Masque Bar/Review & ***GIVEAWAY***

Masque Bar* is a Korean brand that's being brought to the UK exclusively by Boots, you'll be seeing them pop up on the 'Latest Finds' stands nationwide. 

I love a pamper evening, a face mask is a cost effective way to feel relaxed and to treat yourself at home. Masque Bars are fantastic value for money first and foremost, which lets face it (excuse the pun) is what we all want from our beauty products. They come in boxes of three and the packaging makes them perfect for popping in your bag and taking away, on holiday, for the romantic hotel getaway or even a sleepover with the girls.

Masque Bars come in different formula's, 3 to be exact, sheet, mud and creme.And they cover all manner of skin concerns, anti wrinkle, anti blemish, pore refining, and for brightening. 

 

 I've been reviewing the pore refining mask as all of you will know I am most conscious about them. This one is a creme formula and feels really nice on the skin.This particular one is a thick creamy consistency almost like a sumptuous body lotion, and it applies easily due to the creme texture.


I left it on for the full 20 minutes and didn't experience any tingling or heat, and it didn't set to feel tight and uncomfortable either.  I then removed mine using a hot cloth and warm water, although you could wash it off in the shower.

The infusion of raspberry extract, lemon and vitamin e certainly made my skin feel refreshed and more importantly actually shrunk those pesky pores!

I would say if you have sensitive skin the only thing that may irritate would be the fragrance content but otherwise these are packed with some impressive skin goodness. All the masks promise to leave the skin feeling refreshed and hydrated and I can honestly say I'm genuinely impressed by how hydrated and plump my skin feels.

Check out all 4 varieties on the Boots.com website, they retail at £9.99 for a box of 3.

Masque Bar have kindly given me a box to run a giveaway to one of my lovely readers, simply enter in the box below.... 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Open to UK residents only and the giveaway will end on the  27th of Feb, so get entering!

xXx

*PR Sample

Clarins/Beauty Boosters Exclusive Gift Set

I've just received some REALLY exciting news from the lovely Laura over at Clarins.

 

They've really put together something special just in time for the festive season, perfect as a gift for the Clarins fan in your life, or just a treat for you if, like me, you cant bear to part with it!

 

This is the Clarins Beauty Boosters Gift Set and it's exclusive to Boots, it features a collection of the brands most iconic beauty boosting products with an impressive saving, this exclusive collection consists of:

 

Beauty Flash Balm 50ml

Relax Bath & Shower Concentrate 100ml

Hand & Nail Treatment Cream 50ml

Be Long Mascara 3ml

Instant Light Lip Perfector in Candy Shimmer 5ml

 

All encased in a beautiful bag that would be your perfect clutch bag for your christmas party, so that's 5 products and the bag for just £30, saving a massive £35 on the RRP of these goodies.

 

This exclusive face & body collection will be 'Offer Of The Week' in Boots stores and online from the 21st-28th of November, unless they sell out first. These colelctions are always a sell out and with even more products than in previous releases this one is sure to go quickly.

 

Thank you Clarins, we will all be pampered to perfection for Christmas!

 

 

xXx

 

Make Up Brushes.....How often do you clean yours?

My essential make up brushes, a mix of MAC, Real Techniques and EcoTools

The brushes you use to apply your make up everyday harbour bacteria and germs ewww gross! So it's really important to keep them clean.

I will confess that until recently I have always used baby shampoo to clean my brushes, which keeps them clean, but it doesn't help my oily/combo skin looking flawless.

Enter.....No7's Make Up Brush Cleanser, it's just £8 for a generously sized 185ml pump bottle. This brush cleanser is suitable for both everyday & deep cleansing of your brushes. If your using a brush for shadow and need to change the colour this stuff is perfect for a quick drying spritz and you'll have a clean brush to work with, or for your monthly deep clean you can grab a bowl of warm water and dispense a pump into your hand, working it through the brush to make a nice soapy lather, and rise off.

It really does leave your brushes squeaky clean & looking good as new.

How often do you clean your make up brushes?

xXx

Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation

I would be very surprised if you hadn't seen this in magazines or in your local drug store. 

Vichy's Dermablend Foundation* £15.50 

It's marketed as a real camouflage make up, so if you suffer from redness, acne, or scarring this may be something you should try. I don't really suffer from any of those issues, but I do have dark circles and I hate my pores, so I was excited to try this out. 

I was a little dubious to stray from my usual double wear foundation and real techniques brush combo but I gave this a go today, and I was actually quite surprised with the results. 

According to the box Dermablend delivers a matte finish, high coverage, a bare skin feel and it has SPF 35 in it! It also provides up to 25% more concentrated pigments than a standard foundation. 

I don't know how Vichy have managed it but the formula is actually very light making it perfect for summer and for those days when you don't want a heavier base, yet it hides everything beautifully! 

My skin is far from perfect but I do really like how this feels on my face, It does give a real bare skin feeling and I think it will be much better to wear during the day at work and then when I hit the gym, it also means I can save my Double Wear for nights out and special occasions!

The above picture is just the Vichy on myface, no primer or concealer, I can only imagine it'll give a real matte and airbrushed finish with my Benefit Porefessional and Fake Up involved. A lot of people say when using this foundation they can skip the concealer, personally I feel naked without a tad under my eyes, but that really is down to personal preference.

Just got to hope it doesn't make me break out although it is specifically designed not to irritate the skin so here's to hoping I have found a new fave in the muji full of face perfecting goodness.

Have you tried Vichy's Dermablend, or are you and avid fan?

Pop into your local Boots now to check out the range for yourself, Dermablend is also available in a stick formula which retails at £19, or order online at Boots.com

xXx

Face B4.. Could this be a revolution for blemish prone skin?

I have always been loyal to Proactiv, and a year down the line since the day I started using it I just don't feel it's working for me anymore. I have been looking to switch up my skincare routine for some time now, so I was really pleased to be sent these products for review.

Having just launched here in the UK yesterday, exclusive to Boots for now, Face B4 promises to bring a revolution to blemish fighting skincare.

The face wash contains the highest percentage of antibacterial fighting ingredients, more than any other face wash brand currently sold here in the UK.

Face B4 is a 2 step system, and the products retail at £14.95 each, so not too pricey, especially if they work.

The face wash is a wash and toner in one, combining the first 2 essential steps to any skincare routine. To me not using a toner after cleansing does feel weird, but hey I will give it a go and let you know what happens. You pump the double nozzle on the face wash to dispense equal amounts of both products, and it forms a lovely foam, you wash your face, leave on the skin for 1 minute & rinse, it does leave your skin feeling squeaky clean without any tightness, or dryness, and it's fragrance free.

My skin has never been sensitive so I cant say how this would react on someone who is sensitive, but due to there being no scent and its antibacterial properties I cant see it being a problem.



Left tube is the face wash & the right is the toner, push the pump to dispense equal amounts of the product to forma gorgeous rich foam.



The 2nd stage of the skincare is the after cleansing serum, a light easily absorbed, fragrance free moisturiser. It leaves your skin feeling soft and is a great primer so is fine to wear under make up. What I really like about this moisturiser is the fact that it has vitamin content, A, B, B5 & E are all present you never get that in a blemish fighting moisturiser, so for me this is a big plus!

I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) in 2011 and fortunately I haven't been plagued with most of the horrible side effects, but blemishes is one I do suffer with and it does get me down, so I am hopeful that this stuff clears my skin.



After studying the ingredients salicylic acid is the magic ingredient I think, but I will be writing a follow up post to this in 4 weeks time to let you know how it has improved or irritated my skin.

I never like to experiment with stuff on my face because the area is always visible so I am hoping that I don't break out badly in the next few days... 

If you are keen to check out the Face B4 products then head to Boots.com's Latest Finds Page

and follow them on Facebook

Here's to fresh dewy looking skin for spring (hopefully) 

xXx