April 30, 2010

Review: B•liv by Cellnique Skincare

I was actually contacted by the lovely Selina a few weeks ago to see if I would be interested in trying out the B•liv by Cellnique skincare line. She asked me what my concerns were with my skin at the moment and I told her that I have a few blemishes right now but nothing too big of a concern because to be quite honest, my skin has never been too horrible other than the occasional chin breakouts which I update you guys about! :P Believe me right now though, when I say that I have far from perfect skin, I have so much acne scarring on my chin it really bugs me.

What made me really interested in this brand is the fact that it offers free shipping all over the world. Yes, you heard me, FREE SHIPPING ALL OVER THE WORLD! Go to their shipping policy page to see the details. I also just fell in love with their philosopy of "b•liv seeks to inspire the youth of today to believe in themselves; that they can make a difference not only in the care of their skin but also the world they live in." I am starting to get into the green movement at the moment and I really hate it when I see people ruining our world. This was a very big part of why I was so willing to do this review because I am so glad to see that big companies like Cellnique is starting to take notice of what is going on in our world and actually caring.

So Selena ended up sending me:
- Squeaky Clean
- Off With Those Heads
- Shrink and Tighten
- Shrink and Tighten +

I was pretty sceptical at first because believe it or not, I didn't know too much about Cellnique and it's famous Off With Those Heads gel! I do have blackheads on my nose but it is nothing too major so I'm really sad that you guys won't be able to see the huge amount of difference it made on my skin, texturally not aesthetically. Let me tell you right now that I was wildly surprised...

Onto the products.....

$30 for 130ml
Squeaky Clean -
On the B•liv website, it says that

Squeaky Clean flushes out impurities and softens your skin, to make blackheads and whitehead removal simple and without complication. It unclogs your pores and helps oil halt its spread, and lets you say ‘hi!’ to clean pores and ‘bye!’ to those heads


Use Squeaky Clean 2-3 times daily, before applying Off With Those Heads.

Active ingredients include:

Peppermint Oil

cleansing + oil control

This contains ingredients with great anti-inflammatory and skin-softening

properties. It also assists in skin cleansing, as well as aids the blackhead-

whitehead removal process.

Aloe Vera Extract

soothing + hydrating

Research has confirmed its anti-inflammatory properties and ability in promoting

wound-healing. It also helps moisturize and nourish the skin – leaving it smooth

and supple.

Micro beads

exfoliating

These are synthetic beads, which are homogenous in size and shape, which aid

exfoliation of the epidermal layers of the skin, without damaging skin tissue.



Verdict: I am seriously so in love with this product right now you won't believe it. It just makes your skin feel SOOOO clean! I was a bit iffy on the scent at first because it's that herbal kind of organic smell but it grew on me a lot and I seriously doubt that I can find another cleanser that does the same job as this. Granted that it doesn't take off your eye make-up, but I usually use baby wipes to wipe off all my make up and I'm not sure if this was a fluke but I was wearing the infamously long wearing Majolica Majorca mascara but it kind of took that off! I was a little amazed! All in all, this is such a great product and I will definitely purchase this once I run out, you don't even need a lot of it for it to do it's job.

--------------------------------

$63 for 45ml
Off With Those Heads -
On the B•liv website, it says that Off With Those Heads removes white & blackheads without violence or pain, and stops them from appearing ever again. The gel softens the clogging blocking your pores, allowing for effortless extraction and removal of all sores. Its essence ingredients keep oil secretions under control, and skin irritation will never again rule!

Use Off With Those Heads daily, on your cleansed, towel-dried face.

Active ingredients include:

Tea Tree Oil

acnes & comedone control + soothing

This is a popular remedy for acne and comedones. It has been proven to contain

powerful anti-sepctic, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties and is known to

help soothe blemished skin.

Witch Hazel Extract

acnes & comedone control + soothing + skin softening

This helps reduces excess oil from the skin and acts synergistically to minimize

open pores, reduce irritation and keep the skin in perfect condition.

Aloe Vera Extract

soothing + hydrating

Research has confirmed its anti-inflammatory properties and ability in promoting

wound-healing. It also helps moisturize and nourish the skin – leaving it smooth

and supple.


Verdict: Again... Another love... It did say on the bottle not to worry if your skin where you have applied the product becomes a little bit more oilier than usual, that just means it's working and it's sucking the life out of your little blackheads! I have mentioned before that I don't REALLY have a bad problem with blackheads but what this product has done, is it has reduced my remaining blackheads! I am seriously going to buy my mom this product because she has a blackhead problem same with enlarged pores. She has even mentioned how nice my nose is looking right now! Amazing product, seriously, it has totally lived up to it's name. I'm not sure if I would purchase this once I have run out though, only through the fact that it is a little pricey. Again though, a little goes a long way!

--------------------------------

$49 for 30ml
Shrink and Tighten -
On the B•liv website, it says that Shrink & Tighten helps reverse all your unsightly facial pores, by pumping in collagen to seal the pores, preventing future problems, by flushing out clogging and calming down irritation. Its anti-oxidant and barrier-repairing properties ensuring your complexion will stay forever large-pore free!

Use Shrink and Tighten daily for best results.

Active ingredients include:

Vitamin B3

exfoliating + acne control + barrier repairing

Also called niacinamide, vitamin B3 contributes to the support of the

skin's barrier against pollutants and other irritants such as acne, redness

associated with sensitive skin (rosacea), and other inflammatory effects. It has

also been shown to help the skin remain hydrateds.

Vitamin C

pore shrinking + anti-oxidant

Working as a powerful anti-oxidant, this provides protection against oxidative

damage by preventing collagen and elastin depletion. It also stimulates collagen

and elastin synthesis to create firmer, healthier skin.

Oleanolic Acid

anti-inflammatory

This contains anti-inflammatory properties.



Verdict: I do like this product, I do, but I feel that I don't like this product as much as I like Off With Those Heads and the Squeaky Clean Cleanser. It has refined my pores as you will see if the photos at the very bottom of the post but my pores weren't too huge to begin with anyway. I don't think that I will purchase this product when I run out and I am actually thinking of giving my mom this product just because she would need it more than me and also she might see more of a difference than me.

--------------------------------

$49 for 15ml
Shrink and Tighten + -
On the B•liv website, it says Shrink & Tighten+ works its magic in the night to stimulate collagen production, to make sure your pores will always be out of sight. Its 10% L-ascorbic acid and cell regeneration nutrients firms your skin, brightens your complexion, leaving your looking flawless and absolutely healthy once again.!

Use Shrink & Tighten + nightly for best results

Active ingredients include:

10 % L-ascorbic acid

pore refining + firming + skin lightening + anti-oxidant

The most effective form of vitamin C, which has been proven to increase collagen

and elastin-synthesis, thus producing firmer skin and making pores less

noticeable. This result is further enhanced by its anti-oxidant properties which

help to prevent collagen depletion. It also assists in brightening dull and uneven

skin tones.

Witch Hazel Extract

acnes & comedone control + soothing + skin softening

This helps reduces excess oil from the skin and acts synergistically to minimize

open pores, reduce irritation and keep the skin in perfect condition.

Vitamin B5

moisturizing + cell regenerating

This helps raise the skin's content of Hyaluronic acid, which helps moisturize and

soften skin tissue. It also stimulates cell renewal and repair to achieve healthy

skin.

Verdict: Again, I'm a little ehhhh about this product, just cause I don't think that I need it that desperately. It has a really nice yet odd at first sensation when you first put it on though! It actually warms the area up believe it or not! You feel this really comforting warming sensation when you apply this onto your face. Again, I don't think that I would purchase this product when I finish off the bottle and I might just give it to my mom only just because I didn't see that much of a dramatic difference. Don't get me wrong, I did see a little difference in the refinement of my pores but... for the price... I don't think I would purchase it.

--------------------------------
Before photos:
(Like the hairbrained person that I am, I lost the photos that I took for the before photos so now I'm stuck trying to find photos where you can actually see what my nose is like in real life beforehand. I know you can't see much in these but you can see the build up that I have around my nose area, especially the crease where my nasal fold starts)

After photos:
(There has been no editing done to these photos, LOOK HOW SMOOTH MY NOSE IS! It's completely amazing to me!)

Overall: I would definitely rate B•liv by Cellnique a solid 4 or even 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. Their customer service seems impeccable and seriously, free shipping.. that is just the icing on the cake!

--------------------------------

B•liv by Cellnique would also like to offer free samples of Off with those heads, 3ml to your readers (first 50 readers). They can email their full name and mailing/shipping address to fbfreesample@blivskin.com with the subject xphoebelinax.blogspot.com. T&C: Valid ends 1 week after your product review being post and sample delivery within 4 – 6 weeks.

April 29, 2010

Upcoming Posts!

  • Review of B.Liv Cellnique skincare + updated skincare routine
  • Hauls from Aromaleigh and Beauty Of The Earth - I am on a mineral eyeshadow kick! I'm currently obsessed with browsing and buying :(
  • More photos from school
  • Celebrity inspired looks (if you guys want to request anything, please do so! :))
  • Updated daily look
  • More looks in general! :D
I will hopefully have something up by this weekend but I do have a photoshoot on Saturday during the day :) I will let you all know how it goes!

I will leave you with my favourite baby of all time! BABY CARLOS!!! :D (Thank you honey for the cute photo! :D)