Best SPF

Limited Edition Balance Basket from BalanceMe

- Vicki Leave a comment
limited edition balanceMe basket

limited edition balanceMe basket

Limited Edition Balance Basket £30

This Summer BalanceMe have been inspired by British Summertime and created this beautiful Balance embroidered straw basket with leather straps, which would make a lovely holiday bag, whether you’re having a staycation or a vacation! It is incredible quality and is large enough to fit all your poolside / beach essentials.

Living in Cornwall I tend to spend many a day at the beach and this Balance Basket will be perfect for carrying everything I need from my SPF to a good book, oh and not forgetting a few snacks and a cheeky bottle of wine. The leather straps are long enough so you can carry this comfortably over your shoulder and nothing says Summer quite like a cute straw basket!

balanceMe Skincare

BalanceMe Summer Basket

BalanceMe also kindly sent me a few of their Summer essentials to try out and I was very excited to see one of my favourite products amongst them, that being their:-

Natural Protection Moisturiser SPF25

This is a very lightweight daily moisturiser with SPF25, it gives you broad spectrum protection using Titanium Dioxide (this filter physically reflects the sun’s rays) based natural mineral filter to shield skin from UVA & UVB rays. As well as being a very effective SPF it is also really good moisturiser and contains Hyluronic Acid to help keep skin hydrated, smooth and plump as well as Kukui Seed Oil which contains vitamins A, C, and E, which are antioxidants known to protect the skin and prevent free-radical damage. So you skin is in really good hands. I’m so pleased to have a new tube ready to use and it is going to stay in my beach basket so I never forget it!

BalanceMe Pure Skin Face Wash

I have never tried this cleanser but it is sulphate free and formulated for sensitive skin so that means it will be a nice gentle cleanser for washing off my SPF after long days at the beach. Its key ingredients include, Spruce Knot which is a purifying anti oxidant, rich in Vitamin E and renowned for its balancing skin regulating properties. Rice Brand Oil this botanical oil helps to balance the skins natural protective barrier and Moringa Oil is great at rejuvenating your complexion and soothing redness and inflammation. So a really good cleanser to use after being outside all day, it will nourish, sooth and give your skin a natural radiance.

Holiday Skincare from BalanceMe

BalanceMe Super Moisturising Body Oil and Body Wash

I have tried the Rose Otto versions of these and they were so luxurious. This Super Moisturising duo have the most beautiful scent, I can pick out the patchouli which is one of my absolute favourite notes. Both of these products are gentle and perfect for both dry and normal skin. I use the body wash as hand wash because it doesn’t strip my hands and the scent lingers for such a long time, the fact that it has a pump dispenser also makes it very practical as a handwash.

    • Dry skin: Softening Benzoin, calming Yarrow and Patchouli, plus hydrating Shea Butter work together to gently soften and repair flaky, dry skin and dry patches
    • Normal skin: Sulphate-free formula doesn’t strip skin of its natural oils and is so hydrating that skin will not need moisturising after showering!

The body oil is such a pampering product and lovely for keeping your skin looking its best and feeling so soft. If you have dry skin it is going to help keep that dry skin at bay

  • Healing Neroli, rejuvenating Rosehip and Jojoba this oil will help to maintain hydration levels and reduce outbreaks of dry, flaky skin that can be prone to irritation
  • Packed full of essential fatty acids, anti-oxidants and vitamins, this body oil is perfect for increasing skins elasticity and the high percentage of Coconut Oil used in this hi-tech formulation allows this body oil to naturally tackle, prevent and reduce stretch marks.

The beautiful limited edition Balance Baskets are all handmade and available now for £30. Please note that the products do not come with the basket. The basket is available online at balanceme.co.uk for a limited time only.

BalanceMe are a Cruelty Free brand and Balance Meproducts are free from parabens, dea, mineral oils, sulphates, pegs, petroleum, silicones, propylene glycol, microbeads, artificial fragrances and colours.

  • This post contains PR Samples

 

Moisturising Facial SPF from Balance Me

- Vicki 6 Comments
Balance Me SPF25 Moisturiser

Balance Me

Balance Me Natural Protection Moisturiser SPF25*

When it comes to SPF and protecting my skin from the sun I haven’t always been very good at it, although I have been a lot better in my 30’s than I was in my 20’s. I know most damage is done before we are 20 but we still need to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of sun damage no matter what age we are. We are all becoming a little more sun aware & with products like this Balance Me Natural Protection Moisturiser, it’s getting easier to protect ourselves. I have been vigilant in applying a facial SPF this year & without fail, I have worn at least SPF25. I have made applying a broad spectrum SPF part of my skincare regime & it’s a step I will not miss out.

Balance Me SPF25 Moisturiser

 

Balance Me have this Natural Protection Moisturiser with SPF25 and it is for all skin types, It is quite a creamy white consistency (fairly lightweight) takes a little massaging in but once you have left it to absorb for a few minutes there is absolutely no white cast on your skin, you can apply your foundation over the top if you wish without it feeling greasy or like you have too many layers of product on. I think it makes a good base, hydrating and slightly dewy too.

Balance Me say ‘Our rich yet easily absorbed SPF 25 face cream is specially designed to care and protect skin in everyday life. To support your skin’s own defence system, our SPF 25 moisturiser contains an innovative natural titanium dioxide-based sun filter to block out both UVA and UVB rays. A blend of super hydrating hyaluronic acid and powerful anti-oxidant blackberry leaf extract with essential fatty acid-rich rosehip, camellia, kukui nut and jojoba oils work gently yet effectively to soothe, firm and shield your precious skin as well as enhancing the activity of the sun filter.

So this SPF is packed full of skin benefits which whilst protecting your skin from sun damage that will in turn help reduce the signs of premature ageing, shield it from environmental aggressors and keep it hydrated this is definitely a product to have in your skincare routine. The fact that it’s not only a very good SPF but also a very effective moisturiser mean that you don’t have to apply as many products whilst still giving your skin maximum protection from both UVA rays which penetrate deeper & are responsible for premature ageing & are always present even during the winter and UVB rays which cause your skin to burn & are stronger during the summer months.

Balance Me Skincare

The top photo is me starting to massage the moisturiser into my hand and the bottom photo shows you that after a few minutes the cream has been absorbed and there is no residue and no white cast.

This contains Hyaluronic Acid which is a bit of a beauty buzz word at the moment & we are all looking for products that contain it – its good because it provides your skin with deep hydration & it holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water. This is good for delivering water to your skin and also hold it there to provide hydration, plump skin which helps reduce the size of your fine lines & wrinkles. 

Balance Me Skincare

The thing that I like most is that it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing a heavy sunscreen, it’s not tacky on the skin or greasy. This innovative formula has taken Balance Me over 2 years of research & it has been developed so it’s even suitable for people with sensitive skin. Its lightweight formula is soothing, nourishing and doesn’t block pores making it a great moisturiser to wear all year round. So you can benefit from not only its skincare benefits but its sun protecting qualities too. That’s a win-win situation in my book. I want to keep the wrinkles and age spots at bay for as long as I can.

Let me know what facial SPF’s you have been enjoying and let me know if you wear one on a daily basis?

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

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Facial SPF 50+

- Vicki 11 Comments

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.