Products I cannot live without.

OK, so the title may be a bit overly dramatic, but I thought I would short-list a few of the products I have been using consistently over the past 6 months or longer at least, and that I honestly do not think I could do without.

 Jan Marini Bioglycolic Cleanser & Bioglycolic Bioclear cream

Image source!

Image source!

I use a whole range of products from Jan Marini and I am really torn between whether to say Bioglycolic  Bioclear Cream or just the Bioglycolic cleanser. The fact is that both these products have done wonders for my skin, and whilst I hate to be without the Bioglycolic cleanser for a prolonged period, there have been occasions where it has run out before my next order has arrived and I can just about manage to go a few days without any pimples deciding to rear their ugly head... so long as I have the Bioglycolic Bioclear cream.  If I do not have the Bioglycolic Bioclear cream to help to gently exfoliate my skin, then it all starts to go a bit wrong; dullness starts to set in again and then spots start to slowly re-appear.

The clarity of my skin since I have been using this stuff, which has been for over 6 months now, is just incredible. I have just started on my second little pot and I honestly don't think I could ever be without it. Yes, it is expensive at around approximately £50 for 28g, but it has lasted me best part of 6 months and you only need to use a teeny-tiny amount. I order mine from The Cosmetic Practice and every once in a while they do some great sales, so I keep my eyes peeled for their Jan Marini offers! I often forego foundation in all its forms on a daily basis now, opting only to use it for a more special occasion, and I get no end of compliments to how good my skin looks. Only word of warning is that these products do contain acids! So please do get professional advice before using it and don't be shocked if you feel a bit 'tingly' when you first use it, this is normal - the acid is doing its job!!

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

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I used to use this religiously. My mum has used it for god knows how long (and has incredibly skin at 60 yrs old by the way) and when I hit around 16/17 she bought me some and told me to never stop taking care of my skin - she believes in wrinkle prevention rather than trying to treat something when it has already manifest itself. 

Now, I honestly do not know why I stopped using this stuff. I just decided randomly to stop, probably because I took it for granted and didn't think it was doing anything any more... well I am an idiot for doing that. My skin just started looking less plump and I was noticing all these fine lines starting to crop up (probably not noticeable to anyone but me, armed with my 10x magnifying mirror - I can assure you they were there!). 

I decided it was high time I re-investigate getting myself a decent serum when I realised I still had best part of a full bottle of the Advanced Night Repair. I didn't want to be wasteful, so promised myself I would use it all up before I bought anything new. Well, I won't be buying anything 'new' once this is finished (which it is now getting closed to being) because it's bloody marvellous. Skin all soft focused looking and plump? Check! Skin all nice and smooth and hydrated? Check! Skin spot and irritation free? Check! So there you go. I was a total idiot for not using this stuff and will not stray again, ever!

Redken Extreme Anti-Snap

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This stuff is liquid gold as far as I am concerned. My hair is quite weak and fine, couple that with constant highlights and years of abusing the straighteners and my hair has ended up one giant frizz ball mess; well that was the case until I discovered this stuff. Every time I wash my hair I apply it liberally throughout my damp hair before either air drying or blow drying. The final result is much softer, sleeker, more manageable hair. I am now half way through my 4th bottle and never foresee giving this stuff up. It has made such a difference. I tend to order mine from Feel Unique.

BeneFit Blush Wars: Hervana Vs Coralista

So I noticed whilst looking at my stats that a ton of people seem to reach my blog by searching 'Hervana vs Coralista' on Google. Now I am glad that they stumbled upon my little blog, but at the same time I think that they probably didn't get the information they were after! So I have decided to sort that shizz out for you all and do a post that basically answers the Hervana vs Coralista debacle!

First up Hervana:

Now this is probably my favourite blush of all (not that I am some kind of blush queen or anything, quite the contrary). I love the way it looks in the pan with all those different complimenting colours, some matte and some every so slightly shimmery.

Hervana is a really lovely, natural looking and quite matte blush; it imparts a nice soft colour that makes you look more healthy and radiant. The idea behind most blushes is that they promotes that 'flush of youth', that we naturally presume as an indicator of good health, and this one really does just that.

It's a really nice blush, probably more suited to fairer skin tones, although I haven't seen what it would look like on a darker skinned lady so I may be mistaken. It's understated, but not underwhelming. It's one that I am happy to apply on a daily basis without fear of looking too made up. However, if I want to really emphasize my cheeks then you can build this colour up gradually to get a more full on, check out these cheeks effect should you wish.

Coralista:

My this is one scary looking blush when you see it in the box - bright and what looks like just too much shimmer. Yes, it is bright, but it applies quite sheer so you can steadily build up the colour to your desired level, or you can just go all out with a massive brush and a heavy hand to have a nice pop of beautiful colour on your cheeks; and even then it't not that full on.

In fact if you look very closely you will see that the Coralista colour is incorporated in the Hervana: the shimmery coral colour next to the lightest pink swirl in the Hervana (pic 2 for Hervana). And when you look at the swatches side by side, the colour difference is quite subtle and the main difference is that one is quite matte, the Hervana, and Coralista is more shimmery and slightly my peachy.

As you can see, neither is actually that scary once you apply it (and both have been swatched heavily, just  f.y.i.) They are both very nice pink-toned blushes which have quite a nice natural effect overall. Without a doubt Coralista is a bit brighter in not just colour but finish, due to the shimmer, but its not an obnoxious shimmer just more of a sheen, similar to what you would get with a MAC satin finish eye shadow for example. Here's another more zoomed in picture of the swatches:

If you are torn between which one to get, then I would probably recommend the Hervana over the Coralista, but only because the colour is matte and slightly more subtle, which makes it a more useful blush  that can be worn easily everyday and leave you looking naturally flushed and healthy. However, I do really like wearing them both, so you should just get both!!! :0) 

Well, I hope that has helped all those of you who kept stumbling on my blog looking for a good comparison of both of these gorgeous blushes!

So which one will you chose?

xxx

Jana

BeneFit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow - a review.

I am just going to (try) write a brief review on this foundation, despite the fact that it has nothing particularly brief about its name! This  foundation has possibly the longest name ever - Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow.

(Image Link!)

(Image Link!)

First of all I really like the packaging, BeneFit really knows how to do fun and kitsch packaging, and this product definitely doesn't disappoint on this front, whilst also being hugely practical. The bottle is clear plastic with a little pump, which means not only can you see how much product is left as you go, it is both hygienic and easy to control how much you pump out. I found with this stuff a little does really go a long way, so the whole bottle should last you a long time! Granted the packing doesn't feel hugely luxurious, but then again I am not sure that is what BeneFit are striving for, but you cannot fault the quality nonetheless and the practicality.

Onto the product itself: I really loved the overall look and finish of this foundation. I tend to prefer a lighter more 'natural' yet radiant finish and this certainly doesn't disappoint. I would say the coverage is medium-sheer, rather than being super light. I had been religiously using a Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid foundation up until the point I stopped to test out he sample I was kindly given by the lady at the BeneFit counter, and relative to that it felt like it offered a bit more coverage, but having said that I do think you do still have relatively good skin in the first place to use this stuff. I would say that this in conjunction with a good concealer to hide a few blemishes would be fine, as it does a very good job of evening out the skin otherwise, but if you have a lot of acne this may not be the one for you.

The product is advertised as oil-free and whilst I do not doubt this, I do suffer from a very oily t-zone and I found that it didn't really hold up that well when compared to my Invisible Fluid foundation by Estee Lauder which gives me a good 5-6 hours before I feel the need to blot, sadly this definitely needing a blot after about 3 hours stuck in the office at my desk. The other negative is that although I do not suffer with acne, my skin is hugely temperamental at times and although I have a good skincare regimen going which means I rarely breakout, this foundation did cause a few dreaded pimples to appear after a few days of consistent use. I am not sure which ingredient or combination of ingredrients was the culprit but something definitely was giving me an issue!

I think this is a really great foundation, and I loved the finish and the fact is has a decent SPF of 25, but I won't be purchasing a full size version due to my breakout, despite it being a fairly minor breakout.  It's important to me that I  use something I know won't cause me any issues; I invest quite a bit of money on skincare to keep my very irritable skin clear so I don't want to undo any of that hard work (and money) by using something that doesn't quite agree with my skin, so for now I will stick firmly with my Invisible Fluid.

If oily skin isn't and issue for you and you don't suffer with breakouts, then this is a really lovely foundation that makes you look radiant and naturally polished.

Have any of you tried the BeneFit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation? 

What did you think?

xxx 

Jana