botanics all bright

Ok I know I know The Botanics Radiance Balm is all over the blogosphere at the minute, but there is a reason for it…it’s bloomin’ good! And I own the coveted Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow!!

It says it “softens,brightens for instant radiant skin for all skin types”. It contains hibiscus which is meant to be a natural brightness booster. It also meant to have natural ahas that are supposed to act as a mild exfoliant.

I use it personally as a moisturiser as I have oily skin, but they say to use it in conjunction with one, so that’s up to you. So what is the Botanics Radiance Balm? Well it’s a really light cream (or balm) that has a slight sparkle to it. It looks pink in the tube but applies translucent and when massaged in it gives you a subtle highlight effect.

radiance balm swatched

Botanics Radiance Balm

Radiance Balm Massaged Into The Skin

 

 

You apply it to help brighten up your complexion which we all know can look a bit worse for wear especially early in the morning. You can of course add more where you want more of a glow. For me, I just add a pea sized amount to my finger tips and apply a light layer all over. I give it a couple of minutes to sink in and then apply my makeup as normal. I don’t find it interferes with my makeup at all which is a big deal for me.

It smells really nice and also has SPF 15 too!

 

I have used the face wipes,face wash and eye makeup remover from All Bright range and I really like them all. Botanics are doing a good job in my book for a very very competitive price. The Botanics Radiance Balm can be picked up in or on Boots.ie and is always on sale or on 3 for 2 so keep an eye out. At the minute it will set you back €3.99, bargain!

Get it and see for yourself πŸ™‚

xxx

La Roche Posay Serozinc

La Roche Posay Serozinc has finally hit Irish shores! Thank the lord! I have been waiting very patiently to get my mitts on this stuff. When I saw McCabes pharmacy say they had stock in their store in Swords, I trekked out and got it no questions asked πŸ™‚ I’m a southsider!!! πŸ™‚

Serozinc is a zinc sulphate solution for oily, blemish prone skin. Its also suitable for acne prone skin too. You use it just like you would a toner. Spray it onto your skin after you cleanse,Β  leave it to soak in and you can pat any excess off, then moisturise as normal. These are the directions La Roche Posay give you.

I suffer with my skin. It goes into hormonal breakout every month and I already have oily skin to begin with. I find alot of products you can get for oily blemish prone skin can be great but really dry your skin out at the same time, which means you have to be careful with using them. I don’t find this with the Serozinc at all. I’ve been using it twice a day since I bought it and it has never dried my skin out. It has however calmed my spots and brought down their inflammation. I feel it has also helped with the texture of my skin. I have really seen a difference in the amount of comedones I suffer with i.e. whiteheads and blackheads…another lovely aspect of oily skin. I personally use it after I use the Pixi Glow Tonic in the evening which is an exfoliating toner, I adore this stuff too. I think the Serozinc adds a little moisture to my skin after using the more abrasive toner and they work really well together.

Serozinc Pixi Glow Tonic

The spray itself applies really easily, it has a nice steady flow that you can control when you spray, it doesn’t scare you in the morning when you apply it…that has happened me with some similarly packaged products :p

La Roche Posay Serozinc Picture

In conclusion, I love the La Roche Posay Serozinc. It’s not going to save you from breakouts completely, but it will make them alot easier to handle. La Roche Posay really make fantastic skin care products. And the good news too is Serozinc will only set you back a tenner here in Ireland! It’s so worth it!!

Have you tried it? What do you use with it? I would love to know?

xxx

 

The Body Shop

I was given the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel at an event, and I simply fell in love with it, but at over 35 quid it’s not ideal for the pocket. So I’ve been on the hunt for something that does the job but is a tad bit cheaper.

This brings me onto the whole point of this post The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil. I’ve been a bit of an oil junkie of late, see my review of the Waxperts Beautiful Body Oil here, so I thought oil was a good way to go.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

Like the Oskia gel, the Camomile Cleansing Oil is applied to your face when it’s dry to begin with. Give the bottle a shake and then you massage it in, then wet your hands to emulsify the oil and lather some more. I really like this two step method. I feel like your helping with circulation aswell as really getting the product into your pores and giving your face a good oul clean! You then just rinse your face (I use a muslin cloth) and the jobs oxo.

I really like the Camomile Cleansing Oil. It smells lovely and fresh and you only need a couple of pumps in the palm of your hand to do your whole face (and neck if you’re like myself) so it’s not a really messy operation. It also works! A couple of times after using it I checked for residue with some micellar water and a cotton pad and there was none, so it’s taking off all of my makeup, even the waterproof parts. I rub it into my lashes, it doesn’t sting or feel uncomfortable.

It also doesn’t feel like your stripping your skin or drying it out when you use it. As I have oily skin you would assume I would want my skin as dry as a bone after washing but if you strip your skin completely it’s just going to make even more oil to compensate, we don’t want that.

The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil is made with fair trade camomile which is great and is the case for alot of The Body shop’s products. It also contains Almond Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil and Soy bean Oil so plenty of oil within the oil πŸ™‚

In conclusion, I’ve found a really good alternative to my Oskia Cleansing Gel. It get the job done, doesn’t irritate and feels nice on the skin, I will definitely repurchase.

The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil will set you back €17.50 which is half of what the Oskia would. Also Caroline Hirons had nice things to say about the Camomile Cleansing Oil, that alone would make me buy it πŸ™‚

 

xxx

 

 

Image Ormedic Eye Balancing Lift Gel

I am reviewing Image Skincare’s Ormedic Balancing Eye Life Gel. I love Image Skincare. It is definitely not cheap but they do some lovely products. I love their Iluma range, especially the Intense Brightening Serum.

I have the Balancing Eye Cream a while now and have been using it everyday.

Image say that this is a balancing, hydrating and lifting eye gel with organic ingredients and medical effectiveness. Multi-peptide formula reverses the signs of ageing. This eye gel is marketed towards all skin types. I am turning 30 very soon (the panic is starting to kick in, believe me) and so eye cream has become a staple in my skincare. As I am not a morning person I have been enjoying using Benefit’s Puff Off most mornings which I reviewed here not too long ago. So, I have been using the Eye Lift Gel in the evenings, it is recommended to use for both occasions though.

I love the packaging of this eye gel, the product comes out of a pump, and for me, one pump per eye is enough.

Image Ormedic Eye Lift Gel

Although it is a gel, it has a creamy consistency so does feel hydrating on the skin which some gels don’t always do. I can get dry under my eyes so I am very glad of this. It has a pleasant smell and rubs into the skin really easily, leaving behind pretty much no residue. Some eye creams can leave behind a tacky sensation, which really isn’t very pleasant. The Ormedic Balancing Eye Lift Gel doesn’t though, it sinks in really well. Although I am heading into my 3rd decade on this planet…yuck. I have oily skin, I get spots galore, but wrinkles (so far) have been kind to me. I do notice after using the Balancing Eye Lift Gel that the area around my orbital bone feels soft and nourished.

I can’t really say it reverses the signs of ageing, I don’t think any product really can, but it is a lovely eye cream and is lovely to use for more preventative measures. We can all get behind that mentality πŸ™‚

 

 

xxx

 

 

Waxperts Beautiful Body Oil Wonder Pads

I am not a waxer, I hold my hands up and admit to that. My hair grows really fast and just for me it would be too expensive to upkeep. However I know the Waxperts brands very well and they are a force to be reckoned with in the waxing world. They have taken Ireland and the United Kingdom by storm with their painless wax and methods and are set to conquer the world.

Just because I do not wax does not mean I cannot use their skincare products though. They so far have two on the market and I am hear to tell you all about them πŸ™‚

First up is the Waxperts Wonder Pads.

Waxperts Wonder PadsThese have been around a while now and I have been using them for a long time and love them. They are marketed towards the treatment and prevention of ingrown hairs after waxing or for someone like me after shaving. They work really well for this, but they can also be used for treating spots or any lumps or bumps you might get anywhere on the body including the face. Wonder Pads contain salicylic acid, so they unclog the pores and neutralise any bacteria within them. They also contain panthenol that helps to hydrate the skin while also helping to stop the itching that can happen after you shave or wax, pretty good right? This is the bit I love particularly about them because I am always prone to lumps and bumps after shaving…the joys! They don’t dry out your skin either like some salicylic acid products can.

You get 40 pre moistened pads per pot so it will last you a good while before you have to pick up another batch. You can get them from Cloud 10 Beauty here or from Dolledup.ie and they will set you back €7.95. I really recommend them.

The newest launch from Waxperts comes in the form of their Beautiful Body Oil.

Waxperts Beautiful Body OilBody oils can really be hit or miss. They can be too oily on the skin and make you feel slimy and unclean when you apply it, and make you literally have to wait an hour before clothing touches you…nightmare! The good ones can usually set you back a fair bit of dosh and then you tend to use them for only special occasions. None of this is the case for Waxperts Beautiful Body Oil.

It was created for at home consumption because the oil Waxpert waxers used at appointments went down really well and clients wanted to be able to bring it home with them.

The Beautiful Body Oil can be used in many different ways, post waxing, post shaving, post bathing or showering or post sunbathing(that’s alot of posts). As the main ingredient is lavender and the oil smells divinely of it, it’s great to use before bed as we know lavender products are great for relaxation.

I have been using the Beautiful Body Oil everyday after showering or bathing for the past few weeks. It soaks in really quickly, smells lovely, and leaves your skin feeling supple and soft without any residue. I can’t say anything bad about it. I even love the bottle because you can pump the oil out onto your hands or body so none of the product is wasted!

Waxperts Beautiful Body Oil 100ml bottle is available from Dolledup.ie and Cloud10beauty here too and will set you back €9.99 not too bad at all!

The lovely ladies behind Waxperts know their stuff, I cannot wait to see what is in store for them next.

Do you Waxperts?

xxx

 

 

Benefit Puff Off

When Benefit bring a new product out, they always do it so well. Their marketing department are amazing. One of their new launches, “Puff Off” is no different. The packaging is so cool, the applicator is an iron for god’s sake πŸ™‚

Benefit Puff Off“Puff Off” is an eye gel to help wake up your eyes and help get rid of any puffiness and I think it does a pretty good job of this. The iron applicator may be whimsical but it does a really good job and fitting into the contour of your orbital bone and helps to massage the product in as well as helping to drain any fluid you might have built up. It is metal too which is nice and cooling on the skin.

The product itself comes out of the middle of the applicator. Be careful when dispensing it, as alot can come out of the squeezy tube.

IMG_4915Benefit suggest you put three small splodges around your eye and then blend in with the applicator.

The gel soaks into the skin really quickly, so it’s perfect for the morning time when you don’t have time to mess around. Benefit claims you can use Puff Off over makeup too, so I suppose if you are having an extra long day you could pop some on to get rid of some of the signs of over tiredness and lack of sleep.

This is a lovely product and it does do what it says on the tin. However if you need alot of hydration under your eyes, I don’t know if it will be for you, as it is a gel formula so it not super emollient.

I would recommend it if you are looking for a product to perk you up in the morning and make you physically seem more awake.

Puff Off is available at Benefit stockists now and costs €30.50

 

Gemma

xxx