Ógra Skincare - Organic and Lush

I have a serious grá for home-grown products and companies and beauty products don't come much more home-grown than Ógra from the bogs of our very own emerald isle. Made from natural peat (turf to you & I cailíns) its essential oils, fatty acids and lipoids work wonders on tired and dehydrated skin.

Having been petrified of the picture of the Old Croghan man for my primary school years, Beaut.ie brought him back in all his leathery glory last week and the truth is undeniable, looking fresh after 2,000 years in the ground means there has to be something to this turf malarkey. I was intrigued when the kind folks at Ógra sent me some beauty bits to trial. There's nothing like facing your fear, right?

The First thing I noticed with this collection was the packaging, the matte black and high shine gold containers are genuinely luxurious. Each offering is weighty and would take pride of place on any dressing table.

Fancy a peek inside?

Monoi Tiare Petal Exfoliant €28

This scrub is one of the most gentle I've used. You can see here the scrubby goodness and it's probably my favourite from the range. Using sweet almond and avocado oil, its only slightly scented but a real treat to use. I've been using this three times a week and the difference to my fizzog is unbelievable. From the first use, it was strokably soft. I'll be repurchasing this again. And again.

Moisturising Facial Cleanser €19

The Moisturising Facial Cleanser is a creamy offering, it contains seed oil, beeswax and peat extract and again is only delicately scented. While extremely gentle, and easy to use because of the handy pump, I found that this didn't wash off as well as I'd hope. It took two goes to get mah face squeaky clean. In fairness that could have been because I used a little much but I do like to be able to cleanse and move on. I'm not a rinse and repeat kinda gal. The result though was beautiful.

Nourishing Facial Moisturiser €30

The Nourishing Facial Moisturiser contains coconut oil and is only lightly scented too. My face drank every drop of this and instead of leaving a sheen, my skin actually felt soft and plumped from the very first use. While it might be a little heavy for my skin for everyday use, I'd heartily recommend this for dry skinned gals looking for some comfort. It won't disappoint.

100% Peat Face & Body Mask €30

Finally in my pack of goodies was the one I dreaded the most and what I thought everything in the collection would look like. Made from 100% Peat, this face and body mask has an earthy but not unpleasant scent. Of all the collection this is probably the Must Have product, it's also the only one I shared with the lads. Let's just say if there was a fire on Friday night we three would have been getting some very strange looks.

With a slightly grainy texture, we've used this mask twice now and the results are fabulous. My skin is brighter and tighter and my skin tone seems to have improved. The lads' skin however is noticeably calmer. The eldest's exact quote 'It looks so wrong, but feels so right' If that's not an endorsement then I don't know what is.

These would make ideal Mammy's Day pressies and there's a whole lot more and some fascinating background information over on Ógra's site or they run competitions on their Facebook page that are well worth checking out.

Does anything here pique your interest? Does 'Uncle Peat' freak you out as much as me? Do let me know!