Lately my skin has gone into complete and utter meltdown, it was a stress reaction but luckily the stress I've been under is now fading I have however been left with some hideous skincare issues. To help tackle this I've have a little shop and got myself some skincare treats.

First up I picked up two LUSH face masks, I got Cosmetic Warrior and BB Seaweed, I've not used them much yet and I really better get around to it considering they're freshly made and have a sell by date.

From Botanics I picked up their All Bright Cleansing Toner which claims to cleanse impurities and freshen skin (I should hope so!) and the Micellar Ultra Calm 3 in 1 Cleansing Water which claims to to dissolve make up, unclog pores and remove impurities. I really hope these two products make a difference.

Lastly I went to The Body Shop and picked up a new face wash. I got the tea tree skin clearing facial wash, I know tea tree is really good for treating spots and I hope this one does the trick.

That's all I got for now and I really do hope it works, if you're interested then I'll be happy to do some follow up reviews.

xxx

First Impressions: Botanics Purifying Face Scrub:

I picked this up a hell of a long time a go but never had a chance to start using it before I finished off all the products I was midway through. I've recently opened it and gave it ago, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked.

The grains in the product are very fine and make my face feel very clean. As for the purifying and brightening claims it makes I'd really say it does make a difference. I've found it brightens my skin in the way it looks like a glow comes from within as opposed to oily.

I'd recommend this for any skin type as I switch between skin types very often and have never had an issue or reaction. With oily skin it seems to help break down the oil leaving you with a clean surface, with dry skin it smoothes everything away and with spotty or spot prone skin it actually seems to soothe them into healing faster. All in all I'd say (for a product that in all honesty I only bought as a quick filler to a hole in my routine whilst on holiday) this has really shone for me and I'd probably already consider a repurchase.

xxx

First Impressions: Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm:

Since lately I seem to be bringing back my old style posts I thought it was time I did a first impressions. I'm late on the band wagon with this cleanser as it is so it was time to give it a go. The smell is so nice! It's very refreshing and herbal. You can smell it as soon as you open the pot and you instantly feel like your skin is in for a treat. 

As for the application of the product itself, you're supposed to take a small amount and rub it together on your fingertips with some water to create a cream then rub it into your face until you feel the make up lift from you face. I've only used this twice so far but I've found that compared to other cleansers I've used it takes much longer and you have to work it into the skin more. 

Nonetheless when you do get the make up off it really does come off, there's not a trace on there. Your skin is also left feeling very looked after and smooth. The beneficial ingredients listed are:

"Moringa seeds, Wild sea fennel and vitamin E to balance, purify and minimise the appearance of open pores, whilst a blend of uplifting orange, neroli and mandarin extract combined with calming jasmine and rose to revitalise, dull dry, dehydrated and mature skin". 

I don't know yet about all the claims it makes since I've only just started using it, but if you would like me to I'll do an updated review when I've been using it for longer. What I will say is that so far my skin has been feeling much softer and smoother and well looked after. This cleansing balm comes with quite a big price tag so it's definitely a treat. 

Have you been using it too? Or do you think your cleanser is better? Let me know in the comments and I hope to see you all soon.

xxx

First Impressions: GOSH Show Me Volume Mascara:

I've never really used anything from GOSH before, I've always liked the look of the brand and have a few eyeshadows from them that I like using but in terms of choosing things for myself on the highstreet I always tend to lean towards other brands.

I picked this mascara up not too long ago and thought I'd use it to get back into doing First Impressions again. 

The packaging feels very lightweight when you hold it and in my opinion it does look quite low end with the brand name written all over it in gold, but it's what's on the inside that counts. So, as for the brush my first impressions of it were that it was massive!  About the size of my eye, which I found made it a little tricky to keep my eyelids clean when I was applying the product. 

The consistency of the product was almost a strange mixture of very wet (as with all new mascaras) and yet almost dry and flaky too. I know this is supposed to be a fist impressions but I did find that with a few uses it began to dry very harshly and flake down the face a little.

Before

After

As you can see it does provide a fair amount of volume whilst still separating the lashes nicely. This picture was taken after a good few coats and so you can see it doesn't clump up very much at all.

All in all a good mascara so far and I definitely intend to continue to use it as it really seems to do a good job.

xxx

First Impressions: Loreal EverSleek Smoothing Anti-Frizz Serum

Packaging:

The packaging sticks with the golden copper colour of the rest of the new EverSleek range which I don't own but I have seen. Personally I really like it. The bottle is sturdy but I wish it had come with a lid because of the fact the product comes with a pump which could easily be knocked and leak into your bag if you were to take it out and about in your handbag or on holiday.

Use:

According to the instructions that come with the serum after using shampoo and conditioner then one or two hazelnut sized amounts should be spread through dry hair and not rinsed out.

I've never used a serum thats designed for dry hair before so I was worried that it would make my hair look greasy and feel heavy and weighed down.  Luckily, however, it didn't and I have to say that my hair did feel and look noticeably smoother and the frizzy areas that come with naturally curly hair like mine were tamed instantly.

The serums formula was extremely oily and shot out of the pump like water. After rubbing my hands together and spreading the product through my hair I instantly noticed my hair soaking up the oil to the point where hardly any residue was left on my hands.

All in all my first impression of the product is a very good one the only negative I can think of at the moment is the smell as it is quite a chemically smell. Although its not a strong smell and it doesn't linger in the hair so a very weak negative if one at all.

So there you have it my first impressions on Loriel's EverSleek serum.  I would definitely recommend it to try out and it's made me want to go out and get the shampoo and conditioner to match.

Xxx