Sulfate Free Skincare and Me...

Hi Guys,

Let me just start this post by stating the fact that I am not a doctor, healthcare professional, or a skincare expert. Also, I am not a conspiracy theorist, health freak, or someone who generally avoids chemicals or goes on about it on Facebook (don't you hate those people?).

All I am is an eczema sufferer... Throughout my childhood I suffered badly, then in 2003 it cleared up when I moved to Spain. Having lived back in the Uk for five years now, I've suffered with it mildly until this year, when the previously tiny patches have expanded to cover nearly half of my neck, as well as patches on my shoulder, arms, and it has even gone onto my eyelids, something I haven't had to deal with for well over 10 years... 

*Flashbacks to memories of smearing Vaseline all over eyes to do Games outside at school*

I've been considering going sulfate free for a while now. I have been using sulfate free shampoo and conditioner for months now and have noticed a vast improvement in my hair. I have hardly any split ends after not cutting my hair once in well over a year, and my flyaways/frizzy bits are just non existent these days.

So why I haven't I been doing it for my skin? 

Well, the simple answer to that is that it is a lot harder to find shower gels and lotions that don't contain Sodium Laurel and Sodium Laureth Sulfates than it is to find hair products. I buy my hair products from TKMaxx because it's easy to find them there but finding shower gel has been impossible. 

I've stood in the aisles there, and at Tesco and ASDA for ages checking each label to no avail. Suddenly, while I was out browsing the shops the other day, I saw a poster in Holland and Barrett that said "All of our products are free of SLS and harsh chemicals" so I immediately walked in. I hadn't even thought to check there because I don't spend a lot of time in health food shops...

Here is what I got...

Body Wash - £5.19

Body Butter - £8.19

Not cheap by any means really. I was hoping for these to be included in the penny sale, but they weren't or I would have got both for £8.20!

After doing some research when I got home I still couldn't find anything in mainstream shops that was sulfate free. Even brands like The Body Shop and Simple still make shower gels containing SLS. Lots of places online to get them, but I am the kind of person who likes to smell my shower gel before I buy it!!

I'm going to carry on using my e45 for the time being. I know it doesn't work for me on its own, but I'll see if it works in conjunction with these new products and I'll report back with pictures and more details about the products!

Have any of you guys gone sulfate free? If you do, what was your motivation for it? Do you suffer from eczema? If so, do you have any other tips for clearing it up?

MUA Pro-Base Complexion Kit in Ivory

Hi Guys,

I can't believe I'm managing my third post this week! You can tell I'm relaxing and not that busy... Literally I haven't left the house in two days! I have a really sore throat today believe it or not, and there was me thinking I could get through one trip to Holland without being ill! 

Tonight I have a MUA Complexion kit to show you. I love MUA, they're my favourite budget friendly makeup brands, and I usually buy from them if I want to try a new product.

This is the Pro-Base Complexion Kit in Ivory, which is the lightest colour.

Inside, you will find a large pan of foundation, and smaller ones of concealer and a pink toned highlighter, as well as a foundation sponge and a little brush. It has a mirror on the centre part of the lid, the bit that is covered by the silver card in the picture above, and that you can kind of see in the photo below.

Let me just take this time to mention the new white and silver packaging. I love it! At first I thought it looked a bit cheap compared to the black, but it has really grown on me, it looks quite high end to me, and it's nice to have a bit of white inside my makeup bag, because I feel like everything I own is black!

Here are the products swatched on my arm (not blended):

And here is how everything looked on my skin. I primed my skin first with the MUA Undress Your Skin Primer. Then I used the sponge to apply the foundation first, and then the concealer under my eyes and on the inside of my nose. Lastly I used the brush to apply some of the highlighter onto my tops of my cheekbones.

I'm not wearing any eye makeup here so the focus isn't taken off the skin! I hate myself without eyeliner!

As far as this product goes, I liked it. I didn't love it... The colour match was good for my skin even though the shade was Ivory, so I don't know how people with fair skin could use it. My skin is very pale, but olive, not rosy toned, so I think this could show up orange on fairer skin tones. 

The formulation of the foundation was nice, it went on smoothly, and it was a light/medium coverage that is buildable if you want it to be. The concealer was great for my red bits on the inside of my nose but didn't completely cover the grey bags under my eyes. 

As far as wear goes, by the end of the day most of the makeup was gone, but this is a cream to powder foundation, so I expected it. My skin leans more towards the dry side, so if I want to wear any kind of powdery product, I need to reapply it throughout the day.

All in all, this was a decent product. Not the best, but by no means the worst, and for £6, it's ideal to throw in your bag. It's nice if you don't want a heavy coverage (if we ever get a summer - this will be ideal) and the mirror in the lid makes it perfect for any touch ups during the day.

I bought this from my local Superdrug for £6, but you can also get it here on the MUA site for the same price. MUA have got a 3 for 2 running on their website at the moment, so you might want to check out their other products too!