Skincare

Betty Hula natural beauty mini review

by Annabella on December 23, 2011 · 4 comments

The lovely peeps at Betty Hula were kind enough to send me some samples of their body butters and ‘Secret’ facial oil several weeks ago and I’ve only just now had time to talk about it.

Rum & Blackcurrant and Champagne & Spice Body Butter

The body butters are gorgeous and remind me of my favourite Pacifica brand because the scents are subtle but genuine. I can’t decide which one I like best so I’ll just say that I love them both depending on my mood, but I know James really likes the Champagne and Spice one! Unlike most body butters I could use this in the Spring/Summer months because it absorbs really quickly and doesn’t leave an oily film. These retail for £14.99 for 120ml.

The Secret Facial Oil

For someone like me who has oily skin, putting more oil on it seems like an odd thing to do. I know facial oils are quite popular now for cleansing but it’s not something I’ve ever been comfortable with. It is the same reason I dislike serums too, I’m not happy putting them on my face. As a compromise I’ve been using the facial oil around my eyebrow area as it does get quite dry, probably from my constant plucking and waxing. This has made a big improvement and stopped the flaky skin and redness and has an uplifting scent that isn’t too heavy.  I will be a bit braver now and try it on the rest of my face as a replacement for a night cream. This retails for £15.99 for 50ml.

You can buy Betty Hula direct from their website, Sainsbury’s, Feelunique, and HQhair.

My thoughts – Alpha-H skincare

by Annabella on December 20, 2011 · 6 comments

I was lucky enough to win an Alpha-H hamper ages ago from Lookfantastic and to be honest I don’t even remember entering a contest so it was a lovely surprise when I got the email saying I’d won. I’ve had a few mixed feelings about what I’ve tried and I’ve gathered my thoughts below:

Micro Cleanse – This contains 12% Glycolic Acid, Cucumber Extract, and Rice Bran for manual exfoliation. I’ve used this on both wet and dry skin and I prefer to use it on dry skin as it doesn’t foam and you get more friction this way, I found that using in in the shower to wash my face really didn’t do much. As this is pretty strong I would only use it on my face about twice a week, anymore than that and I think it would start to irritate my skin. I also used it on my neck and boobage area which feels nice too!

Balancing Moisturiser and Gentle Exfoliant – This contains 10% Glycolic Acid and is a lightweight moisturiser for all skin types. This is meant to refine you skin texture but I didn’t use it long enough to find out as it irritated the heck out of my face. I also didn’t like the way it went on, and it made my complexion feel sticky for want of a better description. My face was quite blotchy too and I found it difficult to apply makeup. As I had already trialed this with a 100ml size that I had, I gave the one that came in my hamper to Leanne at OCD which made her happy!

Liquid Gold – This has been a bloggers favourite for some time now and it was LG that prompted me to look at the Alpha-H range in the first place. I’ve used similar products in the past with great results; smoother skin, less breakouts, and just a general overall better complexion. I think LG is pretty good but I wouldn’t jump up and down about it. It’s not something that I can use everyday and I’d rather apply it as an intense treatment now and again.

Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera – This has been my absolute favourite product out of the lot and it’s the only thing that doesn’t have GA in it. This is fabulous for getting every last bit of makeup off your face including eye makeup. It doesn’t sting and just dissolves everything and I mean everything including waterproof mascara. I don’t normally wear a lot of makeup on a regular basis but while I was away for my weddings and honeymoon I definitely wore loads and if I hadn’t removed it every evening I would have woken up looking like Alice Cooper/Marilyn Manson.

So all in I would definitely re-buy the Balancing Cleanser and Micro Cleanse, I wouldn’t touch the moisturiser and I probably don’t need to buy any Liquid Gold any time soon.

Anyone else a fan of Alpha-H?

What type of oil blotters do you like to use?

by Annabella on November 20, 2011 · 9 comments

I’ve been a member of the greasy skin club ever since I hit puberty back in 1980 something or other. So basically I’ve had oily skin for most of my life and there are now many ways to control it buy my favourite method has always been blotters. I don’t like mattifying lotions/gels/cleansers as they make my skin feel chalky or they leave a residue. Over the years blotters have become more varied in type and price and I thought I’d show you four different ones I’m using at the moment:

Superdrug Shine Control Papers – These are pretty basic and similar to Papier Poudre as they come in a little book and leave behind a translucent powder finish.

Good points – Cheap, easy to carry around and you can see the pay off which is always satisfying.

Bad points – Not very big so you might need a few to blot your face, the translucent powder feels more like chalk.

Elf Professional Shine Eraser – These were sent to me by Canadian beauty blogger Cinnamon Kitten. They are a very thin piece of coloured tissue paper that absorbs oil and minimises pores.

Good points – Also cheap (£1.50) in an easy to open pack and absorb pretty well with no residue.

Bad points – These are a little bigger than the Superdrug ones but you still may need a few to do your entire face. They’re pretty also flimsy so rip easily as well.

Clean & Clear Oil Control Film – I’ve been using these for years. They are no longer available in the UK so I get mine from eBay. They are a thin plasticky type of material.

Good points – Flexible so you can get around all the nooks and crannies of the face and exceptional visible payoff.

Bad points – Hard to get ahold of in the UK and could be expensive depending on where you order them from. I also find that these will take off your makeup so you may need to re-apply your powder.

Boscia California Orange Blotting Linens – I guess for me these are the Mercedes of blotting papers. I love the book they come in, are scented, and large enough that you can get away with using one.

Good points – Similar to tissue but stronger (hence it being called a linen) and remove oil without bothering your makeup.

Bad points – Expensive at $10 and only available on the Boscia website for UK buyers. My fellow Americans can just walk into Ulta and get them (I’m not jealous or anything).

So what method do you prefer to get rid of your shine complexions? Are there any blotters that should be on the Skin Scrubs radar?