Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: affordableskincare

  • Affordable Elf’s Superclarify Cleanser

    I love a cleanser. Having a clean face first thing in the morning and last thing at night, is the best way to start and finish my day. It’s safe to say I don’t mind trying out a new cleanser when I can. So, when I ran out of a facial cleanser a few months ago, I decided to purchase Elf’s Superclarify Cleanser from Boots. It was on a special offer and part of a 3 for 2 deal so actually cost me nothing. Normally it retails for £8.00.

    Elf’s Superclarify Cleanser
    Why did I buy this?

    I genuinely needed a cleanser and noticed this whole range was on a 3 for 2 which made purchasing very appealing and also affordable. I’ve never bought or tried the ELF skincare range but heard good things about it and their prices seemed fair too.

    What is this supposed to do?

    This is a lightly foaming cleanser designed to gently clean the skin by removing dirt, oil and make-up effectively. Skin should look clean, smoother and overall fresher after use.

    Packaging

    I love how this is packaged! 100ml comes in a vibrant orange plastic tube with the text on it in white, which makes it pop! This doesn’t look or feel as if it’s aiming for an older market, it seems more younger. But visually I like it.

    Texture

    The texture of this reminds me of a shower gel or bath soak. It’s liquid but not too runny as there’s a slight thickness to it. Colour wise, it’s not clear and has an almost pearlescence to it, so quite appealing.

    Fragrance

    Not heavily scented but definitely fragranced. There’s a light hint of lavender in this which isn’t too distracting and quite subtle. I didn’t dislike how this cleanser smelt but I did wonder what was the purpose of the fragrance unless the lavender was an ingredient that happened to have a scent?

    In Use

    The instructions say rub a small amount of this cleanser onto the face which I did. After a few seconds it felt as if my skin had sucked it up as there was nothing really to keep rubbing into my skin. At this point I splashed water onto my face, which gave it a little life and the tiniest amount of foam. It didn’t go full on face wash mode though. In fact, I needed to go back in for a little more and add more water so it felt more cleanser like. This helped a little. It rinsed off fine and overall was quite a quick cleanser to use.

    Elf’s Superclarify Cleanser removed the day’s dirt and grime well, along with eyebrow pencil and suncream. My skin looked clean but did feel a touch tight. Did I notice any improvements to my skin e.g smoothness? No not really. It did what a cleanser is meant to do which is clean it.

    Recommended?

    If I’m honest I used this months ago, stopped using it and picked it up again. It didn’t bowl me over the last time I used it, and I didn’t particularly enjoy using this. But as a cleansing product it did the job. In regard to cost it’s not expensive and can be found on promotion every so often in stores such and online. It’s a decent size so would last a good number of weeks if not months of daily use. But I can’t feel this is for people under 25 years old so not me. Would I repurchase this? Not sure. Would I recommend it? For all the reasons I’ve already mentioned I would but maybe for the younger market? I can’t see this doing any harm but it’s not my favourite cleanser I’ve used.

    If this cleanser sounds appealing to you, at the time or writing this post, it is on a 3 for 2 at Boots which covers most of the ELF skincare range.

  • Quick Skincare Fix? Simple’s 5 Minute Reset Hydrogel Mask

    It’s February. I know we’re only in the second month of 2022 but I literally feel as if I’ve lived half of this year already! Any particular reasons I feel like this? One word…LIFE! But it’s fine, I will roll with it as usual. What I can’t roll with at the moment is temperamental skin. My face feels like it’s been drained of every drop of moisture that lives in it which I hate! So it’s time to drag out a mask. My facial skincare mask collection is pretty varied but I thought I would grab Simple’s 5 Minute Reset Hydrogel Mask. I didn’t buy this. At some point this would have been a birthday or Christmas gift of years past. But it retails for around £3.00.

    Simple’s 5 Minute Reset Hydrogel Mask
    Why did I decide to use this?

    My skin doesn’t look dry, but this last week it’s felt dry. Not to touch, but you know when your skin feels dry because it feels a little tight? That’s what I’m experiencing. I’m not feeling comfortable in my face, and a facial skincare mask is a quick fix and gives me a few minutes of much needed pampering. This one I chose because the range tries to keep their ingredients ‘simple’ e.g no fragrance or colouring. I don’t have sensitive skin but I didn’t want to set it off right now, I wanted something basic. And this sounds and looks like something that will deliver what I need it to do, moisturise me!

    What is this supposed to do to your skin?

    Within 5 minutes, this mask is supposed to deliver hydration making your skin look and feel fresher, hydrated and smoother.

    What does the mask look like?

    It doesn’t come in one piece but two. One is to cover the lower part of the face, the other covering the top half of the face. Both are made of an almost jelly like material. Totally clear and see through with a slight rubbery feel to it. The lower section has a piece cut out for the mouth. The higher section has areas cut out for the nose and the eyes.

    How to use

    Take the mask out of the sachet, peel off the backing and put onto cleansed skin. Leave on for 5 minutes and remove. Any excess product left over, pat into the skin with no need to wash off.

    In use

    I ripped open the sachet only to find it full of solution that the mask was soaking in, which is just what I wanted to see! Nothing worse than seeing a skincare mask dry and void of solution or serum. The two sections of mask needed to be peeled off some paper before they could be applied.

    Since the material the mask is made off is quite slippery, I did find I needed a minute or two to take them off the backing, unfold them and pop them onto my face. There was an instant cooling feeling when I put this on. Positioning of this was a bit fiddly, you couldn’t just throw them on. There were adjustments, pulling, tugging etc, but I got there in the end! They were reasonably secure on my face although at one point I did feel one was slipping down a little. The cooling sensation remained throughout which I enjoyed.

    Did I have this on for 5 minutes? Probably more like 10 to 15 minutes! 5 minutes just seemed wasteful and my skin thanked me for the extra time. When I took it off I could see the solution from the mask was on my face because it looked damp, so I patted it into my skin. My face looked and felt hydrated, although there was a slight tackiness to it when I touched it. I wasn’t too sure whether this would be moisturising enough hours later as I used this at night time without adding anything onto my skin. My skin didn’t need anything else and the following day it didn’t feel or look dry.

    Skincare face masks like this are products I treat as quick fixes because that’s what they are. I don’t expect miracles or long term results. What I do hope for is an instant result in that particular moment. And this mask delivered it 100%! It felt nice on the skin and relaxing. My skin feel moisturised during and after, and it gave me exactly what I hoped for. The slight downside is how fiddly it can be when taking it out of the packaging then applying to the skin, which some people won’t like. But I would happily buy this again and again and use when my skin feels like a prune. What I love about this is the fact it’s not expensive, you can pick it up on the high street pretty easily and the range is something that should be suitable for sensitive skin. Result!

    This can be picked up from places like Boots, Superdrug and supermarkets such as Tesco. Easily available, does what it says on the packaging and now on my repeat purchase list!x

  • Superdrug’s Naturally Radiant Brightening Micro Polish

    Skincare for some people is a necessary evil. It’s something we use everyday to keep our skin clean and healthy. For others skincare is passion, a love, a piece of enjoyment. And I have to say I fall into that particular camp. I like the process of using good skincare products and I love even more having good skin. One product that is in my weekly skincare routine is Naturally Radiant Brightening Micro Polish by Superdrug. When I purchased this it was half price and cost £2.99.

    Superdrug’s Naturally Radiant Brightening Micro Polish
    Why did I buy this?

    I’ve used products from this range before. They’ve provided good results on my skin and I’ve enjoyed using them. Affordable and easy to get hold of, this range is a no brainer for me and I’m always open to using products from the line. I needed a facial exfoliator in my skincare routine, this was half price, and I was happy to try this out.

    What does this do?

    Naturally Radiant Brightening Micro Polish is designed to leave skin clearer, smoother and even out skin tone thanks to its exfoliating action.

    Packaging

    75g of product comes in a very soft mint green coloured tubed. It’s not fancy, but what this and the whole Naturally Radiant range of products look like are items that are geared towards being natural and good for the skin.

    Consistency & Texture

    This comes out like a clear thick gel that you would expect from a face wash, but possibly a little thicker and not as loose and runny. When I looked closely I could see tiny grains within this product which are blueberry seeds.

    Fragrance

    Like other products in the range this is has a clean, fresh, a slightly sweet and subtle fruity plant based smell. It’s quite delicate and not overpowering. In a strange but good way, this is quite a neutral scent and should appeal to both women and men.

    How to Use

    Use once or twice a week. Massage over wet or dry skin using circular movements. Add a small amount of water to create a foam then rinse off.

    In Use

    I didn’t need to use much of this. A finger tip of this Micro Polish was enough to work over my slightly damp face and neck area. I could feel the grains which seemed so small but with movement you could feel their sweeping and resurfacing action. Adding a little water meant that this scrub lightly foamed and gave an almost 2in1 product alternating between a scrub and a face wash which I really enjoyed and felt great on the skin.

    My face felt and looked soft, clean, fresh and looked matt. I felt the scrub was very gentle on the skin but still very effective. This was the perfect way to get my skin ready for any additional treatments I wanted to follow on with.

    Recommended?

    Y-e-s. This is an affordable facial scrub that works! Easy and enjoyable to use, a great product for any age to slot into a skincare routine. I can see this being a good product to purchase because of its size, ingredients and cost. Love!

    **At the time of writing this post ( 29.01.2020 ) this product hasn’t been available on the website and possibly has been discontinued. Definitely worth checking for this in a physical store to see if it’s still available. The range currently is half price.**