☆彡 Holy Grail Skincare? The Ordinary's Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA spheres 2%

Hello pretty people! The Ordinary's skincare range has been hyped up in the past few weeks and there's a reason why, they are so affordable yet effective. These little guys have powerful concentrations of active ingredients at such an affordable price that they are now competing against luxury skincare that cost an arm and a leg for the same ingredients. 

So, being the curious little bee that I was, I needed to give them a go. I'm not one to change up my skincare routine often as a lot of things can tend to break my skin out, so I started small and tried out two products. Needless to say, I will definitely be trying out more.

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 

Summarising from the official site itself, niacinamide or vitamin B3 is known to "reduce the appearance of skin blemishes and congestion while the zinc is supposed to control sebum activity".

Pros:

• The serum is extremely light and watery, it glides well onto the skin and layers well underneath other skincare 
• Immediately calms down the redness in my skin 
• Brightens my skin 
• Results are seen within a week of using the product daily 
• The congestion around my jawline has greatly been reduced
• Controls my oil throughout the day if used in the morning 

Cons:

• Cannot be used under makeup, your makeup will peel off

The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA spheres 2%

Summarising from the official site, "vitamin c in its pure form of L-absorbic acid has been known to reverse multiple signs of skin ageing while brightening the skin when applied topically".

Pros:

• Because of the high concentration of vitamin c, my acne scars is seen to be reduced in redness within a week, within 2 weeks the darkness of the pigment has started to fade 
• Works well when mixed with a moisturiser 

Cons:

• Smells horrible, don't smell it 
• Texture is gritty, takes time to get used to 
• Cannot be worn under makeup because of the gritty texture 
• When it is used alone without being mixed with a moisturiser, it stings my face, especially around my nose - the feeling is there for 3-4 hours after initial application and is quite unbearable and itchy 

Overall:

I will be repurchasing both of these products and I am looking forward to trying more things out! The only thing I recommend is, diluting the vitamin c serum with a moisturiser to make it a more pleasant experience to use - diluting it helps with the texture, stinging and smell!

[ My April 2017 Wishlist ]

This month we're going to have a mixture of different makeup and skincare items. But you guys already know what these posts are about so lets get into it!! 

**None of the photos are mine**

Anastasia Beverly Hills Moon Child Glow Kit

Guys!! This glow kit is so beautiful, if you're into that duochromatic highlight effect then you'd love this! The colours in this palette are so beautiful yet wearable and ethereal but I'm holding back since I'm on a no-buy. I'm definitely keeping my eye out on this baby because I want it in my collection! 

Cover Fx Custom Enhancer Drops in Halo 

Another duochromatic highlight, as you guys can probably tell now - I'm really into this trend right now, I've seen the swatches for this product and oh my goooodness. It's so pigmented and beautiful! But to me this is more of a "collection" item because I don't think i'd be reaching for a liquid highlight that often - hence why I'd prefer the Moon Child Glow Kit over this. But we'll see, if I have spare cash then I might just blow it off on this bad boy, but at sixty something dollars, I'd rather get the glow kit because it has more colours and versatility.

Colourpop Aquarius Lip Collection 

I've been on the hunt for the perfect nude lip for my light NC15 skintone, but all of the nudes I've tried have been too rosy and dark. I've seen lip swatches for this collection on people of similar skin tones to me and they looked perfect! The colours are also different enough from each other in the collection that I am able to justify getting the trio instead of getting one singular one. I also have my eye on their other lip collections too but this one is on the top of my list!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette 

When this came out I was not interested, at all. I was over the warm eyeshadow colours and was transiting into more cool/neutral colours. But recently when I was browsing at Sephora, I decided to give this palette a swatch just for the heck of it and I fell in love. The shadows were so pigmented and smooth and buttery and the colours inspired me, I haven't felt this inspired by a palette in so long! So now I really want to add it into my palette collection!

Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Ultra Cleansing Mud Mask

I've heard so many great things about this affordable mask, it had consistently good ratings and reviews as opposed to their pink mud mask. I've been really into skincare lately, especially into things that can cleanse, brighten and clarify my skin tone and texture. But the budget-saver in me is waiting for the mask to go on sale before I get it, as I already have a mud mask I'm trying to use up. Hopefully this mask goes on sale soon so I can write a review on it for you guys! But it is still quite an affordable mask at full price for only $8.99!

April Skin Pinky Clay Nose Pack

I've always suffered with blackheads and this "peeling" type of treatments always intrigued me but I've never been enticed enough to look further into them but as I've stated lately, I've been into skincare more and I'm trying to step up my skincare routine. I've read good reviews about this blackhead remover so it is on my list to try! As a side note, nose strips have never worked well for me - they've just been painful and only manage to take out like 2 blackheads and just a lot of peach fuzz, so I'm hoping I'll have more luck with this product!

The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution 

I'm on the constant hunt for a good weekly exfoliating treatment for my oily-acne prone skin and this peeling solution packs a punch at 30% AHA and 2% BHA. I am interested in this product because of the high concentration of ingredients but also because of how affordable the range is! I believe this product is between the $8-$12AUD range!

The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil

I've always heard about the miracles of this product and how hydrating and healing it is. I'm looking to adding an oil into my skincare regime for the colder months and this seemed like the best bet, as it doesn't clog pores and helps to even your skin tone - something I need a lot of help with!

If you guys have anything on your wishlist for this month then let me know down below!

Finishing Essentials • Mac Prep and Prime Fix +

Hello pretty people! I'm back today with a review on the infamous Mac Prep and Prime Fix +, but for ease we'll just call it by its more used name "Mac Fix +". I was always curious about this product because of all of the hype around it, some people deem this product as a necessity in your makeup arsenal while some believe it's nothing but fancy water. But today I'll give you guys my verdict!

Claims: "A lightweight mist of water packed with vitamins and minerals, infused with a blend of green tea, chamomile and cucumber to gently soothe and refresh the skin. Gives an instant boost of hydration while delivering a soft sheen to refresh and finish makeup." - Mac Official Website.

• Soothes and refreshes the skin
• Hydrating 
• Dermatologist tested 
• Ophthalmologist tested 
• Non-acnegenic 

Uses: This is a multitasking product that could be used after your skincare to give you a boost of hydration and glow. It can also be used before and after makeup to give your skin a boost of hydration and to settle any powders or cakey-ness on your face (if used after makeup application, do this before you do your eye makeup as it could make your eye makeup run). You can also spray this on your brush before dipping it into an eyeshadow to foil it and make it more pigmented.

Pros:

• The mist if amazinggggg, it gives such as beautiful dusting of liquid on your face and never has random spurts - but obviously, make sure you spray about an arm's length from your face
• It does make your eyeshadows a lot more pigmented and metallic - so use this on shadows that are a bit lacking 
• Makes your face look beautiful if you use it as a finishing step, melts all your powders together and gives you a smooth look. It does give you a bit of a sheen but nothing gross (I have oily skin) and I've been complimented on my skin when I've used this
• Even though this is technically not a "setting spray" and it is not meant to make your makeup last longer, I feel like it actually does. Since all my makeup melts together and does not sit on top of my face, I feel that it does help prolong the longevity of my makeup

Cons:

• A bit expensive at $32. You can probably find cheaper alternatives at the drugstore, which is what I will be doing - but I will keep the Mac Fix Plus bottle to simply refill it with different finishing/setting sprays because of how amazing the nozzle is

Rate: 4.5/5