Showing posts with label russell organics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label russell organics. Show all posts

Tuesday, 4 November 2014

October Favourites



Sleek Face Contour Kit
As someone who normally has no interest whatsoever in the Kardashian clan, for some reason I've been coveting Kylie Jenner's mad makeup skillz lately. I've even started overdrawing my lips again with MAC Subculture lip pencil. Of course no Kardashian style makeup look would be complete without some extreme contouring and this Contour Kit from Sleek is something I always come back to. I have it in Light which is still a fairly dark & warm toned shade but with a lot of blending it works really well for me. I've been going to town with this and a MAC 109 brush along my cheekbones & under my jaw. I tend to leave my forehead alone as mine is narrow enough as it is. It helps to slim down my chubby cheeks & hide my many chins whilst adding a touch of warmth to my complexion. The highlighter pan will never take the place of my beloved Mary-Lou Manizer but that contour powder is excellent stuff.

TRESemmé Renewal Hair & Scalp Tonic
Dandruff generally isn't a problem for me but whenever I get my hair bleached my scalp always gets a bit sensitive & flaky. A coconut hair mask normally sorts it out just fine but the idea of this scalp tonic was rather intriguing. Plus it was only £2.50 in Boots! This product is a light clear liquid that you squeeze onto your roots using the nozzle applicator before combing it through the lengths of your hair. It immediately feels very cooling on the scalp as it contains tea tree extract. It also features sunflower seed oil, biotin, vitamin C & vitamin E which together help to prevent breakage and promote healthy hair growth. The tonic feels completely weightless on your hair so you won't even notice it's presence but it'll be working to repair & nourish your scalp on a cellular level. A healthy scalp means healthier hair so I really like the concept of this range. Since trying out the tonic I've invested in the Renewal shampoo & conditioner which I also love. The tonic is definitely the star of the show though. It's a lovely soothing treat before blowdrying that will leave your hair & scalp feeling really refreshed & rebalanced. A bit of extra hair growth is always welcome too!

Claudia Louch Protective Jojoba Day Moisturiser*
The Claudia Louch Natural Skin Clinic products are some of the loveliest I've ever tried. This Jojoba Day Moisturiser is certainly no exception. This product is intended for those with combination to oily skin types. It feels weightless on the skin yet it features an abundance of deeply hydrating & nourishing oils. The key active ingredient here is jojoba oil which acts as an anti-inflammatory & actually helps to dissolve excess sebum. It has definitely helped to reduce the amount of blocked pores & breakouts I get and as a result my complexion looks very clear & even toned. It really pampers your skin, protecting it whilst leaving it feeling silky smooth. It sinks in quickly & makes a wonderful base for makeup. The rich & velvety texture makes this my perfect Autumn moisturiser.

Russell Organics Vitamin C Serum*
I'm really loving luxury natural skincare brands at the minute. I've tried a whole host of products that claim to lighten post-blemish scarring but none have worked quite so quickly or effectively as this Vitamin C Serum from Russell Organics. Vitamin C is an important ingredient to look for when choosing an anti-ageing product as it helps to plump up the skin, reducing fine lines & wrinkles. It's one of the few things that can fade and actually stop the formation of freckles & age spots. The antioxidant properties of vitamin C have been shown to increase the efficacy of sunscreens too. This light serum feels very silky & moisturising on the skin. It makes my whole face look really bright & radiant. If you want younger or healthier looking skin then you really should try adding a vitamin C serum into your skincare routine. The orangey scent is pretty gross but if you can get over that it'll work absolute wonders on your skin.

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation
I've been extra cautious with sunscreen this year and as a result my skin is currently looking paler than ever. Quite a few of my regular base products just haven't been looking quite right on me especially when compared to my neck & chest. A few weeks ago I went back to using what is quite possibly the palest foundation ever apart from pure white - Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 02. The price of this product has gone up quite a lot over the years. It was only £25 when I bought it & now it costs a whopping £32! Not good news if you need to mix a couple of shades. That gorgeous skin-like finish is well worth it though. It photographs beautifully with or without flash so it's great choice for special occasions like weddings. The coverage is great without completely masking your skin. Some people have struggled to get it work for them so if you want to try this foundation I would highly recommend buying a couple of other Illamasqua bits for application perfection. Firstly their Hydra Veil or Matte Veil primers are a must-have. Skin Base can cling to drier areas so good prep is essential. The next thing to bear in mind is that you only need a tiny amount of product so squeeze a little dot onto the back of your hand rather than blobbing it straight onto your face. The Illamasqua Highlighter brush is truly fantastic & is the perfect tool to apply it with. If you go to an Illamasqua counter they do pretty much everything with that brush. It really buffs in the product giving it a seamless finish & it feels incredibly soft. With those products in my arsenal Skin Base has become one of my favourite foundations ever as it just looks totally amazing on my skin.


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Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Russell Organics Vitamin C Serum



Russell Organics Vitamin C Serum* - £38

There are certain active ingredients that everyone should include in their skincare routine, vitamin C being one of them. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory & collagen stimulator. It boasts a variety of skin perfecting features such as lightening post-acne scarring & hyperpigmentation, reducing fine lines & wrinkles, plumping up the skin & generally giving you a beautiful healthy glow. Due to it's antioxidant properties vitamin C has been shown to increase the efficacy of sunscreens. Basically if you have a vitamin C product & a good sunscreen in your morning routine then you're golden. They're a brilliant combo for fighting against the signs of ageing. Vitamin C is also a melanin inhibitor so if you're prone to freckles or age spots then it is one of the few ingredients that can actually fade them & stop them from forming. Anyone wanting brighter, perkier looking skin will hugely benefit from this wonder ingredient. Normally I am a huge advocate of supplements for skin health but you won't get the same visible results from food, drink or a vitamin C pill that you will from a skincare product. All the orange juice in the world can't compare to a good vitamin C serum! I adore the Una Brennan Vitamin C+ range & the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster but most recently I've been testing out this lovely Vitamin C Serum from Russell Organics.

Russell Organics are an innovative skincare & wellness brand. They were founded by skincare pioneer Richard Russell who desired to create a range of luxury cruelty-free & vegan products. Their products feature the purest, most effective natural ingredients utilised to target various skin ailments. One of their newest stockists are StrawberryNET.com who kindly sent me this serum. They're a brilliant online store with over 32000 products from 650 international beauty brands. They always have great discounts, free gifts & free worldwide shipping. Plus they have a loyalty programme so if you're a regular shopper you can save even more money. One of best things about shopping on StrawberryNET is that you can find loads of brands that aren't always easily available in the UK like Russell Organics. All the Russell Organics products are 100% natural, eco-friendly and come in minimal, easily recycled packaging. The pump packaging of this serum is great because I can get out the exact amount of product I need (two pumps is what I usually go for) and it protects the product better. That might sound weird but vitamin C is not a stable ingredient. It's important to keep the serum away from light & oxygen as they can render it useless. Most vitamin C products have a relatively short life span compared to other skincare products. This serum has a natural light yellow colour but if you notice a vitamin C product turning dark yellow or orange then you should throw it away.

The Russell Organics Vitamin C Serum feels very light on the skin yet it manages to really up the hydration levels. As well as vitamin C this serum also contains aloe vera, green tea extract, shea butter & vitamin E to help soothe and hydrate the skin. My skin doesn't require as much moisturiser after using this & is left feeling a lot smoother and softer all day long. I much prefer using this to the Ole Henriksen serum as it often felt a bit sticky on my skin whereas this just feels very silky & moisturising. It makes my whole face glow without making it any oilier or greasier. Everything looks brighter, less red & more even toned. The biggest difference I have noticed from using this product is a drastic reduction in my post-acne scarring. The dark marks on my face have been fading like crazy & it gives my bare skin a much healthier appearance. This is great stuff if you need more confidence in your skin without makeup. It hasn't really done much for my freckles yet but hopefully I'll notice a difference with further usage. A welcome side effect of using this serum is that it has reduced my sunken under eye area & dark circles. It's pretty phenomenal stuff! The only thing I dislike about this product is the scent. Citrus scents are normally my fave but this has a weird, pungent orange scent & from looking at the ingredient list I imagine it's from the inclusion of blood orange peel oil. I love eating blood oranges but for some reason the peel oil makes this serum smell terrible. Luckily it soon dissipates & by the time I've applied my moisturiser I can't smell it at all.

Overall this serum is an extremely welcome addition to my morning skincare routine. Anything that can make my skin softer, brighter & clearer is a winner in my eyes. I can't believe the difference this has made to my post-blemish scarring. I always thought that AHAs were best for getting rid of hyperpigmentation but good old vitamin C does the job so much better & is less harsh on the skin. I really want to try some more of their products now as they have such a nice range of facial oils. Have you tried any products from Russell Organics before?


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