Review: Moroccanoil Oil Treatment

Hi ladies, I'm trying to get past my spout of 'bloggers block' at the moment as I don't know what's come over me recently but I've been finding it impossible to put words into a sentence and have them make some kind of sense! Too much uni work has been baffling my head and it's been 10 days since I last put up a proper post - that feels like forever! I hope you'll excuse my little absence and we'll get back into the swing of things ASAP. 

Soo.... Moroccan oil? Heard of it? Thought you might have! 

To clear up any confusion; 'Moroccanoil' is the name of the brand, and the product is called 'Oil Treatment', which is why it looks a bit odd calling it 'Morccanoil Oil Treatment', but hey - that's it's name. 

This famous little blue bottle has a 'seal of originality' over the cap, which Moroccanoil pride themselves on, and I'm pretty sure they're chuffed to bits with the fact that they've revolutionised hair care, making argan oil (or any kind of oil!) a key ingredient in a lot of people's daily hair routines, whether it's for care and treatment, or with styling. Oil no longer means slick and greasy, oil means nourishment and good quality care for our stressed out tresses. Moroccanoil is an industry sensation, used by professionals around the world and many women (such as myself) swear by it to transform hair that is dry and damaged, into soft, smooth, shiny and beautiful flowing locks. 

Where to buy? The site Feel Unique is the leading retailer for all sorts of products from this brand, from shampoo and conditioner, to hairspray, shine spray and conditioning masks, and you will be able to see everything that they offer by looking here. The bottle of the treatment itself is available in 2 different sizes to suit everybody's needs and budgets. This small 25ml bottle that I have here costs £12.85 and is great if you just want to dip your toe in the waters and see what you think of it, maybe use it for travel as it's a really small bottle that takes up no space at all, or even as a back up bottle for whatever reason. For me, I received this as a gift and it was pretty much perfect for everything that I needed, but now I know that I love it I have my heart set on buying the larger 100ml bottle when this has all run out (100ml bottle costs £30.45) - it's expensive but it's so worth it.

Why is it worth it? Why would you spend £30+ on a bottle of oil?.. Well, not only does the oil weightlessly leave the hair smoother, free from tangles and knots, with minimised frizz, it also improves the actual condition of the hair right down to the core, making it stronger with each use. I've been using this regularly since Christmas and my hair has never looked so good! Also, I can always tell on the days when I haven't used this as my hair is slightly more unruly and feels drier on the ends, although it's nothing compared to how it used to feel! I'm also only about 1/3 of the way through the bottle which gives you a good indication of how long lasting something like this can be; if a 25ml bottle will last me approximately 1 year, you'll be set for a long, long time with a 100ml bottle! That's enough oil to transform anybody's hair from awful to amazing with regular use. 

How to use: I pour quite a generous sized blob into the palm of my hand (about the size of a 50p and I've never experienced any greasiness with that much), rub my hands together and then massage the oil through the mid-lengths (bottom of ear downwards) of towel dried hair. Sometimes I'll go back for a little bit more and add some more onto the very ends as they've had some bleach damage and deserve some extra TLC. This oil doesn't leave your hands feeling sticky, slimey or greasy and it doesn't leave a residue in the hair either. I also love the smell of it too, it's quite a masculine and musky smell which is unique from most other hair products, but that makes it quite a signature scent. One more good point: it also helps to speed up the drying time of the hair as oil repels water particles, making them clear off out of the hair in half the time - always a bonus if you're using heat to dry your hair as it means less heat on the hair, therefore less damage, or if you're drying it naturally then that means less time with damp hair hanging around!

Here is what Moroccanoil® themselves have to say about their oil treatment:

"This treatment for hair completely transforms and repairs as its formula transports lost proteins for strength; fatty acids, omega-3 oils and vitamins for shine; and antioxidants for protection. It absorbs instantly to fill gaps in hair created by heat, styling and environmental damage".

Sounds good? It is good! Really good. You might think that £30, or even £12 is a lot of money to spend on something for your hair, but if looking after your hair is something that you really are interested in doing, either you're on a mission to grow it all the way down to your hips, or you're trying to reverse some damage from years of bleach to bring back a bit of shine then this is something worth trying. 

It hasn't got all of this hype for nothing!

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Review: Soap and Glory 'Hand Food'

 

 

This hand cream was the very first product from Soap and Glory that I ever tried, and since dipping my toe into those pink and girlie waters I have never looked back. 'Hand Food' (love the name) is a staple product in my life and one that I somehow have a sizeable back-up stash of, but it is one that I will repurchase for years to come. Available in a larger pump bottle, a standard 125ml tube and also a miniature travel size tube too this really is a perfect little hand cream that you should have in your life - I need more of the mini ones! I want one for every bag!

 

The price is spot on (£5 for regular 125ml tubes) and there are frequent deals on this (I have so many because I stocked up during a S&G '3 for 2' offer) so it isn't going to break the bank, but all the great qualities of a decent moisturising hand cream are still there. It is thin in consistency so feels light on the skin and doesn't leave hands feeling greasy or sticky afterwards, but it still feels luxurious and the skin feels nourished. It also smells super girlie with hints of shea butter and marshmallow - Mmm! Cheap and cheerful, in pretty packaging, with a lovely scent, silly soft hands without grease or stickiness. Is there much more you could ask for?

 

 Soap & Glory 'Hand Food' £5/125ml via Boots - link



Review: Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Treatment

 

Hey girls. I decided to set myself a little challenge to try and blog once a day for every single day of March (procrastination at it's finest - this is a busy time for uni deadlines!), so make sure to check back regularly for new content - I hope that I can do it! I've written a list of 31 topics to blog about, it's just finding the time in a day to pull it off. So anyway, day three: Philip Kingsley Elasticizer.

 

This is quite a famous deep conditioning hair treatment and is discussed quite a lot as being a good quality hair care product. It's one I've had my eye on for a very long time but have never wanted to part with that large amount of money if I wasn't going to see amazing results. This 75ml tube that I have here costs £14.40, and a larger tub of 150ml costs £26.25 (available from Feel Unique: link) - can you see why I was reluctant to splash out and give this a go? Luckily for me I won this tube in a giveaway so have been able to give it a little trial run, but let me tell you this: I am so glad that my hard earned pennies didn't go towards placing an order for this because I am not overly impressed.

 

I wanted to love it and I wanted it to do amazing things for me and my dry, frizzy ends.. but I just didn't see results that blew me away. I've used it four different times and each time I used a generous amount but just varied the length of time that I left it on my hair for, ranging from 5 minutes to 2 hours. It is supposed to add elasticity, bounce, shine and strength in a seriously intentive form, but the results that I was left with were only that of an ordinary conditioner. I'm not saying it did anything bad at all, or even that it did nothing at all; it did soften and leave my hair managable, it just wasn't wow, and if you're paying that price for something then I'd be expecting strands of liquid gold flowing from my head. It's a nice conditioner, and I haven't regretted using it, but for the price alone it is not something that I would recommend - sorry!!

 

 

Review: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer || RRP: £4.19

 

Less than a fiver for the best concealer ever? Well that's something I can get used to! Since starting using this the only thing I've regretting is not welcoming it to my life sooner! I have nothing but praise for this little £4 tube of wonder that beats any high end brand concealer. Thick and creamy in consistency with incredibly full coverage, but blends out easily to not look obvious and although I'm not sure on the full '16 hour' claim, the wear time is still pretty impressive and withstands both full working days and long nights out.

 

I have just one problem with this product ..one! And that's that it doesn't take very long at all before it looks like the picture show just below. But that's hardly a big deal is it? A little bit of writing rubbed off the tube is nothing to worry about. Every other thing about this gets a big, big thumbs up from me!

 

 



Using the doe-foot applicator this works fantastically well covering both under eye circles and blemishes without going cakey/creasing (okay well it creases under the eye a little bit but what do you expect when it's your eye?). I've this concealer in two shades (1 - fair, and 2 - light) but you can see that there's quite a big difference between them on the bottom picture below. Most of the time I use 1 - fair, but if I've got a bit of fake tan or a darker foundation on then I can just mix in a touch of 2 - light to make the shade more appropriate. It's also available in shades 3 and 4 too.

 

 

 

If somebody told me that I could only have one item of make-up for the rest of my life then this concealer would be a serious contender to be 'the one'. If you've not tried this yet then I urge you to try it and you won't look back! £4.19 well spent!

Review: Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micelle Solution

Have you heard the news? The fantastic news?! Bioderma is not just coming to the UK.. it's here! Yes, readily available to buy NOW. No more shipping over from eBay or trecking over to France for a bottle (only true dedicates would go that far). John Bell & Croyden are the first pharmacy in the UK to be stocking their shelves with the stuff, but others are sure to follow suit soon enough. This is a London based pharmacy so if that's still a little bit out of your reach then here's an alternative: http://www.escentual.com/bioderma/. Escentual are selling quite a vast range of Bioderma products, but I'm just here to rave to you about their micelle solution - this one: link. On Escentual they are selling sizes 100ml and 250ml for a very reasonable price, currently with 10% discount too - this is roughly the same price you can find it for on eBay (give or take about 50p) and will probably arrive a few days quicker and is more reliable too, so get yourselves onto Escentual and pick up a bottle or two! I'm going to get one of the 100ml bottles, they look so cute -  I love mini things!

If you're thinking 'what the hell even is Bioderma?', I will explain all to you:

If you like to read beauty blogs/watch beauty videos then quite frankly I will be amazed if you've not heard of this stuff! But hey, not everyone knows. Technically, 'Bioderma' is a French based brand that works closely with top dermatologists to create amazing skincare products. They produce all sorts of ranges; for sensitive skin, dry skin, oily skin, damaged skin, etc. etc., but they have got one product in particular that seems to have caught a lot of people's attention and is now incredibly popular: Bioderma Sensibio H20 - Micelle Solution. If you hear somebody say they're loving 'Bioderma', expect it to be this that they're talking about.

Here's your official description:

"a soothing non-rinse cleanser and makeup remover that perfectly cleanses and removes makeup from the face and eyes. Soothes irritated skin and minimises redness and provides an immediate feeling of freshness. The formula is fragrance free, alcohol free and contains no phenoxyethanol. The micelles contained in its formula effectively micro-emulsify impurities while maintaining the skin's balance (soap-free, physiological pH)."

So, in basic terms what this cult beauty product does is removes make up. Plain and simple. It's popular because it's very simple, very gentle, has no adverse effects on the skin; it just does it's job. Pour onto a cotton pad, sweep around your face and the make up is gone.

It's for sensitive skin, so it's completely alcohol free and is cooling and soothing on the skin. Sometimes I just use it to freshen my face up, especially before applying make-up. It smells and feels not that different from a bottle of water, but there must be something magic in it because water won't take eye make up off as good as this does! No stinging, no tugging, just a little soak and wipe and your eye make up is gone - waterproof mascara and all!

 

I would urge you all to try this out, just once. I wasn't convinced at first but it didn't take long for me to be hooked and now I use this every night!

Have you ever tried Bioderma?

Are you excited about it coming to the UK?

Review: Caudalie Beauty Elixir

Caudalie Beauty Elixir | 30ml £10.35, 100ml £28.80

Available from Feel Unique

All of us cave and fall for hyped products at some point or another, it's just one of those things when it seems that everybody is raving about how amazing something is and how they 'can't live without it' then it seems crazy not to get yourself in on the action to see what all the fuss was about, and that's exactly what I did with this product. Sometimes the hype lives up, and sometimes it doesn't. The 'Beauty Elixir' from Caudalie is quite a controversial one, with the blogging community split probably 50:50 on whether or not this is worth the money.

So.. what is it supposed to do?

From Feel Unique: "Inspired by the 'elixir of youth' the Caudalie Beauty Elixir smoothes features, tightens pores, and gives the complexion a burst of radiance". An apparent favourite of Victoria Beckham this solution is intended to be an excellent base for make-up and an anti-dull complexion treatment.  There are a multitude of ways that this can be used: on a clean face for a freshen up, before moisturiser as a spray-on toner, inbetween foundation and powder to perfectly set make-up, or on top of a completed face during any point in the day for a radiance boost.

The main ingredients are: grape, orange blossom, rose, organic balm mint and rosemary to create a smoothed complexion, natural glow and radiance burst on the skin. The mint is the most detectable scent in this and it creates a gentle tingle upon application, but the mint combined with the scents of grape, rose and orange creates something really unique. It's not a scent to everybody's taste, and at first I wasn't sure if it was something I liked or not but as time went on I found it to be incredibly refreshing and calming at the same time and it became quite addictive.

So.. what do I think?

It has taken me quite a while to form an opinion on this, but I think the fact that I did repurchase it almost straight after finishing my first bottle shows that I do feel there is an element of worthiness with it. Spending £10 on 30ml of 'water' is not a decision to be taken lightly!! It's an odd one this because sometimes it feels like it's not actively doing anything to your skin, and there are no instantly visible benefits, it's just a spritz of tingly minty water onto your face.. yes, admit it, by using this that is all that you're really doing. But once you've tried it you'll understand how nice and refreshing it feels and there is no going back! It's strange to enjoy using something so very simple. This is the conclusion that I have come to: Is it worth the money? No, it is overpriced. Is it worth the hype? It's worth a little hype, not a huge hype. Would I repurchase again? If Feel Unique had a sale/discount code and I was feeling flush.. I would treat myself, yes.

I guess it's personal preference how you use this, but for me personally I like to give my face a couple of spritzes in the evening, after I've cleansed my face and before I apply night cream just before I hop into bed. It sits pretty on my bedside table, looking luxurious in it's frosted glass bottle with French writing it all over it, and I've found it to be the perfect night time treat to calm down my skin. Other times that I use this are if I've finished putting on my make-up and something just 'doesn't look right' still with my complexion, especially as I've got quite generally dull skin, I just close my eyes and spray once for that little something extra and I really enjoy using it. 

Is this 'Beauty Elixir' something that is in your life?

Have you ever been curious of the hype surrounding it?

Leave your opinions below!

Review: H'Suan Wen Hua | Lush Hair Mask

LUSH H'Suan Wen Hua £8.95/225g

 

H'Suan Wen Hua is a pre-shampoo deep conditioning mask for 'out of condition' hair from Lush, described on the American site as a 'hair moisturizer'. Once upon a time, my hair was in a really bad way from heat and bleach damage with general frizz and split ends, but now after taking a lot of care and giving my hair some TLC it's in pretty good shape, but that doesn't mean that I can't treat myself to a weekly deep treatment to keep it up.

 

Pronounciation troubles aside, this 225g pot full of fresh and natural ingredients will set you back just less than £9.00 and is intended to 'improve the condition, lustre and combability of hair'.

 

What's In It and What Do They Do?

• Bay and watercress infusions, balsamic vingegar and rosemary oil for shine.
• Fresh free range eggs and soya lecithin for protein to restructure the hair.
• Lanolin, from sheep’s wool, moisturises as it's similar to human sebum.
• Olive oil to improve the tensile strength of the hair shaft.
• Cinammon leaf oil for its antiseptic qualities.
• Bay leaf infusion is stimulating, toning and clarifying for the scalp.
• Fresh organic bananas and avocados for their rich oily moisturising properties

Pretty unique range of ingredients mixed into this one - vinegar egg and banana?! This is to be used on dry hair prior to washing, with a generous amount of this creamy concoction is slapped all over the hair and left for 20-30 minutes (longer if you have time) before shampooing and rinsing away to reveal soft, shiny and flowing locks of wonder.

 

I do like this mask, I think it does work at conditioning the hair, but it's just not the best out there and didn't blow me away in awe. For a start, the smell is something that I really do not like about this, it's pretty strong and not at all pleasant, but it is something that I can get around and doesn't bother me enough not to use this, but it does receive a lot of criticism from people. And I find the application a bit weird because putting conditioner all over dry hair just seems a bit unnatural, but other than those two points about it I found the results to be quite impressive. After rinsing away, my hair does feel much softer and smoother and in general a lot healthier and in better condition, even if the results are only temporary until the next wash. It's not something that I would bother to buy again, but it's been fun to try out and wasn't a wasted purchse.

 

Pros

- A fancy name no one can pronounce

- Full of natural and beneficial ingredients

- Has dual purposes: conditions and moisturises the ends but the bay leaf infusion also stimulates the roots

- Actually works at conditioning the hair, leaving it soft and nourished

- Leaves the hair smooth and untangled. Hair dries sleek and free from frizz but not weighed down at the roots

 

Cons

- The smell ..eggs vinegar and cinnamon

- It won't last forever due to the natural ingredients (mine goes out of date a week from now but I did buy it at Christmas)

- It is jam packed full of goodness and natural ingredients, but still contains parabens (methylparaben and propylparaben) ..sense?!

- A generous amount is needed (directed to use 1/2 a tub each time on long hair), making it not very cost effective - £4.50 per use!

- There are more intensive conditioning treatments out there for a more reasonable price



Review: VO5 Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixir Treatment

Just a quick note that this has been re-packaged now, so if you're looking into buying this for yourself then this isn't what it will look like on the shelves. Here is a link to the Boots site to what it now is: link. This hair treatment is a firm favourite of Lily Melrose's (etcllymlrs) and it was her constant mentioning of it talked me into purchasing it for myself ...Sadly, I'm not as impressed with it as she is!

What this little tube of oil claims to do is "repair and hydrate dry or damaged hair. It reconstructs damaged hair in 1 minute with no preheating required". Okay, so let's start of firstly with "repair and hydrate dry or damaged hair"? So, my hair isn't all that damaged anymore after putting a lot of effort into sorting it out, but it is still a bit dry on the ends and I assume this is a problem for most people with long hair too, and I was hoping for at least a little bit of a hydration boost after using this but truth be told my hair felt drier after using this?! Yes, I'm not lying. It had the opposite effect. Next, "reconstructs damaged hair" ..hmm wouldn't say I noticed any reconstruction at all. You can tell from the pictures shown  that I've only used this twice so far and I'm not planning on using it again.. it's had it's chance and I don't want sticky, tangled straw hair again!  You may think I'm jumping to conclusions and haven't given this product a fair trial and that it needs to be used a few times before results are noticeable, but this does claim to do these things "in 1 minute" so correct me if I'm wrong in hoping for an almost instant improvement to my hair and being let down when the only thing I end up was dry and matted strands. Finally "no preheating required" - well this one's okay as it's hardly a claim, it's just letting you know that it's different from the original 'shots' of this that needed to be warmed in a cup of hot water before use, but with this one you just pop it on wet hair before shampooing and that's it, good to go. What I did like about this, however, was the 'guideline' markers on the tube (shown below) so that you know how much product you should be using on each application as it's helpful to have a rough idea.

So, am I being too harsh on this product? Should I give it another chance? Sorry to be a negative bum and being quite blunt in this review.. but it's the truth about my experiences with this and it just really did nothing for me at all. I think that people should be fully informed of both views on a product before splashing their cash! If you've tried this before then I would love to know your views on this too! 

Review: Soap and Glory 'Peaches and Clean' 4-in-1 Cleanser

 

Today's post is about more from Soap&Glory! Gotta love the brand. I think their skin care is really great and I did a post the other day about my favourite facial exfoliator/mask from them too (link). This cleanser had been on my wishlist for a really long time so seeing that it was in the Best Of All set at Christmas time made it even more tempting to buy the gift set and get my hands on it. Alone, this bottle costs £7.00 for 200ml and it is available from Boots in store and online (link).

 

As the name would suggest, this cleanser smells quite heavily of peaches which might not be to everybody's preference in something that you rub all over your face for fear of break outs, but I love it as it smells so sweet and fruity but really refreshing too and I think that the 'I want to eat you' smell of it is one of my favourite things about this. Now onto the technical stuff.. Soap&Glory's formula includes: skin softening fruit acids (peach), quillaja bark as a natural soap, jojoba oil as an emmolient skin softener [definition of emollient: 'having the quality of softening or soothing the skin'], Detoxyboost™ technology that helps to purify and deep clean, as well as Poreshrink R2™ for a clearer, fresher, brighter complexion. Nowhere at all can I find out exactly and specifically what these 4-in-1 qualities claim to be, but I assuming that it is to: clean, soften, purify and brighten.

 

I find one pump enough to be enough for my whole face and it comes out as a creamy milk that feels really moisturising and soothing. I'm normally one for foaming cleansers but this one makes a nice change because it's really gentle on the skin as it doesn't aggriavate or irrate at all, it simply melts away any make-up or dirt on the face when massaged onto damp skin and leaves you with a little boost of radiance after rinsing away. It is advised not to get this in your eyes, and although it doesn't sting or irritate it definitely isn't that great at removing mascara etc, it just made a mess on my face! It's fantastic for every day use as it's really light on the skin and leaves it feeling baby soft but there's no residue left behind at all once it has been rinsed away. This feels like it gives the skin a really deep clean really quickly and easily, and although it might not be the best at unclogging pores, it does clean, brighten and soften the skin.

 

As if this needs any more praise at all, I feel like I need to add that for me a product comes as a whole and good packaging makes a difference (as superficial as that is) so I love how cute and girly this is, with an appropriate yet quirky name, and of course the pump dispenser is a winner because it avoids all mess and wastage too.

 

Have you tried this S&G cleanser before? Or any of their other skincare?





 

Review: Revlon Kissable Balm Stain - 'Love Sick'

 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - RRP £7.99

*currently on offer at all Revlon retailers for just £5.00 

As usual I am one of the last people to the party and have well and truly taken my time with hopping onto the bandwagon with the hype for this product. I dismissed these Chubby Stick rip-offs (and the Chubby Sticks themselves) for a long time and expected them to be nothing more than an over-priced fad. After caving and splashing out a full £16.00 on a Chubby Stick Intense and LOVING it (review to come in a couple of days) I thought that I had better test out Revlon's apparent dupes for them before contemplating buying another, and what better time to try them out than when they have nearly £3 off! 

To cut straight to the chase, I'm on the fence. I don't dislike it by any means but I'm not falling over myself in love with it either. I love the colour and I love the formula too - 'balm stain' describes it to a T -  but I personally think the reason that I'm not crazy over it is because I tried the high end version first.. maybe it's just me but if you try 'the best' first then nothing else can ever live up it! These and the Chubby Sticks are so highly comparable (like I said, review to come), but my preference is with Clinique's original take!

I will of course still get regular use from this and more than likely buy another shade too because they're just so easy to use and have an adorable packaging. It's like a chunky little crayon that just effortlessly glides onto your lips lovely and smoothly, much like a balm, and with quite a sheer coverage that can be built up with a couple of layers and the colour, i.e. 'stain', fares well with the test of time and fades gradually over the hours. 

It doesn't look like much really, and they are not as pigmented as your regular lipsticks, but nor do they claim to be. Revlon describes these as 'a pampering balm with a flush of colour that lasts hour after hour' which is a very accurate description. The finish is quite glossy but it feels smooth and nourishing on the lips and with a couple of layers the colour payoff is very good and lasts for hours. Even after the initial glossiness and the balm-like qualities have worn away the colour still remains and it is super quick and easy to touch up throughout the day.

Not the clearest of pictures in the world, but you can hopefully tell that the shade I got was 'Lovesick', a very vibrant hot pink - my favourite lip colour. The colour range that Revlon offer for this is pretty damn good with 12 shades overall, ranging from your nudes (Honey), to your brights (this one, Lovesick) and all the way to your vampy darks (Crush) and I am quite eager to try out Rendezvous next, a coral-y orange colour. 

Although I've mentioned above that I prefer the Clinique Chubby Stick Intense to this, I would purchase another of these Revlon balm stains and try out some more shades, but would not buy another of the Chubby Sticks despite preferring them, and this is mainly due to the price difference. Clinique's version is 3 times the price (when Revlon is on offer), but is not 3 times the quality and that much of a difference between two very similar products seems unjustifiable to me!

Review: Soap and Glory 'Scrub Your Nose In It'

Hello lovely ladies. I've been barely blogging at all this month, definitely just not been 'feeling it' and I don't know what's wrong with me? Where's the passion gone?! Even though I have a list on my phone of at least 40 things that I want to talk about I've just struggled to find the motivation to get my camera out, take snaps of a product, upload them and then string a sentence together to rave about it - serious case of writers block! And also, Twitter's been bitchy on the whole #bbloggers front recently and I've just been put off so have taken a back seat with tweeting and 'promoting' myself on there - get rid of the negativity girls it's not good for anyone! 

After spotting today that somebody else I know has started up their own blog (her blog is x-rachaels-way-x.blogspot.co.uk - take a look and go follow it, I'm sure she's going to be absolutely amazing!), it gave me a little kick up the bum to get back into it so I'm coming to you today with a review of Soap and Glory's 'Scrub Your Nose In It'.

Scrub Your Nose It In is the first of Soap and Glory's skincare that I had tried and I love it. It is available in one size only; 125ml and costs £7.50 and can be found in Boots in store and online (link). This is a multi-use product and can be used as an exfoliating scrub and also as a deep pore cleansing mask too. I use this once a week and make use of both of it's functions when I use it - first I use it as an exfoliator predominately around my nose, a little bit across my cheeks and then my chin too, I give it a good scrub and then rise it away with warm water. Then, straight afterwards I apply a fresh dollop all over my face in quite a thin layer and leave this on for a couple of minutes for the clay mask action to take place and then rinse away, scrubbing gently as I rinse to reveal fresher and glowing looking skin.

This gives the skin a mild tingle and a cooling sensation when applied and smells very minty but does not irritate at all. The exfoliating grains within this scrub as so teeny tiny they are hardly visible and are so gentle on the skin, not rough or scratchy at all but can definitely be felt and give the skin a really good scrub, clearing out your clogged up pores. I love using this as my skin always looks just that little bit brighter and smoother after use as the dead skin cells have been buffed away (nice) and all that dirt deep down in your pores has been shifted away. It's a really simple and easy product to use with only a teeny tiny amount being needed each time as just a thin layer on the skin is necessary and £7.50 is a great price for a 2-in-1 product.

One last thing, I've had my blog completely redesigned over the past few days by Becky from Beauty Becky and I love it. I just wanted a change as I was bored of looking at the same set up for the past 6 months and wanted a new colour scheme and just a bit of a freshen up really. She was so helpful and so accommodating to all of my requests; she listened to exactly what I was after and made all of the tiny adjustments that I asked for without any hassle at all!

I recommend that you all follow the link above to Becky's blog, have a read, follow her too and if you're interested in a spruce up for your design then she's one to go for!

♥

Quick Reviews: Soap and Glory Minis

Hiya girls, I hope your first full working week of 2013 isn't going too bad, and if it is well then maybe this will help to give you a little bit of inspiration to have a pamper evening later on today and make everything better again!

 

Recently, Soap and Glory products have absolutely dominated my bedroom and bathroom - they are everywhere I look! Out of curiousity, I gathered them together and counted them all up and found that I had 22 S&G products(!), although 4 of them are 'Hand Food' (handy little back up stash!). I thought that this little collection of minis would be a good place to start with talking about them all, as these three fit together so well as a scrub, a wash and a moisturiser.

Most of Soap and Glory's minis or travel size versions of their products cost just £2.50 and are available from Boots instore and online (link). The minis are great for so many reasons: 1) they are cheap and cheerful in the same cute and quirky packaging as the original sizes, but they're double as cute just because they're small, 2) if you're new to Soap and Glory it's a good way to try something out for the first time if you're not sure whether you'll be keen on it, 3) if you like to chop and change products so often you'd never get through a larger bottle (this is me all over), 4) they're perfect for stocking fillers and gifts, and 5) they're handy for travel, holidays, etc.

'Flake Away' Body Scrub (£2.50 / 50ml)

This is a gentle body polish with shea butter, almond oil, peach, sea salt, and sugar that can be scooped out and massaged into the skin to exfoliate anyway dryness and leaves it feeling nourished and smooth, and smelling absolutely amazing. It smells girly and floral, but at the same time like a buttered peach. I'll warn you the tub is a slippery little one though - twice I've dropped the entire pot in the bath while trying to use it!

'Clean, Girls' Creamy Body Wash (£2.50 / 75ml)

I absolutely adore this creamy body wash, and I don't think I'd ever go back to a normal shower gel ever again. With a built-in moisturising matrix, this skin softening cream makes it feel like you're washing yourself with a moisturiser. Releasing a thick and luxurious lather, with a scent to match 'Mist You Madly', this body wash leaves the skin clean and fresh, super soft but with no residue and smelling like a dream.

 

'The Daily Smooth' Body Butter (£2.50 / 50ml)

This is a 'dry skin formula' body butter with rosehip seed oil and cocoa butter for extra soft, smooth and nourished skin. It is intensely moisturising and is a fairly thick and creamy consistency, but sinks quickly into the skin and doesn't leave any greasiness behind. With typical comical quotes on the packaging such as "do or dry" and again, a scent to match 'Mist You Madly' this body butter is an all around winner.

♥

* 'Flake Away' was given to me as a birthday present, and 'Clean, Girls' and 'The Daily Smooth' were gifted to me as giveaway prizes from Chloe's Way blog.