BeautyBoost

Blog home for Lucy Freeman Make Up Artist. Portfolio, ideas, inspiration, tutorials and product reviews! Contact: lucyjfreeman@gmail.com

Manuka Doctor Apiclear range

Hi BeautyBoosters!

Today I wanted to cover the Manuka Doctor Apiclear range. Unfortunately my skin has been having a bit of a meltdown the past few weeks (coming off the pill, diet changes and a little emotional stress - fun! - note the sarcasm), so understandably I have been looking for something to clear it up and get it back on track. I was doing some research and noticed my reality girl crush Millie Mackintosh singing the praises of the Manuka Doctor Apiclear range - reason enough for me to be intrigued!  These products are packed with Purified Bee Venom which is renowned for its anti-bacterial, anti-wrinkle and regenerating properties and UMF 18+ Manuka Honey which is unique to New Zealand and known for its anti-bacterial benefits. 

I have been using the following products for the past couple of weeks. It’s also worth noting that due to the ingredients they advise you do a patch test before going full steam ahead and using everything as some people may be allergic. I think this is a pretty good thing to do anyway when trying new products as you never know how your skin will react and you don’t want to make it worse if it’s already flaring up.

Foaming Cleanser - this feels super creamy but doesn’t overly ‘lather’ up (I was being quite sparing with the amount I used each time though). I liked the scent of this, some people might find it a bit medical but it felt zingy (there’s that bee venom kicking in) on application. However, my skin didn’t feel tight or too stripped of moisture after using it. Avoid the eye and mouth area when using this as it might irritate.

Skin toner - again quite zingy on application to the skin but I felt like my skin tightened and firmed up (in a good way) after using this and pores seemed less visible. It also improved the redness and inflammation of blemishes and spots.

Skin moisturiser lotion - lovely and light to use and absorbed quickly into my skin. I noticed an improvement on blemishes and redness after a couple of days and after using the whole range for 2 weeks my skin is improving. 

I think this is a great range to try if you have troubled skin and are also looking for a more natural skincare range. It’s all dermatologically tested and has no parabens or SLS and with the added anti-ageing properties I think this is a great all rounder!

(Note: I did top this up with some SPF 15 each day to protect my skin when outside.)

Laura Mercier: NEW Tone Perfecting Eye Gel Creme

Hello BeautyBoosters!

Hope you’re well! I recently started using Laura Mercier’s Tone Perfecting Eye Gel Creme and wanted to share my thoughts on it. First off, I’m a big fan of Laura Mercier’s range of products - beautiful packaging and really great for perfectionists like myself!

This eye gel cream feels incredibly nourishing on application. It doesn’t sink in right away but I actually liked this as you only need to use a small amount for it to go a long way. It instantly felt cooling and soothing on my undereye area and after a couple of weeks use I’ve definitely noticed an improvement. My skin texture is better, the darkness has decreased (yay no more slapping on so much concealer) and it’s less puffy in the mornings. I have found that I prefer to use it at night rather than on mornings as like I mentioned earlier it took a while to absorb in and work it’s magic (but then I am a hurricane in the mornings rushing around so perhaps that’s my impatience at fault!)  I still have lots to last me so will update this post when I’ve used this tub for a more in depth review! Suffice to say though, at this point I am very impressed!

Rihanna ‘Where Have You Been’ makeup: Kabuki

Happy Friday BeautyBoosters! Hope you’ve had a great week and are looking forward to the long weekend (in the UK at least!)

I had to blog about Rihanna’s INCREDIBLE makeup in her latest video ‘Where Have You Been’ created by the visionary MUA Kabuki. The eyebrows, the gold mask, the winged smokey eyes, the fantastical talons - I could go on forever! Kabuki also created the amazing looks for Katy Perry’s E.T video (check out for some major inspiration!)

I’m going to be trying some of these looks myself over the weekend and will be posting my results so stay tuned! x

(A still from Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been” music video and a sketch by Kabuki. Photo credits: Def Jam Records/Kabuki)


Hello BeautyBoosters! Here’s some gorgeous Butter London nail art I’ve fallen in love with! What manicures are you sporting this week?

Hello BeautyBoosters! Here’s some gorgeous Butter London nail art I’ve fallen in love with! What manicures are you sporting this week?

(Source: disposableinhere)

Kerastase Cristalliste

Hello BeautyBoosters! Hope you’re having a great week so far! The weather might be pretty grey and grim in London but I was lucky enough to experience the new Cristalliste range from Kerastase this week which definitely brightened up my day. The launch was held at the great Clipso salon on Windmill Street in W1 London and it was a lovely location to showcase this brilliant range.

As I’ve come to expect with Kerastase, their products always look great and deliver fantastic results and the new Cristalliste range doesn’t disappoint. The pretty-in-pink bottles make up a 3-step system which is enriched with a ‘Liquid Light’ complex. Hair is left looking luminous, shiny and feeling feather light.

My fine hair is that annoying combination of slightly oily roots and dry ends but this range is actually perfect for combatting these issues. The Bain Cristal shampoo has options for fine and thick hair and this first step lathers into a luxurious, nourishing foam to cleanse the roots. It smells amazing! This is then followed up with Lait Cristal conditioner which is specifically for dry lengths and ends and detangles hair leaving it feeling soft and just-stepped-out-of-the-salon-swishy! The final stage is the texturising Lumiere Liquide.  I’ve always stayed away from serums in the past as I’ve been worried that they would weigh down my fine hair but this feels very different to ones I’ve tested in the past. It doesn’t have that gel or oily texture you would expect, it actually feels more like water and after running it through the ends of my hair you wouldn’t even know it was there. This final leave-in treatment instantly smoothes the hair and gives that final ‘polish’ so to speak, whilst still feeling very natural. 

Whilst I was there I also experienced a new ‘hair health’ tool being used by certain salons. It’s a Kerastase camera which examines the health of your scalp and hair and really helps to pinpoint any issues you’ve had with your hair so that your stylist can pick and prescribe the best treatments for you. It’s quite odd but seeing your hair and scalp up close really makes you examine how you’ve been treating your hair (and I’ve been testing it to it’s limits with styling lately!) I’m happy to report that despite my eternal love for straightening and curling it’s not faring too badly. Here’s a close up so you can see what I’m talking about!

 

For more information on the range head to www.facebook.com/Kerastaseuk or www.kerastase.co.uk

Big thankyou to everyone involved at the launch and to my lovely stylist Carly who gives the best head massages ever! Here’s the finished result :)

Pukka Cleanse Tea

Loving this Pukka Cleanse tea! It contains organic nettle and dandelion root which cleanse and nourish your skin, fennel seed and peppermint give it a sweet flavour and elements of aloe vera and liquorice refresh. I’m a bit fussy when it comes to herbal teas but this is lovely and really tasty! Will report back after I’ve used it for a while :)