My First Cloth Mask!

As promised, here's a post about my first time using a cloth face mask. It's not a review, just a few comments about my experience with it. The mask I used was the Ffid Coenzyme Q10 Cloth Mask that I was given by my lovely friends who brought me some beauty products back from Japan. I used it one day last week when I was home sick and I thought I deserved a treat!

This is what the packaging looked like. I can't read Japanese text at all, but I've read enough beauty blogs to know in general how they work. I figured that 15-20 minutes would be a good time to keep it on my face.

I took the mask out of the packet and unfolded it. It was soaked realy well with serum, so much that it was practically dripping! I was very pleased with that. Applying the mask to my face with all the little shaping parts to it was more complicated than I thought it would be, but the persistence was worth it!
Now, I have to apologise in advance for this next picture! I was embarrassed about how I looked in the mask, plus the photos didn't turn out too well, so I decided to spruce them up a bit by making this collage:

One touch that I loved was that the mask had little flaps for the eyes which you flip up once you're ready to lie back and relax. I don't know if other eye masks have this, but I hope so! I used the time to listen to a guided relaxation MP3 on my iPod.
The serum was clear and had no smell. As I said before, the mask was soaked with it, so when I removed the mask, I rubbed it into my face and also my neck. In fact there was also plenty of serum left in the packet, so I squeezed it into a spare little pot I had, and applied it over the next few nights.

I have to say - I'm a cloth face mask convert! I love them! I want more!

Review: Crabtree and Evelyn Citron Honey and Coriander Body Scrub

ABOUT THE PRODUCT & BRAND
Crabtree & Evelyn was founded in 1972. The first part of the name comes from the Crabapple Tree, which is used in many health and beauty applications, and the second part from 17th-century naturalist John Evelyn. The Citron Honey and Coriander Body Scrub is part of a range of body products with a spicy lemon scent. It contains peach kernel, pumpkin, jojoba, and soybean oils, extracts of citrus, coriander, fig and apricot, and honey. Beads made of sunflower wax provide the exfoliating component. The product is free of artificial colour, phthalates, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate. Crabtree & Evelyn products are NOT tested on animals.
Source: Brand Homepage..

THE PRODUCT & ME
I bought the Citron Honey and Coriander Body Scrub from a local gift shop that was closing down. I can't remember exactly what I paid for it, but it was about half price. The RRP on the brand website is $30.00. Crabtree & Evelyn products are also available at brand stores and on their website.

PACKAGING
The Scrub came in a cardboard box, which made it seem more special. The design of the box and tube itself has a whimsical, old-fashioned feel with an illustration of a lemon. The tube stands upside down on its lid - I always prefer packaging like this, because the product naturally travels to the bottom and you can squeeze more out.

Straight from the tube.
APPEARANCE & PERFORMANCE
The Scrub is white in colour and has a very thick, creamy texture. I really loved the smell. It's a subtle creamy lemon with just a hint of spice. The smell lasts on my skin for hours, but it's not overpowering. The exfoliating beads are a little hard and people with sensitive skin might find them a bit scratchy, but I thought it was fine. The amount of beads compared to scrub is quite a lot, so there is an effective exfoliating result. My skin felt much smoother afterwards.
I tried this scrub both on dry skin and wet skin with different effects. On dry skin the scrub clings to the skin and there's a harsher scrubbing effect. On wet skin, the scrub disperses and the scrubbing effect is much gentler. I preferred using the scrub on dry skin personally, but you may prefer using it on wet skin if you have sensitive skin.

The exfoliating scrub. CONCLUSION

Pros:                             Cons:
delicious smell                  a little expensive
made skin feel very smooth       not widely available
pretty packaging

WOULD I GET AGAIN? Yes. Crabtree & Evelyn is a brand I wouldn't really have considered purchasing before, but I'm adding them to my list of "for a treat" brands now!