Unboxing: LookFantastic Beauty Box June 2015

It’s been a while since I’ve put up a post! I truly apologise for the disappearance… between work and a broken computer, I just didn’t have enough energy to fix it on a regular basis only for it to fail again when the computer goes through another scheduled windows update. Meanwhile, I certainly haven’t stopped buying beauty products! I have tons of purchases just piling up on my bedroom floor waiting to be unboxed! Let’s start off with this LookFantastic Beauty Box for June 2015!

Empties #14: October 2014 – Part 2

Hello! Welcome to Part 2 of going through my beauty trash in October! Writing about empties is actually pretty draining – because I do put in the time and energy to try to review as much as I can – that means trying to remember exactly what I felt about the product and then writing about it. A lot of times I don’t even remember because I wasn’t paying attention – and when it’s a tiny sample size, before you know it it’s used up and you have absolutely no clue what it did. Anyway, let’s get cracking on and see what I can remember about the rest of this October’s empties!

Review: REN Clarifying Toning Lotion aka/or REN Clarimatte™ Clarifying Toner

Is it just me or does anyone else get irritated when brands rename their products, without a substantial change in the product itself? I just don’t understand why they do it! I have the older format of this REN Clarifying Toning Lotion but it is now know as the REN Clarimatte™ Clarifying Toner. Whatever the name is, it’s the same product. If you have the old one, you don’t have to run out to buy the ‘new’ toner.

Empties #12: August 2014 – Part 1

Another month of massive empties! I thought using up so much items consistently every month would make a dent in my stash… but somehow that doesn’t seem the be the case! My recent subscription mystery box addiction has made things worse! On the bright side, because of the pile of growing beauty products I am now really good about doing certain beauty regimes that I never used to care about – like taking my skincare down to my décolletage, using moisturizer on my body everyday or using a hair mask weekly. So what have I used up this month?

Review: REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser

I went a little nuts on cleansers and toners a while back after stumbling upon Caroline Hiron’s blog. After that I literally bought everything I could that she recommended or approved and the REN ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser was one of the products she had mentioned before.

Claims by REN:
REN’s ClearCalm3 system combats the 3 key causes of breakouts and blemishes: excess sebum; build up of dead skin cells; blemish-causing bacteria… without harshness.

Ingredients:
Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Water, Kaolin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Oryzanol, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Leptospermum Scoparium Oil, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Oil, Linalool, Limonene, Zinc Gluconate, Bisabolol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Dehydroacetic Acid, Crataegus Oxyacantha Stem Extract, Glucose, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid, Tocopherol.

I have no clue what those ingredients are so they are just there for your reference. I will only judge it base on how my skin reacts to it.

I love the packaging – it is a see-through bottle so you know when the product is running out. It’s quite affordable; I bought it off a UK website for £18.00 with free delivery, and at 150ml, I think it’s really great value.

In terms of texture, it feels really different from any other face wash that I’ve tried. It’s very thick and very creamy, and does not foam up. It kind of feels like a clay mask except that it doesn’t really harden. When I first used it, it felt really weird because its like washing your face with mud. One thing I didn’t like was that it feels difficult to get off; after washing I felt like there was still something left behind on my face.

Although the texture is like clay, it does not dry up my skin, which I was pleasantly surprised about. I only use it once or twice a week though, because most clarifying cleansers are too strong and drying for regular use on my very dry skin. However, I think that’s where the benefits end. After using it for 3 months, I don’t think that it prevents blemishes at all. I only get hormonal breakouts though, but even then I don’t feel like it helps to calm the skin down during moments like that.

I won’t be repurchasing this; I don’t like the texture, the way that it never feels fully clean, and that it does not seem to be doing anything for my skin. It’s not a terrible product – it doesn’t make my skin worse, but I don’t think it lives up to its claims and I don’t like the way it feels.

Rating: 2.5/5