Essence Try It Love It | Quickie Shop Swatch and Review

Long time, no see!  Today I’m sharing a quickie in-store swatch and review of the Essence Try It Love It trend edition collection. Things have been hectic at Procrastination House this year, but I’m hoping they will start to settle down by the end of this month so I can get back into the swing of things.

Speaking about swinging, I recently waltzed past a freshly unpacked display for the Essence Try It Love It trend edition.  I took some photos of swatches done from the testers to share with you all, and then got promptly hit with the “no free time” stick.  I did check in last week at the Target at Castletown, Townsville where I saw this display and it was still quite stocked, so if you’re in the area you should still be able to pick up a few of these beauties.

Essence Try It Love It!

This Trend Edition collection by Essence was introducing the “new beauty must-haves” of the coming season.  As the information on the Essence Try It Love It trend edition page states, it’s “all about diverse textures for your eyes, lips, face and nails”.

The colours in the display really caught my eye, and as I was in virgin tester territory for the very first time, I went to town and swatched everything that had a tester!

L-R – 2 liquid lipsticks, 2 sheer lipsticks, matte blush

Using the order of my incredibly pasty, hairy, white girl arm swatch, I’ll run through the items.

There were 2 shades of liquid lipstick, 03 almost real – a camel/apricot beige, and 04 show off! a bright coral red, emphasis on the red.  They were the sticky style of liquid lipstick, great pigmentation and super glossy.  They were quite moist, and my swatch transferred quite easily to my shirt which had an accidental Homer make-up shotgun-esque style makeover on one boob.  (Such a good look in public)

Next were the two sheer lipstick shades.  These were very sheer, and had a sparkle through them.  The red/pink lipstick was 13 Like a Princess, and the sheer nude shade was 01 My First Love.  These lippies would be great for someone who only wants a little bit of colour/sparkle on their lips and wants the formula of a lipstick over a lipgloss.

Next was my favourite product from the display, the matte touch blush.  There were two colours available, although only 10 peach me up! was available as a tester.  I would have liked to try the darker dusky rose shade of blush, but it was not to be.  I also forgot to take down the name darker blush, my bad!  I guess I’ve learned for next time I’m taking clandestine swatch photos in the store.

Sadly, I ran out of testers, so on to the “no tester available” products starting with the four “All About” eyeshadow palettes on offer.  The palettes were “all about Bronze”, Roses, Nudes and Greys.  I think the Bronze palette called to me the most, as I love cream and dark mushroom beige colours together on my lid, but the different colour options didn’t really scream BUY ME NOW, I’ve seen palettes with this colour range before.  They would still be a good every day option for someone who needs to start or refresh their make-up collection.

Second to last items were the three nail polish colours, which was was what initially caught my eye.  One of these shades is a “soft matt”, the bright coral 47 va-va-voom, so it could possibly be a satin finish or rubber style matte polish.  The other two shades appear to be cremes, with the grey sporting the name 53 rock my world! and the dusky rose being 48 my love diary.  I have no idea on formulas as no testers (and I already had enough lippie on my shirt by this stage – I didn’t need to be handling wet nail polish as well!).

Lastly, there was the bright Multi-Action volume mascara, with a comic book style bright yellow “Multi-Action” emblazoned across it. To be honest I wasn’t paying much attention by this point as Manbeast was itching to get a move on, and I tend not to use volumising mascara because I end up with black freckles on my lid. As I sit typing, I am remembering my last experience with an Essence mascara which never ever dried on my lashes, even after a few hours, so this might be another reason I wasn’t really giving much attention to the mascara, as both my wallet, and my eyeball, have been burnt before.

Well, that’s it!  My quickie in-shop swatch post for the Essence Try it Love it trend edition ended up taking an epic amount of time to finish the post for!  I must be off now, as I have a whole table full of junk to sort out before this weekend’s swatching session!

Awkwardly yours,

Relle

TelomErase Beauty Roadtest | RevivSerum’s Triple Telomere Targeting Serum

http://www.brandbacker.com/bob_cl_tk.js//

“You can’t buy happiness. But here you can buy youthful skin. And that’s pretty close”.  Sounds good, right?  But is it true?  Keep on reading to find out, as today I am sharing my experience using Telomerase from RevivSerums.  I was sent two sample vials of the Telomerase Serum from RevivSerums for the purposes of this review.  However, as usual, all my opinions are my own.

Telomerase Serum by RevivSerums

This serum is marketed as being net-gen age-defying technology, a six in one “multi-corrective” that erases, tightens, brightens, blurs, moisturises and regenerates; containing “the most powerful combination of new ingredients available” to visibly reduce the appearance of sags and bags, dark circles, fine lines, sunspots, redness, pore size and laxity.

I have to say that these claims were getting my beauty sceptic senses tingling – and not in the mild way the product information suggested I might experience.  I clearly don’t have a science background, so I’m not going to focus my review on what all of that means, and instead I’m going to tell you how well the product worked for me.

I received two deluxe travel-sized airless pump bottles of TelomErase serum, containing 5ml, and one of the bottles lasted seven days, or 14 applications.

The serum is a warm yellow colour, and reminds me some beeswax-based lip balms I’ve used in the past.  It doesn’t have a strong fragrance, and I would probably describe it as having more of a faint, inoffensive smell that dissipates quickly.  Basically, it doesn’t smell nasty, or nice, or like anything at all really, but there is something there – it’s just not flowers, or citrus, or spicy, it must be the scent of telom erasers!

Did RevivSerums Telomerase Work for me?

I found the serum dried really quickly, and it wasn’t greasy or tacky. I was really impressed with the feel of the serum, and that I could apply it to my whole face and neck in one motion, instead of fumbling with oily hands to open and close multiple products.

I live in a hot and humid area of Australia, and even though it feels like the humidity was at 110% lately, for the week I have been using the serum, my face hasn’t gotten greasy or sticky, and has remained soft and moisturised throughout the day.  I saw an improvement in my overall skin condition, and most importantly, it didn’t irritate my eye area which most moisturisers do.

I have to hand it to Telomerase for it’s effectiveness – even the local Manbeast could see an improvement in my skin, and you all know how hard it is to get someone that lives with you to notice subtle changes like that.

So, the big question I guess is, did the RevivSerums Telomerase live up to it’s claims?  I’m going to run through them below, with my results.

erases, tightens, brightens, blurs, moisturises and regenerates … to visibly reduce the appearance of sags and bags, dark circles, fine lines, sunspots, redness, pore size and laxity

Well it didn’t erase my whole face (which could be a bad thing if you’re seeing me before my morning coffee), but my skin did feel tighter, and well moisturised.  I’m not sure if it brightened my skin as I have been suffering from some redness across my cheeks, nose and eyebrows, but Telomerase seems to have toned that redness down, so another positive for the product.  My eyelids are less puffy/swollen, and the fine lines and crepiness under my eyes have improved far more than I had hoped for.  You can see in the photo below the improvement in puffiness and lines underneath my eyes.    It also did wonders for the pores on my nose and cheeks, and my face was less irritated around my brow bone.  My skin felt smoother, well-moisturised, and hasn’t been producing the excess oils it normally does at this time of the year.

The lighting in the above photo is slightly different, but my dark circles aren’t as rampant, and the pinky flush across my eyebrows has dissipated.

So yes, RevivSerums Telomerase Serum did live up to its claims.  This Gauche Gal is impressed, and seriously considering repurchasing.

Reader Discount

RevivSerums has given me code to share with my readers for an additional 10% off their half-price introductory sale price of US$149.  If you’d like to take advantage of the code, put the code TIGHT10 at the checkout.  (Limited to one per customer/household until 31 December 2015)(Not available in Japan).

Don’t want to pay? There is a Giveaway!

US and Canada (except Quebec)(sorry Quebec)

For those of you in the United States or Canada, there is a giveway being run where three winners will each receive a full-sized package of TelomErase serum.  If you’d like to check out the giveaway, be quick as it’s only open for another 9 days.  Click here to go to the giveaway.

Awkwardly yours,

Relle

*This was a BrandBacker sponsored post.  I received two trial sized vials of the abovementioned serum from RevivSerums for the purpose of this review.  All opinions are my own.  Please check my disclosure policy for more information.

Killing the Frizz | Review of Hair&Me’s Hair Rejuvenation Treatment

Winter has finally made an appearance in “sunny North Queensland” and that means fuzzy hair for days!   I have been on leave from work for the past three weeks so I took the opportunity to have fun hair, and dyed my hair bright purple.  With the winter climate, frequent trips in the car with the windows down, and the purple dye, my hair wasn’t exactly thanking me for what I had put it through. I get major frizz in winter, which means this gauche gal has been wandering around town looking a little like Myrtle Snow from American Horror Story: Coven.

You’ll have to agree, not a look everyone could carry off!

Thankfully a solution was in sight, as Australian brand, Hair&Me recently gave me their Hair Rejuvenation Treatment to try.

A little about Hair&Me and their products

Hair&Me is run by Jessica and Tom, a husband-and-wife team, who started their business when Jessica went on maternity leave from her hairdressing career and created their own hair care range. Their flagship product is the Hair Rejuvenation Treatment, which is a 100% certified organic oil-based pre-shampoo.  The other products in the range include a Strength Shampoo,  Strength Conditioner, and detangling brush.  I’m also happy to report that all of Hair&Me’s products are vegan friendly and cruelty free.

My lobster hair clip was the closest thing to a coconut crab I had

Back of packaging

Hair&Me’s Hair Rejuvenation Treatment

As I said before, this treatment is made from 100% certified organic ingredients, is vegan friendly and not tested on animals (unless you count this purple-haired frizzy muppet!).  It is oil-based pre-shampoo treatment, with coconut, macadamia, almond and jojoba oils.  The frangrance from the oils was quite light, and reminded me of coconut macaroons.  In fact, I spent most of the time that I had the treatment in looking at coconut macaroon photos on Instagram because I had a major craving!

The information available on the product claims that it strengthens and hydrates the hair, as well as helping with dandruff, dry skin conditions, and maintaining a healthy scalp.  Well, I certainly had a head full of problems ready to test out those claims!  Hair&Me also say that this treatment cuts down blow-drying time by 30% to 50%.  As I don’t currently blow-dry my hair more than once a month, I decided not to try this out and instead tested what difference the product made to my naturally dried hair.

This is going to be a bit of a long post as I took quite a few photos of the product, the Myrtle (aka “the before”) and the after.

The Myrtle (aka Normal Wash and Dry)

My hair currently has quite heavily bleached ends, permanent dye, then from memory I also put some streaks in there (old school DIY streaking cap variety), and then I a semi-permanent purple dye over all of that. I also have some mild scalp psoriasis thrown in there for good measure (thanks Grandma!).  I usually get half of a “good hair day” from each wash, with the first day leaving me fuzzy, frizzy and frightening, and the second day with great ends but starting to get oily at the roots.  If I leave my hair a third day, it’s oily and lank and my scalp starts to get irritated.

To get a base line for how effective the Hair Rejuvenation Treatment is or not, I washed my hair normally, lightly towel dried it then left it to dry naturally.  I brushed it through when it was just damp, then let it continue to dry.  Then I waited an hour before I took the photos.  As you can see, fuzzypalooza.  I have a halo of soft wispy hairs all over, and the ends just look raggedy. Like I’m overdue for a trim – which of course, I am.  I then waited for 2 days before using the treatment, as this is my usual hair washing regime.

Freshly washed, dried naturally and brushed

and that’s brushed with no knots!!!

On to the Treatment itself!

The Hair Rejuvenation Treatment is fairly easy to use, and as I’m in “not really winter” land, I needed to pop my treatment in the fridge to get it to a creamy consistency.  I got a little sidetracked around this point, and left it in the fridge a bit too long, but it softened up quickly after leaving it out for a a few minutes.  I squished some out into a container so I knew what I was dealing with, and to share with you all how it looks.

Squish

So, with hot pink sachet in hand, I wandered to the bathroom.  I quickly wet my hair and applied the treatment, wrapping my hair up in a shopping bag, shoulders wrapped in a towel and kicked back to relax while I waited for the treatment time.  The only problem I had with application was how much to use.  I re-read the packaging, product listing on the store and social media but I couldn’t find out how much I should put on.  As I couldn’t find any information to the contrary, I applied the whole sachet which ended up being overkill for my hair.

It wasn’t until after I had finished the treatment that I found the FAQ section of the Hair&Me website which said I was meant to use a golf-ball sized amount.  The sachet is meant to last 2 to 4 treatments, depending on the length and thickness of your hair, and I think this amount would be easy to manage in terms of keeping the product on your hair and not coating yourself with it.

Since my hair is neither long or thick, I had applied around three times the amount necessary.  I was a drippy, oily, coconut macaroon craving mess, but as it wasn’t irritating my eyes or face, and was not sticky, I let it do it’s thing and treated every single hair from the waist up, as well as my skin so it didn’t go to waste.

The After

I found the treatment very easy to wash off my hair (and the rest of me), and I didn’t need to use more shampoo than usual.  My shower floor wasn’t slippery, and the amount of hair shed during washing was minimal.  I was really pleased with the results, and my hair felt much smoother with less tangles than I normally have after towel drying.  I followed the same procedure as I outlined in the before section, and as you can see there was a definite improvement.

Please take no notice of the actual colour change in the before and after shots.  Unfortunately I lost the natural light due to the weather and had to use the flash on the camera.

The main differences I noted after using the treatment was that my ends were smooth and no longer angry at me for abusing them, and a major reduction on the frizz.  Myrtle was no where to be seen, and I had a smooth natural wave showing instead, and no halo of wispy hairs.  The biggest positive result for me however was the cut down on oily rooots, and the relief in symptoms of my scalp condition.

I spliced together the before and after shots for easy comparison.  The lighter side is the after because of the camera flash, not because colour was stripped from my hair.

All in all, the Hair Rejuvenation Treatment worked well for me with my hair looking and behaving better, and were a lot less oily than usual after the second day.  Less oil also means less irritation to my scalp condition, so I was able to last longer between washes.

Hair&Me’s Hair Rejuvenation Treatment is available internationally from their online store, and at the time of posting this, a 90ml re-sealable satchet was AUD$19.95.

Press Sample

Unboxing the Bellabox May 2015 Sugar Fix subscription box

I’ve been receiving the Bellabox subscription for quite some time, ever since my buddy Ruth got me a gift subscription as a gift.  I haven’t really done an in-depth “unboxing” before.  Mostly due to a lack of time, but also because my previous blog was centred on nail polish and I felt a little funny doing non-polish related posts.  I decided that I would review this box as my first official Gauche Gal review!

Bellabox May 2015 – Sugar Fix

Confessions of a Packrat :: AKA What’s In My Handbag

When I volunteered myself to join in blogging about what lip products I had in my handbag, I was expecting to find more than one apple chapstick.  Because of the severe deficiency in lip related products, I will be blogging what is in my handbag generally.

Since technically I was using two handbags at the time, I pulled out the contents from both bags, and combined them.  I have been accused of being Mary Poppins (think of her carpet bag), or that I have a portal to an alternative universe in my handbag, since I have so much stuff in it.  I think however, this is just how I am.  At work, I am infamous for having just what you need, or having enough weird things available at my desk and in my bag to combine into an object that will do the job in a pinch, just like MacGyver.

So, after taking out mail, old receipts and other redundant papers, we are left with this beautiful mess.

Everything a girl would need in a zombie apocalypse!!  Okay, so maybe not, but finding the forgotten jelly beans did excite me a little bit, as there are absolutely no snacks in the house!

Jumping right in we have some Panadol Osteo (acquired from raiding my father’s stash while doing a spot of house-sitting), Naprogesic (Shark Week.  Need I say more?), and Mylanta for when my tummy decides that what I just ate was so fantastic that I need to taste it not once, not twice, but many times for hours after I’ve eaten.  One uber duber super overnight life raft, Moxie brand (in case of sudden Shark attack).  Next we have a fine black Sharpie, for writing your best friend’s phone number on the wall of the bathroom, or for you know, labelling Aussie Post satchel bags and other secret swap mail.  I also keep a coral red Parker pen in my bag that my Mum gave me for my birthday last year.  Next to that is a Targus stylus which I rarely use now that I’ve given up my Draw Something habit.  More medication with a Ventolin inhaler, and cold sore cream for the festering second head I attempted to grow out of my bottom lip just after New Years.  A bottle of spray eye drops… weird and not quite as effective, but it feels nice when hay fever has me rubbing my eyes like a mad bitch.  Radox hand sanitiser, which has a lovely scent I might add, and a tube of Silic 15 cream (psoriasis is an unforgiving wench) and violet hand cream get us to the middle of the top row!

I always try to keep a stash of wipes in my bag, after the local neighbourhood Manbeast accidentally touched something unspeakable that some grotty little bastard had left on the seat of a public loo and we had to disinfect his hands with Rain-X to get rid of the smell.  Said Manbeast also now keeps a supply in his manbag, which is totally understandable. The wipes are Kleenex out and about, and I also have a couple left over from recent visits to Guzman Y Gomez Mexican Taqueria.  Moving on to the “making me not stinky” products, a bottle of So deodorant in god knows what scent (I didn’t care at the time, it was on super sale), a bottle of Nivea antiperspirant and a bottle of Urban Rituelle Jasmine & Tuberose.

Moving on down to the bottom row, we first have the dessert flavoured Jelly Belly (now extinct), an almost empty and almost full packet of tissues, and my little chihuahua iphone case, which I now use to keep my earbuds tidy.  My rarely used stash of purse make-up includes some cheap-arse Starlet powder and concealer (I needed make-up for a function on a tight budget week, so had to make do), a brown and blue eyeliner, Natio brush and Maybelleine Great Lash Mascara, and two Essence eyeshadows.  For lips I have two Essence lip glosses  that I bought on clearance for a dollar, and haven’t even used yet, a red “Boe” brand lip gloss which is pigmented enough to make colour in the tube, but not on your lips (Yay! Just want I want in a bright red gloss!), my Revlon Lipbutter in Figjam (because I am, just ask me), and an Australis plumpling lipgloss which I would say I use the most, and gives great nude with a touch of shimmer.

Sing with me now…  ONE!    APPLE!   CHAPSTICK!!!!!

 

 

The other lipbalm I have in my bag is Nivea’s Milk and Honey which is a lovely balm, smells like honey, and normally lives on my desk at work.  Also from my desk is an ancient bottle of Sally Hansen Get Hard Nails.  It’s wrapped in packing tape as the frosted orange coating of the bottle started to flake off about 2 years ago and yes, I am that cheap.  These are my “work desk” products though, and were only in my handbag as I threw them in there when leaving to go on annual leave.  One “blonde” hairtie, left over from when my hair was blonde, and was long enough to tie up.

 

Obligatory Freya Photobomb

 

If you are still reading this, thank you for your persistence!  We are nearly there, with just the regular nail-related portion of the bag to go. I keep my tub of Burts Bees Cuticle Cream (2 years old, still making my way through it) and my green manicure kit (commonly referred to as my Circumcision Set since 1992) in my bag at all times.  Recent additions to my handbag were the Revitanail polish removing wipes and emery board.  I also scored a bottle of OPI Push and Shove from my mad friend, but am yet to try it.

Not pictured, my mobile phone and the floral cosmetics bag I normally have cosmeticcy things in.

I really do need to learn how to cut down on what I carry around.  My handbag would sink the Titanic…

Happy Polishing!!

xo Relle

Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint :: PK002 Cherry Hot Pink Swatch

Be prepared, this is not a post about nail polish, although I did receive these samples with a nail polish purchase.  It still counts, right?

Etude House’s Fresh Cherry Tint range is not a new, but it is one of their popular ones, coming in 6th out of a Top 7 Etude Products poll in February 2014.  As with all EH products, it can be a little hard to find an English version of advertising and product information, and there is always a little something lost in translation – but for me this adds to the charm of the product.

One part of the English marketing for this range states “Does not leave a stain”, but I can only wonder if the translator got something mixed up, as it definitely does stain (see the third swatch in the photo below).  Perhaps them meant it doesn’t kiss off on to your glass, or local neighbourhood Manbeast, once the colour settles in.

I had a sample of PK002 Cherry Hot Pink, and it was an extremely generous sample.  Used carefully, you could probably get 3 or more applications out of the one sample.  The colour was paler, more to the cool shade of hot pink than the warm shade I was expecting from the marketing.  It was definitely “soft and moist like milk”, having the consistency of a thick milk, or thin yogurt.  The texture was not sticky, and felt cool when applied.  This shade was a little too bubblegum barbie pink for me, as I have a love affair with the neutral side of the colour palette.

PK002 Cherry Hot Pink – Normal, Heavy, and Heavy then wiped off (stain)

 

The Tint is not heavily pigmented, and I had a little difficulty getting an even colour on my upper lip.  I also put a little too much on my lips at first, and found the tint had the tendency to pool in an unflattering milky line where my lips touched together.  After wiping that off, I did two thin layers of the tint, which is a vast improvement on just slathering it on in a hurry.  When I checked a few hours after applying, I still had quite a bit of colour on my lips in a mild stain, mostly to the bottom lip.

I also have a sample of the RD301 Cherry Red, which I will share at a later date, which may be more my type of colour.  Fresh Cherry Tint should be available for purchase from anywhere stocking Etude House products, including Amazon, Rose Rose Shop and Ebay.

Happy Lip “Moisturizing and Freshening”!

xo Relle

Have you ever had a Kitty Manicure?

You may have had one, and not be aware of it!

A kitty manicure is when you’re happily working away on your nails, filing or taking photos and doing your own thing.  Gettin’ it done.  Then POW!  Sudden onset kitty manicure arrives in a ball of fluffy, furry cuteness.

This was one such moment.

Several weeks ago I was filing my nails when my kitty, Freya, decided she wanted in on the action and plopped right down in front of me.  I tried to work around her, but she started swatting at my hands and file, and then she latched on.  I was able to grab the camera with my other hand (the one without the claws stuck in it) and caught her in the act.

Sometimes she’s cute, most times she’s cheeky.  She can even be a downright vindictive cow.  But I love her to bits.  My old boy, Lord Tubbington, was my beading buddy and would often chill out while I was creating jewellery.  Many years before that, I had a little blue budgie who would often hang out with me while I was doing my homework and assignments.  It’s funny how the little furkids in our lives can make our hobbies so much more enjoyable from just sharing their company.

Do you have a pet you share your hobbies with?

Happy Polishing!!

xo Relle