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.