blackbloggers – sarah fynn

NIP + FAB Glycolic Fix Pads Review

I have been looking for Glycolic acid toners lately and decide to try budget friendly ones to see how my skin would react before investing in pricer ones. I run out of my Pixi Glow Tonic which I totally love but I wanted to try something new so went with these ones.

Btw, did u catch my post on how to have a successful hair app? (Shameless plug I know) if you haven’t already, head over and read it on Afrocks.

The Nip Fab Glycolic Fix Pads are supposed to exfoliate, brighten and re-texture the skin. You use them after cleansing and before moisturising. It contains glycolic acid to retexture and resurface, hyaluronic acid to moisturise and refresh and blue daisy to soothe and calm the skin.

Each tub has 60 pads.
Experience

My experience has been ok with them leaning more towards the disappointed side. The pads are very small and thin which make them slightly difficult to use. I use two pads, one for my face and another for my neck. The glycolic acid content is quite low, only 2.8% (I had to check the website for this as it doesn’t say on the product). They are ok to use but for what I wanted it for, I am disappointed with them. They haven’t made a huge difference in my skin or pores. I still managed to break out (just a few pimples) and get texture on my skin which I didn’t get at all from Pixi which has 5% acid content. I haven’t seen any improvements with brightening or hyperpigmentation.

They didn’t dry out over the course using them which I am very happy about. I always neutralise my acid toners with thermal water sprays, I have just finished the Caudalie Grape Water and on my 2nd bottle of the La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water. I’m not sure if you have to do this step as the acid content is quite low, but it’s better to be safe than sorry plus I really enjoy spraying my face (which makes sense because I am obsessed with makeup setting sprays!)

Verdict– I am disappointed with these, I thought they would be as effective as the Pixi Glow Tonic. I wish the tub said the glycolic content if I knew it was this low, I would have picked up the Extreme pads which have 5% acid content. I do like that they are very convenient: pre-soaked pads and good for travel. They even have smaller travel sizes for £2.50. I think if you are starting out or have sensitive skin these will be good for you but for me, it’s either I try the extreme pads or go back to Pixi. They just released Pixi Glow Tonic Pads!! The Nip Fab pads come in a pack of 60 pads which will last you a while roughly two months if you use one, once a day. I also think if you have used higher acid content products, you may be quite disappointed with these which is what happened to me.

I got mine in a half piece sale on Boots and bought two more lol. It will be a long 4 months for me. Maybe with continued used I will see better improvements, but for now 1 tub down and 2 to go.

UPDATE- I think the pads are good for what they are. For daily use esp in the mornings, 2% is good as you are going out into the sun etc. I have now used about 4 tubs now and I actually like them I still prefer my 5% AHA but this is perfect for starters or getting used to AHA. I use these now for travel as they come in smaller tubs and budget friendly!

NIP +FAB Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads are £12.95 and available from Superdrug

Invest in yourself

The Intern Diaries: D Day!

Dear Diary

So today was the last day! I think I was a bit emotional because I was feeling down in the 1^st part of the day. I started the day per usual, getting on with my tasks and chasing up people. At about 4pm I was asked to take a break for my progress review………….

And it went great! We discussed both the highs and lows and how I could improve for the future. it actually went SO much better than I thought!

And guess what?!

I am staying for an extra week!!!! And after that it depends on whether I would like to carry on or not! I am SO HAPPY lol.

The past 2 weeks have been hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm anyway I have a bunch of things to catch up on so I gotta goo..

This marks the end of my intern diaries. I will not be posting anymore entries as you guys already got the hang of what I do. From here on we will go back to good old hair/beauty posts, and I have a good one coming for you soon! Thank you guys for coming along on this journey with me and I hope this inspired someone to go for internships if they have been thinking about it. It’s really what you put into it that counts and making sure you leave a good impression on them. So it’s not officially your job but if you wow them enough chances are they will either give you a really good reference or they may move things about and offer you the job! Either way go in positive and hopeful!

I have been working at Black Beauty and Hair Magazine for the last two weeks and its set to continue! Oh why, it’s only UK’s no1 bestselling magazine for women of colour. You know, no biggie LOL. Just a small dream of mine coming true. Nothing to write home about. I mean come on LOL

Love

Sarah

P.S- my nail decorations came and they are CUTE!! Keep an eye out on my Facebook as I will be bombarding you with pictures!

Weekend routine? Wash day, laundry, cook, study and job applications urgh

Smile, Heaven is watching xx

The Body Shop Tea Tree

Body Shop series officially popular! We will be carrying on with their tea tree range which is targets oily and problematic skin that is prone to blemishes and breakouts. It is also very beneficial in treating acne (which probably makes it very popular).

The Body Shop tea tree oil range has been formulated with tamanu oil extract which is also known to help generate new tissue and improve help improve the healing process of the skin.

Their full collection:

Tea tree squeaky clean scrub
Tea tree cool and creamy wash
Tea tree oil
Tea tree skin clearing foaming cleanser
Tea tree face mask
Tea tree facial toner
Tea tree cleansing wipes
Tea tree night lotion
Tea tree facial wash
Tea tree blemish gel
Tea tree skin clearing lotion
Tea tree pore minimiser

Here are some great reviews on most of the products:

Final verdict- I think it does what it says on the tube! Although I haven’t used any of the products in this range, from research it seems like it works. So what are you blemish clearing secrets/tips? Share with us below! Mine is- if I know I have a big day coming up and I have to wear a lot of makeup, I try to go bare faced for 3 days or more before, then on the morning of the day, I do a face mask to prep my skin!

Remember I have a link for you to earn up to 11.55% cash back on all your Body Shop purchases online! TopCash back offers you cash back when you shop through their sites on many different website e.g. BodyShop, Boohoo and Missguided. It’s worth having a look. Here’s the link below:

http://www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/sarahfynn

That’s all folks! Body Shop Skincare has a lot of skincare collections that treat different issues, this mini-series will go through ALL of them complete with reviews. If you want to purchase any of the products, you can shop online>> http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/shop-by-range/tea-tree.aspx#/tea-tree.aspx or visit their store.

Until next time

Love

Sarah

FIRST LOOK: MON SHEA- THE NATURAL ALTERNATIVE

Hey family! I hope everyone is doing great so far. As promised this post will be an introduction to a vendor I met at the WITJ event (See my event cover for it here > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-wx ) and some of her products she sent to me. Let’s get started!

A bit about the company

MON SHEA offers 100% natural skin and hair care products using natural products such as organic unrefined Shea butter in their shea butter soap and authentic African black soap in their liquid black soap wash. These natural products are a great alternative to people with problematic skin and people looking for natural alternatives. If you’re a shea butter fanatic like me, you will find everything you need in this collection.

So the full collection is as follows

The MON SHEA black soap collection is made from roasted cacao pods, palm oil and Shea butter with coconut oils. All black soap fans know this is an excellent and very versatile product that can be used to cleanse both the skin and the hair. I personally LOVE the smell of black soap (although some people are on the fence on this) and I am sure this collection will not disappoint.

MON SHEA LIQUID BLACK SOAP

MON SHEA BLACK SOAP

MON SHEA BLACK SOAP IN PLAIN LEAF

The MON SHEA shea butter collection is an exciting one to me. I was very interested in the soap as in all my fanaticness (it’s not a word yet, lool) I haven’t come across a shea soap yet (Does this mean I need to up my game?). Anyway it’s made from skin loving ingredients e.g. organic shea butter, plant oils, vitamins and minerals! I can’t wait to use it. I chose this because I really wanted to try this. I plan on using it for cleanse my hair and my face (since the heat is going to make me break out more often). UPDATE- I have used the soap for my hair and it did a great job of cleansing it! The ease of use is ridiculously amazing! Y’all didn’t tell me about bars for washing for hair! It does have lye (sodium hydroxide) in it because it lathers but it’s not something you should be afraid off, its soap after all, soap is not soap without lye. It didn’t leave my hair dry infact as soon as I used it I could feel curl clumping and to me it’s a good thing it means my hair is moisturised. Honestly you NEED to try this!

I also chose the SHEA OIL. Don’t you hate when you have to heat up shea butter in your hands by rubbing? Or if you’re like me, I use a blow dryer to melt some so it makes it easier to apply lol. I chose this because of the ease of use it will give me! Even though it came a bit solidified, I can still pump some product out and instant oil! It melts so easily! These products couldn’t have come at a much better time since I am on a quest to improve my complexion!

MON SHEA SHEA BUTTER

MON SHEA SHEA BUTTER SOAP

MON SHEA PURE SHEA OIL

At the event, I was able to record a demo of Monigho (owner) using the PURE SHEA OIL on a customer. Check it out below:

Overall this seems like a really good collection! I love the products I chose and I can’t wait to use them and share you with the results. I also love the versatility of the products and the natural ingredients. This can only mean one thing: it’s great for the skin and hair! I will be doing a full review after I have used the products for a while but that should not be long as I will probably be using them EVERYDAY so expect it sooner than later!

Please, please check out their website for more information, read customer testimonials, to purchase or just to say hi! I will provide their link below

That’s all folks for now! I hope you enjoyed this post and please subscribe if you do. Here’s a link to the website > http://monsheabutter.co.uk/ . Also like my new Facebook page, all the links to my social media can be found on the right hand side under the Social tab. We will be starting the cleansing series soon, stay tuned!

Until next time

Love

Sarah

PRODUCT FOCUS- MOTIONS DEEP CONDITIONING MASQUE

Hey family, this will be a quick review on the deep conditioning masque from the Motions for natural textures line! (Yes they have a natural hair product line)

So the deep conditioning masque contains shea butter, coconut and avocado oils and is an intensive weekly treatment that claims to ‘bounce back dry parched curls to the manageable rehydrated ringlets you desire’.

By now everyone knows the routine for deep conditioning- apply product, cover with a plastic bag etc etc. After 30 to 45 minutes or longer- I usually apply, pile on the Tesco bags (lol) and go about my day till I realise I have to wash my hair otherwise it won’t dry on time the next day (anyone else do this?? Lol). Guys my hair felt BUTTER SOFT, it’s THAT real. I have 4c hair so it wasn’t super curly or defined but I did notice some clamp-age (lol) of my curls going on. I LOVE the smell too! And you know how some products smell nice but they don’t leave your hair smelling nice? Not this, my hair was left soft and smelling nice.

I’m not sure of the price but check your local BSS (I got mine in a 4 for £10 deal at NaturalhairWeek2015 >>http://wp.me/p1uQOd-sZ. Also check out my YouTube channel for videos from the event: sarahfynn). The only con I have is the size: its only 236ml! Which is small especially if you have long thick hair! This tub will last me two applications so basically my next application will be my last (nice knowing you lol), I am a bit heavy handed when it comes to applying my treatments because I like to make sure the hair is coated from root to tip. Honestly I thought the standard size was 300 to 500 ml, so I am a bit surprised this product is small and it’s the same for the pre-wash detangling butter ( check out my review here >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-t7 ). Now that I think of it, I think all the sizes are the same.

Verdict- It’s worth it. It will leave your hair butter soft and smelling nice. If you have thick hair, you’re going to have to stock up and get two or three tubs if you want it to last a bit longer, my girls with shorter, finer or less hair will probably get more use out of a single tub. Go for it if you want to try something new or want an effective treatment.

That’s all folks. The last thing I got in this line is a styling product which I am still experimenting with so will do a review later.

Until next time

Love Sarah

P.S- if you are at Curlvolution this sat, say hello! your girl will be down there #bloggerduties