24K Bio-Gold Capsule Collection- Gold Water, Day Cream, Day Cleanser

As you can see, I am trying something slightly different and very exciting- skin care products containing colloidal gold. To be more specific, they contain 24k gold, are by a company called Bio-Essence and are now available at Superdrug. I have linked each product (in their title) to where you can buy them and read their full ingredient lists.

So why would you use gold on your face? 

Now, oddly enough there isn't much information on the brand's website, nor on Superdrug's website on the actual benefits on colloidal gold in skin care.  From my own research I have found that colloidal gold is supposed to be anti-inflammatory with antioxidant properties. To find out if these benefits are real you really have to try for yourself! I definitely believe the benefits of gold are real- even the ancient Egyptians were convinced and used to wear gold and bury their loved ones with gold as they believed they possessed unsuspected healing powers..

Bio Essence 24K Gold Water, £16.99

Description: "Intensive Nourishment & Treatment Power of an Essence + Light-Weight Texture Of Water; 24K Bio-Gold is so light-weight that it allows another layer of additional toner, without leaving any burden on skin." 

This product slightly differs from your every day- it comes in a luxurious glass bottle and there cannot be squeezed out but rather "poured" out of a small hole. I read a few other reviews which mentioned that they did not like this and found it hard to dispense the product. Personally,  I didn't find it an issue. The consistency is gel-like and the hole at the top was a perfect size to pour product onto a cotton pad to use. You will see actual gold flakes in the product and might even spot some on your face- however once you have worked the product in they sort of disappear. The formulation is very non-drying and if you have oily skin you might not have to apply any moisturiser after using this.

As you can see, there are loads of gold flakes in the toner and they look absolutely amazing. Using these in the morning and evening feels great and they look so good in my bathroom cabinet.

Bio Essence 24K Gold Day Cleanser, £6.99

Description: "24K Bio-Gold Skin Awakening Day Cleanser lathers into rich, fine foam which cleanses thoroughly to reveal clean and supple skin without dryness. Unique formulation with 24K Bio-Gold, Bio Mineral Amino Acid, Bio Rice Fermentation Essence and precious herbal extracts, is rich in anti-oxidants to help skin fight against free radicals, protecting skin from premature ageing and promotes radiance from within."

This is my favourite out of the three! I'd say it is a cream cleanser, but not the cream cleanser that doesn't foam and you wipe it off. This cleanser foams as it comes in contact with water and forms a creamy lather. When I first tried it, it really reminded me of the Clinique Foaming Sonic Facial Soap as it leaves that soap- film feeling on the skin when used (which is not a problem, just an observation). I did have a look at the ingredient list of the Clinique facial soap and the products have fairly similar top ingredients, so if you like the Clinique cleanser- I am sure you'd like this one. When you're wearing makeup there is no need for any additional steps before using the cleanser, just rub it into your hands with water and massage into your face and all your makeup literally melts away. I have used this when wearing a full face of makeup, including liquid eyeliner that does not budge at all during the day and it all comes off with one wash. This is a huge plus for me as I never really used nor liked those makeup or eye makeup removers.  

Bio Essence 24K Gold Day Cream, £15.95

Description: "Bio-essence 24K Bio-Gold Day Cream SPF25 awakens your skin and protects it right from the start of the day. With high anti-oxidant power, 24K Bio-Gold is rapidly absorbed by face and neck to fight free radicals; Non-greasy formula glides on easily for superior hydrating and moisturising effects; Protects and maintains skin’s radiance in the day."

I definitely don't shy away from using cheaper beauty products, especially not when it comes to moisturisers. But you know that feel a more high end face cream can have to it? That's exactly what I noticed when I tried this. It is a light feeling cream with gold flakes in it, but when applied onto the skin it feels very luxurious and rich, it feels like an expensive cream (and it kind of is). I am sure we all by now the benefits of using SPF in your creams daily, it protects against sun damage which can cause wrinkles and also protects against hyper-pigmentation. Despite this many day creams use an SPF amount considered ineffective, like SPF 15- I like that this cream has a higher SPF which will provide longer lasting protection against sun damage. If you are in an extremely sunny country I would suggest reapplying throughout the day or using a cream with higher SPF.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed using this product range. The formulations are great and they all feel like high quality products and also- they all look amazing! If you are into "natural" ingredients then this might not be the range for you as they do contain ingredients like Mineral Oil, Butylene Glycol and TEA amongst others (they also contain a lot of ingredients like natural extracts). If you are interested in reading the full ingredient lists please click on the links in the titles.

Let me know what you think about colloidal gold in skin care and if you have tried it?

xx



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(*) These products were sent to me to review

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Tropic Skin Care Good Skin Day Resurfacing Serum, Sun Balm SPF 50, Tinted Skin Shade Facial Sun Protection and Mangosteen, Thyme and Mandarin Body Wash

Very excited to review these amazing skin care products from Tropic Skincare. Tropic skin care offers high quality skin care products which are all Vegan and Cruelty free. All of their products are free from Parabens, SLS and SLES, Petrochemicals and more (see all here). It was founded by Susan Ma who appeared on the Apprentice in 2011 and has received a 50/50 partnership from Lord Sugar.

I think most bloggers (and anyone else that has ordered online) can agree that it's a really nice surprise when a company makes that extra effort with your parcel. As you can see, along with my products I received biscuits, a to-do note pad, a pen, tea and a makeup bag- which was lovely.



Good Skin Day Resurfacing Serum, £42



The first product is the Tropic Good Skin Day Resurfacing Serum. This is a a restorative serum that "resurfaces the top layer of skin to reveal a brighter, more youthful looking complexion overnight". The key ingredients in this are Lime Pearl Extract, Glycolic Acid, Willow Bark, Papaya Enzymes and Hyaluronic Acid. As my skin has been very problematic lately, this has been a great help. Acids chemically exfoliate your skin so essentially it helps you get rid of old skin quicker. If my skin has been bad and is on the way to clearing up- this seems to speed up the process. It would also work if you have Acne scarring for example or hyper pigmentation. My skin is normal/dry and a tip is to first apply an oil around the driest parts of your skin (nose or sides of nose, around eyebrows and around mouth) and then apply the serum to the rest of your skin. Use this product 1-3 times per week, less if your skin is sensitive or dry. Also- remember to use sunscreen during the day after using acids on your skin as they make your skin more photosensitive.

Sun Balm SPF 50, £16



Next up is Tropic Sun Balm SPF 50, described as "A highly effective facial sunscreen balm for those areas of the skin prone to burning". Unfortunately I have not been abroad since receiving these products and thus not able to try it out that much. If you're on holiday somewhere where it's extremely sunny (or if you are of lighter skin tones and are more prone to sun burn) you can apply this to areas like nose, lips shoulders or any part which might burn quicker. During the heatwave a month ago or so, I was using this on my tattoos when sunbathing to prevent fading. I love this product and I'd say it's quite unique- I haven't seen many sun balms like this in the shops and definitely not one that mainly consists of natural ingredients.

Tinted Skin Shade Facial Sun Protection, £24

This one is another product which really impressed me- Tropic Skin Care Tinted Skin Shade Mineral Facial Sun Protection SPF 50. I'd say being black you'd definitely be sceptical when it comes to any form of tinted cream. In my experience, if they are dark enough they tend to have a way too red undertone making you look orange. I was so pleasantly surprised when I first tried this and saw that it was an exact match to my skin tone. It's quite rich, but blends amazingly and I would even say it gives quite a bit of coverage as well. Another thing worth mentioning is that this formula includes the physical sunblock Zinc Oxide. This is common in more natural sunscreen formulas and it is very effective- however it is known to leave a white cast. The fact that it didn't leave a white cast even on brown skin was pretty impressive.

Mangosteen, Thyme and Mandarin Body Wash, £10



The last product is the Tropic Skin Care Mangosteen, Thyme and Mandarin Body Wash. This one was actually recommended to me and it definitely didn't disappointed. Sulfate free body washes can sometimes be a bit to runny and also they might not foam as much as a "regular" body wash. I was pleasantly surprised to see that not only was it a creamy body wash but it was also foaming quite a lot! Thoroughly enjoyed this and I have unfortunately already finished it.

Overall I was very impressed by all of these products as the quality was amazing.

Have you tried any of these?

xx

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(*) These products were sent to me to review

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IMAN Cosmetics Review & Ingredients- Sheer Finish Bronzing Powder, Second to None Luminous Foundation, BB Creme, Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick, Luxury Lip Shimmer

IMAN Cosmetics UK-  Review & Ingredients
- Sheer Finish Bronzing Powder, Second to None Luminous Foundation, BB Creme, Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick,  Luxury Lip Shimmer

Keep reading to see what IMAN Cosmetics products I used to achieve this look

Hello Everyone! A few months ago I was contacted by IMAN Cosmetics UK who wanted to offer me some products to review. Of course, I was more than happy to do so and I was sent this generous bag of full size and a few sample size products.

Now I am sure you've heard of IMAN Cosmetics, but in case you have not or if you just want to know more, here is the information I received about the brand:

"MAN Cosmetics, is an American cosmetics brand founded by the iconic Iman Bowie. The complete range of IMAN makeup and skincare is now available online, enabling IMAN lovers across the United Kingdom to purchase their favorite products in 3 clicks from their computers, tablets or smartphones. IMAN Cosmetics foundations, lipsticks and the brand’s new classic BB Crème is available in all shades.
The website is designed to answer all beauty issues from women with dark skin tones across the UK, offering make up video tutorials, beauty inspiration and tips from professional make up experts. 
Finding the perfect shade is made easy with the “Meet your match” page, where the customer is guided in matching the shade she may have worn in another brand with an IMAN Cosmetics shade."

When I was offered to review their products I had a look on their website and mentioned some products I was interested in (the bronzer, BB Creme and the Nude lipstick). As you can see I received those and a lot of extra products which was very exciting!

Now, first I would like to show you the look I created using some of the products and below I will review the products individually and show some before and after pictures for the face products. 

I have actually been sitting on these products for quite a few months, other than  busy schedule it was due to the fact that both the BB Creme and the foundation were slightly too dark. I figured I would wait a couple months until summer time so that I would have a tan, however, London summer never came but fortunately I recently went on holiday (to Sweden ironically), but the weather was great and I got a very nice tan! When I got back I thought I'd try the products again and I was happy to find that due to my recent tan- both the BB Creme and the foundation were now the right shade.

I decided to go for a bronzed/nude look, using the BB Creme in place of my normal face moisturiser, the next to none foundation applied using a Real Techniques buffing brush, bronzing powder and the nude lipstick (Nude 598, pics further down) finished off with some nude lipgloss ("muse", pics further down)

IMAN Cosmetics Sheer Finish Bronzing Powder- £20.50, Shade: Sand

This is one of the products I choose. It's a nice shimmery bronzer as you can see in the picture. When it's applied, it's not too shimmery which I would have personally liked. I use this to contour, so just to define cheek bones or, like now, if I am tanned I might apply it lightly to cheek bones similarly to how you'd use a blusher- just for some extra colour!

IMAN Cosmetics Second to None Luminous Foundation, £24.95, Shade: Clay 1

This is a powder foundation, it's not one of the products I personally selected but I was kindly gifted this product anyway. As mentioned previously, when I initially tried the face products, I did not have a tan and they were too dark for me. As I created the look for this review, the shade was now fine and initially I tried applying this product using the puff which came with it (and as instructed on the packaging).This didn't work for me as it didn't spread the products out and applied it all patchy. Then I tried applying it with my Real Techniques buffing brush, sort of working it in into my skin using a circular motion and oh- my- god! I honestly haven't used powder foundation before so I expected quite a powder and possibly dry look. However, as I applied this I noticed that it gave a full coverage (see below), my skin is far from flawless at the moment so there was quite a lot that could be covered and smoothed out. This is the product out of all that impressed me the most! I have put together a collage below so that you can compare the before and afters and also the BB creme results vs. the second to none foundation results.

Click on the picture to enlarge and see a more detailed view

As you can see, in the first picture is my bare skin with no product except face moisturiser. The second picture is when I had applied the foundation- you can see how smooth my skin looks and it really provided great coverage. The third picture is using the BB creme only and the last picture is with a layer of BB creme finished off with a layer of the foundation.

IMAN Cosmetics BB Creme, £20.95, Shade: Sand Medium

This BB Creme contains SPF 15 which is a plus! I have used this as an every day product in place of my normal face moisturiser. As you can see in the comparison picture below, it does give quite a dewy and borderline shiny finish. When I took the picture I had just applied the products and I didn't finish off with powder or anything which possibly made it look a little extra shiny. If you have oily skin (which I don't) then you would most likely need to blot your face with some powder when using this BB Creme. If you have dry skin you'd be fine with just this product alone. The coverage isn't amazing, but looking at my picture above, you can see that it does provide some coverage but not as full as the foundation, which is pretty much what a BB creme is supposed to do! I am off to holiday again soon and I will definitely be using this as the shade is perfect for my tanned skin and it will provide a low SPF factor as well.


For the lip products, I decided to just show you the shades, to see the actual product and the packaging, please look at the picture at the top will all of the products. There is one full sized lipstick (Nude 598) and one full sized lip gloss (Socialite) and the rest are sample sized (but still decent sizes). The lipsticks are very creamy but I have to say that when I wore them, they lasted without re-applying through the London heat wave we had last week and also after I ate.

The Lipsticks

1. IMAN Cosmetics Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick, £12.95, Shade: Baby Doll 2. IMAN Cosmetics Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick, £12.95, Shade: Hipster 3. IMAN Cosmetics Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick, £12.95, Shade: IMAN Nude

The Lip Glosses 

1. IMAN Cosmetics Luxury Lip Shimmer, £14.95, Shade: Socialite 2. IMAN Cosmetics Luxury Lip Shimmer, £14.95, Shade: Debutante 3. IMAN Cosmetics Luxury Lip Shimmer, £14.95, Shade: Muse

For the look below, I used a layer of the lipstick in shade Nude 598 and a layer of the lip gloss "Muse" on top- this to me was the perfect nude combo! 

Overall I would definitely recommend these products as I feel they are much needed (as they offer a great range of shades especially for brown and black skin tones), they are a black owned business and they are all great quality!

What do you think of my look & 

have you/will you be trying this brand?

xx

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(*) These products were sent to me for free to review

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Earth Kiss Miracle Clay facial Hydrate & Million Year Clay Facial Revitalise Bamboo Sheet Mask Review

Earth Kiss Miracle clay facial Hydrate Bamboo Sheet Mask 

&

Million Year Clay Facial Revitalise Bamboo Sheet Mask Review

Today I am reviewing the Earth Kiss clay bamboo sheet face masks. I got two face masks to review and they are the Earth Kiss Miracle clay facial Hydrate Bamboo Sheet Mask and the Million Year Clay Facial Revitalise Bamboo Sheet Mask. They are available to buy for £1.99 from the Earth kiss website (direct line) and also from Holland and Barretts.

Earth Kiss offer a lot of different face masks including pore cleansing, detox, rejuvenating and what in my opinion makes their face masks different to those of other brands- are they exclusive and carefully selected natural ingredients.

Their "key- ingredient" is the Himalayan Shilajit which is described by them as follows:

"Himalayan Shilajit, a rare form of powerful mineralized organic matter, contains 85 plant micronutrients that help to naturally rebalance the skin and body, restoring its natural beauty. One of the most important ingredients in Ayurvedic medicine, Shilajit was known in ancient Indian scriptures as a potent skin rejuvenator. Found in wild spiritual Tibetan mountains, this precious life force energy is collected from the natural crevices of the high peaks of the Himalayas."

Earth Kiss Miracle clay facial Hydrate Bamboo Sheet Mask 

"A natural bamboo sheet mask with Argile clay and Baobab- wonder why we call it Miracle Clay facial? Because it is not only bursting with minerals and 85 micro nutrients that nourish, it also cleanses your skin. It is a marvellous experience!"
Key Ingredients: Argile clay, Baobab, Mandarin oil, Dead sea salt, Rose Geranium oil

Million Year Clay Facial Revitalise Bamboo Sheet Mask 

"A natural bamboo sheet mask infused with the wonder of Rhassoul Clay from Morocco and Juniper, to purify and revitalise your skin in minutes"

Key ingredients:  Key Ingredients. Rhassoul Clay, Juniper, Lavender, Dead sea salt, Dead sea mud, Mandarin oil

Earth Kiss clay bamboo sheet face masks ingredient list

Now to the results. My first thought was to figure out if there is actually any benefit to using the "sheet- face masks" compared to the normal liquid face mask that you just apply to your skin. I have previously tried one sheet face mask but it wasn't a clay one, it had more of a gel texture so it was a little bit messy. Now with these, when you take them out the packaging it will be a folded sheet with product on it, as you can see in the picture below. 
The sheet is pretty big, but because of how there are cut outs, you can pretty much "adjust" it to ensure it fits your face and shape properly. It has more than enough product on the sheet, but not too much so that it's messy. I obviously tried two face masks only so I cannot comment on any long term results. However, I have used a lot of clay face masks before and in my opinion the biggest cons with clay masks are that they can leave your skin feeling a little dry and they can be hard to rinse off. Now these Bamboo sheet face masks didn't have those disadvantages, because of them being sheets they were obviously really easy to remove and the remaining product on your face was super easy to rinse off. Also, these face masks were super moisturising and didn't make my skin feel dry. For the purpose of the review I left my skin to dry for a while after removing the product so I could see if it would go dry or not, but it actually felt very moisturised.

As you can tell, I really enjoyed these face masks and I would use it once in a while when I feel like treating my skin a little bit. Lastly I just wanted to mention that the Earth Kiss was very informative and they also had this video about their face masks that I wanted to include.




Have you tried these or any other sheet face masks?
What did you think of them?

xx


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(*) These products were sent to me to review

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Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit For Medium To Dark Skin Tones Review

Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit For Medium To Dark Skin Tones Review

Hi Guys! Today I am reviewing the Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit For Medium To Dark Skin Tones as it has just been re launched in Boots and Superdrug.

I like contour kits, it's not something I would use daily but I like to have one for when I do a proper full face of makeup, I had also just run out of my old one so I was really happy to try this product out.

I actually have a Contouring & Highlighting Chart tutorial on my blog already, so check this out if you want to see how I contour my face.

So there are instructions inside of the packing on how to use it. The text is a bit too blurry in my picture so I am going to write the instructions in short;

1. Light Powder: To highlight: dust over cheek bones, chin, length of nose & centre of forehead.

2. Medium Brown: To bronze, sweep the powder across cheeks, forehead and nose where the sun would naturally hit.

3. Dark Brown: To sculpt, apply to hollows of cheeks blending towards ears, along hair line and down the sides of your nose.

I personally didn't find the light powder too useful, only because I already use a regular face powder and as for highligher, I really like the shimmery kind. However I think this shade could be good for setting under eye concealer for instance or as a highligher for skin tones darker than mine. I used the medium brow on my temples, under chin as a light contour powder and the darkest one only for my cheeks. Comparing to previous contour kits I have tried (see here), this shade is a lot darker, but very creamy and easy to work with. The dark colour looks slightly intimidating at first, but I applied a bit onto my Real Techniques brush and it was really easy to blend.

Ingredient Check:

(√) Mineral Oil/Petroleum

(√) Silicones

(/) Parabens

(/) Butylene/Propylene Glycol

Picture of what the contoured cheek looks like but with flash and after I applied highlighter

The finished look!

What do you think of this looks guys? :)

Do you contour your face, and if so, 
what product do you use?

xx


(*) This product was sent to be to review


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Dove Purely Pampering Nourishing Body Wash & Body Lotion Pistachio Cream with Magnolia & Coconut Milk & Jasmine Petals

Dove Purely Pampering Nourishing Body Wash &Body Lotion Pistachio Cream with Magnolia & Coconut Milk & Jasmine Petals

Dove Purely Pampering Lotion & Body Wash

So I have been trying out these products for quite a while, and I received them in a goodie bag when I went to their event. I was going to blog about it, and I even had the draft ready but it was just too much of a hassle when I didn't have any wifi.

Dove Purely Pampering Coconut & Jasmine Lotion 250ml: I don't really think this smells of Coconut that much, it definitely smells more of Jasmine but either way it smells amazing! The scent really reminds me of a body lotion I used to use in Sweden.

Dove Purely Pampering Pistachio & Magnolia Lotion 250ml: Although they both smell amazing this is my favourite. I am terrible at describing smells but this one smells kind of nutty. 

Both: So the creams almost exactly the same looking at the top parts of the ingredient lists. They are both pretty thin creams but they are still very rich. For me it is perfect for an every day body lotion after showering, but I know some people would prefer an even lighter cream for daily use. The cream gets absorbed quickly into your skin leaving it super soft, but if you use too much it can get a little sticky.

Now for the ingredients. Yes it contains all of the "controversial" ingredients, so if you're into natural products you will probably want to stay away from these. However if these ingredients are safe or not is not for me to say but they definitely do not affect the formula in a negative way. It also contains a lot of great ingredients like Vitamin E, Coconut Oil, Sodium PCA (One of the most effective and humectants, and is naturally found in our skin's natural moisturising factor, NMF), Urea (Also found in the skin's NMF and is known to heal cracked skin) and Collagen Amino Acids.

Ingredient Check:

Mineral Oil (√)

Silicones (√)

Parabens (√)

Propylene/Butylene Glycol (√)

Dove Purely Pampering Coconut & Jasmine Lotion/Pistachio & Magnolia Lotion Nourishing Body Wash 250ml: Now I absolutely love these. They are exactly what they are called "Purely Pampering". The body wash looks and feels like a body lotion but will lather when in contact with water. It feels super silky on your skin and smells really nice. I will definitely repurchase these as Body washes are some of my favourite body washes as they come in really nice scents and aren't drying. However, as they are very rich and moisturising, they don't lather as much as a normal shower gel which will mean you're using quite a lot of products and it finishes quite quickly. 

Ingredient Check:

Mineral Oil (√) (Petroleum)

Silicones (/)

Parabens (/)

Propylene/Butylene Glycol (√)

Check out my other Dove Reviews here.

Have you tried these products?

What's your favourite body wash?

xx

(*) These products were sent to me to review

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DHC Olive Body Butter Butter Review

DHC Olive Body Butter Butter Review 

DHC Olive Body Butter, £15: This is a way overdue review, but I really wanted to post it anyway as I really like the product. It is quite price at £15 for 100g, and it might look like any body butter. However I am very impressed with the ingredient list, and it has got a lot of interesting ingredients in there! It's thick but not greasy and smells super yummy. For me, it is perfect for a every day body lotion but I know some people prefer a lighter lotion for every day use. If you're one of them- use it on dry areas like hands, elbows, knees and feet or once in a while before you go to bed as a special treat! :)

Description: "Wrap your skin in a decadent veil of hydration from seven botanicals: shea butter, cocoa butter, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, squalane and argan oil. It hydrates and seals in moisture from natural emollients for ultra softness—from your fingers to your toes." The description is very accurate as it contains all of the ingredients mentioned, even in that order (in the ingredient list). It definitely hydrates your skin and seals in moisture.

Concept: Now here is the part I don't fully get. Contrary to some (a lot) companies who will call a product "Olive Oil" but the product mainly consists of Sunflower seed oil- it is true that the main oil in this product is Olive Oil. However both Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter are before Olive Oil in the ingredient list, meaning it contains more of those two ingredients. On top of that, the product doesn't have a "Olive oil scent", nor is it coloured green like most Olive Oil products are. This isn't a problem in terms of how the product works, but I am not sure why it is called "Olive Body Butter

Formula: Now the consistency is that of a normal body butter, think the body shop shea body butter for example. Anyway, even though it doesn't smell of Olive/Olive Oil it smells pretty amazing.. I'd say it smells pretty fruity! :)

Ingredients: This is a picture I took of the ingredient list, and I think it is a very impressive one! Straight after water there is a silicone, then Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter & Glycerin. The oils in the body butter are: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Avocado Oil & Argan Oil. I think we all know the benefits of natural butters and oils on our skin so no need for me to go on about that. However you might not have heard of Squalane:

• This is an expensive ingredient which is derived from Squalene, which in turn is derived from Shark Oil. The reason that Squalane is used instead of Squalene is because it is cheaper and it is also more stable, and has a longer shelf life (source). Anyway Squalane is a lipid that occurs naturally in our bodies and can moisturise your skin and heal crapped skin.

Have you tried this product or any other DHC products?

Check out my other DHC reviews here.

xx




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(*) This product was sent to me to review

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Dove Limited Edition Winter Care Nourishing Lotion, Hand Cream and Body Butter

Dove Limited Edition Winter Care Nourishing Lotion, Hand Cream and Body Butter (*)

Today I am reviewing the Dove Limited Edition Winter Care Nourishing Lotion, Hand Cream and Body Butter, all of which are very much needed with this current weather we've got going on in London. They are all aimed at dry skin or for anyone who feels like they need an extra nourishing cream during the cold winter months. I like creams aimed at dry skin because I definitely think they are necessary after showering once or twice per day, and scrubbing daily as well. 

Dove Limited Edition Winter Care Nourishing Lotion: This contains pretty heavy ingredients like Shea Butter & Petroleum and also loads of nourishing and hydrating ingredients like Urea (found in your skin's own Natural Moisturising System) and Collagen Amino Acids. This is pretty heavy but definitely not heavy enough to use in the morning after you showered, as this is how I use it. If you use to much it can have a bit of a sticky feel, but it gets absorbed quickly and I haven't felt sticky or greasy when putting my clothes on after using this. 

Dove Limited Edition Winter Care Hand Cream: Just before I was sent these products, I had purchased a Dove hand cream and really liked it. Compared to that one, and most hand creams this is definitely the thick kind which I really like. A lot of hand creams make your hands super soft but I think you need a really thick one to stop your cuticles from going dry- dry cuticles is such a bad look lol! Since I already had the other Dove hand creams when I got this, I would use this Winter Care one in the morning and last thing in the evening. 

Dove Limited Edition Winter Care Body Butter: Obviously this is the butter version of the lotion mentioned above, so the key ingredients are fairly similar but the formula is thicker. If you have extremely dry skin you can use it daily, or if you have normal skin you can use it overnight or use it on dry areas like feet etc. 

Overall? So I really enjoyed using all of these and they've got some interesting ingredients like Urea, Amino Acids, Natural Oils and butters. I would recommend these for someone with dry skin and who does not mind using a mix of natural and synthetic ingredients as they also contain ingredients like mineral oil, silicones and parabens. And as with all Dove products, I really like the fragrance even though it is pretty subtle. 

Have you tried these products?

What's your favourite Dove skin care product?

xx

(*) Products sent for review

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Karamel and Brown Glow Face Crème

Karamel and Brown Glow Face Crème

Here is some info about Karamel & Brown from their website: "The new beauty brand Karamel & Brown brings an innovative dimension to the beauty industry, through introducing a brand new concept aimed at brown skin tones. The revolutionary Glow range enhances the natural beauty of Asian, Black and Mixed Heritage complexions, giving the skin a nourishing, hydrating and long lasting glow. "

 Karamel and Brown Glow Face Creme 200ml, £16.95 (*)- So before I was sent this product to try out, I had never ever tried fake tan before, nor planned on trying it out either.  Fake tan kind of only made me think of the white girl gone orange look and that is not cute. Anyway, Karamel & Brown are a brand who actually are aimed at brown skin tones. The product will give you a tan similar to that you get in the summer, and it can help even out hyper pigmentation or old acne scarring. 

At first glance when you squeeze a little product out of the bottle- it looks pretty thick. However this is a really, really light cream as you can probably tell from the far right pic. Despite being thin it was nourishing enough to use instead of a night cream, and it is light enough to use instead of your day cream as well. If you check out the ingredient list from the first pic you will see that it contains mainly natural ingredients with Aloe Vera and oils like Jojoba Oil. The only "controversial" ingredient I can see is "Propylene Glycol", which unfortunately is pretty far up in the ingredient list. Also, I was really surprised that this product smells super yummy, kind of like a mix of Coconut and Karamel or something! 

Results? I noticed results after the first time I used it, actually so much so that I skipped the next application and used it only once per day, in the evening. It is possible that for people of darker skin tones than me you'd need a few more applications before seeing results and for lighter shades maybe less. My skin went from having always been good my whole life to bad like a year ago and it has just got better, and I do have a little bit of scarring which definitely seemed to be less visible after I had worn this cream for a couple of days. I actually wore no makeup what so ever for a couple of weeks while trying this product. After you have achieved the results (the shade) you like, you can keep up the results by applying it every other day or so, or ever evening. I really enjoyed using this and I can see myself repurchasing it when I run out, if it runs out while it is still winter time that is! If you prefer quality and natural ingredients, this is a great choice as (I am guessing), most commercial fake tan creams probably contain a lot of rubbish ingredients! 

Do you use fake tan?
Have you heard of this brand?

xx



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Barry M Lip Paint "Punky Pink" Shade 145 Review

Barry M Lip Paint "Punky Pink" Shade 145 Review

So this Barry M Lip Paint "Punky Pink" Shade 145 was a pretty random purchase a few weeks ago with my friend from Uni. I study Cosmetic Science in central London and when you are based in Oxford Circus, those 3 hour breaks are dangerous! Now I just go straight home because otherwise I'll be temped to go into the shops. 

So I used this in my recent FOTD post, see here. The first thing I noticed now as I am writing the review is that it is really really similar to the MUA shade 3 which I reviewed here a long while back. Anyway I got this lipstick from Topshop for £4.49 which I do think is a little over priced for this type of lipstick. I would say the staying power is better than the MUA one but it has a similar, pretty basic ingredient list with Mineral Oil topping the list. A few years back I refused to use anything containing Mineral Oil but these days I am more okay with them in lipsticks, as the main purpose of those are not to moisturise or make your lips softer.

The formula is, as you can probably see very pigmented but it is definitely on the creamy side and contrary to matte lipsticks, the staying powder of this type of lipstick is not that good. It does stay on pretty well for a few hours though. I actually love the fact that it is so creamy and I am definitely pleased with this over all :)

Ingredient Check:

• Silicones (/) 
• Mineral Oil (√)
• Propylene/Butylene glycol (√)
• Parabens (/)

Find the full ingredient list here on the Barry M website by clicking "Product Ingredients" in the lower right corner

Have you tried the Barry M Lip Paints (Lipsticks).
What do you think of this one?

xx



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Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash & Dove Go Fresh Nourishing Body Wash Blue Fig & Orange Blossom Scent

Dove Deeply Nourishing & Go Fresh Nourishing Body Wash

Hi Everyone! Today I am reviewing these two body washed from Dove: Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash & Dove Go Fresh Nourishing Body Wash Blue Fig & Orange Blossom Scent (*). It was such a weird coincidence when I was initially contacted about reviewing these. In the past, I haven't purchased Dove Body Washes because whenever I looked at the ingredient list, they contained mineral oil which I do not use in my skin care products. However, I went to Superdrug and saw the Orange scented body wash, it smelt amazing and contained no mineral oil. It was also starting to get colder at that time and I wanted a little "pick me up" in the morning.
Now to the point, Dove had just conducted a study on the impact of a bad start to the day and what makes one. They therefore suggest a little more caring morning- starting with a great body wash that will really care for your skin.

I totally agree with this, but for me it's more so the scent of the body wash or whatever product you are using. For example, if I am having a really bad morning- I usually take that moment to use a product or perfume that smells extra nice as a little pick up. Does anyone else do this as well?

Here is how Dove describe their Body Washed on their website: "What is the Dove Difference? Nourishment. Only Dove Body Wash has NutriumMoisture™ - our unique blend of moisturisers enriched with skin-natural lipids, which absorbs into the skin to nourish while you shower. Used everyday, it helps restore skin's strength from the inside for longer lasting more beautiful skin. Deeply nourishing. Clean rinsing. Always beautiful."

So the new product out of the two is the Dove Go Fresh Nourishing Body Wash Blue Fig & Orange Blossom Scent. It contains Sulfates so even though it is a gentle wash, it will definitely clean well enough and lather up really well. The formula is creamy, and actually light blue with quite a strong fragrance- but one that is really nice. I used this for my usual morning shower with scrubbing gloves which it was perfect for as it is both creamy and lathers up. I do also enjoy sulfate free body washes and shower gels- but a sulfate one is pretty much essential when you are trying to scrub your body use scrubbing gloves. 

I believe the Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash is somewhat of a classic and possibly one that has their signature fragrance, correct me if I am wrong. The formula is similar to the Blue Fig one- but I'd say this one was a little more creamy and it was white, and even though it has a nice scent- it is a little more subtle than the Blue Fig one. Other than the fragrance this body wash was very similar to the Blue Fig one and.

I really enjoyed using these and I think it suits someone who wants a nice smelling affordable body wash which will leave you squeaky clean but without dry or irritated skin. As far as I can see, it isn't mentioned anywhere but from looking at the ingredients it looks like the products are PH regulated which is definitely essential in a product that will be gentle on the skin. You might not want to use them if you are into all natural product- as they do not contain all natural ingredients. However, they are both free from Silicones, Parabens, Propylene Glycol and all of that as far as I can see- and they contain some nice natural oils :) 

Have you tried Dove Body Washed & how did you like them?

If not, what's your favourite Body Wash or Shower Gel?

xx

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