This Works: Clean Skin 5-in-1 Water

This Works: Clean Skin 5-in-1 Water - £21

So I bought this cleanser a few months back and I only used it a couple of times because at the same time I bought a new bottle of Bioderma which is one of my all time favourite make-up removers. Now I have sadly come to the end of my Bioderma and have switched to the This Works water and to be honest I haven't actually notice a big difference between the two.

There is one thing which stands out to me between these products is that the Bioderma is a lot more sensitive around the eye area. I find that Bioderma doesn't sting my eyes as much as this one does. It makes the outer corner of my eyes sore after I have wipe any eye make-up off. I am not sure whether this is because the ingredients in this cleanser reacts with the ingredients of my mascara or whether it just isn't as gentle as some other cleansers. If I could I would have this my way I would have the This Works cleanser for my face and the Bioderma for my eyes but I never have the time to do this.

One of my favourite things about this product which I prefer from the Bioderma is the packaging. I like the sleek and modern and looks like it is from a higher price range. The lid has a tight clip and the product is a pump so you are less like to spill or put too much product onto a pad. It also contains rosewater which I am not a fan of due to its scent but with this cleanser, the rose smell is growing on me. The cleanser makes my skin feel fresh and super clean so I don't feel that I have to double cleanse. The water also contains elements of Mint in this water which helps keep redness at bay and it actually works which I was pretty impressed by.

Overall, I think the This Works cleanser is great for getting face make-up off and really working deep into the pores to decongest the skin and help brighten it. I would 100% be repurchasing this but I think it will always come in joint with Bioderma as I go through stages of using each one!

Do you have any Bioderma rivals? Have you tried any products from the This Works brand?

My ebay seller where I get my Bioderma from is here.

nspa 4-Step Beauty Ritual

Step 1: Melting Cleansing Gel - £3

Step 2: Hot Cloth Polish - £7 (currently 2 for £8)

Step 3: Illuminating Beauty Serum - £7 (currently 2 for £8)

nspa is exclusive to Asda!

I am super excited about this product, that I am not quite sure where to start. I suppose I should talk about the misconception of the title. This skin care regime does consist of 4 step, however I only have up to 3! This is because my local Asda (where they are sold) never have number 4 in stock - it must be to do with how good and cheap they are. 

So what initally attracted me to this range was an advert that I saw in a magazine months ago, I am not quite sure what magazine it was. I googled the brand and was shocked to see that they were from Asda (the magazine advertorial look really fancy.) All these products are paraben-free, contain essential oil of Neroli and are under a tenner! 

Melting Cleansing Gel - This soft, warming gel easily massages onto the skin, lifting and removing make-up and impurities. When adding water the clear gel/balm formula melts into a milk like consistency. It contails Ginseng, Vitamin E and Grapeseed Oil, which gives it, it's herbal spa like scent. The smell of this product is one of my favourite things about it. To be honest, I just love the way it effortlessly removes make up whilst keeping my skin soft and not irritating it at the same time. 

Hot Cloth Polish - The first thing that I want to mention about this product is the quality of cloth which comes with it. Now considering it is on the cheaper end of the Hot Polishes out their, it has a cloth which could rivial the quality of the Liz Earle one. In fact the polish itself could rivial the Liz Earle. It smells similar, is gentle enough and leaves my skin feeling and looking amazing. The packaging is basic, yet feels nice has a fitted lid and the product comes out via a pump. It contains Ginseng, Vitamin E, Coco Butter and Sweet Almond Oil. Now that I have been using this I am not sure whether I will be going back to the Liz Earle, this gives me the same effects for half the price! 

Illuminating Beauty Serum - This is my least favourite out of the 3 products and I think it is only down to preference to why I am I think it doesn't live up to the other two products. The formula has specs of fine glitter in it and I really don't like glitter in my skincare, bath products or body lotions. Saying that this product does make your skin look instantly brightened. And just like the other products it contains Gingseng, Vitamin E and Maca Root. It sinks into the skin quickly and smoothes on. 

Have you tried/ heard of this brand?  

Liz Earle vs No.7 Dupe

 So I am running low on my Liz Earle cleanser and times are a tad tight at the moment so I wanted to see if there was anything out there which was as good or within the league of Liz Earle. I had seen this No7 cleanser on a few peoples blogs and most people said that it was as good as Liz Earle and I wanted to test it out myself. Luckily I had a No7 voucher for £5 off which Boots tend to give away sporadically throughout the year. 

Right down to the nitty gritty...

                                       LIZ EARLE                 vs                           NO7

Price:                                 £14.25                                                 £9.95

Quantity:                            100ml                                                  200ml 

No. of Muslin Cloths:              2                                                         1

Quality of Clothes:      Good, thick and soft                          Poor, thin and coarse 

Packaging:                         Zip up bag                                           Card box 

Smell:                         Spa - Herbal scents                                   Soapy scent 

Formula:              Thick and creamy consistency               Thick and creamy consistency

Results:                 Fresh, clear and super clean                     Soft, bright and clean

Score:                                   5/5                                                       3/5

Comments: 

LIZ EARLE: It has naturally active ingredients containing rosemary, chamomile, cocoa butter and eucalyptus essential oils. It cleanses and gently exfoliates which removes make-up even clears my Benefit They're Real Mascara (which is a bugger to remove). I have quite sensitive skin and it doesn't irritate me even my eyes are fine which are my worst areas.

NO7: It contains cocoa seed butter. It is hypo-allergenic which is why I went for this because I have sensitive skin. It is suitable for all skin types. I find that is doesn't particularly clear all my eye make up and I tend to find that I use my Liz Earle Muslin cloth as the one which they supply is too harsh on my skin and it leaves it too red for my liking. I will continue to use up this bottle but not 100% sure if I will repurchase. 

Liz Earle is my overall favourite at the moment, I have recently purchased the Nspa Hot Polish and Cleanse and I am excited to try that one out and will keep you posted on how it competes. :)

What are you opinions? Have you tried any other dupes??

Morning Skincare Routine #1

So I thought I would share with you all my current morning skincare routine. Now I do try and stick with this as much as I can but due to whether I am rushing in a morning or not depends on if I do my full routine or not. A little disclaimer, my skin is combination/dry and I tend to have really sensitive eyes. 


Step 1 - I use my Clinique Take the Day Make-Up Remover which I only ever tend to use if I was wearing fake eyelashes the night before or had been out and didn't take off my eye make-up properly. This remover is great for getting of stubborn excess of eyelash glue. 


Step 2 - Is obviously the famous Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, which I massage onto dry skin whilst the sink fills up with hot water. I use the muslin cloth which comes with it and ring all excess water before rubbing it off in circular motions section by section. Rinsing in-between. The splashing my face with cold water afterwards. 


Step 3 - Lancome Tonique Douceur - Softening Hydrating Toner which is alcohol free. I love the smell of this and most of all I love the way it makes my skin feel. To me it kind of smells of Palma Violets. I just sweep this over my face with a cotton wool pad. 


Step 4 - I leave my skin for a couple of minutes before applying Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator. I don't like this as much as the standard Idealist but I am just using this up for the sake of using up products. 


Step 5 - This cucumber smelling moisturiser is really hydrating and soothing. My skin cane sometimes feel slightly sore after using products but this one gentle 'kisses' my skin. It is the Estee Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme. I recommended anyone with a similar skin type to mine to try this :). 


Step 6 - Origins GinZing 'efreshing Eye Cream to Brighten and De-puff' - I dab a rice grain size amount underneath my eyes and smooth through. I have such dark bags under my eyes which really open them up and I love this product and the best thing about it is it lasts for ages because you only need a small amount. 


Step 7 - Is a combinational step and if I am wearing a blocked colour lipstick that day,  then it is vital. I scrub my lips with this Bubblegum Lip Scrub which is a sugar scrub that you lick off. I then smooth it over with La Prairie moisturising lip balm and it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, I cannot get enough of this and it is the best lip balm in the world. I have really bad cracked lips which flake so badly. This makes my lips beautiful soft and I love this product for making them that way. :)


What are your skincare treats and tricks??

My Half Year Favourites

Bourjois Delice de Soleil Bronzer in 14 Tanned Skin - I brought this because I love the Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer but I hate the packaging because it doesn't have a mirror. So I brought this new one which has a 360 degree mirror and has a slight shimmer with the bronzer and I love it as it is great for on the go. 

Revlon Lip Butter in 095 Creme Brûlée - This is the second Revlon Lip Butter which I have and it is my favourite everyday one particularly for when I am working as it is such a nude colour and compliments my everyday make-up well. 

GOSH Velvet Touch Lipstick in 153 Flirty Orange - If you follow my blog or have seen any of my recent post and I love this lipstick. Not much I can say, I just love this colour. 

Fashionista Khol Eyeliner in 1 Erin - I found this right at the beginning of the year and it got lost in an old handbag but found it again about March time. It is the perfect Khol eyeliner as it is a rich black texture and doesn't smudge unless you smudge on application and it is pretty cheap too. 

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - I know there is a huge hype around this product and I am on my second one of the year after receiving one for Christmas last year. It has just transformed my skin. 

Lancome Tonique Douceur Toner - I never really used toner until this year where I wanted to make sure I had a full skincare routine. I used a couple of low end toners which dried my skin out. But I will be repurchasing this again and again. 

Paul Mitchell Super-Charged Moisturiser Hair Treatment - I have dry hair mixed with dyed blonde hair which equal super dry hair. This treatment is amazing... am currently on a hair "diet" from my hairdressers because of the peroxide disaster which I had last month. I leave this treatment on for a few hours and it works its magic on my mop and bang it's beaut. 

Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub - I think this is my third or fourth pot of this scrub and by gosh I think only this year I have realised why it is my favourite. I'm finishing up my numerous Body Shop scrubs which I own and whilst they are gorgeous, they don't have the thick abrasive texture that The Breakfast Scrub has. 

Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tanner - Deep Sun Kissed Look - Nearly finished this bottle and it is leaves my skin feel beautiful and it doesn't smell bad either. The moisture sinks in quickly but you don't know the effects until after a week, I think. Still it does the job and doesn't go patchy or streaky. 

Garnier Ambre Solaire Self-Tanning Dry Body Mist - Quick, easy and clean. I found that this was like giving myself a spray tan but for myself. I do get through this like water which is a pain but it isn't too expensive, I think around the £10 mark. And it doesn't come off in the shower, it fades but doesn't come off which is a bonus!

Lush Helping Hands Handcream - WOW. Smooth beautiful hands in one pump. I LOVE THIS :) 

I love reading other people's monthly favourites but I just find that this year is flying by and the next minute I know it will be christmas. Eeek that is such a scary thought. Anyway, basically what I am attempting to say is that I can't keep up with the monthly favourites. Thus now I am doing my half yearly favourites - yes we are half way through 2012. I don't know where it has gone. So I thought I would show you what I have been loving this year so far. 

Nivea Natural Beauty Scrub

Firstly, excuse my burn on the top of my hand I dropped my curling tongs onto them the other week - that'll turn into a nice scar... pfft! Anyway back to the product in hand, which is the Nivea Natural Beauty Scrub. I brought mine from boots for £4.99 as I was immediately attracted to the packaging and the fact that it is based on natural beauty which also is appealing me. 


I have been using this product once or twice a week for a couple of months and I do like this scrub as it is fine and isn't to harsh on the skin. It doesn't over smell but it is hard to work out what the smell is. It is gentle enough to use everyday, it is just that I am too lazy too. 


Has anyone ever used this before?