Lush Brazend Honey Fresh Face Mask

Another night = another face mask.
It’s another one from Lush but this time it’s one from their fresh face mask range (made from fresh produce and has to be kept in the fridge to keep it from going off).

Reason for this one is that I have a rotten cold and my skin is looking horrible and sallow because of it. The sales girl suggested Brazened Honey to perk up my complexion and revitalise my manky looking skin.

It has eggs, honey and almond oil to moisturise, fennel, ginger root, parsley and coriander to detox the skin (plus they’re pretty enzymic so dead skin and oil will be eaten away). There’s lime juice to degrease and ground almond shells act as a stimulating scrub.

So, In the picture I look a little jaundiced and it dried REALLY tight onto my skin (seriously, I only thought about smiling and it crumbled). It’s not got the best scent to it either…quite powdery…but better than the not-so-fresh foot smell of Mask of Magnaminty.

It took a little while to fully remove the mask. I tried warm water first but found it wasn't getting all the mask off, so I go the last bits off with some cotton wool soaked in Tea Tree Water.
My skin felt lovely and soft but it didn't really look any brighter than before and it was very drying so I had to put on a slightly thicker moisturiser to compensate.

A nice one to try but I didn't notice anything spectacular.

£5.75 from Lush stores and online.

Gatineau Floracil Eye Make-up Remover

Apologies for having to use a picture from the Internet rather than my own product photo (my Blackberry's camera has decided to freak out).

Anyway, this is one of those products I wouldn't normally look twice at, but I was given the chance to try it out and could hardly turn my nose up at a freebie.

So, I have the 50ml size of this bottle. It's a blue, translucent liquid with a faint floral smell (my guess was rose but Google says Chamomile). There's nothing written about what makes it special on the bottle so I had to do a few Google searches in order to find out:

- Non oily
- Same pH balance as natural tears
- Fuses chamomile and cornflower to soothe fragile skin

- Stimulates micro-circulation with an algae extract to diminish dark shadows

After a few uses I totally agree that it's not oily and it does feel lovely and cold on my skin (especially on tired eyes). It's one of the few eye make-up removers that hasn't stung my poor peepers!
Can't comment so far on dark circle reduction as I think it needs a little more use before that kicks in.

It claims to easily swipe off waterproof eye make-up. It doesn't.
I wear waterproof mascara and eyeliner on a daily basis and this remover did not take it away in a swipe at all. I sat struggling for a good 10 minutes to take my mascara off and eventually gave up and went with my go-to remover (L'Occitane eye make-up removal gel). I have tried it with a a non-waterproof formula too with the same issue so it's not the best remover I've come across.

I wouldn't buy this. It's too pricey (13+ for 250ml) for a product that doesn't quite work the way it promises to.

FREEBIE ALERT - L'Occitane Angelica

Glamour (UK) magazine is currently giving away three products from L'Occitane's Angelica skincare range. You can pick up the cleansing gel, facial toner and hydration cream.

Angelica was launched around this time last year as a remedy to skin hydration and first signs of ageing (replacing the Almond & Apple range).

What I WILL say about this range is that, for very oily skin, the cleansing gel may not be astringent enough to remove all sebum (of course, buy it to try it!).

If you're interested in L'Occitane skincare then pop into any store ans ask for a skincare consultation. The staff will be more than happy to help you :)

Latest Shopping Haul!!

I had to shop; I just couldn't help myself!!

-Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner, Tea Tree Water and Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask from Lush.
-Immortelle SPF 15 Hand Cream and Relaxing Pillow Mist from L’Occitane (with VIP Gift).
-Illegal Length Mascara and Super Stay Lip Tint Gloss in Timeless Plum by Maybelline.

I got up early this morning and trekked down to Covent Garden for the Lush Grand Re-opening. I was greeted by a chirpy woman dressed up as a lemon and handed a glass of champagne (at 11am!). There were bowls of fresh fruit to nibble from, lots of product demos and a free limited edition canvas shopper bag for the first 100 customers.
The shop didn’t look overly different than it did before, but it was nice to have a wander around and get some freebies. I picked a Strawberry canvas bag, got a free Fresh Face Mask and bought a new bottle of tea tree toner and Ro’s Argan body conditioner.

I left there and went to boots for a new mascara then took a walk along the embankment.

Ended up in High Street Kensington and decided to go to L’Occitane and grab a bottle of hand cream for Mum. I walked in and was attacked by a sales assistant holding a bottle of Peony scented glitter. I HATE glitter with a passion so was not thankful!!
The manager there remembered me which was nice and we had a chat, then I finally got myself home.

I jumped straight into the shower to try the irresistible Argan Body Conditioner and...well...that's a review for another day ;)

April Glossybox

I'm a little late with my review but I thought I'd post it up anyway :)

This is my last Glossybox for a while.
Due to changes at work and the quality of previous boxes, I just can't afford the £12.95 a month anymore. What's lovely is that my last box has also been the best one I've received to date!

The theme for the April box was nature and natural beauty products. It arrived in a plain brown box with none of the usual Glossybox markings and the product box itself is made from 100% biodegradable material (going all out eco-friendly this month!)

So, my products were the following:
-Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst-Quenching Serum

-Inika Cosmetics Certified Organic Eyeliner

-Monu Moisture Rich Collagen Cream

-Figs & Rouge Lip Balm

-Burt's Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk and Honey Body Lotion

Star products from this box are the Caudalie serum and Burt's Bees body lotion.
The facial serum is absolutely gorgeous to use, has a runny but light texture and seems to match my ridiculously oily and temperamental skin perfectly. I've been applying a small amount every morning before moisturising; warming it in my fingertips then using an upward/outward motion on the face. After that, I lightly tap my skin to encourage microcirculation in order to get the ingredients really soaked into my skin to to their best (learnt all that fancy application stuff from working at L'Occitane. I'm not mad I promise!)

Burt's Bees is a skincare brand I already hold in high esteem, so getting a decent sized bottle of their Milk and Honey lotion was a real treat. It has such an amazing smell - like you've rolled around in a mountain of Mr Kipling cakes - and my skin drinks it up. It's also lovely and gentle to use after shaving as it doesn't sting much and a little goes a long way.

I haven't had chance to try the Monu collagen Cream. It's for dry skin and I don't have a problem with that (I'm a oily lady), so I may give it to my Mum to test if she can tear herself away from her pot of Immortelle Divine Cream.
Same with the Figs & Rouge balm, although it is rose scented and I'm a sucker for anything rose at the moment.

My least favourite product is the Inika eyeliner pencil. I got a purple one through but I'm finding it really harsh to use and am not impressed with the colour pigmentation. When I applied it I looked like I'd been punched in the eye. It's a shame because I own a gorgeous grey Inika liner that applies smoothly, looks bright and lasts. I was hoping for the same quality again, but never mind.