Don't know what to buy as a gift for Christmas? Have no fear.....

Hi everybody! We here at CH Chemists know that picking out the perfect Christmas pressie can be a daunting experience – especially for that special someone; so we have picked out eight of our recommend top gifts for Christmas 2011.

1.       Flowerbomb Gift set

30ml EDP, 50ml body lotion and 50ml shower gel €63.50.

2.       Hugo Boss – Hugo Man Gift set

100ml EDT spray, and two 50ml Shower Gels.

3.       Heart Pillow

Contains thermal gel beads which heat in the microwave €4.99.

4.       Vichy Essentielles Basket

A selection of products from the Vichy Essentielles range €33.50.

5.       Babyliss Big Hair

Smoothes and styles hair €59.99.

6.       Fujifilm Finepix gift basket

Contains free 4gb card, case and voucher for 50 free prints €139.99. We can also present any camera in a special presentation box as pictured below - free of charge.

7.       Gillette Wash essentials gift set  

Contains 250ml Shower gel and 150ml Anti – perspirant deodorant €4.00.

8.       Active cosmetics make up set

Contains eye palettes, blusher palettes, lipsticks, eyeliner, nail varnishes and mascaras €16.99.

 We hope this was of some use to you. We have extended opening hours during the Christmas period –opening until 9 every night of Christmas week (excluding Christmas Eve).

Clinique Skin Transformation!!!!

Breda Griffin has been a lucky winner to take part in our Clinique competition. Breda will be using a full skincare routine for 12 weeks. So she will have glowing skin for the New Year!

The products Breda has received include:

·         Clinique rinse off foaming cleanser – which removes all makeup. This product should last up to four months! €21.50

·         Clinique 3 – Step skincare

o   Liquid face soap – This cleanses oil and dirt and also softens dead skin cells.

o   Clarifying lotion – Deflakes, smoothes and preps skin for moisture. 200ml retails at €24!

o   Dramatically different moisturising lotion. This light moisturising lotion was developed by Clinique’s dermatologists to keep skin at its healthiest, helps to balance oil and water of the skin. 50ml retails at €24.

Breda who is participating in our Clinique Transformation

Treatment

Bredas main concern for her skin was aging and large pores on her nose. Sharon our Clinique consultant has recommended the use of Repairwear laser focus wrinkle and UV damage corrector. To get the full effects of this product it must be applied every morning and evening after the 3 –step skincare routine for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks the wrinkle reducing effects are around 63%!! A 30ml bottle should last for four weeks and is €48! Sharon also recommended using the pore refining solutions correcting serum. This lightweight serum with pore re-surfacing complex helps skin bring healthier cells to the surface for tighter, smoother, younger looking skin. Clinical tests after two weeks use confirm pores appear 58% smaller. 30ml retails at €49.

To finish off the skincare routine Breda will use the anti-aging moisturiser youth surge spf15 during the day and youth surge night for night time. Retailing at €60 each.

UPDATE

Breda has been using her personalised skincare routine for four weeks now. During her first skincare consultation Breda was found to have a dry/combination skin type. In Clinique she is known as skin type 2.

SO HOW DOES BREDA FEEL ABOUT HER NEW SKINCARE ROUTINE?

Sharon: So Breda it has been four weeks now how are you finding the process?

Breda: Great! I have seen a huge difference in my skin. People have been commentating saying how great it looks!

Sharon: That is fantastic!! How long does it take you to do your new skincare routine in the morning and evening?

Breda: On average I would say about 5 or 6 minutes. But the time you put in definitely tells!

Sharon: What is your favourite product that you are using?

Two of my favourite products are the liquid facial soap. I feel so fresh and clean after using it. The pore refining serum is also a favourite of mine. It just glides onto my skin and a little bit really goes a long way. I was very conscious of my pores so this has helped alot!! I also found the Repairwear Laser focus has helped with the lines around my eyes.

Sharon our lovely Clinique consultant!

OVERALL

Sharon is very pleased with Bredas progress. “ After four weeks of using Clinique products Bredas skin is defiantly  looking better and is visibly smoother”.

If anybody is looking for a free Clinique personalised skin analysis, book through facebook, come instore or call Sharon on 066 -7121331 ext 1. When purchasing any of the products mentioned above quote Facebook and receive 5% discount for a limited time only!

The MicroPedi - Does it really work?

Today I will be talking about something a little new and a little different. The MicroPedi is a new electronic handheld device for removing hard skin from the feet. I will admit, I am not a big fan of anything to do with feet, so I was a little dubious trying this product.

When I first opened the box, my first impressions were that it looked very like a ladyshave. There are two rollers contained in the box – the blue roller - for extra course skin, and the pink roller for course skin.

The Micropedi is such a strange sensation on your feet and not one that I would have expected. It is very gentle and feels like a tickling sensation – much gentler than I anticipated. You can only use it for 2- 3 seconds in each area, but boy does it work! I started out using the pink roller first and immediately I could see the dead skin coming off my feet (gross right? – but oddly satisfying), I then switched to the extra course blue roller for the harder skin on my heels, and even after the first time I used it, I could feel they were noticeably softer. I was very pleased with the results and with continued use, I will have baby soft feet in no time. When you are finished just pop out the rollers and rinse the head of the Micropedi under the tap.

This product comes with excellent easy to follow instructions – that even I could understand! The only disadvantage I would see is that the batteries are not included. When you tear open the box, all you want to do is use it and then searching for batteries (like a new toy on Christmas day!) is a minor inconvenience. That said, they are the standard size AA – so there should be some lying around in some old remote somewhere! Retailing at €39.95.

They are finally here!! Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

 This week, I am trying out a product that I have been anticipating for weeks!! And finally it has arrived – and I was not disappointed! Today, we will be discussing Sally Hansen salon effects real nail polish strips. The concept of nail polish strips is not a new one – however it is the selection of designs which differentiates the Sally Hansen strips. Contained in the box are sixteen nail polish strips (in eight width sizes), one nail foil, a cuticle stick, a buffer and a very comprehensive set of instructions.

The application of these strips does require a bit of concentration. Each strip needs to be peeled from the plastic backing and stuck to the nail. Any excess can then be filed away using the nail file included to ensure the strip fits perfectly to any nail length. It is important to ensure that the strips are completely sealed at the corners, as this can lead to the strip lifting, ever so slightly. It took me about half an hour to do both hands. However – this was the first time I had tried them and even by the time I started my second hand, I had gotten into the swing of things and had finished all five fingers in ten minutes. These would be perfect to do some night in front of the television with a cuppa!

I had spoken to a colleague of mine who had also tried them a couple of days previously. She was very pleased with the results – however, they had started to chip slightly. Although not instructed on the box I would advise everyone to slick one layer of top coat over your nails when you are finished, just to set everything in place.

Overall I love the result!! Retailing at €8.95, they are by no means expensive. Results should last up to 10 days and everything can be removed with nail polish remover. The design I have used in the pictures above is “Girl Power” – the bold pattern may not be to everyone’s taste, but if it is something more demure you are looking for than I would recommend “Laced Up” which are black lacy effect strips – perfect for the Christmas party nights ahead!!!

Rimmel Scandal Eyes vs Rimmel Day 2 Night Mascara.. And the winner is...

This week we are going to compare two mascaras from the Rimmel range. Firstly – let me say, being a bit of a mascara snob I have been a recent convert to Rimmel mascara. The Day 2 Night caused such a stir when it was recommended by Mairead Farrell on Today FM, I said I would give my luxury brand mascara a rest and see what the fuss was about.

Rimmel Day 2 Night "Volume" Brush

The Day 2 Night mascara works in two ways. For day time it adds volume and definition and for night time adding length. The brush can come out of the tube in two different ways dictating if you are using the bush for “volume” or for “length”. I love this mascara, the colour is dramatic black, and the mascara is very fluid. The only disadvantage is that the “length” section is only noticeable after a few coats, and would have to be reapplied three or four times. The packaging is very similar to MAC’s Haute & Naughty – but at half the price of €9.95 its a bargain.

Rimmel Day 2 Night "Length" Brush

The Scandal Eyes Volume Flash mascara is the newest addition to the Rimmel range. The packaging is very similar to the Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara. Chunky and orange this will look great in any cosmetic bag. The brush is very chunky and works by coating every lash with mascara. It is much thicker then the Day to Night brush – but if its thickened lashes rather than long lashes you are looking for – than this is the mascara for you. It is also on promotion at the moment at the special offer price of €6.05.

The only disadvantage is that the brush may be slightly too thick. It is quite intimidating when you first take it out of the tube and it may not reach the smaller lashes especially on the bottom. The Day 2 Night is probably more suitable for this.

New Rimmel Scandal Eyes Mascara

 I like both mascaras equally and would use either of them again – they are 1/3 the price of luxury brands and have an amazing effect on the lashes. Also as someone who has very sensitive eyes I have never had any reaction to either. Thumbs up!

Vita Liberata Rich Silken Chocolate Lotion

Hi everyone and welcome to the first ever product blog for CH Chemists, where we will be giving you an honest opinion on new and exciting products hitting the cosmetics market.

Today we are talking about a tanning range which is new to CH Chemists. Vita Liberata fake tan was voted best organic tanning range in the 2011 Image Beauty Awards, and to be honest, we cannot argue much with that accolade. We will talk more specifically about the Extra Rich Silken Chocolate, which is a tinted, odourless gel for hard to tan skin (perfect for us pasty Irish). The consistency is similar to that of the Rimmel Sunshimmer lotion range. There is no odour and this tan is suitable for sensitive skin (as I can well testify to). Quite pigmented, it spreads evenly and adds a touch of colour immediately. We would recommend using a tanning mitt for application as the gel is so pigmented it is difficult to rinse off hands and there is nothing worse than the accumulation of tan in between fingers! The tan will darken over the next six hours – so applying it before bedtime is probably your best bet.

The colour that develops is a lovely golden brown that lasts for a few days. This tan is almost foolproof streakwise. The only disadvantage is if you like your tan that little bit deeper you may need to apply two coats. It is a bit expensive at €29.20 for 200ml, but for no smell, no streaks and no reaction to sensitive skin, it is worth it. As someone pointed out to me,”one bottle is cheaper than a full body spray tan” – sure how could you argue with that!!!

CH Chemists : The first ever blog

Hi everyone!! And welcome to the first ever CH Chemists blog.
Through this blog we aim to deliver information on the latest trends and beauty products -giving advice on whats hot and whats not in the world of cosmetics, skincare, haircare etc.
Our aim is for this to be informative but also a tool for us to answer your questions. So if you have any products you would like us to try and test for you - or you would like any information on services we provide instore please do not hesitate to let us know.
The first product well we be trying and testing and blogging about is Vita Liberata self tan.... So stay tuned for further updates :)