Konjac sponge review

I read about the Konjac sponge on another blog and the review was so positive I ordered one straight away.

Picture from Amazon.co.uk

This is the one I got from Amazon. They do a number of different ones, but I went for the bamboo charcoal as it is for oily and spot prone skin (me!). After rushing into the purchase and spending about £7 on it, I later took to eBay to have a browse and found them much cheaper there. Although they were unbranded, they were only about £1. Still, I told myself you can't beat branded products for skincare.

When it arrived I really did enjoy using it. It makes your skin feel really soft, much more so than your average face wash or scrub. I didn't want to cut out my face wash products all together although I think you can with these, so I tend to use this after my face wash to clean off any dead skin cells. It doesn't banish my oily skin or spots, but it does seem to help any blemishes reduce that little bit quicker and not get so severe in the first place.

I left this hanging in my shower between uses and I think that is where it went wrong. After a couple of weeks it started to crumble and once it got too bad I had to throw it away. Looking back, when it arrived and I unpackaged it, it was wet. So I probably should have put it back in the packaging after using to keep in the moisture. 

Since then, I ordered one of the cheap unbranded ones from eBay (in case the crumbling happened again). This time, I've kept it in the bag it came in, not letting it dry out and it is still going strong. Also, there is little different between the branded and unbranded, certainly not something I can justify spending £7 on, when the £1 does the same job. 

The konjac sponge is definitely an addition to my skincare routine that I will be keeping. Also the branded ones make up a nice part of a gift or stocking filler. 

Herbalife Skin review

I first heard about Herbalife Skin via Facebook (I am FB friends with a girl who makes dresses and has recently started selling Herbalife). She claimed that she used this 7 day results kit and it changed her skin and made it look amazing. Being someone who has struggled with my skin since puberty, a claim like this made my ears prick up. 

She was selling it for £20 plus P&P, but I found another distributor via eBay (shh) who did it a couple of pounds cheaper. For what you get in the kit (3 small tubes and 4 sachets), it's bloody expensive! 

The kit contains:

Mini Soothing Aloe Cleanser 50ml 

Mini Daily Glow Moisturiser 15ml 

Mini Replenishing Night Cream 15ml 

Firming Eye Gel Packette – 2 x 2ml 

Hydrating Eye Cream Packette – 2 x 2ml

 It arrvied a few days later and at this point I started to wonder how a cleanser and a couple of moisturisers could have any major impact on my skin. Not even a toner?!

Still, I thought I'd give it a go, after all I had spent my hard-earned cash on this. So for 7 days straight I used nothing but the kit. 

A couple of days in I had a spot breakout on my forehead. I kept going though, put it down to the possiblity of monthly hormones. The Herbalife rep actually messaged me on day 5 to ask how it was going (and if I'd like any full sized products!). I told her about the breakout, and she likened it to when you get a facial, that the products bring out all of the impurities first.

It is now day 9. The breakout on my forehead is still there - not any worse, but not any better.

Maybe if the kit came with a bit more, like a toner, or a face scrub it might be a bit more effective for spot prone skin. But for me, it's not really done much good.

I'll finish the kit, but wont be ordering any full size products.

Nivea Express Hydration Primer Review

Nivea Express Hydration Primer  ★★★★★

I don't give myself much time to get ready in the mornings as I prefer to get as much sleep as possible. So I try to have a pretty quick makeup routine and until now didn't bother using a primer on a daily basis. When I saw this advertised on TV - a moisturiser and primer in one, I thought I'd give it a go as it wouldn't add to my getting ready time. I picked up the one for "dry and sensitive skin" as my skin is quite sensitive to break-outs. 

I have been using this every morning after cleansing for nearly two weeks now and so far no breakouts. Not only that, I actually am reallly loving it. Can't fault it all all. My foundation lasts longer and looks more flawless after using this primer. Adding to the fact that my skin is moisturised and feels fresh when I apply it.

I forsee this being a beauty staple for me from now on. Well done Nivea for bringing out such an innovative product!