Tea tree face mask by Montagne Jeunesse

The Korean-style face masks are one of my favourites, as I am guaranteed a perfect coverage as well as a higher hydration as in the case of the usual skin products. The fashion of Korean masks entered also the German markets, with a variety of products and price ranges, from 2 Euro until 100 - for Shiseido, for instance. For the weekly and daily skin care, I am for low to medium average products and thus, I decided to try a tea tree mask by Montagne Jeunesse. This 30-year old Wales-based company offers cruelty free vegan products using natural ingredients packed in attractive colourful packages at affordable prices. Those are the kind of products to use at least twice the week.

My cloth mask has a mixture of natural ingredients, among which green mint, spearmint leaf oil, algae extract, birch leaf extract and of course, the tea tree oil. It covers perfectly the face and I recommend that before use, to keep it at least 3 hours in the fridge, the refreshing effect is even stronger than when you keep it at the room temperature. 

I tried to create a quiet and pleasant ambiance to spend for at least 10 minutes with the cloth mask on my face. I closed the eyes, deep breath and ready to give myself my personal quarter of an hour of home spa. Even the baby understood that something special is going on and after looking at my funny white covered face, he gave me a little break while playing with his stuffed toys. 

As for me, I went through a variety of sensations, not all of them relaxing. The smell is pleasant and refreshing, an oily mint that it awakes the senses while folding you in a cloud of relaxation. From minute 3, the skin went through moderate to hot fire, with sparkling pinches popping up all over the face covered by the cloth. You should take care to avoid any contact with the eyes, as the mixture is strong enough to burn a bit, although for a very short time. Somehow, the smell balances the strange sensations going on the skin, but I must confess that the last 2 minutes were quite hard, as every minute I wanted to take the mask off and get my 'freedom' back.

The effects on the skin were more than satisfying: the skin looks better and younger and cleaner, the pores are cleansed and the level of hydration was good enough for a couple of good coming days. 

As for now, I am considering to test other masks by Montagne Jeunesse, not only because are made in one of my favourite parts of the world, Wales.

Beauty review: In Dusch Body Milk with Honey by Nivea

Source: www.nivea.de

I used to be a big fan of Nivea products a couple of years back as our holiday house was close to a factory of the company and as kids, we used to spy a lot around the premices, trying to imagine how to beauty creams are made. I especially liked their hand creams and skin care products, but once in a while I also liked to try their shower creams.

A couple of days ago I discovered a lot of samples of In Dusch Body Milk with Honey and decided to test it for 3 days. 

What I really like about it is that are made for busy people. My shower ritual is to apply the shower gel and after drying to use my special body milk but this takes time usually. With this body milk, after you use the shower gel, with the skin wet, you apply it and keep showering and dry the body. 

I used a 10 ml. sample every time and it was enough. It is free of silicone and artificial substances. It has a strong smell of honey and milk, but on the skin it goes as a natural fragrance. After using it twice for almost a week, the skin looks smooth and fine at touch. It works for both normal - my skin - and dry.

As there are many more In Dusch products, most probably will be tempted to try more samples soon.

In Germany, it is available for 4.49 Euro in most Rossmann and DM stores.

Beauty review: Hydra Active 3 Skin Perfection by L'Oreal Paris

I love the hydration products and I always feel safe when I have at least one into my beauty closet. After going deep into my 30s, I decided to use intensively extra hydration, with the same care I take care to clean my face every day, regardless if I use make-up or not or if I went out of the house or not. I want to keep the skin clean.

This Hydra Active 3 Skin Perfection by L'Oreal Paris is available in the Rossmann stores in Berlin for less than 2 Eur. It is available in a 200 ml. bottle that may last more than one month, used twice the day, in the morning and in the evening. For the evening, I cleaned my face with Balea wet napkins. To apply, I used the big ISANA pads who had the advantage of offering a better coverage of the skin and absorbs more liquid. 

It works for every skin type, and must be applied on the face, neck and decollete. It is parabene free and contains, among others: water, glycerine, fragrance and hydrogenated castor oil. 

After the first 2 days, my skin started to look cleaner, velvet-like by touch, but also a bit too greasy for my taste. The liquid is oily and does have a smell which I do not necessarily fancy to skin products. I did not develop any allergic reaction, but upon applying it does itch a bit as it happends in the case of products with a bit of alcohol - and its derivatives - content. 

What I really find annoying is the impractical system of pouring the liquid. There is no possibility to portion the quantity of liquid on the pad which can lead often to unexpected drops of oily liquid spread where you expect less. 

Otherwise is a recommended purchase ut do not expect wonders unless you use other skin care products. 

Cheap or expensive? What products are the best for you?

Before I am planning what I have to write for the week, I am trying to include various beauty products, including creams, perfumes or make-up. In most cases, I purchase these products from the local DM and Rossmann store in Berlin, which always offer various temptations at a very good price. 

The products that I stuck in my closet vary, from high-end expensive ones to affordable investments for the daily care. For instance, I am using right now make-up removal wet napkins from Balea for less than 1 Euro. As I used for a long time various creams, I may say that I am very happy with the results of the wet napkins because not only clean the traces of make up but also offer a proper hydration to my skin. 

For a long time, I used to think that only expensive products are good for the skin. When it comes to make it, it actually works in many cases, but when it comes to skin care, nowadays there are many quality affordable options, at least when it comes to the German market. As I am very careful about my skin, before I buy a product I reading the ingredients and the description in order to be sure that it is worth to try it. My experience with both categories of products is that it happens to invest in very expensive products that disappointed me greatly while small investments brought me a lot of advantages. As a rule, I prefer to use known brands, with a well established reputation, including in the field of medical and scientific research.

On this blog, I will always keep posting product recommendations and reviews of products that I tested and used myself, regardless of their price. Proved quality is what matters for me. As I only occasionally do luxury reviews, most of the products introduced on this blog usually belong to the medium priced category. As usual, I am always curious to discover new brands and products but be sure that the review will always reflect my direct experience.

Product review: Clearasil Daily Clear. Hydra blast Peeling

After giving birth, I am looking for new reliable skin products that can be used fast with maximum efficiency. After the weekly masks, the cleaning products are the most sought during my frequent visits to Rossmann or DM stores in Berlin. 

Clearasil Daily Clear - Hydra blast peeling, exfoliant, is my newest beauty discovery. It has aloe vera and cucumber extract - one of my favourite ingredients in creams and not only for the smell - and Vitamin 3, praised for its qualities as good skin moisturizer, bringing skin softness, suppleness and hydration. Especially for a skin that it is no longer in the early 20s, this Vitamin helps improving the appearance. 

I started to use the product twice the day, in the morning and in the evening. In the evening, I took care to have a make-up free face. The moisturized cream mixed in the hand is applied in all directions on the wet skin. Wait around 2 minutes than rinse with warm water. Preparing and applying takes around 5 minutes from your time, a total of 10 minutes the day for your skin only. Not bad, isn't it?

As for the results, my skin looks back velvet-like. A did encounter some mild irritation that did not last. It has a pleasant smell, fresh, for sure given by the high concentration of cucumber. 

The 150 ml tube is a new formula and may last around 1 month. It can be purchased from the Rossmann store for less than 3 euro. Besides Germany, and France where it is produced, it can be found in North America, Japan, Russia, UAE and South Africa. 

Beauty corner: Clean-up strips from Rival de Loop

As the air in Berlin is very fresh and the pollution is relatively limited, I do not need too many clearing products, but somehow, especially in the spring I need to intensify the number of skin products. For a long time, I was a faithful user of Nivea clear-up strips, with relatively good results. 

But I am known for my curiosity to try new products as well and for the last 4 weeks, I used the Rival de Loop Pure Skin Clear-up Strips, available at my local Rossmann at a very acceptable price - as everything that goes up by this company distributed by Rossmann.

Based on tea tree oil, it can be used for forehead, nose and chin. The application is relatively easy: you wet the strip with warm water, apply it in the areas with predisposition to black spots, wait for around 10-15 minutes, take it out and clean the skin with warm water. The results are relatively modest: it cleans the skin, but every time I needed to clean carefully the glue that remains on the skin, an experience that I did not have before. The skin looks clean, but not completely, and most likely you need to repeat the process in less than one week. 

Otherwise, if you need to make a small investment in your skin, you can do it. If not necessarily, you can wait a bit more and buy a product that is really high-quality from all points of view.