Long Overdue -Beauty Bulletin Product Review - Part one

Thank you to the awesome people at Beauty.Bulletin.com for sending me these fabulous products to review. Wow!Wow and wow! Apologies for the crazy blog post , editing in word and transferring , there's these white bits all over the place - I can't get rid of them. I gave up ,they're here to stay *sigh*

I did a crazy, happy jig when I got them, the lady at the post office eyed me strangely and asked for ID which she normally doesn’t do.She asked if I’d changed my name to Lotus after I got married. I just yes so I could get my hands on that precious package!

This product is definitely super soothing on my eyes. It felt like I had a refreshing, cold compress on my eyes and had a substantial effect when I had my puffy eye days. For an extra-soothing effect I popped it in the fridge so it was ultra-cool on application. Picture that “aaaaaah” feeling –like steam wisping off hot asphalt after a Highveld thunderstorm. Relief! It’s a godsend on these temperamental, sweltering summer evenings I felt the cooling effects immediately after application with this Eye Gel.

Hydrating, lightweight, hypoallergenic, non-greasy as well as working underneath makeup, without causing smudging -this product has all of these fine attributes. I think this product is excellent for people who are just looking for basic daily under eye moisturizer. If you have serious eye issues such as dark circles, deep crow’s feet this may not be for you. Regular use however shows a significant decrease in puffiness. The skin under the eye is left soft, and velvety

Impressively it is huge (for an eye treatment) YES TO CUCUMBERS EYE LOVE CUCUMBERS SOOTHING EYE GEL – a good buy for a relatively massive amount of eye gel .The dispenser is a frosted clear plastic pump which has a tight locking cap on it.  The pump dispenses a lot of the soothing clear gel, but if you press down gently, I find that I can get just enough gel to come out to do

The Key ingredients are:

Organic Cucumbers are packed with rejuvenating vitamins which soothe and soften the skin, Cucumbers also having cooling properties which help keep your skin supple and fresh. Green Tea has excellent anti-inflammatory properties to improve the general health of the skin, provide superior protection against free radical damage and help rebuild damaged skin cells. Chamomile soothes and tightens the delicate skin around your eyes.

Also includes: Broccoli Extract, Dill Extract, Dead Sea Silt Extract, Spinach Leaf Extract.

Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel

(Ingredients)

Aqua (Water), Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Extract*, Sodium Alginate, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Gel*, Chamomilla Recutita (Camomile) Extract*, Brassica Oleracea (Broccoli) Extract*, Citric Acid, Peucedanum Graveolens (Dill) Extract*, Capsicum Annuum (Green Pepper) Extract*, Algin, Algea (Spirulina, Rhodella, Dunaliella) *, Maris Sal (Dead Sea Minerals), Parfum (Fragrance), Spinacia Oleracea (Spinach) Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E) *, Panthenol*, Dehydroacetic Acid. Certified Organic Ingredient

The Low-down on Cucumber

Cucumber is an excellent source of silica, which is a trace mineral that contributes to the strength of our connective tissue. Connective tissue is what holds our body together. Cucumbers are effective when used for various skin issues including swelling under the eyes and sunburn. They also contain ascorbic and caffeic acids. These acids prevent water retention. That may explain why when cucumbers are applied topically they are often helpful for swollen eyes, burns, and dermatitis.

As a beauty aid, the cucumber provides immediate relief to puffy eyes; a fresh cucumber can be cut into thin slices, and these placed on the eyes for 5-10 minutes. This works incredibly well after a tiring day at work in front of the computer, and helps to relieve stress and dark circles around the eye area as well. Grated cucumber can be used as a mask and tonic for the entire face and neck.

My dad likes to make this traditional salad that is served with Biryani and is great with meat dishes. It’s called Raita (or as we say Raitu) , it is a cucumber salad – sort of like Indian coleslaw. Grated cucumber is added to a yogurt base but a lot of the water from the cucumber is squeezed out. I just pop that into a spritz  bottle  and leave it in the fridge. It makes a great toner and you can add rose water or witch hazel as well.

Cucumber’s nutritional benefits include natural salts, enzymes, and vitamins essential for strong cell growth and repair. In addition, the high mineral content and minerals in cucumber peel offer a natural source for a fresh, powerful antioxidant. The alkalinity of cucumber is also a positive attribute, and because of its water base, the cucumber is also a top choice as diuretic.

Some Cool Cucumber Tips

Cucumber acts as a natural cleanser  so try this  the next time you want to wash your face - mix half a cup of milk with one table spoon of cucumber juice and use it as a cleanser. This mixture can store for up to one day in a fridge. This will clean, tone, and refresh your skin all at once. The milk also has lactic acid in it (super super super mild fruit-acid peel-ness)

Applying cucumber juice to your face can lighten the skin. It won’t erase severe, uneven hyperpigmentation but it will give you skin a radiance boost.

Slices of cucumber are indispensable for under-eye bags (puffiness). Lie down, put couple of slices on your eyes, making sure they touch the puffy areas, and give it 10 – 15 minutes. This is a very old trick, and it still works (and always will) – that’s why the eye gel is excellent plus it has all the other good stuff in it like the Green Tea.

To soften tough skin, mix a table spoon of cucumber juice with a table spoon of almond butter (naturally, presuming you are not allergic to almonds). Spread the mass on your face, and then rinse it with lukewarm or cold water. Try mixing it with Borax powder (from the pharmacy) – regular use softens and lightens rough elbows and knees.

For a nourishing mask take one teaspoon of sour-cream, one teaspoon shredded cucumber and one egg yolk. Mix well and apply to your face for 10 – 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

Swig to get the full Cucumber benefit, inside out.

Recourber ‘ is French for  ‘to bend’  and wow did it bend! Maybelline Great lash was the first mascara I ever used and the brand never disappoints. I’m not one to use the lash curler , it’s a bit intimidating to me. I know the whole heat it up an squeeze your lashes and Voila! Curling tong for your lashes

My lashes are always all over the place (I’m scared to use the curling contraption unlike the smiling girl in the pic. So I’m grateful for mascaras like this. It gave me a great curl (that lasts), excellent lash separation , lush length as well as a bit of volume. It really makes your eyes pop – almost doll-like . I would definitely recommend this .

Two more products to follow! Reviews on their way!



I never smile like this when using "The Curler"



Flat pokey lashes



I cannot get rid of this massive gap here? 







Yes these are my lashes swathed in the mascara - Extreme Curl

 

        

Best

if you want to: Minimize fine lines, smooth wrinkles and leave skin feeling firmer and hydrated with a day cream that moisturizes for up to 12 hours.

How it works:

§  Has a temporary lifting effect: skin is plumper and hydrated.

§  Pomegranate seed oil moisturizes skin and is rich in antioxidants to help minimize the damage cause by environmental aggressors.

§  Community Trade Brazil nut oil moisturizes and softens skin.

Nom, nom,nom – another delicious product from the body shop. I got my body shop card in the post today. Methinks I’m going to go try out the whole range . . . and all the other ranges. Shopping spreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (*delirious laughter, light-headed grins and general happy dancing follows*).

Firstly you can help taking in that subtle yet intoxicating pomegranate scent when you open the tub. I used this dreamily rich crème on my face, neck and décolletage and on the so-called “girls”. Skin is skin so I wanted to test the firming and lifting effects of this luxurious crème. I did the whole la Mer- heat-between-the –palms thing to give it a super decadent kick. I loved it, it absorbs quickly and really does firm and lift (meticulous application) and a little goes a long way. I loved using it on my décolletage and at first I was afraid it would be too rich for my face. Once applied it has this incredible smoothing effect and my face felt velvety and not like an oil-slick.Thick and luxurious it is almost the consistency of a balm but it is not greasy and it did not make my skin greasy This will be a perfect day cream for people whose skin gets desperately dry in winter.

The important thing with skin care is the disciplined use of a product. You cannot expect a complete change in a week but I would also like to say that even though I’ve been using this product for a short time I’m impressed by the nourishing effects that it has on the surface layers of the skin. I would definitely recommend this and I’m sure with the synergistic effect of the whole product range an even more impressive result can be seen.

So you’re wondering if those juicy rubies sold in tiny tubs at Woolies is any good for you. Well . . .

Every year cosmoceutical companies scramble about searching for the next BIG THING in  anti-aging. The “face-lift in jar”. Pomergranate is the “it-girl” this year .

Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, MD in his March 2008 article in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (thank you Medscape subscription) states “Mucocutaneous inflammation as the final common pathway of many systemic and mucocutaneous diseases including extrinsic aging has been established at the molecular and cellular levels. Pomegranate has known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and has been documented in double-blind clinical trials to significantly improve signs of skin aging. Of the over 8000 known antioxidant ingredients, pomegranate is 1 in less than 20 have been incorporated into topical formulations which have been documented in human clinical trials to reverse signs of aging of the skin.”

The status of the Pomegranate goes back as far as the history of agriculture itself, 10,000 years. The ancient Egyptian papyrus holds record of pomegranate being used for healing purposes. Apparently, Greek healers used pomegranate to cure variety of diseases. These include arthritis, circulatory disorders, digestive problems and infections.  References to the pomegranate are readily found in the oldest cultures of the Indus Valley, ancient China, and classical Greece, as well as in the Old Testament. It has a long history of medicinal use, with the peel well regarded for its astringent use.

Anthocyanins account for the beautiful red-purple color of the pomegranate’s skin, flesh, and seed. More importantly, pomegranate juice made from squeezing the whole fruit is a rich source of punicalagin, a large polyphenol antioxidant. Pomegranate seeds are a good source of punicic acid, similar to conjugated linoleic acid( CLA- yes that stuff in Biogen and USN and all the other weight loss supplements)

Research has shown that the physiological effects of pomegranate juice constituents are remarkable in their preventive potential against two of the major chronic diseases of aging – heart disease and cancer. There is evidence of the pomegranate’s impact on heart disease, including its ability to enhance nitric oxide production in endothelial cells.

There is also significant anti -proliferative effects attributed to the pomegranate in battling breast cancer and prostate cancer as well retarding tumour growth in animals..

“In a study carried out at the University of Michigan Medical School, aqueous fractions prepared from pomegranate peel, fermented juice and lipophilic fractions of the pomegranate were examined for effects on human epidermal and dermal cell function.

Pomegranate seed oil was shown to stimulate epidermal call proliferation, and a mild thickening of the epidermis was observed!  The pomegranate peel extract stimulated type I procollagen synthesis by dermal fibroblasts, These results indicate the potential of pomegranate for facilitating skin repair by promoting regeneration of the dermis and epidermis.

In Jan 2008 a Dr Navindra Seeram reported his study which applied 4 tests of antioxidant potency of polyphenol-rich beverages available in the marketplace.

In Dr Seeram’s comparative study published in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemisty, he demonstrated that the antioxidant potency and total polyphenol content were consistently greatest in pomegranate juice as compared to apple juice, acai juice, black cherry juice, red wine, blueberry juice, cranberry juice, Concord grape juice, orange juice, black tea, green tea, and white tea capacity.  It has clinically proven anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-aging properties