Original Skin Retexturizing.

Origins –

Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay

“Glow big with our innovative 2-in-1 mask! Made with Mediterranean Rose Clay, Canadian Willow Herb and exfoliating Jojoba beads, it helps gently deep clean while refining skin’s texture. Pores appear to vanish. Clarity is restored. Glow is instant.”

Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask is a dual action product, meaning it does more than just deeply cleanse. In laymen's terms - the texturised clay based texture thoroughly cleanses the complexion while the gritty particles gently polish and refines the surface of the skin during the removal process. It is every bit as easy and great as it sounds, the best part? It only takes 10 minutes to use. It's what Sunday evenings have been crying out for.

Sounds great but if you are anything like me you will want to know what the core ingredients are? As mentioned this a clay based mask, Rose Clay no less which gently absorbs excess oil, dirt and general impurities, all the while calming the complexion. To help clarify and induce a natural glow Origins have added Canadian Willowherb, this is renowned for combating dull skin, this is coupled with Persian Silk Tree to encourage the skin to deal with stress and also adds a protective barrier against irritants. Lastly to remove dead skin cells Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask contains Jojoba beads, these come into play when you dampen the skin to remove the mask - it is a gentle yet effective way to both deeply cleanse and exfoliate in one quick step. Oh and I've saved the best part until last, this has been formulated to aid those with enlarged pores - don't ask me how it works but it visibly (if only temporarily) reduces the size and appearance - I'd imagine it is to do with the cleansing properties, either way I'm satisfied.

Overall, this is a contender for my favourite Origins mask ever. I was a a huge fan of Origins Clear Improvement Mask but Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask couples the deep cleansing abilities of clay with a gentle exfoliating action and is far more gentle on the skin, sometimes I found the Clear Improvement Mask made my face very red and sometimes very sore. Whereas this leaves my skin visibly radiant, softer and works wonders on my pores. Quick, easy and effective - your bathroom shelf needs this.

Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay is £23 and is available now at John Lewis, Boots, House of Fraser and Feel Unique.

Deep Cleansing.

Liz Earle –

Deep Cleansing Mask

‘This highly concentrated clay and manuka honey mask helps draw out impurities and excess oil to leave oily, combination and problem-prone skin balanced, calm and clear. Naturally active ingredients include green clay to draw out impurities, soothing manuka honey and propolis and rose- scented geranium to help tone and balance.’

I really love this Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask, targeted for oily, combination and spot prone skin; it has certainly been doing the trick. The mask deep cleanses the skin and helps to eliminate oiliness and impurities in the skin. The key ingredients within the mask assist cleaning and clearing the skin, with clay to help absorb oil in the skin and with the potent smelling manuka honey, that for me is rather strong, never the less it makes your skin feel incredible.

To use I simply cleanse my skin like normal, then applying the mask, which I leave on for about 10 minutes. I then wash off the mask with the provided sponges, which are a great add on. I like using the sponges as there much softer texture on the skin to slowly remove the mask with, plus they seem to remove the mask much easier and quicker then using a muslin cloth. 

When the mask is on your face it dries fairly quick but doesn't go crumbly or really tight like some clay masks I have used. After removal my skin feels soft, refreshed, oil-free and not tight or overly dry. I use this mask once a week along with my usual skin care routine. However, if my skins feeling really stressed or congested, then mid week I just apply this to my t-zone and the Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Mask to my cheeks, which is where I tend to need a lot of hydration!

Overall, so far so good! It’s really helped to clear my pores and the odd spot that appeared. I do however have to warn, because it de-congests and clears your pores, there may be a slight chance of this mask fetching you out in a few spots after usage. However, this is purely down to the fact that it’s removing all the toxins and dirt from within your skin/pores. This has happened to me once or twice when I first used it, but they healed crazy quickly!

Naturally Active.

Not long ago I wrote a review about Liz Earle’s very handy skincare Try-Me-Kit. I was that impressed with the results that I actually asked for the full sized range for Christmas. As I’ve been using it for a few months now, I thought I would give you an up to date in-depth review about the products. I’m going to focus mainly on her moisturiser and mask, however I will include a little review about her Cleanse & Polish cleanser and her toner. The main reason I didn’t want to write loads about her cleanser and toner is purely because there are that many reviews available that we all just start to say the same thing. Furthermore, I would rather let you all know about the two products that don’t get as much hype as they deserve!

So lets begin…

Honey & Oats.

The Body Shop -

Honey & Oat 3 in 1 Scrub Mask

I’m always on the hunt for the perfect mask, one that doesn’t irritate or overly dry out my sensitive skin, however that helps revive and really cleanse my skin. The Body Shop is definitely my go to place for skin care, I really like their products, and even though some haven’t been my favourite products I can always rely on them not totally stressing my skin out to the point of no return. I picked this mask up because I wanted to try something new that would help exfoliate my skin whilst help with my large open pores, and the consultant said this would be best for that, without over powering my skin.

Fab Pore.

Soap & Glory -

The Fab Pore Mask

I’m always looking for a mask that helps tackle my pores. Anyone with large pores knows they get clogged so easily, and really need a good mask to help unclog them. A few years ago I tried this mask, and I cant really remember what I thought of it. However, I saw it on offer in Boots and as its been recently re-vamped I thought I would give it another go.

Soap & Glory state; ‘Infused with SUPERFRUIT™ YUZU and Soap & Glory’s super-active secret weapon, PORESHRINK-R™, this deep cleansing facial treatment is a must-have for any girl who wants to see less of her large pores. Use once a week for maintenance (unclogging pores, spot prevention, and face detoxing), or twice weekly if you’re battling breakouts. Guaranteed to give exhausted skin its fresh back.’

This product is basically a deep cleansing mask for blackheads, large pores and oily skin that you leave on for 5 minutes as an express treatment, or 15-20 minutes for better results. I personally apply it all over my face once a week (usually Sunday), and then apply to the T-zone/centre of my face (always over my nose and the sides where I have the most noticeable pores) midweek, as these are the areas I find get clogged much easier.

I leave it on for 15 minutes before washing it off with warm water and a flannel. As a face mask to reduce the size of pores and to clear out blackheads I actually think this does a pretty good job! However its important to note this is very much a temporary effect and your pores will go back to how they were the next day... but that is how the cookie crumbles with annoying oily skin and large pores. But for instant results I would always go for this mask over any other product that remove junk from pores such as pores strips. The reason for this is that is gives instant results while not stripping the skin, it just leaves it smooth and refreshed feeling.

The main benefits for me with this mask is that is does visibly tighten pores but it also removes excess oil, which is why I use this before going somewhere I want my skin to look nice (especially as it's doesn't leave the skin red/inflamed). Or I use this when I look at my face in the mirror and gasp at how oily my nose looks and how my head is just one big pore. I'm sure you have been there if you have oily skin, and to stop the temptation of wanting to squeeze my blackheads I pop this on.

If you are looking for an instant temporary fix for blackheads, large pores and oily skin then I highly recommend this. It won't leave your skin red and stripped like using pores strips can do but it will give a very similar shrinking and deep cleansed effect!

Cleansing Mask.

Clinique –

Anti Blemish Solutions Oil Control Cleansing Mask

What Clinique say; “Soothing natural clay-based mask helps heal blemishes, prevent breakouts and keep skin shine-free. Medicated formula goes deep to clean and unclog pores, rid skin of excess oil. In just 5 minutes, skin looks clearer, smoother, less blemish-troubled. Gentle, non-drying formula won't irritate skin.”

This white, creamy-to-thick clay mask should be applied to clean skin and rinsed off after 5 minutes.  The mask spreads without any effort and there is no burning or stinging sensation.  Thankfully, this mask does not have any menthol. I was initially surprised at the instructions to leave the mask on for only five minutes before rinsing off, but you can feel it working rather quickly, sometimes I do leave it on for 10. After washing it off, my skin felt soft and comfortable, pores were more refined, and my blemishes were less red and angry. Plus, all traces of oil (particularly in the T-zone, to my delight) were gone.

I found my skin texture and condition improving nicely. I also found that my blemishes receded and healed far quicker than they would normally, which was a lovely little side effect. Their claim about no irritation rang true for me. No blotching, itchiness, excessive dryness or flaking occurred as a result of using this mask.

So far so good with this mask!

I use it 2 times a week, however sometimes in my nose and chin look a little congested then I just put a little on those areas to help those areas. I still have loads of it left, so I’m still not sure whether I will be repurchasing it, but as long as it doesn’t upset my skin…I’m happy.

November Wish List.

You might be surprised to see that this months ‘wish list’ is a little different to last months. Unlike last months, which was all beauty. This month is a mix of clothing and beauty. The main reason for this is I haven’t really got that many beauty products that I want, therefore I thought as I have quite a long clothing ‘wish list’ I thought I would mix the key products from beauty and clothing. Plus, as someone who reads blogs, I like to see what clothes bloggers have bought as well as beauty products.

Jack Wills Selsfield Gilet

A couple of years ago I bought the Jack Wills ‘Ingliston Gilet’, which is the classic and most popular gilet from Jack Wills. However, whilst looking on their website I came across the brand new ‘Selsfield Gilet’, and oh my…its fabulous. The main difference between the two…the Selsfield version is actually a wool mix, where as the original is waxed cotton. The website describe it as a city style mixed with county robustness; which sums me up pretty well as even though I like the city, I’m at my happiest in the country. It states the gilet has a wool mix outer layer, luxurious faux fur hood (which is detachable) and duck down and feather filling. Which trust me keeps you unbelievably warm! Even though its more expensive then the original, I think after three years plus of the original, its time to buy a new one! Just to note, it comes in two colours, I want the Navy colour, however it does also come in a brown, slight checked colour, which is also really nice.

Zara Two-Sided Soft Scarf

Everyone needs a new winter scarf. I don’t always do scarves, or if I do I tend to like chunky, knitted, snood like scarves. However recently I’ve really liked tartan, therefore this two-sided scarf is just so pretty. I like how it clashes patterns, and I think it would go with most outfits. There isn’t much I can really say about this scarf because I think the picture of it says everything.

Sigma F80 Kabuki Blending Brush

Currently I’m using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, which is amazing. However, I have been reading a lot about this Sigma F80 blending brush and it just sounds amazing. Everyone who reviews it or owns it seems to have flawless foundation and say nothing but how fantastic it is. Therefore this has lead to me trawling the Internet to find out where I can pick one up from in the UK. I’ve never used any Sigma brushes before because I always thought they were really hard to get in the UK, which in a sense is true…thank god for Amazon. Nevertheless, I’m really excited to try it, and have high hopes form this brush.

Superfacialist Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask

I have heard a lot about the Superfacialist products recently. Some people really love the range and some people love odd products. The one product that really stood out for me, and that people really seem to love is the Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask. The description of this mask states: ‘clear your skin of dirt, excessive oils and toxins that lead to breakouts. Containing Salicylic Acid, which helps unclog congested skin and oil observing Dead Sea Mud which is rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron for the perfect detox facial at home.’ Doesn’t it just sound amazing!

Even thought I actually have a clay mask, which is by Origins, I sometimes find it slightly upsets my skin. However the reviews by people with sensitive skin about this mask say that even though you get amazing results, it gentle to the skin.

Dior Nude BB Crème – Shade 2

This is actually a repurchase, but never the less I thought it needed a little spot on my wish list. This stuff is incredible. I use it pretty much every day, and we’re not talking just to go to the shops. Wherever I go this is my base of choice, I even use it on a night out; it’s just that good.  I don’t really like heavy coverage foundation, even medium to heavy coverage makes me itch and tends to aggravate my really sensitive skin, my dermatologist puts it down to the fact medium/heavy coverage foundations don’t allow your skin to breath…something my skin obviously needs to do a lot. Never the less, this is a light to medium coverage BB cream with really good skin loving benefits. Its perfect for covering all those little imperfections, and with a touch of concealer helps give you the prefect naturally lovely complexion. Personally I think I’m going to be buying this for many years to come!