Montagne Jeunesse Skin Heroes T-Zone Peel Off Review

This is another one of the masks in the Skin Heroes range by Montagne Jeunesse. It is the T-Zone Peel Off and is available at leading supermarkets and online on their website at £1.49 for 10ml of mask and 3ml of moisturiser.

I was sent one of these and also bought one, I've used both now and each time I got one use out of the mask, you could definitely make it work for two uses but I prefer a slightly thicker, even layer on my face. It smells gorgeous, very clean and fresh, citrus combined with tea tree in my opinion, certainly not offensive at all. It is a transparent, thick gel type substance tinted with a pale green, it goes on clear on my face though.

Containing Canadian Willowherb, Witch Hazel and Tea tree, both the mask and the moisturiser are to help combat dirt and impurities. I don't think the moisturiser contains Witch Hazel though. Montagne Jeunesse recommend leaving it on for 15-20 minutes, I left it on for 20 minutes and could feel it tingling and drying slowly. Application was easy and I think the packaging is fine too for this mask, because you only get one use from it, the moisturiser I tend to use in the morning and evening for a few days after using the mask and it is also used up.

After 20 minutes the mask was very nearly completely dry so I waited a few more minutes so that I could peel it off. It peels off pretty easily, it's just difficult to get off the bits that are still wet with water. Afterwards the skin is clean and soft, and ready to moisturise. The moisturiser is thin and light, very like a lotion and smells like the mask, it takes a few minutes to absorb but feels like it does well as I experience fewer breakouts after using it. Unfortunately it does make my T-zone slightly oily after a few hours but I think that's to be expected as most moisturisers do, thanks to my skin type.

Would I repurchase?

Yes. I really like this mask but sometimes I do feel that Montagne Jeunesse's masks are better than their moisturisers. It seems to do the job and smells great.

*Montagne Jeunesse is cruelty free and BUAV approved*

Avon Limited Edition True Colour Eyeshadow Quad in Arctic Goddess

This gorgeous eyeshadow quad retails at £8.50 for 6g and can be found HERE. It contains four eyeshadows, all coordinating to the blue theme. It launched as part of the Arctic Goddess collection but is still available online. I definitely think these shades can be worn all year round, the blues highlight the "arctic" part but I think the colours are suitable for Spring and Summer too - maybe not Autumn, but you can always wear whatever you want so it doesn't matter!

The top left shade is a pale, frosty, sky blue. It doesn't have much pigmentation and the swatch below took a good few swipes to show up. On the eyes it's the same case. The top right shade is also a pretty sheer, light teal, frosty/shimmery shade, it doesn't have much pigmentation and takes a lot to show up. The bottom left shade is a beautiful matte bright blue, it's very pigmented and lasts well on the eyes too. The bottom right shade is a deep navy, matte shade and it is stunning as an eyeliner or to deepen the crease, it also lasts well on the eyes without a primer.

I really like the packaging of this eyeshadow quad, it's very pretty and compact. Easy to travel with and it also comes with a sponge applicator - which actually isn't that bad. The top two shades have some fallout whereas the bottom two do not. Different combinations of these eyeshadows wore around the same time on me without a primer, which I thought was quite good considering the top two aren't so great in terms of pigmentation.

Would I repurchase?

No. These four eyeshadows will last me a very long time as I don't wear blue shades often, so I won't need to! I also feel like this is a 50-50 palette. It's very pretty, and workable, but I would have liked a bit more pigmentation and less fallout regarding the top two shades. It does provide variation in terms of texture and finish though, so does create pretty looks.

If you don't have these shades or are looking for a few shimmery/sheer shades in blue tones then I would recommend. Or if you just love blues and love the matte shades then this could be great for you too. Avon always have offers on everything so it is worth checking back to see if they are on offer!

Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge

I decided to join Goodreads at the beginning of this year after seeing so many posts about reading challenges and set myself a challenge. On my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days I've actually set myself to read 300 books by the end of it, and I've only managed 2 so far!

I have around a year and a half left to go of it so challenged myself to read 200 books this year. It may sound like an awful lot but I used to read a book a day when I was younger and read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire from morning to dinner time (on the day of its release!). I've always loved reading, it's only recently that exams have taken over that I haven't been able to read as much.    

    Nav's books

 

   

 

You can check out my profile and the books I've read throughout the year with the little link on the sidebar of this blog. If you are also on Goodreads please feel free to add me as a friend! :)

Have you set yourself a reading challenge this year?

Avon Arctic Goddess Limited Edition Nailwear Pro+ Nail Enamels

These are the limited edition Arctic Goddess collection nail polishes by Avon, from left to right; green goddess; arctic waters; chilling teal. They cost £6 for 12ml and are currently half price on Avon's website.

Green Goddess is a deep olive green with metallic gold running through it, a really beautiful shade. It took one coat of this to get it looking perfect but I chose to do two out of habit. It lasted well over the claimed 10 days for me. I also love Chilling Teal which is a very light mint shade with silver sparkle, it takes me 3-4 coats to get opaque colour from this, it's very pretty, like an icy shade for Winter. This also lasted me well over 10 days! The final shade is Arctic Waters, a deep sky blue, this has a very small amount of metallic silver/purple running through it I think, it's definitely not only a blue colour on its own. Again this lasted very well on me and took one coat for even colour. All of the shades apply evenly and go on very well.

Overall, I think these shades are amazing value for me, Avon's website also says that all of their Nailwear Pro+ shades have been fortified with acrylic gel. They last very well, and I felt as though they improved the condition of my nails too, I wore base and top coats with all shades by various brands and also trialed them without top coats, with or without they lasted about the same amount of time and did not chip at all.

I would definitely repurchase and I am looking forward to trying out different shades, I've already tried the shade called Inky Blue which you can read about here.

Have you tried any Avon nail enamels? What did you think?

6 Month Spending Ban

I know I've tried to do these before and have succeeded in none, but this time I am very determined and also poor! I will not be purchasing anything to do with beauty from 1st Jan - 30th June 2013. I have been stocking up and fulfilling my addiction in the sales so will post a haul soon but I shan't be buying anything new! I will post my progress in my monthly empties posts.

I spend an awful lot on beauty products, a lot of the time because at the time I think I'd like to review them, as I've mentioned before though living in two cities makes it difficult for me to be able to review products without them getting lost along the way. By not spending on beauty I'm sure I'll save a lot and use up a lot of what I already have! (I think I have enough shower gel to last me for 3 years...)

I've chosen to do this for 6 months as I know there will be a lot of new product releases and I will eventually have to buy something! I will be receiving Glossybox, but that has already been paid for this year and I will allow myself to buy something if I run out, e.g shampoo and conditioner. For some reason those are the only products I haven't got boxes full of!

I may try to extend this to an entire year if I manage the six months - although I imagine an extension would be very unlikely knowing myself...

Are you thinking of going on a spending ban for 2013? I'd love to know!

Klorane Oat Milk Shampoo and Conditioner Review

These are Klorane's Oat Milk Shampoo and Conditioner available from escentual.com, John Lewis and other stockists. The shampoo contains 200ml for £6 and the conditioner contains 150ml for £6.50. The packaging for the conditioner has changed and it now comes in a handy tube, I was going to fault the conditioner's packaging but no need to as they've already changed it! (I am very late on reviewing this so sorry for that!)

Both of these are designed for frequent use and are for all hair types, the oatmilk products are part of their ultra-gentle protecting range.

The Shampoo

Klorane say the shampoo should soften, protect and detangle keeping the natural balance of the scalp and hair fiber, it is dermatologist tested and paraben free, also that one shampoo should be enough. I found it to be of a very thin consistency and that it lathered up very well. It was gentle, no harsh scent or stinging of the scalp, it was barely noticeable. It looks a bit like milk as well! I loved this shampoo, it definitely cleaned my hair and without any issues or horrible smell.

The Conditioner

The conditioner was of a slightly thicker consistency in comparison to the shampoo, still very much like milk, maybe a cream. I found it conditioned my hair well, in the sense that it made it shiny and soft, although didn't detangle that much. I get a lot of tangles quite easily because my hair is naturally very very curly and a lot of the time I don't bother styling it because I'd have to straighten it or blowdry it straight for something to be made of it. I really like conditioners that manage to detangle my super curly hair and unfortunately this one didn't. I think as my hair has its own nature I don't want to fault the conditioner.

Overall, I really liked how gentle both products are, they would be perfect for the whole family and certainly if anyone had any hair/skin issues. I don't think they're for me particularly but I did enjoy using them. Once they run out I will not repurchase as a regular use item but will repurchase as products to use once in a while when I feel my hair and scalp need a break.

Have you tried any Klorane haircare? What did you think?

Glossybox and A Little Update

I have caved into subscribing to Glossybox again for all of 2013! I used a discount code they emailed me a little while ago so I ended up getting it much cheaper, expect to see lots of Glossybox posts next year! (Well 12...)

I have subscribed to lots of beauty boxes in the past and had to give up all subscriptions due to funds, the code was just too tempting though so I thought I should join up again!

Click here to subscribe!

Discount code is xmas30 for 30% off! (Not sure if it will still work though)

I have also decided to change my blog name and give my blog a new look, this won't be done overnight as I have so many exams all throughout the year but it will be happening soon, I would say it should all be changed by mid February 2013. Once everything is installed and ready I will be posting links on Navilicious Beauty to let everyone know that my blog has moved. I don't know how to move the blog without disappearing from followers' feed so if anyone does I would be very grateful for the help.

I also find it quite difficult to blog while in-between two cities so please bear with me for a little while as I get into a routine, I will definitely be blogging though! I've missed writing and have decided not to make the "changed blog" solely a beauty blog but with lots more added in!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and I wish you a prosperous new year!