Yes, I was away this weekend, thought I had mentioned it before, apologies if I didn’t. Friday was annoyingly occupied by persistent cyst bursting annoyances 
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You lot have been chatty so I’ve just copy/pasted the questions I came across and answered below. If I missed someone, just ask again. The forms I’ve tackled separately and will put them up later tonight.
purple15 Fri 03-Feb-17 11:43:00
I want some of The Concealer too. I'm still lurking on the thread and a while ago I was recommended the Nyx concealer which I have been using for two weeks and is great but if I use The Concealer is it amazing?
Here’s the last I’ll say on THE Concealer as I really don’t want to be creating hype around a product and raising expectations that it will then fail to meet because of that. Is it amazing? For me it is, emphasis on ‘me’. I spent about 4 months sampling various others and this in the shade number 2 worked like nothing else before it. I do not, however, have dark hereditary circles, fine lines, puffiness, crepiness, etc. (though I wager it would tackle a lot of this, provided it’s not in the extreme and your expectations are not insane). I also look fine, not ill, not tired, etc. when I don’t wear concealer.
I could rationalise it because you get a lot more product than your average concealer and you use very little, it also doubles up as an eyeshadow base (though I haven’t tried it with eyeshadow on top but it work perfectly without it) and a sort of eye cream. I happened to be out of all three of those products so it wasn’t the most irrational decision in the world but I was well aware I was upselling it to myself and accidentally dragged the equally dithering Aurora along with me.
The price is extortionate, there’s no two ways about it, and though it can be somewhat rationalised it doesn’t take away from the fact that this is the most I ever spent on a concealer but it’s also the most I spent on a base product, period. It was worth it to me but had I not reacted to some other products that were far more affordable I would have been fine not knowing about this concealer.
If you can afford it and the price is an ordinary transaction with no consequences and you’ve actually sampled it in store to see what it does for you, and you happen to be in the market for a concealer then by all means go for it. If this is a heavy investment and it requires you to sacrifice other things then I suggest some sense and forget about it and leave the appreciation around here for what it is, hype.
Saying all that for me it has become one of those instant ‘the one’ products, after being very impressed whilst trying it, it performed even better than expected and had additional benefits I hadn’t anticipated. It’s now become a product I no longer need to concern myself about as despite the price I’m pretty sure I’ll happily repurchase this without qualms for quite some time. After trying it with various application methods (still need to try the baby beauty blenders from Primark though) I’ve actually found a previously defunct buffer brush from Zoeva (the 103, it’s one of those slanted ones, I bought in a desperate attempt to make a foundation work once, it was useless as that) perfect to finish it off over the entire eye area after patting it in gently with my fingers first.
wiltingfast Fri 03-Feb-17 17:32:41
Gosh Bo , is the NMF silicony? Full ingredients here [...]
Apols, Wilting, I must have mistaken it for one of the primers. NMF is a bit of new technology and going on the back of Hollin’s experience it’s definitely one I’d wait out to become a bit more cosmetically elegant. I think moisturisers tend to be so unsatisfying since it’s usually the last step and it should feel a bit more pampering and ‘rewarding’, a bit like dessert 
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I have drifted towards it on basis they are skin identical type ingredients (according to the TO bumpf) but perhaps I am being fooled, wouldn't be the first time!) The squalane is in stock now too and is 100% squalane. Says it is vg for hydration. Maybe that would be better? Really just need to top up my TO order to hit the free postage. Am getting the retinol and one of the weaker Vit Cs - Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%.
I’m not sure about 100% Squalane they recently released a line of it here, it’s such a bloody fraud, they sell a ‘moisturiser’ which is just a bottle of 100% Squalane and it feels like an oil. I think it’s interesting for those that are oily but don’t respond well to pure facial oils but would like something like that in their routine or have the ability to add it to moisturisers to boost it up a bit like you would with a facial oil when needed.
Am easy on the galactomyces, happy to split the one you are interested in. Happy to buy and send onto you if you like, just pm me, no worries if you are still pondering! I can always just buy the CosRx one on amazon. It's in my basket waiting for it to fill up enough to justify an order.
I actually found another listing for the Bifida in mini samples so think I am getting that and the baby Niacin samples, will sell on sets of those or individuals who want them.
AuroraPolaris Fri 03-Feb-17 21:25:10
Bo where the hell is my barrel of Lotus Oil???
I spoke to them whilst in Paris, they made very flimsy French excuses. I gave them the evil eye on your behalf and reminded them of our MN influencer status .
WombattingFree Sat 04-Feb-17 11:29:22
Hi. I'm hoping someone can give some advice. I've tired to read as much as I can but I'm overseas and I'm struggling with my data allowance (the MN app uses a lot of this). So I previously washed morning and night with clean and clear, moisturised with coconut oil. That was my only skin routine. I had the contraceptive implant put in in May last year. Everything was fine until about November 2016. I got spotty, and welt like and it continued in a cycle. I had other terrible side affects from the implant (the usual kind without tmi) so I do believe the issues I've have with my skin are related to that and are hormonal.
But. I was walking past a shop in Sydney and got given a sample of this. I used it and it appears to be drying out my spots. My skin is clearer than it has been in months and this is the only thing that has changed. I'm assuming there is an active ingredient, possibly an alcoholic one. Can anyone suggest any moisturising creams that don't cost the earth that may be similar to this? I only used coconut oil because it was cheap and worked, I have no loyalty to specific brands! TIA
I just had to torture myself and check the prices on that brand. FFS! $200 moisturisers 
made up of the most basic ingredients (no active ingredient whatsoever) and gold -hardly that expensive or proven much efficacy in skin care!
Ok your success with this moisturiser is most likely nothing to do with the actual product but your previous routine. I think you’re probably right in suspecting that the hormones and BC have put your skin into confusion. When your skin was fine and resilient, whilst not being an ideal, the Clean & Clear (harsh and stripping) and Coconut Oil (generally not recommended for skincare as it’s so heavy and highly comedogenic - please ignore everyone’s persistent miracle claims with this, it’s heavier in saturated fats than butter. It’s grease and only really suitable if you’re very dry with no other skin issues). The combination of those two -super stripping + super greasy- and the hormones were just a mismatch waiting to happen that will have exacerbated the issue.
I’m not sure what is cheap and affordable in Australia, the (to you) local brands I know here are all £££ here and I doubt it’s much cheaper there. Possibly Sukin is from there and affordable, I think, if you can give me a few locally affordable brands that spark your interest I’ll look into it. We could also go down the Asian Beauty route, don’t know how locally available it is but should be pretty affordable to get there. Also will need to know your skin type, I’m assuming you’re somewhere in the normal/combo-dehydrated sphere?
EnidButton Sun 05-Feb-17 00:40:53
Has this cleansing balm been mentioned on here before? It sounds ok to me and a much better price than my EH. www.merumaya.com/melting-cleansing-balm-100ml.html
That’s an odd one, Enid, mostly due to the inclusion of water so it’s less likely to be a traditional balm. I’m not a fan of the inclusion of fragrance but its presence appears to be minimal.