Weleda Skin Food

Hey beauties,

So I have a real icon today, Weleda Skin Food. I got this in my Holland and Barrett advent calendar last year and was really looking forward to testing it.

This is a balmy, waxy textured thick cream. It’s base is sunflower seed oil, lanolin, beeswax, sweet almond oil, glycerin so it’s incredibly moisturising. It’s excellent for very chapped, irritated skin and that’s the only positive thing I can say about it. It may be very moisturising, however it is incredibly unpleasant to use.

The thick texture is awful, it doesn’t spread on the skin well which when you have irritated skin is not a good thing at all. Skin Food is greasy even using the smallest amount, in fact I wanted to wash my skin as soon as I had used it. Next the smell, is rosemary. I love the smell usually but in this case it hideous, especially when using this as a lip treatment.

I found Skin Food so unpleasant I threw it away after only two uses, I couldn’t get over the thick, horrible greasy texture or the soapy rosemary smell, I was so thoroughly disappointed I wanted to love it! One of those cult classics which just isn’t for me.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

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Green Keratin ELMW Hyaluronic Face Serum*

Hello beauties,

Today I have a serum with Green Keratin ELMW Hyaluronic Face Serum*. ELMW stands for extra low molecular weight, meaning that the serum can penetrate the skin to hydrate and attract moisture to the skin.

ELMW is a very fluid serum which sinks in super quickly, helps to plump up your skin and making your skin hydrated without grease. It has Australian Quandong extract to provide Vitamin E, magnesium, folate and calcium as well as aloe and glycerin. The scent is also beautiful with essential oils of Rose Otto, Rose Geranium, May Chang and Lavender.

For me this is definitely on a par hydration wise as my beloved Hada Labo, yes this is more expensive at £26.95 however, you do get a massive 100ml bottle that is excellent value for money. For me this is more pleasurable to use as it has a scent (which you all know I love!) so for you unfragranced people this serum unfortunately isn’t for you. I was generously gifted this by the brand, however all my opinions as usual are my own.

I really enjoy using this, it’s gorgeous. So if you are in the market for a new hyaluronic acid serum this would be a brilliant option. Lovely results, pleasurable to use and great value for money. Thank you to the GK team for sending this little gem to me. To find out more go to http://www.greenkeratin.co.uk

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

*gifted by the brabd

Beauty Pie Fantasticolour Sculpting Lipstick

Hi beauties,

Some makeup today with Beauty Pie Fantasticolour Sculpting Lipsticks. This is a beautifully creamy formula, hydrating, smooth and easy to apply.

Top – Guilty Pink
Bottom Rebel Ruby

My preference of the two is Rebel Ruby but to be honest I was disappointed with the pigment of these lipsticks. The “swatches” on the website are very misleading, there they show a vibrant and strong pigment to the lipsticks, however this isn’t the case. They are much more sheer than they appear online. Had I known this, I wouldn’t have actually ordered them.

As it’s Beauty Pie, they didn’t cost a fortune, under £4.00 each but I don’t feel that’s the point. Just because they are inexpensive doesn’t mean they can’t be good quality. I’m a huge fan of their liquid matte lipsticks and their eyeshadow sticks so BP can do some brilliant makeup, unfortunately these don’t match up.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Flexitol Cuticle and Nail Cream

Hey beauties,

There’s not been much nail care on the blog recently but today we have Flexitol Nail and Cuticle Cream.

Flexitol have about half a dozen products for hands and feet, the only criticism I have is that it’s hard to find products without mineral oil or paraffin in them, a bugbear of mine. However the Nail and Cuticle Cream doesn’t include these ingredients but does include lanolin. It’s in a pen format which is really easy to brush on and use, you only need a tiny amount so even with frequent use this does last a long time. I would recommend only using it at night though.

Nail and Cuticle Cream is incredibly greasy and in my opinion not very pleasurable to use. It is very moisturising but nothing more than the usual balms or hand creams I currently use. L’Occitane 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream and Hand Balm delivers the same level of hydration and for me are both nicer to use.

If you have very dry or cracked cuticles this would be great don’t get me wrong, but the greasy texture is just far too much for me personally. It felt unpleasant on my hands so much so that I wanted to wash them straight away which kinda defeats the whole object. I haven’t repurchased this, as I said before it’s just not as good as products I already use.

I bought mine from Boots where a 15g tube costs £5.29.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Green Keratin Resurrection Reblossom Face Oil*

Hi beauties,

Today I have the second product from the Resurrection Reblossom line from Green Keratin, the Face Oil* that was very kindly sent to me by the team.

The Resurrection Reblossom range is based on the Resurrection Plant which is known to survive long periods of drought, and to revive itself in the presence of moisture. This along with the other oils such as wild Kalahari Melon Seed oil, cucumber oil, Marula Oil, Moringa Oil, Baobab Oil, Tamanu Oil, Melted Shea Butter, and Vitamin E makes this one of the richest oils I’ve ever tried.

I’m an oily skinned gal but you all know of my love of oils, Resurrection Reblossom Face Oil is very rich but it isn’t greasy and it didn’t break me out. It has the fresh smell of cucumber like the face serum and moisturiser so isn’t overpowering. This oil would be perfect for coming into the winter season. During the summer months I did use this on its own and my skin was really soft, smooth and hydrated. Added with the serum was a lovely emulsion that was brilliant for the warmer weather. It was also amazing added to my body lotion to help my eczema, so soothing and comforting. I know I will get use out of it over the cooler months just as I did in the warmer ones.

Fantastic value at £21.95 for a 30ml bottle too, the Resurrection Reblossom Face Oil is available from http://www.greenkeratin.co.uk and Amazon. Big thank you to the team for sending me this to try.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

*gifted by the brand

Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum

Hi beauties,

I have a real gem of a product today, Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum. The packaging doesn’t look like much, but this is an absolutely gorgeous serum and a joy to use.

I started using this a few months ago, it’s a lovely light serum with Hyaluronic acid and ceramides. It’s been great if my skin has been irritated, it’s soothing and fragrance free which can be hard to find. It plays well with all other moisturisers as well as my sunscreen. I’ve used it as a serum and moisturiser on its own and I absolutely love it.

Simply Pure is a great product and can be used by anyone. It’s a light gel cream texture that sinks into your skin very quickly. Hydration Serum is £2.99 , and often on offer of buy one get one half price.

Sali Hughes often recommends this serum I her Column in the Guardian, it can be difficult to be find in store so it’s worth buying online. Thank you Superdrug!

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Liquid Lipstick

Hey beauties,

You all know how I love a lippy and especially the liquid kind, I found the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Liquid Lipsticks on Amazon for an absolute STEAL so I decided to treat myself.

L-R Red-Volution, Happy Nude Year and Belle Amourous

I chose the three shades above, the formula is beautiful. Really easy to apply and it lasts well. They go on very smoothly so one of those you can throw on easily, as opposed to say Ciate or Smashbox which heart shaped applicators I find more tricky.

I paid £1.49 for each of these, normal retail price is £8.49 at Boots, so it’s well worth having a browse on Amazon to find a bargain or three!

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

A’Kin Nourishing Cream Cleanser and Toner

Hi beauties,

Today I have A’Kin Nourishing Cream Cleanser and Toner, I bought this in a kit with a toner mist and a moisturiser earlier on in the year.

Nourishing Cream Cleanser and Toner is part of their rose range. It’s a light cream cleanser but not runny. I really like it because it can be rinsed off in the shower in the morning or be used to take your makeup off in the evening with a flannel in the traditional way. It’s definitely rich, soothing and comforting and not greasy.

The base of the cleanser is sesame seed oil, Shea butter, avocado oil, squalane and Macadamia nut oil. The scent is a gentle rose, not overpowering or cloying it’s more fresh than that.

I’ve been impressed with the A’Kin range, lovely products and decent pricing. I mean I got this in a kit, but separately it’s £16.00 (at the time of writing on sale online for £12.00) if you are looking for a versatile cream cleanser, this is really lovely.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Dr Organic Lavender Hand Wash

Hi beauties,

A real functional product today with Dr Organic Lavender Hand Wash, but we’ve all got to wash our mitts haven’t we?!

Lavender Hand Wash is an aloe based hand wash, with the foaming agent coco glycoside derived from coconut. Add betaine and glycerin which are humectants and you have a beautifully foaming hand wash that doesn’t strip your hands, making them feel super soft as well as clean. It’s a standard formula throughout the range of hand washes, variable only by fragrance.

I really enjoyed using this, I love lavender anyway so I didn’t think it would be crap lol! I would definitely buy more flavours of hand wash from Dr Organic, in fact I want a Tea Tree one for the kitchen (Mum has antibacterial wash that has SLS in it) I’m still using up the Child’s Farm Grapefruit and Tea Tree in the downstairs loo, but it won’t be long until it’s time to replace that too.

A 250ml bottle is £5.99 from Holland and Barrett, long lasting as well so value all round. You don’t need to use much, in fact even half a pump is probably too much! You will often find Dr Organic on a buy one get one half price, a brilliant way to stock up on favourites and try something new.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

Hi beauties,

Today I have a holy grail toner, Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic. Instant Boost was the first alcohol free toner I started to use when I bought a 3 piece Liz Earle kit back in 2009.

Instant Boost Skin Tonic (as with pretty much all Liz Earle products I’ve ever tried) does exactly what it says on the tin, it gives an instant boost to your skin. It’s aloe Vera based with Vitamin E, chamomile, calendula, cucumber extract and is gently fragranced with rose geranium.

Instant Boost is beautifully hydrating, I love the spritz version (you can get a traditional bottle you can use with cotton wool) because I find it quicker and cuts down on the amount of cotton wool I use too. I tend to use at least 5 sprays for my face, neck and chest, I am rather liberal with it lol but it’s so lovely to use. It’s really nice as a refresher during the day too, especially during hot weather. The spritzer bottle is refillable which is great as I buy a lot of Liz Earle kits that contain the original bottle.

This is a product I keep coming back to, I do try other toners, however Instant Boost is definitely my favourite. At £16.00 for 200ml it’s not drug store pricing but as with all Liz Earle products I’ve tried (in my humble opinion!) its well worth it.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx