Buy Or Bye? Bioderma Micellar Solutions
October 08, 2014
I bet everyone who has been in contact with makeup and skincare has at one point heard or even tried Bioderma micellar water. It has the &#...
I bet everyone who has been in contact with makeup and skincare has at one point heard or even tried Bioderma micellar water. It has the 'holy grail' and 'cult product' status and I have always wondered if it really does live up to it. When I got more into it, I discovered there is not only one Bioderma cleansing water available, but one for every skin type. Of course, the pink one, which is orginally meant for sensitive skin type and called Bioderma Sensibio H20, is the most famous one of them. The other one is comes in a bottle with neon green cap and the solution itself is light blue. It should be perfect for oilier problematic skins and carries a name Bioderma Sébium H20. Long story short, I put both of them into a test to see if they really are so good as many people, mostly makeup artists, claim them to be.
Bioderma Sébium H20
Starting with the Sébium H20 which isn't marketed as a makeup removing solution, but rather as a toner or solution to deeply cleanse your skin if you are prone to breakouts, have oily or combination skin. While my skin is combination, but also tends to get dry, I used it as a toner whenever I felt my skin was breaking out. It doesn't remove makeup as well as the other one, so don't even bother with that. But I have to admit, it is a great in balancing skin out, preparing skin for moisturiser and cleansing it even if you thought it is already clean. It won't dry skin out, should normalise the quality of sebum and regulate the skin. In my opinion, it isn't something that will make all your oiliness and spots be gone in a day. Which is understandable, because this solution is mild, caring and non-drying. When you have a feeling, you will get a breakout soon, it helps a lot. Preventing is the key with this one!
Scent wise it is pretty neutral and I didn't notice anything when it comes to it. It should be used with a cotton pad and as it has active ingredients in it, you can feel slight residue on the skin afterwards. This won't clog pores, make your skin irritated or uncomfortable, but rather treats the skin problems. If you don't just have few breakouts here an there, but oily skin is a constant struggle for you, I bet your skin would benefit from it more than mine did (read: you will see actual results).
Bioderma Sensibio H20
The pink one, Sensibio H20 is a bit of a multitasking product when it comes to its purposes. It should remove makeup around eyes and from face, it cleanses any traces of water and cleansers, balances skin and makes it fresh. Its makeup removing powers are amazing, it manages even waterproof mascara without any struggle. At the same time being so gentle and almost without a scent, is quite odd and weird. While I don't use it for my makeup removing process, I love it as my toner after washing my face and before applying skincare products. It feels extremely comforting and healthy to skin and the most of all I adore that there will be zero residue on skin afterwards. You will be amazed how dirty your cotton pad will be, even if you just double cleansed your skin in the sink.
Even though I don't have sensitive skin, my skin still loves this and I definitely prefer it to the Sébium H20. Why? I value the 'no residue' effect, the fact it calms down my skin (winter will be the time of irritations) and when comparing the two, this one feels more like water to me. Definite repurchase if you ask me and probably in a bigger size!
Mádara Nourish & Repair Haircare
September 30, 2014
I have been in love with Mádara Cosmetics product before, but so far I had used only skincare items. I wasn't surprised when I didn...
I have been in love with Mádara Cosmetics product before, but so far I had used only skincare items. I wasn't surprised when I didn't like this haircare duo at first, because I am pretty picky with my haircare. Don't get me wrong, I want to be conciliatory, but my hair just doesn't get the fact that they are just hair. I swear they have their own mind and character. Luckily disliking didn't last long at all, maybe one or two washes. Now I feel I need these two in my life at all times! Why? Read along!
These are Mádara shampoo and conditioner from their Nourish and Repair haircare line. They are meant to nourish hair and prevent breakage in a longer period. Not to mention, they are both organic and have the Ecocert label that proves their goodness to you.
Lets start with the first impression! I like the bottles, that are simple yet very sleek and luxurious. The whole Mádara line should get some kind of award for their packaging. Both, shampoo and conditioner, smell very natural and herbal, but in a good way. The scent isn't overpowering and as it is mild, you won't even notice it after couple of uses. Yet it is therapeutic and comforting even on the most sensitive scalp and hair. First couple of uses weren't necessarily bad, but kept me rather neutral. These two didn't do much for my hair and afterwards I needed more hair serum than usually. But as I was aware they are totally natural products and my hair needs to adjust to them, I kept using them.
It was probably third washing and conditioning with them when I was so impressed afterwards. My hair was shiny, clean and moisturised at the same time. While the shampoo lathers, it doesn't lather up like crazy sulfate shampoos do. Decent amount of lather cleans perfectly while you can actually feel the creamy texture of the shampoo. Shampoo definitely is the first step of putting good moisture back to your hair while removing all the dirt. Therefore the conditioner isn't very rich. It is has milky lotion type texture that feels quite concentrated. I only needed very little to cover my hair and especially ends of my hair. Conditioner is amazingly easy to wash out and leaves hair so manageable, soft, silky and smooth.
I can imagine these products can be perfect to any hair texture, fine or coarse, as it won't weigh hair down or make it flat like some moisturising products tend to do. As these are 12 EUR as piece, it can be little splurge when you are used to use a drugstore haircare. But all in all, it is a investment that is so worth the money when considering how much you will get out of these due to their concentration and how great they perform on your strands.
Natural Beauty From A Local Fair
September 18, 2014
Few weeks ago I visited a local fall fair where there was everything from food to clothes and of course, natural handmade cosmetics. This i...
Few weeks ago I visited a local fall fair where there was everything from food to clothes and of course, natural handmade cosmetics. This is usually the reason I go into these fairs, so many great and natural brands have come out in Estonia and started their brand by selling the products at the fairs. I have noticed many ones as long as cosmetic products go, but Looduse Pärl (means Nature's Pearl in Estonian) was the one that was unknown for me.
They offered a wide selection of products that included body oils, soaps, body scrubs, face creams, hair products etc. The lady gave me to smell every single body scrub and they all were absolutely delicious. Not to mention the pureness that makes them good enough to eat, I most definitely had a slight urge to taste them. As I was sure I will get the hair serum, I had to think for a minute in order to decide which scrub comes home with me. Decision was hard, because all of them were tempting.
I finally opted for the Strawberry Sugar Scrub With Poppy Seeds and I am more than happy with it. Perfect hair product in addition to the scrub was a Hair Serum With Macadamia & Argan Oil. Both completely handmade, pure, natural, affordable and even if it is not recommended to eat them, they are pure enough to eat. What can be better?
The hair serum comes in high quality pump bottle and holds good 50ml of the product. Serum is a oil based mixture of sweet almond oil, macadamia oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, lemongrass and ylang-ylang.
It is smoothing, healing and softening while also adding much needed moisture to colour treated or dry hair. It adds a natural protection against UV rays and as a bonus gives a perfect fresh zesty scent to the strands. I have so many hair serums and oils as I go through them like crazy. My hair couldn't handle being without additional moisture, may it be a serum or oil. I must admit, I have learned to love not so natural hair serums as they do more to my hair. I know, in this case it is probably superficial as the silicones in synthetic serums create the illusion of healthier hair, but oh well.
This serum changed the game for me! It is like heaven and I have already used good quarter of it and continue until I see the end of it. And then probably order some more. It has the perfect balance of different oils and therefore won't make your hair greasy or flat, but nourishes them into the silky perfection. I add few pumps into damp hair and then let it air dry and it is guaranteed that I won't see any frizz in my hair afterwards. When my hair is dry I add a pump or two to my ends and will rock soft incredibly great smelling hair. Good tip! I usually end up putting more into my palms, so I can rub the extra into my hands and get them perfectly moisturised good smelling.
Strawberry Sugar Scrub comes in a fancy jar you can most definitely reuse after you have finished with it. Hint! Make your own body scrub into it afterwards. As said, it contains sugar that is perfect for dry skin or at times when skin gets drier, fall and winter. It also has red clay that has many minerals to tone and rejuvenate skin while vitamins A, C and E will even out the skin tone and poppy seeds help to get rid of dead skin cells. Strawberry powder has a lot of detoxifying benefits while repairing free radical skin damage, olive oil nourishes and protects skin from further damage.
From the look of it you can imagine how it smells. It smells like freshly picked strawberries! Not only makes it uplifting, but you will definitely be more persistent with your weekly exfoliation as this makes the whole experience so much more joyful. Skin will be soft, smooth and nourished as it is the softest scrub I have tried. Definitely will get some more if I run out, but then I will try the other three they carry: mandarin, grapefruit and chocolate and mint. Yes, chocolate and mint! Can it get better?
I am truly happy I discovered this small company and got few things to try from them. They do deserve so much more exposure as their products seem to be hands down, better than some of the other, more famous, natural brands in Estonia sell. I am also surprised how great the quality is as their prices isn't that high at all. I was little bit disappointed in local handmade natural cosmetics companies, because many of them have become too vain and expensive as soon as they get little more popularity, but this company definitely is a nice refreshing find that gave my hope back.