HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

I know Spring has hit Hawaii when I drive around the up country area where I live and notice purple blossoms from the Jacaranda trees that line our streets here.  But, that is not the only thing that reminds me of spring – besides the trees and of course the weather, my skin texture and need for certain products definitely changes.  I’ve been using Rodial products for about a year now and I find that my skin really soaks up all the benefits of the products during the cool spring months.  It’s that time of the year when we are starting to transition from colder months to warmer here in Hawaii.  Today, I’m going to share with you some products I’ve been using the last month from Rodial so let’s get to it, shall we?

Rodial is a UK based brand that recently made it’s way into the United States, offering a variety of skin care and cosmetic products.  I have tried several products from their  Dragon’s Blood, Stem Cell Super-Food and  Snake lines and for the most part, I’ve been quite impressed with the products I’ve tried so far.  Today I’m going to be sharing with you 5 products that are “new to me” and recently added to the Rodial line up.

The first products are makeup types and include the Baking Powder ($48.00) and The Baking Brush ($46.00).

The Baking Powder (New Product) is a loose setting powder (I got the color 01) that helps you to achieve the perfect flawless base for your makeup.   This setting powder is silky and quite smooth which is ideal for “baking” your makeup – a technique that has been used for years in the drag communities and by makeup artists, and has recently (over the last year) become a popular step in the beauty community and YouTubers alike.  Baking your makeup is all about flawlessly setting your  makeup without creasing or caking.

While you can pretty much “bake your face” with any loose translucent powder – I prefer when doing this method of makeup that the powder be smooth and lightweight.  I also prefer a powder that will add a bit of brightness to the face effortlessly, without leaving a white cast behind when sweeping the powder away.  I must say – I was quite impressed with the Rodial Baking Powder.  It’s smooth to the touch and feels great on the skin.  Once you sweep the powder away – you are left with a flawless makeup application.

I will say however, that the amount of product you get – 4g / 0.14 oz Net. Wt. is not a lot considering the price tag.  While a little goes a long way with the product, especially since it is such a finely milled powder, when using something like this specifically for baking, you will go through product quickly and I think at $48.00 – that’s quite a hefty cost to have to replenish the product when you need.  The powder comes with a sifter which allows you to really get the right amount of product each time and hopefully eliminate an spill accident, but if you are someone who bakes your makeup often, you may need to buy a new one sooner.

If you are like me and rarely uses a technique like this, this product will last you a long time.  It feels great on the skin, like silk and you’ll definitely enjoy it.

Ingredients:  Ingredients: Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Talc, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Silica, Boron Nitride, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Squalane, Phenoxyethanol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Hexylene Glycol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Aqua (Water), Pisum Sativum (Pea) Extract, Glucosamine HCL, Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf/Stem Extract May Contain (+/-): CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77492 (Iron Oxides), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77742 (Manganese Violet), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides) 

Next is The Baking Brush (New Product).  There’s not much to say about this brush except I really like it.  This brush is perfect for removing powder or applying it to the under eye area because it is so so soft that it will not affect the under eyes with an pulling or tugging.  This brush has been specifically designed with soft, dense hairs to allow for easy application of the loose powder as well as the perfect softness to remove the loose powder when your baking is done, leaving your skin looking flawless without “cake face”.

What I also love about this brush is that it is dense enough to pick up and apply any pressed powders and makes a wonderful bronzer brush for contouring or adding definition within the hollows of the cheek area and forehead.  I found that I was able to get the perfect bronze with this brush because it blends the products effortlessly.  The brush bristles are so soft.   I’ve looked all over the website and couldn’t find information on the specific type of bristles the brush was made with, but have been advised by those that have used the brand that they are indeed synthetic brush hairs… which is awesome.  It feels so good, you’ll definitely want to use this brush for everything and I have just about tried it on most of the my face products (with exception to foundation) and have enjoyed it.  The ferule is very well made, tightly cinched in place and the handle, while it does have weight to it, is not overly heavy but balanced well in my hands.  Yes, this brush is a bit costly, but considering the quality I’ve found it to have, I’m beyond impressed with it and I’ll definitely look into other brushes from the Rodial line.

Next in this line up I also tried a few more products from the Dragon’s Blood line.  The Dragon’s Blood XXL Lip Plumper was definitely something I was excited to try when I seen it in the box.  It’s an interesting product and I do enjoy a good lip plumper so I opened this product first before any of the others.

The Dragon’s Blood XXL Lip Plumper retails for $30.00 and you 3mL / 0.1 fl.oz. of product.  Not that much product if you ask me, considering the price point.  This lip plumper was designed to nourish your lips while boosting the lips volume instantly.  They call it a “moisture-rich plumping miracle worker.”  It’s suggested to apply this product twice daily generously to the lips or as often as needed to provide an instant boost of moisture and plumping action.  The site also says that you may experience slight tingling sensation on your lips upon your initial application.

So here’s the deal.  While I was very excited to see this product in my box when it arrived, after trying this particular one, it’s not my favorite in the bunch.  First, getting the product out of the tube took quite a while.  To dispense the product, you click the back of the pen like packaging till the product dispenses through the brush tip.  Let’s just say that it took me well over 90 presses to get that darn thing to come out.  By the time it was slowly making it’s way to the applicator, my fingers and hand was already uncomfortable and tired.

The brush made the product easy to apply, and I really liked that the actual lip product had a tint of color.  It’s the perfect type of shade for a natural, everyday glossy look and the product, while just a bit sticky, applied pretty easily.  I didn’t find any weird residue left on my lips through out the day and it wasn’t so sticky that I couldn’t purse my lips together after applied.  I did find minimum stinging and tingling which was great (considering they use chilli extract as their ingredient for the plumping) and the smell was almost minty and kind of pleasant for me.  I will say however, do not taste the stuff,  it has an odd taste that really didn’t sit well for me… I’m not sure what it is, but I didn’t like it.  It’s not chemical, but a weird mint and herb taste, if that makes any sense.  The plumping was definitely instant after application but not abnormal.  My lips seemed a fuller without looking weird and the effect was nice.  This gloss like plumper does not last a long time, so you may need to reapply after it comes off for optimal effect.

Ingredients: Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Oleic Polyglycerides, Olus Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Acacia Decurrens/Jojoba/Sunflower Seed Wax/Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Seed Oil, Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Candelilla Cera, Parfum (Fragrance), Mica, Capsicum Annum Resin/Capsicum Frutescens Resin, Tocopherol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glycerin, Aqua (Water), Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Trihydroxystearin, Portulaca Pilosa Extract, Geraniol, Linalool, Sucrose Cocoate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Limonene, Croton Lechleri Resin Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Potassium Sorbate, Sorbic Acid, Glucomannan, Citric Acid, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 15850 (Red 7), CI 75470 (Carmine).

Cautions: Contains chilli extract. In case of discomfort, discontinue use. Avoid contact with eyes. If contact occurs, rinse well with water.

The Dragon’s Blood Velvet Cream was another product I got to test out.  Retailing at $85.00 for 50mL / 1.7 fl.oz. worth of product, you get a good size tub of product for the price point.  While it is expensive, considering the brand and their products, it’s something you can definitely expect.  There’s one thing for sure with Rodial, their product packaging always goes with the particular product line, which I like and the packaging is nice and definitely well made.

This cream is interesting.  It’s a rich cream with a texture that kind of reminds me of a whipped body butter.  It applies smoothly and evenly and I love how nicely it blends and rubs into the skin.  Rodial says that this cream offers a multi-dimensional hydration that leaves the skin feeling deeply nourished and I can definitely agree with that.  After apply to my face I felt like my skin got a boost of moisture and I really love the fact that it doesn’t feel heavy and my skin just drinks it in.  If you have dry skin like I do, I think you’ll definitely enjoy this cream.  I found that using it at night has been best for me my skin feels soft and smooth the next morning.  You can definitely use it morning or night – but for me the night use is best, but I have enjoyed using it during the day as well.  It doesn’t have a bad scent, but smells oddly like a weird herbal citrus, I can’t quite figure it out.  This product is expensive however, so I say if you can splurge, great – you’re skin will surely enjoy it.  I also really like the fact that ingredients like Squalane are included so I can eliminate a few other products in my routine when using this cream.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Isoamyl Laurate, Glycerin, Squalane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Myristyl Myristate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum (Fragrance), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Hydrolyzed Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Silica, Potassium Sorbate, Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob) Seed Extract, Croton Lechleri Resin Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool, Farnesol, Citral, Citronelloe

The Rodial Dragon’s Blood Cleansing Water is the last product that I got to try out this time around.  Retailing for $36.00 the water includes 200 mL / 6.8 fl.oz. worth of product.  The Cleansing Water was designed to remove all traces of makeup and give your skin a burst of freshness while hydrating and soothing your skin.  This cleansing water can be used on both the face and the eyes and is formulated with rose water.

Honestly, I have been using cleansing and micellar waters on my eye area now for over a year.  I know you shouldn’t but, I do and found that this particular one was quite gentle in that area.  My eyes didn’t burn or feel irritated which I liked.  Since this is a no-rinse formula, it was perfect to use for cleansing in the morning as well.  With ingredients like rose water, vitamin B3 and the Dragon’s Blood – this product is said to soothe sensitive and stressed skin while illuminating and brightening the skin and evening out the skin tone.   With some of my favorite ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin B3, I definitely am liking the results of this product.  This particular product is perfect on days when it’s hot and my skin feels parched and I love that I can use it day or night and all over my face without any sensitivities or issues.  It’s not a sticky liquid, but leaves my skin feeling hydrated so if I had to skip moisturizing for any reason, I know my skin will not be left overly dry after use.

Oh – did I mention how it removed my makeup?  My waterproof mascara or brow pencils come off without any issue and I like that my eyes don’t burn at all, of course, if I got the product directly into my eye area – that may be a different story.  This is a product I know I’ll for sure continue to buy and use – I could stock up on it because it truly is my favorite out of all the ones I wrote about in this post.  I have very sensitive eyes and to find a product that doesn’t burn them, at all – well, yes… I must stock pile that like it’s the zombie apocalypse and I need them all.

Rosa Damascena Flower Water, PEG-6 Caprylic/ Capric Glycerides, Niacinamide, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Croton Lechleri Resin Extract, Geraniol, Citronellol.

Cautions: Avoid getting product directly in the eyes. If direct contact occurs rinse well with water.

Of course, each person’s skin and skin care routine differ and what may work for you – may not necessarily work for me and vice versa.  Ultimately, I enjoyed most of the products I tried that I discussed in this post.  I have used several products from Rodial over the last year and have enjoyed “most” of them.  I do think some of the products can be a bit overpriced, but considering the brand name, you often pay for the brand name and reputation.  Many of the ingredients in these products are really nice for the skin.  I’ve been using these products now for about a month and I haven’t noticed any sensitivities (I do have sensitive skin) and I can’t say that I’ve experienced any weird breakouts.  If I had to suggest at least one product from the five I talked about here today, I definitely think trying the Dragon’s Blood Cleansing Water would be a good one to start with.

So – while this post was a bit “long winded” I wanted to make sure to be able to provide you with as much information that I could so you could decide if this brand or these products would work for you.  As I mentioned before, I do have other products that I’ve shared on social media but didn’t quite write about here, and I plan to over the next few weeks (so stay tuned).  You can purchase these products at: http://www.rodial.co.uk/us/ – I love that they are available in the US now.

What about you?  Have you tried any products from Rodial or any of them that I’ve discussed in this post?  Are there any products that you tried that I must get my hands on?  Let me know in the comments below.

Disclaimer:  The products featured in this post were sent for review consideration.  However, all opinions are my own, 100% honest & unbiased, as with anything you see or read about on this site.  Free products, press samples or sponsored posts do not warrant an automatic “positive review” at any time.  Affiliate links are posted throughout.