I received a 10ml sample of Sunday Riley’s Good Genes Treatment in the SpaceNK gift with purchase Goody Bag back in May. I desperately wanted it to be utterly useless and not live up the hype because of it’s super steep £85 price tag. Alas, it is as fabulous as people claim and my bank account will be poorer as a result of this.

Why is it so fabulous? Well, for me, it has worked wonders for my hyperpigmentation. I have a really obvious patch of hyperpigmentation from previous blemishes on my right cheek and this is the only thing I have ever used that has made a difference and so quickly. I first applied this on an evening before bed and, genuinely, woke up the next morning and could see a definite decrease in the level of redness of the skin. Good Genes contains licorice, which helps brighten the skin and reduce redness, so I suspect this is the ingredient that has made such a difference to the redness of my hyperpigmentation. Over time the hyperpigmentation became barely noticable, so much so that I went from being a full coverage, heavy duty foundation addict to wearing only tinted moisturiser with a little concealer and setting powder.

Good Genes is a leave-on brightening multitasking radiance treatment that aims to exfoliate, plump and brighten the skin and improve radiance, texture and circulation. The main active ingredient is lactic acid, so this can give a tingly sensation and may not be suitable for those with sensitive skin (although lactic acid generally is less likely to cause irritation than other acids, like salicylic), whilst it did have a slight tingly effect the first couple of times I used it, it was nothing unbearable and I have pretty sensitive skin – this didn’t irritate my skin at all, even using it at night after an exfoliating toner.

I’ve been using Good Genes a couple of times a week since I got it, to try and ration the sample, after using it daily for the first week and it only ran out in October so, whilst the £85 price is definitely an investment I think that £85 once a year for something that makes such a difference to my skin (I can see a clear deterioration now that I’m no longer using it) is well worth it. A definite repurchase or, hopefully, a Christmas gift as I’ve been very unsubtly hinting to just about everyone how much I want this!

Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment, £85, available at SpaceNK here.

Have you tried Good Genes? What did you think?

I’ve never really bought into the idea of using make-up sponges. I’d had those packs of generic triangle / wedge sponges in the past and found that they either just dragged make up around my face resulting in a less than flawless finish or, as someone who prefers a fuller coverage base, seemed to cause more foundation to end up on the sponge rather than on my face.

After reading reviews of the original Beauty Blender and seeing it reach Holy Grail status for so many people I really wanted to try it out but was reluctant to fork out £16 for a make-up sponge. Last year was delighted when I received a Beauty Blender in a monthly subscription box (possibly Birchbox? I really can’t remember.) and the hype really is true in this case.

To use, you run the sponge under water until it expands to roughly double in size then firmly squeeze to get rid of excess water. I then put the sponge in a towel and squeeze once again to soak up any remaining water. You should end up with a sponge which is slightly damp but not dripping wet. It sounds bizarre but… it just works.

I use my Beauty Blender daily to apply under eye concealer and, when I’m wanting a flawless finish, to apply foundation rather than my usual approach of blending it in with my fingers. The Beauty Blender’s egg shape makes it ideal for using under the eye and for blending around the nose as well.

When applying foundation I find that using a bouncing/dabbing action with the sponge over the face and building up coverage leads to a finish that definitely has a somewhat airbrushed quality to it. It’s also excellent for helping to blend in cream contour to avoid any harsh lines. Overall applying my foundation using a Beauty Blender gives me the full coverage I want yet the overall appearance of my foundation definitely seems ‘lighter’ and more radiant.

To clean the sponge, you can use brush cleanser, shampoo or the solid round of soap that comes with the sponge. I’ve also used plain old handwash and that works just fine too. If you don’t clean the Beauty Blender soon after applying make up it will end up with staining that doesn’t look the most appealing so it’s not something to keep out on display! Other than that the only downsize is that if you have long nails, over time you will probably end up with nail indentations in the sponge. Mine has loads but it doesn’t have an effect on how it applies make-up.

I really don’t know what wizardry was involved when the Beauty Blender was made but it just works better than any other make-up sponge I’ve ever come across. It feels soft, malleable and much less dense than your standard make-up sponge. All in all, it’s been a game changer for me when it comes to make-up application and I wouldn’t be without one in my make-up bag. It may be on the pricey size but it really is worth it. I’ve used mine for a year and I’m only just getting to the point of thinking I should get a replacement so I think it’s actually pretty good value for money considering the results you get using it.

You can buy the original Beauty Blender via Cult Beauty for £16 here, along with the rest of the Beauty Blender range.