Seaweed, Doves and Poppies

Products I Like

Lots of good products this week, though I’m not actually going to restock some of them at the moment for a variety of reasons.

The lovely people at 7th Heaven (Montagne Jeunesse) kindly sent me a free black seaweed peel-off mask recently and I’m grateful for the chance to try this one out. It contains natural minerals from Laver Seaweed and Sea Buckthorn which deeply cleanses and draws out dirt and oil. It definitely does this and my face was a lot smoother after this mask – which lasted me two sessions – but as you know I’m not a huge fan of the peel-off mask anyway (takes too long!) and this one is seriously messy and involved a major clean of the basin afterwards, so whilst it does what it says it will do, it’s just not for me … It costs £1.00 at Boots.

I have been TOTALLY loving the Dove Dermaspa Uplifted Body Lotion – and honestly I think it’s the best thing ever for my crinkly thighs, LOL. Uplifted+ is our first spa-like body lotion to blend satin gel with Surface Cell-Moisturisers™. This unique lotion, that gently moisturises and replenishes, give your skin a pick-me-up to improve elasticity and firmness. It’s nicely scented and I also love the fact that it’s a very pale blue colour – which is just different from every other cream under the sun so that’s great too. It’s half-price at Boots at the moment at £2.99 for 200ml, so snap this one up!

During my ‘grapefruit obsession stage’, I picked up a tube of the Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Fresh Body Sorbet just to give it a try, and really I’ve fallen in love with this one. This sorbet is the perfect skin treat. Bursting onto the beauty scene, this must-try moisturiser will leave your skin infused with the zesty scent of grapefruit and provide lightweight, instant hydration. I love the fact that it’s lighter than body cream but still gives me smooth skin and that fresh grapefruit smell – it’s brilliant for the mornings! It costs £8.50 for 200ml at Body Shop (not bad for their prices really) and I shall buy it again once I’ve made more of a hole in my massive body cream collection …

My total FAVOURITE product of 2017 has to be the Marks and Spencer Christmas special Star of Wonder Midnight Poppy and Saffron hand cream. I’m utterly devastated that I can’t provide a link for this as it was only a Christmas edition (weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth!), but I’m telling you that this is the happiest product you will EVER put on your hands EVER. Trust me. The tube tells the complete truth on this occasion: A luxurious hand cream with a captivating midnight poppy scent at the heart, on a base of sandalwood, amber, saffron, cinnamon and musks. It’s the creamiest, most gorgeously scented hand cream ever and it’s the cinnamon that does it – I LOVE cinnamon and I wish it was in more products – this product made me happy and it made my friend-going-through-a-horrendous-time happy, and I can’t say a negative thing about it. Please bring it back soon, Marks & Spencer – I can’t wait until next Christmas for more of this – really I can’t!!…

The Dove Compressed Invisible Dry Anti-Perspirant Deodorant spray is now my go-to deodorant, as I think it’s even more effective than the roll-on – though I like to have both in stock, always. Invisible Dry Anti-Perspirant Deodorant contains translucent anti-perspirant ingredients. It combines protection against white marks on skin and clothes, with powerful anti-perspirant ingredients and advanced 1/4 moisturiser technology. Tough on sweat, not on skin. It’s brilliant – keeps me dry and never stains clothes. I love it. I have two more in stock, but will repurchase definitely when I start to run out. At the moment, it’s £3.50 for 125ml at Boots, but they are having a 2 for £4 selected Dove products offer, so pop this one in your basket asap.

I’ve used Sensodyne Pronamel Gentle Whitening toothpaste every morning now for ages (I use another type of toothpaste at night) and it’s an auto buy for me. New Sensodyne Pronamel Gentle Whitening Toothpaste is specially formulated to protect against acid erosion and also gently yet effectively remove stains, restoring teeth to their natural whiteness. As it contains fluoride it also provides the benefits of a regular toothpaste. The mint flavour is great – not too sharp – and it keeps the stains well away from my teeth, so what’s not to like? It’s £4.50 for 75ml at Boots, but they are running a 3-for-2 selected Sensodyne offer, so even more of a bargain.

The Dr Organic Tea Tree Cream is pretty good and I’ve used it for quite a while. It’s good for keeping facial spots under control and I use it most mornings. It’s very soothing, but perhaps not quite strong enough for any serious rash crises – though of course I have plenty of other products for those! Whilst I would look at buying this again at some point as it’s just so comforting, I have other options at the moment to try out. It costs £5.99 for 50ml at good old Holland & Barrett.

I’ve come to (well over!!!) the six-month usage for a couple of my favourite mascaras recently and I like them both for different reasons, so here they are:

The Boots No 7 Extreme Length Sensitive Brown/Black mascara is very gentle on my super-sensitive eyes – especially as I’m now concentrating on the top lashes only and leaving the lower ones to do their own thing, LOL. Introducing No7 Extreme Length Sensitive Eyes Mascara. Giving all of the definition, length and separation of the original, this gentler version contains natural waxes, almond and jojoba oils to care for every lash. Enriched with Almond and Jojoba oils to take care of the lashes and D-Panthenol to condition, the mascara has a mild pH neutral formula to ensure eyes are tear free and is suitable for contact lens wearers. It’s easy for a mascara-klutz like me to use and tends to stay on even with my watery eyes. A couple of times, it has run a little bit but it doesn’t cause any pain which is great for me. I feel very happy with this one and will repurchase when I next need to buy a mascara (I have other ones on the go at the moment). It’s £12.50 for 7ml at Boots, though No 7 products have a Buy-1-get-2nd-half-price offer running now.

The Maybelline Waterproof Great Lash Very Black Mascara is very reliable too, but in a slightly different way from the No 7 one above. It definitely doesn’t come off, no matter what – which is great! Though on occasions, I’ve found it a bit on the irritating side. Still, it’s a good evening mascara in my view, and I would look at repurchasing it when I need another mascara. This one is £4.99 for 12ml at Boots, and if you buy one at the moment, you get a second half-price!

I must also thank Mrs Strawberry Blonde this week for mentioning the wonders of the Kabuki brush for putting on face powder recently. I’d never heard of this at all, so I rushed to Superdrug to buy one, and am loving it. It really does give my face a smooth finish, and I’m now a Kabuki fan, LOL! It’s £4.49 at Superdrug, and they’re running a buy-1-get-2nd-half-price offer on selected make-up accessories. You can also get a similar Kabuki brush at Amazon for £3.49, so lots of choice here.

Products I Won’t Repurchase

Here I must give yet another shout-out to Mrs Strawberry Blonde for first introducing me to the facial Konjac sponge which I absolutely LOVE. I bought mine at Superdrug but they don’t seem to be stocking them now, which is a crying shame, but you can still get them at Amazon, hurrah! Anyway, inspired by the sponge wonder, I bought a pink clay Konjac sponge for use on the body generally – I love pink clay as it seems to really soothe my skin. At first I enjoyed using it but after a while I think it began to give me spots again on my chest and back, so I’ve stopped using it and have gone back to my trusty flannel. It has also fallen apart very quickly, which isn’t great. Mind you, when I look at the Amazon product info, I’ve probably been using it wrong as apparently you don’t need soap or shower gel, which I didn’t realise. Don’t know if I’ll try it again, as it’s not given me confidence. The face one is still great though! If you do want to give the body version one a go, it’s £11.99 at Amazon – a bit pricey really.

I’ve been using up the Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Day moisturiser, but haven’t been that impressed really. Olay Total Effects 7in1 Fragrance Free Anti-Ageing Moisturiser is an all-in-one solution for younger-looking skin from the world’s facial skin care brand. It helps fight seven signs of aging: visibly smoothes fine lines and wrinkles, helps skin to maintain its moisture, evens skin tone appearance, minimizes the look of pores, smoothes and evens out skin texture, enhances brightness, hydrates to restore firmer skin appearance. Reformulated with 40% more vitamins than before, it’s Olay’s simple, smart approach to younger, healthier-looking skin. Total Effects’ VitaNiacin Complex, containing vitamin E, pro-vitamin B5 and vitamin B3 (also known as Niacinamide), helps enhance your skin’s healthier look with 7 beautiful benefits. Enjoy visibly firmer, younger-looking skin every day. Sorry, but it’s way too light for me and delivered none of the promised results, oh well. If you’re an Olay fan, it’s currently on offer at a one-third discount at Boots, so £9.99 for 50ml.

Finally, I have finished my sample of Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Rich Cream but it did nothing for me. Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich gives, for the first time, Vichy Thermal Spa Water and a micro-encapsulated delivery system of Activ Hyaluronine improve the diffusion of moisture into the surface of the epidermis. The skin feels replenished with water, as if continuously hydrated by misting micro-sprays. The skin is intensely hydrated feeling soothed. It feels supply, refreshed and velvety soft, free of sensation of tightness all day long. The skin is more resilient, with increased suppleness and radiance. Its effectiveness is proven on 100 women under dermatological control. The rich cream is refreshing and melts into the skin. Non-greasy and non-stick with no sensation of thickness.The Aqualia Thermal range helps fortify and soothe the skin giving it 24 hour hydrating care for use on dehydrated and sensitive skin. Intensely hydrated, the skin feels soother, refreshed and free from sensations of tightness. Harrumph! Really appalled with the standard of English here!!! Have Boots no decent translators at all? Heck, even I can do better than this – but I thought I’d leave it as it is on their site to give you a laugh! My dears, it worked no miracles for me, so I have saved myself £17 for a 50ml pot, phew!

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!

Anne Brooke Books

 

 

 

Konjac and Marshmallow

Products I Love

I have three TOTALLY brilliant products to rave about this week and honestly I am REALLY excited about them.

First off is one I’ve mentioned before – the La Roche-Posay Serozinc spray tonic is amazing and I use it every morning. It’s particularly good for blemish-prone skin and keeps everything under control without drying the skin out. I already have my back-up in place. It’s £8.50 at Boots but there’s a 3-for-2 specialist skin care offer on at the moment so my advice is to snap this up asap!

I picked up a taster bottle of TreacleMoon’s MarshMallow Hearts Bath and Shower Gel at my local Tesco  a while back and just started using it last week. I LOVE this so much – the smell is TOTALLY gorgeous – it’s like wrapping yourself up in all that was wonderful from your childhood and it’s not at all a childish scent either. It also lathers up very well and the  amazing scent lingers on the skin – bliss indeed! I’ve already rushed back and stocked up on a full-size bottle, which I can’t wait to use. It’s £3.00 for 500ml, but Tesco have a 2 for £4 offer on until the end of January so my advice is buy some soon! This is actually a little better than Imperial Leather’s marshmallow shower gel in my opinion though I do love both.

Finally in this section, I must give a HUGE SHOUT-OUT to Mrs Strawberry Blonde who suggested a week or so ago that I should really get myself some of these new Facial Konjac Sponges from Superdrug. Given that, to my knowledge, Mrs SB has never been wrong, I immediately went online and bought three – they’re £1.99 each, but I bought 3 of them with the current 3-for-2 offer. My dears, this product is absolutely MAGICAL for my spot-prone super-sensitive skin and really my face has never looked so good. No, I kid you not! I use mine in the morning and evening – I make the sponge damp and then very gently rub my whole face with it a couple of times with whatever product I’m using. There’s no tingle or irritation, and it thoroughly cleanses my skin without damaging it in any way so I’m a total convert now. The spots which were threatening me before I started using the sponge have gone away, my make-up goes on better and stays on better and my face looks SO CLEAR!! Honestly, I keep glancing in the mirror now to see if it’s still true, and it is. Gosh! Go get yours now! Just remember to rinse the sponge and give it a gentle squeeze to get rid of excess water and then hang it somewhere dry (not in the bathroom!) to dry out. This is definitely my favourite product of 2016 and so cheap too – result!

Products I Don’t Love

The Kiehl’s Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter came as a sample product recently, and I have to say I really loved it the first time I used it. Then when I used it again, it made me feel quite ill and I realised that it actually smelled like rancid milk. Yukk!! Thankfully, it wasn’t too large a sample so I’ve used it up when I definitely wasn’t going anywhere. It costs £30.27 for 226g at Amazon so I’ll be giving it a miss.

I bought the New Dawn Rose Geranium Face & Body Moisturiser a year or so ago when the menopause seriously kicked in and my skin went utterly TERRIBLE in every way. It started off being okay but my skin back then was so desperate that it would probably take anything and feel better, I think. Then I realised the product was just too rich for my face, so I put it away, but lately I’ve been using it up as a hand cream in the bathroom. It’s okay but the scent is a little too strong for me. I’m also not sure if the company make this one any more as – though it’s mentioned on site – I just can’t find it but the site does seem very confusing. Oh well!

The Guinot Hydra Sensitive Face Cream came as a sample and is okay, though Guinot’s not a range I would normally go for. Then again, at £40.75 for 50ml from Amazon, can you blame me!?! So there’s nothing wrong with it, and it doesn’t irritate my skin, but there are many other better products at more reasonable prices out there.

Anyway, I hope you all have a fabulous and beautiful Christmas!

Anne Brooke Books

 

A Hair & Teeth Week

Products I Don’t Like

This week I’m afraid I’ve taken against the Innisfree Bija Mask – as though it’s nice enough, sheet masks are still a bit of a faff all round – I’m happier with normal masks so I won’t be restocking on this one after all. It is good for sensitive or congested skin so if you like sheet masks, then this is one to consider. You can get it from eBay for £1.89, postage free.

I started off really liking the Alberto Balsam Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner but I soon got a bit bored with the scent and struggled to finish it. My verdict is it’s okay but I have other more interesting hair conditioners. It’s available at Boots for £1.00 only so a real bargain.

I don’t have anything drastic against the No 7 Instant Illusions Airbrush Away primer as it does the trick but not as well as other primers. Its main and unsurmountable problem is that it costs £16.50(!!) for only 30ml at Boots – so way overpriced to my mind. Then again, it’s currently part of a 3-for-2 offer so you could get it free if you can find anything you want in Boots that is more expensive. Good luck with that, LOL. There are other alternatives out there, girls!

Products I Like

Teeth! Teeth are my bugbear at the moment (no, don’t ask!…) but I would NEVER be without my trusty Dentyl Active mouthwash – a lovely minty taste and it’s alcohol-free, which is very important to me. If I’m going to put alcohol down my gullet, then I want it be the Real Thing, not a health product with it added. It costs £1.30 at Boots – though currently out of stock online – and it really does the trick. Watch that plaque go!

I started off not liking the Olay Anti-Wrinkle Booster and Firming Serum – now I can’t live without it, so thank you very much to ever-lovely Mrs Strawberry Blonde for tipping me off on this one! I use it on my face in the evening and it just smooths out my skin ready for the evening make-up touch-up. Bliss! More than that, it’s now HALF-PRICE at Boots at only £4.99 so grab your bottle now!

I’ve used Rimmel’s Hide The Blemish Concealer (Ivory) for years now and it’s a pretty decent standby – these days, I’ve got other better concealers I totally rely on and which do a wonderful job, but this one is like an old friend I can’t quite let go. I’ll always love it and it’s well worth a try-out, but I suspect I won’t be restocking it once my supply has run out, sob! It will cost you £3.99 at Boots.

A new discovery for me is L’Oreal Perfect Match Foundation in Ivory Rose (1R1C) – I picked up a sample size very cheaply at eBay and have enjoyed using this one – it blends into the skin superbly well, covering all my imperfections (hey, let’s not list those then, LOL!!) and stays on pretty decently too. I’ve now bought a full-sized bottle, also from eBay as it’s cheaper than at Boots (£9.99 for 30ml, though there is a 3-for-2 deal on L’Oreal products at Boots …), and will look forward to getting that soon. I am indeed a TOTAL Foundation Tart!

Anne Brooke Books