Mac Volcanic Ash Exfoliator

Mac has repromoted their (in)famous Volcanic Ash Exfoliator in the Heavenly Creature collection and surprisingly it's still in stock, so I thought I'd review it quickly for those who are still debating whether to get it.

What is it? Volcanic Ash Exfoliator is a coarse black coloured sweet smelling facial scrub/exfoliator that comes in a squeezy tube. It's made mostly of sugar, but it also contains some volcanic ash that gives it it's black colour. It is quite rough, although the sugar crystals do melt when rubbed, but I think those with sensitive skin might want to try it first to see if it's gentle enough for them. For me, this is the best facial scrub I've ever tried, and I also love using it as a lip scrub. It's very effective, it leaves my skin smooth. It's more gentle than St. Ives Apricot Scrub which I also like, but that is admittedly very rough. I use Volcanic Ash Exfoliator probably once or twice a week, depending on whether I remember to do so.

It comes in a 100 ml tube and one tube lasts me about 6 months if not more. You really only need a small amount. Unfortunately it is limited edition again, so if you like it, be sure to stock up on it, you don't know when it'll next come out (if it does). It's silly for skincare to be limited edition in my opinion, but what can you do, that's Mac for you?!

A tube of Volcanic Ash Exfoliator costs £21, which I believe is quite a bit more than what it cost 2 years ago, but I can't remember exactly. This time I only bought 2 tubes because I still have probably 5 or 6 left (I managed to buy 3 in the CCO in Florida last year). Hope they will repromote is again because it is definitely my favourite scrub.

See more pictures after the jump!

Ginvera Green Tea Whitening Marvel Gel Review

Zero blackheads in 1 step! At least that's what Ginvera claims this gel does. I have lots of blackheads and I have tried a lot of scrubs and other ways of reducing their number, sadly to no avail. So when I had the opportunity to try out Ginvera's Marvel Gel I jumped right in.

Did it work? Sadly, no. And to be honest I don't even see how it would. What you have here is basically a smooth green gel that you have to massage onto your face that then gathers into little clumps (which is apparently the dead skin it removes), then you wash it off and you're supposed to be left with clearer skin. I don't know how it works, what it is that clumps up, whether it is the gel or it really is dead skin, although to be honest I'd be quite alarmed to find all that skin coming off my face every day. I used this religiously for about 10 days and I'm pretty sure I still have the same amount of blackheads I did before.

The gel also claims to rub away deep layers of dead skin cells (again, how deep can that layer be???), contract pores for refined skin (not for me it didn't), lighten black spots, freckles and scars (nope), remove oil seeds (I don't even know what that means), regulate sebum secretion to prevent pimples (my skin is not oily right now at all, so it's hard to judge, but I did get spots while using this anyway), brighten dull complexion (not really), change dark rough skin to smooth skin (not for me), whitens skin (I don't actually want white skin, I'm pale enough already) and enhance quick absorption of skincare products (I can't really comment on this). So as you can see a lot of claims, but not really any result for me. In fact I'll go as far as saying this did nothing to me AT ALL. So I would definitely not recommend this to anyone.

60 ml of this gel normally costs £24, although at the moment it's reduced to £18 (plus p&p) and is available from Janiro, the new UK distributor of Ginvera products.You can also request a free sample if you don't want to commit to buying the full size product by clicking here.

See more pictures after the jump!

Finished! The November Edition

I managed to finish a lot of products this month, so I'm pretty pleased with that. Of course most of them are skincare products as usual, but I did finish two pieces of make up, so it's alright.

First up is the most expensive face cream I've ever owned, it's Guerlain Orchidee Imperiale Exceptional Complete Care Cream. This is a 50 ml size and it currently retails for £255. No, I've not gone mad, or maybe I have! I didn't pay nowhere near as much as this was actually a tester that I bought on eBay and the lid actually looks pretty worn, although don't know why because the cream inside was untouched. I've had this for quite a while, especially as I tended not to use it in the summer as it doesn't have any SPF. Also you really only need a tiny bit, so it does last forever. It's really lovely, but I don't know if it's 25 times better than my Nivea face cream that I've also finished. So I won't be repurchasing this for now, although I do actually have about 15 samples of it as well for travelling, so I'm okay for now anyway.  

See what other products I've finished after the jump!

Finished! The October Edition

Firstly, sorry about neglecting the blog these last few days. I've been very busy with shopping (the new Mac collections are out as well as Dior, Chanel and those gorgeous Models Own Beetlejuice nail polishes) and also updating my blog sale (nearly done). Plus little everyday things like children and cleaning and washing and cooking... You know.

Anyway, another month has gone past, so here's another post about all the products I've finished last month. Only five though, sadly, however there are quite a few other ones just hanging by their teeth. Just like this first product was, I thought I'd never finish it.

It's Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub. Couldn't wait to finish it off. Firstly, it's not a scrub. It's a creamy cleanser with some very soft bits in it. It does not scrub, nor it does exfoliate. It is not a deep cleansing scrub like it claims. It did nothing for me, my pores are still there, clogged and as big as ever. Waste of money. (Can you tell I didn't like this?)

Find out what other products I finished after the jump!

Finished! The August Edition

Another month has gone by and I've managed to finish a few more products. Mostly skincare, but there are a couple of mascaras in there too. Let's start with the one thing I don't have a photo for, that's because I took it with me on holiday and managed to leave it behind. It was nearly finished, and since I don't have it any more, I'll consider it finished. What I'm talking about it a sample of Clinique's 7 Day Scrub Cream. It's an okay scrub, but not too special. Certainly not £17 per 100 ml special, so I will not be repurchasing it.

Onto the next Clinique product, I also had a sample of Take The Day Off make up remover. I did like this one very much, it's very effective at removing make up, and I will definitely buy a full sized one once my current Estee Lauder make up remover runs out. The full size (125 ml) costs £14.50, it's not cheap, but it is certainly a very good make up remover.

Read about all the other products I've finished this month and see more pictures!

Finished! The July edition

Here are the products I finished in the month of July. Not to shabby, although sadly only 3 make up items.Still, my collection of cleansers/scrubs need using up as well. Let's have a look at what I managed to finish last month, shall we?

First up is Maybelline Dream Satin liquid foundation in 020 Cameo. I have reviewed it already, you can read my review here. I don't love it, it doesn't really work for me, it's greasy and leaves my face quite shiny too, so won't be repurchasing this. I still have another half a bottle though, so you can expect that to appear in another Finished! post soon. Available from Boots, Superdrug, etc. £8.19 at Boots with a 3 for 2 offer currently on.

Keep reading to find out what other products I have finished this month!