Beauty Review: Burt's Bees Pore Refining Mask

I have been a fan of Burt's Bees ever since a friend bought me one of their travel kits a few years ago while on holiday in the US. At the time, particularly living in South Africa, the range of 'natural' beauty products was rather limited and I found the lack of synthetics combined with interesting natural ingredients a refreshing approach.

I am actually now on my second jar of Burt's pore-refining mask with french green clay. I bought the first in Summer last year and have just purchased the second, which I suppose is enough of a review in itself.

The mask is 100% natural and basically contains French green clay and dried herbs and flowers. The product comes in powder form and needs to be mixed with a little water to make a thin paste which can be spread onto the face. Although I do find this a little fiddly, and occasionally messy, the advantage is that you can mix up as much as you like and the product has an excellent shelf life. For me, the reason why I like this so much is that my skin is slightly sensitive and I have found that other purifying, clay-based masks tend to irritate my skin. This one does leave my skin slightly flushed for a while, but it doesn't itch and the after effects are that my skin actually feels soothed and perfectly clean. I can't say huge pores are my major skin issue so I can't speak for those who suffer from this affliction but as a general pore-refining, deep cleansing mask this one is the best I've used.

Beauty Review: REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash

I have been meaning to write a review on this for ages as it was one of my Christmas presents from the OH. And the reason why it was on the Christmas list is because, at £16, it is rather expensive for a regular shower gel purchase but I just kept reading good things about this product. And now that I have been spoilt with it I am loathe to go back to anything else! I absolutely love the smell but the main reason I rate this so much is the moisturising effect it has on my skin. Sometimes other shower gels/body washes can leave my skin feeling dry and almost a little tight but this makes my skin lovely and silky yet without an oily, sticky film which sometimes occurs with other products which contain essential oil. This won the 'Best shower gel' category in the Style Best Beauty Buys 2010 and I can understand why.

As with most REN products it contains no petrochemicals, sulfates, parabens, synthetic colours and fragrances, silicones or pegs....and the list goes on. REN's packaging is recyclable and can be returned to them using freepost. The only animal products REN use are honey and beeswax and none of their products are tested on animals. Visit http://www.renskincare.com/ for more information on REN's ingredients and environmental policies.

Beauty Review: Yes To Carrots Body Lotion and Eye Contour Cream

Yes To Carrots is a US-based skincare range now available in the UK. I have been using the 'C is Smooth - Body Moisturising Lotion' and 'Eye can C Clearly Now - Eye Contour Cream' for several weeks and although I wouldn't say they have astounded me they are good overall products.

The body lotion is non-greasy which is good. The only thing I don't like is that it just seems to disappear so I have to apply quite a lot before I feel like it's had an effect. I do like the fresh, 'baby lotion' smell as it doesn't interfere with my perfume.

The eye cream moisturises my under eye area effectively but unfortunately didn't do anything for dark circles or puffiness. So it's a nice product but not a miracle worker....it does however come in a very large jar compared to most eye products so will last for a long time and is good value for money.

The range uses Beta-Carotene from fruits and vegetables and minerals from the Dead Sea. Products do not contain parabens, phthalates and are not tested on animals. The 'Yes To' company state that they try to use as high a natural and organic content as possible....but this does vary from product to product, so it's best to do a bit of research and check the ingredient list for each one if you have particular concerns. The company aims to donate over 5% of profits towards the 'Yes To Carrots' Seed Fund, a US non-profit organisation which provides grants to schools and communities to help them build gardens and promote healthy nutrition. Visit http://www.yestocarrots.com/. for more information about the company and specific products.