Cruelty Free

Tropic Skincare – My Skin Saviours

- Vicki 1 Comment
Clear Skin Products from Tropic Skincare

Tamanu Healing Balm from Tropic Skincare

Let me introduce to you two best-selling blemish busting (and more) skincare saviours from Vegan beauty brand Tropic Skincare. I have been so excited to talk more about these products as I have been using them for a couple of months now and have really grown to rely on them in my beauty routine, in particular, the Tamanu Healing Balm which is simply one product that will very quickly become a ‘does all’ product in your daily life. It really has an endless list of uses!

First off, lets talk about the Clear Skin Blemish Fighting Mask – the lovely team at Tropic sent this out to me because for the first time in my adult life I was suffering from some really large, sore, stubborn blemishes and I wanted to get rid of them before my birthday (very important to have clear skin on your birthday, especially when you’re turning 40). I was really at a loss at how best to reduce them and the lovely people at Tropic suggested this face mask & I haven’t looked back!

Clear Skin Blemish Mask Tropic Skincare

Tropic Skincare Clear Skin Blemish Fighting Face Mask

This bold green blemish busting mask is white & green clay based so it is great at drawing out all the build-up of grease, bacteria and pollution from your pores whilst working with bamboo charcoal to reduce oil and balance out your skin. I slather it all over my face at least twice a week – but when I have a blemish I quite often just apply this to that area, more of a targeted treatment and that really works well to reduce redness and also calm the inflamed spot. It contains so many lovely ingredients that will help you not only reduce blemishes & mattify skin but also keep the build-up of blemish-causing bacteria at bay, so you’re less likely to suffer from breakouts.

● Willow bark extracts, rich in beta hydroxy salicylic acids, travel deep into your pores to unclog built up sebum.

● Cayenne pepper and ginger extracts kill blemish-causing bacteria at the source.

● Green and white clays work to dry out spots and stop them from increasing in size.

● Charcoal and spirulina work to draw out toxins and tighten pores.

● Raspberry leaf and goji berry extracts reduce redness and calm skin.

Another pretty cool thing about this mask, besides the fact that it is gentle, doesn’t dry out your skin or leave it feeling uncomfortably tight is that it dries dark green in more oily areas with larger pores and it dries a lighter green in more balanced areas so you can quickly see where your skin needs a little help. For me, my oily areas are my cheeks & chin.

I saw a huge difference in my skin and I know I have this mask to thank for that. My breakouts are less frequent and I always use this Clear Skin mask as soon as a blemish starts appearing. That way I know it has more chance of not becoming inflamed and It clears all the bacteria and excess sebum build-up ASAP. It is a great mask to have in your beauty routine, especially if you suffer from oily skin that likes to breakout.

Clear Skin Products from Tropic Skincare

Tropic Skincare Tamanu Healing Balm

Now on to what I think is the star of the show – this is one of those beauty/skincare products you stumble upon very rarely that completely blows you away. It looks quite ordinary, apart from being green and all in one beauty balms often get overlooked because people don’t quite know how they fit into their routine but this new release from Tropic is EPIC. I have been singing it’s praises to family and friends since it landed on my doorstep almost 2 months ago.

Green Gold Tropic Tamanu Healing Balm

So this skin-loving green balm is made with tamanu oil (also known as ‘green gold’), which is an age-old remedy trusted for centuries in the Polynesian islands to stimulate skin renewal, Tropic have blended it hydrating, soothing monoi and cocoa butters so it is hydrating and calming and if that wasn’t enough it also contains antioxidant-rich blackcurrant extract and raspberry seed oil.

So this balm has so many skin loving, healing and protecting ingredients. It really is the best multi-purpose product I have ever used. My favourite way to use it is as an eye cream because it is simply one of the most hydrating products I’ve used. I also dab it on the odd blemish to help calm and sooth the inflames skin.

I even took it on my recent trip to Amsterdam, in my hand luggage so I could use it on the plane. It does come in a handy 20ml travel size but I took my 60ml tub and I used it as my lip balm, eye cream, on my cuticles as well as on a few blemishes and a couple of pesky blemish scars. So I really put it to good use! I just love how hydrating, nourishing and gentle it is and I think it is incredible that it can be used in so many ways. It now comes everywhere with me!

Design.Me Haircare Products

- Vicki 2 Comments
Design.Me Power Dry Haircare

OK so there is a fun new haircare brand in town & it gets the prize for the most adorable, instagramable packaging, ever! It’s fun, simple and pastel coloured – I love it! Design.Me hail from North America and are an innovative, ahead of the curve brand who want to protect, enhance and keep your locks looking fabulous. I’ve been trying out a few products from their collection and they’ve become my goto Summer styling products. I’m pretty impressed by these pastel packaged hair treats! The range consists of 4 cult products:

Design.me Haircare Collection

  • PowerDRY.ME – a unique technology product to reduce blow dry time by up to 50%.
  • Fab.ME – the mother of all hair treatments, with four defence formula that will give you your youthful, fabulous hair back in a matter of seconds!
  • Puff.ME – The FIRST EVER super-volumising powder spray in a pump to pep up medium to thick hair to give you the instant volume you’ve always dreamed of.
  • Puff.ME Light – A lighter version of Puff.ME, this super-volumising powder spray is perfect for fine to medium hair.

DESIGN.ME products give hair sheen, oomph, volume, and styling speed. Plus, these high-quality products are vegan, cruelty-free and contain not one single drop of harmful sulfates, parabens or gluten.

Design.me Puff Me Haircare

FAB.ME

I have such a quick hair care routine and the fewer products I need to use each day the better. I like to keep it simple and this Fab.Me Hair Mist is described as ‘The mother of all hair treatments’ and it really is! It has so many wonderful benefits from hydrating to detangling and even protecting against heat damage caused by styling.

You lightly mist it on to clean, damp hair and it works its magic, giving you shine, preventing split ends and leaves your hair feeling manageable and silky smooth. It is such a great multi-benefit product and one that fits right into my haircare routine. I love a product that has more than one benefit and this styling mist has a whopping 18 benefits – as well as smelling amazing and looking super cute. It ticks all the boxes for me and I have been using it a lot over the Summer to lock in moisture and reduce frizz & static (so no flyaways here!)

KEY BENEFITS
Detangles & hydrates
Colour fade protection
Frizz control
Shine and lustre

PUFF.ME Light

How adorable is this little pink and white bottle?! Well, let’s just start by saying it looks cute but the packaging was a nightmare for me – this is a powder and for some reason when I took the lid off so much of it puffed out all over the place. I wouldn’t travel with this and I would say not to put the lid back on.

This product is to give your roots volume and texture and it does that in abundance. I have to say I wasn’t 100% blown away with this and it left my hair feeling weird and the powder wasn’t translucent in my hair. When I used it I 100% had to wash my hair the next day otherwise my hair felt like straw. I think I prefer to use a standard dry shampoo to achieve the same results, this product is great in theory but needs a little more tweaking.

KEY BENEFITS
Instant volume
Odour and mess free
Made for fine to medium hair
Perfect texture for updo’s & braids

Affordable Haircare Design.Me

Powerdry.ME

Say hello to my new best friend – as most of you know in the UK we have had some of the hottest weather we’ve seen in a LONG time and the last thing anyone wants to be doing in this heat is spending ages blow drying our hair (and melting in the process). So this Powerdry.Me mist has halved the time It takes me to dry my hair. This mist is wonderful if like me you have thick, unruly hair, it speeds up drying times by up to 50% and it also leaves your hair sleek, protects from damaging heat and UV. So it’s the ideal product to add to your hair care routine this Summer. I am singing its praises and have been recommending it to anyone that will listen.

KEY BENEFITS
Decreases your blowdrying time by 50%!
Frizz control
Heat and UV Protection
Smooth & conditions hair

Design.Me Styling Products

The Design.ME hair styling range is now available in Sally Beauty stores nationwide and online at www.sallybeauty.co.uk

*This post contains PR Samples

INIKA Mineral Makeup & Complimentary Blush

- Vicki 1 Comment
INIKA Mineral Blusher Puff Pot

INIKA Mineral Makeup

INIKA began in 2006 and almost 10 years later the brand has won over 35 awards for product excellence and innovation, even beating big name brands in open categories. And INIKA’s full natural makeup range is now sold in more than 25 countries around the world. They’re a brand committed to delivering quality without compromising on their key ethics, like being

  • 100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free
  • By using tubes, pots and brushes that are made from recycled materials and all INIKA packaging is recyclable
  • INIKA is 100% Certified Halal with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils
  • Their products contain no petrochemicals, synthetic substances, mineral oils or parabens

I’ve tried a few of their products over the years & their eyeshadow and eyeliner are amongst some of my favourite products from them.

INIKA September GWP

INIKA Mineral Foundation SPF15*

  • Available in 8 shades
  • Concealer, Foundation and Powder in one
  • Titanium and Zinc Oxides provide natural sun protection with SPF15
  • Ideal for skin concerns such as acne, scarring, rosacea or pigmentation

This is a very lightweight foundation which gives surprisingly good coverage. I have never tried a mineral foundation and was convinced I wouldn’t get on too well with this, but I have been proved wrong. It’s extremely easy to apply and it gives the skin a very flawless finish and can be built up to give a more medium coverage which is really good if like me you need to cover any redness or imperfections. Unlike liquid foundations, this feels so natural and light on your skin and you don’t feel like you have a base on.

This foundation has incredible staying power and doesn’t end up looking patchy or uneven after a few hours, it also holds up well in the heat which is great. I also like that it has SPF15 in & Its very easy to reapply throughout the day (I carry a small Kabuki Brush to reapply on the go), especially if you’re going to be in the sun.

INIKA Mineral Blusher Puff Pot

INIKA Mineral Blusher Puff Pot*

  • Available in two shades
  • Highly pigmented minerals offering a long lasting youthful glow
  • Non-comedogenic – does not block pores or irritate skin
  • Naturally water resistant

The packaging of this Puff Pot Blusher is so sweet – you get a mirror on the lid and you apply it to your cheeks by tapping the sponge and the product puffs out. I have the shade Pink Pinch which is an easy to wear sweet girly pink shade, with a touch of glowing shimmer. Not disco ball more beautiful glow. The colour is very light but can be built up, so don’t be afraid of applying too much because the product comes out lightly and nothing is wasted.

Pink Pinch gives your cheeks a subtle rosy look and the finish is really pretty & natural on the cheeks. I love the packaging & the puff sponge applicator, it’s easy to apply and travel with.

INIKA Mineral Makeup

Let me know if you have tried any INIKA products and what you would recommend.

Throughout September this offer is will be available from Planet Organic, Wholefoods, Lloyds Pharmacies and at INIKA.co.uk

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.

 

B. Cosmetics Makeup

- Vicki 5 Comments
B. Cosmetics at Superdrug

B. Cosmetics is a makeup and skincare brand thats sold exclusively in Superdrug, I’ve tried a couple of their skincare products in the past and always been really impressed with the quality and the price. I have been trying out a few products from their extensive makeup collection and have been excited to tell you how I got on.

B. Cosmetics at Superdrug

First up I love using products that give my skin a glow, not make it shimmery but just leave my skin looking bright, fresh & healthy and thats exactly what the B. Prepared Illuminating Makeup Primer* does, it leaves my skin looking fresh and bright. This is such a lightweight non greasy primer, it leaves the skin feeling silky smooth and doesn’t add any slip or shine to the skin but instead it adds a beautiful luminous glow to the skin without any shimmer or glitter. It is a really nice smooth base for my foundation to sit on top of & it helps my makeup last all day whilst adding a healthy glow to my skin. It also has Hyaluronic acid and vitamin E which are great at hydrating skin and helping reduce the signs of fatigue.

B. Cosmetics Product Swatches
I’m a little scared of cream products & very much a novice when it comes to contouring but I have been using this B. Sculpted Contour Kit* and my contouring skills are getting better. This kit comes in three shade options light, medium and dark. I have been using the medium kit and that seems to be a great match for my skintone, I try to keep my contouring as natural as possible and I use a very light hand. I use the matte brown contour powder in the hollows of my cheeks to create the illusion of definition. The powder is so easy to blend and isn’t too dark.

The highlighter in this duo is cream but is still easy to work with, I like to use this on the tops of my cheekbones, brow bone & bridge of my nose. I use my fingers to apply and blend and find that works best. You need very little product to achieve a very fresh, illuminated look. The cream is a little harder to work with, its quite slippy and it doesn’t seem to last that long on my skin but when initially applied it looks pretty & does create a gorgeous highlight without being shimmery. I do have quite oily skin so if you’re skin is less oily it might have more staying power.

The matte contour shade in this duo is really good & lasts all day, it blends beautifully so even being a novice at contouring I was able to apply this without it looking like I had a strip of makeup on my cheek. I use a small Eco Tools brush with this & that fits right in the hollows of my cheek and more importantly doesn’t pick up too much product. Less is more when it comes to contouring! Oh & they include a handy guide on the back so you know exactly where to put the products to create the perfect highlight & contour. Very useful.

B. Cosmetics Mascara

B. Longer Lengthening & Defining Mascara* is a tubing mascara and that means it uses flexible polymers that wrap right around each individual lash to make your lashes look fluttery and long. The mascara coats each lash and keeps clumps, smudges and flakes at bay. It wears all day long without any flaking and your lashes still look incredible by the end of the night. To remove a tubing mascara all you need to do is use water, no makeup remover necessary just warm water which is easy & perfect for when I am feeling a little lazy. The packaging of this mascara feels luxurious & looks really sleek, it really does tick all the boxes.

I’m very impressed with this mascara & out of the three products its my overall favourite.

B. Cosmetics is proud to be Cruelty Free & Vegan

Let me know what your B. Cosmetics product recommendations are & if you only try one product from them make sure its the B. Longer Lengthening & Defining Mascara its a damn good mascara.

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.