Beauty Blast #3
It’s actually ironic that I am typing this out today, my face looks like a dumpster. My birthday was last week and the booze is still seeping out of my pores six days later. I literally can’t believe this, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror before and I nearly passed out.
Kate, my beautiful beauty therapist, and I have been separated because of bloody COVID-19. Jacinda clearly doesn’t give a crap about my skin’s essential needs, which is fine but I am breaking out like a teenager pre-Accutane.
I guess everyone has a breaking point, and mine is six bottles of cheap bubbles over two days. Whatever, like a phoenix, I will rise from the ashes of my crusty, inflamed, pimply epidermis.
Let’s blast.
I’d drink you
Go to – Face Hero
Am I the last person on earth to brag about finishing a bottle of Face Hero? It’s marketed as a lightweight oil but to me, it feels like an oil/serum hybrid. It’s gold bottled up. I can’t quite put my finger on the peculiar, delicious scent – all my nostrils are blocked. The elixir really glows, which is why it’s easily categorised as an oil and I really couldn’t care what it is, it’s excellent. It deeply hydrates the skin and I was impressed with the lack of residue left on my pillow, practically nothing. It’s rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins, antioxidants - you know the deal, all that good stuff.
Skin type: all, even the oily peeps.
Too good for me
Emma Lewisham – 72 Hour Creme
Our Kiwi beauty hero, Emma Lewisham strikes again with the new Supernatural range. The Hydration Creme is my current bedside staple, I am obsessed with the texture of the creme. Do you know how hard it is to describe a texture with words, okay it’s like thick, rich, luxurious but lightweight and penetrates the skin so fast you almost forget you applied it a minute ago. The creme includes the new powerhouse hydration ingredient, Pentavitin, which replenishes and restores moisture in your skin’s epidermis for over 72 hours!!! Hyaluronic acid, which is a crowd favourite and practically in every PR person’s comms diminishes after just three hours.
Skin type: all, amazing for dehydrated skin.
Frisky Foreplay
Ren – Glow Daily AHA Tonic
Okay, this is gooooood. If you’re wanting a daily toner that gives you an instantaneous glow this is your girl. I feel like every hot girl is talking about Ren. I’ve always wanted to be one of those hot girls. This resurfacing toner uses AHAs and BHAs to brighten complexion but it doesn’t sting at all, I am wondering whether they’ve found the perfect proportion of acids or if it’s not as potent as other toners on the market? I will make note that lactic acid (AHA) is the third ingredient on the bottle, so it must just be really well formulated. It smells like oranges or something fruity, I’m probably thinking oranges because it’s bright orange – I’ll stick with my opinion. I don’t like the dispenser, it goes everywhere and it’s so hard to get it all on your hand (I don’t ever use cotton pads because ENVIRONMENT), half of it ends up in the sink, but I’ll forgive them because it’s 250ml of a good time.
Skin type: all, I don’t see why not? The acid isn’t intense, patch test if you’re ultra-sensitive.
On some spiritual level
The Ordinary – Caffeine Solution
I’m laughing. I had no idea this was exclusively an eye contour serum up until writing this review, I’ve been slathering it all over my face like it’s nobody’s business, haha. Fuck. Anyway, the solution contains an extremely high 5% concentration of caffeine which is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of puffiness and dark eye circles, which makes sense because it’s an eye serum and it packs a stinging punch, totally bearable and lasts for a few seconds. However, I noticed positive benefits all over my face, I truly believe it helped with my pigmentation and I absolutely loved the face-wide stinging sensation. I felt like it was giving me a good strip. Let this be a warning, read the bloody bylines of labels!!
Skin type: normal, oily, combination. I wouldn’t use it if I had sensitive skin.
Fuck buddy
Kiehls – Blue Herbal Spot Treatment
I’ve been giving this spot treatment a belting over the last week and I can promise you it truly works. The acne treatment is formulated with 1.5% salicylic acid, it reminds me of the gel ointments that were put on my cuts when I was a kid. It’s ideal for blemishes, pimples, cysts anything disgusting that is surfacing. The gel unclogs (because of the BHA), drys-out and heals spots over the course of a few hours. It’s the perfect pocket size.
Skin type: patch test first, but anyone with any blemish will find a friend in this product.
Bring home to your parents
Drunk Elephant – D-Bronzi Anit-Pollution Sunshine Drops
One of my favourite products to take on a bender. This beautiful glow formula is universally flattering and is enriched with marula oil for a glossy complexion. But honestly, this is one of the best products Drunk Elephant has ever released and the girls gag for it. I apply two pumps before I go out and mix it in with any white/colourless moisturiser/cream (like Lala Retro Whipped Cream) and slather it all over my face. The glow is instantaneous and I’ve stopped wearing concealer completely. I will continue buying this product for the rest of my life, I think it’s on-par with Glossier’s Futuredew which we can’t even get in NZ.
Skin type: all.
Masculine maintenance
Triumph & Disaster – Ritual Face Cleanser
I feel like Triumph & Disaster is synonymous with masculinity. So many of my guy friends use their products that I’ve never been interested in dabbling in the range myself, however, in my relentless pursuit to destroy beauty’s gender stereotypes I’ve neglected a beautiful product. I didn’t think I would like this cleanser because it goes against everything I stand for, a ‘ritual face cleanser’ that I was advised to use in the shower?! NO! I am a firm believer that you should cleanse your face over a basin, not during the shower when you’re washing your genitalia. But, I have been pleasantly surprised, that’s an under-exaggeration. I really vibe this cleanser. It’s hypoallergenic surely, it’s so gentle and has a slight peppermint aroma. I also love how much noise it makes, it’s so soapy and you truly feel like it’s getting rid of all the gunk around your face and neck thanks to the bentonite clay. I don’t think it left me looking bright but for $45 I think it’s a fair investment. If you’re time-poor, I would definitely add this to your cart.
Skin type: all.
Butter me up
Aesop – Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Facial Hydrating Cream
I’m not overly fond of a parsley/herbaceous scent, it’s a personal preference thing. However, I’ve seen a lot of fragrance bashing recently, I was shocked at the beauty YouTubers coming for Fenty Skin because it has three different scents in the line, like, what the actual hell – shall we all just flog off tubs of unscented products because a few sour grapes can’t handle aroma. No. Scent is personal and I am all for brands creating an aroma experience. That being said, this anti-oxidant, rich, hydrating facial cream is a great find for the buttery emollient fans. I definitely found the texture to be seriously thick, it didn’t dissolve into my epidermis as fast as I would have liked but for $95.00 I want it to be an experience and I want to feel it on the outer layer of the skin for a prolonged period of time, maybe that’s the whole catch. The parsley seed anti-oxidant balances the skin for a soft, refreshed complexion.
Skin type: all, great for dry – scent sensitivity dependent.
Old habits never die
Dr. Dennis Gross – Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel
I first found out about this at-home peel via Emma Guns’ podcast with Dr Dennis Gross, he’s basically a wizard in skincare and this peel sells a ridiculous amount of units per day. It’s not for the weak-hearted, it’s a patented two-step daily peel that promises youth in a single wipe. The wipes are pre-lubricated in AHA which targets visible signs of ageing, dullness and texture – the first pad is gentler and you wait two minutes between steps, the second is stinging and you can feel the resurfacing. Dr Dennis Gross is a beauty pioneer and he really invented safe, at-home derma-grade peels that we can all dabble in. I would start out by using this peel two to three times a week, I bought five treatments to begin with, and patch tested, because you know I can handle the heat but I was definitely cautious, lol. Anyway, the price tag reflects the efficacy of the product and the acid concentration – it’s a yes from me.
Skin type: normal, combination and oily.
Ohhhhhh she’s thick
Murad – Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream
I’ve never come across a cream quite like this, Murad is such a powerhouse. This luxuriously thick retinol night cream dissolves fine lines while you sleep. It’s so gentle you almost can’t tell it’s formulated with tri-active retinol – honestly, it just feels like a thick moisturiser and it’s like a slab of whipped cream for your face. I haven’t used it enough to really see noticeable improvements but I will definitely keep coming back to this in the future. Kiss kiss.
Skin type: all, great for dry skin – note the retinol though.
Mixed emotions
BeautyBio – Collagen Eye gels
Firstly, these collagen-infused brightening eye gels are a rarity in the market, in the sense that they actually work. I noticed immediate results after my first use, my eye area was instantly de-puffed after just ten minutes, since I’ve only used them at night I haven’t really measured if they are truly brightening but I’m seriously impressed so far. The problem? The insane amount of plastic packaging, this product needs to be redone with the collagen gels stored in a glass tube, or something, everything is packaged up in plastic and it actually hurts me thinking about how much waste a single-box of these would produce. I’m going to feed this back to BeautyBio when they launch into Mecca New Zealand at the end of September 2020, bless.
Skin type: all.
Saucey side note: how good are these Mecca facial headbands? I bought one for $18.00 and it’s literally changed my life, face masks (especially clay) no longer get stuck in my hair and I feel like a princess when I wear it.
Words & Images — Liam Sharma
