Maybelline Baby Lips Pink Glow (Pink Blast)

This product seemed like a really good idea - a moisturising lip balm that changes colour based on the chemistry of your lips - so I decided to give it a go even though I wasn't a fan of the original Maybelline Baby Lips (not moisturising enough for my incessantly annoying dry lips.)

At first, I was really pleased with the results - the colour looked very much like Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie, which is one of my go-to lip products. The positives of this  product include a really nice, smooth lip colour (at least at first) which doesn't transfer onto cups and consequently lasts a little longer than your average lipstick. Downsides are that since it takes a couple of seconds to react with your lips, by then it's kinda too late if you've gone outside your lips with the initial application, and trying to remove stray colour takes a little more elbow grease than normal lip products. Also, although I did find it more moisturising than the original formula, I also discovered that the product still seeps into the cracks of your lips and will not budge once this has happened.

The Lowdown: Gives a nice colour and decent moisture but is a little too high maintenance for a lip balm. On the bright side, it's fairly inexpensive (I can't remember exactly, but I think I bought it from Priceline for only about $3.95AUD)

Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Gloss

Image source: Beautybay.com
 

Like many good things in life, I happened on this little beauty completely by accident. I actually got a sample of it with my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette and didn't get a chance to try it out until this month...and then was too lazy to write about it until now! The consistency of this product is absolutely perfect - it lasts for a REALLY long time without being uncomfortably sticky (I've actually had stickier lip glosses with only half the wear of this.) And another surprise is that it is actually very moisturising, which is something I'd expect more from balms than lip glosses, which tend to dry out my lips very quickly.

The colour I have is Naked and although I'm not normally one for nude lip colours (brown toned ones tend to make my already dark lips look weird and the peachier tones just make me look really sick,) this one is the perfect shade - it looks a little brown under artificial light but pretty natural under normal light.

I really don't know what more I can say about this gloss other than that once I run out, I'll most probably be buying a full size version!

The Lowdown: Great wear, non-sticky and moisturising - could I ask for any more in a lip gloss?

Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Gloss is available from beautybay.com for between AUD $19.94-20.98. If you haven't already, follow them on twitter and get a one off discount voucher you can use on their site.

Maybelline One by One Mascara

Ok, look. I am a self confessed mascara junkie. If I was only allowed to use one makeup product for the rest of my life, it would be mascara. I just think (especially for a bespectacled girl like myself,) mascara can do wonders to open up your eyes and make you look more awake - if you choose the right one for yourself, that is.

I was really excited to try this mascara out because Maybelline mascaras have a reputation for being amazing and the plastic bristles looked like exactly the sort of thing that have worked for my lashes in the past. The first few times I had a go at the mascara, however, I was really disappointed - I got barely any length from it, and absolutely zilch volume. In fact, if I took about one step away from the mirror, you could barely tell I was even wearing any mascara at all!

BUT if there's one thing I am when it comes to makeup, it's persistent. So I kept at it, and have now developed a separate technique for making this mascara work. First of all, you really have to spend some time curling your lashes properly, because this mascara does not help in that department at all. Everyone has different curling techniques, but the one I find works best for this mascara is to press your curler once at the base of your lashes, and then wiggle it out a little, press down again, and continue to do this in small increments until you reach the end of your lashes, adjusting the angle of the curler at each increment to resemble a natural curl. Secondly, you must wiggle with this mascara. A lot. For most of the mascaras I've tried in the past, you can sometimes get away with just vertical swipes at your lashes. Nuh-uh, not for this one - you really have to give it a good wiggle at the base of your lashes, and continue doing this until about midway, before pulling it upwards to coat your ends. You also need to apply different angles depending on which part of your lashline you're working on - for your outer corner, hold your mascara wand at about a 45 degree angle, for the middle of your lashline, you can hold it virtually horizontally, and for the inner corner, either hold it at a 90 degree angle, or at a 45 degree angle but in the opposite direction to your outer corner (if that makes sense...)

Staying power is pretty good, I don't generally get problems with smudging. And it comes off easily in the shower (which is what I'd expect from a non waterproof mascara.)

The Lowdown: A pretty excellent lengthening mascara (although it isn't volumising at all) if you're patient enough to work with it a little. Very natural looking, great staying power and removes easily with eye makeup remover/just in the shower.

Maybelline One by One Mascara retails for between $12ish and $19.25 AUD depending on where you buy it and is available at Priceline, Woolworths, Coles, Target, Kmart, BigW and selected pharmacies.

Almay Eye Makeup Remover Pads

 

Alright, so I know I promised to upload this a few weeks back, and never got around to it - I thought that I could sneak a few blog posts in between studying for my final exams, but I severely underestimated how much work this semester was going to be (my 6th set of Uni exams and I still haven't learnt anything!)

 

I actually came across this product whilst reading Zoe Foster's 'Amazing Face' (which, on a side note, is a really fun read and is full of useful beauty tips!) and thought I'd give it a try because it sounded like the answers to all my eye makeup removal prayers - gentle, easy to use, and strong enough to take away all my makeup with a single swipe.

 

Again, you would think I know better by now than to expect miracle products and unfortunately, I was once again disappointed with the results. In terms of actually removing my eye makup, it does a decent job and one removal pad is generally enough for me to take off everything on both eyes. However - it's absolutely saturated in oils. I took a liking to oil-containing eye makeup removers a while back because unlike the oil-free formulas, they take one look at my waterproof eye mascara, scoff, and then remove it with a few easy swipes. I've never, however, come across anything like the Almay remover pads. They are so saturated in oils that a couple of dabs or swipes on your eye and you'll be left trying to blink out the residue for the next few hours. It's gotten to the point that I'll need a separte clean cotton ball to clean up the oil on my eyelids every few swipes or so, otherwise I'd be drowning in it!

 

Almay does have Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads, and I'm not sure if you'd get the same problems with that one, but I have a feeling that sacrificing the oil in the formula will equal sacrificing makeup removal power, so I think I'll just stick to the makeup remover I was happily using before buying the Almay one. I think this is just one of those products that is great in theory, but unfortunately disappointing in reality.

 

The Lowdown: I'm going to be honest - unless you want blurry vision and irritated eyes every time you remove your eyemakeup, don't. Just don't.

Schwarzkopf Extra Care Daily Oil Elixir

Image Source: Google Images

 

Rarely do I feel so strongly about a product that I get the urge to come online and post about it immediately. Unfortunately, in this case, it's not because I've just declared my undying love for a beauty product but more because I'm shocked at the disappointing results I got with it.

I actually got a small sample of this product in one of the showbags I bought at this year's Royal Show. It came as part of a 3-step hair care routine and while I ripped into the shampoo and conditioner straight away, I decided to save the Elixir for later (makes you think of magical things, doesn't it?) The instructions on the package said that I could either apply this in the shower as a post-conditioner step and then rinse it out, or apply it to towel dried hair or to fully dry hair for extra shine. I tried it on towel dried hair first, and ended up with 3-day old spaghetti for hair once it had dried. Determined to give the product a fair chance, I then tried it again today in the shower as a bit of a short leave-in treatment before rinsing it out. Again, after my hair had dried, it was clumpy and looked greasier than a bowl of mac-and-cheese (I don't know what's up with all the food references today...) Very.disappointing. God forbid how my hair would've looked had I applied it to fully dry hair.

I stopped using a leave-in treatment for my hair around the start of this year when my hair care routine changed a bit for the better and my then go-to product began to leave my hair looking a bit stringy. So the fact that Schwarzkopf's Elixir didn't work on me could just be that it's not the best thing for my hair type - if you have thick, dry hair, you might get better results.

One thing I will say is that this thing smells amazing - and if you've read enough of my blog posts, you'll know smell plays a HUGE factor in how many ticks a product earns from me. Unfortunately, though, no amount of deliciousness could co-erce me into trying this again.

The Lowdown: A thickish product (with a slightly thicker and stickier consistency than the original brand Moroccan Oil) that leaves my hair with greasy clumps, but may work for girls with thick/dry hair.

Schwarzkopf Extra Care Daily Oil Elixir retails for about $8.99 AUD for 75mL and can be found at most pharmacies, Priceline, Target, as well as hair-specialist stores.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream for Oily/Combination Skin

I actually didn't know this product existed until about a month ago, when I was out shopping with a friend. I know that the original Garnier BB cream was hugely popular in Australia but I never tried it because I couldn't get a good colour match and it had a lower SPF than my normal tinted moisturiser.

BUT, when I saw what this new addition promised - namely, good oil control for girls like me who produce enough oil to supply a factory - I got excited and bought it on a whim. I tried it about a week ago when I wasn't going out because I knew the colour match wasn't perfect and I thought, hey, if I'm going to look like the ghost of christmas past (too light!), I might as well do it while I'm just at home studying! Turns out, that was an EXCEPTIONALLY good idea!

I think this product will be a dream come true for some of you - it provides foundation-like coverage (all my pores vanished, like magic!) but removes easily with my normal cleansing routine (which is a relief, considering on the few occasions I do wear foundation, it takes more than a little elbow grease to get the bugger off,) and - as promised - it provides decent oil control, especially given that I didn't use my normal setting powder over the top.

For me, though, I'd probably save this cream for events when I could use the extra coverage, but I probably won't be using it on a daily basis just because I still prefer the sheer effect I get from my tinted moisturiser and also because the product did turn out to be a few shades too light for me.

If you are looking for a BB cream with the coverage of foundation but the benefits of a moisturiser and sunscreen all in one, I'd definitely recommend this for you. Just do be aware that it contains a fair amount of alcohol in the formula and that if, like me, you have dry spots on your face, the cream tends to emphasise them a little bit.

The Lowdown: Good for girls who want a skin-loving, inexpensive replacement for their normal foundation. Consistency is a little on the runny side though, so I'd recommend applying this using a brush rather than fingers for the best results.

I purchased this for $10.99 AUD from Priceline, but I think it was on promotion at the time. You can also purchase Garnier products from Woolworths, Target, and selected pharmacies as well.

Coming up next...

Hi Guys!

Just a quick post to let you know I haven't quite disappeared off the face of the earth, I'm just crazy busy with assignments and exams at the moment BUT I'm really excited to share some reviews of a couple of new products I've been trying out (both the good and bad.) I'll be back in a couple of days, and here's a preview of what you can expect:

• (New) Garnier BB Cream for combination/oily skin
• Maybelline One by One Mascara
• Sukin Night Moisturiser
• Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Anti Wrinkle Deep Wrinkle Eye Cream (don't know why it has such a long name)

Look out for the new posts, they'll be up as early as tomorrow!

Much Love,

Ngoc

Almay One Coat Get Up & Grow Mascara

                             

I’ve been super excited about this mascara and wanted to post up a review of it ages ago because of how happy I am with the results - BUT I held off because one of the promises the packaging made to me was that the formula would help strengthen and lengthen my lashes so I wanted to wait to see if there were noticeable results.

But first thing’s first - if you’re after the ‘I have naturally long, fluttery lashes look’, then this mascara is your new best friend. It produces fantastic lash separation with almost zero clumping - I remember when I first saw the brush, I was very much in doubt that the uniformly large brush and bristles would help me catch my teeny inner corner lashes but - lo and behold - it did just that! 

Unfortunately, this mascara smudges like there’s no tomorrow and yet is as difficult to remove as a waterproof mascara (even though I’m pretty sure the one I have is non-waterproof.) It’ll start smudging onto my lower lash line (and for the record - I use mascara on my top lashes only) within hours of putting it on and one time when I had an afternoon nap without removing it first, I woke up looking like I belonged in the panda-bear enclosure at the zoo. 

In terms of my lash health, I haven’t really seen any noticeable changes, but I had pretty healthy lashes to begin with so I’m not too fussed that I haven’t suddenly developed false lash-esque eyelashes overnight. 

The Lowdown: Lovely long, natural-looking lashes? Check. Fantastic wear time? Not so much. Maybe the waterproof formula would do a better job of not smudging on every surface within a 3 mile radius. 

Almay One Coat Mascara is available from Priceline and since I got it in my Bellabox I have no idea how much it retails for, but from memory it’s around $19.95AUD. 

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef

Silly me. I always thought that lip glosses could never be truly pigmented. Until one quiet Sunday at work, when I spotted this little beauty. 

I've always been more of a lip gloss girl, just because of the don't-have-to-pull-out-a-mirror-every-time-I-want-my-lips-to-look-nice effortlessness (or you can call it plain laziness.) But one of the downsides of said effortlessness is that generally, pigmentation isn't all that great.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered this lip gloss not only is super glossy and easy to apply, but it's also (very) pigmented with decent wear as well! Only downside is that the colour tends to emphasise any dryness/flakiness you might have on your lips, so I tend to wear it on top of a moisturising lip balm - this mutes out the colour a little, but it's a much better look than having bits of coral lip flakes coming off your mouth (sorry...)

The Lowdown: Excellent pigmentation with a couple of hours of wear but needs to be applied on extra-specially healthy, moisturised lips. 

Revlon Super Lustrous lip glosses are available from Priceline, Target, Kmart and selected pharmacies and retails for around $21.95 AUD. 

BellaBox August

• EmerginC Phytocell Cream and Kombucha cleanser (small samples) - CANIJUSTSAY I tried the cleanser this afternoon in my shower and now my skin feels like silk! Product smells a bit weird (I've noticed most 'natural/organic' products tend to,) but I can overlook that given how good it probably is for my skin :) 
• Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion 
• Luk Beautifood Lip Nourish
• LUSH Cosmetics Ro's Argan Body Conditioner - haven't tried LUSH products before but THIS THING SMELLS AMAZING!!!! Probably the most surprising thing is that the scent actually lasts, because my skin doesn't tend to hold onto scents for long. And it makes my skin feel unbelievably soft. Win!
• Aurora Spa Rose Otto & Nettle Clarifying Shampoo and Burdock & Rose Revitalising Conditioner - tried it today and again, funny smell (but fortunately not too overpowering or lingering after I rinsed everything out.) It makes my hair feel soft enough, but I'll have to give it another few days before I can say anything conclusive. 

I had a look on the BellaBox website to see what else was up for grabs this month & I really would've liked the Bourjois Smoky Pencil or the Eye of Horus Liquid Define Eyeliner, but all in all I'm pretty impressed for my 2nd box and I'm already looking forward to next month's box! 

Schwarzkopf Extra Care Super Styling Lacquer (Extreme Hold)

I have (yet another) confession to make - I'm one of those people who washes my hair everyday, despite knowing that doing so will only strip my hair of its natural oils and dry it out further. But I CANNOT STAND the feeling of 1-day-old hair - the greasiness and itch factor is exceptionally uncomfortable and since I've been blessed with curly hair, dry shampoos don't really do it for me (looking like I'm sporting dandruff is not such a hot look.)

But I've been so impressed by Schwarzkopf's hair spray lately! The first time I used it was after I straightened my hair for a party and used this to hold everything together and the second time was for my pharmacy ball. On both occasions, I went without washing my hair for at least a day and yet it still managed to look (almost) as fresh as it did when I just came out of the shower. I expected exceptional hold from this product, yes, but the oil control for my hair (and especially my fringe, which tends to fall apart after just a day) was a nice little bonus for me :)

Of course, becaues it's still a hair spray, you do need to be careful with how you spray it on - too close for too long and you'll end up with hair crunchier than Fruit Loops. I've also found the spray doesn't hold my hairstyle against wind as well as I'd hoped, and I've yet to give it a good run under humid/wet conditions. So far, though, it's definitely become a staple for my hair!

The Lowdown: Decent hold for hairstyles with long lasting results and fantastic oil control. Best hairspray I've owned in awhile!

Schwarzkopf's Hair Care range is available from Priceline, Target, Woolworths and selected pharmacies.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

This palette is like an old veteran on Youtube beauty channels - the sequel to the original favourite, UD Naked2 contains more taupe and bronze shades than the first and comes equipped with a double ended good karma brush and lip junkie lip gloss.

I've been wanting to get my hands on the Naked palettes for a long time now, but didn't know where to find it! Once I managed to locate a reputable site that shipped to Australia, I was still on the fence about spending $50 on an eyeshadow palette - I've never spent that much on any form of makeup, ever! But, being a former maths nerd, I worked out that getting 12 eyeshadows for that amount turned out to be a bit of a bargain after all ;)

I'm not even kidding when I say this has got to be the best investment I've ever made! The shadows are very 'Ngoc' colours - neutral, natural shades that I can easily team with pretty much any other eyeshadow that I own or would ever hope of owning. And when I use these shadows, I feel like they bring light and attention to my eyes without looking like I've got a tonne of makeup on.

My favourite shadow is 'Booty Call' - I use that all over my lid and then blend in a darker shade on my outer crease - it really makes my eyes look wider and gives me an overall more 'awake' look. The brush that comes with the palette is great as well - the only thing I'd mention is that the bristles of the flat end are quite stiff so I press it into my powder eyeshadows to load up on colour rather than using strokes otherwise I end up shredding my eyeshadows and getting a lot of fallout as a result.

The Lowdown: A versatile palette with a range of colours to create both natural and smokey eye looks, this is definitely something every girl needs to have in her makeup collection. Shadows are extremely pigmented and easily blended out with little fallout (even with the more shimmery shadows.) Worth every $$ I spent!

Where to buy (AUSTRALIAN GIRLIES, TAKE NOTE!) - while American lovelies can easily get it shipped to them from Sephora, Ulta, or the Urban Decay website itself for US $50, unfortunately these sites don't ship Down Under, which is how I discovered Beauty Bay. The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette will cost you $52.60 AUD, but if you follow @beautybay on Twitter, you'll get an immediate 10% off voucher to use straightaway. Shipping is also free worldwide.

Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm

Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm

I’ll let you in on a little secret. No, actually, while I’m at it, I’ll let you in on two - first of all, I’m terrible when it comes to taking care of my lips. I don’t drink enough water for starters, so they’re always dry, and then I don’t use lip balm on them frequently enough to combat the dryness.

Secondly, the tingly-lip sensation I got when I used a Carmex product for the first time kinda freaked me out. And put me off from using their lip balms again. 

BUT I got the Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm (what is it with beauty companies and lengthy names nowadays?) in my July Bellabox and since the lip gloss I used daily was running out anyway, I decided to give it a go. And boy, am I glad I did! 

Once I got pass my aversion to the tingling sensation (and, dare I say - actually begin to like it,) it became a daily staple for my lip care routine. I absolutely love the way it goes on and the appearance of naturally healthy lips that it gives. And of course, the softness lasts for the whole day. Unfortunately I haven’t been blessed with the most pigmented lips on the planet, so I tend to avoid clear glosses or balms, but this particular lip balm doesn’t seem to have the thick, waxy texture that some others do and so all I get are lovely, glossy lips without looking washed out. 

I’ve been using this everyday and especially recommend it for those of you who, like me, suffer from Sahara Desert-esque dry lips. As soon as I finish this tube, I’ll definitely be repurchasing! 

The Lowdown: Instantly healthier looking lips with a natural shine and a formulation that will leave your lips feeling soft long after the balm has been washed/eaten/god-knows-what-elsed off. 

Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm can be purchased from Priceline, Woolworths, and selected pharmacies and retails for about $6.99 AUD. 

Yay for healthy lips!

July Favourites

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm

 Napoleon Perdis Prismatic Eye Shadow Quad #2

SkinVitals Masks

 Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef

Schwarzkopf Extra Care Super Styling Lacquer (Extreme Hold)

These are the products I used the most during the past month, with the exception of the SCW Hairspray, which makes it into the list because it impressed me the most! Detailed reviews of the individual products will be coming up shortly, so hold tight! 



Covergirl NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara

Covergirl NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara

I was so excited to try this mascara (and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Taylor Swift was the poster girl for this particular range…) because I’d watched a review comparing it to Benefit’s They’re Real! Mascara, which has developed something like a cult following this year. 

I guess part of my eagerness to try this out was because the current mascara I’d been using at the time (Rimmel’s Max Bold Curve Mascara, if you’re interested,) had been given me inconsistent results (nice lashes on Mondays and Tuesdays, and clumps every other day. Just kidding.)

Unfortunately, this particular Covergirl mascara really doesn’t do it for me - again, I get very inconsistent results with it. The first thing you’ll probably notice is that the formula is very wet, which goes on like a nightmare for my lashes at the worst of times. I don’t have many lashes to begin with, and if I’m not careful with my application, I end up looking like I have six spider legs for eyelashes. On days where I have the patience and time to work with the mascara a little more, I do end up with some really nice, natural looking lashes, but those days have been few and far between.

The only reason I haven’t chucked it out and ripped into the Almay One Coat Mascara that I got in my July BellaBox yet is because since I’ve been using it with my new Shiseido Eyelash Curler, I’ve been getting better results on a more daily basis BUT in my humble opinion, a good mascara can hold its own without the help of a stellar eyelash curler. 

In short - definitely not the best mascara I’ve used, but also not the worst. Wet formula is a little hard to work with and gives some natural darkening and lengthening of lashes but not much volume. Might work better on someone with fuller lashes.

Covergirl NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara is available in both normal and waterproof forumulations from Priceline, Target and selected pharmaciesand retails for about $20 AUD depending on where you get it from. 

Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub

Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub  - Initial Thoughts

I got a deluxe sized sample of this in my BellaBox and tried it immediately this afternoon because I’ve been fairly lazy lately (I say lazy and not busy because in actual fact, even though I’ve had a tonne of stuff to get done these past few days, I’ve still been stuck in my post-semester-break holiday mode) and hadn’t done my weekly clay mask yesterday. 

The Deep Clean Scrub has a similar appearance and consistency to theNeutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Scrub, but smells gross. I know fragrance shouldn’t be such a huge deal, but this particular scrub smells of chemical nastiness. 

I obviously can’t make any comments on its long term benefits considering I’ve only tried it once, but the reason I wanted to hop on here and comment on it straight away was because not long after using the product, I started noticing the skin around the top of my forehead becoming a little itchy, and the area around my nose also getting dry and itchy. The last time this happened, it was with the Clinique cleanser for combination/oily skin and when I persisted with the product because I’d pretty much never had a bad reaction to any form of skin care product before, I ended up with itchy, flaky, red skin around my nose and mouth. 

I’m obviously going to give the scrub a proper chance before I make any conclusions, but I’m definitely not going to be using this more than twice a week. I don’t have sensitive skin by a long shot so anything that’s harsh on my skin will probably kill properly sensitive skin. In any case, keep your eyes out for my final review!

[EDIT]: I just tried the scrub a 2nd time today (so around about 2 weeks after I first used it) and still developed the same dryness as well, especially around the corners of my mouth. It wasn't as bad as last time, but I think I'll be staying away from this scrub from now on :(

Bella Box July - First Impressions for my First Box

Bellabox July - First Impressions of my first Bellabox

I was actually a naughty little curious cat and looked at my box preview way before I even got the email to say that it had been posted - in my defence, though, I thought the preview was going to be along the lines of the instagram previews for glambag.com, not an actual full list of the products I’d be receiving.

So needless to say, I’ve been hyping this box for quite awhile. What I was really impressed with, though, was the number of full-size products - the Almay One Coat Mascara, Neutrogena Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream, Carmex Lip Balm and YouMe&Everybody Face Milk. Not sure if the Innoxa nail polish andLe Tan leg bronzer were full size, but they’re a pretty decent size regardless. 

I’ll probably review each of these products extensively and individually once I get the chance because I’m definitely interested in trying everything (except the leg bronzer - I’m already pretty tan and I’m not a huge fan of tanning products anyway so I’ll probably end up giving that to someone else.)

So, is the box worth the $15 I paid? The mascara alone more than covers the $15, and considering the size and amount of products I got, I’m more than impressed with my first box. Something else I have to mention is the communication as well - I got an email once my box was posted, was able to track its progress, and still get regular (but not to the point of being annoying) updates on new/hyped products. If you’re on the fence about whether or not to subscribe, I’d say go for it!

For more info, visit www.bellabox.com.au 

'Winter Hand' Heroes

‘Winter Hand’ Heroes - Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream and Planet Eve Luxe Hand Cream

In the past few years, winter has been my least favourite season for many reasons:

1. I have to dress like a snowman. And it gets so cold that I don’t even want to take my PJs off so that I can dress like a snowman.

2. My metabolism kicks up a notch (in order to keep me warm - its science, ladies!) so I burn more energy, hence am always hungry, leading to more food consumption. We are back to looking like a snowman.

3. My hands get so dry that they start to crack and bleed. 

Now, I have a particular fondness for my hands, so I’ve been trying to take extra-special good care of them lately. So to make a habit out of good hand care, I bought the Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream and left it in my room so I remember to moisturise before I go to sleep. The Planet Eve cream you see in the photo is actually a sample I got from my pharmacy - and due to its convenient size, I leave it in my handbag so that I keep moisturising throughout the day. Genius, right?

The Lowdown

• The Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream contains protective colloidal oatmeal and claims to last through hand washes, which is something I can definitely use since I’m OCD with my hand sanitiser. It has a thin consistency, is non greasy and absorbs quite quickly.
• The Planet Eve Luxe Hand Cream (with antioxidants) SMELLS FANTASTIC, is of a slightly thicker consistency to the Aveeno cream and also absorbs very quickly. 

Since I’ve been using both products simultaneously, I don’t know to which I owe the now semi-presentability of my hands, but I do find I prefer the Planet Evecream because it instantly and very noticeably hydrates my skin (goodbye, skin flakes!) 

Where to buy:

• Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream is available from most pharmacies and retails for about $6 AUD for 100g, whereas the Planet Eve Luxe Hand cream is a little bit pricier at $29 AUD for 50mL. 

Benefit b.right! Total Moisture Facial Cream

So I got this tiny little sample together with my Benefit order in the mail last week and decided to give it a shot. 

Initial thoughts: IT.SMELLS.AMAZING. As in, the best smelling facial product I’ve ever come across! The texture is also quite nice - rather thick, but still very spreadable (not sure if ‘spreadable’ is really the right word to use. Makes me think of cream cheese.)

Unfortunately, the sample isn’t enough for me to tell whether it’s going to make a difference to my skin or not - the first day I used it, it didn’t feel moisturising enough despite being thicker than my normal face cream but having tried it again today, I found it made my skin noticeably soft and smooth. I think I’ll save my gratitude for my normal skin care routine though, because 2 uses is hardly enough for Benefit to claim sole rights to my ultra moisturised skin. 

It is, however, enough for me to notice that it didn’t dry out my skin, didn’t break me out and didn’t give me an allergic reaction. I would probably give it a proper shot if it wasn’t so overpriced - considering my normal Nivea moisturiser costs about $10 and I can get it pretty much anywhere, I don’t think I’ll be purchasing a full size of this one any time soon! 

Where to buy? Benefit b.right Total Moisture Facial Cream is available from Myers, or you can get it direct from www.benefitcosmetics.com for $38 USD.