nc BB Crème Skin Perfector, CAROLINE’S SKINCARE Caroline’s Lip Balm and NUTRIMETICS nc Hydra Brilliance Lipstick in ‘Crimson’
I get a lot of beauty items come across my desk, but not all of them make it to the blog. I won’t put just anything on my face- would you?!
Here are some recent arrivals that I’ve really been enjoying, from beauty classics through to new kids on the block.
Lips
BITE BEAUTY
High Pigment Matte Pencil
This comes from a Canadian company who believe in making lipsticks that are good enough to eat. Makes sense if you are putting something on your lips every day right? The ‘high pigment’ element is spot on- the crayon immediately delivers very strong, deep colour that stays. It won’t stain your lips however, rather give great coverage in strong pigment. Not for the faint hearted.
NUTRIMETICS
nc Hydra Brilliance Lipstick
Lovely, creamy and seemed to glide onto my lips. Great pigment but nowhere near what you would get in say the Bite crayon above. However, it feels lovely on and is fragrance free. I really love to colour pallet for this season and how they have broken down your choice into warm and cool colours. After getting my colours done earlier in the year I know I can now head straight to the ‘cool’ section and not really make a bad choice.
Not really stay fast, but I did eat an entire bowl of porridge after applying it and I still had reasonable coverage.
CAROLINE’S SKINCARE
Caroline’s Lip Balm
I might be a little bit biased because I love anything that smells of spices, but the scent of Caroline’s lip balm is just gorgeous. I know that’s no reason to buy something because this product is supposed to be an excellent balm for cold sores, chapped lips, eczema and dermatitis. But the herbal extracts and oils are lovely.
I don’t suffer from any of the above problems so I can’t say that I noticed any visible difference on my lips, but I always like to have some paw paw ointment in my handbag so this is a welcome addition.
Skin
SCHICK
Schick Hydro Silk Razor
A 5 blade razor…for women?! I’ve heard of it for men but this was new for me and I feel as though I’ve been let in on some sort of secret as it’s the number one selling razor among Australian women.
With a hydrating water activated moisturizing serum strip and five curve sensing blade technology, it’s almost fool proof getting yourself to silky, smooth pins. I usually wax my legs but found over the spring racing carnival that I didn’t have the time and so Schick Hydro Silk Razor was my answer.
It’s worth spending the money on good quality hair removal products because there’s a big difference between two and five blade technology. Aside from the obvious close shave, you avoid things like nicks and cuts and skin irritation that end up making the process even more costly for after shave care.
CLARINS
Crème Solaire Speciale Visage
This is high protection sunscreen and moisturizer in one sporting SPF 30 and high levels of titanium dioxide, which is commonly used in sun, care protection. You won’t need very much of it, I found that I’m so used to slathering on the moisturizer with SPF that I ended up with a very white looking face. If you modify the amount you use then it will settle and I felt quite confident that my skin was very well protected. It’s thick and is ok under makeup, it depends on whether you are wearing water or oil based foundation as to how it will sit.
CLARINS
Baume Beaute Éclair/ Beauty Flash Balm
I have used this product before and usually take it with me when I travel. I honestly cannot say that I notice any difference in my skin once it’s been applied. It does not appear brighter or tighter.
However, what it does do is feel lovely and moisturize and absorb perfectly. So after a long haul flight when you really need some rescue for your skin, it’s fantastic. I always apply it just before I get off the flight and whether it actually does anything to my appearance is unknown, but it feels bloody great and that’s good enough for me.
NUTRIMETICS
Ultra Care+ SPF 50+ Day Lotion
I’ve only been trying this for two days, so it’s still to early to tell whether there is any significant difference in my skin from the active ingredients, namely octocrylene. I can tell you that it is light, absorbs well and doesn’t leave any sort of pigment.
It has a light fruity fragrance and will be coming with me to Jordan in a couple of weeks. I love the high factor SPF at 50+, which will be great in the Middle East but equally as welcome under the harsh Australian sun.
NUTRIMETICS
Nutri-Rich Instant Radiance Beauty Balm
I suppose as some sort of rival to Clarins iconic balm, Nutrimetics version has a stronger fragrance and a different consistency. It’s not as creamy, lighter but still feel silky on your skin. I’ve worn it under makeup and it seemed to work well as a primer with no effect on how the foundation sat on my skin.
I will also be taking this with me on long haul flights if for no other reason than that it smells gorgeous and feels great. Superficial? You bet, but that’s nothing new in the beauty industry!
Makeup
MODELS PREFER/PRICELINE
CC Unbelievable Colour Correcting Cream
Ok so there has been so much written about BB, CC and DD creams that I’m not going to educate you on the difference in this blog post. Google can help you on that one.
I can tell you that whether they function as a tinted moisturizer, colour correction, skin perfector or whatever it is they offer, I always treat them like a foundation.
So in the case of this product, it truly gives the most AMAZING coverage. For someone like me that goes to a lot of events and takes photos of herself almost every day, it’s perfection. Glides on and has a velvet to almost oily touch but absorbs and dries to give exactly what it says it does: colour correct and flawless coverage.
MODELS PREFER
DD Fresh Face Daily Detox
So while their CC cream is all about flawless coverage and is heavier to touch, the DD cream from the range is much lighter. It’s water based and promises ‘breathable coverage’ being much truer to the idea of a tinted moisturizer. It has SPF coverage but doesn’t tell you how much and absorbed into my skin but not in the flawless fashion of its CC sister above. OK, but nothing to write home about.
NUTRIMETICS
nc BB Crème Skin Perfector
The quality of this BB crème is much higher than what I experienced with the Models Prefer range, but then it sits in a different price bracket.
It reminded me of the Tarte BB cream I picked up at Sephora in New York that I love so much. It’s light and glides on to an almost imperceptible powder finish. I would wear this during the day in place of foundation because I like the even, flawless but light coverage. Absolutely worth a visit if you are interested in trying something new in BB crème, it comes in three tones and I fit ‘light’ perfectly.
Hair
KERASTASE
ELIXIR ULTIME
This is a versatile beautifying treatment for all hair types and if you are wondering what that means, don’t worry, so am I. I have pretty healthy hair and don’t really use treatments, however I do love the way this very light oil smells on my hair. You only need a teeny tiny amount as it goes a long way. I imagine if you have dry hair then you would have a different reaction to it, I myself have an oily scalp but apply this to the ends of my hair. I discovered it at Oscar Oscar salons and their staff swear by it.
