My favourite eye makeup remover

Do you have scents associated with your childhood? I do. Apart from the iconic yummy fruity scents of my native island (vanilla, coconut, mango, etc..) and the not so yummy ones (overripe guava, papaya, banana) I think I will never forget the scents of essential oils of vetyver,  geranium, sweet almond oil and lavender. My mother used to be a big fan of essential oils. Her favourite was lavender and she used to  douse herself in it, as it 'would keep mosquitoes at bay' she used to say. Well, the stuff pongued so much, I'm not surprised it kept  mosquitoes and any form of living species at bay. I also will never be able to forget the strong, powerful and nauseating scents of  geranium and vetyver essential oils. Sweet almond oil, however, was a total different story. I couldn't never get enough of it. When  I left home, my contacts with sweet almond oil became more and more rare, verging non existent. In fact, I even forgot it  existed.


Soon after my poll about eye makeup remover and with the firm intention to purchase one of your recommendations, I ended up  purchasing a bottle of Johnson's baby oil to use as a makeup remover, after seeing lots of rave about it on YouTube. There's nothing  quite like an oil I think to remove stubborn eye makeup with ease. But deep down, I was not fully satisfied. I knew it wasn't the  best for my eyes and that it contained the controversial mineral oil, I turned to eBay and  came across Naissance a seller who sold 100% pure organic sweet almond carrier oil, bottled in the exotic land of ... Swansea.






Very often, when you try to reconnect with food and products from your childhood you end up being disappointed. Scary films from the  past feel suddenly ridiculous, and kids sweets don't taste as good. When I opened my little 50ml of sweet almond carrier oil, I must admit I  was disappointed. It had a lovely smell but it was nowhere as strong as the essential oil that my mum used to have. The fragrance is  very delicate. But then again, I thought that it was a blessing in disguise as I mainly purchased it to use it on my eyes. The very  day I tried the sweet almond oil on my eyes, the very day I threw away my bottle of Johnson's Oil, which was still half full.




I can't describe how lovely it feels to remove my eye makeup with this oil. I love how effortless and quick this removes my makeup.  The whole makeup removal ritual feels like a mini pampering session, with no skin tugging, scratching, and eye stinging whatsoever. 


Doesn't it leave my skin too greasy?
No. In fact, it leaves my dry skin so nourished and I feel that my lashes have been given a second  lease of life. If I need to reapply makeup straight after, say I have made a booboo and want to start over, I try to remember to  revert to my good old trusty eye makeup remover from Simple, in an attempt to finish the bottle but the reality is that I use this organic oil as a  makeup remover 99% of the time.




I feel really happy about myself when I use the sweet almond oil on my eye area. Sweet almond oil is high in proteins, and vitamin E,  an ingredient which I have been very fond of recently because of its universally recognised anti-ageing properties (vitamin e is powerful antioxidant) I feel like I am really caring for my eyes as the whole eye makeup removal  process is so gentle and there is hardly any tugging involved anymore. Twice I just plopped some directly on my face to use as a face mask and it made my skin feel so smooth! My skin is basically loving it and despite being an oil, it doesn’t cause any breakout.


Will I purchase a full size bottle?
The question doesn't even  need asking and this is the first thing on my shopping list come pay day. For now, I am enjoying my very handy travel size (see photographed above with one of my most worn day lipsticks) of sweet  almond oil and will continue to do so until the last drop.


what: 100% pure organic oil cold pressed sweet almond oil (carrier)
where: ebay, amazon or directly on the website.
name of ebay seller: naissanceuk.
how much: £3.29 for 50ml
disclosure: bought myself

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Olive Face Mask from Montagne Jeunesse

If I received a pound for everytime I slated the packaging of Montagne Jeunesse face masks, I think I would have accumulated a small fortune. The scalloped rounded shape of the face mask is actually quite nice but it's in the active ingredients of the mask shoved into layered onto the model's eyes which I have a problem. And it's for this this reason only that I hadn't bought a montagne jeunesse until now. But I am big fan of olive oil, my last discontinued face cleanser was made with olive oil, Montagne Jeunesse is getting quite a bit of love in the bloggosphere, so I thought what the heck and made the plunge to go and get one.







They say:

Nourish our cold pressed Virgin Oil mud masque for soft and supple skin. We've added ultra moisturising rich Shea & Cocoa Butter to leave your skin super smooth and deeply cleansed.

For me, a face mask is so much more than the efficiency alone: it's a multi sensory experience. It needs to have to have the right fragrance, a colour which pleasing to the eyes, nice texture to work with, easy to apply, easy to remove and of course I need to have experienced what it says on the packet.






My first impressions were disappointing: When opening the packet I was greeted with a mint green texture when I had bought a olive mud mask. Now this might be a small detail for you but for me it's a big deal. Ideally, if I buy an olive based mask, and regardless of the other ingredients, I'd expect something of an olivy colour. I don't care what it takes and if you need to add a natural colourant in there, but give me an olive for goodness' sake: I paid for olive and I want olive.



Fragrance wise, again the mask let me very cold, like the virgin oil it contains. The smells was very pleasant and fresh but it didn't smell one bit of olive oil. I don't remember what the smell reminded me of, but it certainly didn't smell remotely of olive oil.


As far as the texture is concerned, I have found it very rich and very thick. That's got to be right, right? It was too thick for my liking and I found that the application took so long that it was going to start drying in places before I finished the whole face. To be fair, I was trying to be neat, with the purpose of taking a snapshot of me, wearing the mask but still, the face mask felt a bit too thick for my liking.


I always have the habit to leave face masks a bit too long but I was good this time and stuck to the 15 recommended minutes. Now if I thought that application was hard work, the removal process was hard work but on a whole new level, which flew off the chart of hard work. It felt as if I was trying to remove an inch thick of mask and by the end of it, I was down to using some tissue paper to help me with it. Worse, I ended up using my cleanser to help me remove the last bits of minty green texture.






By the end of it, I was left with a red face with lasted until the following morning. Now all clay/mud masks tend to leave me with a reddened face but the redness usually subsides after a few hours. Did it leave my skin deep cleansed? No. I just felt dirty from the whole experience and felt sorry for myself to have to resort to my cleanser to remove the mask. On the plus side, I am happy to report that my skin felt more moisturised the day after.


So to summarise: colour was wrong, fragrance was wrong, texture was too thick, application was hard work, removal was excruciatingly laborious, face was too red (sensitive skins beware) I didn't feel deep cleansed and too many negative to put up with for a more moisturised face at the end of it. Would I purchase this again? I think you've read my mind already. If you haven’t, perhaps the expression on my face in the picture below will give you a clue






What: Montagne Jeunesse Olive Oil Mask
How much: £1.00
Where: Superdrug and Boots nationwide, even the ‘crappy’ little ones :)

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£2.50 Moisturising water for your face?

To say that I've been obsessing about my skin a lot lately is an understatement. This had a major impact in the beauty products I've been buying lately and I have definitely been spending more in skincare products rather than in makeup itself. My skin is dry, dehydrated and I feel it has aged a lot in the past two years *sobs* with no sign of decelerating.


For years, the beauty industry has been banging on about the fact that your skincare regime should be 'cleanse, tone, moisturise' but I must confess that I've never been good in the 'toning' department. When I was a teen, I would religiously use a toner and I remember that it felt very satisfying seeing the last bits of dirt on a cotton pad, after I swiped my face (or is swept?) with it. But for the past 8 years, I've found myself skipping the 'toning step' out of my skincare routine. Should have I kept using a toner for the past 8 years? I don't know. My view is that if using a toner had been so crucial, skin care experts and the beauty industry would have made big campaigns about it, campaigns similar to 'you should eat five portions of fruit and veg a day' or 'smoking can kill you'.


I am finding it hard to trust skincare advice online. Most of the articles I stumble on are usually infomercials trying to sell me some products. However I do trust Skincare Care expert Caroline from The Beauty Mouth and when she says it's good for you, then I believe her. For her, using a toner has three basic functions (you can read her article in full here) one of them which I couldn't dismiss any further: 'A good toner helps hydrating your skin. It acts as a humectant - attracting moisture from the air and trapping it in the top layers of the skin'


My skin being very dehydrated, I couldn't carry on with not using a toner any longer. So I went ahead and bought a cheapo toner from Boots. I got home with the 'Boots Vitamin E' toner (£2.54 for 150 ml)





What they say:

Boots Vitamin E Hydrating toner gently and effectively removes makeup and excess oils to leave the skin toned and refreshed. Contains Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, to help protect the skin against environmental damage. Naturally derived Wheatgerm Oil conditions, moisturises and nourishes the skin.

The fact that it contains vitamin E is making me very happy. Vitamin E (together with vitamins A and C) has been hailed as a very good anti ageing ingredient and anti ageing, together with addressing the dehydration of my skin have become my skincare/beauty priorities.


Does this toner work then? Not only does it work but I could kick myself for not having tried it any sooner. While people would usually apply their toner on a cotton pad to then sweep over their face, I like to pour a little bit into my hand (the stuff is so inexpensive, I can afford to) and then pat it onto my face. I don't know how it does it, but my skin feels like I've applied a moisturising water over it. It's not like I've applied a proper bona fide moisturiser - obviously - but my skin feels magically already a bit smoother and softer, even before I apply my moisturiser. For me, it's mind blowing and the lovely delicate fresh smell adds to the pleasure of the experience. Call me sad, I actually look forward to the toner step in the morning and evening.


Will I repurchase this? The question doesn't even need asking. I need ample supplies of this, before Boots goes off on one and decide to discontinue it. As luck would have it, my local shop never seems to have any but this is what the website is for, right?


Let's face it: Skipping a toner would never be as dangerous as skipping brushing your teeth, time in the morning is precious and toning your skin is not vital. You'd knowit if it were absolutely crucial. But if your skin is dehydrated, it is a step you might want to consider. It will cost you £2.54 if wanted to take the risk to find out :)


what: Boots Vitamin E toner
where: erm, Boots, innit
how much: £2.54. Special offer (Buy 2 for £4)
further reading: Toner: The basics (Beauty Mouth)

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Lately, I have been loving...

If I had to think about the most repurchased facial cleanser in my entire life, it would probably be Clearasil which I have used religiously  in an bid to combat my spots. My skin has changed, I am not getting younger and whilst I am still suffering from breakouts every now and then,  but it's now moisture that I feel my skin desperately needs.


Because of my acneic past, I've been avoiding oil and cream cleansers like the  plague, anxious it would leave the door right open to spots to make their come back. Lately, I've found myself using baby oil, of all things,  to remove my heavy eye makeup and I am ashamed to say that I've been loving it. The makeup disappears in one swipe and I feel my skin has been  lapping up the oily particles in it. I knew then that I was ready to try a cream/oil cleanser for my entire face


My shy steps led me to Boots, and I came home with Boots Botanics Face Nourishing Cleanser, with water, olive oil and glycerin listed as their  first top 3 ingredients.






I can't describe how anxious I was to use this for the first time. No foam, No Sodium Laureth Sulfate to make it  foam? This is like telling me to start drinking tea without sugar. I need SLS, it's all I've ever known in my life. Also how could it possibly  make my skin clean without leaving any oil residues, and risking my pores to clog up?


I took the leap of faith and I am glad I did. The  cleanser feels absolutely lovely on the skin. The whole cleaning ritual feels so lovely and very multi sensory: from the delicate olive oil  scent when you dispense the product, the massaging into the skin and the rinsing it off. I can't my head round how using an oil can leave my  skin feeling so clean, smooth and moisturised but it does.





The best of it all? The cleanser only cost me £5.10 and Botanics, being a Boots brand is often part of 3 for 2 offers. This makes me happy. I  have still have my beloved Botanics Rice and Honey Facial Wash in standby but I've never touched it back since. If you suffer from dry skin and  never tried a cream cleanser, you might possibly fall in love with this product. I have.

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