Miss Patisserie Walnut Stone Face Mask

Happy Sunday!

I hope you have all had lovely weekends, I've had a pretty quiet one. Mainly due to the awful weather and it being the end of the month - no money left!
I have had a pretty good pamper session though, and what would a pamper session be without a face mask??

I picked up the Walnut Stone Face Mask from Miss Patisserie just before Christmas. I had seen it in the shop and heard lots of good things so I snapped it up!

This mask contains Rhassoul clay from Morocco to brighten skin. It also contains kaolin clay and walnut stone for exfoliation and to stimulate circulation. I can hydrate my skin as much as possible but I always need a mask or scrub to help keep my skin looking bright and smooth, and luckily for those of us with dry skin the kaolin clay doesn't draw any oil from the skin so stops it drying out further.

All you need to do is mix up to 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a few drops of water and ta dah, you have your mask!
I really like the fact that you make this mask up fresh every time you want to use it, and thanks to the lavender oil it smells really good too.

So when it's all mixed up and on the face what does it look like?

Well it's not thick like other masks, and it actually feels quite thin on your skin but that isn't really a problem as sometimes it feels like your skin is coated rather than being cleaned.

It's also not as scary as some masks!

The Walnut Stone Face Mask comes in at £7.70 for a pot, I've used it 3 or 4 times and its not even half way yet so I'd say that's pretty good. I also really like that you make it up each time by yourself so it's fresh every time. My skin feels much cleaner and the tiny bits make sure it's all scrubbed clean too!

Miss Patisserie also has two other masks in the range; The Mineral Mud and the Pink Clay. The Mineral Mud is the next thing on my list to help with my oily T-zone, it still isn't going anywhere even though I'm 27!

Hav eyou tried the masks from Miss Patisserie? What do you think of making your masks up yourself?

L xxx

Lush Mask of Magnaminty

Hey lovelies!

Our joint review today is for a well loved product from Lush, the Mask of Magnaminty.

We both recently picked up the self preserving version of the mask which means it will last a lot longer. It can be used on face and body and is a miracle worker on hormonal breakouts as well as longer term skin problems such as acne. It contains only 13 ingredients and the website pretty much says all that you need to know:

Easily smoothed over the skin anywhere you like, this mask is made with peppermint oil to stimulate, marigold oil and chlorophyllin to treat the skin; evening primrose seeds and aduki beans to gently exfoliate as you remove it. There’s also mineral rich kaolin to nourish, antibacterial honey, and peppermint oil to stimulate the blood cells just under the surface of your skin to leave it looking bright and refreshed.

The average review on the website is an impressive 4.7 stars which should tell you everything you need to know but i am absolutely in love with it. It costs £9.75 for the large tub and £5.50 for the smaller one shown above. I would fully recommend it to anyone struggling with hormonal breakouts especially the self preserving version as it would last much longer.

For anyone struggling with acne this would be a natural way to help prevent more spots from forming and help to reduce the size of the current ones. I occasionally get spots on my chest which aren't by any means bad at all but it has definitely helped to get rid of them faster.

I tend to leave this on whilst in the shower and then massage the scrubby bits into my skin (which aren't abrasive in any way) and then rinse it off. My skin feels deeply cleansed and over the past few weeks usage has definitely helped the condition of my skin. Also the smell (peppermint) is one of my favourites and I really enjoy using it. It's so refreshing and awakening.

If you have any issues with your skin I would 100% recommend it especially as its all natural. I'm definitely coming around to using Lush products a lot more. This is my favourite closely followed by Ocean Salt scrub.

Have you tried Mask of Magnaminty? What's your favourite Lush product?


L xxx

Hey All

Hope you've had a great weekend! I've had a chilled but busy one with the other half! As L said we've both picked this up recently! I love Lush masks and have tried most of them now but the short date is annoying, they do last a little past it. I tend to operate by if it smells and looks the same I use it.

One that lasts longer is always preferred though. I love that Mask of Magnaminty is also recommended for body breakouts. As gross as it is my back has been having the occasional break out too lately! Lush I know but I'm pretty sure it's from exercising!

I love the slight cooling effect this has on my skin. I find minty things just make my skin feel extra clean! I do find a more clay like mask can leave my skin feeling dry but this just leaves it looking soft and slightly more glowy!

As L mentioned it has a mild exfoliant in it which is great for sports to get rid of the annoying dry skin on and after spot! Overall I'm loving this! The blueberry cosmetic warrior used to be a favourite but mask of magnaminty has definitely knocked it off the top spot!

Lush have a whole range of new self preserving products out to help make them even more natural. They've used products like honey which is a natural antibacterial. For things like the ever popular dream cream they have the new self preserving version and the original.

Have you tried any of the new range?

Love M

xxx

Origins Ginzing Face Mask

Hello there!

Everyone who's anyone has heard of Origins and their fabulous Ginzing range. I'm a bit of a fan myself having loved both their eye cream and face cream and have previously posted about them here and here.

When I had a £10 off voucher sent to me for my birthday I umm'd and aah'd about what to get. I could always buy something from them but I wasn't running out of anything and didn't want to go overboard with my spending.

Eventually I settled on picking up Eye Doctor, my favourite eye cream for my sensitive eyes but wait, what a shame, it required a £50 spend to redeem the £10 off and the eye cream wasn't enough. As soon as my eyes fixed on this face mask I knew it would be my latest addition.

The Ginzing range is all about brightening, refreshing and energy boosting.

With this in mind it was only a matter of time before they brought out more in the range which has proved to be very popular.
This refreshing face mask is designed to be used in the morning, for example during your morning shower, where you can apply to skin for 10 minutes or so before removing.

The mask itself is quite a thick gel mask containing coffee beans for an energy boost, cucumber ot help refresh and Hoelen mushroom to soothe skin. This all combines to give your skin the 'get up and glow' that tired and dull skin needs in the morning.

I've been using the mask a few times a week for the last couple of weeks to see its effects. In the morning i love nothing more than a bit of citrus; things like Original source lemon or lime shower gels are amazing. i absolutely love this wash for the same reasons, citrus scents just wake you up and get you feeling happy! 

Applying this to my face did seem to make my skin feel a bit brighter, whether this was temporary i don't know as i do always put make up on afterwards but my complexion was definitely brighter on a number of occasions after using this mask.

I also think it helped my complexion by keeping it nice and clear; this could be because of leaving it on for 10 minutes at a time and allowing it to fully penetrate the skin but it had a positive effect on my skin.

The tube of Ginzing Face Mask comes in at £23 for 100ml which is quite pricey but if you're only using it a few times a week you shouldn't run out of it too fast. It's a lovely treat and I think particularly over the spring and summer months it's been lovely to use this in the mornings as an extra boost when the weather is occasionally sunny!

For me it hasn't been a necessary part of my skincare routine as I'm already obsessed with Checks and Balances cleanser, Modern Friction and the whole Make a Difference range, plus Night-a-Mins and pretty much all the other masks and eye creams. I'm sure Origins won't mind if I only buy this one when I'm feeling flush, right?

L xxx

Una Brennan's Super Facialist Range

Happy Saturday lovelies!

Hopefully the weather is shaping up to belong to this time of year and everyone is out and about. i do love the first pub garden visit of the year! If not....at least it's EASTER BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND! Hurrah! Chocolate galore!

You've probably heard of Una Brennan's Super Facialist Range by now. I picked these up quite a while ago during a 3 for 2 deal as I'd heard such rave reviews about the range and for some reason they've just sat in my drawers.
I've decided to be good and rotate my products a lot more to get the best use out of everything so I've recently rediscovered them and here they are!

Her ranges are designed to give you the opportunity to give yourself an at home facial without expensive products and so you can get salon skin without the price tag.
It's quite a big claim and I do wonder if anyone at all can succeed in this!

First up, the Rose Hydrate Intense Moisture Mask. This has been created so that it is even suitable for sensitive skin and is a thick white cream that you apply to dry skin for 5 minutes before removing it.

This allegedly boosts skin moisture levels and radiance by utilising white willow extract, vitamin U and urea with marshmallow to hydrate and replenish skin.
Applying this once or twice a week this should save my skin from the dehydration issues its been having lately.

As my skin has been that temperamental I was initially worried it would irritate my skin or make it extremely oily. I'm glad to say that this didn't happen at all and my skin more nourished after use. I've even applied it as a moisturiser at night and left it on until the morning which was great too, no irritation and baby smooth skin!

Definitely a thumbs up from me!


Next up is the Miracle Makeover Facial Oil from the same Rose Hydrate range.



This pre cleanse treatment oil contains many natural oils including raspberry, carrot and avocado to eliminate impurities from the skin and encourage cell regeneration. It also contains brown algae and Calendula oil to soothe even the most sensitive skins leaving it feeling supple.
Sounds quite a lot from a little oil used before cleansing doesn't it??

It's directions state you apply a generous amount to your hands to warm it up before applying to your facial skin and massage it in circular movements to dissolve impurities and open pores before cleansing as you normally would.

I've used this a number of times and you need a few pumps (3/4) for a normal face of make up but if you've got heavy eye make up on you'll probably require an extra 1 or 2 as it can be a bit stubborn when the oil is absorbing into your skin. Having said that I really like it and it does a great job of dissolving make up and has become a fixed part of my skin routine. I sometimes use a face wipe to remove the make up from my face before cleansing to dissolve some of the crap but this is definitely a less harsh alternative and works well without irritating my skin or coating it with oil. I just wash my face with my cleanser of choice as normal and I'm good to go.

The Mask retails at £8.99 but is currently on offer with £3 off, and the Miracle Oil retails for £14.99 but is currently £9.99 both from Boots.

Will you be trying either of these products out? What products have you tried from Una Brennan before?

I've heard so much about the Vitamin C brightening products I'm going to have to give them a go!

L xxx

Origins Merry Moisturisers Set

Hi all!

One of my favourite presents to myself this year was my huge haul of Origins gift sets.
Not only are all products that I've used from them completely amazing, but the gift sets can be quite a bargain if you're lucky!

This one, Merry Moisturisers, was originally priced around £50 but Boots discounted it for a few weeks before Christmas and so I snapped it up for £28. This was a bargain because the moisturiser in this set costs £34 on its own!

Loved the packaging of these, very simple, Christmassy and the different designs for each set are really cute. The polka dot is also a classic!
As with all other Origins products the ingredients are fully listed on the back of the box.

I've kept these boxes as I like them so much, boxes like these are always useful for storing things and putting presents in. I've got plenty of boxes like these stacked up and storing all my eyeshadows, lipsticks etc in.

Merry Moisturisers gift set contains a number of products from the Make A Difference range which is one of my favourites from Origins. This set contains the Rejuvenating Treatment Lotion, Hand Treatment and Moisturiser as well as a Drink Up Intensive Face Mask.

This moisturiser is one of my all time favourites. I've previously tried the gel version of the treatment which is for oily skin and therefore is lighter. There's actually four different types available for different skin types so I was interested to try another type now that my skin isn't as oily and requires more hydration.

This was as expected; lovely to apply, smells divine and my skin feels like its had a really big treat when I've used it. Love it love it love it, I'll be repurchasing this for a while (as long as I can afford it that is!).

As someone that doesn't really get the whole toner thing, this was a massive revelation to me. I loved the smell, the effects and just everything about it. You can see my original post on it here but needless to say it has completely won me over to the toner argument...though I'm still skeptical of others.

This is again another gorgeous product and the size is perfect for a handbag. It sinks into skin really nicely which is something that is a must have for me as I cannot stand greasy hand creams and having slimy hands that stay like it for ages!

The Drink Up mask is another product I've used before and loved. It was the first hydrating mask I'd ever used and it was amazing even for my oily skin. It didn't overload it and was perfectly hydrating without affecting my skin in a negative way at all. Perfection!

This would have been a gorgeous set for anyone, I'm a hug fan or Origins as I've probably mentioned many times and genuinely love it! There's never been a product I didn't like and all of them have worked beautifully on my skin.

I always look for bargains such as these sets at Christmas time to save me a bit of money and also try out new products that I might not have tried otherwise.
I also take regular trips to Cosmetics Company Outlets (CCO) where items can be discounted greatly, I'm talking £25 instead of £34 and you can save some money there too, as long as the products are available.

Do you like Origins? Did you pick up anything from their Christmas sets?

L xxx

 

Christmas Shopping.....For Myself

Let's all be honest here, it's pretty damn hard to go shopping at any time of year without picking something up for yourself let alone at Christmas time.

I'm a very big fan of the 'one for you, two for me' mantra and as I missed out on an advent calendar of any kind (not jealous at all....) I have seemingly bought myself a product for each day instead....now who's winning eh?!

Here's a quick photo montage of things I've picked up, what deals were on, whee you can get them and how much you need it!






The Latest in Beauty box - The Glamour Beauty Edit.

This was £14.95 from here (plus p&p) and worth every penny. With £65 of goodies in this box not only is it a bargain but a lovely gift and if I bought for friends I'd definitely get one as a Secret Santa gift!

They're limited number I think but still available when writing this post :)





Lancome mascara set from Boots was snapped up in a triple points offer as I'm yet to try a premium beauty mascara and thought a set was the perfect opportunity!

The Mane and Tail Conditioner for human and horse hair was a surprise find in Liberty when I went to London (see posts here and here). I've heard a lot and couldn't resist picking it up, it's a yellow colour and smells pretty good all for £7!







I went on a nail spree too....oops!
The Maybelline Color Show Brocades were a random buy but they're so glittery I couldn't resist them on 3 for 2 as well.

Essie are one of my favourite nail brands and their Luxeffects collection hasn't escaped my notice. The pink was bought individually but the blue and silver glitter were bought in a set. Guaranteed a post will be up soon!





Lastly I had a bit of a spree in Origins. The above 2 pictures show products bought at the same time; in John Lewis they had 15% off to match Debenhams prices and luckily for me still had a Morning to Midnight set of Ginzing related goodies for me to try out! At £34 I really couldn't leave it behind after one of the products retailing at £35 so it was super savvy to pick it up at 15% off.

I also picked up their Sensory Therapy in Peace of Mind because my mum uses it for her headaches and I've found it works amazing on me too. This is normally £13 but I got it for just over £10 which for me is much better than taking tablets for headache as I get them regularly with stress.

As I bought 2 products I also received a free goody set which was another reason for going there. They always seem to have deals on at Christmas where you can receive a few products in trial size to test out and this was so cute!





I picked the Best Brighteners as I really want to try the skin illuminating cleanser.

Not only that, my last item was also my final item in my Boots triple points internet order (along with the Lancome mascaras) and was the Merry Moisturisers set.

I'm a huge fan of the Make A Difference range and I know I will use all of the products in this bundle. For £29 from Boots (currently half price) where the moisturiser is normally around £34 you cannot go wrong!

I've definitely overspent this year.........my own present buying has been a little off the charts but let's be honest its only Christmas once a year!

I cannot resist the bargains and have gathered myself a whopping £15ish in Boots points from the triple points and 500 points vouchers. I didn't need most of the products but I'm now in the frame of mind where I will use everything up and I've been getting through my stash quite well recently so fingers crossed I haven't overindulged too much....


Only time and my bank balance/credit card bill will tell!


What have you been buying yourself recently? Have you been snapping up bargains in the Christmas sales?

I can't believe there's this many bargains BEFORE the Boxing Day sales, think I'll have to give my mum instructions to hold me back when that time comes......

L xxx

Lush Event in Cardiff

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to be invited to the event at the Lush store in Cardiff to try out some of their products after hours which was great opportunity we just couldn't turn down.

It's fair to say I'm a huge Lush fan. At the event they were going through suggestions and I'd tried a lot of it. I   do tend to stick to what I know with lush products though. My cleanser of choice has always been Herbalism (you can read my Lush Skincare loves here).

Angels on bare skin works in a similar way. You only need just over a pea sized amount and mix with water in your hand to make a paste to apply to the skin.  The solid cleansers are great if you are travelling as they won't leak. I find the pot lasts just over a month when used morning and night which is pretty good.

Angels on bare skin is a gentle cleanser that any skin type can use. It contains loads of natural ingredients which have different benefits.

Ground Almonds are used for toning and brightening, kaolin to absorb grease and gently cleanse, vegetable glycerine to soften and moisturise and other essential oils. The addition of lavender flowers help to gently exfoliate.

I love that if you return 5 lush pots you get a free face mask. It's great that they recycle and give motivation to do so.

I do find this cleanser does sting the eyes so I do have to remove my eye make up pre cleanse which being lazy lately I have got out of the habit of. But using my favourite No7 make up remover sorts this out and is a step I should really be doing anyway (Review here).

I've definitely been converted to try the other cleansers. This one is great.

I really want to try some of the hair treatments after going to the event and I'm definitely interested in their henna hair dyes. Next time I go dark I'll be trying them.

We also got to try the make up range. I absolutely loved the lipstick colours. They had amazing colours but I did find it almost peeled off so it's not something I'd buy. They did have gorgeous eye shadow colours and liners that I definitely want to try though.

I think I'll always be a lush fan and there hasn't been much I don't like.

Love M

xxx




I'm the opposite of M and am in fact a Lush novice. I'm not quite a virgin as I've been lucky enough to try their products before but I've never been that into it.

Most of the time I'm turned off by the fact the products have such a short use by date, as I'm a fickle creature and like to vary my products depending on current requirements as my skin has been quite indecisive of late. That combined with varying jobs in different environments and my skin takes a battering so I've always stuck to products less likey to go off so I can get my full use out of them as my needs change.

Having the chance to wander around the store after hours was brilliant, and I smelt and tried so many products that I wouldn't have had the chance to with the usual crowds. Bohemian soap is probably the biggest thing on my wish list at the moment, the smell is actually unbelievable and I'd be half tempted to carry it around with me just to smell it!



That being said I was pleasantly surprised with how much i liked the effects from Angels on Bare Skin. The rough texture was daunting at first but my skin feels super smooth after using it for a few days and a longer time period after that I'm pretty impressed. My skin had no reaction to it and if anything has improved over the past few weeks.
I credit the almonds with this as I'm a huge fan of eating them so clearly in my cleanser they work wonders too ;)

It did feel weird effectively rubbing food on my face but knowing the ingredients were natural meant I didn't think too much about it, and it smells pretty good.

I was lucky enough to be given a sample of their BIG shampoo as well, which I'm rather looking forward to. I'm saving it for the next time i go away so I can save on space so I'm sure there will be a future tweet with my thoughts!

Are you a Lush fan?? Have you tried Angels on Bare Skin? What's your favourite Lush product?

I can see myself buying more if the results are so promising from all products!


L xxx