Summer Skincare Essentials 2015

My skin care changes dramatically in summer. Not only does the season change my skins needs, but air con also leaves me dry and irritated and the heat makes me shiny and eats at my makeup. Its taken me years to find the balance of hydration and mattifying power to make sure my makeup lasts and my skin is soothed.  

Ultraceuticals ultra balancing cleanser

You can see my previous post regarding this cleanser, however I will say that the deep clean this cleanser gives me is perfect for makeup and sweat congested skin. I use this cleanser morning and night and love the fresh feeling it leaves with my skin. Iv got two girlfriends onto this cleanser and we all adore it! Being one of the cheaper Ultraceuticals products, Its a great intro into the range!

Vaseline Aloe fresh SPF15

This is the second year i'm using this product! Officially being 1 year out of the solarium and vowing a #SPFSUMMER My skin is softer than ever. Yes I am quite a bit fairer but my spray tans are doing me fine! 

I use this because its light and fresh and non greasy. 

I switched to a SPF body cream to stop myself getting damage from the sun when I knew I didn't need the sunlight. For example, quick walks to work and around outside. 

I still do some SPF free days to have a nice balance between natural sunlight but tuesday-saturday i am covered in this stuff! 

Smells amazing too!

Sukin Hydrating mist toner Rose water + Chamomile 

My mother would use this daily and I have picked this habit up from her. Similar to your Mac FIX+ and australis setting spray but much better for your skin. I use this when I hop out of the shower so my skin has some relief before putting moisturiser on. Under creams and makeup to create a smooth hydrated base, after powder to take away the "powdery" look, during the day to keep my skin soothed and hydrated... I could go on.

All I can say this product is great for sunburn, irritations, your scalp and I highly recommend using this product this summer and see the difference. 

Origins Make a difference Plus + Moisturiser

Because I now use more oil free products for longevity (foundation, primer, sunscreen ect) I like sticking to a super nourishing cream that can double as a night cream. This cream has an almost gel texture but is such an amazing hydrator I use it morning and night! I wear it under my sunscreen and it doesn't affect my makeup during the day. Once rubbed in, I let it sit for a few moments until its totally absorbed. Then I apply my sunscreen and makeup. 

During the night I apply heavily and let it sink in while I sleep. My skin just drinks this stuff up and I can just apply and apply and my skin never feels heavy or greasy! 

Ultra UV Protective Daily Moisturiser SPF30 - Mattifying

If you have oily skin, please go and buy this. 

This leaves my skin like velvet and so matte and smooth. For me, It is not enough hydration for day time, and my skin can feel dry after a few hours so I aways apply Sukin hydration mist and maybe a moisturiser before hand. I wish I was using this sunscreen when I was 16. I can see a visible difference in the colour of my face compared to my chest, my face is far paler, which iv never noticed before. It makes me think all that little sun exposer I think isn't doing any damage, would be if i wasn't wearing sunscreen. I will always invest in this product. 

Vida Glow 100% Natural Marine Collegian 

I am a vitamin junkie. I take 10+ Tablets a day, as well as my protein, greens powder and reds powder.

Dont know what it is, I just LOVE finding new things to feed my body. 

Vida Glow is replacing my Collegian powder after I didn't feel like it was making a difference. 

I take Vida glow twice and day and I am ABSOLUTELY seeing a difference!

More so in my skin rather than hair or nails but my skin has a brighter appearance and the surface dehydration is slowly repairing. Yes you could say this is because of all the skincare I use but over new years eve I stopped taking it (too busy and a bit lazy) and I kept using my skincare but I could tell my skin was just not as bright and "Glow-y" as it had been haha I jumped back on this and within 3 days I was noticing a difference.

I will be using this all through summer and I cant wait to see if it helps with my skin in winter!  

AC ON TOUR: First Impressions

Recently I posted about finally being able to find the AC on Tour contour palette in Big W after every priceline I attempted to find it in was sold out!
A much more affordable (and easier to access for us Australians) version of the ABH contour palette, the colour pay off is amazing! Its almost too good and with my first go, I was a little heavy handed and ended up with a very dramatic result!
The Top row are the highlighters: 

•  Matte Pale Cream with pale pink undertone
• Matte Yellow
• Champagne shimmer

The bottom row are the shading colours:

• Matte medium warm brown
• Matte ash brown
• Matte dark warm brown

 Below is the before photo. I would usually do a cream contour with my Kryolan foundation however for the sake of an honest review I have used my Australis 16hr wear foundation in natural fawn and set with Mac studio fix powder in NC30 only.

Right is the after photo. Can you see what I mean by pigmented? You should have seen it before I blended! This palette has some serious colour pay off and im in LOVE! 

Above I used the bottom centre brown, the yellow & the champagne. 

The matte brown I used was slightly hard to blend at first, It took a little love with a Mac duo fibre brush to really work it into my foundation. However the colour is a perfect dupe for natural shadow and looks amazing in person and on camera. I added a little of the far right bottom shade (deep warm brown) to help blend and act a little like a bronzer. 

I went on to shade my nose, chin and hair line and overall this palette is really amazing and I can see why its sold out everywhere, I will absolutely be buying another! 

Last Image: Mac Blush in blush baby added 

Individual colour review:

Matte pale cream with pale pink undertone

Very pigmented, I would love to use this to set under my eyes during the day. It takes out the "ashy" finish some of my less-fabulous under eye products have.  

Matte Yellow 

Hands. Down. My. FAVE!

I used this to set my under eye area and it was GLOWING, I wouldn't recommend for day time however as its very strong and left me very very light. But for a night time, I can tell this is going to run out very quickly!

Champagne highlighter 

Beautiful, but subtle. This colour makes a gorgeous day time highlighter or brow bone highlighter but for night time I would use something a bit more pigmented.

Matte medium warm brown

I can see myself using this colour the least. Not because it isn't nice, simply because if I'm pale ill use the centre brown and if i'm tan and need a warmer colour I would use the far right. I see this as slightly unnecessary for my skin tone however for somebody else it might be amazing. 

Matte ash brown

Second fave out of the palette! Perfect contour colour, looks exactly like shadow! Has zero warmth and (once blended) works perfectly. Absolutely ADORE!

Matte dark warm brown 

Very similar to a bronzer. Its also very warm so I wouldn't recommend using only this colour to contour as it may look a touch orange but mixed with the ash brown its amazing.

Ultraceutical Christmas Pack

I have been a Dr. Aspect die hard for 2 years now. Ever since I have started working in Beauty everybody has been pushing the importance of using good skincare, usually either Dr. Aspect or Ultraceuticals. Since leaving the salon (and the industry discount behind with it) I have been lazy in repurchasing the goods and making do with what I feel are some pretty good drugstore skincare essentials. However, since turning 22 I knew I needed to get back into a good routine and actually start fixing some skin issues iv developed since stopping my aspect obsession.

I decided to purchase the Ultraceuticals Mattifying collection - $99 (Christmas Pack)
My skin in winter is dry, dehydrated and congested, however in summer it tends to still be dehydrated, but slightly oily in my T-section and still, as always, congested.
It was always a hassle finding something clarifying that really cleaned my pores without it being seriously drying.

Iv always been happy with Dr. Aspect product, Iv seen dramatic change in my skin and I have nothing but good things to say about the results I saw. So why the change? I like that Ultraceuticals have a more affordable range (Cleansers starting from $49) and I quite frankly, iv just heard great things in the last few weeks from friends who are studying beauty and people who have been using it for years.
So here are my first impressions;

Ultra Balancing Gel Cleanser: 
Smells amazing! It does not foam too much unless my skin is really clean. I would have to double cleanse to remove my makeup so to avoid wasting product, I use a wipe first or makeup remover and then cleanse with the gel cleanser. Within the first week, my skin feels smooth and clean. I do think it might be made for a skin a touch oiler than mine, however I do like how its still not leaving my skin  feeling tight or thirsty. I will re-puchase this cleanser for when my skin acts up, but I think I will also purchase a cleanser for dryer skin to alternate.
Compared to the Aspect Purastat Cleanser: 
I loved that the aspect cleanser has wasabi extract and loved that despite its fluro green colour, had no artificial colours, you could just feel the citrus base working it magic when you washed your face. However it could sometimes feel a little harsh and Aspect lacked options when it came to cleansers.
If you have oily skin, the aspect cleanser is amazing. However I think long term, I will stick with Ultraceuticals.

Even skin tone serum:
So lovely to apply! Absorbs instantly, and tingles slightly. I will alternate days with this until my skin is comfortable using it everyday but so far I adore this serum. I would have to use this serum for a longer period of time to see a difference. I have light freckling on my cheeks from sun damage (nothing too bad, yet)
Compared to Aspect Pigment Punch: 
Very hard to compare as I had used Pigment Punch for over a year. It honestly feels very similar to apply. Same consistency, similar price. I think you could go either way.

Ultra UV Protection SPF 30+ Mattifying
I have never been a huge fan of how sunscreen feels, It usually leaves me feeling slimy and makes my makeup wear horribly.
This, is the BEST SUNSCREEN iv EVER used!! It absorbs completely, I feel like I might even need to put a moisturiser under it. I adore how it smells, feels and I will absolutely be repurchasing this!
Compared to Aspect Hydra Shield:
Hydra Shield is fantastic in winter, it feels beautifully hydrating however in summer can sometimes leave a touch oily. I love that you can smell the essential oils and it is very soothing however I give the edge to Ultraceuticals simply because under makeup, it does cause foundation to slip a little.

Overall, I think i'm happy to be trying something different. Considering my skin is still in good condition, Im happy to try new things. Im excited to try a few other things from the ultraceuticals range like The Ultra Brightening Serum and the Ultra C firming eye cream.
However, I will be watching my skin closely over the next few months, I really hope to see improvements and develop a stronger healthier looking skin otherwise I think I'll splurge on a few items from Aspect to mix in just to make sure my skin is getting everything it needs.
I dont have a doubt though, considering in the last few days my skin has already improved dramatically
Its just amazing how incredible the difference between cosmetic skin care and cosmeceutical skin care is! I will do a post on what to use if you cannot afford to buy the higher priced items, but if you can, you need to do yourself a favour and invest in these incredible products!

  

Kryolan TV Stick Foundation

Kryolan TV Stick has been a HG foundation for me for a number of years. I seem to always go back to it when I branch out and try other foundations. I never use anything else if I'm going out in fear of it not lasting as long and to be quite honest, I just never get as many compliments on my skin as when I'm wearing Tv stick.
Like the name suggests, its a high coverage demi-matte foundation with serious lasting power. It is aimed at oily skin but works fine with my dry, sensitive skin. Usually for day use I draw a few dots on my face and blend out with a buffing brush dampened with either Mac fix + or some light day cream. As of a night, I apply the stick directly to my brush an blend out until its full coverage. I have two full sticks as well as a palette or two of this foundation so I can always match my colour and at less than $50 its much more affordable than others iv tried. 
Here are a few swatches: 

Blended with Max Fix+ & Translucent powder 

 Swatches (Left to right)

NW, IVORY, FOB, OB, GO1, GO2

 Last swatch on right hand side is GO4 (same as image below)

I'll use MAC shades to compare as I think they are the most well known. 
NC15 - FOB
NC25 - OB
NC30 - GO1
NC35 - GO2
NC37 - GO3 (not shown)
NC40 - GO4 (darkest shown
NW & ivory I use under my eyes or as a highlight, if you find yourself too pale for NC15 foundations these colours will be perfect. 

Colour Range: Amazing, very hard to purchase online but in store its incredible
Lasting: 12-18 hrs. Iv worn this bad boy on many a night out and still been pretty flawless the next day
Touchup: Oily skin will require some powder but not much
Setting: I always set my foundation, Ben Nye banana powder or translucent powder work best 
Coverage: Full
Multitasking: Yes, I contour, highlight, conceal and use all over!