It’s here! The post in which I review a total of thirteen products is here!
Products Included
⦁Body Shop Aloe Body Butter
⦁Body Shop Coconut Shower Cream
⦁Body Shop Mango Body Butter
⦁Body Shop Shea Shower Cream
⦁Dariya The Scents of Kiwifruit Peeling Jelly
⦁LUSH Catastrophe Cosmetic
⦁LUSH Oatifix
⦁My Beauty Diary Aloe Mask
⦁My Beauty Diary Black Pearl Mask
⦁My Beauty Diary Collagen Firming Mask
⦁My Beauty Diary Intensive Double Vitamin C Eye Masks
⦁My Beauty Diary Mixed Berries Mask
⦁My Beauty Diary Royal Jelly Mask
Each product will be scored out of five on:
- Scent (how nice the smell was)
- Texture (how it felt on the skin)
- Practicality (if it falls off and ruins the carpet, that’s a big minus!)
- Effectiveness (does it actually do what it’s supposed to?)
- Value for money (the more you get for cheaper, the better)
Bonus points out of five are awarded for:
- Packaging (because I like my bathroom to look nice)
- Offers included with item (if applicable)
The total amount of points a product can get is 35.
Disclaimer/Things to bear in mind
I am not being paid, nor have I been asked, to review these products. My findings and results with these products may be different to your own, so do not be discouraged from purchasing any of the products here. All of the products mentioned have been used during a period in which my skin has been at its worst - to say they’ve been given a good test is to say the least! My skin type is, for the most part, dry and I suffer from acne.
Body Shop Aloe/Mango Body Butter
Aloe Butter | £12.50
Scent: ★★★☆☆
Honestly, I was disappointed with the scent. I like that it’s a very subtle smelling product, but at the same time it has this underlying sourness to it. Doesn’t smell as nice as some of the other aloe products I’ve tried. Smells better once it’s on, but not as pleasant when you first open it.
Texture: ★★★★☆
What I like about this butter is that it doesn’t feel like a butter. With most body butters I find them thick and heavy to put on. This couldn’t be more the opposite. It feels very light (and cooling!) on the skin and feels much more like a moisturizing lotion than a butter. The only thing I can fault is that whilst application feels gorgeous, getting it out didn’t feel so beautiful. Unlike the mango butter, this butter was adamant it was going to stay in its pot and sort of condensed itself into a big clump at one side of the tub…
Practicality: ★★★★★
Absorbs into the skin very quickly meaning you won’t have to sit for ten minutes air drying before putting on your PJs.
Effectiveness: ★★★★★
THANK GOD FOR THE BODY SHOP. This product is recommended for sensitive skin, but Aloe of course is very good for those with dry skin, too. I tend to get eczema this time of year on my arms and tummy, but this butter was very gentle and cooling when applied to those areas and has actually cleared it up. Another thing I have found is that since using this butter, the annoying dry acne on my shoulders has also started to go away! And it does what it says on the tin. Very moisturizing and left my skin feeling far softer than before.
Value for money: ★★★★★
When we bought this, we actually got it on offer with two for £15, but I would pay full price of £12.50 regardless. You’re getting a big tub of this stuff. In addition, it contains three community trade ingredients (aloe vera, cocoa butter, soya oil) - nice to know my money is doing some good!
Packaging ★★★★★
I don’t think you can fault TBS on their packaging. Clean, simplistic, colour coded… Pretty labels…
Offers included with item ★★★★★
Bought for £7.50 (saved 40% on this item alone). Not a bad deal if you ask me!
FINAL POINTS: 32/35
Mango Butter | £12.50
Scent: ★★★★★
This is one of those products which makes you think, “Goddamn, if only I could eat this!” It hosts a subtle yet strong mango fragrance good enough to eat. Except you can’t. And that sucks.
Texture: ★★★★☆
Similarly to the aloe butter, this butter doesn’t feel thick or heavy. It has a creamy consistency to it and is very light and cooling on the skin. Feels more like a cream than a lotion, but applies just as well. It does, however, feel a little greasy, which would be its only downside.
Practicality: ★★★★☆
Takes a little longer than the aloe butter to absorb into the skin, but you won’t have to sit and air dry. The downside to this butter is that when I woke up the morning after, my PJs were a little bit stuck to my skin as is the case with a lot of butters. Not that big of a deal, but it does knock it down a little.
Effectiveness: ★★★★★
There is a reason why 98% of those who rated this product on TBS’ website would recommend this to a friend. It’s gorgeous. Like the aloe butter, this is very gentle on my eczema and my backne. I used this following the aloe butter (as in, the night after) and it only meant more farewells to say! Pleased!
Value for money: ★★★★★
When we bought this, we actually got it on offer with two for £15, but I would pay full price of £12.50 regardless. You’re getting a big tub of this stuff. In addition, it contains three community trade ingredients (mango seed oil, cocoa butter, sweed almond oil) - nice to know my money is doing some good!
Packaging ★★★★★
I don’t think you can fault TBS on their packaging. Clean, simplistic, colour coded… Pretty labels…
Offers included with item ★★★★★
Bought for £7.50 (saved 40% on this item alone). Not a bad deal if you ask me!
FINAL POINTS: 33/35
Body Shop Shea/Coconut Shower Cream
Coconut Shower Cream | £4.00
Scent: ★★★☆☆
I actually hate coconut as a scent. Hate it with a passion. But fortunately, this shower cream has a very light coconut scent, so it’s not terrible. But I still don’t like coconut.
Texture: ★★★★☆
Much nicer and more luxurious on the skin than regular shower gel. Feels lighter than the Shea cream.
Practicality: ★★★★☆
You can’t really go wrong with a shower product (unless it gets in your eye)… It doesn’t produce much of a lather (contrary to what TBS says!) and washes off very easily.
Effectiveness: ★★★★★
Left my skin feeling very soft. Usually come out in mini rashes when using shower gels, but this was very moisturizing - perfect for normal/dry skin as recommended.
Value for money: ★★★★★
250ml at £4.00 is a fair price if you ask me!
Packaging ★★★★★
Practical packaging - hate shower products which don’t come in a squeezable bottle!
FINAL POINTS: 26/30
Shea Shower Cream | £4.00
Scent: ★★★★☆
Whilst this definitely smells better than the coconut cream, I can’t help but feel that it’s a little too perfume-y and unnatural for my liking. Nonetheless, smells very nice and makes me want to curl up on the couch with a good book!
Texture: ★★★★☆
A thicker cream than the coconut, this feels more luxurious on the skin and produces more of a lather, too… Yay! Bubbles!
Practicality: ★★★★☆
You can’t really go wrong with a shower product (unless it gets in your eye)… Produces a good lather (unless you use barely any) and washes off very easily.
Effectiveness: ★★★★★
Also left my skin feeling very soft - in more of a I-need-to-stop-feeling-my-skin-or-I’ll-look-weird-but-it’s-just-so-soft! way than the coconut cream. Usually come out in mini rashes when using shower gels, but this was very moisturizing. Slightly less greasy than the coconut cream.
Value for money: ★★★★★
250ml at £4.00 is a fair price if you ask me!
Packaging ★★★★★
Practical packaging - hate shower products which don’t come in a squeezable bottle!
FINAL POINTS: 27/30
Dariya The Scents of Kiwifruit Peeling Jelly | £8.00 (Yesstyle price)
Scent: ★★★★★
Yet another product which needs to come with a ‘don’t eat me unless you’re really hungry’ label. This has a gorgeous kiwi candy smell to it, similar to green apple. Yum!
Texture: ★★★★★
What I like about this product is that unlike most exfoliates, this is a gel rather than a scrub, and so it is gentler on the skin. When first applied to the skin, it appears as a pastel green gel and doesn’t feel much of anything. When exfoliated into the skin, however, it breaks up the dead skin cells and becomes what I can only describe as a broken up gummy substance - kind of like eraser shavings… But on your face. Anyway, it’s very gentle on the skin and doesn’t feel coarse or gritty.
Practicality: ★★★★☆
Your face must be dry and makeup-free to use this product, otherwise it won’t work. For me this is kind of a pain as I wash my face in the shower, so halfway through my routine I need to stop the water and dry my face to use this… And then start up again to rinse it off.
Effectiveness: ★★★★★
Very good for sebum control without being gritty. Leaves skin feeling soft and supple and unlike other exfoliates, doesn’t dry out your skin after a while. I often find that when I use scrubs, my skin dries out by a ton if I don’t moisturize immediately after using them. With this, though, I can use it without even doing my full routine.
Value for money: ★★★★★
A little pricey, but given that Yesstyle offers free shipping for orders over £90, it’s not too big of a deal. Small tube, but you don’t need that much anyway.
Packaging ★★★★☆
I love the packaging so much. It’s very fresh and pretty, but also misleading, so I’d mark it down for that! (The external cardboard box gives the impression the product inside is going to be bigger than it actually is)
FINAL POINTS: 28/30
LUSH Catastrophe Cosmetic/Oatifix Masks
Catastrophe Cosmetic | £5.50
Scent: ★★★★☆
The smell wasn’t that great in my opinion, but given that it wasn’t going to be on my face for that long, I didn’t really mind too much.
Texture: ★★★☆☆
This is a very fast drying mask, which made it difficult to apply. When on, it dries to a flaky clay state - I’m guessing because of the talc. Whilst this gives results of super smooth skin, it does mean that you have to be careful with how much water you use when washing off and exfoliating at the same time - too much and it’ll just slide off your face!
Practicality: ★★★★☆
I dislike wash-off masks because of the mess they make, but there’s no denying they do work. I don’t think this is a product I could use on a regular basis, but if I had an event coming up and I wanted my skin to look good, I could get into the habit of using it.
Effectiveness: ★★★★☆
Although this is LUSH’s most popular mask (by a mile!), it’s an example of a product where you have to try it out for yourself to see whether or not it really works. There are many reviews of this product which claim that “my friend with really bad skin tried this and had no spots the next day” - clearly an exaggeration, but you’ve got to wonder how bad this person’s friend’s skin was to have such a miracle result overnight. I tried this mask over a period of a week approaching an event and I can honestly say that it did not get rid of my spots. This is not a miracle product, but it certainly helped clear up my skin a good bit in time for my event.
Value for money: ★★★☆☆
Despite LUSH’s offer of ‘bring back 5 empty pots, get 1 free’, I do think £5.50 is pricey for this product in particular (granted, I got this for free, but had I paid the actual price I would have been less pleased with the results). With this mask, you do have to use quite a lot of the product to get a good coverage. I managed about three and a half applications for one tub. What I would advise, though, is to ask about LUSH’s masks that aren’t on display. This is because there may not be any more in the back of the store that don’t have an expiry date of 3/4 weeks. If the staff member comes back with one that has a shorter expiry period, you may get it for cheaper or for nothing at all.
Packaging ★★★☆☆
Packaging makes sense but I had to use a spoon to get my mask out without making a mess… Easy to clean out.
Offers included with item ★★☆☆☆
I like that LUSH offer to give me a free pot for every five pots I bring them back, but I’d rather not spend £27.50 just to get one very small pot back in return… It is expensive. I think the staff assume that people aren’t in the habit of using masks regularly, unlike myself. I use masks regularly as part of my routine, so £28 is pricey for something so small…
FINAL POINTS: 23/35
Oatifix | £5.50
Scent: ★★★★☆
Smells delicious, good enough to eat… And certainly better smelling than the probio yoghurt and oatmeal mask I make myself! Could do with a kick of sweetness, though.
Texture: ★★★☆☆
Very lumpy texture due to the oats, and in places somewhat gritty due to the almonds. When it ‘dries’ on to your face, it becomes somewhat jelly-like and sticky. I found it very difficult to actually apply a decent amount to my face, but this pot managed to give me a total of 7 uses - 4 more than the shop assistant told me it would. Also it looks hilarious when on.
Practicality: ★★☆☆☆
I dislike wash-off masks because of the mess they make, and this is a messy mask. It was very difficult to get out of the pot without making a mess (had to use a spoon) and I struggled to get it to stay on my face - it became a task of building up layers of the stuff in order to get a good coverage. It also fell off my face and onto the floor a few times… And like most oatmeal masks a little did somehow end up in my hair after I had washed it off.
Effectiveness: ★★★☆☆
Very moisturizing, but did not help to combat my acne or give me the same softness in the same way that my own homemade mask did.
Value for money: ★★☆☆☆
Despite LUSH’s offer of ‘bring back 5 empty pots, get 1 free’, I do think £5.50 is pricey for this product in particular. With this mask, I found I spent more time trying to get it to stay on my face than I did actually wearing it. I managed about seven applications for one tub. I would not spend £5.50 buying another one of these pots, making your own at home gives better results and probably costs less in the long-term.
Packaging ★★★☆☆
Packaging makes sense but I had to use a spoon to get my mask out without making a mess… Easy to clean out - shame about cleaning if off my face.
Offers included with item ★★☆☆☆
I like that LUSH offer to give me a free pot for every five pots I bring them back, but I’d rather not spend £27.50 just to get one very small pot back in return… It is expensive. I think the staff assume that people aren’t in the habit of using masks regularly, unlike myself. I use masks regularly as part of my routine, so £28 is pricey for something so small…
FINAL POINTS: 20/35
My Beauty Diary Aloe Mask | £10.00 (Yesstyle price) (works out at £1 per sheet)
Scent: ★★★★★
Very pleasant smelling product. Smells light, fresh and just how I’d expect an aloe product to smell.
Texture: ★★★★☆
Very cooling on the skin and the serum does not feel sticky after you remove the mask - that being said, you do need to massage and pat the serum in pretty quickly and fully. The serum in this mask is a little thinner than some of the other masks I’ve tried, so I can use all of the remaining serum (mainly on my neck). There are other MBD masks that I find more cooling than this particular mask.
Practicality: ★★★★★
Probably the main reason why I prefer sheet masks to wash-off masks is that you can do things whilst you’re wearing them. They’re great for when I really need to multitask in the evening. The other thing I find with these masks is that they’re good for facial pain when I have migraines (because of how cooling they are on the skin), so it’s nice to be able to treat my skin and my headache at the same time, haha.
Effectiveness: ★★★★★
What I love about this mask is how much better my moisturizers seem to work after using them. I use two different moisturizers - Aqueous Cream and E45. Usually the Aqueous is really stubborn about going on my face - I like to moisturize using upward and outward strokes but Aqueous prefers to troll me and cling to all the tiny little hairs on my skin when I do that - but after using this mask, it goes on much easier and only seems to cling to my neck. The E45 usually stings my acne a little when I apply it, but after using this mask it tends not to sting at all! I find that my skin appears brighter the morning after (spare the acne). Because I’m a weirdo, I also use the serum on my eye area as it often looks dark; the morning after doing this and using my moisturizer, I can usually find that my eyelids sit normally and don’t sag… Hallelujah! No wonder this mask ranks #5 on the top five MBD masks!
Value for money: ★★★★★
At £1 per sheet, I’m happy to pay the full price for a whole box. And it has a shelf life of three years!
Packaging ★★★★★
Pretty packaging with clear instructions and explanations of ingredients.
FINAL POINTS: 29/30
My Beauty Diary Black Pearl Mask | £10 (Yesstyle price) (£1 per sheet) - NB. Free sample box shown here, contains 2 sheets
Scent: ★★★★★
As with all MBD masks, this smells lovely and isn’t overpowering.
Texture: ★★★★☆
Found the mask to be cooling and hydrating, but the serum was a little thick so I couldn’t use all of the remaining serum from the mask.
Practicality: ★★★★★
[See Aloe Mask]
Effectiveness: ★★★★★
In honesty, I was reluctant to try this mask because of its whitening feature - I’m pale enough as it is! But, there is a reason why this is MBD’s best-selling mask and I’m glad I bit the bullet and tried this. Although the box states its function is ‘ultimate whitening’ that will “leave your skin white,” it’s not true whitening. What I find is that it works better for dark spots and scars left from acne, rather than lightening your skin itself. You get this… ‘Glow’ after using these masks. After just one use, I found that my scars were lighter and more faded and I had no redness after using this mask. Needless to say, I slapped some of the remaining serum on my shoulders for those pesky acne scars, haha!
Value for money: ★★★★★
At £1 per sheet, I’m happy to pay the full price for a whole box. And it has a shelf life of three years! I actually got two packs of these masks as freebies, but I’d be more than willing to pay £10 for a full box of magical goodness.
Packaging ★★★★★
Pretty packaging with clear instructions and explanations of ingredients.
FINAL POINTS: 29/30
My Beauty Diary Collagen Firming Mask | £10 (Yesstyle price) (£1 per sheet)
Scent: ★★★★★
Has a very pretty scent to it… Almost fruity but I can’t put my finger on it.
Texture: ★★★★★
Out of all the MBD masks included in this review, I found this to be the most cooling and refreshing. It feels lovely on the skin and does not feel sticky at all after removing the mask.
Practicality: ★★★★★
[See Aloe Mask]
Effectiveness: ★★★★★
Didn’t have high expectations for this mask, but I was pleasantly surprised. The skin around my eye area has improved and tends not to sit too awkwardly now (i.e. one eyelid isn’t huge and the other tiny). When I smile, I get two lines underneath my eyes rather than just one - since using this mask, the lines have reduced in size and depth. My cheeks feel plumper and my jawline looks more defined. Possibly the biggest advantage, however, is the skin underneath my chin - you know, that part that (if you ignore it) starts to sag and slowly turn into a second, third and fourth chin - feels firmer and appears reduced. The horizontal lines on my neck (I’ve heard this is due to poor posture / sleeping like a weirdo) also appear to have been reduced. I used this during the time coming up to my Christmas dance, and found that my makeup applied far better after using these masks.
Value for money: ★★★★★
At £1 per sheet, I’m happy to pay the full price for a whole box. And it has a shelf life of three years! I can see myself buying 50 of these at once by the time I’m in my 20s hahaha *hoard all the anti-aging products*
Packaging ★★★★★
Pretty packaging with clear instructions and explanations of ingredients.
FINAL POINTS: 30/30
My Beauty Diary Intensive Double Vitamin C Eye Masks | £8.00 for box of 7 pairs (Yesstyle price) (~£1.14 per pair of masks)
Scent: ★★★★★
If Vitamin-C had a smell, this is what it’d smell like. Light, fruity, why-can’t-I-eat-this…
Texture: ★★★★★
Brilliantly cooling and feels great on the eye area, very refreshing and luxurious.
Practicality: ★★★★☆
OK, as a migraine sufferer I often get pain around the eye area when I get a migraine. The problem with this is that there aren’t any products I can apply to the eye area to ease this pain without making my eyes feel uncomfortable and teary. Bring on these little masks! Because they’re cooling as hell, I can pop these beauties on and take a 15 minute kip at the same time! *I’ve actually fallen asleep for longer than this before and found the masks lying next to me, but they still worked just as well* The only downside to these is that they come stuck to each other, so you need to pull them apart to apply them to your face - due to my long nails I’ve ripped these a couple of times, but it’s just a case of being careful.
Effectiveness: ★★★★☆
I don’t tend do get dark circles under my eyes, so obviously I found no results in that area, haha. I did, however find that these masks were very good for the outer corners of my eyes which tend to be more sensitive than the rest. Very soothing. Didn’t see much improvement in the eyelid department, though, which was a little disappointing. Also very good for after long, stressful weeks or parties.
Value for money: ★★★☆☆
At £1.14 for one pair, I’m not sure whether or not I’d purchase these for regular use. I tend to find that they’re better for soothing, pain relief purposes than for beauty purposes. Currently, I own two boxes of these but I don’t use them on a regular basis.
Packaging ★★★★★
Pretty packaging with clear instructions and explanations of ingredients. I bought the original Chinese version, but you just need to locate the times you leave them on for, anyway. Also, I love the concept of these masks: they look like fish with their mouths open ready to eat a smaller fish - brilliant!
FINAL POINTS: 26/30
My Beauty Diary Mixed Berries Mask | £10 (Yesstyle price) (£1 per sheet)
Scent: ★★★★☆
OK. Don’t laugh, but when I opened one of these masks, I was hit with a violent waft of what I could only liken to the smell of Strawberry Calpol. At first I was all nostalgic about my childhood, but then I remembered how the stuff tasted and could only think, “Am I really going to put this on my face? It smells like Calpol!” I did, of course, and fortunately the Calpol-y smell faded away, haha…
Texture: ★★★☆☆
Found my skin to feel a little sticky like Calpol after using this mask and my aqueous hated it. (I have to say this was my fault, though, for not patting in the serum quickly enough - probably from the fact that I was too busy trying to find any traces of Calpol-y scent still left on the mask.) After my moisturizer had finally been applied, though, my skin did feel noticably smoother the morning after.
Practicality: ★★★★★
[See Aloe Mask]
Effectiveness: ★★★★☆
Skin definitely appeared brighter and rejuvenated the morning after, with no breakouts or new zits. My pre-existing acne had turned somewhat flaky, which was a little irritating, but not a disaster. Skin did feel firmer in places.
Value for money: ★★★★☆
At £1 per sheet, I’m happy to pay the full price for a whole box. And it has a shelf life of three years! Would probably pick other masks over this one, though.
Packaging ★★★★★
Pretty packaging with clear instructions and explanations of ingredients.
FINAL POINTS: 25/30
My Beauty Diary Royal Jelly Mask | £10 (Yesstyle price) (£1 per sheet)
Scent: ★★★★★
Pleasant smelling mask, not overpowering at all. Smells similar to honey but with less of a kick.
Texture: ★★★★☆
Similarly to the Calpol Mixed Berries mask, my skin was a little sticky from the serum after use and aqueous hated it, but the more I used this mask the less sticky my skin got each time. Didn’t find this to be as hydrating as the other masks. Even with the extra serum, it felt pretty dry in comparison to the intense hydration I got from the other masks.
Practicality: ★★★★★
[See Aloe Mask]
Effectiveness: ★★★★☆
Whilst it may not be the most cooling or the most hydrating of the masks, it does do its job. My skin feels refreshed and rejuvenated after each use, and my acne never gets flaky from this mask. My skin appears brighter after using these.
Value for money: ★★★★☆
At £1 per sheet, I’m happy to pay the full price for a whole box. And it has a shelf life of three years! Would probably pick other masks over this one, though.
Packaging ★★★★★
Pretty packaging with clear instructions and explanations of ingredients.
FINAL POINTS: 27/30
1 My Beauty Diary Collagen Firming Mask (100%)
2 My Beauty Diary Black Pearl Mask (96%)
2 My Beauty Diary Aloe Mask (96%)
4 Body Shop Mango Body Butter (94%)
5 Dariya The Scents of Kiwifruit Peeling Jelly (93%)
6 Body Shop Aloe Body Butter (91%)
7 Body Shop Shea Shower Cream (90%)
7 MBD Royal Jelly Mask (90%)
9 Body Shop Coconut Shower Cream (87%)
10 MBD Intensive Double Vitamin C Eye Masks (86%)
11 MBD Mixed Berries Mask (83%)
12 LUSH Catastrophe Cosmetic (65%)
13 LUSH Oatifix (57%)
Hope you enjoyed this ridiculously long review! I’m hoping to start doing monthly favourites posts (cosmetics/food/general nonsense) in the new year :3
DISCLAIMER:
All images - including photography - on this blog are mine unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce, alter or use any images on this blog without my written permission. Thank you.
