BEAUTY ALIXIRS

First empties! ( For the blog)

L'oreal Gentle Makeup Remover Eyes & Lips is my  go-to eye makeup remover. I find that nothing but waterproof mascara holds a curl on my lashes, so an oil-based eye makeup remover is a must. I've probably purchased 5-6 of these over the years. I switched from the Neutrogena makeup remover to this as I found the Neutrogena had a very large spout/opening which meant any time I accidentally knocked it over a lot of product would spill out. This L'oreal one has a very small opening which is much more user-friendly.

The Sana Nameraka Foaming Face Wash Anti-aging version is also a must-have! Foams up beautifully and cleans the face without drying the skin.

My daily SPF : Allie UV Mineral Moist NEO. This 90g baby lasted me well over 6 months with daily use on the face and neck.

A spur of the moment purchase of Balea Body Wash in Pomegranate & Mango purchased purely because of the smell. Very fruity and great scent for a waking up in the morning.

I've purchased the original Sana Nameraka Foaming Facial Cleanser to compare. I don't see a huge difference so far, and both do a great job.

Last is the Tarte Maracuja Oil. I use 3 drops of this added to my moisturizer everyday at night, and it really helps with dry areas. This is a small bottle which came with a holiday set, but I've already repurchased a larger bottle during the VIB sale. 

xoxo,

alixirs

I'm almost out of my Allie UV Mineral Moist SPF50+ PA+++ sunscreen by Kanebo, and while I'm waiting for a new one to come in the mail, I dug around my stash and found this baby - Lancome's UV Expert GN Shield High Potency Active Protection.

This is actually my second tube of the Lancome UV Expert as I purchased this in a two-pack in duty free about a year back. I used up the previous tube and kept this one as I switched to more affordable options. The Lancome UV Expert retailed for roughly $45 USD when I purchased it a few years back, versus Allie's price tag of $35 CAD. (Note: CAD and USD were at parity a few years back, but the Canadian dollar recently depreciated a lot due to low commodity prices. We're now at about $1CAD=$0.75USD)

Both products come in very sleek and sanitary packaging. The Lancome comes with 50 grams of product while the Allie has 90 grams.

The squeeze tube is very convenient and easy to control.

Both products have a very smooth texture and are easily spread out without feeling greasy at all. Here we have the Lancome on the left and Allie on the right. I will say that Allie's sunscreen has a more gel-like watery feel while Lancome feel's more like a cream.

As you can see, after blending into the skin both products disappear and are fantastic to use under makeup.

Other than a fantastic texture, both products offer great UVA and UVB protection. I regularly use Allie's really only because It's cheaper per gram of product. Why not save a buck where you can?

xoxo,

alixirs

I'm a huge advocate of wearing sunscreen every day, all year round. Skin damage and premature skin aging is largely due to UV damage. In particular, UVA rays have a longer wavelength, which penetrate the skin at a deeper level and cause skin aging. 

The SPF commonly shown in North American sunscreens is an indicator of protection against UVB rays. Typically, the higher the better. In Asia and Europe, UVA ray protection is displayed as a "PA" rating, from PA+ to PA++++. Needless to say, PA++++ provides the most protection.

 I've tried a few sunscreens available in North America, including some from Neutrogena and Shiseido. Quite frankly, the best facial sunscreens are from Japan.  My favourite is the Allie UV mineral moist neo with SPF50 and PA++++.

Ingredients: Zinc Oxide 9.2%, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 7.5%, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate 2.5%, Octocrylene 0.2% Water (Aqua), Alcohol, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Triethoxycaprylilsilane, Methicone, Polysorbate 80, Nylon – 1 2, Xanthan Gum, Polyglyceryl-10, Diisostearate, Sorbitan Oleate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ectoin, Algae Extract, BHT, Soluble Collagen, Averrhoa Carambola Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Royal Jelly Extract

The product comes in a 90g squeeze tube. It also comes in smaller sizes if you just wanted to try out the product. 

The texture is very light and has a mild alcohol smell. It spreads very easily and is quickly obsorbed into the skin.

This sunscreen wears very well under makeup and doesn't feel greasy at all! It leaves your skin dry to the touch and would work well with all skin types. 

I've gone through 2 tubes of this stuff and will definitely continue to repurchase once I run out. 

Do you wear sunscreen daily? Have a favourite sunscreen? Do share!

xoxo,

alixirs