Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: onthehighstreet

  • Brighter Skin On A Budget? Boots Ingredients Vitamin C Serum

    My goal for this year is to use skincare products with ingredients that are going to tackle particular problems my skin is suffering from. I don’t want to keep buying ‘stuff’ I don’t actually need which is a waste of time and money. And this is why I purchased Boots Ingredients Vitamin C Serum (for the second time!). 30ml for £6.00, but I grabbed this while the range had a 3 for 2 offer.

    Boots Ingredients Vitamin C Serum
    Why did I buy this?

    Although my skin right now is in good condition, this wasn’t the case a few months ago. The texture was rough in places, some hyperpigmentation on the cheeks thanks to a few spots leaving marks behind. My skin just wasn’t great. Looking at my skincare routine I noticed my products didn’t include ingredients that targeted particular problems. Vitamin C is something I thought could help and super charge my routine so I bought this because it had good reviews, was affordable and a good introduction to an ingredient I hadn’t used before.

    What does Vitamin C do to the skin?

    It helps to protect the skin against things such as pollution, UV rays from the sun and give the skin a more brighter look. An overall great anti-oxidant. Not only can it brighten the skin but help fade discolouration, make skin appear to be smoother and make it look fresher.

    Packaging

    The packaging for this range is very simple. The serum itself comes in a small, white pump action bottle with black writing and detailing. Super basic and reminds me of another skincare range. This comes boxed.

    Texture

    Typical serum in texture. It’s completely clear and when pumped out is liquid, but not as fluid as water. There is no fragrance I can detect in this product when applied.

    How to apply

    Use day and night on the face and gently massage it in until it’s absorbed into the skin.

    Aplied to the skin

    This is a lovely product when placed on the skin! Two pumps is enough for me when gently rubbed into my skin. It feels light, non sticky but hydrating at the same time. This Vitamin C serum takes no time to sink into the skin, as it leaves my skin looking matt and not feeling tacky.

    This works well with any facial cream I put on over the top. And on a few occasions I’ve headed straight to my sun cream (accidentally) after applying this and still felt my skin was moisturised enough.

    I don’t use this day and night, only day time. From what I’ve read Vitamin C is more effective used during the day compare to night time use.

    Has this improved my skin?

    I don’t think it’s one product that helped my skin improve, it’s a few. I’ve started to us sun cream on my face everyday regardless of the weather. Rosehip oil has been slotted into my night time routine to help with hydration and pigmentation. And I think these combined with Boots Ingredients Vitamin C Serum has helped navigate my skin through an awkward stage.

    Boots The Ingredients products
    Recommended?

    This was my first introduction to Vitamin C and I think it’s a really good starting point for anyone who wants to use this ingredient. It’s not expensive and regularly on some form of price promotion making it more affordable. The texture of this is great and easy to use and easily absorbed into the skin. So it’s a thumbs up from me (and my skin) for Boots Ingredients Vitamin C Serum.

  • A Wash Out? The Body Shop’s Carrot Wash Energising Face Cleanser

    Having clean skin is the first step to any decent skincare routine. No matter how simple or complicated a skincare routine is, this is number one. Before anything can be applied to the face, it needs to be put onto a clean surface. So you can understand why it’s an essential step. I’ve been using The Body Shop’s Carrot Wash Energising Face Cleanser on and off this year. This was a gift from a friend, but normally costs £8.50 for 100ml.

    The Body Shop’s Carrot Wash Energising Face Cleanser
    Why have I been using this?

    Honestly? I ran out of other face washes and needed to slip something into my routine while I decided what I was going to buy and use next. This was on hand so I used it and thought it would tide me over for the short term.

    Who is this for?

    It’s not clear on the packaging but on the website it says it’s for ‘dehydrated skin’.

    Packaging

    This skin wash comes in a tube with a screw top lid on it’s bottom. Colouring is easy on the eyes with hits of orange and soft green. Looks quite earthy but in a different way compared to other similarly styled products, so it stands out. But how this appears I feel is geared towards a younger market, but still presented well.

    Fragrance

    Not nice. There is a hint of carrot in this but what I mainly get is something quite earthy, plant like, which I don’t personally like. This fragrance is probably the least appealing I’ve smelt from a skincare product in a long time. Thank god it’s not too strong!

    Texture, Consistency & Look

    Gel wash like in texture but a bit thicker compared to others I’ve used before. Smooth and orange in colour. Not going to lie, it threw me when I first saw it. Not very appealing to my eyes.

    On my skin

    I thought it would lather up more. It lathered but despite using water it didn’t feel like a proper, thorough facial wash. That feeling you get when you move a facial wash around the skin, which normally is quite effortless, wasn’t with this. No matter how much or little I used of this I felt I used too much, and what I had didn’t mix fully with the water.

    The fragrance doesn’t get any better when using this product on the skin. I’m sort of used to it now but it gives me no pleasure or joy getting a whiff of ‘carrot’. I’m literally using this wash to clean my skin without actually liking it.

    When I first used this, my skin afterwards had signs of dry patches on my face. But a few months ago I think my skin behaved like this with lots of products to be honest. Now I’ve noticed my skin doesn’t look or feel dry. Clean in look and feel, but my face never really feels fresh and revitalised after using this.

    Would I buy this myself?

    No. For many reasons. Not keen on the colour, the fragrance isn’t nice and I think there are better face wash cleansers on the market. I just don’t enjoy using this! I love skincare. Even if I’m in a rush and spend only a few minutes getting my skin ready, I want to like the products I use and I just don’t like this. Not only do I not like this, I don’t think it leaves my skin feeling ‘wow’ after use, so I’m literally just using this for using sake.

    The Body Shop’s Carrot Wash & Carrot Cream
    Recommended?

    I think this will appeal only to a small number of people. Maybe those who like their skincare more natural in regards to ingredients and scents. But for the majority of people I think this is a bit left field. And for what skin type is this aimed at? Absolutely no idea! Packaging says it’s suitable for sensitive skin and all skin tones (tones?) and website says dehydrated skin. Teenagers possibly? No idea but not for me.

    If for some reason this sounds like something for you, this is down from £8.50 to £5.95 currently on the website here which is a good saving. But I still wouldn’t buy it.

  • Holler And Glow’s Beauty and the Shell Bath Soak

    Most of the time, people like bath bombs and bath fizzers because of how they look. Unless you’ve used them before, your initial reason to buy something is based on how it looks and possibly how it smells (if packaging allows it). They come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colours, and this is what keeps them interesting for me. I like to keep my eye out for bath products that are different in appearance to what I’ve used before. One brand I first tried in 2020 is Holler and Glow, available from Superdrug. One of the products I bought from their range last year was their Beauty and the Shell Bath Soak. Normally this costs £3.50, but I bought this when it was half price.

    Holler and Glow’s Beauty and the Shell Bath Soak
    Why did I buy this?

    I bought this online not in person. So what drew me in was the look of this based on picture alone. It looked cute, great colouring and came (still does) in 3 different versions so there were choices. At the time they were half price so it made purchasing this incredibly affordable.

    What is this?

    This is a bath fizzer that contains Vitamin E and Golden Chamomile Extract. It’s supposed to help nourish skin and soothe muscles.

    How does this look?

    This is a chunky, shell shaped bath fizzer. It’s not flat in shape or 2 dimensional. It’s quite a basic shell shape with grooves running down it on both sides, giving it a shell like appearance. This takes up the majority of the palm of my hand, so is a great size. The colouring of this is stunning! Mint green in shade, delicately sparkling with some form of pigment and/or glitter on it, making this look like an absolute jewel from the sea! The shimmer is gold, giving the shell an iridescence to it, making the mint green colour pop!

    By the time I took Beauty and the Shell Bath Soak out of it’s plastic, some of the pigment/glitter came off (as you can see below). It did take away a little the initial WOW factor I got before unwrapping it, but still was pretty. It just looked more weathered!

    Fragrance

    It’s not a powerful scent, but what I got was something quite earthy and floral in fragrance. It’s pleasant enough, probably not my favourite scent of all time to smell, but makes sense considering it includes Chamomile.

    In the bath

    I put this into a warm bath. It fizzed a little and turned the clear water into a lovely shade of mint green. No foam or bubbles and nothing else materialised. It dissolved pretty easily and quickly, and although the bath itself looked very plain despite the water, the aroma it gave was soft and somehow very calming and enjoyable.

    This has got to be one of the most plainest and simple baths I’ve ever had. But do you know what? It was very relaxing! I don’t know whether it was the fragrance or ingredients or whatever it was, but both my mind and body were in a good place and I was very surprised! The fragrance didn’t blow my head off, the colour of the water didn’t glow in the dark because it was so bright and I wasn’t suffocated with bubbles.

    No drying of the skin or irritation. But at the same time this wasn’t very moisturising. No obvious fragrance left on the skin and no shimmer on myself or anything noticeable on the bath.

    Holler and Glow’s Bath Soaks

    This product has stumped me! I shouldn’t like it because it does seem so basic in the bath but I think I do! And I must because the other two versions, which I have in my stash, I really want to try out so I think this has won me over! It’s easy to say who this isn’t for and who I wouldn’t recommend this than who should buy this. Do you want bubbles, fragrance, bright colours and a theatrical bath art show? Don’t buy this! If you are a fan of bath soaks that lightly fragrance and colour a bath, or you just want something in the bath but for whatever reason it has to be minimal, you might like this. You can see how this is a difficult product to review when on paper I should dislike it, right?

    If you think this MIGHT be for you, Holler and Glow as a range are regularly on some form of promotion at Superdrug. You can find Beauty and The Shell here to purchase, and don’t forget there are other versions if you fancy a different scent and colour.

  • 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.**