Multiple Masking Mania: Clay's the new Sheetmask

Don't you often get that feeling that when something is a true hype, you start looking elsewhere? 

As with sheetmasking, I have been into Asian trends since the beginning of my blog (about 2007) and the occasional sheetmasks has often been a part of my facial routine. Don't get me wrong...I am so happy about the variety of sheetmasks popping up everywhere, instead of waiting for days for my gmarket Korea packet to come in...Sheetmasks are brilliant in moisture and adding a essence/serum really effectively, but when it comes to getting that pure, porepurging feeling...Clay is the word! 

Since I am still lazy to borrow from my own Instagram, ofcourse meticulously taken and edited photos, I had the theme "#spooning for #singlegirls is all about Multiple Masking". So there you go: 4 gorgeous colours of clay-based masks that each have a different purpose for the skin.

Left to Right:

• Lush Don't Look At Me Mask is as fresh as its smurfblue colour. It has a good whopping of citrus juice combined with the base-clay of Kaoline. Citrus Juice is nice for brightening skin and purifying pores, but I would steer away from the sensitive parts of your face. This one went on the nose and chin. It is quite fraganced of neroli essential oil...The blue colour, unfortunately, is a colourant and not derived from any natural clay-source.
• Cattier Paris Pink Clay Mask is the perfect type of clay for purifying sensitive skin. The list of ingredients is short: Pink clay, Organic sheabutter, Organic peppermint extract, Lactic acid (vegetable), Organic Aloe vera but that is enough to purify on a gentle level. The price was under a fiver and the cream-to-clay formula is easier than handling the power version of pink clay.

•  Before Herbana I never heard of Purple Clay before. According to Herbana (here) "Violet clay is a combination of a few natural clays which contains low concentration natural minerals. It is rich in silica and less absorptive than green clays" and I get a similar summing up of minerals from this and this site. Now Herbana amped up the youth-boosting factor for adding argan oil, Rosehip Oil and Aloe Vera gel. It still dries to a dry and violet mask but the effect is incredibly soft. I really like the effect this masks gives me: I feel purified without that overly dry feeling some clay masks can give. This retails for a reasonable € 13 on Etsy, and will make fun selfie/masking/scaring your cat/loved one game.

• You might have heard a lot about NIOD and their Flavavone Mud Mask. Niod often has an incredibly story behind their innovative ingredients, and this one is no exception about their triple faces of 1. Purifying ; 2. Protecting & 3. Responsive Phase. For the whopping amount of € 35 a good story should be behind it, right? Personally, I was not really wowed by this mask. During my most sensitive phase of my psoriasis, it actually felt quite drying and not really helping my skin. The Cattier Pink clay actually worked at that same phase, so I guess price, an elaborate story and innovation are not always an all-cure-for-all. Now my skin is a lot calmer, I find it just ok but not as good as the Cattier or my gorgeous new Herbana. I still like a lot of NIOD's products, especially the Copper serum, but this one did not float my boat.

Just as sheetmasking can be a lot of fun, I think the added natural or unnatural colours of the claymasks can look fun and also have an a beneficial value. Most people would think of claymasks as drying and more suitable for oily/combined skin but the gentlier versions of pink and purple clay can be quite beneficial for dryer, dehydrated and maturing skins thanks to the additional minerals. Closing off the skin from air and other elements, similar as taking a sheetmask, often helps the regeneration/purifying process some more. However, take in mind that clays can draw out the occassional pimple as well so perhaps before a date or special occasion, the sheetmasks would be a tad more smoothing.

Used Up's / June

Late to the party for a quick round of my most important used up's...

Hair: 

I've been blogging about sampling up some Less is More hairproducts and I've finished up the Lindengloss conditioner. The 30ml has lasted me quite a while: about 7 times for long hair. I really liked how this organic conditioner performed: soft & silky feel, no heaviness or weird residue and it smells amazing. However, when I had the opportunity to buy full-sized I kind of steeped back from the price. The sample size is a reasonable € 6, but a full-size € 23. I still have some other quality conditioners to use up so I will consider, but wait before going full-size.

*,

 Makeup:

Paul & Joe's finishing powder is from the Sahara collection from 2010. Long long time ago...I had a darker colour (002) so I only use it in summer when having [faux] tan. It is really good, though: a micro-thin quality that doesn't alter the foundation underneath, and can also be used on a good skinday alone without foundation. I would gladly repurchase. 

*

Mask:

Osmia Detox Mask has gotten quite the hype among organic and concious bloggers, and from that field it gotten known among everyone that wants a good, detoxing mask (like me, see here).  I really liked it when living in the Mediterranean: my skin gotten weirdly oily and pimply-> heat & polluted air. A good claymask helped to remove remaining sunblock, some oiliness etc etc. However, I liked it but it has not been the complete miracle worker. I'm somewhat convinced that there are cheaper clay-mask options out there, but the mix of ingredients are quite good.

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Lash:

I'm on my 3rd tube of YSL shocking mascara. It's not the complete HG but it has some excellent varieties of colours around. People with chameleon eyes like myself can have a cute effect by changing a hint around the colour of the eyes. E.G, a blue, burgundy or a purple can change my colour into a more green or blue, depending of what I like. YSL Shocking doesn't do dreadful 80s colours, only a slight hint. And the formula is delightfully thick and glossy without going clumpy. 

#

RapidLash, I've finished my 2nd tube and I get a longer result every time I use it. I never get irritations from it either. In fact, I'm on the more expensive Revitalash right now, but I feel it irritates my eyes. I think I will just repurchase Rapidlash instead.

*

Oil:

Caudalie has done an excellent job in creating their Polyphenol C15 line. This sample has been feeling both detoxing and youth-i-fying for my skin, and I've only been trying it for 2 nights! I will go for the bigger bottle.

 *

Serum:

I took the full plunge by buying a full size of Caudalie Polyphenol C15 antiwrinkle defense Serum. I've been using it superconsistently (morning/evenings) for one and a half month and I absolutely was stunned about the plumping effect. Moreover, the price was under €40 so not that ridiculously expensive price some companies ask for their serums. I'm not sure if it will be HG material if my skin gets sensitive (thinking winter) because the amount of fragance is somewhat present, but for the moment I really like this one.

Osmia Organics Detox Exfoliating Mask

In my last post I declared my undying admiration for anyone who has the quality of 'great skin' under the 2000-ish pixels of our wonderfully mega-cameras these days:  

[yes, you ms Kruger & your superfood-infused Goopy Gwynneth) 

That will get me discussing my own skin again. Shortly, I peeled and treated my skin from my 20s-acne pot-holed affected skin to a smoother canvas. Hence, not too unhappy about this result. However, larger pores are a hereditary condition and making them tinier & grime-free is a continuous & effortful task of mine. 

Enter OSMIA detox exfoliating mask 

I gotten ridiculously curious about this mask seeing it on my organic-orientated blogger-'sisters' like BeautyByBrittanie, NoMoreDirtyLooks & SeedtoSerum

 But the not-always-organic bloggers have been raving about this mask as well, like on Babble &  Taylor on MyLucidDreams. All of them are proud owners of gorgeous complexion so they must be on to something...

My order arrived in a beautiful Hummingbird * flower decorated box. I loved the personal note & some generous samples! And that for a company that has gotten quite famous already.

The samples consisted of their famous black soap and this gorgeous Calibration Serum.

It is actually an oil but really suitable for combination skin. I've been using it on my t-zone lately, and I really have less pimples/congestions there lately.

However, I'm not reviewing that one today. So let's direct the scope to the ingredients of the Detox Mask:

Chock-full of good & effective natural ingredients...I'm specifically chuffed about the raw manuka honey (an intensive detoxifyer & moisturizer at the same time) & the raw cocoa powder.

The pretty little mixing bowl is a part of their set: how handy:

Uhm, not putting any public face-mask pictures up: I'll save those for facebook but I'd like to show you how the mask looks when added a liquid to your choice: Thin & chocolat-y:

As for liquid of choice: the standard option is water, but I love to mix it with one of my toners or make a water-&-manuka-honey blend and mix it with the powder.

Verdict:

• thin mask which seems to reach the 'dirt' of the pores easier than a thicker mask
• slightly tightening but not drying (de-moisturizing) effect
• dries fast in 2 minutes: so effective for a quicker mask 

• smells delicious with a small hint of chocolate
• clearer & tighter pores afterwards
• my sensitive skin stayed rather calm (no redness etc) afterwards
• price: midrange (when you calculate shipping in) but will last about 3 months with regular (2 a 3 weekly) facials
• love the personal attention to the order & the generous samples to try out

Conclusion: The raves online are justified: this mask preforms well and does what it says.

Availability: on the Osmiaorganics website for $50.00

Autumn Newbies

Uhoh, reading blogs can be so enabling...

I've been more curious about organic brands lately, thus stumbling upon the organic beautybloggers has given me a million new lemmings for trying out facial oils.

Face oils have already been my skinsaver option for this summer. For Autumn I am eager to try out the wonderfully named 'Glow Serum' from Astor & Bay. This time it has been SeedtoSerum enthousiastically uttering the words "airbrush-like effect" & "instant radiance".

 

Those words gotten me weak in the knees wallet, which as not that bad as the oil is under €25.

I'll keep you updated to see if I will utter similar words of enthousiasm as well.

I also found some sample sizes of Greek brand Apivita:

 

The clay-masks have gotten quite the cult-status on makeupalley.

I do not need clay-masks as much as in summer, less oiliness and I do not have the full-duty sunblock on every day. Still, cleansing up the skin is always a good way to keep it clear and luminescent and a better way for your serums etc do work optimally.

This Works *in transit* Camera Ready

 Disclaimer: finally one of my notoriously lengthy reviews again

 Lately I'd merely touched upon some products in my 'using, used, gonna use..."-category. I like reviewing products more in dept, but if I find out that every blogger has been doing that before, I feel 'meh' about bringing forward my own opinion.

But now: This Works In Transit "Camera Ready" hybrid product!

Mask, Moisturizer & primer in 1

I have a combination of a great enthousiasm and mild suspicion for hybrid products. It amazing to find something that can multitask. However, even if our feminine ability makes it easier to multitask better than our more testosterone-fulled other halfs, it doesn't always mean every task will be done with full precision.

So, the goal of this multitasker: BEAUTY! (what else for this blog)

 

(Actually, it would not be my only goal: I am about pampering, relaxation and other things as well, but hey, This Works has done a lovely way to tag on the cartbox)

But to return to the goals: easing signs of fatigue, boosting hydratations & prepping skin for photo perfect makeup...

haven't I heard this one before about 15 years ago???

YEP

In so many ways it is similar to Clarins Beauty Flash Balm...but I will return to that later.

I like the presence of Argina Spinosa and Borago Officinalis, or argan oil & borage oil that are high on the ingredient list (hence strongly dosed). The rest of the ingredients do not sound bad either, but I would loved Rosa Damescena to be higher on the ingredient list as it's an excellent beautifyer and smells delicious as well.

How to:

For adults only? that makes perfect sense but I once saw this document about child Pageans that worried me senseless. 

source: parentfail

I am deliberately not a mother (yet) for a variety of reasons but I totally question the sanity of parents who make their youngsters look like a Barbie doll on speed and let them compete. I could write whole articles about this phenonemon, but that would be better for University :). The HBO "living dolls" documentary is quite accurate if curious.

Swatches/application:

the blob

 

It takes really long to spread that blob into something that absorbs into the skin.

 

Tadah, photo-ready-pre-primed-perfect....(really?)

VERDICT:

I have been testing it for a week so here it goes 

• Texture: as seen above: a little bit can be used for a larger part of the skin
• Scent: I found it somewhat Nivea-ish on a softer level
• hybridity: it doesn't fully penetrate into the skin which is the perfect element for a good primer. However, by not fully absorbing does mean that the super-moisture element should be compensated by a real moisturizer. For a mask? I have better masks with more intensivity. I didn't find my skin to be better after wearing it for the whole week, so no.
• feel: somewhat balmy and in a way a bit too heavy for summer.
• price: I think €37.21 is quite expensive for 40 ml
• packaging: Hard plastic in a hygienic pump. You cannot really measure out the dosages, though.
• irritation-proof? My skin tolerates it in a mild manner.

Promise-worthy? -erasing fatigue?

• yes, but only in compensation of the necessary makeup.  (I had a irregular week sleep/activity-wise so it was perfect to test this one for it)

           - Boosting Moisture?

• Yes. My skin feels soft after a week. Sidenote that my body is in colloqual terms "not having it" by acting up (flares, etc), something that normally doesn't happen in summer (it's normally my happy-body-time). My face is relatively calm.

                          - Preps skin for Perfect Makeup

• Somewhat, but leave out "perfect". I think there are better primers out there but in combination with the moisture/mask effect I feel it is nice.

 

CONCLUSION:

I discussed the hybridity about hybrid products in the beginning, and I think it's best to refer to it as the title says: prepping for "Camera ready skin" (primer). There has been a reason I haven't rebought the classic Clarins Beauty Balm at that time being: too balmy, didn't really prime & it smelled too herbally. This one smells more neutral, but still it has same qualities that I wouldn't rebuy. Also, I couldn't say I gotten better skin after a week. I stared at the mirror and though: "darn, I need to get that terrible-but-effective Green Peel again" because my tiny acne-scars gotten visible again. 

Availability:

To be found on lookfantastic and feelunique.

New Vanities

I complained about not having my beauty-Mojo a couple of posts ago.

FaceQ Hello Kitty Sheet-Masks on a happy plate

 In the meanwhile I bought some new vanities:

This Works has a new line going on named "In Transit": aimed for the frequent Travellers. I am still looking for my perfect primer and 'Camera Closeup' has the right name & raves (see here & here) to get me curious. My review will be there soon after I have tried it for a while

I have gotten in a neo-teenager period, facewise, which means I had to buy a good pimple buster: Skin Doctor 'Zit Zapper' also has the right name & reviews . I hope it will make my skin behave because combatting the wrinkles is a task high enough for my vanities right now : ).

Rouge Bunny Rouge is having an awesome sale (hurry, still a couple of days left). Some eyeshadows that I was already curious about went from €24.00 to €14.40. The teal top one is Mysterious Tinamou and the bottom Periwinkle Cardinal. I also bought the peachy Tantalising Lovebird. The lipstick was the only colour on sale: Perfume of his Gaze. It has been reviewed as too sheer & neutral (here) but since it has been discounted from €24.00 to €9.60 and I love a sheer with a sparkle in a pretty tube I though "oh well".

Product availability:

The Hello Kitty FaceQ sheetmasks were bought from ebayseller whitecat3845724: I gotten 2 free masks when buying 5. The This Works & Skin Doctors are from lookfantastic.com: they give out a free Macademia Haircare kit worth £45 when you spend more than £50: code THGMAC.