7th Heaven Argan Oil Mud Mask Review - Cruelty Free, Vegetarian, Skin Care

So its been a while since the last time I used a foil packet mud mask. Recently I've been trialling sheet masks and using up some peel off ones I had sitting for a while.

My skins been a little congested and crazy recently. I'm putting it down to a mix of stress (it got so bad I ended up with stress headaches), air conditioning and hormones, so a clean out was drastically needed. 

I went through my big bag of masks and things I need to review and found this guy. It's advertised for combination and oily skin and claims it deeply cleanses and balances skin. The package contains 15g of product and costs £1, so its very affordable. Here's hoping it works.

So this smelled good and applied well. There was also plenty so it was easy to get a good layer. 

So the first problem I had with this was that it took a really long time to dry. As you can see from the bottom photo the area around my mouth was dry and almost completely cracked whilst areas on my cheek and nose haven't dried at all yet. I did try to keep my face as still possible but after about twenty minutes I had to move jaw. Cracking this hurt a lot, it felt like the mask clung to every single little hair on my face and when I moved it felt like I got an accidental wax. Ouchie!

The second issue I had was once it began to crack little bits of mud fell off everywhere. I found bits in the living room, bathroom and the bedroom floor. It was so bad that I ended up having to put my dressing gown in the laundry because it was covered in light pink flakes. 

It was easy enough to remove with a damp cloth and a little patience. Once I got it off my skin felt really dry though, drier than it has in a long time and and far drier than I like it being. I have some issues with the skin from the apples of my cheeks down to the corners of my mouth and these areas had become very tight and almost painful.

The next day some patches of my skin were very dry and peeling slightly and the areas on my cheeks were sore and the little bumps seemed to have come to a head. Normally I would have said this was a good thing but as the rest of the area was sore I'm not so sure. 

In all honesty, I wouldn't buy this mask again. I think there are better ones out there at a similar price point and it did not do good things for my skin. 

XOXO Scruffy

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com

Boots Ingredients Sheet Mask in Charcoal and Willow Bark Review - Cruelty Free Skincare

It seems like everyone and their sister is obsessed with sheet masks right now, and yeah, I was curious. However, I did some research and realised that finding one I could use might not be as easy as I thought. A lot of the ones I found online were made in Asia, and it was hard to work out if they were cruelty free or not. Also some of the ingredients sounded a little daunting, I actually came across one that claimed the active ingredient was placenta. Eeeps, no thanks.

So when I was in Boots today, trying desperately not to buy lipstick (I had seven in my basket at one point, but I put five back. I'm so proud of myself), and I came across Boots new own brand ones, I was delighted as I could finally give them a go. I picked up three, a nourishing one, a revitalising one and this cleansing one. 

So the mask has charcoal and willow bark in it and the back of the pack claims it will leave my skin "feeling cleansed, purified and revitalised in just 15 minutes". Its a good claim, and as much as I'd never say no to my skin feeling more of any one of those things, I drastically need all three right now. My face, especially my forehead is a hot mess with a mix of stress and hormone induced face demons and I have a family function on Saturday I want to look semi-nice for. Here's hoping this helps and doesn't infuriate the little monsters.

So first impressions... ewwwww.

Its so slimy feeling, and I'm supposed to put this on my face and leave it there for 15 minutes. Yuck.

Once I got over the thought of applying an item that felt a lot like it was covered in slug goo to me face, I realised that it is also ridiculously hard to apply. The forehead part is huge, the eyes are a weird shape, the area for the cupids bow is way, way to big and there's a lot of spare round the cheeks and chin. 

Within about 30 seconds of applying it my skin started tingling intensely, far more than I expected and so much I actually found it uncomfortable. I probably should have taken it off but I'm never one to back away from a challenge so I sat through it. It disappeared pretty quickly too, making way for a kind of cool menthol tingle type feeling I actually found really pleasant. I might have left it on my face for a little bit longer than I should have cause I was enjoying it.

Gravity was not this masks friends for two reasons. It pulled on the mask and made it slide down for and cover my eyes and mouth, not fun. It also made all the (excessive) amount of gel in it slide down and pool in the mask folds around my mouth and neck. I spent a lot of time smooshing the gel back up and smearing back across the forehead. Maybe if I'd laid back and shut my eyes it wouldn't have been so annoying but oh well. 

Peeling off the mask was fun. I like peeling things off my skin, it hadn't stuck so my face the way a peel off mask would but there was still some traction there. The whoosh sensation was fun, probably caused by my skin becoming exposed again after spending 20 minutes heating the sheet up.

I rubbed in the excess gel from the mask like you're supposed to and let that settle in. 

Did my skin feel cleansed, purified and revitalised? Not really, it felt clean and soft but that was about it. I was a little disappointed but I hadn't expected much so I packed myself off to bed.

The next morning I noticed a difference though. I had a couple of painful spots forming on my forehead the night before and these seemed to have calmed down a lot. They'd gone from swollen red patches to just little lumps, the way a spot feels when its almost done healing. They also weren't sore to touch and the skin didn't feel tight any more which was amazing. The rest of my skin felt slightly improved and still felt clean from the night before, which never happens. I was so impressed.

So, to cut a long story short...

Did the mask feel gross?

Yes.

Was it annoying to use?

A bit.

Did it do what it said it would?

Yes, but not immediately.

Do the results out way the ickiness?

Yes.

Buy it again?

Definitely.

Boots new sheet masks are available here and are currently on offer at £2 (usual price £2.50 so you're getting 20% off). I'm going to go back and stock up on these, I'll test one again next week and if I get the same results this mask will problem become something I use every time my skin decides to freak out. 

Are you a sheet mask lover? 

XOXO Scruffy 

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com

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Review: Primark PS... Love to Glow Face Mask - Cruelty Free Skincare

If you've read any of my other posts, and I mean any, you'll know I love a beauty bargain. Back in mid July I finally tried some of the PS... range from Primark, with mixed results (lip liner, yes. Eyeshadow, total failure). However with the vast majority of the products being under £5 (right within my budget) I decided to give some more ago before I made my mind up completely.

A while ago I found myself on Sauchiehall street, an area of Glasgow I don't usually get a chance to visit, with some time to kill. So I had a wee gander at some of the shops that are out that way, especially Tiger (love me some Tiger), and ended up in Primark. My first thought was heck, this one is far cleaner and tidier than my local one. The make-up and beauty area in this one is up the escalator, so I guess people are less likely to run in, rip stuff, make a mess, and leave. I got to actually look at things without the fear of getting covered in something broken and icky.

One of the first things that caught my eye was this mask. It is the PS... Love to Glow face mask with Argan Oil and Vitamin E. And costs £3 for 50ml (1.69 US Fl. Oz.). Pretty cheap for the amount you get. Also up until then I wasn't even aware Primark made skincare, I thought it was just make-up and a limited amount of hair care. So I had to try it, for science.

Packaging wise, the box is ok. Its a box, it describes the contents, its not ugly. Job done. Now for the jar. Its glass, not plastic, which is a very nice touch, however the cheap lid lets it down. Also grey product, with a grey label and grey text, not a smart move. For £3, its pretty much what you would expect though.

First impressions, grey, mudlooking, pot of goop. Its really, really perfumed which is a bit offputting, but not so offputting I wouldn't rub it all over my skin and leave it there for ten minutes. Texture wise its thick and a bit grainy but not gloopy or super wet. Better than a foil package mask but not as nice as some of the "mud type" masks you get in tubes.

Proof I actually rubbed this stuff all over my face. I actually had to do it three times to get this post finished.

Ever pull a face and then think, oh god why? Yeah, thats me right now. Why did I do that? Yikes.

The first thing you notice when applying the mask, after the smell, is the cooling feeling. As it doesn't claim to be firming or tightening, so I think whatever is doing this has been added only to make your skin feel cooler and tighter as you sit with it on your face.








So this mask claims to be Exfoliating, Smoothing, Brightening and Moisturising. I'm just going to break it down one by one and let you know what I thought.

Exfoliating: I wouldn't say I found it exfoliating. I wash my face with super soft microfibre clothes so that might have had something to do with it. It is grainy so if you wet your hands and rubbed at it once its dry, it probably would exfoliate pretty well.

Smoothing: Yeah ok, my skin did seem a bit smoother. If that was its only function I would be disappointed though.

Brightening: Anything that rubs off dead skin should in theory brighten, right? I've never really thought of my skin as being dull so I don't know if it really needs brightened up. My skin does feel nicer once I've scrubbed it off though. So win, I guess.

Moisturising: My skin isn't super dry at the moment and, in all honesty, I've been missing moisturiser some evenings. Does it moisturiser? Probably. Did I notice? Nope. Mehh...

Overall this facemask is mehh. My skin feels nicer-ish when I've used it but nothing major. I had to use the mask three times to get this review finished so I feel like I got a fairly good idea of everything thing mask has to offer . It doesn't offer much.

4 out of 10. Try it if you're curious about the PS...Love rang as its not terrible, but if you're looking for amazing results, you wont get them here. Probably wouldn't recommend.

xoxo Scruffy