Review : Does castor oil really makes your eyelashes thicker?

Idiot alert!

Last week, trying to top up my make up game, I decided to give a try to my eyelash curler. Result? 

Being almost idiotically clumsy, I was squeezing hard this curler, the metal part slid from the rubber part that ended up CUTTING half of my eyelashes from the root.

Good time to try castor oil.

I have used castor oil, coconut oil, argan oil and olive oil in this experiment. I noticed that castor oil is the one that provided results. I put it onto the roots of my eyelashes every night with a thin brush.

Pros:

 . It makes your eyelashes grow faster and slightly longer. 

(the eyelashes that were cut were longer by the morning, I swear.)

. It will condition your eyelashes, they won't break easily.

. You will shed less eyelashes.

Cons:

.It won't make your eyelashes thicker.

. I had puffiness on my lash line in the morning.

. Don't let it get into your eye, you will have a blurry vision for a while.

Anybody else who tried castor oil?

Review: Darphin Intral Toner

This is one of Darphin's cult products; toner for sensitive and prone to redness skin. Now, I don't have redness nor rosacea, I use this as second toner after my exfoliating one. 

Can we take a moment and appreciate how it smells? Divine! Divine! If there were a perfume that smelled like this my life would have been complete. (melodrama alert!)

It's a joy to use and the smell sends me to heaven, this toner is so gentle and soothing that it will work on anyone. I would say it is more appropriate for those who suffer from redness and rosacea issues, if you are only looking for a toner that will sooth your face, there are cheaper alternatives on the market.

Review : Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

REN Skincare is very well loved in skincare industry, not only because they are paraben, sulphate, mineral oil, petrolatum, fragrance, silicon etc free but also they are kind and effective products.

Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask promises to remove dead skin cells, helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, combats congestion, blackheads and blemishes and an overall brighter and radiant skin. 

This is a chemical exfoliant mask, it means that it doesn't contain any hard particles that you need to rub against your face in order to exfoliate, instead it has fruit extracts (passion fruit, lemon, grape, pineapple and papain from papaya to be exact) that naturally have exfoliating properties. You leave it on your face for 10 minutes (I personally prefer leaving it up to 25 minutes instead) and remove it with muslin cloth that comes in the box.

Now, the mask itself looks, smells, tastes (yeap!) and feels like orange marmalade. Some people could feel a bit off putting this on their faces at first, also feel some little tingling sensation. If you are like me and you have not-so-sensitive face you won't feel the tingling.

I think this mask is a great option for those who are new to chemical exfoliation and those who have sensitive skin. Not that it gently exfoliates, it also moisturises as well.

You can start using this mask from once a week up to three times a week. I need to warn you though, you won't see immediate results after first uses, you need to be consistent in order to see your pigmentation and spots to fade away. 

This mask costs 'jeesussss-christ-really?' 50 euros in here Amsterdam. Though I really like most of the things from this brand, for quality/price performance-wise I would prefer Alpha-H's Liquid Gold Mask or Filorga's Meso Mask instead. 

Review : Dr. Brandt Time Arrest Creme Cleanser

This 110ml (3.7oz) tube normally retails around 40 Euros, lucky me, I had a discount on it.

This fancy looking bottle has lasted me more or less for 4 months as I used it as my second pm cleanser.

dr.brandt suggests that this cleanser will help to lift, firm, tighten sagging and ageing skin. Let's take a moment here to sarcastically smile to this acclaims. However this cleanser will feel lovely on your skin, take all of the dirt and make up off of your face, will not irritate and will leave your skin feeling fresh and moisturised. 

Here are more details from their official websire

Key Ingredients: Glycerin - Humectant that attracts water to hydrate the skin. Phospholipids & Phytosterols - Enhances penetration of the active ingredients delivered through Dr. Brandt’s Age Reversing Platinum Technology by reinforcing the protective abilities of the skin’s natural barrier that prevents dehydration and disease. Sunflower seed - Natural oil rich in Vitamin E that gently hydrates. Tocopherol - Protects cells from free radical damage and helps skin look younger by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  WATER (AQUA), HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, TRICAPRYLIN, LAURYL GLUCOSIDE, GLYCERIN, BEHENYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) STEROLS, PEG-150/DECYL ALCOHOL/SMDI COPOLYMER, AMMONIUM ACRYLYL DIMETHYLTAURATE/ VP COPOLYMER, LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA (LAVENDER) OIL, SODIUM PHYTATE, LECITHIN, PHENOXYETHANOL, TOCOPHEROL, DI SODIUM EDTA, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYL PARABEN, BUTYL PARABEN, ETHYLPARABEN, ISOBUTYLPARABENFull ingredient list

I enjoyed using this every single night, considering the price tag I am not sure if I will purchase this again.

Make up of the day : Winged eyeliner with a little twist

I have used Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in black mauve shimmer and applied it with an angled eyeliner brush. When I made a little flick, I blended the tip of the flick into the crease a little. And voila, this is the end result, hope you try it too.

Review: La Roche-Posay Serozinc

I just finished second bottle of Serozinc. This moisturising toner comes in a 150 ml bottle and it spritz the toner just like a deodorant would do.

The company says this is a toner is especially for oily skin, blemish prone skin or irritated skin, though I think this water which has 0.75% of sodium chloride and 0.10% zinc.

This toner is a lovely resonable option if you want to use as a moisturising toner or as your second toner after the exfoliating one or simply spritz on top of your make up to get rid of cakeness.

 

Review : Yes to Carrots Nourishing Daily Cream Facial Cleanser

I randomly grabbed this cleanser when I was killing time at Sephora, the ingredient list looked promising: organic carrots, aloe vera, castor oil, shea butter, sunflower and coconut oil... No petroleum,  SLS nor parabens.

I had the intention of using this as a second pm cleanser. The product has a creamy almost oily consistency.  it applues wonderful on dry skin, feels very moisturising when you massage it in to the skin. However when you take it off either with a warm cloth or by washing your face, my face becomes as dry as Sahara. I actually feel my skin getting tighter because of lack of moisture. I don't understand how a creamy cleanser that is designed for dry skin could be so over drying. Am I the only one here facing this issue?