Review: GEO Honey Wing circle lens on light eyes

As I got my eyes tested and my first pair of circle lenses were a success the world of possibilities opened up for me, so suddenly I decided that I really really want chocolate brown eyes. There is hundreds of them available so it took me a good couple of days to finally make up my mind. Since my GEO Bella Green lenses were a success I decided to narrow my choices to that company and finally was able to choose GEO Honey Wing.

What caught my attention to this particular lenses was the fact that their limbal ring is not black but dark brown. I learnt from my green lenses that black ring makes the colour inside of lens less noticeable (unless it's a really vivid one) and I was opting for quite even dark brown eyes.
GEO Honey Wing have diameter of casual contact lenses - 14mm - but are printed right to the edge of the lens, so even with small diameter they are giving me eyes subtle enlargement effect. I find them quite hard to put on and I don't know why, since they have such a small diameter and exactly same base curve and water content as my Bella Green... They also take quite long to settle down on my eyes, sometimes even up to 10mins, but after that they are comfortable and I can hardly feel them at all. With some eye drops I can easily wear them for 10-12 hours. As most of the circle lenses they got one year life span.

Bright light - left: GEO Honey Wing, right: my natural eye colour

I mus say I don't really like the black pattern around the pupil whole. It doesn't reach my pupil so it's basically in the middle of the eye, which looks weird.

Darker light - left: GEO Honey Wing, right: my natural eye colour

My natural eye colour is peeking through the pupil whole, unless my pupils are enlarged, so these lenses look much more natural in dim lighting or from far away. Between limbal ring and pupil whole the colour of the lenses is opaque and looks as a nice dark brown even on my light eyes.

GEO Honey Wing on both eyes, bright natural light

GEO Honey Wing on both eyes, dim lighting

Even though they look a bit weird in the bright light I wear them sometimes during the daytime and didn't get any bad comments so I suppose they are not that bad :P But they are definitely more beneficial for bright eyes as an evening eye enchantment.
I also recently dyed my hair ginger for the very first time and these lenses are going really well with my new hair colour :)

Price: £12.34 on Pinky Paradise.

Pros:
+  nice, dark brown colour
+ dark brown limbal ring that I think looks better than a black one would
+ comfortable for long time wear
+ one year life span

Cons
- I find them quite hard to put on, but I'm not sure why
- Can take quite a long time to settle on the eye
- My natural iris colour is peeking through the pupil whole, so if you have light eyes you won't get full colour coverage
- The black pattern on the inside of the lens looks weird

Summing up: I quite like these lenses and I am happy with my purchase, they look beautiful in the dim lighting, when my natural colour is not peeking through. I can imagine they would look great on hazel or brown eyes :)

Secret Key Snail + EGF Repairing Gel Cream Review

Review of another Snail Product from Secret Key ^^ Enjoy!

Product description: Take control of your skin, keeping it lightweight, cool and refreshed! Low irritation skin therapy with added hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) extract.

Contains only natural preservatives: extract from Chinese pepper, pasque flower and usnea are good natural preservatives and have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

Main ingredients:

• Snail secretion filtrate - protects skin from infection, reduces inflammation, effective in treating acne and scarring, anti-wrinkle
• Human Oilgo Peptide-1 (EGF) - known as a "beauty factor" - eliminating scars and speckles by improving the texture and condition of the skin, anti-wrinkle by rejuvenating skin by stimulating cell proliferation
• Witch hazel extract - a strong astringent & antioxidant, has antibacterial & anti-inflammatory properties, effective in acne treatments
• Aloe vera leaf extract - moisturiser and anti-irritant used for it's rejuvenating, healing and soothing properties
• Beta glucan - a natural compound, extracted from plants, that helps to maintain a youthful appearance for skin
• Lemon extract -  a natural source of Vitamin C and antioxidants, protects skin against sun damage and works anti-inflammatory

 Product is a 50ml plastic jar with extra security lid under the plastic screw cap. It comes in cardboard box.

Product is a clear gel with nice floral scent. For me it looks and smell a little bit like a hair styling gel :P The consistency is light, but not runny.

The product is really lightweight on the skin - on the beginning I had problem with finding the right amount to apply and I was using too much , but even generously applied it doesn't make skin feel oily. It's moisturising and refreshing, non sticky. I use it with Secret Key Prestige Snail + EGF Ampoule & Cream (cream at PM and gel for AM) - after two weeks of regular use I noticed a great improvement in my skin elasticity and moisture level. The gel is getting used up a bit quicker than Prestige Cream - I use the series for a month now and I already used up half of my gel and only 1/3 of the cream.
What I like most about this product and what makes me like it much more than Mizon's Snail Gel Cream is that it doesn't leave skin shining. Mizon's gel was well moisturising and took good care of my skin, but after application my skin was madly shining which was soooo annoying. Secret Key's gel absorbs to almost-matte finish:

The other thing that makes Secret Key's snail gel beat Mizon's snail gel is the fact that latter contains silicone (a lightweight one, but still). Secret Key's snail gel has quite impressive no-nonsense ingredient list and contains a few ingredients good for skin. The downside is that in Secret Key's product snail secretion filtrate is not on the first place in the ingredients list and we don't really know how much of a snail there is in a snail product, when Mizon tell us on the label that their gel is made in 74% of snail secretion filtrate.

Price: from £6 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ lightweight
+ well moisturising
+ doesn't leave skin shiny
+ nice smell
+ cheap

Cons:
- the manufacturer doesn't say how much of the snail secretion filtrate actually is in the product

Summing up - I really like this product and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for lightweight moisturising and improvement in skin elasticity :) All the Secret Key's Snail Products are working really well for my skin and I am planing to continue using this series to see what it can do in a long term. Snail secretion filtrate is supposed to be good in scar healing as well, so I hope it will help me beat my acne scars, but it's a ling term process so I just have to continue use and see how it goes.

Ingredients: Water, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata Extract, Human Oligopeptide-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Babadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Beta-Glucan, Nonoxynol-12, Disodium EDTA, Arginine, 1,2 -Hexanediol, Fragrance
Ingredients analysis [HERE]

Double Review: Secret Key Snail+EGF Prestige Ampoule & Prestige Repairing Cream

I was looking for some Snail products to help my skin heal my acne scars. While I was browsing my favourite e-Bay seller's shop I came across the Secret Key - it was affordable and I couldn't find any reviews about the cream, so I just decided to try it and make one myself ;)

 Snail+EGF Prestige Ampoule

Product description: Snail muscus filtrate acquired from nature keeps hydration and protects skin from outer harmful substances.
5 free system: no mineral oil, no benzophenone, no coloring, no animal oil, no animal test
 
Major ingredients:

• Arbutin - skin lightening
• Human Oilgo Peptide-1 (EGF) - known as a "beauty factor" - eliminating scars and speckles by improving the texture and condition of the skin, anti-wrinkle by rejuvenating skin by stimulating cell proliferation
• Adenosine - helps prevent wrinkles, reduces UVB sun damage, increases the production of elastin and collagen reducing skin sagginess and improving tone
• Snail Muscus Filtrate -  protects skin from infection, reduces inflammation, effective in treating acne and scarring, anti-wrinkle
• Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract - optimizes and reinforces collagen synthesis, rich in potassium and therefore regulates the intercellular pressure and retain the water content in the skin
• Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Leaf Extract - a powerful antioxidant 

The ampolue comes in a 30ml glass bottle with glass pipette applicator, packed in golden cardboard box. The packaging is quite simple yet elegant, making it look like a high end product.

The ampoule itself is a clear, runny liquid with nice, but very subtle smell, I literally have to stick my nose into the bottle to smell it. It's only a little bit sticky when we try it between two fingers and doesn't feel sticky on the face at all. It is very lightweight and well moisturising, absorbs into skin very quickly. I have an oily skin and this works well both as an only moisturiser and underneath some cream. I use it all over my face, including eye area and I noticed a big improvement in my skin, especially under my eyes. I have problem with bags under my eyes since like always, tear through is very visible. After approx. 3 weeks of using this under my eyes I noticed great improvement in my skin elasticity, skin is firmer, appearance of the tear through improved. Of course my bags didn't completely go away, but there is an improvement :)

Price: from £9 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ lightweight
+ well moisturising
+ helps improve skin elasticity

Cons:
- the manufacturer doesn't say anywhere about how much snail muscus is actually in the product
- very opaque bottle, so we can't see how much of the product we got left

Snail + EGF Prestige Repairing Cream

Product description: Snail muscus filtrate acquired from nature keeps hydration and protects skin from outer harmful substances. Snail beauty ingredient penetrating through dermis, activating cell proliferation, reproducing damaged skin.
5 free system: no mineral oil, no benzophenone, no coloring, no animal oil, no animal test.

Key ingredients:

• Snail Secretion Filtrate - protects skin from infection, reduces inflammation, effective in treating acne and scarring, anti-wrinkle
• Human Oilgo Peptide-1 (EGF) - known as a "beauty factor" - eliminating scars and speckles by improving the texture and condition of the skin, anti-wrinkle by rejuvenating skin by stimulating cell proliferation
• Arbutin - skin lightening
• Adenosine - helps prevent wrinkles, reduces UVB sun damage, increases the production of elastin and collagen reducing skin sagginess and improving tone
• Macadamia Seed Oil - contains Palmitoleic acid that is vital for delaying skin and cell aging, Oleic acid that has regeneration and moisturizing properties, Linoleic acid that helps to prevent skin water loss and Plant phytosterols that are calming and healing
• Birch sap - traditional herbal medicine that is antiseptic, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory
• Shea butter - helps with dry skin, eczema, skin problems; deep moisturizing, skin regeneration, skin healing properties.

Full ingredients: Purified water, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Macadamia Seed Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Arbutin, Microcrystalline wax, Beeswax, Birch sap, Sodium Hyaluronate, Shea Butter, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, C14-22 Alcohol, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Polysorbate 60, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Human Oligopeptide-1, Adenosine, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Anisate, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance
Ingredients analysis [HERE]

  
 The cream comes in glass 50ml jar, packed in golden cardboard box. Packaging altogether is simple yet elegant, making it look like a high end product. I really like the lid of the jar, that is smooth and glossy on the top and rough and matte on the side, easy to grab and open. I know that a lot of people consider jar packaging as a unsanitary, but I like jars the most - I can always use up the whole product without the struggle. Just make sure you apply the cream with clean hands and you will be fine.

The cream has rich consistency and lovely smell, same like ampoule but much stronger - we can smell it immediately after opening the jar. Smell is hard to describe, it's a combination of floral and herbal notes, a little bit medicinal, but my nose likes it ;)
The cream is super moisturising, rich, but not oily. I have an oily skin and rather use it at nightime, but I used it couple of times in the morning and it was fine, I just had to be careful with amount used. I think people with normal/dry skin could easily use it both AM & PM.
As for the performance - this cream is my cosmetical discovery of the year. The first effects I noticed were after a week of PM use, on my neck & neckline. I have sensitive skin and skin allergy that makes my whole upper body dry and itchy. I am taking antihistamine, that helped a lot, but my neck and neckline were still very dry, after every shower I was literally runing from the bathroom to the bedroom to apply some moisturiser on my itchy skin. After week of using this Repairing Cream my skin calmed down, became well moisturised and smooth again. I honestly can not belive how good my skin is - now I can even ocasionally skip my neck moisturising in the evening and it will be still good in the morning. Miracle! I also notice improvement on my face, skin is smooth and well moisturised, no breakouts at all. My acne scars are still there, but I realize that I will take a long time for them to fade - that's just the nature of the acne scars.

Price: from £8 on e-Bay.

Pros:
+ well moisturising
+ rich, but not greasy and not sticky
+ skin is so nice and smooth after it
+ lovely smell
+ a little goes a long way

Cons:
- for AM us on an oily skin I would recommend very little amount or just use some lighter product
- the manufacturer doesn't say how much of the snail secretion filtrate actually is in the product (in opposite to for example Mizon, where we can find percentage on the label)

Summing up: I really liked both of the products. I also use Secret Key Snail + EFG Cleansing Foam (review yet to come) and Secret Key Snail Repairing Gel, so I use ampoule + gel in the morning and foam + ampoule + cream in the evening. After couple of uses I noticed improvement in my skin moisture level, after couple of weeks elasticity of my skin improved. They are definitely good value for money - after I used them up I am planning to buy them again at least once, to see what they can do during long time use. I would strongly recommend them to anyone :)

Skin Food Peach Sake Pore Serum

This product is recommended by many bloggers for oily skin. I couldn't wait to test it and finally there it is!

Product description: Containing rice sake, peach extract rich in vitamins A and C, and silica powder, this soft essence minimises shine and the appearance of pores. 

Key ingredients:

•  Silica - skin mattifying
• Titanium Dioxide - UVA and UVB filter
• Chamomile - well known skin soothing ingredient
• Licorice Root Extract - has anti-inflammatory properties and has ability to interrupt the stimulation of an enzyme that activates melanin production, so it's effective for improving dark spots and hyperpigmentation
• Centella Asiatica (also known as Gotu Kola) Extract - an effective anti-photoageing agent, mainly due to enhancement of collagen, which amount in skin decreases with age. Listed in Indian Ayurvedic medicine to combat excessively dry skin. Has anti-inflammatory properties, suitable for sensitive skin.
• Soybean Seed Extract - rich in amino-acids that helps keep skin smooth, aids in wound healing, stimulates elastin and collagen synthesis and increases oxygen in tissues.
• Enantia Chlorantha Bark Exract - it has antibacterial properties and ability to regulate sebum production, prevent acne and shrink pores. Soothes irritations and reduces skin inflammation.
• Rice Ferment Filtrate (Sake) - known from high end beauty products, rich in peptides, which help to moisturize the skin, sooth irritation and create a smoother, more youthful looking skin.
• Peach Fruit Extract - it has ability to tightens pores and contains vitamins that nourish, refresh, and brighten the complexion.
• Argan oil - rich in vitamin E, essential fatty acids and antioxidants is used to revitalize and hydrate dull, dry skin and can treat many skin conditions from dry skin and wrinkles to psoriasis, eczema and acne.
• Saw palmetto fruit extract - traditionally used for a variety of male health issues including hair loss, used in skin care for it's soothing properties.
• Sesame seed oil - an excellent moisturiser and emollient with many skin benefits. Contains vitamin E which acts as an antioxidant and can be used as natural sunscreen. Contains antioxidant called sesamol which effectively prevents the appearances of wrinkles and fine lines.

Full list of ingredients: Water, Silica, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Hydrogated Polyisobutene, Isohexadecane, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Dimethicone, Sorbitan Stearate, Sucrose Cocoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Staryl Glycyrrhetinate, Alcohol Denat., Propylene Glycol, Hydogenated Lecithin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricara) Flower Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licroce) Root Extract, Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola) Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract,Oleanolic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Rice Ferment Filtrate (450mg), Prunus Persica (Peach) Fruit Extract (450mg), Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Sesamum Indicum (Seasame) Seed Extract, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Butylparaben, CI 17200, CI 19140, CI 15985, Fragnance
Ingredients analysis [HERE]

The full size product is 45ml glass bottle with pump applicator. I was using sample sachets bought in pack of 8. One sample sachet lasts for approx. 4 uses.

As other peach products from Skin Food (Peach Pore Pact, Peach Green Tea BB, Peach Sake BB) this products has absolutely gorgeous peachy smell - however I can smell something bitter in it as well, just like someone would add some orange peel into it. Still yummy though ^^

Serum has consistency of very light cream. It spreads easily on the skin and we don't need much for the whole face. After application skin feels smooth but a little bit powdery - I suppose that powder touch is the secret of this serum's oil control.
Mentioning oil control - this works pretty good, but in different way that I was expecting. I thought it will help my skin stay matte for longer, bu no - it got shiny after my standard time - 2-3 hours - however the amount of oil was reduced. Normally I have to use two blotting tissues for my face, while with this serum one is enough. I still have to blot at least twice at work, but thanks to the reduced amount of produced oil my make up doesn't melt so easily. Also pores are less visible. Nice!
The only downside of this serum is that it's not very serum-like to be honest, I would rather classify it as a "finishing cream" or primer. It's not moisturising itself and contains silicone, so moisturise the skin before the serum. It works well with Hada Labo Lotion or Snail Ampoule.

Price: the full size version from £7 on e-Bay, I bought set of 8 sample sachets for £3.

Pros:
+ light consistency
+ gorgeous smell
+ reduces sebum production 
+ reduces appearance of enlarged pores
+ a little goes a long way

Cons:
- doesn't really moisturise 
- the powdery feeling on the face can annoy some people

Overall, this is good product for oily skin, especially for warmer days. If you have an oily skin you must try it! Just remember to use moisturiser before the serum, if you appy it after the serum, moisture simply won't reach the skin because of the silicones.