Mario Badescu Face Mists

March 8, 2026April 1, 2026 - Vicki Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of the face mist, I use one almost every day and when I spotted this Mario Badescu set in TK Maxx I knew I had to have it. This set bundles four of Mario Badescu’s face mists together in 59 ml bottles, so you can explore the range without splashing out on full sizes, and the travel-friendly bottles make them perfect for popping in your bag or taking on holiday.

This collection gives you four different facial mists, each with a slightly different focus, from calming and hydrating to refreshing and brightening.

Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea

This spray is great for cooling, calming and soothing skin, it also feels lovely and refreshing after a warm day. It is infused with cucumber and green tea and aloe vera, designed to instantly refresh and hydrate the skin while helping to revive a dull, tired-looking complexion. It also soothes redness and calms irritation. This face mist is lovely and perfect to keep chilled in the fridge for that extra skin pick me up / refresh on a hot day.

Aloe Vera – Soothes and hydrates skin, calming irritation.
Cucumber Extract & Water – Refreshes, softens, and cools tired skin.
Green Tea Extract – Antioxidant protection, soothes and supports a healthy complexion.
Peppermint Leaf Water – Delivers a cooling, invigorating sensation.
Bladderwrack (Seaweed) Extract – Mineral-rich, nourishes and softens skin.

Facial Spray with Aloe, Chamomile and Lavender

Infused with vitamin C and a blend of botanical extracts to help hydrate, refresh and brighten the appearance of the skin. Formulated with soothing aloe vera, calming chamomile and lavender, it works to replenish moisture while helping the complexion look dewy and radiant. This mist is lovely to apply before your moisturiser.

Lavender oil and chamomile extract help calm and comfort the skin.
Lavender essential water provides lightweight hydration and a soothing feel.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) offers antioxidant protection while helping brighten the complexion.
Thyme extract helps clarify and refresh the skin.
Bladderwrack (seaweed) extract, rich in minerals, helps soften and nourish the skin.
Aloe vera delivers soothing hydration and helps keep the skin feeling calm and moisturised.

Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater

infused with rosewater and aloe vera, designed to hydrate and revive dehydrated skin. It helps reveal a healthy, dewy glow, leaving your skin feeling refreshed, radiant, and re-energised. Enhanced with clarifying thyme extract, which is great for clearer, balanced-looking skin. I love to use this spray over my makeup though out the day as a refresh to stop it looking dull or powdery.

Rosewater – Rejuvenates and refreshes the skin.
Gardenia Extract – Antioxidant-rich, helps protect and nourish.
Thyme Extract – Clarifies and supports a clearer complexion.
Bladderwrack (Seaweed) Extract – Mineral-rich, softens and nourishes skin.
Aloe Vera – Soothes, hydrates, and calms the skin.

Facial Spray with Aloe, Sage and Orange Blossom

Oil-free, multi-purpose facial mist that hydrates, tones, and refreshes the skin. Infused with orange blossom, sage, thyme, aloe vera, and mineral-rich bladderwrack (seaweed) extract, it delivers instant hydration while helping to soothe, rebalance, and clarify the complexion. Ideal for blemish-prone or combination skin, this mist leaves skin feeling fresh, dewy, and revitalised. For a nice glowing dewy look, I like to, spritz my brush before applying my foundation or concealer, then mist over the face once I have applied my powder.

Orange Blossom Essential Water – Hydrates and tones for a refreshed feel.
Sage Essential Water – Re-balances and energises the skin.
Thyme Extract – Clarifies and supports a clearer complexion.
Bladderwrack (Seaweed) Extract – Mineral-rich, softens and nourishes.
Aloe Vera – Soothes, calms, and hydrates skin.

All the facial mists in this set are fantastic and filled with skin-loving ingredients designed to hydrate, soothe, refresh, and rebalance your skin. They’re incredibly versatile and can be used in several ways throughout the day, making them a really handy addition to your skincare routine. I especially enjoy using them to revive my makeup, giving my skin a fresh, dewy finish, or keeping one nearby on my desk for a quick hydration boost whenever my skin starts to feel a little dry or tired during the day.

Have you tried any products from Mario Badescu before? If you use a facial mist as part of your skincare routine, I’d love to know which brand you use and how you like to incorporate it into your day

Tropic Skincare – My Skin Saviours

November 5, 2018August 30, 2025 - Vicki 1 Comment

Let me introduce to you two best-selling blemish busting (and more) skincare saviours from Vegan beauty brand Tropic Skincare. I have been so excited to talk more about these products as I have been using them for a couple of months now and have really grown to rely on them in my beauty routine, in particular, the Tamanu Healing Balm which is simply one product that will very quickly become a ‘does all’ product in your daily life. It really has an endless list of uses!

First off, lets talk about the Clear Skin Blemish Fighting Mask – the lovely team at Tropic sent this out to me because for the first time in my adult life I was suffering from some really large, sore, stubborn blemishes and I wanted to get rid of them before my birthday (very important to have clear skin on your birthday, especially when you’re turning 40). I was really at a loss at how best to reduce them, and the lovely people at Tropic suggested this face mask & I haven’t looked back!

Tropic Skincare Clear Skin Blemish Fighting Face Mask

This bold green blemish busting mask is white & green clay based so it is great at drawing out all the build-up of grease, bacteria and pollution from your pores whilst working with bamboo charcoal to reduce oil and balance out your skin. I slather it all over my face at least twice a week – but when I have a blemish I quite often just apply this to that area, more of a targeted treatment, and that really works well to reduce redness and also calm the inflamed spot. It contains so many lovely ingredients that will help you not only reduce blemishes & mattify skin but also keep the build-up of blemish-causing bacteria at bay, so you’re less likely to suffer from breakouts.

● Willow bark extracts, rich in beta hydroxy salicylic acids, travel deep into your pores to unclog built up sebum.

● Cayenne pepper and ginger extracts kill blemish-causing bacteria at the source.

● Green and white clays work to dry out spots and stop them from increasing in size.

● Charcoal and spirulina work to draw out toxins and tighten pores.

● Raspberry leaf and goji berry extracts reduce redness and calm skin.

Another pretty cool thing about this mask, besides the fact that it is gentle, doesn’t dry out your skin or leave it feeling uncomfortably tight is that it dries dark green in more oily areas with larger pores, and it dries a lighter green in more balanced areas so you can quickly see where your skin needs a little help. For me, my oily areas are my cheeks & chin.

I saw a huge difference in my skin, and I know I have this mask to thank for that. My breakouts are less frequent, and I always use this Clear Skin mask as soon as a blemish starts appearing. That way I know it has more chance of not becoming inflamed, and It clears all the bacteria and excess sebum build-up ASAP. It is a great mask to have in your beauty routine, especially if you suffer from oily skin that likes to break out.

Tropic Skincare Tamanu Healing Balm

Now on to what I think is the star of the show – this is one of those beauty/skincare products you stumble upon very rarely that completely blows you away. It looks quite ordinary, apart from being green and all in one beauty balms often get overlooked because people don’t quite know how they fit into their routine, but this new release from Tropic is EPIC. I have been singing its praises to family and friends since it landed on my doorstep almost 2 months ago.

So this skin-loving green balm is made with tamanu oil (also known as ‘green gold’), which is an age-old remedy trusted for centuries in the Polynesian islands to stimulate skin renewal, Tropic have blended it hydrating, soothing monoi and cocoa butters so it is hydrating and calming and if that wasn’t enough it also contains antioxidant-rich blackcurrant extract and raspberry seed oil.

So this balm has so many skin loving, healing and protecting ingredients. It really is the best multipurpose product I have ever used. My favourite way to use it is as an eye cream because it is simply one of the most hydrating products I’ve used. I also dab it on the odd blemish to help calm and sooth the inflames skin.

I even took it on my recent trip to Amsterdam, in my hand luggage so I could use it on the plane. It does come in a handy 20ml travel size, but I took my 60ml tub and I used it as my lip balm, eye cream, on my cuticles as well as on a few blemishes and a couple of pesky blemish scars. So I really put it to good use! I just love how hydrating, nourishing and gentle it is and I think it is incredible that it can be used in so many ways. It now comes everywhere with me!

Jurlique Activating Water Essence

September 21, 2016May 6, 2017 - Vicki 2 Comments

We are seeing Asian beauty influences in so many products being released by Western brands, only last week I blogged about the latest Lancome Cushion Makeup and it seems that the latest trend to hit our skincare routines is the Essence. I had to do a little background reading on just what exactly an Essence was and how best to use it in my skincare regime.

I thought I had a pretty rigorous regime and didn’t realise that there was room for one more step, a step that the Asian market have deemed to be one of the most important. So an Essence is not a toner, nope its used after both cleansing and toning, it can replenish moisture, balance skins PH levels and help skin look glowing. You use your hands to pat the product into your skin and let the rich, nourishing ingredients work their magic. One of the latest to hit the market is the Activating Water Essence from Australian skincare brand Jurlique & I have been putting it to the test.

**Jurlique Activating Water Essence* £40**

I thought adding another step to my skincare routine would be pointless and even more time consuming but I have to say this extra step has become one of my favourites. The action of patting the product into my skin is quite relaxing and my skin has felt a lot better too since introducing this. This product activates your skin in 3 ways

Hydrates – Delivers continuous hydration and lasting moisture
Conditions – Smooths skin to provide a soft, supple complexion
Revitalise – Revitalises and re-energises for healthy-looking skin

At the centre of its highly concentrated formula is their star ingredient – Marshmallow Root Extract, which is great at deeply hydrating skin and improving its ability to retain moisture. So what is it about Marshmallow Root that makes it such a good skincare ingredient,

Marshmallow Root Extract has been used throughout history as a healing treatment, it has anti inflammatory properties, its gentle and soothing on the skin whilst also being a natural hydrator.

The Marshmallow Root’s ability to attract and retain water allows it to provide lasting hydration to the skin. It forms a protective barrier that helps rebalance dry skin and prevent moisture loss to leave skin feeling soft and smooth.

Along side the Marshmallow Root there are also quite a few other natural ingredients including,

Neem – Conditions and soothes
Lavender – Hydrates and calms
Rosemary – Invigorates and restores
Horsetail – Hydrates and balances
Witch Hazel – Clarifies and firms
Nettle – Rebalances and refreshes
Peach Leaf – Revitalises, regenerates and protects

Since using this my skin doesn’t look as fatigued or dull and it has been really good at reducing the redness in my cheeks. I am pretty pleased to have this step in my routine and can see why it is so popular. This bottle is going to last ages, you only need to splash a few drops into your hands and because it is so fluid a little goes a long way.

Let me know if you already have this step in your routine & if you’re a fan of any other Korean / Japanese beauty regimes or products.

*PR Sample

Garnier Ultimate Blends Restoring Lotion

February 25, 2016March 2, 2025 - Vicki 2 Comments

After the success of their Ultimate Blends Haircare range, Garnier has released the new Ultimate Blends Body, which caters for targeted skin concerns. There are four blends to pick from, including

Marvellous Oils
Mythic Olive
Delicate Oat
Honey Treasures

I have been using two products from the Honey Treasures range, which is the range targeted at restoring very dry skin. So if your skin is suffering in this cold dry weather, and you want to get your legs Spring ready, then I think you will love the results of this blend. It is blended with what Garnier call 3 treasures from the Beehive, which are

Royal Jelly – A revitalising elixir renowned for its restoring properties
Propolis – A remarkable ingredient which acts as a protective barrier
Honey – A nourishing and smoothing nectar

Garnier Ultimate Blends Restoring Lotion Honey Treasures*

This comes with a pump, always handy when applying body lotion, and the texture is lovely and creamy. It feels rich and instantly smoothing on the skin. I like to use this one in the morning as out of the two it is more lightweight and leaves my skin smooth, soft and gives just enough hydration so it doesn’t feel greasy under my clothes. I hate that feeling.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Restoring Body Butter Honey Treasures*

This, as you would guess, has a much thicker texture than the lotion, so I like to use this at night when I have more time to let it sink in. If I put it on before bed, my skin feels supple, smooth and nourished. This is a great product if you suffer from dry skin, it’s extremely hydrating. It is a little more tacky on the skin than the lotion, but after it has been on for 10 minutes or so, it feels lovely.

Also, the scent of this range is rich, and I think smells quite like caramel. It’s lovely sweet, and I can smell it on myself for hours after applying it. I am a big fan of these new additions to the Garnier range, and they are helping me get my skin ready for the warmer months, Spring is on its way.

Garnier Ultimate Blends