Review: WishTrend - Tosowoong Clean Pore Brush - Clarisonic Dupe?

Hello, my name is Lola and I’m a scrub-aholic.

I absolutely a love a good facial scrub – and body too. But after talking to Grace from All That Slap about scrubs and hearing about how they can be counterproductive – abrasive scrubs can cause micro-tears which can make you more spot prone as bacteria can get inside and cause breakouts – I went in search of alternatives. Weirdly, I don’t really feel clean if I don’t get a bit of scrubbing action so recently I’ve been loving the Tosowoong Clean Pore Brush* from WishTrend.

With 310,000 fine, anti-bacterial, synthetic fur bristles; the brush is designed to give your skin a deep clean while still being gentle enough for daily use. The bristles are said to reach the places that our fingers can’t, allowing for a deeper, more effective cleanse.

I love how soft the bristles are. But I was doubtful that they’d really manage to do much since they’re soft. But I was wrong.

The bristles are really dense so they produce a nice lather, which means I use a lot less cleanser than usual.

I wouldn’t say that it’s revolutionalised my skincare regime, but when I use it regularly I do notice that the overall condition of my skin improves. I will admit however, sometimes I just can’t be bothered.

Now I’ve never used a Clarisonic before, but I’ve heard that the Tosowoong Clean Pore Brush is comparable and holds up well in terms of effectiveness.

It's supposed to be particularly brilliant for oily skin types, but I think it's suitable deep cleansing brush for all skin types.

Picture taken from the WishTrend website 

The only thing I didn’t like was that the instructions were all in Korean. Obviously it’s really simple to use, but details like when it should be changed, or care instructions would be nice.

Bottom line: I like it, but I think the claims are a bit far fetched. Eliminating impurities in pores? Hmm, perhaps not. Would I repurchase? I doubt it. Compared to the Clarisonic it’s a bargain, but at $25 it’s still slightly more than I’d be willing to spend on a facial brush, personally.

Tosowoong Clean Pore Brush is available from the WishTrend website, priced at $25.

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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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Review: Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser

My skin is really oily, and I’m not sure if it’s due to the weather but I’ve found that recently my oil glands have gone into overdrive and I’m a lot greasier than usual.

Formulated for normal to oily skin, Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser is one of my new go-to products that I use to help combat my oil slick.

  

As I’ve said many times before, I love scrubs. But I find that it’s difficult to get products that are scrubby and help keep oil production to a minimum. However, this Kiehl’s cleanser seems to do both.

The product itself is like a thick paste, due to it containing Amazonian White Clay. It doesn’t have a scrubby texture, but contains bits that exfoliate and get rid of any dead skin. And trust me, the bits are a lot more potent than you’d expect – the boy used this the other day and scrubbed way too hard and his face was really red afterwards.

On my particularly oily days I massage this into my face and leave it for a few minutes for the clay to absorb the excess oil before rinsing.

  

It claims to help reduce the appearance of pores, but I can’t say I’ve seen a noticeable reduction. Unfortunately it doesn’t leave me with a very fresh feeling but I think that’s me just being pernickety, as my skin feel feels clean and smooth afterwards.

Bottom Line: It’s a good cleanser and I do really like it, but I think that it’s a bit pricey for what it is. I’m always trying different products so I’m sure I’ll find something cheaper that will do the same, so for that reason I probably wouldn’t repurchase.

Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser is available from the Kiehl’s website, priced at £18/150ml.

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Review: Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub

I’m always looking for products that will help combat my dry skin, so I use oil on my skin everyday – blogged here – and also try and exfoliate quite often to get rid of dead skin.

I’m really lucky to live quite close to a Boots clearance, which often has products at least 50% off but more often the discount is closer to 80% off.

Soap & Glory recently discontinued this Sugar Crush Scrub and rereleased it – I’m not sure what the difference is but the tub is now only 300ml.

The 450ml tub is huge and fairly heavy, which isn’t surprising since the actual product itself is very thick and dense. As soon as you take the lid of the smell of lime goes straight up your nose – in a good way of course. It’s really strong, almost like you’re smelling an actual lime and not a scrub.

It’s packed with brown sugar and macadamia grains which give it it’s scrubby-ness. There’s also almond oil, which emulsifies slightly when you mix it with water. The ingredients compliment each other really well and leave the skin fairly smooth.

Overall I liked this product, but I didn’t feel like it was anything to write home about – ironic, since I’m blogging about it. The sugar and macadamia weren’t scrubby enough and I felt like I really had to work it into my skin to feel the benefit, which felt like a bit of a work out instead of a nice shower! I also found that the lovely sharp lime scent didn’t last on the skin, which was disappointing as I imagined it would be nice and fresh lingering on the skin.

The upside about this product was that it rinses away really easily and doesn’t leave the shower greasy or slippery, a problem I’ve encountered with other scrubs.

The new Soap & Glory Sugar Crush retails at £8 for 300ml in Boots, however I managed to pick up this discontinued version for £4 for 450ml.

What are your favourite scrubs?