My NSpa Daily Skincare Routine

NSpa is a brand of skincare, bodycare and haircare created by the experts at the UK's Number 1 Day Spa - Nirvana spa.  The products are all dermatologically approved and paraben free, and none of the products or raw ingredients are tested on animals.  

After trying out the NSpa Beauty Rituals Beauty Box, I picked up a few more of their products and have fallen into a skincare routine that works perfectly for me, and my skin has never looked or felt better.  I've even switched to a light/sheer coverage foundation. I never thought that would happen! 

The Beauty Rituals Skincare range is a 4-Step system with multiple options for each step, which allows you to create a skincare routine completely tailored to your own personal needs and preferences. The first step is Cleanse, second is Exfoliate, followed by Treat and then you finish up with Moisturise.

For my cleanser, I use either the Melting Cleansing Gel, which you can read my review of here, or the Ultimate Cleansing Tonic, which I tend to use the most.  It's a one-step cleanser which is half water based and half oil/silicone based. You shake it up, squirt it onto a cotton wool pad and well, wipe your face until your makeup's all gone.  It has Witch hazel for toning and Ginseng for moisturising, so my skin is left soft and healthy rather than tight and dry.

Step 2 is exfoliate, and the product I use most is the Skin Renewal Gel.  It has no exfoliating beads, but uses natural fruit extracts to exfoliate instead.  Orange, lemon and bilberry extracts break down dead skin cells and leave my skin smooth and fresh.  And it's gentle enough that it does the job without irritating my sensitive skin!

The third step is Treat - my favourite step and probably my favourite NSpa product!  I use the Deep Hydrating Facial Oil.  It comes in a 50ml bottle with a dropper, and you use about 3 drops for your entire face and neck.  Again, it uses natural oils to give your skin a well deserved treat - Baobab oil, rich in vitamins A, D, E and F helps improve skin elasticity, Rosehip oil helps restore and strengthen, whilst Avocado and Jojoba oils rehydrate and condition the skin.  It's not too greasy, you only need a tiny bit as it goes a very long way, and it keeps my skin soft all day.  I honestly think that this product has something to do with my acne scars having lightened over the past month or so.  I love it.

Finally, I moisturise.  I use two products for this step - the first is the Youthful Eye Cream, an intensive moisturiser for the delicate eye area, that still feels super light and absorbs really well.  It's a tiny pot and it lasts a really long time because you need so little.  I can feel a difference as soon as I put it on, and it really helps to refresh my eyes after a long day at work looking at a computer screen.

The second moisturiser I use is the Night Repair Cream - a silicone based, very rich moisturiser with ceramides, ginseng, Vitamin E and sweet almond oil to make your skin feel super super soft and hydrated.  It's a light pink, very thick cream, and a little goes a really, really long way.
The great thing about this product (apart from that it works really well, obviously) is that it has a dual purpose that NSpa could really make a lot of money from if they decided to - being silicone based, it makes an AMAZING primer.  My makeup glides on over it and stays in place all day.  And I don't get annoying dry patches, because my skin's so moisturised.  Double winner.

All of these products are available at ASDA stores, or on the ASDA website, and are currently on offer for an amazing 2 for £8.  I cannot recommend these products enough!

As always, thanks for reading and if you've tried the products, or found my review helpful, leave a comment below! You can also like my Facebook page to be updated with new posts, or follow my blog on BlogLovin' 

Rach xo

NSpa Beauty Rituals Beauty Box Review

Skincare is something I reeeeally try and keep up with, but generally skincare = lots of money, and if it's not lots of money, it's lots of chemicals and irritants disguised as rejuvinating, revitalising, refreshing and resurfacing goodness.  But my skin is so sensitive that even the high end stuff, like Elizabeth Arden, just breaks me out and makes my skin gross and teenage again, so I'm always a bit sceptical when I try something new, and pretty much feel like buying skincare products is the equivalent of throwing away my money.

So a couple of months ago I was walking around ASDA and saw that they had an NSpa range, and didn't even think twice about buying it, it would break me out and it'd be a waste, but then my boss pointed out that it was paraben free, and I looked closer, and the ingredients were just so nice! I picked up one of their beauty boxes with 4 products for £10, and decided to give it a shot - It's not like paying £30 for a face cream that would destroy my face, and at £2.50/product, it wouldn't be too bad if I hated them.

Spoiler alert: I don't think I'll ever use a different skincare brand. Oh My God, I love this stuff.

I'll run through the basics of NSpa before I go into detail about the products I have, for those who - like me - had never really considered them as a 'legit' skincare brand, and thought they were more of a 'supermarket's own' type of thing.

NSpa is a brand of skincare, bodycare and haircare created by the experts at the UK's Number 1 Day Spa - Nirvana spa.  The products are all dermatologically approved and paraben free, and none of the products or raw ingredients are tested on animals.  

It's a 4-Step system with multiple options for each step, which allows you to create a skincare routine completely tailored to your own personal needs and preferences. The first step is Cleanse, second is Exfoliate, followed by Treat and then you finish up with Moisturise.

So the beauty box that I got came with a melting cleansing gel (which sounded great seeing as I've completely cut out foaming face washes), a hot cloth polish (the one I was using previously was discontinued, sadface), an illuminating beauty serum and a brightening day cream with SPF 15.  They're all 50ml tubes, a pretty generous size for a trial-type product.

It's packaged in a really cute white box, tied with a bow, and opens up at the top in a way I can't describe with words, I'd need to use my hands, but it's really unusual and a nice touch.  The products are all individually wrapped in tissue paper and it makes the whole unboxing feel extra special.  It would make a lovely christmas or birthday gift!

The melting cleansing gel comes out of the tube as a gel (duh), you massage it into your skin in small circles for about 2 minutes, and it breaks down into an oil, which is so so good for removing makeup, and then you use a little bit of warm water so it turns milky, and wash it off.  My skin has never felt so clean without feeling tight and dry.

The hot cloth polish is really nice - it comes out as a thick creamy paste-y type of consistency (?) and you massage it onto dry skin, again in small circular motions.  I like to leave mine on for a few minutes to let it really get into my skin, then then rinse the muslin cloth (included in the box, and with the hot cloth polish bought alone) in hot water, wring it out and wipe away the cream.  There's a video on the NSpa YouTube page which shows the best way to do this, and I found that pretty helpful - they have videos for most of their products showing how to use them.  It leaves my skin so smooth, and again, doesn't dry out my face - the formulation is gentle enough to use daily as it uses natural fruit oils and citric acid to exfoliate rather than harsh synthetic chemicals.

Next up is the Illuminating beauty serum, which you apply 1 pump of to a clean face, after exfoliating.  It gives a nice glow to the skin and can be used over makeup for a pick-me-up part way through the day, without ruining your makeup.

And the Brightening Day Cream is applied as any other moisturiser would be, and is super light and non-greasy.  It has sooo many natural fruit oils and works really well for any skin type.

The box is currently on offer in ASDA for £8 and is DEFINITELY worth picking up, either for yourself or as a lovely christmas gift (the packaging is adorable) or if you don't fancy the sound of all of the products, the full-size ones are available at 2 for £8 at the moment, too!

So it's safe to say I loved that box, and instantly felt the need to pick up more products - which I will review separately to this, as it's getting a bit long and I'm sure everyone is sick of me by now!

As always, thanks for reading and if you've tried the products, or found my review helpful, leave a comment below! You can also like my Facebook page to be updated with new posts, or follow my blog on BlogLovin' 

Rach xo

Review: Clearasil Ultra Seal To Clear Spot Treatment Gel

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up and you can feel a spot just waiting under your skin, preparing to ruin your day?  Unless you have been blessed by some higher power, the answer is probably yes.  And unfortunately, at 22 and a half years old, I still get them at least once a week.

Over the past... 10+ years, I've tried all the home 'treatments' for spots - toothpaste, ice, lemon juice, tea tree, face washes, face scrubs, face masks, and always ended up with it staying exactly the same or getting worse - one bad face mask left me with a red, burning face and the spots looking angrier than ever.

In March I had a bit of time on my lunch break and went into Home Bargains looking at the beauty products.  I saw Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Seal To Clear Gel and figured I could give it a shot.  I didn't expect it to work but at least I would feel like I was being proactive.

The packaging claims that it will 'visibly reduce spot size and redness in 4 hours. The seal helps hold the spot-fighting ingredients on the spot as it clears.'  It forms an invisible barrier to help protect spots and attacks them with Salicylic Acid 2%.  

Salicylic acid acts as an exoliant, and helps encourage the shedding of skin cells - which occurs less in acne-prone skin.  2% is the highest concentration of Salicylic acid which can be purchased over the counter.

As it is a chemical exfoliant, you may experience a slight burning sensation (if this persists, discontinue use) or dry, peeling skin (a good, oil-free moisturiser can sort that out).

The directions say to apply a drop of the gel onto spots morning and night, but if I'm not going anywhere, I will reapply every 4 hours or so, and it really does make a big difference in the size of my spots - breakouts that would usually last a few days to over a week now last 1-2 days.  

I do experience dryness and some flaking of the skin around the areas I apply it to, but I use a good water based moisturiser and Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and it usually gets back to normal pretty quickly.

One of my favourite things about the gel is that, because it creates an invisible barrier and dries pretty quickly, I can apply my makeup over the top and I'm still getting the benefits of the spot treatment when I'm out - I don't have to sit inside for 4 hours and wait to wash it off.

The packaging is great, as it comes in a little tube like a lipgloss - perfect for your makeup bag or handbag.  You get 12ml of product, and mine has lasted 3 months so far and doesn't look like it's set to run out any time soon.

The gel is currently on offer from 7 Day Cosmetics, at £2.45 down from £6.50, and I would highly recommend taking advantage of the deal.

It is also available from a variety of shops on ebay (check the seller's rating before purchasing!), for £3.74 on Amazon, for £5.37 at ChemistDirect or for £6 at Tesco.

There are a lot of Salicylic Acid products on the market, including face washes, scrubs, lotions and creams, but I feel that this is an excellent place to start.

If you try it, let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

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