January Sales Suck.

I hate shopping at the best of times. There, I said it. But the January sales in particular drive me up the wall. Why should I enjoy battling through chaos in the local shopping centre, fighting my way past nutters who have been up since some ungodly hour just so they could be first in line to blitz their way through a horrific mess of seasons-old clothes which are still overpriced in spite of their offensively unavoidable red signs promising 'up to' 50% OFF!?! I find the red signs unsettling, alarming even. The amount of people in the shops who are downright aggressive needs policing more efficiently! Why are the clothes never tidy, or organized, or even *gasp* in a good condition? Why do brands think I am dumb enough to ignore the 'From £60 to £58' tags on the item and only pay attention to the horrifically misleading, 'up to 70% OFF' sign in the shop window, with 'up to' in the smallest font known to humanity *ahem, TOPSHOP, ahem*? If I didn't want the shoes over a year ago when they were priced at the same 'bargain' price of £30 why the hell would I want them now??? I absolutely do not want to go and waste my Christmas gift vouchers on things I would never normally buy if they were full priced, so why on earth do some shops completely clear their floors of new stock, just to shove the old stuff which nobody wants down my throat??? 

*Look at the state of Miss Selfridge!*

Review - Soap & Glory The Fab Pore 15 Minute Facial Peel

Put yourself in my position...

My skin was looking pretty dry on my forehead and my minor abrasive exfoliant by Soap&Glory wasn't really cutting the mustard any more... The situation was dire, but since my love for the brand is pretty much unconditional, I didn't want to swap to another brand... Perhaps just another product?

So I figured that since the little exfo-beads in Scrub Your Nose In It weren't strong enough to slough off the dead skin, I would try a different exfoliating method entirely. Once, I went for a spa weekend with my ex and during my facial I was introduced to a 'skin peel' where a thin layer of a thick creamy product was distributed across my face and soothingly rubbed until it dried and began to (disgustingly but effectively) flake off along with any dead skin cells. I absolutely LOVED the concept and I like being able to literally SEE the removed skin, plus the new fresh layer left underneath was so soft and moisturized! So when I was searching for a new type of exfoliator, I decided to see if Soap&Glory offer something similar.

Imagine my excitement, when I saw the name 'The Fab Pore Facial Peel'! I thought, 'YES, THIS IS IT, THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!!!' I wasn't wrong per se but Soap&Glory's offering wasn't quite what I would have expected from the name.

In my excitement, I bought the product without investigating the claim, so I guess I'm the one to blame. Here is the product claim... Hindsight is a beautiful thing!

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The Fab Pore™ has an intensive pore refining action with our exclusive PORESHRINK-R COMPLEX™. Ideal for greasy, spot prone or problem skin, or for a strategic attack on a misbehaving T-zone.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

Rub a grape-sized dollop into your face and massage in circles until the green beads have all dissolved. (those with a high tendency for clogging should concentrate on their t-zone, chin, or areas with large, open, or problem pores.) Leave on for five minutes for a quick refresher, or fifteen for a real deep-cleaning do –it- yourself kind of ‘facial. Rinse well, and follow with your favourite Soap&Glory moisturizer. (How’s that for self-promotional?) Repeat 2-3 times weekly.

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So in fact, the product doesn't claim AT ALL to offer any exfoliating properties, although it does contain 'beads' usually designated for dry-skin-scraping.

You can imagine my disappointment when I opened the product and found a pore-refining face mask (I did of course know my pores would benefit even if it was an exfoliating peel as it is said in the name). I thought, 'Just try it, maybe once its on for 15 minutes you can rub it off like a peel and have a two in one product' grasping at straws. Needless to say it didn't go to plan. The Fab Pore Facial Peel was in fact just a mask.

Before I review the product, I really must emphasize my disappointment. I know that I should have read the claim and done my research, but I do find the product name really quite misleading, 'Facial Peel'. This is not a peel, in that nothing is removed. If I was a meanie, I would have written to request my money back. And yet I conceded that I was wrong and put it in the 'Life Lessons' part of my brain, accepting that the product might have merits of its own. Luckily, I was not wrong.

Irritated I smoothed some of the thick creamy mask over my entire face and sat in a strop for fifteen minutes. The minty smell began to bring me round, along with the mildly tingly feeling (I love when you feel a product working its magic) and by the time I'd rinsed it off and realized that my previously noticeable black-heads were now none existent I was a total convert. This product really is a winner.

The effects lasted for days and my make-up went on so much smoother than usual. Not to mention I actually began using powder sparingly and only a dusting on my T-Zone, whereas before I used to absolutely cake it on because my skin was so oily (aka sweaty) looking. Since using this product, I finally feel I can rock the 'glowy/healthy/dewy' look for the first time ever.

So to conclude? This is a great product and totally worth the £8 that it costs. IF and only if, you are looking for a pore-refining-blackhead-reducing face MASK and NOT a facial PEEL. I'll seriously never get over that. Having said that, my clean looking visage is definitely a more-than-adequate consolation prize! Purchase The Fab Pore Facial Peel by Soap&Glory at www.boots.com and let me know what you think! Was I fair to be disappointed? Or am I just being pre-menstrually unreasonable?

Love

gabriellasofia

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