Aveda Intensive Hydrating Masque

Aveda Intensive Hydrating Masque, £28 for 150ml

I, like most people (probably), found out about this masque through Pixiwoo's vlog interview with skin care whiz, the great Caroline Hirons. In fact, up until that video, I hadn't known that Aveda had a skincare range. It's a brand I have always associated with haircare, probably because that's all they sell in salons, but as it turns out, Aveda has everything from haircare to skincare and beauty- the whole shebang. Anyway- Caroline featured this masque as a favourite for having a good amount of hyaluronic acid; moisture magnets that bind moisture to the skin and can hold up to 10x its weight in water. In any case, the world has finally caught on (and so have I)- there's even a drinkable form now! 

This masque is perhaps one of the best moisture masques I have come across. I have been using it for the last couple of months now, on a twice a week routine, and I have noticed a considerable difference in the way my skin retains moisture. It's oil free with a refreshing scent, and it comes as a cooling gel that's rich in potent plant-derived humectants (note: HA) and calming and soothing ingredients, mainly aloe vera, kelp and lavender. I apply a thick layer after toning and leave it on for 10 minutes (sometimes I forget and I leave it for longer), then rinse/wipe with a hot cloth. The result is a much smoother texture, tacky even, but in a good way, like the skin is finally ready to absorb more hydration. I then follow it up with my current roster of winter serums (either ANR2, Hydraluron or Clarins' HydraQuench Bi-Phase Serum) and face creams. 

Its a great masque to have in your arsenal during the colder months, regardless of your skin type. The fact that it's oil-free means those with oily skins can enjoy the benefits of hydration without the worry of overloading the skin and triggering breakouts. In fact, I still use a clay mask in targeted areas alongside this one. I tend to get very dry around the cheeks to I keep the clay around t-zone only. So far, the combo has been fine. 

It is a tad pricy for a face masque at £28 a pop, but it's bigger than your average 100ml and it works. Buy it from John Lewis, here. 

Burt's Bees Cleansers

Hello dear readers!

Apologies for the lack of posts recently. I really should work on making these posts more regular. However, a major silver lining would be that I actually get the time to try the products out for a good while before making a judgement on them! Which, I suppose is really the point of beauty blogging, especially when it comes to skincare. You need the time to see results! Needless to say, I have a couple of exciting to new find that I would very much like to share with y'all!

A few weeks back, I found some free time to visit a friend in Norwich. It's not hard to find these pockets of time right now because I only work part time, but I foresee less of these breaks in the upcoming Christmas quarter. If you work in retail, let's all hold our hands and breaths because Hell is coming. Anyway, one of the highlights of my trip was a chance to pop in to Jarrolds. If you haven't been to Norwich centre before, make sure to make a pit stop there as it is such a lovely department store. Very old-world, but with an AMAH-ZING beauty hall! For me, it is the nearest store that stock most of the brands I have grown to love, so I made sure to top up on my Caudalie and Darphin. I also got REN's Glycolactic Mask, which I could have gotten in Peterborough but since I was there, it would have been stupid to not buy it. It was literally siren calling at me. So got that. What piqued my interest the most however, were these two cleansers from Burt's Bees.