Products that didn't wow me - volume 2

Ole Henrickson African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser

This product was a total packaging fail for me. While the cleanser inside the bottle was lovely - self-foaming, felt nice on the skin, did the job perfectly well - the pump dispenser gave up on me while there was still a decent amount of the product left inside. As it is supposed to self-foam when you pump it out, I couldn't even remove the top and tip the remainder out. Very annoying!! 

See how much was still in the bottle?

Nanoblur by Indeed Labs

I wrote a lengthy review of the products from Indeed Labs which you can read here. Basically, while I love all their other offerings, the Nanoblur and I just didn't gel. The texture is strange and it does not sit well under or over makeup. Thankfully my love for Hydraluron makes up for my disappointment in this product. 

The Body Shop Coconut Shimmer Body Butter

I am an avid user of Body Shop Body Butters - I love them and use them up very quickly once the central heating turns on. This one however is destined to remain gathering dust in my bathroom cabinet. It is just way too shimmery for me. I put it on before I went out one night and I looked silly. I just think i'm a bit old to be all shimmery all over. I also find this one a bit too fragrant to use before bed which is when I always apply my body moisturiser. Now the Shea Butter one is a totally different ball game .....

Kiko Pearly Eye Base Primer

I was holding out high hopes for this one having read many rave reviews on Kiko. The price was amazing and it looked and felt nice when I tried it on my hand, but once I put it on my eye lids I jut couldn't get it to stop creasing. I just don't think it is a good sign when even the primer creases ... it doesn't hold out much hope for making your eye shadow stay crease free does it? 

Sadly it is a thumbs down on these products for me. What do you guys think? Are there any mentioned above that you find good? 

Indeed Labs - Nanoblur, Hydraluron, Pepta-Bright and Eysilix

Indeed Labs is a skincare range that launched here in the UK last year. They have been reviewed lots and lots - with mostly rave reviews - so I was super keen to get my hands on some of their products. They are sold exclusively through Boots in the UK and Priceline in Australia which means one main thing - affordable prices and easy availability. First up I love the no-nonsense packaging. A tube is by far the best way to dispense a product. I have previously described my frustration at pump dispensers and open jars of creams!

The first product I tried was Nanoblur which was a shame really as it was my least favourite. It is a skin perfecting cream that can be mixed with makeup, applied under  or over makeup and reduces the appearance of fine lines and age spots. I found the consistency of the cream to be a little strange. It didn't sit well under my makeup as I found the product just balled up and didn't sink into the skin. When I tried patting it in over my makeup it didn't blend well either and seemed to disturb my foundation in an unflattering way. I love the idea of it, I love the before and after photo's on their website (which you can see here) but it didn't work for me in practice, and I tried over several weeks. If you have tried this product and have an opinion I would love to hear so pop it in the comments box below. Nanoblur costs £19.99 from Boots here and $29.99 from Priceline here.

The second product I tried though is the bomb.  Hyrdaluron is probably the best known in the range. It is a clear gel that you apply under your moisturiser which boosts the action of your moisturiser due to the pure form of hyaluronic acid the product contains. If you want to read more of the science behind how the product works then go here. From my experience, it certainly plumped up my skin and sorted out some dry patches I had on my cheeks. I think it is going to be a fantastic product to use for some long haul flying I have coming up. A massive thumbs up from me and pretty much anyone I know who has tried it. It costs £24.99 at Boots here and $34.99 at Priceline here.

The eye cream Eysilix is also fantastic. I bought this after reading rave reviews on Caroline Hirons blog (here) . It is a really good eye cream for a really good price. My only gripe is that a little like the Nanoblur, I find it doesn't sit nicely under foundation. Am I using too much product? I'm not sure but I have trialled it over several weeks and have regaled it to being my night eye cream for this reason. It costs £24.99 from Boots here and $34.99 from Priceline here.

Pepta-Bright is another product to apply prior to your moisturiser that helps reduce any pigmentation and age spots while also encouraging radiant skin. I am unsure about this one as so far I haven't seen any real tangible results however I haven't been using it religiously. I may have to do a concentrated effort and report back in a few weeks on this one. It costs £29.99 from Boots here. It is not currently showing on the Priceline website so it may be out of stock at the moment. 

Speaking of Caroline Hirons, if you love reading about skincare and product reviews from someone who really, really knows her stuff you should check out her blog here. I am booked in to have a skin consultation with her in 2 weeks and I cannot wait. I see the fabulous Amy Erbacher in Sydney (who you can find here), but sadly my skin has changed due to the different climate in the UK and it is not behaving as it should. I'm hoping Caroline can put me back on track. Stay tuned as I will definitely be reporting back once I have seen her.