Jergen's Naturals: Dry Skin Saviours!

In my head, winter has arrived. My heating is already on and my winter coat has been dry cleaned. I've bought two new boots and I've raided Uniqlo for new jumpers. Plus my skin is starting to look dry, and having black skin, dryness also makes me look look grey and ashy. Not a good look! Basically means, I need more moisturiser, which is fine, but I hate the thought of moisturising in the morning and by lunchtime I need to slap some more on. Too time consuming!

This is where Jergens Naturals come in. I've not tried the range before, as I normally swear by Johnson's Baby Lotion, but I have been pleasantly surprised and very happy with using their body moisturisers.

I started off using the Ultra Hydrating a few weeks ago, (picked it up in Tesco's for £2.50, bargain! they are normally about £5). I've found it very effective on my dry skin, more so if I've exfoliated and I don't have to put any more on during the day. With 96% natural ingredients including jojoba, avocado and olive oil, my skin feels hydrated almost instantly. Also, it feels very light on the skin and sinks in quite quickly. I dislike any creams that feel heavy and leave me feeling like I'm covered in grease. Jergen's doesn't, so major gold stars.

I liked the Ultra Hydrating so much, I decided to try a few more of the range and I've now been alternating between the Ultra Moisturising, Cocoa Butter and Total Nourishment. The award winning Cocoa butter formula is also has 96% natural ingredients including vitamin E which works as an anti oxidant. I love using this on a night out, especially if I've got my arms and legs out as it leaves a lovely sheen and smells like chocolate heaven. Though, not overpowering like the Palmers Cocoa Butter range.

My absolute favourite is the Total Nourishment as I feel it delivers on all levels.  Its boosted by 97% natural ingredients, with a heavy super fruit berry content. acai berry which promotes healthy skin, cranberry which is a gentle exfoliant and keeps my skin vibrant, goji berry and mangosteen extract which combat free radicals due to their anti oxidant content. Using this particular one, I feel my skin is very nourished, getting protection and I love the light berry fragrance. If only, they could throw in some SPF, that would complete my enjoyment!

The range is paraben free, cruelty free and dermalogically tested. All plus points for me. That said, I will be keeping the bathroom cabinet stocked with Jergen's Naturals all winter. I feel the range is a keeper!

Now over to you, have you tried Jergen's Natural's before? and what's your opinion on them?

Journey to my alter ego, with Illamasqua

Last Friday, I attended the Night Time Diva at Illamasqua's brand new store. The course itself was brilliant, I couldn't use another word to describe it. It was well structured, clear and taught by two highly respected make up artists - Adam Medusa Sidwell and David Horne. If you're thinking about doing a make up course, I suggest you try one of the Illamasqua ones. I left feeling much more confidence in my use of colours within make up and armed with tips and tricks to make my professional make up life easier.

Seeing as the store was virtually empty, I took the opportunity to shop to my hearts content and came home with a mini haul, which is pictured below. These are all items, I used within the course and felt instantly that I had to have them and I am glad I bought them, without thinking twice as they have made such a difference.

Top left is a cream foundation, just the right combination of matte and luminous. Goes on like a dream and provides very good build-able coverage. I use small foundation brush on the far left to apply it, just by buffing it into the skin.

Top right is the an invisible pressed powder. Its so finely milled and velvety to the touch. Plus it holds my make up in place fabulously.

There is a navy blue eyeshadow in the mix, called Never. Its a matte finish and its great for not just the eyes. More that to come.

Also a liquid metal eyeshadow in green, called Stoic (there is a waiting list for this on their website). Its a a mettalic emerald shade, which pops against my dark skin. You can put a powder eyeshadow on it as well, to create a subtle shimmer.

In the middle is pure pigment in Ore. A fantastic and intense pure colour pigment. I've not used it yet, but when I do, it will probably to add more effect to another shadow, but the possibilities are endless.

The other items are concealer (bottom right) with an intensely creamy finish, a lip brush and and eyebrow brush. The little bottles are called Sealing Gel, which can be mixed with eye shadow, pure pigment or cake eye liners for a long lasting finish.

I have fallen more in love with Illamasqua and I'm sure that I will be purchasing a few more products as time goes by. Are you a fan?

Nars's Zulu...my best green so far!

I've been pining over this nail polish for a little while and I knew I'd love it the minute I laid eyes on it. I tried a lot of Nars counters and none had it, even Liberty's didn't have it. Tut tut! Till I was finally told only Space NK was stocking it. Then every Space NK I tried in London, didn't have it.  Was I not destined to have this polish? Finally, I found it in Brighton, ninety miles away from home!

Anyway, without further ado, here it is gracing my fingers! and I have to say I love it very much. Its the perfect shade of green for me. Dark, glossy and mossy looking and it looks like jelly on nails. What's there not to love? The high shine is amazing, even without a top coat.

I just had to dress it up with some pearls!

Quite a few people said to me that they needed three coats to get full coverage on it, but I found it went on like a dream and I only have the standard two coats on, plus a top coat. It had me from the first stroke, so well done Nars, you now have a piece of my heart!

Product Review: MyFace Cosmetics

I was sent some MyFace.Cosmetics for review and I've decided to do it in separate posts of eyes and lips.

So first for the eyes.

Left to right: Sp'ice'y, Bellbottom Blues, Black Ice

I was sent the eyeshadows from the Blingtone collection (£9.99) on on first glance I really liked them. I'm a sucker for blue eyeshadow so I was sold from the start. But on the day I tried them, the only place I was going to was my local Tesco's so I thought the blue was best left at home.

The pans are really sturdy, which I liked. Felt the shadows were safe and secure. The eyeshadow itself has an almost cream, satin feeling, which I think is lovely. And the glitter isn't too big. I'm always worried about glitter eyeshadow falling on my cheeks during application, but I'm happy to say that I didn't get any fall out with this.

I liked the application and coverage I got on my eyes, but I'm really dissappointed it didn't show through on camera when the flash was on.. It's really twinkly, but I think it's fine for day time use.  The base of my eye shadow closely matched my skin tone, so for more 'umph', I think next time I will use over a cream based eyeshadow and pat it in for maximum bling! or mix with MAC's mixing medium for a full metallic foil effect.

The blue and black eye shadows, will definitely come out on a dance floor night out, again over a cream base though. Overall verdict, I like!

The mascara I've got on is also from MyFace.Cosmetics and although you can't usually part me from my DiorShow, I was quite impressed with this one called Upload Mascara (£9.99). I felt it both separated and lengthened my lashes and also left me with denser looking lashes as well. I can't complain about that.  Just touching my lashes as I type a few hours later and they don't feel dry or brittle, which is a great plus point. I won't be putting this one to one side, it'll be a keeper in my make up bag.

And because I have a major blush crush, I couldn't resist trying the blusher as well. Its called Her Name is Rio (£9.99) and I really like the soft orange/peach colour in the pan and there's a golden hue underneath the orange. This too felt creamy to the touch and not to drying. On its own on my skin, I didn't feel I got my usual does of blush. Then again, I am used to wearing much darker colours. I did resort to a touch of MAC Fever and then Rio on top for a golden highlight.

Overall, I was impressed with MyFace.Cosmetics and felt it of good quality, which it should be as make up maestro Charlotte Tilbury was involved in its creation. The presentation is excellent, especially with the blusher, which comes with a soft enough brush and an internal mirror so you can use it on the move. It didn't irritate or dry out my skin, so a thumbs up from me!

Eye Cream Review: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronised Complex

I'm pretty new to the whole eye cream issue and have only been using it for the last 3 months. In the last six weeks in particular I've been using Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronised Complex and I'm absolutely loving it.

Although, you can use it am and pm, I prefer to just use it in the evenings only, after washing my face and since using it the major thing I've noticed is the smoothness of my eyelids and general eye area.

I like the fact that it has a light gel like consistency and it always feels so cool and silky against my skin. Very refreshing. It has a light pleasant smell that doesn't overwhelm and I appreciate that, as I'm not a fan of frangranced products around my eyes.

There's no residue to it and it sinks in very quickly. Its very nourishing too and I do feel my eye area has become softer over the time I've been using it. When I wake up in the morning, my eyes are brighter and feel more rested.  I don't have any fine lines or wrinkles around my eyes, but here's hoping that by continuous use, I can keep any lines at bay for a long time. Prevention is better than cure as they say!

Although, the tub is quite small and its a hefty £40, it has lasted quite well and I fully expect it to last another 6 weeks if not more. This is helped by the fact it comes with a nifty little applicator which you use to apply three dots of the cream to the eye area. This is a really clever tool, if only I didn't drop it down the plughole! Now I just use a cotton bud to dot around my eye, but it sure does help minimise wastage.

There is a lot of science behind the product and I won't attempt to baffle anyone, but if you are interested you can read it here. That said, if you're on the search for a new eye cream, the Advanced Night Repair Eye is a must try.

Current Skin Care Loves

I'm always refining the products I use as my skin changes and below are my current loves!

• Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil

I really like this cleansing oil. I find it breaks down sebum, grime and make up effectively and its always the first thing I use in my cleansing routine if I've got make up up. I usually decant it into a small spray bottle and use three sprays to keep it cost effective.

I swap between this cleansing oil and Dermalogica's Pre Cleanse on a regular basis.

• Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser

I love this cleanser and have been using it for about six months and I find it really effective on my sometimes oily, mainly combination skin. It contains kaolin and green clay, which are used in face masques to draw out oil from the face. Sometimes I put it on thickly, then wait five to ten minutes before jumping into the shower and it acts like a mini face masque.

• Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

I don't know anyone who doesn't like this product and I for one love it. Its gentle enough to be used everyday and its really smooths out my skin and leaves it looking brighter. Again, this has been a favourite for around six months.

• Aesop Bitter Orange Astringent Toner

The word astringent makes this toner sounds quite harsh, but its not at all. I've only been using it for a few weeks, but I really like how it mattifies my skin after use and absorbs excess serum.

• Alpha H Liquid Gold Smooth & Perfecting Mask

I tend to use this mask on a night time, especially if I'm going to have a long soak. The lavender smell is really relaxing and it leaves my skin very fresh. For extra polishing, I always remove with a muslin cloth. Word of warning, it does contain glycolic acid, so sensitive types be aware.

• Dermalogica Skin Refining Masque

This is my go to face masque as I find it gentle on my skin and it revives the appearance. I apply it on the t zone and on my cheeks where my pores are larger to really draw out impurities and sebum. It contains my favourite mask ingredient kaolin, so I know it refines as well.

• Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion

I use this as my daily daytime moisturiser most especially because it has oil absorbing micro sponges and helps keep my skin matte. There's 1% salysilic acid in it, which prevents clogging of pores and follicles and is important for oily skin types like me.

• Alpha H Liquid Gold Intensive Night Repair Serum

I find this really helps with any pigmentation issues that flair up from time to time. It contains glycolic acid again and niacinamide which gives my skin a much needed vitality boost. I use it about twice a week as my night time moisturiser.

• Trilogy Organic RoseHip Oil

I became convinced of the benefits of rosehip oil after a friend with severe acne cleared up her scarring using it. I add two - three drops of it to my Alpha H Liquid Gold Intensive Night Repair serum and not only does the who thing smell divine, it has really helped in reducing the appearance dark spots on my face as a result of the odd breakout

• Alpha H Liquid Gold & White Gold

The former is an intensive skin refiner and I absolutely love it. During winter, my skin can get really dull and it really recharges it. I apply it after cleansing at night and go straight to bed, using it as an overnight treatment. The latter has a more brightening effect on my skin and I tend to use it as a toner in the morning before moisturising.

• Eye Creams - Origins GinZing & Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum

The former is my daytime eye cream and it 'zushes' up my tired eyes in the morning and provides a really lift, making me look wide awake. The latter is my night eye cream and its gently, soothing and smoothing on my eye area. I'll be doing a review on it soon.

• Balm Balm Lip Balm 

This is ultra moisturising and I always put it on after washing my face. Its very soothing and contains tea tree oil, so I can use it not only on lips but on small cuts and grazes.

I know this seems like a lot of products (my boyfriend would agree!) but I don't use them all everyday, apart from certain key ones. Usually I mix and match according to how I feel and what I think my skin needs. No doubt, in time, I'll add a few more to the mix and off course, take a few out too!

Now over to you, pray tell what your current favourites or must have products are?




ps - excuse the mess of images with the Alpha H, I forget to include them in my own pictures, so had to source images from the net and quite clearly they've messed up my layout!

It's all in the nose

Came across this on a site and thought it would be quite fun to post.

Your nose is a thing of beauty and apparent says a lot about you. I've been told I have a short nose. I agree that I am hard working, but not sure about the rest of my supposed characteristics yet!

What does your nose say about you?

Bulbous tip: You have a preoccupation with saving


Small tip: You do not consider money important
Flared nostrils: You are a big spender and an adventurous risk-taker

Long nose: Routine work is not your speciality
Short nose: You have a talent for old-fashioned, hard work, but you crave emotional stability

Broad nose: You have stability and a purposeful nature and a powerful sex drive

Long and narrow nose: You are intelligent, witty and engaging

Long and broad nose: You have lots of staying power and concentration

Fat nose: You are optimistic and are usually good in business

Ski-jump nose: You are intuitive

Arched: You are elegant and creative

I'm looking forward to your comments as to what your nose says about your personality!

 

Image anddescription obtained sourced from Cosmetic Beauty Directory