My Top 10 Favourite Products: The Top 10 Award

I have mixed feelings about blogging awards. I feel like a bit of a dork proclaiming that I have 'won' an award but then they are always a lot of fun to participate in. When Moxie from Moxie Reviews told me she had nominated me for the Top 10 award, at first I wasn't sure what to do. Do I just ignore it? Do I do it? The rules of the Top 10 award are that you link back to the person who nominated you, then you list your Top 10 favourite products and nominate 10 other bloggers who will then list their top 10 favourite products. As I love talking about products, and I also love sharing link love I decided that the Top 10 award would be fun...so here I go!

Firstly, thanks to Moxie from Moxie Reviews for nominating me. Moxie reviews organic and natural makeup, cosmetics and hair products from companies that do not test on animals. Her reviews are refreshingly honest and well worth checking out.

My Top 10 Favourite Products (at this point in time...ask me in a month and the list may be very different!). If I have previously reviewed these products then I have included the link to the article if you would like more details.


1. BIOeffect EGF Serum

I have read the about the science behind this serum and it really blows me away. On paper the serum should work. EGF is a growth factor that stimulates skin cells to divide and multiply, thereby filling out fine lines. Independent clinical trials have shown that it does in fact work - after 30 days there was a clear reduction in wrinkles. I have been trialling this myself for about 4 weeks and have definitely noticed a reduction in lines on my forehead. So far the lines around my eyes have not budged but they might actually be sleep deprivation lines (I have a toddler!). My skin is definitely looking more hydrated as well.

2. Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel

I have been using this product on and off fr the last 10 years. I love it, although I might be hitting the age where I need to move on to the Purely Age Defying Serum. This is a really light gel serum that smells amazing - kind of herbal, kind of floral. I tend to use it of an evening and find that my skin looks so hydrated in the morning. It really seems to make my skin happy! 

 

3. Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator

This creates magic for my complexion. It really gives the illusion that my complexion is flawless. It also works at reducing pigmentation - I have seen a slight reduction in my pigmented patches. There is no longer such a stark line between the pigmented and non pigmented skin. But for me, it is the evening effect the light diffusing particles have on my skin tone that I love the most.

4. MAC Paint Pot

Somehow, the MAC Paint Pot craze had completely passed me by. It wasn't until I was reading a forum and saw a makeup artist recommending that the MAC Bare Study Paint Pot be used as a primer, that the Paint Pots entered my radar. So, when I got the opportunity to go to the Estee Lauder staff store, this was on the top of my purchase list. I didn't manage to get Bare Study, instead I got Vintage Selection. This one looks a bit darker than Bare Study but is still quite light on the eye. It is very shimmery, which I LOVE. It goes on so creamy and soft then dries to become the perfect canvas to apply eyeshadow over.

5. Penhaligon's Ellenisia Perfume

I love florals and this is one of the most gorgeous perfumes I have ever smelt. It is rose with white flowers (gardenia and jasmine) and then a bit of a musky dry down. It makes me feel so feminine and happy when I wear it and I have never found another perfume that is even remotely similar - it is very unique.

6. Rodial Glamoxy Snake Mask

I used to think that peel off masks were kind of crap. This mask completely changed my opinion. It brightened my skin and left it glowing. It also yanked out the blackheads on my nose. This is now my go to mask to use before I go out.

7. Jurlique Rosewater Balancng Mist

I don't do toners - don't really see the point of them. I make the exception for this mist. It is heavenly. Smells exactly like a field of red roses. It is very calming and hydrating for my skin plus it is incredibly calming for my phsyche as well. As I inhale this mist I feel a sense of serenity descend over me. Amazing stuff!


8. Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Youth Creme

This is another product in which the science really blew me away. This creme contains the Youth Molecule which slows down cell turnover. The theory is if you can slow down cell divisions and turnover you can prolong how long your skin looks young for. The creme felt luxurious to use, it sunk straight into my skin and really left it looking amazing.

9. Nivea Light Feel Daily Face Veil

This is a cheapie (its only $10.99) but a beauty. It is a really light sunscreen. It absorbs straight in, is non greasy and is a real pleasure to wear. This makes wearing sunscreen easy. I keep a bottle in my handbag, one in the bathroom, I had one on my desk at work so I was always protected.


10. Estée Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Moisturiser

I wear this moisturiser in combination with the Idealist Even Skintoneskintone so the effect is extremely complimentary. I don't really like to wear foundation and so have found that this is an excellent compomise. You really can't tell that I am wearing it - it just looks like I have perfect skin!

Bloggers The following bloggers are incredibly passionate about what they write about, whether that be skincare, makeup, haircare or eyeshadow. I have nominated them because I am busting to know what their top 10 favourite products are. If you haven't discovered these blogs yet, I really urge you to go and have a look! Bloggers, if you have already done one of these awards before, please post the link to your Top 10 post in the comments below.

1. Yeah, yeah, ragger, ragger...
2. Makeup and Macaroons
3. The Beauty of Red Roses
4. Keeping up with me
5. Ritualeyes
6. 1000fragrances
7. The Best Beauty Blog
8. Things I Love
9. Me, my best and I
10. All the pretty faces

If I haven't tagged you but you would love to participate, then please tag yourself and mention in the comments that you are doing the Top 10 award for the rest of us to come and check out!

Have you entered my latest BIOeffect giveaway? Here's the link if you haven't checked it out yet.

Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator Review

Another serum, promising to reduce pigmentation and even out skintone has hit the market - the Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator. According to the Estee Lauder website this is an 'intensive, yet gentle oil-free serum features powerful technologies to address the look of every key sign of uneven skintone:

• Triple-Optic Technology provides skin with a brighter, more luminous look from the very first application.
• Correct Tone Technology visibly reduces uneven skintone in 2 weeks, while anti-oxidants help prevent its re-appearance.

Proven gentle and effective for all ethnicities. Skin looks noticeably clearer and brighter, vibrant and more even-toned'.

I was lucky enough to be sent this product to trial as part of Beauty Heaven's trial team and have now been using it for about three weeks.

The serum comes in a pump bottle, which I love because it maintains the hygiene of the product. I am always a little concerned with serums that come with eye droppers as I invariably touch the dropper on my face and then am worried that the serum will become contaminated. When you are paying a lot of money for your serum, the last thing that you want is for it spoil before you have had a chance to finish the product, so the pump bottle had me impressed before I even tried the product. 

How to use Estee Lauder give the following instructions to use the serum:

• Apply on clean skin. Follow with your SPF moisturiser.
• For maximum even skintone results, use AM and PM for the first 12 weeks, then continue with your regular Estée Lauder regimen, using Even Skintone Illuminator every AM.
• If you use Advanced Night Repair at night, continue to apply it first, then follow with Even Skintone Illuminator.

I found I needed two pumps to do my whole face (the picture above shows the amount that two pumps is). The serum is very shimmery/pearly looking and you can see in the picture below that my finger are left looking very pearlescent after applying the serum. Rest assured that your face is not left looking this way. I think that the product must have collected in the ridges of my fingerprints, heightening the pearlescent effect. On the face it is much more subtle. My face was left with a glowing luminosity, rather than a sheen. I could see that light was reflecting off the shimmery pigments but it didn't leave it looking shiny. Instead, it reflected light away from the spots and areas of pigmentation on my skin, giving it the illusion of an even skin tone. The effect was really quite impressive.

Throughout the trial I got a couple of pimples and found that the Even Skintone Serum, in combination with my tinted moisturiser, did an excellent job of masking them. They didn't completely disappear but were no longer the eye catching red traffic lights on my face. I also get a fair bit of redness on and around my nose and this was also beautifully masked.

The serum is not at all oily and dries to a completely matte finish. Lately my skin has been quite oily and this has almost sealed the in oiliness. I had stopped wearing my tinted moisturiser as my skin was being too oily for it - it was sliding straight off, but since using this serum it now lasts all day - they work beautifully in combination (I am using the Estee Lauder DayWear tinted moisturiser). The serum is not a moisturising serum so you definitely will need to wear a moisturiser over the serum.

After using the serum I can definitely say that it has an instant evening effect on skintone. The shimmery particles really do help to reflect light and left my skin glowing and really even looking, but surprisingly not shiny looking. After about 3 weeks of use there does seem to be a reduction in the appearance of my pigmentation. I had quite a defined patch of pigmentation on my forehead, which had a really marked line between the pigmented skin and the non pigmented skin. After using this serum twice a day for the three weeks there does seem to be a decrease - there is no longer such a marked line between the pigmented and non pigmented skin. However I have been doing this trial during winter and whilst I have been going outside, I haven't been going to nearly as much as I do in summer and obviously the sun is not nearly as strong. So, to truly comment on whether this has an effect on pigmentation, I will repeat the trial during the summer months when my pigmentation is at its worst.

I really love how this makes my skin look and can definitely see myself using this beyond the trial period. If my pigmentation does get worse during the summer months then I will use this twice a day, otherwise I will just be using this in the mornings as, I think, the shimmery particles make it more suitable for day wear. The serum is a little on the pricey side but so far a little is going a long way. If uneven skin tone is an issue for you I recommend that you try and get yourself a sample of this to see if it works for you as I have found that this serum and a tinted moisturiser is enough to give me a beautifully even complexion.

Available now (in Australia) from Myer's, David Jones and online at Estee Lauder. RRP $105 for 30ml or $150 for 50ml.

All opinions stated in this blog are my own. I have no affiliation with Estee Lauder and received no remuneration for my comments. The serum was provided to me by Beauty Heaven to review as part of their Trial Team.  

What a stingy bugger...my free sample frenzy!

I love a freebie - who doesn't! But I often find myself a little bit embaressed to go and claim free samples from the Myers or DJs cosmetics counters. Its silly, I know, but I hate the judging look some of the sales assistants give me. Don't get me wrong - there are some fantastic sales assistants out their who are so passionate about their brand and are just dying to share their knolwledge and allow you to try a sample in the hope that you fall as head over heels with the product as they are. But then there are the sales assistants who, when they look at you, have 'what a stingy bugger' written all over their faces. Those are the ones that I am scared of!

However, I had recently won a competition from Instyle Magazine that required me to go to the Shiseido counter at Myers to pick up the prize - a personally designed Jayson Brunsdon cosmetic bag with a Shiseido lipstick and lip liner (see pic to the left) - so I thought that I may as well check out Joy's blog (BeautyBargainQueen) to see what other freebies I could pick up whilst I was at it. The Shiseido prize was quite nice. The make up bag is really a small purse, about the size of a CD, so good for keeping a few essentials in your handbag. The lipstick was gorgeously cream - it spread on so easily; however, it is probably a bit bright for me so I passed it on to mum. Though, I swatched it before giving it away and now looking at my swatch I am thinking that I might have made a mistake giving it away - it is actually quite a gorgeous colour and not as bright as it seemed when I was wearing it. I usually wear tinted lip gloss so perhaps that is why it felt so bright.

Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick swatch

I had heard that the Limited Edition BENEFIT b.right! Radiant Skincare Trio was a really cool sample to get so headed to the Benefit counter after I had picked up my prize from Shiseido. It certainly was a great freebie. If you have a look at the pic below, it is the box to the right. In it was a 10ml sample of the new Triple Performing Facial Emulsion moisturiser, 10ml Foamingly Clean Facial Wash and a 3ml sample of the It's Potent Eye Cream. The Benefit sales assistant also did a demo of the products on my hand. The smell amazing and did leave my hand feeling lovely. I have not yet tried the b.right range as I am trialling some other products at the moment but will put a review up once I have taken them for a test drive.

I then hit the Estee Lauder counter to see if I could get a sample of their Pure Colour Long Lasting Lipstick that I had seen advertised on Facebook. I was in luck! I received a card (top right in the photo below) that contained samples of four of the new shades. I have swatched the shades below. I must say that i was ver impressed with this sample. Each little square of lipstick would give you at least five wears of the lipstick - more than enough time to fall in love with a shade!

I had also downloaded a couple of Biotherm vouchers from BeautyBargainQueen for a fragrance and a blemish balm but at 10.00am there were still no staff at the Biotherm counter so I gave up and went home. Below is my haul from my free sample frenzy. I now have a bunch of new products to play with, without having spent a cent! Totally worth the 'what a stingy bugger' stares I got from one the sales assistants!

My super stingy haul!

Swatches from the Estee Lauder Pure Colour Long Lasting Lipstick sample card.

Swatches of each of the colours on my hand
L to R: Lilac Lover, Crystal Coral, Blushing and Scarlet Siren

I also decided to do some lip swatches. Before I go on I need to apologise. It was not until I started photographing myself did I realise just what a lopsided smile I have. I had previously noticed it in photos but hadn't paid much attention. It wasn't until now, when I wanted a nice symetrical smile did I realise just how impossible that is for me. When I was a kid, maybe three or four years of age, I remember asking mum how do you smile. Even now, 27 years later, I still remember her reaction. She looked at me as if I was a bit special and told me that you just lift the conrner of your lips up and smile. Ok, so maybe I don't ctually remember her reaction after all this time but I definitely remember asking that question and that is how I would react if a kid of mine asked a weird question like that! So, for a few years until I really worked it out, I have the most stupid smile in photos - its not actually a smile - I was just showing my teeth. It has defintiely improved over the years, though I guess it is still a little unique. Please don't let it distract you too much from the lip stick colours!

Scarlet Siren (Creme) - a very bright red. Too bright for me.

Estee Lauder Scarlet Siren (71) Creme Pure Colour Long
Lasting Lipstick

Blushing (Creme) - this was my favourite. I love it and can see myself wearing it quite often. It is a very natural and flattering pink.

Estee Lauder Blushing (55) Creme Pure Colour Long Lasting
Lipstick

Crystal Coral (Creme) - this came out nearly clear - it had next to no colour on my and defintiely no hints of coral. If anything it added a slight pinkish hue to my lips, but I wouldn't have described it as coral.

Estee Lauder Crystal Coral (11) Creme Pure Colour Long
 Lasting Lipstick

Lilac Lover (shimmer) - on the card I though that this would be my favourite, but it is actually quite sheer. I didn't mind it, and could definitely see myself wearing this as a day time colour but the colour was a lot more sheer than I was expecting. It is a very natural sweet pink.

Estee Lauder Lilac Lover (34) Shimmer Pure Colour Long
Lasting Lipstick

Update on Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Youth Creme

Ok, so as I mentioned in my first blog on Ultimate Youth Creme I contacted Estee Lauder (Australia) to try and get some info as to why it was discontinued and if there was a replacement product. I got the following reply:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us and for your interest in Estée Lauder.

Whenever a product or shade is discontinued, it is not done capriciously or without taking into account many important factors.  Decisions to discontinue a product are made in response to consumer preferences and purchasing patterns throughout the country.  Sometimes, a product is discontinued to make room in the line for a more technologically advanced formula.
For information about the Re-Nutriv product range, please visit www.esteelauder.com.au where you will find an entire section dedicated to this skin care range.
We trust that the above addresses your concern. We hope you will look to Estée Lauder for all your beauty and fragrance needs.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns.

Unfortunately, that doesn't really tell me anything at all so I am now going to email the US arm of the company to see if they can provide any more info. Stay tuned!

Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Youth Creme Review

As a scientist, a large percentage of my time is spent reading journal articles for work and, being a bit of a nerd, I also enjoy reading scientific articles in the media for fun. So, I thought I was fairly on the ball as to what hot new research that was being conducted. Yet, somehow I had missed what was going on in the beauty industry. I always thought that research conducted within the beauty industry was a bit fluffy - that they would just survey 10 women, ask them if they thought that their skin looked better, fewer wrinkles etc and that was the extent of it. Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Youth Creme is the beauty product that really opened my eyes to just how seriously the beauty industry takes it's research.

The Claims

Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Youth Creme contains Resveratrate otherwise named “The Youth Molecule” by Estee Lauder. According to the company, this product is meant to extend the skin’s youthfulness so that time “stands still”. The skin will increase in its clarity, tone, and fine dry lines will be plumped by the moisturiser.

The Research Explained
Background to the research: Studies in mice and other organisms have shown that reducing calorie intake causes an increased life expectancy or longevity. Scientists have then found that it is the gene SIRT-1 that gets activated to cause this longevity. Genes are a bit like powerpoints, they don't really do anything until they get switched on, or activated. Often the hardest part of research is not discovering a gene but finding out what turns it on or off. When SIRT-1 gets activated, it increases the cells natural defenses and the repairing functions meaning that the cell is better at protecting itself from damage and if damage does occur it has more time to repair itself - this in turn allows the cell to live for longer.  Once it was discovered that SIRT-1 was responsible for longevity, scientists at Estee Lauder and two other labs worked together to find out how they could activate SIRT-1 in skin cells to make them live longer. This research took over 8 years to complete.

The research: The star ingredient of the Ultimate Youth Creme is Resveratrate. Resveratrate has been shown to activate SIRT-1. Scientists grew some skin cells in a dish (this type of experiment is called a cell culture) and then put some Resveratrate into the dish to see what would happen to the cells. The result was that survival rate of the skin cells doubled (ie after a certain amount of time there were twice as many cells alive in the dish that has Resveratrate than in the dish that didn't have Resveratrate) and that the skin cells had 6 times more protection from environmental factors.
Resveratrate works on the epidermal cells in the top layer of the skin. You may want to refer back to my blog, Understanding the skin, for a more detailed diagram of the layers of the skin but briefly, there are 5 layers of epidermal cells that divide and move their way up through the skin. Often skincare routines promote a product that speeds up cell turnover for a fresher looking complexion. However, each cell only has a limited number of times that it can divide. In the DNA of each cell is a telomere, which is a bit like a gate keeper - when a cell divides to make another cell the telomere makes sure that this new cell is identical to the original one. But each time a division occurs a little bit of the telomere snaps off. Eventually, after so many cell divisions, the telomere gets completely used up, meaning that the original cell can no longer divide and so it dies, causing thinning of the epidermis. So, because Resveratrate increases the cells natural defenses and the repairing functions it actually slows down cell turnover. Which, as Estee Lauder puts it, causes time to "stand still".

My Review
I have managed to get my hands on a few deluxe sized samples (7ml) of the Ultimate Youth Creme and so have been using this as a night cream. I think it would be most effective if it were used day and night; however, as it is so expensive and it doesn't contain a SPF I decided to save it just for a night cream. I am finding that the 7ml samples are lasting me over a month being used as a night cream so a 50ml pot would last over 6 months.

I have to say that it is honestly the most beautiful moisturiser I have ever tried. My skin felt satin soft after applying it, it has never felt like that before. I just wanted to keep stroking it! It absorbed easily, was not in the slightest bit greasy and a little bit went a long way, hence why my sample lasted so long. It had light reflecting particles in it that gave my skin a real luminosity (which is fantastic if you are planning on using it as a day cream as well). It plumped out the fine lines, and the lines that are beyond plumping were well disguised by the light reflecting particles. When I'd get up in the morning my skin looks so good after using this - so fresh, hydrated and honestly quite radiant.

It is lightly fragranced, which I found to be very pleasant, and I don't think the fragrance would be strong enough to offend anyone. The only thing I didn't like about this was the container it came in. As you can see from the pic it comes in a jar. Now, while there is something quite satesfying about sticking your finger in a tub of moisturiser and taking a big gloop I do worry about potential contamination. And at $AU410 for 50ml you do not want this to become contaminated. I would much prefer it to come in an airless pump pack, for both contamination reasons and it would make it much easier to ration out exactly how much cream you use.

This is such a beautiful moisturiser that I think that this cream would be ideal for anyone. However, the best age group to start using this cream would be those in their late 20's, or early 30's (or even 40's if you are blessed with a youthful appearance) who are only just starting to show the first signs of ageing. This cream would then slow down the ageing process.

Update

When I was researching this article I discovered that the Ultimate Youth range has been discontinued which is quite disappointing. I debated not posting this article but I have a bit of a sentimental attachment to the Ultimate Youth range as it was the first beauty range that blew me away with the scientific research. I decided to post it anyway, and have also contacted Estee Lauder to find out why it was discontinued and to see if there is an equivalent range out there. I'll post my findings once I get a reply.