Review: Liz Earle | Instant Boost Skin Tonic |

Liz Earle - Instant Boost Skin Tonic - 200 ml - £13.25

It's no secret that I love this Boots Botanics toner, but after finishing up my second bottle the beauty blogger in me wanted to try something new. After falling in love with Cleanse and Polish around two years ago I decided that Liz Earle would be a great brand to delve back into and popped down to John Lewis to replenish my stocks of C+P along with a bottle of the Instant Boost Skin Tonic.

The packaging is superb for traveling as it features a nifty screw top, but I kind of wish I had gotten the spray bottle option as they are my favourite way to apply a toner. I use this as my morning toner by pouring the liquid onto a cotton pad and sweeping over my face after washing with Origins Zero Oil face wash and prior to a day time serum.  Like all Liz Earle products it includes lots of naturally active ingredients - in this particular product there is organic aloe vera, calendula, rose-scented geranium, cucumber and natural vitamin E. 

The main aims of this product is that it should refresh, sooth and brighten. I certainly agree it is really refreshing and gentle on the skin while featuring floral notes with a light fresh scent of cucumber. However, I haven't seen much progress in the brightening aspect. 

It is suitable for all skin types which I would agree with as it is non drying due to the lack of alcohol in the ingredients and very gentle, however for those of us who are more oily/combo skinned I would prefer something that does a little more. It is a great product for those who don't have many particular skin concerns but I like my skin care to really feel like it is doing something to actively improve its condition.

If you have normal to dry skin which is pretty well behaved then this would be a fabulous toner but personally I'm looking for something more.

What is your favourite product from Liz Earle? xxx

Review: Origins | Out Of Trouble Face Mask |

Out Of Trouble // £22 // 100ml

I've been a big fan of Origins skincare for a while now and their face masks are definitely one of their best selling points as they are great for targeting specific problems effectively. I have the Drink Up Intensive in my arsenal and have used the Clear Improvement Charcoal mask but today I will be talking about the Out Of Trouble face mask.

It is targeted towards combination oily skin, which sums up my skin perfectly, and is recommended to be used to clear up excess oil production and blemishes. Personally, I find this best for use on active break outs - normally a few days after using a clay based mask which draws out impurities, although it is good when used in 'triple threat' facials straight after the aforementioned mask to try and stop anything blossoming into a full on blemish. Although it is a 10 minute mask to give quick results, I always leave it on a lot longer like I do with all other face masks. It has a really strong smell (which I think is the sulfur) and takes some getting used to as the scent lingers until the next morning after washing it off, but the thick white consistency means you can get a thick layer without using too much product. I've had my bottle for over a year and am about 4/5 of the way through which is great value. Ingredients featured are zinc oxide and sulfur which are present to soak up oil and exfoliate away dead cells that contribute towards the creation of blemishes and camphor to refine the texture of skin and 'pull the plug' on active breakouts.

As I mentioned I like to apply this all over when I've got a few break outs or concentrated on a few spots (I've seen some people use it as an over night spot treatment.) Straight after washing it off my complexion looks a lot calmer and redness has been reduced. Blemishes often disappear a lot quicker when I use this mask and reduce in size considerably by the next morning. Although the formula does dry rather than stay sticky, my face is never left dry or tight but is instead smooth, soft and even toned. 

I would highly recommend Origins in general but their face masks are a real winner for me. It's a shame that the price point seems to have been inflated from the original £20 to £22 which does put me off a bit but I suppose for such a best selling range they feel they can get away with it.

What are your favourite products from Origins? xxx

Beauty Haul

I have been a very naughty girl today and had a bit of a splurge at Boots and John Lewis... I couldn't resist getting some new products that I have read so many rave reviews about to test out myself :) I will be doing full individual reviews of these products, so expect to see some in depth posts about most of them once I have had the chance to give them a proper test. As an overview I purchased:

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser: I was sooo excited about this purchase! I have seen so many reviews on various blogs and youtube channels claiming what a miracle product this is so I am really keen to test it out myself...I'm hoping it will work just as well for me :) It was also cheaper than I expected it to be, so that was a bit of a bonus!

Batiste Dry Shampoo: Bit of a boring one, but out of all the dry shampoos this has always been the one I go back to. I normally get the pink one but thought I would try the 'wild' bottle this time.

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit facial wash: This is another one that I have seen heavily recommended for my skin type and as I had run out of the wash I was using at home, I thought it would be a good time to try out this particular wash.

ProVoke Touch of Silver shampoo: I had also run out of my John Frieda purple shampo which helps tone out the brassiness of blonde hair when the colour starts to fade, so to replace it I bought this product which I had heard good reviews about. I need to make sure I don't keep it on too long though as it can turn your hair purple :\!

Barry M Nail Paint in Berry (308): This wasn't a planned buy but as I was in Boots anyway and I have been looking for a nice pastel purple I decided to buy this as my pastel blue from the range is pretty good quality. I would also like to purchase a minty shade so if anyone has some suggestions of a good brand, please leave a comment or tweet me!

Palmer's Natural Bronze: After thinking about purchasing a gradual tanner for a while, I saw some good reviews of this and I love other Palmer's products I decided on this one. It was also half price in Boots and as it is so cheap anyway this cost me only a little over £2!

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzing Powder: Again, this is another product that I have seen numerous positive reviews about and as I needed a new bronzer thought it would be a good purchase. It is also in the shape and smells of chocolate so that is another plus point for me!

Denman bag brush: I have been after one of these for ages as on a night out I can never fit my hairbrush in my bag unless I take a huge one, and anyone who knows me knows that I am constantly brushing my hair!! So this will be a very handy little purchase, and at around £3 it was a bargain.

Clarins Hydra-Matte Lotion: I got this in a tester size as I don't really want to shell out on a full size if it doesn't do anything for me. I am a big fan of Clarins so am looking forward to trying this out, especially as I have quite oily skin it will be fab if it works well.

Clarins Pure and Radiant Mask: Again this is in a tester size for the same reason and I am really looking forward to trying this out too.

Have you used any of these products and what are your thoughts on them? xxx