REVIEW: No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser

Hello lovelies!

I have a very weird relationship with No7. Every so often I’ll find an absolute gem (like the Cleanse and Car eye make up remover which I absolutely swear by) but I only ever have a good look at the display when I have a £5 off voucher burning a hole in my purse.

I’ve read mixed reviews about the Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser, however at £3.75 with a voucher (£8.75 normally, for anyone who’s maths is as terrible as mine) I thought it would be rude not to give it a whirl, as by this point I’d bought enough eye make up remover to fill a child’s paddling pool.

The product comes in a box with a small muslin cloth, however the one I picked up was without a cloth, so I can’t pass comment on the cloth that comes in the box as I had to pick up a pack from my local cook shop. I assume its the same thing, apparently muslin has a LOT of uses!

The directions on the box / bottle tell you to massage the cleanser onto your face then soak the cloth in very hot water, wring it out, lay the cloth over your face to open your pores, remove the cleanser off using the cloth in a circular motion, then splash your face with cold water and pat dry. Now most of you will know by now I’m always in a rush, I much prefer an extra 5 minutes in bed to sitting in the bathroom with a lukewarm cloth on my face, so when I read the instructions I was less than inspired. It all sounds like too much effort to me.

When I actually used the product, it was much easier and much less effort than I expected. The cleanser is really thick and luxurious feeling, and a couple of pumps is plenty for each use. I tend to use it in the shower after I’ve slapped conditioner on which means that I’m probably not getting the cloth as hot as I should, but it seems to be working fine for me. I’m not sure my skin looks any more radiant, but it definitely feels softer, something which is probably more attributable to the cloth than the cleanser - I’d be insterested to try out the cloth paired with different cleansers. I’m not sure I’d buy this product again at full price, but I’d definitely re-purchase with another £5 voucher.

xxx

REVIEW: Inika Mineral Foundation Powder

Hello ladies (and gents)

This review is the second product I received in the September Mypure Bloggers Parcel, Inika Mineral Foundation Powder. This product is available here and retails for £24.99 for an 8g pot. I was lucky enough to receive not only the foundation, but also the Inika kabuki brush which is available here and retails for £22.99, and a cute little gold make up bag to stash the brush and foundation along with a few other handbag essentials.

I was really excited to try this product, as I'm a big fan of mineral foundations. I like the way that the coverage can be built from barely-there to medium coverage without feeling mask like or heavy. I also like the feeling that my skin can breathe, which is something I sometimes struggle with when it comes to liquid and creme foundations.

Having read up on Inika, I learnt that the company are Australian and have a firm belief that women should be aware of what goes into their products and therefore goes onto their skin. I was also pleased to find out that this is one of the few 100% natural mineral foundations on the market at the moment.

When I cracked open the packaging I was pleased to find that the colour I was sent was a good match to my skin tone, and that the packaging incorporated a sifter – I've had many an accident with loose products which don’t include a sifter (Barry M Dazzle Dusts, I’m looking at you).

My favoured application method is to tip a bit of product into the lid and swirl the kabuki in the lid to pick up the product. I then tap off the excess and buff the foundation into my skin in a circular motion. I used the Kabuki supplied with the foundation and I was really pleased with the results. My skin tone was evened out and there was no cakey-ness or heaviness. The kabuki is fantastic, 100% certified vegan and 100% certified cruelty free. As it is retractable it is perfect for your handbag/makeup bag and the bristles won’t get damaged.

I’d definitely recommend this product to anyone who like me, doesn't like heavy foundation or anyone who is looking for a lighter foundation than they would usually use, perhaps during the summer or on a holiday.

xxx

REVIEW: Lovea Tahitian Monoi Moisturising Hair Mask

This is the first of the two products I was sent by Mypure for review this month. It is priced at £7.99 for 300ml which I think is a reasonable price for a conditioning mask.

Once again, apologies for the lack of photo. There were no camera issues this month, but rather product issues, which will become clear as you read on.

I’m a big fan of deep conditioning treatments, they’re a product that I’ve been well acquainted with throughout my various degrees of blonde-ness. My absolute favourite is Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor. I’m fairly confident in saying that there is no product on the planet that will ever come close to it – its perfect (for me at least). That said, I’m a bit of a product tart and I’m always open to trying out new products so I was eager to give this a whirl. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I loved the smell, but unfortunately the product did nothing at all for my hair. The packaging recommends leaving it on the hair for 20 minutes, and as the packaging said for normal hair, I decided to give it an extra 10 minutes. I could tell as soon as i started rinsing my hair that the product wasn’t for me – my hair felt worse than it had before I’d put the conditioner on! Luckily my 3 Minute Miracle saved the day once again!

Having had a look at the Mypure website, perhaps I would have fared better with Lovea Burkina Shea Moisturising Hair Mask as it seems to be more geared towards my hair type – maybe next time?

In the interests of fairness, I gave the product to a friend who has completely untreated hair to see if she had any more luck than I had. (This is where the photo issue comes in – in my wisdom I completely forgot to take a photo before handing it over!)

Here are Amy’s thoughts:

“I have long-ish, naturally dark hair. I don’t really use much of anything on my hair and apart from a quick blast with the dryer I barely use heat on it as my hair is completely poker straight. I use a deep conditioner maybe once a month, mainly because I like to have a pamper night, though I’m not really sure my hair needs it! So here goes with the ‘review’. First of all – the smell is lovely, I'm not exactly sure what it is, but its a definite plus! I left the conditioner on for an episode of Gray’s (about 45 minutes after I’d skipped through the ads), and though it took quite a lot of rinsing out, I was pleased with the condition of my hair afterwards. I rough dried my hair with the dryer but left the majority to dry naturally, and the next morning it felt really silky. The only complaint I would have is that it did not rinse very well.”

So there you have it – the product is great for normal hair, but not so great for bleached/damaged hair.

xx

Hello lovelies

Sorry I’ve been so rubbish lately but I’ve had a lot going on both at home and at work and unfortunately my blog is always the first thing to slip – sometimes there just are not enough hours in the day! Things seem to have calmed down a bit now (either everything’s going to be ok or its just the calm before the storm!), so from this day forward I’m making a concerted effort to get my blog groove back.

Stay tuned!

xxx