Lush's 'Catastrophe Cosmetic' Fresh Face Mask

 

After pondering around the aisles in my local Lush store taking in all the smells and sights of the exotic I came across their 'Fresh Face Mask' counter.  On first impression it looked like your usual fresh fish counter down your local supermarket as it was a long stainless trough filled with tons of crushed ice which was the bed for all the fresh face masks that buried themselves snuggly into the ice.

 

 

I was given a demonstration on a couple of the 9 masks that were on display and each targeted different areas of concerns.  I chose the one named 'Catastrophe Cosmetic' whose main ingredient was Blueberries which are all locally sourced I might add and this one was to calm and soothe the skin.  The other natural ingredients that went into this specific mask are: Calamine, Chamomile, Rose Absolute, Moss Gel, Almond Oil & Sweet Wild Orange Oil.  The only 2 man made ingredients are Methyl Ionone & Perfume.

 

These are kept in the fridge and last up to 3 weeks so if you use it say twice a week you will easily get three weeks worth out of the 75g tub.

 

The application was simple and straight forward, apply onto clean skin by digging your fingers into the cold putty like mask and smear or press a generous layer over your face or you could just target specific areas of redness or breakouts.  Leave on for between 10 to 15 minutes (I soaked in the bath with mine), before washing off gently with warm water in circular motions.  It does harden after so long but I found it didn't tighten my skin too much as some other masks do which was comforting.

 

 

Once removed it left my skin feeling very smooth and soft and it didn't irritate my sensitive skin at all which was a bonus!  I followed up my routine with a cleanser just to remove any residue that may have been left behind and applied my night time moisturiser afterwards. 

 

 

I would definitely recommend anyone to give this a go or any of the other face masks they sell as my first impression of the 'Catastrophe Cosmetic' fresh face mask was very good and at only £5.95 for a 75g tub the only thing I had to remember was to put it back in the fridge!



 

 



 

 



NOTW

 

My Nails of the Week, this week are....

 

 

'Pink Peony' by Bobbi Brown.

 

 

This is from their new Spring 'Uber Pink' Collection, the other nail polish from this collection is called 'Pink Cloud' which I also have but is more of a baby pink colour, very soft and pale in contrast to 'Pink Peony'. 

 

I must admit I wasn't overly impressed with the application process whilst painting my nails as I thought the brush itself was very thin and didn't give my nail the coverage I had hoped for.  Once painted, top coated and dried however they looked very nice and stayed chip free relatively easily until I had my hands in water on quite a few occasions and then they started to chip along the edges, but this was really only on the one nail so it might have been down to me not sealing the edges properly with top coat? I dunno, maybe, maybe not, nether less they looked good and I had a few comments saying how nice the colour was etc but would I recommend it.....yes probably if you don't mind paying the £11 per bottle price tag but value for money I think there are certainly cheaper and better alternatives (in my opinion) out there.

 

 

 



BeautyBay's 'The Valentines Edition' Box

 

BeautyBay The Collection Little Black Box The Valentines Edition

 

Not being one for missing out on a bargain I came across this cheaply priced beauty box by BeautyBay and immediately had to buy it.  I'd previously had my eye on the Eyeshadow Palette which you get in this box for a week or so but ummm'd and arrrr'd as I'd seen nothing else to buy so I thought I'd wait till I'd seen more things to make up an order.

 

So when I received an email about their 'Valentines' collection which included the eyeshadow palette and all for a jaw dropping low price of just £20 whereas the eye palette was selling on it's own for £15, it was abit of a no brainer!

 

As you can see you get a lot of pennies worth (I worked out £39 worth!) all for just £20!!

 

 

Inside you get:

 

The Flawless Rose Eyeshadow Palette - A collection of 12 delicate pink & rose shades.

 

Large Detangling Brush in Pink

 

Blending Sponge in Fuchsia Pink

 

Lipstick in Sultry Ruby - 4g

 

Angled Eyeliner Brush

 

Brow/Lash Comb & Brush

 

All the products are from their own basic range called 'The Collection' but certainly perform as though they were from a much more expensive line.

 

I also bought separately a compact mirror from the same range which was only a fiver and comes in either black or white but the best bit is....it lights up!

 





 

I have also become abit nifty at recycling items aswell.  I was on the lookout for some extra storage for my ever growing nail polish collection and came up with the idea of re-using the box all these items came in for storing some of my polishes, and they fit a treat!  I hav'nt managed to rehome all of my polishes but I've certainly made a start at organising what I had just bunged into an old makeup case which has left a fair bit of room to buy all new polishes of course.... Genius!

 

 

 



 

 

 



NOTW Part Deux

 

Well my nails of the week got cut short this week due to receiving an online order from Topshop which contained a few new polishes which happened to get smashed on route.  This resulted in my hands getting covered in polish when I opened the package and had to be cleaned using polish remover which incidentally removed most of my 'Parka Perfect' :(.

 

So, a fresh manicure was in order and Topshop's 'Blue Jeans' was the chosen one.

 

I would describe this colour as a Bluey Green or like having an oil slick on your nails as the colour merges into one another and changes in the light.

 



Or even like having foils on your nails

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Absolutely love this polish and will definitely be wearing this a lot more!

 

 

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p.s Topshop refunded me for the broken & damaged polishes :)xx

 

NOTW

 

My Nails of The Week this week is...

 

 Essie's 'Parka Perfect' 





A Serenely Shimmering Alpine Grey





  



NARS NARSissist Palette

 

This week has seen the launch of the new 'NARSissist' palette by Nars.  Stock of this eagerly awaited palette has seen sales saw through the sky and stock sell out about as fast as it was put on the shelves.  Luckily I was one of the fortunate ones to bag a sale and actually save myself a fiver in the process through buying at John Lewis for a wopping £50 and not the £55 price tag as seen for sale at other retailers.

 

 

It comes in the soft matt black packaging that were all familiar with from Nars, (you know the stuff that gets dirty easy) and has a total of 15 eyeshadows ranging from light to dark colours, matt to shimmer finishes.

 

There is no brush applicator with this palette but come on who actually uses the ones you get with them anyway?  First Impression from swatching the colours on my arm is that the lighter shades are quite sheer and harder to really see but I suppose they would be good to use on the inner corner of the eye or as a brow high-lighter.

 

Colours from left to right:

All About Eve I

Madrague II

Fez

Bali

Coconut Grove





Madrague I

Nepal

Ashes to Ashes

Brousse II

Mekong









Bellissima I

Lhasa

Bad Behaviour

Dogon II

Pandora II

Compared to the latest Urban Decay 'Naked 3' palette which has 12 shades and retails at £37 your paying an extra £18 (if bought for £55) for another 3 shadows!  All shadows are however from their permanent line as either singles or duos apart from one (Bad Behaviour) which is a repeat from one of their previous limited edition collections.

 

The application of the matt shades I've found are abit more sheer compared to say the Urban Decay or Mac matt shadows which are definitely more pigmented and give better coverage, these however will be easier to blend and probably better suited to a beginner or more natural make up wearer.







NOTW

 

This weeks edition of 'Nails Of The Week' is....

 

Clinique's 'Chocolate on my Pillow' from their new '16 Shades of Beige' collection

 

A lovely pearlized warm brown shade which looks like you've just dipped your fingers into a tub of melted milk chocolate :)

 

Priced at £12.00 for a 9ml Bottle



Clinique's New '16 Shades of Beige' Collection

After receiving an email from Clinique informing me that their new spring collection has been launched I was rather excited to learn that it was all about the 'Nudes'.  As an avid Urban Decay 'Naked' fanatic I immediately ordered Clinique's version of it's own Limited Edition Nude palette which is aptly named 'Neutral Territory 2'.

 

It's sleek and shiny packaging makes this little piece look a lot more expensive than it actually is, although saying that at £32.00 you do only get 8 eyeshadow shades which when compared to say the Urban Decay's 'Naked' palettes it does come up slightly on the pricey size for what you get!

 

On first impression the colour payoff was definitely a little disappointing, especially the first 3 lighter colours but I did find that you could build up your colour to eventually achieve a natural looking finish that didn't look too 'made up'.  They do however claim these to be crease and fade resistant so I shall definitely have to put this to the test.

 

 

Colours from left to right as described on the back of the palette:

 

1A Sugar Cane (soft shimmer)

 

Light shade of diamonds and pearls duo

 

Light shade of neutral territory duo

 

Light shade of day into date duo

 



Brown shade of polar blue quad

 

23 Hazy (super shimmer)

 

02 Black honey (super shimmer)

 

Dark brown shade of morning java quad

 

Hmmmm not sure about these weird names or this palette as yet, I think I'm going to sit on the fence regarding this one for the minute until I've tried it out abit better!

 

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They do however have 8 contrasting nail polishes in this collection priced at £12.00 each, so again not cheap and only 9ml in size which comes up small again when compared to other brands of similar quality.

Room Service (Off white)

Peek a Boo, I See You (Nude Peach)

Birthday Suit (Neutral Beige)

Tickle Me (Neutral Yellow-Beige)

Pajama Party (Neutral Pinky-Beige)

Do Not Disturb (Reddish Beige)

Chocolate on my Pillow (Pearlized Warm Brown)

Nighty Night (Deep Cocoa)

 

 

These are the two polishes from the collection I bought...Peek a Boo, I See You & Chocolate on my Pillow

 

I must say that the actual application of these polishes is very good.  The brush itself is of a good size and quality and the texture of the polish glides over the nail making application easy and hassle free.

 

 

 



NOTW (Nails of the Week)

 

I must admit I'm abit of a nail addict, whether it be polish, crazy designs or just plain and simple French manicured....I love them all, and change the colour of my nails usually on a weekly basis, if not sooner!  So with this in mind I thought it might be fun to show you guys my NOTW or 'Nails of the Week' as it's commonly known.

 

So here's my very first NOTW...

 

 

It looks black at first glance but when you get it in the right light you can see teal undertones coming through.

 

 

 

 

 

And the polish is.....Essie 'Mind your Mittens'

Montagne 'Passion Peel Off' Face Mask Review

 

January's Glossybox was a little disappointing this month to say the least as the products I received were all but a couple, pretty naff!  However, saying that I was pleased to see a sample of the Montagne Jeunesse 'Passion Peel Off' face mask along with a sample also of the 'Blemish Mud' mask.  Being into my skincare in a big way and never trying any of the products from this range before I was more than happy to sample one of the mask's which incidentally I have on my face right at this minute whilst writing this review!

 

 

The packaging is quite bold and bright and I like the idea of single use products as they come in these slim foil packets with a generous amount of product inside, more than enough for a single serving to be honest.  Once opened the consistency of the mask is very sticky and I found the actual application of the product quite fiddly and clumsy mainly down to just how sticky and gooey the product is when your trying to squeeze it out of the packet.  The actual application of the mask itself was relatively easy and I found myself overcome with an enormous aroma of passion flower and fruity goodness which was quite strong when first squeezed out the packet.  Although saying this it wasn't an unpleasant smell.

 



 

Whilst sat at my desk writing this review I notice a cooling effect when first applied which lasts for a few minutes followed by my face tightening as the mask starts to dry and by heck does it tighten!  The suggested time frame to leave this particular mask on for is between 15-20 mins and it says 'Relax' during this process but honestly your face is that tight you couldn't even hold a proper conversation with someone if you tried lol.   

 

O.k now for the fun part...the peeling off!

 

'Ouchy!', by heck that's sore!

 

Not a pleasant experience at all if I'm honest, it grabs hold of your skin and doesn't want to let go which has actually made my skin very sore as a result of trying to remove this mask!  It has however left my face feeling very silky and smooth which I suppose removing several layers of skin it will do! 

 

This is what's left of the mask and my face once removed and I had to remove it in parts not as one complete mask as it tore apart as I was pulling at it.

 

What I would recommend you do after you remove the mask is to run a cotton pad over your face with abit of toner on it to see how much red comes off your skin!! I was quite alarmed at this!

 

Overall my experience of the Montagne Jeunesse 'Passion Peel Off' mask has not been an enjoyable experience at all but with my sensitive skin in mind your experience might be more of a positive one?