No 7 Beautiful Skin Dry Skin Rescue Review

No 7 Beautiful Skin Dry Skin Rescue Review

From the Brand:
This intensely hydrating multi-purpose balm, formulated with nourishing shea and cocoa butters and enriched with skin-loving vitamins and minerals, provides an instant and long lasting moisture hit to relieve, soothe and visibly improve dry patches.

Not tested on animals.

Retails for:  $16.99


Where to Buy:  Target stores and Target.com, and Ulta.com


My Thoughts:  Like the Boot mask I reviewed the other day, this was a product I bought in the winter to combat my dryness, but I've actually been using it a lot lately.  I traveled to Canada earlier in the month for a two week vacation visiting family and friends, and the air there was much drier than here in muggy Virginia.  The flights there, between, and back (six total!) also majorly zapped my skin of any moisture.  I've got flaky red patches on either side of my nose like I haven't had since that polar vortex hit Virginia in January.  This moisturizer has been a life saver.

The consistency is like a creamy balm, and it's very soothing on my skin.  You only need a tiny little bit, as it's very emollient and actually hard to squeeze from the tube. At first I was frustrated you have to work it to get it out, but then I quickly realized that's a bonus since I didn't want to waste any.  A pea size amount is plenty to sooth the dry patches on my skin.  You don't need to use this everywhere.  It's more of a spot treatment rather than something for the whole face.


Final Verdict:  A great cost effective solution for dry scaly patches on your skin or areas where you face needs a boost of hydration and calming.

**Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products. This article contains some affiliate links provided through Viglink.com. All the opinions expressed in this article are my own. These items were purchased with my own money. For more information on my policies, please view my Let's Chat page.

No 7 Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask Review

No 7 Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask Review

From the Brand:
This mask has an intense moisture boost to leave your skin feeling beautifully soft and smooth. Glycerin and Cocoa butter combine with emollients to nourish and deeply moisturize the skin. Ceramides and cholesterol will target the very surface of the skin, adding essential lipids (or oils) and strengthening its surface. Contains Vitamin E and C.

Retails for:  $16.99


Where to Buy: Target stores and Target.com, and Ulta.com


My Thoughts:  When my skin was freaking out this winter, I tried just about everything to help it stay hydrated without clogging my pores or interferring with how my makeup wore during the day.  I'd get dry flaky patches in my t-zone, but heavy oily moisturizers would cause redness and bumps under the skin on the sides of my nose or make my makeup melt off if I tried to use them in the morning.

Instead, I started trying masks and infrequent use products like hydrating masks and balms to see if using something once a week or so would be more effective. This works wonderfully, although it did make my skin tingle just a tiny bit for some reason.  I don't use it as frequently now that the weather is warmer, but I do use it in the morning before special dates like my cousin's wedding a two weeks ago or if I'm going out with my husband for dinner that night.  It helps so plump and smooth my skin without making it greasy with the humidity.


Final Verdict:  In the winter, it helps to banish my dry spots, and in the summer it works to rehydrate quickly without a thick greasy layer of moisturizer that will interfere with my makeup.

**Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products. This article contains some affiliate links provided through Viglink.com. All the opinions expressed in this article are my own. These items were purchased with my own money. For more information on my policies, please view my Let's Chat page.

Boots Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm Review

Boots Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm Review

From the Brand:
Reveal a beautiful, radiant complexion with this hot cloth cleansing balm from Boots. Part of the Botanics Organic collection, it contains a luxurious blend of shea butter, rosehip and jojoba oil. The gentle polishing action of the muslin cloth helps remove dirt and impurities for cleaner, healthier-looking skin.

Retails for:  $8.49


Where to Buy:  Target stores and Target.com, and Drugstore.com


My Thoughts:  Let me just tell you about how much I love this stuff!  It's awesome!  It's helped me detox my skin and pull all the deep crap from in my pores out, and my complexion is so much better for it.  It was definitely a process.  The first time I used it, it was sort of similar to my Clarins Cleansing Milk.  I massaged it on my face to dissolve the makeup, then wiped it off.  The only difference is with this product, you use the included muslin cloth soaked in hot water to wipe the balm off. 

I use the cloth like a compress, holding it over areas of the face so the heat really soaks in and opens up my pores.  Then I wipe the balm off, repeating the process until my skin is clean.  Then I go back over and use the hot compress over my t zone areas, where I find that I get a lot of congestion.  Especially around my chin.  I'm forever finding little breakouts just sitting under the surface waiting to errupt on my next cycle.

The product smells really good, very fresh and clean.  I expected it to be more milky or sticky or something, but it's almost like a wax.  It melts a bit with the heat of your face and the compress, but it never fully liquifies.  It's one of those not really a solid kind of deals, sorta like peanut butter.  Not a solid, not a liquid.

I noticed after the very first use that my pores were getting a good deep cleaning.  Of course, that also led to a lot of breakouts immediately after, as things are being pulled to the surface.  You have to get past that in order to really appreciate how good this is for your skin.  Just like going and getting a deep pore cleaning from a facial.

After a few uses, I realized that I needed to switch to a gentle foaming cleanser afterwards in order to make sure that all the residue was off my face.  It does a really good job of removing my foundation, but at the same time I like to follow up with either a quick wash or at the very least some good toner.  Twice a week I use an exfoliating face wash, as I didn't find enough exfoliation from the muslin cloth itself.  I am also using less moisturizer as well, since this helps to hydrate my dry skin while removing my makeup.

My only drawback to this product is that you have to wash the cloth after every use, or else you're rubbing dead skin cells and old makeup and bacteria into your skin.  I tried using a foaming antibacterial wash from Bath and Body Works after to clean it and left it over the faucet to dry, but it wasn't getting it clean enough.  I have to put it through the wash with the rest of my towels, which I only wash once a week.  I switch out to new towels every other use, so I'd like to be able to buy extra muslin cloths to use a clean one every time.  But that's a relatively small complaint I think.



Final Verdict:  Helps to really purify your skin while removing your makeup.  Plus, the heat feels really good.

**Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products. This article contains some affiliate links provided through Viglink.com. All the opinions expressed in this article are my own. These items were purchased with my own money. For more information on my policies, please view my Let's Chat page.