Holy Grail Beautyy . . .

• Cruelty Free NO
• Fragrance Free YES
• All skin types unless very sensitive
• Inexpensive $26.95 AUD  6.76 fl oz/200 mls
• 6 months expiry
• Made in France

This is my second review of a product from La Roche-Posay, you can read the first here.

Beauty Guru

This product is for removing makeup and eye makeup. It's in a 200 ml bottle and the lotion itself is opaque white and I find it unpleasant on the face.  On the eyes it is not so bad.  It is great at removing eyeshadow and eyebrow pencils but leaves residue from mascara and any black eyeliner products, in which I need to get another product to remove it, usually the Sante Microfibre Disc.

The bottle it comes in is not a pump so you have to try and squeeze it out of the bottle through a little hole and you invariably squeeze out too much and waste extra product.  I think this product has potential to be a lot better through a packaging change and work on the residue issue in the eye and the texture of the product overall and how it feels on skin.

A positive aspect was that it did not upset my eyes or make them feel really uncomfortable.


I do not recommend this unless you wear very light eye makeup.

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Image from La Roche Posay Uk
La Roche-Posay

• Cruelty Free NO
• Fragrance Free YES
• Alcohol Free YES
• 6 months expiry from time of opening
• Opaque tube packaging
• Formulated for Sensitive skin
• Hydrates for 48hours
• Inexpensive $29.95 AUD
• Non comedogenic, opthamologist and dermatologist tested

This is my first La Roche Posay product review.

Beauty Guru

This is a moisturiser that helps to protect the skin barrier and for skin that is dry, suffers from some redness, sensitivity, that feels uncomfortable and not supple.  I found it useful as I get bad heat rash on my face and neck in summer months and it helped to calm it down and hydrate the skin which was dry and rough.  I now use it to seal in the rest of my skincare before I apply sunscreen during the day and as an added bonus moisture layer after my night time skin routine.

It contains Niacinamide, Squalane, Shea Butter and Glycerin all excellent skin barrier boosting ingredients.

It feels very nice and envelopes my skin in a very comforting manner.  I love it! I wish it came in a larger size with a longer expiry then six months.

I definitely recommend this product.

Ingredients

WATER, ISOCETYL STERATE, COCO-CAPRYLATE/CAPARTE, SQUALANE, BUTYROSPERMUM, PARKII BUTTER/ SHEA BUTTER, GLYCERIN, PROPANEDIOL, CETYL ALCOHOL, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, GLYCERYL STERATE, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, PEG-100 STERATE, NIACINAMIDE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CITRIC ACID


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Image via Adorebeauty.com.au
La Roche-Posay

• CRUELTY FREE YES
• FRAGRANCE FREE YES
• Natural bristle wand
• High end pricing $35 AUD
• One colour available black

This is my first mascara from Stila.

Beauty Guru

This mascara is excellent at lifting, defining, giving length and non clumpy lashes!  The formula is not too wet and not too dry its just right!

The curl/lift does drop after a while but not as bad as some mascaras and the pigment is good but I would prefer even blacker.  The wand reminds me a lot of Better than Sex and Lash Paradise with the hourglass kind of shape and the packaging is in a gold tube.



Now the downside.  Pretty quickly I found I would get a ring of black pigment like a shadow of the mascara under my eyes.  Whether I do a lot of activity or nothing much this occurs.  Its not dark black but its definitely there.  Which sucks because it doesn't transfer up top, it doesn't flake but it does seem to bleed pigment.  Now it is summertime here in Australia and maybe in cold weather it would perform better in this regard.



The two photos above illustrate the lower lid smudging that occurs just in a few hours wear!

Otherwise I would definitely recommend this mascara but with the caveat of watch out for The Ring!

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Product image from Sephora.comeye images by me of me.
Stila

• Cruelty Free YES
• Fragrance Free YES
• Medical Grade 
• Multiple Peptides and Marine Formula
• High End Pricing $135 AUD 15mls

UPDATE APRIL 2019:  I have recently joined Glyco's new affiliate program and if you wish to enhance your skincare wardrobe, then please use this code for $20 off your purchase.  SAVE20-TZHESI

This is my fifth product I have reviewed from the new Australian medical grade skincare brand Glyco Skincare. You can read them and more at the Product Index . 


Beauty Guru

I have never used an eye cream until now.  I also didn't feel the need to use one also until now! I turned 39 in September and my eyes are puffier and there is a little bit of uneven pigmentation under there also and crows feet starting to grow deeper and longer. I started using the product in the first week of September and I apply it twice daily.  I noticed changes after a month had passed.



This eye cream targets eye concerns that many people struggle with namely darkness, puffiness, crows feet and improving clarity and firming under the eye and surrounding tissues.


For me this creme has de-puffed my under eye significantly so much so that even my father commented on my face looking particularly fresh and bright! Now that is the type of reaction I like to hear when I'm using a new skincare product! The area underneath looks bright and clear and I couldn't be happier with the results.

I definitely recommend this product!

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Images of me by me; product image via Glyco Skincare website
GLYCO Skincare


Ingredients

Water, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Dipeptide-2, Nannochloropsis Oculata Extract, Sea Whip Extract, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Pullulan, Steareth-20, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

• Three shades available 
• Very Cheap $5 AUD for 0.12 ounces
• Cruelty Free YES
• Vegan YES
• Fragrance Free YES
• Brush applicator

This is my first brow product from Essence.

Beauty Guru

When I ran out of Benefit's Gimme Brow, I bought this one to see if it were equal to the Gimme Brow.

This product is really good, the lightest shade 01 Blondy Brows wasn't available where I purchased mine but 03 Softy Brown Brows is too dark! It definitely keeps your brows in place.  The brush is a little too big which is my only other criticism that I have. 

This product in Australia is around $5 which is an absolute steal!

I would love to get a chance to purchase the Blondy Brow version so hopefully one day I will.

Definitely recommend!

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Image via Ebay.com.au
Essence

• Waterproof
• Fragrance Free YES
• Made in the USA
• One year expiry
• Expensive at $35 AUD each 0.01 ounce of product
• Lots of colour variety 28 shades
• Matte and Shimmers available
• May contain carmine as listed in ingredients list on website

This is the second item I have bought from Stila Cosmetics, the first being one of the Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow products you can read that review here.

Beauty Guru

I am expanding my eyeliner collection to include coloured liquid and pencil liners.  I love this colour, Very Burgundy, it is very pigmented and smooth to apply, it smudges easily as well.  It is expensive at $35 AUD the same price as the Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow. I have worn this eyeliner in summer and in an aerobics class which was very humid as there were so  many people in the class the air-con struggled.

There is lots of colours to choose from I basically want them all. The pencil is a retractable pen.  Now this brand is supposed to be cruelty free now and has the cruelty free bunny stamped on the website but in the ingredients below at the bottom there is a statement saying that Carmine may be present as a colourant.  Carmine is a red pigment which comes from a type of beetle species called a Cochineal which is a scale insect that lives in Mexico on cactus plants and is considered not a vegan free product and cruelty free ingredient.  Carmine is frequently found in red dyed products such as lollies.

I definitely recommend this product but if you are concerned about carmine you may want to find another product due to the vague information about whether carmine is part of this product or if it is not.  The ingredients list below contain hyperlinks so you can read about any ingredient in this eyeliner.  None of the links are affiliated with myself.



Ingredients

Isododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Peg/Ppg-19/19 Dimethicone, Synthetic Wax, Hydrogenated Polydicyclopentadiene, Nylon-12, C20-40 Alcohols, Perfluorononyl Dimethicone, Silica, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Polyethylene, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tocopherol, May Contain (+/-) Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Bronze Powder (Ci 77400), Ferric Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510), Chromium Oxide Greens (Ci 77288), Aluminum Powder (Ci 77000) . May contain carmine as a color additive.

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Images by me and feature me.
Stila Cosmetics

• Oily skin compatible
• Colorless
• Fragrance Free YES
• Cruelty Free YES
• Expensive
• 10 grams
• $17 - $82 AUD

My skin is oily/combination, fair with pink undertones, freckles and currently 38 years old.

This is my first product I have ever bought and tried from ByTerry.  The full name of this product is Hyaluronic Hydra Powder Colorless hydra-care powder Extra smoothing multi zones correction.

Beauty Guru

There is no rose scent! I have read many a review on ByTerry products from others that love the products but hate the scent they come with.  Thankfully the powder is free of any scent.  I have used this powder enough now to say that I think it is a very good powder, for under eye setting and all over the face setting.  It is not cake producing, glides over the skin, super finely milled it looks like powdered sugar in the jar not on your face!!.  Yes it is fairly expensive but being cruelty free and fragrance free kind of evens it out for me.

Definitely recommend!

Ingredients:

Silica, Sodium dehydroacetate, P-Anisic acid, Sodium hyaluronate, Water
 
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ByTerry
Image via Mecca Cosmetica

• Cruelty free YES
• Fragrance free YES
• Paraben Free YES
• Sheer coverage
• Pump bottle
• SPF 15
• 30 mls / 1 fluid ounce
• Australian brand and made
• $48.75 AUD 
• For all skin types

ASAP Skin Products is a new Australian skincare brand that also makes face base products.  I was lucky to have entered a competition on Instagram and my friend and I both won a bottle each.  I have been using it a lot when I go out during the day and I feel I am knowledgeable enough about the product to give it a thorough review.

Beauty Guru

This product includes pore refining technology which I believe is true to form. This is a sheer foundation more like a BB Cream.  It comes in four shades Cool 1, Cool 2, Warm 3 and Warm 4 and
it works best with a primer I think, and I like to use radiant primers with it as they work well and look good.  I have tried to build it up to see if it could be medium coverage but it doesn't really do that.

Personally, I like this product because I like BB Cream formulations.  Its easy to put on if in a hurry purely because of its sheer pigmentation you can't make too many errors unlike a medium to full coverage foundation which requires more finesse.

My main issues would be the SPF rating of only 15.  Ideally, it should be 30plus or more.  I cannot rely on SPF 15 so I wear Banana Boat Sensitive 50plus suncream underneath.  The product gives a good uniform look to the face and I do not notice any pores being highlighted by it either.  It contains skincare in the form of antioxidants and tissue repairing ingredients.  It is also recommended for all skin types.

It comes in a black matte pump bottle with a little window in the side where you can see the product colour.  It does work well with other face products as well like powder and concealers.  The makeup portion of the brand includes other items such as eyeshadow, lipstick, lip liners, makeup brushes, eye liner pencils, mascara, two bronzers one warm and one cool, mineral foundation powder base and mineral powder foundations in the four tones.  It is a limited shade range but as a very new company I imagine they would increase shade ranges available in the future.  There is a CC Cream available with Vitamin C in its ingredients that provides a light tint for all skin types.  I am definitely interested in trying their skincare products as they have a good variety of serums that I am always interested in.

I recommend this product as long as you are aware that it is more of a BB Cream then a foundation.  It has replaced my beloved Revlon Photoready BB Cream that has been discontinued.

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Image by me.
ASAP Skin Products

• Cruelty Free YES
• Fragrance Free YES
• Tube
• Oil free
• Pore filling
• Paraben free
• Sodium Lauryl Sulphate Free
• Talc free
• Pthalates free
• Silicone based

My skin type is oily/combination, fair with freckles and 38 years old.

This is the first foundation primer I have tried from Smashbox.

Beauty Guru

This primer is wonderful for my oily/combination skin.  It definitely extends my foundation that without it, it would have worn off much earlier.  I also don't use setting sprays on even a regular basis either.

It is a clear, gel that feels super smooth on the skin and it fills in pores.  It definitely stops the deluge of oil that comes through around lunchtime everyday. 

I definitely recommend this product.

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Product image via Google.com

• Cruelty free NO
• Plastic Bristles
• Fragrance NO
• Inexpensive in USA

I have never had much luck with Cover Girl products so here is their latest mascara offering; Total Tease in Very Black.

Beauty Guru

Total Tease is housed in black and pink topped tube and is quite a dry formula.  I tend to think wet formulas that dry out a little are the best, but when they are already dry it doesn't bode well.





The bristles are unusual on the wand, you have widely spaced bristles (which are plastic) the other side has more compact bristles, then there is a little section on the top that has some eye poking bristles that I imagine you are meant to use to 'tease out' the hairs.  Well, I have used this twice now and twice I have poked my eye even when being careful.




Being perfectly honest, as I always am, this mascara is bad, no bueno bad.  It did nothing for my lashes except clump them, provided no length, no volume, no thickness no nothing.  Total failure.  Luckily I got it on sale but it was still $10 AUD as drug store products are very expensive in Australia.  I hate the wand and don't know what they were thinking with this mascara.

This mascara is going straight into the bin, I am afraid.

I do not recommend.

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Images by me.
Covergirl

This is the first face powder for all over the face that I have purchased twice now.  Powder always seemed to be a hassle if you got it wrong or the formulation incorrect for your skin type.  


Beauty Guru

• Fragrance free YES
• Six shades available Fair, Light, Medium, Medium Deep, Deep, Dark
• I do believe this powder used to come in the loose form as well but it is not featured on the website so perhaps it is discontinued now.  
• It is inexpensive as well around $25 AUD.
• Cruelty-free NO

This is a great powder.  It is very finely milled, and is excellent at mattifiying oily areas.  I usually use it on my T Zone as that is where I am the oiliest.  If I wish to use highlighter, blush and bronzer or any one of them, I will lay down some powder in the cheek area to facilitate a smooth result.
This powder in conjunction with a great foundation primer really assists in reining in oily areas.  Of course, I am not averse to a touch up, especially in the summer time.

The pressed powder version comes in a compact which contains a small mirror and a round soft velour puff.  The puff is great for pressing the powder into the skin so as to not disturb the products underneath.  I never use a powder brush and brush it on top of my skin, I always press it in instead with the velour puff or the side of a blush or powder brush.

It lasts a good half a day before I would see any breakthrough oil but a quick touch up fixes that.

The only thing I wish I could change is to make the brand Revlon, cruelty-free.

I do recommend the product, but not if you are wanting cruelty-free products.  Once I finish this second purchase of this powder I will switch to a cruelty-free brand.

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Image from ebay.com
Revlon