Out with the old...

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel for Oily Sensitive Skin

this is an amazing gel cleanser for oily/sensitive/acne prone skin. it isn't at all harsh, doesn't strip or irritate the skin. its paraben/alcohol/soap free. all La Roche-Posay products I've tried are really good but this has to be my favorite. i actually wanted to repurchase it but the drugstore i was in didn't have it so i gave the Avene cleanser a try...but i will definitely repurchase this in the future.

Indola Innova Silver Shampoo

this is a shampoo you use after your regular shampoo and before your conditioner that helps blond treated hair keep its color and don't go all "yellow-y" after a few weeks...it does a great job..you use it once or twice a week and the bottle should last you a whole year. I'm not sure if i will repurchase right now. i am looking for an alternative just to change things up..any recommendations?

L'Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Absolut Repair Neofibrine Repairing Masque

i've also had this hair mask for about a year. my hairdresser recommended it. i have long, wavy, color treated hair..my main problem is the frizziness in the back..i wash my hair twice a week and use this mask instead of a conditioner...i think its a good mask..but nothing amazing...it also costs double the money of a supermarket mask so i would expect more..i read somewhere that Olivia Palermo uses it..

Revlon Colorstay Pressed Powder

in Medium

i think this is like a dupe for the Mac Studio Fix Powder i used in the past..if you don't want to spend a lot on your make up this is a good product. it has medium coverage and a matte finish but the con is a minimum selection of colors plus i found that it oxidized after a few hours. i wont be repurchasing.

ReViEw: Murad Acne Complex

My Night Time Skin Regimen

i think it's about time i give my honest review on the Murad Acne Complex Kit given that  I've been using it since the beginning of September... that's five whole months giving this product a chance...sticking to the routine... and finally admitting that this is a horrible product for acne skin.

when i started using this product my acne was mild at the time...(if you consider that the past three months i was swimming in the beach everyday...and sea water always clears my skin...as opposed to pool water which breaks me out)....but i wanted a new skin routine for autumn to help control any new breakouts i might get...

i researched on line and found out that products with glycolic acid are great for acne prone skin..i was already using salicylic acid so i thought i would give G.A. a try...i discovered the Murad kit had  both G.A. and S.A. in it's ingredients..Plus i liked the fact that this was supposed to be a 30 day product.. i figured I'll use this for a month...my skin will get even better..and then i can focus on a few scars i had on my right cheek...i was mistaken..

I knew there would be a "purging" period but i didn't know it would never end...

it claims to get all the bad things out of your skin for the first 2 weeks and the last 2 weeks your acne will disappear.. well I've been using it for five months and my skin keeps getting worse..

The Clarifying Cleanser and the Skin Perfecting Lotion are GOOD products.

The cleanser is only 2.0 fl. oz. I've been using it twice a day for 5 months and i still have some left..

it's a good cleanser, makes your skin feel very clean and tight.

The Skin Perfecting Lotion is an oil free moisturizer..i think it will work great on people who have acne AND dry skin..but not for me since i am oily..

now for the bad products...

The Exfoliating Blemish Treatment Gel and the Blemish Spot Treatment.

The Spot Treatment didn't do anything for me..it doesn't get absorbed by the skin..in the morning the treatment was dried around the pimple ...but the pimple was not at all dried.. even after a couple of days on the same spot..nothing...this was the only product i used up in 30 days.

The Treatment Gel was supposed to clear clogged pores of bacteria, to control acne and restore clarity. All it did is give me huge cysts...i really wanted this product to work..i tried using a little bit, i tried using a lot, i tried it as a spot treatment...i couldn't use it during the day because it contains Hydrogen Peroxide which is an oxidizer used as a bleach apparently..not a good idea for a warm and sunny climate... plus it's difficult to apply make up over it. But the worst side effect is that it severely scared my skin...and i think it made me look a bit harsh..like it takes away your youthful glow...

I know for a fact that it's the treatment gel irritating my skin because i wanted to stop using it for a while  before this review....well for a week now i only use the oil free moisturizer and The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil on my problem areas...<it's one of the products i bought a while ago and never used>

My skin is a lot less irritated and i hardly had any new spots.. But a full review will come on that in at least a month!

A final thought: I'm not bashing Murad this is my honest opinion.. i do like Murad as a brand. I use their Oil-Free Sunblock SPF 30 everyday for the past year now and it works great... i also really want to try their Vitamin C Infusion Home Facial Kit....but something went wrong with this Acne Complex Kit....

Have you tried the Acne Complex Kit? did it work for you? what about Tea Tree Oil?

My BoDy ShOp CoLLeCtiOn + 1st ReViEw

i used to love The Body Shop products while i was in my early teens but then i just sort of grew out of that phase...months ago i went in to purchase a Coconut Body Butter and they asked me if i wanted a Body Shop Card...so i said yes...I've been taking advantage of the 10% off every purchase and collecting points ever since... my B.S. collection grew over night...some things i love...and some things not so much...

my 1st review...others might follow....

Retractable Blusher Brush

this is the only brush i carry around everyday in my make up bag. this is a very very soft brush. softer than Sigma and Mac but doesn't pick up as much product. i use it to re-apply my face powder during lunch and if i have to re-apply a bit of blusher i use this again and then clean the blush off by swirling it on a tissue..

Definitely worth the 13.50 euros.

Moringa Body Butter

i purchased the little travel size 50 ml one to keep in my desk at work and use as a hand cream.

but the scent was so strong i felt like it gave me a little headache every time i used it. some girls at work loved the smell and asked me what i was using..other girls had the same reaction as me...

i will me trying it out as a body butter now that i brought it home...

Rounded Handle Facial Brush

i call this my baby Clarisonic...I've never used a Clarisonic before but in theory it should work in the same way...you just have to do all the work and swirl it around your face for a minute or two...it's definitely the Old School Clarisonic...this B.S. one is really soft but after i washed it in the dishwasher twice its even better...after i use my milk cleanser to remove my make-up i use this with my gel cleanser and it takes off any residue from the make up or the cleanser...it exfoliates lightly...and makes my skin feel super clean...

for only 4 euros this is definitely one of my favorite Body Shop products i use religiously every night! 

Coconut Oil Hair Shine

this is one of my favourite hair products ever...and I'm really picky with hair products...

my hair is long, thick, wavy...and very out of control and frizzy on very humid days.. so mostly every day :)

this products gets rid of the frizz..makes my hair look smooth and shiny..not at all greasy..

best part...it makes my hair smell all coconuty..i get so many compliments on that!

Tea Tree Oil Facial Blotting Tissues

ok so i have very oily skin..combined with hot weather and humidity it's trouble!! i need to powder up every few hours or else i just look like a mess...but before i re-apply powder i like to absorb some of the oilyness using these blotting tissues..they work better than toilet paper (haha!) but i feel sometimes that they are too thin...i need 2 tissues each time ... i borrowed a MAC blotting tissue from my friend once and it was much thicker and almost three times the size of these B.S. ones so of course i only needed one...but I'm not sure if the MAC ones are ridiculously priced so if they are I'm sticking to these babies.....

what are your "Hit and Misses" of Body Shop products?

have you tried out these products?

what other Body Shop products would you like me to review?