Review | REN Rosa Centifolia 3-in-1 Cleansing Water

REN Rosa Centifolia 3-in-1 Cleansing Water - £13.00

Cleansing waters seem to be the latest 'it' product, you can't really walk through Boots without a new one having been released, I even saw today that Soap and Glory have decided to have a try at one. Bioderma started it off years back, but with it not being readily available over here and only really being a product people could get from a trip to France or an expensive eBay order, British brands started to see the gap in the market. I've tried a handful in the past year and I wasn't convinced by them, even though I was cleansing after I still hated the feeling they left on my skin for that minute between cleansing, and just felt they were doing my skin more bad than they were good. I was recently given the REN one by my sister, I love what I've tried from REN so I had high hopes for it, especially considering how expensive this is compared to the drugstore options.

Ren describe the product as "A gentle 3-in-1 cleanser, make-up remover and toner that is suitable for the delicate eye area and even the most sensitive skin", but I can't help but disagree. I never agree to any cleansing water labelling themselves as a cleanser, because just like makeup wipes they can't really get deep in to the pores like a cleanser and hot cloth can, but the least I expect from a cleansing water is for it to remove my makeup. This product couldn't even do that, not only did it leave a tacky and itchy feeling residue on my face it wasn't able to remove most of my eye makeup. I used a cotton pad per eye which was left on for around 30 seconds then swiped, and probably about 70% of my eye makeup was still there. I persisted and tried to remove as much as I could and was eventually able to get my eyeliner off but there was still mascara on my lashes and below my eyes there was a dark smudge of eyeliner and mascara that wasn't budging. I might as well have used standard hot water on my eyes because it probably would have done the same job. To make matters worse it actually stung my eyes, I'm guessing it was due to the rose oil extracts, but it didn't really help in trying to win me over.

I've read reviews and they seem to be half an half, some people having the same problems as me and some people loving the product and saying it refreshes their skin. I've tried a sample of the hot cloth cleanser that is in the same line as this and whilst I liked it, I wasn't wowed by it, so maybe I just don't mix well with rose. Either way for £13.00 and only 200ml of product I don't feel it's worth it, if I was going to splash out on a micellar water I'd just go for Bioderma, thanks to Escentual now stocking it it's easy to buy, you get more product for your money and it's got makeup artists all over the world singing it's praises!

In short, this didn't convince me on the micellar water front, I'd much rather just spend a couple extra minutes and do a full double cleanse, I feel a lot cleaner and my skin in the long run looks a lot fresher and clearer.

What are your opinions on cleansing waters, love them or hate them?

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Top 5 Makeup Brushes

When it comes to makeup brushes I'm still to branch out of the lower end of the spectrum. For a long time I have lusted after a MAC 217 and would love to be able to go out and spend £20 on one brush, but as a student it's just not likely. There are so many great and cheap offerings that right now I don't really feel an expensive brush collection is necessary. I have around 30 brushes in my collection which I've bought over the past 18 months, so I've compiled down which of them are my 5 essential and favourite brushes.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - This brush is probably a brush you'll find on most people's list of their top brushes, and for good reason. Whilst it's annoying that it can't be bought alone, the core collection is an amazing kit to have, I've found a use for each brush and even if you only use one other brush from the set that's still only £10 each. This brush helps to seamlessly blend your foundation in to the skin in seconds giving it a natural and flawless look. It works amazing at blending out concealer and evening out cream blush in to the skin. My only problem is how hard it can be to wash and how long it takes to dry, but it's still probably the number one brush for anyone new to makeup! 

ELF Complexion Brush - When I first bought this brush I didn't think much of it, and for a while it just sat in my pot of brushes unused. But in recent months I've been using it more and and more and it has become one of my daily essentials. It is able to do pretty much the whole face, apply powder, blush, bronzer and highlighter, and is my favourite brush for all of them things. It picks up a light amount of product meaning the face never looks cakey and the cheeks are never too bronzed. For £3.95 it's super soft, washes amazingly and is a great one to have. 

eBay 222 Eyeshadow Brush - Like I said, I'd love to own some MAC brushes, especially their eyeshadow ones, so when I came across these dupes on eBay I knew I had to try them. I have 4 brushes from this seller, all different numbers and this is by far my favourite. It picks up enough product to cover the eyelid but is small enough to fit in the crease and blend the shadow out. It is slightly scratchy but for 99p you can't really expect the best quality and it does seem to get softer with every wash. If you're after brushes but don't want to spend a small fortune eBay is the best place to look.

Real Techniques Multi Task Brush - Another Real Techniques brush which can only be bought in a set, they really should offer some way of selling all their brushes individually. Similar to the complexion brush it does pretty much everything, but this brush is perfect for contouring. Although the brush is slightly larger than most peoples ideal contour brush I love it, I'm able to get a precise contour which is blended perfectly and doesn't leave any lines. I do prefer my ELF brush for bronzing and blush, but for on the go this is pretty much the only brush you would need.

SEVENTEEN Brow Brush - If I pair this brush with my eBay 222 I can do pretty much any look. This is great for doing your brows, gel liner and smudging out eyeshadow and eyeliner, (can you see a theme? I like brushes that can do more than one job). It's small and thin which means you can get a precise application for what ever the use, something that can't be done with the Real Techniques Brow Brush. The one bad thing is the brush can't actually be bought anymore, I got this in a brush set that was exclusive to Boots at Christmas, but is a set I'll be looking out for again this Christmas. 

There are my 5 top brushes and probably all I would need for a full face of makeup, that doesn't however mean I won't need anymore in my collection! What are your favourites, I'm always on the look out for some more to add?

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Review | Soap and Glory: The Scrub Of Your Life

When it comes to treating my body I'm probably the worst person for it, I have an abundance of body butters and moisturisers but can't actually remember when I last used one. I am however quite good at exfoliating, I might not do it enough to my face but I try to exfoliate my body at least twice a week, and always turn to Soap and Glory for the exfoliator.

Over the past year I've tried around five different exfoliators from Soap and Glory, and this is defiantly my favourite from the bunch, making it the only one I've actually repurchased. It has the typical Soap and Glory scent, similar to The Righteous Butter and Clean On Me, so very girly and my favourite scent offered by Soap and Glory. The scrub itself is a clear gel with pink micro beads and small grains that help to gently exfoliate the skin and remove any dead skin cells. In the past I've found some Soap and Glory exfoliators to be a bit too abrasive, such as the Sugar Crush Body Scrub, which left my skin red and stinging after using it, but with this one the gel starts to lather up when water is added, making the exfoliator a lot more gentle, so it's perfect for even dry skin. Thanks to it lathering up it also becomes slightly creamy and has slight moisturising properties to it, making it ideal for lazy people like me! 

Probably one of my favourite things overall has to be the fact it is in a tube as opposed to a jar, it's a lot easier to get the product out, making it a lot more encouraging to use. I can't be the only one who is less likely to use something that comes in a jar, especially when taking a shower? 

I can't recommend this exfoliator enough, it's gentle to the skin but is still abrasive enough to lightly buff away any dead skin leaving my body feeling super soft and smooth. It retails at £7.00 for 200ml and lasts around 3 months of using it twice a week. Next time you're in Boots in need of new body care make sure this is near the top your list!

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