Month: May 2018

TALKING POINT: Liz Earle’s reformulation of Sheer Skin Tints

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Image result for liz earle skin tints

^^Reformulated product packaging

We need to talk about Liz Earle and their new tinted moisturiser. We received a PR sample of their Sheer Skin Tints a few years back and we were astonished at just how good it was. A highly pigmented tinted moisturiser with a natural finish and great coverage. It was easy to apply and easy to wear. It was lightweight and your skin felt totally natural wearing it. It was in a class of its own, somewhere between foundation and tinted moisturiser. The real miracle was for combination skin types…it continued to give good coverage throughout the day without provoking more oil production or settling into pores, which frankly is a miracle.

It immediately became our Holy Grail base product and we used it every day, extolling its virtues to everyone who would listen. Then the worst happened…we began to hear news of a reformulation. And the feedback wasn’t good. No, surely this couldn’t be! We went straight to Liz Earle to ask them about it and they confirmed this.

This is what Liz Earle had to say “The new formula visibly smooths, brightens and hydrates. It is lightweight and silicone-free,helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and imperfections, which also visibly evens skin tone.”

We went straight to our local Liz Earle counter to try it for ourselves. And we will say this. It is a totally different product, even the shades are different (even though they have the same name). It is now a very dewy finish and light coverage. Some people may like it better, but it didn’t work at all for us. It didn’t even our skin tone and separated and collected in our pores super fast. We’ll post some photos of this soon.

We’re so disappointed by this. It definitely shouldn’t be sold under the same name as it’s nothing like the original sheer skin tints. If you’re in any doubt, don’t make a £24.50 mistake and go try it out first. If you have purchased it, Liz Earle have advised that you can return it for a refund at one of their counters.

And us? We’ve tracked down all the old product we can find and bought it all. Sniff.

REVIEW: The Body Shop – Drops of Light Eye Cream 15ml, £20

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THE CLAIMS: “This quick fix brightening essential will visibly brighten appearance after first use. With daily use, it helps visibly brighten the appearance of the eye contour. Massage with the cooling applicator to help stimulate blood circulation around eyes and reduce puffiness for a refreshed appearance.”

THE TRUTH:  We tend to find creams too rich for the eye area when it comes to combination complexions, gels usually work much better. However, we went ahead and gave this product a go especially as our skin is a little dryer than usual at the moment.

We’re glad we gave this a go as the formulation was lightweight enough not to clog up our skin, leaving it soft and moisturised. We don’t suffer with dark circles but definitely plenty of puffiness in the mornings. The cold metal tip to the applicator helped with this and felt a little tightened, almost as much as using an eye gel.

We didn’t notice much in the way of brightening benefits – the blurb went on about red algae extract harvested from the North Atlantic but this product didn’t seem particularly natural.

We would recommend this for anyone looking for a good quality, medium weight eye cream with a refreshing application method. The price is on the steep side, but that’s the Body Shop for you.

Pros:  Lightweight cream, moisturises well, refreshing applicator tip
Cons:  Price
Score:  4 out of 5

Full disclosure: We received this as a PR sample

UNBOXING: Birchbox May 2018 – Palm Leaves and Warm Breeze

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This month’s theme was Palm Leaves & Warm Breeze, saying ‘aloha’ to the first signs of summer.

No full-size products this month. We will use everything in the box. Well-curated but nothing particularly exciting other than the box, which is beautiful and definitely worthy of staying out on show.

DOUCCE: Luscious Lip Stain in Amber Rose, unknown size
Value: Approx £10 (not sure of sample size), full size 6g is £21

Image result for doucce lip stain amber rose

“This pigmented liquid formula applies matt, dries fast (so it won’t transfer onto anything and lasts for hours. Unlike other matte lip products, this long-lasting formula glides on smoothly for comfortable all-day wear”

BT INITIAL OPINION: A super flattering, fresh colour for oriental skintones. Formula is a little watery but the pay off is that is doesn’t ‘crack’ or dry too much like most matte lip paints. Tried the kiss test and it passed with flying colours 😀

GREENFROG BOTANIC: Geranium & Peppermint Botanical Bodywash, 50ml
Value: £1.49

Greenfrog Botanic Geranium and Peppermint Award Winning Soapberry Body Wash

“This organic formula is cruelty-free, vegan and completely free from chemical nasties! Brimming with moisturising alow vera and Saponin-rich soapberries, this gentle wash cleanses your skin whilst maintaining pH levels.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – The fresh scent is nice and the size will be great for a weekend away. This claims to be great for sensitive skin, eczema and psoriasis which would be the main plus point for us, but the sample is too small to verify these claims.

NATIVE UNEARTHED: Activated Charcoal Natural Deodorant Balm, 15g
Value: £1.99

Native Unearthed Activated Charcoal Natural Deodorant Balm

“This all-natural cream forgoes chemicals in favour of sweat-absorbing arrowroot, antibacterial coconut oil and soothing shea butter. Just smooth a pea-sized amount onto clean underarms to form an invisible shield.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Small sample but happy to try alternative product like this although it’s not that different to a pushup stick or roll on once applied.

CAUDALIE: Make-up Removing Cleansing Oil, 30ml
Value: £5.40

Caudalie

“This 100% natural blend of sunflower, sweet almond and grape oils is a must have afor all skin types. Just massage onto dry skin to dissolve make-up, add water and rinse away to leave your skin clean and soft.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – We love cleansing oils! Will be interesting to see how this compares with our enduring classic Shu Uemura cleansing oil (which actually works out cheaper).

EYEKO: Skinny Liquid Eyeliner, 1.2g
Value: £9.60

Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

“This easy-to-use pen-style applicator will have you lining and defining your eyes in a flash. This fade-resistant formula will last all day and night.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Black eyeliners will always get used and this one has a great reputation. Really surprised that the full size product is only 2g – super expensivo at £16. Let’s see if its performance justifies the high price tag when plenty perform well around the £5 mark.

OVERALL VERDICT:

We feel a bit conflicted with Birchbox at the moment. First of all, they got rid of Birch points and lifestyle extras and beauty tips. The quality of the boxes is very samey…on the one hand, they are mainly products we will use and are happy with. On the other hand, they are featuring high end brands less and being less exciting in general. Caudalie and Eyeko are solid brands but feature in boxes so often. In addition to this, there were no full size products. This was not so much the issue as some samples being too small as well (meaning that you can’t really tell if a product is worth buying). Whilst we’re not unhappy and have some great items to go in our travel washbags, Birchbox need to try harder.

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer

Total value: £28.48

Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 off your first box! You’re welcome 😉