Emily Ellen: skin care

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

SOAP & GLORY THE WHOLE GLAM LOT

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

QUICK FIX PURIFYING CHARCOAL MAS

Around a week ago, I hit Boots to check if I could find anything that would draw out a few spots I’ve been getting lately, and the design of the Quick Fix masks really drew me in. It looks very simple and powerful, and more at home with men’s skincare than the pretty products that belong in with the women’s skincare.

There was quite a few different Quick Fix masks, but I went for the for congested and lifeless skin. I wanted a clay mask as I find it draws out spots ad impurities really well but there wasn’t any and I’ve used charcoal products before and got on well with them. As well as charcoal, the mask contains dragon fruit and cinnamon.

The colour of this mask is really unusual, I expected it to be pure grey but it has a blue tinge to it. If you look really closely, it’s grey with lots of tiny blue specks. It has an unusual smell too, kind of fake? But nice at the same time. To use, you spread a thick layer on clean skin and leave for five to ten minutes, before removing with warm water. I’ve used this twice, and I left it on for around an hour both times. Not on purpose, just because I always get too comfortable and lazy when wearing masks. I definitely wouldn’t advise leaving the mask on this long, as it turns from being purifying to being really drying and my skin felt quite stripped afterwards. I tried it again for around 15 minutes and it was a lot less stripping, although I did still need a good moisturise afterwards.

Despite being quite drying, I do really like this mask. I’ve had a few spots while testing it out and it’s definitely helped to draw out my smaller blemishes. I feel like my skin looks and feels smoother after using it each time too.

I would recommend this mask if you suffer from blemishes and blackheads and don’t want to spend a lot on a face mask, but I’d also recommend you get a good moisturiser so you can hydrate your skin again afterwards. I’ve recently found these two products which are more expensive but work amazingly on cystic acne, so I’d recommend them 100%.

Have you tried any Quick Fix face masks? Or have you got a favourite mask I need to know about?

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Cohorted Beauty Box July 2015 // REVIEW

I’ve tried a lot of different beauty boxes over the years, and so far my first Cohorted box has impressed me the most; and one I will be purchasing every month.

I had so much trouble trying to order the box last month, as the site crashed over and over again, and by the time it was back online all the boxes has sold out. I was really disappointed by this, but tried again this month and was lucky enough to get July’s Cohorted box. This month the boxes didn’t sell out even nearly as quick as the previous months, it seemed that they had added more boxes available to buy. I hoped that this wouldn’t affect the quality of the items in the box, but I fear it might have slightly…

July’s Cohorted Beauty Box Contained;

> Diego Dalla Palma Palette
> Flora by Gucci Perfumed Body Lotion> St.Tropez Gradual Tan Plus Firming 4 in 1 Lotion> Nails Inc Matte Polish in ‘Gatwick’

Diego Dalla Palma Palette | RRP £25

This palette by Diego Dalla Palma is my favourite item within this months Cohorted box, and one that I’m really impressed with. It contains 6 eyeshadows, a lipstick and an eyeliner – a beautiful collection inspired by Snow White & The Huntsman. This isn’t something I would usually pick up myself, however I actually love it and know I’ll get use out of everything within this palette – and I think that’s the beauty of these kind of boxes. The lipstick, which is aptly named ‘Wicked Queen’ and is worth £15 alone, can be picked up separately from here. It’s a bright, blue toned red, which is great for making your teeth look whiter, and would look lovely on all skin tones. This has very quickly become my favourite red lipstick, due to its gorgeous shade, high pigmentation, comfortable formula and great wear time. The 6 full sized eyeshadows included in this palette are also right up my street, with 3 shimmery shades, and 3 mattes – perfect for both a day time or night time look. I love how they’ve named these shades – Snow, Shield, Mirror Mirror, Fairest, Destiny and Battleground, as they fit really lovely with the theme. A black eyeliner is also included, named ‘Dark Night’, which has a long wearing formula and is soft enough to apply comfortably, but also hard enough to get a good, defined line. This palette retails for £25, which is more than the cost of the Cohorted box, but if the contents were sold separately, it’s actually worth over £100, which is incredible value.

St.Tropez Gradual Tan Plus Firming 4 in 1 Lotion | RRP £20

I’ve never actually faked tanned before (shock, I know), but it’s something I’ve been wanting to try out recently, so I was glad to see this St. Tropez lotion within this month’s Cohorted box. It’s a gradual 4 in one tan, which is said to help with tanning, toning, firming and moisturising your body. I’m trying to lose some weight at the moment, as well as toning myself up so this again, has come at the perfect time. St. Tropez are one of the biggest players in the Tan ‘game’, so I think it’s a great brand to be included within the Cohorted box. I’m impressed that it’s a full sized bottle (150ml) and is worth £20 – considering the box itself is the same price, so you’ve already made your money back with this product alone. I’m really looking forward to giving this a try, I’m hoping it will give me that summer glow that I’ve been yearning for.

Nails Inc Matte Polish in ‘Gatwick’ | RRP £11

I’m a huge fan of anything matte, whether that’s lipsticks, eyeshadows or sports cars, so I was excited to see this nail polish from Nails Inc within the Cohorted box. This bright, hot red shade is from their London collection, and is named Gatwick – after the airport, which is the one I actually usually travel from. As all matte shades, this won’t last as long on your nails as a regular nail varnish, as the consistency is completely different. It dries really fast, so you need to be quick when applying so you don’t get streaks, but again this is another general trait of matte nail varnishes and isn’t specific to this Nails Inc polish. You’ll only need two coats of this as it’s really pigmented and is fairly thick. I really love this shade and the finish, so I’m looking forward to wearing this, and pairing it with the Wicked Queen lipstick from the palette also in the Cohorted box.

Flora by Gucci Perfumed Body Lotion | RRP £7.50

This Gucci body lotion is my least favourite item within the Cohorted box, and one that I’m actually really unimpressed with. Firstly, mine was really dirty, and seemed like it had been sat in a box in mucky, dusty box in a warehouse for years – I don’t think that matches up to the ‘luxe box’ that Cohorted offer. Secondly, this size lotion isn’t actually available to buy alone, which makes me think that they’ve just separated all of the perfumes and the accompanying body lotions from a gift set (like this) and sent those out. Since there was no sample of the fragrance, I think that defeats the object of the lotion, as it’s supposed to be used to layer up the scent. I’m not a huge fan of body lotions anyway, and I don’t like the scent of this at all, it’s too floral and over powering for me. Unfortunately Cohorted, I’m not impressed with this product and won’t be getting any use from it.

I’ve got mixed opinions on July’s Cohorted box, I really can’t make my mind up on it or not. The box itself retails for £20, and this month’s it is worth over £63. That is great and all, but I don’t think that it compares to a lot of the previous boxes, usually worth about £90. Don’t get me wrong, I really love the palette, and I know I’ll use the nail varnish and the St. Tropez tan, however I just don’t think that this box matches up in terms of quality and products to the previous months. Cohorted have had a lot of complaints about how quickly the boxes sell out, and how they’re aren’t enough available to everyone. I fear that they may have compromised the products inside this month’s box, so there was more available to sell. Good business for them of course, but not as good for me as the consumer. I’m going to try and get my hands on the August box and see how that compares, I honestly hope that this month has just been a blip, but we’ll have to see…

What do you think of July’s Cohorted box? Would you have been impressed with the contents? What’s your favourite beauty box?