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! 

MINI REVIEW- YOUR GOOD SKIN "BALANCING SKIN CONCENTRATE"

Before I give my two sense about the brand here if some information that I've taken from their website:

"Your Good Skin is a brand new skincare range developed by a team of leading dermatologists to restore your skin’s natural balance. Powered by a unique antioxidant complex of Green Tea and Vitamin C, it gently works to visibly improve the health of your skin in just 28 days of its natural cycle. And by health we mean oiliness, dryness, texture, tone and radiance. Everyday concerns that can affect us all. Your Good Skin then goes on to maintain this healthy appearance for the long term, so your skin keeps up as you move through life.

But what really sets Your Good Skin apart is that it was co-created by a community of thousands of women. Women just like you, who share the same skincare issues and worries. And who want products that really work for them whatever their age, colour or skin type.

Over two years, they openly shared their stories and experiences with us, and each other, of how their skin behaved. Not just on the good days, but on the bad days too. They told us what they liked and what they didn’t and it was this constant conversation that helped shape the Your Good Skin brand so that our team of expert dermatologists could create the perfect range of skincare that answered the needs of real women with real concerns."

Products from the brand are available online @ https://www.yourgoodskin.com/uk or its available exclusively @ Boots (instore and online). I think the brand is in most large boots retailers, down the skincare aisle. If you follow me on instagram (thebeautygodzilla) you will also know that I picked up the Blemish Clearing Anti-Blemish Base Lotion however thats a review for another time. 

I've been using this every night since I bought it back in January.  The advise is to "dispense two pumps into the palm of your hand. Dot across your cheeks, chin & forehead & gently blend together" and to do this morning and evening. However, due to my current routine I just use it nightly. 

This treatment aims to "restores & maintains skin's natural balance. Designed to improve the 5 key signs of healthy looking skin; skin texture, skin tone evenness, radiance, moisture levels & oiliness" . I'm about 2/3 of the way through using this product so feel like i've given it enough time in order to give a thorough review. 

Lets start with the packaging. The product is housed in an air tight plastic pump dispenser with a view finder down the side of the bottle. So you can a) see how much product you have left b) automatically get every last drop of the serum out. Its slightly bulky to travel around with but its an A* from me. 

The juice inside is pretty good too. Ingredients include: Bisabolol, Green tea , Japanese Lily Turf, Lipochroman, Sphinganine, Vitamin C (Ascorbyl glucoside) and Vitamin E all which has helped hydrate, calm and even out my skin tone. My skin was really flaky, rough and inflamed before I used this serum, but now I feel more confident without wearing make up knowing that my pigmentation issues are being addressed. Don't get me wrong- this is not an over night fix. You need to be committed to this product in order to see results, and I'm glad I have. It has helped my skin massively and I feel like this is the healthiest it has been in a long time.   I personally would class this as a "serum" but it's not a fluid watery texture. This serum is a white cream, and typically goes on 2nd to last in my night time routine (just before my thicker occlusive hydrating cream). Everything about this product ticks all the boxes...apart from the inclusion of dimethicone which typically gives this serum a silicone finish. It hasn't caused any of my products to pilli however it's just something people should be aware of when thinking about purchasing this. 

I've really enjoyed using this and for £12 it's a very affordable serum, and is something I would repurchase. However, I feel like the effect of this serum has plateaued. Therefore, once i've finished this bottle I'm going to take a break from this product and try something new. I've got my eye on another serum to tackle my pigmentation but I'm trying to not hoard skincare items. Has anyone else tried this? What did you think? Or will you go and pick this up for yourself? 

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

REVIEW: GARNIER MOISTURE BOMB TISSUE MASK

The Garnier Skinactive Moisture Bomb Tissue Mask

RPR: £1.49 (currently £0.99 online at http://www.boots.com/en/Garnier-Moisture-Bomb-Tissue-Mask_1864094/ )

"Super-hydrating revitalising mask for dehydrated skin. Intensely rehydrates skin, reduces the look of fine lines, and revives radiance. Enriched with pomegranate extract, hyaluronic acid, and plant serum. "

"This super hydrating tissue mask, inspired by Asia, diffuses the equivalent level of hydrating serum as per 1 week's use of day care.* Truly innovative, its ultra-thin tissue is infused with a super-hydrating serum. Unmask smoother, bouncier, healthier looking skin in just 15 minutes. Applied to the face, it acts like a hydration wrap that continuously diffuses all the effectiveness of the serum intensely hydrating your skin. Its amazing freshness quenches and comforts skin instantly, for a pure moment of absolute pampering. The mask is easy to apply and remove. Suitable for all skin types, even sensitive. "

* I have normal-oily combination skin that isn't prone to breakouts unless under stress or during PMT. I do have pigmentation issues and would class my skin as dehydrated as I don't drink nearly enough water! Also, being only 20 years old I wouldn't say I've started the ageing process so don't have any fine lines, touch wood.*

Application

When you open the packet the mask is wrapped within a protective blue layer (don't ask me why...incase it rips? within the packaging? hmm). You place the mask side on your face and then peel off the protective layer and sit with the mask on for approx 15 mins. 

How I applied it...

What I found was that the protective layer made applying the mask quite a bit more difficult than it should do! It doesn't give the mask a lot of give so I ended up removing it and then rearranging the mask to suit my face. Once on, the mask adheres to your face and you don't get that uncomfortable slipping. I was able to get up and walk around with it on.

I don't particularly think that my face is big and in the past sheet masks have come up quite large on me, however this one was quite long and came up short width ways. So it miss the sides of my face by a few centimetres. It didn't bother me but I know a snug fit is important to some readers. It was also quite gappy around my nose! I left it on for 30 mins, and didn't apply moisturiser after, just a lip balm.

After 30 mins my skin had absorbed a lot of the serum and the sheet was 75% less saturated. There was a bit of product left in the packaging so I applied this to my neck and décolletage (little tip there). When I had removed the mask there was still excess serum which I rubbed in and left to be absorbed. 

Final opinion

The serum was absorbed beautifully into my skin. 

I woke up this morning with plumped skin and lips! I don't have sensitive skin so had no reaction. I much prefer this to my £5 sheet masks from another brand. My face so so smooth and I found that my oil production was reduced this morning, always a bonus. If only Garnier came out with a brightening mask! I'd be straight there. A definite repurchase especially at the price its selling for at the moment. I can imagine this being my saviour at times of need/when i'm hungover, and during winter with the sudden drop in temperature.

Recent Drugstore Haul/Mini Reviews!

Hi Guys,

I thought I'd update you on a recent skincare haul I did (exams made me do it), so sit back, relax and grab a cup of tea because its a longggg one. 

1. Cleansers 

Good Things Argan Oil Nourishing Cleansing Oil (£5.99)- it claims to removed makeup, hydrate the skin and combat signs of ageing. I've used it a few times since purchasing and am loving it so far. Its a light cleansing oil and definitely removes make up thoroughly including eye lash glue. 

Botanics Hydration Burst Dual Action Cleanser (£5.99)- this is a gel that transforms into an oil. It hydrates dehydrated skin and provides a gentle yet effective cleans for sensitive skin. The gel is quite thick, which make it difficult to squeeze out of the tube. Other than this design fault it is a lovely cleanser and doesn't leave your skin feeling tight. 

Bioderma Sebum H20 (£10.50)- this a cleansing water that is aimed at oily/blemish prone skin. It deeply cleanses the epidermis and regulate sebum production. I'm very excited to try this, although might do so sparingly considering you only get 250ml. 

YES To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Cleanser (£8.99)- this is part of the combination/acne prone skin range. The charcoal draws out impurities,tomato acts as an antioxidant and salicylic acid deeply cleanses the pores. 

Clearly Youthful Cream Cleanser and Clearly Youthful 3in1 scrub/mask/cleanser (£3.69/£4.89)- the cream cleaners is the OG out of this pair, however both contain AHA's which work to chemically exfoliate providing a radiant complexion. The 3in1 and is formulated with Vit E and can be used as a multi-purpose product. We shall see what the difference is between these two...

2. Face Oils 

Botanics Facial Oil 100% Organic (£9.99)- locking in moisture for 8hours it softens and conditions to restore the natural glow of your skin. The only other face oil I own is Bio Oil (staple favourite) which isn't specifically formulated for your face, but can be used to even out the skin tone. Therefore, I'm interested to see what this face has to offer my blemish/congested/hyperpigmented skin. 

3. Toners 

Superdrug Vitamin E (£2.99)- this is a repurchase, cannot recommend this product enough. It hydrates your skin, leaves it silky smooth and claims to contain antioxidants to reverse the signs of ageing. Whatever, it contains it's doing wonders for my skin. If you have combo, blemish, congested skin give this product a go. 

Botanics Rosewater Toning Spritz (£5.99)- it's a spritz which hydrates whilst tightening your pores. I've been using this regularly, especially after a AHA infused cleanse. Love it so far, but yet to know the long term effects. 

4. Face Masks

Good Things Manuka Honey Mask (£5.99)- this clears skin and hydrates by drawing out impurities that are congesting the skin. Ive used this once and first impressions were insane. It really plumps your skin and decongests problems areas before your eyes. Very interested to try future products from this brand. 

5. Suncreams 

Hawaiian Tropic Hydration Face SPF 30 (£8.50)- this lightweight lotion contains antioxidants and provides SPF protection. My only bug bear with this product is that it does leave me slightly oily. However, I will continue to use it especially on holiday where I won't be wearing much make up in the day.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios AC SPF 30 (£16.00)- designed with a matte fluid texture it provides SPF 30 and I'm loving this so far. Hasn't left me oily, and work perfectly with my skincare items (other than my super drug vit e serum which is rubbish with other products). 

Bioderma Hydrabio Eau de Soin SPF 30 (£9.00)- suitable for sensitive dehydrated skin this product provides moisture and protection. I've spritzed this on my face a few times and so far I'm enjoying the concept of this, a spray makes it easier to top up during the day. However, it does leave a strange white film on the face if you over use the product, and I'd prefer the spray to be more of an aerosol but you win some you lose some. 

6. Serums 

Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum (£2.69)- it nourishes and replenishes hydrating skin. Does exactly what it says on the tin!!! Works well under makeup and leaves your skin nice and plump. 

FINISHED, if you've made it through to the end with me I salute you! Until next time. 

The Beauty Godzilla xxx