Review: Zelens The Balm

Let me start by saying that I am the worst. I have literally run out of ways to say how sorry I am for not posting on this blog regularly. This is my first post since my New Years post at the start of the year. That is just not on I'm afraid, I am very disappointed in myself. All I can say is that this year has been a crazy, extraordinarily tough year for me and maybe one day I'll write a post on why that is, but not today. Today I get straight back into the swing of writing proper content for this blog, starting with a beauty review. 

So here's the back story: I am very picky when it comes to lip balms/treatments. I have extremely dry lips that crack and flake all the time (glamorous, right?) so I don't find that popular lip balms such as Vaseline and Blistex work for me. To make things even more difficult I also have very sensitive lips so other lip balms such as Carmex and Burt's Bees react with my lips and even make them bleed in some cases! So with this in mind you can imagine how important it is for me to find a lip balm I like. I finally found one I could rely on in the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant which saved my lips on numerous occasions. It would even work wonders when my lips were at their worst, transforming them almost completely overnight from dry and scaley to smooth and moisturised. So you can imagine the heartbreak when I lost my beloved lip balm! Unfortunately for me I do not live near anywhere that stocks Elizabeth Arden and my desperate need for something to fix my lips quickly (combined with the curiosity of a beauty blogger) led me to visit my nearest Space.NK.apothecary for a suitable substitute.

Having explained to the very friendly sales assistant my annoying situation with my high maintenance lips, she helped me decide on the Zelens The Balm lip balm. I had never heard of Zelens before and so I was very curious to try something from their range.

Spot the awkward iPhone reflection...

Firstly, the packaging is gorgeous. The embossed mirrored tin looks very chic and I love how minimalist the design is.

Now onto what's inside the tin, which of course is the most important part. The lip balm is unlike any other lip balm I've tried in that it is not waxy at all but more of a thin cream formula. A problem that I have had with waxy formula such as Vaseline or Lipsyl in the past is that it acts as a barrier on my skin and doesn't let moisture penetrate deep into the tissue, so my lips do not feel like they are benefiting in the long-term. Therefore, when I tried this lip balm I was intrigued by how this would affect my lips. I do definitely prefer the cream formula to the waxy ones, however I think I would prefer a formula that was slightly thicker for the my lips, since they do need very heavy duty care which I do not feel this lip balm is able to give me. For someone with less problematic lips this could be a very good option though since it is fairly moisturising.

One thing I do absolutely adore about this lip balm is the smell. It has an enticingly sweet cocoa butter smell which I cannot get enough of. 

So, how does this lip balm hold up to my beloved Elizabeth Arden? I still prefer the Elizabeth. Although it has a greasier formula and more medicinal smell (that signature Elizabeth Arden scent I've come to think fondly of), it works miracles on my lips that the Zelens just cannot compare to. It takes a lot more time for my lips to heal with the Zelens than it did with the Elizabeth Arden, and honestly I don't think the Zelens has ever managed to match the results I got with the Elizabeth Arden lip protectant. I find this disappointing because I really wanted to like the cream formula of the Zelens. Finally, the price of the Elizabeth Arden makes it the more economical option.

The Zelens lip balm is very expensive. For 10ml of product I had to fork out £35. This is a lot of money and definitely not something that I would consider a necessary buy as there are plenty of  alternatives which are just as good. For me, the price does not justify the meagre results that I experienced using the product but that is not to say that someone with less dry and sensitive lips would not love this product. I would not purchase this product again though, I'm definitely going back to my Elizabeth Arden as soon as I finish the Zelens tin.

I hope you've found this review useful. Let me know if you have tried this product and what you thought about it. Also, let me know if you've tried anything else from this brand which you think I should try.

Kira xxx

My Skincare Routine

I have tried many different skincare routines for my normal to oily blemish prone skin and mostly have been disappointed with the results. In the past I have tended to concentrate on finding products that are supposed to get rid of spots and I think this is where the problems lay for me. The products cleared up my existing blemishes (as it promised to do) but it didn't reduce the amount of blemishes I got in the future or how frequently I got them. It felt like I was going in a frustrating cycle of getting spots, treating and healing them, almost having clear skin and then BAM more spots!

 

Because of this, I decided a different tactic was needed and so I instead tried to concentrate on what I thought was causing my spots. Of course things like stress and THAT time of the month can't be avoided but there were some other causes that I thought contributed to my bad skin. Firstly, I have quite large pores on my face, especially my cheeks (where I get the majority of my spots) so I thought that maybe my spots were due to clogged pores. My face can also be quite shiny at times which suggests that it's a bit oily, this could also be another cause of the spots. With this in mind I headed to Boots to try and find a skincare routine that wouldn't break the bank but would address my problem areas.

 

 

Despite the apparent colour scheme, this is not a pre-made skincare set. We have Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Exfoliation Wash 150ml £4.29, Sanctuary Exfoliating Pore Refiner 100ml £10.50, Sanctuary Pore Refining Toner 150ml £9, Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser 75ml £4.27 and Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clear Blemish Gel 15ml £14.

 

I decided on the Simple products because their products tend to be gentler on the skin and in the past I haven't been too nice to my skin. I was so pre-occupied with getting rid of my spots that I would use harsh chemicals on it so now I wanted to apologise and make up for my mistreatment of my skin by being kind to it for once. These products had oil-balancing qualities to them and also help to clear your skin so I thought they were perfect. Not to mention that the small price tag made them absolute winners in my eyes! The exfoliating wash is not very abrasive which makes it perfectly fine for everyday use, twice daily. You're face doesn't feel dry after using the scrub and looks and feels a lot cleaner and the moisturiser makes my skin feel soft but doesn't feel greasy at all.

 

The Sanctuary products were a bit more pricey but I was drawn in by the fact they focus on clearing and minimising pores which was a problem area for me. I use the Pore Refining Toner everyday after my Simple face wash, spraying it onto a cotton pad and sweeping it over my face. The toner is not strongly scented of alcohol like others I've tried and so doesn't sting my eyes or nose likes some have done in the past. It actually smells okay (although I could not for the life of me tell you what it smells like). The Sanctuary Exfoliating Pore Refiner is a bit of a luxury product for me. You can use it for up to 3 days a week but not on consecutive days and it smells quite good! This scrub is abrasive, which I like, and when it's on your skin it actually feels like it's doing something. It leaves it feeling tingly and rejuvenated and just a lot more open. It leaves me feeling squeaky clean and my skin feels super duper soft the next day.

 

The last product is Clinique's Blemish Gel, which I didn't actually buy in that Boots trip but already owned. It's the only product I use specifically designed to zap spots because old habits die hard and I still want all my spots to be gone as soon as humanly possible. This gel is very pricey but it just happens to be the one I already owned, I have used others including Clean & Clear Advantage Spot Treatment Gel 15ml and Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Spot Wand 3.5ml which both worked wonders for me and were considerably cheaper.

 

My skin has felt a lot clearer and brighter since I've been using this routine. People have commented on how great my skin looks and I have found that I can get away most days with not wearing foundation but just a dab of concealer under the eyes and some powder to set it. When I do get the odd break out (which are more infrequent now) they are dealt with very quickly and effectively. I have to admit I'm fairly impressed by the results and proud of myself for putting this routine together!