Summer Skincare: Facial SPF's

So as the heatwave continues in the UK I've lined up some tips for upping your skincare routine to accommodate the higher temperature - that's right, we're talking about SPF again.

1. Apply a good layer of a high factor SPF to the face. I personally always wear SPF on my face (even in winter) since I'm really fair skinned. I'd normally reach for a factor 10-15 but in the summer months I never go lower than factor 45 on my face and my favourite is the Kiehl's Ultra Light UV Defence. I'm sure I don't have to go on about why I up my SPF in the summer months, but it's especially important for you if your skincare routines involve any products which contain retinols or chemical exfoliants.

2. If you're wearing makeup in the sun (which a lot of us will be - the sun will still be out when you're walking from the car park to the office and so on) find touch up products with SPF in them. If you're not the type to reach for powder products frequently, I'd just top up with another thin layer of SPF tinted moisturiser. For those who like a matte finish, there's actually a good number of SPF face powders on the market these days. For product suggestions I would recommend Benefit's Hello Flawless Powder Foundation SPF 15 and Esteé Lauders Double Wear Light Stay-In-Place Makeup SPF 10.

3. If you're really concerned, just try to keep your face out of the sun. All kinds of hats have come back into fashion recently, from caps to big rimmed sun hats, so it's easier than ever to keep your self out of the sun. It's recommended that you try to avoid being in direct sun between around 11pm-4pm as this is when the sun tends to be strongest.

4. So these last two tips are less about avoiding getting burnt and more to do with how SPF can wreak havoc on your skin if you're not using it properly. Firstly, use an SPF that is designed to be used on the face. In the same way that it's not ideal to use your body lotion as a facial moisturiser, SPF body oils and lotions aren't formulated to be ideal for the more delicate skin on your face. If you want to know everything there is to know about SPF I'd recommend you head on over to this video that Caroline Hirons did with Marko Lens of Zelens.

5. And finally: remove your SPF properly. A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that SPF products break them out, and they will if you don't take the time to properly remove them. I always double cleanse if I've applied any products with SPF in to make sure my skin is completely clean before I start with my evening skincare routine and I only ever have problems if I get lazy with my cleansing routine.

If My Skincare Stash Disappeared...

When it comes to skincare, I think we can all agree, I'm somewhat obsessed. I have a bathroom cabinet that's practically overflowing with cleansers, a whole drawer dedicated to masks and enough serums, oils and moisturisers to last me a few years at least. I'm starting to cut back a bit on my obssesive collecting and it got me thinking - if I got rid of everything and had to start again, what would be on my shopping list?

Cleansers

In my cutting down I managed to get this down to three. As much as I absolutely love a lot of cleansers - seriously, I may have t dedicate a whole post to my favourites. The absolute have-to-have-it list is just these: the Una Brennan Vitamin C Brighten Cleansing Oil (shock horror), the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel (surprise surprise) and a more recent love in the Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser.

I wanted each of the products in this list to serve a specific purpose and I feel like these 3 work different enough to earn a spot in my hall of fame. The Una Brennan is a liquid consistency and is the product I reach for to remove makeup more often than not. I love the Oskia gel for a morning cleanse or a second cleanse post-makeup-removal in the PM. While the Tata Harper is a more recent purchase, I've nearly used up my travel mini and have a backup ready for when it's finished (and when you have as many cleansers as I do, that's a big deal). I'd been shying away from manual exfoliators for such a long time but this is nice and gentle but leaves the skin so soft and smooth, and the scent is so lovely.

Toners

I've pin-pointed two toner-step products that are must haves for me and, again, I don't think they'll be much of a surprise: For an exfoliating toner my pick is the Pixi Glow Tonic, it's effective and affordable. Enough said. I also love the La Roche Posay Serozinc since it's got anti-bacterial properties but also doubles up as a refreshing spritz since the mist is so fine. I think that both of these work equally well in the AM or the PM and they can be used together or separately. I have used lots of more expensive toners but I genuinely think these two are the ones I reach for the most and that they're the ones I'd be repurchasing once I've worked my way through my current beauty stock room.

Serums/Moisturisers/Oils

I've let myself have a few options here since I like to switch things up a bit. For AM, I love the Indeed Labs Hydralyron serum, the Clarins Lotus Facial Oil and the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream. I've spoken about Hydralyron on this blog so many times now but it's still a firm favourite for an affordable hydrating serum. My Clarin's Oil has been another one I've been quite consistent with, it's a good quality oil and it doesn't break the bank as hard as others that I enjoy and the scent is so refreshing in the morning. Then the Charlotte Tilbury cream is just lovely under makeup, I couldn't use it everyday since it's quite a rich cream and my skin isn't dry enough to warrant using this constantly but it's great when I do reach for it.

In the evening, I just love using the Esteé Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum, another product that I've chirped on about before. It's a thin jelly-ish texture and it just fixes your skin, that's all I can say about it. Although the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil is a very recent addition to my skincare stash, it's such an SOS saviour of a product that I know I'll be going back for more once I'm out. Finally, while the Indeed Labs Fillume moisturiser isn't something I talk about much on the blog, I've been using it for a while now and it's such a good night cream, it's really plumping on the skin and makes you wakeup looking fresh.

Empties: Round Five

We're very much about using up things here at JodieMayBeauty HQ so, without further a-due, here's all the products I've used up over the last few months: part five.

Bath & Body

I feel like we need to talk shower gels, because oh my have there been some used up around here lately. I have a full sized Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash which I'd definitely buy again, I love how massive these are and the pump-style packaging is so handy, whilst they aren't the most lather-y of shower gels the scents make up for it and the Sugar Crush scent is my absolute favourite.

I've got a 50ml mini of the Therapie Boost Hair & Body Wash and a 30ml mini of the L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel and I feel the same about both: the scents are amazing, and they're not stripping at all, but for the price, the lather just isn't there for me. You end up using so much product on each use because the formula refuses to lather so I on't be picking up more. Finally I've used up a 50ml mini of the Rituals Zensation Organic Rice Milk & Cherry Blossom Foaming Shower Gel Sensation, which I love. I've already bought a full size, the scent is amazing, the lather is lovely, it doesn't strip the skin and bonus: the packaging is lovely.

Another product from Rituals I've used up lately is a 70ml mini of the Fortune Scrub Invigorating Body Scrub. I didn't like this as much, the scent was fine but it wasn't quite scrubby enough for me. I've also finished a packet of the Serenity Dead Sea Bath Salts, I got these in a Birchbox a while back and it was hard to use them up a I don't really think they do anything: much prefer the Neal's Yard ones or the Therapie ones (they also seem to no longer be stocked on Brichbox's website).

For the boring bits I've gone through a Mitchum 48hrs Unscented Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant Stick and a Dove Original Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Spray. I think next time I'm going to go for a Mitchum spray as the Mitchum formulas work really well but I'm moving away from roll-one lately. And my final body product is the Soap & Glory Heel Genius Foot Cream. I think we're all aware by now that it;s my favourite and that I have backup upon backup of the stuff. 

Haircare

Not a whole lot for haircare this time around, but we do have both a full size and a mini of the OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Conditioner (which means I haven't done an empties since at least November - no wonder it's a mammoth one!). This is just my go-to repurchase-it-pretty-much-every-time conditioner now. I also finished off the L'Oreal EverStrong Reinforcing System Body & Strength Shampoo - same deal here, I'm not too fussed about which shampoo from this line I pick up but it's always from the Ever-Something range. Love that they're SLS free and this one gives nice volume.

A haircare product from L'Oreal that I wasn't so sold on was the PureColour Radiance Enhancing ystem Dazzling Colour Refreshing Mask. I just don't think it did all that much except make the hair a bit shinier than some things - but there's plenty of conditioners that are easier to use that do the same thing.

Makeup

I'm sure no one is surprised that I've managed to polish off two more compacts of Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder, need I say more on this stuff? It's been the only powder I've used for a solid year now. Love. I've worn an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner Pencil in "Zero" down to a little nub. I prefer the "Perversion" shade that I'm currently using just because it's more of a true black.

The L'Oreal Lumi Magique Highlighting Pen was nice but was very similar to the New Look one, which seems to be a bit cheaper, so I think I'll go for the New Look one again next time. Similarly I've finally used up a bottle of the Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray but I don't think it doesn't anything more than the setting spray L'Oreal brought out recently.

And my last makeup product is the Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara - which did nothing for my lashes and was near impossible to apply without getting it on your eyelid or poking yourself in the eye. The brush had really long stiff bristles on one side and really short little nubs on the other side, such an awkwardly shaped brush.

Skincare

I've got quite a few single-use face masks in my empties this time around, the first one being the H&M Charcoal & Volcanic Soil Single Use Mask (only available in store - sorry!). This range of masks come in little 10ml pods so nice for travel but a bit wasteful in terms of usability - I feel like 10ml is enough for 2 applications but the packaging won't keep the product for enough time once opened to use it again. Other than my packaging gripe I really like these - I find this mask in particular to be a lot like the Origins Clear Improvements Active Charcoal Mask so if you were thinking of picking that up maybe try this first.

I've also tried the Superdrug Superfruits Exfoliating Mask. This one sets down on the face like a clay mask but has scrubby particles so as you rinse it you get a bit of exfoliation, I'd use this again. I've tried two masks from Nspa recently, the Deep Cleansing Mud Mask and the Radiance Boosting Mask, I did a review on these masks *here* and I don't really rate any of them, love a lot of things in the Nspa range but these masks are just so harsh on the skin.

I've managed to use up my Sainsbury's Vitamin E Cleansing Lotion, and while it wasn't anything special, it does the job. It's gentle on the skin and it's fragrance free so good for sensitive skin and it's a decent cleanser - I just have things I prefer so won't be picking up another. The story is pretty much the same for the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, I used up a 20g mini of this and it's a decent cleanser, but not something I'll be repurchasing as I prefer other things.

I wasn't sure if my 25g mini of the Neal's Yard Frankincense Nourishing Cream was supposed to be for your body or your face a first but I looked into it and it's definitely a face cream. I feel like this is another one of those "it's nice but not nice enough" reviews, I enjoyed using the cream and the effect on my skin was nice, but I have other things at the moment and I'm not really missing this at all.

I got a 10ml tube of Clarins Extra-Friming Tightening Lift Botanical Serum and that is lovely, I'm trying to get through some other serums that I have in my collection right now but I can see myself picking this up again eventually. I've also worked my way through my La Roche-Pasay Serozinc which I already had a backup of in my collection and this is just one of those have-to-have-it products.

My final product is a bit of a weird one, I had a single-use sachet of the Derm Eyes Makeup Remover Wipe that I got in a Birchbox and I really couldn't make up my mind on just the one use. These are little individually wrapped pre-moistened makeup remover wipes and they sound like a great idea for festivals and things like that but they're £9.50 for 12 wipes so really not an affordable product. I just feel like I didn't have enough to go off with it and have really been enjoying the Olay Daily Facials Cleansing Cloths which are considerably cheaper.

February Favourites

Another month down and it's been a good one for new discoveries. I have quite a few things to talk about this month so lets get right down to it.

I'll start with one that's possibly a bit obvious: in my post about the new releases to the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani line, I made my feelings towards the Lipsticks in that collection pretty clear (click here if you missed it!). I have gone back and picked up the shade "Rock Steady" (resisting hard on the other shades - surely buying them all is a little extreme?) but it's the shade "Firebird" that really has my heart. It's an awesome deeper bright pink and it's super comfortable and so unique and my other lipsticks have barely had a look in this month. Seriously, love.

With a bold lip I've been going for something a little less in-your-face on the eyes and I've been gravitating to the Love of Colour One and Done Shadow Stick in the shade "Champagne Problems". I got this in my Birchbox this month and LOC is an in-house brand at Birchbox and let me tell you, these shadow sticks aren't messing around. They're £8 each and they're pigmented, long lasting, creamy eyeshadow sticks and you'll be hearing more about this brand in an upcoming post. My only complaint? There's only 2 shades available in the UK right now - LOC, please release more!

Another Birchbox win this month was the Spectrum Collections Tapered Finishing Brush. This brush retails for £7.99 and it's a really lovely brush for contouring the cheek bones. I love that it's so colourful and even though it's only £7.99 full price it feels really sturdy and nicely made. For those of you that want vegan friendly, cruelty free brushes these are also synthetic bristle brushes.

Ive been getting back into using setting sprays. I went off them because the only ones on the market were a bit up there in price and for me they didn't do an awful lot - Ive had the Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray in my collection for years. On a recent trip to Boots I saw that the L'Oreal Infallible Fixing Mist had come over to the UK and it was in my basket before you could say "setting spray". I'm still not sure if it's doing much for the longevity of my makeup but it does make my base apply a little nicer as it gives some slip and I've been using it every day since I got it.

And finally? Hair masks. I've not been into hair for ages but I'd been wearing it up off my face a lot for a few weeks and noticed the ends were feeling a bit brittle and not as soft as they normally are. Depending on how much time I have in the shower I've either been reaching for the Swell Ultimate Volume Masque or the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer in the "Geranium & Neroli" scent. I personally prefer the effect of the Philip K option, it's a bit of a faff having to dampen the hair, put the mask in and then leave for 5-10 minutes before shampooing but the effect is great.

Balance Me Congested Skin Serum

Some people like to find a skincare routine that works for them and stick to it. Me? Not so much. I've been trialling a lot of newness (or at least new to my skincare stash-ness) lately and one of the things I've been playing with for a little while is the Balance Me Congested Skin Serum. So I figured I'd let you know how it's been working for me.

So this product is a little confusingly marketed, my first thought was "ooh, a serum for £16, that might be a nice budget product for the blog"! Upon it's arrival I noticed it was only 15ml of product which pushed it more into the mid-range price bracket, and then upon reading the packaging, it doesn't seem to be a serum at all, it's a spot treatment.

So confusion aside, it seems to be reasonably priced compared to higher end spot treatments (Origins Super Spot Remover is £15 for 10ml, Benefit Boo Boo Zap is £14.50 for 7.4ml for comparison). The packaging is also quite nice, it's a hard-plastic tube with a pump on the top. The pump doesn't pump out too much product and it keeps things nice and sanitary which is exactly what you need on a spot treatment.

The actual product is white in colour but goes clear and colourless as you press it into the skin. It has a thin, slightly gel-like texture to it which absorbs into the skin fairly quickly. As I've mentioned this is intended to be a targeted spot treatment which you just dab directly onto blemishes, but the formula isn't at all stripping and I see no reason why you couldn't use it all over the face. I myself have used this as an all-over serum and didn't notice any dryness or dehydration at all, and I find even when used all over the face that it sits well under makeup and won't drink up liquid foundation.

I found the scent on this serum/treatment really pleasant, it's a nice sweet citrus-y scent that will wake you up a bit if used in the morning. I didn't notice the scent lingering on the skin too long after application and it's not at all over-powering for those of you that are sensitive to fragrance. However for those with sensitivities I will mention that the formula does list some ingredients like essential oils so if that's something your skin doesn't like this might be one to skip.

Other than that I think this is a nice product - I personally prefer it as a serum than a spot treatment but if it's a spot treatment you're looking for, this is a nice gentle one that might be worth a try.

The Build Your Own Birchbox Event At Selfridges

Firstly - a quick apology as this means there's been two posts about Birchbox this week - worry not, there is no sponsored posts going on here. I genuinely loved my February box enough to blog about it and I only found out about this event on Tuesday night this week and it's ending soon so I wanted to get the post up ASAP for you so no one misses out.

The first Birchbox X Selfridges event is being held at the Manchester Exchange Selfridges in Manchester's city centre, the event here ends on the 21st of February, so you have until next Sunday to get yourself down to that one to participate. If you do miss it don't worry, Birchbox are holding a second Manchester event at the Trafford Centre Selfridges between the 20th of March and the 9th of April and they'll also be visiting the Birmingham branch of Selfridges between the 29th of May and the 11th of June.

When you get there they give you an empty box and a tick list which tells you to pick 1 product out of each of the categories. The category boxes are broken down into two labeled "makeup", one labeled "skincare", one labeled "body", one labeled hair and one label "bonus" and each category is split into 4 sections, each containing a different product. So it's not a "pick any 6 products" which I'd have preferred, I personally would have picked two skincare, two body, one makeup and one bonus for my box if there'd been no restrictions.

Hopefully the range of products available is the same at each of the events (I'm planning to attend the Trafford Centre one to check and will update if this isn't the case). At the Manchester Exchange event you could choose from the following samples:

Makeup:

Benefit They're Real Lash Primer

Jelly Pong Pong Caribbean Sun Duo Bronzer in "Martinique"

LOC One & Done Shadow Stick in "Perfect Cents"

Laura Mercier Kohl Ey Pencil in "Black Violet"

Lord & Berry Couture Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in "Black"

Mirenesse Glossy Kis in "Cheeky Kiss"

Pop Beauty Eyeshadow Trio in "Peach Parfait"

Wild About Beauty Lip Pencil Duo in "Fiona or Mia"

Skincare:

Absolution L'Eau Soir Et Matin

NUDE ProGenius Omega Treatment Oil

Huyges Le Gommage Visage Exfoliating Cream

Sarah Chapman Skinesis 3D Moisture Infusion Mask

Body Care:

Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser

Bliss Lemon + Sage Body Butter

Korres Santorini Vine Shower Gel

Rituals Honey Touch Body Cream

Haircare:

Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturising Shampoo

Macadamia Professional Moisture Shampoo in Nourising, Weightless or Ultra Rich

Parlour By Jeff Chastain Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray

Percy & Reed Reassuringly Firm Session Hold Hairspray

Beauty Bonus:

This Works Sleep Plus Pillow Spray

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

Regenerate Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste

Birchbox Key Ring (Selfridges Event Exclusive Item)

So a decent enough selection and a lot of the products are great. The build-your-own-box is £15 compared to the £12.95 that a normal box would cost including the shipping so it is only £2 more than a normal box. It's also nice to see some more luxe brands like Sarah Chapman, Laura Mercier and This Works included as this box is slightly more expensive.

The main thing that I couldn't help but notice was how many of the products I thought "I'd pick that, but I've already had it in a box before". I've been a Birchbox subscriber for a year now and prior to this event I'd already had 9 of the 24 products and I've had another one in a different shade in a box as well. It would have been nice to see more products that we'd not had in boxes before for existing subscribers.

Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum

I've been holding onto this product for a while before I did a review - if for nothing else just for the price. This serum is £66 and while I've been dipping my toes into more expensive serums there are some great serums you can pick up on more of a budget. I picked this up after Caroline Hirons mentioned it being worth picking up (surprise, surprise) but I actually picked it up in Duty Free on my trip to Amsterdam to save myself some money. So lets have a look.

The texture on this is interesting, it holds together like a gel when you pump it out onto the back of your hand but when you try to spread it across your face it feels very liquid and has almost a watery silicone type slip to it. It does attract and lock in moisture on the skin and feels great. The little bubbles in the bottle burst as you pump the product out so it's completely smooth on the skin - I was a little surprised that it wasn't at all lumpy or bumpy as your spread it across your skin.

The Hydra Beauty Micro Serum has the same scent as a lot of the other products in Chanel's skincare range. If you're really sensitive to fragrance you might want to keep it in mind that it is present in this product. It has a slightly perfume-y sweet scent that is pleasant and not what I would call over-powering.

The packaging isn't my favourite. The pump is nice and sturdy and the lid is reasonably secure. The bottle is plastic so with all of that in mind, I can see it being good for travel. However for the price of the product, it doesn't feel overly luxurious and I feel like the packaging it designed to trick the eye into thinking you get more product than you do. The bottle is rectangular but the product is actually contained in a cylinder inside of the bottle so there's excess packaging. Aesthetically it's nice but it does beg the question are Chanel trying to make it look like a better deal?

All-in-all, I wanted this review to end in a "is it worth your money?" and if I'm honest, I'm not sure it is. Don't get me wrong I do really like it and I've enjoyed using it and it makes my skin feel great. However with the cheap feeling packaging and the lack of any seemingly expensive ingredients, I do think the price is steep.

The M&S Beauty Advent Calendar (Days 1-4)

So to kick of another little festive series on here (don't worry, the last two installements of the gift guides are coming!) I've decided to share what I got in my Beauty advent calendar. Every Monday until Christmas Day I'm going to be revealing my weeks worth of beauty goodies, so lets get going.

So day 1 of the M&S beauty advent calendar was the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Geranium and Neroli. This actually featured in my Stocking Stuffers Gift Guide (clicky link here) and it's a nicely scented version of the original Elasticizer hair mask which is a pre-shampoo treatment. It's meant to treat damaged hair and is suitable for coloured hair but I personally have always found pre-shampoo treatments to be a bit of a faff so this wasn't my favourite.

Day 2 brought me the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, now this is something I can get behind. As a nail biter I really struggle with the skin around my nails, especially in winter, and this has been nice to keep on my desk at work and rub into my fingers every now and again. The product is a solid balm that melts into an oily texture that isn't sticky on application and I have no trouble typing whilst using it. It's nicely moisturising and the smell is also lovely.

I've been a fan of Cowshed body creams since my first experience with their "Blissful" scent so I was excited to see that door number 3 housed a generously sized bottle of their Grumpy Cow Uplifting Body Lotion. The texture is light and absorbs quickly but is still nicely hydrating and the scent is really nice as well.

And finally for this post, day 4 brought me the Pür Volume Vixen Mascara, which I'm sad to say I'm really not a fan of. The brush is massive, the formula is just too dry, it does nothing for my lashes. I've come to enjoy a worn-out damp mascara these days because they have enough about them to build on themselves without taking ages to set, and I prefer a smaller bristle or a rubber wand. So this ticked none of the boxes for me which is a shame. Check in next Monday to see what days 5-11 bring.

Supermarket Skincare - The Skin System For ASDA

Last time I did one of these "Super Market Skincare" posts, I found a couple of nice products that I'm still using and enjoying to this day that were super affordable. With that in mind I figured it would be a good idea to bring it back and scour a different supermarket for another exclusive, affordable brand and let you know how it fairs, and today we're looking at The Skin System range from Asda.

The Skin System range is quite bitty in terms of product selection, there were a couple of products for a dryer skin type but only the oily skin type range offered a serum or moisturiser so I gave that sub-range a try. The products in the range are super affordable at £1-£2 a product and you get a good amount of product in there too. I also think the packaging for the range is nice with a colour coding system, green for their "Tea Tree" range, pink for the more nourishing range and they also have products packaged in blue which seem to be radiance enhancing.

Naturally, the first product I picked up was a cleanser and the one I chose was the 3 in 1 Mask, Scrub and Cleanser, the range did offer a foaming cleanser but it contained SLS so I promptly put it back on the shelf and went for something else. The 3-in-1 cleanser contains glycerin as a main ingredient and also has salicylic acid in which are both ingredients that my skin get on with and the 3-in-1 claim intrigued me. The product also has a light minty fragrance which isn't overpowering during use.

If you're intending to use this as a cleanser, I'd apply it to a slightly damp face as it's a bit too thick in consistency to work into a dry face and this would be your exfoliation step as well. I mainly use this as a second/morning cleanse because the scrubby particles make it no good for removing makeup. To use as a mask I'd use it exactly the same way but leave it to set before removing, it will dry down on the face like a clay mask. I think this cleanser would be best to maintain blemish free skin rather than get rid of spots you already have, the scrubby particles will just spread the bacteria in any current spots around your face and potentially make the acne worse. That being said, as a relatively spot-free person, I've enjoyed using this product and will continue to use it.

The second product I tried was the Overnight Blemish Serum. Again the product contains salicylic acid but a notable mention on this one is that the alcohol content is high, it's got the nice light minty fragrance that the 3-in-1 cleanser had, but you can smell the alcohol content coming through. The product is cooling on the skin but does leave a sticky sensation on the skin which doesn't completely disappear even after applying a nourishing oil over the top.

Also, the packaging on this product recommends that you "Apply a thin layer cleansed face or affected areas, avoiding delicate eye area", which is not something I'd do. Due to the high alcohol content, even when used under and oil and a moisturiser overnight it left my skin so dehydrated that my skin would drink up the moisture in my foundation the next day. If you are going to us this product, I'd recommend targeting your application to blemishes.

Finally, I tried the Light Mattifying Moisturiser. The glycerin and salicylic acid in this product are a little further down the ingredients list and I found this the most difficult to give a fair review of. The light mint fragrance is nice and the moisturiser has a lovely cooling sensation on application but for me the hydration levels weren't enough. I think the product would be great for it's targeted oily-skinned users but even those with combination skin will more than likely find this to not be quite enough for them.

Disappointing Products: High-Street Fails

I'm not a massive fan of the typical "disappointing products" posts as they can be a bit negative and obviously everything in beauty is subjective and just because I didn't like it, doesn't mean you won't. So this isn't a post of me saying "I hate this product, don't buy it". It's me saying "This is a product I may or may not use or enjoy, but I was disappointed with it BECAUSE...", and in giving my in depth opinions, I hope I can help you make your own decision on whether or not it's something you'd want to give a go.

A quick one because I mentioned this in my review post last week is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation. I use this a lot and I love the coverage it gives, it's actually a beautiful coverage and the finish looks great in pictures and I'm really not knocking it in terms of it's appearance. That being said, when you see "25hr lasting finish" on a foundation bottle, you expect it to be a least somewhat long lasting and, for me at least, it's just not that product. Maybe it's not intended for my skin-type or maybe there's something I'm doing wrong with my application, but for me, it needs a mid-day touch up as it deteriorates in my t-zone by lunchtime.

Mascaras always make it into disappointing products posts it seems and the one I've been really unimpressed with lately is the Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara. It doesn't seem to do anything for my lashes at all except tint them. I have quite straight, short lashes so I need a mascara that does it all really and this one just didn't seem to do much.

And finally for makeup: the New Look Pure Colour Eyeshadow Pencil. I've been trying out a lot of shadow sticks lately and for me this works more as a sticky base if you wanted to go in with a powder shadow after applying. The colour is beautiful and it applies nicely, but it seems to blend out to nothing and even afew applying a few layers, it still looks sheer. It's a shame because there's lots of products in New Look's line that I've heard great things about and the concealer in the line is amazing, but these were just a bit of a miss for me.

A couple of skincare bits that I wasn't much of a fan of are both exfoliating products interestingly enough, the first being the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Serum, firstly, it's heavily scented and I really don't get on with the fragrance in the product. That aside it just didn't seem to do much for my skin. It's the only exfoliating serum I've tried so maybe my skin just prefers a manual or liquid exfoliant but Nip + Fab do some amazing glycolic pads so the serum was a bit of a disappointment by comparison.

The last product I wasn't such a fan of was the Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser which is a 3-in-1 product that is basically an exfoliating cleanser. I used this quite a lot when I first got it and really enjoyed it, but I tried to come back to it recently after not using it for a while and my skin seems to have gone off it. It leaves my skin feeling red and irritated and I think it's just a little bit too harsh.

KIKO Do Face Masks

I've been dying to get my hands on some KIKO products ever since I watched Lily Pebbles tutorial where she used one of their eyeshadow sticks (conveniently placed link: here). So a few weeks ago I made an order and while I haven't managed to form an opinion on everything I picked up just yet (watch this space) I picked up a few bits from their skincare range and I thought I'd let you know what I thought.

While the packing is a little bit basic I do think they look quite nice for a budget mask and personally, I like it when budget brands don't get too fancy with their packaging - for me it says that the company have spent money trying to make the formula of the product as good as they can make it rather than spending money trying to tart up a product to the extent that they have to sacrifice the quality of the product. I also like that the colour of the packaging relates to the colour of the product, so if you get the mask in the green bottle, the mask itself will be green etc.

I thought I'd found a fail-safe product in their Hydrating Mask, I've tried lots of different hydrating masks before and while I don't love them all, I find that generally even the not so great ones get on with my skin quite well, but this surprised me. Firstly, it's quite a thick, creamy formula, a lot heavier than hydrating masks I've tried in the past and it has a tingle to it that I really wasn't expecting. The mask also has a light floral scent to it that is pleasant, but for me it does seem to be artificial and I actually found it to irritate my eyes quite a bit which has never happened to me before. It sets on the face after about 10 minutes of wear and then you remove with a damp wash cloth. For me it just wasn't hydrating enough and I think there are much better hydrating masks out there.

I was quite intrigued about the Peeling Mask, firstly because I haven't used many of them in the past but secondly because it has a AHA warning and my skin loves a good acid exfoliating product. Again it applies like a thick cream and set down like a clay mask before removal. The scent on this mask is a non-offensive florally scent that didn't cause any irritation on my skin or my eyes. This one also has a slight tingle to it but I didn't mind it because I expected that from an AHA-based mask and it left my skin feeling smooth, soft and nicely hydrated.

And finally I picked up the Purifying Mask. This one seemed like a really good pick as, again, it has an AHA warning on the box. For an AHA based product it didn't have much of a tingle but it did leave my skin feeling silky soft and, as it contains glycerin, it wasn't as drying on my skin as some other purifying masks I've used in the past (I'd still want to go in with a serum, oil or moisturiser over the top though). As well as the AHA's it also has a slightly grainy texture to it, soft of like little grains of sand suspended in a creamy formula which can feel a bit odd to apply. The only thing I wasn't massively keen on with this mask was the scent, it's quite a herbal scent that, for me, kills the luxury/relation feeling of a pamper routine just a little bit.

All in all? A mixed bag, I'll definitely use up the Purifying Mask and I really enjoy using the Peeling Mask so that might end up being a repurchase in the future. The only one that I really didn't get on with was the Hydrating Mask.

No7 Beautiful Skin Overnight Revitalising Eye Balm Review

So recently I've been looking for a nicer eye cream to add to my skincare stash. Since hitting 22 I've noticed that the skin around my eyes has become a lot drier than it used to be back in my teenage years and I'm beginning to feel the need to use more preventative products on my skin as I slowly creep towards 30 *sigh*.

My friend has super-dry, super-sensitive skin and she uses the No7 Beautiful Skin Overnight Revitalising Eye Balm and so I gave it a try and it's lovely. It's a clear gel consistency that sinks in quickly and feels nice and hydrating for a night-time eye cream option. With it being No7, it's nearly always on offer in Boots and at under £15 for 15ml, it's much cheaper than some other eye creams I've tried.

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel - Revisited

It's no mystery at this point that I love Oskia's Renaissance Cleansing Gel, the non-foaming gel formula that melts into your skin like a balm, smells amazing and leaves your skin feeling oh so soft. "So Jodie" I hear you say, "why do you need to revisit this cleansing god/goddess of a product?". Because my lovely reader, it recently passed the super-ultra-sensitive-skin test.

So one of my good friends came to stay with me last weekend, we lived together for a year during my last year of uni and she's a skincare nut like me. Unfortunately for her, she has the most sensitive skin I've ever seen; eczema, dry patches, psoriasis. You name a sensitive skin issue, my girl has had a go.

With that in mind we have our skincare chats, "What are you using?" "Have you tried *product*?" and I managed to get her to try out my Oskia. Obviously having such a sensitive skin she's cautious about spending a lot on untested products but I figured it was the kind of texture that her skin would get on with. She did a patch test on her hand and after 10 minutes decided it was worth a try on her face and she was instantly impressed. After massaging it in for a good 5-10 minutes, she finally removed and was almost immediately on Cult Beauty and Space NK, budgeting for a bottle of her own.

So in addition to all the raves this product has previously recieved, it can now add "preferred cleanser to super sensitive skins, even over prescribed products" to it's list.