bloomzy /

Review: Avène Extremely Gentle Cleanser

Eau Thermale Avène Extremely Gentle Cleanser*

Remember my personalised skincare routine from Avène?
Well I wanted to review one of my favourite products from it.
Avène’s Extremely Gentle Cleanser is for sensitive and irritated skin.
I think that pretty much sums up my awkward skin – so how did it work out?
Pros:
+ Non-greasy
+ Very gentle & light
+ A little goes a long way
+ Clears my skin up amazingly
+ Easily wiped away with a cotton pad
Cons:
– Quite runny

Notes:
This has been working wonders on my skin.
As soon as I started using it I noticed that it was clearing my skin up.
I always like to give products a few weeks to prove their worth, but this worked in a few days.
That might not be the same for everyone who uses it but my skin adores it. That said, my skin likes to get in a mood and break out if I happen to forget to use it (which doesn’t happen very often). Still that’s my own fault and I am happy with the results that I’m seeing from this so I will definitely be purchasing it after I run out. It’s extremely gentle and kind to skin, although the formula is slightly runny so be careful you don’t drip it everywhere when using it! It wipes off easily with a cotton pad and doesn’t leave a greasy feeling, or any product behind. I would definitely recommend this to people who have sensitive skin or react badly to some cleansers, because this is amazing and the price point isn’t bad either.
You can purchase Avène at Boots and in Boots stores nationwide.
bloomzy /

October ‘Dark Romance’ Glossybox 2013 & Why I Will Be Cancelling My Subscription

October ‘Dark Romance’ Glossybox 2013

My never ending inner battle with Glossybox continues. I haven’t ordered one since May 2012 after I ended my subscription. Why? I was unimpressed with the products, boxes and lack of personalisation. So why buy another one? Good question! Well I liked, no loved, the sound of ‘Dark Romance’. I wear red lips everyday and love a ‘gothic’ vibe to my make-up so I re-subscribed for it. Glossybox promised “gothic beauty, sensual scents, blood red lips and smokey eyes”. Hmm well I don’t know about you but I’m not feeling that from the box above.

What was wrong with the box?
+ The MeMeMe Cheek & Lip Tint, is the only plus about this box, and it’s full size too.
– However those PRESS ON nails? They’re more beauty pageant than gothic Princess, don’t you think?
you could get for free just by asking at any perfume counter.
– The primer isn’t so bad, but I don’t use them really and I don’t see the link to the theme.
– Finally the smoothing skin serum – again, not connected to the theme at all.

Why am I cancelling my subscription?
Glossybox just haven’t improved over the years unfortunately.

If you’re going to do a theme, do it justice, don’t do it halfheartedly. And that’s what this box is, it’s a very vague halfhearted attempt at ‘Dark Romance’. They’ve also been promising from the beginning that boxes would end up being personalised. The whole point is to receive a box of products/samples tailored to your loves, likes and dislikes. Yet they still haven’t listened or improved on the never ending complaints about them not using it. You only need to visit the Glossybox Facebook page to see ‘fans’ saying they’re cancelling their subscription. I also had problems with their customer service team not replying to my emails, which is a bit of a let down. This is really sad and I don’t want to start a boycott of Glossybox or anything but I feel it needs to be said. The company hasn’t improved from what I’ve received myself and have seen others receiving. Nor does it seem to be learning from it’s past mistakes, which everyone knows is vital. I was really hoping to be impressed and fall back in love with this box/Glossybox. I guess that didn’t happen though.

bloomzy /

Introducing: Belif Beauty

A selection of Belif beauty products for face, body and lips*

Recently I was sent some samples by a brand I hadn’t heard of before, named Belif.
I like the look of the packaging, simple yet memorable, and the products sounded good too.
I decided to do a little investigating to find out more about the brand and the products they create.
“The beauty brand belif combines our founder, Duncan Napier’s original skin care expertise and the best of modern natural cosmetic science. Eleven skin formulas – each for a different skin type – using herbs packed full of active ingredients form the base of each product.”

It turns out the brand itself is a branch off of the brand Napiers.
Now I had heard of them before but I wasn’t quite sure in what context.
It started as a natural healthcare and herbal medicine company founded in 1860.
The brand is British and everything is still made in Britain – now that’s quite impressive.
Napiers uses natural products although the ingredients in some of Belif’s products scare me a little.
I only say that because I don’t like seeing tons of abnormally long named ingredients in my beauty products.
Still, the basis of the Belif products are herbs, as you might have seen them mention in the blurb above.
I haven’t yet had the chance to try the products out as life has been quite hectic for the past few months.
The ‘Essence Water’ and ‘Anti-Hangover Mask’ are the most intriguing to me though, I have to admit.
You can visit Napiers Belif to browse the selection of products available.
bloomzy /

Giveaway: Try it first…

For a while now I’ve been collecting samples for a giveaway.
I think it’s a great way to discover and try new products and brands.
This means I can offer someone the chance to try out some well known products too.
I’ve included a variety of items, some for skin, hair, make-up and even some false eyelashes.
Disclaimer: The Redken, Topicrem, NYX, Facefacts and Dr Bronner’ sproducts were PR samples sent to me.
The rest of the samples are items I have bought myself to add to the giveaway, or were given when making purchases.
What can you win?
A collection of skin, hair, eyelash, make-up and beauty samples.
As shown in the photo at the top of this post.

How to enter:
+ Be a follower of ‘Bloomzy’ via Bloglovin
+ Earn extra entries on Twitter, Facebook etc.
– Entrants who do not follow the rules will be disqualified
– Twitter accounts created purely for giveaways will be disqualified.
The giveaway is open for 2 weeks (ending 27th Oct at 12am)
This giveaway is open internationally.
Good luck!

bloomzy /

Avène Personalised Skincare Routine

Avèn3 Extremely Gentle Cleanser*, Eau Thermale Water Spray, Rich Skin Recovery Cream

It’s no secret that Avène are my favourite skincare brand.
They know how to look after sensitive skin, so they’re perfect for me.
I always stock up on Avène products in France, or Boots if I run out when I’m in the UK.
So when I signed up to the Avène website I was interested to see a personalised skincare routine.
The brand have decided to help those out who aren’t sure what products of theirs to use.
I decided to give it a go to see if they could recommend anything I hadn’t used before.
Using their Skin Diagnosis I filled out everything that applied to me and my skin.
I choose the ‘fair skin’ option and filled in the rest as follows:
As you can see they recommended me the three products I have above:
+ Extremely Gentle Cleanser
+ Eau Thermale Water Spray
+ Rich Skin Recovery Cream
My skin has not felt anywhere near as irritated as it was before I started using these together.
It stopped a blemish I felt that was on it’s way, and it has also cleared up my skin and left it fresh.
I really love that the site also tells you how to use these products and what they’re good for.
If you’re new to Avène or just want some help with your skincare routine this is for you.
They even sent me some samples of 2 of the products in my diagnosis after I signed up.
I don’t know if this is the same every time but I imagine they send them to everyone.
It’s handy for those who don’t want to invest in products without trying them first.
Find out your own personalised skin diagnosis here.
You can buy Avène products in Boots stores nationwide, and on Boots.com
bloomzy /

French Pharmacy Haul: Avène, Nuxe, Caudalie & La Roche-Posay

I think it’s safe to say I went a little crazy.
French pharmacies are my version of a toy store.
Once I’m let loose in them, you’re not getting me back for a while.
This holiday I think I outdid myself, this is probably my biggest haul so far.
I bought products I’ve tried before and adore, and new ones that I’d heard good things about.
I’m sure you know all of these but just incase let me introduce you to the brands & products I bought:
Caudalie
+ Beauty Elixir

La Roche-Posay
+ Serozinc Toner
Nuxe
+ Essential Travel Kit
+ Nirvanesque Eye Contour Cream
Avène
+ Trixera Emollient Cream
+ Cold Cream Body Lotion
+ Eau Thermal Water Spray
+ Skin Rich Recovery Cream
+ Eau Thermal Micellar Lotion Cleanser & Make-up Remover

The beauty of French pharmacies is that they have full collections.
It can be difficult to find French beauty products in the UK for a decent price.
For those who are interested in trying them out for themselves, I have included links.
It might seem like I’ve bought far too many products to try out, but trust me, you’ll be seeing reviews.
bloomzy /

Review: OCC Lip Tar Harlot & Super NSFW

OCC Lip Tar samples in Harlot & Super NSFW

I think it’s common knowledge by now that I’m a red lipstick addict.
So it seemed that it was time to finally try one of the most hyped lip products out there.
OCC (short for Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) are highly renowned for their pigmented lip tars.
I had heard great things myself so I decided to try them out and finally see what all the fuss is really about.
I always like to test a lip product before buying, but as far as I know OCC is only sold in Selfridges in the UK.
This obviously left me with a dilemma, that is until I found Retro Wombat’s Beauty Store.
She sells sample pots of various OCC Lip Tars, so I grabbed a couple.

OCC are a wonderful brand that are vegan friendly and don’t test on animals.
Their Lip Tars are a liquid matte formula which are ridiculously well pigmented.
They are known for their colour and long-lasting wear.


Swatch: Harlot on the left, Super NSFW on right

Pros:
+ Long lasting
+ Applies well
+ Highly pigmented

Cons:
– Stains slightly
– Kept coming off onto my teeth (ahhh!)
– Lips need to be moisturised and primed

Notes:
I loved that a small OCC brush was included with this as I wasn’t expecting it.
You definitely need a brush to apply these, which is very useful as you don’t need to use much at all.
The claims are true, these lip tars are amazingly pigmented, the coverage is great and a little goes a very long way. These sample sizes were perfect for me to tell whether I would want to buy a full size version – I like to road test products before I buy a full size version, if I have the chance. I found that the Lip Tars were very long lasting, and some was even left on my lips afterwards. This is great as I like to drink plenty throughout the day, and it can be annoying having to re-apply a lipstick. There were a few downsides though; your lips do need to be moisturised (or these will dry them out) and primed (for better coverage) beforehand. I didn’t find that I necessarily needed primer although it was helpful, but my lips did dry out without moisturising them. I also kept finding some of the product on my teeth and it even got onto my tongue once (eurgh), even after doing a tissue press on my lips. I don’t know if this is because I failed at applying them properly, but it doesn’t happen with my other lipsticks. These do stain your skin if you happen to get it on you, but if you use the brush and have a steady hand you should be ok. I really liked these but the bleeding put me off slightly, although I will continue to try the samples in the hopes that I have better luck next time.

You can buy OCC Lip Tars in Selfridges or grab a sample from Retro Wombat’s Beauty Store.