MY FAVOURITE HYDRATING MASKS

I have long been a girl who mostly buys clearing or deep cleansing masks, thinking they will actually 'do' something to my skin like clear it up, brighten it etc.. avoiding hydrating masks was my habit. I was a thinking that my moisturiser is enough hydration, why have hydrating masks on top of that?

Well, I finally decided to cave into the hydrating masks when I noticed that after flights my skin was dull and felt way too tight for comfort. I vowed to get a couple of good masks, for the airplane and use them so I can fly in with a Miranda Kerr glow to the skin a girl can dream! Now that I have found them, they became part of my everyday routine, and definitely not just in airplanes!

My first purchase was Sisley's Gel Express aux Fleurs -Express Flower Gel, Hydrating toning and firming mask, it surprised me with its consistency, my initial thoughts were-> if you get a hydrating mask, it will be even heavier than your moisturiser, so something lard like as the Nivea original cream (which is great for elbows and knees but not so much the face). How wrong was I! This mask is much lighter than any moisturiser I own, not sticky or greasy at all, it is of a light gel consistency which sinks into the skin and doesn't need to be cleaned off with water after, you can simply wipe the residue with a tissue and start your makeup. It smells a little of flowers as it's name suggests but not too much, and leaves your skin so soft and hydrated and pump, you really do feel the difference with the before and after! Since it's not oily or greasy, it is great for oily or combination skin like mine.

After this initial success in the hydrating masks department, I decided to venture onto new discoveries to extend my hydrating drawer.

I stumbled upton Decleor's Hydra Floral, Anti-pollution, Flower essence Moisturising mask'. Same kind of idea- you put it on and wipe the residue when you are ready to proceed with makeup. This is more of a light cream consistency, and has a stronger floral smell. Also super moisturising but not sticky or greasy either, it leaves the skin completely happy and soft.

My final purchase, to finish off my collection was Rodial's Dragon blood hyaluronic mask, XXL hydrating mask and skin plumper. Ok, this is a little more extreme than the two above. It is moisturising with a punch! It contains Hyaluronic Acid, so if you know you react well to it and suffer from any dull or dry skin, get this! It completely transform the skin overnight, you can use it for 15 minutes as a mask or, as I do with most of these masks, use it overnight and cleanse your baby soft skin in the morning.

This really does what it says, leaving skin super plump, mega hydrated. It would be perfect for skin which was over exposed to the sun. It does not irritate my skin at all, and is simply a miracle worker. I comes in a gel consistency, smells quite strongly of citrus fruits but doesn't feel greasy or sticky on the skin at all. Amazing for long haul flights or overnight flights if you want to arrive looking and feeling fabulous :)!

What are your favourite hydrating products?
Have you tried any of these, and if yes, let me know.

UK readers can find SISLEY's mask here, DECLEOR here and RODIAL's mask here.
Sometime there are amazing deals on them here!!! 

                                                                        Love, London Girl  xxx

THE CLEANSER EVERYONE SHOULD OWN

I have heard a lot about this cleanser and in December, I finally decided to give it a go and I'm glad I did! Clinique's Take the Day Off Cleansing balm does exactly that- it takes all the dirt/grit/makeup/pollution off your skin from your busy day. This is a no faff, no nonsense cleanser.

Like your perfectly fitted little black dress, it does the job, but if you want frills and extras, it won't give them to you. It doesn't have a scent to it, so if you like your cleansers to have a relaxing scent while you work them in, this won't have it.

That said, the cleanser balm melts like butter in your hands and makes a nice film which you massage into your face and it removes everything! Waterproof mascara, glued on lashes, eye makeup, foundations, everything just starts to detach, leaving you with soft, non stripped, clean skin. 

I love this when you don't feel like taking your time and just want a cleanser to quickly do it's job so you get to bed quicker- I think using it will actually be quicker than a face wipe (so no more excuses to use face wipes at night!!!), you don't need to spend time to rub your eyes like crazy to remove the makeup, it is a super quick, effective cleanser. 

I also love the fact that you don't have to use a muslim cloth/flannel with it, if you are in a rush, just wash it off with water and it does not leave any oily residue! 

All in all, I have used it from December to now (you can see I only have a couple of times left to use it) and I will always repurchase it, I think everyone should have this cleanser in their bathroom cabinet. It simply does the job! 

What are your favourite cleansers?

Have you tired this one?

Love, London Girl  xxx

LITTLE LIP WONDER- CLINIQUE SUPERBALM LIP TREATMENT

I have been flying a little more this month, visiting family and as a result, I was left with very dry, sore and flaky lips, hardly a look you want your family to remember on you when they haven't seen you in 6 months! It got so bad that nothing really helped and soothed them, they got so tight my bottom lip even bled a little ouch! I was flying back to London and wondering around in Duty Free to find something that can help me before I go on the plane and the recycled air makes it even worse.

There are not that many options available as everything was more cosmetics than lip care. I stumbled onto the Clinique Superbalm Lip Treatment and decided to give it a go. I lathered a huge amount of this onto my lips, trying to seek some comfort and to soothe the irritation and kept topping up as much as I could throughout the flight.

In the plane I decided to detract myself from the whole thing by watching 12 Years a Slave, great movie BTW! After finishing my movie in tears of joy after the final reunion scene, I noticed that some skin on my lips was flaking off, my lips started to peel even more, at first I got scared, thinking maybe too many layers are starting to peel off, and it will leave me with even more irritated lips underneath.

There was nothing I could do at this point than to take a tissue and literally wipe the layers of the balm away (and as I later found out, wiping all my dead dry skin away too!). Here comes the miracle---> once I wiped everything off, I realised I was left with THE SOFTEST BABY LIPS EVER! OMG!!! They were no longer red and irritated, they didn't hurt or felt sore/dry, they literally were brand new! I was absolutely speechless! I did not know a lip product can make you shred skin. Nothing in the packaging said that it would do this, I only expected them to be hydrated. Truly this was a 2 hours miracle! I could put on a super nude lipstick if I wanted to and my lips would have looked great!

Everyone should own this product, whether you have dry lips, irritated lips, sore lips or you are just in need of something that actually works! If you have an event coming up and you only have a couple of hours to fix your lips before slapping on that sexy red lip- no more problems!

I have already recommended this to my sister and my mum and will continue to spread the love!

About the product - I love that it is in a squeezable tube, making it very hygienic when out and about -tube, bus, plane, you name it! It comes out looking like a thick transparent gel which looks like a transparent gloss when it's on the lips (will look very glossy if you put a lot on like I did). It is quite sticky in consistency, but for the miracles it did to my lips, I will forgive this.

It is not a large tube and retails for £13 here. After the results I had with this I would buy it even if it was tripe the price, but I can see why some people would said it's too small of a tube for that price, maybe these people never tried it?!

All I know is that I will always own one (or more) or these little beauties. Especially after the allergic reaction I had to the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour cream (read about it here), it took me over 2 weeks to get my lips back while using Nuxe's Reve de Miel every hour, if only I knew about this product earlier!

What are your favourite lip balms/lip treatments?
Have you tried this one, if yes, what did you think?

Love, London Girl  xxx

GREAT BUDGET CLEANSERS

For something that is in your face only 2-3 minutes a day, a good cleanser should not cost you the earth. If you want to treat yourself to a luxury cleanser, I'm all for it! However on my skincare list of 'what to invest into', serums, moisturisers, oils, masks come first and cleanser is the one I feel you can sometimes get away with a cheaper alternative.

Here are the ones I found to be of great value and which you can buy over and over without breaking the bank.

 My favourite for morning cleansing is the Una Brennan's Super Facialise Vitamin C+ Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil and it is very oily/silky when you put it on your face, but very nice to massage in, and can be rinsed with or without a cloth so it doesn't leave a residue even when you don't feel like using a cloth to take it off and just wash it off with lukewarm water.

 I usually get a little lazy with using cloths and stuff in the morning, I want my cleanser to do it's job and then for water to completely rinse everything away, this really does the job. It is refreshing, not stripping and smelly a little citrus-y which is nice first thing in the morning :).

You could also use it for evening cleaning, but I usually prefer something more creamy in the evening. The only bad thing I can say about this product is that it has no pump (!!!), so you either get too much out or too little, I hope they put a pump soon because it gets a little annoying, especially in the morning when you can't really be bothered to be careful, it's easy to end up with an oily mess all over your bathroom!

My second is from the same range-  Una Brennan's Superfacialist Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser. I really think Una Brennan has great products, discover the rest of the range here! I bought the one for sensitive skin because I think it's always nice to have a more gentle cleanser even if you have normal skin like me. It comes out as a cream which you rub onto dry face (with or without make up), and you remove it with a damp muslim cloth/flannel. It is very soft on the skin, yet also doesn't strip it, leaves it feeling soft and fresh. It has a lovely rose scent which is not too overpowering.

I will always have a couple of different cleansers from high end too, but it's so nice to find something you can use on a daily basis which works just as well and feels as luxurious.

The Vitamin C+ Skin renew Cleansing Oil retails at £7.33 and the Rose Hydrate Calming Cleanser retails at £5.33. You can pick them up when there are 3 for 2 offers at Boots.

You can find the cleansers here and here in UK.
US readers can find the cleanser here.

What are your favourite cleansers?

Love, London Girl  xxx

BEST FACIAL AT HOME- OMOROVICZA DEEP CLEANSING MASK

I am always on the hunt for great masks, I tried a lot of different ones over the years, and I heard a lot about the Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask so I decided to finally try it out! I feel like my routine can't function without one (or more) cleaning masks as my skin gets clogged up easily if I don't do anything. I alway need to keep it clean for it to stay clear.

I have to say that this mask needs to be applied 2 to 3 days before your 'event' as it can bring out some dirt to the surface of your skin and give you small breakouts at first. Thankfully, these breakouts clear up quickly and you are left with beautifully clear, bright skin.

Although it is a clay mask, it is not drying at all and doesn't even harden on your face like clay masks usually do, leaving you unable to talk, smile, even sneeze while you are wearing the mask. This doesn't  harden or stiffen on your face. It tingles when you apply it but then stops and feels light and comfortable on the skin. It is highly effective but not too harsh, doesn't leave your face stripped or dry, it would be perfect for more sensitive skins in need of a nice, deep, yet gentle, cleanse.

It left my face visibly clearer, brighter, less red, smoother and reduced under my the surface bumps (usually on my forehead) which just hang around and never fully develop into pimples (!!!)

If I have a bad pimple, I apply this mask on top of the pimple and leave it overnight, in the morning more often than not, the pimple has disappeared:)! So it's a great spot treatment too.

I have to say that it was the closest I have ever come to a facial treatment at home. It really does give you this 'fresh out of the spa skin'. I do however have to say it did not clear up the blocked up pores on my nose, so on the downside, it does not remove blackheads like other clay masks do (my favourite being the Glam Glow which sucks all blackheads out completely). So I would call it a facial equivalent but without the blackhead extractions procedure.

That said, it really is a great product and I love using it once to twice a week when I feel my skin need a little kick. It is very expensive, but a little goes a long way, on the picture I used the mask 8 times and you can see I barely made a dent in it.

I strongly believe in investing in good masks and using them often to keep your skin looking it's best. I would rather use drugstore makeup for the rest of my life than skimp on masks/skincare. If you don't have good skin, no foundation will fully cover it. In my book, skincare is where you can invest in products you know work great for you.

You can find the mask here for US readers and here for UK

Have you tried this mask?
What are your favourite clearing/hydrating masks masks?

Love, London Girl  xxx

ELIZABETH ARDEN 8 HOUR CREAM

This product I picked up about 6 months ago and was sure I was going to love it, I heard so much about it from beauty bloggers, makeup artists, everyone and their dad and their cat has tried this and apparently loved it. Like most people, I suffer from dry chapped lips sometimes and need a quick fix to make sure I can wear all my brightest lipsticks at any time without thinking about the fact that they will cling onto the dry patches. 

When I first used it on my lips about 6 months ago, I went all out, building a big layer of the product on my lips and going to bed, the next day I woke up in horror with very sensitive lips, very irritated, very hard and literally peeling like crazy. I got so worried, thought it could be the 8 Hour Creme, but for some reason really doubted it, blamed it on something I ate or other creams I used that night. (I guess I did that because the product cost 25 pounds and you are not ready to give up on that easily!)  

I was not ready to believe that I had such a strong allergic reaction to a 'holy grail' product that works for everyone, since I have NEVER been allergic to any skincare/makeup before. Simply not possible. I put the 8 Hour Creme away and waited about a week or so to get my lips back. 

I finally found the product 2 weeks ago in my stash and thought 'OK I will try out a little of it again to see if this happens again and then I will know for sure'... I did. This time I was much less generous on the amount I would apply, more cautiously... and surely enough, the whole lip disaster repeated itself!

I have now regained my lips back after using insane amount of Reve de Miel Lip Balm by Nuxe, and can truly say I am 100% allergic to this product. I searched around the web to see if any poor soul had the same reaction to this product as I did and I found a handful of exactly the same reactions as me.

Bottom line, I really wanted to love the product, I have given it a good go twice, and I am sure it works wonders on a lot of people and I'm a little jealous about that, and they should continue using it and loving it. However, if you have never tried it out and want to have a go, PLEASE get a sample, or try from a friend, or buy the smallest tube available to make sure you don't go through the pain I went through. The reaction I had really hurt my lips and took a long while to go away.

Have you tired the 8 Hour Creme? Did it work well for you?
What are your favourite lips products?

Love, London Girl  xxx

GLAMOUR FOOD- HYDRATING SKIN TONIC

I picked up this little gem from the cosmetic section of Whole Foods, it has tons of natural interesting makeup/skincare body care products. I am a big fan of the Hydraluron serum so when I saw that this is a toner with Hyaluronic Acid I decided I needed to try it out!

Everyone gets frustrated on spending money on a toner that does -nothing. I have been through so many and only a few really worked and did anything, fortunately, this is one of them. 

Toner used to be used for cleaning the rest of your cleaner residue off. Nowadays, it no longer a relevant step in your makeup routine as most of todays cleaners wash off completely without leaving a residue. So no wonder people pick up toners and think they don't do anything, well if there is no residue from your cleanser, the toner's job is already done!

So what do toners do in the 21st century? Well to each their own but I feel like it has 2 purposes. One - to gently chemically exfoliate (like the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner which I love!) and Two- to hydrate. I know you put moisturiser to hydrate your skin, but if you add a hydrating toner before your moisturiser, your skin with thank you, no matter if you are oily, dry, combination like me.

This has a nice natural smell, comes out a little watery but you only need one pump on a cotton pad and swipe it everyday (preferably days and night) over your skin after cleaning, but before moisturising. It is very light and disappears into the skin quickly. It is completely Natural, and contains Hyaluronic Acid and antioxidants from Blueberries and Dark Chocolate (!).

I love to do this step between my cleansing and my moisturiser and although I still love my Hydraluron serum, I think it's always nice to have another option and alternate between them and for £16.96 it's simply wonderful (considering a little goes a long way).

For UK readers you can buy it in large Whole Foods shops or in the Organic Pharmacy in store on on their website here.
Organic Pharmacy Ships all over the world so have a look if they have it in your country.

What are your favourite toners?

Love, London Girl  xxx

IS BLACK TEA GIVING YOU BAD SKIN?!

Most people let their health routine go around the Christmas and NYE period, I was no exception, but with a new year, comes new resolutions, and I wanted to try and change something for the better in my life.
Promising yourself that EVERYTHING you do will be super healthy in the new year is setting yourself up for a big disappointment. So I had to think small and realistic. What can I really keep up with even on busy, tired days?

I came up with swapping black tea or coffee for healthier options. I am a big hot beverages drinker, so over the year I calculated I would have at least 1200 hot, and very caffeinated drinks.

But can you really replace the kick you get from a strong black tea or coffee with something else?! Impossible! I was very sceptical about the idea, especially in the morning! I crave my caffeine and without it, could easily crawl back into my bed and sleep until I get my fix. I simply can't function without it.

So I researched what would be the best way to kickstart the day and still get your buzz and discovered that warm water with half a lemon is an amazing way to start your digestive system and it will give you enough *zing* not to collapse on the floor. I had to try it out.

The first week was not easy, I still craved the smell of my strong earl grey tea... but I stuck with it. And funnily enough, I really felt like the lemon gave me a punch to start my day full of energy. Lemons are acidic but once your body processes them, they become alkaline, which is best for your tummy! There are whole alkaline diets (Miranda Kerr, Victoria Beckham).. Well, let's just start with the lemon water, I don't think I will ever be able to pull off an alkaline diet. But lemon water is a small step in the right direction!

So I stuck with the changes, and it's the end of my first month and I truly think I will stick with it in the long run. I will still have and odd coffee or tea when I want it, but that's besides the point. Waking up, and starting your day with something good for you will make you happier and more positive  even if you polished off  three chocolate bars the night before. 

Onto my last point, since I started this, my skin has brightened and cleared up a LOT! I always had really bad under eye purply bags and redness around my chin, and somehow it really helped both these issues. Apparently, strong caffeinated drinks may cause you to become dehydrated and under eye bags will appear as a result. Unfortunately, if your coffee/tea is causing you under eye circles, even the best eye creams don't have a chance. Tweak your habits and you won't need the expensive creams! I am not claiming it is a miracle cure that will work on everyone but try it out for a month and see if you notice anything new in your skin.

I don't have a good explanation as to why the redness on my chin faded away, I had it all my life and always needed to conceal it, it is still there now but much lighter than before, so I will stick with this routine and see if it ever completely fades away *fingers crossed*!

PS: If you never really liked the taste of green tea, I found a great one which is very tasty and completely different from the sometimes more acrid green teas around. Try the Milky Oolong teas (they don't contain milk, it's just a name cause they smell milky-creamy). I am loving their brioche smell and light, smooth taste. 

For UK readers try it out here.

For US/Canada find it here and here.

If life gives you lemons..... clear your skin out with lemon water! 

Love, London Girl  xxx