Review: BIOeffect EGF Serum

I received this product in my June edition of Glossybox and now that I have had a good week to use this product and give it a thorough test, here are the results.
The Product: BIOEFFECT EGF Serum is a next-generation anti-ageing serum that improves the appearance and health of your skin by encouraging the skin to repair its own cells. Its key ingredient is Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), a substance which occurs naturally in human skin and which has the ability to speed up the rate of cell turnover within the skin. Cellular activators are proteins that are vital for the maintenance and repair of skin cells. With age the level of these cellular activators within our skin decreases.

Our skin renews itself less frequently, and begins to look less radiant and more wrinkled. Regular, once or twice daily use of BIOEFFECT EGF Serum reverses this process and gives visible dramatic improvements within weeks. The serum is packaged in a small, clear glass bottle, and included a twist on cap and pipette. This enables you to accurately measure the amount of drops that you use for application. The serum contains only 9 ingredients: Glycerine, Aqua, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Hyalunorate, Tromethamine, Hordeum Vulgare Seed Extract, Alcohol (Ethanol) (less than 0.9%), Sodium Chloride, EGF (Transgenic Barley sh-Oligopeptide-1).

The Benefits: BioEffect have stated that with regular use, customers will see the following results within just a few weeks:

- Reverses the signs of ageing.
- Diminishes uneven pigmentation.
- Adds radiance and luminosity.
- Moisturises deeply.
- Eliminates dry spots.
- Improves complexion.
- Approved by Dermatologists.
- The only plant derived EGF in skincare**

The Price: With everything the product promises to do, and the fact that my June box came with a £30 off voucher for a full size bottle, I thought it would be a bit on the expensive side, and I was right. In fact a small 5ml bottle will set you back £49 and the full size 15ml costs a jaw-dropping £125! I mean, I don't mind splashing out on a product every now and then but £125!!! I got a pair of diamond earrings for christmas that cost less than that!

The Application: Using the pipette included in the lid it is so simple to apply. I apply the serum morning and night after cleansing and about 10 minutes after applying moisturiser. Simply take the pipette, draw up some of the serum into the lid, squeeze two-three drops onto your hand, gently rub hands together and pat the serum over your skin. You really do only need two or three drops for your whole face, a little goes a long way! If I have any residue left on my hands afterwards I gently pat around my eyelids, the outer corners of my eye and the circles underneath. Et Voila!

The results: Now I have to say I was skeptical because I think that the really expensive products are a bit of a science-gimmick to make you spend lots of money on things that don't give lasting results... However, this stuff really is amazing! I have been using two drops of this serum, twice a day for just 7 days and I can already see an improvement. It's made my skin much brighter and has started to even my skin tone out. It's also got rid of the dry patch between my eyebrows which I've had for years and have moisturised the hell out of. I can't comment too much on the anti-aging side as I'm only 23 years old but I did have a few wrinkles on my forehead that I was a little worried about and it seems to have actually lessened the appearance of them. I don't know if this is a lasting effect or just temporary but for now I'm extremely happy with the results, and also gutted I can't afford the bigger bottle when this one runs out!

Conclusion: Despite the price, I really can't fault this product. It does exactly what it claims to do and it makes my skin more hydrated, more even, more radiant and as a result I didn't wear any foundation yesterday (which is a big deal for me as due to acne as a teen I have a lot of scars/discolouration/uneven areas to cover up) so I'm thrilled! It makes me feel amazing and I've had people tell me that my skin has a nice glow to it. But to me the price is a big issue. If i use the £30 off voucher I can get a 5ml bottle for £19 but after that I really can't justify spending that amount of money on a 15ml bottle! Sorry BIOeffect.

Rating: 4 Stars
Excellent product, Easy application, Great results... Shame about the price :(

June Glossybox Review

Get Summer Ready! 5 Summer Essentials
The products you need to get ready and get confident for the skin-baring months ahead!


I received my Glossybox on Thursday 23rd June but I've been away for a few days seeing Bon Jovi in Concert (OMG!) so was a bit too distracted to do a review sooner. The products vary a bit between each June box but the products I received were:

* Abahna - White Grapefruit and May Chang Shower/Bath Gel 100ml
* Batiste - Dry Shampoo Original 50ml
* BioEffect - EFG Travel Serum
* Lalique - Perles De Lalique 4.5ml
* OPI - Designer Series Nail Lacquer in 'Coronation' 3.75 ml


Now I find these boxes a fantastic deal for the beauty addict as they only cost £10 per month (and lets face it, some of us have spent way more than that on stuff we've never even used) and the Serum included in the June box has a value of £30 just on its own and not including any other products. In fact the June box also comes with a voucher for £30 off a larger bottle of EFG Serum, a little booklet detailing all the different perfumes by Lalique, and another voucher for 20% off your first web order with Abahna. So it's a real money saver! Plus the packaging is gorgeous. Everything comes in a baby pink box - which is great for storing bits of make-up and things lying around your bedroom! - and everything is well packaged with black tissue paper so everything arrives in perfect condition. Every Glossybox is tracked by Royal Mail too so you can track your deliveries.

So here's is what Glossybox have to say about their products this month:
* Abahna - Luxury in a bottle, Abahna's Bath and Shower Gel brings that spa-feeling to your home! The specially blended coconut based cleansers, which produce a rich, fragrant lather stimulate the senses but won't dry or irritate your skin.

* Batiste - A trusted summer must-have: Batiste Dry Shampoo Original in this handy handbag size is perfect for refreshing your style wherever you are! Extend the life of your blow-dry or add some texture to slick hair. Batiste will leave your hair smelling and looking fabulous!

* BioEffect - Feel the full effect of Epidermal Growth Factor, Iceland's best kept beauty secret! A veritable potion of youth, BioEffect's EFG Serum stimulates the growth of new skin cells, resulting in a great complexion, hydrated and overall younger looking skin. Suitable for all skin types and ages.

* Lalique - Hello, old-school glamour! Up the ante with Perles, a traditional and glamorous chypre, using natural raw materials from around the world. We adore the art-deco inspired flacon, a must for any femme fatale's dressing table!

* OPI - Perfect to set off your tan, POI's Designer Series nail lacquer comes in glittering, glamourous shades crowned with diamond dazzle for June.

Overall I'm seriously impressed. You get great products for a fraction of the price. True, you never know what you're going to get, but to me that's the best part! It's like getting a christmas present every month of the year and I love surprises! I will review all these products individually after I've had a chance to test them all but for now I'm very happy with my June box and can't wait for July! :)

If anyone has any questions about Glossybox or the products then feel free to ask me and I will answer as quickly as I can x

Rating - 5 stars

How To Do: The French Manicure

This is a classic nail look and can be worn with literally anything. It makes nails look healthy, shiny and most of all, totally gorgeous! But I will confess, I am a cheater. I was not blessed with steady hands so for me painting that perfectly formed white line on the each of each nail is, quite frankly, impossible. So for those of you who are like me and can't quite get the hang of it, or just want a quick fix, here's my guide on how to do a French Manicure. These are the tools I use:

Top Left: Conditioning Nail Polish Remover Pads £1.49,
Bottom Left: Maybelline French Manicure Kit in 'Opaque Finish' £3.99,
Middle: Nailene Perfect French Tip Guides £3.05,
Right: Ms Manicure 'Set The Scene' 4 Piece Manicure Kit £5.10





Here is a close up of the tools you get in the Ms. Manicure Set: From Top to Bottom there is a mini cuticle pusher, mini sapphire file, cuticle trimmer and nail clipper. I love this set I've had it for months and use it all the time just to keep my nails in good health as I don't wear polish that often. There are four easy steps to prepping your nails for a manicure 1. Use the cuticle pusher to gently nudge your cuticles back where they belong 2. Carefully remove any excess ragged skin with the cuticle trimmer 3. Cut nails with the nail clippers 4. Finally shape and clean nails with the file. And now your nails are gorgeous it's time to get on with the polish! Before you start make sure nails are clean and dry with no residue.



Next, embrace your shaky hands and place a nail guide on the end of each nail just underneath the start of the tip. Stick down thoroughly so there are no gaps and make sure the lines are even. Take your white polish (I know I have a set but really they're not that different from any other polish I've tried so you can use any white polish you like) shake well and apply a THIN layer to the tip above the nail guide. HINT: Don't apply the white too thickly as it will take longer to set and will be easier to smudge.
Remember, you can always add another layer of polish but you can't remove one without starting again! Then wait for 1-3 minutes depending on which polish you use and gently peel off the nail guide. Et Viola! Nice white tips! Next take the coloured polish (Mine is called 'Icing Sugar' and is a nice opaque peachy colour) shake well and apply another thin layer over the whole nail, again waiting for a few minutes for it to set. I like to use one layer of white polish and two layers of coloured polish as I find this 'dims down' the white and makes it look much more natural, but it's all down to personal preference. Finally, apply a top coat (which i forgot to take a photo of... ooops) all over the nail and leave to dry. I use a Maybelline Top Coat called 'Forever Strong Pro' that is fortified with calcium, iron and silica to make nails healthier and stronger.
Nail Tip: To fake a fast French Mani, just rub a white nail pencil under nails.

And there you have it! A gorgeous, inexpensive, shiny french manicure! Enjoy my lovelies x

K

Holy Eyebrows Batman!

Right, so to start off I'm going to begin with a very mistreated area, the eyebrows! I have very pale skin and dark hair, but my eyebrows are so sparse they look non-existent and really don't do anything for my face as a good eyebrow should. Having your eyebrows done properly can give structure to your face, make your features more defined and make you look more polished. Who doesn't want that?

Let's look at proper shaping. I'm sure all of you will have seen someone walking down the street and thought, jeez, what happened to her eyebrows? You know the kind of people I mean, they either shave their brows off and draw them back on again like the McDonalds 'M', have them tattooed on badly or they've gone completely overboard on the makeup and made the brows a different colour to the rest of their hair.

So here is my quick 5 step guide to shaping:

Step 1. Make sure you have proper lighting, natural or bright lights are best. I find it easier to do in the morning near a window as this gives the best light so you can see even the tiniest hairs. Examine your brows carefully, are they the same shape, length, width? Eyebrows need to be symmetrical!

Step 2. Take a pencil (I use my eyebrow pencil, you can use eyeliner, a ruler, anything like that) and, looking at the picture to the left, place it in these three positions. Point A is the ideal place for your eyebrow to begin, point B is the ideal place for your eyebrow to end and point C should be the highest point of the arch. Simples!

Step 3. Take a small brush (I use the one on the end of my eyebrow pencil) and brush your brows in place so you can get a better idea of where to start. If you find plucking your eyebrows is a painful experience then either use something cold to numb them a little afterwards or you can do what I do and place a warm cloth on them before you pluck as this opens the pores a little and helps the hairs slip out easier and with less resistance.

Step 4. Start by removing the hairs between the eyes and the nose bridge, but be careful not to make the gap between eyebrows too big (I did this once when I was a teenager, made me look constantly surprised like an anti-botox. Not a good look!) Then pluck any strays from the end of the brows, and finally from underneath. If you're doing this for the first time I find it helps to draw a line and follow it so you don't get carried away, also keep moving from one to the other and take frequent breaks to stop and look. Make sure to keep checking that they you are plucking both brows into the same shape.

Step 5. When all strays have been removed and you have an arch you can be proud of, you can then fill in any gaps. I have a few products I use for this - I will do a review for them all later - but in my opinion the easiest one to use is the trusty eyebrow pencil. Use short, feathery strokes in an upward motion to mimic the natural hairs, and use a shade that is either lighter than your own for a natural look, or the same shade as your brows for more definition, which is great for nights out.

So there you have it, and when it comes to shaping your brows remember:
DO invest in a good pair of tweezers. They will grab hairs better and you will be able to pluck even the shortest pesky hairs away. Plus they really do last a VERY long time so are worth the investment.

DO pluck strays regularly. It helps keep your appearance clean and polished and your brows will look good even if you haven't got time to fill them in.

DON'T over pluck your eyebrows! If you are unsure, do one hair at a time and take regular mirror checks to make sure you are not plucking more than necessary.

DON'T use an eyeliner if you have no brow pencil (yes, I have seen some sights!) if your brow pencil runs out then simply use eyeshadow in a similar shade if you have one available, and use an eyeliner brush to fill them in.

K

Greetings Mr.Blog, I've been expecting you..

Greetings my lovelies! 'The Many Faces of Mirrors' is mainly going to contain reviews of makeup, skin care and hair products, but I may be a bit rebellious and throw some other things in here as well. Variety is the spice of life and so on! I will probably include a few tutorials as well, especially on things like doing a good smokey eye as I know that's one of the main things I had problems with doing correctly, a few hairstyles, good makeup looks to try. Also maybe a few posts about good pilates regimes as I'm currently doing a class and loving it! You know what, it's just going to be a blog full of everything really. Also if anyone wants to know how to do a certain look or how to use a certain product I mention then don't be afraid to ask and I will help as best I can. I like requests :)

K