Skincare

Feeling Lucky : French Skincare Win

- Vicki 15 Comments

I am an avid reader of Claire & Nic’s blog Agent Smyth & was thrilled to discover I’d won their 500 Followers Giveaway, I thought you might be interested to see what goodies came in my prize. I was so thrilled as it was a French Skincare giveaway and I must be the only beauty blogger on the planet who has yet to really try much French Skincare. The only thing I’d tried was the Caudalie Beauty Elixir and the scent of that reminds me of San Francisco as I took it on the plane with me & sprayed it every half an hour like a crazy lady trying to keep hydrated.

A selection of French Skincare

Bioderma – I have wanted to try this for the longest time but I really don’t like shopping online. I’m more of an in store put your hands on it kind of shopper and I’ve never been in a shop that sells this. So to say I am excited to use this is an understatement. Im currently using the Garnier Micellar Water & it will be great to see how they compare. I think I already know the answer to that.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ This is another cult blogger favourite and I could really use some of it’s pore unclogging abilities right about now! Let me know if you have used this & how it worked best for you.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir – As I said I have had a couple bottles of this over the past 2 years and sometimes I love it & other times the scent of it is overpowering. Depending on what mood I’m in the minty scent is too much for me. I do think its a nice facial spritz and its refreshing. I like to take it traveling as its a handy in flight pick me up.

NUXE Reve de Miel Honey Lip Balm – This is quite possibly the most talked about lip product in the blogging community & I was too excited to wait to photograph this before I stuck my finger in it & smeared it all over my lips. It smells lovely and sweet and is quite thick in texture. I liked how it felt on my lips, not greasy but you can feel a layer of balm on there. My lips are currently smooth & very happy. I’m converted to the NUXE way of life now.

So thats my French stash of prizes and I’m treasuring each one & I’m delighted to have won – they’ve certainly come to a good home that will use them all up. So thank you ladies (Claire & Nic)  for the amazing prize & congrats on the 500 Followers. If you’re not already following them pop over & show them a little love.

The Bathory Bath Soak

- Vicki 11 Comments

The Bathory* make each step of the process of ordering a joy. From customising your own bath soak online to a really quick delivery time, not to mention the beautiful packaging. This joy continues when you sprinkle it in to a hot bath and relax. These products have been well thought out and it feels like a little slice of luxury in your bathroom. The Bathory are a new company and it feels like they already have everything spot on. You follow a series of fun easy steps on their website to invent your personal blend of Bath Soak. It all starts with how you want to spend your bath –  Bask, Soothe or Detox.

The Bathory Bath Salts

The Bathory Bath Salts Soothe Blend

I went for Soothe which has a blend of Pure Epsom Salts (known for their health benefits), Oatmeal, Honey & Buttermilk. Then you get to pick 3 Organic Essential Oils so I added Bergamot, Chamomile and Sandalwood. You then head to the checkout & thats that, its all very user friendly and easy. You feel like a crazy scientist putting together a potion. I was excited for them to be delivered & they arrived 48 hours after I ordered them, all the way from The Bathory workshop deep in the English Countryside (sounds idilic).

The Bathory Soothe Bath Salts

I instantly fell in love with the packaging. From the brown paper bag to the violet coloured glass jar which they encourage you to reuse (the violet colour of the jar even helps protect the essential oils). Everything has such attention to detail which is really refreshing. I couldn’t wait to use them & made an excuse to have a bath. Now these Bath Salts are not for those people that just want to dip & run, they need to be enjoyed & relaxed in. I did just that.

I’m terrible at describing scents but it is safe to say these smelt incredible, relaxing and intense (in a good way). I used a quarter of the jar and that left my skin silky smooth and soft and my body was relaxed. I felt as my blend suggests very soothed. My husband even commented on how nice the bathroom smelt after I’d used these. You can use as much of the jar as you feel you need but The Bathory suggest that for the Best Bath Of Your Life you use the whole jar – how indulgent!

The Bathory say,

‘We believe in bathtime. Baths to be shared, or luxuriated in all by yourself. Baths for starlit nights, for post-run mornings, for lazy Sundays. Baths to fall in love with.’

and I say this is the Bath Soak for that job!

The Bathory Bath Salts

The Bathory

I now want to pop back on to the website & come up with another blend, I think next time I will go for the Bask option. These would make a very thoughtful gift. I wouldn’t say these are aimed at people who don’t like luxurious baths or taking time out to really enjoy them because at £18 a pot they’re an indulgence but one I think is worth every penny. Click over to their virtual apothecary & see what blend you come up with. Oh & they accept PayPal & ship worldwide – happy dance.

Let me know what blend you’d pick, or if you order one link me to your post so I can read all about it.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own

YOU Beauty Discovery CEW(UK) 2014 Limited Edition Box

- Vicki 5 Comments

So in honour of the prestigious CEW(UK) –  Cosmetic Executive Women UK awards, You Beauty Discovery have teamed up with them to bring you a box jam packed to the brim full of beauty products that will not disappoint. Unlike most other beauty boxes You Beauty Discovery lets you see which products will be your box so there are no disappointments, only happy customers.

OU Beauty Discovery CEW(UK) 2014 Limited Edition Box

YOU Beauty Discovery CEWUK Box

This limited edition You Beauty Discovery CEW(UK) Box* has a selection of products from the finalist & winners of this years awards, so you’re getting to try some of the best selling & most sort after products from the past year. You’re really getting the cream of the beauty crop. Each product in this box made me squeal a little with excitement, the contents are worth almost £100 & you can get it for £16.95 (not including P&P). So what is in the box I hear you say …..

You Beauty Box

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer 40ml – This is a blogger favourite and somewhat of a cult product. It is a pre shampoo conditioning treatment. Designed to give your hair a boost of hydration to the hair cuticle – this in turn gives your hair suppleness, elasticity and bounce. Sounds ideal for my limp hair. I’m very excited to see if this lives up to the hype.

Philip Kingsley Haircare

L’Occitane En Provence  Almond Milk Concentrate 50ml – This almond oil & almond milk body lotion helps soften and nourish skin. This new formula also helps protect skin elasisity, tighten & smooth whilst stimulating cell renewal. That all sounds very fancy & I hope its as good as it smells, as the scent is incredible so sweet & rich. Its a lovely light cream which absorbs instantly. I will use this a little more and let you know how I get on, but after a few uses my skin does feel silky soft.

L'Occitane Almond Body Milk

Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream 15ml – This cream promises to transform my complexion in just 2 weeks (bold claims). Its a high performance, marine based anti ageing gel-cream moisturiser suitable for all skin types. Now how can I not put this to the test – my skin could do with transforming & if Elemis live up to their claims I will be one very happy lady. The few products I have tried from Elemis I have loved so I’m sure this isn’t going to disappoint. It has a slight scent to it but nothing over powering, it feels light on my skin and is non greasy. I will let you know how this works for me after the 2 weeks are up.

Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream

Dr Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Hair Treatment Serum 100ml – This is a very lightweight hair serum made with the finest Moroccan Argan Oil, which a great source of vitamins, anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids together with a number of organic essential oils & extracts will keep your hair feeling silky smooth, eliminate frizz and look glossy. So that sounds perfect for summer! My hair is very dark brown and can look quite dull, especially when its dry. So this sounds like just the thing to inject a little moisture and nourishment. This is a whopping 100ml (full size) and will last for ages as two pumps was enough for my shoulder length hair. After one use my hair did feel nice & easy to run my fingers through but I want to use this for a a couple more weeks before I let you know if I really like it. But so far so good.

Dr Organic Haircare

Manuka Doctor Mini Hero Kit – This is a set of 3 skincare sachets to help achieve beautiful skin. You get a 5ml Skin Treatment Serum / 3ml Targeted Wrinkle Filler / 7ml Rejuvenating Face Mask. This is a great little taster of the brand and the perfect kit to take away on holiday so you can have a pamper session. I love the sound of all three of these and will have an at home pamper session to try them out. It says that this kit is clinically proven to promote skins elasticity, improve blemish prone skin and reduce wrinkles. Sounds like they have all bases covered. Its a cute little kit & something tells me I’m going to enjoy it.

Manuka Doctor Skincare Set

GlamGlow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment 15g – This is such a well loved & hyped product amongst bloggers & I have wanted to try it for the longest time. I am over the moon so so excited that this is in my box & it is a pretty decent size luxury sample. This award winning mask is said to provide a flawless finish and glowing complexion in just 10 minutes. So expect some face mask selfies of me over the next week. I’m going to enjoy every minute of testing this mask as it has been on my wishlist for the longest time.

GlamGlow Youthmud Mask

YOU Beauty Discovery CEW(UK) 2014 Limited Edition Box – £16.95 (not including P&P)

So thats 5 luxury samples & a full size products, also in the box you get lots of discount codes to redeem against future purchases & a mini sample of the Caudalie Divine Legs. So this box really is packed full of only amazing products for you to try. Beauty enthusiasts be quick at this box is limited edition and with contents this good it won’t be available for long. Its worth it for the GlamGlow Mask alone.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Facial SPF 50+

- Vicki 11 Comments
lps facial SPF 50

la roche posay anthelios spf 50

After being treated to a wonderful Spring Facial in Birmingham my facialist told me they’d noticed some discolouration/sun damage just around my eye area and it freaked me out. I have always thought I was quite good at applying a facial SPF but after hearing this I knew I had to step it up as I didn’t want it to get any worse.

La Roche Posay Facial SPF50

I’ve been using the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Dry Touch Gel-Cream* SPF 50+ for 6 weeks now and it has changed the way I feel about facial SPF. If like me you hate greasy SPF’s and that slippy feeling on your skin then this offering will be heaven for you. I have oily skin and so this Dry Touch Gel-Cream is my ideal match.

Let me tell you a little about the Anthelios XL Range, LPS have developed 3 targeted facial SPF’s, these are tailored textures for specific skin types, as you can see in the photo above. They’re developed to provide your skin with highly effective protection against UVA & UVB rays all year round.

  • Blue = Comfort, for normal to dry Skin
  • Green = Anti Shine, for oily or acne prone skin
  • Yellow = Ultra Light, for combination skin.

I was keen to find an SPF that provided maximum protection against UVA Rays. These rays are not filtered by clouds or windows and are present all year round. UVA rays penetrate the skin deeply and cause greying of the skin, wrinkles/sagging and cause skin cancer, It is these UVA rays that cause the premature ageing of our skin. So I was so pleased to read that the La Roche-Posay Anthelios range is specifically designed to give the best possible UVA & UVB protection. It offers up to 2X more protection than the European recommendations for skincare products. So you are in safe hands.

La Roche Posay SPF50   La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF50

This Anti-Shine formula feels quite thick when you first apply it to the skin and it’s very white, but once on the skin it absorbs immediately and it feels like velvet, not at all greasy to the touch or slippy. It’s absorbed leaving no white marks or white cast. It gives your skin a matte finish and stays ultra dry all day long. I have been wearing this on top of my regular skincare (toner, serum, moisturiser) and under my makeup and it is amazing. It creates a nice smooth base for my makeup and it doesn’t make my foundation separate in fact I would say it works like a primer to keep my makeup in place & shine free all day long. I just don’t feel like I have an SPF on at all. Big thumbs up.

It is also,

  • Fragrance-Free, No Parabens and Hypoallergenic – Ingredients limited to a strict minimum.
  • Ultra Water Resistant – For up to 4 swims
  • Contains La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water – Offering natural soothing and anti-oxidant properties
  • Tested Under Dermatological Control & it won’t block pores so no nasty breakouts here!

This is now a step in my skincare regime that I won’t skip. I’m committed to using this every day as the effects of sun damage are irreversible. I have fair skin and a lot of freckles so this SPF50+ is now the minimum I will wear on my face.

SPF50 Facial Skincare

SPF50

I feel relieved that I have found a facial SPF that really works for me & that I can wear under my makeup without looking like an oily mess. I honestly can’t say enough good things about this La Roche-Posay Facial SPF & urge you all to try the one best suited for your skin type & let me know how you get on with it. I only wish I’d found this sooner & as I said it is a step I won’t be skipping, rain or shine!

Let me know if you have tried anything from this Anthelios range or if you have any recommendations from La Roche-Posay in general.

Products that are marked with a * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However, if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.