Sunday 16 October 2011

Missha BB cream for darker Skin! No.31 Golden Beige.

BB creams (Blemish Balm) seem to be everywhere right now but from my personal experience it's hard to find one for darker skin tones which is a real shame although BB cream originally started off for Asian skin tones.
For those who may not know what BB creams are, in a nutshell it works like a tinted moisturiser (or some have enough pigment to use as a foundation) that is supposed to be wondrous in different areas. They tend to have an SPF, anti-wrinkle agents, healing and skin lightening properties and help create an even flawless finish.
Sometime last year I discovered Missha had a new, darker shade out. Although it's slightly harder to find and is more expensive compared to the rest that are easily available. This seems to be the only darker shade available from Missha too.
Missha is a popular brand for BB creams in Asia, I bought mine from ebay, I think I paid around £20 something pounds at the time. I really wanted to try these much talked about wonder creams so I splashed out.
The one I purchased was 'Perfect Cover B.B Cream' 50ml, No.31 Golden Beige, with SPF 42 PA+++ (The PA part is pretty much a grading system of UVA protection which provides superior defence against rays that can cause collagen damage and photo ageing of the skin.) 
                                     I have tried my best to capture the true colours of the swatches. 
To me once it's blended in it has more of a red undertone which you can't see in the pictures so much. I also really love the scent it's fresh and light.
My Thoughts?
I really like what BB creams are about and this one I found was easy to blend, loved the smell and it also had light/medium coverage. However it didn't match my skin tone as much as I hoped it would, I need something with more yellow undertones and this was quiet the opposite however I can still make it work by putting my Mac powder over it.
Has anyone else tried this brand? 

Saturday 8 October 2011

Hair Oils: Macadamia and VO5

 I'm sure many of you have heard of or tried both these hair oils but I thought I'd share my thought's on them. I purchased Macadamia (natural oil) Healing Oil Treatment at least half a year ago and have enjoyed using it since. I actually had a hard time choosing between this brand and the well known Moroccan oil (which I still want to try) but after having Macadamia products used on my hair during a trip to the hairdressers and loving how it made my hair smell and feel I decided to buy it. The hairdresser also said out of all the oils they have tried this one was in their opinion the best one.
The smell is light but really lovely, the bottle is glass and I love that it has a pump which makes it easier to dispense the oil.
The label instructs you to work a small amount in damp or dry hair and for extra nourishment you can add a small amount to your favourite hair mask which I am yet to try but sounds like a good idea. It states that it instantly absorbs into the hair, weightlessly infusing moisture, health, softness, protection, control and shine.

The VO5 miracle concentrate elixir with argan oil was purchased after hearing so much about it via blogs and you tube videos and it was also on a special offer in Boots at the time so I thought why not? Plus I like that it's smaller than my Macadamia bottle which makes it better for travelling purposes. It has a pipette which is fantastic for controlling the amount you want to dispense, nothing worse than a product in annoying packaging that gives you too much product! Again this smells really nice, a slightly stronger scent than the Macadamia oil.
The label has no instructions on how to use it but I guess it's fairly obvious but it does say that the elixir is high in Vitamin E, Rich in Anti-Oxidants which help fight free radicals and is hydrating and deeply conditioning.
 I tend to put a few drops on the palm of my hand, rub it between both hands a little and then distribute it from neck downwards of my hair. This way my hair doesn't look oily.
Macadamia oil is much more expensive it retails at  whopping £29.95 for 125ml on websites like lookfantastic but I'd suggest looking on ebay. The VO5 however is much more affordable although it's a smaller 50ml bottle but has the price tag of around £4.99
As I haven't been using VO5 for as long I can't make a judgement on which one is better but I really like both of them, they both make my hair feel nourished and smooth. I do want to point out however that both the products contain 'cones which can be good and bad for your hair so if your looking for pure oils I'd avoid these.

Do you use any hair oils? If so which ones?