Boost Lab Serum Haul!

 

Hi guys! I'm coming at you today with my Boost Lab Serum Haul. Actually it's just three serums, but that still counts, right? I bought these directly from the Boost Lab website. I am deeply in love this brand, so was thrilled to see the 'Shop Bundles & Save' section. My goal was to replace my empty Boost Lab 2D Hyaluronic Hydro Boost Serum with another one, and possibly pick up their Multi Peptide Anti-Ageing Serum, which I'd be eyeing off, but things didn't go according to plan. Read on to find out why!

First of all, can I say what a huge mistake I made buying the Skin Physics Polyglutamic Intensive Hydration Serum to replace my beloved Boost Lab Hydro Boost Serum, just because it was on special at Priceline for basically half the price of the Boost Lab hydrating serum. It has issues, eg it pills up under every product, and just doesn't come close to the Boost Lab one. I can only use it in my nightly skincare routine (before bed), when the pilling is annoying but doesn't matter as much. Regrets, I have a few!

So back to my Boost Lab haul! I knew I wanted a new Hydro Boost Serum, and thought the Shop Bundles & Save section would be the perfect opportunity to try more of their serum range. They normally retail for $29.95 each, but the bundles I was looking at contained three assorted serums and were $62.90. This is a great deal since two serums alone is around $60. Plus they have free shipping on orders over $50 and all orders included a free gift. {edit - I didn't get the free gift with my order, so I emailed them about this}. {Updated Edit - apparently if you have pop-ups disabled you won't see the free gift offer pop up to add to cart which is what must have happened. BL were lovely over email and are sending me the free gift}. And I had a code for $10 off for a first time order. Winning! The only problem was there was no bundle that contained both the Hydro Boost and the Multi-Peptide Anti-Ageing Serums! So I had to settle for another of the bundles. I'll try the Anti-Ageing Serum eventually!

Here's what I got....

2D Hyaluronic Hydro Boost Serum
This serum claims to intensely hydrate, plump the skin and restore the skin's barrier. It contains two forms of bio-hyaluronic acid and pro-vit B5. I love love love this serum! It feels amazing, is really hydrating and is such a great base under moisturiser and makeup, as it doesn't pill up at all. I'd highly recommend trying this if you have dry skin, love the look and feel of plumped up skin or just want a really good hydrating serum.

Vitamin C Brightening Serum
This serum claims to brighten and firm, even out the skin tone and clear dark spots. It contains multi-vitamins (Vit C, B3 and Vit E), Pentavitin and natural Bisabolol. I'm interested to see how I go with this, because the last brightening serum I tried made me break out. You can read all about my experience with the Garnier Skin Active Vitamin C Brightening Serum here.

Retinol Night Renewal Serum
This serum claims to intensely hydrate, plump and firm the skin and total rejuvenation.  It contains retinol, sea fennel extract, Bisabolol and aloe vera juice. I'm keen to see the results of this and I'm hoping it feels lovely to apply, just like the Hydro Boost Serum.

I'm so happy with this haul! Keep an eye on my Instagram Stories @shinyglitterbug where I'll no doubt post what I think after trying them!

Mani Monday: Frosty Cactus

 

Hi guys! I'm going to drop a #truthbomb and say I really wasn't feeling the blog last week. I wasn't motivated to write today's post and basically just opted for a manicure post because I can whip those up pretty quick. Blogging is one of my hobbies and it's meant to be fun for me. So I'll keep this one short and sweet and fingers crossed next week I'll be more excited about writing.

The shades I've chosen for this mani reflect my current mood: dark and kind of left of field but still sparkly 'cos I always like shiny things. I'm using Ghost Cactus from Julisa on most of my nails with my ring finger painted with Frosty from I Scream Nails as a feature nail. I had to do 3-4 coats of Frosty as it was way more see-through than I anticipated! I've applied two coats of Ghost Cactus.

Looking at the Julisa website now, my bottle must be quite old, because the current ones are completely redesigned and are no longer square. I like this fat, square bottle though. Ghost Cactus is a signature mermaid shade featuring a silvery blue opaque base with holographic glitter. To me it looks a bit green. I kind of wish it was more black. Still, magical!

Frosty from I Scream Nails is from one of their Christmas collections, and I'm guessing it's at least two years old as I can't find it on their website. I do tend to keep my polishes way longer than I should, so this makes sense. It's a silvery white shade with micro rainbow glitter as well as larger silver glitter pieces throughout.

REVIEW: Garnier Vitamin C Brightening Serum

 

Hi guys! Recently I was sent a new Garnier serum to trial, so I thought I'd share my thoughts about it. I wasn't obligated to post on my blog, but since I'd already formulated my opinion (and my readers are predominantly beauty lovers) I thought it would be a good idea.

Product Claims:
~ Immediately after use skin looks healthier and more radiant
~ From 6 days, skin appears brighter, more even and the density of dark spots appear reduced
~ From 8 weeks, dark spots (including acne marks) appear reduced by -43%
~ Designed to suit all skin types and tones, and is dermatologically tested
~ Vegan formula & approved by Cruelty Free International

Garnier Vitamin C Brightening Serum contains 3.5% Vitamin C + Niacinamide + Salicylic Acid. It also contains Lemon Extract, a powerful superfood known for its brightening properties. The size of this bottle is 30ml.

The Garnier Skin Active Vitamin C Brightening Serum was a mixed bag for me! I really enjoyed the texture and consistency of the serum and how it felt as I applied it. The fragrance was lovely and it absorbed into my skin pretty quickly. During this time my skin was tacky, so I did have to wait before I continued on with my skincare routine, and you definitely need a moisturiser between this and your makeup. It does, however, sit well under moisturiser and makeup, as I didn't experience any pilling of the product. This serum did brighten my complexion, however it also caused my skin to break out, something it hasn't done in years. Even though I only got three small pimples, this was three more than I wanted. So that was disappointing. I don't have any dark spots, so I can't say whether or not this serum worked in that aspect. My skin also dried out after a few days using this serum. Overall, I like the brightening effect and it's a pleasant serum to use, but it's not suitable for me due to the breakouts and dryness it caused.

In summary, I wouldn't recommend this serum and now that I've trialled it, I'll stop using it and go back to my tried and true skincare routine. But keep in mind, even though this particular serum didn't work for me, it still may work for you!

GIVEAWAY REMINDER! Don't forget to enter to WIN 1 of 2 NudeHerbs Drinks Cases on my Instagram account! Two Winners! Enter Here!

GIVEAWAY: WIN NudeHerbs Tonics!

 

Hi guys! Just a quick post today to let you know I'm currently running a GIVEAWAY on Instagram where you can WIN one of two cases of NudeHerbs herbal and floral tonic drinks! This is an Australia-wide Giveaway, and there will be TWO winners, who will each win a mixed flavour case of drinks!

NudeHerbs are naturally hand-brewed tonics made from primarily organic herbs and flowers. They're plant-based with natural fruity flavours and no added sugar. These naturally brewed herbal tonics are a healthy alternative to juices that contain 4-5 times less sugar.

PRIZES

There will be TWO Winners, with each Winner receiving a Case of NudeHerbs drinks!

~ 2 x Mixed NudeHerbs Drinks Cases (valued at $78 each)

Each Case contains 12 bottles comprising...
~ 3 x Cleanse (lemon, lime and ginger flavour)
~ 3 x Beauty (pomegranate and raspberry flavour)
~ 3 x Focus (peach and pineapple flavour)
~ 3 x Relax (tropical mango flavour)

Entering is easy! Head over to my foodie Instagram account @imhungrymax and get your entry in!

Direct link to Giveaway here

This Giveaway is open to Australian residents only and will run until 11:59pm 16 February 2023. Total prize value $156. Two Winners will be picked using a random number generator and announced on the Instagram Giveaway post and DMed from @imhungrymax within 24 hours. (Please beware of scammers - I will never ask for credit card details or for you to click on a link to claim the prize. Report and block scammers.) Prizes will be sent directly from NudeHerbs. GOOD LUCK!