Ever since the L'oreal secured Val Garland as Global Make-up Director I knew straight away that we're going to see exciting things coming up from the brand. I'm not going to go into detail right now how chic and lovely the to be released Balmain Colour Riche range looks, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm going to discuss Instagram's new darling instead, the Paradise Extatic Mascara. The blogging community is raving about it but does it live up to its hype? Will this beat Charlotte Tilbury's Full Fat Lashes, which is still my absolute favourite? Let's see:
The packaging: chic rose gold shade, thin, lightweight, a pretty sight on dressing tables and in make-up bags. It is so easy to photograph, looks very pretty in flat lays, no wonder, bloggers love to show it off. It looks like as if it was created to target the Instagramming generation. Nice one L'oreal!
The wand: dense bristles, soft, not scratchy on the lashes, thick on the two sides, thinner in the middle, slightly on the large side for me, but as I always say, it is not hard to be.
The colour: decent black that keeps its intensity during the day but not as glossy and deep as the Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes.
How it worked on me: despite the wand being slightly chunky for my small eyes, I could navigate it well. It doesn't put too much product on, the formula is not too wet, all in all, the application is easy. Rarely can a mascara actually live up to its claims and do it all but this does separate (it gets more difficult as you pile on the coats), lengthen and volumise too. I had to put a good few coats on to get the effect I wanted but I don't mind taking my time with mascara. It stayed on well during the day, kept the curl and did not flake, the formula contains castor oil, so it keeps the lashes soft. At the end of the day, it was easy to take it off with an oil-based cleanser but creams and micellar water work too.
Paradise Extatic is an all-round great mascara, it really does deserve all the compliments. Is it as good as Charlotte Tilbury's Full Fat Lashes? Not to me, it isn't but if I was on a budget, I would definitely go for this one.
Here is the before and after:
Value for money: great, it is currently £9.99 at Boots.
I've never really been one of those people who say natural or organic is better when it comes to skin care though I still love to experiment with different brands just to see how effective they are. I do appreciate on the other hand if a company is making environmentally conscious decisions as well as being natural and builds a whole brand around it. Sukin is one of them. I only recently discovered them getting lost in random beauty videos on Youtube.
Sukin was founded in 2007 in Melbourne, Australia. Their company tagline is 'Skincare that doesn't cost the earth' which really nicely describes the environmentally sustainable, budget-friendly skincare brand. The question is: are the products effective enough?
I usually start reviewing things with what's in them, but this time I will do it the other way round and start with what you won't find in any of the Sukin products: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Sodium Laureth Sulphate, synthetic fragrance, animal derivatives, harsh detergents, Propylene Glycol, artificial colours, Triethanolamine, mineral oils, EDTA, parabens. The company is Australian owned and made, 100% vegan, 100% Carbon neutral, biodegradable, grey water safe and not tested on animals. This is quite a list, isn't it? It is so great to see that there are brands now that cater to people who really want to look after the environment and don't want any harsh chemicals or animal ingredients in their beauty products. The fact that they are completely animal testing free and won't sell in China is a bonus.
I picked up a basic routine for sensitive skin and I have to say I am very impressed so far how good they are. I really shouldn't be but naively I sometimes still think that anything 'natural' is less effective. How rude of me.
Let's start with cleansing:
Sensitive Cleansing Gel
I love cleansing gels in the morning or as a second cleanse, so no surprise I went for it. This is a soap-free, lightly scented gel formula with Chamomile, Green tea, Cucumber and Avocado Oil. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? But does it work? The answer is yes! You simply massage it into dry skin, lather it up with some warm water and take it off with a cloth. It feels very gentle, not irritating, doesn't leave a residue and the scent is a really nice (not overpowering) uplifting experience too. I can see this working on all skin types even on oily too because of the light texture.
There are only two things I would do differently from the instructions they give on the website:
'Apply a small amount to moist hands and lather with water. Gently massage into damp skin. Rinse thoroughly and pat skin dry.' I wouldn't only rinse, I would use a cloth to remove it. I'm in the Caroline Hirons school of beauty, I use a cloth all the time.
'Use once or twice daily. TIP: Remove makeup with Micellar Cleansing Water first, and then double cleanse with Sensitive Cleansing Gel for thoroughly cleaned skin.' I wouldn't remove makeup with Micellar Water (unless it is a quick makeup change during the day) I always use a balm or a cream and then would go in with this gel as a second cleanse.
The product comes in a dark bottle with a pump dispenser which makes it really easy to handle. You get 125 ml for £7.95 (£5.30 on offer at Boots right now) and since a little bit goes a long way, this is good value for money.
All in all, this is a pleasant experience and thorough morning or second cleanse, it is an excellent budget buy.
Hydrating Mist Toner
The Hydrating Mist Toner is an alcohol-free mist with Rosewater and Chamomile is my favourite out of the three. You can use it after cleansing or during the day if you want to refresh tired skin. I particularly like using it during my workout to cool down, sooth and hydrate my skin. You can even keep it in the fridge for an extra cooling effect. It is lightweight and has a delicate rose scent. I can see it working for all skin types, even oily ones because it is so light. There are only 6 ingredients in it which I always love to see. You rarely get an ingredient list these days that is so simple and transparent.
It comes in a dark spray bottle, so it is easy to use. You get 125 ml for £7.95 (£5.30 on offer at Boots right now), again, this is great value for money.
Sensitive Facial Moisturizer
Now, this is the trickiest category to get right for me but I was very pleased to see that this is such a great formula. The main active ingredients are Shea Butter, Aloe Vera, Rosehip, Sesame and Jojoba Oils that deliver moisture and lock it while keeping the skin nourished, soothed and supple. This is an excellent day cream for the summer for me because it is so lightweight, fast-absorbing and my makeup goes on great on top of it. I think this would work for normal, combination, slightly oily skin types, less for the dry, oily and acne-prone skins. For the night or during the winter I would use more intense moisturizers but this is a great discovery nevertheless.
It comes in a dark bottle with a pump dispenser which makes it so easy and hygienic to use. A little bit goes a long way so this 125 ml would last a while. For £7.95 (£5.30 on offer at Boots right now) it is a real bargain!
I love good facial oils and I firmly believe there is a few for each skin type, you just have to know which one is best for you. Up until now, my all time favourites have been Rosehip oil and Darphin's 8-Flower-Nectar oil, but recently I discovered Marula oil and it is quickly becoming my new go to treatment. My growing collection of The Ordinary products is bordering on ridiculous but they have so many exciting formulations to try, I can't help myself! There are a good few high quality marula oil products on the market (Like the Drunk Elephant one for over £60.00), but I went for this budget version (£8.10) because I just like to save wherever I can.
Here are the facts:
What is it? Marula oil is a multitasking, soft textured luxury oil for the face, body and hair that is extracted from the Marula tree indigenous in South and West Africa. It is is a powerhouse of antioxidants (60% more than Argan oil!), rich in vitamins and Omega 6,9. This oil is perfect for holding onto moisture, protecting the skin from photo-ageing, improving skin elasticity, reducing the appearance of fine lines, it won't clog pores and due to is the small molecular size it absorbs quickly. It is one of the more stable ones too so expect longer shelf life which is always good news especially if you're using it seasonally. They don't call Marula oil a 'miracle oil' for nothing.
The Ordinary Marula oil is cold pressed which means it keeps its nutritional value since they don't apply heat during the extraction process. It has a pale yellow colour, almost clear without a scent. The texture is light and soft, easy to apply. It is vegan and cruelty-free too.
Who is it for? Normal, Combination, Dry, dehydrated, dull, ageing skin types, tread carefully if you are acne-prone.
Packaging: dark glass dropper bottle, practical, easy to use, no frills which is part of the premise the company was built on, great if you want to minimize plastic in your household.
How did it work for me? I have only been using it for two weeks, but I already noticed a bit of a transformation: it made my skin incredibly soft and radiant. I'm using it as part of my evening routine only, right after cleansing and my serums. Mixing it with the HA + B5 serum after my acid treatments seemed working particularly well since it is very soothing. The other thing I noticed is how easy it is to massage it in and how quickly it absorbs. I am looking forward to using this during the winter because it seems just the perfect deep nourishing treatment for weather-worn skin.
Value for money: it is an excellent dupe for some luxury oils, it is well worth it. You get a 30ml product for £8.10, but it lasts a long time since a little bit goes a long way.
I remember around at the time of the birth of youtube, I bought the Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer because Sam Chapman from Pixiwoo said it was brilliant! Back in the day Pixi only had a few products but it was one of those exciting brands that had a lot of potential. Fast forward a good few years Pixi has now joined the ranks of beauty industry royalty and is one of the most popular skincare/makeup brands that thousands of blogs post complimentary reviews about every day. I've become a true Pixi fangirl over the years, if there was an 'I love Pixi' t-shirt, I'm not joking, I would seriously wear it.
Pixi didn't disappoint with this year's launches. First, they came out with a collaboration with Caroline Hirons creating the Double Cleanse which was one of the most coveted beauty products at the beginning of the year. Their extensive summer launch included an amazing new range of makeup and skincare which I am sure is on best selling lists everywhere already.
One of my favourites that I wanted to get as soon as I first saw it was the Rose Caviar Essence. If there was an award for the most delicious looking skincare product, this would definitely be one of the runner-ups. It looks so fresh and beautiful, good enough to eat. Okay, enough of the fangirling, here are the facts:
What it is: a beautiful blend of rose water and encapsulated flower oils suspended in a gel-like serum-essence. The encapsulation method is really smart because this way they can keep the ingredients fresh. This is a non-oily lightweight moisturising formula to soften, refine, tone, hydrate, moisturize the skin and reduce inflammation. It is not tested on animals and is paraben free.
Who it is for: all skin types, even the oily ones.
The packaging: see-through tube, delicate looking very pretty, shows off the product perfectly, it is easy to handle and store.
How it worked: this lightweight, delicious looking gel is the perfect summer hydrator and brightener if you don't like heavy creams. It melts and glides on the skin with a pleasant cooling effect and a delicate scent of rose while the tiny spheres burst on contact delivering those precious oils to the skin. You can use it morning and night (I did use it mostly in the mornings) after cleansing and toning, pressing it into the skin and if you prefer it, follow it with moisturiser. This beautifying gel is absolutely pleasurable to use and it does what it says on the tin. It makes the skin bright, bouncy and fresh looking. It works wonders on tired skin before makeup. This is a definite keeper and it has already a firm place in my morning routine.
Value for money: good price for something so luxurious! £26.00 for 30ml that lasts quite a long time because a little bit goes a long way.
I am a well-known mask junkie so hearing that there are more for me to try, call me shallow, but it makes me very happy. Soap and Glory has come out with a range of masks for different concerns like clogged pores, dull, dehydrated skin which means more fun to have on mask days! I have to say, I've never really been a Soap and Glory customer, but I was intrigued by these masks and I am glad I tried them because they are not just fun but they are actually pretty good! I picked three out of the five: one for the eyes and two for the face, these are all about hydration and brightening.
Puffy Eye Attack - Under-Eye Brightening HydroGel Patches
I've never really been a great user of eye masks but anything hydrating sounds appealing to me right now. These two eye patches promise to refresh, de-puff, hydrate, brighten, improve the appearance of dark circles with tetrapeptides, Liquorice Root extract and Cucumber fruit juice extract. This is how it performed:
Packaging: the usual fun Soap and Glory packaging, the eyepatches themselves are securely wrapped, they are easy to handle.
Who it is for: All skin types.
Required time: 20-30 minutes
How it worked: the patches are made of a gel-like material soaked with active ingredients (but it's not too moist) the application is easy, the patches are sitting nicely and securely under the eyes without moving, I could even wear my glasses over it and get on with my chores wearing them. The patches are slightly on the large side but it is really not hard to be considering how small my head is. They have an instant cooling effect and are very pleasant to wear, so much so, I forgot about them and left them on for 45 minutes. By the time you take them off they dry which means all the goodness has sunk into your skin. If you have residue left, just massage it into the skin.
These eye patches left my skin felt bouncy, the eye area refreshed and well-hydrated. It was definitely worth trying them and I will definitely re-purchase and keep them for the days I feel really tired. I can't really say whether or not they are de-puffing or improving the appearance of dark circles because I don't have puffy eyes and my dark circles are mostly inherited, so not much to do there I'm afraid, but this is an overall good buy and a definite re-purchase for me.
Value for money: great! £3.50 a pair at Boots.
Speed Plump - Miracle Moisture Mask
This is a full face sheet mask or gel mask more like that consists of two pieces (one for the upper and one for the lower part of the face) and has a similar material to the eye patches. It promises to hydrate and moisturise with Hyaluronic Acid, Pink FlowerPower skin serum containing Safflower, Rosa Rugosa Flower And Peony Flower Extracts, Panthenol and Allantoin.
Packaging: fun looking, easy to handle, the mask is well-protected.
Who it is for: dry, dehydrated skin types.
Required time: 20-30 minutes
How it worked: the mask is easy to put on, the size and shape weren't exactly right, but honestly, I've never found a sheet mask that really does fit my face. It was sitting securely on the skin and wasn't too moist so again, I could easily get on with my chores having this on. Similar to the eye mask, this had a cooling, soothing effect too which was very welcome after I used my AHA, BHA mask from The Ordinary. It left my skin fresh and hydrated, it didn't leave too much residue and the uplifting scent of Sweet Orange is a huge bonus so top marks from me all around for this one too!
Value for money: great! £3.50 each at Boots.
Bright and Beautiful - Radiance Boosting Mask
This is more like a traditional sheet mask for the whole face promising to boost and brighten dull, tired, stressed looking skin with Vitamin-C, White Flower Brightening Complex, Roobios Tea Extract, Gotu Kola Extract and Flatterspheres radiance boosters.
Packaging: fun looking, easy to handle, the mask is well-protected in the pack.
Who it is for: dull, tired, stressed skin
Required time: 15-20 minutes
How it worked: there's only one problem with this mask and it is that it's over-soaked with the product. It is not dripping off the fabric, but only just. I was applying this while taking a bath, so it was fine like that, but I don't think I could have easily moved around in this one. Other than that, this is a perfectly pleasant little mask too, it left quite a bit of residue but it was easy to massage it in. It really refreshed my skin and my makeup looked good after using it, it smelled lovely too (pink grapefruit and mint). This can definitely go on the 'hangover remedies' list. As if the size is on the smaller side, but again, is there are sheet mask that fits anyone perfectly?
Value for money: great! £3.50 each at Boots.
There are always a few brands that don't fall short on quality yet they are not talked about enough. Super Facialist by Una Brennan is definitely one of those. Una Brennan is a well-known, popular facialist from Ireland working in London. The brand Super Facialist using Brennan's facialist experience (now coming up to 17 years) came up with a nice tight range of products free of gimmicks that focuses on plump, bright, glowing healthy skin using plants, essential oils and different active ingredients suitable for different skin needs.
The range is broken down into 5 categories: Rose for hydration, Neroli for plumping and firming, Salycilic Acid for oiliness and clearing, Vitamin C for brightening and Retinol for smoothing and renewal. You can mix and match products from each category tailoring a regime depending on your present needs.
My favorites are the Vitamin C and the Rose Hydrate range, especially the cleansers.
Una Brennan Super Facialist Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil
I have never really been into cleansing oils (though I used to love the Shu Uemura ones) but this is a really good one and very pleasant to use. The fresh, zingy scent and pretty packaging (more on this later) is a bonus.
Who it is for: All skin types (yes even oily ones.
What it is: It is a lightweight oil formula that contains Olive, Grapeseed, Rosemary, Cucumer and Rosehip oils boosted with Vitamin C and E. It dissolves makeup, dirt, SPF while brightening and clearing the skin with Vitamin C.
How to use it: Gently massage it onto dry skin, add warm water that turns it into a milky lotion then take it off with a face cloth. Follow up with a cream cleanser to make sure the skin is totally clean.
Packaging: Apart from being pretty it is not really practical. It is hard to dispense the right amount of oil without getting it everywhere. A pump bottle would work so much better but this has never put me off of re-purchasing it.
Value for money: Great! For £10.99 you get 200ml that would be enough for at least two months.
How it works for me: I really like using this cleanser and highly recommend it. It gets off every kind of makeup (waterproof included) easily, all dirt, SPF. It smells lovely, doesn't irritate my skin and doesn't leave a residue (that is if I use a face cloth to remove it). This is an evening cleanse, you can use something lighter in the morning.
Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser
Cleansing creams are more my area and this is a lovely budget buy.
What it is: A cream cleanser with Shea and Cocoa Butter, Marshmallow, Allantoin boosted with Pro-Vitamin B5. It removes makeup, dirt, SPF and leaves the skin clean and hydrated.
Who it is for: All skin types needing hydration.
How to use it: You can use it as a first and/or a second cleanse in the evening or as your morning cleanse. Gently massage onto dry skin, remove with warm water and a face cloth.
Packaging: Plastic tube. I prefer pump dispensers, but this is not too bad. It looks pretty on bathroom shelves too.
Value for money: Great! £7.99 for a 150ml tube, it lasts a good while.
How it works for me: This is an excellent choice if you can't afford more expensive cream cleansers and it does the job perfectly well. It is a great cleanser, dissolves makeup, dirt, SPF, leaving the skin hydrated. It is very pleasant to use however if you are sensitive to fragrant products, this smells quite strongly of rose which I personally don't mind but it might not be for everyone.
Super Facialist by Una Brennan is an excellent quality brand on the high street for the beauty lovers on a budget, check it out if you can. It is available at Boots and Super Facialist online.
