Time does not take favourites, and whether our skin whithers quickly with time or not is entirely up to us. And there are oh so many options to choose from and all of them promise us younger looking, healthy, glowing skin – no matter what age we might be. The question is, which ones work?
Missha Super Aqua | Oxygen Micro Visible Deep Cleanser – Review
Whether we wear a lot of makeup or not, our skin is exposed to all kinds of things while we go about our day. It is only fair that we spend five minutes of our time pampering it and cleansing it from all the things it had to endure all day long.
Etude House Drawing Eyebrow | Grey Brown – Review
To brow or not to brow. Eyebrows can make or break a look and there are so many different eyebrow products for all those eyebrow shapes and textures, but which one is a good eyebrow liner and which is not?
Ingredient Dictionary
A
Aloe Extract: Aloe Vera is one thing you practically cannot go wrong with. It has healing properties, is anti-inflammatory, moisturising and has an anti-aging effect.
Additionally, if you have pale skin, aloe vera is your best friend in summer. Just rub it onto your skin gently, if you have gotten sunburnt, and it will soothe the skin and reduce some of the pain.
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate: Long name, easy description. In a nutshell, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate is a texture enhancer that is used in cosmetics to prevent caking. It is deemed safe for use in cosmetics but it also has concentration limitations.
This is no cause for worry, as a lot of ingredients are only deemed safe in certain concentrations for obvious reasons. I am pointing this out, as I did see some over dramatised articles stating that this ingredient is a health hazard, which is true if it is not used correctly, which is the case with nearly every other chemical too.
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate: Is an ingredient that can be produced from coconut and usually counts as a really gentle cleansing agent. It has a complicated (aka large) molecular structure and cannot penetrate the outer layers of the skin, thus is also does not damage the cells that lie underneath that layer.
It is also used as a foaming agent, which makes our skincare and also some of our hair care products all nice and foamy.
Avocado fruit extract: The extract is used in products to replenish moisture. It is popular because it is easily absorbed by the skin, that why avocado extract is often used in moisturisers or massage oils.
B
Berry Complex: The berry mix Complex with ingredients such as raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, blueberry, and goji berry rich in vitamin C melts dead skin cells from the lips and makes the lips feel smooth and elastic. Laneige claims it to be rich in vitamin C and anti-oxidants and to act on dry, rough lips. So, I looked into every single fruit listed and I have to admit that they are really good for your skin and health in general.
Butylene Glycol: is a solvent with awesome antimicrobial action, which is an agent that kills microorganisms and is often used against bacteria. It also masks odour and serves as a humectant.
C
Cucumber extract: Well, we all know that cucumber is 95% water, so what can you really expect? There is one interesting fact about cucumber: It enhances the scent of a makeup product. Who knew?
Centella Asiatica Extract: Is an ingredient that has soothing properties and is known to show notable improvement to the skins’ moisture levels.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine: This ingredient is mainly a secondary cleansing agent as it is too mild to really do anything to our skin or hair. It is an ingredient you should look for in baby-products though.
It is considered safe and very gentle to the skin and can be derived from either coconut oil or be created synthetically (is that a word? Hehe) and it also has some antiseptic properties.
Coco-caprylate: Is used as a skin-conditioning agent or emollient. Unlike the regular oil, this agent is not supposed to feel sticky, but silky like a lotion. Coco caprylate is – as you might have already guessed – derived from coconut oil. It is also a natural ingredient with little to no hazards to the skin, which is also said to help skin regeneration.
D
Diisostearyl Malate: This is one ingredient that is usually not found in foundations apparently. Diisostearyl Malate is a skin conditioning agent mostly used in lipsticks (hair dyes and sunscreens) It is generally deemed safe and in cosmetics, it is used as an emollient, which means it increases the moisture levels of the skin and prevents evaporation.
E
Evening Primrose Root Extract: The health risks of the Extract are rather low, which is a big plus. It is supposed to soothe dryness and nourish skin while reducing fine lines or wrinkles.
G
Glycerin: Is also known as Glycerol or Glycerine. Glycerin is an ingredient that is found naturally in the skin, helping it establish its natural balance and hydration levels. Products that contain Glycerin help the skin maintain a natural healthy look.
Pure Glycerin takes the water from the skin and therefore is normally only used in a concentration of 5% or lower, in order to prevent that from happening.
Grapeseed Oil: This ingredient is mostly used in products for people with oily skin because it won’t cause acne. -The actual wording was non-comedogenic-
H
Hunza Apricot Extract: Is supposed to supply moisture to the skin and smoothen the skins’ texture. Besides that, it prevents skin moisture loss and further damage, thus increasing the skins’ moisture level. It also stops the skin from darkening and through doing that it evens out the skin tone.
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides: Is also one of the ingredients known for its function as skin conditioning agent or emollient. Overall it is not rated as hazardous to our skin and it is often used as a thickening agent in cosmetics.
Hydrogenated Soybean Oil: This ingredient is very popular because rather than being in a liquid state, it stays semi-solid. It is very often used in hair products, so check your favourite conditioners’ ingredient list and report back to me. One of the phrases often found in combination with phrases like “Antioxidant”, “Skin conditioning Agent/ Emollient” and those sound good, right?
Funnily enough, even though it is really popular as a cosmetic ingredient, people are adviced not to include it in their diet. Soybeans are very healthy, but the genetically manipulated version seems to be the exact opposite. Just a small info.
Hydro Ion Mineral Water: One of the best factors of this ingredient is its’ effect on skin damage. The Molecular Hydrogen can help reduce the damage done to the UV-induced skin. Is also is a good anti-aging ingredient and found in many anti-ageing skincare products.
I
Isododecane: Is a texture enhancer used to heighten the spreadability of products like lipsticks or foundations, without feeling heavy. It helps to minimise colour transfer.
Because it cannot be absorbed by the skin, the risk of any side effects like irritation occurring is rather low. Isododecane also had non-comedonal properties, which means a lack of clogging pores or acne development.
L
Lemon Water: As the most of you might have guessed, Lemon Water is really high in vitamin C, which is known to be an immunity booster. It is also said to be high in proteins and helps in maintaining a healthy pH Balance.
But to be honest, just like the Lime Extract in the I’m Meme Cushion Corrector, it is better to consume Lemon orally, rather than applying it to your skin. There are less negative results and it tastes great too.
Lime Extract: Now this one is an ingredient that is not as good as others. Citrus fruits like lime can cause a reaction when applied to the skin that is called photosensitive reaction. That reaction results in patchy, uneven parts on the skin.
Lime extract oil has some antioxidant activity though.
M
Macadamia seed oil: This oil supports your cells, is hydrating and supports cell healing. What really caught my eye, because we are looking at a hand cream this time, is that macadamia seed oil gets absorbed by the skin really fast. So you shouldn’t feel too greasy or something similar.
The macadamia oil seems to be an essential stabiliser for the product’s formula. Also, it gives it longevity, a good thing for those of us who do not throw away everything after half a year.
I haven’t found many risks, just be cautious if you are allergic to nuts and watch your reaction to the product closely.
Mango seed butter: Mango seeds contain a lot of Vitamin C, which tightens the skin and makes your skin appear plumper. With this tightening comes the wrinkle reducing, anti-ageing-effect.
The butter is also moisturising and if you have dry, chapped lips try applying a bit of mango butter as a countermeasure. Because it is so mild, even people with really sensitive skin should not have any problems when using it.
Marshmallow Plant Extract: Is known as a skin-soothing texture enhancer. The Marshmallow Root – Althea officinalis in Latin – is a plant native to Africa.
Other than skincare, it is also used for sores or curing irritation of the throat or a dry cough. The Root is high in mucilages, which prevents irritation, but normally most Extracts come from the flowers, whose anti-inflammatory properties are milder than the roots’.
P
Polymethyl Methacrylate: This ingredient is often used in makeup and hair-/nail care products as a film former or a “viscosity increasing agent”, which basically means it increases the thickness of a liquid. Basically, it makes the product look smoother and it feels soft to the touch.
S
Shea butter: One of the main benefits of shea butter is that it is moisturising and contains a ton of vitamins that are beneficial for your skin. It reduces inflammations – we all know and hate them – and makes your skin soft and smooth.
Did you know that shea butter actually offers UV protection? Well yes, with its SPF of about 6 it will not prevent that sunburn from making you look like a crab but still, it’s the thought that counts, right?
Sodium Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-1: This is a polymer that Estee Lauder patented and they defined it as a water-absorbing polymer that acts as a “high thickening effect in aqueous solvents” that blurs the fine lines of the skin. The polymer appears to have really low health risks and reduces pore size.
From what I can gather, this is the perfect ingredient for pore filling primers or primers in general, as it assists a smooth spread and good skincare.
Sweet almond oil: If you think mango seeds are top notch then look at this. Almond oil is hypoallergenic and normally used as a massage oil for infants, because of its mildness. The light texture helps the oil to penetrate the skin and it is said to prevent blackheads and acne.
And – I think I am going to try this out myself – it reduces dark circles under your eyes if applied every evening before going to bed.
T
Titanium Dioxide: Is one of those super ingredients that protect the skin from all kinds of damage, especially UVA and UVB and is often found in sunscreens. If you have sensitive skin this is one of the ingredients you should look for in your products as it is deemed safe for all skin types and also has a very low inflammation risk.
Titanium Dioxide resides on the upper layers of the skin and thus enhances sun protection and it also works as an opacifier.
Trehalose: Is actually a kind of sugar that is sometimes called “mushroom sugar” because it can be found in mushrooms. It has an anti-ageing effect and stabilises protein structures.
Apparently, it is a really healthy kind of sugar, so if you want to eat “anti-ageing-sugar” just buy some shiitake mushrooms!
U
Urea: Is an organic crystalline compound also called Carbamide. It is used to hydrate the skin with its moisturising properties and additionally also exfoliates the skin.
Urea is found in our skin naturally and is one of the factors influencing the skins’ moisture levels. If you have dry skin, the Urea percentage is noticeably lower than that of a regular skin type. So, for someone with dry skin, this is definitely an ingredient to look into when buying skincare products.
V
Vinyl Dimethicone: Is a silicone based polymer, used in shampoos, skin care and cosmetic articles. Companies use vinyl dimethicone to adjust the thickness of liquid makeup products to their liking.
If you are looking for long wear cosmetic products you should check for silicones in the ingredient list, as they are known to have good effects on the longevity of your looks.
W
Water: Water is the most important skin component and our human body mostly consists of water. It is also the most common ingredient in cosmetic products. To tell the truth, in comparison to other ingredients, water does not have that many positive effects on our skin in regard to our skincare products. It is used to eliminate the hardness, minerals and to avoid product contamination. And to stretch out some of the products.
When I started this blog, I also started wondering what exactly is in all those products I am reviewing and what they do to you. And this is how I got around to researching the ingredients of the stuff I am reviewing because I wanted to tell you guys what is inside the makeup and skincare I am recommending and in my opinion, you cannot recommend something without talking about ingredients.
This list is a work in progress, and with every review, I will update and enlarge it. Let’s hope this will one day really be something you can use to look up your products’ dark secrets 😉
Ps.: I hope this list is of some help and that the information is accurate. Because I am not really knowledgeable in Biology or Chemistry – I nearly flunked the class last time – I research those things and summarise them, hoping that nothing is wrong.
Should I have made a mistake I would be really grateful if you could tell me so.
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Eyeshadows are beautiful and we can use them for all kinds of makeup and to create beautiful looks. And we do like our eyeshadows to be beautiful and high quality so this time we will be looking at a four piece set from Manhattan.
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Have you ever used a mask that looks like jello? Looks are nearly everything that matter when you buy a beauty product – but in the end, it is the performance that makes us repurchase something. So here we are, testing something pretty and looking at its quality.
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The Peripera liptints are popular. Everyone raves about them and everyone seems to love them. So I just could not resist the temptation of trying some out myself. Let’s see whether they are as good as they sound or not.
