Mastering Your Makeup: May 2016

Bioderma Launches HYDRABIO Range!

Good evening lovelies,

You’re probably reading this in the daytime as this will be scheduled while I’m in work but today I want to talk about more skincare products I’ve been trying out.

I won’t lie to you all, I’m struggling at the moment to find the time to try all the skincare stuff I’ve been sent lately and I’m not sure my skin is enjoying it as much as it should be. To be fair to the review I want to give you all the information from the press release on the new Bioderma Hyrabio Range

Bioderma Launches HYDRABIO Range: New dimension for Hydration

The leading French dermocosmetics brand launches skincare range specially formulated for INTENSE Hydration and RADIANCE for dehydrated and sensitive skin.

Laboratoire Bioderma continues to create excitement in the Irish market with the launch of their HYDRABIO skincare range - an answer for those who are looking for a radiant complexion, exceptional hydration and an unprecedented sensory appeal.

As well as hydrating properties, women are looking for instant yet long-lasting results: skin that feels comfortable, looks visibly smoother and appears more radiant. Scientific data has shown that external factors such as pollution, UV rays, temperature variations and stress, coupled with increasingly urban lifestyles, can leave your skin dehydrated and sensitised.

The HYDRABIO range has been formulated to stimulate the skin's cellular capacities and reactivate its natural hydration process. By observing the skin’s natural hydration mechanisms, reinforced by advanced research, Bioderma has developed a formula that is able to innovate and offer a new dimension to hydration –their unique, patented complex, Aquagenium© combined with a physiological lamellar emulsion.

Found in the full range of HYDRABIO products, the Aquagenium© patent containing Vitamin PP and apple seed extract stimulates the synthesis of aquaporins and inter-corneocyte lipids, making it possible for the natural moisturising factors to properly carry out their role. Mimicking the moisturising action of the skin, Aquagenium© restores the skin’s optimal functional capacities while the physiological lamellar emulsion reinforces the skin’s lipid barrier and encourages the active ingredients in the HYDRABIO Aquagenium© patent to penetrate more deeply into the skin.

By placing biology at the service of dermatology, the HYDRABIO range provides hydration, radiance and a sensory experience in one single, skin-safe product. The HYDRABIO range will be available in independent pharmacies nationwide from the 4^th of April 2016.

Hydrabio H20 250ml RRP €11.50

This cleansing and make-up removing micellar water guarantees unrivalled tolerance and comfort for optimum make-up removing efficacy that respects the fragility of sensitive skin while stimulating moisture. Its fatty acid esters, the constituent elements of micelles, are similar to the phospholipids of the skin cell membranes and naturally help rebuild the skin's hydrolipidic film. Moreover, its Aquagenium exclusive biological patent retrains the skin to activate its natural moisturising capacities by stimulating the production of aquaporins and water channels in the skin.

Hydrabio Sérum 40ml RRP €22.00

Tailored to very dehydrated skin, Hydrabio Sérum is designed to retrain the skin to moisturise itself . Generating instant and long-lasting hydration, the sérum can be used alone or combined with another treatment in the Hydrabio range. Thanks to the the innovative formula of complex Aquagenium and hyaluronic acid, this serum instantly boosts hydration and restores radiance whilst simultaneously provideing a long lasting smooth and moisturising effect.

Hydrabio Gel-Crème 40ml RRP €18.50

This hydrating gel is designed for dehydrated sensitive normal to combination skin with lack of radiance.The formula helps to smooth the skins texture and reveal its radiance while providing a sensation of freshness, softness and comfort. Formulated with the patented biological complex Aquagenium, the gelpenetrates deeply and the skin regains its natural hydration capacities demonstrating intense radiance

For more information about the brand, go to: www.bioderma.com

Follow Them: @BiodermaIE

Like Them: www.facebook.com/BiodermaIreland

The launch event was so much fun, I headed along to The Morgan Hotel in Dublin City Centre and was met with beautifully blue mocktails and loads of tall glasses with what looked like water and loads of bubbles inside. My good friend Cat from Big Blonde Girl and I had a great time meeting some familiar faces and also getting to hear all about the latest release.

I was really interested in this brand as although I don't suffer with dry skin I have learned that dehydrated skin is something very different. I loved the feel of the products, light and almost water like so you can imagine your skin drinking in the products the minute you use them. The beautiful Tara O Farrell from Tara Makeup was on hand to match either the gel cream or the cream to your skin as your sample to take home.

So how have I gotten on? Well so good in fact I am almost finished my products, I loved them! The serum and the moisturiser I used on my face daily. I am not a fan of heavy products at all on my face, I don't mind in the nighttime to treat your face to a rich cream but I find if it's too heavy I'll actually take it off again before bed and add a lighter one, unless I'm too tired to care I hate to think of my skin all blocked up with cream.

I think I liked the serum the best, I don't really know much about serum, I have used them from time to time and sure they seem to make a difference and some can be used a primer but as I said earlier in this post I really think the serum was like a drink for my skin, and a drink I didn't even know I had such a thirst for.

The pricing on the products are really mid-range, some may find them expensive but Bioderma are perfectionists if nothing else honestly, there's something so good about this brand it has people raving left right and centre. As we all know I am a massive Ziaja skincare fan but over the last 12 months I've found a real love for Bioderma and I'm thrilled to have stocked up on their Factor 50 body spray sun care. I burn way too easily so I never risk my skin, it smells fab and reminds me of a brilliant holiday to Portugal last year so delighted to have another amazing product from Bioderma to use.

If you are in need of some hydrating products then I really do recommend Bioderma's new Hydrabio range and be sure to pick up one of the mini micellar waters, they're super cute!!

17:07:00
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#FlashbackFriday Bridal Makeup with Collette Griffin MUA in Waterford

Beauty

11:23:00
3 Comments

Green Angel Seaweed & Teatree Rescue Cream- Review

Beauty

Hi Lovelies,

Have you heard of Green Angel Skincare?

“Green Angel creams and essential oils are based on the fusion of two ancient therapies – Thalassotherapy and Aromatherapy. Thalassotherapy refers to the variety of treatments that use seawater and seaweed to tone, moisturise and revitalise the mind and body and to improve circulation.

Seaweed is packed with vitamins, minerals, iodine trace elements and iron and has huge therapeutic benefits. It is especially beneficial to people who suffer from skin problems such as acne, eczema, psoriasis and rosacea.

Seaweed is made up of almost the same composition as human blood plasma, and because of this the body can absorb the vitamins and minerals quickly and effectively. The seaweed used in all Green Angel products comes from the west coast of Ireland and is meant to be one of the purest waters in the world.

Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils. The oils are derived from plants and are chosen for their individual healing and therapeutic benefits in treating skin conditions, enhancing beauty, promoting wellness and bringing balance to mind, body and soul. The oils penetrate the pores of the skin and cell membranes and absorbs into the blood and tissue providing tremendous benefits.

So by combining Irish Seaweed and Natural Essential Oils and using this as a base, it gives Green Angel a 21st century superior range of ‘top to toe’ skin care products - many of these are award winning , such as the Green Angel Hand Cream, Night Cream , Eye Gel, Body Cream and Body Smoother”

There ya have it a little blurb on Green Angel it’s a fantastic Irish company which has seen itself grow in products and fans over the last couple of years. I was sent a beautiful package from Green Angel a few weeks back to road test one of their latest products for the face, the Seaweed and Tea Tree Rescue Cream. Let’s take a look at what’s in this cream and what are my thoughts on it.

Seaweed & Tea Tree Rescue Cream

Green Angel Seaweed & Tea Tree Rescue Cream combines the therapeutic and rejuvenative benefits of Irish Seaweed with Tea Tree essential oil, renowned as a natural antiseptic. This gives a powerful formulation which will help soothe, preserve and heal the skin. This powerful Rescue cream can be a gentle method of helping to control skin irritations and problems such as acne, eczema psoriasis, rosacea, cold sores, athlete’s foot, insect bites, minor cuts, scrapes or scratches. Gentle enough to use on all skin types.

Essential Oils / Active Ingredients:

Tea Tree Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Vitamin E, Chamomile, Lavender, Comfrey and Ginseng Extracts, Irish Seaweed Extracts (Bladder Wrack, Toothed Wrack, Carrageen, Knotted Wrack) Sea Lavender Extract. Size-50ml Price €20 in Pharmacies nationwide.

All green angel products are also available on www.greenagel.com

I am a smell person, I have said that time and time again on this blog and I absolutely love the smell of tea tree. I think it’s from being a child I think for me it’s the smell of healing, of something getting better. To me, tea tree is a clean smell so when I opened the jar of face cream I was delighted you can actually smell the tea tree.

I also feel I was the right candidate to test this product over the last few weeks as my skin hasn’t been the best. I think this is down to too much stress and poor diet, it’s on the way to getting better and I really do feel this cream has helped. It’s used very sparingly on the skin so the €20 jar will last you ages. I feel it’s very good value.

I already own the seaweed and aloe eye gel, I like to keep it in the fridge so it’s lovely and cold in the morning to soothe my sleepy eyes and in the evenings it’s so nice after the stress and strain of daily life.

This new rescue cream is a really good product if you're conscious about the type of products you are putting on your face. Sometimes when we have spots we go attacking our skin with really harsh products that will only cause damage to the rest of our skin if these harsh chemicals are put on them to solve only one problem. As I said earlier, I use this product really sparingly, I only use it on the areas of my face that need it. You just apply a thin layer and gently rub it into the skin. I have used it on the problems areas on my face and continue to to do when they flare up again.

I also had a gift set from Green Angel I won at a Bloggers event a couple of years back which included a soap a hand cream and a body lotion and I loved them all. I think if I was to choose one treat for myself from Green Angel I would next try the Seaweed and Apricot Facial Scrub as it just sounds like something my face would love, getting rid of all the dead skin cells leaving my face all clean and radiant...yep deffo me!

Be sure to check out all the Green Angel Skincare products on www.greenangelskincare.co.uk on twitter @GreenAngelSkin

15:29:00
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Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque thanks to Elaine's Beauty

Beauty

Hello lovely people,

I love facials….I especially love Dermalogica facials. You’ll know this if you have been following the blog. I am a sucker for a relaxing facial time. I have been to Laura's Beauty Rooms in Wexford and I recently visited a beautiful salon Amia in Dalkey for a Dermalogica facial. Both of these facials were extremely similar as they are tailor made to your skin's needs. I was given samples from the first facial in Wexford so I went and stocked up on the whole range needed for my face afterwards. Dermalogica is an investment for your skin so you do need to save to buy the whole range as when you use all the products together you’ll see fantastic results.

My brow wiz Louise has just brought in Dermalogica to her salon in Waterford the infamous LuluBelleBeauty. I’ll be heading there Saturday two weeks the 14^th for another HD brow treatment and have also booked myself in for a neck back and shoulder massage. I have been feeling so sore in my muscles lately I think a lot of it is from moving out of the apartment and not having my two weekly Lush bubble baths so I’m really excited for that treat and to ask Louise how all is going with Dermalogica in the salon.

Bringing me back to today’s product however, the sample came from the most talented nail tech in the world Miss Elaine from Elaine’s Beauty. All you have to do is follow my Instagram and you’ll agree her nail skills are just amazing. Elaine is also what is known as a Dermalogica expert. Elaine stocks the full range of Dermalogica products and constantly trains with them. Elaine always tells me the importance of staying up to date with current ranges, refreshing training needs to ensure that your clients are getting the best care with their skin. I can’t count the amount of times Elaine has been on trainings for the brands she stocks in her salon, you couldn’t feel safer with your skin in her hands.

When I recently visited Elaine for my next set of Disney inspired nails she offered me a sample of the new Charcoal Rescue Masque. Of course I was really intrigued, as I said I’m a big fan of Dermalogica, I use my daily microfoliant every day, if you haven’t heard of this product and you struggle with exfoliating your skin you need it. It’s really gentle on the face but clearly effective as in if I don’t use this product I will see the change in my skin very quickly and it’s not at all for the better. Elaine is always on top of the skin game and as my Dermalogica products have begun to run out I am tirelessly saving to be able to buy the whole lot again so I can stay on top of my face.

Masques are a really important part of good skincare so let’s take a look at the new Charcoal Rescue Masque:

This is an all in one detoxifying masque.

Fast-acting, easy-to-remove masque rescues tired, lackluster or dull skin. Activated Binchotan Charcoal powerfully adsorbs impurities while Sulfur promotes cell turnover for dramatically brighter skin.

How to use this masque:

After cleansing, apply generously to face and throat, avoiding the eye area. After 7 to 10 minutes, lightly massage with very wet hands to enhance exfoliation properties during removal. Rinse thoroughly.

My thoughts:

As I said before I really like facials and home masques are a real treat. I always make sure to give myself enough time to do a masque and I never wear makeup after doing a masque so it’s usually in the night time so when I go to sleep my skin can regenerate to the best of its ability and the product really gets a fair chance to settle on my skin.

I have used the sample and was able to get two full faces out of it and a third not so full face, I was thrilled I got more than one masque because you guessed it…I love the masque! To be totally fair and honest there is not a single product from Dermalogica I have not liked unfortunately it’s the price tag that kills me as I just want too much and can’t always buy it just when I want it.

I really like that the masque gets hard on the face, although more liquid masques of course settle on the skin, I just never feel there are as good. I am a very tactile person so the fact you put the masque on and it’s cold liquid smoothed across your face once it hardens and you clean it off properly you just feel so super clean, it’s a really brilliant feeling.

The masque will cost you around €48 for the bottle but it says you will get between 12-15 applications. It’s not a product you have to layer onto the skin, if anything I think you will just be wasting the product so I would say for 15 application it only works out at €3.20 a masque which isn’t really much at all.

If you have tried this masque or any other from Dermalogica then I’d love to hear from you. I have tried and absolutely loved the skin hydrating masque as it ticks all the boxes for my skin needs at the moment and some nights I’ll even leave it on overnight to let my skin drink it up.

Dermalogica is a stunning brand with seriously good quality products, it's an investment in your skin and you will really see the difference when used consistently.

16:28:00
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Seventeen Cosmetics Summer Fun!

Beauty

Hello Lovelies,

Don’t you just love when the sun starts to shine? Well I do…those longer evenings coming in, things starting to feel just that little bit warmer it’s all just so lovely.

Sometimes you just get good pics

A few weeks back another lovely thing happened, a package arrived in from Seventeen Cosmetics. Seventeen is a brand that has been around since I first started to wear makeup in my teens and seem to be getting more and more popular lately.

Press release that came with package

I was really intrigued by the package, two of the products the Skin Wow Concealers look so like the high end YSL touche éclat illuminating concealers and the new Stay Pout Just a Fling nude lipstick is the perfect shade for me.

The Skin Wow Primer is an illuminating skin base, something I looked forward to trying even though I haven’t had the best luck with them to date. I find that when you have oily skin, illuminating the skin can make it feel like there’s more oil on it. Something you can feel like you’re adding to the grease factor so using it just on the cheekbones can be your safest bet. Some people like mix a drop of this into their foundation for an all over glow but that’s not for me I’m afraid so I’ll stick to the smaller areas.

I have been carrying around the nude lippy in my bag for weeks now, always topping up during the day as it’s so moisturising a nice change from all the matte madness going on. I do love matte lips but it’s more the look of them I like than the actual feeling so this lipstick is the perfect balance.

The price point on Seventeen Makeup is completely highstreet with the highest price of the new pieces being only €8.49. This for a face illuminating primer is exceptional value considering so many high end versions are available and people who are unsure if they will suit their skin go out and pay a fortune for them before knowing if it will suit them at all.

I'm a great believer in value. I like to think that if I am paying for something it will work on me, of course that doesn't always happen but you can live in hope. I also don't believe that every high end expensive product is needed for personal use. Kits for professionals are different, I don't think it's ok to use a lot of high street makeup on a client when they are paying you for a service but when people are interested in trying a new technique such as illuminating the skin then refer them to a high street brand first.

I really like these new products, I find the concealers so light on the skin they will be perfect for summer, as I've already said the other products are really working well for me but I have to admit as always it's a nude lipstick that steals the show for me. I just think it's beautiful and so nice on my skin.

I hope you enjoyed this quick look and review at the latest products from Seventeen makeup and if you have tried them let me know what I should be trying next. I've heard the foundation is doing really well with bloggers in Ireland lately.