What is more important than the state of your nails? Well nothing really, you could not be wearing your make up, or be dressed down very high street nonchalantly, but if you have to have immaculate nails. A simple gloss or nail strengthening polish will do. But you can go wild and express yourself in many different ways when it comes to nails. I remember having Dalmatian pattern resembling nails when I was a bit younger, well to be hounest quite a bit younger. Since then I got more mature and my nail polishing habit got a bit more conservative, but still I love vivid and deep colours mixed from now and then with a more pastel, quitter colours, like French manicure or simply one colour beige nail polish.

Well this post is predominantly about one brand and it’s OPI. I can’t get happier when I purchase another colour of them. I found it to be the best nail polish on the market yet, which does not have equal competitors. It’s very easy to apply, the brush is thick enough to cover the whole nail and only small correction is needed to finish the stroke. It holds reasonably long, when applied in two coats! Two coats are must, I am afraid, as one coat does not last at all and doesn’t have that deepness of colour. What a vats choice of colours and amazing design of the bottle. What a joy to have it on my dressing table. I found that if I buy it in Sally’s it’s at least £4 cheaper that in Selfridges, but they do not carry that range of colours of course….

Another brand, which I was so mad about until recently, is Estee Lauder and their not so huge choice, but very well designed colours and all that havoc around limited additions…which I have been chasing for a months…well I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with the product. It was indeed an amazing colour, which does not last no matter how many coats you apply.

On contrary was nicely surprised by a Polish brand recently, and I will be covering their products in more depth in my next posts, but for now as we speak about nail polish, they are definitely worth mentioning.  The brand is INGLOT. They also have an amazing choice of colours but the texture of the product is more fluid, hence making it a bit more difficult to work with and also much lighted when applied in one coat, therefore several coats are necessary. Holds nicely and cheaper of course. I buy them from Westfields in London.

That’s my nail polishing review, please let me know about nail polish which worked for you. Comment….comment….comment…..

I have been looking for that ultimate foundation for every occasion and have tried a handful of brands. I started with drugstore brands and progressed to designer and dedicated cosmetics brands.

I am very impressed with Revlon foundations but one has to be careful with choosing the right product depending on the skin type. Interestingly I have dry skin but somehow the dry skin formula was not my favourite at all. Somehow I found it to be too dry and difficult to work with and on contrary the one with the combination/oily skin was my favourite, however I had to wipe of the excess oil from my face. Very nice colours and very creamy texture makes it pleasant to wear.  But this was not my ultimate foundation yet…

Unfortunately non of the other drugstore brands could come even close to the Revlon hence I am not even mentioning them here. I had to move on to designer brands and dedicated make up and cosmetics brands to find out if I could find my ultimate product.

Of course first brand, which springs to your mind, is Mac, but there I could not find anything what could impress me. Nice colours and quality products, however too heavy coverage not something I could imaging wearing all day long. However I found a very nice contouring product, but it’s a different story…

My next brand was Bobby Brown I though well maybe this is it and tried a couple of their products, but somehow what was recommended by the sales person was not suitable at all for my needs and ending up in an awkward situation I decided to leave very quickly. By the way their very tinted moisturising balm, which is a combination of day cream and foundation, did not work at all. It did not cover my uneven tonality and accentuated my blemishes and not that I have a lot but it felt like…

Well this brought me to Chanel and I loved it! Amazing colours very creamy very fluid and make such a difference on your skin, covers all uneven skin tones and brings to your face, that so desired glow, which you will find in those magazine ads…(I tried Pro Lumiere Foundation) I absolutely loved it but it was not the end of my search…..

I went over to NARS stand and I think found my ultimate beauty the Sheer Glow Foundation. It is foundation and treatment in one, improving and brightening the skin Seer Glow works while wearing it and makes your skin looking amazing after it’s washed off…is not it fantastic! ….I absolutely love it makes the skin so even and not shiny at all (well it’s for dry and normal skin type only) Also I have noticed that it behaves very nicely in flash photography and there is no need to apply different product under your eyes, of course prior moisturising is a must.

Sorry Chanel I love you, but the pedestal is taken by NARS

At this moment this is my ultimate foundation and I will write an update once the situation has changed.

P.S.: In my search I came across an amazing compact powder by Illamasqua but I have so many compacts by other brands so I decided to rest my shopping mania for powders…plus I was so much impressed with NARS so I decided to end my search then. Also I have heard that Armani has quite sophisticated foundation, range which hounestly I have not tried yet. So your opinion on these or other brands not mentioned here will be very highly appreciated. Comment…comment…comment….

I would like to update this article since I have tried a couple of more products, well literally a couple.

My new trophy is Gosh’s “Lift me up” with Sepilift DPHP technology.  Sepilift DPHP is a mixture of Collagen-specific aminoacid and Palmitic acid.  Tests in vivo of the 1% product suggest wrinkle correction and moisture improvement by 18% against placebo tests. Unfortunately can’t yet contribute with such detailed review, however I liked it straight away after applying on my skin. It has interesting end result; my skin is very even, not dry or shiny, in fact the product contributes very even coverage remaining almost unnoticeable and feels very comfortable on my skin. Minus only five shades….

Another brand, which caught my eye was Clarins Teint Haute Tenue – Everlasting Foundation….The original design and a divine smell win over the browsing shopper. I liked how it looked on my skin, the tone was well selected by the assistant , but I find it too drying. It absorbs very quickly and I almost could feel the stringent  feeling on my face . Can’t of course argue , it well maybe suitable for some skin types,  but I opt out for a more moisturising solutions.

]]> http://emporiumcosmetics.com/2010/01/ultimate-foundation-serach/feed/ 0 http://emporiumcosmetics.com/2010/01/glamorous-cosmetics/ http://emporiumcosmetics.com/2010/01/glamorous-cosmetics/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:09:22 +0000 admin http://emporiumcosmetics.com/?p=181

With the Internet becoming more widely accessible so do the new on line thriving make up brands. Especially being based in the UK it proves to be very handy to be able to try those cosmetics, which are not available locally. I have many cosmetics brands on my list which I can buy only online. What also is a bit thrilling as I can brag about to my friends One of them is Glamorous Cosmetics Greece based gem. I am reviewing today a couple of their products kindly provided by the company. They have opened their doors first in 2005 in Greece Athens and have been expanding, conquering new continents and hearts. I have a couple of products from their main lines I wanted to share my opinion about them  with you. So what I have here are  – foundation, lip stick, mascara, nail polish and lip/eye pencil.

I shall start with my favourite product – which honestly quite surprised me – G by Glamorous Fluid Foundation. It is very light foundation, which surprisingly very hard to detect! on the skin. The result very even skin tone and even in a close up I can guarantee no one will be able to spot it! Due to its texture and very light coverage I think it will be a perfect foundation for a day time look. It contains talk so good moisturising regime is advisable. Packaging is very bag friendly being only 20ml, smaller than usual 30ml…very pretty and accurate not heavy at all, product’s live from opening is 18 months. For those who are madly scrutinising the ingredients list, well it contains conservants methylparaben and propylparaben, but what doesn’t nowadays…

Again very good ratings for lipstick. Creamy easy to apply and very long-lasting and you can control how vivid you want it to be. Many of the lip products available on the market are not long lasting enough or very sticky and last till the next bite…or other end of the stick they are so chemically enhanced that you can’t get rid of it … well with this one I can apply it in the morning and it will wear off at the end of the day. Impressed! I had very vivid dark red very in fashion now. Also I have checked the website and they carry quite a nice choice with very nice beige colours – m y favourits. Only draw back was that I was not entirely happy with the packaging I think the quality is very good and it should be reflected in a more sophisticated presentation….

I found that the mascara had quite a good performance, but I can’t elevate it above the other products found on the market. It  did not stick my eye lashes together, which is a big plus!! Very simple straight forward brush with dense bristles, which distributes the product evenly and reached out to every lash._____________________________________________________________

I guess the hardest to review is the nail polish. In general it’s combination of colour, how easy it’s applied and how long it’s lasting.  It did not chip off my nails for reasonably long time, the texture is very glossy and you can feel that it will hold for quite some time, no second coat is necessary unless you like that heavy look. However I was struggling with application… Very thin brush made it very difficult to apply the product evenly and I ended up with a streaky lines and uneven distribution  I have checked and on the website the company offers a wide range of fashionable colours though, which is a plus.

With eye and lip liners I find that it’s always down to the colour and softness of the product. The product must be soft but not sticky or clumpy. I think the product I have is very good for lip lining, but a bit too hard to be an eye liner, however really worked for my eye brows. Very handy packaging with the cute cap and sharpener in one.

Over all was very impressed with the foundation and lipstick and would recommend without any hesitation.

Investigator turns his attention today to investigate a special case of N7 and Boots’ Time Delay products ….

Well for those who do not know yet No7 and Boots Time Daley products are owned and manufactured by Boots. While No7 had a wide and wild promotion over resent couple of years Time Delay products seem to remain in the shadow of more popular No7 and why should they be noticed anyway…??? Well let’s get a little bit more technical here. Below you find a list of ingredients in both of the products and their price. Red highlighted ingredients ones those which are unique to the product and black are the same  in both products. I invite you to see what is the difference, if any, between these two seemingly different products.

Time Delay Wrinkle Reduce Daily Serum 30ml                                                      £11.74

Cyclopentasiloxane, Aqua, Butylene glycol, Dimethicone crosspolymer,
Cyclohexasiloxane, Glycerin, Dimethicone copolyol, Sodium ascorbyl phosphate,
Polysorbate 20, Magnesium sulfate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium PCA,
Retinyl palmitate, Parfum, Methylparaben, Propylene glycol, Ethylparaben,
Dipropylene glycol, Lupinus albus extract, Carbomer, Panax ginseng extract,
Morus alba extract, Tocopherol, Butylparaben, Palmitoyl oligopeptide,
Propylparaben, Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7

Dipropylene glycol finds many uses as a plasticizer, an intermediate in industrial chemical reactions, as a polymerization initiator or monomer, and as a solvent. Its low toxicity and solvent properties make it an ideal additive for perfumes and skin and hair care products. It is also a common ingredient.

Palmitoyl oligopeptide – also know as Maxilip, this natural plant based peptide plumps and nourishes the lips & skin.

Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 - smoothing and regenerating peptide that significantly increases skin elasticity, firmness and tone. This skin care Products works to reduce the Signs of Aging.

No7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum 30ml                                                             £18.50

Cyclopentasiloxane, Aqua, Butylene glycol, Dimethicone corsspolymer, Cyclohexasiloxane, Glycerin, Dimethicone copolyol, Sodium ascorbyl phosphate, Polysorbate 20, Magnesium sulphate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium PCA, Retinyl palmitate, Methylparaben, Propylene glycol, Lupinus albus, Carbomer, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Panax ginseng, Morus alba, Tocopherol, Palmitoyl pentapeptide-3.

dipeptide-2, pentapeptide-3, tetrapeptide-7, hexapeptide-3, oligopeptide

These revolutionary ingredients:

-reverse the aging process by stimulating natural biological processes
-regenerate the upper layers of the skin
-significantly reduce the appearance of wrinkles
-work gently to create smoother, softer skin

Parabens are a class of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Parabens are effective preservatives in many types of formulas. These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bacteriocidal and fungicidal properties. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteral pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives. Less common parabens include isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, benzylparaben and their sodium salts.

Well as you can see not much. Apart from the Time Delay Serum has a bit more of industrial product to make it more fluid and a bit of extra peptide extract, not much.  And it’s true pretty much for the whole range of the products. So why is the price difference? Well I guess marketing has its cost…..

According to the ISO standards each company has to indicate the ingredients of their product on the label. In cosmetics in particular the biggest quantity ingredient lists first on the ingredient list and descends as the quantity lessens. The actual quantity is not listed so it might be the case that despite the same ingredient list the quantities might differ, but I am afraid this is Boots’ secret, which I do not think they will want to share with us.

As a summery to this post I wanted to say, no offense to No7 or Time Delay, I think both products are great and effective. Happy browsing in Boots.

Recently one can read more and more about a miracle aspirin mask. While it helps some and by some I mean you can read a lot of positive reviews on the Internet, for others it turns their skin into living nightmare. Well let’s put this case under the magnifying glass.

First of all Aspirin Mask:

You crush 5-10 uncoated aspirin peels into powder then mix it by your own preference with olive oil or honey add a bit of green tea to make it more liquid or dens depending on what other ingredients you use and then apply it to your face skin. After about 10-20 minutes you wash it off…and …miracle your skin is whether nice and soft, redness is calmed and you look fabulous…or skin is irritated and you are like a Christmas tree the next day. Well…let’s not over dramatise it. By my research about 5% of the people trying this receipt have some sort of allergy to aspirin.

Let’s go back to the roots of Aspirin.  What is aspirin?

Aspirin is an analgesic, or pain reducer, an anti-inflammatory and a fever reducer. As such, it is often resorted to for mild to moderate pain, such as attends chronic arthritis, colds and flu, or sports injuries. Developed in the latter part of the nineteenth century, aspirin is now known to reduce the coagulation of the blood, and in continuous low doses can provide some protection from heart attacks.

Salicylic acid, a precursor to modern aspirin, is found in a number of herbs, notably in the bark of the white willow. Use of willow bark for pain dates back at least as far as Hippocrates, and was administered by chewing the bark to extract the effective ingredient. This ingredient was extracted and combined with a buffering agent to form acetylsalicylic acid, notable for being the first constructed, or artificially produced drug ever made. Today aspirin is made from coal tar rather than willow bark.

By definition of www.wisegeek.com

So as you can see Aspirin is nothing else then Salicylic Acid which is very widely used in many other cosmetic products…for example so loved by many of us Neutrogena’s Pure Glow 2 in 1 face mask and wash…and may many others, so no wonder why it works so well of ridding us off those nasty pimples we all try to avoid so diligently. And as with many product some of us will have an allergic reaction while others will tolerate and actually will enjoy the beneficial qualities of it.

While we all like these products some of us have to be extra cautious with dry or easily irritated skin as a frequent use of sensitive skin can not tolerate this product.

One of the very common side effects that can come when you use face wash with salicylic acid is skin irritation, although this is usually more common in children. You may end up with red skin that looks and feels irritated when you use this product. If you do end up dealing with skin irritation, you may want to consider using it a bit less frequently. However, if the skin irritation becomes too serious, then you’ll need to stop the use of this product.

If you are using face wash with salicylic acid, be sure that you don’t use other topical treatments for acne with it or you may suffer from even more side effects. While there are side effects to using face wash with salicylic acid, usually they are mild and the benefits of the treatment far outweigh the problems.

So if you want to use home made Aspirin Mask and you have not used it before, I would recommend to start with very low quantities of crushed uncoated aspirin and see how you get on with it.

Disclaimer:  This article is not intended to give a specialist advice for you skin problems and in no way is substitution to a specialist advice. This article is based on Internet research solely therefore anyone attempting to adhere to the advice specified above will do it on her or his own risk. The writer is not liable for any consequences after exercising any of the advices specified in this or other articles on emporiumcosmetics.com website.

What’s the one essential ingredient to fight those pesky signs of ageing that doesn’t cost the Earth?  Pentapeptides? Botox? Well…It’s actually the simplest thing of all – some good old-fashioned shut-eye. Your skin is nocturnal. Not only does it regenerate overnight, but it’s during these magic eight hours that hormones are balanced, stress levels are steadied, and weight gain is stabilised. Basically, night is when skin cells are more receptive to change, which is why, for the last, the beauty industry has been working hard to find ways for improving those important Zs.

Leading the way with the latest in leap targeted  skincare  is Howard Murad ( one of the world’s top dermatologist). He has created a sleep reform line, which uses melatonine hormone. Melatonin is essentially the body’s time keeper; without it the body’s internal rhythm gets knocked out of sync, causing tell-tale signs of ageing like irritated skin and dark circles. As we age our levels of melatonin reduce, so when we don’t get enough sleep, our skin does not get the same chance to repair itself. This is when Murad’s Sleep Reform Serum, £79 comes in.
Used topically to reduce the signs of sleepless nights and stress, Murad’s serum harnesses malatonin’s powerful antioxidant benefits to reduce inflammation, while his patented Repair Enhancing Matrix relaxes the muscles and pushes melatonin further into the skin for maximum impact.

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Also new from internationally renowned plastic surgeon Dr Gerald Imber in New York is Youth Corridor, £92. He has discovered that melatonin will drive vitamin C and E to the skin more tan 1000 times better than any other product on the market. So while other products have used the hormone for his anti-oxidant benefits, Imber has combined it with highly potent vitamins, giving his serum the serious benefit of preventing free-radical damage and increasing collagen levels.

US brand Perricone MD’s High Potency Evening Repair £80 created by dermatologist to strengthen the skin’s barrier’s against external aggressors overnight – think it’s plugging your skin into recharge. It contains the highest percentage of of Retinols (Vitamin A) available in non-prescription product. Vitamin A is often prescribed to patients with problem complexions thanks for its ability to slough away dead cells and encourage new, younger cells to surface.

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Mean while Dr Andrew Weil’s Night Health range from Origins helps the skin during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycle, when the facial muscles are most relaxed and therefore more likely to be receptive to regenerative ingredients. Buckbean and St Paul’s Wort extract in the Night Health Bedtime Face Cream £45, relieve tense-looking skin.

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Finally, a new rescue palette for tired-looking skin that has taken a battering from daily aggressors like pollution , air conditioning and stress has been launched by YSL. The Beauty Sleep Restoring Skincare Palette, £40, rejuvenate the complexion by using oat sugars to slough away imperfections and a natural rice-bran butter extract to hydrate. Dark circles and other tell-tale signs of insomnia and stress are caused by skin that is weakened through lack of lipids, causing it to get thinner, allowing the blood vessels to become more visible on the surface. This cream’s sunflower oil extract restores hydration and strengthens the skin.

This is a very quick review for Barry M eye shadow dust. I have tried many shadows in my life and I have to say this one I find far the best one. Not only it has a vey very rich pigment it also has a very affordable price £4.50! My favourite so far.

Barry M Eye-Shadow Dazzle Dust

With time I am certain that my 5 favs will change but today 28^th October 2009 there are the next. I will most probably do an update after half a year and we can compare what stayed and what went…

1. My first absolutely must have product is MAC’s black shadow TYPOGRAPHIC. I find that MAC products are good quality and affordable. There are especially good for the professional make up artists who don’t want to compromise on quality but still can afford buying make up in bulk for their work. I rarely use eye liner therefore I use this shadow to accentuate the eye contour. I find it easier to remove as well and it gives you very subtle colour the day ware look.

2. My second absolutely indispensible product is  Dr Nick Lowe Sebum Control Cleanser. When I first started to use it I have noticed the results straight away….my skin broke up much less and it gets even more understandable when you see a used cotton…. it contains Vitamin A , which believed to help in anti-aging process as well. Other product which I use for the similar purpose would be Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2 in 1 Wash and Mask. I found them equally very good products worth repurchasing.

3. I absolutely can’t live without my Olay’s  Regenerist Fragrance Free Daily Regenerating Serum. I was amazed how I fell in love with it. It’s my third bottle and I can’t rave more about it. First of all it consist of Niacinamide – vitamin B3, which has been shown to prevent skin from losing water content, as well as stimulate circulation in the skin. Recent studies have shown that it also improves the appearance of wrinkles, skin discolorations, reduces redness and improves skin elasticity. It certainly does it all, well almost. I have a small age spot on my right face side and it has faded it but has not removed it. Anyhow I am very happy with its result. Non greasy very quickly absorbed and no additional fragrances, what works fantastically for me during night time.

4. Ohhh my foundation is Chanel Pro Lumiere Foundation with SPF 15 .It brightens up my skin makes it even and I even tend to believe that it makes me look younger…:) Anyway one thing for sure where I am not lazy and put in on during day I notice the reaction of my colleagues and just people on the street…more men tend to look at me ..he he..Chanel has several types of foundation but this is my favorite. It especially was developed for longer time wearing and it’s very gentle with skin,  not absorbing my it’s moisture what usually happens with a cheaper products. It has a very nice sheen and glows up my skin making it look very healthy. I certainly can recommend it to anyone.

5. Well my fifth product is a lip plumper and I have been reviewing it before in my lip pluming devotion review but I tend to use it quite frequently so I decided to add it to my list. It is LipFusion XL. It plumps up my lips and makes them fuller. The effect seems to stay for at least around a day, subtly though…do not expect Angelina Jolie lips but the lips stay fuller and more luscious than normal. Especially with a winter time coming my lips seem to dry out and this product revives them back to life.

So what is LiLash? LiLsh is an eyelash growth stimulator. By applying it directly to your upper eye lid line it will condition and stimulate lashes to grow, claims their producer Cosmetic Alchemy Group. I have investigated and researched on line before I decided to try it myself. I purchased it from the Cosmetic Alchemy’s website and started using it. I probably did not notice any difference until about three weeks of usage when I started slowly believe that as a matter of fact yes indeed they grew longer… I was very pleased even with the one month result. At that time I thought that I have some sort of allergy as I have experienced quite an uncomfortable itchy sensation around eyes in the area where it was applied. Well I have figured it out later, as I have recommended LiLash to a couple of my friends, that I was not the only one who felt the itch…hm… So I decided to use it not daily but every second day and my itchiness improved but I still had to be careful with my eyelashes not to rub them a lot as the growth is accelerated so did shedding…you will also notice that the lashes will shed faster than they used to…but you will not feel that they became thinner quite on contrary.  I would recommend to use mascaras, which can be easily removed with warm water and without any strong mechanical efforts. The lower line of the lashes has improved as well and I have not been even applying the serum on it, they got longer. At the beginning, I have been applying LiLash before bed but it did not really work for me, somehow I felt that my eyes where a bit swollen and very rheumy so I decided to use it during the day, which turned out to be more effective and my eyes had a better resting time over night. So to sum up: lashes seem to get thicker and longer,  as they grew they also cured up..impressive! I even can see some improvement in the parts where I did have very little hair mainly on my lower lash line. The product contains prostaglandin, which you find in a drug for treating glaucoma – an eye disease. Therefore, it can put off some people, as the longer run effect is not yet known on healthy eyes, but the quantities used are quite small.  However if you are not sure please consult with your doctor before applying this product. Good Luck with experimenting! Sorry guys Before and After pictures are not perfect, but that is what I am capable of with my semi-professional camera.
Here is a small update: one year has passed since I am using LiLash. I have made quite a big resting periods, going without applying it and it seems to last quite well. My lashes grew longer and got thicker as well and I am very happy with the result. Itching is no longer a problem as I am using it almost once a week now, well as a matter of fact I am using Cargo’s LashActivator now for my next review. One thing that you need to know about Lilash is that the lashes will shed as I have noticed it before, but do not worry they very quickly grow back. I only assume at this moment that they will stop shedding and return to the normal shedding regime once you stop using LiLash. Hope this was useful.

Before&After LiLash

Before&After LiLash