Sample Sunday – Rituals Awareness Night Cream

The box of samples is starting to look a little less full which can only be a good thing. I had three sachets of this ‘intensive regenerating treatment’ which I smooshed into a sample jar. I got 6 days use out of it and whilst that isn’t long enough to really judge a skin care product it is long enough to see how my fussy skin will react. Generally if a fragrance is going to cause a reaction it will react within 3-4 days. According to the site this is full of all sort of lovely things:

• “The ingredients Squalana & Vitamin E restore and repair your skin’s moisture balance
• Vitamin F & Glycoproteins have anti-aging properties
• Natural Kombuchka makes your skin smoother and reduces blemishes
• Contains anti-oxidants
• This intensive regenerating treatment is specially developed for all skin type
• Dermatologically tested”
“Rituals has developed Awareness night cream: a wonderfully nourishing and restorative cream.
Ingredients include Kombuchka, which is a tea made from fermented yeast enzyme. The ancient Chinese referred to it as the 'Prescription for Immortality'. In other words, an ultra healthy and excellent ingredient, and one that helps create healthy, smooth and glowing skin. Add the nourishing properties and relaxing scent of creamy-soft Rice Milk and sweet dreams while your skin renews itself! “

Recently my skin, which is normally combination with an oily nose and very dry elsewhere, has reached whole new levels of awkward. My nose still looks like a chip pan. Everywhere else stubborn dry flakes have appeared and even more bizarrely I have broken out in what appears to be acne around my mouth. I have NEVER had acne. I suspect a primer I’m trying to use up is to blame so I’m going to go makeup free for a few days and see if it goes. Anyway my current night cream isn’t cutting it so I’ve been trying these samples and I have to say I’m impressed.

There is a very faint fragrance but it isn’t overpowering and my skin is tolerating it well. The texture is very thick. It certainly feels like a rich night cream and is rather luxurious to apply. It managed to be thick without being greasy. It sinks in within 30 minutes and rather strangley leaves my skin feeling like is has a primer on it. Not a greasy silicone primer, it just feels softer and smoother. As I said I need to try skipping the primer that I think is breaking me out so I don’t know if I believe the anti blemish claims just yet. After just a couple of uses my skin did feel less tight and the flakies are disappearing.

So far so good, a moisturiser rich enough for my dry bits without over exacerbating the oily nose. At £25.50 for 50ml from their site it is more than a little pricey but even so I think I’ll be picking it up next winter (I have too many other moisturisers to finish at the moment and it might be a touch heavy for my skin in summer). You can purchase it on the rituals website here xxx

*I received these samples with a purchase from their Heathrow shop*

Sample Sunday – L’Oréal Youth Code

The quest to use up by box of samples continues with this 8ml pot of moisturiser. I got a good 5 days worth of use out of this. No that isn’t long enough to see whether a moisturiser works (I typically like to be nearing the end of a full sized tub before I reach a verdict on a skin care product) however in this case it is long enough to know that I won’t be buying this. 

How adorable is that teeny tub? Unfortunately that is the only plus I can think of. Now I’m sure this is a great product for many people. There are a lot of positive reviews on the Boots website but sadly it did not work well for my skin. This is what they claim:

“Mature skin and young skin behave differently when exposed to external aggressions. As you age, skin takes longer to recover and responds more slowly. The complexion loses luminosity, facial features appear tired and wrinkles deepen. Youth Code Rejuvenating Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream leaves your skin hydrated, smoother and more radiant. Skin behaves more youthfully: luminosity is improved and facial features appear rested.”

Clearly I’m in the wrong age group for this (I’m 23) but I have very dry skin surrounding my oily nose during the winter and this left me feeling even drier. On the plus side my nose didn’t feel as oily but for me it wasn’t a good trade off. Also I have mentioned before that I do suffer from irritant dermatitis and occasionally my skin can react to perfumes in products. Oddly I have no problem with the floral scent in a L’Oréal foundation that I have but this does have a scent and by the 3^rd day my skin felt itchy after applying it. 

On the plus side it did absorb quickly into the skin and if you have very oily skin this may be the moisturiser for you. I won’t be buying it personally but if you want to it’s currently £9.99 at Boots instead of £14.99. I’m going to stick with my Simple Vital Vitamin night cream thanks! X

Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover

I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect eye makeup remover for a very long time. I love Lancôme Bi facile but it’s just too pricey for me to justify buying it over and over. Lots of my lovely readers suggested that I try this out and I’d seen enough favourable reviews of it to pick up a bottle. The bottle looks fairly small at 150ml however it has lasted me around 4 weeks with no signs of running out any time soon. Oh and it costs £2.99. BARGAIN! Excuse the photo nicked from Boots. My laptop appears to have nicked the photo I took of the bottle and it’s all grubby and half used up now. 

It doesn’t matter how cheap it is if it doesn’t work though so what is it like? It’s a bi phase remover so you have to shake it to get then two liquid levels to mix. It doesn’t have a strong scent which is a good thing in my book. My eyes themselves are not sensitive however the skin under them is. I recently had huge problems after using an Estee Lauder remover that ended up with the skin so dry that it was peeling. You can imagine how sexy my concealer looked over flaky skin! I’ve since been using this in conjunction with the Botanics eye cream and my skin has healed beautifully. 

This removes any eye makeup with ease. For waterproof mascara I just hold the cotton wool to my eye for 5-10 seconds before wiping away. It doesn’t sting or burn my eyes or my delicate skin. There is a slight oily residue left behind but this disappears with a splash of water. 

So is this a holy grail makeup remover? It may well be. I’m not going to lie, I’m always going to try others because that’s just what I’m like. I’m a product cheat. Always looking for the next best thing. But I do know I’ll always have a bottle of this in stock in case my latest trial product goes all Estee Lauder on me x

*I bought this myself*

Prepping for the Mistletoe with Lush

It’s Advent! My Mum has very kindly bought my husband and I Stig advent calendars this year. Yes we are big kids, what of it? Anyhoo I’ve been trialling a couple of limited edition Christmas lip products from Lush. If you like the sound of these move quickly, they won’t be around forever! (As far as I know anyway). First off we have Lip Dip. It’s basically a lip scrub which is supposed to be sherbet, cranberry and lemon flavoured. Personally I think it smells and tastes exactly like lemon sorbet. Please excuse the fuzzy photo. I must have been having an off day/ week/ year (delete as applicable).

Unlike the permanent range of lip scrubs this is made with sherbet instead of castor sugar so it’s much more gentle at exfoliating you lips. I personally don’t find the other scrubs too abrasive but if you do this is a gentler option. It’s messy and awkward to use but it tastes so good I don’t care. I find it leaves my lips smooth and flake free though I follow it up with a hefty lip balm. This costs £4.50.

Next we have the infamous Snow Fairy scent in tinted lip balm form. I really like bubble gum scented products and this is no exception. The hot pink in the pan appealed too but unfortunately I can’t get it to show up at all. As a tint it really doesn’t do much. It does have some pigmentation but it doesn't last long on me. If you're after a really bright pink lip I'd suggest Models Own lip balm or Sleek Pount Polish.  As a balm it benefits from being warmed up, I keep it in my pocket, otherwise it’s a bit too hard so it’s difficult to actually get any product. It does a decent enough job of moisturising my lips though. Personally I don’t think I’ll bother with these balms again as I just have so many others that are cheaper and do a better job. It does smell damn tasty though. I’m not entirely sure how much it cost as it’s not on the Lush site as I type this but I know it’s still in stores and I’m sure costs less than a fiver. 

Do I think either of these products are must haves? Well I do need a lipscrub and Lip Dip is by far the tastiest option I’ve ever tried so I’m prepared to put up with the mess. Snow fairy is only a must have for Snow fairy addicts. As a lip balm it’s distinctly meh x

*I bought these myself*

LUSH Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Mask

I’m determined to get my 5 empty pots so I can get a free face mask, can you tell? I’ll be reviewing the other LUSH face masks in due course. This particular offering is aimed at soothing and clearing spotty, congested skin. Perfect then for tackling my monthly hormonal breakout (too much info?).

For your £4.95 you get 75g of pale purple paste. It smells of blueberry mixed with kaolin clay which is unsurprising given the ingredients (taken from the LUSH website);

"Calamine Powder, Talc, Irish Moss Gel (Chondrus crispus), Fresh Blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus), Glycerine, Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria chamomilla), Sweet Wild Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 18050"

"Fresh blueberries are rich in beneficial antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to reduce inflammation and act as a mild antiseptic."

You slap in on and leave it for 5-10 minutes during which it dries like a traditional clay mask. After rinsing it off I do find my skin looks less congested but it feels slightly drier than normal so if you normally have dry skin you might want to be aware that it might make it drier. After the first use the huge angry spots on my chin were a fair bit calmer and less sore. After a few applications they had healed considerably. I’m not saying this is a miracle cure, it’s not, but I’m convinced it did help. 

 

Once again the main downside of these masks is the short use by date. If you have dry skin and no spots (lucky thing) this certainly isn’t for you but for oily/ combination skin with blemishes it’s rather nice. The problem for me is that I wouldn’t need this kind of mask all the time which means it’s only useful for me for one week of the month and the short sell by dates means it would go off by next month. This means I’ve been using it rather generously and often within the space of a week so my skin is feeling a little dry. Because of this I probably won’t buy this particular mask again. If you’ve used any of the LUSH face masks which do you recommend I try next?  x

*I bought this myself*

Models Own Tinted Lip Balms

The hunt for the perfect tinted lip balm continues and these are certainly a step in the right direction. These little glass jars contain 6g of product and cost £6. Models own is frequently on offer in Boots so keep your eyes peeled. I bought these two and got a lip gloss free. I have them in Blackberry (a deep berry red) and Fuchsia-full (hot pink). 

Blackberry has a yummy scent which reminds me of the cherry boiled sweets my grandparents always used to have in their car. The colour is pigmented enough to show up well but sheer enough to be flattering. It’s a very user friendly way of doing a berry lip. The faint shimmer in the pot doesn’t really show up on the lips at all, you just get a nice glossy finish. As a balm it does very well too and leaves my lips nicely moisturised. The staying power isn’t amazing but I find I can apply this one with my fingers as and when I need. I still use a mirror when applying though as otherwise it all goes horribly wrong. 

Fuchsia-full is just as hot pink on as it looks in the pot. You need to be careful when applying, I probably should use a lip brush with it but honestly that’s a bit of a faff for a lip balm. This one smells of the same cherry scent but not quite as strong. The colour lasts a bit longer that Blackberry and leaves a bit of a stain behind once the actual balm has worn off. 

Overall I think these are fab little lip balms. They give me enough colour without the problems than lipsticks are currently giving me due to my dry, flaky lips. Yes the little pot isn’t the most hygienic and if you have long nails it could get very messy but due to the pigmentation a lip brush is an option with these. Do I prefer these to the Sleek Pout Polishes? Both give great colour but I find these a little bit more moisturising. I also really prefer the scent of these but that’s down to personal preference. The Pout polish is a lot cheaper though at £3.99 for 10g of product and has SPF 15 which the Models Own doesn’t  x

*I bought these myself*

Sample Sunday

I have been inspired by the gorgeous Anitacska over at Pleasureflush to tackle my growing pile of samples. It’s getting silly. There are more hidden under what you can see of this pile...

I just seem to accumulate them from magazines, counters etc. Then they sit there unloved. There are several foundations here, weeks worth of skin care, mascaras, bath products. Inspired by Anitacska’s ‘Project Skincare Samples’ I decided to have a look at that I actually have and to get my bum in gear and use them.

So here we have ‘Sample Sunday’ (catchy no?). Every Sunday I’ll fish out a sample of something, use it and say whether or not I’d purchase the full sized product on the basis of my experience with the sample. I’ll start off with one that I have actually been using for the last week. This is the Clinique Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream sample. 

As a hand cream it’s lovely. None greasy, easily absorbed and definitely moisturising. It claims to be fragrance free though and it just isn’t. To me it smells a bit like the Body Shop Hemp cream which I cannot stand. To me it’s the stench of a mouldy fruit bowel. Even a work colleague commented on the smell and not in a good way. You may of course find that is smells lovely or even doesn’t smell at all but for me it’s a no brainer. I won’t be buying this. If you’re interested though a full sized one costs £14.50 for 75ml x

Finished! November Edition

Few things are as gratifying to me as getting to the bottom of a product. It helps alleviate the guilt of having bought so much makeup. I’ve actually been very good lately and my spending has all but ceased. With the exception of one pigment set from the MAC Tartan Tale collection (does anyone want a post on that?), the newest Sleek Palettes (apparently there is ANOTHER coming out by the end of the month) some tinted lip balms and £1 glitter liners I haven’t bought anything in the last month. Oh... that’s actually quite a bit. Never mind. Anyway the following products have reached the end of their lives and are heading to the great makeup stash in the sky. Most of this stuff has been reviewed by me so check the tags for full reviews if you want.  Skin care first;

Simple Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Night Cream – Some people complain that this is too basic and not rich enough for them but I find this to be perfect for my skin. I’m 23, I don’t need super heavy moisturisers but I do have the odd dry patch. This does the job beautifully and I have already started using my next tub. It’s £5.99 for 50ml but Simple’s stuff is always on offer in Boots or Superdrug. 

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye makeup Remover – I know some people love this but unfortunately for me it was a disaster. The skin under my eyes reacted really badly to the point of flaking and peeling. It stung my eyes too. Just goes to show what works for some won’t work for everyone. Thankfully I got this free as a gift with purchase but needless to say I wouldn’t buy it. 

Nivea Q10 Lip Effect lip balm – This is what appeared when I asked my husband to pick me up a ip balm at the supermarket. I think this is supposed to be an anti ageing lip balm... All I know is it tasted pretty awful and didn’t do a whole lot for my lips. As such it was relegated to the post of ‘bedside table lipbalm’ to be slapped on before bed. I wouldn’t bother buying it again. 

It’s been a bumper month for mascaras going off. I’ve noticed that all of these have the older style wire bristles and I’m sure this type goes bad faster than rubber wand. Here are all the makeup items I’ve finished recently;

17 Clear Definition Mascara – I used this for my brows. It still has plenty of product left but as you can see traces of foundation have turned it a delightful shade of murky brown. I liked this a lot but I won’t buy it again because (drum roll please)...... I have found an even cheaper clear mascara for my brows. Yes, cheaper than £4.69. Score. 

Lancôme Virtuose Mascara – As mascaras go this was nice enough but it wasn’t ‘oh my god this is amazing’. I’ve had cheaper, better mascaras. Like the 17 Wild Curls actually. At £20 a pop I certainly won’t be buying it again. 

17 Wild Curls Mascara – This was definitely a winner for me. For £6.29 you get some rather sexy packaging and a really nice mascara. It had started the flake off and smell a little funky though so I knew it had reached the end of its useful life. I’ll buy another one day but I have a tonne of mascaras to use up first. 

Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus – This was a little sample that came in a gift set. It’s just a white base coat. I didn’t find this did much for me and I spend long enough doing my makeup in a morning, I don’t want to add yet another step in! If lash primers are your thing you might like this but I wouldn’t personally buy it again. 

Estee Lauder Projectionist High Definition Volume Mascara – Again this is a sample size. I actually really liked this. I have lots and lots of quite thick lashes so normally volumising mascaras end up giving me one great big eyelash all clumped together. This did a really nice job of separating my lashes whilst making them even thicker and more dramatic. At £18.50 I’d have to be feeling very flush to buy a full size tube but maybe one day I will treat myself to one.

Collection 2000 Illuminating Concealer - This was a decent undereye concealer but thepen applicator got properly disgusting towards the end. Washing it made it worse. I don't think I'll repurchase it though I do still like it as a concealer.

And finally my Maybelline Dream Creamy foundation has bitten the dust. I *think* this is the UK version of the US Smooth Mousse but correct me if I’m wrong. Now I don’t think this is a bad foundation. I can see that it would be perfect for someone with dry- normal skin who wanted a dewy finish and light-medium coverage. Why I bought it with my combination/ oily skin, preference for matte finishes and full coverage I will never know. It looked waxy and oily on me and lasted roughly half an hour on my super oily nose. I persevered and used it up but I won’t buy it again. 

What have you used up recently? Have you been trying to curb your makeup spending too? Let me know in the comment xx

*I bought all of the above items apart from the 17 Wild Curls Mascara which I was sent by 17*

Lush Love Lettuce Face Mask

Once or twice a week I make a point of getting 30 minutes to myself for a bit of a pamper session. This always involves a face mask and I thought it was high time I tried out one of Lush’s ‘fresh’ offerings. For £4.95 you get 75g of thick green sludge which surprisingly does not actually contain lettuce. Instead it has goodies like: (taken from the Lush website)

“Agar Agar Gel (Gelidium cartilagineum), Kaolin, Honey, Fullers Earth, Glycerine, Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Ground Almond Shells (Prunus dulcis), Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Chlorophyllin (CI 75810), *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume”

You simply slap it on generously and leave it for 5-10 minutes. It does set a little but it doesn’t go dry and crusty like a traditional clay mask does. It has an unobtrusive scent, half kaolin clay and half like erm.... lettuce actually. Weird. Then you wash it off with warm water in circular motions to allow the ground almond shells to exfoliate your skin. 

Ordinarily I favour masks designs do deep clean my pores. This doesn’t do that however I’m still a huge fan. As an exfoliator it is fanbloodytastic, not to rough but not wishy washy either. My skin looks brighter afterwards and feels smoother. I often find that using masks too often makes my skin feel tight and dry but I’ve used this two days on the trot (I was trying to use it up) with no ill effects. It is certainly gentle enough for my sensitive skin. 

This brings me to the one down side. I like that you have to store it in the fridge. It’s a strange but pleasantly refreshing sensation when you apply it but the very nature of the fresh ingredients and lack of preservatives means you don’t get long before the best before date is up. All the more reason to pamper yourself more often I suppose? Oh and the pot says if you return 5 empty ones you get a fifth one free. I suppose I’d better try the rest of the range then! X

*I bought this myself*