Beauty Update and #WowOnWednesday Link Up

It's been a while since we had a beauty catch up so I thought we'd start with my current routine before moving onto bubble face masks and a great offer from John Lewis.
I had a couple of comments on Instagram saying my skin was looking good. Well, as always I tend to credit my foundation (Darphin Melaperfect, which hides a multitude of sins without looking heavy) but I must admit, my current regime seems to be working for me.  Not least because I've stuck to it for a while, which is unusual.  I've been spending less on beauty products and making sure I use the same products for several months.

I'm using as cleansers Guerlain's Eau Micellaire in the evening, plus Emma Hardie's Moringa Cleaning Balm in the morning. I chose the Guerlain micellar because the French brands usually smell wonderful, but sadly this has a very delicate (ie, hardly noticeable) fragrance. It does a good job: it is less watery than the Vichy micellar I was using, and leaves less dirt on the cloth when I do my morning cleanse in the shower.

Check out my previous reviews of StriVectin Multi Action R&R Eye Cream, Prai Ageless Throat and Decolletage Creme and Look Fabulous Forever Hydration Hold Serum and Smooth the Day Face Cream which I'm still using. The eye cream and LFF products were originally gifted but I have used those and bought my own.

I had the Liz Earle exfoliator at Christmas: it smells of eucalyptus like her hot polish cleanser, and does a good job while being fairly gentle. Some exfoliators can leave a bit of redness which is not good.

My New Star Products

My latest star products are the Charlotte Tilbury Goddess Skin Clay Mask and Alpha H Beauty Sleep Power Peel (not shown). When I first tried the clay mask I wasn't impressed, but I used it before a night out and I was amazed at how smooth it made my neck! Only temporary of course, but excellent if you have a special occasion.

The Power Peel cream was a trial size in a beauty box, and I wasn't expecting to like it  (I find most of their products a bit drying), but this works for me.  It has 0.5% retinol, and as you probably know, retinol is highly recommended for mature skins. I use it twice a week after cleansing in the evening. It doesn't sting. In the morning my skin looks rested and fresh. In addition to retinol it has glycolic acid and hydranov-P which target the visible signs of ageing. They basically speed up the natural turnover of cells.  I believe we need to be careful about doing this too often because mature skin can become thinner and more sensitive.

Bubble Face Masks

Beauty companies in Korea are leading the way in creating trends and novel ways of using face packs. The latest innovation from Korea is the "bubble face mask," aimed at cleaning all the dirt and impurities from your face. Once you take the mask out and press it with your fingers on your skin, you will see the pressurized oxygen forming bubbles. A bubble mask also contains foaming ingredients.

They've become quite mainstream now and brands like Clinique and Rodial have them. I tried the Rodial Snake Oxygenating and Cleansing Bubble Bath, plus their Dragon's Blood eye masks. Both come in handy sachets so you can try them before you commit to a tube.

Rodial's products all seem to be themed around dragons or snakes, which doesn't tell us much about the ingredients, but they're not cheap and have their admirers. As always, once I'd unfolded the black mask and applied it, it didn't seem big enough for my face. I know you enjoy these photos, so here goes:

As you can see, it started foaming up nicely.  I found that the eye masks didn't really work with the face mask - not enough room - which was my silly mistake.

After 10 minutes I removed the mask: it was very easy to wash off the remaining foam. My skin was very clean, quite taut and a bit dry, but once I'd used my usual unguents it was fine. I did think that my cheekbones were a bit more apparent. Only temporary, of course.

I then put on a "going out out" face and this was the end result:

Now to the John Lewis and Partners Holiday Heroes box. If you spend £100 on beauty, you get this box free. It contains lots of small sizes of products intended for use on holiday. I find these boxes excellent for trying out products which are new to me.  Not all of them will last an entire two week holiday, but the idea is that you try them in advance and perhaps buy a larger size before you leave. I'm looking forward to trying the Evolve Hyaluronic Serum, Diorshow Pump N Volume mascara, and the Urban Decay Long Lasting Makeup Spray - ideal for holidays and weddings.

A glimpse of what's inside the box:

I'll be covering my own holiday favourites in a later post. In the meantime, what beauty products are you loving right now? Do share in the comments.

Sharing this post with: #WeekendLinkUp at Fashion On A Shoestring, Chic&Stylish at Mummabstylish, Color and Grace, Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style, Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style; Fabulous Friday at A Pocketful of Polka Dots, Thursday Moda at Elegance and Mommyhood, Anna at The Glamadventure, Linkup on The Edge at Shelbee On The Edge, #ShareAllLinkUp at Not Dressed as Lamb,#AnythingGoes at My Random Musings and #MuttonStyleMondays at Muttonstyle.

For More Mutton

Stay in the loop: follow Is This Mutton? on Bloglovin or Feedspot. I post extra goodies (handbags and shoes) on the Is This Mutton? Facebook page. Check out the Is This Mutton? Pinterest boards, including boards on other bloggers in fab outfits plus beauty, jewellery, hairstyles and fashion picks. Is This Mutton? is also on Twitter. 

Gird your Loins - It's #WowOnWednesday!

Last week's readers' favourite was blog Chez Mireille with her post about wearing a peasant blouse four ways. Well done to her!

Now it's time for your fashion and beauty posts.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

SHARE:

#WowOnWednesday link up, Beauty, beauty for the over 50s, bloggers linkup