SKIN SCHOOL: serozinc

Current Favourites

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Today I thought I'd do a post on my current favourites from the past few weeks.
I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, I was away on a course, and have just generally been busy, so it feels nice to be able to sit down to finally write this post, I have lots of lovely things to show you!

Without further ado:

1. SensatioNail Polish to Gel Starter Kit
I saw a TV advert on this, and have also seen some good reviews about it too. When I first saw the SensatioNail products, I thought they were probably quite gimmicky and not very good quality, but after doing some research I thought I'd pick one up and see what I thought. I saw this kit on offer in Boots for £34.99 (normally £50) and decided to bite the bullet and give it a try! It's actually still on offer here if you're interested.

This kit includes a cute little LED lamp (which is automatic and goes off after 30 seconds), a buffer, lint free wipes, a mixing pot, gel cleanser, primer, and the 'polish to gel' solution. You basically mix your chosen nail polish colour (any brand) with the solution, and it lasts like a gel polish.
I've had mine on for 7 days now, and it's just starting to chip, which is good for me, because normally my nail polish chips after 2-3 days, so being able to have that bit longer is great. This is supposed to last for up to 10 days, of course depending on how well you care for them.

I love the fact you can just turn your favourite nail polish colour into a gel, it's such a good idea. I'd definitely recommend giving this kit a go if you're someone who likes having your nails done on a regular basis, the only downside is it doesn't come with a gel remover.

2. Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath

I love this product, and I don't even own a bath at my house, we just have a shower. That may sound strange as this is a bath product, but there are so many uses for it, it's just amazing. This is one of Elemis' 'hero' products, it's won multiple awards, and it's formulation has never been changed since Elemis launched. It smells really clean, and almost baby-powder like, the formula contains milk proteins, vitamins, amino acids and minerals, plus Japanese Camellia oil which is amazing for stretch marks and leaves your skin super soft.

You can of course, use this as a bath milk, it's non foaming, so there isn't loads of skin stripping bubbles, it just turns the water into a milky white colour, like a luxurious Cleopatra bath! You just add a few capfuls to the bath water whilst it's running, and you can also use this in jacuzzi baths as it won't damage the filters. It can be used as a body moisturiser, and an after-sun. It can be used topically on psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, cradle cap, skin allergies and acne, it can be used as a facial cleanser, a face moisturiser, a hair conditioner, and can also be used for baby massage, and in water births. It can be used for almost anything! I also like to use it when I shave, and also after shaving to soothe my skin. I love it.

3. La Roche Posay Serozinc

I've talked about this product before, and since I ran out of the Pixi Hydrating milky mist, this has come back into my routine. I think this is probably my 3rd or 4th bottle of this, I like to spritz it onto my skin after toning. It's great for redness, oily and acne prone skin, and it's suitable for all skin types really. It's one of those products that you notice really makes a difference, once you've stopped using it, if that makes sense! The only thing that annoys me is that you can't see when you're running out.

4. Venus Snap Portable Razor
This is really handy to take away with you when you're travelling, it's just a cute small razor with a short handle so it doesn't take up a lot of room in your toiletry bag. I took this with me on my course last week.

I thought it might be difficult to use with the handle being so small, but it's not at all, and I like the fact you can just buy the new blades instead of having to buy a whole new razor.

5. Elemis Exotic Cream Moisturising Mask
I love this mask, I've talked about it on here before, in my masks post here.

I like to sleep in this, and I really like to use a clay mask before hand (like the Elemis Herbal Lavender repair mask), remove the clay mask and then apply this straight afterwards.

It's a lovely creamy texture, and it smells comforting to me, it's not a particularly strong scent, it's difficult to explain the smell, but I like it.

6. Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cream $65/£45.81

I decided to give this a try after seeing so much hype about it online. Kate Somerville is a US brand, and is really popular amongst bloggers. I have to admit, it was really difficult to get my hands on, it's not stocked anywhere in the UK, so I had to order it through the US Kate Somerville website and pay extra for UK delivery.

This is great for redness, dry and damaged skin. It's mineral oil and silicone free (of course) and contains Jojoba, avocado, Aloe vera, grapeseed, and natural goat milk which is rich in lactose, known to soothe and moisturise the skin. I have to say, it is great on redness and dehydrated, dry skin, and it feels immediately comforting and soothing.
It doesn't particularly have a scent at all, I love the pump packaging as it's really hygienic and easy to use, but you can't see when you're running out which is a nuisance!

With my order, I was able to choose some samples, which I was really pleased with. I'm not as blown away as I hoped I would be with this moisturiser, it's great, but I actually preferred the samples of her Deep Tissue Repair cream, and the Oil Free cream, so I think they'll be next on my shopping list.
I just wish the Kate Somerville range was easier to get hold of, apparently Space NK used to stock it, so please Space NK, bring it back!

7. Loreal True Match Foundation
I wanted to try this for a long time, and I finally have! It's a really good foundation, I'd say it's a medium coverage which is buildable, and it lasts a pretty long time for a 'drugstore' foundation. I used to only ever buy high end foundations, but I'm always open to trying new products if I hear good things.

I apply it using my Real Techniques Miracle complexion sponge (I love applying foundation with this, it's basically a cheaper version of the Beauty Blender!). I like the fact that this foundation looks and feels like 'skin' when you wear it, it doesn't feel heavy or cakey. I would say it's somewhere between a dewy and matte finish, it's quite a good one for all skin types I'd say. For oily skins, I would recommend powdering your T-zone after application. For me, it doesn't last from day to night, I need to top up in between if I'm going somewhere, but I do have slightly oily, dehydrated skin, for dry skin it'd probably last longer. The colour I wear is called 'Sunny Beige'.

8. Rimmel Eye Shadow Sticks/Crayons

I love using eye shadow sticks as my everyday eye shadow, they last a lot better on me than powder formulations. They are so easy to apply, I just apply a small amount to my eyelid and blend it out using a blending brush, and I'm done. The colours I have are '011 Bluffing' which is more of a greyish-brown colour, and '100 Rose Gold' which is a golden bronze colour. (Swatches both pictured below)

They are really long wearing, they literally don't budge. I love the shimmery effect they have, they have a really luminous finish which is really nice when it catches the light. I sometimes like to sweep a little bit of a powder eye shadow on top, as the powder really seems to stick to the creamy texture of these, which is great if you want a change of colour. They are a good price point too, at £4.49 at Boots, I'm going to pick up a few more colours of these at some point.

9. Organix/OGX Shampoos & Conditioners, £6.99 from Boots
I've been a fan of the Organix shampoos & conditioners for a long time now. They are sulfate free, and are really easy to pick up and are a great price point.
I've tried quite a few of their range, including the Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil ones, Weightless Hydrating Coconut water ones, Hydrating Macadamia oil ones, Hydrate & Defrizz Kukui ones, and the Keratin oil ones.

I keep coming back to these ones, the ever straight Brazilian Keratin Smooth ones, they smell of coconut and cocoa butter which I love, and they just generally make my hair feel really soft, when I brush my hair afterwards it's not really tangled or greasy. The ones pictured above are the mini travel versions that I took away with me, but in my shower I have the big bottles, and also the Kukui ones, I like to switch between them.

10. Max Factor Cream Blush in 'Soft Copper'
I really like using cream blushes, I feel that they last longer on my skin than powder ones. After I have done my bronzer & highlighter, I just dot some of this on my cheeks using a blender sponge, this colour is perfect as it's not too pink or red, it's a great one for everyone, and is loved by celebrity make up artist Caroline Barnes.

You could also apply this with a brush and stipple it onto your cheeks, I wouldn't try to rub it to blend it in though, as you risk moving the rest of your make up around and ending up with it looking smeared across your face.

11. Tilley Australia Tahitian Frangipani Candle

I picked this up at Homesense recently for about £6, I fell in love with the smell. If anyone has smelt Elemis Frangipani Monoi oil, you'll understand why I love this candle! It smells nearly the same, it's a gorgeous sweet, aromatic, exotic smell.

I love candles, I always have them around the house, in nearly every room! I think this candle looks really classy and expensive, and it burns really clean - I hate when some candles get black soot around the edges. It also seems to be burning evenly so far, rather than just down the middle, that really annoys me as it seems such a waste of a candle.