You Beauty Discovery Box - May

This month's You Beauty Discovery Box has joined forces with and celebrates the CEW 2015 Beauty Awards. CEW is a not-for-profit organisation that is dedicated to furthering the interests of the British beauty industry. The shortlist for the months box featured an assortment of nominees.

In the box every month are at least two treats. This month we were treated to a sachet of Dr Organic Snail Gel of which I am a huge fan already. Jimmy Choo Man sample for the mister in your life and voucher for 20% off selected beauty and fragrance at Marks & Spencer. So a really nice treat or two to be trying out to use.

Then my actual choices is again one I found quite hard to decide between because I actually wanted three of them and was almost playing "Ip dip" to make my decision. The three I struggled to choose between was the Angel Face Cloth from The Konjac Sponge Company, Better than Sex Mascara from Too Faced which I absolutely love and Pro-Collagen Marine Cream from Elemis which is raved about by so many bloggers and still remains to be a product I haven't yet tried. So, my choice in the end were these two.

The Angel Cloth from The Konjac Sponge Company which at a first glance reminds me of a prawn cracker from my local Chinese Take-away but is actually described as being shaped like an angel. Once wet, the angel turns into a soft gentle exfoliating cloth, made from pure vegetable fibre. Perfect for cleansing with both hot and cold cleansers, or on its own with no cleanser at all; it even cleanses the delicate eye area. Kinder than a muslin cloth or flannel, the angel cloth will not damage the skin and leaves it feeling fresh and rejuvenated. 

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara.  This is a mascara that is always out of stock whenever I look for it.  Having used it some time ago, I have been desperate to get my hands on some more.  Described as follows "One application of this collagen-fueled formula and touch of the specially shaped brush will leave you begging for more. One coat and lashes are full, defined and stretched to unbelievable lengths. Two coatsand they’re reaching unbelievable heights of drama. Three coats and you’ll believe in magic".  What I love about this mascara is the formula which is not overly wet and nor is it overly dry, it sits somewhere in the middle and is perfect for day and night wear.

Given the number of choices for this month's box, at £6.95 it is an absolute bargain.

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Konjac Puff Sponge

The Konjac sponge is one of those products that I have had for a long time in my bathroom but until now it has never featured on my blog. I got in my abw beauty box quite some time ago and have only recently got round to using it.

There is more than one sponge I recently discovered, quite a few in fact such as face sponge, baby sponge, bath sponge, man sponge and even travel versions! The one I have is the Pink Clay Sponge which can found in the face sponges section right HERE.

The sponge is described as being: 

"The ideal Konjac Sponge for those suffering from the weather extremes of air conditioning, excess sun exposure and central heating. Pure French Pink Clay gently purifies even the most sensitive skin and has a softening and plumping effect to improve elasticity and refresh your skin’s appearance".

It is a sort of sponge ball cut in half shape which fits perfectly into the palm of my hand. It is a 100% natural vegetable fibre sponge with nourishing rich french pink clay and is designed for those of us with tired or devitalized skin. Reputed for its health giving properties it has been and it has been used in Japan for over 1500 years. 

So why do you need a Konjac sponge? Well the list of benefits for one, they include:

• Ideal for easily irritated, sensitive and dehydrated skin
• pH balancing
• Gently Exfoliates
• Deeply Cleanses
• Cleanses and Exfoliates the Delicate Eye Area
• Refines Pores
• Use With or Without Cleanser
• Suitable for Sensitive Skin
• 100% Natural, Colouring & Additive Free
• Silky Soft When Wet

The natural alkalinity within the sponge is said to balance the acidity of the skins oil and because of its unique structure, when used on the skin it gently massages to stimulate blood flow and the growth of new skin cells. When I first used my sponge, I was surprised at how soft it was, for some reason I was convinced it was going to be a little bit rough so that when I used it, I would be able to feel some sort of exfoliation process taking place - wrong! It does however leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and incredibly clean after using it. It is said that you can use the sponge to remove make-up, not something I have tried, I use mine whilst in the shower after using a face wash/exfoliator to ensure I have removed every possibly trace of any lotion or potion that I have had on my skin, even if it was a facemask.

To use the sponge, all you need to do is, run it under running water and gently squeeze out any excess but do not wring out your sponge! Then all you do is massage the skin in circular movements with the damp sponge. Once finishing, simply rinse the sponge thoroughly and again gently squeeze out the excess water.  As you can see with my sponge there is a white string in the middle, this is so that you can hang your sponge somewhere to allow it to dry, you are told not to leave it in your shower.

The shelf life of these Konjac sponges is around 1-3 months, it obviously depends on how often you use it and how you look after it.  Once you start to notice changes such as the colour fading or it not doing as good a job on your skin anymore, then it is time to change it. 

Have you got, used or owned a Konjac sponge?