Unclogging those Pores - Dr Sebagh Deep Exfoliating Mask

This mask means business!

My pores are quite prone to being clogged - especially in the summer when my skin likes to give me the runaround and go crazy in the warm weather. Thankfully (touch wood), my skin seems to be on quite good behaviour at the moment and I think that this Dr Sebagh Deep Exfoliating Mask has had something to do with it.

I usually use this after a bath and also after cleansing my face with the Murad Time Release Acne Cleanser (which I reviewed here) as I feel this helps to prep my skin to get a more effective treatment. I spread an even, not too thin layer on my face and leave for about 20 mins which is longer then the recommended 5-10 mins, but I prefer to leave it on slightly longer as I think it seems to be more effective.  On the odd occasion it does feel a little tingly, so then I leave it on for no longer then 5 mins.

This is a bright tangerine colour (brighter then my pic)

I mainly bought this to help reduce the look of past acne scars and I think that using it 3 times a week has helped to soften their appearance and very slightly fade the look of marks as well. My skin does scar easily from acne so the darker marks are very slow going, but overall I think I can see an improvement in evenness and smoothness.
The key ingredient in this mask is Lactic Acid which exfoliates dead skin cells and aids in the renewal of the skin. I find that as I am using this regularly, it is helping to clarify the pores and so it seems to keep my acne in better control as well.

As this is a rather potent formula containing AHAs, I wear SPF 30 sunscreen (currently the Dr Sebagh one I reviewed previously here). There is a sensitive version of this mask available as I think that this might be a bit strong if you have very sensitive skin.

Ingredients
Aqua/Water/Eau, Lactic Acid, Lysine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Acrylate/ Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Peg-40 Stearate, Isohexadecane, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 80, Azelaic Acid, Silanediol Salicylate, Peg-20 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Chlorphenesin, Methylparaben, Cetyl Acetate, Benzoic Acid, Parfum (Fragrance), Oleyl Acetate, Stearyl Acetate, Ci 19140 (Yellow 5), Magnesium Nitrate, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Ci 14700 (Red4), Sodium Methylparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride, Propylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3.

This is a pricey mask as it is £59 for 50ml and even though I had wanted to try this for a while, the GWP (this was a while back) gave me the push to buy it, which I am glad of as it has proven to be rather effective.

I Need Toner: Pukka Organic Rosewater Toner

Toner is something I've not used regularly in the past but I've come to the decision that I now need it. Some toners I've tried feel pleasant but haven't appeared to do a great deal so that is probably why my use has been inconsistent, but I think that I've pinpointed a little of what I like.

I find toners with rose in them to be more effective for my skin as they help to calm and soothe it. If my skin is really upset I like pressing the toner into the skin with a cotton pad and taking my time to work it in and repeating this a few times - it's quite relaxing!

I recently picked up an Organic Rosewater toner by Pukka. Pukka is a natural brand that focuses it's line on Ayurveda and has a range of health supplementation/teas as well as topical products for all round well-being.
This toner is a Rosa Damascena steam distilled formula that when spritzed on the skin you get an immediate and quite potent rose scent that feels very therapeutic. It comes in a frosted glass spray bottle with an aluminium lid.

I think for the quality of the rosewater, this is quite reasonably priced at £9.75 for 100ml.
I got this from Nutricentre (which is in some larger Tescos) but Pukka can be found in quite a few health stores and online. I've also recently started using the Pukka Organic Hemp Oil drizzled on food as after reading this post on Pai's Skincare blog, I could do with some of these benefits!

A Lash Boost: L'Oreal Renewal Lash Serum

This is something that has become an essential item for me which I have repurchased so I thought I'd do a review.

I wasn't really looking for any lengthening lash super-serums (they sound a bit scary), as I am happy with my lash length but quite like the idea of making them more nourished and stronger.
I had been interested in the Talika one but my sister has used this and her reaction was so-so to it and at double the price of the L'Oreal I thought I'd give the L'Oreal a go instead (and she is now using this as well).

This is a clear gel texture that dries after a few minutes and it can go a tiny bit flaky after a while although I only use this at night so this doesn't bother me.

The applicator is kind of strange as it's curved to the shape of the lashes and has a soft point end. There are no instructions so I use it like a mascara wand and wiggle the curved part over my lashes then I use the end bit to line the roots of the lashes.

This has helped to make my lashes feel stronger, nourished and I get less fall-out as well.
My lashes also seem to hold better as before sometimes the odd lash would bend inwards and irritate my eyes but this seems to give a slight lift which helps prevent this and also I don't find myself reaching for the eyelash curlers as often.
It has given me a little more length, which was more noticeable on my bottom lashes and has helped to even out the look of the lash line.

I don't think I could really ask for anything more from this product and at the price I think it is excellent.

NOTD: 17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish - Orange Soda

17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish Orange Soda

It seems to be quite often that I come across something that I like in a store and I buy it, but I don't actually end up using till ages later as I don't feel in the right mood for the colour. Orange Soda is one of those items (another one was Dior Porcelain Pink which I should have used sooner as it's lovely).

Orange is not one of my favourite colours but once I got this on my nails, I rather like it as it's slightly peachier then in the pic (the bottle appears to look closer to how it looks in real life) so it feels a little softer. This is a creme finish although I have added a clear subtle glitter topcoat over all the nails apart from the ring finger.
This is three coats as two were not quite opaque enough. Application was ok, and it has lasted 3 days before I started getting chips, which is good for my nails.

Bioderma alternative from UNE - 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Water

UNE 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Water

When I saw this in Superdrug, my eyes lit up (I am suddenly reminded of the old Perle Du Lait yogurt ad), as a micellar cleansing water in a drugstore over here is quite a rarity.

UNE have several new additions to their range and the Radiance Refresh - Night & Day 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Water - Face & Eyes is one of their latest offerings. It comes a very minimal sleek bottle with a twist top lid that reveals a hole. The product itself feels very light (like water:) and refreshing, with a very mild soft scent that has a very subtle sweet citrus hint to it.

I use this mainly as an eye-makeup remover; it removes heavy eye makeup well but feels very gentle on the eyes so I don't get any irritation at all from this. I have used this on the face too and it does get everything off but I prefer to use a wash-off cleanser, otherwise I would get through this lightning quick as you do end up using more and personally an oil/balm feels more thorough. This doesn't leave any residue or make my skin feel dry so it's definitely a product that I would repurchase.

I like that UNE state the percentages of natural and organic ingredients clearly on the packaging with 99.3% of the total ingredients from natural origin and 5.5% of the total ingredients from organic farming. This product is also certified by Ecocert.

Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract*, Glycerin, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Benzoate, Levulinic Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Decyl Glucoside, Parfum (Fragrance), Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Phytate, Alcohol, Maltodextrin, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Citric Acid, 1OUSV001-1.
*Ingredients from Organic farming

There is 150ml of product for £7.99. I bought this from Superdrug.

Dr Sebagh Sun-City Protection SPF 30

Dr Sebagh Sun-City Protection SPF30

A while back when I purchased a product from Dr Sebagh at Fenwick, they were offering a choice of a generous free gift so I chose this Sun-City Protection SPF 30.

This is a white cream that has a fairly thick consistency that when I initially apply it I get a bit of a sunscreen-like texture, which I wasn't overly keen on to begin with, but this goes away once rubbed into the skin, leaving no visible trace/whitecast. It does go matte after a few minutes but if I've used a moisturiser underneath I do get a bit of a sheen on the t-zone as I have combination skin.

It comes in a convenient pump bottle that dispenses a controlled amount of product and as it is a slightly denser formula, I can take a small amount and spread it out more so I actually don't end up using much. It does feel like it gives a good barrier between my skin and the elements, as you get a slight feeling of it sitting on the skin rather then completely absorbed which is not really a surprise as this is a physical Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide formula. Along with the silicones in the formula, this does lend itself to being quite a good base for make up so I don't feel the need for a primer. This product has grown on me in the past few months although I would like to see if I can find something that has a lighter cream/lotion type formula for use in the summer.

I haven't experienced any issues with this on my acne-prone skin, although I do use a balm to thoroughly cleanse this off at the end of the day.

Ingredients:
Aqua/Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Zinc Oxide, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide, Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Ppg-3 Myristyl Ether, Sodium Chloride, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Dimethiconol, Hexyl Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethicone/Peg-10/15 Crosspolymer, Sodium Citrate, Peg-35 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Magnesium Nitrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride, Methylisothiazolinone.