Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: skincare

  • I Heart Revolution’s Chocolate Lip Scrub

    As a mother of a pre-teen girl I can honestly say it’s an interesting and expensive experience. My mini me has a strong personality and she knows what she likes. One thing she is very vocal on is how much she loves make-up. But what do you buy a child who who is going on 21 but is really 12? What’s appropriate for that age? I decided a safe option for her would be I Heart Revolution’s Chocolate Lip Scrub. I bought it while it was on sale (can’t remember how much it was ) but retails for £5.00 for 20ml.

    I Heart Revolution’s Chocolate Lip Scrub
    Why did I buy this?

    Online it looked like a fun product that wasn’t taking itself too seriously. The packaging was cute. I thought the scent would be playful and my daughter would like it. And it’s the type of product that isn’t quite skincare (in my opinion), not make-up but would make her think she’s experiencing both, if that makes sense?

    What is this?

    It’s a chocolate fragranced scrub designed for the lips to help smooth and soften this area by removing flaky and dry areas of skin.

    Packaging

    A very cute looking plastic pot in different shades of pink keeps the lip scrub safe. Screw top lid, with splashes of brown on the lid and down the sides of the pot giving the look of a chocolate drip effect. Definitely geared towards a younger market.

    Fragrance

    I Heart Revolution’s Chocolate Lip Scrub smells like milk chocolate with a hint of caramel to it. It’s not what I would call a true chocolate scent more of a cosmetic interpretation but still a pleasure to sniff!

    Look & Texture

    In a deep chocolate brown shade, it looks quite solid and compact in it’s little pot. Without touching it, it reminds me of having dark brown sugar that’s not been used in a while and has hardened and stuck in a solid shape. Very grainy in feel and quite dry (it is made of actual sugar), although has the smallest amount of slip to it but barely noticeable.

    On the lips

    I used a small amount on dry lips and rubbed it over the lip area. It felt way too aggressive! The sugar particles weren’t massive but it just felt too rough for me. Very dry and desperately needed a touch of oil just to add a bit of slip and moisturisation to the process. My lips slightly throbbed after using this and this was only a few seconds of application. I tried this on damp lips and I still got the same feel while using it although felt slightly better.

    Anyone that doesn’t lick their lips to see what this tastes like is a saint because I did and it tasted quite nice and sugary!

    I had to wipe the scrub off with water to remove it. I should have used a damp face cloth but wasn’t in the bathroom. The plus side most of it actually was on my lips rather than in the sink. The downside was having to remove it. It would have been nice if some of this had melted from the heat of my lips but it didn’t.

    My lips did feel a little smoother afterwards but they weren’t rough or dry before using this product. A little oil in this would have left my lips feeling prepped.

    Recommended?

    The more I use lip scrubs the more I just don’t like them! It’s a lot of mess for one area of the face and I don’t particularly enjoy using them. So I wouldn’t buy this for myself for that reason alone. I wouldn’t repeat this purchase for my daughter either. She liked the look of this and used it once but only once. Would I recommend this? There will be better lip scrubs on the market which will be more enjoyable to use and more moisturising. But cheap enough (on sale) this would be an acceptable gift for a young person who is either getting into make-up or likes fun make-up type products.

    If I Heart Revolution’s Chocolate Lip Scrub interests you, it’s full price on the website here for £5.00.

  • Under 50p Bubble T Hydrogel Under Eye Patches

    There are two different types of skincare on the market in my opinion. The first one is skincare that does a job and gives some form of result. The second is the fun, having a bit of a pamper and enjoying using skincare products. When I saw Bubble T’s Hydrogel Under Eye Patches for 49p in Home Bargains, I thought these might fall into the second category, but was I right?

    Bubble T’s Hydrogel Under Eye Patches
    Why did I buy these?

    I love under eye patches. These were affordable, looked appealing and something both myself and my daughter wanted to try.

    What are these?

    Moisturising collagen and green tea eye patches that are designed to help with puffy, lacklustre under eyes.

    How do these look?

    Gold in colour with an almost jelly like feel to and look to them. They don’t have a rigid structure to them so they are very floppy. Shape wise, very typical for under eye patches as they follow the shape of the under eye area. I always think of these as being kidney bean shaped.

    Packaging

    Bubble T’s Hydrogel Under Eye Patches come in a clear fronted sachet, so you can see the actual under eye patches. All information such as ingredients and how to use is on the back. Packaging wise it looks very simple, dare I say on the cheaper side but still grabbed my attention instore.

    Fragrance

    When I opened the sachet there was a subtle but obvious flowery fragrance to these. Not strong, quite soft and reasonably pleasant.

    How to use

    Place each under eye patch below the eye and leave on for 15-20 minutes and remove.

    In Use

    Placing these under my eyes was easy. One patch though struggled to stay in place at one point but both soon sat in place for 20 minutes. I found these to be very cooling and comforting (I had them in the fridge prior to use) and comfortable on my face. Once I took them off I dabbed in some of the solution these were in from their sachet and carried on with my skincare routine.

    Fragrance wise while wearing these under eye patches I caught the slightest whiff of these but it really wasn’t noticeable. In my opinion that’s a good thing because having something strong in scent sat on your face for up to 20 minutes can be too much.

    After Use

    Straight after I removed these and even the next day my under eyes didn’t look massively different. They weren’t dry, irritated, sore but they were adequately hydrated. I would have liked my under eyes to have felt more plumped up moisture wise but I think a tissue like material would have been better delivering that. Overall using these was a little bit of pampering but no change to the look and feel of my under eyes.

    Recommended?

    These were fun to use. Both myself and my daughter used them and she really enjoyed them. I got what I expected from them which was a nice little experience, an enjoyable feel on the face all done super cheap! In all honesty that’s what I thought I would get. If you’re looking for actual results and improvements on this part of the face, look at eye creams or serums. These are not for you. If you want something that doesn’t cost the earth and something to use to give your face a little attention, why not? For 49p? Just don’t expect massive results and it’s 49p well spent.

  • Stretching The Skincare Budget? Trying Aveda’s Radiant Skin Refiner

    Like many people at the moment, what we spend our money on is on our minds daily. The cost of living crisis is making budgeting harder and harder and for some scaling back on purchases is now the norm. It’s no secret how much I love skincare products but they HAVE to be affordable and at a lower price point. Thankfully, I have some friends who have more expensive tastes than me and I was recently given Aveda’s Tourmaline Charged Radiant Skin Refiner. For 100ml this retails for around £33.00.

    Aveda’s Tourmaline Charged Radiant Skin Refiner
    Why did I use this?

    As much as I love facial scrubs I don’t use them as regularly as I should. My skin at the moment looks like it could really benefit from this type of product because texture wise I want it to be more smoother. I’ve never used Aveda skincare products before and was happy to give this a go to see how it performed.

    What is this?

    Aveda’s Tourmaline Charged Radiant Skin Refiner is a facial scrub. Designed to be a moisturising and rich textured scrub that leaves skin feeling and looking softer and smoother. Thanks to it containing tourmaline, tired and lifeless looking skin should look more alive and rested.

    Packaging

    100ml of facial scrub comes housed in a tall and thin plastic flip topped tube. Simple in appearance, green in colour with white lettering. I can’t help look at this and think this has some natural ingredients in it because of how it’s presented. This would sit nicely in any bathroom and be used by any sex or age as it will appeal to most people packaging wise.

    Texture

    When this is squeezed out of the tube it’s quite solid as it holds it’s form. Off white in colour and looks relatively smooth. But pop a finger in this and it’s almost whipped liked, very creamy with very small grains in this.

    Fragrance

    Does this smell of anything? Not really. There’s no definite scent to this but there’s a hint of something. I’m not too sure whether it’s the clay that this contains but there’s something in it which I don’t find too appealing but don’t hate either.

    How to use

    Use this product twice a week on damp skin. Massage into it and then remove with a damp cloth.

    In Use

    I used enough to cover a finger tip and rubbed this into my face which was damp. What I liked about Aveda’s Skin Refiner was how creamy it was as it felt luxurious on the face. At the same time the exfoliating grains were obviously there in feel and they were plentiful but very fine. It didn’t need to be worked in roughly into the skin, just a gentle rubbing motion was fine and I enjoyed the process. I left this on for a couple of minutes and it was at this stage it was obvious some form of clay was in this. It felt slightly like a clay mask but not to the point my face was frozen. Fragrance wise I couldn’t really detect anything.

    Removing this was fairly simple. I rinsed off most of it with warm water and then went in with a warmed, damp face cloth to take off the excess. I did think my skin would feel tight or possibly dry after using this product but it didn’t. It felt very clean and comfortable. Looking at my skin afterwards it looked fresher but I expected that as it normally would anyway after just cleansing my skin.

    The morning after the night before

    In the morning I noticed my skin was definitely looking and feeling better than usual. My skin wasn’t transformed into something else but it was small things that I noticed. The left side of my face seemed less uneven texture wise than the rest of my face which has been an issue this week. All of the skin on my face looked smoother, more even and more rested with zero dryness or irritation.

    Recommended?

    As a product I really like this! I love a good texture and the texture of this is very unusual and a delight to use. This to me felt like a dual product and was part mask (if you leave it on) and part scrub. Easy to use, enjoyable to apply and left my skin looking and feeling in better condition than before I used this. I would definitely recommend this but it is pricey! If you could get hold of a sample size of this or purchase this in a kit to save money that would be a good alternative. But it is a considered purchase price wise.

    This product can be purchased from lots of companies that sell skincare products such as Look Fantastic and direct from Aveda. It’s pricey but a great quality product.

  • May Round Up, What Products Did I Use?

    May finally was a good month for me. Why? The constant running and blocked nose thanks to hay fever slowly left the building and my senses finally returned to their normal glory. It means I’ve been able to use lots of products that I could actually SMELL and appreciate and I could finally review. So what products did I use in the month of May?

    Products used in May
    Snow Fairy Bath Bomb from LUSH

    This was the first I’ve ever used this bath bomb and I can understand what all the fuss has been about over the years! Snow Fairy Bath Bomb smells amazing, looks super pretty, colours the bath in a lovely shade of pink and is surprisingly very moisturising! Definitely a winner for me!

    Snow Fairy Bath Bomb By LUSH
    Dirty Work’s Bahama Balm-A Coconut Body Balm

    Given to me by a friend, I was hoping Dirty Works Bahama Balm-A Coconut Body Balm would be a tropical hit of moisture. But I found this to be too light weight for my skin although it smelt pretty nice. Not for me, but passed to my teenage son so it doesn’t go to waste.

    Dirty Work’s Bahama Balm-A Coconut Body Balm
    Selfless by Hyram’s Centella & Green Tea Gel Cleanser

    A purchase I resisted for many weeks but finally caved in. Selfless by Hyram’s Centella & Green Tea Gel Cleanser is a really good, non fragranced and easy to use cleanser. It’s gentle on the skin but effective on removing dirt and sun cream. And this was brilliantly priced so much I could afford to buy a few for future use.

    Selfless by Hyram’s Centella & Green Tea Gel Cleanser
    Yankee Candle’s Lemon Lavender Fragrance Spheres

    For £1.99 this makes a Yankee Candle product a good buy. But my own personal experience made me think this wasn’t money well spent. This smelt nice but the strength just wasn’t there. I’ve heard and read people have found these to be very good, so maybe I chose the wrong fragrances. But this is a no from me and I won’t buy another one unfortunately.

    Yankee Candle’s Lemon Lavender Fragrance Spheres
    Glow’s Crime Scene Investigators April Wax Subscription Box

    I’ve fallen in love with all the subscription boxes I’ve received from Glow. They are brimmed with products which makes great value, imaginatively themed and fantastic quality. Crime Scene Investigators April Wax Subscription Box (which I won in a competition) was no exception! Crafted with care with a mix of unusual and fabulous scents, I loved every piece in this collection.

    Glow’s Crime Scene Investigators April Wax Melt Subscription Box
    Smooch Vixen By So…? Eau de Parfum

    I’m a great believer good fragrances don’t need to be expensive. Smooch Vixen By So…? Eau de Parfum is a beautifully scented fragrance housed in a very cute bottle. This wasn’t expensive and currently on their website for under £5.00 for 30ml. Great for all ages and as I’ve discovered the perfect fragrance to be nicked by a pre-teen!

    Smooch by So…? Vixen Eau de Parfum

    So that is my May round up done and dusted! Which one was my favourite? That’s a hard question to answer. But this month I enjoyed more products than not enjoying. Let’s see what June has in store, can’t wait!