A Late Unboxing Of Glossybox UK - April 2021 Edition - Woke Up In Spring*

So, I'm back after another unplanned blogging break. I've been struggling a lot health wise over the last month or so, but some how I've managed to accumulate some energy from somewhere that's allowed me to be a little bit more productive, so I'm back today with another catch up post x 

My Glossybox posts in particular seem to have gone right up the spout this year, and I'm now so behind with them that it's actually untrue, but I'm plodding on, and my aim is to try and get completely up to date by the beginning of January, but you know what usually happens when I make plans, so we'll have to wait and see.

So today I'm taking you on a journey, we're going to leave the dark night, and dull days of autumn, and we're going to take a trip back to the height of spring, and the freshness and newness of the April 2021 edition of Glossybox UK.

As with March's box, the April edition also comes in the classic pink and black colour way, with the pink box, the pink tissue paper, and the black ribbon and paper shred.

As always the first thing in the box was the information leaflet which talked about the products and the theme of the box, which in April's case was "Woke Up In Spring" and according all to Glossybox all of the products in the box were specially chosen to brighten up your day! but did they actually achieve that? Let's find out..

- 417 Serenity Legend Hydrating Dead Sea Bath Salts - 100g - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £2.17

Where possible I always like to try every product that I talk about in these unboxing posts, but every now and then there are products that I either can't use, or there are products that for whatever reason I've chosen not to use, and unfortunately for you there were two such products in April's box.

This first item was a sachet of bath salts from Dead Sea Salt based brand -417 (Minus 417). I've already tried a few skincare products from them  (You can read my reviews here and here), but this was the first body product that I'd had from the brand and unfortunately I couldn't use it.

Yes, as you should know by now, I don't have a bath, and to just use it as a foot soak, in my opinion, would be a bit of a waste, so I'm passing this on to a friend to try, and hopefully she can experience some of the relaxing, soothing and nourishing properties of these vegan friendly, spa like scented bath salts.

Glossybox placed a value of £2.17 on this 100g sachet - according to -417 you need around 50g per bath so this should be enough for two baths. The only retailer that I can find is direct from -417, but they don't sell this specific size, they only sell a 500g sachet which retails at £14.

Sophia + Mabelle Eyeshadow Quad - The Aphrodite Palette - Full Size - Est. RRP £25 / $18

Next up the first of two make up products that featured in the box, and the first one was a an eyeshadow quad, from new brand to me, Sophia + Mabelle. Sophia + Mabelle are a Florida based, Peta certified, cruelty free make up brand that is designed to fit into the live of any person, no matter what stage of life they're at.

Packaged in a gorgeous floral designed cardboard box, the palette itself is really simple and basic, with its small square shape, and basic pink, and translucent pink plastic construction. Although it looks quite inexpensive the packaging quality wise, actually feels pretty decent, and it reminds me a little bit of the Colourpop quads.

The palette that I received was 'The Aphrodite Palette'. This pink themed palette contains a pale matte pink, 2 shimmery pink shades, and a matte almost charcoal, black, grey, brown shade.

As you can see from these pictures, the colour payoff, even on the palest, and the matte shades in really good. All of the shadows were really soft and smooth, and they were pretty easy to apply. There was a tiny bit of fallout which is understandable given the softness of the shadows. The dark shade was so pigmented that it did show a tiny bit of resistance to blending , but that was only because it was so pigmented and it was really easy to overuse, but it was nothing that a lighter application, and a bit more blending wouldn't fix.

This is the most perfectly applied or blended eye look that you will ever see, but I hope you can see just how pretty and wearable this palette is.

The shadows are of a really nice quality. They were nicely pigmented, fairly easy to apply and blend, and they wore surprisingly well, so all in all I was pretty impressed.

What I wasn't so impressed with though was the £25 price tag that Glossybox put on this palette. I've had a look at the Sophia + Mabelle website, and whilst they don't have this particular quad, they have a similar quad, in a plainer outer box, which retails at $18. Whilst the shadows are good, the palette is pretty small and fairly basic (For comparison the similar Colourpop quads are around $9), so I personally don't think that I could justify spending that sort of money on an eyeshadow quad like this one.

Feel Free Antioxidant Eye Contour Cream - 20ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £4.77

I know I've mentioned it in a few posts, but I'm pretty much reaching saturation point when it comes to certain beauty products in my stash, and one of those products in eye cream. So late last year, or was it early this year, who knows I decided to stop opening any of the new eye creams or gels that I acquired, and instead I vowed to try and use up all of the eye products that I've already opened - A good idea in theory but to be honest it's pretty slow going, and I now have another one to add to my 'to use' pile.

From Spanish natural and organic skincare company Feel Free, this antioxidant eye contour cream, contains hyaluronic acid, rice extract, aloe vera, and coffee extract, as well as lemon, mint and apple, and is designed to balance, moisturise, and reduce expression lines.

Obviously I haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know my thoughts when I do. Although Feel Free do have an English website, in the UK we can't shop from it, and despite a little search online, I can't find this particular product anywhere but according to Glossybox it retails at around £4.77 for a 20ml tube.

dwtn Paris Liquid Blusher - 15ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £19.58 / €18

Next up another make up product, and this time it something for the cheeks. From Parisian based beauty brand dwtn Paris, this liquid blush cheek colour is made from 99% natural and vegan ingredients, including white marrube (white horehound) which protects the skin against pollution and blue light, as well as acacia gum, organic corn and black radish.

Packaged in a black and white, modernist design tube, this blush had a slightly thick, creamy texture and no discernible scent. At first glance the colour looks quite scary, its quite dark and very pigmented. It's a terracotta, dark brick red like shade, but it quickly and easily blends down to a more natural peach / bronze shade.

All you do is apply a few dots to your cheeks, it is pretty pigmented so it's probably best to start out with less and build it up. It was actually fairly easy to blend, I used a brush but I think I would have had a bit more control with my fingers.

I wore on top of both foundation and loose powder, and as you can see it did slightly disturb my base, exposing some of the natural redness of my cheeks, but there was no change in the texture, and they was no pilling, just a smooth natural finish.

I subsequently had a little bit of a play around and tried blending it with my fingers and a more tapping motion (not photographed) and my base pretty much stayed put, but I don't think there is a right or a wrong way to use this product, I think it depends on your base, your skin type and what type of look you're going for, so play around and have some fun, that's what make up is all about after all.

I have to say that I was a little bit scared of this at first, the dark brick shade was so dark, but by applying a small amount at once, blending it out and building up the colour, the resulting colour was actually really pretty and wearable, and even on my more oil prone skin it lasted nearly all day, without any of the clumping or balling, that I often experience with cream and liquid cheek colours.

All in all despite my initial argh! reaction I was actually really pleased with this product. If you fancy trying it for yourself, I believe it is only available directly from dwtn Paris French website, where is retails at around €18, Glossybox place a value of £19.58 on this full size tube.

Skin & Co Roma Truffle Therapy Morning Dew Ultra Gentle Botanical Face Cleansing Gel - 20ml - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £1.98

Finally, a skincare item and it's a specialist morning cleanser from a brand called Skin & Co Roma. Now i was convinced that I'd tried something from this brand before but I've had a little look, and it looks as though this is my first product.

Both vegan, and again Peta certified, this Italian founded brand is a botanical based, Mediterranean skincare and body care brand, that is based on the antioxidant properties of the Black Winter Truffle.

Truffle Therapy Morning Dew is a daily (morning) cleansing gel, that is designed to cleanse, uplift and brighten the complexion and protect it from environmental damage.

This sulphate free cleanser contains Umbrian Black Winter Truffle, as well as papaya extract, an AHA to minimise blemishes and improve the appearance and texture of the skin, as well as other botanicals including olive leaf, orange flower extract, lavender, cucumber, and calendula.

Packaged in a white and gold tube, the cleanser has a slightly runny, gel like texture, which is translucent yellow / light amber in colour. If you are a regular reader you'll probably already know that I'm pretty useless at describing scents but this one has me well and truly beat! At first it has quite a warm, nutty, almost coconut like scent, but add water and it seems to bring out more herbal, green and fruity notes.

You basically use this one like any other face wash, I usually wet my face and pop a small amount of cleanser into my palm before adding a little bit of water and working it into a lather on my face

The lather as you can see is really light and creamy. The instructions say to massage the cleanser onto the face in circular motions for around 1 minute to get the full antioxidant and AHA benefits, before rinsing.

It was really easy to rinse away, and my skin immediately felt and looked cleaner, brighter and fresher. It felt really soft and smooth, and it was left with almost a matte finish. My skin did feel a tiny bit tight, but it quickly subsided and there was no redness or dryness.

This was actually a really nice morning cleanser, the smell was actually really nice, if a tad confusing! It  also left my skin feeling very clean and soft, and ready for the rest of my skincare and make up. I would definitely consider buying this cleanser again in the future and I'm also interested in trying some more products from the range.

Glossybox placed a value of £1.98 on this 20ml tube, unfortunately I can't find this particular size anywhere online, but the full 200ml size is available for around £22 direct from Skin & Co Roma.

A little late I know, but that was my unboxing of the April 2021 edition of Glossybox UK. Despite another eye cream and a bath product that I couldn't use, I still think that this was another decent box, despite my initial hesitation about the blush, I liked both of the make up items but the stand out product for me was actually the Skin & Co Roma cleanser. It left my skin feeling super soft, and looking brighter and more awake.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this box, so please let me know if you think it was a hit or a miss in the comments section below x Don't forget to to check out Glossybox for yourself and I'll see you later in the week with an empties post x 

*This Post Contains Added Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Trimming My Stash - April 2021 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews, And A Life Update*

Well, I'm playing some serious catch up now aren't I? When you're already ridiculously behind with something though, in the wider scheme of things, does another week or so really matter? In all seriousness though I had throughly prepped this post, and I'd planned to get it up last week, but if you follow me on any of my other social media channels, then you'll already know that my mam was rushed into hospital a week past Monday with an infection. Thankfully she was discharged on Saturday, but she took a turn for the worst again yesterday, she's feeling a little bit brighter today but all I can say is thank heavens for the NHS.

So that's where I'm at at the moment, I'm tired and more than a little bit stressed, and whilst I obviously have more important things on my mind than blogging - I need a distraction, I've already eaten pretty the contents of the fridge, and I may have placed a few online orders, so in order to protect my wallet and my waistline, I thought I'd try and play catch up, and share my April beauty empties post with you x 
 

The Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Hand Cream - 30ml
Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Tonic -100ml
The Body Shop Juicy Pear Shower Gel - 250ml
Rituals The Ritual Of Ayurveda Indian Rose & Sweet Almond Oil Soothing Hand Balm - 70ml
Essence Instant Matt Make-Up Setting Spray - 50ml
Balance Me Daily Essentials Pure Skin Face Wash - 125ml**
Cuccio Naturale Professional Manicure Cuticle Revitalising Oil With White Limetta & Aloe Vera - 75ml

Total - 7 Items

All is all, al least empties wise, 2021 hasn't started off too badly. In January, February, and March I finished a combined total of 18 items, and whilst it wasn't my best month of the year so far, in April I managed to add another 7 items to that total. Like so many of my empties posts lately this one is a bit of a cop out, as I seem to have talked about most of the products on it on the blog before. That's just the way it is sometimes though when you've been blogging as long as I have, and I still pretty happy to have finished another 7 skin and body care products

1. The Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Hand Cream - 30ml

Whilst operation nail growth is still ongoing, I've suffered a bit of setback in my attempt to restore my natural nails to their former glory, but it was entirely my own fault. I decided that I wanted to have nice nails for my birthday back in May, so I bought a set of false nails from Poundland, and if you follow me on Instagram you'll know that they looked pretty fantastic. The only trouble with any type of fake nail is that you need to stick on them, and whilst these Poundland ones were pretty amazing and lasted nearly 3 weeks, the glue and the removal process didn't really do my natural nails any favours.

Despite that and a few cleaning related breakages I'm keeping at it, and I'm still going through hand creams and cuticle oils like they are going out of fashion, and way back in April I finished this hand cream from The Body Shop's popular Wild Argan range.

I originally got this product in the 2019 Glossybox Advent Calendar and you can read a full review of it here x I really enjoyed using this hand cream, and I loved the surprisingly floral scent, and I would definitely consider buying it again. This full 30ml sized cream now retails at £5.50.

2. Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Tonic -100ml

Next, on this list is a skincare product, and it goes without saying that it's another product that I've talked about before. Although it's never achieved the glory of having a post all to itself, it has appeared in numerous empties posts over the last few years.

Containing glycolic acid, and kiwi fruit and mulberry extracts, this slightly masculine / aftershave scented toner is perfect for smoothing the skin, drying out blemishes, and adding a bit of a glow to the skin. 

I've used countless bottles of this stuff (have a little search if you don't believe me ;) and it's something that I will continue to use and buy x 

The Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Toner comes in a 100ml bottle which retails at £6.99. It also comes in a 300ml bottle that retails at around £11.99. As with so many products in Superdrug though it tends to be on offer quite a lot so it worth stocking up when you can - at the time of writing the products in the range are on buy one, get one free.

3. The Body Shop Juicy Pear Shower Gel - 250ml

Now, although I'm not sure that I've talked about this next product before, I have talked at length about The Body Shop's Juicy Pear festive range in the past. I'm already a huge fan of The Body Shop's shower gel formulation, and teamed up with the sweet, yet tart, fruity scent which contained real Italian pear extract, it was another winner.

I have another couple of bottles to use up, but I'm really hoping that this scent makes another appearance in 2021's Christmas range.

4. Rituals The Ritual Of Ayurveda Indian Rose & Sweet Almond Oil Soothing Hand Balm - 70ml

Next up another hand cream, and it's something else that you've seen before back in 2019. This gorgeous hand balm from Rituals, came in the November 2019 edition of Glossybox UK. You can read a full review here, but it is safe to say that I really liked this product. It was lovely and rich, yet it absorbed really quickly into the skin, leaving the hands super smooth and protected. The smell was a bit strong and it did linger quite a bit, but personally I loved it. This full sized hand balm retails at around £9.90 direct from Rituals, Feel Unique, Look Fantastic, NEXT Beauty and John Lewis.

5. Essence Instant Matt Make-Up Setting Spray - 50ml

Is it a skincare product or is it a make up item - I have no idea really but since it's something I only use when I'm wearing a full face of make up, I'm checking this product off as a make up item :)

Whatever you term it as, I received this particular product in the March 2019 edition of, you've guessed it Glossybox UK. What it is, is basically a mattifying and setting spray, that's designed to eradicate shine, and to help your make up last longer, and look better for longer.

I often question whether these sprays actually do anything, but as someone with a very shiny t-zone, who has trouble keeping make up in place, this certainly seemed to do something. Like all facial / setting sprays, it initially felt quite cool on the skin. It felt quite wet but the spray quickly absorbed or evaporated? leaving a visible matte finish.

I don't think that I am ever going to find a product that helps my make up stay completely put, and shine free but this certainly made a difference all be it in the short term. Despite a couple of drawbacks (the plasticy scent and the small sized bottle) I would definitely consider buying this again.

The Essence Instant Matt Make Up Setting Spray comes in 50ml bottle and retails between £2.99 - £3 from various retails including Feel Unique, Just My Look, and Wilko.

6. Balance Me Daily Essentials Pure Skin Face Wash - 125ml **

I'm almost embarrassed to talk about this next product because it's so old! I first used this back in 2014 when I was sent it to review from natural beauty store My Pure. I used the majority of it and then it got pushed to the back of the drawer, until I rediscovered it early this year and decided to finish up the dregs in the bottom of the tube.

You can read a full review of it here x Alas My Pure don't seem to stock this particular product any more, and it no longer seems to exist in this format and in this packaging. Balance Me still produce a Pure Skin Face Wash that sounds very similar and retails at around £16 for a 125ml tube from various retailers including direct from Balance Me, NEXT Beauty, and Look Fantastic. 

7. Cuccio Naturale Professional Manicure Cuticle Revitalising Oil With White Limetta & Aloe Vera - 75ml

The final item on April's list is another hand and nail based product, and it's a cuticle oil from Cuccio. I've already talked about this product in the wee 3.7ml baby size in my August 2020 empties, but this is the big daddy, 75ml salon size, which comes in an angled glass bottle, so you can get ever last drop out with the rubber and glass dropper.

It is a really nice cuticle oil and I love the almost mojito like mint, and citrus scent. I'm currently using this particular oil, and size in another scent but I will definitely buy this particular scent again.

So there you have it, my late April empties post! Apologies again for the delay and as per usual if you have any questions please leave me a comment below x Next up, I've got a little Primark haul for you, and then I'll be playing catch up again, with my May empties post and some more Glossybox unboxings, so don't forget to follow and keep subscribing x 

*This Post Contains Added Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

** Press Sample 

Trimming My Stash - January 2015 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

It's hard to believe that we're already one month into 2015. It honestly doesn't seem two minutes since it was Christmas but here we are at the beginning of February, and hopefully one step closer to spring.

As much as I love the freshness of the air at the moment all I really to do at the moment is eat, sleep, have bubble baths and hibernate, and that's something that I think is reflected in my first Trimming My Stash post of 2015.

Tesco Pro Formula Radiance Toner - 200ml
Avon Spiced Cranberry And Orange Bubble Bath - 1000ml
The Body Shop Rich Plum Shimmering Bath Bubbles - 400ml
Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel - 125ml
Total - 4 Items

Okay 4 items isn't a particularly impressive start but it does pretty much represent my January. First up skincare - a new broom sweeps clean as they say and at the moment I'm trying to use up some those half finished bits before I start testing some new and exciting things, I only managed two skincare items in January but I'm sure I'll manage a few more in February. The only other items that I managed to finish were bubble baths. I love, love, love my bath but the cogs are turning and the re-development of our bathroom edges ever closer, and thankfully my bath product mountain is starting to look more like a large hill - fingers crosses I'll manage another bottle or so this month.So what did I think of the products that I finished...

1. Tesco Pro Formula Radiance Toner - 200ml 

Nice toner, good price - you can read a full review here x

2. Avon Spiced Cranberry And Orange Bubble Bath - 1000ml

I've been using this bottle on and off since Christmas 2013! These litre sizes from Avon seem to go on forever and this one was no exception. This had a slightly zesty, slightly citrus aroma and produced lots and lots of bubbles. This product is no longer available but it did appear in November and December of this year in a smaller Snowman shaped bottle. If you want a lot of bubbles at a decent price I can't recommend these bubble baths highly enough. I have a few different fragrances to finish and if I wasn't losing my bath I'd definitely be trying out the new Pomegranate And Peony variety.

3. The Body Shop Rich Plum Shimmering Bath Bubbles - 400ml

This is one of my favourite ever festive fragrances from The Body Shop. Not only did I buy numerous back ups at the time, but I also scoured ebay, and outlet stores to stock up on one of my favourite scents. I have a couple of shower gels left, one more bubble bath and a body butter and then it's gone :( It was warm and fruity and mouthwatering - please The Body Shop bring it back.

4. Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel - 125ml

My final empty for January is another discontinued product - Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel, I actually really liked this orange scented cleanser and I'm pretty sad that it's been discontinued. You can read a full review of it here x

I'm really hoping that I can do a bit better in February. My aim is to finish some more skincare, some more bath products and maybe a bit of make up. Are you doing something similar in 2015? Let me know if you are x

AD / Press Sample - Daily Cleansing With Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash - A Review For My Pure*

There is a saying out there that one bite always leads to another and I think that's something that we can apply to beauty products too. Sometimes you try a product from a brand and you just know that you'll back for more. I felt exactly like this about Balance Me. Balance Me is an award winning UK brand, that produces a wide range of natural, skin, hair and body care products. I've tried a few samples sized skincare and body care items from them in the past and I've generally been pretty impressed, so when I saw the range on the newly relaunched My Pure site, I knew it was a perfect opportunity to try out some more products from the line.

I'm always trying out new cleansers and face washes so I thought that this was the perfect place to start. There are a couple of cleansers in the Balance Me range but the one I decided to try out was the Balance Me Daily Essentials Pure Skin Face Wash.

This product is 98.8% natural, and like the rest of the Balance Me line it contains no parabens, sulphates, mineral oils, silicone's, or artificial fragrances, or colours.

Ideal for all skin types this face wash is designed to cleanse the skin without drying or stripping this face wash contains grapefruit, petitgrain and frankincense essential oils to soothe and balance. As well as spruce knot and aloe vera extracts, to improve and  smooth and soothe inflamed or congested skins and miring and rice bran oils, to brighten and polish the skin.

Packaged in a white squeezy tube, this face wash, is opaque , white in colour and has an almost cream / gel like texture.

You can use it you would any other face wash, either working it with water into a gentle, light and creamy foam before massaging onto the face and rinsing, or by applying it directly to the face, massaging and then rinsing. I also used it with my Magnatone Pulsar, applying it to my skin first and then using the brush to thoroughly cleanse my face.

Unlike a lot of facial washes though, you also use this one to remove make up. In this scenario I applies the product directly to my face before a adding a little bit of water and removing with a damp muslin cloth or flannel.

After removing. my combination, oily skin was left feeling very clean and very smooth. It was a tiny bit pink but that's normal for me. It didn't feel tight or dry or on the opposite spectrum greasy or oily. This product is recommended for all skin types and I can see why, it's creamy and gentle enough for drier skins whilst at the same the ingredients help to thoroughly cleanse the skin without stripping making it ideal for more oil prone skins.

Although this product is pretty good at removing make up I predominantly used this as a morning cleanser, either over the sink or in the shower. It did exactly what it claimed and my skin really seemed to like, and I didn't experience a single breakout whilst I was using. I'm going to be 100% honest with you though, I probably wouldn't buy this product again. As much as I like the effects and how it left my skin, I just didn't like the smell. I'm really particular with smell and this one was just a bit too strong for me. Admittedly it doesn't linger on the skin for long but it's just a bit too intense for me. It smells very herbal, and almost green with a big hint of citrus. I know exactly what it is that I don't like about it, it's the petitgrain, which is an extract from the bitter orange. This isn't the first product I've disliked with this in so it's something I definitely need to avoid in future. A real shame for me but if your not as scent obsessed as I am then this is a pretty decent face wash for all skin types, and one that I would otherwise recommend. Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash retails at £16 for the 125ml tube that you can see here but My Pure also sell a 15ml sample tube for just £3.50 if you want to try it before buying the full size. Does scent play an important role in whether you repurchase a product? leave me a comment and let me know xx

*Press Sample

**As of 2021 This Product Is No Longer Sold By My Pure And Has Been Replaced Or Reformulated By Balance Me 

Daily Facial And Body Cleansing With The Magnitone Pulsar* - Warning Long Post!

I guess I should start this post with an apology - I went sent this product towards the end of last year and the intention was to use if for a month and then get a review up in time for Christmas. It wasn't to be though and in someways I'm glad about that. This product isn't the cheapest and the time span has given me the opportunity to give it a full and thorough review.

So what is it ? Well in it's simplest terms it's a daily cleansing brush. There are lots of these on the market now catering for all budgets but the Magnitone Pulsar is different.

What It Does

Designed with Active Electromagnetic Technology it nor only provides around 15,000 rotational oscillations a minute but also has a unique pulsing action to stimulate the skin.

Magitone Pulsar claim that you will see up to 10 amazing benefits to your skin with 7 days of usage

More effective deep cleansing and removal of impurities***

Can help increase collagen level in skin**
Softer, smoother and clearer looking skin tone*
Firmer, tighter feeling skin texture*
Can help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles*
Noticeable increase in blood circulation to the skin*
Helps reduce appearance of visible pores*
Gentle exfoliation of dry skin for silkier arms and legs
Helps reduce razor rash and irritation after hair removal*
Enhanced moisture and nutrient absorption of your regular skin products (SPF, self-tan, moisturisers)

* 28 day home-use study, SGS Institut Fresenius GmbH 2013
** in-vitro study, Trinity Bioactives 2013
***internal study of Magnitone Pulsar vs hand washing until visibly clean
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What Do You Get? And How Does It Work?

Impressive but what do you get? and how does it work? -  Well inside the box you get the basic hand held unit, a stand and charging adaptor, full instructions and two brush heads.

The main handheld unit comes partly charged. It features an indicator light which flashes when it needs charging up. The unit is fully sealed and cordless so you can use safely in the bathroom and it can even be used in the bath or shower. It comes complete with it's own stand / charging cradle. You can use it to store the unit in the bathroom, and all you need to do is plug the stand into the adaptor provided to wirelessly charge your Magnitone Pulsar.

The brush comes with easy to attach and remove brush heads. The brush head at the top of the picture with the blue ring is the Active Clean Brush. This is your basic daily, facial cleansing brush, ideal for deep cleansing and gentle facial exfoliation.

The slightly larger brush below is the Body Cleanse Brush. The bristles on this brush are slightly firmer, and this brush head can be used in the bath or the shower for general body exfoliation and dry skin removal. Each brush heads comes complete with a ventilated plastic cover to keep it clean. Each brush head lasts about 3 months with regular use. To care for mine I just give them a quick rinse in clean water and leave them to air dry.

The brush itself has a rubberised feel, meaning that it's easy to hold with wet hands.

The brush operates courtesy of just two button, a basic on off switch and a mode selection button.

The brush four distinct massage and cleansing settings. The first setting is Sensitive, this is the setting that you should start off on. It offers a deep cleansing experience but with a more gentle action ideal for delicate and more sensitive skins. I'll say more later but this is my preferred setting. Next up you have the setting that's unique to Magnitone Pulsar - Pulse Lift Massage. This isn't a cleansing setting really and it's a mode that you would use after say the sensitive or deep clean settings. As the name would suggest this mode gives more a massage treatment. Next is the Exfoliate setting, this setting is predominantly for use with the body brush. It's a more vigorous motion that helps smooth and exfoliate the skin.. The final setting is Deep Clean. This is the setting that the majority of people will use of they want to amp up the results of the Magnitone Pulsar and give the skin a good deep clean. This is the mode to use if you want real result.

My Experience

Face

It's recommended that you start off using the unit on the Sensitive setting for the first few days to get used to it and I have to say this is without the setting that suits my skin best.

There are a few ways to use it and for me it depends very much on the cleanser that you use. For more thicker and creamier cleansers I found it easier to wet my face and then apply the cleanser directly to my face before removing it with the damp brush. Where as with more liquid based face washes and cleanser, it worked just as well applying the cleanser directly to the dampened face brush, and then using on my dampened skin.

Once you've worked out the best way for you, you use the brush either on the sensitive or deep clean setting and move it gently in circular motions around your face I normally split it into sections and did both cheeks, then my nose, then my forehead and finally my chin and jawline, taking about a minute or so in total.

I didn't use the unit on the Pulse Lift Massage setting that often but I generally used after I'd use the brush to cleanse. Making sure my face and the brush were both wet, I concentrated specially on my chin and jawline. The sensation is very different, the name fits the setting and the unit perfectly, you can almost feel it pulsating on the skin, and the you can really feel the increase in circulation that it provides.

Immediately after using the brush I noticed how pink my skin was, not uncomfortably so but it definitely exacerbated my already pink toned skin. My skin can be quite sensitised anyway so after a few uses I decided to change how I used the brush and what I used with it. As I said earlier the brush comes with two types of brush heads but you can also buy another type of brush head for more sensitive or delicate skin.

So I decided to buy a two pack of Sensitive Brush Heads to see how I got on with those. Whilst none of the brush head feel overtly hard or scratchy, the sensitive one feels extra soft. It's plain white and colour and despite the softer feel you still get a good level of cleansing and exfoliation. This brush definitely suited my skin better and it's the only brush that I will use on the Deep Cleanse setting.

It's recommended that you use the brush twice a day but after a week or so I realised that this wasn't for me. I've been using it once a day on a night time either on my bare skin or after I've removed my make up as part of a double cleanse.

So what results did I see? well after the first couple of weeks I have to be honest and say it wasn't great - my okayish skin started to breakout - From just having the odd hormonal spot on my chin I had spots on my forehead, cheeks and on my nose! They do say that this might happen, it's just a result of the new cleansing method pulling out all the gunk and impurities out of your skin so you just need to deal with it. I upped my water intake and took a few more vitamins which I think helped.

After that though the spots cleared up and haven't came back. What has came back though is much clearer and much smoother skin. I've actually had nights where I can't stop stroking my cheeks they feel soooo smooth. Other people have even commented on how much clearer and brighter my skin looks, and I've even being cutting back on the make up going barefaced eek or managing with just a BB cream. Yes the large pores are still there but they don't seem quite as obvious as they were, and the bumpiness of my forehead and chin has definitely reduced.

Body 

I'm going to let you into a secret I hate upper arms! The thought of accidentally touching someones upper arms makes me feel a bit sick, and to be honest I'm not even a fan of my own. Over the last year or so I've noticed that my upper arms are starting to get that rough, plucked chick look - urgh!. So I've looked for solutions and one of the most important things are to moisturise and to exfoliate. 

So this was the first place that I tried using the Magnitone Pulsar, I tried on both the deep clean and the exfoliation settings with equal success again it depends of you shower product how you use it but I preferred to create a lather on my skin first before using the bush under the shower. It wasn't an in your face, scratchy or harsh exfoliation but it still felt as though it was doing something. Immediately afterwards the skin felt really invigorated and much smoother and over time I've noticed a definite improvement in the skin texture.

Personally on my legs I prefer a bit more of a gritty exfoliation but for my arms and upper body, and for after hair removal I think that this does the job perfectly.

Okay this isn't the cheapest product by any means and if you'd asked my a year ago if I needed one in my skin care routine I probably would have said no, but having used it and found a way to use it that suits my skin type I can definitely see me continuing to use as part of my regular routine. All results will vary I guess but I've seen enough of a change to keep using it and to recommend it. The Magnitone Pulsar is available from various retailers including Superdrug, Boots, Look Fantastic and HQ Hair. The recommended retail price is £129.99 but at the moment is on sale for half price in a lot of retailers making it a much more affordable £65. The replacement brush heads are available from the same retailers and retails for around £15.99 for a pack of two. If you have any questions on the Magnitone Pulsar please leave me a comment or check out their official website. 

(*PR Sample)