Review: Cor Silver Soap

I've never been a huge fan of soap, finding it to be inefficient and just generally fussy.  I've always preferred using proper cleansers and facial washes to remove makeup and cleanse my face.

I recently won a sample of the Cor Silver Soap Trial Size Pack from the lovely Roz of Dutchess Roz and I did a quick review of the Moisturiser, Serum and Eye Cream here as part of my samples series.  

As part of the sample pack, 10g of Cor soap was included.  The soap in my pack comes in this little drawstring bag which I've been using to keep it separate from everything else in my bathroom and stop it dissolving into mush.

Cor's philosophy is that you use this soap twice a day in place of your usual cleansing routine.  It is said to cleanse, tone and exfoliate in one, whilst nourishing the skin and reducing the signs of ageing.

The soap does, I have to admit, look tiny, and you start to wonder how on earth anyone can justify charging £15 for a tiny circle of soap!   

I've been using this mostly in the evening as a treatment.  I wet my hands and rub the soap between them for a few seconds to make a lather, before applying the lather to my face.  I then experience a slight tingling as I leave it on my skin for a few minutes.  The leaflet enclosed with the soap explains that leaving the soap on the skin for several minutes daily can help to treat acne and blemishes, whilst cleansing and exfoliating your skin.  After a week of using it you can use it for a shorter amount of time - for around a minute or only use it as a treatment in areas where you are prone to blemishes.  If you just want to use it as a cleanser, you can just use it as a regular cleansing soap too.

I have to admit, I was super sceptical of this soap at first as it claimed to be a multi-tasking wonder product.  But over the past few weeks of using it,  I haven't been able to really find much wrong with it!  It has cleansed my face perfectly, removing my tinted moisturiser and other face products, and leaving my skin feeling clean but not stripped.  Cor do suggest this can be used to remove eye makeup but I personally haven't tried this as I prefer using a dedicated make up remover around the sensitive eye area.

Verdict

I have been pleasantly surprised by this humble soap which delivers on its promises.  I would say that this is firmly targeted at those who purchase premium skincare and therefore would not baulk at paying £35 upwards for a larger sized product.  I think this would especially suit those with oily or blemish-prone skin as it seems to balance it out and is quite gentle.  I can't say I have experienced any noticeable reduction in oiliness but I haven't had any blemishes since I started using this, which is a miracle for my sensitive skin!  

In short, the trial-sized product is worth a go if you are a fan of high-end skincare.  I would also imagine it will last you some time as I've been using this daily for almost three weeks and mine looks almost new with hardly a dent in it. 

4/5

Price - from £15 for a trial size

Where to Buy - Cor

Desires and Deals #3

Happy Mother's Day!  I hope you have had a lovely weekend.  I live a few hours from my mum so unfortunately will not get to see her this weekend.  I did however send her a card and some gifts and am looking forward to catching up with her in two weeks time when my dad and her are coming to visit.

This week, the buzz in the blogsphere has been all about the release of the Revlon Lip Butters so I have chosen some other new releases to highlight - although I am also planning on picking up some of the lip butters over the next couple of weeks too!!

Desires

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24 Hour Cream Eye Shadow, £4.99, Boots, Superdrug

I really enjoy wearing cream eyeshadows these days and these new shadows from Maybelline are supposed to be very similar to the more expensive Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream Shadows.  I don't think I would be wearing them for 24 hours but I am always on the lookout for hard-wearing cream shadows and I will certainly be taking a look at them.  They are currently out of stock on the Boots website but they should be available in store.  Superdrug should also have them available, and all Maybelline products are on 3 for 2 there at the moment.

Max Factor Flipstick Colour Effect, £8.49, Superdrug

These new offerings from Max Factor feature a double-ended product with one rich creamy colour and one iridescent shade.  This allows you to wear each colour separately, blended together or to wear the stronger colour underneath with the iridescent shade just blended into the centre.  I like the idea of this but I will need to take a closer look at them before purchasing.  There are six shades currently available from light pinks to bright red.  I particularly like the look of Gipsy Red (yes it is spelled this way, not Gypsy!).  They currently have £2 off in Superdrug and are £6.49.  I can't yet see them on the Boots website but I'm sure they will turn up soon.

Etat Pur Skincare

I love the sound of this new skincare range which promises to work in tandem with your skin to provide 'pure and active solutions'.  There are no amazing promises of looking 10 years younger whilst using it (who really believes all that advertising blurb anyway), just the belief that you will be taking care of your skin and not pumping it full of chemicals.  By filling in an online questionnaire, they suggest the best products for your skin type and the great thing is that none of the products are overly pricey either!  I'm certainly going to be investigating these as my skin has been going through a stressed, tired period recently with numerous breakouts, so going back to basics will hopefully help it.

Deals

Dolly Leo - 45% off 

Dolly Leo is unfortunately closing down, and as part of their closing down sale they are offering 45% off everything until 25th March.  There are items from brands such as Pixi, Suqqu, Becca and Nude. The code is dollyleoforever. 

Escentual - 1/3 off all French Skincare Brands until 31st March

Escentual is offering 1/3 off brands such as Vichy, Avene and La Roche-Possay until the end of March.  The discount will automatically be taken off at the checkout. 

Jimmy Choo EDT and EDP - Cheap Smells

Both the EDT and EDP are being sold at up to 35% off this weekend on Cheap Smells.  I've only had a quick spray of this in Debenhams and I liked it a lot. I found it quite fruity but not overpoweringly so.  I have to say I'm very tempted by it!

I hope you had a lovely weekend, whether you were with your Mum,  being pampered as a mum yourself, or even just out enjoying the sunshine.

Have a good week.

Victoria

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Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub

I have to admit, the main reason I purchased this facial scrub was for the scent!  I am a sucker for a sweet, fruity scent and although I don’t like the taste of grapefruits, I  adore their scent. But how did the scrub itself perform, other than making me smell sweet and tasty?!

The Neutrogena Visibly Clear range is aimed at preventing acne and blemishes and unblocking pores, and I picked this up in the hope it may tame my, often unruly, skin!  I prefer to use a gentle scrub daily, rather than a harsh one a few times a week so, in that respect, this one ticked the box for me.

The product is a medium-consistency gel, containing fine scrubbing grains.  It does come out of the tube quite fast so you need to ensure you don’t accidentally squeeze too much out as you only need a pea sized blob to cover your whole face.

I really liked the scent which was sweet but now overpoweringly so, just refreshing enough to wake me up on a cold, dark winter’s morning!

I’ve been using this daily for the past few weeks and whilst it is fine, I’m not sure how much it is actually doing.  I’ve had a breakout on my chin (which I attribute to another product) and this scrub has certainly helped to smooth some of my flaky, combination skin, but I don’t feel it has performed better than any other scrubs I have used in the past.  I do like how the grains are small and non-scratchy though, meaning they don’t irritate my skin further.  As for preventing blemishes, it does contain salicylic acid which is a well known active ingredient against blemishes and breakouts, and used in conjunction with other products in the range, this should help with keeping your skin clearer. 

Verdict

I adored the scent of this but felt it didn’t really do much of anything to my skin and it certainly wasn’t a stand-out product.  For the price though, it certainly wasn’t bad, and if you need a general scrub for everyday use, you could do worse than purchase this.  If you have normal to dry skin, I would avoid this product as it can be quite drying, mainly as it is formulated and targeted at oily, blemish-prone skin.  Whatever your skin type, I would always advocate the use of a light moisturiser afterwards. 

3/5

Price - £4.59

Where to Buy – Boots, Superdrug