August 2013 Favourites!

With another month gone by, here’s another post about my August Favourites! (And not so favourites…)

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Starting with the positive –

Favourites

Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose

So bare with me whilst I describe a perfume for the very first time.

This scent is sweet, bordering on sticky (like honey) with fruity notes under all that sugar.
Something comparable to a chocolate strawberry that lifts you up into the clouds with Katy Perry…!

I personally love sweet and floral scents, so of course I fell in love with this perfume.
Also, Emma Watson endorses this product – she was the face of the campaign, sot that’s an extra 10xmillion points added to the tally.

This might be a little strong for anyone that prefers a light perfume throughout the day. But it’s definitely perfume for a night out with your man (or man to be).
I myself wear this on a daily basis though. I just can’t get enough of it!

Beauty Blender

So before we get into the “screaming-fan-girl” mode, I just want to point out that this is definitely expensive for what it is.
Er… $30+ for a couple of foundation sponges is ridiculous. Even if they’re amazing.

Now. On to the mini-review.

*cue screaming fan girl*

This is the BOMB-DIGIDY. Fo’ sho this is expensive, but it definitely lives up to the hype of flawless coverage.
It’s easy to use and easy to clean (just introduce some water and soup, then rub); and blends foundation like a charm.

A couple of things to note though:

• It does thin out the foundation. So when a normal thicker foundation gives you medium to full coverage with another foundation applicator, the beauty blender will only apply it on as medium coverage.
  Of course though, you could opt-in to adding on a second layer. But then that’s time consuming and annoying.
  Which leads me on to my next point.
• It takes AT LEAST 1.5 times longer to apply foundation, than any other applicator. Any that I’ve tried anyway.
  It’s extremely tedious to continuously bounce the sponge against the surface of your face. And by the time you get through the whole face, that’s just forever.

Besides that though, I’m TOTALLY LOVING THIS.

Revlon PhotoReady Bronzer: Bronzed and Chic

I’m pretty sure this has been on a past favourites list before, but I’m loving it especially this month.
Reason being, I’m using a foundation that’s lighter than the rest of my body, so I need to match it up to the rest of my skin tone.
Not sure why it’s so light though, considering we’re in winter here…

This bronzer isn’t very pigmented, so that’s actually great for anyone wanting to opt-in for more of a natural wash of colour.
There are also 4 different shades of the bronzer – a quad of a bronzer if you will.

A lighter orange undertone in the top left, a lighter bronze with dark pink undertones in the top right.
The bottom 2 are darker versions of the top, with the lightest to darkest arranged in a clock-wise direction.

With this, it suits any needs of bronzing; whether you need a lighter or darker colour.

Australis Make Up Finishing Spritz

This is definitely another repeat favourite. I hope you’re not getting bored?
But seriously, this is good stuff!

This finishing spritz helps keep foundation on for longer and reduces the amount of slipping and sliding – all my oily skin sisters know what I’m talking about!

But this month, I’ve been trying to use up all my little foundation samples, and some have been sitting in my drawers for awhile, so they’ve started to dry up.
To battle the dry consistency, I just spritz a little bit of this after I apply the base and concealer to increase moisture, and then again after my setting powder to set the final look!

Alright, I’m done ranting. Moving on… sorry.

Revlon Lip Butter in Plum

So we all know how amazing these lip butters can be. Affordable, moisturising and comes in a ridiculous amount of colours that are sheer enough for a “light day look” but pigmented though to make a difference.

What I’m really loving this month is specifically the “Plum” shade.
it’s a pretty dark mauve – more purple than pink when you look at it from the bullet or swatch it on your hand.
When it’s applied to the lips though, the pink of my lips bring back the mauve and presents a beautiful magenta shade that is great for my skin tone.

So for relatively pale ladies out there with yellow undertones, take this baby out for a test drive. I’m sure you’ll love it!

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Wash

OH GOD. Thank you. No. THE BODY SHOP. Thank YOU.
This body wash smells ridiculously amazing!

If you’ve come across The Body Shop products before, you’ll know what I mean.
This body wash has the most delicious, sweet smell of strawberries that makes you want to sing whilst in the shower!
The lather that builds up from this body wash is simply heavenly. And a little goes a long way.

It’s so good, you’ll never want it to end.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo

I’m sure you’ve all been hearing the hype about this product. If you haven’t, you’re either not on the right social networking groups, or you live under a rock.

This has been raved about ridiculously and is appearing on every girl’s wish list.
In the recent 40% off skincare sale at Priceline, my local store was left with barren and beaten shelves where once this product stood…

There was no way I could’ve gotten my hands on one of these, if I wanted to avoid a pack of raging hyenas that once were friendly women.
But I found a sample in my draw from a Bellabox a couple of months ago. And the angels sang…

Okay, I guess it wasn’t that dramatic. But I do not kid you, after using this product twice, the blackheads on my face has visibly reduced.

I haven’t been able to try it for longer since I only have a small smple of this goodness.
But I’m pretty sure that when I get around to having a full-size version, I’m going to start looking like Miranda Kerr!

Just sayin’.

Orofluido Beauty Elixir

Here’s my last favourite of the month, the Orofluido Beauty Elixir hair oil!

I’ve never tried hair oils prior to this, assuming that it’ll be a disaster for my already oily hair.
After a lot of great reviews on hair oils though, I decided to give this a try. And lo’ and behold, it is amazing!

After using this product, my hair feels extremely soft and silky, and doesn’t have an oily residue (not even on my hands)!
I’ve also noticed that it helps with my dry scalp and keeps my hair feeling cleaner and fresher for longer.

Also, another plus is a little goes a long way. A small amount drizzled onto the tip of my finger can blend and hydrate my shoulder length hair.

Ladies, hair oil is definitely worth looking into.
Take the plunge!

Misses

Maybelline Baby Lips

So… I might lose some viewers. And you might be scrolling down to type up some hate mail in the comments section below.
But I really am not enjoying my Maybelline Baby Lips this month.

This has been the one and only Baby Lips I’ve tried – the Anti-Oxidant Berry. So that might be a contributing factor.
Maybe it’s a dud.
But excuses aside, this lip balm just isn’t doing it for me!

When applied, the formula is so greasy that I look like I have an oil-slick on my lips.
Though there’s really no colour, the amount of product that transfers to my lips in one swipe is impossible. Making the concentrated product look white, and hence making me look dead.

Granted there’s a nice berry smell to the balm, but that doesn’t justify the ghostly slick that also comes with it. And on top of everything, I haven’t found it to be very moisturising at all; defeating the purpose of a balm.

If I needed to describe the texture, I would say it’s TOO buttery.
if that’s possible.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

I’ve used up a couple of these, and I still don’t think it’s done much for my hair.

Not only does it give me a white cast that can’t be brushed or blended in, it doesn’t really keep my hair fresh throughout the whole of the second day, post-wash.

I love the scents of the products. Definitely a plus. Oh that and the affordable price.
But then it doesn’t really work for me, so technically it’s not that affordable if you think about it…

There’s better dry shampoos out there.

Garnier Heat Styling Spray

Effectiveness-wise, I’m sure this product works.

I didn’t feel my hair get any drier and more brittle when I used this before heat styling, so I guess it’s done its job at protecting my hair.
But the nozzle of the bottle is horrible!

There’s only one spray setting, which is a strong linear spray rather than a mist. Which means that the product is concentrated on certain areas of your hair and you’ll need to go through the trouble of massaging it into the rest of your hair to disperse the product.

Plus, as mentioned, I didn’t notice a difference in the state of my hair. So even if it’s working, it’s just maintaining rather than improving my hair condition.
And I’m sure there are other products out there that do both.

Clinique Lash Power Mascara

We all know how much I love Clinique, so it really pains me when something I try from the brand is bad.
Well my heart is aching because this is one of those cases.

This mascara lengthens – but not very much.
This mascara volumizes – but not that intensely.
And it also clumps – which is not cool.

Overall, if you take away the clumping, it’s an alright mascara after a couple of coats.
It extends my lashes a little and makes them bold, so my eyes are framed and more striking.
The problem though is the clumping.

It’s ridiculous, the amount of care and caution I use to apply this mascara to reduce clumping.
It’s a pain in the butt.
It also takes a light year to try and separate the damage with a fresh spoolie. Which only reduces the clumping a little might I add.

If all these precautions and steps aren’t taken, I’m left with about 5 lashes per eye.
With these steps, I end up with about 8.

So that’s it for my August Favourites guys!
Thanks for sticking around and let me know whether you want me to do any in-depth reviews on the above products or anything else!

Lovelove,

Rean.

Coupon code:
Lust Have it – enter ‘REAN’ at the checkout for $5 off your first box!

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Talk About: Skin Care Routine

Hi all,

I wanted to share with you my current skin care routine to both show how I’m tackling my troubled skin and also see whether any of you have suggestions for me to improve on.
Because that’s what it’s all about isn’t it? Sharing is caring! 😄

To say the least my skin is oily. And this isn’t the subtle sheen at 3pm on a hot day – this is the real deal.
Not only is my skin ridiculously oily, I’ve also been battling with excessive acne for over 7 years. It has only been recently that I’ve found the products that work best for my skin.

Here’s a little history: I’ve always had troubles with acne and the constant wash of oil on my face. It was using the Tea Tree Oil range from The Body Shop for quite a while but noticed that even though I’d only break out occasionally, I was still sporting oil and sebum deposits under the surface of my skin, making it bumpy.

It was then that I went to a Dermologica workshop that made me feel as though all hope was not lost! I paid about $200AUD for a whole range or products but when I started using it, my acne became completely uncontrollable!

For a system that apparently maps out your face into 12 regions to provide the best solution and is apparently “engineered by dedicated dermatologists”, its caused the worst my skin has ever experienced.

I’ll not go into too much detail in case I bring your Halloween visions to life. But essentially my face was left with large amounts of scarring and acne like I’ve never experienced.

I then started my journey of recovery with the following skin care brands, all using the acne skin care systems.
First Mary Kay, then Proactiv, and now finally Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions.

This could be the reason why I’m so faithful to Clinique. Because it was the skin care system that brought me from acne to clear skin. I now only ever find blemishes if I’m going through stress, or am about to enter my menstrual cycle – and these breakouts are very minimal might I add.

So now for what I was originally going to talk about… My Skin Care Routine:

In the mornings I use:
1. Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Foam
2. Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion
3. Lancôme Genifique Yeux Youth Activating Eye Concentrate
4. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel

At night I have a very similar routine, except I just add on some Clinique Pore Minimizer to work whilst I sleep.

For any blemishes, I’m currently using Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Spot Treatment Gel.

I must say again, this Anti-Blemish routine has worked wonders for me. It has been the only product that has allowed me to step away from my house without make up. I am now confident about my naked face and use much less foundation than than I used to.

Concealer? I forget about that now.

I’m keen to try different eye creams for prevention and dark circles. I haven’t used the Lancôme Eye Concentrate for too long yet so I’m not sure whether it works well for me. And I’m also happy to try different spot treatments as i find the Clinique Spot Gel isn’t as effective as other brands I’ve tried previously.

Besides that all I need now is to work a little on the dark spots left behind from my acne history. I will be trying the Clinique Even Better Dark Spots Corrector. Hopefully that’ll show some results!

If you have any other suggestions on how I can rectify extremely oily skin or my dark acne scars, then please comment below!

But for now…

Love love, Rean.

HAUL: Sasa + Priceline Goodies!

Hi guys!

I’ve recently run out of my Clinique Anti-Blemish face wash (yes I have an acne problem!), so when placing an order for a little more stock on this amazing product, I “conveniently” added a couple of extras.

Sasa + Priceline Haul

First off, lets start with Sasa. If you haven’t heard of Sasa before, it’s an online cosmetics and skincare store that stocks a whole range of brands from well known high end lines like Clinique and Mac, to Asian brands that are less known (in some countries). They ship internationally and do free shipping after a certain threshold! So check that out if you’re keen.

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Foam

First off I purchased two of these Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Foams. Can I just say that ever since I’ve been struggling with acne from around the age of 15 (I’m currently 22), I have never found a skin care system that could help me solve all my problems other than this Clinique Anti-Blemish range.

HG. That’s what it is. This range is my HG and for anyone out there that has severe acne, I suggest you try this. I did not have much hope prior to finding Clinique. I had come to the conclusion that my skin was most likely going to have to break out every week or so and I’d have to live with it. Never did I know that I could end up with blemish free skin until I found you, Clinique. Hence I’m a major fan of the brand.

I’ve recently started trying the Liquid Facial Soap in 3 (oily) as I have a sample from a previous purchase and I was waiting for my Sasa package. I’m still within the testing phase so I’m unsure of how well it is performing in comparison, but so far it’s been alright. I’ve noticed that it’s brought forth a lot of smaller blemishes – like white heads all over my face. But hopefully this is only occurring to “cleanse” the skin of all these little fatty deposits before evolving to become baby smooth.

Lancome Genifique Yeux Youth Activating Eye Concentrate

Lancome Genifique Yeux Youth Activating Eye Concentrate

Within the past month, I’ve been more aware of the aging process (I know you might that ” But you’re only 22!”. Well it’s never too early I say.), so as a result I also picked up this Lancome Genifique Yeux Youth Activating Eye Concentrate to tackle prevention of wrinkles!

I’m not too sure why I chose this particular eye cream. Maybe because I haven’t had much past experience with Lancome and it seems to be Michelle Phan’s brand of choice (or potentially they’re the ones signing her, so she can’t NOT advertise it…). But hopefully when I start using it, I’ll find that it’s hydrating and works on dark circles – because that’s what I’m after at the moment.

That being the end of notable products from Sasa, lets start with Priceline!

I visited Priceline just a couple of days ago and saw a 20% off sale on all skincare and cosmetics! I’m not sure how long this sale is going for – apologies if it’s already over.

When I was there, I really wanted to find a loose mineral foundation powder to set my daily foundation and help tackle the midday oil sheen.

Physician’s Formula Talc-Free Mineral Wear Loose Powder

I’ve previously noticed the Physician’s Formula brand but never had much of an opportunity to try any of their products. After hearing good recommendations from other online gurus like Jen from frmheadtotoe though, I thought I’d try it out to see whether it would suit my skin.

I purchased this in Creamy Natural after testing the colour to my skin. The great thing about this product is that it comes with a small clip in powder brush. This is great for travel as you don’t need to bring full size brushes for application. But I’m currently in the middle of waiting on a set of Sigma brushes – I’ve heard of great things! So as that’s still sitting on the loading page, I can use this handy little addition in the meantime.

One thing I’m worried about with using loose foundation though is the potential for product to sit amongst the fine lines and pores on your face. I’ve had this happen before and rather than concealing anything, it enhanced those aspects.

It might require a combination of skin care and a good base before applying this loose powder, but I will definitely experiment and update you on my progress.

L’Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Shine Mattifying Primer

And last but not least, the product that I’m most excited about trying is this L’Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Shine Mattifying Primer (wow that was a mouth full). I have heard SO MUCH about this – the help it provides with oily skin and how it works as an amazing primer.

I noticed it looks different to those mentions on YouTube though. In these videos the primer seems to come in a sort of pot rather than a pump as you can see above. But this could potentially be a packaging difference due to region.

I think the pump would work a lot better. I would have a more consistent amount of product every time I use it, and it’s a lot more hygienic than the “finger-in-pot” situation some gurus have. Hopefully I’ve purchased the right one though – I did match the names up to the mentions!

So that’s all the notables from my recent Sasa and Priceline haul. I did get a few more products but those were really to fill the basket a little at Sasa, so I could take advantage of the free delivery.

Obviously I suffer from a not-so-welcome shine, so if you have any suggestions to other products whether it be a foundation or primer that you’ve tried and have succeeded with, comment below and I’ll give it a go!

But for now, lovelove. Rean.