Dr Botanicals Cocoa & Coconut Superfood Reviving Hydrating Mask Review

Are you searching for the perfect mask to hydrate and replenish your skin? Have you tried loads of masks to no results? Well this might be the one to change the game for you!

Dr Botanicals reached out to me to try out their new hydrating mask, and I couldn’t say yes quick enough! They are one of the world’s top vegan brands, who are cruelty free and focuses their formulations around all natural ingredients. For the environmentally minded among us (and you should all be environmentally minded), Dr Botanicals’ packaging is not only recyclable but also made up of recycled fibers.

They sent over their Cocoa & Coconut Superfood Reviving Hydrating Mask for me to review and share my thoughts. This 10 minute mask promises to hydrate, nourish and revive your skin with an all natural formula! As someone with normal-dry skin, this sounded right up my street! Before I get into the review, can we just take some time to admire these beeeeautiful photos that I took (I’m so proud of myself)

The two key ingredients here are cocoa butter and coconut oil. Cocoa butter is great for smoothing and moisturising the skin and coconut oil is high in fatty acids and antioxidants that restore, hydrate and protect the skin. This is supposedly suitable for all skin types, but I know a lot of people have some serious reservations about coconut oil in products. If you are a bit concerned about that, then this may not be the product for you. Another quick note on the ingredients, if you check out the ingredients list, alcohol is listed pretty high up. DO. NOT. PANIC. In case you aren’t aware, there are good and bad alcohols in skincare, and this is one of the good ones. It contains cetearyl alcohol which is a fatty alcohol and particularly benefits those with drier skin. Paula’s Choice (which is a great source of info on skincare ingredients) confirms that this is a safe ingredient for alcohol haters, as fatty alcohols do not pose a risk for sensitive skin.

So I opened it up and had a play! The texture of this is surprisingly thin for a nourishing mask and it has very little scent. The first time I applied this, I felt the need to apply quite a thick layer on in order to get maximum hydration/nourishment as it was so thin. It did dry down which surprised me and it left my skin feeling a bit tight before I washed it off. When I removed it after my first trial, I didn’t feel any noticeable difference to my skin. I was pretty disappointed but… I didn’t read that you should apply a thin layer… Let this be the lesson!

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!

Ever since, I have applied a thin layer and have left it on for 10 minutes. I could tell instantly how smooth and soft my skin was as I was washing it off. I literally could not stop touching my face afterwards! I have quite smooth skin anyway, but the softness absolutely blew my mind! It didn’t leave any feeling of tightness or feel the need to moisturise my skin straight away – I was quite happy to sit stroking my baby smooth skin for a while. It really does deliver on hydration and nourishment! What’s great about this mask is that it’s quite small so it’s easy to travel with, the results are fast and it’s easy to apply (and not too messy!)

Dr Botanicals doesn’t use any preservatives in their products so this only has a shelf life of 3 months. That might not sound like a very long time but it’ll be pretty easy to get through it in that time as the mask is only 30 ml.

Overall, this little mask is a powerhouse! If you’re on the lookout for a hydrating mask that leaves your skin feeling like it’s had a tall drink of water, a long night’s sleep and 5 weeks off. Basically, your skin feels amazing afterwards! I often find that masks don’t do too much for my skin, but the results were instant and undeniable with this one! This little mask is super affordable at only £9 – bargain!

If you’d like to try this out and save 30% on your order on the Dr Botanicals site, use code 30HANNAH at checkout! I’d really appreciate it!

Xo

*This product was gifted by the brand in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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DISCOUNTS:

For 30% off Dr Botanicals, use code 30HANNAH at https://drbotanicals.com/

Get £10 off £40 at Space NK – https://referme.to/Tbbrb1o

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Pampered skin routine

After a long hard day of smashing life, every so often I like to come home and really go to town on my skincare routine as a treat. This usually happens over the weekend and is one of my favourite ways to unwind and prep my skin for the week ahead.

Here is my step-by-step routine for perfectly pampered skin:

Cleanse

If I have makeup on then I’ll double cleanse, otherwise I’ll just use my second cleanser. For a more luxurious first cleanse I love using the Beauty Pie Plantastic Apricot Cleansing Balm. It’s a super rich texture that feels beautiful when massaging into the skin to break down your makeup. It feels super smooth and washes off really easily.

To carry on the facial massage, I love using the Pretty Athletic Cool Down Cleanser. It is a gel cleanser that cools down the skin and feels amazing. You’re supposed to massage it in for 30 seconds before rinsing off. Because of the soft gel consistency and the cooling sensation, it feels so luxurious and leaves my skin completely clean and my mind relaxed.

Exfoliation

I always see exfoliation as a treat to myself. My favourite at the moment is the Fresh Sugar Face Polish. Made with brown sugar and strawberry seeds, it’s strong enough to exfoliate away any dead skin cells but gentle enough to not feel like the exfoliants are ripping into your skin. As it’s made of sugar, the grainy particles will eventually exfoliate away into the skin, leaving you with baby smooth skin. There’s something super relaxing about not only massaging the face but feeling the grains dissipate away to nothing…

Mask

My favourite mask to use is hands down the Sjo Skin Happy Honey Mask. This brand is all over Instagram and is a firm favourite of influencers because it is the ultimate multi-tasker mask. I use this mask mostly to calm my skin and to make it smoother. I usually keep this on for an hour at least (if I can) and my skin emerges smooth as anything and feeling really rejuvenated. If I’m feeling really boujee then sometimes I will double mask and use something like the Farmacy Honey Potion Mask before the Happy Honey Mask (Clearly there’s something about honey that I like!)

Essence

This might not be an essential product for everyone, but it’s become a step in my evening routine that I don’t like to go without. Essences prepare the skin for the next products you apply to your skin and helps them absorb more easily. I find that it is just a good base to have that makes my skin feel more hydrated and makes it easier to spread other product out across my skin. I use the Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence.

Serum

If I’m treating myself, I will always use my Kiehls Re-Texturising Hydro Plumping Serum. This is very gel like in consistency and makes my skin feel unbelievably smooth and as though I’ve had a big glass of water.

Moisturiser

This one is a bit of a tricky step. If I weren’t to apply an oil after the moisturiser, I would hands down use Dr Jart Ceramidin Cream because it is the most beautiful, thick moisturiser. I love thick moisturisers because I have fairly dry skin and I don’t find that the thinner moisturisers give me any long lasting moisture. The only problem with this one is that it pills sooooooo badly. One I have been enjoying recently before I apply the oils is the new Dermalogica Intense Moisture Balance. It’s quite a thin moisturiser, but still is thick enough to really back a moisturising punch and more importantly doesn’t pill when I put oils on top of it.

Oils

Because I’m extra, I really like to apply two oils. The first is The Ordinary Rosehip Oil and the second is Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate. I ran out of the rosehip oil recently and noticed that my skin was not as soft as before, so quickly repurchased it. I probably saw the biggest change in the texture and feel of my skin with the Kiehls oil, so I’ve never turned away from this product. It makes me feel so relaxed to massage this oil over my face (it’s a very smooth oil, the rosehip oil is a little thicker and sits a little heavier on the skin) and I like to hold my hands over my nose for a few seconds and breathe the lavender scent it. Lavender aids with sleep so this is always my last step before turning in for the night.

To add to the pampering mood, I love to burn candles. My favourites are super budget friendly – they’re from Home Bargains and cost just £2.99 for a massive one! They do various different scents, but my favourite hands down is the Gingerbread one. It makes me feel all cosy and ready to relax.

I hope you found my pampering routine useful. Let me know how you wind down and treat yourself!

Xo

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How to get super soft skin

Ever since I got rid of my acne, I’ve found some ways to get the softest skin. Here are the my go-to tips for super soft skin:

1. Use a cleansing balm

Cleansing balms are so gentle on the skin and don’t strip it of all moisture like some other cleansing products do. Cleansing balms work essentially by melting away your make up, starting as a solid balm that quickly transforms into an oil upon application. My favourites are the Clinique Take the Day Off Balm and the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm. Makeup wipes are ineffective at removing all makeup and micellar waters do not work well for me — They leave my skin screaming for moisture and ready to crack. But the cleansing balms I have used have removed all my makeup, left my skin soft and feeling well moisturised.

2. Use a konjac sponge

Or a muslin cloth if it works for our skin type. When I had acne, using a muslin cloth broke me out even worse. Whereas a konjac sponge would lightly exfoliate my skin and leave it feeling really smooth (even with cystic acne). I always use a konjac sponge when I remove my cleansing balm and it gives me an even better cleanse. As well as removing all traces of makeup, Konjac sponges massages the skin to stimulate blood flow and cell turnover. They are made of plant fibres and are great if you have more sensitive skin, or even more reactive skin. I buy these in bulk and couldn’t recommend them more!

3. Don’t over do it!

Don’t feel that you need to really scrub your skin to make it soft. Chances are you’re actually doing more harm than good. Likewise, don’t use really strong, abrasive cleansers/exfoliators/face washes if they aren’t right for your skin. Even if you have acne or oily skin, you do not need to scrub and clean your skin until it squeaks for it to be clean. You’re just stripping your skin of all moisture and to combat this your skin will produce even more oil to moisturise the area. Be kind to your skin!

4. Consider using an acid

I have noticed that on my skin, it is always smoother and softer once I have used glycolic acid. I use it in a cleanser form and I always find that my skin feels beautifully soft afterwards. I used the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Foaming Cleanser when I had my cystic acne and it would leave my skin feeling tamed and smoother (if you’ve had cystic acne, you’ll know how your skin can feel soft and mountainous at the same time). I continue to use it now, but less frequently and I always notice a significant difference in the texture of my skin. Make sure you do your research on which acid suits your skin type the best, but generally speaking they offer a whole host of benefits – from smoothing out your skin’s texture (Glycolic acid); loosening dead skin cells to alleviate clogged pores and blackheads (Salicylic acid); and strengthens the skin barrier so your skin appears smoother, softer and more plump (Hyaluronic acid).

5. Use a mask

I don’t have the time to use masks that regularly, but I try and use them as often as I can – usually on a Sunday to relax before a busy week. I really love the bubble masks because I they just make my skin SO soft. The one I used recently was the Rodial Snake Oxygenating & Cleansing Bubble Mask and my skin was so smooth while I was washing it off that I thought I still had bubbles on my face. This mask removes the dirt, dead skin cells and excess oil whilst also cleansing and unclogging pores for smoother looking skin. Do some research into which mask will work best for you. I hate clay masks as they are super drying for my dry skin, but masses of people love the Sand and Sky Pink Clay mask and claim it gives miracle results (it didn’t for me unfortunately).

6. Use a serum

My skin always feels silky smooth after I use one of my serums. My go to is the Kiehl’s Hydro Plumping Re-texturising Serum, which leaves the skin feeling plump whilst smoothing our texture and fine lines. I remember being absolutely amazed how smooth my face could be after trying a sample of this… it’s safe to say I have the full size one now.

7. Try a night oil

The star of the show in my skincare arsenal is the Kiehls’ Midnight Recovery Concentrate. This makes my skin so much softer and smoother than it’s ever been before. and I repurchase this as soon as I start to run low. It boasts that it will give you more toned and radiant skin as the formula works by enhancing your natural night time recovery process. By morning, my skin feels silky smooth and beautifully plump.

I hope these tips have been helpful! I have never been someone who has naturally smooth skin and always used to envy my Mum’s baby smooth skin… and now I have it too!

Xo

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