Friday 29 October 2010

October Empties

Burt's Bees Anti Blemish Solutions Cleanser
The Face Shop Quick & Clean Blemish balm
Clarins Cleansing Milk
Schwarzkopf Oil Nutrive shampoo 
Banana Boat Ultra Defence sunscreen

In Essence Refreshing shower gel
In Essence Island Flower Tahitian Monoi body lotion

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Artistry Creme L/X


Artistry says: Artistry Creme L/X is an ultra-effective, comprehensive, anti aging experience. It is the result of years of research expertise and the compilation of the latest advances in skin science. As a dramatic result, skin acts up to 15 years younger and looks years younger as clinically proven. Creme L/X helps your skin rediscover the formula for youthful looking skin.

Amazing Results: Clinical tests with an independent testing institute have proven the performance of Creme L/X. Skin texture is smoothed, appearance of fine lines and wrinkles is diminished, clarity enhanced, elasticity and resilience restored. Skin looks vibrant, firmer and younger. However, the benefits go further for skin that acts younger as well.

The Technology: A new theory of skin aging and treatment. Skin aging primarily occurs as a result of environmental insult. Creme L/X is the first Artistry product to not only address environmental damage but also address the factors leading to skin aging that naturally occur in the skin. Creme L/X rebuilds, fortifies and energises skin. It contains and exclusive patent pending technology that features an all new ingredient, cardiolipin. Artistry is the first cosmetics brand to feature this unique lipid which is a key to skin's revitalisation.

Application: Creme L/X is recommended for daily use. Apply to entire face and neck area both morning and evening. For best results apply Creme L/X on clean, toned skin. During the day, pair with an Artistry sun protection product.


Sounds amazing doesn't it? I won this product a while ago and after reading all about it was really excited to try it. I'd never heard of Artistry before so did some research and found the information listed above. The packaging is pretty impressive. As you can see from the photos above, it comes in a container and when you open the container the tub is sitting on a little stand with the applicator underneath it. The packaging of the tub is fancy too, it looks great on my dressing table. Unfortunately, that's about as good as it gets.


I've been using Artistry Creme L/X for over eight weeks now. It's a lovely textured moisturiser that makes my skin feel soft and smooth. But that's it. There has been no change in the condition of my skin at all. Yes, this is a nice moisturiser that does exactly what you'd expect a moisturiser to do. It keeps my skin hydrated and soft. 


My skin doesn't look any younger and my fine lines look exactly the same. I certainly wouldn't be prepared to pay big dollars for for this moisturiser. I've been using Creme L/X on my neck and décolletage and have noticed no difference in these areas either, if anything my décolletage is feeling a little worse than it did before. 


Artistry Creme L/X costs $395 (AUD) for a 45ml tub. Yes, you read that right, $395 Australian dollars.


Would I buy this? No, it's way too expensive for a moisturiser that does nothing more than moisturise. For this sort of price I expect to see amazing results. 


Ingredients: water, petrolatum, glycerin, isostearyl palmitate, butylene glycol, clyceryl stearate, peg-100 stearate, squalane, triethylhexanoin, dimethicone, hdi/trimethylol hexyllactone crosspolymer, c10-30 cholesterol/lanosterol esters, caprylic/capric triglycerides, cetyl alcohol, sorbitan stearate, disodium bix-dioleoyl glycerophospoglycerin, spinacia oleracea leaf extract, arabidopsis thaliana extract, carnosine, methyl dihydroxybenzoate, micrococcus lysate, allantoin, dipotassium glycrrhizate, arginine/lysine polypeptide, hexapeptide-9, dipeptide-4, alpinia speciosa leaf extract, avena sativa kernel extract, hydrolyzed soy protein, laminaria digitata extract, oenothera biennis seed extract, prunus yedoensis leaf extract, rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract, saccaromyces/xylinum/black tea ferment, panthenol, sericin, sodium hyaluronate, beta sitosterol, ceramide-3, lecithin, glycine soja oil, limnanthus albaseed oil, oenothera biennis oil, tocopheryl acetate, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, hydrolyzed oats, acetyl glucosamine, glucose, ammonium polyacryloyldimethyl taurate, arginine, carbomer, behenyl alcohol, chondrus crispus, cyclopentasiloxane, hydroxyethylcellulose, isohexadecane, polysilicone-11, polysorbate 20, polysorbate 80, silica, xanthan gum, fragrance, chlorphenesin, methylparaben, disodium edta.

Monday 25 October 2010

Pop Beauty Sweet Goodmorning Kiss


Pop Beauty says: Sugar delicacy and perfect good morning balm. Gently peels off dryness and dead skin cells with natural sugar granules, revealing baby soft lips. Deeply nourishing, vitamin enriched formula leaves lips feeling conditioned and looking plump long term.

I say: This is a great, easy to use lip scrub. Whilst I love lip scrubs I manage to make a lot of mess with them and usually end up picking scrub particles off my face for the next few hours. The applicator on Sweet Goodmorning Kiss means that I don't have that problem with this scrub. I rub it onto my lips until the granules melt away and I'm left with smooth, moisturised lips, easy! I can't say that I've noticed my lips looking any plumper, but they do feel soft and hydrated.  

Sara's POP your skills: Apply to lips with soft applicator using small circular movements, choosing yourself the intensity of exfoliations. The sugar will melt leaving your lips glimmering with a glossy sugar coating - no need to wipe off.

Would I buy this again? Yes, it's a very easy to use lip scrub. 



Ingredients: polyisobutene, octyldodecanol, vp/hexadecene copolymer, polyglyceryl-3 diisostearate, sucrose, microcrystalline wax/cera microcristallina, myristyl myristate, butyrospermum parkii, silica, tocopheryl acetate, fragrance, panthenol, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, benzyl benzoate, cinnamyl alcohol, eugenol.

Friday 22 October 2010

This week's magazine freebies


There are some great magazine freebies at Coles this week.
 Woman's Day has a Mirenesse Cat Eyes liner. There are five colours available, black, brown, olive, navy and mauve.
Ok Magazine has a Harlotte lipshine.
In Style has a Biore pack containing Detoxify daily scrub, Refine self heating mask and two deep cleansing pore strips.
Inside the magazine are samples of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation and Clinique Even Better foundation.

Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Powder Foundation


I purchased this in shade 02 (on the second attempt). When I went to buy it the s/a originally tried to get me to purchase shade 04. As soon as I saw it I knew it was way too dark, and when she put it on it was obviously too dark. For some reason she tried to convince me that it looked lovely on me and "gave me some colour". When I insisted that I didn't want "some colour" she assured me that shade 03 would be perfect for me. Silly me believed she knew what she was talking about, but when I got home and tried it on it was too dark and too pink. So (after a lot of arguing and the s/a calling the lady who'd sold me the foundation at home on her day off), I swapped it for shade 02 which is the perfect colour for me.

Pure Finish is a mineral powder foundation with an SPF of 20. It comes in a great container that's perfect for travelling and carrying around in the handbag. The powder is solid and to dispense it you turn the top to shave off the amount of powder that you need, so there is no wastage and no loose powder floating around. I use a brush to apply this as I find that when I use a sponge the coverage is too cakey.

Elizabeth Arden says: For all skin types, medium/full coverage foundation with a pure, luminous finish. Pure minerals, pure comfort, pure perfection. This microlight mineral makeup is ultra blendable and buildable. SPF 20 sun protection. Fragrance free. Talc free. Oil free. Freshly ground for ultimate purity. To use: turn dial to the right to release product. Smooth onto face. Clinically and dermatologist tested. Sensitive skin tested.

Pure Finish is a lovely, easy to use foundation. It applies easily and gives medium to full, buildable coverage that lasts all day. I don't have any problems with this sinking into my pores or fine lines. It hides my problem areas and makes my skin look flawless. Another great thing about this foundation is that I don't need to use a primer. For me one of the main things I don't like about mineral foundation is having to use a primer underneath, I just don't have time to do that in the mornings.   

Would I buy this again? Yes, it's a lovely foundation with a great finish. 


Ingredients: mica, dimethicone, nylon-12, titanium dioxide, zinc stearate, silica, methicone, squalane, magnesium mydristate, sea salt, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, silk powder, ascorbyl palmitate, retinly palmitate, tocopherol, aumina, oryza sativa starch, butylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben, sodium dehydroacetate.
May contain: dismuth oxychloride, carmine, iron oxides, titanium dioxide.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Clinique Egyptian Eye Liner


I've been using Clinique products for years. They are one of those brands that I often forget about, however they have a range of good quality products at a reasonable price. One area where I think they do really well are their eye liners. 


Their Cream Shaper range consists of six different colours that cost $32 (AUD) each. Clinique says: Creamy-smooth eyeliner pencil with a hint of shimmer. Shapes and defines with intense, stay-put colour. Non-smudging, water- and transfer-resistant. Easy to sharpen, too. Ophthalmologist tested.


As you can see from the photo above, Egyptian is one of my favourite eye liners. It's soft, creamy and easy to use. Despite being soft and creamy it is long lasting and doesn't fade or crease. The colour is very pigmented with a subtle shimmer. You can't see the shimmer in the swatch below but it is there.   
Would I buy this again? Yes, it's a great product.


Monday 18 October 2010

True Blue Spa Tahiti, Sweetie Body Lotion


A few years ago I received a tube of True Blue Spa Tahiti, Sweetie body lotion in an international exchange. It sat in my cupboard for ages until I rediscovered it this year. Now that I've used it I'm wondering why I neglected it for so long. 


True Blue Spa says: Need an escape but can't get away? Your best remedy is Tahiti, Sweetie body lotion with tahitian monoi oil, an island secret used for centuries for it's mysterious moisturising effects. This exotic blend combines coconut oil and the tiare flower to produce a daily indulgence for dry, tired skin.

This is a beautiful body lotion and I'm really disappointed that it's not available in Australia. The scent is a gorgeous floral that is light and refreshing. The scent lasts for about half an hour before it fades away. When I wear this it reminds me of summer. The lotion is light and yet hydrating, the perfect summer moisturiser.   


Would I buy this? Yes, it's a beautiful body lotion that smells amazing.



Ingredients: water, isopropyl myristate, cetearyl alcohol, dicaprylyl maleate, glycereth-26, di-c12-13 alkyl malate, fragrance, isostearyl neopentanoate, avena sativa kernel extract, prunus persica fruit extract, cocos nucifera oil, gardenia tahitensis tiare flower, persea gratissima oil, orbignya olifera seed oil, bertholletia excelsa seed oil, hydroysed soy protein, wheat amino acid, dimethicone, phenyl trimethicone, dimethiconol beeswas, butylene glycol, propylene glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate, cetearyl glucoside, glyceryl stearate, peg-100 stearate, cetyl alcohol, hydroxypropyl guar, xanthan gum, disodium edta, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben.

Friday 15 October 2010

Shu Uemura Glow On Blush

As I mentioned earlier, I've been looking for a sheer, glowing blush for ages and I finally found it at the Shu Uemura counter. Being pale skinned a lot of blushes look really bright on me, but not P Gold 94. I'm assuming the P stands for Pink, which is how this looks on me.  I don't see a lot of gold in this, just a gorgeous subtle shimmer. For pale skinned girls like me it goes on as a very light, natural glow. 

P Gold works well on it's own when I want a subtle look, or layered over other blushes to make them look more shimmery. I also use it under my brow bone to highlight and on the inside corner of my eyes to brighten.
I had trouble getting a good picture of how glowy this makes my skin look.


For people with darker skin P Gold would make a great highlighter. I imagine that it would also make a lovely all over glow enhancer. 

This is one of those products that I get comments on whenever I wear it. People either tell me that I'm looking really well or that I'm glowing.



Would I buy this again? Yes, it's a beautiful colour.


Ingredients: talc, calcium carbonate, zinc stearate, octyldodecanol, mineral oil, kaolin, calcium sodium borosilicate, polyglyceryl-2 triisostearate, sorbeth-4 tetraoleate, myristyl myristate, dimethicone, silica, methicone, methylparaben, butylparaben.

Wednesday 13 October 2010

Saturation Point?

I think I've finally reached saturation point with my make-up and beauty products. Or maybe I'm going through a rut at the moment. I haven't bought anything new for about a month now, and when I visit the shops I'm not inspired to buy anything either. I've been looking at all of the products that I own, and doing spring cleaning and it's really hit home how much money I waste on products that I just don't need. 

I've realised that if I only buy products when I need them I'll be able to buy high end, luxurious products and still be spending less than I do at the moment. Plus, I won't be wasting money on products that expire or go off.
Another thing I have realised is that part of the reason I accumulate products is I don't sample products before I buy the full size. I buy the full size, realise I don't like it so I buy something to replace it without throwing out the product that I didn't like. From now on I'll either use up the product I don't like or give it away, there's no point keeping products that I'm not going to use. Wherever possible I'll sample products before I buy them, which will also save on wastage.

Monday 11 October 2010

Spring Cleaning

As Spring is now officially here, I decided it was high time I did some spring cleaning. I have so many products that don't work for me, or ones I like but don't use very often, it's a waste to have them sitting around. It seems like such a waste to be throwing out barely used products, but there's no point having them cluttering up my house. Looking at all these products has made me realise how much I waste and made me even more determined not to buy new products until I have used up my current products. 

Friday 8 October 2010

The Body Shop DeoDry Deodorant

My favorite type of deodorant are cream sticks. Unfortunately they are quite difficult to find, so whenever I spy a new one I buy it. I was very excited when I read that The Body Shop were launching a deodorant stick and bought it as soon as it was available. The DeoDry deodorant is available in three fragrances; Fresh & Floral, Chilled & Breezy and Cool & Zesty. I purchased Fresh & Floral which as you would expect, is a gorgeous floral scent. 

The Body Shop says: DeoDry has a natural formula that provides dryness and odour-control without leaving behind white marks. Contains natural volcanic minerals in an ultra-fine powder to absorb wetness and keep underarms feeling fresh and comfortable for up to 24 hours. Features organic aloe vera and organic sugar cane juice. Is gentle on the skin and is free from aluminium salts and parabens.



I'm very happy with this deodorant. It doesn't irritate my sensitive pits and keeps me feeling and smelling fresh. The scent is beautiful and would make a great perfume. On really hot days I do need to reapply this however as it's so gentle that isn't a problem.   


The Body Shop DeoDry deodorant stick costs $16.95 (AUD).


Would I buy this again? Yes, it's a gentle, effective deodorant.


Ingredients: glycerin, propylene glycol, water, stearic acid, hamamelis virginiana water, ceteth-20, perlite, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, fragrance, sodium hdydroxide, alcohol, citral, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, limonene, citronellol, geraniol, linalool, cymbopogon flexuosus oil, pelargonium graveolens oil, citrus nobilis peel oil, eugenol, coriandrum sativum fruit oil, anthemis nobilis flower oil, eugenia caryophyllus bud oil, nepeta cataria oil.


Image courtesy of The Body Shop.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Nivea Double Effect Deodorant

It's been quite a while since I've used an aerosol deodorant, for some reason I thought that roll on deodorants were more effective. I'm really not sure where I got that idea from, but I was wrong! 


This is a very effective, gentle deodorant. It didn't irritate my sensitive pits and kept me feeling and smelling fresh all day. Nivea says that Double Effect deodorant softens the skin which helps to get a closer shave therefore leaving underarms smoother for longer. I didn't notice any skin softening effects. 


The scent is light and fresh. It's described as white senses. I'm not sure how I would describe it but it's pleasant. 


Would I buy this again? Yes, it's a gentle, effective deodorant.


Ingredients: butane, aqua, isobutane, propane, cyclomethicone, aluminum chlorohydrate, c12-15 alkyl benzoate, dicaprylyl carbonate, dicaprylyl ether, butyloctanoic acid, persea gratissima oil, cetyl peg/ppg-10/1 dimethicone, polyglyceryl-2 dipolyhydroxystearate, polysorbate 65, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, citronellol, butylphenyl methylpropional, alpha-isomethyl ionone, limonene, linalool, benzyl alcohol, parfum.



Monday 4 October 2010

Simple Eye Make-up Remover


I really don't know why I persist with buying Simple products. I haven't found any of them that work for me and yet I continue to buy them. As you can see, I used the whole bottle of this. The reason I don't like it and wouldn't buy it again is that if I got it in my eyes it would really sting and I'd have sore, red eyes for the rest of the evening. If I'm going to use a product on my eyes I don't want to use one that stings if I get some in my eye. 


Other than the stinging it did a good job. It easily removed all my eye make-up and didn't dry out or irritate my skin. It's reasonably priced, but as I've already mentioned, I won't buy it again as it stings too badly.   


Ingredients: aqua, poloxamer 184, butylene glycol, ceteth-20, peg-20 glyceryl aurate, laureth-23, panthenol, disodium phosphate, calcium disodium edta, chlorhexldine digluconate, sodium methyplaraben, sodium phosphate, citric acid. 

Friday 1 October 2010

Moody Bee Lip Balm


In my recent Addicted 2 Lip Balm order I received a Moody Bee Vanilla and Peppermint lip balm. It was great timing because I'm obsessed with vanilla mint balms at the moment. For those of you suffering from morning sickness, I recommend this balm. Vanilla Peppermint lip balms were the only ones that didn't make me feel nauseous. I couldn't use any of my regular balms because the scents were too strong and made me feel sick.

This is a lovely, light lip balm. It feels very similar in texture to My Lip Stuff balms, but a little heavier. If you like the feeling of MLS balms then the Moody Bee balm is worth a try. The Vanilla and Peppermint flavour is light and lovely. As you can see from the picture below, it goes on clear with a slight shine. As the balm is quite light it lasts about an hour before I need to reapply. Despite it being light it hydrates well. This is a balm that I'd use more in summer than winter as I prefer to use heavier balms in winter.

Would I buy this: Yes, it's a beautiful smelling, light balm.



Ingredients: sweet almond oil, beeswax, grape seed oil, carrot seed oil, avocado oil, hemp seed oil, evening primrose oil, tocopherol, aroma.