Skinetica Product Review

Last week i was kindly gifted a few products from the lovely people at Skinetica. I've heard lots of amazing comments from other beauty bloggers and was excited to try something new. Because i am currently seeing a dermatologist and have strict instructions of what i can and cant use, i tend to shy away from anything other then what I'm prescribed. So i ran this past my consultant and she gave me the go ahead! I trialled this product for just under a week and here are the results.

Skinetica is a clear, toner like lotion that claims to soothe, calm and clear blemished skin. It's kind to skin (perfect for my sensitive skin) and has known no side effects which is very uncommon for acne clearing products! Skinetica advise you to apply to clean dry skin. generously pour the product onto a cotton wool pad and sweep over the worst affected areas. Let your skin air dry for at least one minute and you can then either apply moisturiser or foundation. Skinetica can be used as a base to makeup but claims to work better when nothing is applied over the top.

First Impressions:

Pros and Cons :

• It didn't irritate my sensitive skin, i actually found that it calmed the redness alot!
• Skinetica Has a unique smell alot like some of the lotions I've been prescribed before but on first application i found that its not harsh like those products at all.
• i wasn't that keen on the packaging, its eye catching but does look quite cheap and fairly old fashioned.

 

Day One

This week was possibly the best week to try a acne clearing product as days before I'd suffered with  a  huge breakout. The night before my skin felt tight, raised, angry and very painful.

So after my first day using skinetica i wasn't expecting any results yet but my skin did feel slightly different. The redness was less noticeable and my skin didn't feel so taught. No new spots today.



Day Two

 Woke up this morning with my skin feeling calmer, slightly less red and raised. Red marks are starting to fade, spots seem dry and less prominent.

 

 Day Three

 Today i had a turn for the worse! Second phase of my big breakout has erupted. Three new spots have appeared in my jaw and neck area. Very prominent and sore. As you can see in the picture the spots in my jawline have made it look quite swollen and bumpy, which has changed the shape of it. Applied Skinetica and i'll wait till the morning to see if it helps to calm them.

 

 Day Four

 Just woken up, The spots are still there but a lot less inflamed and swollen. Jawline looks slightly flatter and more normal looking. No new spots over night which is great news!

 

Day Five

Having a good skin day today, skin feels smoother, flatter and hydrated. No new spots and the redness that's there seems to be either scaring or spots that are on their way out.

Day Six

Skin feels great today, the last of the redness is scaring and even that looks like its starting to fade. No new spots today so i think I'm over the worst, skin feels soft smooth and supple.

 

 

Final Verdict

After Six days of trialling this product and suffering from two fairly big breakouts, in my opinion this product did an excellent job. Throughout the week i found it helped at calming and soothing my skin and stopping the breakouts from getting out of hand. As you can see from the evidence above, each day the blemishes looked flatter, less angry and in general felt a loss less painful. Even some of my scaring had started to fade.

Overall i think this is a great product for any type of acne sufferer. Over the past nine years i have tried a ridiculous amount of products that have had either a small impact or very extreme results. Skinetica seems to fit right in the middle of these. Although it has helped in the process of caring for a breakout it isn't something that i feel would completely clear my skin forever.

For me this isn't my final solution, but for many other people this may be all they need. I do believe that everyone skin is so different its about finding that one product that balances it out correctly. I do however think it will be helpful to control my skin as new spots start to appear and i will be adding this to my skin saviour list for emergencies. I would definitely recommend this to anyone suffering with any kind of breakout or just to add to your skincare collection. Thank you so much Skinetica for sending me these products, i couldn't of asked for a better company to work with.

 

Skinetica Retails in at only £9.99 and you can buy on their website here.

I'd love to here any feedback of any other people that have tried and tested Skinetica and the results they have found. Email me at alysholder@yahoo.co.uk for any questions or queries relating to this post.

 

Thanks for reading,

Alys

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Smash Box CC Cream Review

Smashbox

 

Camera Ready CC Cream SPF 30

Dark Spot Correcting

 

Whilst Flicking through my recent edition of Glamour magazine i was shocked to find a sample of Smashbox's new camera ready CC cream. Glamour quite often have samples included but not usually products that I'd get excited about! So i thought I'd give it a go and let you see the results!

 

As you all know i suffer with acne and my main problem is finding something to cover previous and recent scaring. I haven't yet tried many products to fade my scaring as i wanted to concentrate on clearing up my skin before conquering the underneath.  So I'm not quite sure if this will work on my skin. Smashbox CC cream claims to fade post acne scars over time i thought this would be perfect for me. I've tried smashbox camera ready primer before and loved it so was very excited to try this.

 

On first glance the cream looked a little too dark for me, but that's fine as it comes in 5 different shades i can always try a lighter one at a later stage. As i started to apply the cream onto my cheeks i found that a little really did go a long way. The texture is light, non-greasy and definitely more of a cream consistency. In my opinion the finish is semi-matte and buildable which is great if you need a touch up throughout the day.After applying to my problem areas i found that i wasn't quite happy with the coverage. This might be great for summer skin but this time of year i like my skin to have a bit more dewiness as it tends to get dry easily. A matte finish tends to cling on to my dry areas and  for me this product wasn't a high enough coverage to wear just on its own. Below, the picture on the left is my skin with just with the cc cream.  as you can see overall its not a bad evenness but you can still see my most prominent spots. In the right picture I've applied a small amount of Dior Air flash foundation and Chanel 'pink explosion' blush on my cheeks. this now has give n me my desired finish.

As a base i thought it was good, i'd probably try it again in the summer but for me personally i couldn't wear this just on its own. However as you can see with foundation the final look is actually almost flawless. I also don't think the shade was quite light enough for me so I'd love to try the lighter shades of this product before making a final decision.

 I used this product for about a week and a half and it showed little improvement towards fading and redness of marks but as a cc cream and a base to foundation i would definitely purchase this. I'd love to know how you all get on with this!

 

Thanks for reading

 

Alys

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Liz Earle Product Review

Liz Earle

 

Recently whilst taking part in a live bloggers chat i was recommended by quite a few Beauty Bloggers to try Liz Earle skincare Range. The products i decided to choose were :

 

Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

and

Deep Cleansing Mask

 

A few days later they arrived  on my doorstep and i  have to admit i was so impressed with the customer care Liz Earle Provided. They arrived in lovely packaging and each product came in their own individual bags. They also sent me another small sample size tube of the cleanse and polish with a muslin cloth, which i sent to a friend of mine that also suffers with acne. The full size bottle comes with two white muslin's which i wasn't expecting, and the mask also has two small sponges in the pack. Lastly they also sent me a sample of a body cream to try. I was so surprised by the extras included, such a generous company!

 

 

I know its sad but i get so excited over skincare, straight away i ran a bath ready to try them. Its Recommended to use the cleanser first then the mask, so after taking my makeup off i pumped out a small amount onto my hand and smoothed all  over my face, neck and shoulders. As soon as i started to apply this i could smell the gorgeous aroma of the cleanser, so calming. and made me feel instantly relaxed! Cleanse and Polish is made with rosemary, chamomile, cocoa butter and eucalyptus oil, so combines to make a beautiful natural scent. I left this to soak into my skin for a few minutes the rinsed the muslin's under some clean hot water. I then placed the Muslin over my face and exhaled, inhaling  in the warmth that was radiating off of the cloth. I used the second muslin to wipe away the remaining product left on my skin. Already, my skin felt smoother, soft and calm.
 

Before washing my hair i decided to apply the mask, as you need to leave it on for at least 5 minutes. The mask i found is applied better to dry skin, so you might want to use a dry flannel or clean towel to softly dab over your face and neck beforehand. You don't need to use a huge amount of this as it spreads quite far and evenly. I found the consistency completely different to any other mask I've used in the  past. The texture is smooth and creamy but not thick like most clay masks. Once applied  i washed my hair and lay back for a few minutes. This Product also has a unique scent with naturally active ingredients including Manuka honey, Propolis and Rose scented Geranium. Geranium's are my favourite flowers so this was already a winner for me. It wasn't too overpowering either, which i think comes with the fact its all natural ingredients.

The mask then dries to a  lighter grey shade and doesn't flake or crumble like many I've used before. Following the instructions i soaked the two sponges in warm water and placed over both eyes, then removed the mask from the middle  of my face outwards leaving my neck until last. The sponges made this very easy to remove and again my skin instantly felt beautifully smooth and calm, which is really hard to achieve with having such sensitive skin!

Overall I'm delighted with this recommendation. The hot Polish Cleanser has now replaced my current cleanser but I'm only using this at night as it takes a little longer then my normal routine. The mask i use one to two times a week as its not too harsh on my skin. I usually use this on a Sunday as a treat.

If your looking for something luxurious and not wanting to spend a fortune this is the product for you. Definitely worth buying through the Liz Earle website as well, (I'll write the link to this below) as you receive so much more with your order. They know how to treat a customer that's for sure! I'd loved to know if any of you skincare addicts have tried anything from her range and what you thought of them!

The Cleanse and Polish Retails in at £14.75 for a 100ml bottle and comes with two muslin cloths.

The Clay Mask retails in at £14.50 for a 75ml tuble and comes with two sponges.

 

The Liz Earle team are excellent if you need help with finding the perfect products to suit your skin to don't be scared to send them an email. They reply extremley quick and are very proffesional is helping you to understand each product.

http://uk.lizearle.com/

Thanks for reading,

Alys

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What's in my Shower this Month- Hair Care

Product Review

Are you looking for new skin or hair care product to revamp your shower routine? 

Here are a few products that I'm currently using and loving.

 

Aveda

Blue Malva

Shampoo

 

'Adds silvery brightness to grey hair, and neutralises brassiness in chemically-treated hair and all shades. Blended with blue Malva that's wild-crafted-sustainably gathered by hand in its natural habitat-to balance hair and scalp, plus coneflower, known for its ability to intensify colour.'

Although I'm not as blonde as i used to be this shampoo is my saviour as a pick me up when it gets to the sixth or even seventh week after colouring my hair. Sometimes you can start to loose the colour as it fades, especially when you have highlights. I use this once a week to stop the colour from going brassy blonde. the one thing i love is the smell. quite often i get put off products when they smell sweet and sickly but this has quite a distinct aroma. Being a purple shade and having this scent, it reminds me of Palma violet sweets bringing back memories of when i was a little girl. The shampoo foams up instantly meaning you don't need to use alot in each application. I would recommend this for people with any type of blonde highlights. My mum also uses it as a pick me up on her grey/white natural hair colour. you can also buy different shades to suit your hair colour.

This Retails in at £27 for 1 litre bottle which works out so cheap!

You can buy in Aveda salons all over or on their online shop here.

 

Aveda

Blue Malva

Conditioner

 

This Conditioner paired with the above shampoo are the perfect match. The conditioner is also Purple and is very deep conditioning. I use this once a week (usually on weekends) to hydrate my hair after a week of heat styling and maintain the colour. using both these products i can usually go 9 weeks between highlights.

This retails in at £20 for a 250ml bottle and you can buy this product here.

 

Bumble and Bumble

Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner

 

I brought this as a trial as I've wanted to try Bumble and Bumble for so long. I already have quite thick hair but I'd heard such good reviews on this particular one so i had high expectations. The set don't really have much of a scent, and When i first tried them, i wasn't overall impressed. The shampoo didn't foam up, so i had to use quite alot of it and i didn't appear to have any increased results.  But the more i used them the thicker my hair got. it was almost more of a treatment. my hair feels stronger and less brittle. The more I've used them the better condition my hair has got and i'd even say that it has grown lots. i am loving using it but I'd quite like to try some of their other ranges.

The shampoo retails in at £18.50

And the conditioner is £20.00 both on the Bumble and Bumble website.

 

Aveda

Smooth Infusion

Conditioner

• 'Daily conditioning smooths and softens hair up to 60%.
• moisturises and reduces frizz
• Exclusive plant infusion-a blend derived from organic aloe, maize and guar bean-creates a smooth new surface on hair
• Significantly reduces frizz and unwanted wave, helps prevent flyaways
• Protects against surface damage from heat styling
• Babassu-derived cleansing system softens hair with a luxurious lather
• One of 7 groundbreaking products honoured with Gold-level Cradle to Cradle certification. '

Lastly I'm currently using the smooth infusion conditioner for those frizzy dry days. I completely agree with the description Aveda have given on their website. this product stop my hair from the horrible frizz i usually get, the kinks are smoothed out once blow dried and it makes my hair so soft and shiny. it also stays feeling like this untill the next time i wash it, which is so hard to find. i cant wait to try more of this collection.

This retails in at £19 on the Aveda website here.

 

Thank you for reading,

Alys

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All of my Aveda products i buy from my local salon which is based in Ludlow, Shropshire. Here's the link to the salon for more detail: http://www.angelhairstudio.com/