When is a serum not a serum?

When it's touted as being both an anti ageing serum and mask.  I'm talking about Purity Organic Skincare's Anti Aging Serum and Mask.  On the subject of anti ageing, how do you spell that word? At school we were taught that if adding an 'ing', take off the 'e'.  Anti ageing seems to be the one lamb that escaped that slaughter.  So what's proper? Ageing or Aging?
 
I have issues with that fact that this product is descibed as being a two in one.  Serums and masks are two totally different things, they're not the first choice of partner I'd think of if I was marrying up facial skincare.  I'd do a moisturiser and eye cream in one.  Serums are meant to be used with a light hand whereas you can really pile a mask on so there's my second problem.  How much of this are you meant to apply it?

The consistency also irks me.  It feels like a watered down face cream.  All the serums and moisturising masks that I've stuck my fingers into have a bit more substance.  This seems wimpy in comparison.

Each time I've used it, I've varied how much I put on.  It doesn't sink in at all.  It forms into a peel off mask and I have to use water to remove the mask and it doesn't add anything to my skin at all.  Adding the water just seems to wash the mask off so I'm not sure how it's meant to make you look younger in 10 minutes?  The instructions suggest leaving it on overnight but with how it makes my face tight, I'm itching it take it off after 15 minutes.  It also fails as as serum, deciding to just linger on the skin and not sinking in as a serum should.

The disrespect it shows for my skin is unparalleled.  Nothing I have ever used has been as bad for my skin as this.  It gives me annoying spots..not the kind that fade within a few days, they're horrible hard things that last ages.  It also gave me a horrible dry patch on my face which was nigh on impossible to get rid of.

It's a shame this was so bad as my previous experiences with the range have been very good, I loved the moisturiser, face wash, exfoliator and cleanser..

I'm on the lookout for a decent moisturising and anti-ageing/aging mask on a budget so if you know of any, let it all out in the comments, thanks!

Rhamnousia Reviews: Biotherm SKIN.ERGETIC Anti-Fatigue Concentrate Serum

After my last disaster with serum, I was really looking forward to giving this a go.  My bottle has no print on it but I saw a few in Boots and they all had a nice Biotherm printing on it.  This is also the reason why you're getting a stock photo in this post.

First, how to use it..

The box comes with a silver packet inside, inside this is an alternative top for the serum bottle.  You take the standard top off, put the alternative top on and push down, releasing a brown powder into the serum.  You take alternative top off and put the standard lid back on.  The instructions say one tap is enough to immerse the powder properly into the serum but I gave it a good shake to mix it in well.

It smells very fruity..to those of you who have been to India and have ice cream there, that is exactly what this smells like.  The brown powder smells like fish food but when mixed into the serum, it takes on the fruity smell.

The bottle is made of glass and it reminds me of when I used to play with the glass bottles on my mum's dressing table.

I use one stingy drop a day.  This was found out via trial and error.  I use only the tiniest amount on my forehead, nose and chin and a little more on my cheeks as I have combination skin.  If I use more, it makes my skin greasy.  The day cream I put on top of this is Garnier's Soft Essentials Day Cream.  It sinks in quickly if you use the right amount, if you find it taking ages then you're using too much. 

It claims to turn tired looking skin around and make it look radiant and fresh.  Claims which, if actually true, would sum up exactly what my skin needed when I got it.  So..does it work?

After the very first use, my skin looked a lot smoother when I was putting my eye makeup.  The morning after, I didn't have my usual dry flakes around the nose that I'd suffered with from the onset of winter.  My skin also felt quite plumped out and it looked a great deal more radiant than it did before I used this.  The sweet smell doesn't linger at all after the first two or three days.  I've used this for three/four weeks now and there is still a lot left.  I'm still using one drop on my face and it has really made my skin look very good, a lot of the ladies at work are convinced that I've been going for facials on the sly..  It's brilliant for those who don't have time to be masking themselves up all the time, it makes you look like you've used a brightening mask which is brilliant.  I find myself using less foundation and concealer as it really evened my complexion out.

This will set you back £35.  Do I think it's worth £35? I do.  Simply because I find it hard to get a serum which is aimed at my age (26 years old) that doesn't make my skin overly oily because it is too rich.  I've used a fair few in the past and this is the only one that has does what I'd want a serum to do.  Plus, the fact that it lasts so long is also a good thing.  You can pick it up from the Biotherm site or from Boots.

SKIN.ERGETIC from Biotherm

SKIN.ERGETIC is a new line launched by Biotherm which consists of a serum, day moisturiser and night moisturiser.  Its main aim is to help all of us who live hectic lives..lives which don't leave us enough time to fart (of course, us being ladies don't fart anyway..) get good skin.

The products help combat the tell tale signs of fatigue which manifest themselves on our faces in the shape of "crap skin", you all know what I mean..it looks dull, the pores are not behaving and you've got flakey bits.

Obviously not to scale, the serum is larger than the moisturiser..

The serum contains broccoli extract, apple cells, soy extract and AHAs from lemons and sugar cane.  The unlikely mix helps shield your skin against the nasties that attack it on a daily basis.  It also claims to exfoliate the skin, prepping it for cell turnover..

The day moisturiser is a fruity number containing extracts from tomatoes, grapes, pomegranates and Seville oranges which are anti oxidants that add a further barrier to entry for the nasties.

The night moisturiser contains tea and ruscus (a green trea from the same family as (real) Christmas trees) extracts.  It also contains extracts from Buckwheat wax.  Both together eliminate free radicals and soothe the skin.

The serum will set you back £30, the moisturisers are £30 each.  You can pick them up from Boots..  I've got the serum and the night moisturiser so I'll be reviewing them both in good time.  The promise of exfoliation looks quite promising, I just hope it's not a gimmick..