Pestle & Mortar Superstar Retinol Night Oil, my excited but limited thoughts based on 3 weeks of use

I am never really sure about reviews of skincare products. I mean I love skincare, I have an extensive range, it is what I spend my money on, it is what I think about before I go to sleep and what I day dream about during the spaces in between. What I am really doing is putting my thoughts out there about a product which may or may not suit somebody else. However given that I currently get about 2 views per day and that includes my own maybe it is neither here nor there, to the person who looks at my burblings, welcome, but please bear in mind that these are my own rather excited but initial thoughts.

So Pestle & Mortar Superstar Retinol Night Oil. This had been on my radar for a while after that post by Caroline Hirons

I have been using Sunday Riley's Luna Oil and indeed had repurchased, but I was not using as regularly and wanted something which felt a bit more nourishing for the winter months. 

I have been using this for all of 3 weeks, stupidity to make any vast claims really but I am in a bit of a giddy mood for I do bloody love this. 

What can I say about this? It is elegantly packaged, housed in a slim black tube with a pump which works. It has no smell at all, not even an oily scent, it is odourless. It has a thickness to it, it is not a dry oil to my mind, nor a thin oil, it is an oil which disperses easily across my skin with a stickablility which enables massage but not drag. 

What have I noticed after such a short space of useage? I am worried that I am whizzing through it and it will be gone, the instructions are for half a pump at night but I didn't see that until I was looking on the website last night and I have been using a full pump which lets face it is not a vast amount, probably around 1.75mls if that, but the tube feels suddenly lighter and it is currently sold out on the website and I am panicking somewhat, because it really does feel good on my skin, I mean really good, like a good tonic of goodness, it seems to get into all my nooks and crannies and plump them out a bit and then calm all the redness and plump out the thinness.

This is currently £63 for 30mls. It is sold out at the moment from the stockists that I know of, ie the Pestle and Mortar website and the Cloud10 Beauty website. I think this is my new favourite treatment oil, and may have reached the status of needing one in storage at all times.

Ingredients: Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil*, Rosa Canina (Fruit) Oil*, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil**, Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Oil*, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Retinyl Palmitate, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil***, Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin) Seed Oil**, Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu/Foraha) Seed Oil**, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil*, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Tocopherol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Oil**, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil**.
*Cold Pressed | **Cold Pressed and Organic| ***Steam distilled

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm

I bought this. And I used it all up. And I am really not sure about it. 

So it is a balm cleanser. With not a whole lot of ingredients in to upset or irritate the skin, unless one happens to be allergic to those ingredients, for after all one can be allergic to anything.

It is designed to be applied, dry face, dry hands, massaged in and removed with some form of hot cloth, beit muslin or cotton flannel, so far so ubiquitous cleanser.

It is quite a thick balm, not unlike lard in texture and without smell. I wouldn't call the texture buttery (Emma Hardie Moringa Balm) or oily (Vaishaly Cleansing Balm, Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm) or gel like (Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm) or grainyish (Eve Lom), it is of its own, soft is the term I would use. 

I like that it can emulsify with the addition of water, and it certainly is effective in makeup removal and general cleaning ability.

And yet, I find that I miss that little bit extra, the texture and scents of the other balms give me that added thrill of pleasure, this is utilitarian, it does the job quickly and efficiently and there is nothing wrong with that, indeed my skin is going through a sensitive, weak phase, likely due to a change in temperature, and it needs quick gentle thoroughness, and this is probably the product to deliver for me right now.

It is around £20 for 125mls

Nude Advanced Renewal Overnight Repair Mask or First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

In an attempt to soothe my sad, aged and properly dehydrated skin in the sudden albeit seasonal drop in temperature in the UK, I decided to compare and contrast a couple of products that I have in my stash.

Compare and contrast takes me back to A-Level English Literature; Compare and Contrast the Poems of Gerald Manley Hopkins and John Donne with Particular Reference to Form, or some such fancy.

So Nude Overnight Mask is that, an overnight moisturising mask - I first came across this after Ruth's review on a model recommends, whereas First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream is marketed as a rich hydrating moisturiser. Nude is housed in a tub, and First Aid in a tube. Neither is fragranced that I can tell.

I have shown the textures below, both blobbed and then sheared out slightly.

The Nude has a thicker texture, and is more of a smear and leave sort of application and it feels more oily than the First Aid cream which really is more of a thick cream, dolloped on rather than smeared if that makes sense.

I like both of these, my skin feels comfortable immediately post application with each product and in the morning my skin feels like it has been taken care of, it feels hydrated and comfortable. But getting down to the nitty gritty of texture, the First Aid is immediately cooling on application, it feels more immediately hydrating I suppose, however in the morning there is no residue, maybe a good thing for some, but for me I want evidence that a product hasn't been sweated off in the night. The Nude, whilst it does not feel cooling, and if truth be told, on me feels a little greasy on application, it is still there in the morning, and at this time of year, my skin needs that.

Nude Advanced Renewal Overnight Repair Mask is £42 for 75mls - I bought mine from SpaceNK

Ingredients: Water (aqua), butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), caprylic/capric triglyceride, glyceryl stearate se, glycerine, beeswax (cera alba), Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, hydroxypropyl starch phosphate, sclerotium gum, ethylhexylgycerin, palmitic acid, stearic acid, lactose, milk protein (lactis proteinium), sodium dehydroacetate, glycyrrhetinic acid, citric acid, galactaric acid, ficus carica (fig) fruit/leaf extract, bifida ferment lysate, helianthus annuss (sunflower) seed oil, lactic acid, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, honey (mel) extract, phenethyl alcohol, glycolipids, sodium hyaluronate, tocopheryl acetate, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter) nut extract, potassium sorbate, tocopherol,

 

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream is £9 for 56.7g - mine was free in a You Magazine Beauty Box

Ingredients: Colloidal Oatmeal, Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Dimethicone, Xanthum Gum, Disodium EDTA, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus, Ceramide 3.

Odacite Pomegranate + Rose Geranium Serum Concentrate Hydration

There is a sudden drop in temperature in the UK and my skin for the first time is actually suffering. I used to read all the "ramp up your skincare routine for the coming cooler months" articles with somewhat distracted interest, because it never really applied to me, my skin has been resolutely oily for all my life really - I was not smug but sort of bored. 

Well now, I have flakes (yes bloody flakes) around my nose and on my cheeks, I have a red angry rash type thing - I can't even describe it, it is so alien to me - at the base of my neck which is irritated by anything on it.

Now I think that it is dehydration rather than dryness, but I am taking no chances. Gone are the flannels for removing cleanser, makeup, grime and in are the muslins - far gentler. 

And in are the use of oils during the day - hence the Odacite Po + R serum. Which curses upon curses I have used up.

Anyway it is very good, it is a little bottle of oil (5mls)of pomegranate oil, rose geranium essential oil and vitamin E oil and that is it, to be added to one's current moisturiser, or directly onto a moist skin, a few drops at a time.

Double curses that I have used it up because as I coaxed the dying mls out of the bottle over the past two days I realised how absolutely essential it is for now, it is quite thick if applied directly to the skin, but has sunk in admirable and not caused any of the usual oily overkill which accompanies day time oil application on my skin - perhaps I am transitioning to drier skin? perhaps this is how it starts, a sort of permanent change in skin during the seasonal change? perhaps it is transitory and next week I will be back to my oily self, who knows.

£33 for 5mls - I bought mine from Cult Beauty plus a few others

Sunscreen as primer?

I started to compose this post at the beginning of the summer but stalled because I became bogged down with the enormity of it, and I fear that this is a quest which is only just in the initial stages, I am at the foothills of the mountain, or maybe I haven't even left basecamp.

Anyway here we go. The premise for me was to lighten the load of my face base as I entered the sunnier parts of the year. Of course in the UK sunshine and warmth are always optional, and I wear an SPF50 every day rain or shine inside or out - Ultrasun Anti-Pigmentation SPF50 for Face if anyone is asking and it is common throughout this blog. But that is applied pre skincare and I want something which is a sunscreen and a primer, if I am honest I want something that makes my skin look like porcelain, I want my skin to look flawless, I want the moon, and probably the stars, I want my daughter's skin, which I had 30 years ago but didn't bloody appreciate.

So above is a selection of what I am currently trialling and have trialled, and yes they are all SPF50, apart from the Omorovicza which is SPF30.

As a disclaimer I do rather like the slightly chalky slighty white cast that a mineral SPF can leave, I find that it does knock out the pinker areas of my face and generally gives my uneven skin tone a little bit of a blur.

Vichy Mattifying Face Fluid Dry Touch and Velvety Face Cream SPF50
I managed to get through a tube and a half of the mattifying one over the summer and into autumn of last year. It is okay, it is light and fluid and a little goes a long way, although that isn't really the objective because one really should slather on an SPF. Any white cast disappears pretty quickly on me, but I was disappointed in this because it was not mattifying at all, infact I bought the velvety face cream from Vichy and preferred it. 

Skinceutical Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF50
I am of course going to completely contradict my disclaimer, because this does leave a white cast, but try as I might, I cannot get on with this product, even though it comes highly recommended and feted as a great all round sunscreen. It has good ingredients, good level of protection, but it did bugger all for me other than sit whitely on my skin whilst I rubbed and smoothed and pummeled in increasing attempts to get the product to absorb. It maybe that I am simply just piling product on top of product and something had to give, but it didn't work for me. 

Avene SPF50 Cream
At the moment this is my favourite. It comes in a cream formulation which I have and a lighter version which has a small blue rectangle on the mostly orange tube. It is a tube with an integral pump and the texture is a thickish cream which has that bit of chalk that means it does have a whiteness, and some smoothing and some blurring. 

Bareminerals Prep Step Mineral Shield Daily SPF50
Very lightweight, very white. Similar to the Skinceutical in its texture, but this does absorb a little better into my skin. I am still working through this one, it has a bit of a shiny finish but again this maybe because I am using product on product on product.

Omorovicza Mineral UV Shield SPF30
Creamy textured, this sits happily on my skin over the top of all my skin care and underneath any makeup. Probably better for my oilier skin going into the winter months rather than summer.

Cane+Austin Protect Broad Spectrum SPF50
I bought this originally for my husband, but ended up stealing it to try. Thin, easily absorbed, a little bit mattifying on my skin, I rather like it, better though for me for warmer days.

La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 - Soothing Repairing Balm SPF50

This is really what it says on the tube, it is rich and soothing and calming. Probably it is a tad too rich for my skin, but the tube is perfect to slip into my hand bag and apply as a hand cream with an SPF.

I have just used up my tube of the Avene, and have another ready.

Pretty Iconic by Sali Hughes

I read this at a gallop, ordered when it first came out and absorbed in great chunks, racing through each page, eager for the next. Of course I ended up dissatisfied and am now absorbing this book at a more sedate and proper pace which is befitting, for this book deserves time and respect.

I liked Pretty Honest, but I love Pretty Iconic. I think it is because I recognise so many of the products and experiences. In Pretty Honest I felt a bit lectured, perhaps that is too strong a word because I am a very huge fan of Sali Hughes on so many levels, I admire her dress sense, her delightful instagram pictures of her rescue dog and her ability to write, proper write about beauty without resorting to fripps and frivs (or fripperies and frivolities). I mean she is a proper journalist after all and that should be a given, but to see it in print and read it aloud is a sheer and utter visual and aural treat.

I would buy this for anyone who is over forty. To read it, is to wallow in the fantastic world of beauty in all its guises. I really really love it.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Light 1 Siberia

Foundation is bloody hard. I want something for when I am at work. A product which applies quickly, evenly, can double up as a concealer, and which lasts. I apply my makeup at 6.00am, I am out of the house by 6.30am and don't have any opportunity for touch ups and barely time to look in the mirror. I have a skin which is on the oilier side of normal but too much powder and I look like a piece of old leather. So it has to be the right shade, sit happily over my myriad of skin care layers and last, lasting is important, oh and I would quite like that it doesn't oxidise, in fact scrap the "quite like" I do not want it to oxidise.

Of course I have tried NARS Sheer Glow in the past, and have been complemented on it's skin enhancing abilities when I have worn it, but bizzarely I abandoned it, I think that it was because of the shade thing. I have fair skin, I am not the fairest of the fair and I have redness and brown patches, hyperpigmentation, old freckles, whatever you want to call it, I have several shades on my face which I want to unify. I originally bought Mont Blanc, but it is now too pink for me and I look permanently, well pink. As I have aged I have become redder, and when I was shade matched, the opinion was for a shade which was too dark and too yellow (Deauville I think) so I went with what I though and bought Siberia.  And yes it is a pale primrose yellow, but it cancels out my redness.

It lasts really well - above is a close up after a good 8hrs of wear - it does last longer but there is a paucity of daylight at this time of year in UK. Yes I look quite shiney but I have learned that when one is older and oily that is better than powdery old leather.

The pump, I feel is a must when one purchases but I wish that it  came with an integral pump with a lid.

Last week I went to Paris and I bought...

Last week I was in Paris. The last time I was in Paris was more than thirty years ago on my honeymoon - we drove through it and my OH was gripped with diarrohea and had to stop at a pharmacy and came out with extra large sanitary pads, the least said, the better.

However this time was a much needed family holiday and it was great, lovely weather, amazing architecture, polite, helpful people and just deep joy all around.

I was content to do what everyone else wanted to do with the proviso that I would be going into as many pharmacies as I could. I wanted to go to CityPharma in St.Germain and I managed that on the last day, so what I bought is a mixture of CityPharma purchases and other pharmacy purchases, yes some are available in the UK and until the end of October Escentual has 1/3 off all French Pharmacy brands, so the prices are not hugely cheaper especially with Euro - Pound exchange currently, but it was such fun.

I will review each product properly as time goes on but currently am just loving looking at them.

More products that I have used up in the past couple of months

So, more products that I have used up in the past couple of months - probably over the summer if truth be told.

Sunday Riley Blue Moon Cleansing Balm - I have gone through two full sized tubs straight and have given myself a bit of a rest from this product, not because I have fallen out of love with it, but because I love it too much, and I zip through it if it was going out of fashion. For my skin, it just works, it is nourishing and hydrating. I have another pot to see me through the winter - my original thoughts here. £46 for 100mls

Margaret Dabbs Foot Hygiene Cream - another regular purchase for me, although for some reason I haven't lately, maybe the cooler weather. What I like about this product is that it removes and then prevents build up of dry skin on the feet by simply massaging it in everyday. Original thoughts here £18 for 100mls jar

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - I never got Bioderma, it just didn't suit me. This is cheaper and more effective. To be honest I only ever use it after my main makeup remover to check everything is off, it is almost a redundant step, and often it leaves my skin a bit too wet, almost an unwelcome cold and wet wakeup call after my soothing massaging of my current cleansing balm/oil, but sometimes I want the extra insurance, especially if I am going to follow on with a mask of some sort.

Omorovicza Copper Peel - I am very dubious about using any sort of abrasive exfoliant nowadays, my skin just can't take it any more and my thread veins have a nasty resemblance to ice skates on an ice rink. This is a two-phase product, a green paste applied all over and quickly followed by the clear gel which makes a sort of foam. There is no irritation at all, and my skin looks brighter, end of. £90 for 16 tubes, I use less than a third every couple of months or so.

Omorovicza Gold Eye Lift Cream - A very lovely, very nourishing eye cream. I find that Omorovicza does light but dense textures very well. I am not sure that I would repurchase this eye cream because I found my samples of the Blue Diamond Eye Cream by Omorovicza more suited to my needs. I can't find this on the Omorovicza website so maybe it is no longer available.

Nude Advance Renewal Eye Cream - I do have a bit of a thing about eye creams. This one is a repurchase several times over because it does slightly tighten, comes in a pump, is light enough to use am, but rich enough to use pm £48 for 15mls.

Products I have used up in the past couple of months

A few cleansers and a day moisturiser.

Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser - I used this am only. It is quite zingy, and maybe it is a bit too zingy for my skin. I used the Refreshing Cleanser with great success, and that maybe simply due to the smell, Refreshing is grapefruity and Purifying has a slightly more astrigent note to my nose. It is £49 for 125mls, and lasted me about 4 months of am only use.

Omorovicza Hydra Melting Cleanser - this is a delight, a sheer and utter sensorial pleasure from the heavy jar to the bouncy gel texture, to the light herbally scent (for me Omorovicza does the best scents of all skincare lines). Read Ruth's review, for an indepth review. I have repurchased this because I love it. £65 for 100mls, I used this am, pm, pre and post makeup removal, for makeup removal, when I wanted a lift...

Oskia Renaissance 360 Anti-Ageing + Brightening Supreme Cream - I bought this because I needed a day cream and this seemed to fit the bill, but then I bought another day cream from another brand and sort of forgot about this and then felt I had to start using it because it wasn't cheap and so I started to use it in a bit of a grump really. But the product won me over. I have a tendancy to favour thick dense textured moisturiser and forget that maybe a lighter textured cream would be better for my oily skin, this is lighter and almost serum like in texture but is very hydrating. It sinks in but not without trace and allows for layering of sunscreen and primer. It worked very well for me over the summer. £65 for 40mls.

Votary Cleansing Oil - Original thoughts here. I was really suprised by how much I liked using this after being a die hard cleansing balm user, it removes makeup and is a delight to use. It also lasts ages and ages. £45 for 100mls.

Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm - supersized, this is a whole 100mls rather than the 50mls jar that I have previously used and spoken about here. It is a very nice treatment cleanser really. It removes makeup but is too special for that I think. I use it intermittently when my skin or my sanity needs extra comfort. £80 for 100mls

Chanel No 5 L'Eau

So I only have a sample of this. I don't get on with the original Chanel No 5, be it EDT or EDP, sadly it dislikes my skin and becomes a hot stuffy mess of that spicey pepperyness of old books in direct sunlight.

And it really does make me sad because I love the idea of this fragrance and its instant recognisability. I have tried it in all forms and can just about cope with the body lotion and suprisingly the deodorant, which is incredibly effective for a deodorant rather than an anti-perspirant, but even the hair perfume is a bit too much.

But this, well it has a lightness and a freshness which seems to sit more happily on my skin. I love a good perfume and this maybe the next one for me.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick "The Queen"

This is a rich, deeply pigmented bright pinky red. Is it magenta? Not really to my mind, it has enough warmth I suppose to save it from slipping into a berry which is what I think of as magenta.

I was delighted to purchase this, as all of the Matte Revolution lipsticks from Charlotte Tilbury, it applies very creamily, straight from the bullet, no drying throughout the day.

As I wore it more, I was reminded of another shade of lipstick that I wear. Tom Ford Cherry Lush and I have swatched the two side by side below.

And they both have that bright pinky redness.

Here it is on my lips below after a couple of hours of wear and a cup of tea or five. A sadly out of focus enlarged photo but at least the colour can be seen.

Currently £23 from Charlotte Tilbury - I think it is only available from the website, I took a punt on the shade and it paid off. There are pictures of it on various skin tones which is a help.

Harvey Nichols Biggest Ever GWP

I read about this on Caroline Hirons blog  on Tuesday of this week. Hummed and hawwed about it for a couple of days, ordered it yesterday before 3.00pm for free express delivery and it came this morning.

Ruth from amodelrecommends has listed the items here  and I have llisted them below with my attempts at finding the prices around from my internet trawl. Some things I have left off because I cannot find them, some things are not full size, others like the EOS lip balm are a limited edition so at a higher price. It comes to around £568 with my reckoning. There is a Cloud Nine £20 off voucher which I haven't included and an Environ £20 voucher which I haven't included and that would make it up to £600. HN state it is £600 worth.

Foreo, Luna Play = £29

Ouai Deluxe Dry Shampoo, 40ml = 130G is £20 so ~£7

Delarom Aqualixir, 40ml= £57

Erno Laszlo Hydrogel Mask = £65.40

Starskin Kelp Foam Cleanser, 50ml = £21.95

IDC Regen Express (serum)  = £40.95

111 Skin, Nocturnal Recovery Cream, 15ml= 50mls is £160 so 30mls = 80 so 15mls = £40

Mario Badescu, Drying Lotion = £13

Dr Hauschka Bath Essence = 10mls = ~ £3

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, 7ml= 15mls = 23.50 so 7mls = 11.75

Environ – £20 off treatment voucher

Revitalash sample 1mls = ~ £18

Show Premier Dry Shampoo/Finishing Spray = £16

Rodial, Dragons Blood Eye Mask = £39

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash, 60ml = £7

Cowshed Hand cream, 50ml = £8

Strivectin Next Generation Eye Concentrate, 7ml = 30ml = 58, 15mls =£29 so 7mls ~ £14.50

Cellex C Hydrasmooth Moisturiser, 30ml = £47.50

Moroccan Oil Treatment Oil, 15ml ?

N V Perricone Face Finishing Moisturiser, 30ml = 59mls = £59 ~ £30

Regenerate Toothpaste, 14ml = £10

Nexxus Nutritive Shampoo 89mls= ??
Nexxus Nutritive Conditioner 89ml =??

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer =  £12

Kiki Health Magnesium Oil, 125ml = £12

True North Lip Balm SPF50 = ??

Konjac Sponge Pore Refining Sponge = ?£8

James Read Sleep Mask Tan 25ml =  ~£12.50

Macadamia Healing Oil, 10ml = ~ £4

Agua de Colonia Bath & Shower Gel,40ml = £5

R.O.C.S. Sensation Whitening Toothpaste = £5

EOS Lip Balm =  £19.50 (limited edition)

Trilogy Vital Moisturiser, 20ml =  ~ £10

Anatomicals Face Mud Mask =  £1.50

The bag is fabulous - I have shown it below filled with the items so one can see it in context.

To purchase one needs to spend £195 on at least 3 items from the Beyond Beauty section.
Here is what I bought.

Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream

So I finished every last drop of this pale turquoise gel/cream moisturiser. Well I left a little smidge to swatch in a vain attempt to show texture - fail.

I bought this with no thought other than it is by Sunday Riley, I like her stuff, I have money to burn - actually I didn't have money to burn but I bought it anyway, such is life.

I have listed the ingredients below - after Caroline Hirons's extremely helpful post on ingredients, I only ever look for phenoxyethanol which is reassuringly second to last.

This is a very "wet" feeling moisturiser and I was fearful that it would sit on my skin am and make application of foundation/concealer problematic, so I restricted use to pm only. But this was an unnecessary precaution, it has sat happily on my skin, am and pm, and indeed adds an extra burst of hydration if applied later pm before bed rather than applying a heavier, richer cream which tends to make me feel too oily.

It is £65 for 50mls and I bought mine from SpaceNK. I would buy it again, but maybe it is more a spring/summer weight of moisturiser rather than an autumn/winter one.

Lip Fusion XXL - my lips but better

So this came in the recent SpaceNK gift with purchase bag. 

I was rather taken with this gwp - there were two options, luxury and deluxe (if I remember correctly), I ummmed and ahhhed for an age, so much so that the deluxe option ran out so I received the luxury option below.

I have never really been a fan of lip plumpers - I think partly because I find them a bit too tingly, and they favour either a cinnamon or peppermint flavour, neither of which appeal. And without blowing my own trumpet, I am pretty happy with my lips, a bit pointy but not too thin and anyway with awnings for eyelids, one has to make the most of what one is left with so for me the lips have it, the lips have it.

However what I do suffer from is a depletion of pigmentation, and a permanent fadedness which leads to continual "are you okay/ill?" if I do not wear colour on my lips.

This product gives me a smidge of colour and a tad of tingle. Enough to enable a bloom of colour, enough to make a bit of a difference.

I would consider buying this again - full size is £39.

An example of an inability to follow through

Firstly I have to say that this post is more about me than the following product. It is about my delight in beauty products but about my delight in owning them as opposed to using them - I am a piss-poor consumer of beauty products. I delight in the chase, the ability to secure something rare, and then I relax and admire my purchase and occasionally stroke it - idiot woman.

May Lindstrom The Blue Cocoon is a prime example. I own this. I purchased it last December as part of the Caroline Hirons/Cult Beauty beauty box collaboration. I posted about it briefly here 

I was looking forward to using it, more than that, I was excited.

As you can see this product was "made fresh" in October 2015. I received this in December 2015, it is now September 2016 and I have used all of this much....

See? Total epic fail at consuming. I have looked at it, I have admired the heavy glass jar, I have opening it, I have dipped a finger or two in, but I have not used to any great extent.

Now in my defense, I do not like the scent and that is a purely personal observation, I can smell the slightly chocolatey cocoa butter scent and the myrrh and lavender and it is all a bit strong for me.

I struggled to fit it into a routine; I used it post cleansing, seruming, oiling and moisturising as a sort of pre-bed facial massage, I tried it as the sole moisturiser/treatment post cleanse but it did not sit happily on my skin but I think that was more to do with the scent than any texture, because it is a balm which quickly melts into an oil and gives a slip which more than allows for a good massage. And it is an exceptionally good texture for massage, there is no sudden slippyness resulting in skidding fingers up the nose and into the eyes, just a singular reliable texture. It does sink in but after a time, and that is no bad thing in my mind.

The ingredients are lovely, the packaging is lovely, the texture is sublime, but it is not for me sadly. I think the moral is "be careful what you wish for." 

NIOD Sanskrit Saponins

I have come to the end of this, this strange, yeasty like cleanser, all 90mls of it squeezed out and spread over my face for most evenings of the last two and a half months or so. 

I am a re-convert to the NIOD range. I tried products before in a starter kit and found them alien and strange, the watery textures and neutral scents gave nothing sensorial back to me. And the packages give little information other than ingredients, which is fine but I want a bit more, so it is word of mouth and the excellent Victoria Health website for the extra bits and pieces.

This is a cleansing balm I suppose, not a makeup remover though and instructions are very clear on that, designed to be applied post makeup removal to cleanse the face. And that I can cope with, I like to remove makeup and then go in with a second cleanse to clean my face.
The texture is somewhat sticky, and I like that too.  It can be massaged into the skin and with the addition of water does emulsify to a certain extent.

And how does it feel on the skin? Well to me it feels quite gentle, but thorough, I hesitate to say it but it does almost feel as if a vacuum is being created, and it is sucking up the remainding (cue new word or should that be tense? - ie remainder + remaining = remainding). Maybe what I mean is that the yeasty effervescentness feels as if it is pacmanning its way through my pores and emptying them of debris.

It does have a tendency to force itself through the opening, which adds to the feeling that it is alive!

I have enjoyed this so much that I have bought the mothership - all 180mls

I bought mine from Deciem, but Victoria Health also carries the larger size. Currently £34