Monday, September 28, 2015

Never-ending Acne Solution || Skin B5*



 Once upon a time (not that long ago) I had what I would say, clear skin. Free from acne but the occasional pimple here and there during my time of month but a monster of some sort attacked me, and I was left with the battle scars of acne upon my forehead. 
...Okay I may be exaggerating with my love of disney movies, hoping some prince or skincare product would swipe me of my feet and help fix up my acne but obviously it aint a fairytale this time Angel *insert crying face*.

Anyways the real story of my acne started about a year or so ago. From having clear skin and the occasional blemish usually around my nose and forehead. But I noticed that I started getting quite bumpy upon my forehead and my tea tree oil pimple remedy no longer worked on my forehead anymore as it wasn't that usual pimple. That was when i did some research and found out that I was suffering from acne (papules to be exact).


Lucky for me I was contacted by the extremely friendly and lovely staff of Skin B5 to test out their acne range.
Skin B5 sells 5 different products that help with acne:
Skin Purifying Mask
Acne Control Cleansing Mousse
Acne Control Moisturiser
Acne Control Caplets
Acne Control Extra Strength Tablets
I've never really done any research or bought any products for my acne as it wasn't bugging me that bad so it was quite the surprise getting to try these out.

Left: Acne Control Caplets Right: Acne Control Extra Strength Tablets.
The real star of Skin B5 is their acne tablets.
Upon receiving the set, I was pretty damn confused on which one to take and what to be taking and etc so i did contact them via email and got a speedy answer from the staff (5 star rating for you!)
The Acne Control Extra Strength Tablets is what you should be taking if you have serious acne breakouts, taking 2 tablets 3 times a day after a meal, never on an empty stomach. While the Acne Control Caplets should be taken if you have mild acne or occasinal breakouts which is also 3 times a day but only 1 caplet after finishing the Extra Strength Tablets or after your acne has recovered to your liking.
I actually haven't tested out the Caplets yet as I'm still yet to finish the 180 tablets but you can see above how the caplet is slightly smaller than the Tablets. 
(I will keep you guys updated when i try the caplets and do a little catch-up lifestyle post in the future!)
I know a few of my friends can't swallow pills and if you're one of them or you can't do big pills, then you may have a hard time swallowing this bad boy (I found them to be quite similar in size with  the panadol tablets in the big size). Lucky for me i can swallow pretty much any sized pills so i had no trouble with this!

Top: August 16th Bottom: September 12th
Yes I know the photo date is a little early as I found that this stressful VCE work has gotten me out of trail with the whole acne routine. Im not going to lie, I did skip a few tablets so the outcome wouldve been better if i didn't but guess what? My acne has still gotten better even without taking the tablets strictly 3 times a day daily.
You never really notice how much your acne progress improves until you actually see past photos! I only just saw the pictures of my acne and it shocked me how much it improved when it felt like it hasn't made a major difference. But I can safely say that the redness between my brows has disappeared and most of the acne scarring has reduced. Majority of my acne is situated between my brows and the occasional pimple is also around that area or above my brow but you know what, a normal pimple feels a whole lot better than the dreading acne staying on my head for who knows how long?!




The Acne Control Moisturiser helps 'unclog & tighten pores, evens skin tone and prevents breakout'.
It claims to be for oily, acne-prone skin that contains natural ingrediants of green tea, jojoba oil and vitamin B5 (which is considered to help reduce acne). 

It is in a pump form so I don't have to bother cleaning out underneath my nails whenever i dip my finger into a tub of moisturiser *cringes*. I found that one pump is perfect for my big ass head as the texture is somewhat watery so it will spread evenly on your face. I can sometimes get away with less than a pump when my face doesn't feel as dry as the desert.
Sadly for me i don't really see what this moisteriser does for my acne and also my oily/combo skin. I felt as though it just maintained what i already had instead of helping it out. But it may just be the oblivious side of me?!




The Acne Control Cleansing Mousse is one of my favourites in the set as you can guess from the name, ITS A MOUSSE! Nothing more exciting than getting a pumpful of foam that looks like you're holding the physical form of clouds.
It leaves my face feeling clean and hydrated which i love. The lightweight feeling of it when I put it on my face is also a bonus as I find with the typical cream cleanser that it feels quite thick and leaves my face feeling like it got dipped in moisturiser, that may give some people the tick of approval but for someone like me, lightweight products are the best of the bunch for me.
I use this one twice a day (morning and night) and theres not really any major cons to it aside from having to take off the lid and trying not to have it slip from your hands when its dripping wet. (it is sometimes a struggle whenever i use it in the shower)





applying the mask normally onto the forehead (thinner outcome)
Leaving the best till last, the Skin Purifying Mask is the.greatest.product.you.will.ever.meet. (*hi five to people who get this reference)
To put it short, this mask works a charm in fast forwarding my acne solution. With the tablets its a slow and gradual process but this mask reduced my forehead acne like a charm.
I try to use this one atleast once or twice a week as it really helps reduce the acne in a day, magic or what?!
The texture of it isn't too thick or too thin. You can apply it thick (which is what i do) or you can also thin it out.
I usually apply it on the problematic area rather than the entire face cause who wants to waste product?! You can also use it just like a spot treatment.
It says to allow 5 minutes for it to dry but personally, i never keep track of time so Im always doing my won thing while it dries!
With all masks it has the tight feeling when it starts to dry but then washing it off, it has a refreshing feeling like drinking an ice cold beverage on a hot sweating day. I love it.
Honestly if I were to run out I would definitely consider purchasing this one.


The entire set retails for around $130 (not sure about the exact cost) but it is cheaper when purchasing the products altogether rather than separately!

Costs for the products separately:

Acne Control Extra Strength Tablets: $49.95
Acne Control Caplets: $39.95
Acne Control Moisturiser: $22.95
Acne Control Cleansing Mousse: $22.95
Skin Purifying Mask: $34.95

I have to admit the prices for each product is pretty steep but considering that the tablets and the mask  worked pretty damn well for me, I personally find the prices quite worthy for them imo. But a moisturiser and cleansing mouse for $22/23 you can probably find cheaper alternatives/dupes but if no other product works for you and you want to try something new, whats there to lose in trying these out?!

I still suffer from the occasional breakout, but the acne on my forehead has reduced about half the amount since using the products. Ive got my fingers crossed that it will fully recover when I'm done with the tablets!

Do you guys suffer from acne? What are your hg products for it?!


Skin B5

*Disclaimer: Products were sent to me to trial + review \\ It does not change my thoughts on this in anyway.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Whitening foam magic?! || Puresmile*


Confession time: When i was a child i hated brushing my teeth, i brushed usually once a day. Sadly my parents were never the type to check my teeth after brushing just to see if i brushed them, so all my life I've known to not have the whitest of teeth compared to everyone else.

I've had multiple, teeth whitening services while at the dentist growing up yet i always neglected my teeth and they weren't the best.
But realising that my teeth should be cared for, they've been a lot better for a couple of years.
I was lucky enough to be sent a whitening product from the services of Puresmile and although my teeth isnt a stained that bad, I did want to start trying out whitening products again in hope for a whiter set of teeth, so what better time to try it than now?!



The way the whitening and cleansing foam works is by dispensing the foam onto your toothbrush and then brushing your teeth like usual with it. 
While brushing, the foam pretty much doubles in size in your mouth but you let the foam dissolve into your teeth, which gives your teeth the whiter factor.
As I'm used to wetting my toothbrush before applying toothpaste (anyone else like me?!), it was weird having to get out of my usual habits for the sake of testing the product.
But for those who question this, i did accidentally wet my toothbrush before applying it and i found that the foam turns into a gross mess, like liquidy toothpaste that didn't foam up so yes A DRY TOOTHBRUSH IS A MUST.

Clumsy me, happened to lose the lid before taking pictures.

When i first saw the pump, it instantly reminded me of a submarine periscope. It just looks huge, though I'm assuming the bigger the better..foam?
Anyways the Teeth Whitening & Cleaning Foam retails for $39 AU, which sounds pretty ridiculous but comparing it with the toothpastes sold at your local woolies or coles that claims to whiten teeth this one actually does whiten your teeth, believe it or not.
Before getting onto my whitening experience i do have to say that the foam does have a taste that isn't that great, i mean its not pleasant but its not great, it reminds me of going to the dentist which makes sense as it does include the same ingredients that dentists use. The taste makes it hard for me to not rinse my mouth after as it does state to not rinse your mouth for 15 minutes, but i like to think that the foam is whitening my teeth by the second which helps me try to handle the foam taste.

Excuse the lighting difference
I have been using the foam for about 2 weeks and it does state to use it for 10 days in the morning and night.
Though i have been using it for 2 weeks i did switch it out for toothpaste a few times as i found that my teeth didn't feel as clean as it would with toothpaste. The usual toothpaste kept my teeth pretty clean from plaque up until about after dinnertime whilst the foam had it up before the afternoon, it felt horrible and made me want to go brush 3 times a day.
Aside from that the outcome of the foam did work for me, even though the pictures doesn't really do much justice unless you look closely. I find that my teeth are noticeably whiter on my front top and bottom teeth. The surround teeth are slightly yellow but it isn't to the point that its screaming yellow which i like.
I'de have to say that out of all the whitening products I've used this one did do a little something something on my teeth, I'm surprised this one actually worked for me even though it was a slight difference. I've spent quite a lot on whitening products and services and they just never worked out for me so its good knowing not all is a sham.
I may just try incorporating this as my nightly toothpaste while using my normal Colgate in the mornings, just to see if it will whiten anymore but other than that ill be keeping this bad boy for the future when I have white teeth to maintain them.

You can check out the Whitening foam here

Puresmile
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*Product was sent to me to review. 100% honest review as always