The Body Shop Seaweed Skin Care Review

Oh I do love the Body Shop. Despite being a massive fan of them I have only ever purchased their body butters, I'm one of those people that loves everything else they have to offer but can never make an actual decision on what to buy in the fear that it's something that won't work for my skin. But then the The Body Shop Seaweed Skin Care range came into my life and it all changed... The products in this range are designed for those with combination and oily skin types, yep that's me right here! The Seaweed skincare claims to help combat excess facial oils which can cause those nasty, angry spots and to help achieve that shine-free, matte finish that we all long for. I was expecting great things from this range as it was my first time trying some facial products actually targetted for my skin type. It's fair to say my skin has lovingly welcomed some seaweed into my skin care routine...

Meet my two new besties...

Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask* 100ml £13.00

I've said it a numerous amount of times on my blog but face masks really do excite me the most when it comes to skin care and I have tried a lot over the years. As I said I do suffer from skin which alternates between combination and oily and I do struggle to find products which help to combat that. This mask has already become a part of my skin care routine and I have been using it once to twice a week. It's not too dissimilar from your average clay mask which all help to draw out impurities from the skin and to clarify your skin. It doesn't state how long to leave it on for but it's a good indication to wash it off when you can no longer crack a facial expression! After using the mask my skin has actually felt quite sore but after lathering some face cream on after it quickly subsides and it gives my face a really clean and dry base to work from. Even with just using this on the day and an average face cream I found that it helped to keep my face relatively oil free throughout the day. I definitely think this would be too drying for my skin to use more than once a week though and it is definitely targetted at the right skin types as it would be far too drying for someone with dry/sensitive skin. However, once we finally arrive into the summer it might be more of a fixture in my weekly skincare routine to help banish excess oils. It is slightly pricier than some of your high street face masks but it's a massive tub and with only using a small amount once a week it's going to last a long time! 

Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion* 50ml £12.00

With problematic skin I am very much one of those people that finds something that works and sticks with it, and this really is through fear of making my skin worse or my acne returning, but I really do need to be more open about testing things out as I have been missing out on some wonderful products. Simple skincare is the moisturiser that I have been using daily and which I do sometimes find too greasy for my skin. I was intrigued to try this one out which is targetted for my skin type and which states to both hydrate and control excess oils and which also has SPF15 inside, surely this is too good to be true?! I expected a very heavy formula which would be greasy as that's usually what facial creams with an SPF do BUT I couldn't have been more wrong. I have been using this daily for 3 weeks now just in the morning before I apply my makeup. For a mattifying formula it is incredibly moisturising, it feels thicker than your average cream but quickly sinks in and it is in no way greasy. My makeup has been going on better than ever, I have had no nasty reactions to it and it has considerably helped with controlling the excess oil on my skin and the fact that it has an inbuilt SPF means that I am prepared for any winter sun.. and the long search for a non greasy facial SPF has been found for the summer! 

I am so thankful for being introduced to The Body Shop Seaweed skin care range and these two products are now permanent fixtures in my life. My skin really does seem to have reaped the benefits of using something which helps to combat that excess oil, as my spots do seem to have improved, for now anyway (*touches wood*). There are 6 other products in this range too which I am very temped to try out next, maybe the Seaweed night treatment or the Seaweed pore perfector, my list could go on! 

Have you tried any products from the Body Shop Seaweed range? What are your favourite Body Shop products? What products do you use to combat combination/oily skin?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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Heaven Skincare Bee Venom face mask Review

Heaven skincare bee venom mask* - 15ml £25.30 This little pot of beauty otherwise known as the Heaven Skincare Bee Venom mask was in the Southwestbloggers meet goody bag that i received back in November. I have heard about using bee venom masks and even snail slime masks (eww) for a while now as a natural alternative to botox. This bee venom mask in particular is from Heaven skincare and it contains some really simple ingredients using venom from bees in organic hives in New Zealand, manuka honey and Shea butter,rose and lavender essential oils which are all really gorgeous and natural ingredients so they definitely don't upset your skin. The mask works by controlling facial muscles for immediate lifting,tightening and firming, whilst targeting frown lines and wrinkles.
I applied quite a thin layer of this to my skin as the product is quite expensive, the consistency is just like a moisturiser and after a while you can see that the product almost completely sinks into your skin. I applied the mask to cleansed skin and it advises to leave it on for 20 minutes before washing it off but it says you can also apply a small layer to leave underneath your foundation, but i am yet to try this as i think my skin would look even oily than it normally is!
As i have 20+ skin i cant really comment on that fact that it improved my wrinkles because my skin is pretty plump already and i don't have any wrinkles,or so i hope! I actually would just use this as a normal mask though as the fragrances of the ingredients are gorgeous and it didn't irritate my skin in any way which is often a problem that i find with masks, it was also really moistursing so i would definitely use this as a maintenance mask, i did feel afterwards that my skin did feel fuller and looked fresher!
Because i cant really comment on all of the improvements of this mask i also got my mum involved in it to see what the effect was on a 50+ skin. Again she really liked the scents and it didn't irritate her skin at all and she felt that it really plumped her skin out for a few days after but you would probably have to keep regularly using this for permanent results.
Overall if you are looking for an alternative and cheaper version to botox this could be your answer as it is a completely natural and non evasive method! 
What do you think of the bee venom mask? have your tried it before? What are your favourite face masks?

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Acne Killer peel off mask | Review

 I have always suffered from skin which is prone to a few spots but at the end of last year i developed really bad acne, which i believe came on from badly blocked pores as i knew i hadn't been looking after my skin properly in the previous summer. The acne was so bad and if anyone has ever had it you know how much it knocks your confidence and makes you self conscious. I tried every spot remedy under the sun,wasted a lot of money and nothing worked,i was also reluctant to try medication to treat it.

While i was living in Finland i saw an ad which came up for an Acne killer face mask,i translated the page to English and as a last ditch attempt i went for it and paid for a 5 pack of these masks which was about 20 euros, its benefits of using the mask are so good that they guarantee your money back if it doesn't work! Now back in the UK you can purchase these from Stylelux UK for £14.95,i have also seen these on eBay.  It is a danish brand so it is not readily available to the UK at the moment. I have never found anything that worked on my spots in the past but please believe me this product is an absolute MIRACLE!

Sorry for the stern face,the mask was so tight i couldn't smile haha

 This mask claims to 'remove pimples, blackheads, impurities, and excess oil while the mask dries in just minutes.Not weeks, not days, not even hours. Just minutes!' It also removes dead skin cells from the surface of your skin and when it is peeled away it leaves your skin looking cleaner,fresher and smoother than ever.It also contains completely natural ingredients meaning it wont irritate the skin.

This mask has a thick and gloopy consistency but it spreads onto the skin easily,my tips for this are to avoid the delicate skin areas such as under the eyes and away from your eyebrows,i also push my hair back with a headband because this mask will stick to your hair and rip it out! I usually leave the mask on longer than the 10 minutes recommended but to be fully dry it takes about 40 minutes. Now i must say this mask is not for the faint hearted. Peeling this mask off is so painful,BUT for me it is totally worth it as you can see from below it comes off in one piece unlike other peel off masks i have used in the past which are watery and end up having to be taken off in multiple pieces and you can actually see what has been pulled out from your pores,from the first use it pulled out all of my dead skin cells meaning that it was a fast and effective way of clearing my badly blocked pores. 

Pretty scary!

I used this mask once every two weeks while i had the acne, and i kid you not my acne started to clear up straight away i really could not believe it,it was a miracle! 2 months later and my acne had completed vanished,i wasn't even left with any small spots. I now use this mask once a month just to prevent my pores from becoming blocked again and since February i have only had a few spots here and there but nothing major. I literally cannot recommend this product enough to anyone that is suffering from acne or has skin prone to spots, i wont lie because it is painful and it does sting for a while after but this does calm down quite quickly, but i will never stop using it as it has been the only thing i have ever used which has treated and cured my acne. At £14.95 it is not that expensive and it has meant that i haven't wasted more money on trying to find an alternative that works.

I am so happy i discovered this while i was in Finland because else i would probably still be suffering from acne and i hope i can help some of you in the discovery of it! Have any of you tried this before? What are your thoughts on this product?