OCC Lipgloss in Grandma
Now I realise this may be a little controversial, due to the many, many fans of this product, but the bottom line is I just don’t like it.
When, on a recent shopping trip, I came upon a counter selling OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) I became excited beyond comprehension. Like so many of you I’d read/watched countless product reviews, all extolling the virtues of the OCC lip tars, and was literally overjoyed (and that’s no exaggeration!) to be able to have a play around with the colours for myself. But, disaster!......POP! (that was my bubble bursting). The love affair I’d been expecting was not to be. So what’s my problem?
Well, for one thing they’re drying. Really drying, and there’s no way I could wear one without some kind of emollient underneath. But what about the fabulous pigmentation? Well, good point! The colours are amazing, vivid, dense and GORGEOUS, but on the lips, look flat, chalky and one-dimensional. I bit like you have applied eye shadow pigment to your lips. Oh, and did I mention the taste? A bit weird and mentholated. *sigh*
I have tried to make it work by mixing with some of my glosses, which does make it more wearable, but I’m afraid the love’s just not there. Sorry hardcore fans....maybe it’s just me. Let me know what YOU think.
At home Glycolic Treatment
Alpha-H is hugely popular Australia brand of salon quality products, which few of us in the UK will probably have heard of ....unless like me you’re an avid QVC fan. It was whilst watching my beloved QVC a couple of months ago that I was whole heartedly sucked into buying a starter set from the brand, containing their hero product and the subject of this blogpost: ‘Liquid Gold’. Sounds good ay? Liquid Gold is basically an at home chemical peel lotion containing a low dose of the magic glycolic ingredient Glycolic Acid is a gentle fruit acid that works by breaking down the bonds holding dead skin cells together making it much easier to slough these cells off and reveal the lovely plump new ones waiting beneath. The product claims include an improvement in the appearance of skin pigmentation, wrinkles and scarring, as well as smoother firmer skin tone and healthy glow. Hurrah!
As per the instructions, you wipe the lotion onto cleansed skin using cotton pad and then go to bed. It’s that simple. It smells a bit like 100% proof alcohol (not that nice) and has a very slight tingle on application (which on first use was a bit more like a severe stinging), however this dissipates as your skin becomes tolerant to it. Ah well, no pain, no gain!
So did it work? Well, I wouldn’t say it’s done much for my areas of pigmentation, which is disappointing as these are areas that concern me most. That said though, it has definitely given my skin a rather wonderful dewy glow as well as a lovely smooth texture it hasn’t had in years. QVC, once again you didn’t let me down!
Lisa and I have been friends for about 3-4 years and I clearly remember one of the very first things I said to her... "you have amazing skin, what foundation do you use?" I hold Lisa solely responsible for my addiction to QVC as it turned out what she was wearing that day was Bare Minerals!
Anyway! This will hopefully be the first of many for Lisa doing a guest spot! Hope you enjoy! x
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Hey I’m Lisa. I’m obsessed with beauty products. But that’s okay, ‘cos so is Amanda.....
Mrs McLennan asked me if I’d like to provide a couple of blog posts she could use whist she’s off on her very glamorous and extravagant honeymoon and of course I leapt at the chance. Well, I say leapt, actually I panicked a bit, as Amanda has big shoes to fill - but very pretty shoes with killer heels ;-) Anyway, I’ve had a think about my current favourite product and done a wee review for you. Hope this helps to ease the pain of Amanda’s absence ever so slightly. So here they come ladies...
Bodyshop Cheek and Lip Stain & InStyle Magazine
This was an awesome freebie from InStyle magazine, September 2010 edition – available right now! It comes in two colours: an iridescent bronze (which was a bit too sparkly for me) and a more traditional deep rose pink, (which I reached for, and would equate with the Benefit 'Benetint'). How do you apply? It’s so easy, you just dot onto your cheeks and then blend up and toward your ear with a finger, or damp sponge. For a seamless finish, I like to blend around the application with my foundation brush, which still has the remaining scraps of foundation on it (top tip from Pixiwoo!)
This product is also excellent if you want to create an extra long lasting cheek colour; simply apply the tint and then once dry layer your regular pinky blush on top (I favour MAC's 'Dolly Mix').
So how does it compare with its famous Benefit counterpart? Well, personally I prefer the consistency of the Body Shop version. It's slightly more gel-like, and much easier to blend as it doesn't dry into your skin so quickly. As with the Benetint it gives a radiant 'lit from within’ pinky flush, but I actually prefer the body shop version in terms of the colour - it just looks a little more natural (not quite so 'beetrooty' if you know what I mean...) . So is it worth a try? Definitely.....it's free (and worth £9.50), and surely you can't say fairer than that :)
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