Beauty Product Reviews

HOLY MOLY & HOLY COW, WOW!

I have adult, cystic acne, inflammation, hyperpigmentation and a whole host of other skin issues (and have for a long time) and I've tried about a bajillion different creams, lotions, elixirs, serums and treatments and I thought "cool, yeah, it's ten bucks, I'll give it a crack," and slapped that sucker on my currently pimple filled face (thanks hormones!) and didn't think much about it. Then about 3 hours later, I walked past the bathroom mirror and actually did a double take at how much better my skin looked... more even, redness visibly reduced, one enormous zit had shrunk noticeably and not a hint of dryness or dehydration to be seen. I layered on a night cream and light facial oil (it's winter in the Southern Hemisphere!) before bed and it's seriously almost like I woke up with a different face. Mind. Blown. If you have acne prone skin, I highly recommend trying this little beauty out, it's amazing, effective and shockingly affordable.

STUNNING, but...

This is a gorgeous blush quad - the compact is rose gold with a bee-yoo-ti-full embossed pattern and the product itself is top notch, soft, blendable with a perfect amount of sheen that reflects the light beautifully. I have the original rose embossed quad and I think this is nicer but both are wearable (probably only for light to medium tones though) and to be honest, the rose fragrance is a bit over the top and I could do without it. I would love to see a version with deeper, richer tones! The formula is excellent and I don't regret splurging on it but it is expensive for what it is. It is lovely though, definitely a luxury choice!

Like clouds made of angel wings

OMFG. I have so many brushes - like seriously SO MANY. Sonia G, Wayne Goss, MAC, Merphe, Zoeva, you name it, I've probably got it. These are like nothing else, without a doubt, they are the softest brushes I have ever experienced. I used the 206 Powder brush to apply my setting powder, same cheap and cheerful powder I've been using for months and it's been fine. But this morning it was like the sun came up and shone down on rainbow glitter kittens dancing on the backs of marshmallow unicorns with fairy wings. I put my blush on with the 207 and even though it's a BIG brush and my blush was more on the pigmented side, I ended up with this effortless, diffuse wash of colour that blended perfectly. The I wielded the 210 to put on my Ofra highlighter and it was like a chorus of Hallelujah on high - perfect application, seamless blending, surprisingly not super blinding despite this brush being a tad denser than my usual highlight brush. These are gobsmackingly good - one word of warning though, they had a very strong chemical small when I first received them, it was minimised by washing (with Clean Apothecary) and I didn't notice it at all when using them for the first time. Also, no shedding, no dye leakage, not the fastest to dry but an afternoon in the sun was all the needed. Highly recommended.

It's OK...

I had no idea this was a scented product and needless to say I was a bit surprised that it smells like candyfloss. It's not bad (and obviously I need to do my research prior next time!) but it's also not necessary. You can only smell it during application, but I do not recommend excessive sniffing while waving a loaded loose powder brush around at face level- it's very finely milled and will go straight up your nose (ask me how I know this ;-) so now I always hold my breath while using it, which seems a little counter productive, LOL. As for the actual performance, yeah, it's fine. It is very sheer, sets your base and concealer and doesn't look cakey. I get a bit shiny after about 4 - 5 hours so it's not any better or worse than any other regular powder I've used for extending makeup wear time. The jar is fine, the sifter is good but the lid doesn't screw down flush with the rim of the jar so you get a little buildup on the edges if you shake it or tip it upside down with the sifter open, so you need to be careful that you're holding the jar and lid level when unscrewing it or it can go all over your vanity (again, ask me how I know this) so that could be improved. It's OK as a product, the packaging is more about form than function and it smells like a funfair... so does it work, yeah. Are there other powers out there as good or better for a more affordable price point, also yeah. I'll use it up but I'm not going to buy it again.

Good moisturizer (with caveats)

So I buy this direct from Europe because it is way cheaper for me in New Zealand, (sorry Beautylish, I love you otherwise!) but this is a great, very good, lovely general moisturizer. It's old fashioned, it has a light but definite powdery kind of "grandma scent (I like it, FWIW) and it leaves most normal/combination skin well hydrated and plumped up. It isn't a miracle worker - I occasionally have very dehydrated patches on my chin and between my eyebrows (go figure) and it will disguise them well enough temporarily but doesn't actively banish them...

Your makeup will go on looking great with this as a "primer" but it won't make it last longer or reduce oil the way the a regular skin primer actually does. It's a temporary fix at best - but this is still a great product! But it doesn't act like an effective moisturizer and makeup primer they way, say, FAB Coconut Skin Smoothie does... So it's very effective at priming your skin for makeup application by smoothing dryness, texture and redness but it's not going to behave the same way as a modern makeup primer that controls oil, prevent oxidation and prolongs foundation wear.

I have very acne prone skin, with some redness and hyper pigmentation patches (turning 40 and getting wrinkles was the least of my worries, whoooo) but this is a lovely, gentle, effective face moisturizer that I expect will become a staple for me - it's not the latest and greatest technology and has some fairly bog standard ingredients but I really like it.

WOW WOW WOW WOW!

THIS IS SO GOOD. I have double cleansed for several years now and tried all sorts of oil based cleansers - pure coconut oil (don't ask what it did to the bathroom pipes!), other plant oils, Farmacy Clean Green, Clinique, Trilogy, Antipodes, Fourth Ray and lots of others and my go to has pretty much been just mineral oil but this beats them all, hands down. It's less messy than a liquid oil (even in a pump) but it melts better than any other solid cleanser I've tried. Takes off ALL my makeup, including lip stains and waterproof mascara without any extra rubbing and wipes away beautifully easily with a damp hot cloth. No residue, no film, no gummy feeling. My skin is left soft, velvety and feels more nourished than squeaky clean, even though I use less foaming cleanser for my double cleanse now. So... super effective, nice texture, easy to remove, generous size and more affordable than other comparative options - could it get any better? Yes! It smells AMAZING! This is a very personal thing for me because I generally don't like perfumed products but this smells very warm and comforting to me - it's vaguely herbal, a tiny bit spicy and a little bit floral and I don't know exactly what it is but I adore it. Like really soft banksia roses, geranium leaf and something else a bit exotic and vaguely resinous - like the garden outside my childhood bedroom window or something, I can't really explain it except to say it is just lovely and I adore it. It doesn't seem like a typical "additive" fragrance, so I don't know what it is exactly, but all I can say is 10 out of 10, would recommend. LOVE.

OK as primer...

But better (like waaaaaaaaay better) mixed with foundation - you only need a teensy amount - and it makes any bog standard liquid foundation look like velvet on your face. It doesn't necessarily make it matte, but it does exactly what it says... it blurs and smooths out and makes your base look incredible. The first time I used this, I was due to go out with friends for dinner, got home after nine hours of work and was tired, couldn't be bothered redoing a full face of makeup. I blotted off my oiliness, used 1 drop of foundation to reapply on my nose and chin and then used a flat top brush to buff a small blob of this over the top. I didn't have high hopes but WOW. It looked like freshly reapplied foundation! I dusted over some powder, whacked on a bit more blush and some black pencil eyeliner and was out the door. I need to experiment with it a bit more but so far I really like it!