ZitSticka Pimple Patches Review

*Post contains PR products and affiliate links.

As you know, I suffer from hormonal cystic acne - which means it's very hard to get under control (thanks hormones). Most of the spots are deep under the skin, rarely coming to a head. They can be incredibly painful and often leave behind pigmentation. Over the years I've tried so many spot treatments - some good, some bad. One treatment that I've always liked are pimple patches. If you've not heard of pimple patches before - they're basically little stickers that you put on your spot as an overnight treatment. They usually contain hydrocolloid, which helps bring the spot to a head, leaving it flatter and less red. I love to use them on alternative nights with Kate Somerville Eradikate treatment. Eradikate contains sulphur and salicylic acid so can be a bit harsh to use too many days in a row.

So what about Zitsticka? Well they're a pimple patch with a difference! They take pimple patches to a whole extra level. What makes them so different? Microdarts! Microdarts are one of the latest innovations in skincare application. They're teeny, tiny little spikes that puncture the top layer of your skin. The spikes are filled with an active ingredient which then dissolves over time, deep into your skin, where it's most effective. Amazing, right?! You'll see microdarts on things like under eye masks where they'll deliver ingredients like hyaluronic acid to plump and hydrate skin.

Zitsticka patches contain a carefully curated combination of ingredients - salicylic acid to exfoliate and clear pores, hyaluronic acid to hydrate, niacinamide to calm redness, sodium hydroxide to balance pH and oligopeptide-76 which is a peptide. When applied to a spot, this mixture dissolves right where it's needed to help clear the spot up as quickly as possible.

One thing that I really love is that Zitsticka is actually 2 steps - you get a wipe which contains alcohol, salicylic acid, tea tree oil and Vitamin E to clean the area of the spot first, to ensure that the patch sticks properly. Each wipe and patch is wrapped separately so they stay sterile. The patches have a specific packaging to protect the microdarts. Once you've prepped and cleaned your spot, you gently press the microdart patch on it. It's such a strange feeling! You can feel the microdarts as they enter your skin. It's not painful or uncomfortable at all. It just feels like it's gripping like Velcro! The patches do have an adhesive round the edge to keep them in place. Once it's in place, you leave it on for a minimum of two hours, to allow the microdarts time to dissolve. I prefer to leave mine on overnight.

So do they work? Yes! Brilliantly too. The best thing about them is that they work on deep, under the skin spots. Normally nothing really touches them but thanks to the microdarts these do! Each time I've used these, my spot has been visibly reduced the following morning. Very impressive. These work when other pimple patches wouldn't. I've found that they work best if used on a newly formed or forming spot (which is what Zitsticka recommends). The only downside for me is the price. They're not cheap - costing £27 for a pack of 8. But considering the high tech microdarts that they contain - I wouldn't have expected them to be! For an acne suffer like me, they're worth their weight in gold. I save them for the deep cystic spots - the ones that nothing else would work on!

ZitSticka are available from their website HERE, Boots (£26.99) and Cult Beauty. 

Victoria Beckham Beauty - First Impressions & Swatches

As soon as I heard that Victoria Beckham was releasing her own beauty line - I knew I had to have it! I'd always regretted not getting her collaboration with Estee Lauder as the products were right up my street. There was no way I was going to miss out this time! Victoria's first launch for the brand is focussing on eyes and consists of 4 x quad eyeshadow palettes called Smoky Eye Bricks costing £48 each, 4 x Lid Lustre shimmer / glitter eyeshadows costing £28 each and 3 x Satin Kajal Liners costing £20 each. The liners include a sharpener too. 

I was a bit late placing my order, an hour after the products had launched. Luckily everything was still in stock! I chose one of each product. I was really torn between the Smoky Eye Bricks - my initial choice was Tuxedo, which is cool grey / brown neutrals. These are safe colours for me and ones I always fall back to. However I kept gravitating towards Royal, which is blues / greys. It's the sort of colours that I love (blue obvs) but rarely dare to wear! I decided to throw caution to the wind and went with Royal. I was stuck between two of the Lid Lustres too - Mink or Blonde. I went with Blonde which is a gorgeous white / gold shimmer. I picked the Bronze liner as I usually prefer a brown liner, although I don't think it will go with the blue eyeshadows. 

After placing my order, I quickly got shipping confirmation (15th Sept). It said on the website that shipping could take 4-10 days, I assumed that this was because they expected a large influx of orders. A few days after receiving shipping confirmation (which didn't include tracking details) I started to wonder if my parcel had gone missing! I noticed on social media that a lot of other people were waiting for their orders too. One person had complained and been told that shipping was taking so long because it was coming from America! Not once during the order process did it state that the order was coming from American. There was no mention of International shipping at all. This put me in a panic as you get charged customs fees which is 20% of your order (including shipping) plus an £8 handling fee. So I was expecting a bill of approx. £30 that I'd not budgeted for. Pretty annoying, right?! Luckily I needn't have worried. My order arrived on 21st Sept which wasn't bad going seeing as though it had come from America. The customs fees had been pre-paid so were obviously included in the price, which was a huge relief! Apparently the brand will be clearly adding all of this information to the website from now on so that everyone is aware.

The products arrived well packed, in sustainable packaging, which is always a bonus! Everything looks super classy and sleek. The actual makeup packaging is stunning. It's solid, weighty and just feels very well made. The eyeshadow had a protective film over it and the Lid Lustre has a removable insert to keep it pressed in. So are you ready for some swatches?

The Kajal liner in Bronze is a beautiful shimmery golden bronze shade. It's super creamy and blends well when smudged but still stays pigmented. The Smoky Eye Brick in Royal is a gorgeous selection of shades that compliment each other perfectly. Although the shades look matte in the pan, they do all have a subtle shimmer to them. I'd class them as a satin finish which I love as I think it's the best of both worlds! The two middle shades do come out more blue in real life (although this photo was taken in natural light, without editing the colour!) but they have a perfect cool / grey undertone so they're not too in your face. I think this will make the palette more wearable than I expected it to be. The bright blue is perfect to give that extra pop! The eyeshadows are pigmented and felt very silky. They're not overly powdery and there is minimal fallout from them. I have high hopes for how they'll perform. The Lid Lustre in Blonde is absolutely stunning. The swatch doesn't do it justice! It's a smooth powder / pigment that just melts into skin. Again, very minimal fallout. It's a beautiful white / gold / silver hybrid that will brighten up the eye area perfectly. It reminds me of Hourglass's Scattered Light pigments. 

All in all, it's a great first impression from Victoria Beckham Beauty. I'm excited to see what she brings out next. 

Victoria Beckham Beauty is available HERE. 

August Empties 2019

*This post contains press samples and affiliate links. 

 

Faith In Face Light Effect sheet mask (gifted, available from Ask.Ms.Park) - This is a hydro-gel sheet mask so fitted well. It was hydrating and left my skin plumped. Loved it!

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I repurchase? Yes (can you tell I'm starting to love sheet masks?!)

b.liv See Ya No More sheet mask (gifted, available HERE) - You can read my full review of this sheet mask HERE but to re-cap - it's a nice, hydrating mask, with plenty of serum.

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I repurchase? No because I prefer hydrogel sheet masks.

REN Atlantic Kelp & Magnesium Energising Lotion (Part of a gift with purchase, available from numerous retailers including REN, Space NK for £22 for a full sized bottle) - I wasn't really keen on this. It has a fresh scent and left skin moisturised. It absorbed fairly quickly and wasn't greasy. It just wasn't anything special.

Marks out of 10: 5/10

Do I recommend it? Not really, it's not bad but there's much better options out there!

Will I repurchase? No

Barulab Black Clay Mask (gifted, available HERE) - This was such an unusual sheet mask. It contains black clay and is designed to clear pore and tighten skin. It doesn't feel like a traditional paper mask - it's more like a thin, stretchy layer of clay! Very different. It fit well on my face. It stays in place well too. It dries down as you wear it so it really tightens on your skin which was a bit uncomfortable. It reminds me of a peel off mask. It definitely felt like one when I came to remove it! My skin looked great after though - refined and soft.

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend it: Yes

Would I repurchase? No - I prefer a traditional clay mask.

Erborian CC Red Correct (part of a GWP, available from Space NK HERE for £17-38 depending on size) - This is a great product. It's a green cream that is super light. I used it as a primer. It corrects redness brilliantly.

Marks out of 10: 9/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? No because I prefer Touch In Sol's version available HERE. It works exactly the same but is cheaper! Don't forget you can save 25% off Touch in Sol using my affiliate code TTBSOL25. If the Touch in Sol wasn't available, I'd definitely repurchase this one though.

Fenty Beauty Invisimatte Blotting Powder (bought myself, available HERE for £24) - This is a great, matte finishing powder. It's in a universal shade and is very fine and light. You can't see it when applied and it doesn't cake when you re-apply. My only gripe is that it gets patches of oil / makeup on it from the makeup brush - these turn into hard discoloured patches. They scrape off easily enough but you don't get that with other powders. I've not fully finished this (it's a large pan) but I'm getting rid as I've had it for a few years since Fenty first came out!

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? No, I prefer a glowy finish powder now.

Clarks Botanicals Deep Moisture Mask (part of a GWP, available HERE for £58) - I've had a couple of mini pots of this now and absolutely adore it! I has the most amazing jasmine / vanilla scent. It's a cream consistency and plumps and hydrates skin brilliantly. Love it.

Marks out of 10: 10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I repurchase? Most definitely!

Lotus Potion Protective Emulsion (PR, currently being reformulated) - You can read my full review of this HERE. To re-cap - it's a gorgeous light emulsion cream packed with antioxidants. Really lovely.

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I repurchase? Yes, I look forward to trying the updated version when it comes out.

Tula Dual-Phase Skin Reviving Treatment Pad (bought myself, available from QVC UK for £34.50 for a pack of 12) - These are double sided pads with an exfoliating serum on one side and a gentle physical exfoliator on the other. They leave skin super soft.

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend them? Yes

Will I repurchase? No. They're fairly expensive for what they are and I can get similar results with a mask or serum.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Florale body oil (bought myself, available HERE for £29.50) - I adore the original version of this but I love this version even more! It's such a gorgeous, light floral fragrance. It's the same consistency as the original - a dry oil that absorbs brilliantly, without being greasy but still manages to be nourishing.

Marks out of 10: 10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? Already have!

Neutrogena Purifying Boost mask (bought myself, available HERE for £3.50) - I actually got this from Tesco on offer - 2 for £5. It's a hydrogel sheet mask - which is my favourite type of sheet mask as they just fit so much better. This came with plenty of serum and left my skin looking and feeling great.

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend it? Yes especially for the price!

Will I repurchase? Definitely, especially as I can pick them up easily without ordering online.

Korres Lavender Blossom shower gel (bought myself, this scent doesn't seem to be on sale anymore - I got this from TK Maxx for £5) - This was a lovely shower gel - it lathered nicely, left my skin soft and had a light lavender fragrance.

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Do I recommend it? Yes if you can find it!

Will I repurchase? If my local TK Maxx still has some left, yes!

Zitsticka Pimple Patch (PR, available HERE for £26.99 for a pack of 8) - I'm not going to say too much about these as I have a full review to come. I've used 6 so far. These are pimple patches with microdarts to get zit zapping ingredients right where you need them.

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Do I recommend them? Yes

Will I repurchase? Yes

Aurelia Skincare The Probiotic Concentrate (bought myself, available HERE for £38) - I love probiotics in skincare so was excited to try this. It promises to give skin a concentrated amount of probiotics which helps improve skins health, elasticity, pigmentation, breakouts, wrinkles and pollution damage. I opened this when my acne has flared up again. I used it daily (sometimes twice a day). Sadly I didn't see any change in my skin other than increased hydration. It's a gorgeous silky, milky serum so is a pleasure to apply. I was left very disappointed with this - it didn't live up to expectations at all. It's only a small bottle too - 10ml! I'm glad I bought it when there was an offer on.

Marks out of 10: 3/10

Do I recommend it? As always, bare in mind that everyone's skin is different and what works for one, doesn't work for another. But from my personal experience, no I can't recommend this.

Will I repurchase? No.

Palmer's Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Protein Pack (gifted as part of Boots Review Panel, available HERE for £2.09) - I love anything coconut so was excited to try this. It's a super thick hair treatment mask. It left my hair smelling amazing and feeling soft but nothing amazing. However my hair isn't in bad condition - so it didn't have much to fix, if that makes sense. It's cheap enough, so worth a try!

Marks out of 10: 6/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? No. 

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm (bought myself as part of a set on offer on QVC, available from numerous retailers including All Beauty for £31.95 which is the cheapest I found it - normally £43) - This is the OG cleansing balm for me. It was the one that got me obsessed with cleansing balms! It smells like a spa and obliterates makeup and SPF brilliantly.

Marks out of 10: 10/10

Do I recommend it? Yes as long as you're ok with essential oils & fragrance.

Will I repurchase? Most definitely. I already have but the Neroli version.

Deviant Skincare Cleansing Concentrate (bought myself, available HERE for £29) - Now this cleanser is something special. For a start, the founder of this brand is the lovely @roadtoglow. The cleanser itself is a gorgeous bright green. It's balm to milk. It smells amazing, it's so unique - like a mix of peanut butter, grass and hemp. Sounds odd but trust me, it's wonderful! It has the best texture I've come across in a balm. It melts beautifully but doesn't disappear. It stays on your skin, giving the perfect slip to massage your face without tugging or pulling. I washes off easily too leaving skin soft, calm and happy. It's essential oil and synthetic fragrance free so it suitable for even sensitive skins plus you still get that spa experience as it does have a natural fragrance. That's important to me, I rarely like a un-fragranced cleanser. I love the full sensory experience and this gives you that. The attention to detail extends to the beautiful packaging which includes hand finished wax seals. 

Marks out of 10: 10/10

Do I recommend it? Yes to everyone!

Will I repurchase? Oh yes! As soon as I can.

Dirty Works Coconut Bath Bomb (present from a friend, available HERE) - As I've said, I love anything coconut so enjoyed this bath bomb. It was nice and creamy and gave off a good fragrance. 

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I repurchase? Yes

Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster (bought myself, available from numerous retailers including Paula's Choice, Skin City, Look Fantastic, Cult Beauty for £41 although they all often have offers on so have a shop around) - This is bottle number 2 of this serum. It's a permanent fixture in my AM skincare routine. You can read my full review of it HERE. I won't be without this serum now, it's amazing! I've noticed that I'm less oily with long term use. 

Marks out of 10: 10/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? Already have! Plus I've got a back up so I don't run out.

Mitchum Deodorant (bought myself, available from most supermarkets, usually costs £3-5) - I realised that I've never included my deodorant in my empties! I thought I'd better in case you were all starting to think that I went without LOL. Anyway, I've been using this one for years now. It has a light, fresh fragrance - I don't like my deodorant too strongly scented as it overpowers my perfume. This is a cream stick type. It's rarely leaves white marks (I live in black so that's pretty important) and it keeps me fresh and dry all day. It's gentle on armpits too - it doesn't sting if I've shaved or make my skin dry.

Marks out of 10: 9/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? Yes, repeatedly. 

Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil (bought myself, available from Benefit Cosmetics, Boots, Cult Beauty for £21) - This isn't an empty but is having to be thrown out because it's well over 2 years old and had dried out. I've not used it for years as I got my eyebrows microbladed and only used fibre gel instead. I'm now pencilling them in again. This is my favourite brow pencil to date. It's super fine for hair strokes, blends nicely and lasts well. Plus it comes in a good range of shades. 

Marks out of 10: 10/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase: Definitely 

I've got a great affiliate excusive Benefit offer to share with you! Spend over £35 on the Benefit Cosmetics website HERE and use the code SEPTSUN to get a fab makeup bag & 3 piece mini skincare set free! See below. 

Soleil Toujours Mineral Sunscreen Glow SPF 30 (bought myself, available HERE for £23) - This is a gorgeous, light tinted SPF. It gives skin a lovely, golden glow. I bought this in the Caroline Hirons x Space NK beauty box. The odd thing is, is that it's a tinted SPF so you'd assume it's for your face (as I did) but it doesn't actually say it's for your face?! Someone pointing this out on Instagram - I'd not even noticed! It worked great on my face though, so no harm done. 

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? No because I prefer a non-tinted SPF. 

Tina Cassaday Banana Bliss Shampoo (gifted, available HERE for £29) - This shampoo smells amazing (like banana obvs). It's incredibly gentle on hair and leaves it feeling soft. The only small downside was that it doesn't lather enough for me so felt like I needed to used loads. But I do have mega thick, long hair so use loads of shampoo.

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? No because it doesn't beat my favourite Function of Beauty shampoo which I have on subscription (see my review HERE). 

Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patch (bought myself, available HERE for £4.40) - These are hydrocolloid patches that you put on a spot and leave overnight. They draw out the gunk from your spot, whilst protecting it too. They work really well to flatten spots and are great to use on alternate nights with a stronger spot treatment.

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Do I recommend them? Yes

Will I repurchase? No because I prefer the ones from Dots for Spots instead as they're thinner.

A. Florence Skincare Intense Night Serum (bought myself but has previously had one gifted, available HERE) - This is currently unavailable as it is being reformulated. It's a gorgeous oil that contains Retinol. I believe they're changing it from Retinol to another form of Vitamin A. I think it cost £36 but I can't remember. I'm sure the new version will be just as good! It's a perfect starter Retinol - really gentle but effective.

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? Probably not as I've gone off using oils - purely personal preference!

Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray (bought myself, available HERE for £24) - This is a fab makeup setting spray that is designed to help control oil as well as keeping your makeup in place. It does exactly as promised.

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I repurchase? Yes

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body lotion (part of a GWP, I think! Available HERE for £28) - This is a gorgeous, light body cream. The rose scent is wonderful - it's not an old fashioned, heavy scent. 

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? No because I prefer a body oil. They have an oil in this range so I intend to try that!

ESPA Hydrating Cleansing Milk (Free as part of a Spa package, available HERE for £25) - You get a proper spa experience from this cleanser. It's a thin, runny milk that so silky and smells amazing. It made a perfect second cleanse and left skin super soft. However I found that I stung my eye area, usually after I'd used acids / retinol. It seemed to pick out the sensitivity when other cleansers wouldn't. So I passed it onto my Mum as she really liked it. 

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I repurchase? No

Filorga NCEF Reverse Eyes cream (PR, available HERE for £55) - You can read my full review of this cream HERE but to re-cap - really gorgeous, smoothing eye cream that hydrates and tackles fine lines. 

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase it? No because it doesn't beat my favourites Drunk Elephant C-Tango & Verso Super Eye Serum (review of those HERE).

Filorga Time-Filler cream (PR, available HERE for £60) - You can read my full review of this HERE but to re-cap - Really plumping cream, keeps skin well hydrated.

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? No because it occasionally pilled which drives me mad. 

Mac Studio Fix Fluid foundation (bought myself, available HERE for £27) - This isn't empty but it's a couple of years old now. It was my holy grail foundation. I still like it but rarely use it as I prefer lighter coverage now. I'm shade NC10 - I should technically be NW10 as I have cool / pink undertones but I find that too pink. Strangely enough NC10 isn't actually that warm / yellow - if fact I think its's cooler than NW10! Which is why I go with this shade. It's an amazing foundation though, long wear, matte finish. 

Marks out of 10: 10/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? Definitely if I fall back in love with higher coverage foundations.

Barulab Blue Aqua Mask (PR, available HERE) - This was a super hydrating sheet mask. It was a great fit and jad absolutely loads of essence / serum. 

Marks out of 10: 7/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Would I repurchase? No because I prefer hydrogel sheet masks. 

Omorovicza Silver Skin Saviour mask (sample, available HERE for £65) - Wow this mask was amazing! It's a gel consistency. What makes it special is that it's warming! Really lovely. It also contains salicylic acid and colloidal silver which makes it brilliant for acne prone skin like mine!

Marks out of 10: 10/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I purchase it? Most definitely!

Allies of Skin Fresh Slate Purifying Cleanser and Masque (bought myself, looks like it's been discontinued) - This is a really unusual cleanser. It's super thick - it melts and loosens with body heat. It smells of chocolate! Definitely a sensory treat.

Marks out of 10: 6/10

Do I recommend it? N/A as not available any more but I would have recommended it.

Will I repurchase? As it's no longer available, no. 

Nura Soothing Milk Bath Salts (PR, available HERE for £15) - These are absolutely gorgeous bath salts. They smell amazing - I find them really relaxing. They leave skin soft too. Love them!

Marks out of 10: 9/10

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? Yes

Beauty Pie Flawless Foundation Blending Sponge (bought myself, available HERE for £4.45 for 2 for Beauty Pie members) - If you're not familiar with Beauty Pie - read my blog post HERE. These are a brilliant makeup sponge, especially for the price!

Marks out of 10: 9/10

Do I recommend them? Yes

Will I repurchase? Already have.

Aveda Speed Of Light Blow Dry Accelerator Spray (GWP, available HERE for £21) - This is meant to dry your hair faster. I didn't notice a difference to be honest. Maybe I didn't use enough. I have super thick hair so it's always going to take ages to dry! That's why I nearly always air dry it overnight now. 

Marks out of 10: 2/10

Do I recommend it? No

Will I repurchase it? No

IGK No More Blow High Speed Air Dry spray (bought myself, available HERE for £25) - This was part of a beauty box which I was really chuffed about as it sounded right up my street. I air dry my hair overnight in platts.  My hair is very thick and is often still damp in the morning when I come to style it, despite it having about 10 hours to dry! I hoped this would help. It did, a bit. Nowhere near enough for my to buy it again though. I didn't really like that it uses starch to soak up with water. Surely it can't be good for your hair?! It might work better for someone with thinner hair. 

Marks out of 10: 4/10

Do I recommend it? No

Will I repurchase? No

IGK First Class Dry Shampoo (bought myself, available HERE for £23) - Sadly this dry shampoo wasn't for me. It did the job and smelt nice but it left my hair feeling so crispy and dry. That's a huge no no for me.

Marks out of 10: 3/10

Do I recommend it? No

Will I repurchase? No

SJO Skin Happy Honey Mask (bought myself, available HERE for £42) - What can I say about this mask that hasn't already been said?! The hype is real. It's a gorgeous rich clay mask that's like no other. It really does do it all - calm, hydrate, reduce oil, purify, exfoliate. It's wonderful! The only small difficulty with it is the coix seeds that it contains. This stay on your skin if you use a flannel / cloth to remove the mask. You have to rinse off with just water to fully remove them. Hardy an issue though - more of a usage tip. 

Marks out of 10: 10/10 

Do I recommend it? Yes

Will I repurchase? Definitely! Sadly not just yet though as I need to get through my stash.

Bioglan Collagen Gummies (bought myself available HERE for £18.99) - These are my favourite collagen supplements. They work wonders to strengthen my nails. They're super tasty too. You can read my precious review of them HERE. I forgot to take a photo of them!

And that's it for this month!