Wednesday 30 May 2012

Pretty Pink Gloss: Kevyn Aucoin The Elegant Lipgloss - Valentina


I was in Space NK a couple of weeks back having a browse at the Kevyn Aucoin range and saw this beautiful pink lipgloss but at the time I was thinking 'I really don't need another lipgloss' even though I didn't have anything like this. Since then I couldn't get it out of my head so the other day I passed by again and purchased it, and I am really happy with it.



Valentina is a fairly bold medium fuchsia pink, that is very well pigmented in a liquid lipstick sort of way. The texture is non-sticky, creamy and smooth and it's quite soft so I don't need to press into the pan very much to get the product. It lasts fairly well for a lipgloss and fades away evenly without making the lips feel dry.
I am not overly fond of lip products in palettes but I quite like the sleek red toned packaging of this and the mirror is useful for touch-ups although I do use a lip brush to apply the gloss more precisely as it's quite pigmented.


In context with the rest of my face (my skin has gone a bit bonkers in the hot weather so please excuse the blemishes):


Rest of makeup:
Face: Lily Lolo Mineral foundation Warm Honey, Alison Raffaele True Concealer (5), Beauty UK Baked blush - Royal Rose, MAC Sculpt & Shape Powder - Accentuate as highlighter.

Eyes: Revlon CustomEyes palette - 020 Naturally Glamorous  (the lightest shade on inner half, mid taupe shade outer half of lid), YSL Faux Cils gel liner Ashy Black (2) on upper lash line, MAC Chromagraphic pencil NW25/NC30 on lower waterline, NARS Larger Than Life Voluminising Mascara, GOSH clear brow gel.

Ingredients:


This is £22 for 3.65g and I bought this from Space NK Duke of York Square branch, London which seems to stock the full Kevyn Aucoin range.

Wednesday 2 May 2012

Oskia Eye Wonder Review



Oskia is a gem of a skincare line, and one that I have been impressed with from the products I've tried so far. I had been using a few sample sachets of the Eye Wonder, and loved it enough to buy the full size.

I'm quite picky when it comes to eye creams as I have used a few 'meh' products in the past that either feel fine but don't seem to do anything even after using up the whole product, or they don't sit well next to my eyes or under my makeup.

Being in my late twenties, my main concerns for my eye area are hydration, smoothness and dark circles (although I am prone to this on my Indian skin and it is hereditary so I'm not expecting a huge deal on this front). I am getting more conscious of preventive care so if it helps with initial fine lines then it's all good:)

I tend to go for gels or light creams as I'm not keen on anything too heavy or rich around the eye so I find the texture of the Eye Wonder perfect as it's a gel serum that feels very light and absorbs quite easily into the skin.



A little of this really does go along way - the sample sachet lasted over a month so I can imagine this lasting the good part of a year so even though it's the most expensive eye product I've ever purchased at £58, I don't think I'll need to buy anything new for a long while yet. The pump dispenses the product precisely so I don't find myself wasting any product either.

This feels light and refreshing yet very gentle, but still packs a punch of beneficial ingredients including Oskia's signature ingredient of MSM to help support collagen production; Niacinamide, Milk Peptides and Swiss Apple Stem Cells to help with a whole host of issues such as fine-lines, pigmentation, firming, puffiness and hydration.

I rarely suffer from puffiness so I cannot comment how well it would work for this but I love how it does seem to keep my eye area hydrated - I use a little on my lids too and I don't think they are as oily as they used to be. I have been using this for several months now and I do think it has helped with the general smoothness and condition of the eye area and also a little bit with dark circles as I find I don't use as much concealer as before.

Ingredients:

Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Methyl Sulphonyl Methane, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Benzyl Alcohol, Whey Protein, Zinc Glycine, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture, Limonium Narbonense Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate Lysate, Galactoarabinan, Panthenol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Lactic Acid.

I bought this from Fenwicks.