Avene Cleanance Exfoliating Mask - Review

Chemical exfoliators are a hot topic in the blogosphere as of late. Gentle, low concentrations of those such as glycolic, salicylic and lactic acids, which gently remove dead skin cells and renew the skin, tend to be favoured for problem skin as they minimise the irritation that physical exfoliators can cause. Following my success with Avene's whole Cleanance range, I was eager to try the latest addition to their acne-fighting arsenal, the exfoliating mask.

I love to use face masks twice a week, as they are the perfect excuse to ensure I get a little bit of time to myself to relax during a busy week. Combining effective yet gentle AHA and BHA with kaolin, this absorbant mask is perfect for detoxing and renewing sluggish skin. It also contains miniscule grains to manually exfoliate the skin. I must admit, it took me a couple of uses to even realise they were there because they really are that small and gentle! Although it isn't branded as a multi-use product, I think it would also be perfect as a gentle exfoliating cleanser if you don't have time to use it as a mask.

The mask dries up any impurities extremely fast, while refining the texture of the skin and leaving it silky soft. What really sets this mask apart from others is how it doesn't dry solid leaving your face feeling cemented and uncomfortable. Instead, after washing off, my skin feels lightly moisturised, and not tight and dried out like many other masks. Of course, it does contain acids so always follow up the next day with at least spf 20 (which you should already be doing!)

Since using the mask, my scarring has definitley reduced, my face glows and the texture is a lot smoother. For a really intensive treatment when my skin is playing up, I like to mix the mask with a pea sized amount of Avene's spot treatment, Triacneal (reviewed here). They really are a dream team when used together, and my skin is a lot calmer and has been put back in its place by the following morning. All in all, another fantastic product.

If you are suffering with acne, I strongly recommend you give the Cleanance range a go. It is very affordable and the products are fantastic - the reason my skin is now under control. I always have the range on standby for skincare emergencies and will continue to repurchase them. You can buy Avene's cleanance mask from Boots for £15, or Escentual, where it currently has 10% off.

Have you tried anything from Avene?

xxx

Banishing the Blemishes #002 - Ren Clearcalm

Part 2 of my Banishing the Blemishes series comes from a natural skincare company called Ren. Again, having heard amazing things about Ren all over the blogosphere, I was so excited to be able to try out the Clearcalm range. Ren pride theirselves in producing products free from synthetic fragrance/colour, PEGS, parabens and propylene glycol. 

I received the Clearcalm range to try out, best suited to blemish-prone skin. The set compromises of cleanser, mask, moisturiser and night serum. Unfortunatley, the day moisturiser has been discontinued, but the tzone balancing fluid is a fanatstic substitute.

Clearcalm Clay Cleanser - £18/150ml

This cleanser is unlike anything I've ever used before, it is clay-based, so has quite a firm consistency, very similar to the mask. It is full of gorgeous natural ingredients such as french clay, salicilin and mayblossom to deep cleanse and detoxify the skin. I really like this cleanser, I feel it really calms down my skin and also any angry blemishes I may have. It is quite hard to remove on its own, due to the clay-base, so I like to use a warm muslin to remove, in the same way you would a hot cloth cleanser. I have already ordered the full size version of this, and would highly recommend it if you currently enjoy using a hot cloth cleanser, but maybe your skin is acting up a little.

Clearcalm Clarity Restoring Mask - £30/50ml

This mask is fantastic, the real star of the range. In conjunction with the cleanser, it works wonders. It contains very similar ingredients to the cleanser, and does a wonderful job of clearing up any blemishes you may have. It has a very potent scent, but nothing too awful - I can definitely ignore the scent for the results it gives! I only apply the mask to areas where I have an active breakout, because it is very concentrated and can be a little drying. I think I've hit a winner here! I even apply it to individual under-the-skin spots as it does a great job of drawing them to a head. I am counting down the days until payday, when I can indulge in the full size!

T-zone Balancing Day Fluid - £26/50ml

This moisturiser really lives up to its name. This lavender scented gel contains an exotic mix of essential oils to mattify and balance the skin, as well as protecting the skin from free radicals. This would be the perfect moisturiser for combination skin had it contained some SPF. I always use SPF during the day, so was a little disappointed at this. For this reason, I like to apply a moisturiser with SPF after, which also gives me a little more moisture for the colder months. Nevertheless, it is a great mattifying moisturiser and keeps me shine free (almost) all day.

Clearcalm Replenishing Night Serum - £22/50ml

The serum-gel hybrid contains licorice to reduce sebum production and lingonberry extract to correct hyperpigmentation. It feels extremely light and comfortable on the skin, and is absorbed by the skin almost immediately. I can't really comment on hyperpigmentation, because if something drastically improved hyperpigmentation in 2 weeks, it would be a miracle worker. However, when applying this, I wake up with super soft and glowing skin, almost as if I've applied a liquid exfoliator such as Alpha H liquid gold. It's not quite moisturising enough for winter, however, I will definitely be reaching for this gem during the summer months when my skin is an oily mess!

I have thoroughly enjoyed trialing the Ren Clearcalm range, and it definitely contains some gems! As aforementioned, I have already bought the full sized version of the cleanser, and am waiting on payday before I buy the mask! If I had to recommend you one item from the range, it would definitely be the cleanser. I can't see my skincare routine without it, and in the long term, I'm sure it will whip my troublesome skin in to shape.

Have you ever tried anything from Ren?

xxx

Recent Skincare Purchases...

I love reading posts like this, so I thought I'd share with you some of my latest skincare purchases! My skin has been really bad recently so I decided to invest in some new items...

Re-Gen Cream - £4.50

I bought this as Zoella has raved about its ability to get rid of acne scarring. It contains the same sort of ingredients as Bio Oil, but in a moisturiser form. I was really surprised how light it is, despite containing all sorts of oils. I can't wait to start seeing some results!

Etat Pur Salicylic Acid 300mg - £12.20

Another spot treatment here. I have heard a lot about Etat Pur on blogs, and my skin is pretty bad at the moment, so I caved in and bought it. My skin has also reacted well to Salicylic Acid in the past, so I'm expecting good things from this!

Alpha-H Liquid Gold - £28.50

I first heard about this from Ruth @Amodelrecommends and it has recently exploded in the blogosphere! From numerous reviews, it uses 5% glycolic acid to exfoliate the skin, refine pores, clear up breakouts and fix scarring. Sounds like a miracle in a bottle! I am so excited to try this, and will definitely review it soon!

Origins Super Spot Remover - £13

This seems to be the cult spot treatment on blogs at the moment, so I just had to hop on to the band wagon and try it out! Now, Bloggers have mentioned how small this is, and I thought yeah ok. They weren't kidding - this thing is tiny! My mouth actually dropped a little bit when I first received it. "I just paid £13 for that?!" The bottle is literally comparable to a penny! It better show some amazing results..

Ren Clearcalm 3 Clarity Restoring Mask - £30

Ren is another brand very popular with bloggers at the moment, so I decided to try one of their face masks. I've been in need of a good one for a little while now, and feel it'll do the world of good for my skin! Here's to hoping...

What are your favourite blemish busting skincare items?

xxx

Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Mask Review

As most of you will probably already know, when you return 5 Clean Black Pots to Lush for recycling, you will receive a free fresh face mask of your choice! This time, I chose Catastrophe Cosmetic.

"You know those times when you get one or two spots and it throws you into panic? Well, this mask is here to lend you a bit of perspective, to tell you to calm down, it’s not the end of the world and it’s nothing that can't be sorted. Basically, this is your best mate in a pot. Irish moss gel will soften the skin, whilst almond oil will moisturise and leave it supple. Fresh blueberries are full of vitamins and minerals and are antioxidant. Rose absolute and chamomile essential oil will reduce redness and irritation. Calamine and talc will deep clean and soothe the skin at the same time. Combined together they provide your skin with a good deep cleanse without causing puffiness – leaving the face cool, clear and calm. This is a deep cleansing mask that it designed for regular maintenance to keep the skin clean and clear. Regular deep cleaning can avoid spots occurring and keep skin in top condition."

-Taken from their Website

This was a totally new purchase for me: previously, I have gone for either Cupcake or Cosmetic Warrior, both of which are much more powerful at spot-fighting. However, this time, I wanted to go for something a little more gentle and soothing. Unfortunately, I wasn't that impressed.

The mask itself has a pleasant aroma: quite sweet and fruity, and the texture is thick and feels quite chalky. There are also pieces of blueberry in the mask, which in my opinion, add nothing to it, but block up your sink, so watch out! As Lush's face masks have to stay in the fridge due to being preservative free, applying it to the face is a wonderfully relaxing feeling after a long hot day! It dries within around five minutes, but not too hard, which is great. It is relatively easy to remove from the skin with a muslin cloth, however, it left my skin really tacky, which I didn't like. You know that feeling where you don't think you've removed it properly? It made me really paranoid, and I just wanted to give my face a good scrub to remove it! 

I think it is just personal preference: as my skin is combination, I don't use hydrating products, and I don't  really like my face feeling tacky prior to skin care usage: I'm more of a "squeaky clean" feeling girl. All of the extra moisture on my face made me really paranoid that I would break out, however, I didn't. This mask wasn't for me, however, if you do have slightly drier skin which needs a little bit of moisture, this is definitely the mask for you. I think I'll stick to Cupcake in future!

If you don't have 5 black lush pots, you can also purchase their face masks online or in store. They all retail at £5.75 and will last around 5-8 uses, depending on how thick you apply them. Also, please be aware that Lush's face masks do need to stay in the fridge due to the lovely fresh ingredients and lack of preservatives!

What's your favourite face mask? Are you with me on the "squeaky clean" feel, or do you prefer your skin to feel more moisturised?

xxx

Fabulous Freebie: Ren's Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

Hi everyone! Another fantastic freebie from Whats in My Handbag to let you all know about this evening! This weeks try comes from Ren, a fantastic skincare company producing natural, paraben free products. WIMH are giving you the chance to win a 15ml deluxe trial size of Ren's Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask, which has an RRP of £30! As far as I'm aware, they have several to giveaway, so there's a great chance of picking up one, absolutely free of charge!

The mask is a firm favourite of Model Lisa Snodin, who says: "I call this my red carpet facial - I do it before events and parties for an instant glow. It's quick, leaves my skin looking radiant, plup and firm, smoothes out imperfections and has also helped to lighten areas that suffer from hyper-pigmentation"

Sounds amazing, right? This is by far my favourite Try to date, and I've already signed up so fingers crossed! If you would like to enter (come on, who wouldn't want to?!), sign up here and then click the "Try" tab.

Have you ever tried any of Ren's products?   

xxx

The Big Skincare Revolution - Revealed!

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll have seen I reviewed a mystery, unbranded face wash a little while ago (link). Well, the brand of the product has been revealed via The Big Skincare Mystery Facebook page! Without further a due, I give you...

Clearasil's Daily Clear Wash & Mask with Avocado & Pomegranate Extracts!

"A creamy 2 in 1 cleanser that can be used as a daily wash or an indulgent treat when left on the skin as a three-minute mini facial mask. It contains clarifying salicylic acid with a blend of avocado, pomegranate extracts and vitamin E known to nourish the skin, so it’s extra gentle but strong enough to clear away impurities. 150ml for £4.99"

-Taken from their Facebook Page

I assumed the product would be made by a company along the lines of Clearasil/Clean and Clear/Neutrogena, so no huge surprises for me. Although, I must say I am really surprised with the packaging! It looks really neat, "grown-up" and attractive, which is a definite positive.You can read my review on it here, I was definitely impressed with it, and would recommend it! I think the PR for this product was a fantastic idea, and would love to participate in one of these mystery trials again in the near future!

What do you think of the new product? Are you going to try it out now it's been released?

xxx