Sanctuary Spa 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask

I went on the hunt for a new face mask, I love the luxurious idea of them. I normally throw one on while I'm in the bath, or sometimes if I feel like my skin is particularly down in the dumps, I'll slap one on. Browsing the No.7 stand in Boots a while ago the really nice assistant told me about their thermal face mask and I liked the sound of them. But it would cost me the guts of €20 so I went looking for a cheaper alternative to see if these kind of masks worked, without breaking the bank.

Sanctuary Spa has the 5 minute thermal detox mask for 'oily congested skin prone to blemishes and dullness' is normally €13.69 for 100ml, but after a while of gooing over it online, I noticed that it was(and still is!) on offer for €9.13 - bargain! I never think of Sanctuary Spa when it comes to skincare, so this was an extra treat. This mask is self heating and the heat helps to open pores so the kaolin clay and charcoal draws out all the impurities and face uglies deep in the skin without damaging it. 

I thought that the heating part sounded like a gimmick, but I was wrong. The texture of the product is an almost gel like substance, but its thicker and not as easy to spread. Once you start to apply and rub in the mask, it heats up and then cools down again in a few minutes. It doesn't dry out like most masks, so theres no time limit or indication when to take it off. If your like me and forget easily, leave a timer on your phone or you might walk out of the house with a grey/blue face. (I've not done this, but theres been a few close calls.) Its recommended that you use it twice weekly to help reduce blemishes but I don't see any harm in using it more if you were so inclined.

Its easy to rinse off with warm water and a face cloth - its harder to get it off without one. I've been using this for about 2 weeks now and although it more or less sticks to the site where you place the mask to your skin, I don't actually use that much. In the 5 times that I've slapped it on, I've not noticed groundbreaking results, but my skin is having a good spell. I have however noticed that my skin feels fresher and looks brighter after using it and also my spots aren't coming up as big, ugly or red. I think it might have something to do with the mask as I've not been using any other spot treatments while trying this out, just to see if it really made a difference. 

If you can get past the fact that it does heat up on your face, I'd suggest having a poke around and picking it up while its on offer in Boots. I think its a very underrated product that needs more love for all the help it gives. I'd say over time with even more use I'll see further results and it will continue to improve the face uglies. 

Make Up Brush Cleaning Mitt From Boots?

I was having a little walk around Boots the other day and had seen that Soap&Glory had a 3 for 2 offer on all their toiletry bags and accessories. I had noticed a few people suggesting that the Soap&Glory massage glove (see here) was the perfect thing for a cheaper version of the Sigma brush cleaner. But on closer inspection I thought that the little raised bumps weren't deep enough for brush bristles to go between and get a decent clean. And at €11 I thought that my money could be better spent. I was leaving the aisle when I noticed the Face Massage Mini Mitt for €5.50. As I am one of Those people, I pulled it out and had a proper look, it had more of what I was looking for. And if it was utterly crap, I wouldn't have wasted too many of my pennies.

The long and short of it? It really works a feckin' treat for all my brushes and I'm ashamed to say that they are now the cleanest they've ever been. (Hangs head in shame.) The bigger raised bumps are deep and just perfect to get between the bristles of brushes - especially tiny ones that are so hard to get clean. I'm thinking of lip brushes in particular that you can never get the kind of greasy residue off of. 

Its not the most amazing thing for larger brushes, but my foundation kabuki brush still got a much better clean then with just the palm of my hands and some cleaner. I can't say too much about the smaller rounder bumps at the top, they didn't do too much to impress, but none the less they are handy. I'll say that apart from the small size, the one downfall is that the rubber is very bendy so you need to have a good hold of the mitt. However for just over a fiver and mega clean brushes, I'm only splitting hairs here.

But one thing I wondered as I'm only using this for my brushes, is the fact that its actually for your face! I ran it over my skin on the back of my hand and have to say I wouldn't bother with this for cleaning or cleansing my face. It would be way too awkward, time consuming and gimmicky. Soap&Glory need to start marketing this as a brush cleaner mitt and they would sell loads as it works way better! Have a look at it over here, you might want to try it out on your brushes!

Benefit Dupe? The Honey Queen

W7 can be a little hit and miss at times, but if you've ever used one of their eyeliners or one of their eye shadow palettes then you'll know there are some total gems. I've blogged and Instagramed like a loon about some of their things in the past and today is no different. When I was in the Cosmetic Outlet the other week picking up a new w7 palette I happened to see this as I was having a goo. The honey queen honeycomb blusher. Is it just me or does it give off the vibe of a softer Benefit Sugar Bomb blusher? Similar shades, the same type of packaging and a small brush that is just like the Benefit one. I think its safe to say its a dupe, but for more then half the price. 

A mixture of shimming rose, peach and slightly dark plumy shades. This is a really gorgeous blush that is a total bargain for €5. Its a little hard to carry around as its a bulky, but very sturdy box. However, if your setting your make up well, then this is the perfect thing to use. Its also got  handy little brush that fits perfectly into the box, just in case you need it on the go. This gives the most lovely hint of a peachy blush on the skin with a little shimmer. Perfect for the upcoming season of all the glitter and shimmers you can possibly fit onto yourself in one go! 

I'll be honest and say this isn't the best photos of how it looks on my skin as the light was so bright it kind of made everything look extra white and washed out. But fear not I will put up a swatch of it on my fingers later to Instagram which you can follow to see that update later, over here. But for someone like myself who is a little terrified of having blusher or contour thats too OTT, this is really perfect when your looking for a little colour but nothing overly in your face. 

As a blush novice, I'd love to know what you think about this! 

The (Better) Cheap Dream Dots Dupe!

Back in July I was sent a box of new Dream Dots to try out, Review Here! Everyone and their mother has been sent a box of these thanks to some seriously good PR people and non stop social media updates. Everyone on Twitter and in the beauty world now know about them. But I thought that they were a little gimmicky sounding product, and retailing at €15 for a packet is day light robbery in my opinion. They work ok, but they are no miracle product. However theres now a little bit of a following for them from Twitter, from being shown on tv and constantly poping up on blogs. I just can't understand why, apart from wanting to support an Irish business - and we all know I'm first on the love Irish businesses band wagon. But only if they deserve the hype and are a genuinely great product. Which brings me to the reason for this post. A crazy Dealz find, Dotz.

  Dotz is the image of Dream Dots in every way possible. The same idea and the same product, but packaged differently and for €1.49 instead of the mad €15. It has 24 dots as the Dream Dots has, but the difference with these is there are three different sizes to choose from. I kind of love the fact that there are different sizes, even if its just the child in me getting to play sticker book on my face. They are also in a handier packet that involves only one piece of plastic that has all the dots stuck to them instead of several small, hard to use sheets. 

They are more rubbery and thick then the Dream Dots but they are easier to apply and lets face it, who is going to go out with these all over their face like Dream Dots suggests you can do with their Dots. I wouldn't be seen dead even in Tesco with bits of plastic stuck to my face. Not for milk, not even for a bar of Cadburys! So its safe to say that these are just as ugly to use as there more expensive sisters. 

However the one defining feature of these dots is that they get overnight results. Unlike the Dream Dots I used, I needed two or three nights to get rid of my spots. Sometimes I would need more, but I was sick and tired of the product by then and didn't bother. In the morning you peel them off and they have (sorry about this) a kind of puss left on the dot and the spot is no longer yellow and has significantly reduced. This was never the case for Dream Dots. They also stay on your skin all night and I never found any had come off when I woke up. They are a little sore to peel off, which was the same with the other dots, making me think that this is an unavoidable flaw.

I just can't get over how well these worked with just one nights use in comparison to two and three nights use of a Dream Dot. Below is after one nights use of the dots. (Go on, click on them and have a close up look. Ugh the face uglies I put on the internet is insane!) As you can see they are bulky on the skin and easily seen, but I was off to bed, not a night out! For all the hype of a really expensive product that doesn't work, I wonder how long people will still fork out for it when these Dotz are less then €2 and widely available in the pound shops. I could easily use a pack of these a night with all the spots I have, so the price and the result suit my pocket much better!

What do you think - 

Are Dream Dots too over hyped when theres better dupes out there?