Sunday 5 October 2014

Malin and Goetz 10% Sulfur Paste



After starting a new job and being so busy I thought my short-lived days of blogging were over… that was before I tried Malin and Goetz’s 10% Sulfur Paste. After suffering with acne for over a decade now I am always keen to try any new spot treatments, even though I do so with pretty low expectations. So when I heard about Malin and Goetz’s formula I just had to give it a go.

http://www.malinandgoetz.com/face/acne-treatment-nighttime


Originally my acne was managed with prescriptions medicines. Fortunately I now have reasonably clear skin but there always seems to be the odd two or three problem areas which persist no matter what I try.



Sulfur paste originally appealed to me as it seemed like a novel acne treatment. Yes it includes Salicylic Acid (as does every useless spot treatment it seems); but with Sulfur Paste the application process and ingredients differ from your usual acne ‘cures’. With Sulfur Paste you allow the white ‘sediment’ (which includes the sulphur component) to settle in the bottom of the bottle whilst the Salicylic Acid sits above. Application then consists of dipping a cotton bud into the sediment, through the acid and then applying the sediment to any problem areas. That is where the fun begins – very much like the age old tip of using toothpaste on acne you will now have white spots all other your face! At this point I was pretty dubious of what the results were going to be. Now when you were at school you may remember using sulphur in chemistry classes and that awful smell too? Well fortunately this is nothing like that at all and upon first application at night time (sulphur paste is intended to be used overnight) there was no smell at all.



When I woke up the next morning I was completely astounded, something I can’t remember ever saying about a beauty product in the past year, let alone an acne treatment. My blemishes were reduced in size and had begun to ‘dry out’ as suggested by the bottle. I was able to moisturise and apply my makeup as usual and felt like already I was beginning to see an improvement in my skin. I have now used the product for a few weeks and the difference it has made is quite simply amazing!



The instructions for this product warn of extreme drying and as a result suggest only using the paste once a day. I followed this rule and by about day three/four my skin was so dry I was unable to wear makeup. Now I know what you’re all thinking… no makeup and acne? It may even put you off using the product but please keep reading! Wearing no makeup was not a problem at all – my blemishes had reduced in size, were less red and even old scaring appeared to be reduced as a result of the Camphor and Zinc Oxide. There is one downside though… overtime the smell seems to mature, not into an unpleasant smell, but into a noticeable one (thankfully only I have seemed to notice). This can be minimised by a thorough facial cleansing routine in the morning and by tying hair back at night to prevent transfer (a hard thing to do when you have a fringe). Otherwise you can of course wash your hair in the morning if you have the time.



At some point I suggest I will be able to reduce how often I am using this product, perhaps to one every other night. Hopefully this will prevent any future breakouts and let me skin recover slightly from the drying effects.



Quite simply if you have problem skin you should try this product. At £16.50 I had initial reservations but this is fantastic value for money and I will certainly be buying this product again. Oh… and a month on I am still wearing concealer/foundation less and less, so for me a brilliant result.



Saturday 12 July 2014

Birchbox July 2014 Review



After a busy and tiring week I was so excited to see my second Birchbox (July2014) on my doormat. I was slightly more excited by the June 2014 spoilers (the Beautyblender and CaudalĂ­e products) than the July spoilers (Balance Me Eye Cream and LAQA and Co. Sheer Lip Lube Pencil).. Mainly as I was dreading potentially receiving a coral lip colour – it just doesn’t suit my skin tone!

However, when I received my box I was even happier with my July box than my June box! I received:




  • LAQA and Co. Lip Lube… in PURPLE – I was so pleased to receive this colour
  • Benefit’s Porefessional
  • Model’s Own ‘Sparkler’ nail varnish
  • Whish’s body butter in lavender
  • Balance me’s wonder eye cream
  • Filosofille nail file as my lifestyle extra



Just as I imagined the Lip Lube looks fantastic on, is long lasting, hydrating and also really wearable (don’t be scared – honestly this product is fantastic!). This colour looked especially good with pale matt skin and dramatic eyes – when this sample runs out I will definitely buy it again in the future, the product is priced at £14 and will definitely become a staple in my handbag.

Talking of dramatic eyes… I wasn’t so keen on Balance Me’s eye cream. Obviously it takes a while and a few weeks continuous use to determine whether an eye cream is really for you, but I was surprised to see that the eye cream actually irritated my skin, especially as this product is 99% natural – the irritation didn’t last long (just a slight sting upon application) and left my skin feeling soft but I think I would need to trial the product longer to give a definitive answer as to whether this product is for me (first impressions suggest not).

Next comes Models Own Nail Varnish ‘Sparkler’ – I was really pleased to receive a nail varnish firstly as I have given up with gel nails and secondly because of the product being clear with silver sparkles it can be used over any other nail varnish and is therefore ideal to create a feature nail.

Now if you didn’t know already I absolutely love Benefit, (especially after visiting their world cup pop-up pub Gabbi’s Head – see my review here)! Therefore I was so pleased to see I had Porefessional in my box – even if I do already have samples of this product and I use it every day, it certainly saves me buying another, plus the sample size is generous (7.5mL) especially as this product lasts forever.  I find that Porefessional is a fantastic primer allowing makeup to stay on the skin for longer and also reduces the need for as much make up. As a little tip – if you get lines in your makeup either side of your upper lip from smiling, use Porefessional before applying your concealer and this issue will be minimised.

Finally my last sample – a nail file from Filosofille. This sample was so much better than last month’s lifestyle extra the flip flop keyring – the nail file has four uses: filing, buffing, polishing and shining! It also looks really cute – I used this product before using my models own nail varnish – I was so pleased with the result that I even considered not using nail varnish as the product gave lovely natural looking healthy nails.

So what do you think of my box this month? How did yours vary? Were you pleased with your box?

L x