ALPHA-H AGE DELAY CLEANSING OIL WITH ROSEHIP & TANGERINE

Once again, the lovely Caroline Hirons has convinced me into buying another skincare product after reading a blog post about cleansing oils. What an enabler!

 

 I am a new convert to cleansing balms and oils, and have tried several but Alpha-H seems to get it right every time. I am a fan of the brand, so I was extremely excited to try their cleansing oil. The Alpha-H Age delay cleansing oil is absolutely B-E-A-U-tiful! This is definitely one of my new found favourite skincare products.

 

I generally wear make up every day, and need something tough enough to remove the products from my skin at the end of a long day without causing redness or dryness to my skin. This product is incredibly moisturising due to the high percentage of oil within the product. When it is emulsified you can easily massage the product into the skin, which acts as a superb cleanser breaking down the longest lasting make up formulas, whilst hydrating my skin. I like to remove the formula with a flannel as I consider it more exfoliating than a muslin cloth. The cleansing oil has the same consistency as most cleansing balms, but with the most fantastic scent, infused with rosehip, citrus and floral like aromas.

 

After using this oil my skin felt incredibly soft and hydrated. It is packed in a simple tube with a flip lid so is definitely user friendly, hygienic and mess free! A little product goes a long way, so is a bargain at Cult beauty for £23.10 with free delivery!

Make sure you follow us on twitter: @The1BeautyBlog and let us know what you think of this cleansing balm, and for more updates xxx

BALANCE ME PURE SKIN FACE WASH

We bought this amazing face wash after previously receiving a free sample from Glamour Magazine. We had never tried this brand before but we are so happy now that we have tried some of the product line as they are simply AMAZING.

 

Balance Me is a British brand which uses organic ingredients in their products: This face wash has a 98.8% natural origin of ingredients. Now let’s see what the brand themselves say about the face wash:

 

‘’Massage our gentle, yet effective sulphate and petroleum-free wash all over your face and allow our wash to dissolve make-up and daily grime to achieve a balanced, clean complexion without stripping away your skins natural moisture levels. Enjoy the benefits of balancing spruce knot extract, anti oxidant rich rice bran oil and sense-awakening frankincense, grapefruit and ylang ylang essential oils’’.

 

And now here is what we thought about the product:

 

The packaging is very classic and elegant, with a white background layered with a dusky pink rococo-esque pattern which will look great in any vanity. The face wash itself feels rich and creamy, and only a small amount of product is needed for a thorough cleanse. When massaged into the skin, the face wash foams slightly but not and lathers well. For £16.00 and at the higher end of the market this product is well worth the investment as it will last such a long time, and gives your facial cleanse an added touch of luxury in the evenings. Something we loved the most about this face wash is the heavenly scent. There are notes of ylang ylang which is subtly and not over powering, with notes of grapefruit and frankincense giving the face wash a luxurious scent.

 

Consistency from tube

Massaged into skin

Now this is the important part. We think this is easily the BEST face wash that we have purchased and here is why: When we washed our face our skin felt incredibly clean yet still hydrated. Normally we find some face washes suck all the moisture out of our skin which leaves it feeling horrid and tight, but this fantastic face wash doesn’t leave you skin feeling stripped. Also, we found that our skin felt really refreshed and more alive, strange we know, but still true. Steph and I both have combination skin but we found that this face wash was perfect for us and left our skin feeling smooth and not giving us any breakouts.

 

Balance Me have done an incredible job with this product and we suggest that you all jump on the band wagon and purchase some for yourself here: www.balanceme.co.uk.

 

Make sure you follow us on twitter: @The1BeautyBlog and we will keep you posted with more updates

xxx

NO7 FOAMING CLEANSER

As a skin care junky I jumped at the opportunity to test the new no7 Beautiful Skin range, consisting of cleansing balms, waters, gels, exfoliates, moisturisers, serums, and masks. As someone who is constantly on the go when it comes to skincare I am looking for something quick and easy to use which importantly is EFFECTIVE, and does make a positive change to our skin. As a result I have been particularly impressed with the Foaming Cleanser for normal to oily skin.  While I love playing with make-up there is little point in buying lovely products to cover your skin, when it's your skin that needs a bit of TLC. This product is great as it is quick and easy to use, whether it's when you hop into the shower or used on the No7cleansing brush.

 

The Foaming Cleanser is invigorating and great first thing in the morning - it does in fact make you feel 'human'....especially when you could have used 3 hours longer in bed! The product has a subtle yet pleasant fragrance, and is soap free. Compared to my traditional cream cleanse regime I have found this as a significant improvement as it removes so much more product that before, as I would typically need a double cleanse, whereas one cleanse with this product does the job!

 

As I have oily skin I have noticed a marked improvement since using this cleanser in the morning. Where I would need a mattifying moisturiser, such as Good Things Mattifying Moisturiser, the oil product has been greatly reduced, and as a result my blemish prone areas have been resolved! So yes....this was definitely love at first cleanse!!!

Normally this product retails at £9.00 at Boots, but if you are lucky enough to find the magical £5 pounds off vouchers that seem to be floating about this product could be yours for only £4.00!

Overall, I am very impressed with the Beautiful Skin range produced by No7, particularly this cleanser. Another firm favourite is the Cleansing balm which is used in my evening skincare routine. For more reviews on the Beautiful Skin range simply comment below.

What is your favourite No7 Be Beautiful Skincare Product?

Make sure you follow us on twitter @The1BeautyBlog for more updates!!

<3

NO7 BEAUTIFUL SKIN CLEANSING BRUSH

I have been eyeing up the Clarasonic for quite some time now. With amazing reviews it seemed like something that is a must have for everybody. But if you are like me, the £175.00 price tag is rather off putting. And that is when I discovered the incredible No7 cleansing brush, which is a high street dupe for the Clarasonic. And even better, I bought this on sale at £15.00 rather than £25.00 from Boots.

 

 

For those of you who are looking for the next best things, this is it. It is incredible, affordable and leaves great results. It is packed nicely, and has a plain white case with the No7 logo on the back of the brush head, giving a contemporary and timeless feel to the product. Unlike the Clarisonic which is charged electronically via a plug, this product is battery operated. Two AA batteries are supplied with the product for £15.00. The product has removable brush heads which are simple to clean and swap when necessary.

 

The Cleansing brush has two speeds. Medium and Fast. We find the first medium setting is the best for our skin, as the faster setting feels rather 'scratchy' against out skin, and for those of you with sensitive skin this would not be a good feeling. The first setting after cleansing leaves your skin feeling silky smooth, and more clean than it ever has been. We were rather sceptical about how much product it would remove and how great our skin would feel afterwards, but it is a fantastic product which in time will be reflected in the condition of our skin. It minimises the appearance of blackheads and large open pores, as well as reducing oil levels too.

The No7 advisor informed us to use a foaming cleanser with this as it is most suitable for our combination skin type. Click here for a separate review on the no7 foaming cleanser review.

As we have never owned a Clarasonic I cannot directly compare results. The only disadvantage to the No7 Cleansing Brush is that it is battery operated, and the brush head could be softer to enable the faster setting to be used. These are features that may be more refined in the Clarasonic, but for those of you on a budget looking for the next best thing....look no further than the boots no7 counter for the cleansing brush is which is currently on  offer for £10 pounds less than the normal retail price.

Make sure you follow us on twitter @The1BeautyBlog for more updates!!



   

SUPER FACIALIST DEEP CLEANSING MUD MASK BY UNA BRENNMAN

Well this is a lovely little mid-week pick me up from Boots. Scented with tea flower, this gentle clay mask is a great quick fix for oily skin, which minimises breakouts.

''It contains Salicylic Acid proven to help unclog congested skin and oil-absorbing Dead Sea Mud rich in Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium and Iron for the perfect detox facial at home. Avocado oil rich in vitamins A, D and E with Acacia Honey further help skin rebalance itself to reveal clearer, refreshed-looking complexion.

Super Facialist is a comprehensive range suitable for everybody- combining natural extracts, high performance scientific ingredients and exquisite aromas to give the best results- healthy, beautiful, youthful looking skin''.

We both have oily skin which is blemish prone. As a result we often use face masks, about 3-4 times per week to help control oil and minimise pores. The Super Facialist mask is great as a mid-week treat. It's soothing, with a great fragrance should you like the scent of tea flower. it is easy to apply with a medium consistency and dries relatively quickly. I usually leave the mask on for approximately five minutes, by which time darker grey areas appear where oil and toxins have been drawn out of my pores. Afterwards my face feels refreshed and oil levels are greatly reduced.

This mask is fantastic for mid-week application, and is less intense than other masks, but does help keep those pesky oil skin problems at bay. As it is more mild than other masks, it may be more suitable for people with sensitive skin, however a patch test would confirm this.

The product retails at £8.99 at Boots, and is often on offer, so if you are shopping this weekend, head to Boots and buy this for the beginning of great looking skin.

For more updates make sure you follow us on twitter: @The1BeautyBlog and leave us messages if you have any review requests! xxxxx

ALPHA-H LIQUID GOLD

So this modest looking container contains what I personally consider to literally be liquid gold!

The Liquid Gold solution contains a safe amount of Glycolic Acid - fear not: You will not wake up with flaking skin on your pillow as a result of a DIY acid peel. Rather the opposite in fact. You will wake with glowing skin, with an improved appearance in tone, and texture, and minimised pores. This form of chemical exfoliation is more beneficial than manual exfoliants which are too harsh on the skin, and are not recommended. With long term use, it has also improved hyper pigmentation and acne scaring, as a result of the most severe form of acne in my teens. To look back and reflect on the condition of my skin when I was 14, to the affects of medication from dermatologists, which left hyper pigmentation and severe scaring, to now - the results are incredible. The great thing about this product is even after the first use instant results are visible, unlike other products where there may only be a slight difference over the space of several months.

When using the product it is important to have thoroughly cleansed skin, free of any other product. Pour a small amount of the solution onto a cotton wool pad and gently wipe this over your face and décolleté, avoiding the eye and lip area. The first thing I expect you to notice, or at least I certainly did, is the odd tingling sensation - it's almost as though you can feel the dead surface skin cells being broken down. I have recommended this product to my friends, some of whom have sensitive skin and they found the product did not irritate their skin at all, and were astounded at the morning after results.

As I have said, this product has been in my skin care routine for years now, but it is strange to think that so many people out there have not heard of this skin care marvel! If any of you out there do, or have suffered with acne, you will know how annoying trying to cover scaring and hyper pigmentation is, but with continual use I can guarantee that this product will erase such effects. And what is even more impressive is that a subtle BB cream is all I now need, rather than coatings of foundation, derma-blend and powder.

This product isn't suitable for teenage skin. I started to use this product when I turned 20 and I have never looked back. It is important though, to maintain a good skincare regime moisturising day and night in-between Alpha-h treatments. I use this products 2-3 evenings a week, and use serums and moisturisers in-between. Also after using Alpha-h it is important to wear SPF when in the sun, as the very top layer of your skin has been shed, and you may easily burn.

You can buy this product online at http://www.beautybay.com/  Liquid Gold retails at £31.50 for a 100ml bottle, or £44.95 for a 200ml bottle. There is free shipping world wide, so spread the word and get your hands on this skin care must have! You will never look back.

It would be great to hear from you and about your skin care experience with Alpha-h or other products.

 

Steph :)

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