dani the girl xo

Thursday 31 July 2014

Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

Hello lovely readers! Today I will giving you the lowdown, the 411, the nitty gritty, the dish on Bioré’s Deep Cleansing Pore Strips. So, to business!

The Brand - Bioré

Bioré, which I have been pronouncing all this time “buy-ore” but which I recently discovered is pronounced “bee-or-aye”, is actually a Japanese brand and is (according to their website) the No.1 facial cleansing brand in Japan. They have a range of products from Deep Cleansing to Skin Preservation to Complexion Clearing to cater for all manner of skin concerns. Bioré is available from most major pharmacies and grocery stores.

The Product – Deep Cleansing Pore Strips ($6.99 for a pack of 6)

These pore strips, as the name suggests, are from the Deep Cleansing range and come in two types: Original and Ultra. The difference between the two is that the Ultra version contains tea tree oil and witch hazel to “cool and invigorate”. Bioré have recently done a repackaging of their products and have changed from a pink/green to a blue/white colour scheme, which I think looks more professional. They were also one of the first brands to start marketing pore strips, so they’ve had time to perfect them before moving onto other areas of skincare.

Using the product

So what in the hey do these things actually do? They are designed to pull out all the nasty dirt and oil clogging up the pores on your lovely nose. To use them, you wet down your nose, peel off a strip and apply (you can see me demonstrating the sexy looking pore strip below).

After about 10 to 15 minutes, the strip goes hard, kind of like paper-mâche, meaning it is ready to pull off. While it isn’t overly painful, I did get a bit watery-eyed while removing the strip and I would not recommend the band aid route of whipping it all off in one go! Remember, the skin on your nose is delicate and probably won’t take kindly to parting company with your face so quickly! So GENTLY pull the strip off and see the magic. You should be able to see the dirt pulling away as you peel and you can then wave goodbye to all the nasties stuck to the pore strip. It helps to wash your face with warm water before applying a strip to allow pores to open. I also recommend applying a toner after removing the strip to help close up your pores and prevent any more dirt or oil taking up residence in your nice, clean pores.

Overall Score

The Good

Easy to use

Inexpensive

Good results for minimal effort

The Bad

Frequent use can irritate the skin

Tea tree/witch hazel may be too intense for sensitive skin

KaBOOM! Cosmetics gives the Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips:

Have you used the Bioré Pore Strips before? What did you think?

Stay beautiful!

Dani xx

St Ives Naturally Clear Green Tea Scrub

dani the girl xo 17:00 5

Today I’m going to be telling you all about the amazing St Ives Green Tea Scrub. I have been completely converted since I started using this scrub, I now refuse to use anything else because other exfoliating facial scrubs just don’t seem to compare.

The Brand – St Ives

St Ives falls under the umbrella of Unilever, who also own a bunch of companies including Ben & Jerry’s (YUM!), Toni & Guy and Dove. St Ives is dedicated to a natural philosophy and believe that nature has the power to “soothe, heal, awaken and energize”. While I’m not a huge fan of wishy washy statements about nature, I like the essentials behind it. Products by St Ives are paraben free with eco-friendly packaging. I didn’t know this, but apparently St Ives used to have a hair care range too but it was discontinued. I would have been very keen to try it, but I guess I’ll have to settle for skin care only. St Ives specialise in scrubs, the Apricot Scrub was my favourite until the Green Tea Scrub came out of nowhere to take up prime position in my shower.

The Product – Naturally Clear Green Tea Scrub ($9.99 for 150ml)

I saw this on the shelf in Priceline aka my second home, but didn’t think much of it until I read thisrave review by Kat from Kitsch Snitch. I immediately dashed back to Priceline to pick up a tube. The scrub is a blemish control scrub and as the name suggests, the main ingredient is green tea to help clear breakouts. It also contains 1% salicylic acid and is oil free. The scrub granules are beach sand sized (that is the geologist in me coming out!) and they are absolutely packed in. I hate buying a “scrub” only to find that it’s all face wash with a couple of exfoliating grains thrown in for good measure (looking at you, Clean & Clear Morning Burst Scrub!). The other thing I hate with scrubs is when the granules are so rough, it feels like rubbing your face into a pile of gravel. I used to love the St Ives Apricot Scrub, but that is what it feels like compared to the Green Tea. The Green Tea Scrub has the perfect size grains, the perfect amount of grains and I find it is gentle enough to use every day.

Using the product

I’m hoping that most of you are competent enough to know how to use a basic face scrub… In case you need a refresher course: wet, scrub, rinse, done! A pea size amount (this is actually funny, because it’s pea-coloured too) is more than enough for your whole face and neck. It has a lovely, fresh, fruity smell that reminds me of the Garnier Fructus hair care range. It doesn’t leave skin feeling tight or dry, but I always follow with a toner and moisturiser. St Ives recommends their Green Tea Cleanser (of course) but I have yet to try it and my skin seems pretty happy with the scrub alone.

Overall Score

The Good

Perfect amount and sized granules

Fruity scent

Blemish clearing ingredients

Gentle enough to use daily

The Bad

Probably too harsh for sensitve skin

KaBOOM! Cosmetics gives the St Ives Naturally Clear Green Tea Scrub:

Does the St Ives Green Tea Scrub appeal to you? Or maybe it’s already a firm favourite in your shower? Let me know if you’ve tried the Green Tea Scrub or what your favourite scrub is the comments.

Stay beautiful!

Dani xx