Glamglow Mud Mask

Hi there,
Now there has been a lot of hype about the Glamglow masks of recent. I first heard or read about them about three years ago in some review or you tube review, and thought my god they sound amazing, I have to try that out! So I went online and purchased a small jar of the Glamglow mud mask, the exfoliating mask, the black one! That was suppose to be an all rounder of a face mask! It claimed to exfoliate, clear up any breakouts or prevent them from happening and also to plump the skin for a more youthful complexion.

So when I tried it I didn't expect much, as a lot of the hype around products don't live up to their reviews, but this beauty did! The mud mask is an exfoliating mask, so it can be pretty abrasive, so you guys out there with sensitive/reactive skin like myself be careful. I wouldn't be very heavy handed with this one when washing it off your face.

So the method goes that you apply it onto your skin ,wait for it to dry then wash it off, like every face mask out there, but with this one, there is exfoliating particles inside so when it is dry after ten minutes, you dampen your skin and gently massage the mask around and then wash it off. I use a facecloth as it's the easiest and quickest way to get it off.

I found with the mud mask that it did plump my skin and did help with open pores and oiliness and stops breakouts but because my skin is quite reactive, it stays red for a couple of hours, but once it settles down, it feels fantastic, not brighter but a lot smoother and the effect stays for about a week or so.

I have to say that in conclusion, I do like the mask but I don't think it's the best thing for my skin, I actually give it to my best friend to use as hers is a bit tougher and more dryer than mine, and she absolutely loves it, and her skin does look a lot better than mine after she uses it. I just find the results are only lasting a week and not long lasting and not making a big difference to skin overall.

There are other products in the glamglow range, and there are still more being produced, I haven't tried all of them, but if any of you know me, you know that I will definitley get my hands on them and be trying ALL of them out.

This mask is quite pricey at €49.90 for 50g, so to be completely honest, I don't think it warrants that price tag for my skin needs anyway. It can be purchased in Brown Thomas or Space NK and Feel Unique which has free delivery, and is becoming available in a lot of beauty salons across Ireland.

Space NK
Brown Thomas
Feel Unique

Darphin Aromatic Purifying Balm

Hello again,

Years ago when I first starting working in beauty salons , I worked with a french brand called Darphin. To be completely honest I wasn't amazed by the products, especially the ones that had lots of claims to mattify and plump and all this business, I never noticed a difference in my skin from using any of the products except for one and that was the Darphin Aromatic Purifying Balm.

This is described as an overnight detoxifying treatment! The description of this reads "targeted for skin prone to imperfections, its 12 Essential Oils formula clarifies and promotes pure, healthy-looking skin, helps visibly reduce imperfections and rebalance skin's appearance for a more even complexion". It says that it is recommended for oily skin.

The consistency of it is like a very light balm, it comes in a jar and when you take some out with your fingers, it does melt quite quickly, not into a liquid but just softens I suppose so that it is easily applied onto the face and neck. It can feel a little bit greasy on your skin, but I wouldn't rub it in completely, I would leave a little bit just sitting on your skin. I always felt I got a better result when I left it sitting on my skin for a bit longer, rather than applying it straight on, then going to sleep, so half of it ends up on your pillow! And your pillow doesn't need overnight detoxifying!

So when you wake up in the morning your skin looks fantastic, the colour tone is evened out so any redness has disappeared, your pores have shrunk in size so that they are barely visible and if you tend to wake up with an oily t-zone this stops it! If you do have breakouts or even just the one or two spots they are much improved, the redness and inflammation tends to be taken out of them when you wake up. It's honestly like waking up with a new face! I used to and still do find it brilliant , f I had something important on the next day or if I had been up late or lets be honest out drinking, this stuff will make you look a million dollars the following morning! It really is like an overnight facial! Your skin is left brighter and feels very soft and smooth, even dark circles and puffiness under your eyes are reduced! 

But from using it over the years I have found other uses for it as well, it is brilliant for any sort of dry or chapped skin and lips, and also for cold sores, I have some friends who get plagued with them, and I have given them a little bit of the balm to try as a last resort sort of thing, and it cleared them up within two days, which even myself I was surprised about. 

Now you can use it every night if you wanted to but it is only 15ml for a whopping €55, so I wouldn't use it every night, just for when your skin needs a pick-me-up or when you have something you want to look really well for! But all in all this little balm is incredible! It is deemed as one of Darphin's hero products and it lives up to it's reputation. 

Now it comes in 15ml and it's priced at about €55 to €60 depending on where you buy it. Online is going to be cheaper obviously but only by a couple of euros. 

www.feelunique.com - €57.20 / £42.50
www.spacenk.com  - €58 / $70 / £44