Wednesday 1 September 2010

Good Things Skincare - My Thoughts

A little while ago on twitter, you tube and on blogs everyone seemed to be talking about Good Things skincare. For those of you who haven't came across the range yet - Good Things is a range of skincare developed by British beauty journalist Alice Hart-Davis. Designed specifically for young skin, the key ingredients are so called Superfruits such as Blueberry, Avocado and Goji Berry. The range is also free from Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Parabens, and Mineral Oils, and they are also free from Animal Ingredients, and are therefore suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Admittedly my skin isn't that young any more I am 32 years old but I'm still prone to a lot of the problems younger skins experience, i.e. breakouts, oiliness and redness, so after hearing so many good things (sorry ;) I had to give it a go. I picked up 3 products from the range the Five Minute Facial Mask, the Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser and the Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser. I've been using these products for a few weeks now and I think I'm now ready to let you know what I think, apologies in advance for the length of this post but I wanted to make it as comprehensive as possible :)

Good Things Five Minute Facial Mask

This was the first product in the range that I heard - a lot of bloggers had reviewed this and the feedback was generally pretty positive. Claimed to 2make skin clearer, brighter and smoother", this mask contains extracts of Avocado, Blueberry and Goji Berry. Avocado oil is as you probably know an excellent moisturiser - the Avocado flesh is full of Vitamins A,D, and E and essential fatty acids that provide nourishment both when we eat it and when we apply it to our skins (Tip From LouLou - If you ever eat an Avocado rub the skin onto your elbows, your hair and even onto your face for an instant moisture boost - don't forget to rinse though ;). The other major Superfruit extract in this mask is the Goji berry - a year or so ago you couldn't open a magazine without reading about this little red berries - I must admit I bought some from a health food shop but I could never see if they ever did anything - if I remember rightly I popped them into some flapjack :). Never the less they received a great deal of hype and probably rightly so they contain anti inflammatory properties which are essential in any face mask. The Five Minuted Facial also includes Blueberry extract which I will talk about later and Kaolin and Green Clay. Kaolin and Green Clay are often used in face masks because of their ability to draw out oil and impurities, and to help heal the skin. These are just some of the natural ingredients in this mask, the list goes on and on. It just shows you how well this product and range has been though out - nearly every ingredient is designed to do a specific job, but what did I think?
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This mask comes packaged in the traditional squeezy tube style packaging - unlike some clay based masks it squeezes out without any problems.
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The mask itself has a surprisingly creamy texture, probably down to the Avocado Oil- It's a cream / off white in colour and it smells amazing - it has a very fruity smell, which to be honest made my mouth water :)
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The mask spreads out really easily and applies well to the face and neck without any dragging - although it dry in 5 minutes which is pretty impressive for a clay based mask you still have plenty of time to apply it before it starts to set - time for a scary picture of me - please don't let this put you off ;)
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As I say the mask itself drys in about 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the layer you've applied. Like all clay masks it does dry hard but not so hard that its uncomfortable or dragging on the skin. I did find it needed a little bit of effort to remove but I found a muslin cloth easier to use than a facial sponge. The results to be honest speak for themselves after removal my face felt soft and smooth, it was a little bit pink and tingly but not uncomfortably so. My skin looked really glowy and bright, and my blemishes looked a lot drier and less angry. It's probably not the best mask for severe blemishes but I found this a nice all round mask which gave me fresher and brighter skin. I used it once a week but the instructions say you can use it whenever you need a boost so I think this mask would be a must before special occasions - all in all a huge thumbs up from me :) The Good Things Five Minute Facial Mask retails for around £5.99 for a 100ml tube.

Good Things Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser
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The next product I purchased from the Good Things range was the Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser. Designed particularly for combination and oily skins, this cleanser in essence is a face wash, it contains several extracts specifically designed to gently cleanse the skin, whilst keeping oil and breakouts under control. The two main Superfruit extracts that this mask contains are Mango and Blueberry. The Mango extract contains antioxidants to boost the skin and the Blueberry extract as well as also containing antioxidants also contains anti-irritants to help soothe sore and inflamed skin. The cleanser also contains extracts of Willow Bark which contains salicylic acid to help with blemishes and Licorice which has anti inflammatory and clarifying benefit both of which are key roles in a product designed for oily or combination skins
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As I said the cleanser itself is in essence a face wash - it has a slightly runny clear gel texture which dispenses easily from the squeezy tube. I have to say as you'd expect with ingredients such as Mango and Blueberry it smells amazingly edible - this is a real characteristic of the products that I've tried in the range they all have amazing smells. To use the product I applied it to my scrublet but it would work just as well by using your fingers, I then massaged it onto my damp skin for about a minute as instructed on the tube, before rinsing. Don't expect lots of foam with this product you won't get it - it's free from Sodium Laureth Sulfate which is a common foaming agent and instead uses natural foamers such as coconut and as a result it washes away easily and doesn't dry your skin as many SLS containing products can.
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Good Things do claim that this product removes make up but I have to say I haven't tried it myself I personally prefer a creamy product for make up removal. So I've just been using this as a morning cleanser and I have to say I really, really, like this product my skin is left clean but not stripped or tight, and it's generally been a lot clearer - out of the three products I tried this is the one I would 110% repurchase. Good Things Stay Clean Purifying Cleanser comes in 150ml tube and retails for around £4.99

Good Thing Miracle Mattifier
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The final product I purchased from the range was the Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser. I'm prone to oiliness so this seemed like an ideal choice for me. Designed to moisturise the skin but at the same absorb oil and prevent breakouts this product again is full of Good Things famous Superfuit extracts. It contains Blackcurrant, Goji Berry and Licorice which are both anti-inflammatory ingredients, as well Mango Seed Oil for moisture.
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The moisturisers seem one of the few products in this range that are actually boxed, which is a good thing, there is so much waste produced by cosmetics which are over packaged. Anyways like all the other items I've tried in the range it comes in a squeezable tube.
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The cream itself is a little thicker than I expected, but it spreads out and absorbs easily, and of course it smells gorgeous
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My skin was left feeling soft and moisturised, but with a soft, matte finish. A few people have said that they have experienced problems applying foundation on the top of this cream but I personally haven't experienced any issues, I've even found that I haven't needed to use a primer and that my foundation actually seems to last longer- in short it's a great moisturiser for my skin type and it's definitely something I would consider repurchasing. Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser retails at £7.99 for 100ml.
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I have to say that I really like the three products I have tried from this range. They smell amazing, and above all my skin has actually improved whilst using them - It generally looks clearer and I have definitely experienced fewer blemishes. Another thing I like about these products are the price - the most expensive product in the range is £7.99 making it super affordable. As I said earlier I also love their ethical policy and the fact that they are trying to keep nasties out of their products. There are several other products in the range including more cleansers, an exfoliator, more moisturisers, and specific eye and blemish products. The range is available exclusively from Boots. For more information check out the Good Things website. Any questions please let me know xxx

(I know it's pretty obvious from this post but I bought all of these items myself x)

3 comments:

  1. I'm all for natural skincare- great stuff. Thanks for this post! Will have to check it out. I'm on a good skincare mission!! Emma x

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  2. I'm on a good skincare mission. I love natural products- thanks for sharing! Emma x

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  3. hehe, the scary picture doesnt scare me off and i really want to try it, amanda
    xxx

    liloo/@tsunimee

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