Skin Care for Oily Skin ft. Nivea

Hello lovelies,

I recently got some new products to review from Vervegirl and Nivea and in this post I am going to share my experience with this new product line.

To start my skin type for the most part of my life has been normal. I don't get random break outs and my skin is pretty smooth. Recently however I have started to get a little oily on my chin and under my nose. When I say oily I don't mean that my makeup is slipping off or you can see the oil on my skin, it is very minimal that only I being me notice it.

The products that I got to try are all from Nivea's new Aqua Effect line for oily skin and the great thing is that you can find all of these products each under $15 at your local drug store. Yay!!!

Here are the products that I got to try out....



Aqua Effect Refreshing Cleansing Gel
Enriched with Vitamin E and Hydra IQ, this wash gel invigorates while respecting the skin's natural moisture balance leaving skin feeling refreshed.

Product Claims:
-Deeply cleanses while respecting the skin's natural moisture balance
-Invigorates the skin thanks to its refreshing formula
-Leaves skin looking healthy and beautiful

At first I really liked this cleanser a lot. It has little micro beads that get deep into your skin and clean away any and all dirt. The only reason I didn't love this product after trying it is because the gel does not work well with my skin, after consistent use it caused me to break out a bit. I started to get little (acne) bumps on my face (that took 2 weeks to clear up)and that has only ever happened to me when I have used gel cleansers in the past. I should have known better, but I still wanted to test it out for you gals. With that being said, I do think that this product would be great for anyone with dry or oily skin, because the gel helps to keep and look in moisture. This still is a great product for maybe once a week, just not every day (at least not for me).
Overall rating: 4/10 (for my skin type)

Aqua Effect Purifying Toner
Enriched with Ocean Algae and Hydra IQ. Tones and refines pores. For purified and shine-reduced skin

Product Claims:
-Tones and purifies skin to remove oil and prevent the buildup of impurities
-Reduces excess sebum to prevent shine
-Hydrates skin to support its natural moisture balance
-Leaves skin looking healthy and beautiful

Personally I was not a huge fan of this toner, only because I am used to using toners that really suck up everything and this one did not. It is however very light and refreshing just as it claims to be which is perfect for some people. I did stop using this and have since gone back to my home made toner that I love and have been using for months (recipe here). I did however give this toner to a friend of mine who has oily skin and she loves it. She says that it works really well for her.
Overall rating: 4/10 (for my skin type)

Aqua Effect Mattifying Day Cream
Moisturizes and controls shine. With Ocean Algae & Hydra IQ

Product Claims:
- Provides intensive moisture without clogging pores
- Reduces shine and mattifies the look of skin thanks to its oil-free, non-greasy formula
- Leaves skin looking healthy and beautiful

The first thing I noticed about this cream is the consistency, it is quite thick for a day cream. So I immediately decided to use it as a night cream instead. Having pretty normal skin, I don't need nor do I like thick creams for my face. The cream definitely is mattifying, however I did notice that through out the night and even when I woke up in the morning I could still feel the moisturizer on my face. This is something that I do not like. A few hours after I apply my moisturizer I shouldn't feel it on my face anymore and especially not when I wake up in the morning, for that reason I did not like this as an overall face moisturizer. I now use this as an under eye cream for when I go to bed, instead. I do however think that this moisturizer would be perfect for any one with dry or combination skin. With that being said if you like to feel your moisturizer on your skin you would also like this product.
Overall rating: 6/10 (for my skin type)

To summarize:

Would I recommend any of these products?
Yes. I don't however recommend that you use these products if you have a normal skin type, but I do recommend any of these three products for those who have dry-combination/oily skin types.

Would I purchase any of these products?
No, only because they did not work for MY skin.


I hope that this review was helpful for you all and please leave any and all comments below!!!


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P.P.S
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xoxo
annpaige

My platinum journey - brunette to platinum blonde (before and after)

Hello lovelies,


Looking back at all of my posts, my bleached locks to ash blonde hair (which I have now deleted due to the quailty) post, is still one of my most read posts and it isn't even very informative. With that being said I thought it would be a great time to give you all an update and explain my full journey with pictures for those interested and who may also be trekking on the same journey as myself.

Last year in the summer and I guess fall/winter as well my hair was quite dark from dying it. My hair was a medium to dark brown and I wanted a change, so in December I went to the salon. I told the hair dresser I wanted gorgeous golden blonde hair like Kristin Cavalari and that did not happen at all.

My hair was an orange colour, mind you the lighting makes it look much nicer then it was. Not being happy with the results, I took matters into my own hands and bought a boxed dye. I bought a a dark ash blonde dye - Garnier #71 dark ash blonde - and I got a really nice dirty blonde colour.

To maintain and lighten my hair (because I wanted more of a light ash colour and also get rid of the orange tones) I started to use Joico color endure purple shampoo and conditioner once a week and left both in my hair for 15 minutes in the shower. I would and still do my roots about every 5-7 weeks. Back then when I would do my roots I would do everything (all of my hair) with a boxed dye (L'Oreal Excellence cream AA01 ultra light ash blonde), making my hair lighter every time. I would also tone my hair after dying, using wella color charm T18 or T14 (alternating each time). The Joico shampoo and conditioner worked amazing and lasted me about 8 months. When I ran out I started to use "light blue" purple shampoo and that also worked pretty well for a drugstore product (from shoppers or Walmart).

Still wanting my hair to be even more platinum I went out and purchased clairol shimmer lights purple shampoo and it is so comparable to my Joico shampoo that I used to use, but less drying on my hair. I now leave the shampoo in my hair for about 5 min (longer than 8 will turn my hair a purple/silver colour). For conditioner I now swear by the Organix brand sold at wal-mart and shoppers. I don't stick to a specific Organix conditioner, I get a different one every time and I leave it in my hair for 5-10 minutes, or longer if I have time. This conditioner makes my hair tangle free and so silky smooth every time, I LOVE it!!! In the summer (because my hair wasn't light enough) I did an over all bleach (L'Oreal extra bleach blonding kit #205) and my hair went to a Barbie blonde. To get rid of the brasiness I just kept on using my purple shampoo (shimmer lights) every time I washed my hair.

More recently now when I need to do my roots I have started to use bleach and the bleach I am currently using is the Ion color brilliance Creme lightener with ion 9% 30v developer and I leave it in for approx. 70-75 min. I leave it in a bit longer because my hair does not take to dye very easily (after such a long amount of time my roots are still a golden colour, they don't ever really get to that pale yellow, with bleach alone). After that I condition and blow dry, then tone. I now prefer the T18 toner and after bleaching I leave the toner on my roots for 30-40min and then I add it to any parts of my hair that need a little pick me up for the rest of the 20min.

So this is the before (brown) and the after (platinum). In total the amount of time it took me to get this colour was approx. 9 months (August). (Sorry there are so many pictures, but I wanted to show my full journey and the products I have used along the way).

I hope that this post has helped any of you trying to go blonde, or that it has given you some helpful tips if you are already blonde. I will also do a post next week with my everyday products that I use to maintain and keep my hair healthy. Thankfully I have never had my hair snap or get damaged and I usually only trim my hair once every 4 months or when needed.



*disclaimer - I am not a professional, these are only tips and tricks that I have acquired along my journey. I am not telling you what is right or wrong for you and your hair. Please consult a professional for the best products for your hair type, if your are unsure*



Thank you all for reading and if you have any questions or I have missed something please leave a comment below.



xoxo
annpaige