Activated Charcoal: The New Teeth Whitening Phenomenon

Good evening strangers.  I hope advent is treating you all splendidly!  I feel like a right failure at the moment - I've been lapping up all the Blogmas and Vlogmas contributions of so many other bloggers and doing... well, one post short of nothing myself.  You guessed it - deadlines are approaching (oh, the cruelty).  

Anyway, I thought I'd drag myself away from my essays for a little while tonight to offer you my two cents on the new teeth whitening craze that appears to be taking the world by storm: activated charcoal.  Little pots of the stuff seem to be popping up left, right and centre wherever I look, but the one I chose was this one from Amazon, by Pro Teeth Whitening Co. (currently out of stock :( ), and came in at a tidy £12.99, certainly representing one of the cheaper options for teeth whitening!

This particular one is 100% natural and made with finely ground food grade activated charcoal, unlike many other whiteners I've been guilty of trying in the past which use peroxide or other chemicals.  Unlike with using Crest Strips for example, I have no teeth sensitivity whatsoever using this which is a Godsend.  Although I got great results using Crest Strips, the sensitivity really was a bitch, to the point that if I breathed in too quickly through my mouth I would get shooting pains in my teeth - nice.  

 Also, perhaps contrary to my initial expectation, this particular one has quite a pleasant, natural and mild flavour which can only really be described as a considerably weak cocktail of mint and ginger beer.  I dampen my toothbrush and dip it straight in to pick up a light coating, then brush my teeth immediately for around a minute.  I do this after brushing my teeth with normal toothpaste first.  The texture is predictably quite gritty at first, but it does lather up slightly to more of a paste consistency as you brush.  

In terms of how it works, I'll leave it to the professionals to explain: 

'Activated charcoal is used today and has been used throughout the centuries to treat people who have accidentally ingested poison - with its porous surface, it attaches to toxins and impurities in the body to draw them out. It works in just the same way on plaque, tannins and stains on teeth - safely and efficiently lifting these off.'

 


 For my particular brand it recommends using twice a day, which I have been doing fairly routinely for around two weeks now.  And I must say, I feel like slowly but surely, my teeth are looking cleaner and whiter, and I've noticed small surface stains gradually fading.  I did take some fairly atrocious before and after gnasher-shots I was going to share with you all, but having put them side by side I realised the lighting is so horribly inconsistent that it would be better to not share them with anyone, ever, and leave things to the imagination instead.  Has anyone else tried or is thinking of trying a similar product?

Ruby x

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Unboxing and Impressions: Beats Solo Wireless Headphones

As you may or may not know from some of my previous posts, a few weeks ago the unthinkable happened, and my beloved 2012 Macbook Pro bit the dust.  What ensued was a very stressful week: first up, I visited the Apple Store, where I was told the laptop would cost between £200-£500 to fix, and had been caused by mysterious 'liquid damage'.   I knew exactly what the liquid damage was... 3 months or so prior, whilst I was in the midst of essay writing madness, I managed to spill almost an entire cup of tea over my keyboard.  I naively thought I had got away with it, but evidently not.

So that was the prelude to me buying a new Mac - and with it, thanks to Unidays, I also got student discount and a set of Beats Solo headphones for free, apparently worth £202 (?!).  

I think Beats have generally received mixed reviews; but I don't think anyone can deny they've done a great job on branding, and this begins with the packaging.

Big claims, right?  

I chose mine in rose gold even though it's not a colour I would normally go for at all.  At first look, despite having seen Beats before, I was pretty impressed. 

They're very lightweight and highly adjustable, and sit comfortably.  I've never owned a pair of headphones (as opposed to earphones) before and I've really been enjoying not having a speaker literally in my ear.  

They're also incredibly compact and fold neatly to fit in the little case which is included.  Another thing which previously had put me off headphones was the thought of either having to carry them round with me in my bag, or having to wear them around my neck constantly.  But luckily the people at Beats have obviously thought about that and come up with a solution.  

Probably the best thing about these, for me, is the fact that they're wireless.  They come with a USB charger and when fully charged can last up to 12 hours, connecting to your phone through Bluetooth.  I find this especially handy for doing exercise (on the rare occasion I actually do it), because you don't have headphone wires trailing everywhere or your earphones falling out.  

In terms of sound quality, obviously I'm no expert, but I'm certainly more than happy.  They cancel a relative amount of noise from outside, and can go impressively loud.  I've actually really been enjoying walking more since I got these, too - I can put on some good tunes and get a pace going like never before.

I have to say, I don't know if I ever would've invested in these myself, as they are such a big investment!  But I was never going to say no to a freebie, and for me they are more than adequate.  If you're a student and thinking of investing in a Mac, I would definitely recommend using Unidays to nab yourselves a free pair of these too!  

Has anyone else used Beats headphones or any other products before?  What did you think?

Love,

Ruby x

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Artis Brush Dupe: Is it worth it?

So, I don't know if anyone else has been seeing the Artis brushes pop up left right and centre in the blogosphere, but I, for one, was so sick of the sight of these I thought I just had to try one.  Until I came to look at the price of those little things and choked on my tea.  Needless to say, for a student, £48 for the 'Oval 7' face brush was a little out of my budget.  

You can imagine my glee when I was browsing YouTube one morning and saw that blogger Lily Melrose had uploaded a video reviewing an Artis style brush dupe that she found on Amazon for under ten smackaroos.  Within a couple of minutes I had ordered my own dupe Artis brush for £4.89.

Presenting...  the so entitled 'VALUE MAKERS Toothbrush Curve Liquid Foundation Blending Brush-Pro Cosmetic Makeup Face Powder Blusher Brushes-Contour Cream Concealer Blusher Make Up Kit-Beauty Cosmetics Tools-Makeup Kit (style 8)' (lol)...

The brush itself is pretty small, and the handle is fairly naff quality - it feels quite flimsy (but what can you expect for such a cheap brush).  The bristles aren't too bad; they're quite soft and very densely packed.  

My first approach was to cleanse moisturise, etc.  I then mixed together my primer and foundation on the back of my hand and used the brush to gently pick up the mixture and apply it to my face.  This was a complete failure - it was instantly absorbed into the bristly abyss, with only around 10% of what I had on the back of my hand ending up on my face.

A little bewildered, I tried a second method...

 

 

Applying the foundation directly to my face, and then smoothing out with the brush in small, gentle sweeping motions. 

Half blended...

 

And the finished product....

 

 

For me, it felt very strange to go back to using a brush after having been a beauty blender convert for so long. I find using a brush to give a more matte and heavier coverage look overall, compared to the dewy, airbrush effect that using a damp beauty blender has.  Although this brush blended my base in well on the majority of my face, I found that it exacerbated dryness in certain areas prone to lack of moisture, giving me a slightly uneven and flaky finish in places.  I also found the bristles to be far too absorbent for my liking, resulting in a lot of product waste.  For all-over foundation application then, this brush gets a thumbs down from me.  I'll be sticking to my beauty blender, thanks.

 

However it's not all bad news.  I did then try using it for blending my contour out, with considerably better results.  I use a powder contour by Smashbox, and so the brush dispersed the product out nicely instead of absorbing it.  Ultimately though, I wouldn't be using this again for foundation.  It's quite good for blending out powder products, but for me, not worth the excitement.

 

Before

After

 

Has anyone tried one of the real Artis brushes?  What did you think?  

Ruby x

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My Experience With Using a Salycylic Acid Facial Peel

A couple of months ago, if someone had recommended me to put acid on my face to help manage acne and scarring, I probably would've thought they were almost definitely a psychopath and have promptly ran away.  However... the more I started to read about 'facial peels', the more curious I became, until one day I found myself on Amazon, ordering a '20% Facial Salycylic Acid Peel Kit'.  Next thing I knew, it was going on my face, week after week.  So I thought I'd write about my experience so far and include some photos for your viewing pleasure!

The kit I bought comes with a 30ml salicylic acid solution and a 50ml neutralising gel (as well as a few free cotton pads, how generous), and cost £16.79 plus postage, which I think was £2.80.  You can get many different types of facial acid and in different concentrates, but having read quite a lot online first, I knew I wanted to start with a relatively low percentage of acid.  At first glance, I thought these bottles looked tiny and wasn't sure if I'd been ripped off or not.  However, having used them both weekly now for almost 6 weeks I'd say I've used just under half of the acid and about the same, if a bit less, of the gel.  So, on second thoughts, I think there would be on average 12 weekly treatments in each set, which I believe represents great value for money.  The instructions I received with the kit recommended using the treatment weekly.  I made sure to read the instructions multiple times, as well as comparing them with ones online, and doing a patch test beforehand - it's a risky business putting acid on your skin so if you do ever choose to try this sort of treatment I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing what you are doing before you begin!!!  I feel like it is something which will work differently for everyone; this is just my experience and method. 

Beginning with clean, makeup and oil free skin (I use the Lancome Gel Eclat cleanser as I find this to be one of the best for me to make my skin feel really super clean!), I apply the acid, which is a strong smelling, clear liquid, using a cotton pad.  I put it straight onto my face, avoiding eyebrows, lips, eyes etc... you can also put vaseline on these areas to protect them from the acid.  Each week I would increase the time that I left the acid on by a minute, from one minute in the first week up to 6 in week six.  The instructions also recommend that you leave it on for 7 minutes as a maximum, as well as leaving a 2 week gap between treatments 6 and 7.  I'm not going to lie, the acid is pretty strong stuff!  You can definitely feel it doing it's thing; it's kind of a light and hot tingling sensation, a bit like if you use a deep cleansing face mask, and in a similar way, it makes your face feel quite tight.  It's quite bizarre to look in the mirror as you do it, as the acid creates a very fine crystallised layer on the surface of your skin, making it look a bit like you've been in the arctic.  I use a timer on my phone to make sure my timings are precise, and once the time is up for the acid I apply the neutralising gel, using a cotton pad again and applying in circular motions.  I leave this on for a minute, then rinse off with cold water.  After a few minutes, I apply a good moisturiser, something quite thick - either Cetaphil moisturising lotion or La Roche Posay Effaclar MAT.  Around 2-3 days later (there's no delicate way to put this), my skin gets a little more dry, and err, peels off... kind of like having sunburn... in February.  It sounds a lot more dramatic than it is, as with a good moisturiser, which I apply 2-3 times a day, it is so easy to manage.  I've found as the weekly treatments have gone on the peeling has been far less intense anyway, and it only ever tends to be around my chin, which I would say is where my acne/scarring/blackheads are worst anyway.  

Below I've put some photos from Week 1 (on the left), versus those from Week 5 (on the right). 

For me, the difference is quite subtle, and difficult to show on camera, too, but I have definitely noticed it.  Although this isn't a cure-all treatment for acne (as I've still been getting spots in between treatments), the texture of my skin has improved tenfold since using it.  My skin is usually quite oily; I find this really helps to balance it, and for first few days after using, it really does feel like you've got a new layer of baby-soft skin.  The difference hasn't been dramatic, but I have seen a reduction in the amount of spots I've been getting, and also feel that week-on-week some of my pores have slowly but surely been shrinking, as well as some of the acne scarring I have.  I think it's also helped with redness and inflammation - all in all, for 5 weeks of usage, I can't really complain.  All it seems to have done is improved my skin, which has made a big difference to my confidence.  Admittedly, I don't have the worst skin in the world at all, and I don't believe spot-free skin is the only beautiful skin, but my skin has always been (or rather, not been) a bit of a soft spot for me - pardon the pun - and so I have the attitude that if I can do something about it, why not try.  

That's all I have to report on using facial peels so far - I'm going to carry on using the kit I've got and complete 12 weeks, then see about perhaps moving onto a higher percentage or different type of acid if I want to continue.  Let me know what you think, and if you'd like me to do a follow up post at the end of the 12 weeks.  Lots of love,

Ruby x

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Lips of the Month: Shroom

It's a Saturday evening and I'm sitting in my bed feeling pretty bloody sorry for myself after last night's antics and my consequent lack of essay progress today.  I'm off to Manchester on Thursday morning, coincidentally the same day as the deadline for a piece of my media coursework... only a true optimist would book to get on a train that leaves before the deadline for a piece of work... or am I just a complete and utter fool?!  Either way, I haven't made it any easier for myself by gaining a reputation as probably the most enthusiastic drinker of far too strong gin and tonics that Ring of Fire has ever seen.  On the plus side, I did get to wear out my new favourite lip colour last night - it's a new one!

Having recently had my birthday, I was lucky enough to get one of the Lime Crime Velvetines from my lovely sisters.  On the website this product is described as 'liquid-to-matte lipstick', and I couldn't say it better myself.  The applicator is a kind of triangular sponge stuck onto the end of a wand, exactly the same deal as you get with your standard year-8 lipgloss.  I was surprised, but I actually really like using this kind of applicator for lip colour: strangely enough, I found it to have more precision than a traditional lipstick, especially when you've only got around 25 seconds allocated from your morning makeup routine for lip colour application.  

 

I'm not going to lie, the formula does take some getting used to, and I wouldn't exactly call it moisturizing.  However, the results are so much more pleasing than other matte lip colours I've tried which make my lips look, well, dry (for example, Honey Love by MAC - I know, I almost cried).  Despite a little bit of inevitable almost-at-Winter lip chapping, this product really does give a smooth finish when used with a little bit of lip balm underneath.  I love the colour, too: I got it in the shade 'Shroom', as I love a good '90s brown shade almost as much as I love my dear mother (but not quite, don't worry Mum!).   

I took these last two photos in natural daylight to try and show the colour best, but unfortunately the weather recently has meant there isn't actually too much daylight to be had at all... see above for a photo with my bedroom light on. 

All in all, after trying this Velvetine, it is with great joy I can say that I do believe there is hope for anyone who, like me, has struggled before with matte lip colours and their horrible habit of drying out lips.  This is a great alternative, comes in many a snazzy shade, and can I just take a moment to appreciate the box it arrived in (you'll have to scroll back up to the top to remind yourself, but trust me, it's worth it)... that's probably at least half of the postage and packaging cost, but it's oh-so-Instagram worthy.  

Ruby x

 

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Review: Batiste's 'Oomph my Locks' XXL Volume Spray and 'Texture Me' Texturising Spray

Every day I ask myself the same questions.  Mainly, what am I going to have for breakfast, what am I most likely to actually get done today and what am I doing with my life in that order... usually followed by 'What in the name of the good Lord can I do with my hair today?'.  And this question, Boots answered for me.

As you may or may not know from my last post (where I found the perfect hair-concealing accessory), I am constantly looking for ways to avoid washing my hair.  I'm caught in the never-ending vicious cycle of not wanting to pay to get my haircut, but also not wanting to wash my hair because it's too long, too thick and too tangly.  Ever since dry shampoo appeared on the scene all those years (showing my age) ago, I have been a changed woman.  Gone are the days of having to labour for hours in the bath combing, conditioning, shampooing, repeating... All I went into Boots for was another bottle of my all-time favourite dry-shampoo brand, Batiste.  So, as you can imagine, my day certainly took a turn for the interesting when I found they have a new styling range.

Much to my excitement, I picked up two new products to try out; the 'Oomph my Locks' XXL Volumising Spray (£2.86) and the 'Texture Me' Texturizing Spray (£2.99).  Even better, they were both a third off... do you see why I couldn't resist?  I noticed too that they've re-vamped the big cans of Tropical dry shampoo with this snazzy flamingo meets Hawaiian flowers design which I love. 

I have to say, I've been leaning far more towards using the volume spray as opposed to the texturising.  The spray is similar in consistency to the classic dry shampoo; I tend to spray it in at the roots and in the front mainly, with a little in the mid lengths, scrunch like crazy and then brush the ends just a little bit so I don't end up looking like a lion.  

This spray, in a nutshell, does exactly what it says on the can.  In terms of its volumizing factor, it can't be faulted - in a similar way to dry shampoo it's formula seems to thicken out the hair with a kind of powder-like texture (hence the scrunching is essential).  It's great for half up half down styles or for big, bouncy night-out-on-the-town looks, however my one qualm would be that unfortunately, as with many a hair product, it does build up quickly and will stay put in your hair until you wash it again.  Which is fine, as long as you don't mind the bizarrely dry, almost crispy texture it gives your hair.  Luckily enough, you can't actually notice this by sight, but when you touch your hair, you'll certainly know you've laden it with potions.  As long as that doesn't put you off though, for XXL volume this really is an inexpensive holy grail product.  

The texturizing spray is, again, of similar formula, yet is better suited to using in the lengths of your hair as it's more hairspray-like and doesn't require quite as much scrunching.  It doesn't offer huge amounts of hold for thick hair like mine, but works well with wavy to curly styles.  I really like using this in the ends of a ponytail or for day-to-day hair down looks.  It offers similar results to many of the salt sprays I've used in the past, but, thankfully, is less sticky.  I also love the fact that it's an aerosol instead of a pump spray, meaning you have far better control over the amount of product that goes into your hair and its distribution.  Ultimately, for £2.99, I can't really complain - it's probably something I wouldn't repurchase but for those of you with finer hair this product could well be your new best friend.  

That's it from me - let me know if you'd maybe like to see a post on creating styles using these products.  Have a good week and muchas gracias for reading! 

Ruby x

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Review: Guerlain Cils d'Enfer Maxi Lash So Volume Mascara

Hello hello!  I am writing from a new room in a new house that I moved into last week and will be living in for the next eleven months while I'm doing my second year back at university.  This is all very well and good, but does means, especially after term starting today, that it will be a bit more of, shall we say, a squeeze to fit in blogging.  In between lectures, reading (I was crazy enough to study English literature despite my snails-pace reading abilities), trying to hold a household together, working, etc. etc. etc., blogging is, very regretfully, probably going to move slightly down on my agenda.  That is not to say though that I will let the stresses of life thwart it completely.  I'm going to aim to do one post a week, but I'm sure there will be weeks where I have more or less going on and you will see posts from me according to that.  Anyway, I feel like I've written my disclaimer paragraph - on with another review!

I bought this Guerlain Cils d'Enfer Mascara in #01 Noir at the Duty Free in Gatwick before our flight out to Dalaman... does anyone else find it absolutely impossible to walk through there without buying anything!?  However, I had been on the lookout for a new mascara, waiting patiently for weeks for my usual favourite mascara brand Lancôme to be on offer in Boots.  Typically, that didn't happen, so I took it as a sign of fate, and decided to be adventurous and try another brand entirely.  

I haven't actually tried much by Guerlain at all, aside from their perfumes, Insolence and My Insolence which have proved to be two of my favourites, and take me right back to when I was thirteen or fourteen and got one from my Grandpa as a birthday present.  I do love the sleek packaging though, and, similarly to the Lancôme range, the product is fragranced very delicately with an intoxicating variety of floral notes.  Slightly odd, for a mascara, but I believe it all helps add to the impression of a rather luxurious product.  The brush comprises of short plastic one-length bristles and is tapered; I find these brushes are best for dramatic looks giving both length and volume to lashes as opposed to more feathery (brush-like!) brushes.  

Above are photos without mascara (the eyebrows + foundation combo is looking scary as ever, you may notice...).  My eyelashes are naturally medium length and thickness, and are medium brown at the base then graduating to lighter ends.  I lightly curled my lashes before applying a coat of Cils d'Enfer, and my results are below.

As you can see from the photos, the product gives a great amount of length and volume, which is great for a more dramatic look, or, for example, if you want to wear simple eye makeup with an emphasis on big lashes.  For me, it does take a bit of getting used to using a new mascara, particularly as the brush is quite bulky and only slightly tapered, making it a little harder to get into the very corners of each eye.  As with all fresh mascaras, often the brush comes out coated in slightly too much product which can then leave residue on the tops of the eyelids.  The way I deal with this is by waiting for it to dry, then taking a cotton bud with a drop of water on it to wipe away any smudges.  

Aside from this small issue, I do love the mascara.  It's instant volumising effect means it's very quick to use, and only really takes one coat (more runs the risk of clumping!), pushing it up, surprisingly to a product I now regard as highly convenient and part of my everyday makeup routine.  It is very long wearing, and copes well with hot weather, as I found out in Turkey - I had almost no problems with it smudging in the heat, yet it is very easy to remove with an oil-based or oil-free eye makeup remover.  

Ultimately, for a product that will halve your mascara application time, looks and smells lovely, and gives great length and volume to my pretty damn average eyelashes, I think the price tag of £23 is  one hundred percent, no regrets, justified.  And that's coming from a student, too.

Ruby x