Review: Super Facialist by Una Brennan Deep Clean Pore Purifying Mask

Getting a sense of deja vu? The product I'm talking about has probably been on every blogger's favourites list and one stage or another. Having tried it myself, I can confirm that this is absolutely justified.

To start off, I usually tend to avoid clay masks. Not only do they make my skin feel weirdly tight, they also make a huge mess in the bathroom when you try to wash them off - not a combination that particularly excites me. Thankfully, this is different. While it does dry a little on the skin, it doesn't turn into a hard crust on your face and is a breeze to wash off.

Actually my first encounter with this was anything but positive - the morning after I first used this mask, I woke up with the biggest spot I'd had in my entire life. It seems like it's one of those products that really deep clean your skin making it get worse before it gets better - thankfully the incident never repeated itself.

I find that once a week is the perfect amount to use this mask to get it to draw out every last impurity but without that odd, tight feeling that so many masks leave on my skin. I think either for dry skin or for any skin in winter in general it would be a good idea to counteract this with a moisturising mask once or twice a week, but as it stands, I wouldn't want to be without it for its amazing ability to keep my skin looking clear, but somehow still glowy.

Monthly Favourites: July 2014

1) Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask

Wow, what a mouthful.... The interesting thing about this mask is that I didn't really get on with it at first. After using it for the first time I woke up the next morning with the biggest. spot. ever. The really painful kind that takes half a ton of concealer to make it look slightly less angry. I almost decided to pass up on the mask afterwards, but somehow I persevered and now I absolutely love it. I guess it's just kind of proof that it really does draw out impurities and now after using it regularly once a week it's keeping my skin clean, but still nicely moisturised. I don't want to be without it anymore!

2) Bourjois Cream Blush in 02 Healthy Glow

I already have this in another shade, but this one is a very welcome addition to my collection. It's a peachy apricot shade which might look a tad orange against my normally pale skin, but in the summer it just adds the most beautiful natural glow to tanned skin. The formula is absolutely amazing and blends out to look insanely natural and also lasts pretty much all day. All I need to do now is get my hands on the remaining two shades, as well as the two new cream bronzers!

3) The Body Shop Papaya Body Butter

There used to be a time where I wouldn't use any other lotion or butter on my body apart from various Body Shop variations. Then I got bored and it turns out I hadn't bought another one for years! What else can I say other than: It's good to have it back. I love the way the smooth, buttery texture allows it to just sink straight into my skin and leave it soft and hydrated. Not to mention the smell is amazing and lasts for ages as well. Maybe not so great if you don't want your lotions to clash with your perfume, but personally, I'm quite happy to smell of delicious papayas all day.

4) Rimmel Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector

Never in a million years did I think my favourites would ever feature a fake tan - it might be an odd thing to say as a beauty blogger, but I'm absolutely terrified of false tan! Then I got this in my Glamour Latest In Beauty box and thought that as it's a wash-off tan, I might as well give it a go. Turns out it's an absolute breeze to use, doesn't leave skin at all patchy and offers a very natural result that doesn't look orange at all. It's the perfect little pick me up on days where I want to wear skirts or shorts and my legs are just a bit too pasty. A great product for every tan-o-phobe like me out there.

Montagne Jeunesse Round-up Review

Montagne Jeunesse do this thing where they have their masks strategically placed at tills and at the end of various aisles and the temptation to put a little skincare treat into my shopping basket is just too hard to resist sometimes! I've packed a few of their products that I've tried lately into one post to let you know what I think of them all.

This chocolate mask smells simply amazing, although it really made me crave a Terry's chocolate orange! As the name suggests it's a self-heating mask, which I do like on occasion, as it just feels like it's really doing something. Unfortunately, it is also the messiest mask I've ever had to apply, as it's really runny and sticky. The stickiness also translated into the skin, which felt sticky even after I washed everything off. I only got one application out of this sachet, as it just made such a mess that I couldn't store whatever was left over. This is my least favourite out of this bunch and I wouldn't buy another one.

The Very Berry mask is a whole different story. It smells like a delicious smoothie and applies in a thick, smooth cream which felt very pleasant and slightly cooling on the skin. After rinsing, my face felt moisturised and incredibly soft. I got two applications out of a sachet and will definitely pick up a few more of these whenever my skin needs a little boost. This one is my favourite out of the lot!

The passion mask had the weakest scent out of all of them, so a great one if you don't want too overwhelming a smell in your product. It was slightly sticky upon application, but didn't run as bad as the chocolate mask. What I really liked was that once it dried, it was really easy to peel the whole thing off in one swoop, unlike some masks which you basically have to rub off in thousands of bits. My skin was left feeling really clean, but I definitely needed to apply quite a lot of moisturiser afterward. Great for oily skin or to clean out some impurities.

This sheet mask was my latest addition which I received in a Love Me Beauty box last week. It has an amazing blackcurrant scent and comes as a fairly wet piece of fabric. While the top half fit my contours really well, the bottom half was way too big, so I struggled to get it to sit snugly on my chin. Thankfully, the wetness of the fabric prevented it to fall off my face, so I could still walk around with it on, although it did come loose on my chin several times. Once washed off the result was clean, but still hydrated skin. Although the effect was nice, I'm just not sure if sheet masks are really my thing. I only got one application out of this one as I couldn't reuse the sheet.

These all retail at £1 each apart from the fabric mask, which costs £1.49.

Love Me Beauty Box March 14

I think this must be the first time ever I didn't have to pick up my Love Me Beauty box from the post office. I swear the post man always hides around the corner with these, waiting for me to leave before delivering my box. Well, this time Joe was in to sign for my box, so it was waiting in my living room for when I finished work. Hah!
I'd actually completely forgotten which items I went for by the time it arrived, so it was almost like a whole new surprise again! As I'd filled in five questionnaires last month, this box included an extra item for me as well, which was not part of the regular menu.

1) Murad | Pomegranate Exfoliating Mask

Full size: £25 for 6 / Sample value: £4.17

I was a little bit disappointed that my box only contained one little sachet of this, but then it does seem quite full so I might be able to squeeze two applications out of it. I like my beauty samples to last for more than one application to be able to see properly if they work with my skin or not!

I can't believe that Murad used to be a brand I couldn't stand, but since I've tried more of their products I've grown quite fond of them, so I can't wait to see how I get on with this. I'm saving it for Monday, as Monday is face mask day.

2) BlanX | White Shock Toothpaste

Full size: £7.50 for 50ml / Sample value: £2.25

I can imagine some people being quite unhappy about toothpaste being included in a beauty box, but I for one really like that they thought outside the box a little bit with this, just like they did last month with the vitamin supplement. After all, who doesn't want whiter, brighter teeth? My daily coffee addiction habit has certainly left its mark on my teeth, so I'm interested to see if using this twice daily is going to make a difference. Love Me Beauty have listed the RRP as £7.50 for 50ml on their card, which I find is very steep for toothpaste, but I've found a bigger size for less money on FeelUnique (follow the link in the title), which is much more reasonable.

3) Nip+Fab | Viper Venom Eye Fix

Full size: £14.95

I once bought a Nip+Fab eye cream and found it to be a bit "meh". It wasn't bad, but I also didn't feel like it was really doing anything to my eye area at all. Add to that that I'm not really a fan of rollerball applicators and you can certainly say that this is not a product I would have picked up in a shop. I'm still happy to put it to the test and maybe it will just prove me wrong!

4) Deep Steep | Foot Stick in "Candy Mint"

Full size: £3.60

Deep Steep is a brand that's completely new to me and so is the concept of this foot stick. It's literally like a pritt stick that you twist up, then rub all over your heels. It contains a balm that's quite firm at first, but instantly melts on contact with your skin. And, boy does it melt! I would suggest putting on socks immediately after application if you want to avoid a "Bambi on ice" scenario. The scent is quite intense and does literally smell like mint sweets. Unfortunately, I'm really not a fan of mint (I tolerate it in toothpaste, that's about it), but I'll still give this a go to see if it can get my feet in shape for summer.

4) Quintessentially English | Bath Salts in "Vintage Bouquet"

Full size: £4.25 / Sample value: £2.13

At first I thought I had a packaging fail on my hands, as the contents of this sachet look a lot more like the "Angel's Rest" salts on the company's website than the picture of the Vintage Bouquet. After ripping it open and giving it a sniff (sniff, bath salts, geddit? Never mind...), I can confirm that it definitely smells like citrus and not like lavender, so I got the right ones. I love that these have got actual dried flowers in them and apparently you only need a spoonful per bath, so they should last quite a bit. I can't wait to relax in a warm bath smelling like this tonight!

5) The Vintage Cosmetic Company | False Lashes in "Gracie"

Full size: £6

I was really happy to see that these lashes came with a little tube of lash glue, as mine is currently on its very, very last legs. I don't often wear false eye lashes as I find them a bit of a faff to apply and if I go out, it tends to be spontaneously and not with enough notice to apply false lashes. However, these look quite natural and really well made, so I'm sure I'll find an occasion where I can give them a whirl.

Bonus item: Melvita | Rose Extraordinary Water

Full size: £17.00 for 100ml / Sample value: £4.76

This was my bonus item, which I got for filling in 5 surveys about past Love Me Beauty boxes. As such, it wasn't included on the card with my box and I first had to google what the hell you're meant to do with an "extraordinary water". Turns out it seems to be like an odd toner-serum hybrid which you apply after cleansing and before moisturising either with bare hands or with a cotton pad. I first tested it this morning and I absolutely love what it does to my skin. It sinks in in a fraction of a second and leaves a nice cooling, but also moisturising feeling on my face. I'm also a huge fan of the rose scent!

Total value: £33.10 (37.86 with bonus item)

When it comes to value, this box doesn't exactly knock it out of the park, as past boxes have frequently had more expensive items in them. The great mix of make-up, skincare, bath products and whatever you want to class whitening toothpaste as, however, more than makes up for it in my mind. There are still three full sized items in this box and I know that I will genuinely use each and every product - possibly to its last drop. The fact that they're all quite affordable also means that I can give my credit card a break if I do decide to repurchase anything. It's another winner for me!

Sample Summary #11

I've been rubbing, spreading and smothering my way through an array of samples again, so it's about time I gave you another run down of mini sample summaries to see what's gone straight on the wish list (or straight in the bin).

1) Kerastase | Elixir Ultime

Full size: £34.50

Rating: 4.5/5

The Kerastase Elixir Ultime is hailed as the mother of all hair oils, so I was expecting nothing short of miracles for my hair. After the first application, I have to admit that I do see where the hype is coming from. Despite being an oil, this doesn't really feel oily - it's more sticky in texture and my hair literally drank it up like there was no tomorrow. It did everything I look for in a good hair oil: It gave my hair a little extra kick of moisture, smoothed away flyaways, added a bit of shine, but without making the hair seem greasy and limp. It wasn't quite mindblowing enough for me to rush out and spend £30 on a full sized bottle, but if you're in the market for a hair oil and don't mind spending a bit extra, then you really can't go wrong with this.

2) Clarins | Hand and Nail Treatment Cream

Full size: £20

Rating: 4/5

I remember getting my Mum one of these as a present, as it was highly recommended to me by the shop assistant for somebody who uses their hands a lot. It's hailed to be a fast-acting hand cream that takes no time at all to sink into the skin, but at the same time repair some serious damage both from ageing and harsh environments. As far as sinking in goes, this is right up there with my favourites and one of the few hand creams I could apply during the day. As far as damage control goes, it did leave my hands nice and soft, but it didn't work quite as well as my beloved Yes! Nurse hand cream (which is also a lot cheaper). I don't think it's quite heavy duty enough for what my poor hands have to withstand in the winter.

3) Clinique | 7 Day Scrub

Full size: £18.50

Rating: 3/5

I'm a bit lost here with the 7 day claim on this scrub. What is it supposed to mean? Are you meant to use it every day for 7 days? Does it take 7 days to see results? Does an application last for 7 days? I don't know!! What I do know is that this performed like a pretty average facial exfoliator. The grains were a good size, the texture firm enough not to end up down the sink, but soft enough to not tug skin when you spread it. A decent product, but at that price point I would expect something to really wow me to justify spending that extra bit of money. As it stands, you can find pretty good drugstore alternatives at no more than half the price.

4) Weleda | Millet Nourishing Shampoo

Full size: £8.95

Rating: 1/5

Oh my.... is it possible for a shampoo to leave your hair even dirtier than it was before the wash? This is an all natural product free from SLS and other foaming agents, so I wasn't expecting a rich lather anyway, but this just left my hair heavy, tangled and slightly on the oily side. Such a shame, as it has a zesty scent that is simply to die for under the shower.

5) Shiseido | Ibuki Refining Moisturizer Enriched

Full size: £42

Rating: 4.5/5

Eugh, how I miss this little pot. This was pretty much the perfect moisturiser for me. It was rich, yet lightweight and an absolute pleasure to apply. Even from this little sample size I could tell the difference it was making to my skin, which seemed clearer and just a little bit more alive. Good enough, in fact, to run errands and go shopping completely make-up free. The only downside is the price. At £42 a pop, it really ain't cheap, but I'm still hovering over the buy button, as this might just be worth a little extra splurge.

6) Louis Widmer | Skin Appeal Peeling

Full size: £11.20

Rating: 4/5

I can't say I've ever heard of a brand called Louis Widmer, but judging from the writing on the sample it seems to be a Dutch brand. The Skin Appeal series in particular is targeted at young, breakout-prone skin and while that's not exactly me (my skin is more on the combination side and my teenage years are well and truly a thing of the past), I really enjoyed using this product. It's definitely one of the harsher products I've ever had the pleasure of using, so not one for those with sensitive skin. But on the plus side, it left my skin feeling really squeaky clean, as if it literally got into every single pore to get rid of all of the rubbish that has accumulated there over time.

7) Eucerin | Dermo Densifyer Day

Full size: £24.42

Rating: 3/5

Another name that leaves me a bit baffled. I've heard of many different skin concerns, but does anyone really want their skin to be... denser...? Opening this sample I didn't think I'd get on with it at all, as it's just the type of heavy, thick cream that usually leaves me looking like I've been in an oil wrestling match, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. Turns out it wasn't quite as bad. As it's so thick a little goes a long way on my skin type and you can definitely feel that there's something on your skin, but it's been working pretty well in the cold winter months at creating a barrier on my skin that has kept the occasional redness or dry patches completely at bay. As far as samples go it's huge and even though I've been using it for 3 months I've only just started getting to the bottom of it. I feel that while it's good on my skin, it would perform absolutely exceptional on dry to very dry skin types.

8) Rodial | 5 Minute Facial

Full size: £35

Rating: 5/5

This stuff is flippin amazing! I'd never tried anything from Rodial before and I'd highly questioned their approach to beauty with names such as "Size Zero" cream and rather dodgy looking meal replacement sticks. But, I've got to give it to them, as far as face masks go, this might just be the best that I've ever tried. It applies as a smooth cream, then dries and hardens, just like a mud mask would. You're then meant to rub off the hardened product, but I found that only about half of it came off by rubbing and I had to rinse the remainder off with water. (It also made a right mess of my bathroom sink, let me tell you that!) What I was left with was skin that was (sorry, there is no other word for it) radiant and just... just, wow. Absolutely worth the £35 - although I found it £10 cheaper on Allbeauty (see link above) and will be purchasing a full sized tube soon!

Love Me Beauty Box December 13

Let me start off by saying that I was going to write a pretty angry post about this month's box. The December box featured two Lord & Berry products once again, as did two previous boxes and each and every time those products were completely useless, effectively leaving me with three products for £12.95. The third product that was consistent through all three options was a Headline Colors nail polish - again, Headline Colors is a brand that has featured in Love Me Beauty before and I still haven't even touched the Models Own polish that came in last month's box. Fortunately, I was positively surprised by a few of the products, so my initial frustration has passed.

1) Lord & Berry | Intensity Lipstick in Glazed Pink

Full size: £12

There was a Lord & Berry lipstick in the August Love Me Beauty box (back then known as Beauteco) and I think I've used it twice and then abandoned it in the back of my make-up stash. There wasn't necessarily anything wrong with the lipstick, but the colour made me look as if I'd drowned in a river several days ago. That's why I'm not such a fan of receiving make-up in beauty boxes - I know which shades suit me and which ones don't, so I'd rather pick my own products.

But this made me change my mind about this month's whole box. When I saw it in the bullet and swatched it on my hand it looked horrendous - a frosted pale pink, like something straight out of the 80s. But on the lips, this is a whole different story. It's a colour I've been looking for forever, but could never find. The perfect shade to blot out the natural colour of your lips, but with enough pink undertones to stop it from looking like "concealer lips". I would imagine it to be stunning with a smokey eye or graphic 60s style eye liner. I can actually imagine this becoming my favourite lipstick ever!

Left: Lord & Berry Lipstick in Glazzed Pink | Right: Lord & Berry Lip liner in Romantica

2) Lord & Berry Kiss Proof Lip Liner in Romantica

Full size: £7.50

Again, this is another repeat product, just in a different shade. Romantica is what I'd describe as "Barbie pink" with some very apparent blue undertones. While the shade suits me a lot more than the one I received in August, I don't have any lipsticks that match this liner, so I'm going to struggle to find a use for it. It does say on the card that this can be used all over the lips and I've used it in that way before and found that while it stayed on for ages, the pencil is just a tad too hard, meaning it drags the skin and really emphasises any existing dryness.

3) Headline Colors | Nail Polish in Quicksand

Full size: £9

Aaaaaaand guess what? Another repeat product. I got a golden Headline Colors polish in my first ever Beauteco box and now I've got another one in this murky nude shade. I don't mind that much as my nail polish collection consists predominantly of reds and neon brights, so it's nice to have a colour that's a little more muted for a change. The golden shade I received before applied pretty streaky, but that could be due to the fact that it was a metallic, so I'm hoping that this one will apply a little better.

4) S5 | Vitality Mask

Full size: £42 for 100ml (??) / Sample value: £6.30

Now, this is an interesting one. On the card it says that this mask is an exclusive to Love Me Beauty and while I did find press releases online discussing a launch for March 2013, but it's not available to buy anywhere. I found the pricing information on a blog after a quick Google search, but I don't know how accurate it is. I've had an S5 product in another Love Me Beauty box before (no surprises there, again), but I quite liked it, so I'm happy to try this one. It's a bit annoying that I got two face masks with this box option, as I would have much preferred two different skincare products, but as it was still the option that suited me most, I'm in no position to complain.

5) Rodial | 5 Minute Facial

Full size: £35 for 50ml / Sample value: £7

This is another fairly interesting one. I've never owned or used any Rodial products before, but they've popped onto my radar with their rather questionable marketing (Diet powders, anyone? Or how about size zero cream?). Now, I've actually already had a chance to play with this a little bit and slathered it on when I got home from work and I'm loving the results so far. I suppose you shouldn't knock something until you've tried it - and I'm quite glad I got introduced to this product through a beauty box, as I would have never picked it up in a store!

Total value: £41.80

As mentioned before, I actually like this box a lot more upon better inspection than I thought I would. This is mainly due to the absolutely gorgeous colour of the lipstick. Nevertheless I have a few negative points that I feel need mentioning. Most importantly, what drew me into Love Me Beauty, or Beauteco box, was that they weren't so full of marketing speak and empty promises as other beauty boxes and right now they've fallen into that exact same pattern again. The Rodial sample this month was meant to be a deluxe sample - it contains 10ml, which is anything but deluxe. All boxes were meant to have a value of at least £50 - they didn't. And apparently there was meant to be "a little something extra" in my box as well according to my card, but once again, nothing. I don't mind the value of my box, I don't mind the Rodial sample being the size it is and I don't mind not having an extra - but don't promise things you're not going to keep.

I also feel that the repeat products are really starting to become an issue now. If I see any more Lord & Berry I don't think I'm going to keep up with my subscription. It's a shame, really. A beauty box that started out so strong and had me completely swooning over it and praising it to anyone who would listen is starting to become "just another subscription service". I would hate to see that happen.

Love Me Beauty Box November 13

Another month, another Love Me Beauty box. I seem to be the complete opposite to most other beauty bloggers and was actually a tad disappointed to see a heavily make-up based beauty box this month. Give me skincare and hair care as much as you want, but with make-up I much prefer to pick my own shades after swatching them in a shop. Thankfully you were able to pick your preferred nail polish and lipgloss colours from one of three editions (formerly known as "menus"), so I still had some choice and opted for edition 1.

1) Absolution | Le Soin Purifiant

Full size: £24 for 50ml / Sample value: £19.20

I can't say I've ever heard of this brand before, so testing this was quite the novelty! The mask feels very smooth and soft on the skin and is nowhere near as messy and sticky as most other clay based masks I've tried. You can definitely feel this working, as it made my face a bit hot towards the end of the 10 minutes you're meant to leave it on for. Afterwards, my skin felt thoroughly clean and my moisturiser sank in in record time.

2) Jelly Pong Pong | 2-in-1 Bronze Shadow/Liner

Full size: £10.50

The colour of this shadow and eye liner stick is absolutely stunning: a deep rich brown that leans slightly cranberry red and is shot through with golden shimmer - absolutely perfect for this time of the year! The big pencil glides on without tugging the lid, but I found that on its own or even over a primer it creases very easily. It lasts much better if you set it with a powder eye shadow, but will still crease after about four hours. If it wasn't for the stunning colour, I would have been pretty gutted about this, as the quality simply isn't there.

3) Mitchell and Peach | Shower Wash

Full size: £20 for 250ml / Sample value: £4

Last month I received a Mitchell and Peach body lotion as an extra product and this month I found the matching shower wash in my box. Once again, the packaging may be pretty looking, but makes getting the product out a bit more difficult than it needs to be, especially when your hands are all wet and slippy from the shower! Thankfully the shower gel is runnier in consistency than the body lotion, so I am yet to give myself a black eye trying to squeeze this out. It's a nice shower gel with a very pretty herbal/floral scent, but I'm not sure I'd spend £20 on a full bottle of this.

4) Models Own | Nail Polish "Hot Pink"

Full size: £5

I'm a huge fan of Models Own polishes and would be quite happy to own every single shade in their collection, so I was rather excited to see their polishes pop up in this month's boxes. They're great quality and pack a lot of pigment at a very reasonable price. I have to admit that I was a tad gutted when I opened my box and realised that the colour I picked, "Hot Pink" is almost identical to another Models Own polish in my collection, "Pink Punch". I've not yet worn it on my nails, however, so it might look completely different on!

5) Art Deco | Hydra Lip Booster "36 Translucent Rosewood"

Full size: £11.50

Now, usually I get a little annoyed when there's too many repeat brands in a subscription box, but Artdeco is a brand I literally can't get enough of and this lip gloss only adds to that sentiment. It glides on silky and smooth, actually feels quite moisturising on the lips and is just the perfect shade of nude: opaque and milky enough to make lips step into the background and really bring out the eyes, but sheer enough to let some natural lip pigment shine through and prevent that "undead" look. Absolutely brilliant!

Swatches: Left - Artdeco Hydra Lip Booster in Translucent Rosewood, Right - Jelly Pong Pong Bronze Shadow/Liner

Everyone who received last month's Love Me Beauty Box also got an extra Lord&Berry lipstick to make up for last month's underperforming mascara and eye liner. Well, not everyone, because I didn't. And when I sent an email to customer services about that and the fact that I keep getting charged twice a month for my subscription, they sent me a rather moody email back which completely ignored the issue of my missing lipstick. Can't say I'm impressed!

Total value: £50.20

Once again I've more than made my money's worth with this month's box, but I can't help but feel a tad underwhelmed. The mask is really nice and the lip gloss is amazing, but the other products haven't really blown me away. Add to that my rather mediocre customer service experience and I feel my love for Love Me Beauty waning slowly. I hope they can get themselves back in the game with another knock out box next month!

Pharmacy Beauty Goodies

When shopping for beauty supplies, pharmacies are usually the last place I think of snooping around in - I tend to do the bulk of my shopping in drugstores and will occasionally treat myself to a more expensive treat from a department store. But come to think of it, online pharmacies can actually be a good place to look for more unique, niche brands that won't be stocked anywhere else. I have recently been contacted by Farmaline to try some of the goodies they stock and here are my top picks.

1) Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

I think this was featured in one of the first beauty boxes to hit the UK and I've been curious to try it ever since. The thought of putting oil anywhere apart from in my food used to seriously freak me out, but these days I've quite come around to it. This one is multi-usage, so you can apply it on your face, body or hair. I've been using it on my body after showering, as that's where I'm struggling the most with dryness.

As it's a dry oil, it won't leave any of that slippy, greasy feeling on your skin, but it seems to almost evaporate immediately, leaving skin nourished and moisturised. It's only on my hands that it tends to build up and I do have to wash my hands after applying it, as they tend to get quite greasy. This is also where the packaging is a little flawed - as pretty and sleek as the glass bottle looks, try twisting it open with slippery hands!

The scent of this is really rather strong. It's got quite a spicy, warm scent to it, which is just perfect for winter, but you'll be able to smell it on yourself literally all day, so make sure it's one you like before purchasing! Having said that, it layers beautifully with some of my perfumes and somehow holds their scent much longer than they'd last on just bare skin.

2) Apivita Express Beauty Nourishing Mask with Carrot

I've seen Apivita featured on quite a few blogs, but never tried anything from them, as I couldn't get hold of the brand. These little sachets contain about one application each. I suppose you could scrimp a little and get two out of each packet, but I preferred to really slather it on and let it do good for my skin.

The mask feels deliciously creamy and smooth on the skin. It is as a matter of fact bright orange, but fortunately it doesn't have a punchy carrot smell (I don't imagine the smell of carrots being overly relaxing, unless you're a rabbit, of course). Due to my ridiculously unhealthy lifestyle - bad role model here - I've been battling the same cold for several weeks now, so the skin around my nose is really red and sensitive. Upon application it was those sensitive areas where it did sting a little bit, but once I'd rinsed it off, all redness was soothed and felt a lot less sore.

The rest of my skin didn't experience quite such drastic changes, but overall my face felt a lot more refreshed and a tad more healthy if that makes any sense. I imagine this one would be great for anyone with sensitive or slightly irritated skin in need of a bit of TLC.

3) Talika Lipocils Eyelash Treatment Gel

Now, this is quite an interesting one: A gel that you apply onto your eyelashes that's meant to promote their growth, make them darker and thicker. My initial thought was that it was basically just a huge pile of bullsh*t and another completely unnecessary step in my already lengthy morning and evening beauty routine. The thing is, I've been using it for about three weeks now - and I might just be imagining it, but I'm pretty sure there have been some actual changes to my eye lashes.

Apparently it takes four weeks for the full effect to come into force and I am really, really kicking myself for not taking any before and after pictures, but it does seem that my lashes are a tad thicker and darker than they used to be. I wouldn't say they've become any longer and they were already pretty curled before, so again no major changes here. But something has definitely happened. 

I wouldn't say my eye lashes were ever a great concern to me and if I want to bring them out, I'll just apply some mascara - but for anybody who is really worried about short or very, very fine lashes, this might just make the difference you're looking for.

What are your favourite pharmacy beauty buys?

Sample Summary #10

I've had the pleasure to sample lots of pretty awesome products lately, which unfortunately also means that my beauty wish list has expanded by about thirty feet. Oh well. You ready for it?

1) L'Oreal EverRiche Shampoo

Full size: £5.99

I had a feeling that my hair might like this shampoo and I wasn't wrong at all. My hair was always pretty dry, but ever since it's been bleached it needs a lot of intensive care and moisture. A lot of shampoos won't make a difference in the state of my hair - it's something I remedy with conditioners, oils and intensive masques - but this one genuinely made my hair a lot smoother and more manageable without weighing it down at all. And it's only about £6 per bottle, while there's usually some sort of 3 for 2 deal on at Boots or Superdrug, so it's definitely going to be something I plan on purchasing soon!

2) Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation

Full size: £27.50

The shade of my sample above is 03 and I knew before even squeezing anything out of the tube, that it wouldn't match my colouring one bit - and I was right. It looked disasterously orange on me, so I waited till I had a day off to try this one on. And it's such a shame that the colour is so far off, as the texture of this foundation is absolutely lovely. It's very runny out of the tube, but dries to a perfect matte finish on the skin, lasts all day and feels lightweight throughout. Unfortunately I gave this one more go trying to match it to my skin with some lighter powder, but eventually had to give up and just bin the sample.

3) Kerastase Elixir Ultime Masque

Full size: £23.95

I was going to treat myself to a pot of this a while ago, but eventually decided to go for a more budget friendly alternative and spend my money on... erhm... can't remember. Seems like that might have been a bad decision, because this stuff is AMAZING. Seriously. Best hair masque I've ever used in my life. My hair was soft, swishy, smooth but still voluminous - I'm running out of adjectives to describe this stuff, but it's just awesome and I've decided I need it in my life.

4) Dermalogica Ultracalming Relief Masque

Full size: £39.10

Next stop on the rave train! Dermalogica have never let me down in all fairness and I've loved every single product I've ever tried. This sachet couldn't have come at a better time - I've been battling a nasty cold for what seems like forever now and the area around my nose and my mouth is red raw from excessive tissue use. This applied smoothly, didn't sting even on the sore areas and soothed and calmed my skin instantly. Admittedly, the price tag on this is very steep, so if I ever did purchase the full size, it would be more of a special occasion treat rather than an everyday skincare staple.

5) Kerastase Homme Capital Force Shampoo

Full size: £12.24

Not much I can say on this one, really. I'm not a man, so I gave this sample to my boyfriend and his comments were as enlightening as "Well, it washed my hair". Thanks. This is aimed at densifying hair with everyday use, so there isn't really much to observe after just one use. Other than that it got my boyfriend's hair clean.

6) Melvita Rose Body Milk

Full size: £16

After so much excitement to finally sample something from Melvita, this body milk was a bit of a let down. The smell was very pleasant - rosy, but not too strong or obvious. The texture, however, was a bit too runny and thin for me, providing my skin with almost no moisture. Then again, it's no secret that I'm no fan of runny body lotions or milks, so maybe if you prefer something lighter on the skin than a heavy duty body butter, then this is for you.

7) S5 Purity Serum

Full size: £44

I was a tad worried originally that this might be a little too harsh for my skin, as I don't really suffer from any breakouts, just a bit of oiliness around my T-Zone. Turns out that my fears were unfounded and this has seriously transformed my skin. I'm trialling quite a lot of new skincare at the moment, so it's a bit tricky to be able to put my finger at which product is doing exactly what, but I'm pretty sure this has helped immensely in getting my skin to the state it's at right now. Ever since I started using this serum I've not had a single blackhead and the oiliness on my T-Zone has gone down significantly - all without irritating the more delicate skin on my cheeks.