Sunday Night Pamper #2 - The New and the Old

My Sunday night goodies don't change too much as I don't have to wild a skincare "collection" so this series hasn't been as regular as I first thought. I'm quite careful when it comes to buying skincare products so I end up finishing most of my products. Tonight was a bit more special with some dear favourites I only let myself occasionally use and some newbies to the club, all by my current favourite skincare brands *swoon*.

First up were the masks. I've mentioned the REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask a few times already and here is another! It's a beautiful mask to apply with a light marmalade look and smell, and your skin just looks like the light has turned on once removed. This little sample size is 15mL which will last me awhile but I will be buying a full size when it sadly runs out. I followed it up with the Green People Vitamin Mask which reminds me of its Day Cream sister but thicker and more dense. It's a nice budget buy (a loose term, I know) and will suit a lot of skin types I think. I love following a exfoliating type mask with one packed with goodness, it just feels like the ingredients will work better and dig deeper, though I can't scientifically back that up myself!

I then went on with my skincare routine, but with some specialties tonight. I let myself start with the Antipodes Apostle Brightening & Tone Correcting Serum (sadly omitted in the pictures), as I have been lately rationing it as it is on its last legs. Good news is that Myer has it Antipodes for 25% off right now (run!) and this is one of the products that matches international pricing so I'm off to repurchase soon! I love this serum and I since I have already professed my love for it here I wont bore you again. After finishing the REN Frankincense Night Cream last night (which I loved by the way), I got to finally crack out the Melvita Youthful Skin Cream tonight. While it is very early days to give any sort of review, it is much lighter in texture than I usually prefer but I love the feel of it on my skin. I really trust Melvita, I don't know why but I'm definitely going to try more of their products! 

A simpleton's night tonight, but it is always fun to experiment with some new-ish products (who's with me!) and now I'm off to watch the latest episode of A Game of Thrones, * insert big cheesy grin here*.  What have you been pampering yourself with lately? 

x mai-anne

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Empties! The Stand-outs and the Rest

 I'm not a fan of empties posts, so I thought I'd try and find a different approach and have more fun with it..

The Stand-Outs

While the Aubrey Organics White Camelia Condition is not the prettiest bottle in the world, this is my favourite natural conditioner for my thick, coarse, bleached hair 'cause it works! Hair is left soft and nourished as it should be. Lush Lovely Jubblies was a fun cream to use because well, it is a breast cream :) (I'm not a good grown-up am I?!) The Essential Care Ultra Rich for Eczema & Psoriasis rescued me last year when I was having eczema flare ups and I will repurchase if I need to.  I usually don't like balms, but this has a soft, slightly grainy texture that is easily spreadable so it was actually lovely to use.  It's definitely a must for me, as while it doesn't relieve immediate itching, it prevents it in the longer term.  The downside? It only lasts a few months so this is not an emptie, but an overdue'y. The Essence Pumpkin Hand Cream is a nice little budget buy, thick but soft and easily spreadable. Some may find it a little greasy but my hands can get quite dry so I liked it. And my love, the Green People 24 Hour Fix. My HG day cream. 'Nuff said.

The Okay

The Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum was something I really looked forward to but it didn't wow me on its own. Though it did help in my spider veins and I wrote about it here. The Paradise Organically Clean was a nice hand sanitiser and the Planet Earth Lavender Chamomile Body Lotion was actually better and I expected but it's inclusion of dimethicone puts me off buying it again.  The Acure Cleansing Creme was, well okay - nothing special, but I find it hard to knock a brand that is organic and fair trade (sigh, everything should be fair trade..).  Weleda's Pomegranate Firming Cream was very moisturising but felt rather greasy, a longer review was written here and Innisfree's Eco Curling Mascara was initially loved, but my repurchase didn't seem to have the same magic, less curling prowess and flaky eyes by the nighttime, so I don't think I will be buying again.

The Thank God it's Over

It too aaages to finish the Sukin Body Wash, it didn't induce my eczema so yay but it left my skin feel too squeaky clean. And the pump! It needed to be lifted up after each press and I had to use so much product to clean my whole body. And the Caudalie Solei Divine SPF 30 Sunscreen, was very greasy even on my parched skin. I've had so little luck with Caudalie products that I won't buy from them again, especially since they're also not a cruelty-free brand, something I'm starting to look into.

Phew! Those are all my empties! Now I finally get rid of this trash..!

What do you think of empties posts?

x mai-anne

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A Little Tour of Balance Me | 'Beautiful Skin Collection'

Is this too many photos? I went a bit wild with the snapping since I was so happy with the lighting for once! 

This was a gorgeous little Christmas set I bought in the Boxing Day sales off Lookfantastic and I wish I bought the other set as well. These are really generous samples (especially when compared to the full size products) so I feel like I've been able to give a real go of these products and have an educated opinion on what I would actually go out and buy the full size.

Super Moisturising Body Wash

The first thing I noticed about a lot of these products were the scents. They all smelled a bit too tree-ish/herbally and this one is the most obvious. Some people may really take to the scent but I can't say I'm a fan. This body wash was nice but nothing special. It lathered okay, it left my skin feeling nourished and didn't attract any eczema flare ups. It was a bit too squeaky clean though so I'll finish it up and leave it at that.

Super Moisturising Hand Cream

This is definitely the star of the pack and one of the main reasons I wanted to pick this set up. At first I was slightly put off by the herbalish smell (seriously, I am dog-awful at scents. I would barely be able to tell you what I'm eating while I'm eating it) but honestly, after the second try I never thought about it again. I LOVE this hand cream. Like totally (heh heh). I didn't think a hand cream could wow me but alas I will eat my words and I think when the sad day comes that I finish this little 30ml tube, I'll be off to spend a scary £14.50 on a hand cream. Definitely a winter saviour.

Wonder Eye Cream

I really did wonder about this eye cream (sorry, couldn't help that) as I saw it pop up here and there on bloggers/vloggers I followed so I was curious. However it is not really what I'm looking for, the texture is just a bit too light for me and I feel the need to top it up with another eye cream. Might be good for those with non-desert skin like mine though. Kudos for such a big sample size, at 7mL that is almost half of its full size.

Radiance Face Oil

I quite liked this oil, it's definitely very hydrating, has a similar smell to the others but less strong and  is what I expect from a good oil. But that is actually where it falls short, at £30 for a full size, it should be exceeding my expectations as I don't see that it does much more than my beloved $12 argan oil. But it's also the sort of product that one should test out for a long time so I'll keep the door open for it..

So there you a go, a quick squizz through these products. The brand hasn't floored me but it's kept me hopeful and interested in its other products. Oh yeah, this brand is one of those good natural brands, with lovely ingredients, cruelty free and the material is made from 100% sustainable forests. Whoopee!

Do you have any recommendations for any of their other products? :)

x mai-anne

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Ummm... | Antipodes Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream Review

The title says it all. I like it but I'm not shouting on the rooftops about it!

So as a serial dry skinned lass, I like my moisturising potions thick and uber hydrating. This eye cream isn't super thick, but it IS very hydrating. I love using it in the morning than at night because it feels light and cooling around the eyes and also sits well under makeup.  As it's been "summer" here (yes, I'm rolling my eyes at you temperamental Sydney summer) it definitely has been hydrating enough for me and I can see it doing well in winter as well.

You need the tiniest amount of this stuff as it spreads really easily and because it's stored in a jar, you just need to dip your fingers in it slightly and all you need is what you've touched. That is one of the downsides of it though - it has a 6 month lifespan and so you have way more product than you need. Unless you're like my mum. There was so much product I halved my pot with her, but after 6 weeks of usage she's almost done while I've made a small dent.  :O

The texture of this eye cream is a light with a creamy, lotion-like consistency. I think most skin types would love this consistency. I'm just a picky one and am always in the hunt for a butter-thick eye cream!

If you're wondering about fine lines and what not, mine haven't disappeared but nor have they deepened or form more, which I think is all you can ask for really :(

Here are the ingredients:

I hope this is a sufficient review, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask :)  Antipodes is stocked at Naturisimo.com and Echemist.co.uk, both offer free worldwide shipping!

I've been meaning to do this review for awhile but I lost my blogging mojo in January (horrible, cursed month!) and now that it's happy February I feel like the year is really starting now!  Glad to back to blogging and excited to see how blogging will evolve into a part of my life :)

What's your favourite eye cream?

x mai-anne

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An Unexpected Goodie / Green People 24 Hour Vitamin Fix | Blogmas Day 10 (Post #14)

I got way too confused with where I was up to with my not-so-clever way of numbering my blogmas posts since I started rather late, so I've re-organised them. I am still blogging everyday but am numbering each post, so I will rack up 25 posts until Christmas!

Today's review is of a day cream I did not expect to deliver something extra but this proved me wrong! I first got a sample of this in my Naturisimo order and while I was slightly curious about I didn't believe it would give me the hydration my skin needed, so when I slapped it on I thought nothing of it. The next morning, my skin felt hydrated and light. I decided that this might be a good day cream (as I like thick night creams at night) and proceeded to try it during the day and well, loved it. It provides a moisture without being heavy and sits well under makeup.  

This cream has a creamy, lotion-like consistency that isn't super-thin but with a more medium density. Good for dry skin during the day, and oilier skins at night as it doesn't feel greasy at all and leaves no extra sheen to the face. There is also no weird scent with this cream though there is a neutral fragrance option.

I love Green People for its simplistic and innovative approach to skincare. Their packaging is not fancy pants but I still find it cute and clean.  Their price range is also just above more budgety brands but is still affordable and worth it. 

You can purchase from Naturisimo (where I got mine) but they are also on FeelUnique and Lookfantastic.

Have you tried Green People before?

mai-anne, x

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