GlamGlow BubbleSheet Mask

by lovesandluxuriesJanuary 22, 2018

If you haven’t already heard of GlamGlow, let me fill you in.

Glam Glow was designed specifically for A Listers who were in need of a product that would make them instantly camera ready. It was soon used by most of Hollywood and eventually was available for retail in 2011. Their Super Mud treatment became a success in retail and earned plenty of beauty awards. GlamGlow have continued to grow their brand adding more treatments which has had just as much success.

When this first popped up on GlamGlow Instagram account I couldn’t wait to try it. A quick and easy sheet mask promising to detox my face in 3 mins… Take my money!

As tempting as it is to try their other new products I really have enough to get through at the moment. Beside, every purchase comes with 2 free samples so that’s enough to keep my skincare addiction going for now.

So what is this new bubblesheet?

oxygenating deep cleanse mask with green tea works to reveal glowing, deeply purified skin in just three minutes. Upon application, this bamboo charcoal-infused sheet mask activates an oxygenating and tingling 3D bubbling experience that instantly invigorates, detoxifies, and removes face makeup.

So the instructions are to dampen face then apply, smoothing it down. Leave for about 3 mins. After you have removed the mask, massage in the remaining bubbles. Rinse and pat dry face. Easy enough.

The mask was a little tingly while it was on. Not uncomfortable and its not like its on long. There wasn’t really a smell to it. Its a creamy foam texture so was nice to massage in. Its a quick and easy face detox with no mess.

My face feels like its had a good clean. I wouldn’t say it was glowing but I do think it would be really good for oily skin types as my skin feels a bit matte. I would still use a moisturiser as my skin is a bit dehydrated generally – just not straight away. Maybe leave for about 20mins to breath a little. If your wanting to apply make up make sure you use a primer. Im sure it will give you a nice smooth base to apply products too.

For £7 its not a terrible price. Im not sure I love it enough for it to become an essential part of my skincare routine every week but, its something I would use again. Its one of my favourite detoxifying sheet mask’s. And I have used a few…

What is Hyaluronic Acid?

by lovesandluxuriesJanuary 7, 2018January 7, 2018

No doubt this is a question you have been asking for a while now as it is being used in more skincare products and its doing the rounds on social media. But What is it? What does it do? and should you be using it?

I will keep it short but, Firstly, its not as scary as it sounds. I think the word acid makes it a little daunting. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a substance found naturally in our bodies. It has mainly be used to help skin heal from wounds, burns and skin ulcers. However the beauty industry quickly adopted it and starting using it as lip fillers. Now its integrating its way into our daily skincare routine.

It is claimed it can help fight signs of aging – over time fine lines and wrinkles will become less visable. Skin is said to be more hydrated, plumper and youthful.

Many products claim to help with hydration but they are usually made with less then 1% HA and the molecule its self is too large to be absorbed into the skin. Rather then hydrating and working its magic, the product is just sitting on the surface of the skin and drawing out the moisture.

So, to sum it up, HA is a product that will hydrate and plum up skin. It is very much worth adding as part of your skincare but you really do need to find a good one

I would 100% recommend

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2%+B5

£5.90

30ml

This Formula uses three forms of HA with crosspolymer, to offer multi-depth hydration & visible plumping without drawing water out of the skin

Look at the price again £5.90 – and delivers results. Its very concentrated so you only need 1-2 drops. Use in the morning and evening before heavier creams. Or, add to other formulations or water.

It is a little tacky when you first apply but don’t worry. Its absorbs into the skin after a few mins and leaves your skin soft, plump and brighter. Since I have been using this I have noticed how much more hydrated my skin is. It doesn’t feel tight and itchy like it normally does and I haven’t had any dry flakey skin patches on my nose or cheeks. If i’m honest I haven’t noticed much difference in my fine lines. But I will be paying more attention so, fingers crossed

Its alcohol,oil, silicone, nut and cruelty free. And, suitable for vegans.

I cant say enough good things about this company and their products but don’t worry, that will all be in the next blog post. But this is a great place to start with The Ordinary products or just a new updated addition to your daily skincare routine.

Soap And Glory Face Mask Review

by lovesandluxuriesNovember 12, 2017

The Soap and Glory brand have been around since 2006 and became quickly known for their iconic super plumping SEXY MOTHER PUCKER gloss. The brand covers bath, body, make up, hair and skincare. Available on line or exclusively to boots and a price range that will suit any budget.

Ive never tried any of their skincare and thought would probably be easier to start with their masks.

I have combination skin. so I get dry patches on my cheeks, forehead and some times on the top of my nose. But I also have oily patches too.. On my chin and sides of my nose. Nothing too distressing.

The masks I thought would suit me better were…

Purifying De-clog mask

2 applications

£4

The mask promises to lift out all the dirt and impurities that can clog skin.

Firstly, the scoop thing is ridiculous just chuck it out, use a brush to get it on evenly. Not too thick you don’t want it dripping everywhere for the first few mins before it sets. Its bright pink and there is so much product in these little pods.

It was fine on. No itching or tingling. I left it on half an hour. Wait for the mask to completely set before trying to take it off. It will make it easier to come off in one motion.

It does pull a little when taking off but nothing more then is to be expected. It all came off in one go so that made life a little easier.

I wasn’t blown away by how much it removed. It does help to lift the dead dull skin off but it didn’t seem to remove any blackheads. Ive used other products before that were slightly more expensive but I think done a better job. So for me I wouldn’t buy this again.

Radiance Boosting Mask

Sheet mask

£3.50

‘multi tasking sheet mask solution for dull-tired and stressed-looking complexions’. Who doesn’t need that in their life?

Pretty simple as with all sheet masks. Carefully unwrap and apply to face.

well, mine wasn’t that easy. I really struggled to unwrap the mask and ripped it a few times. I managed to get it pieced on and it stayed on the full 20 mins. But it was so fiddly I nearly just threw it away.

It was fine on. No tingling or itchy and it did have a strong smell of grapefruit. Considering it had ripped in a few places I am surprised it stayed on!

Im not a fan of this mask. I didn’t feel it done anything except enlarge my pores.

My skin didn’t feel radiant, its just felt like loads of product sitting on my skin. I used a couple of cotton pads to remove some of the product then, massaged the rest into my skin, After about half hour my skin felt a little dry and itchy so, I put my usual moisturiser on.

Under Eye Brightening Hydrogel Patches

£3.50

Soap and Glory’s promises to ‘smooth, revitalise, brighten and moisturise’.

We are all looking for a product that will magically take away the puffy darkness from under our eyes but I have to say I am not very optimistic as the other masks are not for me. I was going to put it in the fridge before using it as that will help to reduce puffiness but I forgot…

So open up the packet and remove the under eye patches from thier little platic holder. Remove the backing and stick to your under eye area. These stayed in place for the whole half our I was very impressed. They were no problem, forgot they were on.

Out of the 3 products I brought this was the best one.

They were easy to use and I did feel they reduced some under eye puffiness. I didn’t put any make up on after using these as I was having a no make up day and the results lasted all day. I would get these again. They were very cheap, so great for any budget, available locally at boots and they actually do what the packaging promises.

Overall I probably wouldn’t try any other skin care products from Soap and Glory. I did like the under eye patches but don’t think the other mask’s were any good for me.

Have you tried any Soap and Glory products? would you recommend any?

Yes To – Product Review

by lovesandluxuriesMay 14, 2017May 14, 2017

oh look a skincare range I haven’t tried before. Among all the other products on the shelves, this range stands out. And if you’ve read my other blog’s you’ll know i’m a sucker for a new skin care range. This range promises they use minimum of 95% natural ingredients of high quality without the use of silicone’s , SLS and Parabens. Sadly Boots does not stock their full range, so I had a look on line to see what they offer and there is a lot more then I expected. The have broken it down into 6 sub ranges:

Carrots, for normal to dry skin / hair

Blueberries, for mature skin to correct fine lines, wrinkles and signs of aging

Tomatoes, for combination or oily skin to detoxify and minimise breakouts

Grapefruit, for uneven skin tone. Diminishes appearance of dark spots and hyper pigmentation

Coconut, for dry skin and hair. To hydrate

Cucumber for sensitive skin. Hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested

As I said boots don’t hold a large range so excitedly i pick up one of each mask, here’s what i thought…

All About Face

Refine pores and even skin tone with grapefruit and vitamin C.

£4.99

So this is a 2 step treatment, a facial scrub and a brightening peel mask. When you open it there is a fresh grapefruit smell. Its not very overpowering which I like. The first thing I notice is how much product is in the little packet. There is enough product to use it twice. With all scrubs I try them on the back of my hand first. Its very important your facial scrub is not to gritty, this can cause damage to your skin. The grit in this scrub is very fine so I apply to clean damp skin and gently exfoliate using small circular motions. Rinse off with plenty of clean warm water.

I did like it. My face feels cleaner and looks a lot brighter. so far so good, now for step 2.

Again there is a lot of product in the packet definitely enough for 2 applications and smells lovely. Its slightly yellow? not thick like a cream more of a thinner gel like consistency but not sticky. I left it on for 10 mins while I had a bath and didn’t notice any stinging or tingling. Skincare really shouldn’t be making your skin feel like its burning (I’ve experienced that a few times..Superdrug Face Mask Review ) The mask was pretty easy to get off. No mess, no fuss but I did expect it to peel off. That really is just because it said brightening peel?

For £4.99 I would use it again. There was a lot of product, enough for 2 applications and my skin did feel clearer and brighter.

Buh Bye Clogged Pores Nose Kit

£4.99

2 step nose kit contains a cotton swab to apply the face scrub and a pore removing strip.

we’ve all used the pore strips before. but I always find that the skin on my nose peels for days after using them so I usually stay away from anything like it. but in the name of research, I am willing to try this one.

Again there is a lot of product. At least enough for 2 applications. If im honest it doesn’t feel like the scrub is really doing much. I get the idea of it. It will remove any dead skin cells making it easier for the pore strip to work, to remove whatever is clogging my pores on my nose. But we shall see.

So the strip is on, pretty easy just got to wait.

After 10 mins I remove the strip, don’t worry its not too bad, its not like the black mask fails that have been doing the rounds on social media.

As you can see from the pictures it did remove some stuff that has been clogging my pores. And this has been the only pore strip that doesn’t leave me with dry flaky skin for days. Would I get it again? erm… Well… Your really paying £4.99 for a one use pore strip. It didn’t unclog all my pores but it did remove some gunk. But £4.99 each?

Buh ByeBags And Dark Circles

Cucumber, caffiene and Evodia fruit

£4.99

So this maybe the shortest review I have done on a product…

What a load of crap that I wasted a fiver on.

Where to start… the paper eye masks, are they supposed to be bone dry? which way do they go on? Are they supposed to stick? these are the questions I was asking myself. I didn’t last the 10 mins they suggest. They went in the bin.

lets try the cream. Smells refreshing i’m optimistic cucumber is good for the eyes!

So I rub a small amount in using my ring finger. Its important you don’t use too much pressure as the eye area is very delicate.

I potter around waiting for the cream to absorb and banish my puffiness under my eyes.

After about 10 mins I return to the mirror to continue with my make up routine and whats staring back at me in the mirror MORE PUFFINESS, who the hell pays for puffier eyes? It looks like I’ve spent the last few hours crying. Crying that I just wasted a fiver on this! I go back and forth between reading the back of the pack and looking at my PUFFY eyes. And yep, they definitely look worse. Has any one used this before..? let me know what you thought of this. Is it just me? SO I wont be paying for puffier eyes again.

Pucker up lip kit

Coconut, Sugar and Sodium Hyaluronate

£4.99

This 2 part lip kit is a little like the eye kit. Instead of a cream there is a sugar based lip scrub and a paper mask for your lips. Hopefully this paper mask will be a bit easier to use.

Step 1- I loved this. Not too harsh to exfoliate lips with, slight coconut smell and wasn’t too greasy. My lips look lovely and even, no dry patches. And like all the others there is soo much product in this little packet. If they sell this online I will order it now (Too impatient, couldn’t wait. Just checked, they don’t)

The paper mask was a lot better then the eye mask. This one is drenched in product, now i’m optimistic

So it goes on and stays on fine!

It didn’t really tingle like I expected it to, I didn’t really feel anything. Everytime I looked in the mirror the lip mask was where i put it. No slipping, no peeling off.

After 10 mins I take off the paper mask and rub in any excess serum on my lips. My lips did look softer, smoother and a little more plump after using the scrub and paper mask but it is only a 1 use. I think if im honest there are other products available that perhaps last a little longer and are easy to re-apply.

so overall… I would purchase scrubs from this range. Facial scrub or lip scrub. I like they use mostly natural ingredients without many harmful chemicals oh and the pore strip was good but I cant imagine them becoming my ‘cant live without skin’ products..

If you’ve used them or any other products in the range let me know what you thought of them. Until then, on with the search for the best skincare range…

Loves and Luxuries

skincare review

GlamGlow BubbleSheet Mask

What is Hyaluronic Acid?

Soap And Glory Face Mask Review

Yes To – Product Review