Review: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

 I was running out of my Rimmel Wake Me Up, and my skin's been getting crappier by the day recently (thanks, summer heat), so I needed a concealer that could cover blemishes well.  After hearing all the hype around the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, I decided I needed to try it.

I picked it up at Superdrug for £3.99, and didn't expect much from it for that price, yeah it might cover my spots/scarring for a bit but I was fully expecting it to wear off after a couple of hours - no way would a £3.99 concealer last 16 hours.

WRONG.

I have to jump on the band wagon and agree that this is a must-have makeup bag staple.  It goes on well, has full coverage, blends easily, doesn't go cakey, and lasts. all. day.

The concealer is available in 4 shades, Fair, Light, Medium and Deep.  I, of course, being the vampire-skinned, almost albino, ghostly pale person that I am, use the shade Fair.  The colour match is spot on, and the coverage is incredible.

Unlike some concealers I've used in the past, Lasting Perfection doesn't lose a lot of it's coverage when it's blended - which means I can wear a light-medium coverage foundation and let my skin breathe a bit more!

I use it over any redness, scarring and blemishes, and under my eyes - it takes a little bit of extra blending to make sure the under-eye area doesn't crease, but it usually stays put exactly where it's applied and doesn't budge all day - which is impressive in the heat we've been having in the UK recently - I'll come home and most of my foundation will have worn away, but I don't look too bad because my problem areas are still well concealed and blended to look, well, like normal skin.

I do find that if I apply it over a healing blemish / cystic that it doesn't sit very well, but nothing really does.  That's the price you pay for constantly messing with your face without realising I guess. (Read about how I reduce the size of blemishes here).

The only other 'Con' I have is that, whilst the product itself is transfer proof, the lettering on the packaging is not.  Pro Tip: Paint the concealer tube with clear nail polish as soon as you buy it, otherwise you WILL end up with black smudges on your hands, face, clothes, walls - everywhere.

Overall I do really love this concealer and will repurchase and repurchase and repurchase.

It's available to buy from Superdrug for £3.99, Boots for £4.19 or Amazon for £3.99.

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Review: Clearasil Ultra Seal To Clear Spot Treatment Gel

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up and you can feel a spot just waiting under your skin, preparing to ruin your day?  Unless you have been blessed by some higher power, the answer is probably yes.  And unfortunately, at 22 and a half years old, I still get them at least once a week.

Over the past... 10+ years, I've tried all the home 'treatments' for spots - toothpaste, ice, lemon juice, tea tree, face washes, face scrubs, face masks, and always ended up with it staying exactly the same or getting worse - one bad face mask left me with a red, burning face and the spots looking angrier than ever.

In March I had a bit of time on my lunch break and went into Home Bargains looking at the beauty products.  I saw Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Seal To Clear Gel and figured I could give it a shot.  I didn't expect it to work but at least I would feel like I was being proactive.

The packaging claims that it will 'visibly reduce spot size and redness in 4 hours. The seal helps hold the spot-fighting ingredients on the spot as it clears.'  It forms an invisible barrier to help protect spots and attacks them with Salicylic Acid 2%.  

Salicylic acid acts as an exoliant, and helps encourage the shedding of skin cells - which occurs less in acne-prone skin.  2% is the highest concentration of Salicylic acid which can be purchased over the counter.

As it is a chemical exfoliant, you may experience a slight burning sensation (if this persists, discontinue use) or dry, peeling skin (a good, oil-free moisturiser can sort that out).

The directions say to apply a drop of the gel onto spots morning and night, but if I'm not going anywhere, I will reapply every 4 hours or so, and it really does make a big difference in the size of my spots - breakouts that would usually last a few days to over a week now last 1-2 days.  

I do experience dryness and some flaking of the skin around the areas I apply it to, but I use a good water based moisturiser and Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and it usually gets back to normal pretty quickly.

One of my favourite things about the gel is that, because it creates an invisible barrier and dries pretty quickly, I can apply my makeup over the top and I'm still getting the benefits of the spot treatment when I'm out - I don't have to sit inside for 4 hours and wait to wash it off.

The packaging is great, as it comes in a little tube like a lipgloss - perfect for your makeup bag or handbag.  You get 12ml of product, and mine has lasted 3 months so far and doesn't look like it's set to run out any time soon.

The gel is currently on offer from 7 Day Cosmetics, at £2.45 down from £6.50, and I would highly recommend taking advantage of the deal.

It is also available from a variety of shops on ebay (check the seller's rating before purchasing!), for £3.74 on Amazon, for £5.37 at ChemistDirect or for £6 at Tesco.

There are a lot of Salicylic Acid products on the market, including face washes, scrubs, lotions and creams, but I feel that this is an excellent place to start.

If you try it, let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

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My Miracle Product: Tamanu Oil

Tamanu Oil is a product I've been using for over a year now, but I kind of lost my bottle when we moved house, and I've just rediscovered it's amazing-ness when I found my bottle last week.

It's a soft, smooth oil with so many amazing properties - wound healing, anti-inflammatory, scar healing, pain relief and my personal favourite - skin clearing.

I can't remember exactly where I heard about it (probably a YouTube video) but I researched it before I bought some, and learnt that it was used in the late 1920's by a nun to treat the pain of conditions such as rheumatism, sciatica, shingles and later she used it to treat leprosy - with positive results.

It comes from the nut of the Tamanu tree, which is native to South-East Asia, and islanders have used it for years as skincare.

The oil contains:
Up to 17% Palmitic Acid
Upto 17% Stearic Acid
Upto 50% Oleic Acid (Omega 9)
And upto 50% Linoleic Acid (Omega 6)

These together possess a capability to promote the growth of new tissue, along with anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant properties, it's perfect for a skin clearing remedy.

So I figured it was worth a go - it's not expensive and I only bought a small bottle so even if I hated it it wouldn't be too much of a waste.

I apply mine twice a day - morning and night, just a small amount straight onto my problem areas - redness, spots, dry skin, acne scars etc - and I can feel an improvement almost straight away, but after about a week of use you can see the improvement. It only takes a few days to fully heal spots and dry skin.

It doesn't clog up my skin or leave it feeling greasy and dirty - it absorbs really quickly and makes my skin feel fuller and brighter straight away.

I've used it for other problems, too - cold sores, damaged hair, burns, razor burn, cuts - it speeds up the healing process for all of them, and I can see now why my skin got so crappy when I lost my bottle!

I also turned my step-mum onto Tamanu Oil, for her arthritis pains, and she definitely felt an improvement (until she tried to take the bottle in her hand-luggage on a flight and it was confiscated at customs).

Different brands of the oil have different smells - my first bottle smelled very nutty, whereas my second bottle had a distinct smell of curry, but it all does the same thing, and the smell fades off as the oil absorbs into your skin.

There are a few different 'recipes' for the different uses of Tamanu Oil, for scar healing, massage blends for pain relief, dry skin, but my favourite way to apply has always been straight from the bottle, just 100% Tamanu Oil straight onto the skin.

I use it either before or in place of my moisturiser (if using before, make sure it has mostly absorbed into your skin first) and just put my finger over the top of the bottle, tip it up and use whatever I get out - you don't need much, it's really moisturising.

It makes my skin feel like it's had a really good drink.  That's the best way I can describe it, I think.  It's super hydrating and moisturising, makes my skin softer and fuller and I've fallen in love with it all over again.

I found that the best place to buy it was from Ebay, from sellers with a high rating.  It generally costs between £4-10 for 10-60ml, depending on the seller.  I found a cold-pressed 30ml bottle for £4.19 from AkomaTradeUK on Ebay.



I definitely suggest trying Tamanu Oil for skincare, leave comments below if you've tried it and let me know what you thought!



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Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Following on from my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation review, it seemed only fitting to talk about the concealer from the range.

Truth be told, I actually bought this concealer first, in  an attempt to win the battle against my under-eye circles.  Now, I haven't quite won yet, but this has taken me a good way into the lead.

I bought the lightest shade (of course I did, I'm a ghost), and it's just a bit lighter than the Ivory foundation shade, which is perfect for making those eye bags disappear.

The concealer claims an anti-fatigue effect and radiant glow, as does the foundation, and they both deliver on these points.  This might not 100% disguise my under eye circles, but it gets 90% of the way, and with a bit of help from the slightly lighter colouring of Benefit's Erase Paste, they're gone, and this makes sure that a glowing, healthy-skin look is left in their place.

It's a liquid concealer, so I use it underneath my foundation and then I'll touch up a bit on top if needed - it blends really well, so I don't tend to worry about it caking up on me if I use too much - I've never had an issue with it gathering in creases or drying out in the month that I've been using it.

The packaging matches the foundation, with a bright orange cap, making it super easy to find in my make up box - thank you, Rimmel.  It also has an applicator - one of those sponge tips, and it's actually pretty good for getting the right amount of concealer - one 'dip' into the tube is enough concealer to do both eyes and any blemishes/redness too - so it'll last ages, I hope!

It's a high-street concealer, so it doesn't cost the earth - it retails at £5.49.  Boots currently have a 3 for 2 offer, so you could grab the concealer, the foundation and get something else free.  Bonus.

Here's a quick 'before/after' of my eyes using this concealer:

Before - No Makeup

After - Using Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Overall, I do really recommend this concealer - it's light-medium coverage, but works perfectly to disguise redness and minor blemishes, used under foundation it can be built to cover under eye circles/more prominent blemishes.

I'd also suggest, if your under-eye area is quite dark, apply a bit more concealer over your foundation (either the same concealer, or a more creamy-based, slightly lighter shade concealer) and set with a translucent powder.

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How To Clean Makeup Brushes: Daily Clean

Makeup brushes aren't cheap, and they need looking after in order to keep their condition and to stop your makeup looking like you put it on with a regular paint brush. To keep them at their best, they should be sterilised every day after use and given a deep-clean once a week.

Brushes on a Budget 

Fräulein3°8  31 Pcs Brush Set (RRP. £21.90)

Daily Cleaning:

The daily brush wash I used was the Elf Daily Brush Cleaner honestly, because it wasn't very expensive and it works OK.  It's not the best, and it contains Methylparaben, so I've discontinued use of it.

Also, since I bought it, they've put the price up and the quantity down - I had the 250ml bottle and it cost around £3.75, which is now the price of a 50ml bottle. 

A cheaper alternative to this is to make your own:

200ml bottled water

50ml Isopropl Alcohol 70% (Rubbing Alcohol)

1/2 tbsp baby shampoo or moisturising shampoo

1/2 tbsp washing up liquid

1 tbsp spray on leave-in conditioner

Spray bottle (250ml+ capacity)

Slowly and gently mix the ingredients together, trying not to create too much lather.  

Funnel into spray bottle and label.

To clean the brushes, run some lukewarm water onto the ends of the bristles, and spray with the daily brush cleaner 1-2 times.  

Gently blot the brush on a paper towel until no more colour runs out.

Stand in a tall glass overnight to dry.  Brush guards optional.

Never lie brushes flat/ on their sides to dry.  Always dry with the bristles facing down.

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Dermalogica Deals

Since I got Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant in my November Glossybox, I have been a bit obsessed.  It was the first exfoliating product that actually worked for my skin.  The rest just left my skin feeling too tight for my face, with a horrible dry-shine.

So considering the miracle properties (to me anyway) of the Daily Microfoliant, I went on the hunt for more Dermalogica products... and saw the price.  My favourite product was RRP £38.80.  Not to be discouraged by this, I turned my bargain-hunter side on, and scoured the internet for the best Dermalogica deals I could find... which I will share with you now.  You lucky, lucky people.

Daily Microfoliant with two free gifts £29.60, BeautyFlash.co.uk

First off, I asked my mum to get me a Daily Microfoliant set for Christmas, I found the best deal on it at Beauty Flash.

£29.60 (RRP. £51.50) for a full size Daily Microfoliant (75g), and travel size Precleanse (30ml) and Gentle Cream Exfoliant (10ml).

That's less than the price of the Daily Microfoliant alone!





After trying both the new products I had from that set, and liking the results, I continued my search for Dermalogica deals, and one advert in particular kept on popping up at the side of my facebook - WhatsInMyHandbag.com were advertising the MEET DERMALOGICA KIT - Exclusive Try: Dermalogica's hero products for £9.50.  

Meet Dermalogica Kit £9.50, WhatsInMyHandbag.com

This kit includes travel size versions of Daily Microfoliant (13g), Special Cleansing Gel (50ml), Skin Smoothing Cream (22ml) and MultiVitamin Power Firm (5ml). 

Individually, these products cost £8.95 each, so you're paying less than 1/4 of the price.  Ever the cheapskate, I searched for discount codes and found WIMHLAUNCH which gives £5 off a £10 shop.  Of course, the kit costs £9.50, which doesn't qualify, but buy 2 and it comes to £14 instead of £19 - essentially £71.60 of products for £14, with super fast delivery too, about 2 days from placing the order.

Finally, Pure-Beauty.co.uk offer 5 free samples (of your choice) of dermalogica products with every £10 spend.  They also offer gift cards with instant email delivery (check your spam box, mine got sent there!)

I got sneaky about it and maximised my samples by first buying a £10 giftcard and selecting my 5 free samples, then spending the giftcard on the product I actually wanted (Bedtime For Breakouts £11.95) with another 5 free samples for that one.

The great thing about Pure-Beauty.co.uk is that you earn reward points, which are instantly redeemable as cash against purchases, at a rate of 1 point per £1 spent.  However, I spent £11-something, and have had 56 points so far - 22 redeemed and 34 still available, so there must be a bonus for signing up and placing your first order.

I definitely recommend the giftcard method, stretch your money and get free samples of the products you want to try next - they're not huge samples but enough for you to give them a proper try over a few days.

Don't forget to select your 5 samples and add them to your basket before you check out!


I hope this helped anyone looking for a deal on Dermalogica products, and if anyone has any more to add, feel free to leave details in a comment below!

Related Post:  Skincare Routine

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Everyday Makeup Products: Primers

This is going to be a list of the products I put on my face every day - First up, Primers.

If you're interested in buying any of these products, I'll put links in the descriptions :) *
*I was not asked/paid by any of these companies to mention any of their products.




 
Elf Studio Mineral Infused Primer
RRP £6.00/14g

This is BY FAR the best primer I've ever come into contact with - the feel reminds me of the GOSH gel primer - the one that feels a bit velvety - it's just SO smooth.  Once you start to run out, if you take the pump off, you still have about half the product left, and I think that's a shame for people who didn't realise and bought another unnecessarily.  It's fine if you just use the pump tube to get it out, but it seems like bad design.

The only other thing I'm not keen on is that the ingredients include methylparaben, ethylparaben and propylparaben.  That's a lot of parabens for one face.


This in mind, I've discontinued my use of my favourite primer, and have been alternating between the following two:

Rimmel Match Perfection Fix & Protect Primer
RRP £4.99/30ml

It claims to have a 5-point attack on dull skin, smoothing, resurfacing, brightening, mattifying and protecting!  It's ok.  It doesn't feel great.  It feels more like a watery moisturiser than a primer, but then I'm used to a gel, not a cream.  It doesn't seem to do anything for my makeup, either.  It's a shame really, I wanted to like it.

Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer
RRP £4.49/30ml

So far, so good with this one.  It has a nicer feel to it - somewhere between the two finishes.  It's not as smooth a finish as I'm used to but it has antibacterial properties, is fragrence free and oil free and has absolutely no parabens! so it's probably the one I'll stick with for my regular use.  It doesn't provide a bad base for makeup, and it helps with my pore-guilt - at least I'm clogging them with something helpful, right?




Please leave comments below to let me know anything you'd like to see!

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Skincare Routine

Like I said in my last post, I have sensitive skin with hormonal acne.  Pretty sexy.  So I do what I can to disguise the mess it gets into and that involves mainly washing, exfoliating and camouflaging.  The first two, I will talk about now.  Camouflage later.

I received this gift set for Christmas, after trying Daily Microfoliant from my Glossybox a couple of months ago and falling in love.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 75g with two free gifts
RRP £30.80




When I wake up I wash my face with Dermalogica Pre-cleanse - I massage a few drops into my (dry) face and then add a bit of water and massage some more, in small circles.  Then rinse.

'This plant-based cleansing oil, fortified with Olive and Kukui oils, thoroughly melts layers of excess sebum (oil), sunscreen, waterproof make-up, environmental pollutants and residual skin products that build-up during the day.' 


Dermalogica Precleanse
RRP £31.50/150ml

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 

RRP £38.50/75g

Next, I use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, 1/2 a tsp onto very wet hands, rub into a thick paste and then rub onto a dry face, again in small circles.  I do this for about 2 minutes, making sure I get every single mm of my face and neck scrubbed, and then rinse it off.

'A unique, Rice-based enzyme powder that activates upon contact with water, releasing Papain, Salicylic Acid and Rice Enzymes to smooth the skin and accelerate cell renewal.  The unique Skin Brightening Complex of Bearberry, Aspergillus, Grapefruit and Liquorice helps to balance uneven skin pigmentation.  A super-soothing blend of Green Tea, Ginkgo and Colloidal Oatmeal calms inflammation, leaving the skin extraordinarily clear and refreshed. Gentle enough to use on a daily basis.'

My face now feels squeaky clean and lovely but very very dry - moisturiser.  I have tried SO MANY moisturisers - from cheap own-brands to chemist brands to more commonly recommended ones to high-end ones - and the only one I've found that doesn't make my skin greasy or dry it out more or break me out is this one, from ASDA's Skin System range - the Day Cream with SPF 15 and Co-enzyme Q10.

Asda Skin System Day Cream SPF15 

RRP £3.00/50ml

'Specially developed for 20 skin. Anti-oxidant youth blend. Fights first signs of ageing. Collagen damage protection. Dermatologically tested. Suitable for vegetarians. Q10 day cream SPF15 About this Product: Q10 Day Cream with SPF15 has been formulated to help prevent the first signs of ageing. Coenzyme Q10 protects against collagen damage and works to keep the skin firm. An anti-oxidant blend of pomegranate, cranberry and green tea helps to protect skin from free radicals, while rosehip oil moisturises and nourishes the skin. Asda is against animal testing & funds research into alternatives.'

It is my miracle cream.  I use a small amount every morning (and night, I'm not keen on the night cream they have) and it keeps me perfectly moisturised ALL day.  Looks like they've changed the packaging now, but the ingredients are the same.  And it only costs £3 so that makes me happy.

At night I pretty much repeat this step by step, the only difference being that I remove my makeup first with Witch Cleansing and Toning Makeup Remover Wipes.  I feel like they just give an added protection against overnight spots and they do a pretty good job of removing my eye makeup, too - so that's a bonus.  I got them from Tesco on a whim as they were the same price as Tesco own-brand sensitive wipes which I used previously.

'Witch Cleansing and Toning Wipes quickly remove make up and dirt to reveal cleansed, tingling skin that feels soft and supple.  Cleans skin and helps tighten pores.  For more than 40 years, Witch has used nature's clever ingredient Witch Hazel. It naturally cleanses, tones and soothes, leaving your skin perfectly balanced, soft and healthy looking.'

Witch Cleansing and Toning WipesRRP £1.99

This pretty much keeps my skin in check, every now and again I'll mix it up - I just got Dermalogica's Bedtime for Breakouts, so I'll start using that tonight and see if that makes any difference, whack a review on here when I see any change.

So that's my skincare routine as of the start of Jan 2012 :)

Please leave comments below to let me know anything you'd like to see!

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