Hey Sweeties,
A couple of weeks ago in a recent haul post (here), I discussed my want to integrate a serum into my routine hence why I purchased the one from Elizabeth Arden. However, typically I then see that Instyle magazine were giving away a free Clinique sample in their May issue which I snapped up quickly.
Hey Sweeties,
As we all know, January was/is a long month so naturally it’s the time when I run out of everything and can’t afford to replace stuff until payday. With this in mind, despite careful rationing of my Camomile Sumptous Cleansing Butter (from The Body Shop), I still ran out and although I ordered a new one online, I still found myself without any cleanser and went in search of something cheaper, and to fill the gap temporarily. I can’t remember exactly where I saw the recommendation and who from, but somewhere I saw Soap & Glory’s Peaches and Clean 3-in-1 Deep Purifying Cleanser be recommended and for £8, I thought it was time I took a punt.
For ages now I have hoovered around the Soap & Glory stand in Boots itching to try something and yet, despite assurances from fellow Bloggers that the products are worth the money, I have still struggled to ever put something in my basket. For example, I have been keen to try the Archery Brow pencil but for £10, I wonder if I do really need it?
Anyway.
Finally, an opportunity arose to try something from this brand. I chose this cleanser specifically because reviews (more so on Boots.com than in blogs) have said this product was great for removing makeup and that for me, was the whole purpose for purchase. I am not looking for a replacement product as The Body Shop’s cleansing butter is for me, unbeatable. I know Clinique do a similar cleansing balm which is equally championed but at £22 I think I am ok to live without trying this.
So, what do I think of Soap and Glory’s purifying cleanser?
I like it, but I don’t love it but had I not been using a cleansing butter previously, I might have more easily succumbed to this more wholeheartedly.
The packaging is clean and simple and nothing really to boast about but I really like the pump, it makes product distribution so much more simpler against those in tubes (like my current morning cleanser, Burt’s Bees Cream Cleanser). Guidelines advise two pumps of product to sufficiently remove makeup and cleanse and I would agree with this. Against The Body Shop’s cleansing butter which literally -and very satisfyingly- melts makeup off of your face and you can feel it doing so, Soap & Glory’s Peaches and Clean is much more subtle but seeminly does the same job. It also leaves your face smelling deliciously of peaches!
Overall, I will certainly continue to use this product and probably purchase it again. I think it will be ideal for the days -such as weekends- where I haven’t applied a full, reasonably heavy face of makeup where I need something equally as heavy to remove it all. For those days where makeup application is lighter, Soap & Glory’s Peaches and Clean will be just the thing to remove it. If you want something slightly cheaper than a cleansing balm and/or don’t wear a lot of makeup on a daily basis, this is absolutely the product for you!
Until next time x
Hey Sweeties,
This year my skincare routine has had a massive overhaul replacing basic products that’s let’s be honest, existed because they were simple and cheap. Now I have abandoned things like face wipes and replaced them with much better quality cleansers, moisturisers and the like with room for more and by making these product changes my skin has never felt better… and I haven’t had to brake the bank in the process.
My most recent change was replacing my ‘eye makeup remover lotion’ from the Boots basic skincare range, with the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. This for me has been a long time coming but I am pleased I have made the swap.
Firstly, there is/was nothing wrong with the original eye makeup remover lotion that I was using, it’s a decent enough product and does the job and some of you will never feel the need to change it and that is fine with me. But, when you try a cleansing water for the first time, you notice how much nicer it is. Lotion, when you apply slightly too much and it goes in your eye it can sting like hell so I find that I have to (once applied to a cotton pad), just dab it on my cheek to remove the excess before placing the pad across my eye to remove my makeup. With cleansing water, you don’t need to do this. Once you have applied the product to the cotton pad you can remove your eye makeup straight away without worrying about excess product making you sting.
Also dare I say cleansing water feels cleaner? Lotion I think is just too thick for eyes, it should be used more for moisturising as it has that creamy thickness that skin just loves to soak up. Whereas cleansing water is that right consistency for eyes and for the job at hand. I don’t expect you all to agree with me but I think those that have tried both product types will appreciate the difference I have outlined.
There are of course other cleansing waters out there but for me, for my first time using the product, Garnier was where I headed first and I bought this 400ml bottle from Boots for about £4.99 I think and it should last me a fair while.
Once again it’s a Sweetie thumbs up!
Let me know if any of you have tried cleansing water and what you think!
Until next time x
Hey Sweeties,
From my not-too-long-ago Feelunique.com haul I purchased two new cleansers to try out. The first was from Burt’s Bees which I reviewed last week (read it here) and now it’s time to give my impressions of the Yes to Carrots Fragrance Free Exfoliating Cleanser for normal to dry skin.
For a bit of background, Yes To are a global leader in beauty products using fruits and vegetables to create their products making them cost effective and free from chemicals. There are six core ranges to the collection each suiting a specific skin type, these are:
Carrots -Normal to dry skin
Cucumber -Sensitive skin
Tomatoes -Combination & acne prone skin
Blueberries -Fine lines and wrinkles
Grapefruit -Uneven skin tone
Coconut -Very dry skin
It would be easy to reach for the fruit/vegetable that appeals to most and if I went by that alone, I would be attracted to the cucumber or grapefruit ranges. But knowledge about your skin type is crucial here so that you buy the range correct for you. In this case, although I can suffer with sensitivity, it’s not my overall skin type so Yes To Carrots it is.
Right, so my thoughts about this cleanser…
If we take it at face value, the packaging is nothing special but it’s perfectly adequate for what it needs to be and distributes the product fine for application.
The key aspect of this cleanser is that it’s an exfoliator. Within the product are tiny little grainy particles that upon application to wet skin, exfoliate your face getting rid of stubborn dirt and dead skin cells that a normal everyday cleanser would struggle to achieve. The product is then simply rinsed or wiped away with a muslin cloth. Simples.
As it’s an exfoliator, I have incorporated it into my skincare routine and use it 2-3 times a week as I probably wouldn’t feel it necessary for everyday use. I like using one or two different cleansers to keep things fresh and I think this Yes To Carrots cleanser is ideal to work alongside my Burt’s Bees product and I think it is highly likely that I will repurchase this in the future. I am in fact also keen to explore more of the Yes To product ranges to see what else I would find beneficial as between this brand and The Body Shop I can probably cover most if not all of my skincare needs. But we’ll have to see about that…
Anyway, I hope you guys found this useful and if you have used this or something else within the Yes To ranges please let me know!
Until next time x
Hey Sweeties,
You’ll remember I purchased this cleanser as part of my Feel Unique.com haul a couple of weeks ago. I am a big fan of my Burt’s Bees replenishing lip balm (with pomegranate oil) that I use daily and so I have been keen to explore more of the Burt’s Bees range so I took the opportunity while browsing online for new -affordable- cleansers to try out. So let’s get stuck in!
Firstly, the product comes in simple tube packaging which is easy to store and ideal to distribute the product onto my fingers ready for application. As it says in the title, this is a cream cleanser so it feels more like a moisturiser when you squeeze it out and massage it into your face before either rinsing or wiping off with a muslin cloth. On the packaging it says it’s with ‘clary sage’ which I have no idea what that is exactly but I can tell you that the product has a lovely orangey citrus smell to it which is quite divine if I am honest.
For me, I think this cleanser is ideal to use in the mornings. Although it says it can remove make-up, I personally am not convinced this is advisable. I have tried doing so but it doesn’t even come close to The Body Shop’s Camomile Cleansing Butter which literally melts foundation off of your face and only something truly fantastic would ever replace it. However, the product’s claim to leaving skin feeling ‘soft, supple and hydrated’ yes, yes it does indeed.
Overal I will very likely repurchase this product and for £8.95 I think it is definitely worth it as you get a lot of product which will last a long time.
Another Sweetie thumbs up!
Until next time x
Hey Sweeties,
So, I went to The Body Shop this morning which -and I hate to admit this- is probably the first time I’ve really properly been in one for a very long time, if ever. In my defence (before you all gasp in horror), I have actually been using products of theirs for quite a while but I have been in the fortunate position that I have been bought most of it as gifts rather than purchase it myself so I think in this situation I can be forgiven. However, my reserves were running low and I wanted to try something I have seen many of you using so it was about time I ventured into the store.
Moringa Shower Gel, 250ml, £4
At the very beginning of this year which was also in fact the birth of this blog baby, I mentioned in my Christmas post the amazing Body Shop advent calendar my best friend, Paula had bought me which over the course of 24 days gave me a load of sample size shower gels, creams and lip balms to last me quite some time. One of the shower gels was called ‘Moringa‘ and I just adored it from the first lather. I will apologise in advance that I actually have no idea what Moringa is so a quick Google has informed me that it is “the sole genus in the flowering plant family Moringaceae” which still actually doesn’t really tell me anything (or you) but just trust me in that it smells incredible and is lovely on the body! As my little sample is dramatically running low, I figured while I was in store it was worth purchasing a full size bottle so I don’t have to ration my current supply. Quite conveniently, The Body Shop are doing a buy-one-get-one-half-price offer on shower gels so it made sense to buy 2!
Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner, 250ml, £5
I bought this product originally quite a long time ago and by that I mean years and it was through one of those like, party evenings a friend had arranged for her Girl Guide group and asked a couple of us to come along… so we did. I have been quite a consistent user of tea tree products throughout my whole existence really but this particular product (the toner) I have picked up and put down again a lot. Not because I haven’t liked it, just because until recently my skin care regime has gone through phases of being really good and really lazy and also a lack of appreciating the purpose and need for cleansing and toning. However I have now got myself into a good (but still room for improvement) regime and the tea tree toner has been a firm staple.
Seaweed Clarifying Night Treatment (combination/oily skin), 30ml, £12
I didn’t actually go in for this, I wanted the Vitamin E Night Cream which again I have been using a sample size of lately and having got on with it well, I figured it was time to commit. However, the sales lady (who was great by the way) actually advised me to go with this seaweed one instead owing to it suiting my skin type more. Of course I haven’t had the opportunity to start using it yet but I’ll update you if I think it is any good.
Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, 90ml, £12
This was the product I have heard so many of you raving about and seen featured in several YouTube ‘night time routine’ videos that I thought it was time to give it a go myself. I have been on the look out for a cleanser for some time but for someone so new to beauty and skin care, where do you even begin with finding one that you feel brave enough to commit to? Another reason for my own skin care routine to have taken a long time to really keep its arse in gear is because I really cannot deal with spending ages applying layer after layer of creams, scrubs and washes; it’s not that I don’t have the time, it’s just these things don’t last with me so it only takes me to be away one night or not be able to do it all i.e. owing to tiredness and my routine goes in the bin and takes forever to start again. Until this point skin care almost is novelty like; eventually it just wears off. For many years I tried using various scrubs but the process of applying a product all over my face and then having to splash it with water to rinse off is not my thing. Here’s a little fact for you: I can’t have bath or shower water on my face, I just can’t. As a child I always had to put a flannel on my face if my mum (or me once I learned how) washed my hair and the thought of submerging my face in it was/is just a no go -an ex boyfriend actually used to think it was hilarious to threaten me with pushing my face in under the running shower! When you see adverts for shampoo or scenes in films where someone is in the shower and has soap running all down their face it just freaks me out. One of the reasons for my freakish ways is a blatant fear of soap in my eyes, the other I think it must be something to do with texture, bath and shower water is definitely different, I can’t explain why it just is. If you share the same experience you’ll know exactly what I mean. Anyway, getting back to the post in question. So yes, this cleanser from what I have seen current users demonstrate is you apply it over your face and then remove it with a flannel which for me is perfect and far less timely than the whole rinsing with water process. Again, I’ll report back if I like it.
*Also to note, The Body Shop are doing a 3-for-2 on skin care products so I got the cleanser, toner and night cream in this offer and along with the shower gel offer saved myself £7 in total.
You know, blogging can be expensive, all these hauls but hey, it’s fun! Let me know if you have used any of the above products or in fact have something else to recommend from The Body Shop; I’m all ears! I would also love to know if any of you share my freakish no-water-on-the-face thing… just to reassure me I am not the only one!
Until next time x
Clairey Sweetie 