Beauty And The Muslimah: 2014

My Current Skincare Routine December 2014 PART 3 : THE MOISTURISERS

Hi guys, this post is from December 2014, it's somehow reposted again hence why it's all the way up here in the timeline... Just ignore it haha...or have a read...do bare in mind I've moved on from these...

Moisture is so so important for me, I have combination skin, I get oily in my t zone when I'm hot, normal in some places and get easily dehydrated and dry in others, so I need to make sure that the moisturisers I use deliver appropriately. The most important aspect of a moisturiser for me is hydration and absorption. It really needs to quench my skins thirst and my skin needs to drink it up straight away. I'm extremely fussy with moisturisers, and if I find one that works for me I will continue to use it and keep it as a staple. I need my moisturisers to be affordable because of how often I will apply it during the day for ablution. But because I'm always looking for the next best thing I am always willing to try out new things. So here are some quick reviews on the moisturisers I currently own.

Boots Traditional Skin Care Moisturising Cream with Vitamins A & E is my current favourite and go to. This was a product I picked up on a whim, it was the large size and affordable price tag that won me (£3.05). The simple almost vintage packaging is admirable, no pointless fancy packaging. It smells like something your gran or mum would have used, lightly floral and musky, not overpowering at all but almost comforting. Upon application it easily melts and absorbs into the skin. And I can feel an instant surge of hydration and nourishment. It really is nourishing, my skin laps it up and is left soft and supple. It's the way this moisturiser leaves my skin so soft that has me addicted. And it doesn't break me out. I love applying this and it works really well under makeup. Especially mineral makeup. At 200ml this lasts me upto 8 months which is bloody brilliant! I definitely recommend this for dehydrated and dry skin types.

Who doesn't love some Vitamin E? I'm a big fan of this healing Vitamin. I've always been interested in The Body Shops Vitamin E range and earlier on this winter when my skin started to get really dry I picked up a pot of the Intense Moisture Cream. This is a really thick cream, almost gel like consistensy, with a floral fragrance, on application it feels thick yet not creamy, I do like this moisturiser but I don't feel it absorbs well enough for me. I also think the dimethicone fills in some pores and makes my skin appear smoother but it seems to soften only the surface of my skin. Infact when I go to wash my face I can feel the moisturiser wash off and feel the same dry condition of my skin underneath. It isn't nourishing enough for me unfortunately. At £12.99 I don't think it's worth it. I've almost finished the tub and won't be repurchasing.

As I mentioned earlier before, my skin started behaving extremely dry when winter first hit us, and I think it was a combination of the weather as well as starting the Bravura products that were making my skin so so dry. I needed a product that would inject intense hydration and moisture quickly back into my skin. After checking online and reading some reviews I decided to buy this Soap & Glory Night & Flight Moisture Miracle / Beauty Sleep Accelerator. This smells really fruity, of peaches, I quite like the smell and it's a really lightweight and fluid texture and consistensy. When I first put this on my skin I realised straightaway that a little went a long way with this but at the same time it was adding that much needed, extra surge of hydration that my skin was desperate for. This was exactly what I was looking for. It's velvety and smooth and my skin laps it up so so happily. I use it when my skins feeling a little taut and dry and not just at night time. I definitely recommend this for dry dehydrated skins. It really is lovely and definitely adds a splash of moisture into the skin.

So there you have it, my current moisturisers. If you have any recommendations please let me know and watch out for the next part of my skincare routine.

5 comments

, by Zahra

acne

My Current Skincare Routine December 2014 PART 2 : THE TONERS

No comments

, by Zahra

acne

My Current Skincare Routine Decemeber 2014. PART 1 : THE CLEANSERS

No comments

, by Zahra

Foundation

Review: Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Stromboli

Review of the Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in Stromboli HERE

Nars Sheer Glow, who hasn't been excited about this foundation? I surely have! I'm a sucker for hyped up products and am always intrigued and curious as to how well it'll live up to it's expectations and whether it will be holy grail status for me.

Nars Sheer Glow Stromboli

After watching a good selection of videos of people who were similar skin toned than me, I figured that I would be the shade Barcelona, so I went to my local Nars counter and picked up a sample of it, I wasn't about to part with £31 without picking up the correct shade. When I tried it on I was disappointed to see that the shade Barcelona was rather peachy toned and made my yellow skin look ruddy. Wrong shade aside I quite liked the light feeling it had on my skin and the natural skin like finish. It was really skin like and blended easily with my fingers.

Detachable cap

There's a little lid inside the ginormous one, all you have to do it pull the top off instead of unscrewing it, it'll be space saving. No pump unfortunately which is silly, since you pay £31 and there's no pump. Plus the pump is hard to get hold of as well, usually out of stock at the counters. (It's £3 on the Nars website but delivery is a default £7, so in total it's £10!!! Luckily I found a pump on eBay for £3.50).

I went on the Nars website and they had shade descriptions and Stromboli was a shade lower than Barcelona and was described as a yellow tone whereas Barcelona was Peach toned. Interesting! Im quite pleased that websites do shade descriptions it makes shade selection easy and convenient for online shopping as well as accurate shade matching. I decided I would buy the full size bottle of Stromboli. I also went to the Nars counter and they matched me to Stromboli.

Medium 3 Stromboli

Upon arrival I was literally buzzing with excitement. Beauty blender in hand I applied the foundation onto my face and bounced away. The shade matched my cheeks perfectly. It really had a lovely yellow olive undertone. My first impression was that this foundation wasn't sheer as the name suggested and it certainly wasn't glowy. I was very confused. Then I recalled Wayne Goss' video on this foundation and remembered he said the same thing. I have combination dehydrated skin so I get dry and cakey really quickly. And this was what this foundation was doing, it was catching on my dry bits, not a lot but because I was literally expecting a sheer and glowy texture and finish this was very very far off from my general expectations. Another bugger was that it made the area of my mouth horrendously grey. Because that area is significantly darker than the rest of my face. On the leaflet that came with the foundation, Francois Nars mentions to use the warmth of your fingers to apply and blend the foundation in. I am yet to try that....

After a few occasions of trialing and testing with different methods of applications and amounts, I realised you only need a small amount of this foundation, a little really goes a long way as it was that pigmented and I had to make sure I was well exfoliated and well moisturised beforehand. I also use an orange corrector around my mouth and use the foundation even more sparingly in that area. It blended easily and had amazing coverage with such a tiny amount. It does make skin look really really lovely and flawless and quite 'done up'.

This isn't holy grail status for me because I feel the shade is slightly off, don't get me wrong Stromboli doesn't look silly on me and I can easily get away with it, it's actually one of the first foundations to match me so well but I wish they had a shade in between Stromboli and Syracuse as Barcelona was too peachy, so my next option is to get a sample of Syracuse and see how that fares on me. I may have to mix two shades together to get an absolutely perfect match.

It also isn't as sheer and glowy as I thought it would be, it is quite thick in texture and leaves a semi matte-satin finish, it also catches onto a lot of texture. Everyone in the blogosphere and youtube world always rave about it but I just can't seem to give it the same reaction. I was simply surprised at how semi-matte the texture was.

Also after reading a good few reviews on Makeup Alley I found out that people that are roughly between NC35 - NC40 - NC42 won't find a perfect match within Nars' shade range. The shades within that range will probably be too peachy and not golden yellow enough. Even though Stromboli is yellow undertoned it is a medium shade so tanned or more golden girls will find it too light, and then going up a shade to Barcelona will only be too peachy. And I can imagine Syracuse being too red or brown. Here's my little sample of Barcelona resting on the lid for comparison.

Barcelona (L) & Stromboli (R)

And with flash:

In the following pictures I have swatched both Barcelona and Stromboli, Barcelona being on top and Stromboli bottom, you can see how peachy Barcelona is compared to Stromboli.

Barcelona on top and Stromboli on bottom

In these swatches I have swatched Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NC37, Mac being the bottom swatch and Stromboli being the top, here you can also see how yellow Stromboli is compared to Macs NC37.

Stromboli (Top) & MAC NC37 (Bottom)

I currently have only NC37, NC40 is a better match for me, it is slightly too yellow but I prefer it to NC37. I'll do a separate blogpost on Mac Studio Fix Fluid.

I have been gravitating towards this foundation for the past few occasions I have been to, until I find the perfect one, this one will do. I use my wet/damp real techniques complexion sponge and apply it in sections. It builds up very easily but be wary of the dry areas of your skin, they get cakey and build up texture very quickly. If you have milia or clusters of blocked pores they will show up more. I can't stress enough to make sure your skin is flake free when applying, the more smooth and flat your skins surface is the more beautifully this foundation will sit on your skin.

I use around 2-3 light layers of Nars sheer glow which is between 1-2 pumps and I must say while I'm trialling the foundation for this review now, I'm looking in the mirror and must admit how beautifully flawless it's made my skin appear. My pores, redness, acne and acne scars are covered flawlessly and it doesn't look unnatural or cakey. It is a semi matte texture and finish but the overall finished look is very illuminating and glowy. The light is bouncing off my skin in all the right places. It's not a dewy look at all, my skin doesn't look oily or wet, it's definitely a semi matte - satin finish. And to be perfectly honest the colour isn't drastically off, just slightly, as I build up the layers the colour gets deeper. This is a very very good and quality foundation, definitely one to try out. Just make sure that your skin prep is thorough, if you find it doesn't sit well on your skin try out different techniques, mix in some moisturiser or oil and see what works best for you, I'm still trial and error-(ing?) to see what works best for my skin.

*UPDATE*: I have been using this foundation quite a lot and what I can say is that when I build the foundation up the colour does deepen quite significantly, and it is most definitely golden enough for my skintone, in fact Stromboli is the closest ANY foundation has come to my skintone and it also actually oxidises a tiny bit on my skin too. In comparison to my much loved Studio Sculpt foundation, the Nars is much better, MAC is just too orange in comparison! I was shocked believe me. I thought MAC done yellow best. I actually have come to love the colour of this foundation, it really mimics the yellow in my skin. Also orange corrector helps a lot around my mouth.

My gripe with this foundation is that it shows texture, a lot, so my uneven skin texture doesn't look very nice when the foundation is built up, which in turn makes the foundation look 'obvious' on my face, so it isn't immensely skin like (only when I want to build up for more coverage). I do think if less is used it'll look better, building up coverage will give you a very 'done up' look and I know some people aren't too fond of that, myself included. I want to try using my fingers to apply the foundation as Francois suggested even though I love my sponge/beauty blender. It's a really good foundation, just not Holy Grail for me.

I hope this review was helpful. If you have any questions please do ask.

*Update* : I have been using my fingers as Francois recommended, I use under a pump for a natural everyday look and it blends in seamlessly and looks very natural and doesn't pick up texture. I don't think you can build up too much coverage with your fingers because you will simply be moving the foundation around. Unless you do pin point concealing with the foundation and pat it into place instead of rubbing it. This foundation is quite pigmented, so you really don't need much. 1/2 a pump to 1 full pump should be enough.

One of my issues, as you read in my review, was that you end up looking quite "done up" and obvious, I've noticed using less product and blending in with fingers will stop you from looking too done up, in fact it will look rather skin like and natural. The warmth from your fingers really melts the product into the skin and should leave no tell tale lines as it does for me. I've noticed this is something a wet sponge can not do as it's just not as warm as your fingers.

I know this is a very long in depth review on this particular foundation, I just found it difficult to get along with because it's been advertised and reviewed a little differently than I expected. And it's a Holy Grail for a lot of people out there. Though I hope this review was helpful.

8 comments

, by Zahra

acne

Review: Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Toner

I came across this toner whilst I was watching Dannii Ofe's (What I Call Beautiful/Xodjo on YouTube) video about her skincare routine. She mentioned that it combated any congestion on her skin and I was instantly interested. I did my research and it seemed to receive very good reviews.

Comes in a simple cream plastic bottle and has a little hole to dispense the toner, I've removed mine as its too slow and little a drizzle. It smells floral and herbally, so it's not too bad but I don't think it's everyone's cup of tea. I use it at night time after cleansing. I paint it on with a flat foundation brush or I use my fingers and leave it to sink into my skin before applying a little moisturiser.

The first time I used this I woke up and my skin looked really soft and plump and youthful. And it felt really soft too! My dry skin patches and chronic crusty nose were soft and smooth. After a few uses I started noticing how my acne scars and little bumps and pimples were reducing and my skin was looking clearer. After doing some research I found out that this contained 2-4% AHA. As you know I am an AHA addict I knew I would like this product. Struggling with hyper-pigmented skin and congestion I need to regularly exfoliate my skin and I much prefer chemical exfoliants compared to physical exfoliants. But both together work well too if done carefully. I started seeing results straight away, they were slight but overtime this has helped improve my skin tons, like the REN mask this has helped lighten and diminish my acne scars so I have only a handful left on my face which are still lightening. I also think you will see better results if you keep on top of it and use it regularly.

This bottle had lasted me aaages since I bought it in March this year and I use it 3-4 times a week. I have roughly a third left. I don't use cotton pads as this would use up too much product. This has really helped with my uneven skin texture and acne/scars. I recommend this for everyone as it's really mild and works gently as the name suggests. Do a patch test of you have sensitive skin. This has helped my South Asian hyper-pigmented skin and I recommend this to fellow olive tan skin tones that struggle with hyper-pigmentation and congestion. I bought mine from eBay for under £15 for 120ml and it's usually £20-£25.

*Update*: This is a good exfoliating toner to start off with if you are new to exfoliating toners and want to start using them. It gets rid of dry skin and works over a period of time to get rid of acne marks. I saw results pretty much straight away with my dry patches and after a couple of weeks my dark spots were disappearing and it also seemed to control breakouts too, I was rarely breaking out, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be working for me anymore and I'm not getting satisfactory results. I hardly breakout now but the little bumps I have are clogged pores and you need salicylic acid (BHA) to get rid of them and this toner doesn't contain salicylic acid if I'm not mistaken. even though it helped with breakouts it's not sorting out the congestion or bumps. I still recommend this, it's a good one to try out.

No comments

, by Zahra

acne

Review: REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

I started using this mask back in March and it has had a definite impact to my face. I'll start off with my skin condition and problems then I'll mention how this has made a difference to my skin.

I suffer from regular mild acne, I get the one massive zit on my face on a place where it just screams "Hi!" to everyone and I also get clusters of blocked pores that stay under the skin that don't go away or come out. Especially when I have foundation on, they seem to get highlighted even more than normal, giving me a really uneven rough texture and finish to my skin. These specific "bumps" that I have are something that I've had to deal with for a very long time and have become a slight obsession for me. That is my dream, to have a smooth polished bump free finish to my skin, where when the light hits it, it just bounces back off again. That is my ultimate skincare goal! Another dream that goes hand in hand with this polished finish is to have an even skintone and no acne marks. My acne leaves dark marks on my skin even if I don't pick them or touch them. They just scar and stay for months on end. I also get dry patches on my nose and just general rough texture so I need to make sure I exfoliate regularly because my skin is too lazy to do it on its own. My skin looks dull very easily if I don't keep ontop of it. Being South Asian, I suffer from uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation.

My hyperpigmentation is hormonal so there isn't much that I can do about it apart from regular exfoliation and spf to make sure it doesn't get worse. My skin is a multitude of shades, my cheeks are around NC35. My forhead is NC40 and the area around my mouth is an NC42 to NC43. So you can understand why having an even skintone is so important to me. The different tones on my face sort of blend in with each other so it's not instantly noticeable but if you look carefully it is definitely noticeable and especially after putting foundation on it stands out even more and those areas turn hideously grey.

This mask covers all these areas of my concerns since it contains AHA's. Aha's are my life! They've helped improve my skin tons! Here's what REN says about this mask:

A potent bio active peel mask designed to renew the complexion, reduce the appearance of fine lines and dramatically improve skin tone.

Results:

Removes dead skin cells to renew the complexion.
Skin looks brighter, healthier, more radiant.
Helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Combats congestion, blackheads and blemishes.

How to use:

Apply a generous amount onto clean skin over the face and neck, avoiding the eye area. Leave for 10 minutes. Dampen enclosed cloth and gently wipe off mask. Rinse skin with warm water. Slight tingling may be experienced during application. Use weekly. Not recommended for sensitive skin or for use just after shaving.

The texture of this mask is like jam, it looks like marmalade and smells rather fruity and citrusy. I apply it with a flat foundation brush and use no more than a pump, sometimes half. The first time I used it I left it on for the recommended 10 mins, it didn't do much for my skin whatsoever. The second time I left it on for 40 mins, this time the results were much better, my skin felt sooo much smoother! I read somewhere that some people left it on overnight, so I decided to do that as well since I realised my skin seemed to tolerate it too well. I woke up the next morning and my face felt like butter, it was uber smooth and soft. It was awkward sleeping with it because it's rather sticky but I kept my hair up and put a sheet on my pillow. I remove the mask with the muslin cloth that comes with it.

My skin doesn't react negatively leaving it on overnight, and my skin isn't relatively sensitive, but everyone's skin is different so if you have doubts or have sensitive skin do a patch test!!!!

After using it a good few times I noticed my acne marks were lightening dramatically, and my skin was getting smoother in texture, I was also hardly breaking out. I was using it 2-3 times a week and my skin seemed to handle this fine. I think this is because my skin is used to AHA's. At 6.5% glycolic acid this is quite mild. So I wouldn't say it's a miracle product but it definitely works and has improved my skin a ton. At £30 it is quite pricey, so I recommend you check on Ebay or TK Maxx where I've seen it considerably cheaper. A little goes a long way, now that I keep it on overnight i use less than a pump and spread it out evenly, concentrating on my trouble spots. Adding this to my routine has changed my life and now I feel much more confident to keep my skin bare and makeup free, I also opt for lighter coverage and tinted moisturisers! I will be doing an updated skincare routine, since it's changed dramatically, so keep an eye out!

I do recommend this product if you are new to Aha's. Do remember to use a high SPF to protect the newer layer of skin and to make sure you don't reverse the good effects.

1 comments

, by Zahra

Bare Minerals

Bare Minerals - Holy Grail Everyday Foundation

Bare Minerals, a brand we've all heard of... Never did I think that I would find my Holy Grail foundation in this brand. But oh my God have I. People, I have found my Holy Grail foundation. I have found my Holy Grail foundation!! I HAVE FOUND MY HOLY GRAIL FOUNDATION!!! As you can see I clearly need to scream this out from the highest of rooftops! Let me tell you how I came across this not-so-hidden little gem....

Rewind back to the launch of the Bare Minerals Ready Foundation. Was I interested? No, not really, powders? For my face? I'd already been disappointed by bare minerals before so naaah, not for me thanks. But mini samples were readily available of their newest launch and my sister had managed to get hold of samples of a few shades because the SA didn't have her correct shade. So naturally she distributed them out to her sisters :). I happily accepted the sample in the shade 230 neutral beige because no.1 it was a freebie and no.2 i get to try this new foundation out and see if it's any better than the original. Why not? Boy was I in for a surprise...

So as any beauty addict would do I played around with it and oh my was I impressed... It looked amazing!! Using the tiniest amount, It went on so effortlessly and evened out my skin beautifully and the best thing was that you couldn't tell that I had anything on!! It was literally invisible! The shade was a bit off, a little too neutral for my skintone but I didn't even look horrible or fake or grey! Wow! I used it a few times and received only good comments. After doing some extensive research I found out that the original version was just as good. I even discovered the shade range and realised that Bare Minerals actually catered for ALL skintones and undertones. I really misjudged Bare Minerals before, I was uneducated about undertones and shade charts and I hated on a foundation simply because I had the wrong shade. Looking at the chart I figured out that I was most probably Golden Medium and decided to get a tiny sample.

Upon trying the sample it was instant love. It mimicked my skins undertone soooooo well. No masking, no greyness, no cakeyness. My friend came to see me and kept looking at me weird, then she finally asked me: "What have you done to your face?? It looks so flawless!" I told her that I had Bare Minerals foundation on, she was shocked to hear that I had foundation on, a powder foundation at that, she was so amazed at how natural it looked and how it was undetectable, that it just looked like I had naturally good skin. I grinned a huge grin :D. I loved how I could fool people into thinking that my skin was naturally flawless. It was when I had finished my little sample pot that I realised I couldn't live without it and needed the full size in my life....asap! So I bought the full size jar and I felt a Zen like peace settle in the universe as the quest for my perfect skin base had finally ended.

Now onto the technicalities: Bare Minerals is a brand that bases their products from natural minerals from the earth. They claim that their products have the safest and beneficial ingredients for the skin, apparently you could even sleep in their makeup! Their foundations are in both loose and compact powder form (and now also a liquid form). This is what Bare minerals have to say about their Original Foundation:

Our ORIGINAL SPF 15 Foundation gives you all the flawless coverage you want with a naturally luminous finish that won't clump or cake. It's proven to improve the appearance of your skin over time. The creamy minerals diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles without drying out your skin. Its silky, soft texture looks like a powder, but feels like a cream and buffs on beautifully. Made with only the purest, highest quality ingredients.

I agree with that 100%! I am so in love with the magic bare minerals does to my skin. I simple cannot get enough! If you are a person that likes natural natural natural looking makeup, who doesn't like thick heavy coverage foundations that look and feel cakey, if you want to cheat people into thinking you have ah-mazing healthy natural skin, then you will love Bare Minerals. I'm not a big fan of heavy coverage foundation, especially for everyday I prefer to use light coverage skin bases, like BB creams and tinted moisturisers if I want my skin to look a little more even. Just a little bit of bare minerals does the job for me perfectly. Its so lightweight you won't feel it on your skin. It has enough coverage to cover up small imperfections and redness but you will have to build up for coverage which might make it cakey.

The colour Golden Medium is the most yellowest shade in the range, some people find it a ridiculous shade but people with really yellow skin will appreciate it immensely, like I do. I tried the golden tan but i could honestly use that as a light contour. Being an Mac Nc40 ish, If i use too much of Golden Medium i look ghostly, i only use a tiny tiny amount, a small pinch and it instantly brightens up my face and makes me look luminous and even, the yellow is very complimentary to my skin. I apply it with the real techniques buffing brush and apply it onto really well moisturised skin, i brush downwards in long strides then buff into areas that need more attention. It doesn't make the area around my mouth stupidly grey either which is a major major MAJOR bonus!!! When its in action i feel like its an eraser, erasing any dull dark shadowy areas. You can set this but i usually dont, it lasts around 3-4 hours without setting. Sometimes it looks really nice when the natural oils come out, my skin looks really healthy and youthful. If I need to top up coverage during the day, I spray my homemade face mist (D.I.Y. Recipe coming soon!) onto my face and repeat the process

Look how yellow this is

I use a pinch of this stuff as you can see.

If you are between an Nc30-Nc40 and really yellow undertoned, you will really like this shade. Like I said it is too light for me if I pack it on but I use such a tiny amount, literally a pinch and it does what I want it to do for my skin. I think it's the amount of yellow and the tone of yellow it is that seriously compliments my skin. This is my perfect everyday foundation so this is HG status for me because it gives me awesome uber natural results but the HG search continues for a liquid foundation for special occasions where i would need fuller coverage

Look at how much I've used! Im just under the barcode!

Well done Bare Minerals well done! I just can't believe it took me so much trialling and testing and sample collecting to find this! It wasn't easy! Im so pleased with myself that I've used more than half of the tub, I can't wait to empty it out :D! Next I'm going to try out the Bare Minerals Ready Foundation, which is the compact version which apparently is more hydrating! And after that perhaps the new BareSkin Serum foundation too! Hope this was helpful! Ask any questions if you have any!

1 comments

, by Zahra

Blogging

Long time no blog...

No comments

, by Zahra

Pages

My Current Skincare Routine December 2014 PART 3 : THE MOISTURISERS

My Current Skincare Routine December 2014 PART 2 : THE TONERS

My Current Skincare Routine Decemeber 2014. PART 1 : THE CLEANSERS

Review: Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Stromboli

Review: Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Toner

Review: REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

Bare Minerals - Holy Grail Everyday Foundation

Long time no blog...

Beauty And The Muslimah

About me

recent posts

Blog Archive

Labels

Popular Posts

Pages

Beauty And The Muslimah

About me

recent posts

Blog Archive

Labels

Subscribe To

Popular Posts

Subscribe