Thirsty Skin | Glam Glow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment Review

Who doesn't love a good face mask? Having been a big fan of Lush fresh face masks for a good few years now suffice to say face masks have become part of my weekly skincare routine, however recently with life being a bit of a crazy, speeding rollercoaster I haven't had very much time to dedicate to a weekly pamper routine like I used to, and I find my face masks go out of date before I get a chance to get the full use out of them. As sad as it feels to admit, the Lush fresh face masks just aren't practical for my lifestyle anymore and so I have been on the hunt for something a bit more durable, long lasting and something I can dip into without having to worry about use by dates and mould. Enter GlamGlow.

Skincare centric brand GlamGlow are by no means new to the scene - as usual I'm late to the big beauty blogger party but hey, better late than never. GlamGlow offer a range of treatments depending on your individual requirements catering for dry, oily, combination, dull and aging skin. As I have self diagnosed my skin as being combination / dry I decided to pick up their Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment which essentially acts as a face mask and promises 'heart pounding hydrated glowing skin,' and I want me some of that!

I decided to use the treatment as an 'overnight' mask to ensure I got the full use of the product. I bought what is essentially the 'sample pot' which offers around 2 uses of the product (for the price of £14.00 from Boots) To make sure none of the treatment went to waste I applied it sparingly over my face and down my neck using a foundation brush which seemed to work quite well and I didn't get much of a build up in any unnecessary areas. I left the treatment on for 20 minutes before massaging any excess into my skin which felt like a treat - particularly when you pair it with some Netflix and teaser bunnies!

My skin afterwards felt as the pot had described, healthier, plumper, hydrated and most importantly it was glowing. The effects I would say lasted well into the next few days before dissipating and I felt I'd need another treatment as a 'top up' which so far I have resisted as I'm saving what's left over for a particular stressful week (whenever that will be!) 

As much as I did love the effect this mask had on my skin and how clean it was massaging it into my skin rather than peeling, picking and scrubbing it off, I don't think it's going to be one I'll repurchase regularly in the future. I see this as more of a treat or luxury purchase given the eye wateringly high price point of £14.00 just for a sample pot. Their larger pots come in at around £39.00 - which I could easily pay a professional spa therapist or skincare expert for a pampering facial and I'd far rather do.

Have you ever tried the GlamGlow treatments? I'm intrigued by their silver 'tin man' esque mask I've seen on Instagram lately however as it doesn't suit my skin type I'm afraid for me it would just mean wasting money for an aesthetic but I'd love to hear your thoughts on GlamGlow as a whole! Fad or worth the money? Let me know in the comments below, come share your own review with me on Twitter or if you'd just like keep up with me and see what I'm up to you can find me on Bloglovin and Instagram.

Until next time,

H.Elizabeth x

Know the skin your're in | My 8 Step Skincare Routine

Eight steps sounds like a lot but bear with me on this guys. In aid of knowing the skin you're in following Wednesdays post I thought I would share my own skin diagnosis with you and the steps I take to ensure my skin stays in tip top condition.

My skin is characterised by minimal pores, flakiness and dry patches on my cheeks with the occasional feeling of tightness when I use chemical rich products, meaning my skin is dry and quite sensitive.

1. Gentle daily make up removal
No matter if I'm blind drunk, sick as a dog or more tired than ever I will always take my make up off before bed - really Armageddon could be pending and I'd still be removing my make up. I use a gentle cleansing balm by the body shop which you can read more about here, and when I'm feeling super motivated I'll pop a warmed, damp cloth over my face to open up my pores.

2. Exfoliate weekly
Admittedly I'm an over exfoliator, I like nothing more than the polished feeling a rough exfoliator gives you but ideally you should exfoliate once a week to avoid damaging and scraping your skin. As my skin can be quite dull I use a vitamin C scrub from the Body Shop again to give me a bit of brightness. I usually do this in the shower as it tends to get a bit messy!

3. Cleanse daily

Foaming cleansers usually aren't the greatest for folks with dry skin, but I'm happy to say I have found one that works for me by all natural brand Arbonne. Their calm range is specifically formulated for people with my skin type and I use the Calm daily cleanser in the shower every day. I often switch my cleansers around and use Angels on Bare Skin by Lush which is one of my first loves in the cleansing world, which you can throwback to my review of by clicking here.

4. Moisturise twice daily

In keeping with the all natural, specifically formulated for dry skin theme I again use the Calm daily moisturiser by Arbonne though I do switch it up every now and again to some by Lush as my skin can get used to a product after a certain length of time and it'll just stop working 

5. Eye cream twice daily

Well eye gel! I use a cooling eye gel by the Body Shop which helps eradicate any puffiness I have (particularly in the mornings) and is also much gentler on the skin than any other moisturiser I have been known to throw on there. I'm thinking of soon investing in an anti aging cream for my under eyes simply because you can never start too young and dry skin tends to age at a faster rate than oily skin (bummer!)

6. Facial Oil twice daily
Following my moisturiser and eye cream I'll dot oil on both cheeks and down my forehead and rub it all over my face. This helps the skin absorb moisture that bit better and gives me a healthy glow. I love the Oils of Life facial oil by the Body Shop but I have also been known to dabble with some Neals Yard oils too.

7. Sleeping Cream every evening
This is something I have only just started dabbling in but it's a great addition to my night time routine. I'll rub this in circular, upward motions on my face and my neck and it just gives your skin that extra little boost before bed. Every morning I wake up and I'll still continue with my usual cleansing and moisturising but this just helps my skin along the way.

8. Weekly face masks

As you could probably guess, Lush are my favourite when it comes to face masks, I'll tend to buy one a month and use it every Sunday when I enjoy a bubble bath or even when my skin is feeling particularly run down. My favourites for dry skin are the Love Lettuce exfoliating face mask and the Oatifix hydrating mask.

Of course in addition to my skincare routine I also have a few make up tips and tricks that keep my skin looking and feeling great however I'll save that post for another time.

Thank you so much for stopping by to read my updated skincare routine, hopefully you have discovered some amazing products from this or learned a little something about caring for your own skin and I apologise for eliminating an entire readership of oily faces! If you have any skin saving products for dry skin you think I would love be sure to leave your suggestions in the comments below, come share them with me on Twitter or if you'd occasionally like to see my face be sure to follow me on Instagram and Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, know the skin you're in!

H.Elizabeth x

Face Off with the Body Shop | Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

Who doesn't want to slather butter all over their face on a nightly basis in the name of beauty? To be quite honest as a former 'fat kid' that's kind of my idea of heaven and thanks to the Body Shop my dream has become my reality, now I've just got to tick off giant edible gingerbread house and I'm all set for life (another job for the Body Shop?) Move over micellar, get out of the way cleanser it's all about balms, butters and basically the ability to melt your face off.

As you guys perhaps deduced from my last couple of posts my beauty routine has had a serious ice bucket challenge wake up call through these last few weeks. This is namely due to my shameful overuse and abuse of make up wipes which dried out my skin so badly that my face looked worse than nuked (yes nuked, not naked) Superman (comic / movie geeks know what I'm talking about!) And what would you know, the Body Shop held the answer!

I'm sick of Micellar waters, and I'm so over using a separate eye make up remover, it's costly and I always feel like I'm wasting so much product, not to mention damaging the skin around my eyes with rubbing! Enter the Camomile Cleansing Butter. The product retails at £13, which at first I thought was a bit expensive, but I have been using this for a couple of months now and I've only just hit pan! It comes in a 90ml round tin, smells divine and is designed with all skin types in mind. So there's no need worry if you're excessively dry, overly oily, extremely sensitive or you're just a hoverer like me, the forumla is designed to be gentle enough to suit everybody, and bonus, it can be used to remove all types of make up, that's right even waterproof mascara!

To remove your make up you rub your fingers into the product to warm it up and get a little on your hands, and you basically rub it all over your face and melt your make up away. Now at first I got in SUCH a mess, honestly I looked like I was set to go to war or I had just come back from a day of chimney sweeping, needless to say this was not the smokey eye look I was going for! But all of the trauma is short lived when you wash it all off in the sink and marvel at just how much product you had on your face that day. There's something that is just so satisfying about seeing how much make up you've had on your face all wash away in the sink (not so much when you think of how much it all cost though!)

What I love about this product is that it has made something I used to consider a chore a more enjoyable experience and it's so so quick to do it honestly takes less than a minute, and eye make up? GONE completely. My skin isn't dry anymore, it isn't red or rough from constant rubbing with pads, it feels much softer, and after using this product it smells fantastic (not that my skin had a particularly unpleasant aroma before!) I highly, highly recommend purchasing the Camomile Cleansing Butter at least once in your life I implore you people, and if we're friends IRL come to my house and give it a go!!!

I hope you have enjoyed yet another peek into my new updated skincare and beauty favourites, if you'd like me to do something that's a little more specific for example a look into my skincare routine, a look inside my kit at my go to skincare products then please do let me know in the comments below. Otherwise you can catch me on the usual channels Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and of course the blog on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, butter me up boys!

H.Elizabeth x

All About That Base | Smashbox Hydrating Primer Review

You ever get so much like a work of art that your face just cracks? Don't worry guys it's totally chic, just check out the Grecian temples, right? Well as shabby chic and so on trend as it may be for interiors and decorative purposes it may not have the desired effect on your face, but until a couple of months ago it was the look I was rocking almost all day every day. I fiddled and prodded my products, foundations, powders, setting sprays, you name it I had it, and it wasn't until a very fortuitous visit to Smashbox that I found my tried, tested and above all trusted primer simply wasn't doing the job anymore.

Now if you have been to Smashbox you'll know the choices they have on offer, colour correcting, pore minimizing, blemish control, and my new personal favourite, hydrating. The hydrating primer is blue in colour and is of a significantly runnier consistency than my previous photo finish primer, which is something I found quite difficult to adjust to, particularly because you need to treat it like an extra stage in the moisturising process as it takes a while to sink in to your skin.

The forumla, like previous Smashbox primers is oil free, lightweight but the difference with the hydrating primer is that it is tailored to dry, dull skin types. Smashbox credit this unique primer quality to Hydraplex which is an extract derived from desert plants - which is just as well because my skin can get as dry as the Sahara  especially in winter.

Since pairing this with my usual moisturising routine and using my trusty fresh nude foundation I haven't noticed any breakage, cracks or even slippage, something I was initially concerned about as the foundation does take a while to sink in to my skin. Not only does the primer help keep my make up in place all day but also helps me achieve that dewy, fresh complexion I covet so highly, a rarity in a product with the sea of mattified to the max faces I seem to see these days!

At £28 the primer is on the pricey side but lasts such a long time if you're careful with the tube that is! Now I won't lie, I have had a few accidental premature moments where the forumla has gone across the room and I've been frugally scraping it from the mirror / carpet / cat but if that's the only problem I have had then I'm happy to endure!

Well ladies and gents, I hope you enjoyed this wee tale of how I beat my mosaic face, have you ever suffered a case? What products do you covet as a dry skin sufferer, I'd love to hear your suggestions and reviews in the comments below, come share your favourites with me on Twitter, or of course if you'd like to see more of my non matte, non dry, dewy, fresh face you can keep up with me on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, feeling dewy and funky fresh.

H.Elizabeth

Lush Skincare | Imperialis Facial Moisturiser Review

 

It was the rainiest day in the history of the world when I ran soaked through to my bones into my local Lush store, and at 5.25pm no less (5 minutes before closing; sorry again guys!) desperate for some skincare goodies and a bit of skin TLC. Recently my face has been a nightmare of immense proportions, after suffering a cough an cold for a good two weeks my nose has been rubbed raw and my face seems to have broken out in that hellish rash again, leaving me resembling the unsexy side of the Phantom of the Opera. Lush were the answer.

I came away with a good couple of products, one of my favourite fresh face masks (which I hope I don't forget about again!) another bubble bar and finally my current skincare favourite Imperialis which the lovely lady helped me pick out, and if you hadn't guessed happens to be the subject of todays post.

The Imperialis moisturiser is known as one of Lush's great all around products that is a treat for your face whether you have dry, oily, combination or even scaley skin and if I'm going to be totally honest the tipping point of my purchase was the scent, it is divine, though I have been struggling to put my finger on just what the smell I'm drawn to is, I have a hunch it's the lavender or the cocoa butter but stay tuned!

And if the scent wasn't enough to draw me in I just had to take a peak at the ingredients, with balancing properties such as lavender and lily petals, soothing elderflower and throw that in with the olive oil, shea butter and orange flower absolute, I was sold, and couldn't wait to see what the shea butter would do to my skin. The pretty pale pink formula is a bit heaver than the Enzymion which I used throughout the summer last year, but my skin drinks this stuff I'm never left sitting with an oily face for very long and afterwards my skin feels so silky smooth and hydrated though because it is still quite a thin consistency and my skin is very dry I do sometimes need a bit more than one coat which is a bit of a downer give the price tag of around £12.50 per pot.

Throughout the interwebs I have found a lot of people have broken out using this moisturiser, this isn't something I have found personally thus far but it's something to consider if you're thinking of giving this a go, and I'd steer clear if you have a lot of allergies or have particularly sensitive skin, but as I'm sure you can tell I've found this months match at least and hopefully this will save me through the remaining winter months!

What are your favourite lush products? Or do you even have a recommendation for other similar moisturising products that might save my scaley, dry, phantom esque face? Be sure to leave everything in the comments below, come be a pal and share them with me on Twitter or if you'd like to keep up with my own reviews, recommendations and rambles be sure to follow Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, off to tune my organ.

H.Elizabeth x