MY SPONTANEOUS CAUDALIE FACIAL!

As many of you are probably aware of, I'm a vet student studying at The Royal Veterinary College in London. Therefore, as part of my degree I have to do 2 weeks of compulsory work on a sheep farm during their lambing season. Needless to say the whole experience completely broke me and I felt compelled to book a spontaneous afternoon at a local spa. I decide to go to The Captains Club Spa ( https://www.captainsclubhotel.com/spa/ ) as I've never tried their facilities before AND because they now use all Caudalie products in their treatments. I love using a spa where I know the brand that they carry. 

In terms of the spa's facilities- they have a few sun beds, a hydrotherapy pool, jacuzzi (which isn't hot enough I must add) and a sauna. Not exactly the size of spa I'm used too but it's sufficient if you have a few treatments booked in. I didn't mind on this occasion.

The treatments I received were:

• the divine body massage (55 mins for £70)- "This treatment incorporates the signature Caudalie massage, featuring the Award-winning Divine Oil. Indulge in the floral, sun-kissed fragrance of Divine oil, while compression techniques gently sooth tension and re-boost your energy. Your skin will be luxuriously softened, moisturised and wrapped in a delicate fragrance blend of roses, grapefruit, pink pepper, vanilla, cedar and white musk."
• Vinosource hydrating & nourishing facial (55 mins for £70)- "A skin-renewing treatment to deeply moisturise the skin. This treatment starts with a gentle cleansing of the skin and exfoliation. A massage with fresh grapes followed by a recovery essential oil massage soothes dryness, the application of an intensely moisturising mask, and our Vinosource products restore moisture levels for a healthy, glowing appearance."

Both the massage and facial were relaxing (to the point where I could feel myself falling asleep" and considering they were "in spa" treatments which I can find to be gimmicky sometimes, specifically facials, I was pleasantly surprised. The Caudalie divine oil rehydrated my flaky skin and the scent wasn't too over bearing. The facial literally saved my skin. The beautician analysed my skin and put me in the dry category, I'm usually an oily-combo girl however the lack of skincare and being out 17 hours a day did take a toll on me so I did agree with her. 

Products used in the facial included: NOT IN ORDER

• micellar cleansing water (£15)
• instant foaming cleanser (£15)
• gentle cleansing milk (£15)
• gentle buffing cream (£20)
• grape water (£11)
• beauty elixir (£12)
• moisturising mask (£22)
• SOS thirst quenching serum (£29)
• moisturising mattifying fluid (£23)
• intense moisture rescue cream (£23)
• hand and nail cream (£12)

The facial left me with that perfect glow, and the next day my breakouts and redness had healed and I was left with an even skin tone. Considering it was my first proper facial I don't think it went too badly! If it were down to my preferences I'd of swapped out the buffing cream and used the glycolic peel instead, but having said that the physical exfoliator was very mild. I see the importance of going to get a facial every 4-5 weeks though and shall continue to get them! 

REVIEW: BOTANICS CLEANSING BALM

I thought I'd give my opinion on the Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm- originally it was priced around £8.00.

Caroline Hirons had previously done a review if people wanna check it out. Available via Google.

Few details about the product:

This deep-cleansing balm contains a luxurious blend of Shea Butter, Rosehip and Jojoba Oil to leave skin smooth, soft and clean. The gentle polishing action of the muslin cloth helps remove dirt, revealing a beautiful radiant complexion.

Active plant extract, Rosehip, is a rich source of Omega oils, which help improve suppleness and keep skin soft and healthy looking.

How its been advised to be used:

Massage balm over face and neck. Soak the cloth in warm water and use as a gentle compress to draw out impurities. Remove remaining balm. Finish by soaking the cloth in cold water and press gently over face to close pores. Use morning and night.

How i've been using it:

• Removing makeup.
• First cleanse.

What's good:

• Works well at removing eye make up & doesn't irritate my eyes.
• Nice gentle cleanse. 
• Decent amount of product for the price (2.3 fl oz).
• Organic approved ingredients.

Something's that aren't so good:

• It does leave a waxy/oily residue on my skin therefore I would want to go in with another cleanser to remove this film.
• Contains shea butter which hasn't shown to irritate my skin but I wouldn't want to chance it, hence 2nd cleanse after, people who don't approve of shea butter would probably want to avoid this cleanser.
• It doesn't emulsify (which I like in a cleanser).
• I've also found that because muslin cloths don't retain heat as efficiently,  the compress doesn't melt the oils as well as a flannel would. So I would suggest flanneling off.

To summerise, good affordable cleaning balm. Would be best as a make up remover or first cleanse with a flannel as a compress to remove the residue. Avoid if you don't want to put shea butter on your face. It has minimal contact time on mine as I wash it off immediately so I don't mind it.

Already have a back up. 

THE BODY SHOP HAUL

Back at it again with a post, this time it's on a recent haul at The Body Shop. 

It's no surprise when I say that I flipping love The body Shop. Especially at this time of year, as they excel themselves when it comes to christmas gifts/christmas collection. You can never go wrong with purchasing something from this brand.

This haul was 100% enabled by the fact they had an offer online, spend over £50 and get £25 off your bill. This has now expired but if I get this post up in time *fingers crossed* they will still have their offer of 40% off in-store and online, which applies to most of their ranges. 

(I apologise if this offer has now expired, but they always have offers on so wait till the next offer becomes available before you commit to a purchase. You can always get a discount of the full RPR when shopping at The Body Shop).

So what did I get?

• I repurchased the vitamin C moisturiser (£16). I bloody loved this the first time I used it, and visibly saw my skin change once I stopped. I concluded that my skin loves vitamin C, and that I should never be without this. It evened out my skin tone by fixing my pigmentation issues. This is a great moisturiser for the more normal/oily skin types due to the gel constancy. It isn't thick so doesn't leave you greasy, but also hydrates your face for instant make up application.
• Vitamin C 10 day glow boosting concentrate (£16). I've never seen this in-store and stubbled across it online. Its a 10 ml serum containing 5% vitamin c once you've mixed the serum and powder together. It claims to improve dull tired and textured skin. You must use it within 10 days, and it can be applied AM and PM. I think it's an intense treatment to improve dark pigmentation. The reviews online are very promising. 
• Spiced apple and frosted berries candles (£10 each). I got these to burn whilst I'm at home for christmas. My boyfriend has insisted on burning one of them in our room (he turns into a 5 year old at christmas which is kinda cute). They smell unbelievable, and are a decent size for their price. 200 g and I picked mine up for £6.00!
• I ran out of body moisturiser and thought it was only fair to pick up the spiced apple body butter (£14). I must say The Body Shop's body butters are perfect for when the weather gets that bit colder, I find them too thick in summer. I've applied this for the first time today, and god I literally smell of christmas. It reminds me of my Grandma's signature "christmas scent" and takes me back to when I was 5/6 years old and we would have a huge family boxing day. I did find that this scent was slight different to the candle, may due to the change in formulation for each product. However, its super hydrating obvs.
• Oils of life intensively revitalising eye-cream gel (£20). I've never tried anything from the oils of life range, but needed a new eye cream and because I've previously love the drops of youth eye concentrate I thought I'd give this one a try. It was between this and the Origins GinZing eye cream, but I was a bit anxious about trying from a brand that I'd never used before even though it had great reviews! It claims to improve dark circles, smooth the eye contour and wrinkles. I bought it to target my dark circles and to hydrate my eye contour. Excited to see how it performs.

I shall report back with reviews in a month or so on the skincare items. 

Shannon x

Welcome!

Hello!

I thought my first blog should be an introductory one. 

My name is Shannon Roberts-Steel (TheBeautyGodzilla), and I'm new to the blogging world. I'm a makeup and skincare enthusiast. My friends and family would probably go as far as saying that I have a spending problem when it comes to those 2 things. 

I'm a student who's currently studying Veterinary Science in lovely Gloucestershire! My ambition is to be a Veterinary Neurologist, so I have at least another 5 years at university. My main hobby is caring for my 2 lovely horses Darcy and Silas. I've been riding since I was 18 months old, and couldn't imagine a life without horses!

I hope you enjoy future blogs and please don't be afraid to let me know if I'm doing anything wrong! I'm still learning. 

Speak soon 

The Beauty Godzilla xxx