Ellie goes to London PART I. Drugstore Haul

Ellie goes to London, PART ONE is going to be a beauty/skincare haul. I did a bit of affordable skincare and makeup shopping when I was in London. There aren't too much you can't get in the States, but there sure are price differences in some. When I first saw the BOOTS store in the airport, I was thrilled. For all you British readers, you'd think I was joking! It would be the same if any of you Brits thought CVS or Duane Reade was thrilling. But seriously, I was just way too excited for Boots. I soon learned however, that depending on which store you go to, it's quite different.

I stayed right around Portobello Road, which was such a cute quaint town. I bought a few bits from the Boots store there, but I mainly bought mine from a Boots around Covent Garden.

This haul also has products bought from John Lewis which seemed like a Macy's here, and bought the Antipodes mask from Selfridges, and finally a Nude skincare from SpaceNK.

Watch my video here to see what I have to say about the products. It's only a haul video, so I have yet to form an opinion about all of the products. I did, though, forget to mention a Pixi product that I bought at Convent Garden. It's the Pixi Glow Tonic that bloggers have been raving about. I still have to see how it works out on me. Review will be up soon :)

2 comments antipodes, collection 2000, drugstore, lifestyle, liz earle, london, nude skincare, rimmel, sleek, soap and glory

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The Sweetest Facial Masks. HONEY!

I just may have discovered my favorite facial mask. H O N E Y . Real organic honey. But not just the honey that you find at any supermarket but honey that does more than what honeys already do for you. I've got two on my list: Pro Baccari-x Amazon Honey and Manuka Honey

Honey itself is amazing for your skin. It hydrates, moisturizes, and calms the skin. But these two honey jars I've picked up also focuses on killing the bacteria on the surface of your skin. For sure, Manuka Honey is already quite famous as the world's best honey, coming from New Zealand. I first heard of it when I started using the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask. Loved that mask, and then after I finished that whole tube, I discovered that way before I even heard of this mask, my mother was already collecting jars of manuka honey.



My mother has a nice storage of honey. She's known about the benefits of eating honey, but also for the skin. Though she's never used it on herself, she's always told me to try it out. Why I never listened, I don't know! But once I was done with my Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey mask I was compelled to give the real Manuka honey a go.

Another honey jar that's blown me away was the Pro Baccari-x Amazon Honey. Again, these are actual honey jars meant for eating but I found that they help the skin just so much that I've taken these two jars up to my room for my own personal dermatological use!

The Pro Baccari honey really focuses in on killing bacteria. Unlike the Manuka it is a bit coarser with beads of solid honey that is hard to break down. I take half a table-spoon of the honey. Try to melt it with my fingers and spread it very gently all over my face. I keep the honey mask on as long as I possibly could. I would go about an hour with the mask on, until I have to go wash it off because the honey is melting!

And of course, honey washes off so easily.

But goodness, the aftermath is really visible. Skin is so much softer (I mean, real soft). Skin has calmed down. The overall skin tone has brightened. Itchiness (if there is any) dies down. It's just... wonderful.

I have been trying to use this mask everyday, but with my busy schedule I find it use it maybe three times a week. Each time I use it, I love it more and more. The makeup application the next day is made so much more enjoyable when skin has been prepped with such organic luxury the night before!

Sometimes the best things are closer than we think... maybe even in our kitchen cabinets!

Leave a Comment amazon, amazon honey, antipodes, facial masks, honey, manuka, pro baccari

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Antipodes. Aura Manuka Honey Mask

This is rising to the level of a must-have, staple skincare for me. Again, if you've read my recent blogpost, you'll know that I am going through some severe skin journey. Sigh. But, that aside. Let me tell you about this amazing mask that has been saving me the past few weeks.

It is the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask. I actually bought this months... I mean, months ago. But, after using it once or twice, I decided it really wasn't worth all the hype (amongst British bbloggers, mostly).

How wrong I was, because when I picked this up again a few weeks back, I was taken aback by how amazing the results were!

Antipodes is a New Zealand certified organic and natural skincare line. This Aura Manuka Honey Mask can be used all over the face after cleansing and dried, or as spot treatment. I prefer to use this as a proper mask.

The results of using this was most definitely all of the following: brightening, calming, hydrating, and spot treatment. All four results were really obvious.

This really creamy smell glides on beautifully on the face. It doesn't set like some clay masks, but remains somewhat cream-like. You can then rinse it off with warm water and voila!

Here's what it says on their website:

The facial mask delivers a deeply moisturizing, cleansing and anti-oxidizing treatment. Fragrances of vanilla pod and mandarin linger to bring peace and balance to your aura – meaning you’re tending both your skin and your spirit.
Elements of Beauty: Manuka honey remedies skin by attracting moisture, premium pohutukawa antiozidants treat skin, fragrant vanilla pod and mandarin pacify and balance your spirit
Daily Ritual: Smooth thick layers of this creamy mask over your face and neck twice weekly. Leave for 15 minutes and rinse with warm and pure water. Also ideal for treating spots and blemished as they may arise.

I highly recommend this mask! So in love with it :) And I will restock for sure.

Leave a Comment acne, antipodes, brightening, honey, mask, natural, organic, treatment

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