Botani Rescue Acne Cream Review

Botani Rescue Acne Cream
Claims: "an all-natural solution for the treatment of acne, blemishes and blackheads"
RRP: AUD26.95
Packaging: 4.5 out of 5
Review: I had to toss out my La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo Acne Treatment because it has started to smell and it has lost its efficacy. Instead of ordering another tube only, I wanted to get my hands on something that I could apply during the day to combat the pimples that have been popping up lately. After reading some very promising reviews on beautyheaven and a 20% off discount, I decided to give this product a shot.

I was impressed with it, initially anyway. It helped get rid of my pimples within a couple of days, with practically no burn marks left behind. I don't know if it has lost its effectiveness but lately, I've been struggling to get rid of pimples with it. Perhaps it's because I've been experiencing more aggressive acne of late. I find that I definitely still need the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion as the nighttime treatment to tackle the acne. I noticed that this product is amazing at removing the pimple if I catch it at the early stage, especially when they are the tiny, slower growing and non-painful types.

I love that this product contains natural ingredients. It's more gentle on the skin. Sure, you don't get rid of the acne as quickly but your skin recovers more quickly because you've maintained its integrity. As for packaging, I love that the jar is made out of glass but hate that it is heavy. To keep it uncontaminated, I use cotton tips to scoop some of the cream out before applying it to my skin. Because of the inconvenience and the environmentally unfriendly method of application, I've given it a 4.5 score for packaging.

The cream is green in colour but once you work it into the skin, it becomes transparent. It has a mild scent that I can only describe as herbal, which I don't mind. This little jar contains 30g of product. It may not look like a lot but it should last me a very long time. I've been using it for 2 months and I've only just used up 10% of the product. That's what I estimated anyway.

Overall, I'm on the fence about this product. I can't say that I'd be running to the shops to get another one once this jar is emptied. If you're looking for a "natural" option for acne treatment, then definitely consider this. If you're looking for something that is effective within a day, then give this a miss.


What are your favourite zit-zapping products? Do share! 

Arbonne Makeup Primer Review

Arbonne Makeup Primer 
Claims: "Visually diminishes the appearance of fine lines and pores, creating a canvas for flawless makeup application."
RRP: AUD51
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Review: I thought I liked the Benefit Porefessional primer. Now, I am in love with this primer. If you thought Porefessional was good, this is many times better. It really smooths out my skin, creating the perfect base for foundation. I have paired this primer with my L'Oreal Lumi Magique foundation and they're a match made in heaven! My skin looked flawless and more importantly, it stayed that way for hours. On one occasion, I was at a party where the bar area of stuffy and the dance floor was packed with people and was quite hot (in the temperature sense!). Even in my semi-drunken state, I could tell that my face makeup was very much intact when I got home at 1am in the morning.

Let's take a moment to admire the excellent packaging this product comes in. It comes with a pump, which is wonderful in terms of hygiene. The plastic bottle itself is sturdy and looks sleek and "professional" (for the lack of a better word to describe its appeal).

This is not a full pump. It's to show you the consistency.

One pump is plenty to cover your entire face. My gripe with Porefessional is that when you apply it, it does not spread. It sticks to the first area you touched. With the Arbonne Makeup Primer, you can smooth and spread it all over your face evenly and to your hearts desire. To me, that's an important quality for a primer because it then enables the foundation to be applied smoothly and evenly, thus given the appearance of flawlessness.

I am thoroughly enjoying this primer. I will be repurchasing it when I run out but I believe it will be a while away since such small amounts go a long way each time! If you're interested in this product you can check it out here.

For my American readers, you can purchase the product from here or contact a consultant here.

Have you ever tried Arbonne products before? 

Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum Review

Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum 
Claims:  "reduces the visible appearance of pores by 58 per cent... Supports cell maturation, balances oil production and keeps skin smooth with gentle desquamation."
RRP: AUD68
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Review:  I've been suffering from several skin problems lately. Cystic acne, blackheads, you name it! When my housemate, Ann-Marie, gave me a 10% off Myer card, I jumped at the chance to get this product. I really wanted to deal with my blackheads and large pores the proper way once and for all.

Let's start with the positives, shall we? I really like that the product comes with a pump so that you can dispense the serum in a hygienic way, hence full marks for packaging. In terms of price, I believe it is fairly reasonable given it contains 30ml of serum.

If you only have small areas of enlarged pores, half a pump is plenty. The texture is thick, like a lotion. I applied this to my nose (the problem area) religiously, day and night for nearly a month. Unfortunately, I did not notice any difference. I definitely was not expecting any mind-blowing changes but I expected at least some. But nada, zilch. The lady at the Clinique had said that this product would help unclog my pores and make them look smaller. I would use my Clarisonic and a clay mask (a GlamGlow one to be more precise) to clear out my pores first before applying this product.

I wanted to boost its efficacy but it did nothing at all. I know this because every morning and every night, I check my pores and fresh blackheads take the place of the ones I removed. I occasionally inspected my nose with a magnifying mirror to make sure that my eyes were not playing tricks on me. My pores still look as large as ever.

I'm disappointed and I will not be repurchasing this product.

Do you know of any good pore minimising products? Please do share! 

Review: Fuse Gelnamel

Left to right: E-MOTION, V-AMP, SONIC BLUE-M

Fuse Gelnamel Starter Kit
RRP: AUD49.99
Packaging: 5 out of 5

Fuse Gelnamel (single)
RRP: $14.99
Packaging: 5 out of 5

I was sent a generous package from Fuse to try their gelnamel kit. And here's my thoughts on the products!
I can sum this all up in one word for you: wow! I'd never tried gel manicures before and this really impressed me. Yes, the process is in a way more tedious but trust me, the result is worth the steps taken. I won't go into the details of how you use the products. I was going to do step-by-step photos but Chloe Morello uploaded an excellent video a while back so I'm not going to let a good resource go to waste!

The brushes that come with the polish have short bristles, which I found made it a lot easier to coat my nails; I felt more in control of where I was applying the polish. You have to be careful to not apply too thick a coat or on your skin because you will feel like your finger is being cooked when you place it under the LED lamp. I like that they use LED instead of UV, which I believe is a health hazard. Most importantly, I love how quickly the polish dries! If you thought the OPI Drip Dry sped things up, this is even faster. All it takes is 30 seconds per nail and it comes out DRY so there's no way you can smudge it!

My favourite colour is V-AMP. It's a beautiful dark reddish purple. It's the perfect colour for autumn and winter. The finish may look dull initially but it gradually turns glossy. I had never done such a fabulous looking manicure before. I am not trying to be arrogant be, I am trying to praise Fuse! Although there are a few steps, they've made it very easy to understand and simple to do, plus they've left very little room for errors. Depending on your technique, the nail may come out uneven. It just takes practice to make sure you coats are always even. I also have not experienced any bubbling with this polish.

The polish generally lasts me a good five days before any chipping happens, which is more than I can ask for because A. I hardly ever wear nail polish for more than 5 days and B. my nail polish sometimes chips within 4 days. I love how my nails are left in good condition after I've removed the polish. There's no discolouration or peeling of my nails. Speaking of removal...

Sensationail Gel Polish Removal Kit 
RRP: AUD24.99
Packaging: 5 out of 5

From the same company, I was sent a gel polish removal kit. I will not say much about this because frankly I don't find it effective at removing the gel polish efficiently. I seem to have more success picking at the polish and gently peeling it off with my own nails. I probably shouldn't be admitting this but my nails are left in good condition, which shows how great the gel polishes are! I find that soaking my nails in the acetone provided did not speed up the removal process at all. In fact, I felt like it made the polish stick to my nails. Perhaps I just need practice. I will keep you posted on this front.

The only down side of the Fuse gelnamels is that there aren't that many colours available... yet! I'm hoping they will release more these amazing gems soon! For more information, feel free to check out the Fuse and Sensational websites.


Have you ever tried gel polish before at home before? What do you think?

Winner of 250 Milestone Giveaway

Hi ladies, hope you're all having a good week so far! I apologise for delaying the announcement of the winner of my giveaway.

Congratulations to Colleen B.! You will be contacted by email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


A big thank you to everyone who participated. Most importantly, thank you for supporting me and reading Ty's Blog of Epiphanies! I hope I will continue to produce interesting and useful content for your enjoyment!


Please feel free to suggest any future posts you'd like to see on this blog!