May 26, 2014

Head, shoulders, knees and toes: ECO.'s Body Lotion

May 26, 2014/ Nicole McIntyre

It's sweet. So sweet. My nose goes into overdrive whenever I dispense ECO.'s Body Lotion into the palm of my hand. It's nutty with a powdery softness that carries me through the day. Yum!

ECO.'s Body Lotion isn't all that creamy, but in this case I don't think it needs to be. It's a lightweight moisturiser that begs to be massaged onto freshly showered arms, legs, hands and tootsies.

Wash. Rinse. And then it's Body Lotion time!

Just like the back of the bottle claims, my skin is left "feeling soft and supple." It's a great moisturiser to use year-round.

The only bummer? It's only 100ml. Why can't you come in a huge vat?

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for the ECO.'s Body Lotion:

$13.00 AUS / $12.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

9 out of 10 bags — Fan for life.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

But wait, there's more! ECO. sells body wash, too!

*PR sample provided – Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

May 25, 2014

Night and Day: Nat.Eyes agebloc collection

May 25, 2014/ Nicole McIntyre

Why two tubes? In this case are two tubes better than one?

On closer inspection and a bit of reading (it's important to do that from time to time, or one of these days I swear I'll end up with blonde eyebrows -- don't put it past me) to find out more.

The eye gel is for day, whereas the cream is for night.

Both tubes feature an ingredient called IBR Snowflake, its scientific sounding name is Leucojum aestivum bulb extract.

What the heck is that?

It's [IBR Snowflake] a naturally derived ingredient from the bulb of a Summer Snowflake which has been found to help slow down the skins' ageing process, reduce wrinkles and even lighten skin. In fact, NAT. refers to it as the "botox alternative."

Maybe I should smear this stuff all over my forehead wrinkles while I'm at it!

Now here's where both tubes differ.

NAT.agebloc eye gel also features AHAs (Alpha-Hydroxy Acid) for cell turnover and "natural cucumber, chamomile, pansy and lime blossom extracts" to help reduce the appearance of puffiness and darkness in the under eye area. Once applied, the clear gel gives off a cooling/refreshing sensation, dries almost on contact and leaves my eye area properly hydrated.

Huge fan here.

As for the eye cream chamomile extract "soothes and calms" eyes, while the natural vitamin e "helps boost the production of collagen and repair the top layer of skin." For all that the gel brings, NAT.agebloc's eye cream leaves me wanting and expecting more. This particular agent of the night supposedly works to fight fine lines and wrinkles as well, but it has only succeeded at stinging my over-tired eyes. It's certainly not the sort of experience I'm after prior to hitting the sheets.

Personally, I'm going to shelve the eye cream.

Moral to the story: One (the right one, of course) is enough.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for the Nat.Eyes agebloc collection:

$74.00 AUS — if you don't want the set, the gel and cream are also sold for $39.00 and $49.00, respectively.

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

5 out of 10 bags — for the set. When it's time for me to replenish, I'll just buy the eye gel.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

The Sea Salt Smoother sounds enticing.

*PR sample provided – Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

//source: IBR Snowflake

May 21, 2014

Review: Dermalogica's UltraCalming Barrier Repair

May 21, 2014/ Nicole McIntyre

Dermalogica's UltraCalming Barrier Repair acts like a thinly veiled shield in order to protect your already sensitive skin, it also soothes, reduces itchiness and redness. On top of all that it works to make your barrier almost impenetrable to various skin aggressors.

And it does all this without water. A waterless moisturiser. What's that you say?

This petite tube couldn't have arrived at a more perfect time -- my face had been reduced to an itching, red mess and I didn't know what to do. In lieu of applying Dermalogica's UltraCalming Barrier Repair all over, I concentrated on the worst areas and hoped for the best and I only needed a tiny dollop.

The texture of the gel-like substance is silky soft. It's also colourless and unscented -- let's face it, the smell of roses wouldn't do anything to emotionally quell what's happening inside of us either.

After seven days of repeated use the itching disappeared, the mountainous bumps had receded, my skin grew softer and began to glow again. Did I also mention this stuff makes for a great makeup base? It really does.

If you'd like to learn more about your skin's barrier, here's an interesting read.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Dermalogica's UltraCalming Barrier Repair:

$48.97 AUS / $42.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

10 out of 10 bags — It's expensive, but it quickly became my miracle in a tube.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

Let's just work on getting my skin stronger and healthier and maybe we'll talk.

*PR sample provided – Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

May 18, 2014

Kicking off Skin Care week

May 18, 2014/ Nicole McIntyre

I can't tell you what's safe and not safe to use on your own body, because everyone's skin reacts differently. Further to that, what works for you might not work for me, but I am always happy to compare notes -- I love a good chin wag regarding beauty, hair and skin care products.

This week I'll be focusing on skin care products kindly sent to me for review. You see, I've had more ups than downs with my skin for the whole of my adult life and sometimes I wonder if things will get better or does my constant worrying perpetuate most of my skin ailments?

Oh, and what I thought was a rosacea flare up turned out to be dermatitis. Sexy, eh? And it only cost me somewhere around $300 to figure that one out (all spent in one day, mind you -- so much for getting those Charlotte Olympia Kitty flats).

As a result, I culled my skin care regimen (it's nothing fancy, promise) out of fear and went back to basics. Since walking out of the doctor's office I've been mainly using Cetaphil's cleanser and moisturiser and thankfully the redness, itching and bumps have mostly subsided.

In no particular order, here's what we'll be taking a closer look at: