Review of Ziaja SenSitive Soothing Day Cream and Micellar Water

Hi Pretty people!


                Once again,I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend! It's hard to believe that it's been a week since my last post, but in that time I was shopping in Dublin and have some amazing buys to show you guys in the weeks to come! I also took on foster kittens, who at this moment are having a great time chasing my fingers across the keyboard! If anyone can give a kitten a good home let me know!:) 

                                     

Molly and Charlie helping me write!

       I would also like to dedicate this post to my wonderful friend Zoe who's 21 today. Its such a pain in the a•• I couldn't make it due to stupid train and bus systems, but I hope you've a wonderful day hun:)

        Ok, so on to the review! As the title would suggest, this review is on Ziaja's SenSitive skin day cream and miscellar water. I have done a review on the enzyme peel product from this range before and was so happy with it I decided to try these out. Ziaja is a Polish range, which has several, very affordable lines and can be bought in most chemists and online. I'll leave the link for the Irish online store below.

                 

         

      The miscellar water is €4.99 for 200mls, is ph balanced,dermatologically and allergy tested and has 0% parabens, alcohol or perfume. It's active ingredients are provitamin B5 and allantoin, which is an anti irritant and has moisturising properties. You apply to the skin with cotton pads and there's no need to rinse. So does it do the job? 

        You're still going to need an eye make up remover with this for a start, but it is very good at removing other makeup. When I first purchased this I used it as my general face cleanser, and to be honest I wasn't thrilled with the results. During the day I did notice my skin was looking very oily around the chin area, and I felt had to use the water to cleanse again. In fairness to the product at the moment I am really struggling with blockages and lumps on the right side of my face, and my chin and nose always have black heads. Ironically, I read an article about the bacteria on your phone possibly causing spots and since I have started using my head phones, it has definitely made a difference! Get that anti bacterial wipe now! 

Eeeeeeew!

      So instead of using the miscellar water as a skin cleanser I have just been using it to remove make up and it does a lovely job. I think if you had good sensitive skin this would be lovely for you, as it did leave the non problematic areas of my skin really soft and clean, but its just too gentle to tackle my problem areas. I would defienitly recommend using this in preference of a face wipe if you're too tired to  'double cleanse' at any stage. It's very economical as you don't need to use too much of this product, and it is brilliant at taking off face makeup. Bottom line, I will be repurchasing this as it is an excellent, good value make up remover that leaves behind no residue and isn't full of harsh chemicals. 

                                 

     On to the Soothing Day Cream! It retails at €6.99 for 50ml, is ph balanced,  has no silicones, mineral oil or perfume, has an SPF of 20 and protects from UVA and UVB rays. This product is marketed for sensitive, dry and itchy skin, which it doesn't point out on the front of the box! Due to this it is just too heavy for my skin, and reminds me of a lighter formulation of aqueous cream. I think is not so much for sensitive skin, as for dry skin that suffers irritations and can't cope with chemicals. Unless you actually have this type of skin, rather than just sensitive skin, I wouldn't recommend this product. It is a pity as this product has a lot going for it and if they brought this out in a milk version I would definitely try it. 

                                                   

  So, there's my honest opinion on these products! Has anyone else tried out this range, or other lines in the range? What did people think? Can anyone help me on my quest to find a good moisturiser?! 

   Enjoy what ever you get up to this weekend and lots of love from me, Charlie and Molly!xxxx

Link to Irish store online: http://www.originalbeauty.ie/store/index.php?main_page=index 

Vichy Dermablend Foundation Review

                     Let me first say, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Vichy throughout my late teens and early twenties. However, anything I have bought from them recently I have been delighted with, hence why I decided to try this product.



                       


                       As anyone who watches YouTube videos, particularly beauty ones will have noticed the new ads for the relaunch of Vichy's Dermablend range.  The range has five products in total, three of which are new,they are the corrector stick, total body foundation and the corrective compact cream foundation. They also have the best selling corrective foundation and mineral powder and I was lucky enough to get my hands on some samples of the corrective foundation in different colours to test out:) 

                   First of all my mother tested out Sand - 35. My mother is just upwards of fifty but has some deep set lines around her mouth and open pores. (I may have no where to live if she ever sees this!) She applied this with her fingers and felt the makeup was too heavy and actually accentuated  these problems rather than helped with them, and I was inclined to agree. She felt the make up was like a mask on rather than a foundation. Sadly she wouldn't even let me take pictures and went off to wash it off straight away. 

                    

Me with no make-up
Cant believe I'm putting a no make-up selfie out there!

                    So the next day I decided to give it a try on my own cleansed and moisturised skin, but decided against a primer. I was using the lightest shade which is called Opal - 15 with my trusty Real Techniques Beauty Blender; love this sponge! I particularly chose the beauty blender for application as I find it great for sheering out foundation that might be slightly heavy otherwise. I was shocked!! The coverage of this foundation was amazing, and the colour, though looking like it would be too orange, was perfect. You also only need the smallest amount, making it very good value for money, always a requirement in todays economy! You really do need to work to blend this foundation, but the coverage is flawless and it lasts all day. When using the foundation I didn't need any concealer on my dark circles and didn't require any powder to set it. I didn't find that it gave a mask effect at all, or the dreaded 'I'll need a trowel to get this off later' effect, just wonderful even looking skin! I have since used my fingers to apply the foundation, and as long as you don't use a lot of the product, you get exactly the same results.

                                   

After applying Dermablend foundation

             In hindsight I think the are a few reasons it didn't work for my mother. Firstly I don't think this particular version of the foundation is meant for mature skin, we used way too much product and also I think we didn't blend and buff the foundation enough. I think with open pores and fine lines, it is essential to take some time to work the product into the skin. A quick tip for people who have open pores is to use a brush of any kind, and buff in the foundation in circles. This will help to fill in the pores and make them disappear, but don't be too rough as you are effectively exfoliating the skin doing this. 

Before

After

       
                I also tried to cover a few tattoos with this, and again the coverage was very effective, but the foundation was too orangy for my skin tone. I have since seen they have a new body foundation, but whether or not the 'light' shade will be light enough remains to be seen. Has anyone tried the body foundation? Opinions?


                 
                   Despite having quite a few foundations in my collection I had to go out and purchase this. I don't have acne or very problematic skin, but it is great to know you have a foundation there that is a great colour match, and will cover any imperfections or discolouration. The foundation also has an SPF of 35 which is great for us pale ladies! 

                  It retails at €21.50 for 30mls, and is available in most chemists and larger Boots. (Don't forget Irish students, you can use your travel card to get money off in Boots!) For more see www.vichy.ie 


             As always I'd love to hear if other people found the range a success or not for them. Thanks for reading! 


P.S. Apologies about the bad camera I'm working on getting a new one!
  


  

                

Eye make-up remover for very sensitive eyes

       
         I have very sensitive eyes, especially when it comes to make up remover! This, along with dark circles and very thin skin around my eyes, made finding a make up remover which didn't sting my eyes and took off all the makeup a challenge to say the least. Most cream based products seemed to seep into my eyes no matter how careful I was when I used them, and the oil based removers simply caused the same problems,left me with flakes of mascara and shiny eyes! 

      Then my prayers were answered! While browsing through my instagram feed, I came across a recommendation from the wonderful makeup artist Lisa Eldridge, which was the Nivea Daily Essentials Double Effect eye make up remover. Since it was my mom who picked this up I didn't realise it was an oil based product until I got it home :/ I decided to give it a try none the less and I am delighted with it! 

    In order to remove all, yes all, types of eye products simply give the product a really good shake, apply to cotton wool and hold gently to the eye for about a minute. Quick tip here; hospital grade cotton wool can sometimes have sharp..bits in it, so if you can use the cotton rounds, even if its just for your eye make up, your eyes will thank you in the long run! There's no rubbing required with this product, and don't forget to use the other side of the cotton wool, the product goes a long way. 

     Now for the practicalities. It retails for €4.25 for 125mls. I have seen it in loads of places including the bigger Pennys and definitely in Dunnes Stores. Its safe for contact lens wearers, suitable for all skin types and is ophth...ophthmal....its good for your eyes! 

    So, does anyone else with sensitive eyes have any recommendations? I always love to hear how other people get on with products and any questions please ask:)

Yaaaay for Nivea!