November Collective Haul

I've been quite naughty this month and bought quite a lot of stuff, so let me start by showing you the clothing items I parted my cash with.

 

My father's cousin owns a little clothes shop at Xemxija and finally I had the chance to visit. I bought quite a lot of things actually and she gave me a discount (prices quoted are in full) and some free costume jewellery as well. Have a look at my purchases in the following pictures.

 

First up is this jacket, which costs €22. It is a very elegant piece and the colour is more green than in the pictures but for some reason my camera decided she favoured grey. I love the embellishment details on it and I think I will save this for my brother's graduation due in the beginning of December. Next is probably my favourite piece, this white dress with a black print that reminds me of those designs on Chinese ceramics from a long gone dynasty. It features and open back and fits me like a glove! I wore it to one of my best friends' lucky birthday bash and got a lot of compliments on it! It costs €21.

 

I have another two dresses to show you and these are more winter friendly. I love both of these for their simplicity because I can wear them in various ways. They cost €22 and €16 respectively.

The last items I got were this pair of shoes which I got for everyday and costs just €8 as well as this gold curb chain which I cannot get enough of and these two pearl bracelets, all which were given to me for free.

 

 

 

I have some purchases from the newly opened Mango shop in Paola but I will share those with you in December's haul post as I am saving the outfits for our village festa and my brother's graduation. I also scored two bargain finds from Debenhams from the sale bin. I don't usually shop at Debenhms because I think their clothes are aimed for a more mature audience but the last time I was there with my Mum and aunt, I managed to find this pair of jeans for €12.42 instead of €46 and this wristlet for €5.94 instead of €22.

 



 

Moving on to beauty purchases, I have some essentials up first, namely, Lycia facial wipes and Nivea Eye Make-up Remover. These cost €1.85 for each pack of wipes and €3.52 for the make up remover. I have also been to a warehouse sale in Attard and while I didn't find any clothing items that suit my taste or style, I found some beauty accessories at just €1 so I got two boxes of q-tips - very handy for make up removal and application and two packs of facial sponges which I use all the time to take off face masks. Total of purchase, just €4! Apart from these items, I bought a lot of cosmetics this month which you can check out in my makeup haul post here.

After seeing a lot of swatches of the new Mariah Carey for O.P.I. Holiday 2013 collection, I caved in and bought two polishes from the collection. I got the shades Wonderous Star and Ski Slope Sweetie. I paid €5.81 and €6.64 respectively and got them from a US Ebay seller. If anyone would like to see swatches are more photos of them, just let me know :)

I also bought this snow-flake effect polish from the flee market for just €2. I love the combination of glitter in this one and I will feature this polish in a Christmas themed manicure during the coming days. The last polish for this month is Zoya Payton from their holiday collection, Zenith. It is a beautiful cranberry shade with holographic glitter. I can't wait to wear this! It cost €12.52 from a US Ebay seller, including shipping.

 

 



Lastly, I gave in to try a Milani Baked Blush and bought my first from Ebay for €10.59. I got the shade 03 Berry Amore and I can say I love the colour but I am not a big fan of the packaging as it does feel a little flimsy. I will do a full review in due course so stay tuned for that too :)

 

 



That is all for November girls! Gotta save up for Christmas gifts!

Review | La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Levres Barrier Repairing Balm

The weather conditions are ever changing during this time of year in Malta. It seems as if mother nature has switched to full on winter mode in a flash and that can have its toll on the more frequently exposed and sensitive areas of our body, namely our hands and face.

Luckily for us, La Roche-Posay have recently launched two new products to join their Cicaplast range which is all about isolating and repairing severely damaged parts of the skin. I have already reviewed Cicaplast Mains in this post here and today I will be sharing my thoughts on Cicaplast Levres Barrier Repairing Balm, which as the name implies, is targeted for use on the lips and surrounding areas (mouth and nostrils).

We all know how sensitive lips can be to extreme weather changes as they are only covered by a very thin layer of skin and they do not have any sebaceous glands to keep them moisturised or melanin to protect them against sun exposure. Thereby, it is extremely important to keep our lips adequately protected and hydrated at all times.

Cicaplast Levres does that plus it soothes, protects and rebuilds the epidermis on chapped, cracked and irritated lips and surrounding areas. The product comes in a small carton box, typical of La Roche-Posay; white with the LRP logo and product information is printed in various languages on the box. The sample tube which I have holds 7.5mL of product and is made of a thick kind of plastic, again all white with the LRP logo printed on it.

The cap closes tightly over a slanted applicator tip (excellent for precise application) through which the product is squeezed out. The balm has a very thick consistency that melts smoothly to a protective, glossy film on the lips. It is clear and to me, it is very similar to petroleum jelly with regards texture.

Cicplast Levres is packed with beneficial ingredients targeted to care for the sensitive skin on the lips, amongst which are:

- 10% Shea Butter which provides fatty acids that are structurally close to the ones found naturally in our skin, hence it plays a key role in the product's hydrating and healing function. Moreover, it helps dry skin recover suppleness.

- 5% Panthenol which has anti-inflammatory properties and promotes synthesis of glycerol by keratinocytes (cells that produce keratin, a substance which helps skin regenerate and heal).

Furthermore, the balm is free from fragrance and parabens, therefore it is suitable for use on the most sensitive of skins and it can be used by children and adults alike.

Now for my personal experience while using this product. As you would expect, application is very easy thanks to the bevelled tip and you can actually control how much product comes out. You only need a little at a time as the balm spreads easily, hence the product will last you for a long time. The compact size makes it ideal to carry around when you're on the go and it will fit in the smallest of purses.

This product couldn't have arrived at a better time! The weather wrecked havoc with my lips even though I use a lip balm every single day all throughout; and to add insult to injury, I had a minor Herpes outbreak. Result? Even more severely dry lips thanks to the respective medicated treatment cream. Luckily I had Cicaplast Levres to my rescue and my lips felt better the moment I applied it and unlike other lip balms, it is absorbed into the skin to begin the repairing process but it takes time to be fully absorbed, say 2 - 3 hours. It took my lips 5 days to fully recover which is quite good if you ask me!

This product also makes for a very moisturising treat after exfoliating your lips and can also be worn under makeup for extra protection against drying formulas thanks to the beeswax component in the balm.

Cicaplast Levres is suitable for use by practically everyone, hence I would recommend this product to

even those with the most sensitive of skins. After trying it, I cannot help but wonder why it wasn't marketed before and how did I manage to go through all these winters without it?! Needless to say, I am very happy with this product and it has officially taken permanent residence in my cosmetics
bag!

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Levres is available from leading pharmacies across Malta & Gozo. For more information about their products and stockists, check out their Facebook page.

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Monthly Favourites | November

This month I have finally managed to re-organize my wardrobe to reflect the sudden change in seasons and while I was at it, I even re-organized my makeup stash and consequently, I have re-discovered some old favourites. Here's what I was constantly reaching for this past month! 

 

I can finally wear deep berry shades on my lips again and I have found a new combination of products which I thoroughly enjoyed wearing. Enter Liptini Lip Liqueur in Pink Lady and Marks and Spencer Limited Collection Lipgloss in Wine. They give me an intense berry lip that lasts for hours on end and doesn't dry out my lips.
 

I also enjoyed wearing Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss in 020 Wood of Roses for a more subtle take on the berry lip as well as E.L.F. Studio Glossy Gloss in Berry Blush for that natural, subtle lip.

 

To sport dark lips, it is essential to have your smackers in tip top condition. I kept mine smooth all month long thanks to E.L.F. Studio Lip Exfoliator and Cicaplast Levres from La Roche Posay which is a new discovery for me and I'm so glad I got to test out the product. You can read my full review here.
 

 

Also from La Roche Posay's Cicaplast range, is this barrier repairing hand cream that worked a treat for my hands especially while at work since I am constantly wearing gloves and rubbing my hands with alcohol. It is absorbed really quickly so I could go on with my work and it moisturises my skin thoroughly while repairing the more needy areas. Read the full review post here.

 

The Sleek Vintage Romance palette has been my go-to eyeshadow palette this month. All shadows are insanely pigmented and I am in love with their names and packaging. Watch out for the full review coming up soon!

My last favourite for this month is actually another new discovery, the E.L.F. Studio Small Tapered Brush. With its slant cut and tapered point, it is excellent for contouring and highlighting and the bristles are oh so soft! A steal at just £3.75 and I totally recommend you get it!

Which products did you favour most during November?

The Exit Interview Series | Volume #26

This month I have used up mostly skin care products so I am going to get those out of the way first, starting with St.Ives Apricot Scrub. Now this is supposed to be blemish fighting and at first I liked the results but after some time, the product didn't seem to agree with my skin anymore and started breaking me out so I was using it as a hand and body scrub instead and it doubles up nicely. Being thick, it does take time to rinse off and because of the large exfoliating granules, I wouldn't recommend it for sensitive skin types. Don't think I would repurchase this.

 

The next three products, are all products which I enjoyed using. The Lycia wipes are always backed up as they are my favourite makeup remover wipes and being they are a common appearance in this kind of posts, there is nothing new to say about them.

 

After lasting me for 5 months, I have used up the Lierac Tonique Éclat :( I really like this toner that leaves my skin feeling energised and looking radiant as well as remove extra traces of eye makeup without irritating my eyes. The €20 price tag is what's keeping me from buying it till now but I'm not sure I can resist any longer!

 

The sample size of the Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant is what impressed me the most in terms of skin care this month. It is a very light cream that doesn't feel abrasive at all and what you do is apply it to the face in circular motions like you would a scrub and leave it there for 10 minutes. It dries and turns to a face mask and on rinsing, all redness around spots I had at the time, was gone! I was positively impressed and this is another product from the Dermalogica range which I am very willing to buy the full size of.

 

More samples. This time I have two hair care products, namely, Philip Kingsley Moisture Balancing Shampoo and Conditioner. I have really enjoyed using both of these and I managed to get quite a number of uses out of them. They left my hair feeling soft and looking healthy and I really want to get the full sized versions! Can't wait till the whole Philip Kingsley range is available in Malta!

I have also used up another Impulse deodorant, this time in the Tease variation which is based on red fruits and woods. I find this is one of those perfect winter scents and like all other Impulse deodorants, it lasts all day.

 

Lastly, I have used up my Wet n Wild Color Icon Single Eyeshadow in Brulee. It has lasted me a long time and I like to use this shade as a brow highlight to lift up my brows and being a matte shade, it can also be sued for daytime. It is a perfect match with my skin tone and I have already bought a back-up for it from Ebay since we don't get Wet n Wild here in Malta.
 

Review | La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Mains Barrier Repairing Cream

Being a nail technician I am obsessed with having my nails...and hands in perfect condition. However, my full-time job requires me to wear latex gloves and wash my hands frequently with alcohol-based soap. While I understand this is all for my safety, my hands can get very dry and sometimes they even crack a little and we all know how painful that can be.

Consequently, I always carry La Roche-Posay Lipikar Xerand hand cream in my lab coat to apply each time I wash my hands. It does a brilliant job at keeping my hands from going dry but although it is rapidly absorbed, sometimes my hands still feel a little greasy. Luckily, the same brand has launched a new Barrier Repairing Cream to complete their Cicaplast range which cares for the well-being of our hands while we still can carry on with our work; enter LRP Cicaplast Mains (I will be reviewing the other product to joint the range, Cicaplast Levres in a separate post).

 

 

The reason our hands are quite fragile, apart from the harsh tasks and environmental factors they are constantly exposed to, is because the skin on them is so thin and has very few sebaceous glands (glands that secrete sebum to keep skin moisturized). Hence, the importance of applying a good hand cream to counteract unsightly cracked skin can never be over-stated enough - remember, your hands can belie your age!

 

Read on to see what I think about this product after testing it out for two weeks!

Starting with a look at the packaging, it is pretty much the standard packaging you would expect from LRP - all clean and white with their logo and product information printed on the packaging. The 50mL tube comes in a box along with an informative insert.

 

As for texture, the cream is quite thick but melts rapidly into the skin without leaving any greasy residues whatsoever so you can go on with whatever task you were ensuing - very practical for work! It feels very nice on the skin (almost like wearing a pair of velvet gloves!)

 and immediately soothes any irritation and redness. LRP claims that the cream resists 3 hand washing and up to 6 mechanical rubbings. In fact I don't feel the need to apply the cream after each time I wash my hands.

 

Cicaplast Mains contains shea butter, 4% Niacinamide and 30% Glycerin which contribute lipid replenishing, soothing and protective actions respectively to recover the skin's damaged barriers as quickly as possible, hence preventing the skin from turning more vulnerable to external aggressions. Moreover, it is free from any fragrances and parabens.

 

As I have already said, I have been using this cream daily for two weeks now and my hands have responded very well especially while at work. Consequently, Cicaplast Mains has replaced Lipikiar Xerand in my lab coat pocket and bag!

 

I would recommend this hand repair cream to everyone basically as it can also be used by children and I am really liking the way my hands are looking this winter!

 

La Roche Posay products are available from leading pharmacies nation wide and prices are very affordable too. For more information, check out the local Facebook page.

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