GlamGlow Youth Mud

It is a well known fact that I love facemasks, you only need to search for the term on my blog to find endless reviews and one of the products I had been lusting after was GlamGlow Youth mud which I got in a You Beauty Discovery Box as you can see HERE.

Described as follows "the ultimate at-home  mud treatment for immediate camera-ready super radiant skin. For when you need great skin and a glowing complexion in just 10 minutes. It delivers both instant and cumulative results and leaves your complexion revived and glowing, whatever your skin type" and it makes a huge number of claims, such as:

• Skin Collagen Synthesis for a noticeable 3 day glow.
• Brighter, radiant skin in minutes.
• Leaves skin noticeably soft and smooth.
• Multi-level resurfacing exfoliation.
• Penetrates into the deepest layers of the skin to soften fine lines and wrinkles. 
• Tightens, tones and lifts the skin. 
• Relieves dark circles and minimises pores. 
• Absorbs impurities without removing natural oils.
• Helps protect against everyday environmental aggressors. 

As well as

• Suitable for all skin types, all ages and for both women and men.
• Contains no artificial colours or fragrances.
• 100% paraben-free, cruelty-free, and suitable for vegans.

So yes I got my hands on a small and cute little tube which contains 15g of GlamGlow mud and with its black tube body and silver lid it certainly stands out in the bathroom amongst many Lush products which are all brightly coloured.  

As soon as I had washed and cleansed my face, to make sure there was no dirt, grime and other nasties lurking on the surface, I opened the tube and began to apply the mud, now as an exfoliating mask you have to expect some 'bits' to be it to exfoliate the skin, only these bits were a little bigger than I expected and having them stuck to my face wasn't a very attractive look. Now it does state that you should begin to feel a bit of a tingling sensation, well you certainly do and as the mask dries onto your face the tingling sensation intensifies, in a nice way and it is good to know it is actually doing something. 

Having dried within a matter of what felt like minutes, I grabbed by Washi cloth which was sitting in some warm water and began to massage the now dried mask on my face in circles so that I get a really good exfoliation of the face and then once complete and my face had been splashed with some clean warm water to ensure i had removed every trace of the mask, I patted my skin dry.

Afterwards? Well what can I say, my skin looked and felt amazing, smooth to the touch rather than dry and dehydrated.  No dry skin anywhere on my face at all and given the weather has changed a lot recently I had begun to notice the dryness on the cheeks sneaking back and now it had been dealt with.  As for the effects lasting 3 days, well actually yes I think they did, no dry skin whatsoever and the soft smooth and hydrated skin was still there, obviously I continued to moisturise as I usually would.

I had secretly hoped i wouldn't like this treatment so much, but truth is I absolutely love it and am thankful I have another 2-3 maybe 4 uses in this tube (assuming the mister doesn't try it out) and I am even considering buying a full sized tub.

Have you used GlamGlow? Are you a fan?

Five Among Friends

Welcome to a new feature, Five Among Friends, where myself & some of my closest blogging friends will be linking up for a a series of Q & A's once every month.

We'd love to see your answers to the questions too - Just post your Q & A on your blog and then put your link in the Linky below and we'll be sure to check them out! Don't forget to check out other peoples answers too!

This week's theme is Right now I'd rather be.....

This week's questions were written by Kerry at Lived With Love….

The Questions

1) Right now, I'd rather be sitting….. at the Blackjack table in Las Vegas with Steve, totally relaxed watching people play with fascination.

2) Right now, I'd rather be wearing….my PJ's and be having a duvet day at home watching Revenge, I have become a tad obsessed with that show

3) Right now, I'd rather be eating…. Fresh Lobster with chips by the seaside

4) Right now, I'd rather be listening too... Metallica live on Stage with Kiss as one of their acts

5) Right now, I'd rather be with…. my beloved hubby BeautykingUK at that Blackjack table in Vegas, watching him play (and win).

Don't forget to check out the other girls answers too....

Alex - Bump To Baby

Emily - London Mummy Of Two

Hayley - Sparkles & Stretchmarks

Jessica - Our Baby Blog

Lauren - Mrs Hippo & Me

Louise - Confessions Of A Secret Shopper

Rachel - BeautyQueen UK

An InLinkz Link-up

Insatiable skin? Go Naked with Naked's 24 Hour Body Butter!

Naked is a brand with which I associate hair care having tried some shampoos and conditioners from the range, so when I was asked if I would like to try the Coco De Mer Body Butter I jumped at the chance.  

The cream arrives in this huge 300ml tub and everything you need to know about the product can be found written somewhere on the tub, for example you are told it is 97% natural* and that it gives 24 hour moisture for skin with an insatiable appetite.

This is Coco De Mer body butter uses creamy coconut extract, Shea butter and passion flower oil and the scent is, as you can imagine, absolutely stunning, it is a happy mix of being quite floral but also a little bit tropical too when it comes to describing the scent.  I wasn't too sure whether to apply it onto my skin or drink it!

 Described as follows:

"Naked 24 Hour Coco de Mer Body Butter gives 24 hour moisture for skin with an insatiable appetite. Creamy coconut extract, enriching shea butter and passion flower veil your skin in an intoxicating scent, so you can be sure your skin feels caressed day and night.

Naked truth: There's so much care and thought in a naked product because we cram in naturally derived ingredients and leave out as much synthetic stuff as we can. This is goodness in a bottle".

It retails for around £5.45 in Boots and as a 300ml tub it is quite large and you only need the smallest amount at any one time because the cream is quite thick texture wise, so a little goes a long way. 

I use mine after showering in an evening, before going to bed and when I wake in the morning, the scent is still noticeable on my skin and it is really hydrating, it leaves me with soft, smooth skin which feels really moisturised and in this ever changing weather that we have right now, it is definitely something my body is in need of.

Have you tried any products from the Naked range? If so what do you recommend?

*Every Naked product is 97% natural and free from sulphates, parabens and petrochemicals so each one is packed full of natural goodness.

Monu Cleansing Balm

I am quite new to the world of cleansing balms having only ever used one in my entire life, so when the chance to try and test out the Monu Essential Care Cleansing Balm I jumped at the chance. Monu is a brand that I have come to really like and one I have mentioned on my blog a few times now.

So the cleansing balm is said to be "An indulgent melting balm that works to cleanse skin and remove make-up for an instant boost of radiance and vitality" and is suitable for all skin types. What you get inside this rather luxurious looking box is a 150g tub of the balm and a muslin cloth which is really soft and smooth and so white I didn't want to use it.

When it comes to use it, you are told to warm the balm in the palm of your hands before gently massaging it over your face and neck with your fingertips.  As you do this the balm is said to efficiently melt into the pores to dissolve all traces of make-up and any impurities. You then add water to emulsify the balm into a luxuriously rich and creamy milk that is said to leave your skin feeling vitalised, conditioned and utterly flawless from morning to night.

This balm smells absolutely amazing, it combimes the aromatic secent of Rose and Geranium essential oils which awaked your senses and work to stimulate their skin.  There is also Evening Primrose, Blackcurrent and Rosehip Seed Oil, all of which work together to help 

"maintain a youthful suppleness and elasticity to the skins appearance, helping you to look and feel refined all day long. The added effects of comforting Wheat Germ, Apricot and Almond oils will help calm and clean the skin".

As soon as I began to massage this into my skin I loved it. Not quite as solid as I was expecting it to be considering it is called a balm, it is quite runny so you don't need to use very much at all, it is definitely a case of a little goes a long way, the scent is simply divine, more so than I can describe to you, but think spa-like scent and you are almost there. What it does do is everything it claims to do and that is dissolve every ounce of make-up on your face including any bits of dirt and grime that you didn't think was there! Trust me, it finds it and dissolves it and that includes the quite stubborn to remove They're Real from Benefit, literally nothing gets in its way.

Then when it does come into contact with water, it emulsifies quickly and completely and washes away without leaving any residue on my face, my hands or in sink, which I am thankful for, infact the only dirt that is left behind is on poor old Mr Muslin cloth which you can put in the washing machine anyway.  As for my skin afterwards, my face is so soft and smooth I don't feel the need to run for my moisturising cream and cover myself in it, but old habits are hard to stop and as i always would do, I apply my moisturiser, safe in the knowledge that there are no nasties on my skin stopping it from doing its job.

So, if you are on the look out for a cleansing balm that will do exactly what it tells you it will do, is paraben free, not tested on animals, has no animal derivatives and consists of a 100% natural fragrance then you are reading about it right here, right now and it costs £38 for this huge tub and I cannot recommend it highly enough.