Tea Tree Blemish Gel from The Body Shop

Well a new product review, I hope you do not find them too boring... But if it just helps one of you I am happy... Enough useless babbling, this time it will be about this pictured targeted spot treatment. A day without a new facial spot is a personal victory and I am nearly sure I am not the only one battling this plague...

What do I think about it? I does look funny because it reminds me a gloss not a stick (nothing to do with a stick afterall...). It has a foam-like applicator exactly like the one in gloss. It helps to spot the gel on the pimple and not everywhere around. It does not smell over nice but it is really bearable. The gel texture dries quickly and allows to put make up right after. My main complain is about the volume of the stick, come on, 2.5ml!!! It is OK if you have a single spot every other month but for people like me it is definitely not enough. Mine lasts a little month, not long hum?

Does it work? I will say yes. Normally I am not very convinced by natural plant remedies and so on... But this one actually works not bad. It will not make your spots vanish next morning but it really diminishes the inflammation of whiteheads and pimples. Neverthless, the deeper pimples and zits will not be cured with this, it is not strong enough...

Do I recomment it? Yes... I also bought the Tea Tree concealer in shade 02 and the small bottle of Tea Tree oil (10 ml for the same price).

Prix : 7 or 8€ by the Body Shop (I know it is really less expensive abroad)

I had not been to the BS for a while and I am quite happy with my purchases... It makes me want to try more stuffes. It is not a miracle in a bottle but efficient enough in my opinion. Any suggestions?

See ya :)

Sephora!!!

...means purchases, purchases... You know I had a gift card to use even I do not really need an excuse to spend money there :p

I am still searching for my HG foundation, heavy coverage without looking cakey and without making my skin break out like crazy. So I nominate this time : the quite new NARS Sheer Mat foundation (shade Mont Blanc a little too light), Estee Lauder Double Wear in Fresco and Chanel Mat Lumiere in 20 light. The first one is medium to light coverage but as my skin doe not need full coverage everywhere I was convinced by the sale assistant to give this one a try. All of the foundations have different shades I know but all mix well with my face (sometimes it is easy to have a bicolored face).
Apart from that, I buy the full new range of l'Oreal Serum inside : the double-ended mascara and the serum (it is already under trial for the serum part, I run low with my beloved Lipocils).
Lastly from Chanel, the new version of the Bronze Universel which is now called Soleil Tan. It is a bronze make-up base that I plan to use as a countouring shade.

To conclude, a pic of all my purchases:

Anything new in your make up addiction? This is the first part of my three coming hauls (one from Mac and the other one from Internet).

See ya :)

Hairs and silicone oils

An other scientific post, deal?

It will deal with silicone oils (it explains the picture of the oil can) that can cause trouble when applied on certain hair types. I will also try to give pieces of advice on how to "cure" those particular problems.

What are silicone oils? Silicone oils are polymers made of Si-O (silicon-oxygen) bonds as main backbone. They are repeated numerous time to tailor the length of the chain and its properties. One of the most common is the dimethicone. These oils are fully artificial, they are named mineral because silicon as the main component is extracted from sand.

Where will you find them? In most non-organic beauty related products... These oils give shine and sleekness to hairs and a silky and smooth touch to a cream texture. To find them in ingredient chart, you have to look for compounds ending with siloxane or methicone.

What are the possible issues? Biodegrability is not sure for the whole oil family which can cause trouble as these oils are evacuated with spoiled waters when we wash our hairs etc...
They are found in good amount in shampoos and conditioners for the shine they give to the hairs by trapping each individual hair in a "plastic-like" wrapping. As a result, hairs are shinier than ever and easy to untangle.
The problem is that on very dry and thin hairs, this waterproof roll enhances the dryness and in the end asphyxiates the hair fiber. There are many possible consequences : breakage, split ends, sensitised scalp leading to oily roots and straw-looking hairs.

What can be done? Try to avoid specifical shampoos made for hair straightening. They are richer in silicone oils than the other kinds. Alternate your main shampoo, let's say one every three wash, and use a deeper formula like an anti-residue shampoo (Pantene, Neutrogena, l'Oreal Professional) or if you can not find or afford one like that, a purifying or anti-dandruff formula will normally do the trick. A drugstore brand (Bioderma, Rene Furterer offer good options) will be a better choice than a supermarket one.

I have long and wavy hairs, and I keep using shampoos rich in silicone oils which are the only ones strong enough to untangle my stubborn hairs. On an other hand, I hardly use styling products. I do not want to fight residue build-up :s.

See ya :)