Sanctuary Spa - 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask

During that lovely 'time of the months' (not) my skin gets very oily and very spotty, thanks to this brilliant thing called hormones. If I wasn't already emotional, having to deal with a face full of pimples can really stress me out. So I'm always on the hunt for something, anything, that will help my skin look and feel better, and believe me, I have tried a lot.

I was in Boots one day and they were having their 3 for 2 promotion. I already had two things so I thought I might as well get a third product as its free, and I spotted this face mask on the shelf. Sanctuary isn't a brand I usually go for, I'm not really sure why but I just seem to overlook the brand. However I saw this mask, quickly read the packaging and thought why not. I have never tried a self heating mask before, so I thought it would be an interesting experience and I gave it a go.

 This mask is basically a Clay and Charcoal mask designed to draw out impurities which is great for blemish prone skin, it heats up on the face which helps to really open the pores and get deep down into them to draw out all the gross oil and dirt. It also contains various essential oils such as Sweet Almond Oil to help sooth and calm the face as well as adding a bit of moisture, as clay based masks can be a little drying on the skin.

When you apply this mask to your face it heats up slightly as you rub it in which actually feels really nice, then you leave it for only 5 minutes, making it super easy and fast to use, even when you are in a rush or really busy. You then wash it off like any standard face mask.

Once I use this my skin feels so much cleaner, more fresh and less red. It really helps to calm down any blemishes I have and leaves my skin looking a lot better than it did before. I only use this mask during oily skin times as I feel like it would be too much for my skin sometimes, however If you are spot prone or have acne this is worth giving it a go. Its £10.50 for 100ml and I have got so many applications out of this tube. This brand is available here or at most Boots stores.

Avene Triacneal review

Avene Triacneal is a retinol cream that is deigned to help fight acne, Avene is a French skin care brand that can be bought at boots, they cater to skin types that are more on the sensitive size, they have various ranges within their brand for dry/combonatin skin to oily/acne prone skin and their products, including this one, are paraben-free, hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic. Triacneal is a face emulsion for acne , the Avene website states its 'A clinically-proven trio of acne-fighting ingredients, including patented Retinaldehyde with proven anti-aging benefits (which is a retinal), Glycolic Acid and the new patented Efectiose, formulated with soothing thermal spring water to help eliminate breakouts, abnormal keratinization, acne-related redness and irritation and residual scarring.

It comes in a 30ml squeezy tube and cost roughly about £23 which might seem a little price but its well worth it, trust me. The liquid is a pale yellow and once applied to the skin leaves a slight yellow cast to the face but this is hardly noticeable at all so don't worry. However you are only meant to apply this at night anyway (so no one will see your slightly yellow face)

You are advised to wear a sun screen in the day as this product has a chemical pealing effect (its not as scary as it sounds, It doesnt hurt and your face doesnt peel off haha) on your skin which is designed to improve the look of acne scaring, as well as promote cell tern over which in tern helps acne scaring as well as ageing of the skin, so this is a very versatile product.

It can have a slight tingling sensation when placed on any open raw spots that last seconds at the most, but other than that you cant really feel you have this product on at all. It doesn't make your face dry or tight and once you leave it sink in you can if you wish apply moisturiser and all that jazz over the top.

There can be slight product transfer on your pillow, so it might be better to not use white pillow cases. It dried to the touch in about 4/5 seconds of application. This product can also be applied in several ways depending on the reason your using it, It can be applied in a thin layer all over the face every night if desired, this might be the best for those with medium/sever acne depending on how well your skin can take it, as some people (very few) are advised to not use retonol creams, if you find this product to harsh or if you have mild acne/spots and don't want such an intense treatment you can apply it as and when needed or every other night to help fight spots and prevent new ones developing. 

Some peoples skin may have a 'purging' effect  at first which is where a lot of spots appear, as your skin is drawing dirt from deep down in the skin, this in turn cleanses the skin well and gets rid of the bacteria that would eventually cause spots in the long run. This doesn't last very long and once this initial phase is over your skin should become a lot clearer  

I really love this product. One tube lasted me 3 months and that was using it every single night. So it really is good value for money. Its a good combination of spot fighting and anti ageing, Its hard to combine the two normally, you generally find products are either one or the other, but this is really effective.