I used the product up, mainly at night before bed underneath another hand cream, but I will not be repurchasing. I did not give up though and decided to try another hand cream from the range, with a 20% discount code I decided it was worth the risk for the Triple-Function Hyaluronic-Rich Hydrator (what a mouthful), at a more reasonable £7 for 60ml. Promising to offer above and below surface hydration, while forming a protective invisible glove to help prevent moisture loss and boasting ingredients like mango butter I was sure onto a winner. This faired better than it's predecessor, it hydrates and absorbs quickly with a light citrus scent, but was still lacking a little in the moisturising department on my very dry hands. Again it seems the hand creams are not for me, I will use this up, but not repurchase.

Also part of the Hand Chemistry range is the Retin-oil, multi-vitamin dry body oil that's said to target scars, stretch marks (joys of motherhood), ageing, dehydrated skin, surface irregularities and discolouration in just 2 weeks. I've been using this for approximately that amount of time and have to say the smell is not that pleasant, but it does dissipate, I didn't find it moisturising enough on it's own (blame the cold weather) so have been mixing it with another moisturiser, but am yet to see any fading discoloration or stretch marks. I'll use up this small 100ml bottle, but unless something great happens before it's empty I will not be repurchasing this at £20.

Finally is Inhibitif, a range of products designed to minimise hair regrowth so you don't have to shave/wax as often (yes please), I tried the Deodorant, which I loved. However it's probably one of the most expensive deodorants I've used at £9 for 50ml, but it definitely reduced hair regrowth, within the claimed 2 week timeframe. Being an anti-perspirant girl at heart and using this during the summer months I still sprayed my usual anti-perspirant over the top, but this didn't affect it's efficacy. I would definitely repurchase this, in fact writing this post is reminding me that I should have bought it when I had my 20% discount code (sigh).

Have you tried anything from the Deciem branded ranges? On the website you can pick items across all the brands into one basket with free P&P, and it looks like they have no plans to stop with more brands in the pipe line.

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex.

Illamasqua; Once Collection

The recent releases from Illamasqua have bloggers saying that the brand is going commercial, and becoming boring from there makeup artist lead brand, with everything from teal lipstick to glow in the dark nail polish. I feel that there’s nothing wrong with diversifying the brand and catering to a wider audience, plus Illamasqua do subtle subdued makeup in such a beautiful and different way to the usual nude palettes we see banded around. Included in the range are 3 new cream eyeshadows, a repromoted powder blusher, 2 new lipglosses and a new nail varnish colour. I received 2 of the cream eyeshadows and the nail polish.

The cream eyeshadows are called Vintage Metallix, I received the shades Courtier, which Illamasqua describes as a vintage nude, it’s a pinky beige nude shot through with gold shimmer.  And Bibelot, described as a vintage green, which is a deep green shot through with the same gold shimmer. These are cream-gel textures that provide long lasting, smudge resistant wear, housed in small glass jars, gold lid with the Illamasqua symbol, as well as Illamasqua lettering on the side, which is peeling off as we speak. I love cream eyeshadows, and these are a great addition to my collection, they last well on me without primer, I do not have oily eyelids and are a great base for powder eyeshadow.

The nail polish is called Melange, which Illamasqua describe as a golden teal with a matte finish, it’s a gorgeous emerald green shade with lots of gold glitter, that make it difficult for it to be a true matte shade. It applies beautifully and lasts well on the nails.

The cream eyeshadows are £16.50 each and the nail polish is £14.50 available from illamasqua.com, which is a great website as they have mini videos with live swatches and have recently added pictures of swatches on different skin tones.

black|Up Paris Cosmetics

Black|Up Paris is fast becoming one of my favourite brands, it was founded in 1999 by an African makeup artist, and was the first upscale beauty brand to cater especially to black and mixed beauties. It pairs professional quality products with ease of use, it promises to provide a non-ashy finish and includes makeup, skincare and fragrance. I had heard about this brand for a while, but only dabbled in it recently when I tried and loved the CC cream, reviewed here.

I’ll start with the contouring sticks, this is a dual ended stick, think 2 stick foundations merged. One end for highlighting and the other for contouring and comes in 5 shades. I received shades 3 and 4. The contouring shades are identical and I can use these interchangeably, they are also quite warm toned and not as cool toned as a contour colour should be, but I feel on darker skin we can get away with this. The highlighting shades are very different, for this I need shade 3, these blend like butter, I love these. They cost £29 each, and if you know what shade you are in the CC cream, this is the shade you’ll be in these. 

 

 

Next is the Radiance Sublime Powder, I thought this would be extremely shimmery on the skin, but it’s quite subtle and adds a nice warm glow. It's developed with a new extra fine texture that blends easily, combining pigment and shimmer, it’s oil free, fragrance free and paraben free. The 5 shades are designed to match different undertones, I have shade no4 and it cost £26.

The 5 Colour Eyeshadow Palette is £32, each palette is designed to work in harmony, and structured around 3 looks a nude look using the matte shades, a day time look using the colour trio that can then be turned into a smokey night time look using the darkest matte shade. The palettes consists of 4 different textures, this one consists of 1 metallic shade, 1 satin shade, 2 matte shades and 1 glitter shade. I love this palette, it’s compact and great for travel, even though it’s structured around 3 looks, a multitude of looks can actually be created, I have palette no4 out of 5.

Finally are the mono eyeshadows, which have been developed in a new formula, and come in either a matte or metallic finish. Shade 02 is a light, bright orange shade, which is pigmented and blends beautifully. I’ve used this both on the eyes and cheeks, and it’s absolutely gorgeous, definitely a shade a brownbeauty should have in her stash. Then shade 12, which is a vibrant, light turquoise blue, not an everyday shade, but great for when you want a pop of colour. Again pigmented and blends beautifully, especially for a matte shade.  There are 15 shades in total, they don’t have names just numbers, and cost £15.50 each.

black|Up Paris is available on their website or Debenhams.com.

Thank you for visiting the blog today.

Alex

Sensationnel UK Bare and Natural Brazilian Lace Wig

So I attended my first Keziah Connections event in July that teamed up with Fashion Fair and Sensationnel UK. I happened to win one of the prize draws, which was for a Sensationnel UK Bare and Natural Brazilian Virgin Remi Lace Wig in the natural wavy style and a 1B colour. I love the box packaging, but it doesn't say what length the hair is or how many bundles it's made up of, guessing I'd say 18-20inches. It doesn't have a lace closure as you're suppose to cut it and leave a bit of your own hair out.

Sensationnel UK Bare and Natural Brazilian Lace Wig

I had this wig sitting gathering dust for a while, as it didn't quite meet my requirements, since I won it I had no say it what it looked liked. Firstly the bare and natural range is for those who want a very natural looking finish, also as my hair is natural I didn't want to constantly have to apply heat to blend my leave out with the wig. Also I currently had a wig I wore daily that met my requirements, but I was in the market for a shorter, ombre coloured style. 

Sensationnel UK Wig Transformation Before and After

Eventually I got the idea to adapt the wig to my specifications, rather than buy a new one and leave this one gathering dust. First thing I did was add some extra tracks to give the wig more volume, using some braziliain hair I had around the house from previous weaves. Then I cut it to shoulder length, dyed it to a blonde ombre and tweezed the parting a little so I didn't have to cut it and leave any hair out.

I absoultey love this as it now gives me variation and I'm slowly building up my wig collection to offer me a nice variety. Sensationnel UK don't sell the wigs online, but you can go on the website to find your nearest stockist, and obviously buy a wig more suited to your requirements, so no adaptations needed. I would definately look at purchasing a Sensationnel UK wig, I've got my eye on the Empress Lace wig collection, as some of them can be worn in a ponytail or an updo. There are no prices on the website, but at the event we were told these wigs are very affordable, they also sell bundles of hair if you prefer a weave.

Check out the website sensationnel.com, check out my instagram (Aallexxy) for pictures of me rocking this unit.

Thank you for visiting the blog today

Alex

Eve Lom Morning Time cleanser and Cleansing Balm!!!

I received the Morning Time Cleanser and the cult Cleansing  Balm and included muslin cloth, to review for brownbeautytalk.com. I’ll start with the Morning Time Cleanser; it’s supposed to be a lighter version of the cleansing balm to be used in the morning to wake the skin up. It’s a 2 minute wash off balm and uses 4 of Eve Lom’s signature aromatic cleansing oils; Clove oil which is anti-septic, Eucalyptus Oil that helps to drain away toxins, Hops oil tones and Egyptian Chamomile Oil that softens and soothes. These are combined with Papaya Fruit Enzyme which exfoliates, brightens and minimises pores and carrot oil to stimulate collagen production, these all work together to leave skin radiant, refreshed and balanced. I didn’t think I would enjoy using a balm based cleanser in the morning, as I previously preferred a lightly foaming gel based cleanser, but I was wrong and my skin has loved it. I massage it on dry skin before getting in the shower, and rinse it off just before getting out; my skin is left soft, clean and not stripped. It has not exacerbated the oily areas of my combination skin, but leaves it nicely balanced.

The Balm was the first product  developed when Eve launched in 1985, we've all heard of this cult classic cleanser, it’s controversial as it contains mineral oil. Eve is adamant that it’s high grade extremely refined mineral, I don’t go out of my way to avoid mineral oil as I find it doesn’t appear to affect my skin adversely, but it’s something to consider. It contains the 4 signature oils mentioned above in addition to cocoa butter to condition, At night I use the Cleansing Balm and massage this into dry skin after removing my initial layer of makeup with a wipe or cleansing water, then use the accompanying muslin cloth and hot tap water to remove. My skin is left feeling clean, glowing, hydrated and balanced. 

I have been using these products consistently for almost 3 months, and have definately seen a massive improvement in my skin. My skin’s texture has smoothed out and it looks more radiant and even toned. I feel all skin types can benefit from these products, even those with oily skin, if however you want to avoid mineral oil, but want to try an Eve Lom cleanser, then consider using the morning time cleanser at night.

These products aren’t cheap, the Morning Time Cleanser is £40 for 125ml and the Cleansing Balm ranges from £40 for 50ml - £85 for 200ml, but after almost 3 months  use these products are still going strong.

Have you tried any Eve Lom products?

Thank you for visiting the blog today

Alex

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks

Earlier this year Nicola Haste, one half of the Pixiwoo sisters, annouced she would be joining her sister, Sam Chapman on board the Real techniques brand to develop and design brushes. I immediately knew they would release a limited edition Nic's pick set, just like Sam had previously, just scroll through my instagram timeline for the comment I posted on youtube when the news was announced. A few months down the line and here it is; Nic's Picks Brush Set that includes 3 exclusive brushes in the 5 piece set.

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks duo-fibre face brush

The brushes include a duo-fiber face brush, which was also included in the limited edition duo fibre set, except with a silver handle. The duo fibres mean the brush picks up just the right amount of product, so if you're heavy handed this is perfect for powder application.

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks Cheek Brush

The cheek brush is one of the exclusive designs, this is my favourite in the set and I may purchase another, just to have 2 of this brush. I have used this to buff in foundation and apply bronzer, it's super soft, densely packed, but small enough to fit in cheek contours.

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks Angled Shadow Brush

Another exclusive brush is the angled shadow brush, it's a loosely packed angled brush thats great for blending out crease colours in your eye makeup looks. 

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks Base Shadow Brush

Theres also a base shadow brush, which also comes in the starter set, which I also have. It's perfect for laying down a base colour on your eyes, but I have also used the tip of the brush to apply and blend out crease colours.

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks Eyeliner Brush

The last but not the least is another exclusive, an eyeliner brush, it's a very small, firm, angled tapered brush, thats great for eyeliner, but even better for brows.

I love all my real techniques brushes and this is no different. I purchased mine over a month ago from Beautyexpert.co.uk, it costs £29.99, but I had a 20% off code. It's limited edition so I'd be quick if you're interested.

Have you picked up this set yet? What's your favourite brush in the set?

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

Alex

Illamasqua Glamour Nude Lipsticks

Illamasqua lauched the Glamore collection, a collection to celebrate the classics, a way for everyone to redefined what glamourous is to them. This included satin lipsticks, that were developed to be less drying than their well known matte lipsticks. Within this they also launched the Nude collection, 7 Nude satin lipsticks to match every skintone.

I have 3 of the 7 shades; Naked described as a creamy nude (less beige and more pinky brown than Tease), Tease described as a pink beige and Buff, the darkest in the nude range described as a fudge brown, it's a dark muted pink brown.


Illamasqua Nude Lipsticks in Naked, Tease and Buff

These lipsticks are gorgeous and creamy, you still need to ensure lips are well prepped, but once applied they last well. I enjoy using Naked applied with a pinky liner underneath or mixing Tease and Buff together, to offer versatality and prevent Tease looking to pale on my darker skin tone. Check out pictures of me wearing these on my instagram; Aallexxy.

 

Have you tried any of the nude range yet, or the satin lipsticks in general available here. What do you think of the direction Illamasqua have been going in recently?

 

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

 

Alex

 

Tom Ford A/W14 Limited Edition Collection

The high end luxury brand Tom Ford, require no introduction, and I'm sure you've seen the latest limited edition A/W launch from the brand. My Tom Ford collection is growing slowly, see unabashed review here, but I'm constantly intrigued by the brand despite the high end price tag.

Tom Ford Cheek Color Duo and Black Cherry Nail Polish

I picked up 2 pieces of the collection from the House of Fraser website, the contouring cheek color duo in softcore and a nail polish in black cherry.


Tom Ford Softcore Contouring Cheek Color Duo

Softcore cheek color duo contains 2 shades; a more matte shade to add definition to the face, although this shade I would say is not completely matte and has a slight sheen to it, especially as it catches the light. And a second pearlescent shade to highlight, these shades are extrememly pigmented and the highlight shade can appear a little frosty if applied too much, so I use a fan brush to apply. This isn't strictly a typical contour shade, I apply it slightly lower down on the cheeks and not directly in the hollows and blend upwards so it gives shape and colour to the face.

Tom Ford Black Cherry Nail Polish

The black cherry nail polish shade is my ultimate nail polish colour, I love deep dark plum shades. It's especially fitting for the autumn/winter season, although I can be seen in variations of this shade all year round. This is my first Tom Ford nail polish, and it's extremely pigmented, applied right you could get away with one coat, but I prefer 2 lighter coats.

These are selling out fast, and may prove difficult to find now, as they are limited edition. They may however still be available at your local counters, and as of writing this, both items were still available on harveynichols.com, the cheek colour duo costs £56 and the nail polish is £26.  

Have you or will you purchase anything from this collection? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for visiting the blog today

Alex.

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream

Here's a review I wrote for brownbeautytalk.com;

Bobbi Brown’s hydrating skincare range is infused with mineral water, to provide skin with the moisture it needs. The creams have a lightweight texture so they melt right into the skin, keeping skin soft and glowing all day; to make sure foundation and concealer glide on smoothly and evenly.

I received the hydrating face cream; it’s a rich yet lightweight texture that steadily releases moisture, skin conditioners and nutrients to the skin throughout the day. Make-up stays fresh due to a long lasting cushion of humectants and hydrating ingredients, it contains Algae extract to moisturise and condition the skin and caffeine to soothe. It can be used morning and night, but I prefer to use it in the morning as a good base for make-up and before primer.

This does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s great for my combination skin. It hydrates the dry areas without overwhelming the oily areas, it’s rich yet light, it moisturises without leaving skin greasy or shiny and foundation glides on. In my opinion I think it could be great for all skin types, but extremely oily may want something a little lighter and more fluid in texture and extremely dry skin may require something a little richer.

I love that it doesn’t make a million claims, and does the one thing it claims to do well, hydrate. It has a light inoffensive scent that Bobbi describes as a clean botanical fresh smell. It’s a bit on the pricey side at £38.50 for 50ml, but you only need a small amount, so should last a good while.

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