L'oreal Hydra Genius Aloe Water Liquid Care

 

Asian skin care is very much an 'in' thing these days and a lot of brands are being inspired by the unique technologies used by K-beauty (see cushion foundations). The Hydra Genius Liquid is no exception. 

This is a moisturising liquid with the ingredient of the moment, Hyaluronic Acid.
I personally don't mind the stickiness of pure Hyaluronic formulas (like the Hylamide Low-Molecular HA booster or the Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 from The Ordinary) but if it is not for you, light serums, lotions, gels boosted with HA are great alternative and there's more and more variety of them out there let it be high end or mass market.

The Hydra Genius Aloe Water Liquid Care comes in three types: one for dry & sensitive, one for normal to combination and one for normal to dry skin. By accident, I picked up the dry & sensitive instead of the normal to combination one but I don't really mind because my skin can take it. Right after the heatwave has hit the UK, this was a lifesaver treating my weather-worn skin.  It has two key active ingredients:  

- Aloe Vera to hydrate, to sooth (it is anti-inflammatory), to repair (encourages cell renewal so it heals damaged skin), to firm and protect the skin

- Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate, to plump the skin and lock moisture in.

Hyaluronic Acid and Aloe Vera make a really strong skincare combination, they are an anti-ageing powerhouse that works for most 
skin types. This can only be good, right?

On application, the liquid is thin, watery with a bit of gel feel to it (without being sticky) but don't be fooled by the light texture, it is really effective.  It feels cooling and soothing on the skin, it sinks in quickly but leaves your skin bouncy, smooth, refreshed, hydrated, glowing, it really does give the skin a good boost. It is perfect if you don't like heavy moisturisers or oils on your skin. You can use it on its own after cleansing, but I normally like to layer skincare so I would use this after a cleanser, a mild acid toner and before a moisturiser almost like a serum. You could use this morning and night, it is excellent under makeup or after sun exposure.

I like the blue, slightly heavy glass bottle (not great for travelling through) and the pump dispenser. You get quite a good amount of product for your money too (70ml).

This is a little genius of a product on almost all counts but the smell. It is a tad bit too fragranced for me  (though it wears off quickly) and this is exactly why I'm gonna try the unscented Clinique Moisture Surge Concentrate next which is based on a similar idea.  

It is available at Boots for £6.99.

Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes Mascara Review

These days when a new mascara formulation is launched every other day it seems, it is really hard to see clearly what works and what doesn't. Beauty brands can promise you the world and say a certain mascara does ten things at the same time, yet fail to perform when you try them. You just have to experiment until you find the one that works. I've never been too fussed or picky about mascaras up until not so long ago. Now that I'm getting older formulation, colour payoff, wand shape is everything.

In Full Fat Lashes, I finally have found a mascara that gives great results and still won't break the bank. This mascara has been out for a good while, now it was really time for me to try it.

Okay, let's talk facts:

The packaging: it comes in a unique shaped box in the signature Tilbury colours: bronze and gold. It is fun and classy. The mascara itself has the same colours, it has a simple shape and not too heavy, which is good news for handbags.

The wand: soft, layered, not too chunky which makes me happy, it is perfect for my small eyes. It doesn't take out too much product so it won't go clumpy. 

The colour: intense, glossy black.

How it worked: it can literally double my lash size, it lengthens, lifts separates, volumizes doesn't go everywhere, doesn't clump. I am in love with it. It has a very intense black colour which is perfect for defining light coloured lashes like mine.  It looks good after one coat, but it can be built up beautifully if you'd like to achieve a dramatic effect. You could use a lash curler first to intensify the look. I heard that a few people have found that it smudges on them, but it didn't on me, so I guess I'm lucky. This mascara leaves the lashes soft so you can even re-apply during the day without making a right mess out of it! It stayed on and kept its intense colour and lift the whole day. I used a cream cleanser and a flannel to remove it and it worked perfectly fine, it all came off quite easily.

Value for money: for me personally it is great because the result I'm getting is amazing.

Mascara is a very personal thing, we all like different ones for different reasons. Full Fat Lashes is definitely in my top 5 mascaras I've ever used and is my current favourite.

Here's a before and after for you to see how it looks like in action:

                  before                                      one coat                                    three coats

Charlotte Tilbury's Full Fat Lashes is not tested on animals and it is fragrance free. It is available here for £23.00.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold Rose

I don't think Liquid Gold gets enough love these days. I know, The Ordinary has arrived shaking up the beauty world in the past year making the best active ingredients accessible for a wider audience, but Alpha-H and Liquid Gold is still one of the cult treasures that cannot be knocked off the top of beauty 'best of' lists. I love The Ordinary, but Liquid Gold from Alpha-H will always be one of my all-time favourite beauty products. I started to use it about six years ago (it was launched 18 years ago) when it really started to get a buzz on beauty blogs and it looked like this:

Old packaging - photo from www.amodelrecommens.com

I fell in love with it after the first use simply because it's one of the few rare products that gives you instant results and it doesn't stop working. Liquid Gold and Glycolic Acid was a true discovery back then and now I can't imagine my skincare routine without it. People I introduced it to often responded with the same enthusiasm,  some even saying 'I want to take a bath in this thing!' which is quite tempting actually, trust me.

New packaging - photo from www.qvcuk.com

Many years and a packaging/logo makeover later, Alpha-H has become one of the most loved brands, Liquid Gold is still going strong and is one of the top anti-ageing products out there, a true skin care Holy Grail. The company is still family owned and kept their integrity which is so refreshing these days. They also do clinical trials which shows you that they really care about results.

What is Liquid Gold?

It is 5% naturally derived Glycolic Acid, Liquorice Extract and silk proteins. It's not called 'overnight facial' for nothing. The acid loosens up dead skin cells from the surface of the skin and reveals a bright, bouncy skin. It fades pigmentation, improves the appearance of pores,  it keeps them clean and bacteria free, it reduces the appearance of fine lines and increases the skin's own HA and collagen production. It also stimulates skin cellular activity, accelerating repair and renewal of cells.

All in all, it improves the texture of the skin, smooths and tones it, brightens plumps and firms. Glycolic Acid drops the PH of the skin, so the skin has to work hard to raise it back up. This work the skin does is almost like a workout that keeps it fresh, makes it tighter, firmer. This sounds absolutely magical, doesn't it? It is basically forcing your skin to behave to its optimum, and it really does work!

Supercharged Liquid Gold Rose, the makeover
Alpha-H has just come out with a new version of the Liquid Gold infused with Rose, Lotus Petal, Orchid Flower and Scandinavian Red Algae. There's an added hydration element here, it is more gentle on the skin and less irritating. The beautiful scent is a bonus. It offers a bit more for the people who have a bit of dryness on the surface of their skin, redness, broken capillaries or are a bit more sensitive. This edition is so much more than adding a rose scent. With the added botanicals this is a lot more luxurious experience than the original.

How to use Liquid Gold? 
I would start using it 1 or 2 nights a week after cleansing and work it up to 3 nights a week. If you have sensitive skin or rosacea, please do a patch test before putting it all over the skin just in case. Try to resist using a foaming cleanser before Liquid Gold as they advise because it upsets the balance of the skin. Try to also resist using a moisturiser after, because that would raise the PH of the skin and counterbalance the effects of the acid. Sweep over entire face, neck and chest, I do the back of the hands too. It might tingle after the first few uses but you can build up your resistance to it. I used to use it every third night, but now I alternate it with other Glycolic products (because of my hoarding of anything with Glycolic Acid in it, I need to get through them), so it might just be once a week for now. 
   
It is safe to use it during pregnancy too which is good news for many people.

My Alpha-H regime

Apart from it giving you instant results and a luxurious skin care experience, Liquid Gold is a great investment - a 100ml (the original is £31.00, the Rose edition is £34.00 at QVCUK) bottle lasts a long time! They say the Liquid Gold Rose is a limited edition but if it gets enough love the company promised to bring it back. So give it some love because if you haven't used it before surely it will change your life. I for one, can't wait for my next Liquid Gold night.

Red carpet beauty - Blue trend

Is blue eyeshadow or liner too '80 for you? Think again. The runways and red carpets showcased a lot of blue looks this past season even the new Dior Show mascara campaign featured Bella Hadid with beutiful blue smokey eyes. I am really not surprised because you can have so much fun with this colour.

Blue is the colour of the sea and the sky and is often associated with trust, loyalty, intelligence, truth, wisdom. I also stands for traquility and calmness. Blue is one of my favourite colours but when it comes to makeup it can be tricky to wear.

How can you make it on trend? Pick only one feature where you use it and let the colour be the dominating feature in the makeup look. Tone down the eyebrows, cheeks and lips, unless you are going for a high fashion, crazy editorial look or maybe are going to an '80s retro party. You can use an eyeshadow, an eyeliner, maybe only a blue mascara or if you are going for a real impact a blue lipstick.

Lets move on to have a look at a few recent red carpet looks.

I am staring out with the beautitul Emily Ratajkowski at the Met Ball. I love the long blue flick paired with warm gold under the lower lash line. Everything else it toned down and the bronze-nude colours make the blue pop. This look is my absolute favourite.

The runner up is Elle Fanning at Cannes with a beautiful navy flick and not much else but naturally glowing cheeks and soft pink lip. I love this look, it is simple but dramatic on the red carpet.

Madison Beer went for a soft navy smoky look at the Billboard Awards. The blue is just enough, peeking out through her lashes to match her dress, but it's not overpowering the look since the lips, cheeks are neutral.

Who says you can't wear blue eyeshadow when you have blue eyes? When it comes to makeup I'm in not favour of such rules, it seems neither is Reese Witherspoon. Her bright blue smokey eyes are enough to get attention but this look is far from being loud or heavy since the rest of the look is so fresh an airy.

I applaud Elizabeth Banks for sporting a very bright pale blue eyeliner traced around the eyes, but it was for the Met Gala, so anything goes and she definitely stood out from the rest that night.

Rita Ora was all vamped up for Cannes with dark, strong blue eyes with hard edges paired with a pale lip. This is my least favourite look, but it's done right and the dramatic effect stands out on the red carpet. It screams 'Look at me! I'm a star!'

Thandie Newton went for a beautiful silver-blue at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party this year. It looks stunning with the glitter catching the light. All the other features are beautifully toned down, so the whole look is incerdibly sylish and chic.

Kate Beckinsale made a statement at the Billboard awards with an electric blue eyeliner paired with a pale gold eyeshadow on the lid, a chocolate brown in the crease and under the lower lash line. All the action is around the eyes and there is a lot to catch the attention. All the rest of the look is toned down and fresh.

Bonus picture (I know, this is not this year) Lupita Nyong'o, one of my major beauty crushes, at the Star Wars Force Awakens premiere in December 2015 was going for a real impact with blue lipstick.

I absolutely adore this look, it is cool, stylish and very eyecatching. Just what you need on the red carpet. I think we all should just wear more blue lipstick!


While I can't compete with the beauty of any of the ladies above, here are four looks that I've done inspired by the colour blue.

See you all next week!

(All pictures taken from https://beautyeditor.ca )

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette Natural Beauty review

Here we are, part 2 of my Charlotte Tilbury makeup series.
I've always been intrigued by the idea of having a compact set of makeup that you can carry around with you all the time, let it be a normal working day, holidays, mini-breaks, etc.  I think I am not the only one who finds the idea of a  set that makes your daily makeup application and touch-ups fuss free, speedy incredibly appealing. And if this all comes with the trademark Tilbury quality than I'm all up for it.
Charlotte is offering 3 variations of the Instant Look in a Pallette, the most recent launch being Beauty Glow. I went for Natural Beauty just because all the shades seemed darker, more bronze in the new palette which is not really my everyday style.

The selection of shades in this palette is perfect for a natural, fresh look that could be built up to do a stronger look if needed - there are 3 for the eyes, 2 blushers, a bronzer and a highlighter. I can see this palette working mostly on light to medium skin tones. They are all numbered for the beginners which is a great idea but obviously, you can use them separately or out of sequence too.

The Packaging: it is featuring the signature CT colours bronze and gold, very stylish, not too heavy, not too light,  a decent size mirror is included too that helps your application on the go. All shades are a decent size too, I suppose they will last a long time.
Texture: the texture of all the shades are soft, buttery, silky, easy to blend.
Pigment: apart from the eyeshadows that are not as pigmented as I thought, the pay-off of the shades is great, a little bit goes a long way but are buildable and long lasting.

Eyeshadows: there are 3 eyeshadows in the palette,  an Enhance (a satin finish soft beige-pink), a  Brighten (a sparkly golden-beige) and a Smoke (matte finish light, soft warm brown)shade. As I mentioned before if I had any critique about this palette is that the eyeshadows are not as pigmented as I expected though I've found that they are buildable and apply better pressed on the eyelids by fingers. I also wish if the Smoke shade was a tiny bit darker too. But all in all, they are very easy to wear, useful shades.

Blushers: both Swish and Pop are fabulous shades, you can use them separately or blended together as recommended by CT. A little goes a long way, so start applying very little and then add to it if needed.

Bronzer: it a great colour, very subtle but buildable, not too yellow too which I love.
Highlighter: apart from the blushers this is my favourite thing in the palette. It has a soft gold tone that has almost a blurring effect on the skin and it photographs beautifully. It has a great pay-off, so start with very little and build it up if needed.

I'm very pleased with this palette, it is practical, it is beautiful, it has a little bit of Tilbury magic in it. It certainly de-clutters your dressing table, it is easy to reach for every day and it speeds up your daily makeup routine. The Instant Look in a Pallette can easily become one's  go-to palette, just add an eye pencil, mascara, brow pencil and a lippie and that's it, you have a really nice complete routine that is quick and looks sophisticated.

Three looks using the palette:

The website says these palettes are limited edition, but Natural Beauty has been around for a while and keeps coming back (this makes me giggle all the time, many brands do it, it is great for business though) so hopefully, at one point they will become part of the permanent collection. It is £49.00 which sounds a lot but if you divide it, that's £7.00 per shade which is not bad at all for the sizes you get.