Rosehip Plus Hydrating Day Cream

RRP: £24

--What does the promo say?--
"This Hydrating Day Cream is a 100% pure and natural Australian Certified Organic facial moisturiser. It has been formulated with RosehipPLUS® 100% pure Certified Organic cold pressed Rosehip Oil as well as a blend of chamomile, avocado and rose geranium, which supports and encourages a healthier looking skin."

--Packaging--
The orange and white colour scheme is new and different, with the rosehip plant clearly silhouetted. The flip-top lid is practical also.

--Application--
Rub a small amount into your clean, dry face post-cleansing. A little goes a long way, so beware!

--Appearance--
The white cream dissolves invisibly into skin, leaving no residue.

--Scent--
Surprisingly citrusy, although not overpoweringly so.

--Texture and consistency--
As mentioned, blends well without any greasiness or stickiness.

--Effects on the skin--
The product's claims are perhaps a little vague and those with acneic skin may not find that it helps to balance oiliness. Those with drier skin may benefit more from the cream's alleged hydrating properties.

--Value for money--
While the quality of the sourced ingredients is undisputed, and the cream is pleasant to use, it didn't seem right for my skin type - a shame. I have had better success with oil cleansing methods in the past, however, so would be keen to try the rosehip oil from the same range instead.

perfect partners
Rosehip Oil, from £15
Skin Boost Roll-On, £10
Nourishing Night Cream, £29
Daily Cream Cleanser, £19

Spa Technologies Vitamin C Mist

RRP: from £15

--What does the promo say?--
"An Isotonic Seawater Mist fortified with Hyaluronic Acid to attract and retain moisture to the skin and Antioxidants to restore lost minerals and vital elements. Use after cleansing or whenever skin needs refreshing."

--Packaging--
A chunky glass bottle with an eyecatching metallic blue band that looks sophisticated and modern while helping the brand name to stand out. I'm a fan of glass bottles - they are recyclable and help you to easily see how much is left. While this glass bottle is on the heavy side perhaps, this means it shouldn't shatter when travelling. The spray mechanism is good too and easily detachable from the bottle for recycling.

--Application--
Spray onto face directly after cleansing, or onto a cotton pad which you can then sweep over the face to pick up any excess dirt or makeup.

--Appearance--
A clear, watery liquid.

--Scent--
Slightly salty, but not overbearing. A natural scent that really evokes the sea.

--Texture and consistency--
The watery liquid goes on smoothly and leaves no visible or palpable residue.

--Effects on the skin--
As promised, it's immediately refreshing and keeps the skin hydrated. It also removes any excess dirt or makeup for optimum cleansing, meaning that you should see increased radiance, decreased dryness, and some overall improvement in skin condition, particularly thanks to the natural ingredients this contains.

--Value for money--
I was kindly sent the 30ml version by Spa Technologies, and while I loved it, I didn't find that this smaller bottle lasted as long as I was hoping, so when purchasing another bottle I would without doubt go for the better value 100ml bottle (which is only an additional £10). Natural, effective toners are hard to find, so this one definitely joins my skincare staples.

perfect partners
Vitamin C Moisturising Serum, £35
Revitalising Sea Cleanser, £25
Essential Kit, £59
Repair Kit, £101

YouGlo WOW Mask

RRP: £100 for 5, or £21 for one
available from www.youglo.co.uk

--What does the promo say?--
"Institute Hyalual Switzerland, a scientific research centre dedicated to skin rejuvenation, created the mask as the simplest and most effective way to combine the moisturising effect of Hyaluronic Acid (HA), Argireline (famed for its skin firming properties) and RMCP-complex (a combination of ingredients that include fruit and leaf cell culture and flower extract).  It’s the interaction between HA, Argireline and RMCP-complex which results in such a complete anti-ageing effect. The mask also uses newly developed Transdermal Cosmetics Delivery technology which is activated by skin temperature to allow the ingredients to reach the deeper layers of skin.  This means that WOW mask provides 200% more hydration than other collagen-based moisturising treatments."

--Packaging--
The sleek foil sachet contains a mask that comes in two pieces. Each piece is folded in half, and once unfolded, each piece cuts across the middle of the face, just below the nose. However, this is slimy and difficult to peel apart, meaning that longer and thinner packaging would be better if it meant the mask did not have to come folded. The mask itself is made from white and clear plastic.

--Application--
After cleansing, peel off one side of the mask and place on the face. Then peel off the rest of the plastic so that only the gel mask remains. This is not an easy feat, because the mouth and eye holes are awkwardly placed, meaning you have to fix it to the contours of your face and then push it down so that full contact is made with the skin. Some areas around the eye do not have gel on them, meaning that some areas particularly prone to wrinkles are missed. The same is also true of the upper lip, where ageing can be most visible. You then need to leave the mask on for 20-40 minutes.

--Appearance--
Once you've got the white and clear plastic off, the mask itself is a transparent jelly, which leaves a slimy gel on the face that needs to be rinsed off once the 20-40 minutes is up.

--Scent--
A mild, inoffensive, natural scent.

--Effects on skin--
In the short term, skin feels moisturised and silky. However, no real long-term effects were noted.

--Sensation and texture--
The gel is slimy and solid and this ultimately creates an unpleasant, almost psychosomatic 'itching' feeling arising from just waiting to remove it. Does not cool, warm or tighten like many other face masks. It did dry out a little, but still retained a lot of moisture.

--Value for money--
While at £20.99 for one mask this is an affordable purchase for the evident short-term effects, you need to be seriously loyal to invest £100. It's possible that if the brand sold these in patches to target specific facial areas, or sold a variety of whole-face masks for different face shapes, they could sell more, especially as packaging also needs to be looked at for easier usability. Ultimately has potential, but needs work to make it even more marketable.

L'Oreal Re-Nutrition/Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Moisturising Shampoo

RRP: $4.99 for 13oz; €4.60/£3.29 for 250ml

--What does the promo say?--
"Omega-moisture complex infuses deep moisture & shine. Before Using Hydra Gloss Shampoo: Hair may feel very dry or dull from the distressing effects of the weather and over-processing. After Using Hydra Gloss Shampoo: Hair is deeply conditioned with essential nutrients and shines with a high gloss finish. Recommended by the hair experts at L'Oreal, Hydra Gloss with omega-moisture complex containing omega 3 & 6, royal jelly and olive oil, adds advanced moisturizers and essential nutrients to intensely condition hair. Gently cleanses while injecting intensive moisturizers. Deeply penetrates hair for lasting moisturization. Leaves hair soft, shiny and touchable."

--Packaging--
I only tried this on a trial basis, but what I can say is that the packaging is the same as the European one (white and gold, with the royal jelly motif), which I quite like. The package being sold Stateside is the one my boyfriend preferred when asked: it's a simpler, more modern design. Ipoddy. Hmm. Must be a boy thing.

--Usage--
Lather into wet hair, rinse, and repeat as necessary.

--Appearance--
The shampoo itself is very yellow (though not neon, thank God), viscous, and gloopy, but not unpleasant. Equally thankfully, the lather is white and no residue is visible in the hair after use.

--Scent--
Strangely, this smells of coconut, despite there being nothing whatsoever coconutty or coconut-related in the ingredients list. Slightly sweet too. I like the smell, but find it slightly disconcerting that it doesn't smell more of honey, especially given the lack of coconut in this product generally.

--Lather--
Excellent, and not very much of this product is needed to achieve that, though perhaps more than with a more expensive brand. The size of the circle made when you curl your index finger round to meet your thumb on the same hand probably about covers it.

--Washing it out--
Easy as. No problems here.

--How does your hair look and feel afterwards?--
The smoothness is back! And since that's definitely the main aim of this shampoo, it gets a thumbs up from me purely on that basis. Does make it frizzy or flyaway either, and a small bonus is that it really seems to bring out the best of my natural blonde hair colour. These effects are consistent throughout the day: definitely no crazy flyawayness by evening.

--Value for money--
At less than £5, this is really quite ingenious considering the effectiveness of the product. And good news - it's out in the UK!

perfect partners
L'Oreal Re-Nutrition/Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Moisturising Conditioner, prices as above
L'Oreal Re-Nutrition/Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Night Serum, £7.49 for 150ml
L'Oreal Re-Nutrition/Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Day Fluid, £4.99 for 200ml
L'Oreal Re-Nutrition/Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Replenishing Masque, £3.99

*sold under the Elsève range in France.