SKINCEUTICALS

SkinCeuticals Retexturing Activator

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AKA: BI-FUNCTIONAL RESURFACING AND REPLENISHING SERUM

Oh, hi.

I brought this away with me on my Christmas journeying, because I have this ridic idea that if I bring something that’s nearly gone and use it up while I’m away, it’s, ummm — a good use of the product? And that my case will be lighter by .0000001 of an ounce coming home?

Well, I didn’t use this all up in the three weeks I was travelling because it was so good and amazing I brought the rest of it home. Less eager to see it go, I had enough for three more weeks and I am raging it is gone.

*sob*

When I got the sample, I duly used it and reviewed it for the paper. I found it effective enough, but I had four other serums I was working on and moved on fairly sharpish.

In this last month and half, it certainly stood out. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror about two weeks in and thought ‘Hey, my skin looks pretty fantastic.’ Glowy, clear, and a noticeable decrease in pigmentation — should I start hoarding this?

This is formulated to exfoliate without scraping away your good skin while reinforcing the skin’s barrier against the bad stuff. I was using a whole dropper of it which was unnecessary as the coverage is incredible.

It’s obvious, but using something good consistently yields results. (It’s pricey: anywhere from €61-98 online, gahhhhh)

Saving my pennies for another round: if I hadn’t been so eager to mow through it, I’d say it’d last me at least four months. #TRUTH

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I Try Before You Buy: Maybelline New York, Bourjois, Garnier, Skinceuticals, Origins

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Rather a mixed bag this week! It’s all very face-y, though, so there is something of a defining principle.

MAYBELLINE NEW YORK The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette, €14.99
*****
This is seriously amazing. The range covers everything from day to night, and is organised so that you can easily pair them {use a top hue with the one directly beneath it, and 01 MAYBELLINEthere’s your duo} or even quad them. I decided to give it a try as I was going to be out all day working in an office, and when I got home, it was as if no time had passed. this is like Back To The Future for your eyelids… or something time-travelly like that. From matte to shimmer, this has got you covered, and I was so seriously impressed by its staying power — without eyelid primer! — that I can’t recommend this enough. This is also perfect for those among us who fear attempting the black smokey eye at home. You can get as sexy a result with shades of brown!

BOURJOIS PARIS 12hr Aqua Blush, €12.49
***
The less powder on the face during a heatwave the better, but do you really need a blusher when rosiness in the cheeks is reaching critical 04 BOURJOISmass? I’m loving this addition to the Bourjois line, and yes, it’s nice to add a pop of colour, especially this lightweight wash — there’s a big difference between a heat flush and blush! Dispensing it is tricky as a full pump is enough for three faces; I’ve fine-tuned an action to a 1/4 of a pump that manages to release the tiniest dab, which still gives good coverage. Wait until your foundation is fully set, though, otherwise this tends to melt it a bit and move it around. Comes in Ingenude, CocoRicorial, Pink Twice and Berry Nice {self-explanatory, I would think.}

GARNIER PureActive Matte Control Anti-Shine03 GARNIER Anti-Blemish Moisturiser, €14.99
***
I wasn’t really sure what this was trying to be: is just a moisturiser, or is it a primer, too? That anti-shine element felt like it applied to the latter, but my first usage felt like it was falling down on the side of moisturising — that is, I used way too much. This too is a great thing for the days of heat, if you can call them to mind at all: a little bit goes a long way under a BB cream, allowing for some blurred lines but not blocked pores, and for your BB to stay in place. Still, I wasn’t overly wowed, due to its neither-here-nor-there texture.

04 SKINCEUTICALSSKINCEUTICALS AOX Lip Complex, €40
****
A restorative concentrate for damaged/ageing lips, this is a creme, which created a moment of cognitive dissonance; it is also a pump, which created a moment of ‘How much of this product am I going to waste?’ I’ve tried lip creams in the past, and the texture has always given me the shivers; here, though, it absorbs at just the correct speed, so it’s not like there’s this gross layer of goop on your mouth. I am not cray about the pump, and I don’t think this will make it into my handbag, but I’ve got it to hand at the keyboard, and I’ve been going to it for the last week. In fact, I’ve just popped some on because I was trying out a lippy that was so drying it was all I could do to actually get it off my mouth. This is replenishing much needed moisture, even as I type. This is perfect for an intensive treatment that’s a treat!

ORIGINS Original Skin Re05 ORIGINStexturizing Mask with Rose Clay, €35
*****
Clay? Yay! I love a good clay mask! This is practically an express mask, it dries so quickly — and yet, it does not dry out the skin. When removing, the addition of water turns it into a gentle exfoliation experience. I was worried about the beads that were so clearly acting as the exfoliating agent, but upon research have discovered that they are jojoba beads and are biodegradable, which I take to mean that they will disintegrate naturally and not poison our planet. This now shares room in my heart with their Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask — oh, and their Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask! I am in love with Origin masks, clearly.

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Lucky Thirteen of 2013: Nicest Surprise in the Post

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I’d never come across SkinCeuticals before, and when their Mineral Radiance UV Defense came over the transom — which is an outdated phrase that I will always love — I was very pleasantly surprised.

I tried it straightaway to make a Snap! Judgement, and really liked that it didn’t look like anything was on my face:
SKINCEUTICALS on the gobWhich is sometimes the look I lIke to go for. You know, the natural one? With this, you get all the coverage, and not only the type that minimises pigmentation: this is stuffed with all those UV filters we need to be mindful of, and yet acts like a light foundation. Perfection!

See here for the full report. It’s an imminent candidate for IUIAU!

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Snap! Judgment: SkinCeuticals Mineral Radiance UV Defense

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Haven’t done one of these in an age!SKINCEUTICALS bottle

It’s a lot of name for a little bottle, but SkinCeuticals wants us all to know that this covers all the bases, much less your face {click on the photo for the full effect.} It’s got just about everything you’d want in an SPF, in that, among other things, it is like more like a makeup than an annoying sunscreen — a thick, greasy, odd-smelling sunscreen. Now, I’m getting much better about using the stuff, espesh when out on the horse, even under overcast skies, but it’s still something of a nuisance. Not as much of a nuisance as some class of adverse skin condition, of course! But still. What if you’ve got sensitive skin, the pores of which are easily clogged? I would have few if any products to recommend to you, in that case.

This looks to do all things that BB creams are meant to do, except this looks more science-y, and therefore possibly more trustworthy.

As always, when it comes to this sort of post, it does what it says in the title: I am simply reacting to this product in an instant — I haven’t had the chance to try this out in the world yet.

So the main thing with this is, it is tinted.

SKINCEUTICALS dot

Since most SPFs, if not all, are white-creamy-coloured, this is already something different.

It looked a little darker than that in real life {I will get a proper camera someday…}, and I was a tiny bit worried about that. I am not as sallow as I think I am, nor have I begun my annual tanning rituals, so I was somewhat taken aback.

There was, however, zero fragrance, and it felt light as feather.

Then, I blended.

SKINCEUTICALS blended

It is somewhat ruddier than my skin tone, but it’s got a lovely shimmer to it.

On my actual face?
SKINCEUTICALS on the gob

Well, it feels like there is nothing on it, which is exactly the point. It also looks like there is nothing on it, which makes it not like a BB after all. Howevs: the broad spectrum coverage plus the lightest of its being minus the sticky stinky quality of most SPFs equals something I will use under makeup, and also when I’m sporting about, as I do.

I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the sun, and will reach for this when it shows its face again…

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SkinCeuticals Mineral Radiance UV Defense SPF 50 is available in June, RRP €43. Ring 1850 812 740 for stockist info.

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