Beauty ponders

Today let's talk body talk... Sadly enough I have to admit that I often neglect it. After taking a bath I have to force myself to use some moisturizer, lazy - yes, I confess! But it is important and I do my best to maintain it a bit or so I try to tell myself^^.
Summer is here, so tanned soft legs are a must, accompanied by skirts & dresses... But I often end up with ingrown hairs, very annoying and those little bumps aren't appealing... This BHA from Paula's Choice promises to get rid of them?

You get a big tube of 210ml for around 25euros, only available in her webshop. Packaging is easy & simple, with a little squeeze you can control the amount of product easily. The product is white, gel-like and has a light scent - bit medical - but not really disturbing. It spreads easily and doesn't irritate my skin in any way... Now onto the big question... does it help? Yes, it does! In the beginning I used it a few days in a row where I now use it once in a while. However, a little point of negative... with repeated use I noticed my skin becoming drier, so use of another moisturizer inbetween is necessary.
The goods: tube packaging, fulfills claims (!), non-irritating, spreads easily

The bads: bit medical scented, can dry out skin with repeated use, only available through webshop, not cheap at 20-30euros
Altogether a good product that does what it promises... So if you sometimes suffer from little bumps, store this in your bathroom - you won't be disappointed!

Exfoliation and skin care walk the same dusty path and are essential in everyone's routine. But when it comes to exfoliation there are 2 types: AHA and BHA. AHA is intented for sun damage and wrinkles, whereas BHA comes in regarding blackheads & blemishes. In my routine AHA is much more common than BHA, but I do use it and, being honest, my skin does need it. I rarely get blemishes but I do tend to get blackheads - especially on my nose (like so many others). I'm not keen on using strips, so I wanted to give this a try...!

• Lightly moisturizing lotion base
• 1% salicylic acid removes dull, built-up layers of damaged skin cells to reveal healthy, smooth skin
• pH of 3.2 is optimal for effective exfoliation
• 100% fragrance and colorant-free

I chose this one from Paula's Choice because of various reasons: it's a mild one at 1%, it's a lotion & intented for dry skin, price/amount is very fair. Adding that I've read multiple great reviews on it and we have ourself a winner to try out. As all her products the packaging is simple. It's not cheap around 24euros but you do get 118ml in return, which will last you a long time... - this isn't something that you need to layer on thick and it's better to only use it in areas where you have clogged pores.

As you notice the top packaging could have been better as it leaves some residue that can clog up. Best to keep it tidy. The dispenser works nice, with a little squeak you can get the desired amount. The product is a white silky lotion, with silicones in it off course - it has no scent at all. It spreads out nicely, sinks in fast, leaving the skin feeling a bit tight but not too dry (which is a problem with the gel type of this BHA, I used a tester to try it, if you have dry skin only go for this lotion!!). I've been using this for more than a year *seems so long*, mainly on my nose and on certain areas when I felt blemishes appearing. I used it every other day in the evening, but you can adjust this to your preference off course (I use an AHA on the other day). I must admit, this BHA does work! It has diminished my blackheads a lot and has prevented new ones from appearing. This 1% version is really mild, I've ordered the 2% now to test because I feel my skin can easily handle it and I still have a few tiny blackheads that won't dissapear so maybe the stronger version will succeed in it.
The goods: fulfills its claims, good packaging, nice pricing/amount of product received, can be used on dry/sensitive skin

The bads: mild - most people can use the stronger 2% version, leaves residue on top of packaging, only available through her webshop

Overall, yes, I'm a fan and will probably keep on repurchasing this or the stronger 2% version. If you have a problem with blackheads and/or a few blemishes from time to time, do try this product - it delivers! I easily see where it gets its great reviews from, it's a decent BHA for a decent price - they are hard to come by you know... :)

Me & serums... we have a love/hate-relationship. Sometimes I use them religiously 2 times a day, other days pass by without me using them. Come to think of it, the more I like a serum, the more I tend to use it. A serum is a little bit of extra for your skin that becomes more & more necessary with age. Hence my reason for using it - occasionally - I'm not that old * yet!
I bought this because of several good reviews, good packaging and not too expensive (in case you haven't seen it, serums aren't cheap - concentrated stuff). The packaging is sleek & simple, Paula's Choice really is no-nonsense skin care. It comes in a tube with an easy dispenser, just a little squeak and you get enough product. It contains 30ml, average amount but ok considering the pricing around 25euros. Sadly, again, only available in her webshop...
The product is a see-through gel which feels very greasy and thick. It's also siliconebased as dimeticone is one of the main ingredients. This helps lifting wrinkles and forms a nice base for your make-up. The retinol in this should help diminish fine lines over time, but honestly, I didn't see anything during my time of usage. There is no fragrance in it, so this product has no disturbing scent - a big plus. The downside is the texture of this product... Even with my dry skin it is too greasy and takes long to sink in. I don't like spreading it onto my face - which doesn't go too well-, it feels just too greasy - repeating myself here a bit too much... I thought that in time I would get used to it and would benefit from the results but neither of them worked out. I'm almost through it, but I don't see an improvement in my skin - sadly.
The goods: packaging, no fragrance, price

The bads: greasy, doesn't sink in, no visual improvement

To sum it up, I think you see this one coming by far -  I won't repurchase it. I just don't like the texture and it didn't do anything to my skin, which is a shame. I cannot believe people have positive results with this... Comes to see that skin varies from person to person. If you want to try this, do choose a tester because I can imagine a lot of people having the same opinion about the greasy texture!

Quite the mouthfull isn't it, this new SPF moisturizer of Paula? I'm still on the lookout for a decent SPF moisturizer and while I didn't like the other ones from Paula that I've tried in the past, I decided to give this one a go either way... you never know...

The packaging is sleek & more luxurious than her regular line, which is just plain white. This tube is made of metallic plastic, I'm not a fan of these things as they tend to break faster. What I consider a big plus on her items is their packaging: only tubes & pumps so perfect for preserving the ingredients. However this tube has a weird dop on it, it's a turn with a click and you have to be carefull because if you don't click it product comes in the dop, weird & not very hygienic - I don't get it?! It contains 60ml and costs around 27euros - only available in her online shop-, an average price but I do expect a decent product in return.
The product has no fragrance in it but it has that typical sunscreen scent, a bit disturbing but I try not to pay too much attention to it. I'd rather have this than heaps of fragrance in it to cover the scent. The consistency is weird, it isn't a cream and it isn't a lotion either. It looks a bit grainy but doesn't feel like it - it looks as though someone chewed on it - not very appealing at all - and it has a yellowish colour. It goes on smooth but needs some decent spreading out and buffing in, otherwise it leaves a white cast so watch out on your brows. I always let it sink in for 5-10minutes before applying make-up. I found it to be a decent moisturizer for sensitive dry skin, but I still needed twice or more of the amount shown below to cover my entire face. Mind that I mainly used this moisturizer during the summer months when my skin actually needs less moisture so during winter you would need quite a lot of product. During the day my skin stayed hydrated. The SPF in it delivers, I've used it in mornings when spending a day outside and didn't get burned with moderate sunshine. Nevertheless I expected more from this, especially considering its price.
The goods: decent sunscreen, packaging, good for sensitive skin

The bads: weird dop, weird consistency, sunscreen scent, not moisturizing enough for dry skin, white cast (!), only available in her online shop

Overall I'm not impressed with this moisturizer, it's ok but far from what I expected. I finished this tube, but won't repurchase and I wouldn't recommend it (if you have normal skin you could give it a go, but there are better alternatives). For some reason Paula's SPF moisturizers always let me down, even though I love a few of her regular moisturizers...

About a year ago I finally converted my boyfriend into using skin care and testing it for a few months - I value skin care highly. Now that these months have passed, he has kept his routine and finds it refreshing to take of his skin. Off course his 'skin care' has to be an easy and quick routine, he doesn't like hassling with too many products and doesn't understand why I need that many different things... Initially he wanted to use my products but that could never work as I have dry skin and he has combination skin prone to breakouts - so I got an excuse to shop some more. Using a 1-step cleanser and a different day/night cream is all for now, but I can live with that - hey, as long as he takes care of his skin it's fine by me! This has been his day cream for the last couple of months and I just wanted to share his thoughts/results with you.


The product is a white and light lotion that spreads easily and doesn't leave a white cast after spreading/sinking in. It has no fragrance and doesn't irritate. The product comes in a tube with a pump which is very convenient. He used about 2-3 pumps to cover his entire face. Afterwards, it leaves a matte finish. During the period of using his skin didn't break out or became irritated in any way. His skin has definitely improved over the last months with a more evened out tone, which is only logical when going from no skincare to a bit of decent skincare. The SPF of 15 is a nice number to cover during a working day, but in summer I prefer to let him use a higher SPF - as do I.

Overall he enjoyed using it, but I probably won't have to repurchase it because there is another day SPF cream that he likes more than this one... You'll read about it soon!

The packaging is quite stylish, contrary to her regular basic white packaging. The blue and grey give it a more expensive hint. It works with a pumping system that is easy to manage. A downside is that it's less easy to control the amount of product that comes out one pump. It contains 50ml and costs around 25euros, only available in her online shop.

I was really surprised when I first used this product, as it was hardly what I expected. This moisturizer isn't a cream, it's a gel that looks a bit yellow at first but is actually see-through. As all Paula's Choice product it's fragrance-free, which I'm a big fan of. It spreads easily and sinks in fast, leaving your skin refreshed and moistened. But personally I found this cream wasn't rich enough for my skin, I needed too much product to achieve a good moistened result. This is a better suited cream for normal skin types. It also works great on sensitive skin and even takes away redness. After using this my skin looks refreshed and a bit glowy, because the product gives a bit of a dewy finish. I continued using this product as a serum underneath my nighttime moisturizer, which I found works better for dry skin.

The goods: packaging, no fragrance, good on sensitive skin, sinks in fast, leaves a nice finish

The bads: price, only available in webshop, not rich enough for dry skin

Overall I enjoyed using this product, it just doesn't suit my skin type leaving it a bit harder to judge. It's a nice moisturizer with good ingredients and if I only needed one pump to cover my face I would probably repurchase this. I have no idea why she claims this is suited for dry skin, as it's clearly not. If you're keen on trying this product, first order a sample to be sure...

The goods: packaging, no fragrance, thick creamy texture, hydrating, non-irritating, reduces redness, versatile (moisturizer/mask), price

The bads: can be a bit sticky, only available online

I love this product, it's a must-have for dry skin and has really helped getting my skin through winter. I'm already on my second tube and will continue to buy this over and over. There are so many good points to this mask that the bads are hardly worth mentioning, if your skin needs hydration - try this and you won't be disappointed. Great quality for a great price...

I like the packaging, a lot more than her other packaging. This one looks more luxurious, I like the blue and the grey. The bottle contains 118ml and costs 21,5euros - which is a lot in my opinion. For reference, my previous Estee Lauder toner costed around 50euros and was 250ml. Paula claims that her products aren't expensive and has labeled this Estee Lauder toner as expensive on her reviewsite, but in comparison her toner is as expensive as the EL one. Being honest much?

You can turn the cap easily off and I put a little bit of the toner on a cotton pad, then sweep it gentle on my face. The texture is thicker than other tones I've used in the past but not as thick as a lotion, there's no scent to it since there's no fragrance in it. I can feel it being hydrating on my skin and it leaves a little glow *love*, therefor it's more suited for normal to dry skins. I've used it for several months and not once has this toner irritated my skin in any way, lovely! I have a few fine dry lines and with continued use of this toner they didn't become less than before, but I kinda knew this promise would go unfulfilled. The toner also claims to reduce redness, which I didn't notice. If my skin was a bit red / irritated this toner didn't take the colour away but on the other hand it didn't make it worse either, I did feel it worked calming on my skin.

The goods: no fragrance, doesn't irritate, hydrating, leaves a glow

The bads: expensive, doesn't reduce wrinkles, doesn't reduce redness

Overall I think this is a good product, the goods make up for the bads. I've enjoyed using it and may repurchase it in the future. I just wish she would release a bigger version of this toner, a 250 or 300ml with a better pricing. If used daily or twice a day, 118ml doesn't last that long. Don't expect wonders from this product, it won't fade your wrinkles - nothing can - but it does have good ingredients in it to prevent future damage and that's what's important!

Looking for a decent SPF moisturizer that suits my skin isn't an easy job. Lately I've bought a few Paula's Choice products and also some samples. I firstly tried her SPF 15 cream for dry skin which you can read about here, but totally disliked it. Not too long ago she released a new SPF cream, intented for normal to dry skin with SPF20. The higher the SPF, the more I'm willing to try it. I honestly recommend ordering samples from Paula's Choice as not all her products are great, which is why I bought a sample from this one that I've used two days in a row.

Another quickview on a Paula's product, as I wasn't too pleased with her SPF moisturizer. Curious if this one is to my likings?

Last week I also did a quickview - my interpretation of a quickview is this amount of text - on a product by Paula's Choice but I ordered more than 1 sample so be prepared for more quickviews. Today's topic is exfoliation, which is a must for every skin. I - and half the population of earth - uses a scrub for this simply because most lines offer only a scrub. I have used several scrubs in the past but always had the same occuring problem: my skin didn't like it that much. I have sensitive skin and most scrubs were too harsh, even though I only used them gently. After scrubbing, my face looked red in certain areas and dry, and that's how I found this product.

Paula's choice offers 2 types of exfoliants: BHA and AHA, BHA exfoliates deep into the skin and is really good if you have skin prone to breakouts as it clears them - AHA exfoliates the surface and is good for sundamage, pigmentation, scars. Since my skin isn't prone to breakouts at all I ordered the AHA in sample. It's only available in 8%, whereas BHA is available in 1% and 2%. These are the product's claims:

Gently exfoliates and renews your skin with 8% glycolic acid - pH range of 3.5–3.8 guarantees efficacy you'll see daily - Takes your dry, sun-damaged skin and changes it from dull to radiant -Stimulates collagen production for firmer, younger-looking skin - Soothing anti-irritants calms your skin and reduces signs of stress -Suitable for all skin types but best for normal to dry, sun-damaged skin - 100% fragrance-free and contains no dyes or coloring agents -View the research and studies showing the benefits of using this exfoliant here - Sunburn Alert: This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn. Use a sunscreen, wear protective clothing, and limit sun exposure while using this product and for a week afterwards.

I ripped the sample open and put it in a tiny jar because the product is liquid in every word and you only have to use a tiny amount. It's a clear gel that doesn't smell like anything. The first time I used it I was surprised of only how little I needed to cover my whole face. Paula claims you can use it every day but I wouldn't do that as it leaves your skin sensitive to the sun, so a high SPF is needed here. I use it 2 times a week. This is used after a toner and before a serum/night cream. You can also use it in the morning but I don't recommend that because of the sensitivity to the sun.

I've used it for 3 weeks (sample lasts a long time) and I'm already impressed by this product. It leaves your skin velvet smooth and a few scars on my cheeks have become less obvious/nearly gone. This week I ordered the full product for 19euros and I'm really curious to it's effects when used longer. Will keep you up to date!

Which exfoliant do you use?

Yet again a new catagory, in this one I'll be doing small and quick reviews on samples I've tested and such. This means I'm only able to use the product for a few days or a week whereas with a normal review I wait at least a month before unleashing my written thoughts on it so these reviews won't be as detailed as my normal ones. I shall also be mentioning whether I will be purchasing it or not.

A couple of weeks ago I ordered some Paula's Choice products for my bf and ordered some samples along with it for me to try. I've already been able to use a few and so far I'm liking them a lot and I will purchase them. But, yesterday, when I tried this product I was very very dissapointed.

A multi-purpose, all-you-need daytime moisturizer to nourish and protect your dry, sensitive skin. Provides gentle broad-spectrum sun protection to prevent all signs of skin aging. Lightweight cream texture repairs your skin's barrier and infuses it with skin repairing antioxidants and cell-communicating ingredients. Mineral-enhanced formula softly brightens skin for a youthful glow. Designed to work under makeup and enhance its application. Irritant-free formula is ideal for your sensitive or rosacea-affected skin. 100% fragrance-free and contains no dyes or coloring agents.

During the day I always use an SPF moisturizer or I put a sunscreen on top of a normal moisturizer. My current one is running out -review will follow- and I wanted to try this in a sample. Paula has 2 SPF moisturizers available and I got a sample for the one for normal to dry skin. When opening the sample there was no smell (fragrance free) but that doesn't bother me. The product itself is white and creamy. When I put it on my face I noticed it wasn't easy to spread the product so I warmed it up a bit, it didn't feel very moisturizing. It leaves a bit of a white cast so you have to massage it in till it's gone. After spreading I looked like a discoball, very shiny. So I let it soak in and went to watch TV, after 15-30 minutes I checked the mirror again and it hadn't changed, my skin was still shining like a bowling ball and the worst part of it was that my skin didn't even feel moisturized enough - my cheeks were still feeling a bit dry. I waited a bit more but it had no use, so I took it off...

I read that more people have this problem with it, whilst others love it, but I'm glad I only bought the sample. In America she has released a new SPF 20 moisturizer, maybe I'll try that one later on. I wouldn't recommend this product, if you want to try any of her products order some samples. On a sidenote: she does offer a refund policy if you've purchased the full product but you'll have to pay for shipping then.

Do you use any of her products?