Review: Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask

As a newcomer to masks, previously being one of those people who just didn’t have the patience to sit around and wait whilst they worked their magic, I thought if there was anywhere good to start it would be with Liz Earle. I am a fan of many of her other products and I find them very reasonably priced with no false promises or hopes, just very good skincare, so I purchased this a few months ago in the hope that it would go someway to taming my often hormonal, troublesome skin.

Liz Earle says that this mask is targeted at those with oily, combination or problem-prone skin which pretty much describes me.  I get a very oily t-zone with dry cheeks, and by lunchtime I usually have to blot or apply some powder on my nose and forehead to keep the oilies at bay!

I bought the 75ml starter kit which comes in a cute bag like many other Liz Earle products and with 2 small sponges. One thing I love with Liz Earle is that they allow you to buy small travel-sized or sample sets of their products to see if they work for you rather than shell out on the larger product.This is also available in a 15ml tube which is great if you are anything like me and have tonnes of unused products that you have bought only to be quickly disappointed by when you find they do not provide a miracle cure for your skin issues. 

The directions for use say to cleanse first and then apply a generous layer of the product over your face and neck for 5-10 minutes.  I usually applied this just before I stepped into the bath, leaving it on for 15 minutes in some cases.  It did dry but not in a hardening way that so many face masks do where if you smile when it is dry, the mask cracks!  Whilst waiting for the mask to dry, I fill the sink with hot water and leave the 2 sponges provided in the water to warm up.  You then use the sponges to gently swipe away all the product and although the sponges look rough, they feel just right, providing a gentle exfoliation at the same time as effectively removing the mask. 

After using this, my skin feels clear, refreshed and much softer, although I do occasionally have the odd spot pop up after using this but it tends to be just if my skin has been congested and I have been neglecting it.  I feel that this is just the clay doing its work and removing all the impurities as it cleanses the skin and draws out all the oiliness. 

I have to mention the smell of this product, as some people may find it rather off-putting – I can detect honey and geranium but it does still have a significant ‘Liz Earle’ smell which is on the more botanical end of the spectrum.  I do like this though and find it soothing but I thought I should mention it for those of you with more sensitive noses.

Verdict

Although I haven’t had much experience with masks, I do like this as it does seem to control some of my t-zone oiliness for a day or so after use and it definitely leaves my skin feeling softer.  There is no tingling when using it which is good, as some previous masks I have used have left my occasionally sensitive skin feeling rather sore when using them, but this is very comfortable to use.  I’ve had this since July and have been using it once or twice a week fairly liberally and I am only just getting to the end of the tube.  If you are a Liz Earle fan with problematic skin and haven’t yet tried this it is certainly worth a shot, especially if you try the sample pack for £5.

4/5

Price – £13.25 for the starter kit or £5 for the 15ml tube, both which include 2 sponges.

Where to buy – Liz Earle, John Lewis  (if you buy directly from the Liz Earle Website you can request some samples of other products you would like to try free of charge when you make your order which is a good way of trying other products that you may be interested in).

Review: Benefit, Ticket to Glossytown

After 2 weeks holiday enjoying sunshine, elephants and too much tasty Thai food to mention, it is back to reality and work this week.  It seems like I have been away for ages and it was strange coming back to Heathrow to see Christmas decorations everywhere as they weren’t really any up before we went away.  My beauty routine went out of the window a little on holiday with the bulk of my time spent spraying Deet mosquito spray carefully over every inch of exposed flesh every morning to avoid getting bitten, as I have learnt from previous experiences that I am super tasty to mosquitoes!  Thankfully I only got a few small bites which have now more or less disappeared but the Deet has played havoc with my skin.  I have a couple of new items to test, including some Liz Earle products, so I am hoping they can get my skin back on track.

So just before I went on holiday, I had a mini spree in which I picked up these gorgeous looking mini glosses from Benefit – the ‘Ticket to Glossytown’ set.  In the past, I haven’t really purchased much from Benefit but I saw these whilst stocking up on essentials in Boots and thought they were so cute I just had to have them.  I took 3 of them on holiday with me too as they are so portable and they are easy to just pop in the smallest bag.

 

The Glosses

Kiss You – a mauve tinted purple which is certainly discernable on the lips.  This is the one gloss from the set which doesn’t have any visible sparkles.

Foxy Lady – A coral / pink hybrid with silver sparkle, one of my favourites but I do love corals.

Frisk Me  - this looks brown in the tube and the swatch but is actually very close to a my lips but better shade on me.

Nudie-tude – a pale nude with quite a lot of sparkles.  I didn’t think I would like this colour that much but it is quite a warm nude and goes well with a smoky eye.  

Life on the A List – a cute nude pink which goes well with a natural look.

Spiked Punch – a bright coral, with very subtle shimmer.  This will be gorgeous for summer too and was one of the staples of my holiday makeup.

Swatches of each gloss taken in natural (Scottish!) sunlight

L to R: Kiss You, Foxy Lady, Frisk Me, Nudie-tude, Life on the A List, Spiked Punch

 

Verdict

As a newcomer to Benefit glosses I was quite impressed with these, they give about 1.5-2 hours wear on me which is fairly average for a gloss and I was pleased to find that they don’t all look identical once applied to the lips – Spiked Punch and Kiss You in particular were more pigmented than expected.  At 3ml, they are not huge but there is a decent amount of product and if you are anything like me, it will take you forever to finish regular sized glosses so these ones are perfect for trying out some of the range.  If you like a particular colour, they are all available in a larger 5ml size for £14.  There is a fruity scent to these but it fades away quite quickly and is not too overpowering.  One aspect of the glosses I was pleasantly surprised by was the shimmer and gltter as after the gloss wears off, there is not an unattractive layer of glitter left sitting on your lips which is common with other shimmer glosses.  In short, if you are a newcomer to Benefit glosses these are a great way to explore more of the brand.

4/5

Price - £19.50

Where to Buy – Benefit, Boots, Debenhams, John Lewis, ASOS, Feel Unique

Review: Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm in Pink and Peach

With the weather getting progressively colder, I have been on a hunt for a new super moisturising lip balm and when I spotted the Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm and noticed that it was tinted, I knew I had to have it!

I can't actually remember the last time I purchased a Carmex balm as I've been faithful to Palmers Cocoa Butter balm and Burts Bees for longer than I can remember.  Recently, Carmex have brought out their balm in tinted tubes of peach, pink and clear.  I purchased the peach last weekend and loved it so much, I had to pick up the pink one this week too!

The tints are in long tubes, made to look more like a lipstick than a lip balm and the balm within them looks very vibrant.  The tubes themselves are plastic, with the colour of the tint on the side of the tube.  They don't feel particularly luxurious but for an affordable tinted lip balm, I can live with functional packaging.

As you can see from the swatches, with the peach on the left and the pink on the right, the colour is fairly sheer but it is certainly visible on the lips and makes you feel a little more polished on the days you can't be bothered with much make-up.  They also both have a gorgeous fruit scent that smells good enough to eat!  

Verdict

For an affordable treat and a very wearable one at that, these are a great purchase.  I'd love to see Carmex come out with some additional colours and expand the line  - a soft red would be amazing.   

5/5

Price - 4.49

Where to buy -  Boots, ASOS

What is your Make-up Age?

An article in Grazia last week questioning what is your real make up age, got me thinking about how we judge makeup on others and how differences in the application of make up and beauty products affect our perceptions of others.

As bloggers, we are more aware than most of new products and new techniques available in make up and therefore we tend to keep abreast of current trends.  One forgets that sometimes the average woman in the street isn’t aware of such trends such as magnetic nail polish, BB creams and the differences between trends for matte or shiny lip finishes.  Many women find something that they are comfortable with and which suits them and decide to play it safe, not deviating from tried and trusted products and finishes. 

In the article, Grazia chose to highlight Kate Middleton’s constant application of dark kohl eyeliner, implying that this was a quite dated way of wearing liner and that a dark brown pencil liner is much more modern and youthful for someone of her age.  Now I don’t wear black liner all the time but I do like to wear it on occasion and it has its place with an evening smoky eye look when effortlessly smudged out.  For day to day wear however, I tend to prefer a liquid liner, usually one of my Bourjois Liner Pinceau, or my Mac, ‘I Get No Kick’, pencil liner which is a gorgeous light golden shade with a sparkle which subtly lightens the eye.

When I was younger and not as interested in makeup and beauty as I am now, I used to associate red lips with older, more mature women, but these days, I enjoy wearing red lipstick or gloss – it is all about how you wear something rather than what you wear. If you pair a red lip with dark eyes, heavy liner and a matte finish foundation, this appears to me to be a little dated.  However the wearing of red lips with dewy skin and minimal eye makeup is more modern and is a fresher take on the look. 

Our thoughts on makeup are also traditionally strongly tied with how members of the opposite sex view us as if you ask many men what makeup they prefer on a woman, they will say minimal and fresh-faced, without the presence of heavy blusher or lipstick. In reality though, we know that this ‘natural’ look is actually  more difficult to achieve as one can spend ages constructing the perfect base that is dewy and transparent, whilst still covering all perfections.  A fresh, makeup-free face is associated with youthfulness, and it is this which I would suggest the makeup and beauty industry is constantly making us desire. You only have to look at recent launches from Nip & Fab and Nanoblur to see that consumers are constantly searching for the next best product to maintain a youthful appearance.   

So how do you ensure that your makeup techniques and products are not making you look old before your time?  Well Grazia suggest that warm colours, such as bronzes and golds are more current, rather than grey, black and brown eyeshadow, however I would suggest that these are classic colours that will never date and it is all down to your application and the formula you choose as to what is a more youthful take on a look. Formulas such as Chanel’s Illusion d’ombre in Epatant, which is a gorgeous sparkly black cream, is perfect for either lining the eyes or creating a modern, sophisticated smoky eye.  Staying away from one-dimensional matte products seems to be the key message, and allowing a little dewiness to come through.  Grazia recommends ditching the powder, however there is no way I could do this as I would just turn into an oil slick by the end of the day, but the secret is to powder only on the areas that require it and not over the whole face.  Modern textures are key with cream products rather than matte being a particularly good option.

Ultimately though, the key is to feel comfortable in what you are wearing and to be happy in how you look.  Make up is often used as a tool to help boost our self confidence, and one can only be confident if you are comfortable in the makeup you wear.  Fashions and trends may change but if you decide a sparkly pink lipgloss isn’t for you, you shouldn’t feel you have to conform.  As long as the pale blue sparkly eyeshadow remains in the 80s!

What are your thoughts on ‘age appropriate’ makeup?

Do you agree with Grazia’ statement that we should ditch the powder?  Or do you think people should be free to ignore trends and wear what they want?

Review: Nails Inc 3 week manicure

From Elle.co.uk

I don’t often get my nails done professionally as I tend to prefer to do them myself, despite being not that great at it.  However for special occasions such as weddings and holidays, I do like to pamper myself and now that Long Lasting Gel Manicures are widely available, these are my manicure of choice.

I first tried the Nail’s Inc Champagne Nail Bar at Harvey Nichols when I was given a gift voucher for it and consequently, had no idea how much it cost!  I also chose to have a 3 Week Manicure for my wedding as I knew I would chip or smudge my polish if I had a regular manicure.  As I am going on holiday for a couple of weeks, I wanted to have my nails done properly so that I didn’t have to worry about touching up the polish or changing it whilst I was away.  I always wear nail polish and I very rarely have no polish on my fingernails, so  the sound of having perfect nails for a few weeks sounded fantastic!

The Nails Inc Bar at Harvey Nichols is situated slap bang in the middle of the Beauty Hall and it isn’t really the most relaxing place for a spot of pampering.  However it is a champagne bar and therefore champagne is part of the experience so a glass or two does help to relax you a little.  If you prefer, they also have water or orange juice but really, when Champagne is on offer, what are you going to choose?!!

The manicure begins as usual with any residue polish being removed and your cuticles and nails being tidied and shaped.  I have quite short nails through choice as otherwise the click of them on the keyboard drives me mad  - I have no idea how anyone manages to do anything when they have long nails!  A base coat is then applied and then the gel is applied.  3 coats are required and after each hand and coat is completed it is put under a UV lamp to set.  A topcoat is applied and set and then you are ready to go with no worries about sitting around for hours waiting for your nails to dry.  It was a revelation the first time I tried it!

I went for this gorgeous metalic purple colour, The Mall, which is also available to buy as a regular polish.  They have a good range of colours in the Nails Inc range which is why I tend to prefer them to simlar products such as Gellish and Shellac whose ranges I find are rather limited in colour, but fine if you just want a normal red or pink.  Nails Inc do, the whole spectrum from green, blue, nude to a lovely ‘Rouge Noir’ type colour which I have had before and which looks very polished and professional. 

The manicure lasts about an hour, which is a good amount of time to manage a couple of glasses of champagne.  I went with my bridesmaids the day before my wedding and as they were having regular, non-gel manicures, they had to sit in the ‘drying area’ drinking champagne for quite some time and between us we managed to finish off 2 bottles!  Well it was my wedding weekend!

Verdict

Although not a particularly relaxing experience, it is much better than a regular manicure and did I mention the price includes champagne?!  It is, however, not cheap and not something I cold afford on a regular basis, although I think they do a loyalty card  which gives you a manicure free if you go regularly and you also get free soak offs which are usually £20.  For a one off every so often, or a special occasion it is worth shelling out for and it would make a good gift, as you can buy vouchers on the Nail’s Inc website.   

4/5

Price - £65 - ouch!

Where to purchase – Harvey Nichols, Some Debenhams stores