Pai Lotus & Orange Blossom BioAffinity Toner

I've slowly been working my way through the Pai range and finally got round to using their toner mists. Pai have two types - the Rice Plant & Rosemary (for combination/sensitive) and the Lotus & Orange Blossom (for dry/sensitive).

My favourite of the two is the Lotus & Orange Blossom, as for me the Rice Plant & Rosemary, while lovely, I couldn't tell if it had done anything and it doesn't smell as beautiful as the LOB.

I do have acne-prone skin that is a bit combination and a bit dehydrated, but I often tend to ignore labels that say it's for such and such skintype, and go more with the texture and feel on the skin. So with this one I was sold on the orange blossom scent!

Even though this is pricey at £30 for 50ml, I find that it is quite a hydrating formula and makes the skin feel calm, nourished and soft so even if I don't slap on a moisturiser immediately afterwards - (like on a weekend if I'm home all day) my skin still feels comfortable. Also I don't know if it's my imagination, but it seems to give a tiny hydrated radiance/glow to the skin (which may be from the orange blossom as it's supposed to stimulate circulation and give a brightening effect).

Oh and another thing - the mist action is beautifully fine and even - no horrible squirt as I hate it when brands plonk a lovely product into horrible packaging!

Ingredients:

nelumbo nucifera (lotus) root water**, aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange blossom) flower water*, glycerin*, populous tremuloides bark extract, leuconostoc root extract

DeVita Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+ Review

I finished up my last sunscreen which was the Dermaquest ZinClear SPF30 about a month ago, and being a skincare junkie I naturally had another product waiting in the wings which was DeVita's Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+.

I heard raves about this through Skincare Talk and noticed the brand is stocked on iHerb so placed an order along with some supplement bits.

DeVita is a vegan, paraben-free natural skincare and cosmetic brand from Arizona that was created by Cherylanne DeVita after having suffered with chronic cystic acne. They use organic aloe vera as a key 'delivery system' and also have a line of mineral makeup that is infused with aloe.

The Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+ is a mineral based sunscreen using 19% zinc oxide (no nano particles) that has been formulated for skin prone to acne (like mine!) and moisturises the skin as well as providing broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection.

I'm not a fan of sunscreens that feel like typical sunscreens with the slightly tacky/greasy/whiteish look and I'm happy to say that DeVita's offering is absolutely the opposite of this. It feels creamy, light and non-chalky and once applied absorbs quickly into a natural matte finish that is not discernible on the skin, so no whitecast!

Another thing I like about this is the scent, so unlike any other sunscreen, it has a beautiful light vanilla/coconutty scent that adds to the pleasant nature.

From iHerb this was around $20 for 75ml/2.5oz , which I find reasonable as I don't seem to need too much product so I think this should last a while yet.

Ingredients:

Rave: Stila stay all day waterproof liquid eye liner

10 months later the writing is wearing away

Back in January, when Stila returned to a physical presence in Harvey Nichols (yay!), I picked up this eye liner, and 10 months down the line it is still going strong so it's well overdue a rave post.

Stila stay all day waterproof liquid eye liner in intense black is a lovely, deep black liner that does exactly what it says on the tin - stays put. I took this with me on holiday and even in intense heat it didn't melt away.

It has a slight sheen to the finish but not overly so like patent. The brush allows for very precise application so you can get a fine or thick line with ease.

the brush still looks good

Some pen/brush liners do not apply well over other eye makeup giving a weak looking line but this is not the case with this liner, it is intense from the off.  

Even though I've had this for some time now it still applies as intensely as when I first purchased it which I am seriously impressed with as others by now would have dried up.

Stila stay all day waterproof liquid eye liner intense black

Stila stay all day waterproof liquid eye liner intense black

Also I find that when removing it doesn't flake off like some other liners I have (*cough Illamasqua Precision Ink*) which can be annoying.

With it's super staying power, it does require a good remover but my usual oils/balms make short work of it. 

It goes without saying that I'd definitely repurchase this when it runs out as it's a product I use regularly.

Recent Skincare Empties

Currently I've been more focused at getting my skin in order so while I've not completely done a no-buy on makeup, I've have cut down considerably. I think I'm getting through quite a few bits of skincare so here are some of my recent empties:

No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover
This is something I usually only get with the Boots £5 off vouchers, but I don't know if it's just me but this doesn't seem as good as I once remembered. Sure, it removes makeup well enough (an oil is still my preferred choice), but I find the bi-phase formula separates a bit too quickly, especially as you get halfway through the bottle and you get left with uneven amounts. I do prefer the newly revamped packaging as it's no longer a pump and just a screw-lid so if you need to dip in cotton-buds it's easier than before.

Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser
This is a lovely thick and creamy cleanser that is dense enough to massage over the skin for a few minutes before washing away with a flannel/cloth. If feels very gentle on the skin and leaves it soft, clean and comfortable. It has a pleasant light floral scent that is lovely to wake-up to in the morning. 
I do have acne-prone skin so I usually look for a little more in helping to control this issue so while this is a very good cleanser, I don't think I would repurchase.

Pai Geranium & Thistle Combination Skin Cream
I don't think I've ever used a moisturiser up as quickly as this one as it's been so lovely to use. It has a wonderful creamy, nourishing feel to it yet it is not in any way heavy or greasy and leaves the skin feeling naturally matte and surprisingly helps to control oil and I don't find myself getting as shiny. Some moisturisers for combination skin feel very light or have more gel type textures where as this feels like a proper cream which I prefer. This is definitely up there as one of my favourites.

Ren Max Moisture Concentrate
I was recommended this ages ago while having a facial to help address dehydration so when I had a discount code from Beauty Expert, I thought I'd give it a whirl. The texture of this is a light lotion/serum feel that sinks into the skin quickly without any residue or tackiness and then I use my regular moisturiser on top. While it seems to suit my skin fine, I was rather underwhelmed as I haven't noticed a great deal from using this. I am a fan of Ren and I absolutely adore many of their other products but sadly this is not one of them.

Naturally, I have got a few new skincare items to use (the current Boots 3 for 2 coming in very handy:) so will report on those in due course.