Witch Blackhead Clearing Gel Review

Sometimes the products that get me most excited are the unassuming ones, the ones I try that make a real difference to my skin and new Witch Blackhead Clearing Gel is, my dear readers, one such product.

Witch say

Witch Blackhead Clearing Gel is a gentle exfoliating gel that removes dead skin cells and rubs away blackheads easily whilst contracting the pores. Making your skin look fresher and more radiant for the whole day.

Oil free
Dermatologically tested

To use - 

Use the gel on your DRY face with your DRY fingers. Apply an adequate amount on your T-zone and cheeks. Massage the formula for about one minute (avoiding the eye area) until dead skin cells are coming off. Rinse off the remains with water.

Ingredients 

Blackhead Clearing Gel is formulated with the following key ingredients:

Witch Hazel Extract – natural astringent with toning and clearing properties.
Quaternary Ammonium Salts to gently exfoliate & remove dead skin cells.
Glycerin to provide hydration and leave your skin feeling soft and soothed.

My thoughts 

I was looking forward to trying this gel as when I returned from holiday, my pores were enlarged and really quite dirty :( I couldn't wait to cover them up with makeup so this was a perfect opportunity to really put this product to the test.

This gel has a pleasant fresh scent which makes it a pleasure to use. The gel rolls and then you rinse it off. From the first use my skin felt softer and smoother. (I follow with a cleanser) I have been using it for more than 2 weeks now and the pores on my nose are cleaner and a lot smaller looking/barely visible. My skin is looking clearer, feels softer and just generally better looking. The exfoliating action is so gentle and yet so effective.

I have been really impressed with this product, especially as it is under £5 and although this was a pr sample I will be repurchasing.

A big thumbs up from me.

Witch Blackhead Clearing Gel 35ml £4.99

*PR Sample

Five Facial Washes Speed Reviewed! Clean & Clear,Witch,Neutrogena & Dead Sea Spa Magik

For this post on facial washes I am handing over to my guest reviewer, my good friend Victoria. I am not a huge fan of facial washes and having found myself awash with the items I thought I would pass them on to someone who does use them.

I use facial washes every day as I find they’re not as harsh as soap and water plus they usually have better scents! For reference my skin type is sensitive and can be dry.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub £4.49 for 150ml -  With powerful MicroClear technology, exfoliating micro-beads and refreshing pink grapefruit.

I loved the colour of this scrub, I do like products that look good on the bathroom shelf. I really liked the smell of this facial scrub and it gently exfoliated, leaving my skin feeling very fresh afterwards.

Clean & Clear’s Morning Energy Skin Brightening Daily Facial Scrub £3.99 for 150ml -  with bursting beads and lemon & papaya extracts.

Another good colour for my bathroom! This smelt very summery and fruity, a bit like an ice lolly! It felt refreshing on my skin.

Clean & Clear Morning Energy Skin Energising Daily Facial Wash £3.99 for 150ml - with bursting beads and vitamin C & ginseng.

Once again, I liked the bright and cheery colour and it felt invigorating and refreshing with a pleasant kind of zingy smell.

Witch Naturally Clear Gentle Exfoliating Wash £3.99 for 150ml - Contains Witch hazel extract, Rice powder: natural exfoliating particles to deep cleanse pores, Willow bark extract. Product is SLS and SLES free.

The Witch was ok, but didn't have much of a scent; I'm always drawn to strong fruity smells. It lathered quite well and exfoliated gently. Think it was perhaps a little too harsh for my skin though.

I could tell that this was not a favourite for Victoria due to the initial feedback I received. This is designed for combination/oily skin so unsurprisingly was not a good match for her skin type.

Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleansing Facial Wash £8.80 for 150ml - Suitable for all skin types. Contains a special blend of natural ingredients to penetrate deep seated impurities.

This was my husband’s favourite. He was really impressed with how it got rid of the oiliness of his skin. I found it quite invigorating, but didn’t like the smell too much. I did like the creamy texture though.

As for my favourite, I really couldn’t choose between any of the first three – Neutrogena and the two from Clean & Clear. All of them were fairly similar in scent, texture and how they left my skin feeling. I’d buy all of these facial washes and scrubs again

Thanks so much Victoria for the reviews.. I am wondering have you tried other types of cleansers, in particular cream ones? They may be better if your skin has a tendency to dryness.

Do you have similar skin to Victoria? What cleansers work for you?

And The 10 Winners Are.....!

Congratulations to the 10 people listed below, you have won the new Witch Skincare Liquid Concealer in your shade of choice

Inside The WendyHouse
Eloise Allan
Lillese
Lora
Stacy Ward
Alison
Kiki725
Katherinesara
GuiliandBeauty
Deedee

Look out for an email from me shortly!

Thank you everyone for entering and keep reading for more giveaways in the future :-)

*Closed* Giveaway - New Witch Liquid Concealer - 10 to win!

*Giveaway Now Closed*

The lovely and generous people from Witch have offered me 10 of their new liquid concealers to give away to my lovely readers!!

Witch anti-blemish liquid concealer

This is a mattifying concealer available in 2 shades to fit most skin tones -  01 Light which can be used with light or medium tinted moisturiser and 02 Medium which can be used with medium and dark tinted moisturiser.

It will conceal dark circles, hide and treat blemishes and spots. It is lightweight, gentle enough to use on the under eye area, oil and fragrance free. Application is easy with a brush tip pen.

Available from July in Boots stores and online at Boots priced £6.99

This concealer is launching in July 2011 so you have the chance to be one of the first people to try it - To enter 

• This giveaway is only open to UK residents
• You must be a GFC follower of BeautySwot.com - you can follow by clicking follow on the right ( I will be checking)
• Leave me a comment stating your email address and which shade you would like 01 Light or 02 Medium
• Giveaway will end in one week on 4th July 2011 at Midnight (BST)  - So hurry and enter!
• Winners will be selected at random by random.org and details passed on to Witch Skincare who will contact you to arrange for your prize to be sent.

Good luck!

Witch Skincare - Cleansing and Toning Wipes

I tend to only purchase wipes when I am going on holiday but after last years disaster with the Waitrose wipes I vowed that I would probably just take my usual cleanser with me.

As part of the bag of products I received at the Witch Event included wipes I thought I would give them a go.

I have been using these wipes when I have been too tired to cleanse properly at night..They contain witch hazel and help to tighten pores.

The wipes are actually really rather nice, they have a gorgeous and fresh scent, a bit zesty. They are a good size and quite thick. They don't sting (a real problem that I have with wipes) but they do leave it with a very slight tingling feeling which isn't at all unpleasant. I find that they do an excellent job of cleansing the skin, removing all my makeup and making my skin feel really clean and soft and not at all dry.

I would recommend these wipes and I would purchase them.

Witch Skincare Cleansing and Toning Wipes normally cost around £3 for 25 wipes but are currently on offer at Superdrug for £1.55!

Witch Skincare Bloggers Event

On Saturday afternoon I was invited to an event held by Witch Skincare. It was an opportunity to try out their new anti-blemish cosmetics range, get a bit more acquainted with the existing skincare range, meet the team and other bloggers.

I had a thoroughly enjoyable time, there were many things to do and I met some lovely friendly bloggers - Palm/Tarot readings, Reiki, massages, makeovers and manicures. On the naughty side were lessons in playing poker, Wii games, A history of Burlesque and a mini lesson. Plenty of food and drink was provided, chocolate foundations, smoothies, pizza, wraps, cookies, popcorn, sweets pick and mix , endless Champagne, Corona, soft drinks and lots, lots more!

The afternoon kicked up with an introduction to the new cosmetics range and a makeover on one of the Witch team. Available now are a tinted moisturiser, a redness relief moisturiser, skin clearing primer and a pressed powder. First impression from the range are good, they smell nice and feel moisturising. I am lucky to have been given samples of these to try out,  so look out for a future review post on the range including the skincare products.

I then opted for my palm to be read - the lady who read my palm got my character spot on, mentioned the past pretty accurately and told me a few things that are to come. It was a very enjoyable session.

A blogger in the palmistry corner

Learning to perfect our poker faces

I have never had a Reiki session and I was treated to a mini introduction to it, I felt an intense heat from the hands of the lady who was giving it and at the end of the session I felt like I had floated away and a real sense of calm.... Unfortunately yesterday I had what is called a 'healing crisis' which made me feel extremely ill! However this can be remedied by plenty of water and rest. I believe that when this passes I will feel great.

After all the various activites, eating and chatting we ended the day with some Burlesque tips... Fun was had by all and I headed home. I think my husband was surprised when I would just randomly strike a pose!

I ate my yummy cake the next day

I am lucky to have been given samples of these products to try out,  so look out for a future review post on the range including the skincare products.