Hello, everybody.
Welcome back to my channel where
skincare is all about progression over
perfection because perfection doesn't exist.
One of my favorite kind of videos to watch
is buying the ads, like buying the TikTok ads.
Soph from Soph Does Life does this amazingly, and
I want to give it a go.
So I have purchased a few skincare, body care
products that TikTok was really pushing out to me.
Like, these are products I saw over and
over and over from different creators each time.
And some of them I've already given a go.
Some of them, I'm going to give you my first
impressions and see if these sponsored products are any good.
And we are going to start off with
this brand Gruum, who make zero-waste skincare.
"I just picked up this skin and
hair kit worth £20 for free.
And even better, they come with zero plastic packaging.
The Facial Cleansing Bar is really gentle on the
skin and leaves it feeling brighter and clearer.
The Nourishing Shampoo Bar foams up fabulously
and is great for all hair types.
I love that it leaves my hair feeling silky smooth.
And the creamy Body Wash bar leaves
my skin feeling clean and nourished.
I have a feeling that these are
going to sell out very quickly.
So grab yourself one while you can."
Now, I did try and grab myself one and I couldn't.
I was expecting like, that really
nice kind of PR packaging.
But they just came like this, three boxes in
a bigger box rattling around, which is fine.
I don't really care.
So the shampoo bar, I'm not trying.
I already know these kind of like
zero packaging bars dry me out.
Like, dry out my scalp really bad.
I got like the body bar thing.
And then this is the one I'm going to be trying out.
This is the Klar Brightening Facial Cleanser.
They say it's a natural exfoliating bar.
"Activated charcoal gently draws out impurities, while
Vitamin C brightens and soothes perfect for
acne-prone and oily skin."
So they go on to say, "What makes this special?"
Well, what makes it special is apparently activated charcoal.
"A natural antibacterial gentle exfoliant that draws
out impurities while preventing further breakouts."
We know now charcoal doesn't draw out anything.
It will remove what charcoal attaches to.
So you have to make physical contact.
The charcoal has to make physical contact
to be able to wash away, like,
impurities and all that kind of stuff. Still good.
It's just the word 'draws out'
is a little bit misleading.
As well as reducing the appearance of blackheads and pores, sebum prod...
We've got Shea Butter, Grapefruit Oil
as a source of Vitamin C, Orange Oil, which
my skin doesn't really like, actually.
They say it's free from artificial
colors, palm oil, synthetic fragrance, parabens
sulfates, SLS, EDTA and petrochemicals.
None of that I really, honestly care about.
This is going to be a first impression.
And please bear in mind that first impressions aren't really
useful as far as reviews go, but they are useful
for me because this is how I decide what I'm
going to review further down the line.
First impressions are important.
So let's wet my face and lather
this up and see how it goes.
Okay.
It smells very orangey.
And you know what this instantly reminds me of?
Because there's not many things like this around,
is the Lush Coal Face.
I think they've renamed it nowadays.
But you know what actually, already on instant use, this doesn't feel
as, like, instantly drying as a lot of
cleansing balms tend to make my skin feel.
It feels very smooth.
It actually feels like a cream cleanser
upon initial application.
I will say though, the ingredients Charcoal, Shea Butter, the Grapefruit,
may be good if you have very oily skin.
Like, very oily teenage skin can be,
like, a little bit irritating and drying.
Feels nice, though.
I'm not going to lie.
I kind of wanted to hate this because... no, that's a lie.
Listen, I haven't had a lot of luck with zero-waste products.
I've mentioned before, that I scrapped a whole
video of zero-waste brand products because I just hated
all them and I didn't want to sound like I
was just sh*tting on zero-waste products.
But they tend to have the same kind of natural
clean ingredients that irritate skin and also like, Lavender and
Tea Tree, and all that kind of stuff.
I'm going to go rinse this off and
we'll see how my skin feels after.
Okay, I may have spoke too soon.
As I was rinsing it off, it felt like soap.
It felt like soap.
You know, when it starts to... look...
You get, my skin... my finger should be gliding along my skin, but it feels
so rubbery and tight and like that squeaky clean,
which is something we don't want from a cleanser.
As I was rinsing it off, I felt
like I was just using Dove soap.
Actually, some Dove soap is all right, but,
you know, like Imperial Lather or whatever.
Just a bar of soap.
My skin feels very tight.
Again, this might be okay if you
have very oily, like, teenage skin.
I don't think it's for me in any way whatsoever.
So I will not continue to use that.
I may use this on, like,
my feet or something like that.
It will get usage, just not on my face, I'm afraid.
The next advert is another one I saw
absolutely everywhere, but not mad about because I
actually really, really wanted to try it.
"Okay, so I absolutely love the Vichy Mineral 89 Serum.
I use it all the time.
And yes, it's worth the money, but look at this.
They have just brought out in a cream format.
I am so excited to try it.
Let's put it to the test and let's see.
It's already given me such a nice glow.
I love the glow this has given my skin.
I'm going to come back in a few
hours and show you how it's looking.
It's been a couple of hours, and
my skin is still looking hydrated.
How have they done that?
I have no idea.
Hydrated and plump.
I am obsessed.
This is 100% going to be added to my skincare routine."
So, like her, I absolutely love the serum version of
this, one of my favorite serums of all time.
I always mention this, but a lot of people ask me
why I don't still use some of my favorite products, and
it's because reviewing skincare, I've got to move on.
But the Vichy Mineral 89 Serum is a
serum I would stick to as a hydrating
serum if I didn't have to review skincare.
So this is the Vichy Mineral
89 72HR Moisture Boosting Cream.
I'm really looking forward to trying the moisturizer.
Oh, that's small, thought it was going to be bigger.
50ML. Okay.
I didn't see another size, but maybe it comes in a
bigger size, or I'm just not seeing the size properly.
On TikTok it looks smaller.
Whilst I'm looking for long term hydration in the feeling of
my skin, I don't really mind about the look of long
term hydration because I'll be using sunscreen over the top, and
it won't be a fair trial of it.
But I am looking for that instant
dose of hydration, that feeling of hydration.
Oh, no.
Having very dry skin, after that cleanser, this
feels already so nicely moisturizing and hydrating.
It slips over the skin so easily.
Oh, that looks good.
That does look good.
A very natural glow.
Nothing too dewy, nothing too glass skin.
So if you do not like the dewy look, I
think you will still like this as a natural look.
Glow from within kind of moisturizer
A little bit seems to glide a long way.
I can't really talk to the plumpness either, because
you'll see, like, these few spots I have on
my face, they're all wounds, puncture wounds from where
I've just had Botox and filler.
So I'm a little bit swollen.
So I cannot talk about the plumpness because that
will be my swollen face from having filler yesterday.
So they say that this is formulated with Hyaluronic Acid,
Vitamin E and B3, as well as Squalane.
So you get this really nice
moisturized feeling without feeling greasy.
Lipids to help with our
skin barrier, Vichy Mineral Water.
I never really know what mineral
waters do, to be honest.
It's also fragrance free.
They say it could double up as a day or night cream.
And to be honest with you, it feels a little
bit light for it to be like a night cream.
But that's when the test of how well it locks in
moisture and hydration, that's when that will come in handy.
But no, I really like that, like my skin looks dewy.
It feels hydrated and moisturized without
being glowy or too dewy. Or, do you know what I mean, like, it
looks like naturally healthy skin.
So this is a product I will continue to use.
So when it comes to, like, a Hits & Shits, or
like, an end of month favorites... no, that's the same thing.
You know, anything.
I'll give you an update on this.
I'm going to keep using that, but my skin feels
really nice and it kind of has this comforting layer
on it, which I quite like, that doesn't feel greasy.
I need to do that, like, tissue
test that they do on Korean products.
You know where they throw a load of, like, confetti on their face
and if it sticks, it means you're greasy.
I don't know how well, how good a test that is.
Next advert.
"UVMUNE 400 by La Roche Posay. Incredible Filter.
And now, oil control for those with blemish-prone skin."
That was the shortest advert I think I
had throughout the whole of the TikTok ads. Here it is.
This is the La Roche Posay Anthelios UVMUNE 400 SPF
50 plus PA+++ Oil Control Sunscreen.
Incredible filter,
and now for oil-prone skin.
I had that... so listen,
As an influencer, I would love to see the brief for
that advert, because they must have said, keep
it as short and snappy as you could.
If I handed that in, they'd be
like, Where's the rest of the information?
But that's TikTok for you.
Here it is.
Now, I'm wanting to try more La
Roche Posay, especially their sunscreens.
Chemical sunscreens, it's now 50/50 whether my Rosacea is
going to react to it or not.
So this is one I'll be able to
update you throughout the day on.
But I never have an issue with La Roche Posay products.
So, yeah, let's give it a go.
I have been getting very oily in my t-zone here.
The weather has started to become very,
very warm here in the UK.
I will be going to film at my brothers later, so
I'll be able to give you a bit of an update
on the oil control side of it and also how it's
flaring up, if it's flaring up my skin at all.
So, yeah, let's see.
This smells like PVA glue.
I think America's call it craft glue.
You know what you use in school? It's quite thick.
They do call it a gel cream, but it does really
just feel like a cream, more than a gel cream.
But I guess the finish is more of how
a gel cream would finish on your skin.
They describe it as lightweight and mattifying.
It looks very dewy on my skin.
I wouldn't say it's mattifying just yet.
And they even call it anti-shine, but I
wouldn't even say it was anti-shine.
It's actually adding a sheen to
my skin more than anything.
I think my skin's already reacting to it.
I'll give it a minute to calm down.
So they say that the anti-shine, like oil
absorbing ingredients in here, is Perlite and Zinc Gluconate
to help you keep shine free all day.
They say, "It's the ultimate SPF
for sensitive complexions, struggling with breakouts,
sun intolerance or even prickly heat."
So, yeah, my skin is kind of getting a little
bit irritated, but my skin barrier is definitely compromised around
here at the moment, and I'm not sure why.
So ignore that for now.
That is not a fair test.
I do like to go in layers rather than
doing like two fingers at a time now.
But yeah, I don't think this is mattifying in any way.
I'm not going to lie.
I expect a powdery finish.
It feels creamy, if anything, which is quite nice.
But I don't think it's mattifying.
I actually look shiny.
That kind of Perlite kind of
adds that luminosity to my skin.
It's a little bit hard to get
through the facial hair as well.
I mean, if anything, that's giving me a shine, no?
How is that matte in any way?
And I only think with constant
reapplication, I'm going to be shinier.
Look at the glow on my nose.
I can instantly say, already say, if you
are looking for a mattifying sunscreen, this is
not it in any way whatsoever.
Do I physically feel matte?
No.
I feel like I've used a moisturizer.
We'll check back in in a few hours
and see if I do feel matte still.
But it's also given the appearance of glowy skin.
I don't know, maybe if you have
very oily skin and you want that dewy
complexion without physically being oily, it might work.
I don't feel physically matte in any way. We'll see.
Okay, next one.
Okay, so this is a product I
will use tonight and show you.
I already used this a couple nights
ago out of excitement, but this is
the Skin Choice Breakthrough Patch Classic Nose.
And these are ten nose patches.
You might recognize these kind of products because
Peace Out do a very similar thing.
These are just hydrocoloid patches, but
in big patches for your nose.
So often seen as a better alternative
to peel off nose pores strips.
You know, the ones that kind of, like, have that adhesive,
you peel them off, you get a satisfaction of
seeing all, like, the black hairs and the little hairs
and all that kind of stuff in them.
This just kind of lays on your skin.
It essentially kind of collects all the
oils and gunk from your nose.
Take it off in the morning and you have a nice clear nose.
I absolutely love these as an
alternative to nose pore strips.
I still use nose pore strips once every so often.
But if you want to wake up with a pretty poreless looking
nose, this is the kind of product to go for.
What I will say is, if you have
somewhere to be early, I wouldn't use these
because they do wrinkle up during the night.
And kind of leave a little wrinkle in your
skin for a few hours after waking up.
A few hours? About half a day.
But, yeah, I already know these work.
I absolutely love them so, so much.
What I love about this particular brand, compared to
others, is their patches are bigger, so they can
fit all types of nose shapes and sizes.
For me, they cover a lot more space than a lot
of the kind of, like, daintier nose pore ones do.
Nose patches do.
I always feel like they're always made for
smaller noses, and they don't quite cover. reach
the whole bridge of my nose.
But these cover some really good ground,
so I really, really like those.
This... oh God.
This is a brand I saw over and over and
over and over and over, like, to the point where
I had to say, like, I'm not interested.
Stop advertising this to me.
"Ladies, I'm ranking these as the top
products for underarm sweat and odor.
This underarm lotion is so effective on all fronts.
This helps stop odor at its source
instead of just masking it with fragrance
like some other products I've tried.
The lotion glides on smooth and dries quickly.
My favorite is cucumber splash.
It's a fresh and cool scent without overwhelming me.
I felt dry and smelled fresh the entire
day, even when I was super active.
This company makes sweat products not just
for underarms, but for the entire body.
So if you sweat in other places, like the
thighs, face, scalp, and more, they've got you.
Click the link below to try them out."
So this is the CARPE
Sensitive Skin Antiperspirant Underarm Lotion.
They say it's number one
dermatologist recommended sweat brand.
Okay, so the whole point of this brand is it's
meant to be for people who really, really sweat.
I bought the face lotion as well, along with, like, an
SPF, not SPF, a few other little bits, which I'd love
to try with some light exercise, see how well it does.
But the whole point is, it's
meant to keep you sweat free.
I have a few issues with this product.
Number one, I haven't used this for maybe four days.
It was completely flat when I used
it, rubbed it on my armpits.
The product just tends to kind
of leak up through the lid.
It just tends to be there.
That's kind of a waste.
I can see it moving now, so that's a bit of a waste.
Also, I'm not a heavy sweater.
I don't sweat that much.
But I do love a deodorant that I could
really, really rely on for, like, when I go
to events, because there's a lot of people in
a room, you get very sweaty, very hot.
It's all very close.
So I love a deodorant that I can put
on and know I'm not going to sweat.
I went to a SpaceNK event to interview
Sabrina and Idris Elba about their new skincare line,
thinking this deodorant is going to have my back.
Like, I'm going to be fine.
It was very hot.
Got picked up. It took about an hour and... no, 2 hours
to get to the SpaceNK store.
The SpaceNK store was boiling.
There was no air conditioning on.
Huge crowds of people everywhere.
I was in a little room where I
could set up and eventually interview the Elba's.
This did nothing for me.
I have never sweat so much in my life.
I don't usually sweat, and I needed this, this time.
I didn't smell, luckily, because I use my Pitrok spray.
This did nothing for me.
Absolutely nothing.
Like, that woman in that video said that it
kept her sweat-free even when she was active.
I don't know how, because that
did absolutely nothing for me whatsoever.
So as somebody who sweats moderately, I cannot
recommend this brand to keep you sweat-free.
So I dread to think those who sweat
a lot, what experiences they have had.
Let me know if you've used it before.
Maybe I just got a crap batch. I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't recommend it. It's not for me.
I will never use it again.
Okay, here's a product that is for me.
"Does anybody else get these bumps on their arms?
I never knew how to get rid of them,
but I think I finally found something that works.
This is the Hello Klean Micronutrient Wash.
You just shake it up.
It will remove the minerals in hard water
and balance out the PH level of your
skin, leaving everything feeling so smooth and hydrated.
Hands down, the best thing I've tried for my dry
skin and definitely a must-have if you live in a hard water area.:
So I don't live in a
hard water area, but I do enjoy this product.
I've been using it... where is it? We're up to here.
I've been using it for like, probably four weeks now.
And I originally bought this because the kind of,
like, bi-phase formula really attracted me to it.
Like, all those essences you get, like the Ceuracle,
their Kombucha Essence really attracted me to it.
The kind of, like, bumpiness, the KP kind of thing.
What I will say is I haven't
seen any difference with the KP bumpiness.
So I'm going to go back to my Peach
& Lily product because I know that works.
That keeps everything at bay really, really well.
But I will say, Matcha, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Mcro Algae.
It's really soothing.
It feels really nice.
And I say soothing because I've been out
in the sun a little bit and I
got, like, a little bit burnt back here.
I wasn't wearing sunscreen on my body because I forgot.
I literally went out for, like, 30 minutes.
Leave me alone.
But it's been really soothing, and I do feel
really nicely moisturized when coming out the shower.
I do use, like, a lotion after, but
my skin doesn't feel dry or tight.
It cleanses well.
It gives a nice foam, like it comes out as a foam, but
it gives a nice foam as well when you lather it up.
I do want to take this to London and kind
of see, because the London water f*cks up my skin.
My eyes are still like rashy from the hard
water in one of the hotels I stayed at.
So I would like to take this to London with
me and kind of... I don't think it travels well,
to be honest, and see how well it does.
But this is in my shower,
hence the dirtiness of the lid.
I use it every single day.
I absolutely love it.
It's one of my favorite, probably
body cleansers of all time.
So I'm glad I kept getting served that advert
because I was tempted to buy it every time
I saw it and I finally did.
I have bought their shower head, which is
like a filter, but I think that's a
preorder so that's not coming yet.
So that will be in another video.
But if you see this, grab it.
It's really, really nice.
Is it anything crazy special? Like, no.
If you already have a favorite
shower gel, carry on using it.
Shower cleanser.
But if you just want to try something new and you
want your body to feel nice when you step out the
shower, this is a really nice one to go for.
So that is it.
I'm going to finish getting ready and do my hair.
Let me know if you tried any of
these products before, what products you keep seeing
adverts for over and over on TikTok.
I have more videos and more products I want to try,
but let me know any of your suggestions in the comments.
You can watch some more product reviews here, some general
light entertainment here and I'll see you over there.