GlamGlow Youthmud Review

I'll start by saying that, when I purchased this product, I really hoped that I didn't like it. But my hopes sadly vanished.. This product is great!! I've heard so much rave about it from bloggers and youtubers that when I saw that it was available in travel size I couldn't resist.

As I read in their website, GlamGlow claims that "YOUTHMUD® provides gentle resurfacing exfoliation and helps to leave skin smoother, brighter, and softer resulting in immediate camera-ready glowing skin" . And it's all true.. Sadly.. For me. Now if you know anything about GlamGlow then you can understand my resentment. But if you don't, then let me enlighten you.. It's damn expensive!!

The texture is grainy and gently exfoliates as you spread it on your face as well as when you wash it off. The whole process of leaving it on takes 10 minutes tops and in the meantime the mask dries and draws out impurities while tightening the skin. This results to smoother skin and a notable decrease in the appearance of blackheads. Now I've only used this once, but I bet if you use it twice a week as it suggests, you'll see wonders!!

The final question though is one... Is it worth it?? Well that solely depends on how much you can afford to spend on an exfoliating mask. If you want to splurge on something then this is it!! I'm not saying that I'll never buy it again, I'll surely do, but not on a regular basis for sure!!

The Body Shop Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet Review

It's safe to say that I'm not a big skincare person! I always seem to forget about creams and serums and all that jazz, so I'm always looking for an easy way out. And this time I found it in The Body Shop and their new Sorbet line.

Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet - quite a mouthful - is a light moisturiser for all skin types and is presented with the premise of "an instant cooling sensation for all day hydration". I was a little sceptical at first, as I have oily skin and generally the "all skin types" label is a big no no for me. Now I'm standing before you proven wrong! This really works even for my skin without making it too oily. It's just what it says, a light, refreshing moisturiser and I may say it's exactly what I need for summer.

And just when you thought that the review is over, I'm still here to address the whole "sorbet" issue! It's the texture of the new line that The Body Shop is promoting and I have to say I'm a little confused. Ok it's smooth and soft and silky and all that, but after all.. all creams are! On the website it says that they get absorbed faster but I really don't know anything about that. So other than the pretty colours and the smoothie-like consistency, I don't see it doing much else.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a negative review whatsoever! I'm really pleased with this new moisturiser and I think it must be the first to say "all skin types" and actually mean it!! So all in all this gets a thumbs up and a pat on the back. I think that I've said that for all the products from The Body Shop that I've reviewed lately, but what can I say?! They were all pretty good!!

My Little Beach Kit

I'm the kind of girl that likes a more organised beach bag and that means that I have smaller bags in my bags, that contain even smaller bags and so and so forth.. So in this spirit of divide and conquer, I present to you this small kit of essentials every summer beach bag should have!!

First and definitely very important is my face sunscreen, from Bepanthol. It has an SPF 30 and is very moisturising, without leaving greasiness on my skin or that common white cast most sunscreens do leave! Then there is sunscreen for my lips. I know it seems a little far fetched, but Piz Buin make this great lip balm with SPF 30, which I really thought is a brilliant idea for summer, when my lips get dry from the sea salt.
Another product, that I thought was useless but found it completely life saving, is my mini Evian Facial Spray. There are times that the heat is so overbearing and a little spritz of Evian is just what you need.
And then there is my travel size concealer from Estee Lauder. Although I've never used it on the beach, it's something I always carry with me!! Last product in my little kit, some wet wipes! These ones are from Lidl and they smell like melon - quite summery if you ask me.

Some non-beauty essentials are of course my phone and earpods (both from Apple), my sunglasses, which I got from Stradivarius and a little mirror from The Body Shop. The bag itself came as a gift with July's Mirror magazine (the Greek edition) - which fits inside perfectly - and I quickly turned it in my go-to bag-inside-the-bag for this summer!!

Pamper Yourself feat. H&M facemasks

As I promised several posts back, I'm here to report on the H&M facemasks.

I tried them all and I have to say I like them a lot. They smell amazing (pear&melon was my favourite) and they do a pretty decent job - especially regarding their price. So, to the particulars :

The Dragon Fruit mask is an exfoliating as well as cleansing mask, which you first rub on your skin and then let it sit for 15 minutes before you rinse it with water. It removes all the dead skin and leaves your face soooo soft.
The Olive Oil mask is your standard mud mask. It is perfect for deep cleansing and for skins with large pores and oiliness.
The Coconut Water mask (which smells exactly like coconut water) is a moisturising mask and can be used after you cleanse your skin. Although it says that it has cleaning properties, I would say it focuses more on the moisturising part. Leaves the skin soft and fresh, however if your skin is extra dry you could use a light moisturiser afterwards.
Last but not least the Pear & Melon mask.. This was by far my favourite mostly because of the scent. It smells like summer - melon, duh - and I loved it. This one is also used after your face cleansing routine and it can calm you skin and senses, leaving you with an oh so smooth skin.

It was really exciting trying these masks out and I was very pleased with them. Great plus is the quantity, as they have enough product to use more than 2 times.
If you like to pamper yourself with a facemask now and then, you should definitely try these ones.
You won't regret it.

L'Oreal Ideal Fresh Face Wash Review

The love I have for foamy cleansers is well known from previous posts (read said post here) and until now my love was saved for the Avon Solutions Foaming Cleanser. But after two bottles of this love were used and done, I decided to move on and find something new.

That's when L'Oreal Ideal Fresh came to my life. It has the same technology as the Avon one, as it is a clear liquid in the bottle that comes out as a velvety foam, with a rich and soft consistency and a citrusy scent. I massaged it gently on my skin and it took away all my makeup - mascara and lipstick included - and left my skin feeling clean and fresh. As it is aimed for normal to combination skin it doesn't leave a dry feeling to the skin, that most cleansers for combination to oily skin tend to leave. Even though I have oily skin, there's nothing worse than feeling your skin dry and fragile - I like clean, but not SO clean.

Overall it is a great cleanser and it's greatly paired with the Ideal Fresh Toner I've been using for quite some time now. So, thumbs up L'Oreal.. 

Eat - Shop - Repeat

In this week's eat - shop - repeat (oh yeah it has come to stay) we're dealing with my problems - once again.
Problem no1 : I can't go past an H&M without going in - and buying something
Problem no2 : I'm a sucker for anything sickly sweet - preferably drinkable - and if it says Starbucks on, even better!!

EAT : Or as I said above, drink!! I have been a loyal subject of the Starbucks realm for many years, but I hadn't tried heaven until my darling dear Bethany Mota shared the Cotton Candy Frappuccino (click for the video) with us mere commoners. It's a  vanilla cream frappuccino with raspberry syrup - and some drops of unicorn tears apparently - and it's my new favourite addiction.

SHOP : I went past an H&M and the rest is , as they say, history!! This time I went for skincare and stocked up in some facemasks (link). I tried to have some variety in my picks so I can have (and also give you) a better opinion. I got four to begin with and if they are as good as I've heard, then I'll be back for the whole selection. Stay tuned this week for a post on my experience with them.


+ Bethany also made a video recreating the Cotton Candy Frappuccino! So for anyone interested heeeere it is!!

Skincare Issues

Each girl has her own routine when it comes to skincare and even though I don't use that many products - I'm kind of a skincare newbie - I thought to myself  "why not?". So, these are the ones I go for.. Feel free to recommend any new products of your liking!!

AVON Solutions Complete Balance Oil-Free Foaming Cleanser :

This cleanser is perfect for combination to oily skin. It comes out in a foam consinstency and leaves the skin squeaky clean and fresh. The scent isn't very present, so if you are bothered with strong smells, this is the one for you!

CLINIQUE Exfoliating Scrub :

No mater how many scrubs I test out, I will always come back to this one! It's the holy grail of scrubs and the perfect one if you have oily skin like me. It has really small beeds in it so it doesn't scratch your face and has a slight tingly feeling if you leave it on for a few minutes. The skin feels SO smooth afterwards and all blackheads are gone..

L'OREAL Ideal Fresh Toner :

One of the two toners I've been testing (with the help of my trusty PomPons) and I think it turns into a must-have. The lemony scent and the fresh, revitilizing feeling that leaves to the skin is just everything one wants from a toner. 

AVON Solutions Freshest Pure Refreshing Toner :

Bought alongside the cleanser, those two make a pretty good duo. It has a more prominent scent to it, and puts back a little bit of the moisture the cleanser has taken away.

GARNIER Hydra-Adapt Hydra Match :

As you can tell by name, it's a moisturising cream. It has a gel-like consistency and a lemony, fresh scent to it (must be a recurring theme), that leaves the skin moisturised in no time. You only need a very small amount as a little goes a really long way with this product. One characteristic that makes it extra special is that it mattifies your face, as it is targeted for combination to oily skin.

So, what is your perfect skincare routine?