I love face masks to the point where I have a borderline obsession with them. Whilst in the US, getting my fix in Sephora, I stumbled across the creepiest looking face mask - it obviously had to be purchased without thinking about what it did! I’d heard of the skincare brand before, and already had one of their hero products in my basket, so in the face mask slipped without hesitation. Packaged in a soda-style cup, these may not be something everyone likes the look of at first sight, as the lid is a tiny, creepy face of a rubberized baby.  

Yes, really. 

Skincare brand, Dr Jart+ has just launched its Dr Jart+ Shake & Shot masks, a collection of four ‘do-it-yourself’ rubber masks. 

If you can get past the terrifying (or funny - depending on how you look at it) baby faced packaging, the rubber face masks work really well. Dr Jart+ has made the masks very user-friendly and less messy, thanks to the cup packaging. The cups ‘straw’ is actually a spatula used to mix the mask’s base, with the liquid ampule. 

The Science bit...

Rubber and gel masks apparently penetrate skin more deeply than sheet masks which is what these from Dr Jart + promise. Preparing the mask is really simple, and involves combining the two packs of ingredients, shaking it all up in the cup, and using a spatula to spread the mask all over your face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes, and during that time, the consistency of the liquid mask turns rubbery, allowing you to peel the whole thing off in one go - or in my case, 3 goes!

The Shake & Shot mask comes in four different varieties: Soothing, Brightening, Hydro, and Firming. The Hydro Mask (the one I used) gives skin a shot of emollient, moisturizing vitamin B5 and a Dr. Jart+ special, called "expert moist complex," which is rich in amino acids and said to strengthen the skin barrier. 

Formulas include:

Shake & hot Rubber Hydro Mask (hydrates and helps retain moisture)

Shake & Shot Rubber Soothing Mask (calms sensitive, irritated skin)

Shake & Shot Rubber Brightening Mask (brightens dull skin)

Shake & Shot Rubber Firming Mask (Improves skin elasticity while firming)

I have to say, that when testing this rubber face mask out, I found it slightly tricky to apply, but pretty comfortable once on your face. The peeling is a bit creepy, but the results are great, leaving me with super hydrated skin, and a lovely glow. Needless to say, I totally believe this new (and easy to use) rubber mask is worth the hype.

You can purchase Dr Jart+ Shake & Shot Rubber Face Masks instore and online at Selfridges (UK followers) and instore and online at Sephora.

Boots: & Other Stories | Peanuts Sweatshirt: Essential Antwerp | Hoops: & Other Stories | 

Jeans: COS

Dare I say it — Is Spring on the horizon?! After the pretty grey, and surprisingly white Winter we’ve had, I know I’m not the only one who is ready for Spring...and a new wardrobe refresh. As much as I’m a Winter Wardrobe gal over Summer, I feel like my life has turned into a version of Groundhog Day as I find myself reaching for the same jeans - trainer - jumper combo for the 4,567 time this season. YAWN. 

If like me you find yourself still reaching for darker colours, then the items above will get you in the mood for Spring. Wearing a splash of colour can lift your mood as well as your outfit, and with the weather being as miserable as it has been then take yourself shopping — either online or on the high street, as brands have been dropping their Spring collections for weeks now and, if that ain't an excuse to add colour to your wardrobe, then I don’t know what is.

Whenever I have a trip to the US, a visit to Sephora is always on the cards — heck, it’s one of the first things I put into google maps, so I can find the nearest one to the hotel I’m staying at. 

I always, without fail go with a mental list, so I can plan my budget and not have to worry about getting a call from my bank asking me about abnormal activity on my account. Yes, it’s happened before and I don’t want to have to repeat that again. Try telling a guy back home, calling from your bank that, yes, that was me spending over $150 on skincare. 

As I hadn’t visited the US for nearly a year, my mental wishlist was a little on the large side.

I managed to visit my nearest store less than 24 hours after arriving (pretty impressive, right?) and as I had two colleagues with me, who had never set foot in a Sephora, I was pretty conscious that their first time may be a tad...daunting!

That and a mix of jet-lag led to a very frenzied, supermarket-sweep style, done-in-20-minutes shop.

I managed to get most of the things I wanted, plus a few more bits I certainly didn’t need (damn Sephora and their travel products at their tills whilst you wait to pay). 

So, without further ado, I give you my Sephora haul from San Diego 

The majority of my haul is skincare. I'm OBSESSED with skincare products at the moment. Most of what I picked up can now be found over here. Although saying that, they're still quite difficult to find. For example Ceramidin by Dr Jart+ sells out in Selfridges as soon as it hits the shelves, and the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask can be found on Cult Beauty - I got the travel size version as I thought it would be a good one to use on long-haul flights. FYI, it smells AMAZING. 

Also on Cult Beauty is Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate (see what she did there) Cleanser. I’ve tried this out since being back, and I’m already thinking about ordering another one. More on that in a separate post though. 

Another product from Dr Jart+ is the item in the photo above that looks a tad...creepy. In all honesty, I blame the jetlag for this purchase. The Dr Jart+ Shake and Shot Rubber Mask...yep, we’ll see what this is like once I feel brave enough to try it out. 

Next up is skincare brand Drunk Elephant. Beauty editors and, most importantly, skincare queen, Caroline Hirons have said how much they love the products. Good news for us UK peeps is that it will be launching in Space NK stores sometime in the summer. The slightly bad news is that it’s bloody expensive, hence the Drunk Elephant travel sized products I picked up as I want to try them to see what the fuss is about. 

Next up, and last in this haul, is the 30,000 Feet Volume Shampoo and Conditioner by IGK. This haircare brand has just launched over here in the UK at Space NK (in stores and online FYI) but it does work out a little cheaper in the US. I've been using the travel sized versions of these for the last few of weeks - review incoming...

So as you can see, I shopped hard in Sephora - all in 20 minutes as well. That's got to be some sort of record, right?