Tag Archives: beauty

SupraFade Hyperpigmentation Review

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hihi everyone, I hope all is well. Today I have a full review of the Supradafe hyperpigmentation serum I finished last month

Suprafade is the first product from HUE, a black owned skincare brand based in the UK. The promise is “A serum formulated with 7 active ingredients and antioxidants working synergistically to target the signs and causes of hyperpigmentation, discolouration and dullness. Engineered to be gentle enough for nightly use, our formula starts working in as little as two weeks. To ensure maximum efficacy and results, we always use ingredients at their active level. “

Experience

I introduced this to my routine on 9/6 very slowly. In the first week I used it once then twice in the 2nd week- I do this to prevent any irritation when starting new products. I started using nightly from 23/6. I finished the product 20/8. I experienced no issues with the serum.

Suprafade has no noticeable scent and I didnt find it particularly hydrating. It layers well with other serums with no pilling and works well with retinol ( I use MEdik8’s r-Retinoate® Intense) and acids with no issue

The serum has really big claims, on the website they claim: In a consumer study, participants agreed that there was a dramatic improvement in hyperpigmentation within 6 weeks. 2 weeks- 80% agreed skin tone was more even. 4 weeks- dark spots were obviously reduced. 6 weeks- complexion was significantly more even

For me the experience was very different, by 4 week I couldn’t really tell if my dark spots were fading or not, infact by the time I finished the bottle I was still on the fence. June to Aug were bad skin months for me, I had a lot of texture and spots that led to new hyperpigmentation. I’m not sure if the serum helped deal with that. I had 2 old spots I really wanted to target with the serum and to me they dont look any better.

Mark 1 is an old hyperpigmentation spot Ive been trying to get rid of and it was what I wanted Hue to target. I can barely tell the difference by the 20th when I finished the serum. Mark 2 looks slightly better but 3 is also confusing, Im not sure if there was any improvement. Other areas of my face are also the same I can barely see a difference.

I do like the texture of the serum, its very lightweight and it pairs well with other products. Whilst its not the most hydrating serum out there it is ok. I also like the pump jar it came in.

Verdict

To be totally honest, I’m disappointed with the serum. I saw so many good reviews and improvements from other people but I really cant tell if the serum did anything for me. I did have bad skin this summer as I have new pigmentation spots to treat but I wanted the serum to target older spots I had. Side by side pictures tell me there was hardly any improvements. the newer pigmentation spots look slightly improved? Im not even sure

Will I repurchase? Honestly I did consider it because perhaps I needed more time with it? however after 8 weeks of daily use and not seeing major improvements, I didn’t want to spend another £52 on it plus shipping. I wont repurchase.

If you want to check out Suprafade, check the website here

The Best sunscreen for Dark skin

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Hi hi everyone, I hope all is well. Today I have a list of my fav sunscreens for you, these are across different price points and brands but the best thing about them are that they are all 100% invisible on dark skin! Check out Part 1 of this post with more suitable sunscreens here

Paula’s Choice RESIST Anti Aging Skin Restoring Moisturiser SPF 50 £39 – this is one of my top 5 sunscreens because its simply amazing! An SPF moisturiser with broad spectrum protecting and feels light on the skin with a dewy finish? Paula’s Choice did their thing with this

Garnier Ambre Solaire Ultra-Light Sensitive Sun Protection Face Fluid SPF50+ 40ml £13 – this is a dupe for La Roche Posay shaka fluid but the reason why I like the Garnier version more is because I don’t find it as matte. This is also frequently on sale and very accessible. This is a great option for oily skins. Its very watery and light weight

SuperGoop Play SPF 50 £22 – My first every SPF from Supergoop and I loved it! another SPF moisturiser that you don’t need to use a cream underneath. 100% invisible on the skin

BeautyPie Super Healthy Skin™Featherlight UVA/UVB SPF 50 Sunscreen + Primer £15 or £50 – If you are a BP member then you really should try this! This was one of my fav products from them when I was in the BP club. This isn’t for everyone though because it is very very dewy and does sting the eyes a little bit lol. I still loved it though and went through many bottles of this stuff. Its £15 for members or £50 for non members( it is not worth £50 though in my opinion)

I hope you found this helpful. I have a lot of sunscreen videos and reviews under my Dark skin sunscreen tab on the menu above

stay safe

Paula’s Choice Advanced Sun Protection Daily Moisturizer SPF50 Review

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hihi everyone, I hope all is well. Today I have another sunscreen review and try on for dark skin tones. I’m very passionate about encouraging black people to wear sunscreen more so I have to make sure to find suitable options for us. Please check out my Dark skin sunscreen menu for lots more options. I have videos on my insta too

I love Paula’s Choice as a brand and I have tried a few of their sunscreens too. This one is a new sunscreen that came out last year (I think). I got the travel size as a gift with purchase and Ive been using it for a while now.

This is SPF moisturiser which makes it very convenient as you don’t have to layer over a morning moisturiser. It promises high factor broad spectrum protection for normal & dry skins with a ultra sheer finish. This one has a high PA rating and added antioxidants

Experience

It’s a very lightweight lotion texture, that feels light and silky on the skin with no oily/greasy feel. I did not experience any irritation with the SPF and it did not sting my eyes. It leaves a dewy finish but nothing that is too shiny. I use the standard 2 fingers full to get the correct amount for my face and neck

Is it 100% invisible on dark skin– NO! Although it promises an ultra sheer finish, it does leave a slight white cast on my skin. Its not the worst cast I have experienced, but its still there and I wont be able to leave the house with this only without a bit of powder. Its pretty difficult to see in my pictures below but if you look on my neck, you can see piling and a cast on my skin.

So the other issue I have with this SPF is pilling. As you can see it piles and settles in the lines on my neck. It also sticks to the hairline.

Verdict

This is a no from me and I’m disappointed as PC is one of my fav brands. infact one of my fav ever sunscreens is from them! This one leaves a cast AND it piles! I can easily cover a white cast with makeup but the piling? makes applying makeup difficult! sigh. I do not like the sunscreen at all and if you can believe it, I still haven’t finished that 15ml travel size! I’ve switched to something else.

This is available on Amazon for £39

Face washes for all skintypes

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hey hey everyone, I hope all is well! Today I want to speak about a few of my fav facewashes that are suitable for all skintypes. I’ve used a lot of face washes but these are my top 4

Garnier Deep Hydrating Cleanser £9.99

I love Garnier and their cleansers are one of the best in the budget range. Whilst this one is slightly higher than the rest of the cleansers, the massive 250ml size will last you a long time, mine lasted at least 6 months! This one is great for all skintypes and good for the maintaining the skin barrier

Tatcha Rice Wash £18

Tatcha, Tatcha, Tatcha! I really fell in love with the brand earlier this year and I haven’t looked back! In particular this rice wash is 100% worth the hype. It’s hydrating, leaves the skin soft and smooth and clean without stripping it. This cleanser really changed my stance on using ‘expensive’ cleansers, £18 is pricey but its worth it. I love the creamy texture of the cleanser too. If £18 is too high, the travel size lasts really long too. Tatcha have great gift sets at great prices and good for testing the brand before fully investing in it

Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facewash £8.50

I think this was the first item I tried from Elemis that put this brand on my radar! This is great for smoothing the skin leaving it more radiant. A great and gentle way to add chemical exfoliation to your routine.

Cerave Smoothing face wash £14.50

Cerave have a lot of fans in the community so it was only right I added a facewash from them. I think this is only the one I have used from them. I’m not sure of the BHA conc in here but I dont think its too high. Still it gets the job done and leaves the skin smoother and pores/texture reduced.

Shein Soft Gel Nail Tips Review

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Hihi everyone, I hope all is well. Today I am sharing my thoughts on the Shein soft gel press on nail tips. If you are a DIY gel x girl, stay tuned for more

Shein soft gel nail tips come in a variety of shapes and colours. I chose to get the french manicure nail tips because I’m not that great at drawing the white lines on. I also played around with lengths and shapes so I got ballerina and almond in medium lenght and square in short.

My experience
I’ve been using these since the beginning of this year. It’s been heavy in my rotation. They come in the standard nail sizes so I don’t have an issue with getting a good fit. Each pack also comes with a lot of pieces so they last a long time. The application is easy, these are soft gel tips so they require uv glue and lamp.

Application method & Tools

I use the gel x method for these nail tips. I use the Beetles nail glue ( review here) , BTART solid glue and Mylee clear builder gel and top coat (review here). For nail lamps, I use the Markatt goose neck nail lamp for flash curing then the Mylee UV nail lamp for a full cure.

Nail prep( filing, cuticle prep, cleansing)

Beetles UV nail glue then cure. BTART nail glue in the inside of the tips and flash cure till all nails are completed. Then fully cure

Rhinestones/stickers/ decorations(optional)

Builder gel then cure. Top coat then cure

The whole process from start to finish is about 1.30hrs

So I absolutely love these pre made French tips because it saves me so much time and effort having to draw the white tips from scratch. Whilst I love them. It took a little bit of trial and error to get them right

When I first started using these tips, I started with the Beetles Builder gel. After a few days, the white tips started fading and even some cracking. It was horrible. And this would happen to alll most all nails. I never liked this Builder gel anyways, but for these soft gel tips you need to seal it with a Builder gel and top coat.

I then decided to experiment with other sealants so I tried the Beetles UV glue, Beetles base coat, Mylee Builder gel and Mylee base coat. All of these gave me better results than the Beetles Builder gel but I still had fading after 5 days wear with the exception of the Mylee Builder gel. That Builder gel lasted a full 7 days before some chipping however the one I had was a light pink shade so I decided to get a clear one and try again.

I purchased the Mylee clear Builder gel followed the same application method above but decided to do 2 thin coats of Builder gel, fully curing each layer before using the Mylee top coat.
SUCESS!

This way gave me the best results. My nails now last till whenever I decide to take them off, usually after 10 to 13 days! No fading. No chipping. The nails themselves are also great quality, they do not split/crack after they are fully cured.

Verdict

I love these shein nail tips. I’ve got them in different nail shapes and lengths and even some colour pre made French’s too. This makes it so easy and quick to do a quick manicure especially when I am short on time. These are the dupe to the BTART nail tips but I haven’t tried those yet. The shein ones are great and I highly recommend them. They have a variety of pre made frenchs both classic and coloured and in all the shapes & lengths!

I’ve been using the gel x method since December of last year and I absolutely love this method. 

love Sarah