Tata Harper Glow On Demand Set Review

Tata Harper is a brand that I've been interested in trying for ages now but this it being a pricier brand I was waiting for a sample kit that really spoke to me and the Glow On Demand Set did just that. While they have had the Tata's Daily Essentials Set on Cult Beauty for a while now, and you get to try a lot in that set, it was the cleansers I was itching to try and that kit had more "other" skin care bits to it. So when the Glow on Demand came out, I practically jumped for joy.

The set contains 4 travel minis: the Purifying Cleanser, the Hydrating Floral Essence, the Regenerating Cleanser and the Resurfacing Mask and it also contained a sample of one of the Volumising Lip and Cheek Tints which I got in the shade "Very Naughty". The travel mini's are all 15ml and come in substantial-feeling glass packaging that definitely feels sturdy enough to travel with and are all able to be re-filled, so if you really like them you can buy the full sizes and decant into the these bottles for travel which I think is a nice touch.

The Regenerating Cleanser is one of those exfoliating cleansers with the grainy particles in it. The actual formula of the cleanser is a very fluid, creamy liquid that's easy to work into the skin and the exfoliating particles are very fine and not overly abrasive. This one has a lovely orange-zest type scent to it which is refreshing during use but it doesn't seem to linger too long once you're done with your skincare routine.

I'd pin this as a morning cleanser because of the scent and the fact that you can't really use it for makeup removal because the exfoliation - it's not a cleanser I'd use too close to the eye area. I personally remove with a hot, damp wash cloth but I can't see any reason why you couldn't splash it off with water. My skin feels clean and soft after use but I'd be careful with it if you're prone to breakouts, simply on the fact that it's a manual exfoliant which can spread bacteria from existing breakouts all over the face.

I was really excited to try the Purifying Cleanser and it really didn't disappoint. This one is more of a gel cleanser but I don't lather with it. I use it as an evening cleanser after makeup removal or it makes a nice AM cleanse as well. Again this has a citrus-y orange-type scent to it but there's more of an earthy undertone with the scent on this cleanser.

It goes onto the skin like a gel and is one of those cleansers that almost melts down into an oily texture when you work it in to the skin. This is another one that I prefer to remove with a wash cloth but I have splashed off with water whilst traveling and that works too, I just feel like you don't get the same feeling of "ooh, my skin feels so clean and smooth right now" because you don't get the added exfoliating from the flannel.

The Hydrating Floral Essence is nice if unnecessary. It has a very subtle sweet rosy scent to it and it feels lovely and refreshing as you spray it on the skin. It does leave a bit of a glow on the skin and does add a layer of moisture into your routine but ultimately one of those princess products that's an add on. While I do like this product it's definitely not a "must have product". If budget is a concern for you, spend your money on a good cleanser, a great serum, a sturdy moisturiser and a mask that's tailored to your specific skin concern before you start looking into products like this.

I loved the Resurfacing Mask. It's a cooling gel texture that feels silky on the skin and it's an exfoliating mask that really leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth once I've removed it. The rose scent is lovely and it doesn't leave my skin crying out for moisturiser on removal like some exfoliating masks do.

My one thing with this mask is that I can't help but draw parallels between this one and the Oskia Renaissance Mask, which is another one of my favourites. That is also a rose scented, gel formula exfoliating mask, although that one does feel a little more firm in the pot than the Tata mask. I'm struggling to see much difference in them, and while the Oskia mask is £48.50 to the Tata's £44, the Oskia contains 50ml and Tata only gives you 30ml. At the end of the day if you already like one of the masks, you'll probably like the other, but the Oskia does seem to be more affordable per ml.

I haven't really formed a solid opinion on the lip and cheek tint yet. It's not really a shade I'll wear on my cheeks with it being a bright red and the format is a bit fiddly for me for use on the lips (give me a traditional tube-format lip product any day). I don't even particularly find myself drawn to the shade all that much, it's a sheer poppy redand I much prefer the look of say the Benetint Lip Balm or something like MAC Luster Finish Lipstick in "Ladybug".

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.