REN Glycolatic Radiance Renewal Mask

This is one of those posts that has been in the wings for ages now, I picked this mask up well over a month ago but it'd been out for a while and I had other things that I'd been blogging about and it just got pushed to the side a bit.

so my absolute first impressions of this mask was "feels like thin jelly, smells like herbal tea", which isn't exactly the best first impression I've ever had about a product. So I must admit as excited as I'd been to try this product, I had my doubts from the second I put it on my face. It's one of those gel consistency masks that feel a tiny bit like you're spreading lipgloss all over your face. I'm more of a standard clay mask type of girl when it comes to problem fixers but I love the Oskia Renaissance Mask so I persisted. 

It left my skin feeling soft and smooth if ever so slightly dry, however I'm happy to overlook the slight dryness on the grounds that I always go in with an oil after I've done a mask. The killer for this product is the smell. It's the kind of mask that I could only use when I'm laying in a particularly fragrant bath as it offends my nostrils. I'm aware that the effect that a product has on your skin is the bottom line but if it can smell nice it should.

My final verdict is: I'll finish it. It's not my favourite but it's nice enough for me to use until I finish it but I can't see a repurchase on the horizon. If you're fussed about scent like I am and you're happy to invest a little more money into a mask of this type the Oskia is similar in effect but smells amazing and I'd go for that over the REN.

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.

February Favourites

This month I've been testing out new products like a mad lady so quite a lot of my usual products have found themselves being neglected. However in light of this, I've found some real gems that I'm incorporating into my routine on a regular basis.

Firstly is the make-up things, I've already spoken about the two base products on here before but I just wanted to touch back and really hammer my love for them home. I picked up the Maxfactor FaceFinity Foundation Primer from Boots a while back and though I've used others in the past and even recently have been trying out some more pricey options, I think this one still comes out on top. It's basically the glue you need to keep your foundation on all day.

With that I've been wearing the Loréal True Match Foundation, I have the shade "N1 Ivory" which is the most perfect colour match for my skin tone I've ever found on the high street. In addition to being a better colour match for me, it's a little lighter in coverage than my usual Revlon Colourstay and it's a little more satin-y in texture which works better over the Maxfactor primer as I was finding that things were looking a bit flat when I wore a matte foundation over a mattifying primer.

I've also stopped being a lazy-bum when it comes to moisturising, the winter in England is getting a bit harsh on my skin and I've been finding that my usual Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter just wasn't cutting it so I've been relying on their The Righteous Butter instead and it's made a world of difference to my skin.

I'm still religiously using and loving the Colorwow One-Minute Transformtion Styling Cream that I talked about in my "The Mother of all Goodie Bags" post. Incase you didn't catch that post it's basically a creamy texturing gel and I put a tiny blob through the ends of my hair to give it a bit more of a lived in look.

Another one from that post is the Jurlique Rosewater Hydrating Mist which has become my go-to evening second toner (so and exfoliating toner and then this) and it's just lovely. I spray around 3-4 sprays onto my skin before eyecream/serum/moisturiser and it's just very calming and hydrating on the skin. Smells lovely and provides a bit of slip for my serum afterwards. Love.

And finally, we have the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel, oh my. The texture is amazing, the smell is amazing, even the packaging is amazing. I just love it. It's slightly smoother on the skin than the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm, although I do still love that one too. The mask from this range is also really nice, but I haven't used it enough to call it a "favourite" just yet. I've been using the cleanser most nights as my second evening cleanse and it really gets on with my skin and has left me eager to try more from the range.