111Skin Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser

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 I've featured 111Skin previously, when the brand first launched into Space NK (no pun intended) but it's taken literal years for me to try another product from the brand.
The January edition of the Liberty Beauty Drop introduced me to a few luxury beauty products last month, one of which is the 111Skin Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser.
I have here a 30ml sample tube version but it is usually sold as a 120ml pump bottle for around £55.

The very first thing I noticed about the 111skin Vitamin C Cleanser was the consistency. It's quite a strange, thick and bouncy jelly texture and I am completely here for it. It comes out in a thick sort of blob that would stay intact if you were to, say, drop it on the floor, which adds a certain novelty to cleansing with it.
The gel cleanser is designed to deeply cleanse the skin, with the Vitamin C-rich formula brightening and reducing dullness/dark spots.

In skincare, Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can protect the skin against sun damage, stimulate collagen production and combat damage caused by free radicals. Overall it helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and discolouration.
The cleanser also features a Peptidic Microalgae Complex and Glucoside Complex.
The Peptidic Microalgae Complex is essentially an extract from brown microalgae combined with Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (a water soluble derivative of Vitamin C) that reduces melanin production.
Glucoside Complex is described by 111Skin as a molecule obtained from glucose transfer that inhibits the activity of specific receptors sensitive to temperatures and food-related stress.
There are also fruit and flower extracts in the mix including Apple, Lavender, Jasmine and Chamomile as well as a range of oils such as Apricot, Clove Leaf and Castor.
This cleanser has a pretty extensive list of ingredients actually, and you'd probably expect it to be quite fragrant. Surprisingly, though, it smells of very little, if anything at all.

I find that only a tiny amount is needed - less than pea sized- and, applied to damp skin, it creates a fantastic rich lather that leaves skin feeling clean and comfortable. There's no need to use a flannel to remove as it rinses away easily but you can of course use one if you fancy it.
Overall this is a very pleasant, effective cleanser and a nice high end option if you're not bothered about the lack of fragrance. You can find 111Skin Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser at a few retailers but Space NK and Look Fantastic often have the best deals. You can read my post about the brand's Meso Infusion masks here.

111Skin Meso Infusion Micro Mask Review

111Skin is a brand I am very new to. Founded by Harley Street Plastic Surgeon Dr Yannis Alexandrides, 111Skin was developed in collaboration with two space Scientists who worked on the Soviet Space Program (!). These scientists had retained a patented formula they had supplied to Astronauts to protect their skin while they were in orbit - apparently the combination of zero gravity, exposure to radiation and varying temperature wreaks habit on one's skin!

111Skin boasts an impressive collection of products - from the Lift Off Exfoliating Cleanser to the Celestial Black Diamond Retinol Oil, the brand has every step in the skincare routine covered, and then some. Actually, and then a lot more.
While extensive research, exclusive ingredients and space-age technologies have been poured into each and every one of 111Skin's products, one of their latest products really stands out for one very good reason; there is simply nothing else on the market quite like it.

The Meso Infusion Micro Mask really is unlike anything I've seen before. Yes, the concept of targeted mask treatments is nothing new, but the technology behind the Meso Mask is truly ground breaking. I realise that I might sound a bit like I am writing a press release here but I really have been doing a little excited dance in my head ever since I read about this mask because it's just so different.
The Meso Infusion Micro Mask is touted as the closest you can get to an authentic Mesotherapy treatment in the comfort of your own home. Don't know what Mesotherapy is? Neither did I, until I found about these masks. It's a non-surgical cosmetic treatment that involves administering substances such as Hyaluronic Acid directly into the skin via a series of tiny injections. Sounds like it has the potential to be a bit painful but from what I've read, it's not particularly uncomfortable. How can a mask possibly mimic this treatment? Well, this is the fun bit.

The Meso Infusion Micro Mask consists of four sachets. In each sachet are two mask patches, with an adhesive border to ensure the masks stay in place while the formula does its thing. The masks feature self dissolving micro structure technology. The micro structures are made up of 94.5% Hyaluronic Acid to plump up fine lines and diminish wrinkles and 4.5% Vitamin C to tackle pigmentation and discolouration. These micro structures - there are 150 on each mask - administer the ingredients by penetrating deep into the skin. The micro structures are basically teeny tiny, very fine 'spikes' that literally prick the skin, delivering the Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C directly into the targeted area. After around 40 minutes, the micro structures dissolve completely, leaving you free to remove the patch, though you can leave the patch on overnight for a really intensive treatment.

The patches can be used pretty much anywhere and so far I have used them on my eyes, to plump out my crows feet. I know I am 30 and I am still relatively wrinkle-free but I grew up in sunny Queensland and you're unlikely to find an Aussie my age who doesn't have any tell tale signs of years of squinting in the sun!

111Skin Meso Infusion Micro Mask

Around my eyes, the masks didn't feel unpleasant but they did feel active- as if they were really doing something. I did press down gently on the masks a few times in an effort to send the micro structures further into the skin (which I'm not sure is advised!) and still it was not a painful experience. I removed the masks after a couple of hours and had a bit of redness where they were placed (and also probably as a result of me applying pressure). The redness subsided very quickly and I was left with smooth, plumped-up skin where my wrinkles once were. OK, the wrinkles were still there BUT the lines were much, much softer and less noticeable to my toughest critic - myself.
As I've only just used the masks today, I can't comment on how long this effect lasts but I will say that before a special occasion or on days when you just want a boost, these are a fantastic treat. Besides the fact that I have genuinely noticed a difference, I think the Meso Mask is a brilliant product because it feels like a proper treatment and is in a whole other league to the usual pre-special occasion prep of applying a more traditional mask.

At £100 for a box of four pairs, the 111Skin Meso Infusion Micro Mask is an investment beauty buy but if you love your skincare and like trying new products and concepts, this is something to get your hands on. The 111Skin Meso Infusion Micro Mask is available at Space NK.
I'll be keeping the remaining three sets of masks stashed away for very special occasions.