Happy Birthday to My Blog

This week, my blog turned 6.

SIX!

I just can't even compute that.

Being me, I immediately set about reproaching myself for wasting so much time and letting my depression, lack of confidence and lack of focus etc get in the way of making this blog more successful. We all have our flaws and quirks and I have a powerful penchant for self-recrimination, but then I actually gave it an extra second's thought and realised what I have actually been through in the last 6 years and how miraculous it is that this blog still even exists. I also, with a dash of speed, stopped thinking about the last six years with any degree of depth, because frankly it’s all a bit too much to bear right now. I did, however, decide to give myself a break for a change and accept things as they are.

I am desperately trying to keep the blog regular and post at least once in a week but my depression is very strong right now, so I am trying not to put any pressure on myself; also there is a lot going on.

At the moment, I am attempting to parent two children, one of whom is three years old and likes to walk on the wild side. I think she is part little girl, part crazy-witchdoctor-pirate-banshee. The other one is nine months old and crawling everywhere and putting everything in her mouth. Today was Liora's last day at her preschool. Next week is half term (I've signed Liora up for swimming lessons) and then, at the end of next week, we are moving house. Again. I think this will be the 5th house move since I started the blog. (If I count every place we have lived since leaving South Africa, it's eye watering - this will be he 15th place we live in. I feel a bit sick now.).

Liora will be starting at a new preschool and then it's all about preparation for primary school (an hoping we get into the school we want)  because she turns four in August so it's Primary school in September for my little girl. I cannot believe how time has flown by.

I suppose a little bit of light retrospection is not necessarily a bad thing, even the painful parts. You realise how much you have survived and grown. I feel like I have aged a thousand years and shed a million billion tears. Of heartbreak and sorrow, and immeasurable joy. I have lived and loved and lost and survived it all with the help of my husband and my little team Awesome Gorgeous. 

As an aside, you also realise how much weight you have put on, how much makeup you have bought and how many clothes and shoes you have not bought.

I am amazed that through it all, my blog has remained and has become a part of my life. I was never very good at diary keeping, which explains the huge gaps in this blog, even though this has always been so much more than just an online diary minus the secrecy (there are also more real and difficult reasons for the gaps). I have learned so much about skincare and makeup in the last six years thanks to the blog and I am glad to report that in all this time my skin has not fared too badly.

At the beginning

Today. At 41 no makeup

This blog has basically made me stop ageing, so there is that.

I am mildly amused by the notion that I have tried and struggled so hard over the years to keep the blog focused on beauty, and now, in this moment of self reflection, when I am finally taking it really seriously, I want to evolve it just a little bit.

My next mission is to tackle all things that make you whole. Wait. No. that's not right. I simply want to explore all the bloggy bits that fall under the Lifestyle category and see what happens. I have a yearning to evolve out of the two shoes, jeans and black t-shirt uniform in which I live; not in an extravagant way, but I want to, well, dress like a  grown up for a start.

Also, my mother-in-law is moving in with us soon, and she knows Things. So expect to see a whole series  on How to Adult.  It is, after all, all part of Becoming.

Happy Birthday Little Blog.
Thanks for my skin.

I love you!

Procoal Marine Moisture Mask - My First Sheet Mask Reviewed

It looks bad. I know.

I have no idea what this brand was thinking. I mean, there is literally no reason that this sheet mask needs to be black, and to be honest, the first time I tried it, I was so thoroughly freaked out by it, that I could not enjoy it at all.

Despite that, I did approach the brand and request the sample to review and they were kind enough to agree, to my utter amazement and absolute joy, so I thought it would only be right and fair to give it a second pass.

My background is in journalism so I have this idealistic view that all reviews must be objective, balanced and ruthlessly honest. This was also the first time I was sent something as a blogger, so I was committed to doing a good job.

The brand, Procoal London, is a UK based company founded in 2016. It is well known for its charcoal based tooth whitening products and is consistently bringing out new products to expand its range. One of its more recent launches is a marine serum face mask. The sheet mask, which contains some interesting marine and botanical ingredients, is paraben, mineral oil and cruelty free. It does not, however, contain any actual charcoal ingredients, which is a bit odd considering "charcoal" is literally in the name.

The price, compared to similar products, is quite good for four sheet masks, at £13.99. The company also sent me a 20% off discount code* that expires 12 March, 2019 (T&Cs apply).

I want to point out that I am new to sheet masks, so I am not comparing them to anything I have used before. There were no expectations. With that said, let's break it down.

Caveat - My skin is normal (sometimes tends to be dry, but not right now). it is not dehydrated either. 

Packaging (4 out of 5) 
The packaging is sleek. It' pretty, it's functional; I like it.

First Impressions (3 out of 5)

On a cleansed face and following the instructions closely, I placed the sheet mask on my face. The first thing I noticed is the colour of the mask. It's black. I am not. So it's not the most Instagram friendly look. If you know what I mean. Once you move past the look of the thing, it's actually quite nice.

Feel (4 out of 5) 
The mask feels very nice on the skin. It is soft and moulds easily to the face. I think it is made of paper but feels more like wet felt so it's got a bit of a velvety vibe going. It does not stick very well around the mouth and dried above the top lip rather quickly. I think it was all the breathing, so expect it is not unique to this mask. It is quite cooling which felt very nice, despite the snowy weather. I am sure that it would feel very nice on a congested or inflamed face. Mine is not, so I can only infer.

Scent (3 out of 5)
So this is a bit weird. The first time I used it, the mask smelled of lemon. It was subtle but I did not like it. The subsequent ones did not. I really gave it a good smell test and nothing, so whatever fragrance is in there is so subtle, it will probably not bother those who prefer fragrance free skincare.

Results (4 out of 5)
My skin felt cooled but a bit tight and tacky at first. After the serum dried down, my skin did feel soft and smooth but it did not blow my mind, to be honest.

Ingredients (4 out of 5)
The sheet mask contains 25ml of serum made up of:
Aqua, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Lecithin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Panthenol, Hydroxyacetophenone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Extract, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate.

Nothing bad in there. No charcoal of any kind though, which is weird considering the name of the thing. A few interesting ingredients.

Website (4 out of 5)
Clear. Transparent. Easy to navigate. All ingredients clearly displayed. For me, one of the most important and telling elements on a website is the contact page - can you call the brand directly or do they have to fill in that annoying form so they can avoid their customers? This site has both, so you can choose how to engage with the brand. I like that a lot. But there are typos, and typos break my pedantic little heart.

Final Thoughts (3.5 out of 5)
I enjoyed this mask. I will test it again when my face is feeling more yuck, to see if  it has more of  an effect. But for now, my face was already in pretty good shape considering the weather and the stress of moving house, so the mask was not earth shattering, but overall it was OK. **

Is it worth it? Yea. I reckon it's worth a go. To buy this mask, or to see the range, visit the Procoal London Website.

*Affiliate link
** That's just my opinion. It is subject to change (or not), based on further testing, changes in skin condition etc.