Posts tagged ‘ultraceuticals’

July 18, 2011

Product Review: Ultraceuticals Even Skintone Serum

Holy grail skin care product alert! There are around 5 products in my skin care regime that I continue to purchase once the bottle/tube/jar runs out and this is one of them. This is one of those magical products that I know I can whip out when I’m having a bad skin week and it will make a positive difference in the overall look and feel of my skin. The Ultraceuticals Even Skintone Serum helps reduce discolouration and pigmentation to promote a brighter and smoother complexion. It is recommended for all skin types, but I tend to only use it once or twice a week and find that I get the best results when I don’t use it every day. You only need a few drops for each use, so although it has a somewhat hefty price tag I still think it’s pretty good value for money. It’s important to remember when you start using products that contain AHA & BHA to start slow (as in once or twice a week at most) to let your skin adjust to the product. (it’s also to bump up your daytime SPF factor if you use a lot of products containing AHA in your skin care regime) The Ultraceuticals Even Skintone serum retails for $85 AUD and can be purchased online from the Ultraceuticals website.
July 12, 2011

August Wishlist

Once again I find myself with very few items on my “I NEED THIS OR I WILL DIE” list this month, but of course I was able to rustle up four items that I would certainly be more than happy to own. These are -

01: MAC Blot Powder – For some reason I have been really curious about this lately. I’ve heard great things about MAC’s blot powder and now I’m curious to try it for myself. 02: Seven Wonders Detangling Moisture Spray – My hair has been a knotted wreck lately, and I don’t know why. I don’t have 1 detangling spray in my repetoire and as I am loving the rest of the Seven Wonders range I figured I might as well give their detangling spray a shot!

03: Biotherm White D-Tox BB Cream – I have been trying this out after being sent a small sample by Adore Beauty and I have to say, it’s amazing. I can’t wait to buy a full sized tube for myself. 04: Ultraceuticals Even Skintone Serum – I ran out of this over the weekend and nearly wept. It’s one of my holy grail skin care items and I have a hard time living without it! Must. Replace. Immediately.
April 30, 2011

April Favourites

Favourite products for the month of April include: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Porcelain Pink, MAC Eyeshadow in Naked Lunch, Ultraceuticals Even Skintone Serum, Sigma Duo Fibre F50 Brush (used to apply cream blush) & Essie Angora Cardi Polish.
September 13, 2010

Product Review: Ultraceuticals Ultra A Hydration Booster

What is great about this product…

First things first, if you are travelling anywhere in the near future – this product will be a lifesaver. The Ultraceuticals Ultra A Hydration Booster is designed to be used as a mask, or as an overnight treatment. I tested it out both ways, and much preferred using it as an overnight treatment. I found that it did a lot more for my skin overnight than in the 10-15 minute time frame of a quick face mask. When using it as an overnight treatment, I woke up with plump looking and “refreshed” feeling skin. I have sensitive skin and this product did not cause any sort of negative reaction – which was a huge relief because I was somewhat nervous about slapping it on my skin before going to bed. I didn’t have to worry though, because the product caused no flare ups or breakouts, just left my skin feeling smooth, soft and hydrated. I will be repurchasing this when I run out, and definitely taking it with me the next time I travel!

What is not so great about this product…

I really dislike the smell of this product. Ultraceuticals products are generally scent free (any scent is derived from natural ingredients, like the vanilla scent to the ultra hydration cream) but this one seems to have a stale sort of smell that doesn’t agree with me. Thankfully though the scent seems to fade rather quickly, because I was able to sleep with the mask on with no troubles whatsoever.

My Rating: 8/10

The Ultraceuticals Ultra A Hydration Booster retails for $66.30 AUD and is available for purchase online from Australian online beauty retailer Active Skin.
May 16, 2010

Product Review: Ultraceuticals Ultra A Eye Cream

You may have heard me talk about Ultraceuticals skincare products before. Ultraceuticals is an Australian made and owned brand that I was introduced to via Adore Beauty sometime last year. Their Ultra Moisturising Cream is one of my favourite facial moisturisers, so when I received the Ultra A Eye Cream to try and review I admit that I was excited to check out another product from their range.

What is great about this product…

As with the Ultraceuticals products I have used in the past, the Ultra A Eye Cream is very gentle on skin. It has a medium-thick sort of texture but sinks quickly into skin without leaving any residue. The skin is left feeling soft and hydrated. The Ultra A Eye Cream is non-scented, which is becoming something of a necessity for me when it comes to skincare. I find non-scented products always work better on my skin. I skipped one morning of using the eye cream and noticed a huge difference in the hydration of the skin around my eyes, and I really didn’t like it. So much so that I took my makeup off and started again from skincare up! Another thing I like about the product is the packaging. (yes, I do prefer skincare that looks good sitting on my shelf. I am shallow like that.) Oh, and as hefty as the price tag may seem ($85 AUD for the 20ml tube) I have been using this cream day and night for weeks and still have around 98% of the product left.

What is not so great about this product…

Now, in all honesty I do find it hard to see any difference in my eye area when it comes to eye creams. Perhaps it’s my shocking eyesight coming in to play, or perhaps I am subconsciously choosing to ignore the fact that I may have one or two fine lines that could do with some erasing. So this issue seems to have arisen with the Ultra A Eye Cream too. The product claims to help visibly smooth and refine existing wrinkles to make the eye area look smoother and more youtful. To me, well, it sort of looks exactly the same. Perhaps this difference takes a little longer than a few weeks? I’m not sure.

The Ultraceuticals Ultra A Eye Cream is available for purchase from online retailer Adore Beauty.

May 8, 2010

Saturday Survey – May 5

01 Mood: Productive! I’ve had a super busy day and am now crossing things off of a very long to-do list. Which is always very satisfying!

02 Best thing about this weekend: Getting to catch up with my family who are visiting from overseas, spending the day shopping and enjoying a relaxing lunch. Oh, and the fact that tomorrow is Mother’s Day!

03 Last movie I saw: Date Night. It was really funny! I was quite surprised because I actually found Steve Carell funnier in this movie than Tina Fey – and I absolutely adore her!

04 What I’m reading: All In The Blue Unclouded Weather by Robin Klein. Just a short little nostalgic read before I move on to another book on my book list for this year…

05 Makeup lust: I have rediscovered my love for the id Bare Mineral foundation… I was growing bored with my makeup after realising I was wearing practically the same thing every day, and decided to try out something else from my beauty cupboard for a while. I had forgotten how great (and flawless) the finish of the id Bare Minerals was!

06 Listening to: Gogol Bordello – Your Country. My new favourite workout song!

07 Skincare Lust: I have been trialling the Ultraceuticals Ultra A Eye Cream for review, and I am really liking it so far! I will post a review soon…

08 What Is On My Nails: Not yet, but I am about to paint my nails with Sephora/OPI Call Your Mother

09 Current obsession: Kikki K. I have about 45 products from their store on my desk right now. It’s actually kind of scary.

10 Aim for this week: Survive with out Mr B here – again!

March 26, 2010

Skincare & Makeup Q&A

I have seen this Q&A popping up on a few blogs that I’ve been reading and I figured what better way to make this Friday afternoon go a little faster than by filling it out myself? So here we go, apologies if it’s a little bit long! Please feel free to take these questions and complete the survey in the comments or on your own blog! I would love to read what you guys say, so be sure to link me to it when you’re done!

SKINCARE

How many times do you wash your face daily?

I went through a stage where I was only washing my face at night, but I’ve somehow gotten back into the routine of cleansing both morning and night. I’m not really sure how or why I’ve switched back to doing it twice a day, but I can’t really tell if it makes any difference to my skin.

What skin type do you have? (dry, oily, combo)

I have oily combination skin. I hate the fact that my skin gets so shiny during the day, but apparently those with oily skin have younger looking skin as they age? I’ll take whatever positives I can get!

What is your current facial wash?

I wash with a Cetaphil Cleansing Bar in the morning, and Dermalogica Precleanse/Special Cleansing Gel at night.

Do you exfoliate?

Yes, twice a week. If I feel like my skin needs a bit of an extra boost I’ll use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant a couple of extra times a week. Though I am on a serious conservation project with that until I near the end of Project 10 Pan.

What brand do you use?

At the moment I either use Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub, Skin MD Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel Wipes or Jurlique Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator.

What moisturizer do you use?

I’ve just used up a tube of Dermalogica Active Moist and have moved on to Ultraceuticals Ultra Moisturiser Cream. I really love this moisturiser for winter, it’s so thick and it smells like vanilla. (with no artificial scent added, all natural vanilla!)

Do you have freckles?

I do have a few freckles on my cheekbones towards the side of my face. I don’t have as many as I used to as a child, I figure they have faded because I avoid sun exposure as much as I can?

Do you use eye cream?

Yes, at the moment my favourite is the This Works Tired Eye Serum. It’s nice and light but feels really good on my eyes first thing in the morning.

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?

I suffer from hormonal breakouts along my jaw line that drive me craaaazy. Thankfully my skin is a lot better than it was during my teenage years. (hello tomato face)

Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?

No, I don’t think I would ever use anything that harsh on my skin.

MAKE-UP

What foundation do you use?

Givenchy Skin Tonic Stretch Cream foundation in the shade “lift dragee”.

How about concealer?

Benefit Erase Paste – I love the fact that this is nice and creamy, blends well and doesn’t cake and go all crusty!

Do you know your undertone color?

Tomato red? Ha. Seriously though, I do have pink undertones. Oh for beautiful olive toned skin!

What do you think of fake eyelashes?

I think they’re amazing if applied properly! I am a total klutz with fine motor skills. My best friend manages to apply them perfectly to the outer corners of her eyelids and they look incredible on her. I am destined to have stumpy little lashes for eternity.

Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?

I figured it was something like that. I usually only ever have 1 or 2 in rotation so they get used up before they can get too far past their use-by date.

What brand of mascara do you use?

My favourites are Lancome, YSL & Givenchy.

Sephora or MAC?

I am a recent convert to the land of MAC, though my experience with Sephora (albeit only when travelling) was always positive. MAC wins this round because Sephora is not available in Australia.

Do you have a MAC Pro-card?

No, and nor would I classify myself as a pro!

What makeup tools do you use in make up application?

For foundation and creme blush I use Beauty Blender. I cannot rave enough about how great this is for even foundation application. I also have a sporadic collection of makeup brushes (that I am planning to streamline soon) but my favourite brushes are by Chanel and Napoleon Perdis.

Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?

I use Benefit Stay Don’t Stray primer on my eyelids.

For the face?

I don’t use a primer for my face because I found it pointless & it never seemed to aid with foundation application, more like it made things worse and awkward. I also hate the feeling of having too much product stacked up on my skin.

What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?

MAC Naked Lunch or Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow in Champagne.

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?

I use a pencil eyeliner because of my shaky fine motor skills. I could ask my 2 year old daughter to apply liquid eyeliner and it would look more professional than if I did it myself.

How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?

Never. Mascara on the other hand….

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?

I use Napoleon Perdis Loose Eye Dust eyeshadow a lot when I’m going out at night, but it’s a messy process that stresses me out a bit. I will say this though, they last a LONG time. Just don’t sneeze near them because they spread far and wide really easily.

Do you use mineral makeup?

I do use Bare Minerals foundation when I get the urge. I like the coverage that it offers, but right now I’m loving my liquid foundation too much.

What is your favorite lipstick?

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Lipstick in Seductive Rose or Christian Dior Rouge Dior Lipstick in Stage Red.

How about lipgloss?

NARS Lipgloss in Chihuahua, MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Petting Pink or Chanel Aqualumiere Gloss in Candy Glow.

What is your favorite blush to use?

For creme/liquid blush I love Becca Lip & Cheek Creme in Rosebud, MAC Blushcreme in Ladyblush or By Terry Rose de Rose Liquid Blush in Fresh Rose. For powder I am loving Estee Lauder blush in Peach Nuance or Chanel Irreelle Blush in Tea Rose.

Do you buy your makeup on ebay?

No, I believe that if something is too good to be true (ie: super cheap cosmetics) then it normally is. Also I prefer to buy things shiny and new because I’m OCD like that.

Do you like drugstore makeup?

I don’t dislike it, but I don’t buy a lot of my products from there.

Do you go to CCO’s? (cosmetic company outlets)

I am not aware of any of these existing in Western Australia. If I did I would probably check it out. (and possibly go bankrupt)

Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?

Yes, my best friend and I are planning on taking some courses this year.

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?

Only if it’s something fidgety like putting on false eyelashes or applying liquid eyeliner. Otherwise I don’t think I’m too clumsy.

Name a makeup crime that you hate?

People who are mis-matched with foundation colour and look like they’re walking around with an orange mask on.

Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?

For myself I prefer neutral makeup looks, but I can definitely appreciate colourful shades on other people.

Which celebrity always has great make up?

Liv Tyler. She embraces her fair skin and is never OTT with her makeup choices. I look to her a lot for makeup inspiration!

If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use?

Lip balm. I go crazy if I have dry lips! (my current favourite is Lucas’ Paw Paw Ointment)

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?

I usually go without makeup on the weekends unless I’m heading out somewhere special. If not I’ll either go completely makeup-free or just use a bit of tinted moisturiser and some mascara / lip gloss.

Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?

I think so, I think it’s a different way of looking good.

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?

For me personally it would have to be Givenchy. I love their foundation, blush, mascara, eyeliner and lip products. They tick all the boxes!

What do you think of makeup?

I think it’s a lot of fun, but nothing that I ever take too seriously. I know a lot of people think that makeup is a waste of time, and for them that is fine. For me I see it as adding the finishing touches to a picture. A few little additions here and there can perfect the look! Oh, I also think I spend way too much money on makeup and need to curb that habit.

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