Category Archives: beauty

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*

The Lipstick Color That Looks Like Pure Joy

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shout embed

Certain beauty products — think NARS blush in Orgasm, Clinique’s Black Honey lipstick — are so good, they’re practically famous. And, while we do love so many of those well-known, well-loved products with a loyal following, we’ve been wondering why others have been quietly flying under the radar. With that in mind, meet our new beauty series, Cult Classics, in which we’ll introduce you to the products you really, truly should know about (and try, like, right now). They’re not brand new, but trust us: They’ve got staying power. 

Every spring, we ritualistically ditch all the dark, moody hues in our lipstick drawers (and cabinets and shelves) in order to make room for more vibrant, warm-weather-appropriate colors. It’s the beauty equivalent of molting and leaves us feeling rejuvenated and ready for outdoor adventures. But, no matter how many bright colors we line up, there’s only one we really need to attain unbridled joy: Marc Jacobs Beauty’s Lovemarc lipstick in Shout.

Despite its name, this color is definitely not as loud as a shout. It’s more like a song or like a single note sung into the spring air. It’s the kind of hue that just feels good to look at. It practically glows with prettiness. It’s vibrant without crossing the line into neon and has hints of coral to give it a melon-like vibe.

It also goes on like a dream with a semi-matte finish that looks almost like the natural texture of our lips. Though lip gloss tends to be more popular in the warmer months, there’s just something about matte lipstick that we want all year round. Combined with dewy skin and a ton of mascara, we think this is as close to perfect as a spring lipstick can get.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Lovemarc Matte Lip Gel in Shout, $30, available at Sephora.

Fake It Till You Make It; The Sleep Edition

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When I choose an eye cream, I tend to skip the cream part altogether and look for a gel or serum formula. I just don’t like the feel of an extra layer of cream near my eyes, preferring a soothing gel near my peepers to keep them feeling fresh and actually awake, if only temporarily 😉

I had looked at the Trilogy Age Proof CoQ10 Eye Recovery Concentrate a couple of times in the past, (anyone else window shop online an unhealthy amount??) and finally a couple of months ago I decided to take the plunge and try it out after noticing some serious dark circles thanks to a new job (and, even though I didn’t know it at the time, early pregnancy!).

The Trilogy Eye Recovery Concentrate comes in a teeny little glass bottle (it is only 7.5ml’s of product) with cooling metal rollerball on the top. Trilogy describes this as a ‘small and mighty’ product, and I would have to agree! With regular use, I feel like my eye area perked up and the deep purple bruise-like shadows under my eyes look significantly better these days! I am *yet* to suffer from fine lines and puffiness under the eyes, so I can’t comment on the effectiveness of these claims, but I strongly feel prevention is better than cure when it comes to these sorts of things, so a little CoQ10 TLC for my eyes may keep any lines at bay for at-least a little bit longer? But I’ll get back to you on that theory once I’m a sleep-deprived mum 😉

I have only one niggle/minor complaint and that’s that the roller ball is sometimes tricky to get going, but I’ve found a really good shake and running it on the back of my hand helps the serum start to flow and I can then apply it to the eye area. Other than that, the serum is perfectly textured, it sinks in quickly without any tacky residue left behind and it cooperates well with makeup and any other skincare applied over the top.

The serum is priced at £26.50, which I think is very reasonable for a natural eye product with high-tech ingredients. Not everything in the Trilogy range is vegan, unfortunately, but what I have tried has always been fab. I’m currently also using their newest body oil to hopefully prevent stretch marks as much as possible, and I’m loving the gentle, fragrance-free formula! It’s really been helping with any tight, stretchy feelings and itchiness!





Have you tried anything from Trilogy? 


​KINSTYLE, INTERNATIONAL PRESENTATION

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Presenting KINSTYLE held on 3th and 4th June in the very near environment and identifying KIN Cosmetics although most peculiar to the occasion. The brand brought together national and international platform partners, VIP customers, partners and friends at a popular hotel in the Costa Brava which was the starting point of what was undoubtedly an unforgettable evening.

The first highlight of the presentation was the arrival at KIN Cosmetics central facilities located in the coastal town of Sant Feliu de Guíxols. Behind the doors of the company, beyond the area of R & D, manufacturing, packaging and offices, a wild landscape was hiding framing a walkway of the most original in an oscillating environment between the natural and the industry. And in the center, the finishing touch of the hand of the technical and artistic team Cre • Art with the Catalan designer Jordi Dalmau, our brand ambassador. They were responsible for a creative staging where, with KINSTYLE products, artistic structures, hairstyles high volume combined with brocade and headgear made ​​in a framework of elegance and good taste are formed. A dynamic presentation after the end, we all moved to a new point on the Costa Brava.

In Platja d’Aro on the Costa Bellini space in an environment Chill Out under the stars, we expected a cocktail dinner conjugated to an extensive menu of cocktails based and designed to the active ingredients associated with each one of the products in the new line of styling.

Throughout the night, many surprises happened: A singer with lavish live voice, a curious magician and of course, a creative contest. The brand challenge those daring to show to the public in a collaborative dressing table PAHI brand, best gifts under a clear premise: CREATE ONLY WITH KINSTYLE. Only with their hands, the products and materials that could carry participants let fly their imagination creating the most amazing styles. The jury, made ​​up of a very different choice of attending at the event, was responsible for naming the winners a full set of products KINSTYLE for their business away.

The party continued until the late hours of the morning between laughing and fun, in an environment of friends, in an exciting global event brand and his closest associates.