Sunday, May 18, 2008

La Mer - The Body Lotion


Well, it calls itself the miracle cream. The creme de la creme of skin creams. I mean, that's a bit of a claim, now isn't it?

I was fortunate enough to receive two samples of the body lotion from my best friend. I've saved this till now, and thinking, well, now that it's almost winter, let's see how good this cream really is.

It looks and smells like an ordinary cream, that you rub between your hands to warm up, and liquify. Please. I suppose it absorbed easily enough, even into my dryest, flakiest areas. Alright, it's looking good so far, I have to admit. It even helps soothe the itchy areas on my legs. But you know, the cream is quite expensive, for 125ml, you're looking at AUD$325, meaning that my 2 samples of 10ml each cost a total of $AUD52, that's $US50 thanks. Fucking hell. So you can bet your sweet ass I'm making these last. Damn, I had no idea.

It even claims that it's so rich with nutrients, you don't even have to use it every day. I mean, really, I find that a bit much. My experience so far, has been that you do need a booster cream for every second day. Something cheaper should do nicely. It has alot of interesting ingredients, but then you'd expect something like that, for what you'd be paying.

There's declustered water (declustered, mind you, not your nasty clustered water), cholesterol (rich in fats), strawberry begonia (saxifraga sarmentosa) extract (according to Paula's Choice, there's no benefit of this ingredient), Grape extract, mulberry extract, Baikal scullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis), Spring Water (in case declustered water wasn't enough) and lady's thistle (Silybum marianum). Yes, Silybum.

Would I use this lotion if I was rich? No. I wouldn't, frankly, because it's overpriced, and I don't think you can go one day without it, without something in between, particularly in winter. And what in god's name is declustered water?

Saturday, September 8, 2007

M.A.C Tinted Lip Conditioner

You might recall from my other blog, that I've been searching for a real lip conditioner/balm for ages. Something that offers long lasting moisture, without being too sticky or flaky, or smearing. A touch of colour wouldn't go astray either. Well, I think the search has finally ended people.

Came across this lip conditioner, by Make-up Art Cosmetics...? A brand I've heard of, but have never tried till now. What the hell was I using before? Blistexes, Bonne Bells and Chapsticks? Forget that. I think it's the mix of ingredients in this little pot that makes all the difference. Castor seed oil, sweet almond oil, shea butter, avocado oil, wheat germ oil, chamomile flower oil, murumuru butter, vanilla extract... no wonder my lips were soaking it up like absorbent paper.


You even open the box and it's got a little subliminal message saying, Back 2 M.A.C. Whatever that means. But it's sold me. At $28 AUD (about $23 US, right about now), it's not the cheapest lip conditioner out there, but then, you get what you pay for. And that's what we're all looking for right?


So good it's not listed under the Lips category on the M.A.C website strangely enough, but under Fixers. Fair enough.


What's my recommendation? Damn, if I'd keep this to myself if I were you.