Product review: John Frieda Weather Works Style Sealant Crème

This cream promised to provide ultimate protection against style ruining weather conditions, but living in Ireland, we have to think rationally.  Sometimes we can’t even step outside the door without our rain gear, so I doubt a cream is going to banish the need for a brolly.  But, it does promise to protect against the dreaded frizz inducing humidity and it also gives u.v. protection, so a great holiday bag essential me thinks.  I did however get to try out this product on one of those precious sunny days that we had last week.  It was a particularly hot and heavy day, and my hair is naturally wavy and prone to frizz anyway so god knows I need this miracle product.

So I washed and towel dried my hair as usual and evenly distributed two pumps of the cream through my hair.  It felt light and creamy, but spread really well without any stickiness.  I then blow dried my hair and quickly ran the straightener through my locks to tame any unruly waves.  I had a busy day ahead of me (visit to the doc, grocery shopping, shopping for baby clothes etc) so off I went about my business.  My hair felt smooth but it wasn’t weighed down by the product.  Any split ends seemed to be smoothed down and by the end of the day I was still frizz free.

Yippee!  This product is a lighter formula than the original frizz ease serum, and is just perfect for us girlies with naturally wavy hair.  Also available from this range is the weather proofing shampoo and conditioner, and it is advisable to use all of the range together for maximum results.  Big smiles all round!

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I generally wear make up every single day, unless I’m really really sick and have no intention what so ever of climbing out of my super comfy bed.  Whether it’s to go to the shops, work, the doctor or even walking the dog, I really do feel naked without my bit of slap.  I have a vast collection of powders, creams, liners and glosses and I love trying out new products.

A flush of excitement washed over me when I saw this cute little compact trio and I could not wait to put it to the test. It is an ideal size for those nights out when you are just bringing your clutch and don’t have room for your usual larger colour palette.  I tried the shade ‘grey obsession’ as it stated on the back that it is ‘tailor made for blue eyes’.  I wore it to work where I knew I would be busy just to see if it would last me the day without creasing or irritating my eyes.

I applied it dry for a subtle look but it can be applied wet for a more dramatic evening look.  It went on smoothly, blended really well and didn’t leave a lot of powder particles falling all over my face.  It looked fab all day long and stayed put which is great.  I felt no irritation on the area what so ever and it didn’t need to be touched up at all during the day.  I would definitely recommend this product and with nine different shades, there is something for every eye colour.

Price: €12.34

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As a person with oily skin I was excited to try out this product as it claimed to leave your skin Matte but luminous at the same time.  It sounded far too good to be true, as I usually have to load my skin with a brushing of powder after I apply my foundation.

But, I was super amazed with the results.  It went on effortlessly and felt like I was applying silk to my skin.  I did not need to apply any powder after this product as it felt like it had micro sponges that soaked up any excess oil on my skin.  It has such a gorgeous texture, almost like velvet and it really did leave my skin looking great.  It reduced the appearance of my fine lines and it worked wonders in covering those large pores that I hate so much.  I wore it to work and after a five hour shift it still looked really great, but any longer and I’m sure I would have to reach for the powder for my super shiny nose.

I used a foundation brush to apply, as it really works it in to those fine lines and blemishes.  Only a small amount of this product is needed at a time, and build your look up slowly, no trowels girls, please!  It comes in six different shades so be sure to test a tiny amount on your jaw line to find the perfect shade for you.  This product has a recommended retail price of €15.49 and gets the thumbs up from me

The Colour Range

Rosy Ivory

Golden Ivory

Creamy Natural

Rosy Sand

Apricot Beige

Golden Honey

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Well, for me personally I’d have to say nay I’m afraid.  But, only because I like to wear my eyeliner pretty heavy and quite thick and the nib on this particular liner is pretty tiny.  Don’t get me wrong, I do think it’s a great product; it goes on well, it lasts smudge free for the day and it does not irritate the eyes.  I think it is really only suitable for a fresh day time look as above, or for someone who likes to keep it very natural.

It also took me ages to figure out how to actually get the nib to come out, but eventually I realised it’s a twist up nib.  It comes up a tiny bit at each click, but for someone like me who wears heavy eye make up every day, stay clear.  I don’t think it would be a good investment for heavy users, I myself would probabbly go through one a week!  Imagine how the goths would feel!  I would probably bring it on holiday to the sun.  You know when you are walking around soaking up the rays and you just want that fresh, sunkissed look?  Well, this product would be ideal with a dab of clear lip gloss and a sweep of some bronzer on the cheeks, perfecto!

The recommended retail price for this liner is €7.59 which is good value for money for anyone looking for a thin finish liner.

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I’ve been testing the La Roche-Posay – Physiological Ultra-Fine Scrub for the last few weeks and here is how it went.

I have very sensitive skin and have always found it near to impossible to get a facial exfoliator that doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight and quite red and aggravated.  I therefore gave up on trying to find one as I felt I was doing more harm to my skin than good by “assaulting” it with these products.

That is until recently I tried the La Roche-Posay Ultra-Fine Scrub and to my utter surprise and delight I found it absolutely brilliant.  It has tiny little granules that you can really feel cleaning your skin whilst you rub it in, it foams slightly but is easy to spread around your face.  After washing it off, my skin was honestly “glowing” and felt really fresh and soft.  I had no hint of any redness… which I swear is a first for me and finished off by applying my moisturiser.

I now use my scrub about 2/3 times a week and find it has really helped to get rid of the blackheads on my nose.  I’m just happy I can stop torturing my poor face now and let it get old in the more than capable hands of the La Roche-Posay ultra-fine scrub!  5 out 5 from me…. give it a go ladies and let me know what you think!  You will find La Roche-Posay products in most chemists or on-line and this scrub is a steal at only €14.00.  Pour moi, a small price to pay for not looking like the victim of a terrible accident, as I usually did from other scrubs!

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Wow! Brown tan is relatively new to the market by comparison to better know brands like Sun FX, but it seems to be growing momentum in the beauty industry which is great as they are an Irish company!  Well, I decided to put Wow! Brown fake tan to the test and here’s how it went.  Firstly it was the medium to dark tan that I tried along with their own mitt which they recommend for application.  I began by exfoliating in the shower then thoroughly drying my skin.  I put on the mitt and applied the product to the ‘velvet side’ of the mitt as instructed.

So began the arduous task of blending the tan, and I mean ARDUOUS! Of all the tans I’ve used over the years this was one of the more difficult tans to apply as it just didn’t seem to blend.  I thought maybe it goes on like the St. Tropez, a little mucky but washes off fine the following day, but luckily I didn’t go with that theory and kept rubbing, blending, wiping, anything to get it to blend!  Finally, almost all of the streaks were blended and I still looked a little patchy but hoped for the best.  It does have the usual fake tan smell but that’s a small price to pay for a healthy glow.

The next morning I showered, pat my skin dry and moisturised.  Anywhere that looked slightly uneven the night before (despite rubbing down to the bone!) still looked that way after showering.  A few days later I decided to give it another chance and mixed the tan with some moisturiser first, the thinking was it may glide on easier – unfortunately it was still as difficult to apply.  The tan did however give a nice golden finish but is it worth the hassle of application? not for me.  It is with no joy that wow.ie would slate it rather than rate it on this occasion.  The product costs €26 and you would be hard pushed to use it more than a couple of times before frustration kicked in.  This tan may work for you, different skin types and all that… let us know if any of you have tried this tan out.  Apparently Britney Spears is a fan!

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Intensive Anti-wrinkle Radiance Serum from La Roche Posay was put to the test and it’s no surprise to start straight off by saying this is a great product.  La Roche Posay are one of the few skin care ranges that never get it wrong.

On reading the aim of the product I decided to test this one out myself, being in much need of all that was promised!  To start it comes in a small silver tin with an easy to use pump action top.   The product itself smells of an almost wheat sent, on reading the ingredients I presume it’s actually one of the seed oils.   The texture of the product is so light, almost a water like consistency when applying to the skin.   It’s a kind of yellow almost orange colour and does warn on the packaging that this could change, but not to be concerned.

The product did indeed give my skin a glow as if I had a shimmer or light reflecting make-up on, honestly!  You are advised to use the product morning and evening, as I am lucky if I get my make-up off at the end of a day I only used it every morning and still saw an improvement.  I would definitely recommend this serum and suggest applying it after cleansing your face and give a little time before applying your moisturiser.

This is the first serum La Roche Posay have introduced to their range and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.  The product will cost you €35 and goes a long way.  Also, there will be none of the confusion that goes with finding the product you want from La Roche Posay as it’s their only serum!  Let us know how you get on…

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Green eyes – gold, bronze, grey, earthy tones, fleshy tones.

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It’s no secret that we here at wow.ie are huge fans of La Roche-Posay – OMG have they hit the jack pot with this one! La Roche-Posay recently released Corrective Pen Brushes and I put the beige brush to the test, and could only squeal with sheer delight at the result! This ‘magic marker’ as it has been christened was just that – magic! The brush tested is for any type of imperfection so away I went applying to the circles under my eyes and, to any blemishes only to see a flawless complexion looking back at me!

These brushes come in four colours, Beige (dark or light) for all types of localised imperfections, Yellow for dark circles and bruises and Green for intense redness or localised rosacea (form of acne).

The application is really easy, just twist the top and the product comes out on the brush meaning you don’t have to touch your skin so you won’t spread or aggravate any problems. The product itself covered well without caking as many others do. I’ve been using (previously mentioned) Rimmel coverstick for years and tried every other brand on the market to date, this is now in my bag and I won’t be leaving home without it. I can’t recommend this one enough, cost is €15. We give it the fingers, toes and thumbs up!

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Unfortunately I haven’t had time over the last couple of weeks to get my roots done so, I have had to come up with some very inventive ways of wearing my hair to hide the badger look!

Thank God for Elnett hairspray .. aka liquid cement! This stuff is amazing, it holds your hair in place all day without leaving you looking like Donald Trump. ‘Donald Trump’ meaning that you don’t look hosed down with hairspray and extremely combustible.

This spray (and I used A LOT at a time), holds your hair in place without leaving a sticky invisible net feeling on your head and, you wouldn’t notice to look either. One application was enough to see me through the day, amazing! The other giveaway it thankfully lacked was an overwhelming smell.

Up styles and hair accessories are all in for this Autumn so, grab a tin to have on stand by as it really does work, also great for those bad hair days. The tin I used was L’Oreal Elnett Satin in supreme hold. Watch out for Cheryl Cole, the new spokesperson for the L’Oreal brand.

Marc Jacobs gave the ‘up-style’ new meaning below..

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