Review: No7 Beautifully Balanced Purifying Toner

This is my absolute favourite toner, from the No7 Beautifully Balanced skin care range, ideal for oily/combination skin (although definitely not for dry skin). It's gentle enough to avoid drying out skin but still leaves you with that clean, fresh feeling some 'gentle toners' just don't provide. This is a wipe on skin toner with a pump dispenser so you can avoid applying too much product. It retails at £8 but I always stock up when Boots are handing out their £5 No7 beauty vouchers, making it quite a bargain!

I've heard some whispers this is being discontinued and at the moment it's out of stock online. I really hope this isn't true - my skin can't live without this toner!

Review: Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask

Like many people, I tend to associate Clearasil with the harsh acne treatments I used in my teens - not a brand that I would really consider these days. However, their new Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts range claims to use only mild cleansers, gently clearing blemished, oily skin without over-drying - so with that in mind, I decided to let Clearasil back into my skin care routine.

This product can be used as a face wash or as a 3 minute mask and is ideal for oily/combination skin. Ingredients include pomegranate extract, a wonderful antioxidant, and Vitamin E and avocado extracts, both great for nourishing skin.

As a face wash, it's slightly creamier than I expected and doesn't really foam much. The downside to this also being a quick mask is that the cleanser begins setting if you spend more than about 30 seconds massaging it in, making it a pain to remove. Of course, if you prefer a quick cleanse, this won't be problem for you! When first removed, I found this made my skin feel very tight and a bit dry. After a couple of minutes though, my skin felt a lot softer and very smooth, although it still felt tight - so I'm not entirely convinced by Clearasil's 'non-drying' claims.

As a mask, I found it a little too wet and sloppy to apply well - the texture and consistency definitely works better as a wash. For a quick mask, it gives quite impressive results - immediately after removing the mask my skin felt soft and plump and looked brighter. In the hours after using it I also noticed that the breakout of angry spots around my chin was visibly calmer with less redness.

Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask is available from Boots for the purse-friendly price of £4.99.

Review: Elemis Eyes Awake Recovery Gel

Products from Elemis - the spa and beauty brand, used in thousands of day spas worldwide - are the ultimate in luxury skin care for me. This particular product was a birthday splurge.

Eyes Awake Recovery Gel is a life saver for tired, strained eyes. It does exactly what it says on the tin - pat it around the eyes and the refreshing gel instantly perks you up, moisturising the area and waking eyes up, whilst stopping puffiness in it's tracks. I can't begin to describe how much I love this eye gel - I've been known to carry this in my handbag on days I know will be exhausting!

The only downside to this is the price tag - retailing at £36.80 for 10ml, it is not cheap. But if your eyes are in need of refreshment and you have the cash, buy it, I promise you won't be disappointed. It's also worth shopping around - the main Elemis stockists are, of course, Elemis spas & salons (take a peek round your locals), the Time To Spa website, feelunique.com and Debenhams. Debenhams have a sale on at the moment, so you can currently buy Eyes Awake for £33.12 there - not much of a discount, but it helps!

Review: Barry M Clear Mascara & Eyebrow Definer

Barry M's Clear Mascara and Eyebrow Definer provides lashes and brows with subtle definition. I'll admit - I used this on my eyelashes once and I didn't love it, I just didn't see any difference (clear mascara - why??). Eyebrow definer, however, has always been an essential in my make up routine. It smooths over any unruly hairs, giving eyebrows a smoother, more polished, 'just waxed' look. A perfect quick fix when your brows are in desperate need of a tweeze!

But there is a major downside to this product - a few hours after application it dries out and begins to flake, horribly. It's not a pretty sight - almost like dandruff! And be wary if applying after your foundation. My gel has slowly adopted a yellow-beige tint. Not cute!

I haven't seen this in Boots or Superdrug lately (possibly a sign of impending discontinuation product?) but it's still available on the Barry M Cosmetics website for £4.19.

Review: Soap & Glory You Won't Believe Your Eyes

I bought this eye cream as part of my neverending search for those miracle products that will effectively reduce the appearance of dark circles. That's exactly what this serum claims to do, along with reducing the appearance of fine lines, tackling puffy eyes and, of course, being a great moisturiser for the undereye area.

First off: I used this everyday for 6+ months and I saw no long term improvement with my dark circles and my fine lines, if anything, are getting more obvious (sob). So no miracle product here. In the short term however, it has some good points.

The serum itself has a very slight lilac tint, which, if you didn't know already, is commonly used in cosmetics for it's fantastic ability to conceal dark circles. If you've never used lilac around your eyes before, don't let it scare you off! It blends in perfectly and is perfect underneath your concealer to give it an extra boost.

The applicator consists of 3 small metal roller balls (much like the Garnier Eye Roll On) - if you suffer from tired, puffy eyes these are essential for you! You Won't Believe Your Eyes is great for instantly refreshing eyes - you can even use this over make up, making it a handbag essential for those mornings you just don't want to wake up.

Personally, I don't think I'll be buying this again - it's a nice pick me up in the mornings, but overall, it's not very impressive, it's not cheap and there's better out there.

Soap and Glory You Won't Believe Your Eyes is available from Boots for £10.50.