Swisse Manuka Honey Detoxifying Facial Mask

Everyone knows Swisse for their vitamin range. "Tired? Stressed? You'll feel better on Swisse!" Personally I am a big fan of their Zinc+ which really helps to keep my skin clear when I commit to taking it regularly and has really helped to keep colds at bay so far as the weather starts becoming colder (touch wood!). In terms of their relatively new skincare range though, this charcoal mask is only the second external care product I have tried from them - the first being a deluxe sample of their hydrating toner which I really enjoyed. I picked this one up at the Priceline 40% off skincare sale for an absolute bargain as it has been a while since I've used anything but hydrating masks on my skin.

The Manuka Honey Detoxifying Facial Mask is a naturally absorbent mask that promises to purify and detoxify the skin leaving it feeling smooth and hydrated.

The mask comes packaged in a squat little amber jar and is pale blue-grey in colour (I love the colour of it!), drying down to a whitish grey. The texture is typical gluggy clay and is a little grainy to the touch. It smells a bit medicinal to me (the boy "quite likes it") and not like honey as I was mistakenly hoping! It is really easy to apply and smooth over your face, with no real roughness or exfoliating properties.






























I apply this all over my face after cleansing and leave on for 10 minutes as recommended. No longer otherwise the mask really dries down and tightens on the skin. For someone with dry skin like me, this is taking it too far and leaves the skin feeling badly dehydrated. During the drying down process, the mask really sinks into your pores which makes for interesting viewing in the mirror! I find it relatively easy to remove with a warm damp flannel by rehydrating the mask and then gently wiping off.

Immediately after removing the mask, I find my skin does look brighter and plumper. Any breakouts are brought to the surface and in particular the first time I used the mask, two yucky little bumps on my chin came to a head after the mask. I make sure to rehydrate with a serum or oil and a moisturiser after use because clay really has a drying effect on the skin and I certainly disagree with Swisse's claims that this mask will leave your skin feeling hydrated. Uh, nope! I have been using this about once a week since purchasing and, whilst it has not performed any miracles, it feels great to apply when you're having a bad skin day to help clear up breakouts a bit faster.






























The base of the mask is actually aloe vera gel rather than water, which is probably a good thing given that the mask contains two types of clay, kaolin and white, as well as tapioca starch and charcoal powder as absorbents to help clear oily skin. Glycerin is included to bring some hydration back into the formula. There are plenty of antioxidants in this mask: oat bran extract, manuka honey, and seaweed extract are the main three. Salicylic acid, citric acid and eucalyptus oil are included to aid in clearing the skin. Basalm of Peru oil is included as an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, as well as adding a fragrance factor. Xanthan gum and Irish moss are in the formula to help thicken the mask. Dehydroacetic acid and benzyl alcohol are included as preservatives.

Not being a huge clay mask fan, I was happy to see that this one helped with purging my skin of some yuckiness and I am glad to make the effort to use it every once in a while. Hydrating masks are still my one true love though.

Price: $17.99 (Priceline) [$0.26/g]
Rate: texture, efficacy on breakouts
Hate: scent, messy, drying if left for too long (though I haven't met a clay mask that isn't!)
Verdict: probably not a repurchase for me, just because I hardly use clay masks so I'd like to try something new if/when I ever run out of this one

Have you tried this clay mask from Swisse? Are there any masks you would recommend I try next?

Latest Buys

Since I started my full time job out of university, I have had a bit of extra cash to spend on my greatest vice - skincare. I reasoned that, seeing as I did not spend the money on the recent Priceline skincare bag, I would spend my money on things that I actually did need. "Need". Two of my recent hauls are featured here.




























The first came about because of a David Jones GWP on Clarins. I did not need much more convincing than that to go and pick up the Everlasting Foundation that I had heard great things about and also a new moisturiser that I definitely did need. The other bits were just a bonus! Clarins is one of my favourite skincare brands and their products are just beautiful. They all smell divine and look so classy standing around on my dressing table.

The second big spend came about when I noticed a post from Amy from Bottled Beauty advertising her blog sale. I was there in a flash! She had so many lovely skincare bits for below half the retail price so I could not help myself. I picked up two pieces from Antipodes and the Go-To Skincare Face Hero serum. I have been dying to try out some of the Go-To Skincare range so this was a perfect way to start.

I have so much new skincare to try out and I cannot wait to get stuck into it all! Let me know if you would like to see any particular reviews on the products featured here and I will put it on the top of my list.

Have a great weekend all!

Shea Terra Organics Argan Oil & Acacia Honey Facial Wash

The Argan Oil & Acacia Honey Facial Wash is made by the lovely people at Shea Terra Organics, who source their ingredients from Africa and promise cruelty-free products with certified organic and natural ingredients in 100% recyclable packaging. Their products have no artificial fragrance, SLS, or parabens. I have also tried a whipped shea butter from them, reviewed here.

This cleanser is something a little bit different to the usual cleansers. It can either be used as a typical cleanser and massaged into the face to be removed with water, or it can be used as a mask to be left on the face for 5 to 10 minutes. I have mostly used it as a second cleanse to allow the natural ingredients to penetrate my skin, rather than just using it to remove makeup, and I leave it on for a couple of minutes as I am brushing my teeth in the evening. The only thing to be careful of is that this can sting the eyes a bit, so be careful to avoid that area (another reason I would use it as a second cleanse)!

Original texture

This cleanser smells delightful, a rich, raw honey scent. It also looks like honey and was very liquid for the first couple of weeks of use. Once I was about halfway through the bottle, the product thickened up quite significantly and I found it much easier to use as it was not dripping off my face mid-use. I'm not sure if I needed to shake the bottle before use to mix the ingredients so that it was less liquid, or if it just started to thicken up as the weather became colder. You can tell I was a little confused about this one!

Thicker texture

Despite its changing properties, I actually quite enjoyed this cleanser. Once it became thicker, it was easy to leave this on for a couple of minutes whilst I was brushing my teeth and I was left with smooth, soft skin immediately after removal. There was no tightness in my skin and it did not feel dry either. However, removal was a bit of a process! When you leave it on for a little while and it sets, it forms a film on top of your skin which can not be removed with only water! So I found myself cleansing (again!) with a milk cleanser and a warm flannel to help remove the remnants. Yeesh! Otherwise you are left with a tacky film over your skin that is not the greatest feeling.

Ingredients are lovely, as you can imagine, comprising organic sunflower oil, acacia honey, organic argan oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic coconut cream oil, water, and salt. A beautiful mix of skin-loving ingredients. The cleanser comes housed in a gorgeous brown glass bottle with a pump, making it super easy to use. The glass bottle worries me slightly though, as I am so scared to drop it! But good to know that it can be recycled. Overall, a lovely and slightly luxurious multipurpose cleanser.

Shea Terra Organics also do a Rosehip Black Soap for deep cleansing and resurfacing, which is next on my list to try! (let's not mention the Moroccan Argan Oil or the Rosewater Spritz, eee!)

Price: $24.00 (Amorganica) [$0.17/mL]
Rate: ingredients, efficacy, multipurpose, pump packaging, organic, packaging, scent
Hate: texture, need to cleanse afterwards
Verdict: would repurchase purely for use as a mask rather than a cleanser

Oh Deer Sugar (Oh) Turkish Delight Face Mask

Oh Deer Sugar is a gorgeous company based out of Adelaide that prides itself on being a vegan, natural and cruelty-free brand. So far, I've only tried their (Oh) Turkish Delight face mask, but they also do a wicked range of body butters, bath bombs (yes, please!), and body scrubs.

The (Oh) Turkish Delight face mask is a white clay-based mask which is great for improving oily skin and drawing out all manner of impurities. It smells of roses and earthiness with a hit of orange. I could breathe it in it all day.

Because my skin tends to be fairly dry, I don't pull out this mask to use on my skin all that often. When I do use it, I don't let it completely set on my skin as that can exacerbate dryness. However, it is really good at giving your skin that fresh, brand new feeling.

One of the ways I do really like to use this mask is as a heavy duty cleanser when I'm showering. It gets rid of all traces of everything on your skin and allows for a really good massage because of its thick, heavy consistency. Just make sure to rinse well, otherwise you'll be left with little white clay streaks on your face. I always follow up with a lighter cleanser afterwards to make sure all traces of clay are gone from my skin.

The ingredients in (Oh) Turkish Delight are all natural, all fantastic. Orange oil, rosewater oil, strawberry oil, lemon oil, avocado oil, and grape seed oil are all nourishing and beautiful for the skin. I have nothing to complain about here! One thing to note is that there are no preservatives included, so this mask needs to be used fairly quickly (within 4 weeks).

I would definitely recommend this face mask for those with oilier skin. I've noticed on their website that they also do a (Oh) Zesty Mojito face mask with almond oil and red clay for hydration that seems more up my alley, so there is something for everyone!

Price: $18.50 (Oh Deer Sugar website) [$0.19/mL]
Rate: scent, ingredients, texture, packaging, Australian made and owned
Hate: nothing!
Verdict: would not repurchase as it is unsuited to my skin type