Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask Review

Hey lovelies, 

I've never been a major skincare junkie, but just over a month ago I noticed that my skin wasn't looking as clear as usual, so I decided to take action. I'm not sure whether it was just a hormonal thing, the fact that I'd been working full-time in the city, or my diet, but for some reason my skin just felt quite clogged up. I've been using this Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, £23 for the past few weeks and have been thoroughly impressed with it, so I thought I'd share my thoughts! 

The active charcoal in this mask is designed to draw out any dirt which may be clogging your pores, whilst white china clay helps to absorb any environmental pollutants and lecithin helps to dissolve any impurities. 

Origins recommend first using a hot, damp towel to open your pores before applying the mask. After this I apply quite a thick layer all over my face and then wait for it to dry, which usually takes around 10-15 minutes (perfect opportunity to shave your legs!). As the mask hardens, it does become quite tight, which I personally like as it feels like it is really getting into your pores and giving you a really thorough cleanse. When it comes to removing the mask, I use either a damp flannel or a muslin cloth and despite the mask being almost black, it's really easy to rinse it out under the tap so don't worry too much about ruining them. After I've rinsed it off I like to pat my skin dry with a towel and then apply a really rich moisturiser, lately I've been using the Elemis Hydra-Nourish Night Cream, £42.

Every time I use this mask my skin is left feeling really soft, brighter and most importantly really intensely cleansed, so if your skin has been looking a bit dull lately I would definitely recommend giving this a try. 

Have you tried any Origins products?

Elemis FreshSkin Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash

Hey lovelies! I have a quick review for you today on a product that i've been using a lot recently. This face wash actually came in my goody bag from the South West Bloggers Meet last month, so i've had a few weeks to try it out and I thought i'd let you know what I think of it. The Elemis FreshSkin range is perfect for me, as it's specially formulated for people in their teens and twenties.

It contains little jojoba beads, so when you massage the product into your skin you can feel it thoroughly cleansing your face and really clearing away any dirt or dry skin. However, obviously the nature of such a deep clean can often be quite harsh on your skin, so it's great that this product also contains mandarin and aniseed to help "soften and condition" the skin. Also, I always follow up with a moisturiser. In the winter my skin is at it's driest, so can look quite dull and so using a scrub like this is really essential to try and inject some radiance back into it.

To be honest i'm not overly keen on the smell of this product. There is definitely a slight cherry scent as it contains cherry powder, but it just smells a bit odd in my opinion. However, on the whole it's a great product and the smell doesn't linger on my skin at all so I don't really mind.

This face wash retails for £12, which is a little pricey but I can already tell that this 100ml tube is going to last me ages. I'm not 100% sure at this stage if I would repurchase it, as there are some great cheaper scrubs on the market and i'm a poor student (boohoo), but if you're looking to splurge on a decent face scrub i'd definitely recommend this one.

For more information on this product you can check it out on the Elemis website.

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser & Quick Thinking Wipes Review

Just before I left for university a few weeks ago, my sister gave me a voucher she had got from Boots for £5 off No7 skincare. As you'll know if you've seen my Starting Off: Skincare post, I very rarely invest in decent skincare products and so I took this as a chance to try out the No7 Beautiful Skin range The products are more expensive than my usual Olay choices, but not as steep as some high-end skincare brands. 

The first thing I picked was the No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser. I've been wanting to try out the  Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser for a while now, but at £24.75 for 200ml in comparison to the £4.95 that the No7 version cost with my discount, it was a no brainer! In the box you get a 200ml tube of product, which I can tell is going to last me absolutely ages, because you only really need one pump of the cleanser per use. It also comes with a muslin cloth, which is great as it saves you having to go out and buy one, but to be honest it isn't that impressive and a hot flannel would probably work just as well. The actual product itself however is really impressive!

I use it about once a week, massaging the cleanser over my face, then running the muslin cloth under a hot tap, wringing it out and then placing it on my face. I usually wait around 5-10 minutes before taking it off, as the muslin cloth starts to get cold and quite simply I get bored! But it is really relaxing, has a lovely scent and leaves my skin feeling like it's been really thoroughly cleaned. Personally I suffer from dry skin and it really helps to exfoliate away any dry patches and as long as I moisturise straight after patting my face dry, my skin is left feeling really soft.

When I bought the cleanser, I was actually given another £5 off voucher and so a couple of days later I decided to buy the No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes, which usually retail at £7. Now, you'd think that for £7 you'd be getting a pretty spectacular pack of wipes. Unfortunately not.

It's not that they're particularly bad, it's more that I really can't tell the difference between these wipes and the £1 packs of wipes that I usually get from Superdrug/Savers/Asda etc. Also, the Boots website claims that they're "suitable for all skin types and remove even waterproof mascara", yet when I use them to take off my eye make-up they make my eyes sting and feel slightly sore, which is strange because I don't really have sensitive skin and never usually get affected in this way by make-up removers. 

Overall, I was really impressed with the Hot Cloth Cleanser as it leaves my skin feeling incredibly clean and I would definitely repurchase it again, but I would still like to try out the Liz Earle equivalent just to see how they compare. The wipes however I have not really got on well with and I don't really think the price is justified.

Have you tried any No7 skincare products? 

Starting Off: Skincare

Hello again :)
I'm excited as this is my first post as part of the starting off project, which is a project run by Stephanie from Steph's Inside Voice, aiming to help teenage girls, or simply people new to skincare/makeup by giving tips on what we've found works best for us. There are over 120 bloggers involved, so at 6pm every Tuesday, check out the hashtag #theSOproject on twitter to check out all of our posts!

The first topic of discussion is skincare. To be entirely honest, i'm not massively into skincare products. I'm lucky enough to have never really had any problems with my skin, i've never had acne and apart from the occasional blemish my skin tends to be pretty good. Therefore I don't see the need to go overboard and spend lots of money on products to improve my skin, when it's fine as it is. However, I have found a few great (and most importantly, cheap) products, which work well for me. This is my basic, no-fuss skincare routine and for the most part, this is what i've stuck to for the last couple of years or so.

Face scrub: In the mornings I like to use a face wash to clean my face and wake me up. I love this Olay Smoothing Face Scrub (usually £2.49 from Boots) as it contains tiny exfoliating beads, which gently rub away any surface skin cells, dirt or leftover make-up from the previous day. Although the exfoliating beads make a noticeable difference, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth, this product is very gentle so can be used on a daily basis, as opposed to some more harsh exfoliants, which should only be used a couple of times a week.

Face wipes: I'm probably going to get shot by beauty bloggers everywhere for admitting this, but yes, I am an avid face-wipe user! To be honest it's primarily out of laziness. When i'm tired and getting ready for bed I don't tend to want to embark upon a massive cleansing routine. These Garnier Fresh Essentials Ultra-Cleansing wipes (usually £3.25 from Boots) easily and quickly remove the majority of my makeup and leave my face feeling fresh and clean.

Toner: I love this Olay Essentals Refreshing Toner (usually £2.99 at Boots) SO much. As I mentioned above, face wipes are great for quickly removing your make-up. However, they don't always remove all traces of it and so after using wipes I like to take some of this toner on a cotton wool pad and wipe all over my face, to make sure i've completely taken off all of my make-up. This particular product leaves my skin feeling incredibly clean and refreshed.

Moisturiser: After using toner, before I go to bed I use Olay Beauty Fluid (usually £5.99 at Boots) all over my face. This is honestly my holy grail moisturiser. It's amazing. It is incredibly hydrating and nourishing but it's biggest advantage point is that it is absorbed into the skin SO quickly. I also apply this before putting on any of my make-up and it's great because I don't have to wait around for ages waiting for it to dry. Olay also sell a slightly different version particularly for those of you with sensitive skin (see here).

Although all of these products are very affordable anyway, Boots currently have an 1/3 off offer on selected Olay skincare and Superdrug have various Olay products in their "better than 1/2 price" deal, so you can get your hands on these effective skincare products for EVEN cheaper!

PS On my nails i'm wearing Kingsland Road by Barry M!