Posts Tagged ‘Nivea’

August Favourites

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So August has been an interesting month for me. I have had a lot of troubles with my sensitive skin which resulted in me completely retreating into a ball of insecurity but its getting better (with help, thank goodness) and slowly things are returning back to normal. Because of my skin being a pain in the … makeup has basically taken a back seat whilst I tried to avoid using anything that could irritate my skin. Nevertheless I have a few beauty related favourites and then a few other random things as well.

1. EOS lip balm in Summer Fruits. Mum brought this back from the US for me (YAY!) and it has been my main lip product all month. The scent/taste of this is my favourite so far, tropical and delicious, and I do find these moisturize and hydrate really well. In my opinion they are better that baby lips for actual hydration, I only wish these were more readily available here in New Zealand :(

2. Australis Go Longwear Lipstick in Diva: Probably the only lipstick I have reached for this month on the odd occasion I wanted something more than a balm was this beauty from the new long wearing range by Australis. I have a full review of the three shades in this range coming up in the future but this is a beautiful, bright, true red matte that is flattering and doesn’t dry out my lips. Also lasts well which is a big plus for me.

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3. Thin Lizzy Mineral Foundation in … So I avoided most makeup this month but there was the odd occasionytg where I wanted to look presentable and needed some sort of coverage for my red, angry, dry skin. I would have thought this powder wouldn’t have worked that great, just because my skin was so dry, but somehow it worked better than any cream foundation to give me a natural, even colour without any irritation at all or any flaking. It is now my default foundation just because I love the finish and I can trust it won’t set my skin off. Around $40 from farmers I think but a little goes a long way and I feel like this will last me a  while.

4. Nivea sensitive foaming wash: Okay, so I am sure you are sick of hearing about my skin issues but it has basically defined my month and this body wash was kind of a life saver. This thing is JUMBO and was only $8 or so from the Supermarket. I love it not just because it is cheap but because it is so gentle that my skin doesn’t react at all and yet it still does an awesome job of lathering and cleaning (which I guess is the main point). Will definitely repurchase this if I ever run out.

5. Essie Merino Cool: This has just been the perfect nail colour for the season. A dusty purple taupe that is sophisticated and appropriate for work. A cream formula but sometimes I do pair this with a rose pink glitter (see below)…I just can’t resist an accent nail. Speaking of nail polish who else is excited for Spring colours?? ALL THE PASTELS.

6. Essie A Cut Above: This is one of my all time favourite glitters that I add to pretty much any manicure but I especially enjoyed this in combination with Merino Cool. This has such a nice even formula for a glitter that I don’t feel like I have to mess around with it. And it’s gorgeous.

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That’s it for beauty! But moving on….

TV show: The Mentalist – Edd and I have been powering our way through every season and I may die when we run out. I just love Patrick so much.

Tea: Peppermint leaves with Ceylon Cinnamon by Dilmah (read more here – this tea is perfection for only $4, I’m in love)

Accessory: My burgundy circle scarf from Cotton On. I think I got this cheap with other purchases but I wear this almost every day. Perfect colour for winter and super snuggly.

Food: Haloumi cheese. We bought some from the Auckland Food Show and I have been craving it every day ever since. This with hummus on crackers makes for a perfect post gym snack.

Random Buy: Our new DSLR camera!! Edd is already a pro whilst I still forget to remove the cap and then wonder why I can’t see anything… 

What have you been loving in the past month?

Xx

Coming up next: Only one album has stood out in the past couple of months and I am OBSESSED.

Looking after my skin! (Skin Care Routine)

IMG_4015Hi All! I have had these photos  for a little while and I am finally putting up my skin care routine! I love reading other people’s posts on how they take care of their skin so it made sense to do my current one. My skin is super sensitive and very dry so I am pretty careful about what I use and tend to stick to what I know most of the time to avoid reactions. The other point I should make is that this is my skin care on a pretty tight budget, with products that I know I can afford to repurchase (not always the case however). If I had more to spend I would love to use better skin care products but at the moment it’s not really feasible and I am pretty satisfied with how all of these work.

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First up here are what I use to take off my makeup. The Garnier Clean Sensitive Facial Wipes are my best friend most of the time as I am notoriously lazy when it comes to makeup removal but the Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover is what I use for stubborn eye makeup.

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I like to do face masks at least once a week and these are the two ones I often use. The Goji Berry Facial Hydration Mask is one I buy in single packs for around $3.50 each (I should really just get a full size) however I often spread the pack over two treatments as I find there is more than enough gel product. I think this mask is great for dry skin as my face feels soft and hydrated for ages after I use it. I also was happy that I had no negative reactions to it which I have had to other face masks. The Meaningful Beauty Clay Mask is one I got ages ago from my Mum and only started using a wee while ago. This is less of a moisturizing mask but does a great job at clearing out my skin and giving it a very clean and clear look. I also find it helps with my redness which I get a lot of on my face. I feel like this product is pretty expensive so not sure if I will repurchase or just find a similar alternative.

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For Cleansing I have a couple cleansers I like to use regularly but this one is always in my bathroom because it’s gentle on the skin and a creamy consistency that doesn’t leave my skin feeling dried out at all. A great gentle cleanser for the skin but not the best for removing heavy duty makeup which I tend to do with makeup wipes or remover beforehand. The price is around $10 at the supermarket so very affordable as well which is important on my current budget. Another one I love to use is the Nivea Essentials cream cleansing wash.

IMG_3975Following cleanser I apply toner over my face and neck area with a cotton pad and this one is a definite favorite. I love this range from Nivea but this is the only one I have been using long enough to really consider a core part of my skin routine. I love the fresh, cucumber scent and find it doesn’t irritate or dry out my skin very much. Again, I think this product is around $10 at the supermarket (on sale maybe) and so one that I can repurchase without freaking out.

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Next step is the most important for my poor dry skin…Moisturize! These are my two main moisturizers. The Olay Moisturizing cream (for sensitive skin) is my favorite (also by chance the cheapest which is probably a good thing) as it is thick and very moisturizing however this also means it can be a little annoying on a hot day. During summer it tends to be relegated to night time moisturizer whilst the Daily Face Cream by First Aid Beauty is a little better for day as it’s thinner on the skin. Neither have a sun protection factor which is annoying but although not mentioned here I do wear sun protection most of the time. Both of these are good for sensitive skin (the whole range at F.A.B. is made with sensitive skin in mind which I LOVE) however I do get a little bit of an uncomfortable tingling sensation on my skin sometimes which doesn’t happen with the Olay. Anyway, both are moisturizers I would highly recommend for people with similar skin. Price wise the Olay is around $11 and the F.A.B. is quite a bit more, in the $25 range maybe?

IMG_3996Last up I have my two eye creams. I never used to bother with eye creams but a while a go I was given the Loreal Collagen Eye Filler and started to use it daily. I like this product because it has a slight brightness which really helps reduce my under eye circles and darkness. For me it is quite moisturizing but I wouldn’t know much about wrinkle disappearance just because I am terrible at keeping track of my eye wrinkles haha. The Dr Lewinn’s is the main expensive product on here (around $30 I think from the Supermarket) however I do think it is a very good eye cream in terms of moisturizing but less great at short term disappearance of under eye circles and what not. I also think it does a better job at helping reduce wrinkles as even I noticed a small difference when I started using it. Although it is more expensive than the L’oreal I think it is a better eye product however I do love them both for slightly different reasons.

So those are my key steps and products involved in keeping my rather iffy skin under control. I’d love to hear what any of you guys use on a day to day basis for skin care and any reccomendations you might have so please feel free to leave a comment or tweet me @liz_lock :)

Xx