Organic Wednesday - Dr Bronner vs Method

Doing things slightly differently this week - haven't done a side by side comparison for a while, so I thought I'd do one now.

I've mentioned how much I like Dr Bronner soaps before and they have a new one available from their Shikakai range, and in this trial, I'm using the peppermint version - I'm a sucker for peppermint:

And in the clear corner, I'll be testing Method's handwash in Sweet Water:

Now, both of these products are organic, and claim to be non-drying, and contain no ingredients known to irritate skin.

Here's how they look out of the bottles (Dr Bronner first, then Method)

 

Dr Bronners is a thin, runny liquid that's very difficult to control ... it's also an odd colour, how unnattractive is that yellow-y brown?  The Method is a more familiar gel-style affair (trust me, it is there in the photo, I assure you!) that won't run all down your arm while you're trying to take photos of it.  Of course, that might just be my problem ...

Here's how they foam.  I don't know about you, but I LOVE a proper foamy handwash, even though I know that many foaming agents are bad for your skin!  As before, Dr Bronner first, then Method:

 

Just to be clear, I used one full pump of each product, and hands were washed consecutively, in the same temperature water.  As you can see, the Dr Bronner has foamed up magnificently, very surprising as the main ingredients appear to be sugar and a seed extract! The Method doesn't foam up nearly so well, although compared to a lot of organic SLS-free cleansers, it's actually pretty good.  Even compared to Method's own moisturising handwash, this is good foam.  Dr Bronner's peppermint smells precisely like washing your hands with a stick of Blackpool rock (not as sticky though) where Method has a more generic, gentle, slightly perfumed scent, which is not at all unpleasant.

Neither soap left my hands dried out, which is great. Even though I do like a foaming hand wash I hate it when it leaves my hands feeling dry after, or worse, feeling like I need handcream.  I don't believe in handcream (or toner, or body lotion.  Yes, I'm a weird, I know), so don't use it too often, and hate feeling that another product I'm using is forcing me to use it.

I guess which one you'll prefer will come down to what you want from your handwash, Method's wash is undoubtedly the one that'll look more stylish in your bathroom, but Dr Bronner is the one that'll give you the most satisfaction when you use it!  Both of these have pride of place in the bathrooms around our house, and I guess which one we buy next depends on which one runs out first!

Dr Bronner is available from Victoria Health, independent health food shops and Liberty in London, whereas you can buy Method from Boots, Waitrose or from the Method website.

Onix Blowdry - Two Months on ...

Most of my readers now that before Christmas I had a three month blowdry at Comptons, and I loved it.  I gave a follow up post a little later but after a few requests, I thought it was time I gave an update on how it looks now.  Going back to the picture I took of my hair on Saturday, this is how it looks now:

I have to say though that yes, my hair is not as straight as it was when I first had it done, and it's no longer wash and go to keep it completely straight.  The above picture was taken after a swift five minute blow dry using my fingers instead of a brush or comb. Here's how it looks if I let it air-dry now:

As you can see, there's a little curling at the ends, but it still looks natural, and it's still a whole heap better than it was before the treatment.  I still haven't used my straighteners, and I only use my hair-dryer for special occasions.  Still not using any styling products either, which is wonderful and it STILL doesn't fuzz up in the rain.

I'd recommend this treatment - and Compton Hair- to anyone who's ever been fed up with wavy/curly or just plain fuzzy hair, it's been a life-changing experience for me!  Having just that little bit of extra time every day is wonderful, I love it.

Frontcover

I know a lot of people really like Frontcover boxes, which are available at Boots. A little bird has told me that they're re-releasing their infamous Rainbow box of eyeshadow shades on 25th February.  Originally released for Christmas 2008, they were a sell-out and quickly became a cult item. Boxes contain 25 shadows, applicators and a "Shadowline" which turns any eyeshadow into a liquid liner.

The boxes will be available for £15 until 23rd March when the price will increase to the RRP of £30. Will you be getting one?

Review - Perricone MD Cold Plasma

Oh, bad reviews pain me, they really do ...

At a blogger event recently, we were given a jar each of Perricone MD Cold Plasma cream to take away and try for ourselves.  As it retails for approximately £120 a jar, I was pretty excited to get this, as I knew one of my housemates would adore to try it.

Perricone MD are very proud of this cream, and it's taken them a long time to get it to market.  Now, Perricone make some very strong claims about this product, it targets TEN signs of ageing (why is it that every time a new anti-ageing cream comes out, there are more signs of ageing that it'll work on? Coincidence?) and indeed, it has a patented neuro-peptide delivery system, all of which go toward justifying the high price tag.

So ... does it work? Well, the answer to that is ... dunno.  Here's Helen to give us the skinny:


"One of the good things about sharing a house with Ms Lippie is that lots of goodies arrive for us to try out.  When the call came out for a tester for a £120 face cream – Dr P’s Cold Plasma cream, I leapt at the chance.  I was asked to try it out for a week with a picture to be taken of before and afterwards and then continue for a longer period to see what happens.

First impressions were that it’s a nice package, nothing too garish and a nice glass tub frosted, but quite small.  On opening, the cream is a lovely smooth texture, a pleasant smell and cool to the touch.

I started using it instead of my normal moisturising cream on the Monday.  The cream absorbed well, you didn’t require too much and it left my skin soft and smooth.  It certainly appeared to feed my skin as well as my other moisturising creams do normally. 

However, about an hour later, whilst sitting on the tube on the way to work, I noticed a strange smell. A bit like how your fingers would smell after shelling cooked shrimps.  I thought it could have been one of my fellow travellers and thought nothing more of it.  On the second day I used the cream again, still pleased with the results, pleasant smell in the pot and so on.  An hour later, I noticed the strange smell again, but I was with different travelling companions, so what could it be?  I wiped my face and realised it was coming from me.

This made me have second thoughts about wanting to continue to use the cream.  I don’t want people to think that I ordinarily, or habitually, smell of fish!  I decided to continue to use it in case the results were so good that I could ignore the aroma.  After a week of use, my skin still felt well nourished, and less dry, but not spectacularly enough that the smell faded into the background.

Overall, the cream works well, with as much moisture being absorbed as other creams I have used previously, and if the smell doesn’t appear for you or doesn’t worry you, and you don’t mind paying £120 for a small pot, then this is a worthwhile investment, however for me the smell is just too much to continue with."

So, er, there you have it. Incidentally, Helen was not aware of Perricone's salmon-related ingredients at the time of testing  ...

What's the most you've ever spent on a face-cream?  Did it work? Was it worth the investment?

Valentine lip colour

Mr Lippie and I went out for dinner last night, and this was the make up look I created for the occasion (forgive the crappy iPhone pic):

It's a very clean and simple look, consisting of foundation, blusher, some black eyeliner and mascara, and, of course, a red lipstick. A couple of people asked me what the lip colour was, and it's something I mixed up myself from some Bourjois Hi-Tech lipstains, specifically, these two:

 85 - Irresistible Currant - a cool fuschia shade, and 86 - New Caramel - a neutral brown.

I use these a lot, and I love them a great deal, they're water-based stains that last and last, and feel feather-light on the skin. I find them much easier to use, and far more flattering than, say ... Benetint, for example. Swatched individually in one layer on the skin, they look like this:

Swatched together in one layer on the skin, they look like this:

This is a nice sheer cherry-red suitable for daytime wear, which I use often as a base layer for brighter, or stronger reds, but I wanted something a little more dramatic last night, so I used two layers of each, which looked like this:

Nice shade, and one that lasted very well against an expensive meal and several drinks ...

Do you mix your own colours?  What do you use?