favourite face masks

Who doesn’t love a good face mask?? Everyone loves a face mask (even my husband). Fact. Sales of prestige face masks in the US are actually up by a whopping 60% (+11% in the UK) - people are looking for that do-all wonder-fix and masks promise to breathe new life in to tired, lacklustre, dry or damaged skin. You name the concern, there’s sure to be a mask that promises to fix it.

I wanted to share my 3 favourite masks, which I have written before (from the archives) but I still adore them and repurchase even years later.

1.       For a quick fix, you just cannot beat Sisley Radiant Glow Express Mask (£73). It’s so easy. Apply to a clean face and let the red clay do its magic. Plus, it has a wonderful chamomile extracts that will also calm angry skin – I have used it when I have had eczema on my face and it reduced the redness. The best thing is that you only need 3-5 minutes for this mask – it doesn’t dry cakey and leaves skin velvety soft. It’s pricey but worth the investment.

2.       For a moisture kick I LOVE Korres Yoghurt Moisturising Mask (€9.15). It smells heavenly, like sweet, rich honey blossom and thirsty skin will slurp up the luxuriously thick formula instantly. In the Mediterranean yoghurt has been used as a soothing and nourishing ingredient for the skin for generations  and in Russia, a certain version is used to soothe sunburn and enflamed skin. It’s a true bargain and an absolute staple.

3.       For cleansing I love and have been using Nude’s Deep Cleansing Mask (£38) for years. It is another clay-based (pink and white clay) mask but it doesn’t dry hard and chalky, which can leave the skin stripped of moisture. It’s actually full of omega oils and even shea butter, which is wonderful for a cleansing product. Plus, it has fine buriti seed shells to gently exfoliate at the same time. It’s a triple whammy.

What are your favourite masks? I love finding new products. 

mummy's treats

Yesterday was mother’s day. Put your hand up if you had the best intentions and yet you still managed to not get that gift out to your mummy on time? Now that I’m a mummy, I now realise how much mums forgive their children, no matter what. So it’s never too late.

One of the best gifts you can give your mummy is the gift of soft, younger looking hands. And ones that smell amazing to boot.

Nothing beats Korres for gorgeous infusions of nature, they are my utmost favourite. I love this little soap and hand cream duo – bargain price and luxury is at your fingertips. Literally. 
Buy it now, exclusively at Asos! 

A Birthday Wish

Don’t you hate it when you forget a best friend’s birthday? That’s how I felt when I heard that it was Korres’ 15^th birthday in September. A belated birthday card to one of my absolute favourite brands. To celebrate, I want to share my top three products from Korres (although, I use everything in my Korres collection until I have to recycle the packaging):

-          Absinthe Shaving Cream: My boyfriend’s favourite but I also love love love this. It is so conditioning, smells delicious and feels so much more delicate on the skin than chemical-laden shaving foams.

-          Cherry Lipgloss: The scent is so sweet, I defy anyone not to develop a lip-licking habit. This shade, Light Pink, is perfect for the 60s babydoll pout.

-          Coconut Milk Body Milk: I love all the Korres body milks and body butters, but this Coconut one is not overpowering but the lovely coconut smell still lingers.

Happy Birthday my lovely Korres and let’s for a moment forget Greek financial woes.

http://www.korres.com/CountrySelect.aspx

Greek Treats

Even after my holiday to Greece last year, I became obsessed with Greek yoghurt. I know it is not the most healthy thing in the world, but it my breakfast staple now and I cannot live without. So imagine my excitement when I found out that my favourite Greek Brand Korres have a Yoghurt Moisturising Mask?! It is perfect post-sun but also in winter I imagine. It actually smells of yoghurt mixed with honey, and is infused with Olive Oil for super soft skin afterwards.
It's yummy enough to eat.
Korres Yoghurt Moisturising Mask, £19.00

The Elegant Flower

I think Jasmine is one of my favourite flowers of all-time. Did you know that women in South-East Asia just wear the flowers in their hair? Talk about fresh.

While, Korres, my favourite Greek beauty brand, scent their heavenly collection of Jasmine bodycare with newly opened jasmine buds, making the smell delicate yet super-long-lasting. Layer the showergel with the Body Butter and you’ll barely have any need for perfume. Now breathe deeply.
Korres Bodycare collections start at £8.

Supernatural Powers

With Spring finally in the air, I have started running again. And running through Shoreditch Park reminds me of festivals. It is always noisy, crazy, busy and the smell of fresh grass, almost hay-like is reminiscent of late summer nights.
 
But the colours of fresh spring, I find really inspiring. And makeup at this time of year should be fresh. Dewy skin and sweet doe eyes. I love Korres' makeup for this reason. The textures are so soft, creamy, blendable that it is almost impossible to overdo it. This blush is actually insanely natural. Super peachy. And the pencil is one of the softest I have tried and I have a real bug bear about pulling the delicate skin in this area. Plus, green and blue eyeshadows are the new way to channel the 70s hot-trend.
 
So, spring in to action, right?

Korres Blush in Natural £17.50

Korres Eyeshadow in Lime £12.00

Korres Eye Pencil in Black £8.00

Korres is available from Liberty, Asos.com and other great department stores.

Apothecary Cool

I have been noticing a real trend for apothecary beauty recently. And I am loving it. Dark brown bottles. Pharmaceutical style packaging. And natural ingredients. Now Korres, one of my favourite brands, is not one that I would usually put in to this category. Their packaging is fun, floral, design-led and undoubtedly beautiful.
But their new fragrances are right on the money. Dark brown glass bottles and apothecary-style all the way. And the actual fragrance of course. If you are a regular Korres user, you will know that Korres products always smell a-mazing. So the new Eau de Toilettes are no different.

I am currently obsessed with the Saffron, Amber, Cardamom and the Peonia, Vanilla, Amber Pear. They are light enough to be able to layer over other fragrances, but last long enough for you to still get a delicious whiff at lunchtime.


Plus, at £24.00 you can afford to stock up on more than one.

Butter Me Up, Baby

The snow, wind and minus temperatures that we have in England right now is nothing compared to Russia. I am going home to the Russian countryside this winter and I can't wait. But the wind, snow and minus temperatures that I will be up against leave my hair, skin (and eczema) in havoc.

All I can say is BUTTER ME UP! Right now, it is all about the most nourishing, gorgeously indulgent, buttery goodness of the following (feel free to follow like a recipe):

- Scoop up a dollop of Organic Pharmacy's Carrot Butter Cleanser (£31.95) and massage all over your face. Breathe in the delicious aroma of the essentials oils. Remove the day's grime with the organic cotton cloth and hot water. Et voila. That was step one.

- Squeeze out a generous helping of Klorane's Nourishing Treatment Shampoo (£5.69). Made with Mango butter, not only does it smell  tempting enough to eat, it lathers in to a rich foam just like that. Follow with the Nourishing Treatment Mask (£7.00), which will leave your hair impossibly soft. (Perfect for 70s flyaway disco hair by the way). Available at Boots.

- Treat chapped lips with Guava Lip Butter from Korres (£6.00). This is a beautiful sheer nude colour that creates an almost 60s lip. Makes a super-beautiful lipstick base too.

- Finally, add a touch of nourishment to your nails with Butter London's Nail Laquers (£12). Each one is made with no Formaldehyde, no toluene, and no DBP (Phthales). It's as nourishing as a nail varnish is going to get.

Now time to butter the crumpets. You need your strength in these climes...