Purity Organic Skincare Giveaway

Our kind friends at Purity Organic Skincare are giving you the chance to win one of five full sets of the range.

For your chance to win, email soprano[UNDERSCORE]seraph[AT]hotmail[DOT]com with your name and postal address before the end of September (closing date = Sept 30 2010, 23:59:59 UK time). Winners will be selected at random and announced on Bianca's Beauty Blog on October 1st.

Good luck :D

Purity Anti-Ageing Serum and Mask

RRP: £8.99

--What does the promo say?--
"A powerful boost to your skin's natural processes. Cranberry seed oil with Omega 3, 6 and 9 assists in moisture retention. Rose water helps to tone the skin, and vitamin E acts as an antioxidant. This combination is designed to improve and protect the health of the skin. Product ingredients: water; sweet almond oil to soften, moisturise and condition skin membranes; aloe vera to soften the skin; rose water to tone the skin; vitamin E to act as an antioxidant; and cranberry seed to give Omega 3,6 and 9."

--Packaging--
The usual purple and white concept of this line is enlivened by a little red writing this time, presumably to express the presence of cranberry seed. I like it. Plastic pot with plastic screw-top lid.

--Application--
As a serum, just rub a few drops into the skin before moisturising. For use as a mask, layer it up liberally onto clean, dry skin. Leave to dry for 5-10 minutes and then wash off.

--Appearance--
A translucent white gel-like substance that dries clear on the skin when used as a mask.

--Scent--
No discernible scent.

--Texture/consistency--
In its immediate form, it's just like a normal gel. Not sticky or lumpy. On the skin, however, when being used as a mask, it dries quickly to be quite hard and prone to crack (not that this is a problem, of course - that just tells you it's time to wash it off!). Strangely as I imagine rubbing egg white onto your skin would be like.

--Effects on skin--
As someone who is a mere 23 years in age, I can't really comment on the anti-ageing element. Perhaps if they brought out an eye cream...?
However, as a mask, this product performs impressively well, retexturing and smoothening skin to an impressive degree.

--Value for money--
This is a high-performance face mask for the money paid; it's also great for city slickers with not much time on their hands, as this has a really quick drying time too. If the serum works well, then so much the better - at half the price of No7's Protect and Perfect, you don't have much to lose in the first place.

perfect partner
Purity Organic Skincare Anti-ageing Moisturiser, £7.99

Purity Conditioning Cleansing Lotion Makeup Remover

RRP: £4.99

--What does the promo say?--
"An effective skin conditioning cleanser with a blend of coconut based ingredients and avocado oil to breakdown and remove the day's make-up and grime. Oats, amino acids and aloe help to retain moisture combined with euphrasia and rose flower water that leaves the skin soft, toned and conditioned. Product ingredients: water; palm oil to condition skin; aloe vera to soften skin; avocado oil to condition the skin; oats to condition; rose flower water to tone; and amino acids to absorb moisture and prevent skin shrinkage."

--Packaging--
Initially slightly confusing - the flat plastic top is split into two half-moon shapes and it's not clear from the start what you have to do. When I first pressed down on one of the half-moons and heard a loud cracking sound I thought I'd broken the bottle; however, all this does is raise the other half moon up to reveal the aperture through which the product is squeezed. You then just push down the second half moon when finished to make the top of the bottle flat again. This is the same as with the facial wash. Once you've done it once, there's thankfully nothing confusing about it, with the secure closure making this good for travel.

--Application--
Squeeze out a 10p-50p sized amount of the product and apply to face before wiping off with a cotton pad to remove makeup.

--Scent--
The loveliest of all the products in the range; the rose water really comes through nicely without being overpowering.

--Appearance--
A bog standard white lotion, much like any other makeup remover on the market.

--Texture/consistency--
Not too runny and you don't get a slight watery excess when the product is moved around in your palm as with some other makeup removal products. Glides over the skin and is easy to remove.

--Effects on skin--
Removes makeup highly effectively and seems also to be a fairly effective cleanser, making skin feel ridiculously soft (even if it sadly didn't help to ameliorate the acne situation).

--Value for money--
At £4.99 this isn't expensive in absolute terms, but it is expensive relative to other makeup removers - makeup removers by Olay, Simple, Boots, and Amie all come in cheaper, as do certain products by L'Oreal and Nivea. However, there are plenty that are more expensive too, so make of it what you will. It is certainly a very nice makeup remover that is travel-friendly, does its job effectively, and feels and smells really very pleasant. My only concern with this product is the fact that it uses palm oil, which following worries about its economic and environmental sustainability is something that many companies are cutting down on the use of in its products. Seeing as the avocado oil in this product does the same thing, why use it at all?

perfect partners
Purity Facial Exfoliator, £5.99
Purity Regenerating Overnight Moisturiser, £7.99
Purity Facial Wash, £4.99

Purity Facial Moisturiser

RRP: £5.99/50ml

--What does the promo say?--
"A light mousse moisturiser with a blend of coconut based ingredients plus sweet almond oil, shea butter, and vitamin E which assists in retaining moisture and leaving your skin soft and balanced. Product ingredients: sweet almond oil and coconut oil to soften, moisturise and condition skin membrane; shea butter to soften and condition; beeswax to soothe and protect; vitamin E to act as an antioxidant; aloe vera to soften."

--Packaging--
A plastic pot with a screw-top lid; standard white and purple lid in accordance with the rest of the range.

--Application--
After cleansing (and toning, if like me you're a bit of a toner junkie), rub this into your face at the start of the day. Complement with Purity's overnight moisturiser in the evening.

--Scent--
Natural coconut and almond smells are the most prominent. Delicious.

--Appearance--
Stiff, white lotion that leaves no visible residue on the skin once rubbed in.

--Texture/consistency--
Weirdly, it feels more like I would expect a night cream to feel: very thick, luxurious and soft. However, it rubs in very well, not needing extra time to sink in like a night cream would. I like a bit of luxury in the morning, so could definitely get used to this...

--Effects on the skin--
High levels of softness and strokability that see you right through to bedtime. It didn't improve my acne, but it didn't make it worse either, and in any case it never claims to do this.

--Value for money--
A lovely, luxurious and yet light moisturiser for daytime at a reasonable price. What more could you want?!

perfect partners
Purity Organic Skincare Regenerating Overnight Moisturiser, £7.99
Purity Facial Exfoliator, £5.99
Purity Conditioning Cleansing Lotion Makeup Remover, £4.99

Purity Organic Skincare Facial Exfoliator Deep Pore Cleanser

RRP: £5.99 for 100ml

--What does the promo say?--
"A deep clean from ground coconut shell in a blend of coconut oil, sweet almond oil and aloe vera to leave your skin cleaner, softer and brighter.

Product Ingredients: Water; Coconut oil to act as an emollient and moisturiser; Sweet Almond oil to soften, moisturise and condition skin membrane; Coconut shell to act as an exfoliator; Aloe Vera to soften skin.

About Purity: Purity Organic Skincare is a range of certified organic skincare products which use intelligent ingredients, that are few in number but highly effective. A combination which results in beautiful skin and is kind to the earth. Less is more in beauty. 99.2% of the total of ingredients are of natural origin; 89.4% of the total of ingredients processed from Organic Farming."

--Packaging--
A lovely serene white tube with a white and purple label. I love purple generally, but especially like it here, in a skincare world where blues and greens are all the rage. There usually seems to be a little exfoliator leakage in the lid every time I flip it open, which is a tad annoying but nothing serious.

--Application--
Whether alone or mixed with cleanser, rub onto wet skin, massaging well. Rinse off with a damp flannel. Easy, and rinses off relatively well. Using a toner afterwards will get rid of any remaining bits of exfoliator.

--Scent--
Surprisingly bland - does not match up to the distinctive essential oils that are detectable in other products in this range. Nevertheless, there are no odd or unpleasant smells, and this should be great for people who like fragrance-free products.

--Appearance--
A white, runny lotion, dotted with dark brown spots of ground coconut shell.

--Texture/consistency--
The lotion is smooth and works well with the natural scrubbiness of the coconut shell (which, incidentally, works far better than the artificial beads used in some exfoliators).

--How does your skin feel afterwards?--
Smoothened and retextured. Great stuff!

--Effects over time--
Highly effective. While it doesn't 100% banish dry patches, it does help enormously, and reduces dry skin over time to create a more unified skin tone. 80%-90% effectiveness, I'd say - I still get blackheads after a few weeks of use.

--Value for money--
More effective than some exfoliators that are double the price, almost immediately visible effects, and it's packed full of lovely stuff. With a bit more time (1 month+), I hope that those blackheads will disappear too.

perfect partners
Purity Facial Wash, £4.99
Purity Organic Skincare Facial Moisturiser, £5.99
Purity Regenerating Overnight Moisturiser, £7.99

Superdrug Tea Tree Peel-Off Mask

RRP: £0.99 for 15ml sachet

--What does the promo say?--
"Give your skin a treat with Superdrug's Tea Tree and Peppermint Peel off Mask. Specially formulated, it cleanses the skin pore deep removing dirt, grease and other impurities."

--Packaging--
This apparently now comes in sachets, but when I bought mine, it came in a clear tube with green plastic flip-top lid. It may still do, in fact, but since Superdrug's website is notoriously rubbish...
I'm not sure that the sachet thing is such a great concept for general use (think slippery stickiness and the thing drying out if you don't use everything in the sachet all in one go), but for travel it's always a good thing to have tiny sachets that you can take with you.
The tube is obviously easier to use, assuming they still sell it in this format.
In terms of branding, they've done a great job, with every product in the range being instantly recognisable.

--Application/usage instructions--
Smear generously onto face, leave to dry for 20-30 mins, and then peel off.

--Scent--
Very, very strong, in a peeling-onions, makes-your-eyes-water type way. The peppermint and the tea tree oil are equally prevalent.

--Appearance--
While the gel itself is bright green, on the face it appears and dries totally clear.

--Consistency and texture--
Sticky and viscous. Not really nice to use.

--Sensation--
A very pleasant cooling feeling on the face - you feel like it's actually doing something.

--Removal--
Not easy - it takes a looooong time to dry and you may need to help it along with some water and/or a dry flannel/towel.

--How does your skin look and feel afterwards?--
Noticeably smoother and more refined. Generally less rough-looking and pores appear temporarily minimised. Over time, there is a reduction in skin problems - it's strong stuff!

--Value for money--
Excellent - even the tube, if they still make it this way, is only around £2, from which you get several applications. If you use this with the other products in the range, you can feel the promise of good skin becoming a reality for surprisingly little money. They need to do something about the consistency of this mask - it's a bit too gloopy and sticky - but I'm prepared to put up with that for great-feeling, great-looking skin.

perfect partners
The Superdrug tea tree range has a variety of products, including concealers and cleansers.