Sunday, August 22, 2010

Review : b.liv Glow and Shine

* win yourself a freebie... instructions at the end of the post *

My skin is not in a good state at the moment and this is a reason why I have been hesitant about posting skincare reviews lately. When the good folks from b.liv (the little sister of Cellnique) contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in reviewing their products, I was not particularly enthusiastic because my skin has gone crazy and I knew that I had to plaster photos of my face on the blog. I wrote back thanking them and told them I am not really interested in main skincare products but wouldn't mind trying extras, like masks or serums or eyecare (if they had any). I also informed them I currently use a couple of Cellnique products which I really like. I did not hear from them for a while so I thought they had lost interest in me, which was okay because I wasn't expecting anything and the thought of them asking was nice enough.

Then one day, I received a package from them and they had sent me three products to try out! One of the items was b.liv Glow and Shine Skin Smoothening Mask.



The tube came in a box with all the ingredients and instructions listed on the box rather than the tube itself. So make sure you read the blurb on the box first before binning it.



What b.liv says :

Exfoliating + pores reducing + brightening

Reveal your smooth and flawless complexion with this scrub mask. Glow and Shine deep cleanses, polishes and moisturizes your skin. It also lightens and brightens the dull and uneven toned face, and brings out the inner glow and shine. Scrub away flaws and imperfections!

Ingredient List :
Purified Water (Aqua), Zinc Oxide, Glycerin, Kaolin, Hexyldecanol, Silica, Polysorbate 20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lactic Acid, Stearic Acid, Bentonite, Cetyl Alcohol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Menthyl Lactate, Methylparaben, Papaya Enzyme (Papain), Fragrance, Propylparaben.


Well, I'm sure you are more interested to know if it works and I can honestly say that yes, it does. It helps brighten my complexion and the exfoliating bits were not too harsh or scrubby and painful. The consistency of the mask is slightly creamy and goes on smoothly although you can feel some grainy bits when applying. It dries fairly quick too. I left it on for 8 minutes before washing off. As it was drying, the sides of my nose started to itch a little so maybe that's what b.liv meant by "mild tingling sensation" (on their website).

I pretty much followed their instructions on how to use :

1. Use Glow and Shine once a week, after cleanser.
2. Apply a thick layer evenly on face and neck in up and outwords circular motions.
3. Avoid the lip and eye area. Leave on for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Gently massage with wet hand in up and outwards circular motions for 5 to 10 seconds.
5. Rinse well with plenty of water.


Before (skin is blotchy and red and splattered with rashes... told you my skin has gone insane!) :


During (just in case you wanna see what the mask looks like) :


After (skin feels smoother, looks less red and splotchy) :


I'm not sure if my photo-evidence does this product justice. Just bear in mind that my skin is misbehaving. In my very honest opinion, I would not mind purchasing a tube once this one runs out because this is a good cleansing mask. It is definitely one of the better clay-based masks I've used as it is not drying and does not cause my skin to become redder.

Before signing off, the good folks at b.liv would like to offer my blog readers the opportunity to obtain free 3ml samples of their star product Off With Those Heads (please click on link for more information). Just write to fbfreesample@blivskin.com with "beautycab.blogspot.com" on the subject line to win yourself a sample! If you send them your blog url, you can stand a chance to do a product review too. Hurry, the validity ends after a week from this post!