Who Ever Has Enough Nail Varnishes? | Summer Colours Haul

Could 16 new nail varnishes in one week be considered a little bit over the top? To some people, maybe the answer would be 'yes'. But for me, it's perfectly normal and acceptable. Everybody has those little things they like to treat themselves to.. whether it's a pint in the pub on a Saturday, a McDonalds meal on a Friday, or a Starbucks coffee on the way to work, it's those little indulgences that you don't 'need', but they make you happy. My indulgence, my treat, my 'thing that makes me happy' is buying myself a new bottle of nail varnish. Or a lipstick. Hmm, looking at my dressing table it would appear that I 'make myself happy' maybe a tad too often - oops! Here's a little break down of what shades have been added to my collection recently: 

 

(I ordered this from Boots online and it arrived filthy! - Yuck!)

 

Models Own

- Ice Neon Collection:
Toxic Apple, Luis Lemon, Pink Punch, Pukka Purple, Bubblegum and a Top Coat (not swatched)

It would be a lie for me to pretend that I bought these myself; I won them in a giveaway on The Love Cats Inc blog last week and I have already done a full post covering this collection that you can see here. The only one that I have worn so far is Luis Lemon that you can see on my nails in some of the pictures. I found it to be a little bit garish so I toned it down with a glitter gradient on top. (Also every time I look down at my nails it reminds me of the bright highlighter that has covered my revision notes and quotes from tort law just run screaming through my head - I need to take this off!)

- Hed Kandi Collection:
Hedonist and Bora Bora (new)

I've had my eye on Hedonist for what feels like a lifetime and it's the perfect summer colour! It's very similar to the shade Coral Reef but it's a lot more neon and it's super bright! It looks even more neon than some of the shades in the actually neon collection! It's love. Bora Bora is a newly released shade from Models Own and as soon as I saw Lily Melrose's swatches of this one I knew it had to be mine. Its a very densely packed glitter with super fine gold particles that would look gorgeous layered up on it's own, or as a top coat to another colour. 

- Scented Fruit Pastel Range:
Banana Split

A range that was released very shortly after the Ice Neon collection that sparked a big 'neon v pastel' debate was these novelty 'scented' varnishes. I'm definitely a neon girl, but I couldn't resist trying one of these.. but unfortunately I hate the colour of it; a really washed out pale yellow and I can't say it smells all that much like bananas either - such a let down!

Barry M
- Gelly Hi-Shine:

Blueberry, Papaya and Grapefruit

I'm convinced that Barry M are going to take over the world with these nail varnishes. No, really. They're so ridiculously popular it's crazy! But with good reason - they're only £3.99 / 2 for £6 and give the best coverage EVER - one coat for a super thick and opaque coverage over the nail with a super glossy finish and lasts for up to a week without chipping at all. Barry M are seriously onto a winner. Grapefruit could quite possibly be my favourite shade from this whole bundle - it. is. gorgeous.

MUA

Bold Blue, Lush Lilac, Pistachio Ice Cream and Amaretto Crush

These blatant rip offs of Essie's iconic packaging cost a measly £1.00 a bottle and come in some pretty cute colours with equally as adorable names. I found the colour pay off to be pretty sheer when I was creating this nail wheel and I found I needed about 4 coats to build up any sort of good coverage, but when they cost £1 are you going to moan about that? I'm going to give these a proper trial in the next few weeks and do a full post just dedicated to these so we can see if that £1 is really worth spending on these.

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Monthly Favourites | April

So.. It's the 4th May? (May the Fourth be with you ..haha) But seriously, how the hell did that happen? It felt like literally a week ago I was writing up my March favourites and this month flew around so fast I barely even had time to catch my breath! It's a bit of a mixed bag for this month's favourites, but I hope you all enjoy it and read on to see what I'd been loving in April...

Barry M 'Gelly Hi Shine' Nail Paint - Lychee

Barry M's newly reformulated nail paints to give a 'gel nail' finish are well worth the hype that they're receiving. Having just released a new line of colours for the summer I'm eager to stock up on some more shades! Lychee made the cut as this month's favourite as it's the perfect classic nude shade that you can't go wrong with and I've been wearing it a lot recently. It gives a polished manicured look with a thick, high shine finish and lasts for close to a week without chipping - All for £3.99 too!

Redken Color Extend 'Radiant-10' Treatment Spray

I wrote a full post all about this product, and it was also part of my 'Happy, Healthy Hair' post too because it's been a little bit of a lifesaver (/hairsaver) recently. It comes at quite a high price, but it's well worth it and I'd recommend it to anybody looking for a good quality lightweight detangling spray and leave in conditioner that comes with a whole multitude of additional benefits such as adding shine and prolonging the vibrancy of hair colour.

 

Origins 'Modern Friction' Exfoliator

My first Origins purchase, and I wasn't disappointed! A persuasive saleswoman talked me into buying this one as she said that good exfoliation is one of the key stages in skincare to reducing blemishes (I don't really want to talk about excess dead skin cells clogging pores and causing a build up.. but yeah..) and after she demonstrated this product on me during a 'mini facial' I knew that it was love! I'm going to do a full review on this in the coming weeks, but basically it's a very fine and gentle exfoliator that is a real indulgent treat to use. It contains 'rice starch cushioned in cream' which makes it feel a little bit like you're rubbing rice pudding or porridge on your face, but it gives such a thorough polish to the surface of the skin and makes everything look that little bit more refined and fresh.

 

Clinique 'Even Better' Foundation

I have a full post written up on this amazing foundation, that I dubbed as my 'holy grail' base for my make up. Having problematic skin leaves me with wanting no less than a full coverage and long lasting foundation that will stand the test of oil-prone skin. 'Even Better' ticks all of those boxes! One of the highest coverages I've ever used, smooths over enlarged pores, covers blemishes, flawless application and lasts all day. It's my favourite foundation to date and if what I've listed above is something you're looking for then this is one to try!

The Body Shop Vitamin E 'Sink In Moisture Mask'

The Body Shop and their crazy bargains in the sales left me paying no more than £5.00 for this tub, when it's full retail price is £13.00 - I love bargains like that! A naughty product (suspicions lying with Effaclair Duo) left me with skin that was dry, flakey and very unsightly. Dry skin is not the norm for me and I needed something to sort it out pronto! I looked to the Origins 'Drink Up' Mask, but couldn't justify the price tag at the time, however worth it it might have been.. and I found this potential dupe in The Body Shop. It's a fast working 10 minute 'Moisture Mask' that you apply in a thick layer all over and it seems like a normal moisturiser, but after the time is up it has only partially sunk in and there's a residue left on the surface of the skin that can be gently removed with a cotton pad. It leaves the skin looking instantly plumper, like it's had a good 'drink', hydrated and reduces flakey patches. A few uses of this and my dry skin had returned to normal - this saved the day!

Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion

When I wrote a full post about this gradual tanning lotion it received lots of comments from other people saying that they were huge fans of this tan too! I'd recommend clicking here to read my full review on it as I gush in depth about my love for it. Literally the most perfect gradual tanner I've ever used; there's no tell-tale tan smell, it smells fresh and fruity, it actually comes up gradually and is easy to build upon day by day so that there's no waking up and being overly fake and orange if that's not what you're looking for, and the colour is a nice touch of brown, lovely and natural like you've spent a day sitting out in the sun.

 

Urban Decay Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color - Theodora

Being a lucky little lady, I managed to win one of The Sunday Girl's giveaways and landed myself with one of Urban Decay's limited edition palettes for the release of the film The Great and Powerful Oz. Out of the two versions of the palette (Glinda and Theodora), I won the Theodora palette, represented in the film by the ever so gorgeous Mila Kunis - deserved winner of FHM's Sexiest Women in the World! Enough about my girl crush.. The Theodora Palette came with one of UD's 'Super Saturated' lip colours and the shade is just named 'Theodora' but it's a beautifully bright and glossy red shade that is so simple to apply with the creamy formula and the crayon applicator. I've not been one for red lips much in the past but this one just seems to work for me and the high gloss lasts for hours and hours too. I might have to look into more of these lip pens from Urban Decay because they're such amazing quality! My eye is on 'Love Child' and you can see it here.

So, that's my April favourites! I hope you enjoyed!

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New: Models Own Ice Neon Collection

My lucky streak continued last week as I ended up being one of the winners of a double Models Own giveaway over at The Love Cats Inc. blog and bagged myself a full set of the new Models Own Ice Neon collection. The Love Cats Inc. is one of my favourite blogs and I'd been planning on getting my mitts on a few of these shades anyway, so imagine my excitement when I found out that I'd won! It made my whole month, so thank you Helen! (Everybody go and look at her blog). 

The collection consists of five brand new intensely pigmented and super bright neon shades (they are a lot brighter than they look here); Left to right - Toxic Apple, Luis Lemon, Pukka Purple, Bubblegum, and Pink Punch ..and if you buy the whole set together there's a top coat thrown in there too. When I say 'brand new', the shades 'Toxic Apple' and 'Pink Punch' do actually already exist, but imagine those shades 5x brighter and super fluorescent!

These shades are right up my street as I'm a huge fan of brightly coloured nails, and even though my collection already has plenty of super bright pinks and oranges in it, all of these are welcomed with open arms and make all the other shades look so dull in comparison. Models Own advises to keep these bottles in the fridge to maintain their fluro colour for longer (think keeping glow sticks in the freezer to keep them glowing!), but I'm not too sold on that idea - it's probably just a sales gimmick, plus I don't think that my Dad would be too happy with pink nail varnish chilling next to his beers and the milk! So, they're sitting pretty on my dressing table and I'm not too worried about their brightness fading with them not being kept really cold. 

These are all absolutely perfect for the S/S season this year and I'm more than happy to hop right onto the neon loving train; especially with the pinks and yellows. They add such a nice 'pop' of colour to any otherwise quite plain outfit and bright nails is such a simple and subtle way to join in with the trend.

 

Here are swatches from the 5 shades available in the collection:

 

The shades: all of the above swatches are shown with one coat of colour. The finish isn't exactly 'matte', but it isn't a high gloss either. You can see that some of the shades applied a little streaky with just one coat, so a 2nd would be best, and some were a little more sheer than other.. I'm looking at you Toxic Apple. The brightest, and my favourite, is the yellow: Luis Lemon, and my least favourite is the purple: Pukka Purple, mainly because it's not as 'neon' as the others and is quite a dark shade too. However, this one did have the best application and applied fully opaque in just one coat. Bubblegum and Pink Punch appear to be quite similar shades and sometimes my camera doesn't pick up the full potential of the shades; but Bubblegum is the shade that is pink, pink and pink. Very bright and true Barbie pink, whereas (misleadingly), Pink Punch is more of an orange/coral toned pink in the bottle, but when I applied it onto my nails it looked like neon orange! Confusing, but it's still amazing. A little head's up that this shade of Pink Punch is very similar to 'Hedonist' from the Hed Kandi collection.

Models Own Ice Neon Collection are available from Boots and the Models Own website now for £5.00 each, or £20.00 for all 5 colours plus a topcoat.

Which one's your favourite?

 Thanks again to Helen for running the giveaway for these!

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Happy, Healthy Hair: What I Use

Who doesn't want long, full and flowing beautifully luxurious hair? We all do, right? Long, thick hair seems to be a little bit of an obsession for most girls, myself included, and growing my hair seems to be all that I've ever wanted to do. I've never been fussed with extensions because I change my hair colour pretty frequently and it's often multi-coloured a lot of the time too, so I would struggle to find a shade that matches up perfectly, and in the past all the clip ins I've tried have been uncomfortable and hard to work with.

Instead I want my very own mane of super long hair (preferably belly button length), with soft natural waves, rich brown in colour, and thick and healthy with no frizz to be seen ..but it seems hair like that only exists in films! I'll do all that I can get to get as close to that dream as possible though, so as well as banning hairdryers and straighteners from my life for the past 6 months here is what's been working for me recently in terms of products...

(This concoction of products has strictly been limited to washing and treatments, just to keep things simple).

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Shampoo*

As a long time lover of the accompanying Hair Growth treatment mask from Mr.Stafford, it's surprised me that I hadn't yet branched out and bought the full set from this range. My hair obviously hasn't grown 5 inches in a week, but this range makes hair stronger at the root and stimulates follicles to encourage more growth. 

*(c/o North Meet Up Goodie Bag - post)

Lee Stafford Argan Oil Conditioner

As mortified as I am that I walked into Boots and then walked back out again with a bottle of conditioner and a purse £12 lighter, I do really love this conditioner and think that it is the perfect companion to the Hair Growth Shampoo. 

It seemed to make more sense to me to mix and match this pair together and choose a stimulating shampoo to encourage root growth, and then a conditioner from their most nourishing range to be able to heal any damage and restore any well needed moisture to those ends. I love Lee Stafford's honesty in the aims of his products, stating that the shampoo will help hair to 'reach its maximum potential length', and the conditioner will 'restore hair to its optimal condition' - no unrealistic promises there.

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment Mask

Lee Stafford Argan Oil Treatment Mask

I have chosen a mask from each of two above ranges to help my hair out and alternate between the two of them; focusing the Hair Growth on the roots around once a fortnight and the Argan Oil mask on the mid-lengths and ends every weekend. Both of these masks work really well at giving the hair a nourishment boost and bring it back to being silky soft, smooth and manageable. You can see my full review of the Hair Growth mask and read more on what I think of it here.

Moroccanoil Oil Treatment

Ooh so one you'll never have heard of then?! Haha the world famous Moroccan Oil. Now a firm favourite in my life and a definite repurchase until then end of time, I am a huge fan of this hair oil and would recommend it to anybody. It is basically my hair's best friend to keeps it calm, soft, nourished and free from frizz. It can be used on wet or dry hair / before and after styling so it can be thrown into any stage of my routine. You can see my full review on if it you click here.

Redken Color Extend Radiant-10 Multi Benefit Treatment Spray

Again, a product that I have talked about before and you'll be able to see my full review on it here; I use this Redken spray as a leave-in conditioner and as a detangler. Straight after washing my hair, before I do anything, I spray this all over to make sure that I can get a wide tooth comb through it without any snagging, pulling or breaking of the hair (a Tangle Teezer has been welcomed to my life in the past few days that will now replace the comb), and it makes my life a heck of a lot easier. It also adds extra condition to the hair in a super light weight formula too.

Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Leave In Treatment

Umm, okay so I owe this 'Anti-Snap' a little apology after the very blunt and negative review that I gave to it back in October (here), and said that it had made my hair a lot drier and a lot more brittle, leading to increased breakage.. it seemed to be a pro-snap, not an anti-snap!! That's my own fault for not using the product correctly and I've learnt from videos by Tanya Burr and EleventhGorgeous (if you click their names it will take you to the videos where they talk about this topic) that yes, protein/keratin is the the best thing that you can use on your hair, but there is also such as thing as 'too much of a good thing' when it comes to overloading your hair with keratin.. and using too much too often will dry out your hair and make it more brittle. So that was my problem with the Anti-Snap, that I was too keen and was using it too often. Now that I use it in moderation I've found it to be a wonder product and makes my hair feel so much stronger.

One more point: This is supposed to 'seal' the hair cuticles, so if you are using this product in your routine make sure that you're using it last, because otherwise it will block out all other products and they won't be able to penetrate into the hair shaft, so especially if you're also using an oil - make sure that you apply the oil first and then the Anti-Snap to be able to 'lock it in'!

So, that's what has been keeping my little head of hair happy and healthy recently.

It's currently the longest that it's ever been (finally gone past 'boobie length'! yay!), it's in the best condition that it's ever been and is the most 'tameable' I've ever had it. A while back I'd never be able to wear my hair in it's natural style, but it seems I've got things under control now and heat styling is well and truly a thing of the past for me. If you'd like to see a snap of my hair then you can click here to see a recent Instagram picture and I'm afraid that's the best I've got for you!

Do you have any hair care recommendations for me that I might like to try?

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Review: Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tanning Lotion

In the not too distant past I reviewed another gradual tanning lotion that I said that I adored; Palmers Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze (post), but I'm happy to say that said tan has now been pushed to the back of the drawer and there's a new favourite in town. Ladies and Gentlemen, say hello to Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion Sun-Kissed Look. (..Why do things like this need to have such a long name?!). This, my friends, is where it's at. This is.. the one. Irreplaceable. (Maybe). 

Picked up in Asda during a food shop for a small cost of £2.50 (Regular price: £5.00), this has been one of my most reached for products recently. We're all familiar with the process of gradual tanners; it looks and feels like a moisturiser, applies like a moisturiser, and moisturises like a moisturiser.. with the added bonus that you wake up in the morning with a freshly golden tan ..for the most part. There are the times when you wake up looking far too orange and like you've walked straight off the set of TOWIE, occasionally with patches and streaks of white splashed around (getting my shoulders just right is my biggest challenge), and the worst aspect is that you have to walk around smelling like a giant digestive biscuit. Yuck! But at least your skin is soft, right?

So, while we all love a long lasting and beautiful golden tan (I feel so much better when I'm not stark white, everything just looks and feels healthier and more toned!), it can be difficult to get everything perfect. Enter Garnier:

- Price point? Perfect. (Approx £5 for 250ml, £7 for 400ml)

- Availability? Wide: supermarkets, Boots/Superdrug, etc.

- Packaging? Good, no complaints.

- Moisturises the skin? Yes.

- Easy to apply? Yes.

- Nasty biscuit smell? No!! One of the winning aspects of this for me is that it smells like fruit and actually smells nice!

- Now.. The colour and the tan? 

I often have the fear of applying a gradual tan in the morning and then gradually watching my arms as the day goes on turning darker and darker in colour, and by the time it gets to the end of the day I look like I've spent a week in the Caribbean and return home looking like a different person. Even worse if you apply it in the evening so that you've spent all day Monday at work/uni looking like Casper's long lost sister, and then roll up on the Tuesday looking like you've fallen asleep next to the Sun. When a tanning lotion is like that, it's hard to call it 'gradual' as you're 'English Rose' to '3 weeks spent in Egypt' in about 8 hours. Although this can be nice, it's not very realistic and it can be overly fake. I prefer the look of 'yes, I have been spending my afternoons outside in the sun relaxing with a book and catching some rays, look how sun-kissed I am', as opposed to 'yeah this fake tan is so good'. You get me? 

I loved this tan ever since the first time that I used it. I applied it in the evening after I'd had a bath and before I was going to bed. The first good point I noted was that I didn't have to hop about waiting for it to dry before I could put my PJs on and hop under the duvet; it sank in quickly and was touch-dry in a little over 5 minutes. When I woke up there was no unusual smell and the tell-tale 'tan smell' was nowhere to be seen and when I looked in the mirror I got a little bit of a shock to see that I wasn't tanned. I was happy because all that it had done after one application was that it has taken the edge off my shocking pale skin and added a touch more 'warmth' to me. Nothing dramatic. After applying this every day since and I am now on my 7th day in a row of using this, I could happily pass for somebody who spent their Easter abroad, but that was from my own choice of using this for 7 days in a row and building it up gradually, day by day making it more intense. It didn't all come at once.

This makes it much easier to control the tan and you can create the intensity of the colour that you're looking for without going over the top too quickly. You could apply it every day, every two days, or even once a week and have a different level of tan. 

I don't think that I can quite get across in words how much I reaaally like this; I keep catching myself in the mirror, or rolling up sleeves slightly and thinking to myself 'wow you look like you've just got back from a nice long holiday', instead of 'yeah this fake tan is good'! You look brown, not orange. And natural, not fake. It's a winner!

I managed to find a larger sized (400ml) bottle on the Boots website, also for half price of £3.57 - link, and there is a 'dark' version as well, as this the 'light sun-kissed look' version of the tan. So if you're interested then head to Asda or Boots and get yourself a bottle for half price while you still can!

Life's better with a tan.

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Cosmetic Crave: Where To Find & Follow Me

Hey beautifuls! With all of the excitement of cosmeticcrave.blogspot.co.uk growing up into cosmeticcrave.com I thought it'd be a good time to take the opportunity to lay out to you all of the social networking and blogging platforms that you can find me on - it can get a little bit confusing now there's so many! Who do you follow on what and where?! 

GFC

The most classic way of following a blog is via GFC (Google Friend Connect), and this is my personal favourite way. All you need is a Google, Twitter or Yahoo account and just click 'Join This Site' at the right hand side of this page to be able to follow!

Bloglovin'

Following rumours of GFC's looming extinction, Bloglovin' is now 'the next big thing' in terms of platforms for following blogs. It's really simple to use and super easy to be able to find new blogs, such as the 'up and comers' and also be able to flick through the day's most popular posts. Even better, you don't even need to have your own blog to be able to use it! You can find me by searching Cosmetic Crave, or you can click here.

Twitter

I've actually got two Twitter accounts as I'd been told by uni friends that my constant blog tweets and spamming during #bbloggers chats were a pain in the bum and they'd been tempted to unfollow me - to be fair they are boys who don't care about constant lipstick chatter! Oops! So I now have a twitter just for bloggy stuff (@cosmeticcrave), and I'd love for you to click here and follow me on my blog Twitter!

Facebook

If you're still in the world of Facebook and like to stay up to date with blogs via liking their Facebook pages then you can find mine by searching Cosmetic Crave, or click here.

Instagram

My favourite! I'm a little bit obsessed with Instagram, maybe more than is considered to be normal, but it's a fantastic way to discover new blogs. If it's beauty bloggers you want to find, give #bbloggers a search in the discover tab and you'll be welcomed to thousands of beauty related snaps that will lead you to users and their blogs. Find me with the username HannahRipley1, or click here.

Pinterest

The wonderful world of Pinterest is a little bit new to me and I only signed up a couple of days ago. I'm just finding my feet with it and regret not getting to grips with it sooner as it has potential to be something really huge! It's a little bit like a mash-up of Tumblr, WeHeartIt and Instagram all rolled up into one as it's a place for people to share images, tips, tricks and inspiration and you can 'like' or 'repin' the ones that you love. I've been using it mostly for looking up hair styles and also inspiration for healthy meals and snacks; you'd be able to find pretty much anything on there! If you use Pinterest and would like to follow me, my username is Cosmetic Crave or you can click here.

Oooh and one last platform that we can't forget:

SheSaid Beauty

As a long term subscriber to the SSB beauty boxes (that are no longer in existance), I feel a loyal obligation to promote their site; now predominately a social networking site for beauty lovers and bloggers, described as 'All things beauty, in one place'. If you're not signed up yet, then you should be! Find me with the username Hannahr1, or click here.

So, got enough places you can follow me at?!

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Review: REN Invisible Pores Detox Mask

Hey girls, me again! ..With REN, again! If you saw my previous post, you'll know that it was all about another of REN's amazing face masks (Radiance Renewal*) which is targeted towards dull or scarred skin and is based with fruit enzymes to give the skin a gentle but effective chemical exfoliation, breaking down and then resurfacing the top layer of skin. To read more on this mask and see my post on it you can click here.

After falling in love with the Radiance Renewal mask I decided to purchase an equally loved mask from REN to continue my mission to 'get perfect skin' and it wasn't long before the Invisible Pores Detox Mask had wormed it's way into my regular skincare routine and is edging it's way towards the top spot of all time favourite products. I ordered mine from lookfantasic.com whilst they had a cheeky 20% off, but you can find the mask on their site here for a full price of £16.20, instead of £18.00 from the REN site.

The Invisible Pores mask could not be more different from the Radiance Renewal mask in terms of texture, function, active ingredients and effects on the skin, however they do look lovely in the bathroom lined up next to each other with their identical, simple packaging with a clean design and effective pump dispenser; the bottles are differentiated by their strips of colour: bright orange for RR, and pistachio green for IP, which also coincides with the colour of the product inside too. Is it sad that I enjoy this simple fact?

Again, REN keeps up the good work with their 'clean skincare' and there's no nasty stuff in these products that will do any harm to your skin, and you can see on the image below that there is lovely extra detailing on the box - packaging can make a difference, as superficial as that is!

Invisible Pores (also known as Minimising Pores) is a clay based mask that is aimed at congested oily skin to give it a really good deep clean and detox by using the French Clay to draw out all of the impurities from deep within the pores and remove any excess sebum that can clog things up and cause blackheads and spots. It doesn't just stop there though, as this mask also contains proteins from Spirulina (that's some kind of a fancy tropical seaweed, you know, just incase you didn't know or anything..) that 'encourages cell renewal while reducing pore size, leaving your skin smooth, toned and decongested'. Wow REN, you really do you know to work wonders don't you!

REN advises you to apply this generously over clean skin, but naturally the thicker layer of product you apply, the longer it takes to dry, and as you remove this in a slighly different way - by rubbing away the dry clay with your fingers to gives a gentle exfoliating effect - it means that you can't remove it until it has dried. I apply quite a thin layer over my nose, a little bit of my cheeks and my chin because they are the area that I suffer with blocked up pores and blackheads, and I usually leave around 15 minutes before removing.

I was quite surprised with the consistency of this mask the first time that I used it as when it comes out of the pump it feels really creamy and soft, kind of like a thick moisturiser. It's cooling on the skin which is loving and refreshing, but it also feels calming and relaxing because of the lavender oil - such a lovely treat! As it is a clay mask, it does of course dry onto the skin and you get the hard plastered and cracking scary looking face when you can't move a muscle or change your facial expression! What I really love about this is that there is zero irritation to the skin, it's really gentle and after removal always makes my skin look less red and angry; it's always clean, calmed and refreshed.

Does it work at improving the skin? Well, like I've just said it is a lovely treat and a pleasure to use; if things are looking a little bit chaotic on the skin then it's a great way to just calm things down, if there's a break out then it helps to stop it looking so angry, and looking across the clogged up areas on my T-zone they do always look like they've had a good little extraction after using this, of course helping to make them look minimised. I don't think it's a miracle product that you can just use and you'll have no blackheads anymore - I don't think there's anything that will ever do that?.. but it could be a working progress towards slowly improving them and definitely giving them a minimised appearance.

REN also advises to use the Radiance Renewal mask and the Invisibles Pores mask in conjunction with each other; using RR first and IP the following day, to be able to gain maximum impacts from both products. So these make for my perfect weekend duo, Radiance Renewal on Saturday to get that top layer of skin broken down and exfoliated away, and then Invisible Pores on the Sunday to give my skin a really good detox and clear out anything that's blocked deep down in those pores! These make for a great skincare pair!

If you want to read more about what I had to say on the REN Radiance Renewal mask, you can see my post on it here, and if you're interested in this Invisible Pores mask yourself then here is a link to where you can buy it: link.

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