Dr Hauschka

A few weeks ago I was sent on some training in London to get to know a bit more about Dr Hauschka. Its a brand that has been in the department I work in for a while, and people come in and buy tons of it and never buy any other brand again. To be honest, I never really got what the fuss was about so I was quite excited to learn a bit more about the products.

The brand itself has some interesting theories about ingredients and the way our skin works. Its a pretty hippy company, that love fair trade natural ingredients and that come from all over the world. They also talk about the rhythms of the environment and how we should work with them in really intense environments, so they work their best. This all sounded very good to me, and I have to say the woman lecturing about the products had the most amazing skin I've ever seen, and she was quite a mature lady! I must also mention that Jennifer Aniston was quoted in their booklet saying she'd grown up with the stuff, so that also made me want to know a bit more as well!

At the end of the training I received a little tin containing their daily skin care products which retails at £17.95. This is how I have been getting on with them.

Cleansing Cream- This cleanser is a Dr Hauschka must have, but some people are a little put off by it. Being an entirely natural brand without perfumes etc. some products can be a bit choice when it comes to smell. When I first saw the brown paste come out, my eyes and nose were telling me not to put it on my face. If you give it a chance though and let it do its job, it really is quite pleasant! The chamomile, calendula, athyllis and almond meal don't smell too great, but the mix of these soothing ingredients helps balance the natural PH of your skin. It has quite a lumpy texture but if you press it into the skin rather than scrub it, it will lift up any dirt from your face. It leaves your skin feeling touch-ably smooth and really clean. Trust me when I say not to judge it by its appearance!

Cleansing Milk- If the cream doesn't sound like your cup of tea, then the milk may be more up your street. Its a much more normal and recognisable consistancy, and its very soft and soothing. The milk also removes makeup so is great as an evening cleanser. It is made from jojoba and sweet almond oils.

Facial Toner- One thing you should know about Dr Hauschka, is that he doesn't believe in a night cream! This is super controversial in the world of beauty, as a lot of ranges have a cream for night time use only. Whilst we sleep, our skin works really really hard to balance and renew itself, and Dr Haushchka believes we should not slap on a heavy cream when it is already at work. The facial toner is the alternate, as it balances the skin and is super lightweight. The toner comes in a spritz bottle and as they're award winning product, they recommend to just spritz it on your face whenever you get a chance, as it helps the natural oils and maintains elasticity.

Moisturising Day Cream- We are now onto the moisturisers in the range, and the moisturising day cream is the simple starter moisturiser which activates moisture in the skin. Again, the smell is quite strong and slightly clinical, but once it has sunk into the skin, you can't smell it at all. This is my favourite of the three I was given, as it goes into the skin easily, and feels very moisturising. For me, the consistency could be a little thicker as I felt I had to use quite a lot, but once on, I was happy with the results.

Rose Day Cream- The rose day cream is ideal for anyone with dry, red skin, as it is a reparative and calming moisturiser. For me, this cream was way to thick, and I do suffer from fairly dry skin. The answer to this is the 'rose day cream light', which does the exact same thing, but just has a thinner consistency which I think I would prefer.

Quince Day Cream- Finally, the quince day cream is a protective cream made from beeswax. It isn't designed for a skin type in particular, its just a protective cream for the colder months perhaps.

Although it wasn't in this tin, there is also another cream called Melissa Day Cream, which is designed for combination skin. It is not in here because there is an entirely different tin for oily/combination skin which you can find here. Dr Hauschka is also in high demand due to its makeup range. Unfortunately I have not been able to try it but please let me know if you have!

Is natural face care something you want to try? Does Dr Hauschka sound like something you'd be interested in?

Ombre Lips

Ombre has been the trend of 2012/2013, from hair to nails. A new trend I have noticed emerging, is ombre lips. The first time I saw this,was on the Illamasqua website when researching their duck egg polish I reviewed a while ago. The ombre lip is just as you'd think, dark on the outside, and lighter towards the middle of the lip. It's quite an unusual look so probably wouldn't be something you'd do everyday, but for a special occasion, I would definitely recommend trying it, plus its all good fun!

For this look, I used Rimmel '04' from the Kate Moss collection for the purple colour, and for the pink, 'Stormy Pink' by Revlon which is one of my favourite lip colours ever!

To start, line your lips, and put the darker colour round the edge of your lips. It doesn't have to be to neat.

Using a lip brush, sweep the colour into the middle of your lips.

Lastly, use your lighter colour, brush the colour into the middle of the lips and blend between the two colours.

For a less dramatic look, or a more daytime option, use lighter colours.

For this look, I used Mac's 'Chilli', and the Helen E 'Caribbean', which I recieved in a Glossy Box a while back.

For more information and a video tutorial, click here for the Illamasqua colour chooser and tutorial

http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/products/lips/two-toned-lip

Colour Change Nail Varnish Part II

I seriously underestimated this colour change polish malark. If you read my previous post, then I only really explored the fact that the colour change polish reacted to hot and cold water. I found the days following this post, the polish started changing colour according to my body heat. In the picture below you can see I am holding a glass of wine which cooled down one hand, and therefore changed the colour of the polish. 

I even ran my hand through my hair after straightening it, and you could see the thin lines from where the hot strands of hair had been. Its pretty impressive stuff! It also looks like gradient effect when its half way through changing so its a great verastile polish, if like me, you like to change things up!

I also said in my previous post I had some other brands I wanted to try. These two colours are from 'Special Fx'

In terms of colour, I much prefer the 'Yling Mood Change' varnish I spoke about in my previous post. These colours are a little flat, and the orange one has a glittery shimmer to it which I am not a fan of. The colour change is not as dramatic as the previous polish either. The orange one is a more noticeable change from orange to yellow, but the metallic blue only goes slightly lighter.

These colours did provoke some creativity in me though, as I decided the colour change look like a sunrise and a sunset. For a while now I have wanted to do a sky-line nail art design, and this made me do it!

In the picture below, I dipped the end two fingers into hot water, to make it look as if the sun was setting from the left, going into night, then on the next hand rising up again into daylight. Kind of like a panoramic sun movement.

In this picture I dunked the ends into hot water to try and get a gradient effect from bottom to top.

I was not as impressed with these polishes as I was the last one, however they were slightly cheaper at £4.50 a bottle. They have more selection of colours but the colour change was not dramatic enough for me.

I do like how it provoked me to do my sky line idea though!

Colour Change Nail Varnish

I have recently started to see a new trend coming out in the nail world, which is colour change polish. I have been researching them for a while, and found that they are really only established in America at the moment. The main companies that do it in the US are 'Ruby Wing' and 'In the Mood'. I managed to find a few sites over here where I could buy some. I have bought a few colours and I was very skeptical that they would actually work. They most CERTAINLY did not dissapoint!

This nail polish is 'Ylin Mood change' varnish, which I got from www.bornprettystore.com for $7.84 which is  about £5.17.

The colour at room temperature is purple

but in hot water, it goes blue

To see it in action, please see the video below.

The cool thing about this polish (pardon the pun), is that you can get really wacky effects in and out of water. Ok, it does not last but it is something you can do to show your friends!

Some of you may be asking "but why?" and my answer is, I don't really know why. My only solution for such a amazing but pointless polish, is to take it on holiday with you. You could co-ordinate your polish with your swimwear so it matches when your in the water, and when your out. Sad? Yes. But are you all going to do it? Probably.

The only downside to this polish, is that without a top coat it cracks, so make sure you put an extra protective layer of top coat on these to make them last! I have got a couple more colours to show you from other brands but I was just way too excited about this I had to get it up online!

April Glossy Box

I haven't had as much time as I would usually like to write this post, as I haven't been able to throughly use all the products so far! This Glossy Box came out really late, and a couple of weeks later I have already had my May one through, so I felt the need to wrap this one up! This box was designed by Pearl Lowe and I think this is why the box came out so late. Its a really pretty design and perfect for the Spring theme.

Essie Nail Polish

So as you may know by now, I have A LOT of nail varnish. I own pretty much all of the Barry M collection, so I have been hesitant to start using Essie, even though everyone has been telling me how amazing it is. The reason I was so hesitant, is because I was scared I would like it and I would feel the need to buy the whole of their collection as well. This is the first time I ever used a Essie nail polish, and I have to say it is probably the neatest I have ever done my nails. The brush is really big but easy to handle, so it enables you to get right up to the cuticle. This colour is ' Rosebowl' which looked quite pink in the bottle, but was actually more red on the nail. This is just one coat of colour, and you can see it is a strong colour so doesn't need lots of reapplication. Unfortunately, I do quite like the polish and will probably bankrupt myself now. One thing I will say though is that the range of colours don't stand out to much to me. They're quite classic colours whereas I like a bit of difference in my nail polish!

A- Derma Lip Balm

I had no idea what this product was from the packaging. It was all in a different language so I had to look it up to find out it was a lip balm. And I must say it is a brilliant one. I have about 5 different lip balms in my hand bag from well known ranges such as Burt's Bees and Nivea, and THIS is the one I am reaching for. It is so soothing and feels really soft on your lips. It is in a squeezy tube so the product actually comes out and you can feel it working.  The 100% natural Rhealba Oat Milk is what gives it its soothing properties and I love it!

Nip + Fab Body Butter

I was really excited about this product when I saw it. I love a fruity smelling product and the products "24 hour moisture- boosting ingrediant Aquaxyl" sounded like it would be a nice rich butter. The butter feels nice on the skin and does lock in moisture, but the down side to the product for me is the smell. It does smell of mango, but it is so sickly sweet I can wear the butter on my legs, and no higher because it makes me feel a bit sick after a while. 

Yves Rocher Perfume

So as I have previously said, reviewing perfume is not easy! To me, this perfume smells like blueberries or a dark fruit. You don't need much of it to get a strong scent. The main ingredients are Tuberose, Vetiver and Patchouli. Its a very sweet scent which I would recommend for summer evenings.

Sleek Blush

This 'Sleek' blush I received came in the shade 'suede'. It was more of a bronzer than a blush, but it gave a really warm peach tone to my skin, whereas my usual bronzer is just a solid brown. Sleek pride themselves on their highly pigmented colours. They also do little trio colours for more variety, and also contouring kits. Sleek makeup can be found in Superdrug and their prices are very reasonable. This blush is £4.49, and they have a huge selection of products (see here) . Sleek is a brand I will look into more I think.

As always, if you are interested in subscribing to Glossybox, follow my personal link here.

http://www.glossybox.co.uk/referal?CI=MTEwMDU3

O.P.I Bond Girls Collection

I have been so excited about this collection, and it finally arrived at work today! I was over the moon when I saw the box! The 50 Year anniversary of Bond has caused merchandise overload for the Bond films, and it does not stop at nails! The collection is all liquid sand, which I think reflects the pretty but edgy side that comes with being a Bond girl. I do not know a lot about Bond, so have done a bit of research into the Bond girls to see how they influenced the collection.

Solitaire

Solitaire is a pale white, with little bits of silver glitter. This colour reflects the whimsical side of Solitare, and the white colour reflects her virginal status, which draws Bond in to seduce her. 

Pussy Galore

Pussy Galore is a pale pink with glittery shimmers. Pussy Galore was written as a lesbian in the Bond books, but she also has her girly and pretty side which this pinky shade connects with.

Tiffany Case

Tiffany Case is a deep, electric blue with pale blue glitter. Tiffany Case is described as being a ditzy, yet playful diamond smuggler, which this colour reflects. The bright blue is a playful shade.

Vesper

Vesper is the famous Bond girl who really gets Bond to fall for her. She betrays him which ultimately leads to her death which  gives this colour its morbid dark tone. Vesper is said to be named so, because she was born on a dark and stormy night. The colour when it is on, is a deep purple colour, and the sand looks really chunky and dark on top of it. This colour is one of my favorites.

Honey Ryder

Honey Ryder is that Bond girl famously known for walking out of the sea in her white bikini, looking all sunkissed and beautiful. This colour really reflects this scene, and the sand effect mirrors the white sand on the beach she walks on.

Jinx

Another famous beach scene is when Halle Berry walks out from the water, with her bright orange bikini on. This colour is another of my favourites, and it has a real glittery effect with light pinks and hints of gold. 

These swatches give a much better idea of what the colours look like out of the bottle. These are really lovely summer shades, and the liquid sand effect is right on trend at the moment! O.P.I polishes cost around £11.50 but the bottle is huge and will last you ages.

(Also, the nail polish I am wearing in this post is 'South Beach Pink' by Mavala)

*I do not own these colours.

Illamasqua Duck Egg Polish

Illamasqua is a relatively new brand that has become huge in just three short years. A friend told me about the brand a while ago and I have been obsessed ever since. The brand is almost paranormal, and quite experimental. The thing that really captured me was this very nail polish. It has been advertised EVERYWHERE, and has won some awards as it is such a different polish. The duck egg style is from their 'Imperfection' range which experiments with some really ugly concepets and makes them beautiful. This polish is just a simple pastel purple with fine black sand and chunks of black glitter. It does not come out as your average glitter polish though. Just one coat of this and you have a really individual look which I am in love with. The polish comes in a few more colours and is priced at £14.50. They are not the cheapest polishes on the highstreet but I really recommend they are one to have in your collection!

Here is the Illamasqua website.

http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/collections/imperfection/

Ren BB Cream

The new Ren BB cream launches TOMORROW and I would strongly advise people go out there and get it! For £26.00, it's not the cheapest BB cream on the market, but Ren is a all natural brand that contains no parabens or nasty ingredients that can cause trouble, plus it is a very large size so it will last a while!

So what IS a BB cream? I get asked this question a lot at work so I will explain to you too. BB Cream stands for Beauty Balm, which aims to mattify, protect, moisturise, even skin tone, and add radiance. It basically does what a foundation does, but feels as lightweight as a moisturiser.

So what makes the Ren BB cream different to other BB creams? Well, the Ren cream is silicone free so will not block pores therefore having an anti-oxidant effect. It also firms and tones the skin whilst on your face creating an anti-aging effect. The cream contains an SPF 15 and leaves the skin feeling satin soft. With some other BB creams I have tried it has left a slight tacky feeling whereas this one feels flawless. This cream also has clever skin colour adaptive technology which sounds like rubbish, but myself and some of my friends from work all tried it, and it matched up to everyones skin tone. At the moment it is only light to medium so obviously on very dark skin it may not work as well, but I don't know whether that is somthing Ren will work on.

Pictured below are my hands, the left hand with nothing on and the right hand with the BB cream on. The cream evens out any blotchy patches of skin, whilst giving it a healthy hint of colour.

I also used the flash to show its mattifying effect.

I think the cream is a definite must have for the summer if you want all the benefits from wearing foundation, but none of the heaviness. It feels so nice on the skin and feels really moisturing. I think this would be £26.00 well spent.