Review: Elixir Skincare

Today the courier came guess what it was?

Some samples from Elixir Skincare!

Let's have a look:

Elixir Balancing Toner

Product Description:

Use this gentle toner after cleansing to remove any residue, restore pH balance, stimulate circulation, reduce oiliness and refine open pores.

Spritz face until skin is damp then tissue off excess, or spray toner onto cotton pad and gently wipe facial area. For normal to combination skin.

Size:100ml/ 250ml

INGREDIENTS: Distilled water, rose oil concentrate, vitamin E acetate, Santalum album (sandalwood), Lavandula officinalis (lavender)

A mild, odourless toner that is not harsh on the skin and purifies.

Elixir Balancing Cleanser

Use this light, balancing milk-based cleanser morning and evening to remove pollutants and dirt.

Apply to skin and massage in with fingertips to cleanse. Rinse well with water or remove gently with damp cotton pad. For normal to combination skin.

INGREDIENTS: Vegetable-based carrier lotion and carrier cream, water gel, surfactant, Santalum album (sandalwood), Lavandula officinalis (lavender)

Just like the toner, except this a cleanser and milkier. Lavender scented and gentle, but left my skin a bit dry afterwards.

Elixir Derma Gel Treatment Cream

Soothe, hydrate and purify your skin with this activating and rejuvenating treatment.

Massage liberally onto cleansed and toned skin. To treat dry skin, leave on overnight. For an oily complexion, leave on for 10 minutes and then rinse off with warm water and damp cotton pad; follow with night moisturiser. Suitable for all skin types.

Size: 50ml/125ml

INGREDIENTS: Aloe ferox, vegetable-based carrier cream, water gel, vitamin E oil, Eriocephalus punctulatus (Cape chamomile), Lippia javanica (zinziba)

Moisturised my skin quite a bit, happpy with the quality. Great texture.

Balancing Night Moisturiser

Product Description:

This rich formulation firms and nourishes your complexion while you sleep.

Apply after cleansing and toning face and neck. Gently massage in with fingertips, using upward movements. For normal to thirsty skin.

Size: 50ml/125ml

INGREDIENTS: Vegetable-based carrier cream and thickened carrier cream, sweet almond oil, carrier milk, Aloe ferox, Santalum album (sandalwood), Lavandula officinalis (lavender)

Another lavender scented night cream, it left me feeling confident in nourished skin before bed!

Multi Active Enzyme Exfoliator

Product Description:

Repairs damaged skin, antibacterial. Feeds skin, gently exfoliates and refines pores for a smoother skin.

This exceptional skin treatment exfoliator offers a mild skin peel that gently exfoliates using the lightly stimulating action of bamboo granules, fruit acids and papaya enzymes.  Rich in antioxidants, it repairs stressed and damaged skin. Aloe ferox gel fees the freshly exfoliated skin, offering a smoother, brighter complexion. Perfectly suited to mature or delicate skins, and gentle enough for frequent use. Can be used on all skin types.

Very impressed by this product, it removed dead skin cells on my face, causing me to reappear with more radiant, brighter skin.

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Thanks for allowing me to try out these tender products, Elixir Skincare!

For more info, be sure to check them out in the link below:

http://elixirskincare.com/

SoyLites Candles Review

Thank you to the SoyLites team for sending me these amazing goodies!

This is the review of the two different SoyLites candles that I received, but first;

About SoyLites Candles

* Crafted using 100% natural, premium raw ingredients 
* Completely free of chemicals, parabens and petroleum ingredients 
* Our craftsmanship ensures a longer, cleaner, soot-free burn 
* Doubles up as a moisturising body candle 
* Made with cosmetic-grade, non-GMO soybean oil 
* Many health benefits for skin when applied 
* Beautifully scented with aromatherapy oils 
* Vegan endorsed - no beeswax 
* Not tested on animals 







The first candle that I'll be speaking about is the SoyLites Votive candle in INDULGENCE WITH VANILLA, GRAPEFRUIT, GINGER. 



This is a luxurious blend of warm scents, but has a top-coat smell of fresh vanilla. This is a luxury massage candle. The amazing thing about these candles is that when burning, it forms a pool of smooth oil, not wax. This oil is beneficial because it's rich in Vitamin E and lecithin, so you can easily use this candle to the full extent by massaging the oil into problem areas of your body. Talk about multipurpose!

When lit this candle gives off an aromatic scent that makes me as if I'm in an Arabic spa! 
I have to praise this candle for it's amazing smell because none of the spas I've been to(and I've been to quite a few!) have ever smelled as good as my room did when I lit this candle.

The next candle is a bit on the lighter, brighter side; SoyLites Original Soy Candle in HARMONY WITH ROSE, GERANIUM, JASMINE 


 

My first impression was "OMG the packaging is so pretty!", so that was already enough to get me excited about the smell. The scent has a fresh, out-the-shower sweetness to it. It is very feminine. The aroma of this beauty filled my room before I lit it, making a strong statement that says 'Though I am soft, I am strong!'


If I had to chose a favourite?

My favourite out of the two would definitely be the Harmony. Besides the smell, the oil lubricated my skin and lasted longer than the Soy Massage Votive Candle.

Would I recommend? 

Yes I would recommend this product to everyone, especially to the beauty therapists! It's already my goal to go out and buy the rest of the range. I suggest that everyone get their hands on a SoyLites candle ASAP!

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A huge thank you to SoyLites

Find out more about them here:

https://www.soylites.co.za/

AFRIDERM Peeling Gel Review

I recently received this peeling gel from Afriderm.

Product Description:

This exfoliating Peeling Gel can be used daily by all shades of dark-pigmented skin to deeply cleanse and encourage the natural process of skin renewal. The Peeling Gel gently removes dry, dull and dead cells from the skins surface to encourage natural skin regeneration. Used regularly, it leaves skin clear, silky-soft, healthy and youthful looking. Made from a soothing complex of herbal oils and extracts.

Features :

1. Active face care especially formulated for dark-pigmented skin
2. Exfoliates: Deeply but gently removes dry and dull skin cells
3. Regenerates: Encourages the natural process of skin renewal
4. Moisturizes: Helps create silkier and softer skin
5. Soothes: Calms stressed skin and helps fight signs of aging
6. Protects: Guards against ashy-looking skin
7. Best of Natural Ingredients: Coenzyme 10, Aloe Vera, Chamomile & Ginkgo, Biloba Extracts plus Evening Primrose, Grape Seed and Borage Seed (Omega 3 & 6) Herbal Oils.

• Cleansing Perfection
• Facial-Intensive Care
• For Dark Pigmented Skin
• Gentle exfoliation to create smooth, clear, attractive skin tones & texture!

Cleanses and prevents the build-up of dead and dry cells on the skin’s surface.

Accelerates natural, fresh cell renewal and guards against dry “ashy-looking” skin appearance.

Contains natural herbal extracts and non-irritating moisture-enhancing ingredients.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile Flower), Extract, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf, Extract, Coix Lacryma-Jobi (Job's Tears), Seed Oil, Borago Officinalis (Borage), Seed Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid,, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose)Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil,Parfum (Fragance),Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis(Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Algae Extract, Polysorbate 20, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Limonene, Linalol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional. PARABEN FREE.

My POV

Other than the amazing, elegant look that product gives off, it has a gentle feel.

When I first applied it to my skin, I expected it to burn around my nose and cheek area, like other peels and masks have done in the past. I left it on for one minute as stated, and probably took another two minutes to admire the fresh smell it gave off. When I washed it off with warm water, it cleansed off easily and my skin didn't feel dry afterwords. It felt tight around the cheek area. When I woke up in the morning, my skin felt smoother than ever and also had a radiant look to it! I will definitely be be adding this peel to my weekly skin routine.

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A big thank you to the Afriderm team! 

Find out more about them here:

www.afriderm.co.za

Review: MAC Chestnut Lip Pencil

MAC Chestnut Lip Pencil Review

Claims: A pencil designed for shaping, lining or filling in the lip. Lip Pencils have a smooth, creamy texture that is perfect for lining the lips or filling them in. They are long-lasting and available in a wide selection of colours that each work well with many different lipstick shades.

Chestnut is just a different shade of the same pencil . MAC describes Chestnut as intense brown. It is a dark chocolaty brown with slight burgundy undertones. It is not a shade for everyone. If you like to wear deep dark brown lipsticks, this may be a good shade for you. This could be a nice MLBB shade for those with chocolaty brown complexions. I do find this quite a mature-bold lip color.

The texture is creamy. Staying power on its own is 4 hours. Not moisturizing. Would accentuate the fine lines if worn without a lip balm. It is a sharp-enable pencil and sharpens pretty well with regular cosmetic sharpeners without breaking.

I couldn’t wear it on its own so I tried using it underneath very pale lipsticks colors. It adds color to the pale brown lipsticks and make them more wearable.

But overall I feel, it is a very peculiar shade. Not for everyone.

Why I Don't Use Pore Strips

I was a big fan of the “pore strips” from a lot of brands like Biore, Nivea, Tzone etc. Nivea has pore strips especially designed for the chin and forehead area too. At first, it seemed super exciting as to how this tiny strip would just remove all of my whiteheads and blackheads, but then my skin started to react awfully to these strips. After a long Google search and speaking with a few friends, who suffered the same reactions, I decided I need to inform you ladies about the same.

Usually, every brand recommends that we should use these strips once or twice every week. That being said, another research says we shouldn’t use these strips more than 3-4 times in a month. I followed all the instructions carefully and also took off the strip really carefully after it dried up. After a few months, I started noticing broken capillaries on the corners of my nose and on my chin. This is when I started searching online for remedies and causes. To my surprise, using pore strips can cause broken capillaries.

What are Capillaries?

These are the smallest blood vessels of our body that help in microcirculation of blood.  When these break, they appear as fine red threads of blood under the skin and are quiet visible. Broken capillaries occur when the capillary walls narrow  nd widen too quickly causing the muscles in the walls to tear. This in turn allows the blood to seep out resulting in broken capillaries.

How Can Pore Strips Cause Broken Capillaries?

The answer is simple. When you pull the pore strip off, no matter how slowly and carefully you’re doing it, you manage to damage the first layer of your skin. Your skin is pulled. The skin around your nose, cheekbones and chin is more sensitive than that of your forehead.

Broken Capillaries are permanent.  Luckily for me, there are just 2 tiny ones on my nose and 1 on my chin and aren’t very visible. I haven’t used pore strips ever since my horrible experience. I go for facials instead now; something that I got super broke or lazy to go for earlier.

Moreover, all this pulling and tugging of your skin by the pore strips tends to make your skin wrinkle faster according to a few studies. That’s not a surprise though since damaged skin ages faster than healthy skin.

Also, all those chemicals in the glue that help to get the blackheads out aren’t safe for your skin and I wouldn’t recommend using these strips religiously.

To conclude it all, pore strips definitely help to clear out your blackheads, but do they fight the main cause of the blackheads? No, they don’t. Blackheads usually appear in a few days to a week after using these strips leading you to getting hooked on to these strips and using them way too often. I would suggest sticking to regular facials which are safer for the skin and include proper exfoliation of the skin in your skin care regime.

Hope this review helps you ladies out and please don’t use those strips too often! Be nice to your skin.

SMASHBOX Contour Palette Dupe

The Smashbox ShapeMatters Palette takes things to a new level though by not only including contouring powders but eyeshadows as well for a complete look!

Smashbox ShapeMatters Palette gives you to tools to define and sculpt your face as well as brows and eyes!

This palette includes:

9 x Photo Op Eye Shadows in Vanilla, Totally Nude, Champagne, Stripped, Posh, Platinum, Sumatra, Aubergine, Blackout2 x Contour Powder in Bronze, Contour2 x Brow Tech Powder in Taupe, Soft BrownBrow Tech WaxDouble-Ended Shadow/Brow BrushInteractive Get The Look Cards (Brow, Shadow, Face)ShapeMatters inserts with basic shaping steps

I have managed to dupe this with the USHA Face Correction Palette, available at the local drugstores and at minimum cost, however.

Both palette's are definitely unique not only because it covers all aspects of your face (but you’ll have to add your own blush etc) but because of how easily both palettes blend regardless of branding.

USHA Cosmetics has definitely set itself apart with the Smashbox Palette as this isn’t only about contouring but also about correcting and blending.

You can grab the SMASHBOX Palette now at Sephora.com.