A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I’m looking for a guest reviewer please to trial and review a range of skincare products for blemish-prone skin.

The reviewer will receive a The Doctor Brand Blemish Relief Kit (£19.95) which includes a 3-step programme to help clear skin.

Step 1 – Purifying Cleanser – 75ml
Step 2 – Pore Clearing Gel – 30ml
Step 3 – Oil Free Soothing Lotion – 30ml

If you’re up for the challenge, please register your interest below and remember to put your email address in the bit where it asks for it so that I can contact you!

I’d like you to give the range a minimum 3 week test period before letting us know your thoughts…. so if you can commit to a new skincare routine for that period and are happy to share your thoughts with my readers then let me know in the comments below!  I’ll chose a reviewer on Tuesday 15th March.

Thanks ladies!

Back in September, I chose a reader to trial and review the new Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus – Wrinkle and UV Damage Corrector which had been picking up some rather fabulous reviews across the blogosphere.  Helen kindly agreed to provide us with two reviews…. one partway through her trial and another once she’d completed the 12 weeks.

Today, I’d like to share her thoughts on the product that she’s been using for the past 4/5 weeks.

Take it away Helen…

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Okay – so Charlotte very kindly chose me to review this product – many thanks Charlotte.

First impressions: Nice solid glass bottle with pipette type dispenser.  Product itself is a milky fluid – 100% fragrance free and allergy tested.  Love the bottle – looks and feels like it knows what it’s doing.  Slight drawback in that you can’t see how much product you’ve got left at a glance but I’m only about halfway through so should last til the end of this review.

What it promises: ‘striking improvements in as little as 4 weeks’… how does it do this… who cares…. oh, hang on… you do… let me quote… with ‘high-level peptides to boost the production of natural collagen’ and a ‘patented enzyme blend that works to mend visible UV damage’  So in just four weeks I should notice a ‘striking reduction in the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

What it’s up against: 45 year old mother of two who, although not a sun worshipper, wasn’t particularly good at applying facial sunscreen in her younger years and has only recently seen the error of her ways.   I also wear contacts so my delicate eye area is probably suffering a bit more wear and tear than it should.  I think the ‘before’ photo probably speaks for itself… (viewers of a nervous disposition may wish to look away!)

Usage: 3 to 4 drops to face and around eye area – twice a day.  Product is easy to apply via the pipette, and sinks into skin quickly.  Left my skin immediately feeling smoother and moisturised.  Have to say at this point I was pleasantly surprised as I wasn’t expecting my skin to feel so much better so quickly – but there was a distinct improvement in the texture and appearance after only a few days.

After four weeks – well….I do still have wrinkles/lines… BUT I would swear they are greatly improved in just this short time… please bear in mind the ‘after’ photo was taken after a very hectic weekend of late nights but even then I think you can see a difference.

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Thanks Helen, sounding really promising!  Can’t wait to hear your final thoughts once you’ve completed the trial and thanks for being our guinea pig!

Clinique’s Repairwear Laser Focus – Wrinkle and UV Damage Correcter is priced at £35.00 a bottle and available online or on counters nationwide.

After much deliberating (ok.. a cup of tea) I’ve chosen a suitable candidate to put Clinique’s new Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector to the test for us for the next 12 weeks…

Lipglossiping’s next guest reviewer will be reader…

Helen!

I’ll send you an email this evening to request your details and get the sample in the post to you as soon as possible.

Thanks everyone for stepping up to the challenge and I can’t wait to read what Helen has to say about her trial!

Do you remember about a month ago I asked for potential guest reviewers for this new (to the UK) range for young skin?

Well, Jemma was good enough to step up to the plate and take the challenge and here’s what she had to say about the range…

This kit comes in a sea threw reseal able bag which I think is very handy. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture with the products all stood up looking neat . It also comes with a booklet explaining each product and when you should use them – I find this very handy as there is quite a few products in this kit and it is aimed at teenagers to get them into a skin care routine. Also, on the back of the products they either say ‘am’ or ‘pm’ on them so you know when/how regularly to use them.

Wash Off
This face wash is easy to work into lather and only a small amount is required to clean the whole face. The first thing I noticed about this was the smell; it is incredibly fruity and it really uplifts you at the start of the day and wakes up you and your skin. Using this in a morning my skin was clean of the dirt and grime left from overnight, however when taking a full face of makeup off this needed a little help (I used a face wipe beforehand) at removing all the makeup. After I had washed this off of my skin, my skin felt clean, tingly and really soft to touch.

All Over Clear
The thing that I love the most about this toner is that it is a spray. After washing your face you just spritz it over your face and neck and it instantly refreshes the skin and leaves it feeling cool and fresh. The problem that I normally have with toners is that they leave my skin either looking greasy or feeling dry yet this one finds the right balance and keeps shine at bay whilst leaving my skin feeling supple. The smell of this isn’t quite the same as the Wash Off and is a little bit plastic; however it wouldn’t stop me using it.

Ready, Set, Scrub!
This is my favourite product out of them all. You apply it onto your face as a mask and leave it to set for 5-7 minutes. This product smells beautiful and it really wakes you up if you were using it in a morning. After the mask has set, it becomes a scrub. And you then use it as an exfoliator and then wash it off. I don’t know which half of this product works the best but afterwards, my skin felt a lot smoother and looked brighter.

Welcome Matte SPF15
This moisturiser comes out white which for some reason, I really liked. I don’t know why, maybe it was because I had previously been using the yellow Clinique Dramatically different, but it just seemed a lot ‘cleaner.’ The texture of this moisturiser is incredibly light and after you have let it sink into your skin, your skin instantly appears matte. This is great for oily skin but not so much for combination as it didn’t add quite enough moisture for me. I loved that my skin was matte throughout the day as I do get shiny skin, it’s just that it emphasised my dry patches. I will also add, the matte effect doesn’t wear off quickly and it lasts around 8-10 hours, which is incredible. It also has SPF15 in it which I think is great for blemish prone skin as you’re not adding a separate product onto your skin which would block it up more.

Bedtime for Breakouts
This is a moisturiser than you use at night time. I love the idea of this as I like using a separate moisturiser for night; this is because your skin repairs itself at night time so I think it’s good to have a moisturiser that helps that along. Another nice smelling product, and this one comes out clear. Although this is a moisturiser, I used it as a serum because like the Welcome Matte, it just wasn’t moisturising enough for me, especially because it was at night. It did work just as well though as I woke up with fresh looking skin.

Smart Mouth Lip Shine
This Clean Start kit is for blemishes and this is the one product that I didn’t understand. I don’t know why a lip balm was in this kit because in all honesty, it doesn’t help with spots does it? But I must say, I’m glad it was! As well as the Ready, Set, Scrub this is another of my favourites. The lip balm smells beautiful, tastes gorgeous and moisturisers the lips very well. I can’t explain the applicator so I’ve added a picture, but as you can see it dispenses out of holes which ensures the correct amount of product is distributed so there is no waste. This is also very shiny and can be used as a clear gloss or a lip balm to moisturise your lips. I find myself using this when I’m having a natural day as it just adds a nice sheen to the lips.

L-R Brighten Up SPF 15, Hit the Spot
I received both of these products in a sachet, but I dispensed them both so they would last me longer.

Hit the Spot
This is a spot treatment cream (that once again, smells nice). But I found it a little weird. Not only did it help get rid of my spots, it also sort of moisturised them and soothed them. I found this to be a very nice touch which helped my spots in being less red and less noticeable. I have tried a lot of spot treatments in my time and I do like this one; it clears up spots in the same time as other spot treatments do (around 3 days) but I liked that it took the redness down instantly and also didn’t dry my skin up.

Brighten Up SPF 15
I love love love this! This is also a moisturiser and once again, I didn’t find it moisturising enough for my combination skin, so I use it as sort of a ‘primer.’ It is a tinted moisturiser (ish) that doesn’t add colour to your skin but evens out your skin tone and adds a nice shimmer to it. After using this, the redness in my skin has completely disappeared and my skin looks so radiant and bright and awake. I can’t recommend this product enough – and it contains SPF 15! In the picture I have included, you can see it half blended into my skin and it looks pretty orange, but once it’s fully blended, you can’t see the colour.

Overall
My skin is combination and blemish prone and the reason for this kit is to clear up spots, so does it? Yes, it does. Reviewing a skin care routine is a lot different to just reviewing one product by itself, this is because you can’t see if one product is superior to the others. But when all of these are used in conjunction with each other, my skin cleared up within around 2-3 days. I could see an improvement the morning after though; my spots had reduced in size. The only problem that I had with this kit is that it wasn’t very moisturising so I would recommend this product for people with oily skin and no dry patches; it didn’t dry my skin out though I must add, it just didn’t moisturise my already there dry patches. One of the greatest things about this skin care routine (except that it cleared my spots), was that it smells beautiful! It’s nice to finally find spot products that don’t smell of chemicals and smells beautiful. Would I recommend this? Definitely if you have oily skin that is spot prone. It is also great at encouraging teenagers to get into a skin care routine, which I find very important.

As for me, I will be repurchasing the Ready, Set, Scrub, Smart Mouth Lipshine, Hit the Spot and Brighten Up SPF 15 as I love these products.

Lipglossiping’s next guest reviewer for the Clean Start by Dermalogica kit will be Jemma from Bamboozle Beauty Blog.

Check back next month to read her thoughts on this new range aimed at teen skin.  Thanks Jemma!

I’m looking for a guest reviewer please between the ages of 16 – 22 to trial and review a new range of skincare products for young skin.

The range is called Clean Start by Dermalogica.

The reviewer will receive the Clean Start Starter Kit (RRP: £22.50), a single use sachet of Hit The Spot and a full size sample of Smart Mouth Lip Shine (RRP £8.20) to trial and report back on!

If you’re up for the challenge, please register your interest below and remember to put your email address in the bit where it asks for it so that I can contact you!

I’d ideally like you to give the range a full 4 week test period before letting us know your thoughts…. so if you can commit to a new skincare routine for that period and are happy to share your thoughts with my readers then let me know in the comments below!  I’ll chose a reviewer on Friday 16th July.

Thanks ladies!

I’m delighted to introduce my latest guest reviewer Rachel from the delightful QueenofTurquoise.  As a more suitable candidate age-wise than me, she’s been trialling the Liz Earle Young Skin Try-Me Kit, and this is what she thought of it….

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I received this kit from Charlotte at the end of May and I’m far more impressed by it than I expected to be!  I was kind of thinking it would just show me that I wasn’t missing out on anything with my cheapy products.. Wrong 😉

I’ve been using it for three weeks now and I’ve noticed considerable changes…

Before I started using this I had quite a few little spots/bumps on my forehead, noticeable pores around my nose and the little creases around my nose were quite dry and red.  Primer was a necessity as my skin suffered from random flaky patches of skin that weren’t visible until foundation was applied.  I also had some stubborn blackheads on and around my nose and chin… Although I wouldn’t describe my skin as particularly oily it has it’s moments and breakouts are relatively common!

The difference in three weeks is quite dramatic, the pores around my nose appear smaller, noticeably more radiant skin (if I do say so myself!) less blackheads, spots disappear faster, and my odd flaky bits of skin have vanished making primer optional rather than essential!

The hot cloth cleanser is amazing, and boasts ingredients of Rosemary, Chamomile, Cocoa butter and Eucalyptus essentiol oil.

At first I was a little unsure of the consistency as I’d never really used anything like it before, but it soon grew on me as I watched my skin become smoother and softer.  The muslin cloth part of this really makes all the difference, particularly to the radiance factor! The cloth provided in the kit is lovely, really good quality and a great size.  The only down point for me is that I’m not keen on the scent of the cleanser, which is a shame as using it feels lovely and luxurious, and not liking the scent is a little frustrating!  I’d love this so much more if it had the same scent as the toner… Something I’d definitely consider buying full size for myself (which is saying a lot, I’m normally a £5 cleanser girl!)

Next in my new routine was the Skin Tonic Spritzer.  It smells absolutely gorgeous, I’d really like a perfume of it!  The scent really makes this product for me.  The naturally active ingredients are listed as Organic Aloe Vera, Calendula, Cucumber and Vitamin E.  There’s really nothing that this little wonder can’t do, used after cleansing my face felt smoother and softer, used during the day to refresh and cool through this weird British summer it did it’s job perfectly, and it sets make up amazingly!  Wonderful wonderful stuff, incredibly reasonably priced, I can see myself buying this forever more!

The third step is moisturiser, and for this the kit provided me with Skin Repair Light for Combination/Oily skin.  It’s described as “light, gentle and balancing” which I can only agree with.

I tend to have huge issues with moisturiser, I’m really fussy and I want it to do everything, be rich enough to moisturise well, yet still be light enough for it to be absorbed quickly enough to use before applying make up in the morning and more!  This ticks all the boxes, despite not claiming any mattifying qualities it doesn’t leave me shiny, it’s beautifully light yet creamy and it moisturises perfectly, plus I can put primer and make up over the top after just a couple of minutes without it “rolling” off in little bits everywhere!  Again, another top product and an essential one if you struggle with combination/oily skin, or even if you just like a lighter moisturiser in the morning.

The last product in the kit is the “Spot on” which is described as a “rescue treatment for blemishes, bites and cuts”.  I really didn’t like this on my face for spots, sticky and just yuck, for me it doesn’t fit with the luxurious experience the other products provide and that was disappointing.  It smells like any other spot treatment with tea tree and made very little noticeable difference to spots for me.  As you can tell, I was totally unimpressed with this until I got totally attacked with bites that kept me awake most of the night and nothing that I put on made any difference until I tried this, instantly cooling and soothing and it did a really great job considering the nasty allergic reaction I had to the bites!

Overall, an amazing kit to try, would really recommend it to anyone looking for a new routine with gorgeous products!

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Thanks Rachel, a great indepth review!

The Liz Earle Young Skin Try-Me kit is priced at £23 and available online from Liz Earle.

I’m very excited!  We’ve only bloomin’ got Liz Earle guest blogging on Lipglossiping today innit!

It’s an exciting week for everyone at Liz Earle who are currently celebrating the 15th anniversary of their multi-award winning Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.

Liz agreed to share her tips on how to save some pennies and treat ourselves to a well-deserved uber facial whilst in the comfort of our own pig stys homes.  Read on for her fabulous how-to…

Dear Lipglossiping Friends,

It’s lovely to share with you my personal tips on how to pamper your skin in the comfort of your own home! Plus, if you are looking to curb the expense of a full salon treatment, this technique could be for you.

As summer is approaching, this at home facial is exactly what your skin needs – a fresh, new beginning! Simple, fuss- free and pampering, this facial will leave you with a complexion ready for summer.

Here are the quick and easy steps of what to do:

~ Cleanse
~ Exfoliate
~ Steam
~ Extracts (if any)
~ Tone
~ Mask and rest
~ Moisturise

Cleanse

The cornerstone of fabulous looking skin is cleansing.  Cleansing is integral to achieve a clear complexion by getting rid of daily grime and impurities to keep your skin clean and prevent blemishes.  Look for a gentle cleanser that is free from mineral oil, has a rich and creamy texture and swiftly removes all traces of face and eye make-up.

Apply a small amount of your cleanser of choice to the fingertips of one hand and dot on forehead, cheeks, chin and neck.  Massage the cleanser into your skin in small circular movements – always work down the neck, and up from jaw line to your forehead, going outwards from the centre of the face.  Work around the nostrils to help shift blackheads, especially if you’re spot-prone.

Wash off the cleanser using a pure muslin cloth wrung out in warm water to help gently dislodge dead skin cells and help reveal clean, soft and radiant skin.  Finish by splashing your face with cold water for a final refresh.

Exfoliate

Exfoliating is a vital step to buff away dead skin cells and impurities, in order to reveal fresh radiant skin.  To give yourself the equivalent of a salon treatment at home, you can use a very gentle face exfoliator.  Look for one containing spherical beads such as jojoba and avoid anything with jagged particles such as nut kernels.

Gently massage your exfoliator over your face, neck and décolleté, for one to three minutes, using the whole length of your fingers and working in little circles, out from the centre.  Avoid your eye area.

Rinse off with warm water.  To remove any last traces, sprinkle toner on cotton-wool pads and sweep them over your face.

Steam

After you have prepped your skin by cleansing and exfoliating, start the steaming process!  Avoid this step, however, if you have very high colour on your cheeks, or rosacea.  You can buy fancy gadgets for the steaming process but I get the best results by steaming my face over a basin of hot water for five minutes.   Here’s how you do it:

~ Fill a bowl with just-boiled water and allow it to cool for a minute or two.

~ Tie back your hair, or use a soft stretchy hair band.

~ You can get skin softened and prepped from plain steam, with nothing added to the water, although adding a few drops of essential oil will help blemish or spot-prone skin.  All pure essential oils are volatile oil compounds and therefore have antiseptic and antibacterial properties.  My favorites for facial steaming are lavender (good for all skin types), rosemary (for oilier skin) and tea tree (highly antibacterial and thus excellent for helping to purify spots and breakouts).  Add three to four drops to the water just before you put your face over it, and swoosh round with a toothbrush handle or similar.  Essential oils are broken down by heat, so drop in at the last moment to retain maximum potency and aroma.

~ With the towel over your head, take six deep slow breaths (through your mouth may be more comfortable). Move your head a little so every part of your face benefits from the cleansing steam.

~ Remove the towel after about five minutes and use it to pat the skin dry.

Extracts

The easiest time to remove any small spots or blackheads is just after steaming when skin is softer.  Apply a small dab of plant oil (i.e. grapeseed or almond) or balm to the affected area.

Wrap both index fingers in a tissue (pull it in half, so you have two thin sheets) and gently press the blemish to unclog the plugs of sebum.  Wipe clean and follow with a sweep of skin tonic.  If the spot is deep, don’t push or poke too hard; it may not be ready to be extracted.

A good tip: good light is essential and if you don’t have 20/20 vision, a magnifying mirror is very useful.

Tone

A toner is essential for closing pores and preparing your skin for your favorite moisturiser, so follow extractions with a sweep of skin toner sprinkled onto a cotton wool pad to cool the skin.  This will help to keep your complexion cool and calm.  Look for an alcohol free toner that will not dry or irritate your skin.

Mask & Rest

Some women don’t usually use a mask, but I believe it’s an essential part of the process to leave skin balanced, calm and clear.  Apply a generous layer of your favorite mask to both face and neck, but avoid the immediate eye area.  Clay-based masks are useful for spot-prone congested skin.  If you have dry skin I recommend using a creamy, oil-based mask as these are more nourishing.

It’s fine to mix and match masks and use a clay-based mask on your T-zone and then a richer, hydrating formula on drier cheeks.  Apply with your fingertips or – a little insider secret – use a blusher brush to paint the mask over your face!

To help you fall into a haven of rest and wake up with eyes that sparkle, dampen two cotton wool pads with an eye lotion.  Look for one that’s gentle, soothing and will revitalize your delicate eye area.  If you have the time, chill the pads in an ice tray for 10 minutes before applying for a refreshing treat.

I encourage you to lie down for 15 to 20 minutes with your feet propped up – raising your ankles above the level of your heart helps circulation.  Once you start feeling re-freshed, remove the eye pads and thoroughly wipe away the mask with a damp muslin cloth, flannel or facial sponge.

Moisturise

Finish your pampering treat by applying a moisturiser.  Dot over your face, neck and décolleté before massaging in.

I recommend you look for a moisturiser containing natural plant oils which will work in harmony with your skin’s natural oils to give it just the right amount of moisturisation, leaving your skin radiant with a healthy-looking glow.

Follow with your selected eye cream.

I hope you’ve found my personal tips helpful and just in time for summer.  If you have any questions regarding this at-home facial treatment, please feel free to ask any questions to Charlotte and the Liz Earle team and I will be happy to answer them.

Best regards,

Liz

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So there you have it, tips from a bonafide skincare queen!  I’m going to give it a go this weekend, I’m in need of some serious pampering and have my Instant Boost Skin Tonic and Deep Cleansing Mask at the ready!

I never get round to making time to do this kind of thing despite ALWAYS promising myself that I will, so I’m pledging…. right here, right now.  Next week, my skin will GLOW from a proper DIY facial thanks to these tips.  Anyone else gonna make the pledge with me?  And no cheating… you have to do the lot… the steaming and the feet up bit included!

Also, as Liz mentioned… if you have any questions about DIY pampering, please leave a comment below!

Big thanks to the lovely Shifa from Get Gawjus for guest reviewing this for me, go check the lovely lady out!

I am probably the best guinea pig to test Lip Balms on, as even besides exam stress I have this annoying habit of constantly biting my lip – Yikes!  But for some reason they do seem to recover somehow depending on which Lip Balm I use.

Here we have a super cute Balm ‘to the rescue’ which also happens to be a vegan lip treatment.  It contains some interesting ingredients such as Jojoba, Shea Butter,  Castor Seed Oil, Cocoa, Olive Oil and Peppermint Oil.
Hence it does smell of peppermint but only on a sniff!  Nothing strong as such.

Another unusual thing I found with this is due to some contents, maybe Castor Oil, it does freeze at slightly lower temperature and becomes rock solid enough to be able to scrape product out of it.  Also on a ‘hot’ London day I dipped my finger into it and it was literally  of an oil-like consistency.

So you have to be careful with storing this and keep it away from extreme climates.  I haven’t noticed such changes in consistency with other drugstore lip products like Carmex and Vaseline though.

Coming to the moisturizing effect, to me it delivers almost nothing!  It is just as ordinary as any other lip balm in the market.  It does not mend my lips like the Body Shop Lip Butter used to in a couple of hours.  It sinks in unlike just sitting on the lips like Vaseline.  The effect disappears within a few hours but it does leave me with soft and supple lips.
The packaging is a winner all the way.  A huge compact with a full sized mirror is quite refreshing for a lip balm.  I love to carry this with me and apply it throughout the day as I don’t tend to wear any other lip products.

Overall, I don’t hate the product but haven’t developed a profound love for it either.  I would not recommend it to those with extremely dry, flaky lips as it won’t mend them as well.  But I can definitely see this work with those with normal-dry lips or if you don’t mind splurging on high end lip products.

You can get this for £10 from Zuneta and all net proceeds from this product are donated to Pug Rescue, so this is a great cause you will indulge in but I can’t guarantee if it will ‘rescue’ your lips for sure.

Following on from the roaring success of Ali’s guest review, I’d really like to do it again…

I have a rather lovely Liz Earle Young Skin Try-Me-Kit here that I’m dying to break into myself but know that at 28 years old my skin doesn’t really qualify as “young” anymore.  I hope you can hear me sobbing at the back!

I’m looking for a guest reviewer aged between 17-25 to test this kit out for me*

If you’re interested please leave your name below and remember to put your email address in the bit where it asks for it so I can contact you!

I’d ideally like you to give it a full 3/4 week test period before letting us know your thoughts on the kit…. so if you can commit to a new skincare routine for that period and are happy to share your thoughts with my readers then let me know in the comments below!  I’ll chose a reviewer on Wednesday 5th.

*UK only, sorry chaps I gotta think of the postage!

I received this at a press day in the Medium shade which was too dark for me, but a willing guest reviewer came to my rescue!  She’s tried it… and here’s what she has to say about it!

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I’d like to thank Charlotte for allowing me to be her first guest reviewer!  I hope the experience doesn’t scar her for life, and I hope some of you will find this review helpful.

This is my first experience with the Bare Escentuals bareMinerals range.  They have an excellent track record judging by other reviews, so I was excited to get my hands on this product and try it for myself.

What it claims

The literature that accompanies the product states that the natural mineral sunscreen provides the ultimate sun protection without the heavy, greasy finish.  The micronised Titanium Dioxide mineral instantly shields against UVA/AVB rays to help prevent premature skin ageing and sun damage, is weightless, breathable, non-greasy and won’t clog pores.  It contains vitamins, Aloe Vera extract and antioxidants to promote healthier-looking skin.  It increases sun protection when used under or over your bareMinerals SPF15 foundation.

Presentation

The bottom of the bottle is clear to indicate the colour of the product, and in this case I am using the medium skin tones.  There is 4g/0.14 oz of product.

The ingredients list (for those who can make sense of it!): Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbedensis Leaf Extract, Lycium Chinensis (Lycii Berry) Extract, Ranunculus Ficaria Root Extract, Silica.  Iron oxides, Ultramarines, Bismuth Oxychloride.

The orange and white bottle has a pop-off lid which exposes the brush in the top of the bottle.  The bottom of the bottle is turned to extend the brush, and clicks locked ready for use.  To start the flow of the product, invert the bottle and tap downwards onto your skin until the powder appears.  Then, in a circular motion, you buff the product lightly into your skin.  To close, you turn the bottom of the bottle, the brush retreats back into the bottle and it clicks locked.

So what do I think of it?

I must point out at this stage that my skin is in no flush of early youth.  I will be hitting the big four-oh this year and I am dreading it.  My skin has been well used and has what I like to describe as having all the signs of enjoying a full and happy life.  Having lived in South Africa for 20 years and perhaps not being as religious as I should have been with sunscreen in my teens, I have pigmentation marks that I now regret not preventing and am now kicking myself about. My skin tone is an NC25/30 depending on how much sun exposure I’ve had.

I have a combination skin type, very oily T zone and parchment dry cheek areas.  I’ve had various expeditions into the mineral foundation world, some a lot more successful than others.  My main complaint is that some mineral foundations oxidise on my T zone, leaving an appealing orangey caked effect, whilst my poor cheeks are left looking like powdered parchment, regardless of how much moisturiser I applied beforehand.

The brush extending and retracting back into the bottle is a good idea as the bristles are kept neat and are less likely to splay.  The brush is very soft and kind on the skin, not scratchy at all which is a definite requirement if it’s going anywhere near the sensitive eye area.  It’s a good size too, I thought it would be a lot smaller.  The product didn’t need a lot of encouragement to start the flow, but certainly didn’t flood all over the place either.

The powder itself is pleasantly soft and silky, very finely milled and not at all chalky.  I applied it to my cleansed, toned and moisturised face (after allowing enough time for the moisturiser to soak in completely), using a circular buffing motion.

I felt that my pigmentation marks were a lot less noticeable, and that my skin tone was evened out and looked smoother without being chalky.  I asked Dear Husband what his thoughts were, and he said my skin certainly looked a lot softer and smoother compared to without any product.  The powder didn’t settle into the industrial strength concealer I need to cover my dark under eye circles, and my cheeks didn’t look powdery either.  A good result so far.

I applied my usual mineral foundation on top  to see how it would cope and whether I would look like an explosion in a powder factory, but I only needed to apply a light dusting as the bareMinerals had already done quite a good job by itself.  I would be quite happy to use it on its own to be honest.

As your neck and upper chest area has as much exposure to sun damage as your face, this product can be used all over these areas to offer the same level of protection.

During the day, my T zone had started reminding me that it was indeed my cross to bear in life, but I wasn’t left with any orangey slippage.  Touching up during the day was an easy process because the brush and product were all in one and didn’t take up too much space in my make-up bag.

I think this is an ideal holiday product as it is essentially a foundation and SPF30 all in one.  When I go on holiday, I don’t take a liquid foundation as I want something light which lets my skin breathe,  but I do worry that my mineral foundation might not be enough to protect my skin.  Many facial sunscreens are greasy and cause breakouts around my chin, but as this is a powder product I felt for me it was the ideal solution.

At the price (£25) it would be quite a layout for me and would be considerably more than I would usually pay, but is probably worthwhile as your skin has to last you a lifetime and is worth the expense.

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Thanks so much to Ali for guest reviewing for me!  I think she did a fab job (and I’m hugely jealous of her flippin’ perfect teeth and smile!) – More opportunities for guest reviews coming up soon.