Skincare empties

It's been a while since I did a skincare post - it's been a while since I posted anything other than Insanity! So it's time to get back on it, and what better way to do so than with all the products I've finished in the last few weeks?

Soap & Glory Supereyes Moisturising Gel

I've not been serious about eye treatments all that long, but since I've been losing a bit of weight I've noticed my eyes are looking a little more tired now there's less fat in my face to keep the skin plump. And when I do long hours at work and don't sleep enough, it REALLY shows. I've had this eye gel a little while, but not using it religiously until a few weeks ago, and I have to admit I'm not sure how effective it is. It has a lovely cool gel texture and is pretty wet for easy application (not too thick, doesn't drag the skin). If I've exfoliated, I get a slight tingle too, which makes me feel like it must be doing something. But I haven't really noticed any visible difference - though I'm aware I maybe didn't give it a fair trial. The jury's out.

Cost: I think this was around £10, but it appears to have been discontinued so I guess it doesn't really matter!

Repurchase? I might have given it another go, but if, as I suspect, it's no longer around, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

Balance Me - Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm

I wanted to love this. I so wanted to love this.

I'm a huge fan of Balance Me's signature rose scent, their lip balm is one of my all time favourites, and I'd heard great things about this cleanser, but I just couldn't get on board with it. It's a really thick balm, and I struggled to get enough slip to really massage it into my skin. Then I had issues in removing it effectively even after going over my face 3 or 4 times with a warm wet flannel.

It smelled divine, and I'm sure it would be ok on a dryer skin (or perhaps in cold weather where it feels like it might do some good against cold air), but I just couldn't stop feeling like it had left a sticky residue. I did however use it up - mostly using it as a pre-exercise make up remover - so it wasn't a total waste.

Cost? £18 for 125ml
Repurchase? Sadly no

Bioeffect EGF Serum

I got a tester of this in my advent calendar, and having done a little research I was unsure as to whether I should use - there has been a lot of debate as to whether EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor) technology is safe to use on the skin, but having discovered that Bioeffect's EGF is plant-based (meaning it's copied from human DNA rather than cloned from it), my mind was suitably put at rest.

And then once I decided to use it, I discovered how much it cost and decided I REALLY didn't want to waste this stuff if it was going to be anywhere near as effective as the price would suggest. So, having read that's it's most effective when used on fine lines, I decided to use it in a targeted area, focusing on the fine lines around my eyes for as long as it lasted to give myself the best chance of seeing a difference. So did I? Not really... Maybe my lines aren't severe enough to see a marked difference. But at £83.33 per 10ml I wanted to see SOMETHING.

Cost? £125 for 15ml
Repurchase? I'd maybe give it another go sometime if I had any particular areas of concern, but only if I was feeling particularly flush. So probably not.

Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins night moisturiser

My last night cream - by my beloved Lancôme - was just a little too rich for me, so I did a lot of research before investing in this little beauty. And boy am I glad I did. My super oily skin still needs a big old moisture hit, but the traditional thick night creams leave my skin feeling smothered, and I wake up feeling greasy. I've used a cream-gel day moisturiser for a while, so I guess moving to a more gel textured night cream was an obvious move. And they do an oil-free version for greaseballs like me.

I LOVE this. It's a lovely cooling translucent gel which feels incredibly moisturising but also very light, and it has an amazing refreshing orange scent. In the evenings, when I layer up with toner, serum and moisturiser, this lets me enjoy the combination of different products without feeling like my skin is clogged and suffocating.

Cost? £34.50 for 50ml (currently 10% off in Debenhams)

Repurchase? Already have :)

Ax

Skincare review - Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix exfoliating facial pads

I've been flirting with glycolic acid for a while now. Saucy. I started with Alpha H's famous Liquid Gold - maybe my expectations were too high, but I just didn't love it. Used 2-3 times a week as a treatment at night, I'd wake up with my skin feeling greasy and grubby. I then moved on to First Aid Beauty's Facial Radiance Pads which I did like a whole lot more. At around £18, they're not overpriced, and I found them pretty effective. I was all ready to repurchase when I was in Boots one day and spotted Nip + Fab's Glycolic Fix exfoliating facial pads on offer. So here we are.

Used at the toner stage, they're gentle enough to use twice a day, but I just use them in the evenings - meaning that a tub of 60 lasts two months. Each pad is saturated with enough product to treat the entire face and jawline, the pads stay moist right to the end of the tub, and they are lovely and refreshing with a light, pleasant fragrance. The glycolic acid gently exfoliates, with a little assistance from the pads' bumpy texture, and hyaluronic acid replenishes moisture. Since using, I've noticed a slight improvement in skin texture - and my oily, spot-prone, easily aggravated skin hasn't broken out.

I've just purchased another tub of these, and might try upping the ante to using them twice a day to see if they show any faster improvements, but for under a tenner (as they're always on offer) I'm pretty impressed.

Nip + Fab's Glycolic Fix exfoliating facial pads cost £12.99 for 60 pads, but they're almost always on offer somewhere - currently Boots has them at a third off, and Superdrug has them at half price.

Ax

Nailcare review - Illamasqua nail varnish in Vice

Since my now fiancé proposed with the most stunning rhodolite and diamond engagement ring, I've had to do a serious overhaul of my nail polish collection - some colours simply don't go with my crimson rock. I've ditched some of my brights and have been stocking up on rich jewel tones, neutrals and autumnal shades, and I was delighted to find this little beauty from Illamasqua.

I've said before that Illamasqua do the most amazing colours, and this nail varnish in a deep cerise is no exception, but another thing they do really well is texture. Vice comes in a rubber finish, which is really hard to describe as anything other than, well, rubbery. It has a shine to it, but not so much as a gloss or gel finish, it feels more substantial and sophisticated than a normal matte finish. It kind of just feels a bit more expensive than a cheap polish - it has more to it than initially meets the eye, but is a much more subtle statement than a full blown matte. So it's hard to define, but I'm a fan!

I wore this last week (on a base coat, but no top coat as that would defeat the purpose of the rubber finish) and it lasted a good four days with only the slightest wear - I usually remove polish after two to three days as it never lasts well on my peeling brittle nails, so that's a really good result for me.

Another really nice touch is that the caps on Illamasquua nail varnish bottles match the varnish - so this one has a rubbery finish, while their gloss finishes have - you've guessed it - a shiny lid.  And they do amazing product shots on the website - shots of the nail varnish in the packaging, in the bottle, on nails, and a few drops of colour on a white background. All of which are really helpful when shopping online and you can't see the product in the flesh. I just love the attention to detail you get from Illamasqua.

And it goes REALLY well with my ring.

Illamasqua nail varnishes are £14.50 each and come in 58 colours, with a range of finishes. Blimey.

Ax

Make-up review - Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss

Cards on the table - I LOVE Illamasqua. They do colour like no other brand, from the palest of shades of foundation (they even do a pure white), to intense brights and bold darks.  They do really good online product demos, showing the same lip colours on more than one skin tone, and in "moving swatch" videos rather than just those hopeless blobs which never truly represent how the product will actually look on you. And then there's all the textures they offer... a little more on that in an upcoming post on their nail varnishes.

I've been looking for an orangey shade of lipstick for a while, so when I spotted their Intense Lipgloss in Mistress in the sale for a meagre £6.60 (instead of £16.50 RRP), I had to give it a shot. It's more coral than orange, but a great way to work out whether orange suits me or not before I go full on tangerine.

I have only one complaint about this lipgloss, and that's the applicator. I hadn't seen a brush applicator in I don't know how long until I got this. And I wouldn't mind, except it arrived damaged - sometimes the brush gets a bit messed up towards the end of a tube of lipgloss when you replace it a little carelessly. This one arrived damaged and splayed, and it's like there's a tiny knot at the end of it scratching my lips when I apply it. I'm going to need to give it a wash and trim the splayed hairs.

That said, I love the product. It's a thick, gloopy gloss with the most amazing colour payoff. It's impossible to stop your hair sticking to your lipgloss in the wind, but this isn't nearly as sticky as you'd imagine for such a thick consistency, and it lasts really well. Plus, applied more sparingly, it gives a great sheer colour which usually gets me til near lunchtime before needing a top up (depending how many cups of tea I need to get me through the morning).

This would look fab with a tan, or pale skin and crisp black eyeliner - which luckily is my signature look.

Illamasqua's Intense Lipgloss costs £16.50 and is available in 18 shades (some of which are still on sale at £6.60!) ranging from traditional pinks and reds to black, lilac and lime green, with both traditional gloss and metallic finishes.

Ax