Una Brennan Super Facialist Pore Purifying Clay Mask

And the award for the longest product name ever goes to this! When it comes to face masks, my experience is rather limited as I was brought up with the notion that they are full of nasties that will do more bad than good for your skin. I have since formed my own opinions and after trying a couple of raved about masks, I can happily say that they are a key part of my skincare routine.

I try to use a face mask at least once a week and my current choice is the Pore Purifying Clay Mask from the Una Brennan Super Facialist range. I believe they do rose and tea tree versions of this mask, which I am keen to try but as blemishes were my main port of concern, I deemed the purifying mask to be the best for my needs and it really has lived up to all my expectations.

It works in as little as five minutes, though I like to leave it on for around 10-15, and pulls out all of the bacteria and general nasty stuff lurking in your pores, with the help of the salicylic acid, to help prevent blemishes and clogging. I've also found it to help with my sometimes super oily skin, making make-up application a dream. It calms active breakouts and prevents new ones from appearing, without irritating or burning my skin as I've found with some masks.

For the rather generous £8.99 price tag, this clay mask really does help to clear out my pores and leaves my skin feeling smooth, refreshed and so much cleaner. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a new mask to try as it's great for weekly use and it doesn't leave you with that awful tight or dry feeling afterwards. 

A Nip + Fab Duo

I have a confession to make; I am a shameless celeb-aholic. I watch too much reality TV, dream of one day living a Kardashian lifestyle and I buy into almost every celebrity endorsed product. Now onto this post where I'll begin with an admission, initially I bought both of these products because apparently Kylie Jenner uses (and loves) them. Kylie became the Nip + Fab brand ambassador a few months ago and since then, I've gone from having zero products by the brand to a rather extensive collection and I have no regrets whatsoever. 

The two that I have been using and loving the most though have to be this little cleanser/serum duo, which I use almost twice daily and they have made a huge difference to my skins overall appearance. I begin with washing my face with the Glycolic Fix Cleanse, a foaming cleanser that I apply to a damp face and wash off with warm water. This is great for in the morning to give a fresh base for makeup or for the evening to remove all traces of makeup from the day; it's gentle, fresh and contains glycolic acid, which is great for a daily exfoliation.  

I follow up with the Dragon's Blood Fix Plumping Serum, which is nearly as scary as it sounds, applying this all over my face before any moisturisers or sprays. This serum contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate and refine the skins texture and dragon's blood to apply an invisible film over the skins surface to protect. The real difference I've found from using this product though is the redness around my chin and nose has reduced significantly and it's left my skin looking overall more hydrated. 

I haven't tried using these products separately but together, they have become a staple in my daily skincare routines and I'm yet to find anything my skin loves more. I'm keen to try the other two Dragon's Blood steps, as well as a few of the snake venom products - could these ingredients actually sound anymore sinister?! 

Have you tried anything from Nip + Fab? What are your favourite products? 

April Beauty Favourites

I'm back to doing my monthly favourites and this month I've discovered quite a few new products that I'd found myself really loving. There's a bit of hair care, make-up, skincare and a self tan that I've mentioned several times on here already! I hope you enjoy the video and don't forget to head over to my channel to subscribe! 

A Garnier Combination

If, like me, you like to wear some makeup but then can't really be bothered to go through a huge removal process at the end of the day then keep reading. I have a totally fuss-free routine that even removes those stubborn waterproof, curl holding mascaras that a face wipe just won't. And it's only two products! I have found Micellar water to do the job fantastically and though Bioderma will always be my holy grail, I have been using the Garnier combination that works just as well. Though micellar water alone is great for removing face make-up, you don't really want to be scrubbing at your eyes all that much so I've been pairing the cleansing water with the Garnier Express 2 in 1 Eye Make-up Remover that is non-greasy and removes even waterproof mascaras. 

Now there are several of these types of products on the market from the real high-end ones to the drugstore alternatives that work just as well - it isn't always the more you pay the better. These Garnier products are definitely my top choices after Bioderma and the duo-solution products seem to work great and by shaking up he two solutions, you are left with a really effective cleanser and eye make-up remover in one. I usually go in with the cleanser first all over my face using one cotton pad, then I'll use a separate one for both eyes and all you need is to hold the cotton pad on your eye for around 30 seconds and then a gentle swipe and the make-up is gone.

The smell on both is pretty light and non-perfumed, which is especially great for those who get easily irritated skin. The formula is also nice and non-greasy so there's no worry about it leaving an awful film over your face afterwards. I follow up these with my daily toner/moisturiser and that's my routine pretty much done. On occasion I will use an extra step of a balm cleanser (I use the Clinique one) if I feel my skin is look particularly bad but on most occasions these suffice. 

Have you tried the Garnier Cleansing Water and Eye Make-up remover? What are your go-to cleansing products? 

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm 125ml - Boots

This products has become a staple in my new skincare routine recently. I've always had a very mismatched routine, trying out various different products and never settling but I started to realise that my skin just couldn't handle the constant change. Like me, my skin is a creature of habit and likes routine and so I've finally found a solid skincare routine that works for me and my combination/oily skin.

Now I'm not sure how long this Clinique cleansing balm has been around (bonus points if you do) but I've known about it for a few months now after seeing it appear in several youtubers' skincare routines and being intrigued by it's make-up removal powers. I've always been a face wipes/micellar water kind of person but now I've banished the face wipes for emergencies and I've swapped them out for this cleansing balm and then a final bout of Bioderma to make sure every last ouce of make-up is removed.

To use, I scoop out a small about and warm it between my fingers turned the balm into a much softer substance. I then massage it into my skin, concentrating on my eyes and t-zone, and finally wash it off with a face cloth. I've found a big difference in my skin since using this cleansing balm and I can definitely feel it removing my make-up a lot better than I did with just face wipes. I think I'm definitely a convert now.The only down side to this product would be the £22 price-tag but I predict that this one 125ml pot will last be a very long time so I think it'll be worth it in the long run.

Pixi Glow Tonic

Exfoliating toners came about early last year and the hype surrounding them was immense but by far the most talked about product was Pixi Glow Tonic. The beauty community went wild over it despite it being next to impossible to get hold of at the time and that was in fact the main reason I didn't buy into the hype. I did however jump on the Pixi bandwagon a few weeks back while in London for Fashion Week and I have to say, I completely understand why this product is so loved - I've given it a good amount of testing and despite the smell, I think this is definitely going to become a staple in my skincare routine. 

Basically the idea of this product, for those of you not familiar with it, is to exfoliate the skin and smooth out skin texture. Now for me personally, I have quite a lot of bumps under the skin on my forehead and after using this for a couple of weeks AM and PM, I've seen a considerable improvement in this and my skin overall is looking healthier and more 'glowy'. It definitely isn't a miracle product by any means but it does stand on it's own two feet as a solid part of my daily routine and if you can look past the terrible Aloe Vera and Ginseng smell then it may just be one to try!

La Roche-Posay Serozinc

I'm definitely one to listen to to hype surrounding products, I mean it must be good if so many people rave about it, right? One product that has been on my radar for some time now is the La Roche-Posay Serozinc, which I managed to pick up while in Paris and one that I'm now wishing I'd picked up several cans of!

Bioderma Crealine H2O

It seems every beauty-related blogger around has tried and reviewed the cult Bioderma micellar water  and now I thought I'd go ahead and share my thoughts on it too! I personally, really hate taking off my make-up, I find it such a chore and so a product that makes this step slightly easier is a winner in my books.

skincare | three of the best

A few months ago I started getting really awful breakouts on my chin and I couldn't for the life of me, figure out why. I hadn't changed anything in either my skincare or my eating habits so it was just a complete mystery that left me feeling rather down about myself. Now it was by no means what you'd imagine 'bad skin' to look like, but it was something I personally wasn't used to. I started investing in some new products to see if I could combat these breakouts and there's been a few standouts that have made a difference in one way or another.

Origins skincare was something I'd never tried but had always heard such great things about. I first picked up the Super Spot Remover which I had real high hopes for, especially considering the price for such a small bottle (it's absolutely tiny!), this product did not disappoint at all. It recommends to use up to three times a day as needed but I tend to stick to before I go to bed and once during the day if I'm staying inside as it is quite drying and I feel applying too much would completely dry out my skin and cause those horrible looking patchy areas. When I first applied this to any blemishes I had it stung quite a bit, but that subsides after a while and then it gets to work, I woke up the next morning and all the redness was gone and the blemishes were much smaller. This bottle is a miracle worker! Keeping with Origins, I also picked up (for a mere £5 at Boots!) the much raved about GinZing Moisturiser which on the face feels so luxurious and smells divine - if you don't like the smell of oranges don't buy this! It's quite a light-weight moisturiser that sinks into the skin quickly and for me, really helps combat the dryness caused by the spot remover. These two work in harmony so well together.

The third and final product I've been using is the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo which is not a spot treatment as myself and many others often presume, it is in fact, a pore unclogging treatment. At first this caused more blemishes to appear on my face but that was just all the impurities being pulled out, afterwards I found the pores around my nose to look smaller and the tiny bumps on my forehead to be reduced. I'm not sure if this is something I'd repurchase but it definitely worked for me at the time.

What are you three best skincare products?

Emma xo

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