Burnt Cookie: Skin Care Superstar

My second entry into my Skin Care Superstar series is the Aesop Parsley Seed Masque, which has quickly become one of my favourite masks.

This is what Aesop say about it:

A clay-based masque to deeply cleanse and refresh most skin types.

This blend of premium clays and botanicals lifts deep-seated impurities, imparting wholly clarified and refreshed skin. Parsley Seed extracts deliver potent anti-oxidants while other botanical elements cleanse and revive skin.

It is definitely a great cleansing mask and my skin feels very clean and purified after use.

I have tried other clay masks before, and they often leave my skin feeling rather tight and dry afterwards, but I experience none of that discomfort with the Aesop mask so I think this mask would be fine to use even if you have more dry skin.

Even after the first use I noticed that my pores where smaller, and my skin just looked so much clearer and even in tone, and since using it regularly I haven't been getting the odd spot like I used to.

I have been using this at least once a week for the past 3 months and still have a fair bit left in the tube, which is good because it's not the cheapest of masks!

I think this works really well in conjunction with my Alpha H Liquid Gold at making my pores smaller and having less black heads, something that I think most people like to see from their skin care.

Definitely check this mask out if you are after a good cleansing mask.

I have decided to start a new series on skin care because I have gotten into it so much recently.

I am going to share with you my skin care superstars, products that I would definitely repurchase and think they have made such a positive difference to my skin care that I would recommend them to anyone.

The first product to receive the superstar treatment is one lots of you have probably heard of, it's the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm.

Here is what the official Emma Hardie site has to say about the product:

Benefits:
- Thoroughly cleanses and moisturises the skin.
- Helps to purify and minimises the appearance of open pores.
- Calming for sensitive skin
- Revitalising for dull and mature skins.
- Can be used as a rescue balm, ie on dry elbows or knees, or as a lip balm.
- Doubles as a soothing mask if left on the skin for ten minutes

Key Ingredients and what they do:
- Moringa seed extract, Wild Sea Fennel and Vitamin E:Balance, purify and help to minimise the appearance of open pores
- Orange, Neroli and Mandarin extracts: Rejuvenates and revitalises the skin.
- Jasmine, cedarwood and Rose: Helps to recondition dull, dry, dehydrated and mature skins

I pretty much agree with everything that they have said about the product.

At first I was pretty skeptical about using such a oily product on my face, because although I don't have oily skin, I haven't had much success with other cleansing balms before, most notably Lush's Ultra Balm, which felt like it had left a oily film over my face.

This product however, is nothing like the other balms I have tried. After using it my skin feels so clean yet soft, with no residue left behind.

I have been using this twice daily for the last 3 months and I have found it has definitely made my skin look less dull in the winter, something I normally have big issues with, helped with my eczema and I definitely have had less spots.

To use the cleansing balm you just get a tiny amount (and I mean tiny, a pea size amount will do it for me), mix it with a tiny bit of water and then massage all over the face. Remove with a warm damp face cloth.

Because you use such little product as well, this lasts for ages, which is good because it's not exactly the cheapest of products!

I love the cleansing balm and this has replaced all my foaming cleansers that I used to use and I can definitely see the skin care benefits.

If you are in the market for a new cleanser I cannot recommend this one enough!