Category Archives: beauty

SPF & Suncare Staples

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I know. I KNOW. It’s October. What am I doing, blogging about SPF?! But apparently, some people still like to travel in winter, whether that’s running away to somewhere hot or heading skiing, ya’ll need SPF. And let’s not forget about the readers of my blog who live on the other side of the world! Where summer is just about to kick in. Or perhaps you live somewhere like the sunshine state, AKA California. You get what I’m saying? There’s always a time for SPF.

Whilst the British summer this year felt way too brief, I have had a small stint in the Spanish sun where I really got to put these to the test. Being pregnant in 30 degree heat I was super paranoid about catching any sort of sun as I know you can be more susceptible to these sorts of things. So it was really important to me to find a good SPF to protect my skin when I wasn’t covered up with the worlds biggest hat and floaty dresses.

I started my search early and ended up taking the above products for all my suncare needs. All three are carry-on friendly and vegan-friendly, too!


Odylique Natural Sun Screen, SPF 30, 50ml – £15


This thick and creamy SPF is incredibly moisturising and a great choice for dry, sensitive skin types. This was the SPF we would use first thing in the morning to give us protection for a good portion of the day until we needed to re-apply and then I would use the biosolis for convenience. This was too thick to use on my face, but great for the all over the body. Like a standard thick moisturiser, it took a few moments to work into the skin, and my boyfriend wasn’t 100% keen on applying it to his hairy legs ha! but other than that it was perfect and one I would purchase again as it’s so gentle and can be used on babies and children.

Biosolis Sun Spray SPF50, 100ml – £22.99


I actually found it really difficult to find vegan-friendly SPF’s – my choices were incredibly limited but I’m happy with the two I got in the end. This Biosolis spray caught my attention thanks to the high SPF and the promise of being a thin, easy to work with formula. This is the SPF I ended up using on my face and taking out with us for easy reapplications during the day and after going into the water. The formula is white, and does take a little working into the skin, but the thinner consistency means it does eventually absorb and disappear into the skin without leaving a white cast. It doesn’t leave a greasy typical SPF residue but it also doesn’t dry matte either. But when the sun is so hot, it does become hard to tell what’s SPF and what is just sweat, glam 😉 This also didn’t cause me any breakouts and worked really well under any makeup I wore!

Organii After Sun Cream, 50ml – £3.50


Bargain ALERT! Yes, that really does say three pounds fifty pence. This little tube of after sun combines aloe vera and shea butter to be soothing and moisturising for skin that’s spent all day crisping up in the sun. It would also be perfect for windburn and chapped skin from the cold I imagine. It’s a lovely thick cream and I smothered my skin in this each day after a shower. I didn’t burn at all thankfully but my boyfriend caught a little sun on his arms and this helped take the redness away and prevented the skin drying out and peeling, perfect! I would definitely purchase this again next time I need after sun, it’s an absolute bargain for a product that contains organic ingredients.

Have you used any of these products or brands before? This was my first time trying Biosolis!

Sisley Paris Phyto Cernes Eclat Tinted Eye Concealer Review!

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There are definitely advantages to having a dedicated under eye concealer; lighter texture, light reflecting properties, hydrating qualities etc.  I am partial to a liquid concealer (I love Nars, Jill Stuart, Origins in particular) but they are for my facial blemishes.  I was pleased to try this eye concealer from luxe brand, Sisley, which is especially made for the under eye area.

Sisley Paris Phyto Cernes Eclat Eye Concealer Review 1

They say: This tinted concealer instantly camouflages dark circles and shadows to perfection, reduces puffiness and signs of fatigue, visually smoothes out wrinkles and fine lines and beautifies the eye contour area. Day after day, it helps significantly minimize puffiness. The supple, melting formula guarantees easy application, a natural finish and long lasting hold.

 

Sisley Paris Phyto Cernes Eclat Tinted Eye Concealer comes in three shades (I chose 03, the darkest) and comes with a synthetic brush.  At a pricey £58, it certainly is expensive, but I found it to be a very very good under eye concealer which seemed to care for the eye area too (in the sense that my eye area can get dry and flaky throughout the day and I didn’t get that when using this product).

So in the box you get this long brush (not a mini one like you sometimes get) which is great for blending in the product or applying it on other areas or on the lid, if you like to wear concealer on the lid (I do).  Otherwise, I found this product blended in nicely with just my warm finger.

Sisley Paris Phyto Cernes Eclat Eye Concealer Review 2

The tube had another nice feature which is a silver ended applicator (it’s a squeezy tube which is like a lip balm). The applicator is very cooling and soothing, and it helps reduce puffiness.  It was very welcome when applying to my tired, hot eyes.  It can also be used to massage a little, a bit like my beloved La Mer eye cream which comes with a metal ball applicator (I kept it, but never could bring myself to rebuy the eye cream).

I wondered if 03 would be the right shade for me – concealer that is too dark under the eyes looks pretty bad, but this worked really well without looking too garish or racoon like, as under eye concealers can.  It has a yellow-peach edge to it which covers my dark circles perfectly well and brightened up the whole area without looking too much.

It has a nice texture that is not as light as say, touché éclat, but isn’t as thick as a cream concealer or say, NARS liquid concealer.  It’s just right – thick enough to cover but thin enough to sink into the skin and not look heavy around the eyes.

Sisley Paris Phyto Cernes Eclat Eye Concealer Review 3

You can see the difference here (concealer applied on the left side – you literally only need 2 – 3 dots under the eye). I like how natural the finish is – brightening without being too obvious.

Sisley Paris Phyto Cernes Eclat Eye Concealer Review 4

If there was any criticism, it would be the price and that it can settle into deeper under eye lines towards the end of the day.  I don’t know any concealer that doesn’t.

This eye concealer costs £58 from various websites such as Spacenk – sometimes there are offers on for 10% off on websites like John Lewis. It’s expensive but it is really very good and I believe it would last at least 1 year with regular use.  I certainly don’t like all the liquid under eye concealers I use – they either don’t cover enough, or are too heavy, or the shade is way too pale – so I think this is a very good product because it doesn’t have any of the above problems.

 

KINACTIF NUTRI 3

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WITH ARGAN OIL AND KERATIN PROTEINS, REGENERATES THE HAIR FIBRE FROM THE SUMMER EFECTS. 

KINACTIF Nutri 3 treatments enriched with Argan Oil and Keratin Proteins is the strongest and the best ally of KIN Cosmetics Nutrition family for all hair types.

Formulated with AIS Technology, a revolutionary system of encapsulated active ingredients, this treatment nourishes the hair fibre and promotes cell renewal intensely repairing the hair giving it maximum smoothness, brightness and comfort.

SHAMPOO
Intense nourishing treatment that gently washes very dry and damaged hair. Nourishes and repairs hair fibres, strengthening their internal structure.
250 ml. / 1000 ml.

INJECTOR – EXCLUSIVELY TO USE IN HAIRDRESSING SALONS
Concentrated treatment that restructures, hydrates and deeply repairs dry and damaged hair.
24 x 18ml.

RECONSTRUCTOR
Ultrafast reconstructing treatment that strengthens and regenerates the hair’s internal structure, repairing and smoothing hair fibres.
150 ml.

EXTRACT
Thermo-repair treatment that protects hair from blow-drying and straightening. Nourishes and repairs hair fibres, working directly on the areas where it is most needed.
150 ml.

A Serious Splurge On Dry Shampoo…

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I never imagined I would be using a £30 bottle of dry shampoo, but here we are.

When I think of dry shampoo I think of cheap, colourful cans of white/clear aerosol that make your hair feel matte and disgusting and often promise volume but fall flat.


The Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo comes in an aerosol-free, squeezy tube and is nothing like traditional dry shampoo. It’s clay based, and as such can feel a little heavy if not used correctly, but with practice, I now know just how much to use to give my hair volume, remove any oily roots and just generally refresh 2 or 3-day old hair.

To use I simply give the bottle a little shake upside down and then squeeze little puffs of the powder into my roots. I then work the powder into my hair to distribute it where it needs to be and leave it to soak up any oil for a few minutes before giving my hair a quick brush. I also really like the natural vanilla scent that comes from the addition of vanilla powder, it removes any other scents clinging to my hair.

What’s more amazing than how well it works for me? How long I’ve had it and how much my boyfriend likes it too! I purchased my bottle back in January(!!) and I still have just under half of the powder left, a little really does go a long way, and that’s with two people using it on the regular. My boyfriend likes to use this in two ways, as a styling powder, he finds it gives his hair some grit and hold and he can style it in his carefree ‘I’ve done nothing with my hair but really spent a few minutes trying to look like this’ look. And he uses it as a traditional dry shampoo to remove grease. He has a very sensitive head so I’m glad this has such simple ingredients that haven’t irritated his scalp.

The ingredients list is incredibly simple; Fuller’s earth (Clay), Organic Tapioca Starch (Cassava root), Illicium Verum (Star Anise), Vanilla Planifolia, Citric Acid. 


So why pay so much? Honestly, I couldn’t tell you, it’s like paying £40 for luxury natural toner that has the main ingredient listed as water! It’s a luxury purchase, and as I’ve often found with purchases like this you tend to convince yourself that the price means this must absolutely be better than the version that costs half the price.


I haven’t tried a cheaper version such as the Acure Dry Shampoo, and when my bottle of Rahua finally runs out (I would guess in another 4-5 months, giving me a full years use out of one bottle!) I will be torn choosing between a tried and tested product that lasts us ages and ages, to something new that we may not like as much. What would you do?





Would you spend £30 on dry shampoo?

The Hydration Dream Team.

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John Master’s is most well known for their killer haircare range. It’s certainly how I was introduced to the brand and it was quite awhile before I realised they also had a range of skincare! The range is fully established with several options for different skin issues and skin types, they use mostly all organic ingredients (70-100% of the formula), and also include no irritating preservatives such as phenoxyethanol (which I try to avoid).


I had wanted to try some of their skincare for quite a while, and when looking for some good hydrating products for my dehydrated skin a few months ago I liked the look of these two rose based hydrating products.

I’ve been using both serum and mist daily now in my routine since the very beginning of May and finally need to share the love!

The Rose & Aloe Hydrating Toning Mist was a no-brainer purchase, I do love a good toner, and as I wasn’t too impressed with the one I was using at the time I was relieved to find that this was everything I was hoping for.


The ingredients list is simple with aloe, rose and glycerin being the main trio. All great for dry, dehydrated, stressed, tired, hormonal and spotty skin. Yes, it turns out it’s possible to have that many things wrong with your face at once. The mist is great (always very important) it doesn’t shoot water at your face and spreads a fine mist evenly so that I need only 2-4 spritz per use. Used day and night since the beginning of May I’m now on my last 1cm of toner in the bottle, so I feel like it was pretty good value too, as I do tend to use toner up faster than the speed of light.

Ingredients:


Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice*, rosa damascena (rose) flower water*, glycerin*, leuconotoc ferment filtrate, oryza sativa (rice) extract*, camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf extract*, centella asiatica (gotu kola) extract* 

*Certified Organic Ingredient

I was less sure about what I was getting into with the Green Tea & Rose Hydrating Face Serum as I didn’t read any reviews and just went off of the description and ingredients list. It sounded like a great match for the toner and something my skin would benefit from. Luckily my gamble paid off and this fit into my routine perfectly and has also been used daily ever since. 

The serum is a very light cream texture that sinks into skin very easily, I’ve been using 1-2 pumps of this mixed with some moisturiser and two drops of cacay oil for my morning skincare routine. I much prefer mixing everything I want to use together and applying in one layer rather than layering up my skincare. It seems to overwhelm my skin less and helps the oil sink in too, making the perfect base for my foundation that doesn’t develop into dry patches as the day goes on. 

I wouldn’t say this serum is the be all and end all of serums, I’ve used better, but I’ve also used worse! For £25 it’s an absolute gem and totally helped my skin rebalance itself over the past couple of months. I’ve used about half of the bottle now and will continue to use it as a hydrating little boost for my face. 

Key Ingredients:

  • green tea – rejuvenates skin
  • rose flower oil – nourishes skin
  • rice – softens and heals while helping to prevent wrinkles
  • sea algae – soothing and nourishing to skin
  • sunflower – retains moisture and protects skin
  • aloe vera gel – anti-inflammatory; soothing
  • radish root – new all-natural preservative; protects against harmful bacteria

Ingredients:

Aloe barbadensis (aloe) vera leaf juice,* helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil,* glycerin,* coco glucoside, coconut alcohol, rosa damascena (rose) flower water,* leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate, borago officinalis (borage) seed oil,* oryza sativa (rice) extract,* camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract,* spirulina platensis (algae) extract,* butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter,* rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract,* lecithin, cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil,* rosa damascena (rose) flower oil,* anthemis nobilis (chamomile) flower oil,* boswellia carterii (frankinscense) resin extract, sclerotium gum powder, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate

*Certified Organic

What do you think of John Masters Skincare, have you tried anything from their range? I’m definitely interested in trying more and really like the look of the Bearberry Oily Skin Rebalancing Face Serum and the Moroccan Clay Purifying Mask! Maybe you’ll see a review for those on the blog one day 😉 *hides purse*