Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque Review

I’m ashamed to admit I hadn't tried Aesop products before Christmas last year, they always seemed too far out of my price range. In the end curiosity got the better of me. Not to mention, the scent that seems to permeate from their store, it smells so good, it was beckoning to me. Of course, the infamous Parsley Seed Masque was a must try, and I think quite a safe option for an Aesop noob such as myself.

Ingredients: water, kaolin, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, bentonite, alcohol denat, glycerin, lavandula angustifolia oil, oenothera biennis oil, rosa canina fruit oil, phanoxyethanol, ormenis multicaulis oil, carum petroselinum, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, linalool

What I love about this masque is the texture, it’s not a stiff, thick formula like other masks I’ve tried (Queen Helene Mint Julup Mask, I’m looking at you), it’s almost like a mouse, and it spreads across the face easily. You can layer the product on as much as you want, but if you want this masque to last as long as possible, use a small amount at a time. Regardless of quantity, it dries around the five to six minute mark. I do experience a burning sensation after applying this, but it’s mild, not like the agonizing burning I would get from other, cheaper clay masks. I love how it doesn’t leave my skin feeling really tight and dry, and although I didn't see much results on the first few tries, after using this each week for the past seven months I've noticed a huge reduction in blackheads around my forehead, cheeks and chin area. It seems to really help smooth out those pesky little lumps I have around my lower cheeks as well.

Retailing at around $39AUD it is a high end product, but truly is an amazing cleansing masque.  Although the price might seem quite steep for some, it is a year round product and I love how it doesn't strip or dry out my skin, even during the winter months when my face is more on the dry/combination side. Totally worth the splurge in my opinion!

Ever tried Aesop products before? What’s your favourite clay mask?

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL 50+ Extreme Fluid Review

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL 50+ Extreme Fluid, 50ml

Like every other skincare junky out there I was very excited to see La Roche-Posay finally in stock at my local pharmacies. At the time, after recently finding out the difference between physical and chemical sunscreens, I decided to try this out after reading a lot of rave reviews.

This sunscreen has a very runny, milky texture. La Roche-Posay was right in calling it a ‘fluid’. On the box it says it’s non-greasy and trace free, but unfortunately this wasn’t the case for my skin. The product didn’t seem to absorb at all, and sat on top of my skin making it feel quite thick and grainy. I didn’t think twice about it at first, a physical sunscreen is supposed to feel thick, sit on top of the skin and reflect UVA and UVB rays, but the slippery, slimy texture just didn’t seem to feel or look very great. And when you added makeup into the mix it was a complete disaster. Not even my most mattifying foundation lasted very long with this sunscreen beneath it.

Active Ingredients: Octocrylene, Titanium Dioxide, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Bemotrizinol, Ecamsule, Drometrizole Trisiloxane, Octyl Triazone

Before I purchased this, I read many reviews stating that it was a physical sunscreen (a sunscreen that contains physical UV filters that block and or deflect the sun’s rays). Correct me if I am wrong, but I am certain that there are only two ingredients that make a physical sunscreen: titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. The Anthelios XL only contains one physical ingredient, titanium dioxide, which gives extensive protection from UVA and UVB rays but not as much as Zinc oxide, which is more reliable at deflecting UVA rays than its counterpart. Just to note, UVA rays are the ones that give you wrinkles. For someone adamant about anti-aging, having a sunscreen that extensively blocks UVA rays is pretty important, so the lack of Zinc Oxide in the ingredients did surprise me.

I also read that this product was perfect for oily skin, but once again I was deceived. This product in no way worked well with my combination-oily skin. It even states on the box that it’s more suitable for normal to combination skin. I would think this product would be great for dryer types, so now that it’s winter I decided to test this out again. Even with slightly dryer skin I still had the same results. I also really dislike the scent. It’s atrocious, a really horrible chemically smell that linger all day long. I may be sitting in my room on the computer or something, then all of a sudden I’ll get a whiff of it and my entire body would just convulse in disgust. Ick. Even as I’m  describing it I can smell it.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed with this product. Okay, extremely disappointed, considering the minuscule 50ml bottle cost $30 AUD, but this was first time venturing out into the world of physical sunscreen, so I haven’t lost hope yet.

Have you had any bad experiences with sunscreens before? What’s your go-to sunscreen? Also, if you have any products you would like to recommend let me know!

| Beauty Wishlist | June '14

One little purchase online, and boom, I’m back into haul mode. I’ve already made wishlists for each of my favourite online outfits, but here’s a condensed version with all the products I’m craving most this month:

1. 3CE Blush in 'Baby Chaou'

I've been on the hunt for a pale pink blush for quite a while now. Nars's Sex Appeal was the only one I’ve found that came close to the shade I wanted, but for a hefty price. Now I’ve found a second! For $15 I thought this could be worth a try.

2. 3CE Nail Varnishes Matt Top Coat & VL04

3 Concept Eyes are dominating my wishlist this month. This time I’m after their nail varnishes. There’s a gorgeous dark red I would love to get my hands on and they also have a matt top coat. I also love their sleek packaging, which looks very much like, if not exactly the same, as Butter London.

3. The Body Shop Shiso Whitening Serum

Thank god for whitening serums. Seriously, I don’t want to know what my skin would look like without them, and since my current serum is about to run dry, I’d rather not find out. This Shiso White Serum isn’t at the top of my list, but I was the most curious about it. It’s rare to see a whitening product in Australia, especially in a store like The Body Shop. Laneige’s Whitening Ampoule and

4. Lush Dream Cream Body Lotion

I tried this on my hands in store once, and oh my god it felt absolutely amazing. It smells great too! I’m not sure how it would deal on my sensitive legs, but my lord…the smell. To die for.

5. Iope Intensive Conditioning Essence

Just like the SKII and Missha this Iope Essence is supposed to help re-condition the surface of your skin. I absolutely loved Missha’s 1st Treatment Essence, it cleared up my acne, minimised pores, regulated sebum production and brightened my skin, and this one is supposed to be very similar if not better.

6. Bumble & Bumble Straight Blow Dry Cream

I've been getting pretty sick of having to straighten my hair all the time. So sick of it I've actually just stopped doing it (man I’m lazy). I would love to find a product that I could use with my blow dryer that gives me a semi-straight, glossy look. Is this too much to ask? Am I reaching for the stars here?

7. Annie's Way Arbutin-Hyaluronic Acid Mask

This product went straight onto my wishlist as soon as I watched Bubz Beauty rave about it in her April Favourite’s video. It’s a whitening and moisturising mask that apparently also helps with fine lines, acne and blackheads!