Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector

Hello all
Sorry for the lack of blogging and videos recently,I have been having a few health issues which have finally(and thankfully) sorted themselves out.

Today I am reviewing the Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector,I had to see if it lived up to its claims.
Before I got it I read and watched reviews from people all over the world and to be 100% honest from those reviews my expectations were not very high,despite this I thought I have to try it, what one may love another may hate.

So what is BB Cream? I didnt know,nor had I heard anything about BB Creams until I saw the Garnier ad advertising this product. I visited Garnier.co.nz to see what they have to say about it,heres what I found

In the beginning, Blemish Balm was a soothing cream used by German dermatologists to calm and sooth skin after facial peels and other procedures.
The product was introduced in Korea and adopted by celebrities who happily shared their innovative, new beauty secret with local fans. It was an overnight success! Women, previously forced to use a multitude of different beauty products, were thrilled to find a cream that produced 5 benefits in 1 application.
As women from across Europe heard about the product, Garnier put innovation to work and developed BB CREAM MIRACLE SKIN PERFECTOR for all skin types-Taken from the garnier website.

So what is Garnier's BB Cream exactly? It is a daily all-in-one moistriser claiming to provide 5 benefits for instantly perfect skin
These benefits are(from the Garnier website)

1. HYDRATES for 24hrs
Microencapsulation of Lipidure and Hyaluronic acid doubles the water held in the skin for long-lasting hydrating care.
2. EVENS tone
Mineral Pigments melt instantly, evening out the complexion for flawless looking skin without the heaviness of foundation.
3. CORRECTS blemishes
Instantly smoothes the skin’s micro-surface for a natural coverage.
4. BOOSTS healthy glow
The antioxidant properties of Vitamin C boost the radiance and natural glow of the skin.
5. UV protection
SPF 15 UV filters block out the sun’s damaging rays.
Easy on sensitive skin, with a luxuriously light texture that conceals blemishes and optimizes radiance, while protecting and nourishing your skin. A natural, healthy glow that is simply beautiful.

So this miracle cream comes in two shades,light and medium which is a little dissapointing for those of darker skin tones.

First off I will cover what I do not like about this cream
The smell is a bit off putting. Its quite a citric smell to it,not gag worthy but not the most pleasant smell

Next I dont like that its not very hydrating on the skin. I have quite dry skin(except for my t zone) and I dont feel like its very moisturising

On my t zone which is slightly oily it only makes me look shiny,which means I need to blot or powder,not the end of the world but not ideal

Ok now I can tell you what I love
I love that it has more coverage than a tinted moisturiser but isnt quite a foundation
It gives a healthy looking glow
Feels like you arent wearing anything on the skin
Blends very easily and seamlessly
Helps to tone down redness and blemishes,evens out skin tone

So whats the verdict?
I overall like this cream,its a reasonable price($15-$17 approx) and it does offer most of the benefits it claims to. I do not think that this would be suitable for oily skin and if you have dry skin you can really rely on it as a moisturiser. If I was to rate it out of 10 I'd give it a 7/10

See the results on my skin! These photos were taken on seperate days but this is generally how my skin looks without make up
In the after photo on my face I am wearing
 -Olay Complete daily moisturiser for normal/dry skin
-Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector in Light
-Garnier Anti Dark Circles roll on(under my eyes only) for fair to medium skin
-L'oreal Volume Million Lashes mascara in Black

Bare skin

With Garnier BB Cream

Rescue remedies for feet!

Today I am going to share a deep, dark secret. I have the worlds worst feet. I have tough,dry,scaly skin on my feet!
I hate feet, I hate how they look, I hate them being touched,they are for walking only.
I cant wear stilettos,I just wobble(although I own a couple of never worn pairs). Heels are painful so I stick to wedges,flats and sneakers.
But I realised my feet look awful so thought I'd try to get them into better condition.
I asked my husband if he knew what I could do for my feet,he suggested scrubbing with a pumice stone. So we went to the beach and collected a HUGE bag full of pumice.
So first I'd soak them to soften the skin then scrub. After a few weeks I realised I needed something more effective.
So months later after trial and error my feet are in better (not great) condition but Im on my way so thought I'd share a few things that you can do to keep your tootsies in good condition or things you can do to help improve their appearance!
So here is a routine for people with rough,tough,dry,scaly feet. If you have nice feet already you may just want to follow the maintenance routine!
 

Fixing the problem
First off you will need a few things before you start.
You do not need to follow every step,it all depends on the condition of your feet.Mine are BAD so what I do is pretty extensive and time consuming

-Olive oil
-Cling wrap or an old pair of socks
-A tub or foot bath of warm-hot water
-Towel
-Pumice Stone(or if you have something like a foot file you can use this,pumice can often be found at the beach)
-Honey(you could also use vaseline)
-A foot moisturizer or one designed for dry skin

Step One

Massage olive oil all over your feet,focusing mainly on rough,hard,dry parts of your feet. Wrap in cling wrap or pop on an old pair of socks and leave for 20-30mins. This helps soften the skin.
 

Step Two

 

After the olive oil treatment remove the cling wrap or socks and pop your feet into warm-slightly hot water.  This helps to remove the olive oil and further soften the skin. Use a cloth in the hot water to wipe the olive oil off of your feet. After 10 mins remove your feet from the water and dry gently with a towel

Step Three
 

  

Warm up those arms,hands and wrists and get ready for the hard work! Take your pumice of foot file and firmly buff/scrub the dry,tough areas of your skin. If your feet are really bad you wont be able to get rid of all you need to but its a start! Stop if your skin is becoming irritated or sore. Remember the condition of your feet could be due to years of neglect so you cannot expect to fix it in one go.

Step Four

After scrubbing your feet put them briefly into some warm water for about a minute and rub your feet gently to get all the flaky dead skin from scrubbing,off.
Dry your feet

Step Five

This step is more of a luxury step,helpful but you can live without it.
Take some honey(which is a humectant,drawing and retaining moisture into the skin)and smother your feet in them! Take cling wrap or old socks and cover your feet. Alternatively you can use Vaseline. Put your feet on a towel(honey runs when warmed up,it can be a tad messy!) and leave for any amount of time you desire(usually over 5mins!).
Once the time is up,rinse off

Step Six

Take a generous amount of moisturiser and massage into feet
 Voila!Fini! Complete!
Do this twice a week and reveal beautiful feet!

Maintenance

Now for maintaning beautiful feet you can chop and change what you use. Below is a basic guide. You can add your own steps,remove steps. This is purely to keep beautiful feet just that,beautiful

Step One

Soak your feet in a tub or foot bath of warm water. Add essential oils if you desire. Soak for 10 mins,and gently dry with a towel

Step Two

    Slightly dampen feet and use an exfoliator,focusing on drier parts of your feet. If you still need a bit of a heavy duty scrub on your feet,gently use a foot file or pumice stone. Rinse off

Step Three 

This step is more to keep feet feeling soft. Take honey,vaseline or even oil oil and apply to feet. Wrap feet in cling wrap or a pair of old socks and relax for 15 mins then rinse off and dry

Step Four

Take a good hydrating foot or body moisturiser(you could even try hand cream) and massage into your feet.

Voila!Fini!Complete!

 

 Do this once or twice a week to keep feet looking beautiful!

I hope this has helped,till next time stay simply stunningly gorgeous! xoxo

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How to choose a facial mask

Choosing the best facial mask for your skin type

Hello lovelies!

Today I'm just briefly covering the topic of face masks! I don't know about you but hair masks and face masks are a necessity in my beauty regime.

Facial masks are wonderful,they reduce dullness,improve skins texture,clean,unclog and treat your skin. They can help with skin discoloration,increase cell turnover, and boost collagen production. 

Long term use can also help with blemish or acne marks.

One way to feel like your looking after yourself and giving yourself a little pampering is to use a face mask,but sometimes its hard to know what to use! I'm going to cover here a basic simple guide for what you should choose,so rather than blabber on like I have a tendency to do lets get to it! Do remember a lot of masks will specify on the packaging or instructions what type of skin it is intended for

If you have skin prone to blackheads or if you have large pores  a clay mask is a great choice.  Keeping the pores clean is essential in reducing the occurrence of blackheads,clay masks efficiently clean out your pores. The larger your pores,the more room there is to trap oil. Clay masks can also help dry up acne. Look for the ingredient kaolin or bentonite


If you have oily skin, clay masks again are a good choice ,also mud masks will be beneficial.Both  help absorb excess oil and grease,close up pores,clear up blemishes and reduce shininess which oily skin is prone to. Look for the ingredient kaolin or bentonite. Look for something that cleans and moisturizes because even though you have oily skin,you don't want to strip all the oil from your skin as you will be left with dry skin

 
Dry or mature skins have very different needs. When looking for a mask look for anything that is moisturizing. This is important because we want to restore moisture into our skin. A good cheap alternative for dry skin is untreated,unprocessed,unfiltered honey. 
Honey is a humectant and helps the skin draw in and retain moisture(apply evenly to the face and leave for 10 mins,this can get a tad messy when it melts but the benefits are amazing)


Combination skin can be tricky.If you have an oily t zone and dry cheeks you could use two different masks for each area. Use a mud or clay mask on the t zone and a moisturizing mask on the cheeks. You may need to use more than one mask on different areas of your face.
There are "universal" masks available,you really have to shop around

Acne prone skin can benefit from clay and mud masks . Some claims say that honey can help with acne due to it containing antiseptic and antibacterial properties but this has to be unprocessed and unfiltered to get the true benefits as the more the honey is messed with,the less effective these properties are. There is also information out there that unsweetened,unflavored natural yoghurt can help with acne as it has good bacteria which destroy bad bacteria and germs present on your skin. Some masks will contain salicylic acid and benzyl peroxide which are known acne treatments. I wouldn't recommend using such a mask unless you have all over acne,if you only have a small acne prone area on your face then either keep that mask to that area as those ingredients are very drying to the skin.

Normal skin?HALLELUJAH you! You will still benefit from using a facial mask. Just look for a mask specified for normal to dry skin. You can also use natural methods like a honey mask or yoghurt as these will both help promote skin health

I hope you may have garnered some info from this.I haven't been overly informative as a lot of the masks today specify what skin they are suited for but if they don't, you have a little knowledge on what you are looking for

Till next time,stay simply stunningly gorgeous xoxo

Hair Mask Magic!

Hair Mask magic!!

Hello Lovelies! I really need to get my A into G(ass into gear) and do more blog posts!! Only problem is, because I feel no one is reading my blogs I feel like I'm spending time and energy talking to myself when I do a blog so if you read my blog and would like more blog posts,let me know!
Right onto Hair Mask Magic!

I recently started using a different hair mask but it's not as kick ass as I need it to be,so I got to thinking what I could do. Do I make my own hair mask(avocado,banana,olive oil and a tiny bit of conditioner) or do I think outside the box and make my mask work for me?
So me being me and not wanting to waste money I thought OK,I want to make this work,but how? I then spotted my small sample of Argan Oil. Now if you LOVE haircare(even if you dont) you have probably heard about Morrocon Oil and how fantastic it is. Argan and Morrocan oils are basically the same(as they both provide similar benefits),difference is they are blended slightly differently(please dont take this as gospel,this is what I have been told).

So anywho, I know that a morrocan oil mask retails for about $50-$60NZD,this was something I wanted to try but was NOT going to pay that kind of money.
Upon spotting my sample bottle of Argan oil and my mask I thought(you know where Im going with this!)MIX THEM TOGETHER! I took a small amount of my mask and a tiny drop of Argan Oil and mixed them together. I then massaged it into the ends of my hair and mid way up(and I do a lil on my roots) and left it for 10 mins. My hair was so AMAZINGLY SOFT! It was insanely soft,even after I blow dried my hair it felt incredibly silky.

The great part about mixing Argan Oil with a mask is that it is generally cheaper than Morrocan Oil. If you are wary about purchasing a full size bottle,see if you can get a sample(I bought my sample bottle for $5,you use so little it lasts AGES!!). Try it,you wont be dissapointed

Till next time Stay Simply Stunningly Gorgeous! xx

Links
My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Stunningly-Gorgeous/156943724335139http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Stunningly-Gorgeous/156943724335139
My YouTube :http://www.youtube.com/user/simplystunninglyg/videoshttp://www.youtube.com/user/simplystunninglyg/videos
 

Trying, Buying, Loving!

Trying,Buying,Loving

Hello lovelies,here is my new "series" called Trying, Buying, Loving!
Pretty much what this means is Im going to every so often blog about 3 products,One Im trying,One Im buying or wanting to buy and one that I am in love with!
I am not sure how often this will be as I dont know how often I'll have a product to try,a product I want to buy and a product Im in love with(although I am always loving some product!)

So this may be boring as hell but here ya go!

Trying
Clean & Clear Advantage Blackhead Clearing scrub
I have skin that is plagued with blackheads! It drives me mental,so I thought I'd try this scrub and see if it helps

The blurb on the back of the tube says :CLEAN & CLEAR advantage blackhead clearing scrub works more on the areas that need it most to effectively clean out even tough blackheads without over-drying the skin.
The unique blend of beads breaks down trapped dirt, oil and dead skin cells that can cause blackheads. Next, a special cleansing ingredient is deposited into the skin, working deep down to clear pores and to help fight blackheds
Use daily for clean,clear and beautiful skin.

After reading this I thought I had to try it as it doesnt treat just the problem its also a preventative and it only costs $11(from countdown in new zealand) for a 140g tube. So I'll try this over the next few weeks and come back and let you all know what I think

Buying
Recently when I joined the gym,they gave a few beauty samples. One of the beauty samples was the Dove Intensive Repair Deep Treatment mask. I am a sucker for hair masks because being a bleach blonde my hair needs a regular mask to help keep it healthy,strong and smooth.
It came in a little 30mL tub which was enough for 2 uses and I have to say after the first use I was hooked! My hair was soft and incredibly easy to manage,more so than any other hair mask I have used before.
It retails for $8.39 at countdown for 200ml tub so is easily affordable. I'll let you know if Im still in love with it once I have purchased and used it

Loving


One product I have doesnt get enough gratitude from me. It has saved me on many occasions and the product is Australis Finishing Spritz
This spritz is amazing,it sets your make up without the use of powder. If you do use powder and maybe it looks a little cakey,take some Australis Finishing Spritz and either spray it on your face and use a sponge to dab the cakey areas of spray it directly onto a sponge and dab it on,either way this spray is a miracle worker,I dont know how I managed without it!
I have also found when my make up looks a little dull during the day,I spray a bit of this on and it just refreshes my make up making it look a little bit fresher than it did. Its my secret(now not so secret) miracle product!

Thats all for now
Till next time stay Simply Stunningly Gorgeous!

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Easy curls without the damaging heat!

Easy curls(without heat!)

Curls after using Second Method

First off,HAPPY NEW YEAR! It has been a LOOOONG time since I have made a blog post and I am so sorry. Life has been crazy busy and I haven't had a camera,less access to a computer in the evenings(which is when I did most of my blogging) but I am going to make more of an effort and now I have a camera,I may even do videos to supplement my blog!
Anyway,I have been stuck in a hair rut! I finally have the colour I want but my hair seems to be taking FOR-EV-ER to grow! And I haven't many choices when it comes to styling,straighten or tie it up,thats it! Maybe I lack creativity in the hair department I don't know but I thought to myself a few weeks ago,hmm maybe curls?
So I YouTube'd how to curl using a hair straightner,got the gist of it and straightner and hairspray in hand off I went.
Half a head of curls and quater of a can of hairspray later,feeling defeated(and slightly light headed from the hairspray fumes) I gave up.
I then tried the sock bun method I once saw on youtube,in the morning the sock was out of my hair and my hair was just a frizzy mess(my hair is too short for it ya see!). So I had to come up with my own technique and have come up with two ways to get curls.

First method(overnight)
1.Apply serum to freshly washed hair(to avoid frizz)
2.Comb through wet hair,apply a small amount of hair product(I use fibre putty) from an inch down from your roots,to tips of your hair(do not use too much!!)
3.Section hair into as many sections as you like(I reccommend 4-8 depending on thickness and length of your hair)
4.Twirl each section into a little mini "bun"
5.If you want your bangs/fringe to remain uncurled,leave these out
6.Spray the "buns" with hairspray
7.Take your hairdrier and blowdry your "buns" for a few minutes
8.Go to sleep(try and use a satin pillow case to reduce frizz and friction)
9.In the morning blow dry your buns before taking them out
10.Run fingers through to loosen curls as you desire
11.Spray with hairspray
VOILA-overnight curls!

Second method
This method is done during the day,best for if you want curls for the evening

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 from the first method
2.You can do this one of two ways,take your hair into a ponytail,sort of of like a scrunchy messy bun or into two pigtail scrunchy messy buns and spray liberally with hairspray
3.Throughout the day let your hair out for 10-15 mins at a time and regularly "scrunch" your hair with your hands,tie back in place
4:By the end of the day you should have messy but lovely curls. Set with hairspray

While these 2 methods may be time consuming,I have found they are the 2 methods that have worked best for me

Till next time lovelies
Stay Simply Stunningly Gorgeous xx


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Skin Care and Make Up advice for young teens(school appropriate)

Hey all

Before I start I just want to make it clear that I am not endorsing young girls to wear makeup but am more providing them a guide that may be helpful for those who do want to start but want some tips.

I want every girl out there to look into the mirror everyday and say to yourself "I AM FABULOUS AND I AM BEAUTIFUL" and truly feel it xox

Its been so long since I've done a blog post I thought long and hard about what to blog about next. I had so many ideas and wanted to start each one right away but then stopped and thought to myself, stuff reviews and do something a little different. Now I've done the tips for going blonde and at home manicures and facials(links at the bottom of this post if you are interested) but I wanted to do something that would really help someone who is young and may be interested in make up or wearing it but doesnt know where to start! This is a combination of my own experience, what I know,what I wish I had known and hopefully at the end in the comments section maybe you could add your own advice and experiences, maybe link this topic to a younger sister or cousin or friend or someone who maybe has some more useful advice that I may have missed or simply have not thought about. 

Ok so enough of my babble lets get to it!

Skin Care

OK, so you want to start wearing make up, this is when you should really start taking care of your skin. I started wearing make up at the age of 12 and this when I started using skin care products. What you should be using to keep your skin in good condition is a make up remover,cleanser and moisturiser. I don't see toner as an absolute must but it helps if you have acne or blackheads or large pores.

You need to be vigilant in washing your make up off otherwise it is going to cause skin concerns which as a teenager you don't need that on top of everything else going on in your life! After removing your make up follow with cleanser and make sure you really work it into the skin and rinse off thoroughly(I do this in the shower while I'm letting my conditioner work its magic). Follow with toner if you desire and moisturizer. Be careful not to overdo the moisturizer,I know I often slathered as much on as possible but really you don't need all that much. Also smooth moisturizer down your neck and chest, for this you can use a regular moisturizer or a body moisturizer if you have it.

Also use products for younger skin, alot of brands are coming out with "young" ranges and these generally will be best for you(I'm talking age range 11-17/18). If you have problematic skin like acne, brands like Neutrogena have some pretty good products to help.  Use sunscreen daily to protect against UV and UB rays or at least use a moisturizer with a good SPF

Another important tip I'd like to add which I wish I had been told is DON'T use anti aging or anti wrinkle products. You may think you are getting in early and beating wrinkles but your young skin does not need it! If you are using moisturizer,looking after your skin and wearing sunscreen you are already getting in early. Trust me on this.

Older teens may want to use an eye cream. Get something very light(eg no heavy creams).

Time to talk make up!

Now we get to the fun stuff, MAKEUP!

If your reading this blog you probably know a bit about make up or maybe just have an interest in it. First I want to discuss choosing make up

Right now you have a choice when it comes to the basics but first off I want to butt in here and put across something from my personal experience

Apart from the occasional pimple I had pretty lovely skin in my teen, skin that didnt need much if any coverage but yet I caked on the makeup which I now regret. The world we live in today has programmed us to look at ourselves with an overly critical eye, we are trained to find flaws that are only noticeable to us because we search for them. We are bombarded with what we are supposed to look like and they are often standards we cannot live up to. Please please please try not to critisize yourself and your peers too harshly, because you are beautiful and while I wear make up and talk about make up and hiding flaws, make up only enhances your natural beauty

So when it comes to the basics,start with tinted moisturizer or a light to medium coverage foundation. Have a good look at your skin and what sort of condition its in,ignore the pimple that will be gone next week and think,Do I need a tinted moisturiser or foundation that will give me a little extra coverage?

When you make that decision then you can start looking at product reviews and brands.

I'm not too clued up with tinted moisturisers as I havent used many and dont particularly like them.

So if you choose foundation the best tip I have for you is,when you go to buy one,take your MOTHER! YES YOUR MOTHER! Your mother sees you as you are,beautiful and she will be more helpful than your friends and she has your best interests at heart. She wants you to look and feel beautiful so she will be the best judge when picking out a brand and shade with the right amount of coverage. If you dont want to take your mother or she isnt in your life maybe you have an older sister or cousin who could take you. Either way take someone who is a little bit more experienced with make up who cares for you.

Another thing,if you and your mother are similar in coloring she may have a foundation you could swatch which may match and will help in selecting a shade.

I think at this age concealer is unnecessary 

A light pink blush applied with a light hand can look pretty and add color to your face but make sure your applying it correctly here is a link to one of my favourite YouTube guru's MakeupGeekTV's tutorial on how to apply blush CLICK ME.

If you're an avid YouTube tutorial watcher you probably know about bronzer and contouring,I think at this age don't bother with contouring, a young girl with a sculpted face is a bit OTT

When it comes to eyeshadow,this is a personal choice,if your going to school your not going to get away with teal eyeshadow or peacock inspired eyes so netural colors,fawn,beige,brown etc are your best bet. YouTube gurus have so many tutorials for school make up that you may want to check them out before purchasing eyeshadow. If you want to try color and you have the money go for it,but remember you don't have to do it all in one go, YouTube guru's often have large makeup collections but these were built up over time, and your will grow too Brushes are really pushed on YouTube,and being young you may not be able to afford brushes, and thats ok,with a bit of practice eyeshadow sponge applicators can work just fine as long as you are not going for anything too elaborate.You may find that you dont even want to use eyeshadow and you dont have to either. To see a simple back to basic video on eyeshadow(not a schoolday thing but maybe for the weekend) check out one of my favourite beauty guru's videos, emilynoel83 CLICK ME

Eyeliners,now these I think,so many young girls overuse eyeliner,the thick ring around your eyes,girls please please DON'T. Eyeliner can look good but you don't need the black raccoon look to do it. If you're going to school,you may not get away with eyeliner(I know lots of NZ schools would not let you) so you may want to skip it. If you do get eyeliner, brown is more forgiving color wise and pencil is a bit easier to master than gel or liquid liner. Again,there are tutorials all over YouTube for applying eyeliner and things. But remember, you are young so take time,you dont need to wear a million products and try and look 22 when you are 12!

Mascara is something I am never without, dark lashes look great! If your colouring is dark(dark hair and eyelashes) black mascara will be fine but fairer girls(remember Im thinking more for school) may only be able to get away with brown or clear mascara,which will look great especially with curled lashes. Application of mascara in my eyes is important because if you do it wrong,it looks silly. I start from the base of my lashes and wiggle it while moving upwards and do it again,making sure I get the inner and outer lashes coated. Alternatively you can watch this tutorial also by MakeupGeekTV.  

For your lips for a school look go for a gloss(or creamy lipstick) as close to a natural lip colour,you want colour to bring out your lips but you want it to look as natural as possible(no hot pink or vibrant reds girls,leave that for the weekend!)

And eyebrows,get them shaped or groomed professionally if you can,they will give you the best shape for your face and you can maintain them with daily maintenance plucking. 

Well thats it for me(its 5.05am right now!). I will be doing a follow up blog on this with more info

Please share your tips and tricks in the comments below or visit the simplystunninglygorgeous facebook page and comment and keep updated on new blog posts. I hope you enjoyed this and found this useful and till next time

Stay SimplyStunninglyGorgeous xx

Links

Tips for going from Brunette to Blonde

Give yourself an at home manicure

Give yourself an at home facial