Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: budget beauty

  • Palmer’s Coconut Sugar Facial Scrub

    I love a good scrub! There is nothing more satisfying than scrubbing the face or the body and revealing soft and supple skin. As much as I love the process and the products I use, it’s something I wish I was more consist with. But I always get there eventually, and I couldn’t help but pick up Palmer’s Coconut Sugar Facial Scrub from Tesco on my latest shopping trip. Cost with Clubcard was £3.50, normal price £5.40.

    Palmer’s Coconut Sugar Facial Scrub
    Why did I buy this?

    As a brand, I love Palmer’s! Always have. When I was a teen I was a regular user of their ever popular Cocoa Butter body lotion. Over the years their products have grown in variety and so has their subranges. Their Coconut Oil range has always caught my eye, and I’ve even tried their lip balm which I enjoyed using. But the skincare has been on my hitlist. So with the range being on special offer, I grabbed the scrub because I needed a new one and a good quality one to help condition and smooth out my skin during these wintery months. Good excuse to buy, right? So why not?

    What is this supposed to do?

    This scrub is designed to gently remove dirt and dead skin cells, leaving skin and it’s complexion to appear and feel better, fresher and brighter.

    Packaging.

    90ml of scrub lives happily in a plastic, flip topped lidded tube. If you look at the labelling on this product this screams the Palmer’s brand but the colouring and use of neutrals and browns is how the Coconut range is designed so stands out.

    Fragrance.

    Creamy, slightly sweetened and of course coconut scented. It’s pleasant, it’s not sickly and I really enjoy it.

    How to use.

    Apply to wet face, massage into skin and rinse off.

    In Use.

    I squirted out a decent amount of scrub to use. The texture looked lotion like which surprised me. I expected to see visible grains or for it to look somewhat lumpy which it didn’t. But applying this onto my face, gently, it was obvious there were grains inside it. There was quite a lot in fact. They felt relatively smooth and small as I moved this around my face. I could definitely feel the exfoliating action. Because there is a lot of grains in this, I’m glad I was slow using this because if I applied too much force or rushed the process, I think I could have hurt my skin.

    The fragrance surprised me. My initial sniff before applying this was what I got in use. But I got something else as well while smothering my face with this. It had a delicate incense like hint to it, making it warming and fuller in scent. Dare I say almost a caramelised sugar type fragrance too? Whatever it is I adore it! And it made me think how much I need to grab the body lotion if the fragrance is identical or at least similar!

    Rinsing off was easy. With most products I finish off gently patting my face with a damp and warmed face cloth. This helped get rid of a few lingering grains on my face and gave my skin added relief and comfort while finishing myself off.

    My skin afterwards.

    My skin felt fresh, clean and quite smooth. I’m going to let you into a secret.Although I normally would cleanse my face before exfoliating, I couldn’t be bothered the first time I used this. So it had to clean my face, remove eye brow pencil and general dirt from the day which it did. My skin was spotless. Look wise it appeared matt but not dry, and my skin although feeling that slight clean sensation, wasn’t tight or irritated in anyway.

    Negatives?

    Not negatives as such but more observations. Who creates products sized 90ml? It’s such an odd number! Make it 100ml and I’m happy! Personally I think the grains could be just that little bit smaller or slightly less grains in this scrub. This would mean you could use it faster without being too harsh.

    Palmer’s Coconut Sugar Facial & Coconut Oil Balm
    Recommended?

    Exfoliators for the face and body need to do some simple tasks. Leave the skin feeling smooth and ideally look it too. Clean and fresh is up there as well. Gentle but thorough enough for the relevant part of the body. Not leave the skin sore and prep the skin ready for the next stage. oh…and don’t dry the skin out that’s a no no! If the product does all of the above it gets a thumbs up from me and this does. Easy to use, effective, affordable, comes in a range if you want matching products. And it smells so good! So if you love your physical exfoliates but don’t want to spend your whole paycheck on one, this could be the one for you!

    If you fancy picking this up doing your grocery shop, head to Tesco. Available in store and online here. Special Clubcard promotion has recently ended, but worthwhile keeping an eye out for it in the future.

  • Primark’s P.S Frosted Berries Hand Cream

    When everyone starts to wear winter coats and jackets, you know there’s been a seasonal change. With the onslaught of Autumn comes wind, rain, a cooler temperature and central heating on full whack. Weather changes effect our skin too along with our fashion choices and heating bills. I’m mixing up my skincare routine a bit to compensate for this but my body care routine for now remains the same. Although I have noticed my hands have been looking a touch on the ashy side which is a no no! The call of a hand cream has reached me, so I’m listening, and I’ve decided to start use Primark’s P.S Frosted Berries Hand Cream I picked up last week. 80p for 30ml.

    Primark’s P.S Frosted Berries Hand Cream

    Why did I buy this?

    I have loads of hand creams at home so I didn’t NEED a new one! I heard Primark was selling a pumpkin scented one and I just wanted it. Perfect for the month of October. But my local store didn’t have any so I picked this one up instead. No massive problem as I like berry scents anyway. I thought it could be ideal for work and throw it in my bag. So for 80p I thought what was the worst that could happen so why not buy it?

    Packaging.

    30ml of hand cream comes in a standard, plastic tube with a screw top lid. Lilac in colour, giving off wintery vibes (but in a cute way) thanks to the illustrations on it e.g berries, holly, stars etc. Practical packaging, very sweet to look at and the perfect hand bag or pocket size.

    Fragrance.

    My kind of scent! A mix of berries with a slight hint of vanilla. Not the most sophisticated scent I have ever smelt. But I think fruit, especially anything berry inspired, is a hard one to make it more than what it actually is. It is sweet, it’s a very nice scent and not too strong.

    Consistency.

    White in colour with a decent thickness to it. I would say it’s comparable to many hand creams when I think about how thick it is. Just a touch more thicker than a normal body lotion but no way near as thick as a body butter.

    On the hands.

    I used a good squeeze of this, around half of a finger tip. I rubbed the back of my hands together first then the palms. Super easy and quick to rub in which I liked. What I found quite curious was the fact once rubbed in it didn’t leave my hands tacky, greasy or shiny. They felt and looked matt, and I could use my hands straight away without fear of not being able to grip something or leaving hand prints on things. I quite liked this because sometimes you have to time when you use a particular hand cream because of how moisturised it leaves your hands.

    But on the flip side for my hands this needed to be thicker, more moisturising and protective. I use my hands a lot in work and of course I wash and sanitise them like crazy. It gave a little hydration and enough for my hands right now, but formulation wise this would need to be more hard working if my hands were in a drier state. I can imagine having to use this a lot and often which isn’t ideal for me. But as my hands aren’t bad right now once or twice a day for application is fine.

    The fragrance was there and it smelt lovely. It wasn’t too much strength wise but was noticeable. An ideal strength because if anymore I think it could have been overkill. On the body in general I find it ok to have heavily fragranced lotion on myself. But hands are different. They can be close to the face a lot and I don’t want to be knocked out by how it smells. I’ve used this during the day and also at night before bed, and the next morning there was a faint trace of the fragrance still there.

    Recommended?

    I think this is a decent hand cream. Good size, great price and presented well. I don’t think this is ideal for very dry hands but for normal it should do the job. I’ve had more moisturising hand creams before but they did contain ingredients such as shea or cocoa butter. This doesn’t. But you do have to ask yourself what do you want or expect for 80p? If you lose it, or you need a hand cream for multiple places such as your bag, car, desk, etc, this wouldn’t break the bank. And dare I say this would make an ideal stocking filler….So yes I would recommend this. But if you want something more hard working this wouldn’t be my first choice. So treat your hands according to their needs!x

  • 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!

  • Primark’s Soothing Vitamin E Eye Patches

    I LOVE my friends! I don’t have many (quality over quantity!), and those I have I suspect know me better than I know myself at times. They understand my quirky sense of humour. They respect the fact I get up very early in the morning to work out when most people aren’t awake for hours. And they know how much I love skin and body care. So a slight squeal may or may not have left my lips when one of my amazing friends gave my a selection of goodies a few months ago, containing food and skincare. One item being Primark’s Soothing Vitamin E Eye Patches. Cost, £1.50.

    Primark’s Soothing Eye Patches

    Why was I excited over these?

    I love eye treatments! Eyes are definitely the windows of the soul, and as a busy mum of 2 who works and writes, tiredness is my middle name. And tiredness will ALWAYS show in the eye area. I would never say that eye patches totally transform the eye area and be the holy grail of eye care. But for an instant sense of relief feel and look wise, I find these to be very handy.

    What are these & what are they supposed to do?

    Gathering the very little information there is on the packaging, there are 15 treatments included. Placed under the eye area, they are designed to soothe and nourish the skin under the eyes. Ingredients include glycerin (moisturising), Papaya extract (rich in antioxidants), Morus Alba Bark Extract (another anti oxidant and calms irritations) and of course Vitamin E.

    Packaging.

    These eye patches come in a packet. The packet itself has quite a relaxing and chilled out look reflecting the soothing action of these patches, thanks to the green colouring. Resealable once the top of it is ripped open, means the rest of the patches won’t dry out and and be ruined. Instructions and details on the back are beyond small so get your specs out. And what information is present is very basic.

    What do they look like?

    When I opened the packet I was greeted with two thick stacks of eye patches. Quite standard basic eye patches. White in colour, under eye shaped and opaque. Very similar in feel to a face tissue mask.

    Fragrance?

    No obvious fragrance as such but there was something very faint. It remained me of how aloe vera gel smells, a delicate watery plant like fresh type smell.

    How to use.

    Apply onto clean face. Place under the eye area and leave on for 15-20 minutes.

    In use.

    I’ve used these about 4 or 5 times. I left them in the fridge so they were nice and cold. I had to separate the patches from each other which took a bit of time, but when I did it was noticeable they were soaked in some form of serum/solution. Thickness of the patches were enough to work with and helped with application. Easy to apply, although I needed to work out a few creases so they lay flat and in position. But they stayed still, no moving, for the full 20 minutes of usage. Quite comfortable on, very cooling and it felt quite pleasant.

    After use.

    Touching my under eyes I did feel a little tackiness, but they didn’t look oily and I didn’t see any obvious residue. Did the under of my eyes look any different? No. Did they feel a little more relaxed and hydrated? Yes they did. They were nice enough to use and to be honest I got the experience and results I expected so I’m not complaining.

    Recommended?

    If you are looking for a serious eye product where you want a specific result such as reduction of lines, getting rid of dark circles, then no. To me, this isn’t serious skincare, its a bit of fun and pampering. And if you treat it like that you wont be disappointed. Pop them in the fridge, run a bath and use a good quality bath bomb. Light a candle, eat some chocolate and slap these on. So would I buy these myself? I might, because they are cheap and provide light relief. But I wouldn’t rely on these changing my eyes dramatically or permanently.