Dictionary: Paraben

Paraben - Parabens are a type of preservative used in most beauty products to make sure that they last as long as possible. They've had some pretty bad press in the past few months, following suggestions that parabens could cause illness in users.

Popular beauty company Simple, who pride themselves on creating harsh chemical-free products suitable even for the most sensitive skin, proclaim that parabens have been in use for over 50 years, having been certified as safe by several legitimate organisations. They also point out the fact that although the majority of modern parabens are manufactured, it's important to remember that parabens also occur naturally.

Paula Begoun agrees with Simple's reasoning, and backing up the notion that many media outlets are "scare mongering", has proclaimed that Parabens are indeed safe for use:

"Group of preservatives, including butylparaben, propylparaben, methylparaben, and ethylparaben, that are among the most widely used group of preservatives in cosmetics. It is estimated that more than 70% of all cosmetic products contain some form of paraben. Parabens are believed to cause less irritation than some preservatives and offer broad antifungal and good antibacterial activity.

Parabens have become a stigmatized group of preservatives due to their alleged relation to breast cancer. The Paula's Choice team has researched this issue extensively and come to the conclusion that parabens are not harmful ingredients consumers should avoid."

**Updated by Kat M 01/05/2011**

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Diet Coke Nail Polish Review

Anyone who has visited their local Boots store recently, might have spotted that if you purchase two 500ml bottles of Diet Coke, you will receive a free nail polish, thanks to the lovely pairing of Diet Coke with Nails inc.

Each of the polishes represent a different fashion capital: London, Paris, New York and Milan, with each coming in a different shade representing something about that city.

• London, is a brown-shade, that represents London's "cool" taste of fashion
• Paris, is a luscious plum colour, representing Paris' infamous air of romance
• New York, is a vibrant pink, representing the "city that never sleeps"
• Milan, is a fire hot red, representing the Italian passion

Which shade did I choose? As a British girl, I really wanted to want the brown shade, but I'll be honest, I couldn't help feel that the shade was a bit boring. I think I just personally prefer more vibrant colours, and I couldn't resist the purple one, mainly because purple is my favourite colour! Plus, I'm really not a pink type of girl, and red, well it just is not me!

Did the colour turn out like on the bottle? Weirdly, when I actually applied the product to my nails, the colour was a lot paler than I was expecting, from what I saw in the bottle. However, it does honestly dry darker. I'm not really sure how much I like the colour personally, but I'm hoping that with time, it'll grow on me (hopefully not like a disease!)

Did the polish last? No. To be honest, this polish seems really cheap, because it didn't take long for it to peel off several nails. This is something that I've only ever really experienced with cheap polishes. I think that the only way to get the polish to "stick" to your nails, is by coating your nails with a good base coat before applying this polish. I'm not sure if a top coat will help, because in the past, I've found that some top coats create a similar "peel off" effect.

Will I be getting another one? Probably not. None of the other colours appeal to me at all, and whilst I'm not familiar with Nails Inc's other polishes, this one just seemed so incredibly rubbish. But, if you're buying two bottles of Diet Coke anyway, who cares since the polishes are free?

The offer will be running in most Boots stores until the end of June.

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Nivea Firming Lotion Review

First of all, I'm really sorry that it has taken me so long to put this review up. Work has been crazy busy this week, and the weather has turned ridiculously hot! But, here it is.

I've actually had this bottle of Firming Lotion for about a year and a half (never opened), because I got it in a set of Nivea goodies, that was my Free Gift with my subscription of Psychologies Magazine. That's why, some of you might realise, that this is actually the old packaging. I believe that they have since re-designed it, and the bottle is now curvier than this one, but other than that, I'm pretty certain that the actually product is exactly the same.

Why did I finally decide to try this? I noticed recently that the skin on my legs, is really dry, especially where I shave. So, I decided that it would probably be a good idea to start taking care of the skin, not only on my legs, but my arms too. I've always had issues with my upper arms, because they've always had little bumps, and my skin has never been smooth there, and it's also a little "discoloured" if that's the way to put it. I'm certainly not very cofident about my upper arms.

I'd also recently noticed the advert on TV for this product, so I thought that I might as wellgive it a try. I wasn't really interested in gaining firm skin, and was more wanting softer skin.

First Thoughts: Well,it smells like you'd expect of Nivea. It's funny how all Nivea prodcts seem to all smell the same. For me, this isn't necessarily a good thing. It's not that I think the smell is bad, but more to do with the fact it's a bit strong sometimes,and just annoys me. This might sound silly, and I guess it is!!

My skin feels soft pretty much straight after using it, which is a really positive thing. But, is this a sign of a good moisturiser, or a a sign of bad skin? Not sure.

 What do I think now? The Directions advise using this after you've had a bath or shower, which makes sense, because I often find that showering dries my skin out. However, I've found that this lotion never really dries properly, so I kinda came to the conclusion that perhaps this stuff is better for use at night.

I've definitely noticed, even after only using this for a few days, that my skin definitely feels softer and smoother on both my arms and legs. I can't say it feels any firmer, however. Though, my skin isn't exactly that "unfirm".

I've not actually been using this everyday, as part of my experiment. As a result, I've noticed that if I don't use it for a couple of days, my skin still feels great, evenafter showering. So, I'm pretty chuffed about that.

Sooo, yes, I really love this stuff, and I am, most definitely going to be looking into buying this again, when I run out!

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Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation Review

Today's review is a little different to normal, because this isn't something that I went out and bought, but rather something that I won in a Rimmel Giveaway. The incredible thing is, that I actually received a whole bottle of this foundation, so it's not even like it's just a sample! And Rimmel gave away 10,000 of these?? Crazy! But, I'm not complaining! I'll try to review this in a similar fashion (although not entirely the same) as my normal reviews!

My Problem Areas: Normally, this is where I write redness, but in all honesty, since my gentle and oil-balancing skin care regime, including the usual use of a mineral-based foundation, my face really doesn't seem to be so red anymore. I do, however, have a few spots which are in desperate need of hiding.

What does the Foundation claim to do? The name "Perfect Match" pretty much sums up what Rimmel claim this product does. It is supposed to "adapt to skin tone and texture" to give the wearer a "perfectly flawless finish". This is apparently because of a technology called "Smart Tone" which "mimics" your skin tone. It is supposed to be very blendable.

Does it do what it claims to do? I'll be honest, I got shade 201, which is Classic Beige, and it is far too dark for my skin tone. But, when you think about it in a literal sense, if this "Smart Tone" is as good as they make out, surely it should still adapt to my skin tone, right? Yeah, who am I kidding!

It's very watery, so when I tried applying it using a foundation brush, I thought that it was a bit messy, but this the watery-ness meant that it did blend incredibly well, and it smelt really nice too.

Good Points: Blends well, smells quite nice, seems to last a really long time, and it had really great coverage, covering my bad skin perfectly.

Bad Points: It was quite messy, and unfortunately the shade was too dark. It feels awful on my skin, and never really seems to dry fully, which is really annoying. To the touch, it's weirdly sticky.

Overall: I really wanted to like this product - it was free, who wouldn't want to like it? But, unfortunately I don't. I think that even if I had a lighter shade, the feeling it leaves on the skin would put me off. Going on nicely, is important for me, but feeling good is just as important to looking good. I guess it's about feeling confident.

So, it's fair to say, that no, I wouldn't buy this product in the future.

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Urban Decay for my Mum Review

Okay, so I promised this review the other day, which is basically a very simple review of the Urban Decay pieces that my mum picked up last week. It should be noted that I have not used any of these products personally, and I do not own any of them, myself, either. This review is taken solely from how it looked on my mum, taking into consideration her normal make up habits, which was basically not very much!

I was keen to do this review, because as we get older, many women stop wearing make up, because we worry about looking like "mutton-dressed-as-lamb", over-the-top, and downright ridiculous. But, the truth is that whilst no, you're not going to look good wearing the shades you wore in your twenties, that does not mean that you are going to look bad in make up completely. It's all down to picking what suits you, your skin tone and your personality.

That's not to say that you have to wear make up, because some of us just aren't happy with wearing it, so never feel pushed into it. Wear whatever you feel confident to wear, and always be yourself.

 

Surreal Skin Mineral Make Up - Anyone who reads my blog, knows that I am a huge fan of m ineral cosmetics, and if I didn't already have a really good mineral foundation, I would seriously want this one!The great thing about mineral cosmetics is the fact that they are 100% natural, without any chemicals that are harsh and damaging.

Mineral-based make up is great for my mum, because as I said she doesn't wear make up, and her biggest fear was of foundation that would look "cakey" and that it would be obvious that she was wearing it. However, mineral foundations are so light, that it's almost as if you don't have any foundation on. 

My mum  got it in Nirvana, which gave her a kind of golden look and made her face look really bright. Everytime I looked at her, after she had this foundation on, I couldn't believe how golden her skin looked.

Half Baked and Sin Eyeshadows - Half baked is a gorgeous bronze gold colour, whilst Sin is a kind of champange-colour. Worn over a Primer Potion base, half-baked really brightened up the grey/blue of my mums eyes, complemented with Underground 24/7 eyeliner (which she didn't purchase, but it described as metallic taupe, and is a greyish brown colour. She chose not to buy the eyeliner, as she already has brown eyeliners).

Ordinarily, my mum would use a white eye shadow, as a highlighter on her brow bone, however, as the Assistant stated, white wasn't necessarily a good choice for my mum, and like what I choose to use myself, suggested a champagne-coloured highlight instead, for a more subtle, yetshimmery look.

I can't really imagine my mum wearing glittery make up, but whilst both Half-Baked and Sin, are shimmery shades, the shimmer is actually quite subtle, and I think, looks  really, really great on her.

Afterglow Blush - I'm really not surprised to hear that is a called "afterglow" blush, because this really does exactly what it says on the tin! My mum has it inFetish, which is a "light pinky plum", with a little bit of shimmer,and boy does it work incredibly well alongside the foundation, at brightening up my mum's skin. It was such a warm colour, that was softening, so only a gentle dusting of powder was really needed for it to look fab.

According to the Urban Decay website, Afterglow Blush contains Chamomile, which is known for it's ability to soothe. This makes the blush anti-inflammatory, capable of relieving dry skin (always a good thing), and is rich in vitamin B. All of this makes it perfect for even sensitive skin.

This is such a nice blush, that when mine runs out (noting that I don'tuse blush that often), I could be really tempted to buy this one. That, however, will probably be a long time in the future!

Brow Box - Personally, I think that this is a really nifty little box-set. I'm not 100% certain which shade my mum bought, because I didn't realise that they came in shades (can you tell that I don't use this kind of product?). However, from "brow"sing (haha, I know, bad joke!) the Urban Decay website, I'm fairly certain that she probably bought Beige Betty, which is "medium". To help make sense of what exactly "medium" means, the other shades are: Brown Sugar, which is "dark"; Gingersnap, which is "auburn"; and Honey Pot, which is "blonde".

It comes with two shades, which can be used together to create a natural look, or seperately depending on whether you are going for a subtle, or more "full-on" kind of look. There's also a set of tweexers, so that you can eradicate those sneaky stray hairs.

However, the best bit for me, was that there is a "secret" compartment, which neither my mum nor I initially spotted, containing wax that you rub over your eyebrows, in order to set the powder, ensuring that it lasts longer.

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Dictionary: SPF

SPF - Most of us know that SPF means that the product will protect our skin from sun damage, but I really have no idea what SPF actually stands for. SPF basically stands for Sun Protection Factor, and the higher the number SPF (eg SPF 15), the more protection the product will give your skin against the sun's harmful rays.

Paula Begoun had the following to say, regarding SPF:

"Most commonly seen as SPF, it is a number that is assigned to a product that identifies its ability to protect the skin from sunburn or to protect the skin from turning pink or red when exposed to sun. SPF numbering is regulated by the FDA, and is a measure of the amount of time a person can stay in the sun without getting burned if a sunscreen is applied. Because sunburn results from UVB radiation, not UVA radiation, SPF is primarily a measure of UVB protection. At this time, there is no numbering system to indicate the level of protection a sunscreen can provide from UVA radiation, which affects the deeper layers of skin."

**Updated by Kat M 01/05/2011**

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Urban Decay Heaven

Well, this is a bit weird. But, today's blog, for the first time so far, is not a review. Yes, I  think I need a sit down to recover from that shock. Woo, okay, I've managed to compose myself. But, anyway, I thought this deserved a proper blog of it's own. Three days ago, I converted my mum!

Forget converting to Christianity, Buddhism or Scientology. Nope, I converted my mum to something even more special. I converted my mum to the incredible, colourful and downright brilliant religion of...Urban Decay. It was truly a momentous day, for any lover of all things Urban. Okay, so she might not use it very much, but I feel proud that I introduced her to a brand that I love so much. And the stupid thing? We were there looking for stuff for me!

The truth is, that before Wednesday, I'd never had the privilige of standing in front of a proper Urban Decay stand. In the past, I've either received things as a gift, or have bought them when travelling on P&O Ferries. So, it was a very exciting event, and I didn't know what exactly I wanted, but it started it with the Assistant (who I'm glad to say, was the first make up counter assistant that didn't make me feel about two inches tall!) showing me the new eyeliner colours, and the super soft Finishing Powder (seriously, that stuff was so silky not only when she was putting it on me, but afterwards as well), then before I knew it my mum was having a makeover.

My mum doesn't really wear much make up, but she has a Ball coming up, so she was half looking for make up.

She walked out of there with over £70-worth of products!! Fair do's, it's not exactly difficult to spend that much money, and if I had the cash, I know that I could easily do it. But, she walked in there, moaning about how muchUrban Decay stuff I already have, and left with more than I have at home!

Anywho, this is what she bought: Surreal Skin Mineral Make Up, Half Baked and Sin Eye shadows, Fetish Blush and an Eyebrow Set. I'll do a write-up about these products in my next blog. But, I will say that the foundation looked amazing on my mum.

You'll be glad to know, that although I did initially walk out without buying anything, I did eventually pop back and buy a Deluxe Shadow Box, which I love, love, love (thanks mum!), I'll also be reviewing that in the not-too-distant future. I need to review the Preen Box first, in all fairness!

I'd love to hear any of your "convert" stories. It doesn't have to be Urban Decay, but if you've ever converted a friend or family member to loving your favourite beauty brand, then let us know :)

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BarryM Dazzle Dust Review

My Problem Areas: I wouldn't say that this was a problem area, as such, but for a long time I'd gotten bored of neutral browns and smoky black eyed looks. I had a couple of lilac and green eye shadows, but I guess I just wanted brighter and more vibrant colours.

How I found BarryM Dazzle Dusts: The first BarryM product that I was introduced to, was BarryM's Glitter Eye Crayon in Green. And you know what it's like when you find a new brand, you want to try other products. At the time, I was really into wearing green (green eye liner was practically my personal trademark! Before BarryM I wore Rimmel), so it's really no surprise that the first Dazzle Dust that I bought was green.

What were my first thoughts: £4.50, at the time, had seemed like a lot of money for one little pot of eye shadow.However, I have since come across many (namely Urban Decay) eye shadows that cost a great deal more. Plus, putting into perspective, the size of the jar the powder comes in, it's guaranteed that these will last you a long time.

What are my thoughts now: I still love BarryM's Dazzle Dusts, however, because they are loose powder, they are incredibly messy,and it does get really annoying the amount of fall out that I have to wipe off my cheeks. When I use them, I have to make sure that I have a supply of baby wipes close by.

Overall, the colours don't seem to be quite as vibrant as the colours I have in my Urban Decay palette. 

What colours do I own?

• Green Silver (DD83)
• Electric Blue (DD22)
• Bright Purple (LED 2) Limited Edition
• Bronze (DD44)
• Lilac (DD59)
• Midnight (DD23)
• Aqua Blue (DD63)

I also have Fine Glitter Dusts in Green Iridescent (FGD8) and Purple (FGD18)

What colour do I use the most? The Green Silver is definitely the most used, however, these days I wear the Lilac most.

Which colour is my favourite? Either the lilac or Midnight. Midnight is a rich dark blue, and can look a bit much, but blended with another colour, looks fab.

Any Downsides? As I said before, they are really messy, not just with fall out down the cheeks, but also in general. You can potentially pick up too much on the brush and make a mess. But, you really don't need a lot of this stuff to get a good look.

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Urban Decay Primer Potion Review

Eye shadow Primer and me: I first used an eye shadow "primer", after watching a Lauren Luke "BarryM era" video, in which she "primed" her eyes with a BarryM Shimmering Eye and Lip Crayon, in Gold (I think...I used the crayon so much, in the past, that it's now incredibly short!!) I liked using the eye crayon, but it was never as good as I think I wanted, which is probably because it was never designed to be a primer.

After my brother bought me the Urban Decay eye pencils, I began looking into other things that UD did, and I quickly learnt about the hype surrounding their Primer Potion, and with such a cute bottle, how could I resist?

Testing the Product: I actually conducted two experiments to really test Urban Decay's Primer Potion.

Experiment One:

For the first experiment I patted four "patches" of Urban Decay's Painkiller eye shadow onto the back of my left hand. I attempted to make sure that each area consisted of roughly the same amount of powder, applied using the same eye shadow brush, and in the same "dabbing" motion. The only difference with each "patch" was that each area had been "primed" in completely different ways:

1. Primed with BarryM's Gold Eye Crayon
2. Primed with a thin layer of Urban Decay Primer Potion
3. Primed with two layers of Primer Potion
4. Not primed at all, instead applied completely naturally

The Results:

Over a long period of time, I went about life, regularly checking the areas for natural fading, and to put them through extreme measures, I rubbed at each of them to encourage fading. The results were:

1. The area that was not primed, smudged straight away, whilst initially none of the others smudged at all.
2. With further rubbing, the BarryM eye crayon was the first to really start to fade, with the gold colour starting to shine through, making the eye shadow look really patchy
3. The un-primed area was the second to begin to fade
4. The thin-layered UD Primer began to fade next, whilst the two-layered primer was still visibly more prominent as all of the others, for a very long period
5. It took a long time and a lot of rubbing to get the two layers to show that much fade

The following morning, every single area had practically gone:

1. The BarryM area was the most faded
2. This was closely followed by the un-primed area
3. The thin-layered area was next
4. The two layered area was the most prominent, but it was still practically gone

Experiment Two:

The second experiment came naturally, on Saturday day night when I went out, wearing a Lauren Luke inspired look, which you can watch here:

I started off using the method that proved most successful for me, and applied two coats of Urban Decay Primer Potion.

For the look, I used Urban Decay's Painkiller across my upper eyelid, with UD Flash along the crease and the outside corner, blending into the Painkiller, to create a bluey/purple similar to the colour Lauren created. Unlike in the video, I didn't add black eye shadow because when I tried it in the past, you couldn't see it, because I have small eyes!! 

I also used Flash under my eye, applied using a wet eyeliner brush. The brush was wet, to ensure a more vibrant purple colour. 

I didn't add black liquid liner to the top of the lid, because I felt it took something away from the colour on my top lid. So, I just finished the look my lining my lower water line with Urban Decay's Zero 24/7 Eyeliner.

The Results:

Well, I went out that night, in a pub and eventually a hot club and when I got home I was amazed to see that not only was my eye shadow not creased, but the colour still looked just as vibrant as when I went out several hours earlier. So, I decided to take the experiment one step further, and I actually slept, with my eye shadow on. Normally if I do this, I have eye liner down my cheeks, and my eye shadow is smudged in a yucky panda-eye fashion. Not very attractive, as you might guess!

However, when I get up the next morning, my eye shadow still hadn't budged, and I was very impressed.

Downsides? The bottle might be really cute and feminine with it's curvy bottle, but it's not very practical for getting the product out. When you're paying £11 for a product, you want to know that you're going to be able to use all of the product.

I've come across videos showing you how to cut the bottle open, and blogs encouraging people to take out the restrictive topper at the top, but it all seems a little unpractical, and I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to fight to reach the product!!

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