FREEMAN "Honey Dew & Chamomile Sleeping Mask"

Finally its almost winter here and that means stocking up creams and lotions if you are someone like me who need extra care of skin in winter. In this post I will be reviewing FREEMAN "Honey Dew & Chamomile Sleeping Mask"

About this product as on their site:

To wake up with dewy skin, you have to hydrate while you sleep! Our overnight sleeping mask simply soaks in with antioxidant-rich Honeydew and calming Chamomile is just the thing for rejuvenating skin. Deep moisturizing Coconut Oil makes rough skin a thing of the past, and Dimethicone dramatically smooths. Conditioning Jojoba Oil and moisture-binding Silk Amino Acids deeply nourish. Rinse upon waking to reveal well-rested skin that’s ready to face the day! Perfect for dehydrated skin. PARABEN FREE.

Directions:
At night smooth a generous amount evenly over cleansed face. The mask absorbs like a cream, meaning you can wear it without worrying about getting any product on your pillows. Rinse off in the morning.

Key Ingredients:
Coconut Oil
Shea Butter
Chamomile Extract
Melon Fruit Extract

My Thoughts:
Masks and scrubs are my weakness and specially if they come in tube I AM ALL IN. I picked it out in regular grocery store visit and since that day I am using it every day. I absolutely love it and so does my Mom. I used it as sleeping mask initially and when I woke up there was visible effect on my skin, my skin felt soft and hydrated. It is not oily and absorbs right into skin within few seconds of application, I have used it as moisturizer too during day and it doesn't budge my BB cream or foundation. The fragrance may bother some as it has strong melon-ish smell, which I did not mind actually as it fades down soon. With the weather changing it has become my Ride or Die staple, I am using it everywhere on me due to its hydrating properties, specially on days when I wear heels, it makes feet soft without making them oily or sweaty and the heels don't irritate me whole day.
I would totally recommend it to everyone for winters, for overnight mask or daily moisturizer.

Rate: 4.5/5
Price: Rs 300-350
Availability: Easily available at retail stores

Regards

Flormar Illuminating Primer Makeup Base

Hello Ladies! How are you all doing? When I first got Flormar Illuminating Primer I wasn't really sure that if it will work out for me as I had never heard of anyone using it before. But after using it for quite few months, I finally have something to say on this product.

Flormar is one the brands which are easily available in Pakistan and is considered to be very economical too. I am fan of their nail polishes since the day I first bought one. Primer was something new for me from the brand, and I am glad I took the chance.

As on their site:

"It creates a powdery and mat effect on the skin with its soft texture. As a smooth skin can be achieved by covering the thin lines using primer makeup base, the acacia and green tea in the formula supports the elasticity of the skin. Prepares the skin for the makeup giving it a smooth look, moisturizes the skin all day and prevents it from drying"

Packaging:

Flormar Illuminating Primer comes in a plastic bottle with black cap and has pump dispenser.

My thoughts:

They claim it to be powdery and matte yet illuminating, tricky right? When I first used it I wasn't so impressed or you can say I couldn't really tell how effective it was as I wore it for few hours only. Recently I started wearing it to work and that is when it clicked me that what a gem it is. It comes out white but sinks into skin transparent, the formula is more on liquid side instead of creamy. The smell is a little strong initially but it becomes fade within seconds. Flormar Illuminating Primer feels cool on skin too, probably it is the green tea effect. Although they claim that it cover thin lines but I haven't felt same way that it fills up fine lines, mainly because it is not a silicone based primer.
When applied to the skin it gives a pretty fresh luminous glow, even after applying foundation my skin felt fresh and luminous and the luminosity lasts through out the day. In terms of holding the makeup on skin it is a quite decent product, my nose tends to get oily during day so it wasn't really helpful in it, but on overall face, it does pretty decent job. Unlike some primers, it doesn't balls up foundation.
I would definitely recommend it if you are trying to find some primer from your local stores, it is almost available on all big stores. I got it from Best Buy Store in Cavalry Ground.

Price:
Flormar Illuminating Primer Makeup Base cost below PKR 1000/-

Pros:

• Economical.
• Easy available.
• Give skin luminosity and glow without looking greasy and tacky.
• Last for good 8-9 hours.
• Travel friendly,
• Pump dispenser hence more hygienic.
• Contain green tea as key ingredient.

Cons:

• Smells may irritate few people.
• May not work for oily skin types.

Do you use primer on daily basis, or only on special events? Please tell us in comments.

With Love,
Maria.

St'Ives Black Head Clearing Green Tea Scrub

From few months I have been obsessed with scrubs and masks, I drop two or more tubes in my trolley during purchasing grocery every month and still I want to go back and purchase some more.
Today I will be writing about St'Ives Black Head Clearing Green Tea Scrub which I purchased 2 months before, I think I have used it enough to have an opinion.

Front side

Back side

As on their site:

Green tea packs a punch in this derma-tested, blackhead-tackling scrub. It’s got those good guys – antioxidants and it’s moderately exfoliating too, helping to target blackheads, unclog pores and calms redness, for a more even skin tone. It also contains olive leaf extract which the Egyptians saw as a symbol of heavenly power. And who’d argue with that?

Natural Ingredients:

• Green tea
• Exfoliating mineral

Extra Benefits:

• Contains 1% Salicylic acid which helps to clear blackheads
• Unclogs dirt and oil from pores, helping to clear blackheads and calm redness
• Instantly reveals skin’s natural radiance
• Made with 100% natural exfoliants
• Medium exfoliation scrub factor level
• Hypoallergenic & Paraben free
• Dermatologist tested & non-comedogenic (meaning it doesn’t block your pores.

How to use:

"Squeeze a dime sized amount of scrub onto your fingertips and massage onto damp skin. Spread in small circular motions, applying gentle pressure to wake your skin’s natural circulation. Work all over, right up to your hairline and onto the sides of your nose. When you’re done, rinse and pat dry with a clean towel."

Some informal information:

All hail the green tea revolution! Not only does it make a refreshing drink, but did you know its also got all sorts of skin benefits too? We’ve gone all green-eyed.
Our green tea leaves come from China and are processed in the traditional Chinese way. This involves heating them to stop oxidation so they stay that lovely vibrant green color. The goodness is then extracted by very gently by soaking them. It takes a little longer but we think it’s worth it. 

Packaging:

It comes in a standard squeezable tube with a flip cover which has 6 OZ/ 170g of product.

My thoughts:

I pretty much love all my scrubs as I have dry skin which tends to get scaly too at times, I HAVE to use scrub to remove dry skin and clear my pores. The formula is grainy but the particles are not as clear or separate as the regular oats or apricot scrub, also the scrub feels more like aqua-ish than creamy with mild harshness (I hope it makes sense).  When I first used it I was more than amazed, I was in LOVE. It made my skin so smooth and fresh and I loved every bit of it, and then reality happened. Two days after using it my skin became more drier and I had alot of dry patches too. I used it 4-5 more times to see if it was actually this scrub causing the dryness which later was proved right.

The back side of the tube says clearly that under heading Warning "skin irritation and dryness is more likely to occue if you are using another topical acne medication at the same time. If irritation occurs, only use one topical medication at a time". Although I am not using any medication as I hardly get acne, but it is probably just my sensitive skin being more sensitive :p. Also in Direction  heading it says that dryness can occur from first usage so you should increase its use gradually from one time a day to 2-3 times a day.

I believe that it is more suited for people who have acne as the scrubbing particles are mild and more likely will suit those who have oily or combination skin. It really does what it claims, it doesn't magically eliminate all black heads in single go but it does make your skin feel smoother and fresh. 

Final thought:

I would definitely recommend it to any one who is dealing with acne and have combination/oily skin. It may not suit well to people with dry skin, but it doesn't hurt to use once in a month when you REALLY need some scrubbing.

Pros:

• Travel friendly as comes in tube which closes with click.
• Economical and easily available over the counter.
• Lesser harsh chemicals, made with natural ingredients.
• Quite effective on newly-formed blackheads and whiteheads, prevents future zits

Cons:

• May not suit extra dry skin.
• Can be too mild for extra oily skins.
• The results may not be shown right after first usage.

Price and availability:

I got it from Al-Fatah Gulberg and it cost around Rs. 250/-

We greatly value your feedback, please do tell us in comments your favourite scrub and skin type.

With Love,

Maria.

Fortress Square Bloggers Meetup

We got invited by Fortress Square marketing team on 27th Feb,2017 in Bloggers Meetup. The agenda was selfies, food, goodie bags, chit chat with other bloggers & team marketing. They briefed us about upcoming events that will be happening in coming future and welcomed us for our suggestions and feedback.

Marketing Team Fortress Square

Female Bloggers

All participants

Did I tell about the cutest Goodies bag? Take a look

Inside the goodies bag

Thank you so much to Fortress Square for giving out a positive image considering the current security situation in  Lahore. As Fortress Stadium is perfectly secure I will suggest you all to do visit and enjoy the perfect time in shopping and munching with minimal security threat, that too under a same roof :)

Regards,

Maria.

Review on CLEAN & CLEAR Advantage Nose Pore Cleansing Strips and a "FAIL" Product

Hello Ladies! We all know the craze of pore strips and satisfaction that follows after removal of black/white heads by one single strip. I used to get intrigued by the charcoal strips the most, probably because it shows it on black background I guess. As we don't get Biore Pore strips in Pakistan like I searched in Alfatah Lahore, so I had to settle for some available brand. So like any other excited person I picked the first Charcoal based nose strips I saw. Here I will be talking about two of the brands though

Front

Back with detailed directions

Separate Strips inside package

Back Side of strip inside package

Pore strip side 1

Pore strip side 2

How I prep for it:
I use it after shower because I believe that is when my pores are soft or open so I scrub my face (Any scrub would work) and apply it OR you can also use warm cloth to open your pores too if you can't scrub.

"REVITALE" Deeply Absorbent Nose Strips- Charcoal Magnetic Cleansing:
When I saw the terms Charcoal and Magnetic I thought "OHMYGAAAWDDD my nose will be clean and smooth as baby's bum". So it comes in a cardboard package with 5 pore strips separately packed in another sheet cover.  There are directions to use it on the back side of package. You remove the strip from the sheet and apply the shiny side on nose. So after a few seconds I apply it, it starts to tingle a little like kind of minty, I actually like when products do that as it makes me a little satisfied that Yes something is happening. When I removed it there was literally one to two dots of stuff that I saw and my nose didn't feel clean at all. I tried it for 3 more times with in a month and the result was same so for me it was FAIL.

"CLEAN & CLEAR" Advantage Nose Pore Cleansing Strips:
Last summer Sana picked it up from Alfatah for her and I was like Eh!! as I wasn't into pore strips then. So I picked it up after my last fail pick because I remember Sana told me that it is a great product. It also comes in cardboard packaging and have 5 pore strips separately packed in it. It isn't charcoal based as you can see in pic too, it has hard cloth like texture. It applies with the same direction as previous one. When it removed it I was SO surprised as it was full of all the gunk and stuff (which is kind of gross and exciting also) and I almost showed it to everyone at home. My sister also used it and the result was same on her too. My nose felt so clean and smooth although not as much as baby's bum :D but still in comparison to Revitale it was much MUCH better. I am absolutely in love with this one and I think it is a pretty decent product although I wish I could get my hands on Biore one too as it is said to be the best one.

Pore strips necessarily doesn't remove or eliminate all black/white heads from your nose or minimize the pores forever. but it does clean it for a week or two. It is just your personal preference and choice to use it. It is advised to be used only once a week and also strip should be removed in upward direction or else it will rip or cause rashes on your skin (victim here :p).

They both cost below Rs 350/- for pack.

Regards,
Maria.

Our FINAL verdict on Nivea Men Post Shave Balm as Makeup Primer

Hello Ladies how are you all doing? So I finally have a opinion on using "Nivea Men Post Shave Balm" as Makeup primer after giving it chance in different seasons. We all are aware of the shift that covered whole makeup community after NikkieTutorials discovered that any usual primer and Nivea Men PSB has the main ingredients in common. So definitely I had to try it myself too.
I have combination skin but it tends to get really oily and shiny on T-zone area after two to three hours without any primer, except for that I have dry skin on area of my cheeks, forehead and around lips.

Front

Back

Ingredients

My Experience:
I first used it in summers, like in June or July and MANNNNN it was a mess. Firstly I didn't like the feel of it, it was so wet and sticky which also doesn't seem to get absorb. It didn't last for a hour tbh and it was itchy all over my face, my foundation disappeared and what not. So, my first experience was super bad. I still kept it in my collection to see if it will work in winters.
So in the coldest days of winter this January 2017 when I initially applied it I felt so hydrating on skin and I actually liked it as it didn't make my face oily or shiny during day and I thought may be I was wrong as it IS a good primer substitute. Now this week when the temperature is increasing gradually in Lahore and I applied it with two different foundation which are my go-to foundations for work and YES!! you guessed it right, it separated my foundation and made my T-zone oily within an hour.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
It can't be used as regular primer as it doesn't fill up pores or made them blur because it doesn't have silicon in it. It does feel hydrating but only if you have super dry skin and its chilly outside. And Sana says it balls up her foundation especially Estee Lauder one. It separates the foundation within hour. For me and Sana it was basically a mess, I probably will stick to my Benefit Pore Professional for events and Flamor Primer or any other for daily use, even my Neutrogena Sun Screen holds up my foundation well than Nivea Man PSM. I don't say Nikkie's claim is wrong, may be the temperature in her country allows her to use it but if you are in Pakistan and you are planning to use it, it isn't your thing honey!! (as far we believe).

I wouldn't recommend it to ANYONE..........EVER. But if it does suit than good for you :)

Regards,
Maria Naz.

ESSENCE Bloggers' Beauty Secret Reveal

Hello ladies how are you all doing? If you are following us on Instagram you would know we attended Essence "Bloggers' Beauty Secret" Reveal on 28th Jan, 2017. We were invited by the Dear Anam who manages Essence cosmetics in Pakistan.

There were basically four palettes by four different bloggers accompanied with a nail polish. Below are some of the swatches we took of different shades in palettes

Vintage Rose by Palmira from beautypalmira

The Glow must go on by Serena Verbon from beautylab

Touch up to go by Diana Lowen from dfashion

Shapes and Shadow by Mary Oliver from strikeapose

On the event

They were also goodie bags for the bloggers which contained the PR sample of one these palettes. Me and Sana picked up different palettes and I took "Vintage Rose Palette" and Sana was drawn to "The Glow must go on".

Inside the Goodie Bag

Your's truly  Sane and Maria on the event

We will post our detailed review on products after using them but on basis of the swatches these seem like reasonable products. 

The products are available on their Face book page 

Regards,

Makeup Beasties.

Packing Make Up for a Wedding.

Hello ladies how are you all doing. From quite few years I have been attending weddings only in Lahore and I pretty much did forget how to pack makeup essentials when going out to a distant wedding. Recently I went to wedding to a distant place (Near Azad Kashmir to be precise) and had to pack for all three days. After deciding clothes and shoes I had to decide what makeup essentials I am going to pack and DAMNNNNNN!!! how tough that was. So in today's post I will be listing down few things that I did and I skipped, to give you all a heads up on how to be ready to survive fiercely and beautifully.

1- Hair Products: First thing first pack your blow dryer, Straightner, Dry Shampoos (No you don't need to wash your hair daily in winter unless you packed them with hair firming sprays last day), Shampoos, Hair serums (I go for Argan Oil of Morocco, its a dry oil and makes your hair soft and frizz free without greasing them) and Combs and brushes you use. Hair pins and styling tools you will need.

2- Face Wash: Take the face wash you use on daily base and don't expect your host will have any, because even if they have chances are they might not suit you or they don't have any altogether (who knows). I did take a mild one but I now think that I should have taken the one with smalls beads tp clean pores and for soft scrubbing to remove any dryness.

3- Moisturizer: Pack your body lotion as you don't want to have itchy and flaky legs/arms right? And a non greasy/oily face moisturizer. It is also recommended to take a night cream (if you aren't afraid of heavy bags) to make your face hydrated for night so you can have soft skin in the morning, I didn't take any btw and I think I should have because my skin was so dry when I wasn't wearing makeup and not to mention I got dry patches too due to extreme cold weather there :(

4- Brushes and Primers: Start packing in the sequence in which you put your makeup. Pack the brushes first for all face and eyes need. Pack face primer and eyelid primer too to make that makeup last longer.

5- Foundations and Concealers: Now pack foundations and concealers according to your need. I will suggest you to not try a new thing on the main event, if you have purchased anything new for wedding, try using it week before for a day or two to see if it really works for you. I didn't take any color correcting palette but I will recommend taking one as pimples and rashes only appear on days you don't want them too (Duh!!)

6- Setting powders, Contouring palettes, Blush and Highlighter: You need to fix that foundation with a setting powder, then you need a contour palette and bronzer. Maximum two blush colors are enough to three days events. And one or two highlighter. I will suggest you to go for palettes that have two pans, either blush/bronzer or blush/highlighter, it not only saves space in bag but also the time to open separate products individually. I took everything separately btw.

7-Eyes and Lips: That was the most complex part for me honestly as I didn't know what to take and what looks I will be doing that day. I took Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye contour palette for matte shades and NAKED 2 for subtle shimmer shades, and 2 Colorpop single eye shadows for pop of golden or copper shadow. What I missed was colors, I forgot to take any colorful eye shadows (how dumb, right?) I will suggest you to take single shadows and put them in Z-palette, or any palette which has ALL the mattes, foiled, colors and transition shades.
Pack basic lip liners, one or two (dark pink/red and a natural pink). Lipsticks that will work with the look you are planning. I took Colorpop Lyin King, Love Life and a dark pink Medora lipstick, I missed nude/ browns or any lighter shade which I regretted later as my lip colors were kind of same three days.
Don't forget to pack your lip balm, eyeliner, mascara, eyelash curler, fake lashes (& glue) and eyebrow essentials (which ever you use).

8- Setting Sprays, Wet wipes and Perfumes: Set your makeup with makeup setting spray to make it last longer and don't forget to take your perfume. Keep wet wipes handy too to fix any makeup mishap that may happen and to take off makeup at day end.

9-Nail Polishes and Jewellery: If you are getting ready at home its ok, but if you have to travel I will suggest you to take one nail color that suits with all your dresses, I used a glittery Golden/ Dull golden nail polish and it worked out well with all my three events. Pack your jewellery keeping dresses in mind and keep it closer to your makeup bag so you don't forget putting it on (I did forget to, lol).

10- Miscellaneous: If it is a winter wedding don't forget to pack your inner garments, sweaters, shawls and socks for time you will spend at home.

So guys that how you will have a big bag ready for the wedding in the land far far away :p. Make sure to start getting ready atleast 2 hours before the specified time to save your self from frustration and hurry( which means more blunders). Keep the lipstick you applied and compressed setting powder in your clutch for touch ups after wedding food.

Have fun at the wedding and keep yourself hydrated and happy. :)

Disclaimer:
1-All images are from google.
2-I may or may not have missed something which you do in your routine so please forgive me.


With Love,
Maria

How To Tackle "Blackheads" Issue?

Hello Ladies how are you all? Does this ever happen to you that you open YouTube to listen to a song and two hours later you are watch Dr Pimple Popper and feeling disgusted and satisfied at the same time? :p Well this did happen with me all the time, the little part of me feel so satisfied to see all the gunk removed from its core. From last week I was planning to write something relating that as I also do have this issue and wish to find a magical potion to clear my black heads and clogged pores (who doesn't? Duh!!!).

What are "black heads" and why this sorcery happens to us ?

A blackhead is a pore clogged with a mixture of dead skin cells. face oils and Propionibacterium acnes (P. acne). Unlike a white head (a closed comedo),a blackhead is open at the skin's surface and exposure to air cause this pile of gunk to oxidise and turn black, which makes it really tempting to mess with.

I will be listing down few methods by which you can avoid or reduce them:

Make Salicylic Acid your best buddy:
For blackheads removel make salicylic acid your best friend. It is commonly found in some easily available acne treatment product, the ingredients of which gently helps skin-cell turnover which means dead skin removal which unclog the pores. Layer in once or twice a day with products with the concentration of salicylic acid between .5 to 2% in them on your blackhead area. Face washes are most convenient products that can be used twice daily like Neutrogena's Oil- Free Acne Wash or Olay Fresh Effects Acne Control Face Wash. Then apply a spot treatment like Clean and Clear Advantage Acne spot treatment or medicated tinted moisturizer like Aveeno clear Complexion BB cream. The longer it stays the better it works but make sure not to over-do it  if your skin is sensitive. If it causes dryness, tightness or patchiness on your skin, reduce the concentration of Salicyclic acid. You need to do this twice a week minimum and 4 times a week maximum for full benefit.

Lower use of Benzyl Peroxide:
Benzyl Peroxide is used to treat moderate to mild acne, when applied to skin it reduce acne causing bacteria and peel the skin after drying. If you are thinking to use it to treat blackheads just don't. Blackheads are open on the surface and Benzyl peroxide will not be effective on them infact it will dry out the skin and over usage of it actually is toxic to collagen in skin cells. Some of the Benzyl Peroxide containing Products are

Exfoliate Exfoliate:
Exfoliating regularly is key to keeping blackheads in check, since it removes dead skin cells that could clog pores, A gentle face scrub or gentle peel off masks once or twice a week for extra exfoliation (Freeman has some really good peel off masks, i will review some soon).

Let the brush do the work:
If you always wanted to try on Clarisonic, this is your chance. Washing your face with a mechanical skin brush not only help fight against blackheads but also deep cleanse and penetrate active ingredients into your skin of any of your favourite scrub. Some of the best options provided by experts are Clarisonic and Olay ProX Microdermabrasion kit. Make sure you clear your brush heads clean often.

Take off your makeup for heaven's sake:
While sleeping in with your makeup on may sound convenient but you are basically inviting blackheads to invade on your skin. The makeup mix up with oils on your face and cause gunked-up pores. If possible do wash your face as soon you step in house if not use makeup wipes to remove every residue of makeup. Also stop touching your face all the time, the more you touch it the more you are pushing the oils and dirt into your skin and you guess it, more blackheads and blocked pores.

Never stop Moisturizing:
Who wants dry flaky skin? I know, no one. Never forget to moisturize, but look out for formulas which are not oil based but have Aqua in ingredients and those who doesn't clog pores. Avoid super greasy products like petroleum jelly or any silicone based product which creates a film on your skin, it traps moisturizer as well as dead skin cells, oil and bacteria.

Anti Wrinkle Creams are savior:
Retinol products are usually associate with anti-aging benefits but they could be recognized for their black head busting properties. These products keep turning over your skin efficiently but you need to be persistent and patient to see the results.

Pore strips phenomena:
With no doubt every one wants to use pore strips atleast once especially after seeing so many videos on your facebook timeline. Well they don't necessarily prevent blackheads but they magically pull out all the crap in your pores which is SO satisfying. But limit its usage to once a week maximum as it leaves the pores open unless you do something to close it. But use it as per described on box and dont use it if you have sensitive, flaky or bruised skin.

Consult someone who knows:
Sometime you have to rely on people who know more instead of relying on DIYs. If you have any skin condition or your skin is reactive to little changes, do consult a dermatologist for prescribing you treatment method according to your skin type and need. Get facials, steams and treat yourself with the best you deserve.

Disclaimers:
1) All images are from google
2) I by no means am suggesting you specified products, make sure to do your own research before using.
3) Every skin has it sensitivity level, make sure to know yours before testing anything.

Regards,
Maria.