Moss Zen Physic Oil Intensif.

After officially using up the very last drop of this potent treatment just last week, I thought it was about time I wrote a full review. After all, I’ve clearly had the pictures ready to go for ages now, but a part of me didn’t want to share, I wanted to keep Zen Physic a secret just a little while longer.

Zen Physic is a spot treatment, specifically designed for healing active acne, cystic acne (yes!) and inflammation. It’s incredibly potent, containing a whopping 40% essential oils that work to speed healing, fight bacteria, scarring and decrease inflammation. Because of the high concentration of essential oils this really shouldn’t be applied all over the skin neat, definitely take note of the spot treating element and apply sparingly. I can’t deny it, though, this really works.
I purchased my bottle at the end of October last year when my skin was still quite bad and I needed all the help I could get in the healing department for cystic acne. I applied this religiously morning and night on blemishes as the final step in my skincare routine, I would also mix a single drop into my moisturiser or facial oil for further acne-fighting benefits.

What I noticed from prolonged use was skin that healed faster, blemishes that didn’t scar as deeply and cystic acne that wasn’t as painful; the treatment almost had a numbing effect on those suckers that just throbbed whenever you smiled or talked, you know the ones. I also noticed that I had to really remember to keep up with application to notice the best benefits, obviously, if I forgot to use it for a day or two then I would end up with a scar or spot that managed to root itself there for longer, lovely. In the past few months I ended up saving it only for emergencies as I knew it was coming to end, this wouldn’t have happened so soon (the 10ml size did go surprisingly far when you’re using just a drop at a time) if I hadn’t of knocked the bottle over when open TWICE! I probably lost between a quarter and a third of the bottle, ugh.

The oil itself feels light and non-greasy thanks to all those essential oils. The carrier oils here are also known to be beneficial for acne prone skin: Andiroba heals and soothes, pracaxi is antiseptic and healing and neem oil is powerfully antibacterial and cooling. The divine bright green colour comes from a mix of blue yarrow and german chamomile combined with the incredible yellow of turmeric. The scent is strong as you would imagine, it’s medicinal and herbal and I absolutely loved it, the scent to me implied that the ingredients really are potent and working their magic on my spots.

Would I buy this again? Absolutely. My skin is improving lately and I don’t feel I need this anymore, I do still get blemishes and it would be nice to have this around to treat them, but as my acne isn’t horrific to the point of tears anymore, I don’t think I can justify the purchase. It did help me in my hour of need though and totally solidified my love for moss skincare.

Ingredients:
Carapa Guaianensis (Andiroba) Seed Oil, Pentaclethra Macroloba (Pracaxi) Seed Oil, Azadirachta Indica (Neem) Oil, Karanja oil, Proprietary Therapeutic Essential Oil blend (Includes Calendula, Yarrow, Lemongrass and more), Curcuma Xanthorrhiza (Javanese Turmeric) Root Supercritical Extract.

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Gold Glitter Smokey Eye Makeup Tutoria

Hi darlings! in this tutorial I’m going to show you how to create a gorgeous and sultry gold glitter smokey eye, its super quick and easy and perfect for clubbing, prom night or special occasions where you want super glam makeup! you could also swap it out from a nude lip to a dark lip to amp the look up even more, I hope you enjoy! xox

BASE

Max Factor Skin Luminizer in Bronze
Maybelline Concealer in Sand
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
Hourglass Ambient Powder Wardrobe
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Dark Brown
Kevyn Aucoin Blush in Dolline
The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer to highlight

https://youtu.be/5169IN_1-sc

EYES
Urban Decay Eye Primer
MAC Eyeshadow Chamomile
MAC Eyeshadow Soft Brown
MAC Eyeshadow Texture
MAC Eyeshadow Swiss Chocolate
Chi Chi Cosmetics Glitter Eyeliner in Rose Gold
Maybelline Brown Kohl Eye Pencil
Elizabeth Arden Grand Entrance Mascara
ESQIDO Lashes in Lashlorette
DUO Dark Eyelash Glue
NYX Soft Brown Lip Pencil

The Big Alpha-H 21st Birthday Power Peel Giveaway!

alpha-h giveaway

Brilliant skincare brand Alpha-H are celebrating their 21st birthday this summer and as a special treat for readers of A Model Recommends, they’re giving away twenty-one pots of their incredible new night treatment, the Beauty Sleep Power Peel. 

I love Alpha-H for their no-nonsense approach to skincare – they were one of the very first brands I discovered as a new blogger and they are still, to date, one of my favourites. There’s no frilliness and silliness, just highly effective skincare that’s been formulated to get the job done. They’ve got something for almost any facial task, whether it’s spot-killing, dryness banishing, wrinkle-reducing, but I have to say that they really do excel at making products that rejuvenate, renew and brighten.

The new Beauty Sleep Power Peel joins treatments such as Liquid Gold and Rejuvenating Cream as a radiance-boosting, regenerating skin hero. This is like the Big Daddy of overnight creams, with a massive whack of glycolic acid and fruit enzymes as well as 0.5% retinol to hit every possible skin concern from every angle. Firming, plumping, exfoliating, brightening, dark-spot reducing, refining and de-clogging, there’s something here for pretty much everyone. Just apply, sleep and let the Power Peel do its thing…

To be in with a chance of getting your hands on a pot of Beauty Sleep Power Peel, leave a comment below, making sure you enter your email into the form where prompted so that we can get in touch if you win. Please leave comments before noon (BST) on the 15th July 2016, one comment per person, no bribery (ha!). This generous giveaway is open to everyone, worldwide, so please feel free to wish Alpha-H a very happy birthday on their Instagram as a thank you – they’re a lovely bunch and would be delighted if you said hello.

Current Skincare Favourites

ruth crilly skincare favourites

Blimey, I desperately needed a break from talking about Christmas and Christmassy things! Can someone please remind me, next year, to keep my Gift Guides neatly contained within a single week – perhaps the last week of November? – and not a single utterance of the words “gift”, “festive” or “stocking filler” thereafter? Thank you.

And moving swiftly on to skincare: some bits and pieces that have really impressed me over the past month or so. A few serums, the world’s best lip balm (possibly) and a couple of new or yet-to-be-released face bases. Which, strictly speaking, are makeup products but the Effaclar BB Blur (see here) has oil-absorbing properties and the Armani Maestro Glow (released February) is just brilliant for dry skin.

Watch the video to hear all about my latest finds – I’ll be doing more in-depth reviews here on A Model Recommends, but probably not until after Christmas as I’m planning to shut down for my “holidays” in a few days’ time. Lots of the products shown have quite good offers on at the moment – the individual links are all below the video screen. Enjoy!

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The Perfect Goddess Legs Selfie

model recommends venus olay sugarberry

Summer is here and – if you’re anything like me – you’re frantically hunting for your foot file and your gradual tanner to get your legs and feet into some kind of presentable condition. There’s a post coming up with some of my most-used foot products, but what about the legs? My routine has been the same for over a decade: scrub with a body scrub, shave with a razor and then, an hour or so after my bath or shower (I wait until the pores on my legs aren’t so open) I moisturise and/or use a gradual tanner, depending on the occasion. Oh – I sometimes body brush before the bath or shower, too, but since moving house and losing my body brushes (along with a suitcase filled with summer clothes and a box of foundations!) I make do with an extra-thorough scrub.

I’ve been using Gillette razors for as long as I’ve been shaving my legs, which is why I’m very happy to be involved in the competition that Gillette Venus are running in association with ASOS. The competition is the #GoddessLegs selfie competition – yes, as the name suggests, it’s all about LEG selfies. To celebrate beautiful legs and the new Venus Olay Sugarberry razor, Venus and ASOS will be giving away loads of weekly prizes including goody bags with razors and £50 ASOS vouchers. I have tried the new Olay Sugarberry razor and it is quite the timesaver – no shaving gel or foam needed, it just glides straight over the skin. Handy when you’re in a shower that’s as small as the one in my new house – I hardly even have room to move my arms to wash my hair, let alone do complicated leg-soaping positions!

All you have to do be in with the chance of winning one of the prizes is tweet your leg selfie to @GilletteVenusUK using the hashtag #GoddessLegs. Don’t let your phone correct that to #GodlessLegs, as mine did – nobody will see your entry and it will mean something quite different.

Venus asked me to give my top five tips for taking a “leg selfie” and I have to admit, it wasn’t easy. Taking leg selfies isn’t easy! You just have to do as best you can and try not to dislocate your shoulder as you attempt to hold your iPhone in increasingly awkward and improbable positions. (Me.)

Top #GoddessLegs Tips

Prep Your Pins: The Smooth, Shiny Leg Maketh the Selfie. Make sure yours are shaved and slathered in something moisturising. There’s nothing worse than some eagle-eyed Instagram Troll screen-grabbing your picture, zooming in and pointing out that your legs are both hairy and scaly!

Find a Good Angle: This may take some time. Legs are notoriously weird to photograph (see next tip) and it doesn’t help that they’re so long and far away from your eyes.

goddesslegs selfie

In the ideal world, you’d always shoot your legs from below – like a photographer would – to make them look elongated, but unless you’re able to detach your arms, you’ll have to just get by as best you can. I tend to prefer the “aerial view” of my outstretched legs.

Crop Wisely: There are a tremendous number of very strange leg selfies trotting about the internet. The weirdest is possibly the one where people shoot their legs from thigh to knee (see photo below) as they lie on their sun lounger, creating the illusion of hotdogs. Bizarre. Avoid cropping too tightly to help maintain length and avoid making your legs look detached from your body.

venus olay asos competition

 Add Shoes: There’s nothing a fine shoe can’t do for a leg selfie. The more bold or colourful the better. I also think that it’s nice to reference the fact that you might be on holiday or on your way to a glamorous event, even if you’re not! If you can’t fire up a bit of pure jealousy then you’re not doing things right. Anything that screams “I’m not working!” will do the trick.

 Utilize your Smartphone: You have an infinite number of chances to take your perfect selfie. Just keep deleting the bad photographs and clicking away. Don’t forget to harness the power of the Photo Filter. One of the greatest inventions of the new millennium, the Photo Filter (like the ones on Instagram or photo editing apps) can transform any picture into something that looks as though it belongs on a billboard. There are plenty of filter options to achieve faux-bronzed, defined legs and you can then up the contrast, saturation and “warmth” in the settings. Have fun.

To learn more about Venus’ competition with ASOS and to view the entries, visit the Goddess Legs website here

This feature has been sponsored by Gillette Venus as part of their #GoddessLegs campaign

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