Review: Dermalogica's UltraCalming Barrier Repair

Dermalogica's UltraCalming Barrier Repair

Dermalogica's UltraCalming Barrier Repair acts like a thinly veiled shield in order to protect your already sensitive skin, it also soothes, reduces itchiness and redness. On top of all that it works to make your barrier almost impenetrable to various skin aggressors.

And it does all this without water. A waterless moisturiser. What's that you say?

Back of the tube

This petite tube couldn't have arrived at a more perfect time -- my face had been reduced to an itching, red mess and I didn't know what to do. In lieu of applying Dermalogica's UltraCalming Barrier Repair all over, I concentrated on the worst areas and hoped for the best and I only needed a tiny dollop.

The texture of the gel-like substance is silky soft. It's also colourless and unscented -- let's face it, the smell of roses wouldn't do anything to emotionally quell what's happening inside of us either.

A week after using

After seven days of repeated use the itching disappeared, the mountainous bumps had receded, my skin grew softer and began to glow again. Did I also mention this stuff makes for a great makeup base? It really does.

If you'd like to learn more about your skin's barrier, here's an interesting read.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Dermalogica's UltraCalming Barrier Repair:

• $48.97 AUS / $42.00 USD 

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags — It's expensive, but it quickly became my miracle in a tube.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Let's just work on getting my skin stronger and healthier and maybe we'll talk.

*PR sample provided  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

Recycled beauty: Tom Ford's Lip Color in Aphrodisiac

Tom Ford's Aphrodisiac

Released many moons ago as part of the Jardin Noir collection, Tom Ford's unrelenting tomfoolery yielded one of my all-time favourite makeup releases

I wouldn't shell out $65.00 on any old tube of lipstick.

Yet, for as much as I was smitten, I stowed Aphrodisiac away for a long, long while -- I don't know if this has ever happened to you. But let me tell you, stumbling upon it was like finding a Golden Ticket.

Aphrodisiac (limited edition) isn't for everyone. It's bright or at least that's what my boss thinks, told me so himself. I would describe Aphrodisiac as a bright magenta, with varying undertones of blue and red, it all depends on the lighting. Honestly, I don't think I fully and accurately captured Aphrodisiac's intensity.

For the price alone, you're probably wondering what makes this particular shade so great. Well, up until now it's unlike anything I've ever seen in tube form. The finish is creamy and lustrous. It lasts well over eight hours on my lips with minimal chapstick touch-ups and finally, the subtle vanilla scent punctuates this rediscovered treasure.

Break me off a piece of that!

Swatch of Aphrodisiac 

Going further, in an effort to justify such an extravagant purchase, I'd like to demonstrate Aphrodisiac's versatility. You can even try this with any super pigmented lipstick.

A whisper of colour

To achieve a light wash of colour simply dab all over your lips.

Ka-pow!

For full opacity apply as normal. It doesn't take much effort to go from 1 to 10 in the colour spectrum.

And to those who think they could never wear a shade similar to Aphrodisiac, think again.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Tom Ford's Lip Color in Aphrodisiac:

• $65.00 AUS / $49.00 USD 

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags — Tom Ford knows what he's doing.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Can I haz them all?

Kicking off Skin Care week

A few notable items 

I can't tell you what's safe and not safe to use on your own body, because everyone's skin reacts differently. Further to that, what works for you might not work for me, but I am always happy to compare notes -- I love a good chin wag regarding beauty, hair and skin care products.

This week I'll be focusing on skin care products kindly sent to me for review. You see, I've had more ups than downs with my skin for the whole of my adult life and sometimes I wonder if things will get better or does my constant worrying perpetuate most of my skin ailments?

Oh, and what I thought was a rosacea flare up turned out to be dermatitis. Sexy, eh? And it only cost me somewhere around $300 to figure that one out (all spent in one day, mind you -- so much for getting those Charlotte Olympia Kitty flats).

As a result, I culled my skin care regimen (it's nothing fancy, promise) out of fear and went back to basics. Since walking out of the doctor's office I've been mainly using Cetaphil's cleanser and moisturiser and thankfully the redness, itching and bumps have mostly subsided. 

In no particular order, here's what we'll be taking a closer look at:

• Dermalogica's Barrier Repair 
• Eco. Body Lotion
• Badger's Sleep Balm
• Nat. Eyes agebloc collection
• Subtle Energies Neem & Coriander Shampoo and Conditioner (not shown)
• Hydra-Oil (also not shown)

Finally, I'll even share my thoughts about a recent visit to the Victorian Cosmetic and Dermal Clinic.

Currently wearing: CND's Vinylux in Azure Wish and Blue Rapture

Wearing CND's Vinylux in Azure Wish (light blue), Blue Rapture (teal blue) and Butter London's Fairy Cake (sparkly centre)

I can't get into Pinterest and I really don't know why. It's a site you'd think would be right up my alley, but I guess I am more of an Instagram gal.

Speaking of Instagram, an image re-posted by CND earlier today gave me a bit of nail inspiration. One mention later, et voile! Per usual I can't take credit for the handiwork, I really owe it all to Mira.

Sorry for being quieter than usual these past few weeks. Things have been super hectic at work, as a result writer's block has a tendency to creep in and grabs ahold of my thoughts more than I would like. For now I'll probably keep my posts short and sweet, yet picture heavy.

Happy Saturday!