Botanics Ionic Clay Mask

Boots: Ionic Clay Mask - £4.66

I've been after yet another clay mask for a while. I'm not sure why as I don't really need one but oh well! I usually use the Elemis clay mask, which I really like, but I wanted to change things up a bit. I spotted this one in Boots and for under £5 thought it was a bit of a bargain.

The mask claims to remove impurities and deeply cleanse the skin. My skin did feel nice and soft afterwards but I'm not sure in regards to it removing impurities. It definitely helped my skin and I think continuing to use it week after week will cause greater effects to be seen.

On application it's exactly as you would expect. A green/grey mud that dries and you simply wash away but the application was ridiculous. I was expecting a thick clay...as you would...but when I squeezed the tube out flowed about a gallon of muddy water all over the bathroom. I'm not sure what happened, maybe it had melted slightly on the window-sil or something but it was quite annoying. After all the liquid had come it it did turn back into a thick clay, which was easy to apply.

For a cheap and cheerful mask this is great and it will last absolutely ages. I'm going to continue using it and switching it between my Elemis clay mask and my other non-clay ones. I used to be a real anti-facemask person but now I love them!

What's your favourite face mask?

Clarins HydraQuench Mask

Clarins HydraQuench Mask - £33

Hooray for another product making my pile of favourites! I was really keen to try another face mask as I have been using my Origins one for quite a while now and although it smells amazing and does great things, my skin tends to get a bit used to products and they tend to stop having an effect. The Clarins HydraQuench is not like a normal mask, it's a thick Sudocream like consistency which you put on and leave for five to ten minutes. It doesn't dry like a clay mask so there's no uncomfortable tightness or cracking and it's really easy to remove with the swipe of a cotton wool pad doused in warm water.

I suppose this mask pretty much does what it says on the tin. It leaves my skin feeling super soft and well hydrated. It's great for my sensitive skin too as there's no unpleasant tingling or stinging sensation. You only need a small amount so this is going to last me absolutely ages!

I use this probably about once a week at the moment but I'm thinking of upping this to twice a wee, just because I like the way my skin feels after. I used this when I came back from London on Saturday to give my skin a good clean after being in the boiling hot weather and pollution of the city and it felt great afterwards. I'd definitely recommend!

Elemis Freshskin Face Masks

Elemis Freshskin Deep Clean Purifying Face Mask and Magical Moisture Quenching Face Mask - £14.99

I adore the Elemis Freshskin range. I have incorporated these face masks into my skincare routine. I often rotate between these and the Origins Intensive Overnight Mask as I love all of them so much. The Magical Moisture Quenching Face Mask does exactly what it says on the packet in all fairness, but I much prefer the Deep Clean Purifying Face Mask as it's a lovely thick clay mask that leaves my skin feeling rejuvenated after use.

The clay dries really quickly and it becomes quite tight, so tight that you can't really move your face, but it's all worth it in the end! It brings out all of the impurities in your skin and once they've cleared up you're left with quite lovely skin. As I said, I use this probably every other week or so and it's worked wonders for my skin.

The only thing that annoys me about these face masks is that they come in these annoying packets. Once opened you don't use hardly any of the product so it dries up and it's difficult to get out of the packet when you come around to using it again. It would be great if these came in some kind of tube with a screw top that kept them fresh.

I would definitely recommend these to anyone that has sensitive skin as they cause no irritation and leave you feeling lovely and refreshed!

No7 Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask

Boots: No7 Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask - £12.50

I'm a huge fan of the No7 Beautiful Skin range and with the cold weather my skin has become really dry and dull. I've recently been wearing some cover up make up to disguise some breakouts and my skin is so dry that anything I put on it cracks and dries out, which is really annoying.

As well as using the Day Cream for dry skin I decided to pick up the Skin Hydration Mask for that extra bit of moisture.

The product looks a bit like a pink foam in the bottle but on application its much like a normal moisturiser. I apply it all over and leave it for about 3 minutes or so, for a more intense effect you can leave it for longer, then you simply just wipe away. My skin felt lovely and soft afterwards and I definitely felt a difference.

I am always wary about using masks and new products on my skin as it's always so sensitive but this mask is hypoallergenic so it was really sensitive. I would definitely recommend! At £12.50 though I would definitely advise you wait until the voucher offers are back on before purchasing!

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

House of Fraser: Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask - £20

I wasn't going to buy this originally because I couldn't justify spending £20 on a brand I've never tried before and a product my sensitive skin is not used to, but then I saw it featured in a Youtube video by Lily Pebble's and she tweeted me to say how good it was as well so I was pretty much sold...

Luckily, I had a House of Fraser voucher so I decided to go for it and I'm so glad I did. My skin really benefits from a good face mask and with the cold weather I've noticed it being a bit dry so this mask worked absolute wonders.

It's really simple to use even for someone as lazy as me. About twice a week or as and when you feel you need it you simply apply like a normal moisturiser before bed and then leave it. You can tissue off any excess but I didn't feel I needed to. You simply leave it on overnight and voila, soft a smooth skin is revealed in the morning!

I was a bit wary that this mask might irritate my skin but I was quite lucky as it's lovely and soft and really left my skin feeling moisturised, I would certainly recommend splashing out on it.

Dirty Works Belle of the Ball Face Mask

Dirty Works: Belle of the Ball Face Mask

I'm quite a fan of Dirty Works products. I adore their sugar scrub and facial wipes and I have a few other products of theirs lying around, but I was a little disappointed in this face mask.

I usually use an Elemis clay mask every now and then on my skin but Elemis is such an expensive brand that I wanted to try something else.

This product listed green clay in it's ingredients so I thought I'd give it a try and I love the packaging despite it's aim to slightly rip off Soap & Glory.

It certainly smells lovely and there is a hint of clay in there but the consistency of the mask is actually pretty creamy, like a moisturiser. The instructions say only a thin layer is needed but even I found this was a bit much for my skin personally.

It dries really quickly but I found that it started to make my skin tingle and sting a bit, which is never a good sign! I left it on for the recommended five minutes and my skin didn't feel great afterwards.

It is said to draw out impurities which I certainly found it did as I've suffered a few break outs since using it.

It left my skin quite soft afterwards but the tingling sensation worried me a bit as my skin is so sensitive. I think after a couple of uses it would draw out most impurities and leave my skin looking quite nice, but I find this face mask just slightly too harsh.

Elemis Fresh Skin

To me, Elemis has always been one of those luxurious skin care ranges for shall we say, older women. Up until recently, my mum swore by the stuff so when I heard about their new range of teenage to mid-twenties skincare, I knew I had to try it.

I've mentioned before that I have extremely sensitive skin so using something that is for teens would probably benefit me more as it's much softer than the usual Elemis products.

Each of the products are formulated with active raw ingredients, including elderflower, rosehip seed oil, apple, blackcurrant, goji berry, geranium combined with skin kind bases specially chosen for their ability to help cleanse, exfoliate, prevent damage, moisturise and boost skin's elasticity to keep it youthful for longer.

I ordered some free samples from the TimeToSpa website. I originally ordered the samples using my own name and email address but wasn't too sure it had worked, so tried my boyfriends name and email just to be sure and low and behold, they both worked and so I received two sets of the samples. My boyfriend was quite surprised when he received some skincare testers in the post.

My free sample included a booklet including lots of information about the range and 3 trial size packs of the Peachy Perfect Gentle Face Wash, the Deep Clean Purifying Mask and the Softly Softly Daily Moisturiser.

As soon as I saw a review of the Purifying Mask on Gaby's blog, I knew I had to try it straight away. I have to admit, I have never used a face mask before in my life. I think I've been too scared of them irritating my skin after I've washed them off but I have to say I was really surprised and pleased with Elemis' Purifying Mask.

The Purifying face mask is a blend of natural clays, goji berry extract and frankincense oil which helps to draw out impurities and refine the skin, whilst Vitamin E softens and smooths.

The instructions were simple enough, even for me; Apply mask, leave for 10 minutes, rinse off. As mentioned, the mask is a soft clay mask so was really easy to apply and dried pretty quickly. My face did become quite tight while it was on and I had to tell my boyfriend off for making me laugh, but I'm assuming that the tightness only meant that it was working it's magic.

After application

5-6 minutes after application

10 minutes after application

As the mask had become dry and a bit crusty (like clay, duh!) I thought it would be pretty difficult to wipe off, but using some warm water and a flannel, it came off easily. After using products on my face, my skin often feels very dry and tight but the mask left it super soft for the rest of the evening. There were a few tiny spots that were still a bit dry, but that wasn't anything a little moisturiser wouldn't be able to sort out.

I had a few blemishes and spots on my face before trying the mask and I'm pleased to say that the mask dried them out nicely and they are well on their way to healing. The information does suggest that the mask draws out impurities but I haven't personally noticed new spots forming, which usually happens a few days after using new products, however, I shall keep you posted.

I strongly suggest that if you can invest some money into a good skincare range, then Elemis is the way to go. If the face mask is anything to go buy then I definitely need to make a good investment!