Pamperation: Leor Fill Me Up Nicely FeelGood Box

Leor*, formally known as FeelGood Box, is a completely new kind of ‘beauty’ box. Forget sample sizes and things you won’t use – Leor isn’t about ‘trying things out’, Leor is about you. Equipped with everything you’ll need for a pamperation night (pampering & relaxation, Leor like to make up words!), it’s like a spa in a box.

When it first arrived I was honestly quite shocked at the size of it. Normal beauty boxes cower at the sight of a Leor box; they’re like shoe boxes!

Inside is the standard tissue paper and sticker, with reams of stuffing.

And then the products ...

Leor have a few types of boxes, however the main differences between them all is the varying level of customisation. The All White on the Night box is a white chocolate themed box, whereas you can pick the theme of the Fill Me Up Nicely box – which is what I did.

Since Leor is all about pamperation I decided to go for something decadent, Strawberries & Champagne. There are10 different fragrances you can pick from including Natural Coconut, Sticky Toffee, and White Jasmine & Mint.

What really impresses me about Leor is the fact that their products are paraben and sulphate free. Natural ingredients are becoming more and more important to me, and the fact that they’re sourced in the UK is a bonus too.

The metal bottles and tins make the products feel really luxurious. 

The chocolate looks amazing, I can’t wait to indulge!

The candles are a great touch too.

The foot scrub is unlike one I’ve ever seen before, it’s a very minty salt scrub made up of just four ingredients.

From my first impressions the box looks great. My only annoyance so far is that the pump of the shampoo & conditioner broke whilst in the post (if you check the picture it’s higher than the other pump), it still pumps but it doesn’t lock into the tube anymore.

Now I haven’t had my pamperation night yet, but this weekend will be my Leor night in and I’ll be equipped with my camera to document the whole thing for you – so watch this space.

Leor FeelGood Boxes are available from the MyLeor website, prices range from £45 to £50.
All products featured in the box are available to buy separately too.

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REN Haul & Freebie Offer

Those subbed to WIMH* might remember an email they sent out a while back, with a special offer from REN. Now most ‘special offers’ find their way into the trash folder, but this was a good’un.

Valid on any REN purchase, new customers were entitled to a free Six of the Best set worth £20, 10% discount and four free samples. Bargain right?!

At the time I managed to resist the offer and trashed the email – I’m trying to save! But after reading a post by Jo from Beauty and the Books I just had to get my hands on something.

I’m a big fan of their Glycolactic Mask but at £30 it’s not exactly budget friendly. Instead I opted for their Kit for Blemish Prone Skin. By the time I was ready to check out the kit was out of stock(!), so I got the Kit for Combination Skin instead, which was cheaper than the former at only £12.

The Kit for Combination Skin contains:

Mayblossom T-Zone Cleansing Gel – 25ml

T-Zone Balancing Fluid – 15ml

Invisible Pores Detox Mask – 15ml

I missed out on the offer of four free samples and only got two, but free is free so I can’t really complain! I got myself a sample of the Glycolatic Mask (a favourite of mine anyway!) and an extra Invisible Pores Detox Mask.

The Six of the Best box was added at checkout and contained:

Mayblossom T-Zone Cleansing Gel – 25ml

Jojoba Microbead Purifying Facial Polish – 25ml

Omega 3 Overnight Repair Serum  - 10ml

Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask – 15ml

Frankincense Revitalising Night Cream – 15ml

Active 7 Radiant Eye Gel – 3ml

This lot should cost me £32 but I paid just £10.80 (plus £3 P&P). Not bad, eh?

I’ve checked on the website and the offer is still on so make sure you get over to the REN online shop and pick up your free Six of the Best set and samples!

If you use the code ‘RENHANDBAG’ at the checkout, your Six of the Best set will be automagically added to your basket, along with your 10% discount. No minimum spend required. New customers only.

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*This post contains a referral link.

Review: Purely Natural Skin Acne Treatment - Acne Cleanser & Mask

Before I start this review I just want to make it clear that I don’t have acne. I used to have it when I was a teenager but now I have oily, blemish-prone skin. I do however have hormonal problems that cause breakouts from time to time that seem almost resistant to any products I put on them.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been using the Purely Natural Skin Acne Treatment* religiously. The treatment consists of a cleanser and mask, to be used daily and weekly respectively.

The products are exactly what they say on the tin – natural. A gentleman called Dean who suffered with severe acne for several years founded Purely Natural Skin. With a few lifestyle changes and the help of the Acne Cleanser he was able to get rid of his acne problems.

The Cleanser
  

The cleanser arrived in a solid ball and smelled exactly like lemon curd. The ground almonds and essential oils make it very crumbly, like a loose biscuit mixture. I’m also guessing that they’re what give it a relatively short shelf life.

I really love this cleanser. It makes my face feel fresh and clean, which is strange for me as I always need something quite scrubby to really get that fresh feeling after cleansing.

I usually break off a piece of the cleanser, mix it with a few drops of water into a paste and smooth it over my face and neck. The cleanser emulsifies when you add water, and turns into a milky, almondy paste.

My only real issue with this cleanser is that due to the tub and it’s crumbly form it’s not the ideal shower companion. I found myself having to break a piece off before getting into the shower, which can be a little annoying. I also found it difficult to fit into my skincare regime at night, as it’s not the greatest cleanser to use to remove makeup.

The Mask
  

The mask is my favourite mask, ever. When it first arrived and I opened the tub to be greeted by a powder, I did find it a bit strange. And admittedly, the first time I used it I wasn’t really pleased that I pretty much had to make the mask. However, the results are amazing and worth a couple of minutes of DIY.

I use a small plastic Tupperware bowl and the end of a makeup brush to mix the powder with some water to make the mask. The first couple of times it was difficult to work out the best water:powder ratio, but you quickly get the hang of it.

The mixture starts to dry when applied to the face, and as it’s drying it also starts to shrink. The shrinking feeling makes the mask very tight – no eating or drinking while it’s on, it’s like a vice! It also feels like it’s ‘sucking’ your face, for want of a better word haha.

I rub the dried mask off after about 20 minutes, splash my face with water and remove the residue with a damp muslin cloth.

The mask leaves my face feeling fresh and my pores feel very much unclogged. It’s great if you’ve got oily skin, as it feels as though the mask absorbs the oil. It makes my spots a lot less angry and if I use it at night, they significantly reduce in size when I wake up.

The first ingredient is oats (avena sativa) which gives the mask an unfortunate porridge scent, but it’s a small price to pay when you see the results.

Bottom line: The cleanser is great and it’s firmly in my skincare regime. The mask is a definite must-have and I’ll be buying another one when this runs out. For the quality of the product, the price is fantastic. I’m not a huge fan of the packaging (I’m a sucker for something pretty!) but it’s a minor gripe.

The Acne treatment is available from the Purely Natural Skin website, priced at £13.95. 
The treatment now includes a muslin cloth too.

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*This treatment was provided free of charge for review. As always, whether negative or positive, my review is completely honest. 
I have not been compensated for writing this.

Review: Lush Cupcake Fresh Face Mask

Most of my regular readers will know how much I love facemasks, be it Sudocrem, clay or even a cheeky sheet mask.

So when I found myself roaming around the Covent Garden Lush store a few weeks ago, I knew that I couldn’t just walk past the fresh facemask section without picking something up. The lovely guy in Lush said Cupcake would be great for my oily combination, and given that it smells exactly like chocolate I just had buy it.

What Lush say:

Cupcake fresh face mask has a rhassoul mud and cocoa powder base, which is a fantastic for absorbing dirt and the build-up of oil that causes acne.

The serious side of this mask has linseed infusion to nourish and soften the skin, fresh mint for toning, cocoa butter to moisturise and rhassoul mud to absorb grease and give a deep cleanse.

I almost want to hack into the Lush website and amend the description to

'Buy this mask if you’re desperate to wake up with a full-blown break out.' 

I really wasn’t impressed with it. It smelt lovely, and although it was a little pastey it applied okay too. But when I Instagrammed a picture of myself with the mask on, someone commented that she’d tried it and it broke her out.

Now I read reviews all of the time, and I don’t let negative reviews put me off trying things – most of the time anyway. So what she said didn’t really worry me. So many people love Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, but I wouldn’t use it on my deathbed – so it’s definitely fair to say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, or in this case – beauty blogger’s trash! Anyway, I digress.

Chocolate face + Chocolate mask = Freddy Krueger 

I generally apply masks in the evening; I find that they do wonders for my skin overnight, and although I don’t drink alcohol I can image that it’d be nice to lie back with a facemask and a glass of wine. So I applied this mask, left it on for about 10 minutes, rinsed, moisturised and went to bed. When I woke up my face looked like the Spot Fairy had visited it during the night. In fact, it looked like the Spot Fairy visited, liked what she saw and camped out! I was covered in whiteheads.

Really not impressed.

In the name of beauty blogging I decided to give it another try – but when I checked it was out of date. I love the fact that it’s fresh, but I was a tad annoyed that I couldn’t try it again.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Lush. Their cleansers are amazing, but Cupcake? No bueno.

If you’re crazy enough to want to try this (joke! – kinda) then Cupcake is available from Lush, in store and online priced at £5.95 for 75g.

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