Today’s review is about a product which has recently entered my ‘hero’ range. I have been using Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (HMS) since December when my tan had finally faded and my skin was back to it’s original olive-yellow tone. My lifeless skin needed some va va voom, I read about Healthy Mix Serum in all the mags when it first launched. I then saw it at the Clothes Show Live but the Bourjois stand was soooooo busy I didn’t get a chance to match my colour.
Finally, I got my hands on some and I LOVE it! It’s a light gel foundation infused with vitamins from lychee, goji berries and pomegranate.
Here is a picture of the skin on my hands without HMS.
Lifeless, dull…veiny
Here is a picture of my skin with HMS, just look at the difference.
Luminous, even skin tone
HMS has a semi-matt finish and is really easy to blend, I have applied this without a mirror when I’ve been in a rush for work, it has been my skin-saver during the miserable winter months when my skin is at it’s dullest peak. However, I will continue to wear this all year round. At the moment, I am wearing number 55, an olive-beige. Obviously, when I have a tan, I will need to go maybe a shade or two darker.
Bourjois HMS is officially one of my hero products.
I have been meaning to write about my second satchel bag from leather satchel co. for MONTHS! This bag is special to me because I had it customised..yes, you too can customise yours, no need to pay ridic prices for a standard satchel from High St stores.
(A post from my former blog, Make Up It Girl)
I am so in love with this bag that I did a shoot with it..and my beautiful dogs (see me with Sky below). Everywhere I go I get compliments on my bag and then they realise I have my initials embossed in gold leaf, he he.
It is perfect for work and meetings, I can fit my folders/books etc and I have the choice of using the briefcase handle or my detachable strap (see pics below).
My bag came to £111.50 (BARGAIN!!!)
The spec;
14″ Autumn Tan £81
Briefcase handle and detachable shoulder strap £12
I must say, I have deliberately avoided writing about brands who have jumped on the back of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with Union Jack packaged products. I get when British brands do it, but non-British brands..why? why? why?
Aaaaaaaaaaaanyway, because of my passion for pooches, I just couldn’t resist posting pics of these adorable harnesses from Hair of the Dog London. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I wish my big doggies could fit in some of these cute harnesses.
After seeing Liz Earle’s Energising Body Scrub in the Harper’s Top 100 Beauty Products, I just had to try it.
The Energising Body Scrub (which smells divine) cleanses and exfoliates skin on thighs, butt, hips and upper arms. I particularly like the ground olive stones, which feel like they’re really sloughing away the dead skin cells without scratching the skin. A 50p sized dollop is enough for both thighs, but I love the smell and the way it feels so I have been using a 50p sized amount for each thigh and hip. It feels more like a gel, which I love. I’m not a fan of oily body scrubs, not only because they leave a mess and residue in the shower but also because I can’t shave my legs properly after. This is a must-have product for me and all year round one at that. I don’t believe in just using cellulite treatment products 6 weeks before a holiday, I think if you use them all year round you’ll see better and more long-term results. I wish it came in super size, I’m running out quick!
Energising Body Scrub
Ingredients;
Ground Olive Stones, Damask Rose Flower water and 9 pure essential oils (sweet orange, grapefruit, geranium, peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, pine, patchouli and petitgrain).
Price for a 200ml tube costs £12.50
After using the Energising Body Scrub, I have recently started using the follow-on product , the Energising Hip and Thigh Gel. It’s a really light and deliciously scented gel which sinks into skin immediately.
Energising Hip and Thigh Gel
Ingredients;
Damask Rose Water and pure essential oils (grapefruit, sweet orange, rosemary, cajuput, eucalyptus, geranium, patchouli, pine, peppermint and petitgrain).
At the moment, there is a massive lip tint trend going on and I’ve gotta admit, I am loving it! This hybrid product is moisturising and protective like a good lip balm with added colour, it’s win-win!
So many brands are doing lip tints, Revlon, Lipstick Queen, Topshop, Revlon, Clinique, YSL et al. I haven’t tried them all, but the two I am loving are from Clarins and Carmex.
The Clarins Natural Lip Perfector is a soft textured lip gel with a sugary sweet scent (mmmmm and tastes good too, oops). It is sheer but can definitely be worn with lipstick or alone.
I have been using it without lipstick, I have nude which is a peachy-beige. I love the sponge applicator which makes it glide on nicely.
The Clarins Natural Lip Perfector costs £15.00 and is available from loads of stores such as Boots, Debenhams and House of Fraser.
My lovely generous friend Laura gave me an Emma Hardie ‘Natural Lift and Scuplt Facial Starter Kit’ to try out. I recommended Eve Lom to Laura a while ago, she loved the way the product worked but couldn’t bear the smell (which I personally like), she came to me saying how she has found an ‘Eve Lom’ type of product that she loves.
Moringa Cleansing Balm and Rosehip Exfoliating Seeds
I know exactly who Emma Hardie is (all passionate beauty bloggers do) and have even seen her range of products in Space.NK. I know this will sound strange but I felt so guilty trying the Emma Hardie products, like an affair in the beauty world (the two cleansers were even kept away from each other in my bathroom).
‘Cheating’ on Eve Lom was actually worth it. The Moringa Cleansing Balm melts into skin like butter, Laura is also right about the divine smell which is a combination of Orange Neroli and Sweet Almond Oil. The Cleansing Balm is so silky and hydrating, it even doubles up as a soothing, softening mask.
The Moringa Seeds, Wild Sea Fennel and Vitamin E balance, purify and has minimised the appearance of my open pores. The Orange Neroli and Mandarin extracts combined with Jasmine and Rose revive dull, dry and dehydrated skin (which is mine lately due to turning up the heating full blast at home, work and in the car). Like Eve Lom, it removed my entire make up including my MAC Liquidlast eyeliner.
Directions: Mix a few drops of warm water with the Moringa Cleansing Balm in the palm of your hand to create a milk. Apply to face and neck using circular motions and massage thoroughly (can implement the facial exercises at this point), to melt away make-up excess oils and grime. To remove, soak the cleansing cloth in warm water and squeeze out excess, gently wipe over face and neck, taking extra care around the eye area. Use the gently abrasive muslin side of the cloth to exfoliate dry, lined, thickened and congested areas and the smoother micro fibre side for more delicate and sensitive areas.
I absolutely love the Aromatherapy infused Rosehip Exfoliating Seeds. They are 100% natural, botanical seeds which I combined with the Moringa Cleansing Balm once a week to thoroughly exfoliate my skin. All you need is a little sprinkle which goes a long way. Amazing product!
Benefits of the Moringa Cleansing Balm;
- Thoroughly cleanses and tones skin.
- Helps to purify and minimises the appearance of open pores.
- Calming for sensitive skin
- Revitalising for dull and mature skins.
- Can be used as a rescue balm on dry elbows or knees, or as a lip balm.
- Doubles as a soothing mask if left on the skin for ten minutes
Step by step instructions to perform your own facial at home
The Starter Kit also contains step by step instructions on facial massage. Emma Hardie’s philosophy is about applying great products correctly, she has researched the science behind facial massage to understand its role in skin rejuvenation. I am just dying for a Natural Lift and Sculpting Facial with the lady herself, but for now, I’ll keep up with my DIY facial massage using the Moringa Cleansing Balm. I am super impressed!
I have waited SOOOOOOOOO long to blog about Carmex Moisture Plus, I’ve had this product before it even launched in the UK and I have been getting through the pink tint like water ever since! Truth is, I’m ADDICTED!
I first discovered Carmex (the iconic yellow pot and tubes) around 11 years ago, I always had a pot or tube in my make up kit (which was guaranteed to go missing at the end of a shoot).
Over the years, Carmex has launched several flavours including Cherry and Strawberry and I used to wonder when they would launch something different.
Well, the Moisture Plus Lip Tints were worth the wait! and they have launched at just the right time where us gals now want more than just moisturised lips, we want a hint of colour.
Carmex Moisture Plus is available in two colours, pink and peach as well as a clear (which I use as a base before applying lipstick/gloss).
I am besotted with pink, it suits my naturally pink/red pigmented lips, (peach doesn’t look good on me).
I have shown the colour of the pink lip tint on my fingertip because the fleshy colour of your fingertip resembles your lip more than being swatched on the back of your hand/forearm where the skin colour is completely different. This is also a good way to test lip colours in department stores.
I love these tints because they contain SPF, aloe and shea butter..and also because lately I have been so busy I keep forgetting to apply lipstick throughout the day and the pink tint has replaced my usual lipsticks, it’s quick, easy, the perfect pink AND so cheap! I have 5 in different places!
I have always had an obsession with full plump lips, I’d say my obsession started when I saw Kate Winslet in a magazine while I was in a doctor’s waiting room with my mum, I must have been around 10…it then continued when I became obessed with Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction (also my first time buying Chanel because of her rouge noir mani. I was 16 at the time).
I have experimented with fillers and experienced a really unsightly lump which has now put me off having filler again. I am not sure if it is a ‘filler lump’, a burst blood vessel or scar tissue, I have been giving it time to go and currently looking into what may have caused it.
So, now that I am steering clear of injections, I was looking into volumising lip products, I searched high and low for the DermaQuest one but couldn’t find it, and instead stumbled across a product called ‘Lipsmart’.
US brand Lipsmart is the brainchild of Briana Kay Brumer, the daughter of a renowned inventor and chemist.
The brand contacted me and asked if I was interested in trying it out. So, I did some research first and I read that this lip treatment volumises lips WITHOUT IRRITANTS, so I replied taking up the generous offer to test this out.
I remember buying the ‘too faced’ product, ‘lip injection’, years ago and it burned my lips so bad, my lips were sore for the whole day. I have bought so many other ‘lip plumping’ products and they have ended up in the bin after two uses!
Lipsmart volumises and increases the volume of your lips through an innovative hydration technology (which is rather complex, so I won’t even attempt to simplify it for you). I definitely have experienced this hydration technology, my lips instantly feel pouty after applying and massaging it into my lips.
I love applying this to my lips whenever they feel tight, it is so creamy and instantly hydrating. It also smells fresh and subtly sweet, which must be due to the fragrant fruit ingredients like pineapple, peach, apricot, lemon and coconut. I make sure I apply it at night too, when I wake up my lips look super plumped.
I have been using Lipsmart for two weeks, around twice during the day (it is so moisturising, you really won’t need to apply it more than that depending on the condition of your lips). I have definitely noticed an increase in volume, using this product has helped disguise the awful filler lump I have too.
The box recommends using this product for 29 days at least to see results, I am going to continue using this product forever! I love it and am so grateful for the difference it has made!
There are no parabens (which I personally have no problem with), no irritants, only safe ingredients such as Soybean Protein and Glycolipids.
The packaging is rather plain and simple, which I think is because it’s found in spa’s and luxury department stores in the US. I would rather have an amazing product in plain packaging than pay for a poor quality product in fancy packaging.
Quite a few celebs are fans of Lipsmart, Eva Longoria has been quoted as loving the product and swears by it!
Sports Illustrated hottie Nina Agdal has recently endorsed Lipsmart with those stunning bee stung lips!
Lipsmart costs $30 and have international shipping, when I run out of my current tube, I will be buying around 3 tubes to keep stocked up.
If you are hitting your 40′s and looking for firmer skin, then this product range is for you. I currently use the anti-ageing Quercetin & Oak line, which is designed for skin in your thirties.
Quercetin & Oak range
Greek beauty brand Korres have created the Black Pine Anti-wrinkle & Firming collection for 40 – 50 year olds.
Black Pine range
This natural (97.7%) and sustainable anti-ageing skincare line has a 360 degree approach to deal with ageing skin needs by addressing 4 natural action systems;
1. Firming and re-contouring
2. Instant lifting
3. Wrinkle reduction
4. Hydration and skin brightening
It has been developed focusing on strengthening the dermis junction which regulates the skin’s mechanical properties such as firming and elasticity, it also helps maintain facial contour while protecting it against wrinkles and sagging.
I really appreciate the quality and time that KORRES invest in research and development. The brand continues to strive to produce and provide us with high quality yet such affordable products. The research lab work in co-operation with a national research centre to ensure reliable, unbiased and honest results. The results from clinical studies regarding the Black Pine range are so impressive. After 90 days of use, 100% of women recorded;
- Increased skin firmness
- Increased Skin Elasticity
- Enhanced radiance & improved skin texture
This brand new range includes four different products:
Day Cream (dry to very dry skin), £36.
Day Cream (normal to combination skin), £36.
Eye Cream, £29.
Night Cream (for all skin types), £39.
The new collection will be available exclusively at Harvey Nics from 26 May.
If you are aged between 40 – 50 and would like to be my tester for this range and write a review, please email me.
I'm Farrah, a full time Beauty PR. part time Beauty Blogger. former Pro MUA. Self-proclaimed chocolate, blusher and lipstick expert. Love my dogs and I'm known to 'tell it like it is'..welcome to Farrah tells. Email me at farrahtells(at)gmail(dot)com
