Archive for the ‘skin care’ category

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Review: Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me

March 4th, 2010

Paula, I’m never going to the cosmetics counter without you…never ever again.

I’ve said it before: Consumer Magazine NZ does not give enough thought to the beauty industry. Think about the proportion of your personal or household income spent on hair products, body washes, lotions, fragrance, cosmetics….it’s huge! I’ve looked many times at Consumer’s index of product reviews, and while it’s brimming with appliances, electronics, and service providers, you’ll find very  few beauty product reviews.

I can’t think why, because Paula Begoun, author of ‘Don’t go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me’, makes it look easy.

Basically, she looks at the ingredients list of each product; cross references them against published research; checks back against product claims; weighs the price of the product; and bam! product is reviewed. (OK, so there is a little more to it.)

The book is really a database of the vast majority of beauty products reviewed using the same robust method alongside a simple rating system. Readers can quickly read up on a particular product before purchasing, or look up Paula’s recommendations. If you have preferences for non-animal tested products, paraben-free products, etc there’s enough info there for you to narrow down your search for the best products for you.

And, Paula has a complete and frequently updated database online at beautypedia.com which I also subscribed to. (The book came with a coupon for half price subscription using the code:  BP50. But you didn’t hear that from me.) I haven’t been posting on ppp recently because I have been scouring the database for reviews of every product I can think of.

I love beauty products, but that doesn’t mean I have to be made a fool of by marketing and sales creeps. Not anymore! Thanks Paula.

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Posted in body products, make-up, reviews, skin care

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Gracie Lou is having a party

February 17th, 2010

GracieLou.co.nz is a great online beauty shop, and they’re having a party! Go along and view all the goodies on the website and try some of the products as there will be testers – particularly fragrances, Trilogy skincare and Karen Murrell.

Check out the link to the Gracie Lou Party on Facebook….
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=311219067625&ref=mf

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Posted in body products, girlie party, make-up, party, skin care

Part 2 of the Bio Oil Experiment

February 5th, 2010

You might recall Part 1 of the Bio Oil Experiment, being conducted by the wonderfully fantastic Julie (thanks Julie!). Well here’s an update of her progress…

Despite the long gap between blog posts I have been keeping on with diligently rubbing the Bio Oil into my cat bite scar twice a day, except when I forget.

I’ll be interested in your observations based on the photo.  It seems to me that the scar on the left, which is the Advantaged Scar receiving the Attentions of Bio Oil, has gone white in the centre while the one of the right, poor unloved beast that it is, is still pink.  The one on the left thus stands out a bit more currently because my hand is a bit tanned, but has probably actually healed faster.

It’s been about two months now since I started with the rubbing, and the Bio Oil website points out you need to do this for at least three months.  So I shall keep on rubbing, and hopefully keep on blogging about the results.

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Review: Nature’s Essence Body Scrub by Karen Murrell

January 30th, 2010

Karen Murrell sent Jo and me her range of very natural and naturally nice skin care products to try. We’ve already talked about how wonderful the range is. I’ve been using the body scrub (called Nature’s Essence)  a fair bit lately. In summer, I tend to shave my legs a heck of a lot more than in winter. And so my legs get itchy and I risk in-grown hairs. But I find scrubbing or exfoliating helps a lot. At the same time, I don’t like scrubbing too much either, because it can be very drying.

So I’m very pleased that Nature’s Essence is very gentle. You can however opt for a stronger scrub by applying it to dry skin. It actually leaves a moist-feeling residue…maybe residue isn’t the correct word…but it certainly leaves skin feeling soft and nourished.

Nature’s Essence uses salt flakes for the scrub effect. This is interesting, because rather than being dehydrating (which is what I associate salt with) salt is used heaps in scrubs and baths to soften and heal skin.

Anyway, this product is another winner from Karen Murrell. And if you keep up with prettyprettypretty regularly, watch out for an upcoming giveaway of the scrub.

In the meantime, Karen Murrell is available from Farmers, and also from another prettyprettypretty fave – GracieLou.co.nz.

Note: We aren’t affiliated with Karen Murrell in any way. We just like her products and approach to skin care!

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Review: DDF Erase Eye Gel

January 3rd, 2010

DDF stands for Doctor’s Dermalogic Formula – a very scientific-sounding name. I don’t know too much about this brand, but I tried  DDF’s Erase Eye Gel because it contains Vitamin K. I read somewhere that Vitamin K has proven effectiveness in reducing dark under-eye circles.  It was a reasonable price on strawberrynet.com too (I can’t find it there now but it was around NZ$65).

They say:

The humectant formula combined with daily massaging application reduces the appearance of dark circles and puffiness.

Online reviews, like this interesting one, were mixed.

I reached the bottom of the bottle, following all instructions, without any noticeable reduction in dark circles. I’ve tried so many products to get rid of them, as well as sleeping right and drinking water. None have ever worked for me so I only had a smidgen of hope this one would do the trick. It didn’t.

On the positive side, this product has a pleasant texture and is perfect under make-up. The bottle easily dispenses a good amount of product without mess.

And so my quest for an eye cream that decreases my ever-increasing dark circles continues…

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Karen Murrell moisturisers

December 22nd, 2009

Remember when we shared our first impressions of Karen Murrell’s beautiful range of natural skin care? Well I’ve had a bit of time using the Face Moisturiser, and the manly-man I live with used the Men’s Face Cream.

The three things I look for in a moisturiser are: texture on application; compatibility with makeup; and how it leaves my skin feeling. This moisturiser ticks all these boxes. It feels very fresh and smooth to apply, doesn’t cake or feel greasy. It was fine under make-up. And feels like it soaks straight into skin and leaves it soft and fresh feeling.

The fragrance may not be to everyone’s liking as it is quite unusual, with grape seed and frankincense. But I liked it a lot.

And the downside is it’s not spf labelled so unknown sun protection. This isn’t a big deal for me because I have a very good facial sunblock, and my foundation is quite high spf. And sometimes the sun protecting ingredients compromise the other benefits of products. But I know some of you will demand an spf label, which is fair enough.

The men’s face cream was apparently great too. Men do have different skin to women – they produce more collagen so fewer fine lines, but usually shave a lot so need moisture to counter dry skin from shaving. This product purports to calm skin after shaving. My partner has very sensitive skin, and he had no problems or flare ups using this product.

As well as being environmentally sound products and packaging, the Karen Murrell moisturisers are great moisturisers. Such a treat to use.

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Part 1 of the Bio-Oil Experiment

December 16th, 2009

The wonderful Julie has been experimenting on herself, and she’s going to be regularly sharing her results with us….

Someone told me the other day that scars mean you’ve had an interesting life.  And certainly the scars on my right hand did come about in a slightly interesting fashion, involving an altercation with the Basement Cat from Hell.  After a suitable period of being annoyed about my immobile hand, I’ve decided to see this as an opportunity instead;  glass half full and all that.

So I’m going to use my twin scars, conveniently placed close enough to fit in one photo frame, to test Bio Oil.

For those not familiar with Bio Oil, it claims to be:
“…a specialist skincare product that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone. Its advanced formulation, which contains the breakthrough ingredient PurCellin Oil™, also makes it highly effective for numerous other skin concerns, including aging skin and dehydrated skin.”

Certainly the women on their advertising (I’m yet to see a man feature) appear to swear by it.  My half-hearted attempts to use it on other scars in the past have not made any discernible difference that I could see, but this is a chance to test it properly.

Here are the scars in question, while in my hand is a box of Bio Oil:

Bio oil 1

(Click here to read more) » Read more: Part 1 of the Bio-Oil Experiment

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A little bit of free stuff at Kirks

October 28th, 2009

Kirkcaldie and Stains here in Welly have a (new?) beauty brochure called Grace (click here for the pdf version). I have perused the pages (so you don’t have to) and found a few little freebies in there.

  • Page 4: Voucher for a free 10 sample of City Block spf 25 when you get a Clinique Safe Sun consultation in November.
  • Page 11: Free microdermabrasion when you buy from the Elizabeth Arden Prevage range.
  • Page 13: A coupon for a Sisley sample kit (present coupon at counter).
  • Page 19: Free samples from Frances at the Dr Hauschka counter.

Let me know if you find any other specials in the brochure or know of any in store.

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Pretty pretty people: Debbie from Gracie Lou

October 22nd, 2009

DebbieThe cosmetics website, Gracie Lou, caused quite a stir here at PPP when it started selling super pretty make-up like this at amazing prices. Turns out the mastermind behind Gracie Lou is a local lass with a love for pretty things. Here’s what I asked Debbie…

1. What made you open you shop?

I have always loved nice skincare and cosmetics and after finishing work to have my family, I dabbled in importing skincare and cosmetics for my own use and sold the remainder to friends.  Numerous friends, family and my gorgeous husband made the suggestion to set up a business and extend my ‘hobby’. Gracie Lou was born…..Grace is my 2 year old daughters middle name and Louie is my 1 year old son’s name. Gracie Lou has been in business since May this year and my on-line shop is growing month on month.

2.  How do you decide what to stock?

Initially I found suppliers that had my favourite products and stocked them first and foremost! My stock list has been (and will continue to) evolve as my customers make requests for certain brands and products. Price is also a consideration as my business is all about providing great skincare, cosmetics and fragrance at fabulous prices. It is important to me to have well known brands and I focus on key lines – ie: Clinique 3 Step System.`

3. What are your best sellers?

My best sellers are Trilogy skincare and Bare Escentuals foundations and kits. My fragrance specials are also proving very popular. I am delighted to have Trilogy skincare on board – it is a company set up by 2 Wellington sisters who I have had the pleasure to have worked with in the past. If you haven’t tried Trilogy yet, you really must!

4. What do you do or wear to make yourself feel good?

A good glass of wine is a very good start! I am a huge fan of napping in the sun or relaxing with a good trashy chick lit book. Other times, nice clothes, makeup and fragrance, good friends and good food and wine can be just the tonic. And always, the smile on my children’s face when I walk in the room, what can be better than that?

5. How would you define ‘pretty’?

Pretty to me conjures up numerous thoughts and meanings…..pretty can be floral, girly, flirty, fun and feminine…I immediately think of summer, sun, warmth, dresses, flowers, skincare, cosmetics and fragrance….that must be Gracie Lou…..pretty..pretty..pretty..

You can join Gracie Lou’s mailing list or ask Debbie if she can source your favourite brands by visiting the website. Check out the super specials too!

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Posted in make-up, people, skin care

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Home remedies

October 16th, 2009

There are some great tips for home-made remedies over at (my favourite blog) pursebuzz like: sealing make-up with hairspray:fruit jell-o (jelly) for foot odour; and eyedrops to reduce blemishes. Check out the rest here: Eve Pearl’s Home Remedies

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Posted in grooming, make-up, skin care

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