Saturday, July 20, 2013

Colors So Sinful They Beat A Rainbow!


PS: For the sake of wordplay, "colors" in the title is Americanized since the brand Sinful Colors is from America.

To a discerning eye or to avid nail polish collectors, there is a difference between this nail polish and that nail polish. It could be the difference in finish, shimmer, glitter, size of glitter, shape of glitter, warm/cool tones, undertones etc.  To others, they probably think that we have a problem and do not need all the nail polish we buy.  To a certain extent, I agree that I probably have a nail polish problem and I definitely do not need all the nail polish I buy.  Has that stopped me? Well.................... Let's change the topic.

Today's review is on Sinful Colors; the nail polish brand from America.  My interest in the brand was sparked after a trip to America for an overseas program many years ago.  By fate, I picked up a neon purple shade from the brand despite the fact that it was not the type of colour I usually went for.  I also did not have a clue about the brand except that the nail polishes were rather cheap!  That particular nail polish was very creamy and opaque; you can get full opacity with one coat.  The most amazing part of it was that it dried to a matte finish.  At that time, matte nails were not vogue and shiny nails were the trend. 

Fast forward a few years, nail trends have evolved to various finishes and textures with matte nails being one of them.  Sinful Colors also made its way to the Australian shores and boy was I glad to see them!  I remembered my very first Sinful Color nail polish and proceeded to buy a few more.



The first shade I chose was Cinderella.  I picked it because it reminded me of Illamasqua's famed Raindrops.  Cinderella is a baby blue shade with fine micro silver glitters. Cinderella is an apt name for the nail polish as I am reminded of the shade of Disney's Cinderella's baby blue ball gown.  THe colours in Cinderella are more cool-toned.  For the princess factor, there is a fine silver micro shimmer that is subtle yet stunning up close.

The wear I get with Cinderella lasted about 2 weeks with top coat and base coat. At the 2 week mark, I had tip wear and a slight chip that was not very obvious.

And in the particular order from thereon, I picked up Mint Apple, Savage and Social Ladder.

 
 
Mint Apple is an interesting shade of jade green that has a slight mint green overtone. It also comes with fine micro gold glitters that is subtle yet stunning up close. The colours in Mint Apple are warm based and suit my skin tone very well.  I have worn this shade twice with differing results- perhaps it was due to the difference in activities during the different periods.  Worn with a top coat and base coat, I also had about 2 weeks' of wear.  At the second week mark, I had tip wear and slight chips that were not obvious.  My second time wearing Mint Apple had different results.  Worn with the same top coat and base coat, I experienced slight chipping after a few days. 



Savage is one of my favourites here.  The finish is creamy yet completely matte.  I was rather shocked at the intensity of the polish and the colour is very unique.  It is a teal blue-green that borders on the verge of being a shocking blue.  Being a matte polish, the formula of this polish is thicker than the rest.  Some might find it hard to work with but this shade is a one coat wonder. The opacity is incredible and it dried faster than the other polishes.  The only complaints I have are that I need to buy a matte top coat for this polish and it stains like crazy!  Anyway, since I did not have a matte top coat, I did not use top coat and the longevity suffered slight as it lasted for about a week without major chipping.




My least favourite is Social Ladder.  Don't get me wrong here.  I like Social Ladder but compared to the rest, Social Ladder was the hardest to work with.  The formula is not very opaque and I had to keep layering the polish to get full opacity.  The colour effects you can get with Social Ladder differs under the different lightings.  In sunlight, it is a blush pink with a pearlescent white finish.  Under artificial lighting, it appears to be a nude pink with a pearlescent white finish.  Once again, Social Ladder is subtle and a stunner up close.

Sinful Colors (RRP $4.95) is available at Priceline and Target as at posting date.

Have you tried any Sinful Colors? What do you think of the shades?

Cheers
annsleyw :)

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask (Giveaway at the End!)



Clearasil has released a brand new range of Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts products. The star product is the Daily Clear Wash and Mask which is designed for women who work hard and play hard. One may ask, how so? Well, women who work hard and play hard have no time to waste so here comes the multi-tasking product which does two jobs. It can be used as a daily facial wash and a mask!

Moreover, it contains avocado extracts (which smells heavenly in my opinion) and nourishing Vitamin E, glycerine for hydration and pomegranate fruit extract which is an anti-oxidant to keep skin looking and feeling healthy. As a result, this product smells fruity and refreshing.

I don't know about you but I have always felt like Clearasil was intended for teenagers with teenage acne or for those with acne issues. At my age, I do experience the occasional acne but products with high concentrations of salicylic acid tend to be too harsh for my skin. I prefer products with little amounts of salicylic acid to prevent breakouts though I have been known to like certain products that contain no salicylic acid as well. It seems to me that Clearasil has decided to reach out to a wider range of consumers since the Daily Clear range has skin conditioning properties that are intended to be delicate enough to be used as part of a daily skin care routine, and it contains less salicylic acid than other Clearasil products.



For use as a facial wash, squeeze a small amount into hands and apply to wet face avoiding the eye area. You can use it daily and it is recommended to use twice daily. I have been using this product everyday for almost two weeks now and I find this product to really work for me. It does a great job at deep-cleansing and it makes my skin feel clean without feeling over-dried or over-stretched. I can almost feel it clean the impurities on my skin.

For use as a mask, squeeze enough product to apply an even layer onto wet face. I will say that you will need more product than when using it as a facial wash. Leave it on for up to 3 minutes and rinse off. It is recommended to use it as a mask up to 3 times per week. However, I am less impressed by this product as a mask because it does the same thing as when it is used as a facial wash and using this product as a mask makes my face sting painfully between the 1st-2nd minute after application. For the sake of reviewing the product, I tried this product as a mask 4 times and had to rinse my face between the 1st-2nd minute when my face started reacting to the product. Perhaps it is because I have sensitive skin, it made my skin feel very raw. When I sprayed a mist of rosewater on my face after rinsing off, I had the same sensation that I had when I cut my finger and brought it into contact with water. On the bright side, it means that it has exfoliating properties as it removed my epidermis (the outer most layer of the skin).

My conclusion is: this product is great as a facial wash for the majority skin types out there. However, I do not think this product is great as a mask for those with sensitive or very sensitive skin. Having said the above, I definitely do think that this is a great product for those experience the occasional acne and/or those who want to help prevent breakouts. Ladies who have acne problems will have better luck with the other Clearasil ranges that contain higher concentrations of salicylic acid. On a parting note, do remember to protect your skin with sunscreen since salicylic acid makes your skin more vulnerable to sun damage!

The Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extract Wash and Mask (RRP $10.99) is available at leading supermarkets, pharmacies and stores (e.g. Kmart and Target).

This review is done in relation to Product Talk by Nuffnang. The product was sent to me for reviewing purposes and I have not received any monetary or other forms of compensation for this review. All opinions are my own honest opinions. Click on Product Talk by Nuffnang to see what it is about.

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GIVEAWAY
 
 
Nuffnang Australia is giving 5 of my readers the chance to win a Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask each! Here are the summarized rules:
 
1. You must be a follower of my blog via bloglovin'. (Use the bloglovin' icon on the right to help you get started).
 
2. Comment at the end of this blog post on what skin concern(s) you think Clearasil Vitamins & Extracts can help you with, and your email address.
 
3. Entry is open to all Australian residents aged 14 years and over.
 
4. The competition will run until 5pm AEDST or 3pm AWST on 22 July 2013.
 
5. I will pick the top 5 comments once the competition is over and notify the 5 winners via email. The winners have 24 hours to reply with their mailing address. If there is no reply within 24 hours, I will pick another winner.
 
6. Nuffnang Australia will post the prizes to my chosen 5 winners.
 
For more details on the terms and conditions, visit : http://blog.nuffnang.com.au/clearasil-product-talk/
Good luck!


Cheers
annsleyw :)