boots botanics range

the boots botanics range has been completely revamped for 2012. there are a host of new products, including the brightening range which has caught my eye the most. aside from introducing exciting new products, the packaging and presentation of the range has been totally revitalised, and it now looks super pretty and delicate.
one of the things i love about the botanics range is how natural all the products are and the ingredients they use in each product really are beneficial and the whole range champions 'the power of plants'

in total there a five new ranges that boots have created for 2012, which include:
radiant youth
all bright
ultra calm
shine away
& an organic range

i decided that to best test this new botanics bonanza would be to try out products from different ranges, and i chose 3 very different products - from the ultra calm, all bright & shine away ranges
the products are:

1. skin calming night cream (ultra calm)
2. cleansing face wipes (all bright)
3. ionic clay mask (shine away)

1.)  skin calming night cream (ultra calm)

first off, i am a slight night cream addict, i love going to bed with a fresh face, knowing that in the morning you wont wake up looking like frankensteins bride with panda eyes and blotchy make-up. so whenever i can, i love to properly take off the days make-up, cleanse and tone and then moisturise (this isnt every day, but i do try.........)! my normal night cream is l'oreal revitalift which i love because of its simplicity, its a reliable product, which leaves skin super soft and super refreshed and i guess because it worked i didnt think of trying out many other night creams until i noticed this new botanics calming range. this skin calming night cream states that it 'soothes and replenishes through the night for sensitive skin' so it has a pretty straight forward objective, but i liked that it was for sensitive skin because my skin can react to a few products which are a little too harsh.
so, i bought this cream a few days before i left for holiday and decided to use it each night before i went away to get a taste of whether it was a good product or not. and i can easily say i am very impressed with this little cream. there are a few reasons why this product pleased me. firstly, it caught my eye on boots shelves, the new packaging is very pretty, i really love how the colours clash and overall the product seems summery and inviting. however, obviously it is not all about packaging...
so aside from being pulled into the product by its hawaiian-esque exterior, it also contains rather charming ingredients - 'calming marshmallow' & 'soothing linden flower' which are not only genuinely benefical for the skin but also leave the product with a more than plesant scent which smells gorgeous on your face, especially just before bedtime.
secondly, it is a nice texture, almost a little gel-like which smoothes very nicely onto the skin and leaves your face smooth from application right the through till the morning. and although the smell disappears by the morning the softness of your skin doesn't.
the only concern i have, is that the tub is quite petite, meaning it may not be a paticularly long-lasting product but considering you dont need to slap night cream on like theres no tomorrow, this isnt a big worry for me.
so overall at only £4.66 this cute little product gets top marks from me! and if you are a night cream fan i definitely recommend!

2.) cleansing face wipes (all bright)

one of my pet hates is trying to remove your make-up with a dry face wipe! it is so annoying! but sometimes using a cheap face wipe is geuninely like the equivalent of just rubbing your face with a tissue...which is obviously just pointless. so, as stupid as this may sound it is important to find a decent cleanser, be it face wipes or lotion or foamer.
my usual choice of face wipes is basically anything from the simple range, because they work and actually remove all make-up, normally even removing the toughest waterproof mascara (i know this from holiday!)
however, i fancied a little bit of change, a mix up from using the generic simple face wipe. so i decided to try the new all bright cleansing face wipe, which states to 'cleanse and remove even waterproof make-up' and again (like the night cream) is suitable for sensitive skin.
similar to the night cream, i used these wipes for a few days before i went away, tending to take my make up with them and then cleansing and then using the ultra calm night cream. and again, i took quite positively to this product.
most importantly, i liked that they were non-drying, they do remove make-up well, including most eye make-up (however, bear in mind i only wear a little mascara) and they also smell very pretty...which if you havent noticed is a plus point for me, i enjoy a product with a pretty smell!
they also include beneficial ingredients, prominently extracts of hibiscus, a known skin brightening agent. obviously they didnt noticably brighten my skin, but they did leave my skin feeling smooth and fresh and for me thats all a decent face wipe needs to do!
again, it is a very affordable product at only £2.33 (pricier than some facewipes i know)...overall, i did like this product and i will probably buy them again, however, i dont know whether they will replace my trusty simple wipes but they're a nice little treat all the same!

3.) ionic clay mask (shine away)

any kind of face masks are fairly new to, they are a product i rarely tend to use, mainly because i fear having something on my face for so long ... taking it off and my face is bright red or blown up or something disastorous like that. but i wanted to the risk with this new botanics product mainly because i wanted to try and really deep cleanse my face of all impurities before holiday.
however, because i havent had a lot of face mask experience (i hope that doesnt sound rude...i also i hope it isnt just me with a dirty mind...oh god), i dont really have much to compare this product to.
but, i will review it anyway and i hope i make some sort of sense!
its main objective is to remove excess oils from the skin without over-drying. i applied a generous amount to both my face and neck and left it for just over ten minutes. it is quite a runny liquid but still easy to apply, and dried fairly quickly once it was applied. once on, you literally cannot move your face, i looked like a botox-ed mummy (another reason im scared of facemasks).
when it comes to washing off the mask, i removed the majority with a face wipe and then the rest washed off easily with hot water. i repeated this process 3 times over the course of a few days, and my reaction to the product is fairly blasé.
it did make my skin feel soft, and my face did feel refreshed and clean. however, thats where the results seem to end for me. and i feel that overall, my normal facewashes and scrubs work much, much better and that there doesn't seem much need to use this mask.
however, priced at £4.66 it is a nice relaxing product which i will use when i have the time. and possibly if oily skin is a real problem for you then this would be a much more suitable product but for me, it will be a product i seldom use.

...just noticed how crazy i have gone this post, writing overload!
but it is because i genuinely am very impressed with this new botanics range and although the mask doesnt overly excite me, it is still a very handy and pretty product.
and what i love about all these products is not only do they include great ingredients and produce good results but they also look lusho in your bathroom!

thank you for reading lovelies!
many, many kisses.
lucyx