Skin MD Shielding Lotion Review and Discount

The premise behind shielding lotion is that everyday contact with cleansers and environmental pollutants strips away skin’s own protective layer leading to loss of moisture and an increased effect of irritants. Traditional creams temporarily add artificial moisture to the skin without treating the problem, this moisture can’t be retained so we have to keep applying more. The skin can then get used to the constant supply and stop producing it’s own oils so the problem only gets worse. However, shielding lotion is different as it restores the skin’s integrity, protective ability and urges it to be active thereby treating the cause of dry/ sensitive skin as well as its symptoms. 

Shielding lotion is hypoallergenic, colour, fragrance, paraben free, and packed full of effective natural ingredients that make it suitable for all types of skin. Given that our skin is in contact with multiple irritants on a daily basis I really liked the idea of this lotion and was excited to try it out when given the opportunity a few months ago.

I thought it would be useful to include a full list of ingredients as those with sensitive and easily irritated skin would benefit from seeing exactly what it contains.

Deionized water (Aqua), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract (Aloe Vera), Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Methyl Gluceth-20, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Arnica Montana Flower Extract (Arnica), Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract (Comfrey), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract (Chamomile), Achillea Millefolium Extract (Yarrow), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, 1,2 Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Phenoxyethanol

Aloe Vera has been used to treat skin problems including eczema and psoriasis for many years. I personally use Aloe Vera gel as after sun or on sunburn and it works much better than any cream I have ever tried! Studies show that Aloe Vera improves the skin's ability to hydrate itself, aids in the removal of dead skin cells and has an effective penetrating ability that helps transport healthy substances through the skin.

Arnica is used to heal wounds and prevent bruising and swelling (though in my experience it has never helped my healing). It also has a pain relieving effect, reduces inflammation and clears fungal and bacterial infections.

Yarrow and comfrey are both good at reducing inflammation, while chamomile softens and soothes the skin.

If you want to know exactly what each ingredient does and why it has been added the Skin MD Natural website is very detailed!

I have used this lotion on my face and body intermittently for about two months and I have to say that I really like it. Although my skin is not typically dry it is sensitive and easily irritated so I do get some very dry areas, such as my hands. This lotion is absolutely lovely to apply, the texture is between a lotion and a gel and it sinks in extremely quickly without leaving any residue. It is cooling and energizing, not in the same way as menthol infused lotions, but in a more subtle ‘I just had a refreshing, cool shower on a hot day’ way. Sorry I can’t explain it better!  It is recommended that you apply the lotion every couple of hours until the area appears healed, and then once or twice a day. I didn’t really stick with that as it’s hard to reapply lotion to dry knees on the tube in the middle of winter ;). 

Although I would not say this lotion worked like a miracle, it did moisturise without being greasy and felt extremely soothing. Of course I can't comment on the barrier function of my skin being restored, but I hope that it was! I tried it on my bf’s eczema and though it didn’t get rid of it completely (maybe because he only used it for a few days) there was a marked difference in the reduction of dryness, redness and irritation. I also used it after shaving and unlike other ‘sensitive’ creams it soothed the area without further irritation, stinging or itching. It gave the skin on my face a semi-matte finish and was a good base for applying makeup unlike most creams for dry/ sensitive skin, which tend to be greasy causing my foundation to slide off extremely quickly.

Overall, I think this cream is a great find for those with sensitive, dry and problem skin. I like the way it can be used on any skin type and state, by which I mean that you can use it on eczema, rashes etc. while most moisturisers are not recommended for use on ‘broken’ skin. The only slight negative for me is the price. For $18/£12 you get a small bottle of 120ml. This is perfectly reasonable if the lotion is to be used predominantly on the face or hands. However, as an all over body lotion, even though a little goes a long way, for me it would only last one or two weeks. 

I mentioned to the company that the price was my main concern and kindly they made a discount code for my followers. The discount code is FGM and it will give you 20% off when ordering from www.skinmdnatural.com

Have you ever tried a ‘shielding’ lotion as a substitute for normal moisturising creams? Do you have your own method of preventing and curing skin problems, dryness and irritation?

New hair colour- Garnier Nutrisse Review

The last time I coloured my hair was in the beginning of December. Originally I loved it as the highlights added some lovely dimension to my hair, but 8 weeks later the colour had lifted considerably and started looking brassy.

As my natural hair colour is a little more ashy the orange tones made my roots look even more obvious. You can see them peeping through above.. eek! 

I needed a quick change before Valentine's Day so I decided to go for something a touch darker, but still on the brown spectrum. The colour that caught my eye was Garnier Nutrisse 6.3 Deep Reddish Brown (really imaginative name).

 

The application was pretty standard, though I did start to worry a little when the cream began taking on a purple hue! The only thing I noticed is that there seemed to be less product than in most box dyes (and believe me I have tried my fair share from a range of brands). I know if you have long hair it is recommended to use two boxes, but I have never had a problem before as I take my time during application and spend the 30 minutes waiting time in an attractive shower cap that also seems to help the colour spread evenly.

So ladies, remember we were hoping for a rich 'reddish' brown...

 

The flash actually makes it look a little better, but straight after the dye my hair definitely had more than a tinge of purple. It was also uneven, with the ends being a lot darker than the roots, which is strange as I applied the least amount of product there and the dye was on the ends for the shortest amount of time.

 

After a few washes it seems to be evening out a little, though this is only because it won't stay in my hair! 

Even though this dye is marketed as a permanent dye, hence the horrible ammonia stench, every time I wash my hair it runs much more than any semi-permanent I have ever tried. When first rinsing it out I noticed that the dye just kept running and running and it took almost half an hour until the water became somewhat clear. The next time I washed it in the bath it was a scary sight! Now, 3 washes later I am at a loss as to what to do as it seems deterimined to stain every towel that I own, and given the current rain I am scared of what will happen if I don't keep it under a hat and umbrella at all times.

Garnier Nutrisse gets a big thumbs down from me :(. As much as I enjoy having pink foam all around me every time I have a shower it's a little worrying that my hair can start leaking at any sign of precipitation! 

Have you guys ever tried this range of dyes? Did you have a similar problem or is this just my luck ;)?

OPI Designer Series- Extravagance

I haven't done one of these NOTD posts for a while, but I just had to share this colour with you all!

 

This is two coats of OPI extravagance from the Designer Series. This is what I think of when someone describes a polish as holographic. It has so much dimension and seems to glow from within.

 

Unlike other glittery polishes this one still looks multi-dimensional in natural light, but in artificial lights it really begins to dance. The lights in my bedroom are similar to those deceiving halogen spotlights you get in most stores. I'm sure you all know the ones! (They make everything look so pretty in the shop, but when you get it home it's just a bit 'blah'). This has resulted in me endlessly staring at my nails in a quest to figure out exactly what colours are in this magical polish. I can see pink, silver, orange, green and even blue glitter particles. Yumm!!

Well done OPI, but now please stop distracting me with your irridescence and let me get some work done! :)

Valentines and Chinese New Year Celebration

Hello my lovelies,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and Valentines day/ Chinese New Year yesterday! Valentines is not exactly my favourite holiday as I find it a little pointless. Every couple has their special day, be it the anniversary of the first time you meet, your first date or even your wedding. So why do we all need to celebrate the 14th of February? Nevertheless, the bf and I still celebrated in quite a traditional way with a lovely meal out on Sunday night.

Since I never miss an opportunity to dress up I decided to make an extra effort (and for once he couldn't complain about how long it took me to get ready hehe). 

I bought this dress about 3 years ago from Warehouse and always save it for special occasions. I absolutely adore it! It has corset boning on the inside, which provides great support and flatters an hourglass figure- sexy without being too revealing. For bigger busts I prefer a strapless dress to be a little longer to balance the look. Being tall I always find it so difficult to find one as any sophisticated dress always ends up at bum skimming length on me. Luckily, this one is cut with boobs, bums and legs in mind! The shoes are 'delicious' from Carvela with bows on the back from last season, but they have some very similar ones in the current collection.

Though it did take me about 2 hours to figure out how to hang this picture my bf got me for Christmas I am so glad that I did. My room is slowly coming together and I really can't wait 'till all the carpentry is done and I can have a proper dressing table, wardrobe and shelves!

 

Hehehe.. he's probably going to murder me when he sees that I put this up!

In case you were wondering I based my makeup on my first Valentine's tutorial video here. 

Face: Maybelline superstay silky foundation

NARS laguna bronzer

MAC well dressed blush

MAC petticoat MSF

Eyes: UDPP

MAC e/s dazzlelight on lid, wedge, scene, quarry, print in crease, vanilla to highlight.

MAC blacktrack gel liner

L'Oreal voluminous mascara

Shu Uemura smoky layers lashes (would you like a review on these?)

Lips: Mac creme cup lipstick of course ;).

What did you do on Valentine's or Chinese New Year? My single friends had a lovely meal to celebrate in my favourite Chinese restaurant- Phoenix Palace in Baker Street.. yumm yumm! xxx

Jergens Naturals

This winter my skin has been incredibly dry and dull and I can't seem to slather on enough moisturiser to keep it looking healthy. I was therefore happy to be given the opportunity to try the new Jergens'  Naturals range. This line contains over 96% natural ingredients, is paraben free, and is not tested on little bunnies :).

 

The main ingredient is of course cocoa butter, which I have always loved as it smells delicious, is deeply hydrating and also helps to improve the appearance of stretch marks. Other ingredients include vitamin E, which protects skin from cell damaging free radicals, shea butter, sunflower oil, soybean oil, jojoba, olive oil, oatmeal and avocado. 

The whole list of ingredients can be found on the Jergens website here. I think it's fantastic that they not only list the ingredients, but if you click on each one it also tells you it's purpose/ benefit. I wish all companies would do this as it makes it much easier for the consumer to understand exactly what is in their product.

I have been using this moisturiser for about 2 weeks and am absolutely loving it so far. (It is definitely comparable to my favourite deeply moisturising Garnier Hydralock, which is perfect for dry and sensitive skin. My bf has eczema on his back, and both of these moisturisers sooth and heal the area effectively and without further irritaion. Big thumbs up so far!)

In consistency the Jergens Naturals cocoa butter is a very smooth and thick cream without being overly greasy. Be careful not to use too much as it is deeply nourishing and a little really goes a long way. Usually I use a lot of moisturiser (more is more when it comes to my legs), so I over applied the first time I tried it and ended up with those white streaks that take a while to massage in. This isn't the kind of moisturiser that sinks in immediately and it does leave some residue on the skin, which some people may really dislike. However, if you have dry skin you will love this as it really helps keep your skin hydrated all day long!

The new Jergens Naturals Range is available at Boots, Tesco, Superdrug and Sainsburys RRP £4.99 for 200ml. 

Have you tried anything from Jergens? I used their gradual tan and moisturisers when I lived in Bermuda, but since they only came to the UK in 2009 I'd love to know what you guys think of the brand!!

Dear FTC: This product was sent to me for review purposes. As always I love my readers more than freebies, so these are all my honest opinions :).