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  • Dirty Fresh Cosmetics Over The Rainbow Bath Bar

    Cooler temperatures in the UK at the moment are very much welcomed by me. Feeling hot and sweaty all the time morning, noon and night, is not fun. Right now I can enjoy my bathing routine, relax and unwind, without continuously wiping away a sweat moustache or mopping up a dripping hair line. So is it time for a bath time treat? Oh yes I think it is! I couldn’t resist using Over The Rainbow Bath Bar by Manchester based Dirty Fresh Cosmetics. It costs £3.99, but I bought this earlier in the year when there was a special promotion on the website.

    Dirty Fresh Cosmetics Over The Rainbow Bath Bar

    What’s a Bath Bar?

    I think a bath bar is similar to a bath bomb, just in a bar shape! Like most bath bombs, these should provide colour, fragrance, and create an enjoyable bathing experience.

    What does it look like?

    I love the look of this! The thing I find with bath bombs, fizzers, bubble bars etc, is look wise they need to be eye catching. They have to grab my attention and the better they look, the more chances it has for me to buy it. And what I like about this is it’s not intricate in look but attention grabbing it is! Rectangular in shape and quite chunky (8.5cm in length, 5 cm in width and 3 cm in depth).

    Its made up of 3 block colours of a pinky purple, blue and orange. Each one layered on top of one another, in a handmade, natural, rock forming kind of way. On the top it’s green but with little multi coloured dots on it made up of the same colours as the other layers of the bar. Who wouldn’t want to use this in the bath??

    Fragrance.

    I didn’t get much of a scent from this. What I did get was slightly fruity and creamy. Do bare in mind I’ve had this bath bar hidden away for months, which may have affected the fragrance and it’s strength.

    In the bath.

    Wow! Talk about fizz, whirl and pop! As suggested on the website, I filled my bath with warm water and then popped the bath bar on the top. What it did was show what the meaning of bath art really is. It fizzed as soon as it touched the water. And with that fizzing action, streams of colours were released from it forming it’s own rainbow. All the colours featured in the bath bar before it went into the water was what was visible, purple, blue, orange and green. Absolutely stunning!

    No bubbles were created, just a little foam as the colours came out due to the bath bar’s fizzing action. And once the colours had settled, the water itself turned into such an inviting, shade of emerald green which was unusual and very Loki like!

    Still didn’t get much fragrance, only slight, but this didn’t bother me as I was enjoying the bath itself way too much. It was relaxing, and provided me with the perfect time to read my book!

    On the skin.

    My skin has been a little strange of late. Generally fine on the body, but the most recent heat wave in the UK has made specific areas raised, and incredibly itchy. Thanks to a steroid cream, lots of moisturising and cooler temps, its in such better condition. But it’s still something that I’ve been cautious with when it comes to what it comes in contact with. And this has created no issues at all. No irritations, no drying out the skin or anything!

    Recommended?

    For the look, size of this (130g, great amount of bath bar), how it looks in water and how gentle it was on the skin, it’s a definite yes! Price wise, if you were to get something similar from a well know bath bomb shop on the high street, this would cost much more. So great value and affordable. What I would want to do is get another one of these and use straight away, just to double check the fragrance. If the fragrance is stronger, then I’m buying these in bulk!

    Fancy having this bath bar pimp up your bath time routine? Visit Dirty Fresh Cosmetics to grab your bar here now.

  • Primark’s CBD Clay Mask

    I’m sure the first thing people think about when the department store Primark is mentioned, they think of clothes. Totally understandable! They are well now for their affordable fashion items for men, women and children. But these days when I think of this store, I think of different things. Homeware, home fragrance and skincare! They don’t seem to have a massive range of skincare in my local store, but the pieces they have always spark my interest. That spark occasionally opens up my wallet to buy. A purchase I made recently was their CBD Clay Mask. Usual price £4.00, reduced to £2.00.

    Primark’s CBD Clay Mask

    Why did I buy this?

    Pure curiosity! And, I am a sucker for a bargain. It also helps that I love a skincare mask too. Occasionally I use a clay mask depending on how my skin is behaving. And right now it’s not behaving at all! And what is with skincare having CBD/hemp and other stuff like that included in it’s formulation? Seems to be a fashionable thing but is it effective? Perfect time to try this out with my skin in a mini heat ravaged turmoil mess.

    What is this supposed to do?

    It’s designed to purify, soften, smooth and revitalise the skin. The inclusion of CBD oil, hemp seed oil and aloe vera aide with these actions.

    Packaging.

    60g of mask is housed in a plastic screw top pot. I really like the shape of this as the sides aren’t totally straight and curve closer to the top. White in colour, with text in green and a metallic looking mint green colour lid. This comes boxed up with the box mirroring the container, but with it being mostly green in colour.

    Fragrance.

    Ewwhh. Not a fan. It sort of smells off and not totally fresh, with a slight clay smell to it. I didn’t expect this to smell of flowers or bubblegum, but would have thought this could have smelt a little more appealing.

    Appearance.

    In the pot, well..it doesn’t look great. It does have the same type of look a lot of clay masks have. Thick, slightly mud like and quite thick, But this mask is very pale in colour which doesn’t make me feel too excited to use it to be honest.

    How to use?

    Apply onto clean skin. Leave for 10-15 minutes and remove by rinsing with warm water and patting dry.

    In Use.

    I expected this to be slightly more thicker in texture, but found it a touch lighter than what I originally thought. Easy to use, and I applied a decent but thin layer of the mask all over the face. Took very little time for this to dry out as the colour of it lightened and my face became more frozen, but totally what I expected with a mask like this. These are never the most comfortable products to have on the skin, but it wasn’t bad. I did notice that the scent of this didn’t linger, thank goodness, so wasn’t a problem.

    Removal was like a dream! I thought it would be hard work but it really wasn’t. A warmed and damp face cloth wiped over the face took this off so easily and left no residue, which was what I expected to see.

    Skin Afterwards?

    Straight after removal my skin looked clean and quite fresh. I used this mask a few hours before bedtime, so it’s really the morning after the night before I will pick up on changes. And next morning my skin looked a touch smoother and felt it, reasonably rested in look. There was a sign of improvement but not a massive one. Enough for me to feel that I got some benefit using Primark’s CBD Clay Mask. But I would like to have seen a little more.

    Recommended?

    This clay mask has performed no better or no worse than others I’ve used in the past. If you’re visiting Primark, and it’s there and reduced in price why not? 60ml is a decent size, easy application and removal and appeared to improve my skin. And it’s packaged nicely! So a great gift idea for someone who likes or deserves a little pampering. Not an award winner but worth a couple of pounds!

  • Snap Wax Melt’s Ava Bath Wax Snap Bar

    Fragrance is a personal choice. What one person likes another may not. And how we fragrance our homes has the same principles. My favourite product to fragrance my home is in the form of wax. Wax shapes, wax melts, wax snap bars. Although I melt whatever I feel like regardless of the time, day or season, sometimes you just want to grab and enjoy something specific to the time. And Ava Bath Wax Snap Bar, that was kindly gifted to me by Snap Wax Melt earlier this year, screamed Summer to me! And to create a cooler and refreshing vibe at home, I decided to melt it.

    Snap Wax Melt’s Ava Bath Wax Snap Bar

    Why this one?

    I wanted to fragrance my kitchen with something that was going to be quite fresh, and not heavy in regards to it’s notes e.g musk. It might be warm, I might be dripping with sweat, but at least around me it can smell fresh and clean! And this is what I hoped from this wax snap bar.

    How does it look?

    A rectangular, segmented bar which has 10 raised squares on it ready to snap off (think chocolate bar shaped). A vibrant but not eye bulging green colour, simple but very Summer like. I did think it was one block of colour but actually it’s two. Turn the wax snap bar over and you can see a different shade of green, slightly lighter in shade than the top. I liked this! Simple but gave the bar an interesting look. Came in a clear plastic sleeve with the company label on the front and ingredients on the back.

    Fragrance.

    This is a citrus lover’s dream! Zesty, sharp, lemon and lime. Not sweet but totally fresh and punchy!

    In melt.

    I snapped off 4 bars of this and popped it into the warmer in my kitchen. It turned into such a glorious sea of green, it was nice to see the two shades of green merge into one. The scent itself was super noticeable. Despite the fact this was melting in my kitchen with various foods being cooked, it cut through those smells like a knife! Filled the space and even drifted into the living room as well.

    Strength & Longevity.

    Strength is a medium. Any more than that I think it could make your eyes water, but this strength is perfect! Because of the type of scent this is, as I found, ideal for kitchens or rooms where you want to combat other smells. Longevity was great. As per usual I melted this over 2 days for many hours, at least 8 hours in total, and provided the same quality and strength of scent throughout.

    Recommended?

    Totally! Although it can be melted anytime of the year, this is perfect for Summer time use. Great for deodorising, perfect when you want something fresh and clean but NOT a laundry scent. And great for those looking for something fruity but not sweet or the typical favourites e.g berry based, rhubarb etc. Every wax snap bar I’ve melted from Snap Wax Melt has been of a high quality. For £3.00 each per bar, this will provide hours of fragrancing, so visit their website here to chose your very own home fragrance wardrobe!

  • Nip + Fab Glycolic Exfoliating Mask

    If you like looking after your skin, is there currently one stage or product you are neglecting to use? At the moment I would say I need to slot in a skincare face mask twice a week just to give my face an added boost thanks to the current weather in the UK. But exfoliating is a stage for some reason over the last month or so I have been AWFUL with! So how about I kill two birds with one stone and go for something that can do both? So out of my skincare stash I dragged out NIP + FAB’s Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Mask. Can’t remember how much I paid for this towards the end of last year as it was on offer. But retails around the £7.00 mark.

    Nip+Fab Glycolic Exfoliating Mask

    Why did I buy this?

    I’ve never tried products from this brand before, but I have noticed them. Their variety of products and ingredients have grabbed my interest. But price point for me meant anything bought from the range was a considered purchase. But a much easier one to make when on offer! So I opted for this because I didn’t even know you could exfoliate with a sheet mask and it intrigued me. I knew it would be useful in my routine, priced well and a good introduction to the range.

    What does this supposed to do?

    Think of this as being a skin exfoliator and a face skincare mask in one and this is what this is. The glycolic acid as an ingredient exfoliates the skin getting rid of the dead skin cells, leaving it looking and feeling smoother and less dull. Skin should feel rejuvenated and look more vibrant.

    Packaging.

    Comes in a packet, which I think all tissue face masks come in as standard. Loved how brightly coloured this was (orange), very eye catching. Explains simply what this mask is supposed to do on the front and back, with relevant information such as ingredients and warnings clearly marked.

    How to use.

    Apply onto clean skin. Avoid eye area. Leave on for 15-20 minutes. Remove and pat in any excess serum left on skin.

    How does it look?

    Very much like most tissue face masks. White in colour, soft in texture and made from some form of material. Openings for eyes, nose and mouth are visible. Not the most attractive thing you will ever see but practical and created like this for it’s intended purpose.

    In use.

    When I took this out of it’s packaging I was surprised how much solution this was covered in. It literally was DRIPPING with the stuff, so not skimping on it at all! Once I unfolded it I applied it to my face. Easy enough to do, I just took my time to make sure it was positioned properly. It clung comfortably to my face so I could get on with a few tasks over the 20 minutes. Very cooling on the skin, and felt very hydrating too.

    And how did my skin look afterwards?

    When I removed the mask, my skin did feel hydrated and clean. The immediate feel of hydration did die down somewhat and then was replaced with feeling as if it was still clean, but had something on my skin. To touch it, it felt a little tacky. But what I did notice was my sweaty looking skin (thank you heat!) now appeared matt and the shine taken away from the majority of my face.

    Next day was where I could see my skin had benefited from using this product. It did seem a little smoother and fresher looking. I liked how it seemed more rested and less lifeless than it did before using the mask.

    Something unexpected?

    The day after using this mask it was a crazy hot day in the UK, around 30 degrees. I did a lot of walking outside that day. When I did my evening skincare routine, I cleansed my face which felt very very sore. It’s not something I’ve experienced before. I was wearing sun cream of spf50 but I suspect it needed reapplying which I didn’t…So either the sun had totally fried me or the combo of mask and sun made my skin sensitive. Can’t be 100% sure, so will leave a question mark on that. But I know when using products with glycolic acid in it, they mention the need to use sun care products alongside them. And this product had it on it’s packaging also. So if you use this, please make sure you use sun protection if venturing outside!

    Would I buy this again?

    Putting to one side sun hating face, I may or may not buy this again. If I did, it would be once in a blue moon, special occasion type purchase. It would be for a treat for the skin, no more no less. I found the results on my skin were visible for around a day. Sun, heat, lack of sleep and wearing face coverings makes my skin hard work so I got a decent amount of time looking better. But for a regular purchase, price wise, not for me. Not full price anyway. I also think I would prefer an exfoliator that was in a more physical form such as a liquid, cream, tonic etc. And if using a mask after, probably a separate one.

    Recommended?

    I think this is an interesting and unusual product, at least compared to what I’ve bought and used before. If you are time starved, don’t want to use multiple products and you really enjoy skincare then yes, I would recommend this. Easy to use, quite effective but results may not be instant or long lasting. Think of this as a perk to the skin. Price wise, this may put some people off as it’s a one use item, but if you fancy a splurge or to give as a gift….?

    Can be purchased from Look Fantastic, ASOS and more. Happy exfoliating!