Tuesday 10 January 2017

Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Illuminating Beauty Balm SPF 30 Review...


Usually products like this put me off straight away because of the huge claims, but the name of this led me to want to purchase to see if it performs! A beauty balm that professes to do 10 things plus providing skin with a glow intrigued me! I also like the packaging, a chunky sized squeezy bottle that has a rose gold shimmer colour!  

As far as primers go I never seem to find one I ‘love’ but there are many I like. Having used this product consistently for a few months now I can say that this will be a definite repurchase. I love it! 

The 10 features/benefits it claims to have are the following (pulled directly from the Stila website):
  • Contains innovative micro spheres, which have been shown to hide skin imperfections and  reduce wrinkle depth by up to 84%
  •  Infused with natural, skin-protecting emollients which have been shown to  increase antioxidant activity by up to 89.7% 
  • Enriched with a proprietary blend which has been shown to reduce skin inflammation,  improve texture, stimulate collagen production and reduce the appearance of wrinkles by up to  67%
  • Broad-spectrum SPF 30 protects the skin
  • Hydrates and nourishes the skin
  • Helps reduce pore size and provides oil and blemish control
  • Features an exclusive complex, which helps reduce redness and skin irritation
  • Uses the smallest particle size of coated pigments for seamless, smooth coverage
  • Illuminates and primes the skin for a lit-from-within glow
  • Oil-free, paraben-free, dermatologist tested and ideal for all skin types

 I’m not going to go through each individual claim but will just give my general thoughts. The peachy coloured tint really brightens up skin and hides signs of tiredness/dullness, I cannot vouch for its abilities to reduce wrinkles but it certainly does blur imperfections. The formula is quite thick but it glides onto skin easily and is blendable. It feels beautifully lightweight and overall creates a much more uniform look to the skin. I imagine this would work for all skin types but perhaps not the excessively oily or the excessively dry. FYI the colour adapts to your skin tone very well, I am quite pale and it doesn't look orange on me even though the swatch looks very dark! 




I like that it provides a nice amount of hydration without overloading my already combination/oily skin and preps the skin very well for makeup. When purchasing this I was a little hesitant as I do suffer with oily skin but I also like to look glowy/dewy without being an oil slick if that makes sense?! This claims to provide oil control whilst giving a 'lit from within glow' so it seemed exactly what I was looking for! I find that during the day I am not needing to touch up my makeup nearly as much as usual so the oil controlling properties seem to do its job! Usually I am an oily mess as the day goes on!

I love everything about this primer and am so pleased I have found one that works so well for my skin without feeling like its clogging my pores or causing aggravation. The SPF is an added bonus and means I don’t have to use 2 separate products to achieve the base I want. Happy days!

Ingredients List:
Butylphenyl Methyl Propional, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Decarboxy Carnosine HCl, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer , Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance/Parfum, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Hexyl Cinnamic Aldehyde, Hexylene Glycol, Hydroxypropylcocoate PEG-8 Dimethicone, Isododecane , Isopentyldiol, Limonene, Linalool, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-37, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Physalis Angulata Extract , Phytic Acid, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Propylene Carbonate, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Silica, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Water. May contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499).

Stilla’s range is fantastic, have you tried this or anything else of theirs?



Thanks for reading xx
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Wednesday 4 January 2017

Oh Tata!...

I won’t lie since joining the beauty community on Instagram they have inspired me to try new things and in turn it has opened me up to a world of discovery! Tata Harper being one of my favourites last year. Green beauty is considered a thing of luxury and whilst I agree that it is, I find that I don’t look to natural brands for that reason. For me there is a certain appeal about using a high quality product that feeds my skin nutrients, plus I get pleasure from using something so naturally scented and non-artificial. I don’t choose to use ‘green’ brands over other brands, I simply choose products based on what I know I like using and what I feel is suited to my skin.

It took a while for me to commit to purchasing any Tata Harper products based on the fact that her skincare range is certainly not cheap! It is claimed to be 100% natural, organic and non-toxic without unnecessary fillers or preservatives. Some of the main ingredients are sourced and grown on Tata’s farm itself in Vermont where small batches of each product are made in the laboratory there, so you can have a better understanding where the price tag comes from. Having read many positive reviews I decided to bite the bullet and buy a sample set from Naturismo, which allowed me to try some of her famous products. This is where my love affair began…

For this post I am focusing on 2 of her cleansers…



Purifying Cleanser - £49.00 for 125ml  

Let’s start with my favourite product in the range! This is the most perfect morning/second cleanser for my combination skin. When I first tried this I was concerned that it would irritate my sometimes finicky sensitive skin, but I can honestly say I have never had a problem with this. I am sure this is due to the high quality ingredients. It contains Kaolin (clay) to absorb any excess sebum, natural exfoliating fruit enzymes to remove dead skin cells, natural sugars and broccoli extract to invigorate dull and sluggish skins. It is designed to be both nourishing and detoxing, unclogging pores and eradicating toxins whilst balancing oil production, returning skin to a calm state.  

Although tailored for oily/problematic skins I believe that it would also suit normal skins who are just wanting a good detox a few times a week. In fact, I think it would be fantastic for most skin types accept perhaps very sensitive skins. But like with everything try and sample it first as you never know it may be love at first try just like it was for me!

Now onto the cleanser itself, it is housed in a beautiful sturdy glass bottle. Without being bias Tata Harper products really do look stunning in your bathroom so it is a good job the stuff inside is bloody good! The only gripe I have with the packaging is that the pumps are a bit hit and miss. The first pump I had was awful and I literally had to give up using it for a while as I couldn’t cope with the stress of trying to get the cleanser out! On the plus side I was kindly sent a new one upon request and that has been successful so far!

Anyway… the cleanser is something of magic. (To me!) The texture is a kind of silky cream- gel consistency which transforms into an oil after a thorough massage onto dry skin. You do have to persist for a while before it gets to that stage though, but oh so worth it! The smell is incredible, a natural herbal citrus fresh combination which literally awakens me and my skin every time I use it! There is something so invigorating about it that I love to reserve it for mornings as a rinse off cleanser (it does emulsify when mixed with water).  Another way I use this is paired with a warm flannel, the scent is released even more and I find myself going ‘ahhh’! So it does serve as either a ‘pick me up’ or a relaxing cleanser. Either way the results are always the same, 1-2 pumps of this and I am left with very clean, but not squeaky skin! It is soft to the touch and not a dried out mess which is usually the typical story for a lot of ‘purifying’ cleansers I have previously used.



Without a doubt this will be a repurchase, it is truly delightful to use and I haven’t come across anything like it in this particular category of cleansers. This is true cleansing heaven. As for results, I do feel that if used regularly this does prevent breakouts and keeps skin calm and balanced. I like knowing that I am getting a good deep clean and keeping any congestion at bay, but really I would repurchase this for the cleansing experience alone. I particularly enjoy this when I am going through the hormonal months as it has the ability to help my skin but also retain my sanity and allow me to destress!

Ingredients:
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Capric/Caprylic/Triglycerides, Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Propanediol, Glyceryl undecylenate, Aroma**, Sucrose Stearate, Decyl Glucoside, Oryza sativa (Rice) Extract*, Glyceryl Caprylate, Lactobacillus/Punica granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Papain, Curcuma Zedoaria Root Oil, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sucrose Palmitate, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil, Salix alba (Willow) Bark Extract*, Eugenia Caryophyllus Flower Oil, Sucrose Laurate, Abies PectinateLeaf Oil, Foeniculum Vulgare Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extracts, Kaolin, Bioflavanoids, Leuconostoc ferment filtrate, Montmorillonite, Mica, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Superoxide Dismutase, Soybean Peroxidase, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Geraniol, Linalool, Limonene.
*Ingredients from Organic farming **Clinical grade essential oils blend

Nourishing Oil - £54.00 for 125ml

As you can see this cleanser is packaged in exactly the same way as the Purifying one. I find that one pump of this dispenses exactly the right amount, it does come out fast so you have to be ready to catch it otherwise it spurts across the room! As stated on the bottle this oil is designed to remove makeup and grime, but I really like to use this as a morning or 2nd cleanser. I especially like applying this 1st thing in the morning on a dry face before stepping into the shower. Giving my skin a good 1-2 minute massage with this helps prevent congestion and protects my skin from the heat and drying effects of the shower. It is worth noting that on the occasions I have used it as a 1st cleanse it has always done a fantastic job at getting rid of makeup, but I haven’t tested it on waterproof/thick mascara so cannot vouch for it breaking down really heavy makeup!

Although it advises on the bottle that this oil can be emulsified and rinsed off, I would disagree with that. It doesn’t matter how much water I add I can never get it to break down without the use of a flannel! For me this isn’t an issue as I always like to remove cleansing oils with a cloth anyway, but for those of you who are looking for something quick and no faff then this may not be it!

For me the best part of this cleanser is the texture and smell, it really does feel very luxurious and silky upon contact with the skin. It proves excellent for massage! The smell is herbal and very natural but I like it. You can smell the quality ingredients oozing out!



All in all, this is a beautiful cleansing oil for most skin types, but if I am honest there are cheaper ones on the market that do the job just as well. It doesn’t have the massive ‘wow’ factor for me unfortunately, but it is a gorgeous product for sure.  I may repurchase when on sale as there is no denying it does good things for my skin, nourishing and hydrating it without stripping. If the price tag wasn’t so high this would always be in my bathroom!   

Ingredients:
Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Olea europea (Olive) Oil*, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate, Prunus armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Argania spinosa (Argan) Kernel oil*, Plukenetia (Sacha Inchi) Volubilis, Jojoba Esters, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Aroma**, Medicago sativa (Alfalfa) Extract*, Arnica montana (Arnica) Leaves and flowers*, Calendula officinalis (Calendula) Flower Extract*, Borago officinalis (Borage) Leaf Extract*, Spiraea Ulmaria (Meadowsweet) flower Extract*, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.
* Ingredients from organic farming. ** Clinical grade essential oils blend.

If you haven’t already tried Tata I would definitely consider it, I find it amazing that the products can be so effective whilst being 100% natural. Her entry into the beauty industry has really made a difference to the way we look at ‘green’ beauty, vogue termed the brand as ‘life changing’ and I have to agree somewhat. Her products are an investment. Have you tried any Tata, if so what are your favourites?

You can purchase these products here:- https://www.naturisimo.com


Thanks for reading xx
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