Review of Liz Earle’s Brightening Treatment Mask
Wanting to give my tired skin a pepping up I tried out Liz Earle’s Brightening Treatment Mask.
”…whenever you feel in need of a pick-me-up you can depend on this quick-fix treatment to come to the rescue in just a few precious minutes”
My skin has been its trademark dull self of late so this product was a perfect fit for the bill and I was excited to see if it could live up to its hype.
It’s a really stimulating mix of natural, active ingredients and therefore you should only leave it on for up to 2 minutes, avoid getting the mask to close around the eyes and lips and Liz Earle say as a precaution they do not recommend it for sensitive skin types. If you do have sensitive skin I would say Liz Earle is one of the most gentle skin care brands on the market and a great idea would be to first purchase this product in the 15ml size to see how you get along with it, it is super-duper affordable at only £4.85 and a great travel size!!!
If your skin isn’t too sensitive the 50ml pump starter kit is great value, it comes with a muslin cloth and only closts £13!
I was dubious when I read it contained white clay as my skin is dehydrated and clay products are usually too drying.
I noticed on application this product had a nice natural aroma not over baring at all. It is quite a thick white cream that spreads easily.
I put the mask on my clean dry skin for just under two minutes, the mask dried and tightened surprisingly quickly and there was a slight tingly sensation. The mask sweeps away easily with the muslin cloth and water.
I could actually see a difference! A more even appearance and a definite glow/fresher complexion.
I think this is a great pick me up and I will be reaching for it whenever I see a grey reflection in the mirror!
A great regular product for those with normal to oily skin.
My skin is dehydrated and sluggish/often dull so I found this really helped wake it up and left my skin feeling deep cleansed. I think it would be too drying for me to use regularly at the moment but during the hotter months when I am using a lot more products ie heavier spf, moisturisers and self tan I think this will be really good for a regular deep cleanse.
Following up from my recent bridal posts this would be another great skin care product in the lead up to your wedding to get your skin at its best.
Naturally active ingredients
- Otherwise known as pro-vitamin B5, this B vitamin is necessary for the normal functioning of the skin and has a moisturising effect. It also helps stimulate cellular renewal.
- This light emollient oil produced from almond kernels helps keep the skin soft and smooth.
- Witch hazel is a deciduous shrub or small tree. Its other common names, winterbloom and snapping hazel illustrate its unusually late flowering period and its explosive bursting seeds that can be ejected as far as 20 feet away from the plant. Naturally rich in tannins the distillate produced from witch hazel has a mildly astringent effect, helping to tone the skin.
- This natural ingredient is rich in mineral salts, such as calcium, iron and magnesium which help achieve fresher, firmer looking skin.
- The gel found in this cactus-like plant’s fat juicy fronds contain active ingredients to help cool, soothe and soften the skin. Aloe vera has been used for more than 6000 years to treat a variety of skin ailments, including sunburn, blisters and burns.
- This super-fine powder helps absorb excess sebum on the skin and draw out embedded impurities.
- Camphor oil has an uplifting and stimulating effect on both the skin and the mind. Extracted from the evergreen camphor tree, Cinnamomum camphora, Chinese camphor is traditionally considered to be the best quality.
D-panthenol
Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis)
Witch Hazel Water (Hamamelis virginiana)
Green Mineral Silt (Silt)
Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis)
White Clay (Montmorillonite)
Camphor Oil (Cinnamomum camphora)
Like this:
Lush demonstrate how to MAKE their products!
Hey beauty lovers!
If like me you have always salivated at the chilled table that houses Lush’s gorgeous array of “so good you could almost eat them” hand made cosmetics you are in for a real treat!
LUSH staff will MAKE their own beauty products right in front of your eyes in stores nationwide on Saturday 28th August.
For 1 day only the shops nationwide will be making their very own beauty products, demonstrating how fresh and natural their lovely products really are!
You can even join in to make your own to purchase! I will be there stocking up on gorgeous fresh beauty products as well as taking all the tips I can get to help me make my own home beauty products.
Get down to your local Lush shop on Saturday 28th August
Review- Can it be? A brilliant natural mascara
Greenpeople Volumising Mascara
My eyes are sensitive and weepy; practically any aggravator causes them to stream- cold, hay fever wind. Therefore I’ve always been open to natural eye products and cosmetics but natural mascaras don’t bear well in my book.
I don’t want parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates and even mercury(!) running into my eye if they water!
Finally I have come across a good natural mascara free from the nasties.
Greenpeople Volumising Mascara is a black EcoCert certified organic mascara. (Certified as vegetarian. Not vegan due to beeswax content.)
This mascara created much more volume than I would have anticipated. Previously the natural mascaras I have tried have coated the lashes in a heavy coat of smudgy, colour which didn’t really aid to volume and length but this is very light and really stretches the length out equally to its mainstream competitors which use artificial fibres and other ingredients.
BEFORE - My tired naked eye (I think my next review will be dark circle cream and eye drops!!)
AFTER
Look at what 2 coats can do- No clogging or flakes, I could have got a more natural effect but I wanted to show you what a strong effect this natural product could achieve
After a full days wear, really very little difference, no smudging or flaking at all. If I was going to be totally anal- tiny fall in volume and a teeny bit worn away but practically perfect
7 hours later- My eyes look a lot more tired… but this is no reflection on the mascara!! The mascara is in pretty good shape!
After a full days wear- really very little difference, no smudging or flaking at all. If I was to be totally anal- tiny fall in volume and a teeny bit worn away but practically perfect!
I was impressed in how it applies; fine, weightless, buildable layers that volumise and DEFINE.
The brush doesn’t look like anything impressive, quite dated in appearance but it really did the job on me. My lashes are long but fine and this mascara was great for them.
The formula claims to moisturise eyelashes with Shea butter and lengthens and thicken with sweet almond oil I will update this if I notice any improvement in condition with prolonged use.
“This organic mascara is made without Mercury, Formaldehyde, Parabens, Petrochemicals, Phthalates and Synthetic Colorants to bring you the purest mascara that nature can offer.” www.greenpeople.co.uk
My lashes felt flexible and fresh all day and removed quick and easily.
It cost £13.99 which I thought was really competitive for quality ingredients, it’s made and packaged ethically which confirms that it is possible to make quality products like this ethically with out compromise in price, ingredients or principles.
Review O’sucre natural products I LOVE 100% Natural Shea Butter
I’m thrilled I began this series of natural reviews; this small change in my beauty regime is causing a snowball effect- encouraging me to take healthier life style choices daily 
My most recent review is the most glowing so far!!
I received a bundle of products from O’sucre Natural Cosmetics.
Never judge a book by its cover! The company have extremely humble branding, very affordable prices and totally basic packaging. I’ll be honest I didn’t expect such amazing results.
The base of O’sucre’s products is intensively moisturising 100% pure Shea Butter. Shea Butter has many uses and is used to hydrate skin, even skin tone and fade blemishes
My favourite products-
100% Pure Shea Butter
.JPG "100% natural Shea butter")
I’m now completely converted to natural Shea butter as a body moisturiser!!
I was so surprised when I opened the lid of this moisturiser. A thick, fluffy white cream was inside. It was dense and slightly matt looking, very different to the wet, fluid texture of many lotions and thicker than any butter I have previously tested.
It was totally unscented.
When you rub in the product it breaks down instantly to a deliciously rich butter. There is only one ingredient in this super hydrating product- No unnecessary chemicals- parabens, over powering perfume or preservatives just rich hydrating Shea butter. I would use this on my whole family including my young daughter as well as my clients as I know there is small likelihood of unexpected reactions to this single ingredient in comparison to the rocket fuel list in some expensive “wonder creams”. It is a great mens product as it doen’t have a feminine smell.
“Known to be very beneficial in treating skin conditions such as Eczema and Psoriasis, as well as for use on Stretch marks and blemishes, it’s an all round ‘miracle’ butter.”
‘Soft As Silk’ Shea Lotion
.JPG "Soft as Silk")
This is a Shea butter based lotion. It’s a lot thicker than many lotions and much more effective as a moisturiser than others I have used but quicker to rub in than the butter.
The lotion was slightly scented but not over whelming or unnatural, it reminds me of the scent to Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream.
It left my skin feeling incomparably soft, there is an oily finish to the skin which eventually sinks in and would give a beautiful glow in photographs.
The only other product which has given my intensely dehydrated skin this effect is baby oil so I am delighted to get this feeling with out the heavy mineral oils and unlike mineral oils this cream does eventually absorb.
On O’sucre’s web site there is a section called morish moisturisation and it couldn’t be a better description, my skin felt so great, so soft! I’d buy this product in bulk to sustain this baby soft skin feeling.
I’d love it if O’sucre also made a hand and body cream in a tube that I could put in my bag to hydrate my hands, elbows etc
It was indulgent, if I was treated with this (£5.99) natural moisturiser in a health spa I’d be really impressed and expect it to have a much higher price tag.
Other ingredients include Coconut and infused Almond oil, Cocoa butter and essential oils-
The down side to these products? They take quite a while to sink in to the skin even on my dry as a dessert skin although it does eventually absorb.
I didn’t like the packaging of any of the products, this is at my personal taste and the price of these products is super value and there is no reflection to fancy packaging and I am happy to have more humble packaging and keep the costs in the ingredients, I just think it’s a shame that these products may be overlooked by what’s on the outside.
There was a slightly gritty feel to these products which is often the case in natural products where oils may solidify at near room temperature. I think it’s a small price to pay for pure products.
I love natural Shea and am converted. This is a product I hadn’t expected getting hooked on but will definately be ordering more of!
Lily Lolo new product launch
soft, smudgy, natural eye liner
Lily Lolo: New product announcement –
Launching 8th March Natural Eye Liner It has been confirmed that mineral and natural cosmetics brand Lily Lolo has found the perfect 100% natural eye liner formula. Having spent several months perfecting the eye liner base, Lily Lolo is now delighted with the finished product and has announced 8th March as the official launch date. After a product 
test giveaway, brand follower Vanessa said: “The pencil texture is really nice, applied easily and looks great. The pencil is soft enough to go on smoothly but not too soft that it smudges off easily.” The pencils are in fact beautifully soft and smudgy, with great staying power. They’ll glide onto your lids really easily and are great for smudging to achieve the smoky eye look. Containing both vitamin E and C with antioxidant and protective properties, the eye liners are an absolute must have for your makeup bag at only £7 (trade £3.50), available from http://www.lilylolo.co.uk/ Available in four shades, black, brown, khaki and blue; the eye liners will officially launch alongside the new look Lily Lolo website in early March but are already available to salons and independent stockists across the UK. The pencils add to an already highly sought after collection, as products initially designed for a niche market have become mainstream with the increased consumer demand and trend for natural products.
Tried and tested- Organic Glam Loose powder
I recently received some products from The Organic Pharmacy; a fabulous one stop shop for natural goodies- if you’ve not visited a store I’d highly recommend a trip to any health conscious shoppers and lovers of natural cosmetics and products!
Organic Glam Loose powder
I must admit when I saw the words “Matt Powder” on the packaging I didn’t get excited. I’ve tried out 101 mineral powders, powder foundations and translucent powders. I didn’t expect much excitement in this product.
In fact I LOVED this fine loose powder it has an unforeseen and totally innovative, illuminating skin finish! I love the packaging of these products; I find many natural/healthy products don’t have packaging as luxury as the product inside but the packaging for Organic Glam is extremely sleek and stylish.
The powder’s Matt in the way it absorbs oil and oily shine, there is no high shine/sparkle but do not get this confused with a conventional some times lifeless mattifier. This mineral powder has an illuminating skin finish which is much more refined than many other products that give this promise. -I have noticed this from mineral products, I believe it is because they are so finely milled and there are fewer ingredients. Light reflecting particles soften the appearance of fine lines whilst antioxidant vitamins A, C and E help to limit the damage done by free radicals
You can apply the illuminating powder after Foundation or on its own to the face, it also adds a lovely glow to the decolletage.
It comes with a cute powder puff but I personally prefered a powder brush for this product.
On the down side quite pricey at £33.95 for 5g but I would buy it again as a small amout really goes a long way and the finish is so refined.
Whats in it?
INGREDIENTS- MICA, ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH, NYLON-12, OCTYLDODECANOL, LONICERA CARPRIFOLIUM (HONEYSUCKLE) FLOWER EXTRACT, LONICERA JAPONICA (HONEYSUCKLE) FLOWER EXTRACT, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ACRYLATES/CARBAMATE COPOLYMER, RETINYL PALMITATE POLYPEPTIDE, ABSCORBIC ACID POLYPEPTIDE
Some pictures and descriptions of the ingredients-
Mica
Corn Starch
Octyldodecanol, (no picture available)
A long-chain fatty alcohol, which has the appearance of a clear liquid. Often very used in moisturizers and lotions. Its emollient and lubricating properties create a smooth feeling, Octyldodecanol helps to form emulsions and prevents the oil and liquid components of a product’s formula from separating.
It also acts as an anti-foaming agent, helping reduce the tendency of products to produce foam when they are shaken.
It is also rarely used as a solvent and fragrance ingredient.
Octyldodecanol has been known to cause irritations, but it’s very rare.
LONICERA CAPRIFOLIUM- Honeysuckle
Tocopheryl acetate, also known as vitamin E acetate (quote from Wikipedia), is a common vitamin supplement with the molecular formula C31H52O3 (for ‘α’ form). It is the ester of acetic acid and tocopherol (vitamin E). It is often used in dermatological products such as skin creams.
Tocopheryl acetate is used as an alternative to tocopherol itself because the phenolic hydroxyl group is blocked, providing a less acidic product. It is believed that the acetate is slowly hydrolyzed once it is absorbed into the skin, regenerating tocopherol and providing protection against the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
(quoted from Wikipedia),
Retinyl Palmitate Polypeptide is a water soluble formulation of Vitamin A.
Ascorbic acid polypeptide is a water stable, soluble form of Vitamin C, which can penetrate the outer layers of the skin.
