Urban Decay Urban Defense SPF 20 Tinted Moisturizer Review ☆☆☆☆

Pros:

• SPF 20
• Convenient
• Doesnt break me out/cause any reaction
• Lightweight, doesn't clog my pores
• Good coverage for a TM
• Not shiny/greasy/sticky 
• Not drying

Cons:

• A little difficult to blend
• Dries quickly
• Can pill up the way sunscreen does if you rub it too much
• Too expensive for a TM
• Not very moisturizing

So I've always wanted to try this, but was always too scared of the pumps to try it in the store. Now in the Urban Decay section at Sephora they changed the testers to the tube (tho alas, you can still only buy the pumps) and I tried it on my wrist, and I really liked it. A day or two afterwards I went and bought one. Now this was only about a week ago, so I haven't been trying it for a long time but I already feel the need to talk about it.

Being someone with sensitive skin I love how this has no perfume, and does not make my skin react in any way. Halo goes well with my NW15 skin. It's a little yellow, but in a good way that helps to give me a little bit of a summer glow and look less pink and more alive :P
I'm also loving the SPF 20, just strong enough to help me survive a few hours outside for when I have things to do. The past few days I've found it great for when I'm in a hurry and need sun protection and just a little do-up, and I just rub it on in less than five minutes.

The coverage is exactly what I'd expect from a tinted moisturiser, gives some colour but will not cover up anything major like freckles or spots. If I have spots or I'm really tired or feel like being more 'made-up' I'll use a concealer also.

It does have some cons, but I think you can work around them.

It dries kind of quickly, so you have to really rub it in where you want it when you apply it, otherwise it can have a tendency to result unevenly, and so you really have to be careful and maybe correct along your forehead and jaw line so it blends in. I think the best way to apply it is using your fingers, i tried with a foundation brush which was fine but I needed to correct it with my fingers, and I have yet to try with a buffer brush.

It's also not as moisturising as one might have hoped, and I don't think I would use this in winter.

Lastly, when it dries and you go back to blend it in more, it can sometimes pill up like when you rub in sunscreen for too long.

I also find the price a little steep for a tinted moisturiser, I'll use a pump or more to cover my face, neck and chest.
Other than that I'm loving it ^_^
A highly recommended product.

I've been learning some Russian lately so:

Paka xx
^_^

Quick tips for sensitive eyes

There are a few things you can do to avoid or reduce getting sore/dry eyes from eye-makeup.
Firstly you obviously have to make sure the products you're using are not bad for your eyes or cause a bad reaction in your skin/eyes, but things like fallout and dryness can ruin a night out and make you blink like Nicki Minaj all day :P

• Prime your eyes using a primer like Urban Decays eyeshadow primer or a cream shadow. This will make your eyeshadow stick better to your lids and not fall out/fly away. It can also keep your eyes moisturized.
• Dampen your eye-makeup tools. This will make your eyeshadow stay on the brush better and not fly away and into your eyes.
• Moisturize your eyes, especially your undereyes. A powerful concealer/face powder, even though it's used underneath your eyes, can be very drying for your eyes.
• Make sure you close your eyes when applying powder/blusher
• Saline Solution - if you do get something in your eyes, you can rinse it out and refresh your eyes with saline solution. Don't use it too often as it won't have the same salt balance as your eyes and it may make it worse and be almost "addictive".
• Sleep well!
• Drink lots of water!

I hope this helps!

Much Love,

Kristine Storm xx

How to watch out for harmful chemicals in products for sensitive skin

There are some obvious ingredients to look for in skin products and make up. Just because it says "sensitive skin" on the packaging, does not necessarily mean it doesn't contain any irritants or bad chemicals.

The obvious ones:

• Perfume/Fragrance - These can be hard to spot as they'll try to hide it in the middle of all the other ingredients, but just about anything that says "Parfum/Perfume/Fragrance" is likely to cause a skin reaction, or dry out your skin. Synthetic fragrances can contain 200 different ingredients, but they've just summarized it into one word.
• Alcohol - This goes hand in hand with perfume. If it contains perfume, chances are it also contains alcohol. Although this is going to probably keep the product disinfected and also kill bacteria on your skin, you dont really want it in your skin products as it can be very drying. It is often used to fool you into thinking skin creams are "absorbing" quickly, when really they're just evaporating quickly.
• Mineral oil/Petroliatum/Paraffinum Liquidum - It sounds fancy and is misleading as minerals sounds like something that would be good for your skin, and we're always told oil is good for dry skin. However, this is not the case for mineral oil. It is difficult for our skin to absorb, and it clogs the pores. Once the oil is absorbed, it is broken down in the liver, and absorbs fat-soluble vitamins in your body. Does that sound healthy? Petroliatum is petroleum jelly - vaseline - which has mineral oil as it main ingredient. It does not hydrate your skin, contradictory to common belief. It can prevent evaporation from your skin but essentially just creates a barrier between your skin and the air - it prevents your skin from breathing, and although it prevents moisture from getting out, it also prevents moisture getting INTO your skin. Manufacturers use it because it is very cheap - it is actually cheaper to sell it than to dispose of it.
• Anything with Sulphate/Aluminium - This can we worded in all kinds of ways and can be difficult to spot also. Anything sulphate is used to make shampoos and cleansers more foamy and can cause dryness, rashes and allergic reactions. Aluminium is used in deodorants to prevent perspiration. On your face it's going to clog your pores.
• Parabens - they can give you cancer. Particularly avoid them in deodorants as that is obviously close to your breasts and can give you breast cancer. I don't think I need to expand much on that :P

Check out this website for some other bad chemicals:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/toxic_cosmetics.cfm
This one has an awful layout but very good information:
http://www.healthy-communications.com/harmfulingredients1.html
I'm no scientist and I thought these were really useful so do have a looksie :)

Much Love,

Kristine Storm xx

Yes To Carrots Eye Contour Cream Review ☆☆

So my undereyes get extremely dry, and I have fine lines, probably from wearing like three layers of makeup every day for a year or two between about 13-14 years of age. Whenever I wear makeup I feel like it's getting worse, and my concealer always creases really badly. I wanted something to return the moisture and act as a smoothing primer for foundation/concealer. I bought this from sephora for about €15. It's free of parabens, petrolium and SLS. Regrettably, it DOES contain perfume. Why they decided to put perfume in this is beyond me. It's a lovely, creamy consistency (which is why I bought it when I tried the tester), however it makes my eyes very red and runny, and I didn't notice a huge difference hydration-wise. When my sister tried it, and she used a lot, she had to go rinse it off after a few minutes because her eyes were not enjoying it. Not a recommended product.

Much Love,

Kristine Storm xx

Avène Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser Review ☆☆☆☆

"This ultra mild cleansing gel is kind to young problem skin, while at the same time satisfying it's need for purity." This is what the back of the bottle claims, and is really pretty much what it does. It lathers very easily which I like, if cleansers don't lather I dont feel like I'm getting a proper clean, but after using this i feel like my face is truly cleansed. The opening mechanism is a little irritating, I always seem to get leftover drops of it that didn't go onto my sponge around the edge of the top, but it's just a matter of getting it all off, it's a very hygenic method I think. I don't use it every day as I don't really have very oily skin (I just get some blackheads on my nose/chin/T-zone) and so I tend to get a little dry if I use it too often, but it's the perfect thing at the end of the day if I've been wearing make up, to make sure I've really washed everything off after using make up remover. Also my Clinique Dramatically Different will pretty much sort out the dryness. My brother also uses this ^_^ I can't remember what I paid for it as I've had it for about a year (and yet I'm only half way through it) but I think it retails at around €10-15. I think it may be cheaper in here in Spain than the US (I read someone paid $35 dollars for one of these O.o) and other countries, probably because it's imported from France which is much closer than other countries. A reccommended product for a very effective, affordable cleanser.

Much Love,

Kristine Storm xx

Astor Eye Make Up Remover Review ☆☆☆☆

There isn't much to say about this make up remover except - it's a perfectly good product that meets its claim of being "gentle and effective". It's very effective in removing makeup. I will usually soak a cotton pad with a bit of this, hold it over my eye for a few seconds, slide it down two or three time, across under my eye once or twice, and all my eye make up will be off. I also use it for the rest of my face. I much prefer this to make up removes wipes, I find they usually irritate my eyes and skin and you need to rub a lot before you get your make up off. The only downside to this is that if you saturate the cotton pad too much and get quite a bit of it in your eyes it can be a little unpleasant, in my case my eyes will just start tearing up, but as soon as I rinse it off with cold water it's fine. It's oil free, alcohol free, and completely water based. It was only a few euros at my local shopping centre. A recommended product if you're looking for a good, cheap make up remover.

Much Love,

Kristine Storm xx