SkinB5 Acne Control Cleansing Mousse

After giving birth to my daughter last month my poor hormonal skin was in need of some serious attention to clear it up. I've always suffered from acne in one form or another and being in my mid 30's now it can get a little bit depressing sometimes when I think that my skin should be past all that.

I'd been waiting to use this SkinB5 Acne Control Cleansing Mousse I was sent to try out as soon as I wasn't pregnant anymore and over the past four weeks I've been using it every day.

The SkinB5 Acne Control Cleansing Mousse is part of the SkinB5 Acne Control Program which also consists of their Extra Strength Acne Control Tablets, an Acne Control Moisturiser, Acne Control Caplets and a Skin Purifying Mask.

The mousse contains a soothing combination of Green Tea, Vitamin B5 and Aloe Vera to refine the texture of the skin as well as Salicylic Acid to prevent further breakouts.

The SkinB5 mousse feels nice and gentle on my face and while it doesn't really lather up too much when being used, it's still easy to spread around on the skin and doesn't irritate or make my face feel tight or sensitive at all after cleansing.

The mousse has a very subtle scent to it that is in no way overpowering and two pumps is all you really need to adequately cleanse the entire face and neck area.

My skin was a mix of very itchy and sensitive acne as well as having very large pores with a lot of blackheads. After using this mousse for the past four weeks it has cleared up considerably and is starting to look a lot smoother, less red and a lot less oily. I have noticed some small dry sections where my skin was affected the worst but these areas are not sore or irritated at all and after I complete my usual moisturising routine of a night they are barely able to be seen.

SkinB5 is Australian made and owned and was started by acne sufferers.They have a very informative website that explains their entire acne control system as well as giving additional information on all of the products available.

If you have suffered from acne and haven't found that wonder product that works for you yet, I highly recommend giving this one a go. Considering the difference I have noticed with only using one part of the entire system, I can imagine that if all of the recommended products are used in harmony together then the result would be even better.

Has anyone else tried these products yet? Does anyone else get as excited to try Australian owned and made skincare products as I do??

Have a great weekend!

Michelle xx

Beautyheaven Best in Beauty Awards 2014

Australian votes reveal best beauty products of 2014

Last week the Winners of the Best in Beauty awards 2014 were announced by leading Australian beauty website beautyheaven.com.au. Nearly 2000 votes from across the country were submitted for most loved and effective beauty products, showing what is really in makeup cases and bathroom cabinets of Australia.

The beautyheaven Best in Beauty awards show top beauty products Australian women simply can’t live without from a huge range of price point and brands, ranging from the most expensive Crem de la mer by La Mer to the most cost effective Ulta3 nail colour. Overall, Benefit and Garnier swept up the most awards with three products each in the make-up, skincare and hair categories. 

Commenting on the awards, Olivia Mackinnon, Hair Editor of beautyheaven, says: “A record number of people voted in this year’s Best in Beauty awards, picking out products that are consistently reliable and essential to beauty regimes. The Best in Beauty awards help men and women across Australia determine the crème-de-la-crème of what is out there, discovering the hidden beauty essentials of others along the way!”

There are over 60 winning products across 12 categories, chosen from over 1,100 nominees. There were some recognisable names which held onto their titles from last year’s Best in Beauty awards including Benefit Hoola as Best Bronzer and ghd eclipse as Best Straightener, as well as some new names including Morrocoanoil Original Treatment claiming Best Hair Treatment and Dr. Lewinn’s Day Cream winning Best Day Moisturiser.

Olivia Mackinnon, Hair Editor at beautyheaven.com.au, adds: “The Best in Beauty awards are about establishing and rewarding cult products, so it makes sense that some of the winners are those that have made their way into the hands and hearts of consumers and win time and time again.”

beautyheaven members submitted reviews and gave products star ratings for their favourite nominees, with an additional secret ballot to reveal the most highly regarded products in each category. Everyone across Australia is encouraged to join the conversation to express their opinions on the winners, nominees and runners-up using the hashtag #bhbestinbeauty.

Makeup

Best Eyeshadow - Maybelline NY Color Tattoo                    

Best Eye Line - Maybelline NY Master Precise Liquid Liner

Best Mascara - Benefit They’re Real Mascara

Best Lashes - Ardell Lashes #120     

Best Lip Line - Innoxa Invisible Lip Shaper

Best Lip Gloss - Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour

Best Lip Plumper - Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine

Best Lip Balm - Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm

Best Lipstick - YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick       

Best Blush - M.A.C Blush      

Best Brow Product - Benefit Gimme Brow   

Best Bronzer - Benefit Hoola 

Best Illuminator - YSL Touche Eclat 

Best Concealer - Maybelline NY FITme Concealer  

Best Foundation - Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup        

Best BB Cream - Garnier Skin Naturals Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream

Best Primer - L'Oreal Paris Base Magique Primer   

Best Make-Up Tool - Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler   

Best Make-Up Remover - Garnier Skin Naturals Micellar Water

           

Skincare        

Best Exfoliant - Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant       

Best Face Mask - Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask      

Best Day Moisturiser - Dr. Lewinn’s Day Cream Moisturiser

Best Night Moisturiser - Nuxe Creme Prodigieuse Nuit       

Best Age Management Product - Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Syncronized Recovery Complex II

Best Spot Treatment - La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+]    

Best Eye Treatment - Strivectin Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles       

Best Wash/Cleanser - Cetaphil - Gentle Skin Cleanser        

Best Face Wipes - WOTNOT Facial Wipes  

Best Toner - Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner      

Best Skin Care Device - Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System     

Best Skin Tone Corrector - Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+           

Best Treatment Product - Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil      

Hair    

Best Hair Treatment - Moroccanoil Original Treatment        

Best Shampoo - Fudge Clean Blonde Shampoo      

Best Conditioner - Aveda Invati™ Thickening Conditioner   

Best Hair Colour - Garnier Olia Hair Color    

Best Curler - muk Haircare muk Curl Stick  

Best Straightener - ghd eclipse          

Best Dry Shampoo - Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk  

Best Hair Dryer - Philips Pro Dryer   

Best Styling Product - Wella System Professional LuxeOil Reconstructive Elixir   

Best Hair Accessory - Lady Jayne Bun Styl'r

To see a full list of winners across all categories please visit:

http://www.beautyheaven.com.au/hair/hair-treatments-masks/best-in-beauty-2014-winners-announced-13622

What do you think? Did any of your favourites make the list? Are there any products on there that surprise you?

Have a great week!

Michelle xx

Natures Beauty Bag - November 2013

So there's a new subscription service in town called Natures Beauty Bag, and being the subscription junkie that I am I couldn't help but subscribe and see what it was like for myself.

Natures Beauty Bag specialises in organic and natural products which is something that I personally am so excited about. Here is a little bit about them which I grabbed from their website:

'We launched Natures Beauty Bag because we feel that everyone should experience quality natural and organic beauty products.

We strive to provide a variety of beauty product samples which benefit your health, beauty and general wellbeing and we believe in only providing our customers with the best.

We only provide products samples that we honestly and truly take pride in and every product is something that we ourselves would use.'

So, here is what came in the November bag:

1)  Ultra C Radiance Serum - This is a Rosehip Oil based serum rich in Vitamin C, Goji Berry, Co Enzyme Q10 & Chia Seed. I can't wait to try this out!

2) Rebifresh Cleansing Oil - This is a blend of Olive, Citrus and Apricot oils, plus certified organic lemon-scented Tea Tree. I've never had the greatest experiences with cleansing oil but will certainly give this one a go.

3) Australian Bush Essence Intensive Eye Serum - This is an organic eye serum which contains Australian Bush Flower Essences and Rose Stem Cells to care for the delicate tissue around the eyes. I've been paying particular attention to ensuring I am vigilent with applying an eye cream on a daily basis lately so will be interested to see how this one goes.

4) Maeve Mineral Vitality Face Serum - This serum contains regenerative and anti-inflammatory ingredients and is said to be perfect for environmentally stressed and mature skin. That's me in a nutshell so this is definitely on my 'try next' list.

5) Cherry Brown Natural Mineral Lipstick - These lipsticks are made with pure ingredients including apricot kernel oil and extra virgin macadamia oil. They are free from animal testing, petroleum products, palm oil in any form, animal ingredients, chemical additives, parabens, preservatives, synthetic dyes and colours, micronised ingredients and nanoparticles (Phew!) I received one in the shade 'Hot Pink' and it sure is what the name suggests, a super duper bright pink. I'll give a separate review and show some swatches in a future post so stay tuned.

6) Absolutely Gorgeous Organic Lip Balm - I have used a lot of Absolutely Gorgeous products in the past and have always been impressed. This lip balm is 100% organic and is in the flavour 'Coconut & Lime' which isn't too overpowering or sickly at all. I am a bit of a lip balm addict so will definitely get a lot of use out of this.

7) Morlife Greens Rush Bar - These bars contain a serve of Alkalising Greens pH7.3 powder and give an antioxidant equivalent of 5 serves of vegetables and fruit. They come in three different flavours being Banana Tropicana, Pineapple Zest and Cacao Mint. I received the Cacao Mint one and am intrigued enough to try it out soon.

 The list of included products comes on lovely recycled paper as shown above.

There was also a huge amount of product brochures and discount vouchers included as well to give you all the information you could want on the products received.

Overall I'm very happy with the Natures Beauty Bag and will definitely continue subscribing for the near future. It only comes every two months as well which I guess is a bit more practical as you get a bit more time to use each product before being bombarded with more.

Natures Beauty Bag is $29.95 every two months and you can either purchase a one-off bag is you like or purchase am ongoing subscription.

What does everyone think of the Natures Beauty Bag? Has anyone else subscribed to it yet?


Have a great weekend.

Michelle xx 

MitoQ - Review and Free Trial Offer

Over the past few weeks I have been using a new cream which is called MitoQ.

For those of you who may be like I was and not have a clue as to what MitoQ is, here is a little bit of info:

'MitoQ is a patented next generation CoQ cream that is 1000 times more active than leading CoQ topical formulations to protect your skin cells from oxidative damage. MitoQ enhances and restores your natural antioxidant defenses and is scientifically proven to enhance and rejuvenate your skin. MitoQ has a lightening and brightening effect reducing blemishes and gives you younger looking skin.'

MitoQ comes in a very luxe looking bottle with a pump dispenser. It's a very lightweight cream that is easy to smooth over the skin and absorbs super fast without leaving any sort of greasy feeling behind. I find that my skin feels extremely soft and totally moisturised after application and I have been using this cream both morning and night after cleansing my face. It has a light but pleasant scent that isn't too overpowering and isn't really noticeable after it has been on for a few minutes.

Since using this cream twice a day I've found the texture of my skin seems to have smoothed out a bit and I don't seem to suffer from as many blemishes anymore (being summer where the grease factor of the skin is amped up this is a huge bonus in itself!) I've also noticed that my skintone seems to have evened out as well and I don't seem to have as much redness in my cheek area like I used to.

For the first time in my life I've been able to get away with just using a bit of pressed powder on my face (and maybe some concealer under the eyes) on most days. For me this is great in this hot weather we have been having rather than needing to wear foundation which always feels so heavy this time of year.

I have to say that I haven't really noticed any improvement in my fine lines but maybe I'm just too critical when I look at those areas of my face.

I do have one gripe regarding this cream, and that's the fact that it doesn't contain an SPF. In my opinion this is the only factor that makes using this cream a little bit painful because if I'm going anywhere I have to make sure I put a sunscreen over the top.

Free Trial Offer:
Currently, MitoQ are offering a certain number of people in Australia the ability to trial their cream for free. All you need to do is visit their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Mitoq?fref=ts, like them and let them know you're interested in trialing MitoQ and they could be in touch!

You can also find out a bit more about MitoQ on their website at http://www.mitoq.com/.

Has anyone else had the chance to try this cream yet?

Michelle


***This product was provided for review but my opinions are always honest***

Models Prefer Intense Moisture Deep Comfort Moisturiser

Being a long-time fan of Models Prefer makeup products I was super excited when I found out that they have now released a new skincare line.

I was lucky enough to receive the Intense Moisture Deep Comforting Moisturiser to try and have been using it for quite a while now and I can truthfully say that I really like it.

Intense Moisture is a rich emulsion suitable as a night cream for every skin type, or as an all day moisturiser for dry skin.

It contains the innovative MP aquaFLEX system which restores the skin's natural aquaporins that regulate hydration levels and promote collagen synthesis, for maximum skin moisture and a youthful complexion.

The formula is also enriched with MP Comfort, a mix of active ingredients that help improve long term moisture levels and soothe sensitive skin.

It comes in a sturdy, thick, square plastic jar with a screw top lid and is a really nice looking product to have sitting in the bathroom.

It's a very thick and rich white cream with a floral scent that is so subtle it's almost practically undetectable.

I've been using this cream at night every second day in between using my Skin Doctors No More Pores Night Treatment and find that it absorbs nice and quickly without leaving my face feeling greasy. It's a bit too thick for me to use as a day cream this time of year (summer in Australia) but would most likely be a great skin saviour in winter when dry patches seem to always rear their head.

I don't get any breakouts from using this cream and definitely feel no irritation after use. My skin feels extremely moisturised and lovely and soft after application and keeps this softness until morning.

I'm really interested in trying more from this new skincare range now.

Have you tried anything from the new Models Prefer skincare range yet?

Michelle xx

 

*** This product was provided for consideration but my opinions are always my own***