Skincare | Starskin After Party Brightening Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask

In my Glossybox this month I received this very long named face mask called After Party Brightening Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask by Starskin. It is a sheet mask designed to brighten up the skin, smooth the skin complexion, correct dark spots and even skintone. That is quite a few claims! It is made out of femented coconut juice and is thoroughly soaked in serum.

The instructions tell you to first rub some of the serum into the skin. I wasn't sure exactly how to do this so when I opened the product I massaged any serum that was on the actual packet into my skin. Then, you have to peel the protective layer off of the mask and stick it evenly on to your face whilst trying to smooth out any bubbles. I had never used a sheet mask before so I was quite excited- I thought it would be much easier than using a mask that you apply straight to the skin! However, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Because it was so slippery and slimey in serum it was really difficult to peel apart and then apply without it slipping in my fingers. Then, because the mask was bigger than my face I found it really hard to get the holes of the eyes, nose and mouth over the correct areas of my face. This meant that I had to fold parts of the mask to get it to fit which caused air bubbles that I couldn't control.

The instructions also say to keep the mask on for about 25 minutes. The mask feels cooling on the face so this wasn't hard for me to do. Some masks can feel so uncomfortable that you can't persevere that long! Despite this, the areas on my cheeks and around my T-Zone kept peeling back a bit so I had to keep pressing them down. The mask also slid down a little bit from my forehead so I think if I were to do this again I would lie down instead of sitting up to stop it from sliding down. Trial and error is key!

After the time was up I, with ease, peeled off the mask. I was left with a really and oily face which was really soaked in serum. I then proceeded to get some more serum out of the left over packet and massaged it into the areas of my skin where the mask didn't fit or peeled away from. Because it was so oily I kept my hair tied back for an hour so the serum had a chance to fully absorb into my skin without getting my hair in it. I then thought it would be a good time to use my eye gel and lip balm for a full moisturising experience.

I did this at night time and when I woke up the following morning I had extremely moisturised skin. It was also probably the softest my skin had ever felt after using a mask before. My face did seem brighter, however I am unsure if it evened out my skin tone or not. Because I have quite a lot of red scarring on my face I find it hard to tell whether something has contributed to evening out my skintone or not because either way I will have redness on my face.

So what do I think overall? Well, it is a mixed review. On one hand it was really tricky to apply, peeled off in areas and it is £8.50 for one mask whereas you could probably spend that much on a tub of face mask that would last for longer. On the other hand my face felt extremely moisturised and I can see this being fantastic for people with dry skin and great for the winter months. As the name suggests I can also see it being good for after a party where you have a hangover and just feel dull and lazy. Laying there with a face mask on would be nice and it would give your skin some brightening afterwards. Although it is messy it feels good to completely hydrate your skin in tonnes of serum!

I wouldn't mind trying other masks by Starskin out and I would like to recieve this as a present or give to others as a present, however I think I would prefer to spend my own money on a mask that can be used more than once. If this was cheaper maybe I would be more inclined to repetitively buy it. But if I was having a time where my skin was particularly dry then I know what product I would come to so I could remedy this. Also just to note, I have sensitive skin and this did not aggravate my skin at all so there is the heads up for all you sensitive skin owners!             

You can buy this mask from ASOS and Selfridges. 

What is your favourite face mask?

Lush Christmas Reviews!

Hey!


Over my years as a Blogger I have reviewed plenty of Lush products on here, so I thought I would link you to the reviews I have done on some of the Christmas products which have been repeated this year. Not only do they all make fantastic gifts to help your friends and family relax but it also makes a good gift to yourself! Nothing says Christmas like the Lush Christmas range. Click the name of the product to be taken to the review of it:

• Butterbear Bath Bomb:

• Dashing Santa Bath Bomb:

• Snow Fairy Magic Wand Bubble Bar:

• Luxury Lush Pud Bath Bomb:

• Snow Fairy Shower Gel:

I hope if you're thinking about buying any of these that these reviews help you make a decision. I love Christmas at Lush, but who doesn't?

Easy & Simple Christmas Nails!

Hello!

The other week I needed a quick, simple and easy nail manicure to do before work and this is what I did. I know it nothing ground breaking but I wanted something festive for the Christmas period so I knew glitter would be on the cards!

For this I used the L'Oreal Colour Riche Rouge Pin Up which I actually got last Christmas. As the name suggests, it is a classic pin up red which I always associate with Christmas. It goes on lovely and I like to use 2 coats to make it completely opaque. Additionally, I also used the Models Own Silver Glitter on my ring fingers so I could have a glitter accent. I love glitter as it catches the light and looks festive, but I don't want to put it on all my nails because glitter is always a pain to take off!

To adhere the glitter, I painted my ring fingers and waited until it dried before adding a second coat. Before that coat dried, I sprinkled some glitter over my finger so it could dry into the polish. The best way to do this is to do it over a piece of paper or tissue to catch the excess and then you can put some of the excess back into the pot. I also found it is best to rotate my finger so the glitter can go on evenly over the entire nail.

I also showed a Christmas nail design last year that includes glitter and candy canes, so to check it out click here.

 So there we go! Simple but effective. What are going to be your Christmas nails?

My Christmas Wishlist 2015

Hello!


As with every Christmas, me and my family will all make a little Christmas list for us to share out with one another. Mine tends to be slightly larger than the other member's because I have more family members than the rest of them (complicated family alert) so they need more items to spread out amongst themselves. Anyway, here is my Christmas list for 2015:

Make Up

• Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow 'Intergalactic'
• Urban Decay De-Slick Make Up Setting Spray 
• Rimmel The Only 1 Lipstick 'One-of-a-Kind'
• NYX High Voltage Lipstick 'Feline'

Skincare

• Exfoliating facial scrubs, e.g. Superdrug St Ives Gentle Apricot Scrub
• The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub (or any other body scrub)

Clothing

• Attitudeclothing.co.uk- Spiral Direct Witchy Familiar Racerback Lace Top
• New Look Black Check Buckle Side Skater Dress
• New Look Black Bandage Strap Bodycon Dress

Nails

• Essie Nails Top Coat 'No Chips Ahead'

Lush

• Peeping Santa Bubble Bar
• The Experimenter Bath Bomb 
• Let The Goods Time Roll Cleanser

Other

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
• New Look Dark Red Contrast Zip Pocket Structured Bag
• Argos Spirit Ladies' Stone Set Bracelet Watch (for work, I don't wear watches otherwise)
• Lady Gaga Fame Perfume
• Money for gap year savings
• Voucher ideas: Boots, New Look, H&M, Topshop and Blue Banana

What's on your Christmas list?

Glossybox December 2015

Hello!

It is that time again! I received my second ever Glossybox today and it was called the 'Rose Gold Edit'. I was going to cancel my subscription but because it was Christmas I thought "hey, why not treat myself? It is my Christmas present from me to me!" ....So what did I get?

• Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask- [Full Size: £8.50]. This is a face mask that is soaked in moisturising serum made from femented coconut juice. It aims to nourish, moisturise, brighten and even skin tone. I am so looking forward to using this! Plus I've never used a mask before that is an actual mask so that'll be interesting for me.
  

• Essence Liquid Lipstick in 'Show Off- [Full Size: £2.20]. In the last box I received a lipstick that really wasn't any good so I am a bit nervous to try this one out. However I really like the colour so I do have my hopes for it. I've always known of Essence but never tried anything from them so we will have to see how it goes.
  

• So Susan Statement Skin Highlighter Crayon- [Full Size: £15.00]. This is an absolutely beautiful silver highlight in the easy form of a crayon that creates a beautiful shine on the skin. I am really looking forward to using this as an easy way to highlight my face or use in the inner corners of my eyes! In the photo above I have swatched the highlighter underneath the liquid lipstick.
  

• Etre Belle Golden Skin Caviar Eye Roll On- [Full size: £30.66]. This is a travel friendly eye roll on gel that soothes and hydrates the eyes with a metal ball to add to the cooling factor. This would be good to use in the morning when tired.
  

• Collection Long Lasting Nail Effects- [Full Size: £2.99]. This is such a pretty glittery dark bronze that would probably look beautiful on the nails. I already have a colour similar to this one so I am looking forward to comparing them. 
  

• Talika Photo Hydra Day Moisturiser- [Full Size: £24.85]. This moisturiser comes from a luxury French brand so I was amazed about the size that I recieved. It is soothing, nourising and plumping. I have been using it as my daytime moisturiser since getting it and it seems to sink into the skin really quickly. 
  

Overall I really enjoyed this box and I think I might even prefer it to November's!

That's it! I am cancelling my subscription for now because I am saving up money to go travelling. However, I am sure I will renew it occasionally because who can resist a box of mystery make up?

November Favourites

Hello!

My monthly favourites come late this month due to the fact that my phone died on me which I use to take photos on, and I couldn't take any blog photos until I got a new phone. Thankfully now I have one! I went for the Samsung Galaxy S6.

My favourites for November start with the InstaNatural Dead Sea Mud Mask. I have been using this mask once a week for the whole of November and I am really noticing the difference in my skin. It has tightened my pores and smoothed out my complexion rather well!

In November I also received my first GlossyBox, and one of the products in it was the Emite Make Up Diamond Heart Base Primer. I like this because it doesn't have a silicone feeling and does well to stop as much oil as normal coming through my make up by the end of the day. It is easy to apply and I will be sure to review it soon. However, as good as it is, it is the most difficult product ever to photograph! So I apologise that you cannot really see the writing on it in the photo.

Lastly we have my ultimate favourites this month, the dream team of all duos: the Intensely Lavish lip pencil and lipstick in '06' by Kiko Milano. This has been the only colour I have been wearing since I bought it and I have been wearing them nearly everyday! It is a beautiful mix of red and purple tones. They work so well together and the packaging is simply gorgeous. I can't wait to review these soon because I have so many great things to say about them! 

So that's it for my November Favourites! I am sure my December Favourites will be a great one. I will probably also do a 2015 ultimate favourites too so watch this space.

InstaNatural Dead Sea Mud Mask

What Is It?

The product is a 100% natural dead sea mud mask from InstaNatural. It is in a huge 19oz tub and also has ingredients of organic shea butter, organic aloe vera and organic jojoba oil.

What Are Its Claims?

This product makes plenty of claims! It states that it uses shea butter and aloe vera to moisturise dry and irritated skin, reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles after weekly use, achieves a more even skin tone and smoother complexion, clears skin, reduces pores and helps oily/blemished skin by drawing out impurities, dirt and oil with the use of minerals.

How To Use:

Apply on the skin in a thin layer and leave it for 10-15 minutes before rinsing off with water. It is only to be used once a week.

What Do I Think?

Where do I start?! Well to begin with, when I first opened the package I was shocked at how big the tub was. There is so much product which is great as it means it will last a very long time. Sometimes I buy face masks and they're gone within a month. When I saw the grey mud I thought it was going to smell really bad but it actually doesn't smell of anything which I think is a good.

A worry I had about this product is that it wouldn't be any good for my sensitive skin. I was worried that because it was a tightening face mask it would irritate and make me have a reaction. Thankfully, it did not make me have any sort of reaction!

Applying it is easy. Because it is grey and wet you can see exactly where you're putting it and it shows if you've put too much on so you can make sure it is all over in a thin layer. Immediately it starts to tingle which at first is kind of uncomfortable but it is certainly nothing you can't deal with. After a few weeks of using this I barely noticed the tingly sensation. You then start to feel it tightening your skin and that's how you know it is working. After a while the wet, grey mud dries into a greyish toned blue which I was not expecting but looked pretty cool! When it dries it also outlines all of your pores which is it slightly shocking to see when you don't realise how many enlarged pores you have.

Another worry I had was that it would be extremely difficult to wash off which I find with some face masks. On the contrary, it completely proved me wrong by being easy to wash off with hands and warm water. Your face is left slightly red and blotchy for a few minutes but this soon dies down. It didn't aggravate my skin at all.

After use of this product I noticed my skin was considerably smoother, supporting the claim that it makes a smoother complexion. The best thing I found about using this mask was that it definitely tightened up my enlarged pores, particularly the ones on my nose which are the ones I care about the most. Again, this supports the claim that it treats enlarged pores. I normally use this on an evening after I have removed my make up and when I wash it off there is no traces of make up on my skin. It also takes away any oil so because of these reasons I find that it does draw out dirt and oil. This has been apart of my skincare routine for 4 weeks and since then I have only had 1 spot on my acne prone skin!

The only claims I am not sure about are the ones that it is moisturising and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. When I use this I find my skin can be kind of dry afterwards so I like to make sure I use my moisturiser. Furthermore, because I am young I don't really have any fine lines or wrinkles so I cannot tell you whether they reduce them or not. The only ones I have are around my eyes and you cannot use this product on the eye area!

Price & Where To Buy:

The price is £21.95 which is quite pricey for a mask but when you take into account that it is a big 19 oz tub then it makes more sense. Additionally, because you only use it once a week in a thin layer it means it will probably last you all year. Plus the price makes sense if you're looking for a mask that does all kinds of claims. You can buy it on Amazon here.

Who Do I Recommend It For?

I would personally recommend it for people who, like me, have sensitive skin and are looking for a tightening face mask that won't give them a skin reaction. I would also recommend it for those with enlarged pores, blemished skin and/or oily skin. Plus, I definitely think this is a very unisex product so would be equally as good for males and females.



Have you used a mud mask before? Let me know! Also, just to let you know this product was kindly given to me by InstaNatural. However, as always my opinions are 100% my own and I would never lie about a product.