A True Turkish Delight - Rasul Mud Therapy at Shore Island Spa

Well as some of you may know myself and himself are just back from a weekend down in Galway for a belated joint birthday celebration after what was a stressful December/January for us. I jumped on the opportunity to tie in a spa visit to our little stay-cation and was lucky enough to secure two of my most wanted treatments, one for each morning of our stay! I have so much to write about from the treatments themselves to the actual spa experience -which was so truly amazing I believe it merits a blog in its own right. So in honesty not really quite sure what to discuss or where to start I finally decided to give each treatment their own blog and then also to review the spa (I won't lie, I'm not-so-secretly hoping the "spa review" will be a hugely in-demand section of this blog leading to many many future spa visits all in the name of research for you, my good readers!). Anyways, back to the first item on the agenda - the Rasul Treatment. 

The Detail:

We spent the weekend in the Lough Rea Hotel and Spa, Galway and their absolutely amazing spa called the Shore Island Spa offers this as a treatment for one costing €45 or for two costing €60. The treatment lasts 55 minutes and involves the application of mud in the Rasul Chamber in which you then experience a sequence of heat, steam, mist and tropical rain. Want a bit of background info on this? - ok, well this treatment originated in Turkey and is actually an ancient cleansing ritual (I know the irony... cleaning ourselves with mud?!). The mud used however is rich in minerals and also acts as a detoxifier so it seemed like a foolproof option to me...

The therapist showed us into the treatment room which houses the chamber, lots of twinkling candles, heated seats which you can leave your robes on and also a shower in case there is any remaining mud to be cleaned off after. Inside the chamber was two little bowls (soup bowl sized) full to the brim of mud, one for each of us.  Before leaving us to it the therapist explained that once in the chamber you have 3 - 4 minutes to apply the mud all over before the sequence begins. So with quite an amount of giggling we legged it into the chamber and started lashing on the mud which was more slimey than cakey in consistency. I thought the tiny soup bowl full wouldn't be anywhere near enough but after a fairly thick coating I still had a wee bit left much to my surprise. It didn't really smell of much but after several sniffs the best description I could come to was a "seaweedy smell" but very faint - himself didn't notice it at all and I can assure you he would have run a mile from anything remotely seaweed-like so don't be put off!

After we did each others backs we sat on our heated tiled seats facing each other and waited...  we had quite a few giggles at the sight of each other and the looks of uncertainty on our literally muddy faces as we waited with anticipation for something to happen. Suddenly steam came pouring into the room with a heavy citrus/lemongrass scent and the LED lights in the ceiling twinkled from amber to purple and back to green. The large crystal in the center of the chamber changed to match bringing you from an uplifted light sense through to a relaxed and calm mood in line with the pinks and purples. Our skin tingled slightly as the chamber really started heating up but then the steam evaporated and after a few minutes of cooling down a very fine mist sprayed down on us. Then suitably chilled and happily redistributing the mud around our bodies there came another bout of steam it heated up again we started to really relax in the pleasant warmth. Then out of seemingly nowhere a burst of tropical rain, warm but not hot, poured down on us cleansing off some of the mud. This happened a couple of times in the above sequence before we literally were in a monsoon of rain laughing loudly as the mud rolled off our skin, swim suits and down the drain. Once this final shower stopped the 55 minutes was up and we were done.

The Images:

Well as much as I wanted to bring along the digital camera I refrained so below are a combination of images from our spa and generic ones found online to suitably illustrate the process..

Here is the actual Rasul chamber we had our treatment in (picture really doesn't do it justice) You can see my seat through the chamber door in the lighter blue part of the photo. Across from this was an identical seat and in the middle a large crystal ball beside which was our bowls of mud. The ceiling was lit up like the night sky full of twinkling lights:

Lol, our model versions applying the mud to each other!!

A bowl of the magic stuff!

 

The Sciencey Bit:

So the idea behind this treatment as mentioned above is primarily one of cleansing. However, all of the elements combined result not only in detoxified and exfoliated skin but also a great sense of calm and a complete absence of tension. The treatment appeals to various senses with calming light sequences, invigorating herb infused steam, and the slight tingling sensation as the pores open and the mud gets to work.

After application the mud stiffens slightly, almost as if setting. However, the infusion of steam into the chamber softens this up again and opens pores allowing absorption of minerals from the mud. Simultaneously toxins are removed and the rubbing of the mud on ones skin further acts as an exfoliant.

The Conclusion:

I enjoyed this treatment far more than I thought I would. It was so much fun as a couples treatment and struck me as one that would also be great fun for a girls day out or a hen party. It was very lighthearted yet afterwards we both felt very very relaxed and calm. We both were amazed at how soft our skin felt after this treatment and it really did act as a super exfoliation lifting most of the recently applied fake tan from my legs, arms and chest! My skin also looked great with a noticeable reduction in my latest obsession - blackheads - hurrah!! 

Having had a recent injury and feeling some level of aches most days since I was surprised at  how loose my muscles felt after this and had a totally pain free afternoon much to my delight. Generally I felt very calm, rested and detoxified. Himself also thoroughly enjoyed it and much to my annoyance his skin was left even softer than mine! It's a very reasonable treatment and thoroughly enjoyable and therefore it gets a very confident 4 thumbs up from us.

Get thoes Pinkies Supple and Smooth for Spring (with Soap & Glory Hand Food & No.7 Ultimate Moisturising Gloves)

Well ladies (and also a shout out to my recently revealed secret male followers!!) I have been busy busy lately helping get those fingertips twinkling and realised that I'm always doling out advice to clients re keeping their hands in tip top shape - "use cuticle oil", "wear rubber gloves when immersing hands in water", " invest in a good hand cream", "treat them like jewels, not tools!" I thought to myself last week this really merits a blog but particularly as I have been meaning to review the No. 7 gloves for quite some time now and my own rather dry hands seemed in need of a little more TLC than a slather of hand cream...

The Detail:

Right, I'll come straight out with it and admit that while I realise the need for hand cream I have a severe dislike for that slimy feeling it can leave on your hands. However yet another gem from S&G their Hand Food cream is quite absorbent despite its richness. Moreover the heavenly scent acts as a suitable deterrent from running to the sink to wash what feels like clammy palms minutes after application! As with all S&G products it can be found  in Boots and is often in a 3 for 2 deal too so worth picking up. It's available in a travel size 50ml costing €3.05 (€61 per litre), the regular 125ml tube  (pictured below) costing €6.86 (€54.88 per litre) and as some of you who checked out a previous blog posting "how lovely is this" you will have seen their Christmas limited edition hand wash and hand cream set which boasts a wopper 250ml pump dispenser of the stuff!! 

Onto the gloves... well after the above revelation re. my fear of the slime factor I have always regarded these moisturising gloves with a combination of trepidation and mild disgust! However after receiving yet another No.7 money off voucher I decided it was high time I gave these a try and retailing at €6.99 I actually got them for free with my €7.50 off No.7 products voucher (see previous blog: no7 gift vouchers from boots). They are made from 100% cotton so supposedly work with your bodies temperature to enhance absorption of hand cream. 

The Images:

Below the gloves in their packaging and the hand cream...

The gloves unpacked...

A close up of the hand cream...

The Sciencey Bit:

Hand Food boasts Shea Butter, Macadamia Oil and Marshmallow on its ingredient list. On further inspection there are quite a number of oils in this hand cream which probably attribute to it's super smoothing effects.  Along with the macadamia oil it also has sweet almond oil and also grape seed oil.

The moisturising gloves are made of 100% cotton and work by trapping the body heat within the gloves. This allows the pores on the skin to open so the hand cream can fully penetrate. 

The Conclusion:

Well actually the results were absolutely amazeballs... far better than I expected with my hands being transformed from reasonably dry into super soft after a nights wear.  I couldn't stop running them over each other throughout the next day to appreciate the results!! 

The gloves packaging recommends you wear them for 20 minutes or overnight for an intensive treatment. I opted for the overnight treatment for fear of the slime factor making me remove them if I tried it during the day. Regardless of my "issues" I reckon the overnight wear is the easier option anyway and you literally wake up to new hands the next morning. Despite having used Hand Food regularly for the last number of years  and loving its rich yet non greasy formula I was surprised at the extreme positive change after one application only.... these gloves and Hand Food are a magic combo!! I should follow this up by explaining that the super soft effect does wear off if not supplemented with further hand cream top ups within the next few days but then that's to be expected depending on the starting condition of your hands.

The gloves are super stretchy so fit snugly regardless of your hand size (I have freakishly long fingers so was impressed with this!). I also like the fact that you can choose whatever cream you like so depending on preferences, allergies etc. everyone is a winner. These gloves are supposed to be good for soothing psoriasis and eczema when used with appropriate creams and are also great for sorting out your cuticles as well as your hands and pinkies.

All in all I was really impressed though and have decided to try pop these on once a week to keep my hands in perfect condition. Another happy result!

Bring back my favouite MAC (product!).....

Ok ok lame attempt to make the headline rhyme but it had to be done - sorry! I got some exciting news today that I figured I had to share with all of my favourite bloggettes. MAC are running a promo called "MAC by Request" via their facebook page. From yesterday,12th March until the 30th March you can vote for your favourite discontinued lipstick, lipglass and eyeshadows from a set menu of options and the poll toppers will then go on sale in August!! How great?!

Each person is allowed one vote per product per day so if any of your lost loves appear on the list get moving asap!! 

Click on the following link to be brought to the voting page: http://apps.facebook.com/macbyrequest/

Intensly moiturised? Garnier's New Intensive 7days reviewed

Well what better way to follow an exfoliation blog than with a moisturising one? As with exfoliation I'm one of those people who need to make a conscious effort to mositurise so when I saw the latest Garnier product to hit the shelves and heard it's claims of "skin feeling intensely hydrated for up to 7 days" I thought - that needs to be tried!! I picked this up the other side of Christmas so it's been a while but I've been using it quite a bit to suss out how it best works... In fairness though it's been a long time coming this blog so thank you all for your patience!

The Details:
So this is Garnier's latest product in their body range and is accompanied with literally bucket loads of astrices on the back regarding their claims. Here's an overview so you don't have to squint at the small print in store:

Claim: "A consumer study shows that Garnier Body Intensive 7days Lotion is so hydrating, skin still feels moisturised even 7 days after your last application" 
Notes: "After twice daily application for 4 weeks. Consumer tests on 84 subjects, 5 weeks'

I can't help but think wouldn't most skin feel super hydrated for up to a week after a month of twice daily moisturization?? So instantly I'm skeptical I won't lie.

Claim: "Immediately, rough skin is relieved and dramatically softened. Skin is optimally hydrated for 48 hours"
Notes: "48 hr hydration instrumental test on 24 subjects"

So now I'm thinking my skin will feel moisturised for up to 2 days after each application?!


Claim: "After only 7 days of use, skins quality is dramatically improved - dryness - 49%, roughness - 25% and suppleness +26%"
Notes: "Clinical scoring on 40 subjects"




The Images:

So with dry scaly legs in mind after a winter of tights and long trousers I opted for the "Dry to Extra-dry Skin" one pictured above with shea butter in the 250ml pack.

Garnier have released 5 lotions to choose from to cater for all skin types. These are as follows from left to right:
1. Aloe Vera - Normal Skin
2. Mango Oil - Dry, Rough Skin
3. Shea Butter - Extra Dry Skin (this is the one I bought and am reviewing!)
4. Honey - Dry, Sensitive Skin
5. Coco Butter - Dry, Dull Skin



The Sciencey Bit:
Ok so there was one more asterix on the pack which I hadn't mentioned above and this is the word L.Bifidus. On further investigation around the back of the pack we learn that this stands for Lysate of Bifidus. Google this and all you will find is press releases and info about this new Garnier product that seems to attribute most of it's benefits to Lysate of Bifidus. To me it sounded like something I expect to find in my daily Actimel and actually, surprisingly, I wasn't too far off!! 

Basically this is a bacteria which is found to have skin conditioning properties and is found in a lot of high end products like Creme de la Mer Body Cream, Esteé Lauder's Advanced Night repair and L'Oréal's  Youth Code Serum. It's said to be a probiotic that makes our skin more stress resistant and protects it against environmental aggressors (Source: The B-Spot via www.cosmeticmonster.com)

There is also a rake load of oils and butters included alongside this in the ingredients list which I take it all contribute to the 7 Day moisturization effect! Garnier say "The L'Bifidus enriched formula works like a shield and helps lock in moisture."


The Conclusion:
Well I have to say I used it and loved it!  I did a few tests on it to suss out if it's many claims are indeed true. I'll be honest thought - moisturising twice a day for 4 weeks just seemed like madness and I'm guessing most of my reader's would agree! I did a 7 day test though and religiously moisturised every day after a shower for 7 days... after a few days (2-3) my skin really did feel super soft and by the end of the week I was very happy. I'm not sure about the suppleness they mention on the pack but roughness and dryness were virtually gone! This feeling lasted for days after I stopped moisturising too which definitely made the product worthwhile to me (lazy individual that I am)!! I did the ultimate moisturiser test (in my opinion) and 5 days after my last moisturisation I had a spray tan - now originally before I changed my ways an impending spray tan was the only cause that had me moisturising religiously right up to the day before - so I was a wee bit scared to say the least. I was afraid my tan would be patchy due to dry spots of skin having not moistursed but the tan cam out as good as ever and lasted a good 5 days too! This for me was amazing - usually when I get a tan I moisturise every day before and after to prolong it's life and this was pretty much matched by a product I stopped using 5 days prior to tan - AMAZEBALLS!!


My big pro would be it's super fast absorption so you can moisturise and get dressed minutes later without that horrible sticky feeling you get usually. I even used it minutes before putting on tights one day! This really makes it a moisturiser that you can easily use every day. My only con would be that the scents are limited to your skin type with only one per skin type. If you don't like it you are kind of snookered.


On a recent trip up north I did however see some new gel-creams in this range with new scents and an even lighter consistency - mega excited to see them down here in Ireland as my 250ml botttle has almost run out (first time I have ever run out of a moisturiser so soon if at all!) and I'd really like to suss out these gel ones!

 

 



 

Scrub a dub dub...

So I pledged to be a more routine exfoliator this year and what better way than to gather up my favourite exfoliators and put them all to the test and give you guys a review?! I'll admit I was a little shocked at the sheer number of exfoliators I had in my possession given I have no actual exfoliation routine and just really do it ad hoc when the mood takes me...or usually, truth be told, just before a spray tan! Anyway I've been scrubbing away for the last few weeks and while buffed to near perfection at this stage I'm bringing you my top 4 exfoliators from my collection and also my 2 favourite exfoliating tools!! (and yes I do have even more than 4 exfoliators which is perhaps why I also pledged to stop hoarding products and buying new ones before the originals have run out). My name is Suzi and I have a problem!

The Details:

Right well my top tip is to invest in a shower body brush (dry body brushing is a blog in itself which I will cover in the future) or a pair of exfoliating gloves. These can be used daily with your regular shower gel giving you a nice gentle exfoliation and keep you beautifully buffed. Unsurprisingly I have both - my brush is a QVS one from Superdrug and my gloves are from Sainsbury's as that was the only place I could find black ones (to hid tan stains). Neither are recent purchases but I expect you are looking at under €10 for the brush and €2 - €3 for the gloves. Now onto my lovely exfoliators, in no particular order:

1. Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden Body Scrub, 50ml €3.39 (200ml €9)

A nice light exfoliator which is suitable for daily or frequent use (depending on your skin condition). It contains natural pumice as the exfoliant, orange oil to moisturise/hydrate and patchouli which compliments the scent very nicely. Personally I cannot abide orange scented anything (including the actual fruit) so for me to have this in a top 4 is pretty impressive. There is also an amazing salt scrub in this range which comes in a big jar or in individual sachets and worth checking out as a reasonable alternative to number 2 below...

2. Sea Spa Salt Scrub,  400gm €55

Well I got this one as a gift and think its possibly my favourite of the four closely followed by Pulp Friction below. Its from those Dead Sea Spa concession stands you find in shopping centers and large department stores with very annoying salespeople. I realise it doesn't look very appealing from the swatch below but it is simply AMAZING! Its very thick and luxurious and basically  looks like rock salt in oil! Its more abrasive than the last one and is therefore better used less frequently. This product works best in a warm bath where you can allow the oils absorb into your skin. Its so rich that I never have to moisturize after as the oils leave my skin glowing and hydrated!  The ingredients boast dead sea salt (which I am very dubious about I must admit), sandalwood and lavender oil and vitamin a & e. I asked at a stand one day how much it cost and was quoted a ridiculous €55 but I reckon you can haggle them down by about 50% if you have the time, inclination and will!!

3. Soap & Glory Pulp Friction Invigorating Body Scrub, 250ml €11.18

Now I am absolutely LOVING this one. Like number 1 above its a nice light exfoliator suitable for frequent use. I am admittedly a Soap & Glory junkie so when I unwrapped their "Big Splendour" from himself on Christmas morning I almost exploded with excitement! This is one of their products I'd never used before so happily took it for a road test and cannot step into the shower without bringing it along now! It actually looks like melted ice-cream and smells fab too. It has and I quote: "Fig powder, pumice, peppermint oil, lemonade tree liquid, orange waterjuice™ and vitaminballs™ (A,C,E)" {source: www.soapandglory.com}

4. Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub, 300ml €13.50

An award winning body smoother this is a thicker, more luxurious scrub than Pulp Friction and fantastic for the bath as opposed to the shower. It includes oats, shea butter and sugar amongst its ingredients and with it's maple fragrance it actually looks and smells edible so be careful!! Personally, I find the smell a wee bit sickly but if you are the kinda girl who likes chocolate and honey scented products this will go down well.

The Images:
So first up the brush and gloves:

Now onto the collection of exfoliators/body scrubs:

Finally a few swatches of them in the same order they are listed above 1-4 from left to right:

  
The Sciencey Bit:
Right well while I was sorely tempted to find a diagram of the skin to show you all I decided I'd spare you! It's not really that important and any of you who did Home Ec., Science or A&P will probably still have it burned into your brain anyway!! So basically new skin cells are created in the skin's lower layers and make a journey to the surface. As they go along their 30 day journey the cells die and absorb more and more keratin until they become saturated (this is a structural protein which is responsible for protecting the skins outer layer). Exfoliation removes the dead layer of skin revealing the newer layer beneath. 

Why do we need to exfoliate regularly then I hear you ask; Well its not a process developed just to remove those horrible remnants of fake tan after it starts to break down.. nope far from it. It is an important part of your skin care routine as it unclogs pores, exposes hair follicles (ie helps prevent ingrown hairs - ick!) and basically keeps your skin nice and clean therefore reducing the risk of pimples and other blemishes. Convinced yet?!

Now I should warn you that it is possible to over exfoliate but with my track record that's gona be a difficult task!! Ha ha, no seriously though, you can over exfoliate which will irritate and dry out the skin and we all know dry skin causes wrinkles - aaaaaahhh! So exfoliate with care and ALWAYS follow with moisturiser. Thankfully when it comes to body scrubbing its not as sensitive or wrinkle prone as your mush so you can get away with doing it more frequently.

The Conclusion:
Four pretty amazing scrubs there ladies - I purposely selected two lighter frequent use ones and two thicker more abrasive ones so you had a couple of options in each catagory. I'd recommend them all and must admit that their fragrance, texture and effectiveness help combat the laze monster when it comes to this element of skin care! As I mentioned above the only negatives for me are the scent of S&G The Breakfast Scrub but that's just personal preference and also the astronomical price-tag on the Sea Spa Scrub. I've been on the look out for S&G's Scrub 'Em and Leave 'Em one which carries their fabulous "Mist you Madly" scent as a very desirable replacement for The Breakfast Scrub and Sanctuary Spa's Salt Scrub is a much cheaper alternative for the Sea Spa Scrub. 

Other perfectly nice and functional exfoliators that I found lurking in my bathroom included Dove Beauty Bar exfoliating soap, Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden Salt Scrub and St Ives Exfoliating Apricot Body Wash. Also the skin and blister got a St. Moritz tan set as part of her Christmas present from yours truly and it had a lovely smelling exfoliator included that i must nick borrow!

Let me know your thoughts, your top products and most of all let me wish you all Happy Scrubbing!! 

No. 7 Gift Vouchers from Boots

Hi Ladies, just a quick post while I finish off my current review for later this week. I've been meaning to pop this up for a while and as there is a current batch on the go I figured there was no time like the present!

So, if you are a regular Boots shopper like myself the below image will be quite familiar....

 Many people I've talked to  say they rarely redeem these vouchers as when they get them its been as a result of a large-ish Boots spend so they have no need to return and shop for more within the vouchers expiry date. I too used to use mine infrequently viewing them as a wee bit of a gimmick to get me to part with more of my preciously earned pennies. HOWEVER..(yes I'm shouting because this is important!) you can redeem them on any non promotional priced No.7 items which is actually a decent deal. You can also get items that are less than the value of the voucher and just not receive any change. 

This is an amazing deal girlies so get hunting for items you like! I have used mine on some handy little make-up brushes including a smokey under eye brush and a rabbits foot style blending brush too - handy little brushes to have and while not super high end they are functional enough and work fine (both €7.50 or under). I also use mine on things like make up wipes, applicator sponges, facial exfoliating sponges, tweezers...the list is long. All of these items have been under a tenner and most were under the €7.50 mark so they were freebies. Now tell me who doesn't love a freebie??

My most recent one  (current round of vouchers expire on Jan 29th) was used on some of those moisturising gloves which I've always been a bit icked out by yet very curious about in equal proportions. Review to follow shortly! So, my advice is next time you get one at the till go straight back to the shelves and browse the wide range of No.7 accessories & make up and pick yourself up a treat!

How cute are these?!

Well ladies, I came across these the other day and thought they were uber cute and worthy of a post!

They are pocket/handbag tissues with €10, €20 and €50 notes printed on them and the best bit is the name - "money to blow". It made me chuckle so I thought why not share it!