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

Neom Bath & Shower OIl

As you all know I am a big fan of baths and of the brand Neom. So the other day I was browsing through TK Maxx and I discovered the Neom products on the shelves just sitting there! I couldn’t believe it, I felt like I had just spotted a €50 or €100 note on the shelf, even glancing over my shoulder to see that no one had spotted it like me! I didn’t care what the price was I just grabbed it, you never know with TK Maxx who’s going to swoop in behind you and snare the goods out from under you’re nose! 

  

So the price for the Neom Bath & Shower Oil originally is €48 for a 100ml bottle in Brown Thomas and I bought this one in TK Maxx for €16.99 and the recommended retail price on the box is €39.76. No I do know that Brown Thomas do bump up their prices a little bit compared to other stockists. 

I have never tried the Neom Bath & Shower Oil before, I have tried the Jo Malone Bath Oil which is beautiful, but I do find it’s not that strong a smell, it doesn’t last in your bath and it claims to be moisturising but I never found that, but I still like it regardless. It still makes your bathing experience a relaxing one! 

So I was very excited to try out the Neom bath oil, as I was so impressed with the body scrub. So I set up my bathroom with my candles and filled my bath with a cap and a half full of the oil, and swirled it around and let the bath fill up! It didn’t have any impact on the water, no milkyness or anything like that!
But when I got in, it was amazing, now I'm not exaggerating but the water felt like silk, it was like getting into a new pair of warm clean pyjamas! And the smell was so relaxing, very floral with lavender undertones but not very heavy or overwhelming at all! The smell lasted throughout the whole bath as well, not fading once! And when I got out, there was no need to apply a moisturiser afterwards, my skin felt so soft and smelt great as well. So handy not having to do the whole body moisturiser thing, it's something I always hate to have to do!

I really enjoyed this product, and I found that I didn't need to use any other products in the bath with the oil, whereas normally I would use a few lush bath products as well as a bath oil. But you can totally use this on it's own in the bath and still have a very relaxing experience.

So all in all, another product to make a dent in your bank balance! But it is a really nice luxury product to treat yourself with especially if you enjoy baths like I do and it will last you a long time as you get a 100ml bottle and really only need one and half cap full per bath. So all in all this is a gorgeous bath product and it makes my bath experience one of the best and I am a fussy bath person, but this definitely helps me unwind and relaxes me and also washes away all the stresses of the day, physical and mental! So I hope you treat yourself and enjoy!
Links below.

www.tkmaxx.ie
www.brownthomas.com
www.neomorganics.com

Kevyn Aucoin Eye Pencil Primatif

Hello again, me again with another lovely review for you! I wasn't very familiar with Kevyn Aucoin products, until I bought the sensual skin enhancer, which is fantastic. That was the only products I ever bought or ever heard about until one Christmas when my mum bought me a few bits from the range. I received the eye liner primatif and other lovelies. I tried them all out immediately and fell in love with them especially the eye liner.

The price for the eye liner is £21 or €33 and it is available in Harvey Nichols in Dundrum and Space NK on Grafton St in Dublin city centre.

I received the eye liner in December and have only just bought a second one now in September, which to me I find amazing for the durability of an eye liner that I basically have been using every single day since I got it!

What I love about this eye liner is that it's durability is fantastic, it lasts all day, which for me is a working day, 8am to 8pm! It has a smudger sponge applicator on one end and the eye pencil on the other, which means you can have a nice smoked out eye or just a simple nice subtle line of liner. It sharpens perfectly, none of that breaking or sharding away of the pencil. It will also fit any make-up sharpener, so no need to go and buy a special sized one! I still have a tiny knub left of the old one which I will still use until it has completely disappeared! So all in all It's a definite stable in my make-up bag!

www.harveynichols.com
www.spacenk.com