Toner

Olivine Atelier Love + Roses Beauty Mist

- Vicki 5 Comments
Love & Roses Beauty Mist

I had seen this Olivine Atelier Love + Roses Beauty Mist all over Pinterest & absolutely loved the look of it. The design of the bottle & typography used looks simple and pretty and if there is one product I’m addicted to buying it is beauty mists. I use them as a toner, to refresh my makeup and to stay cool in the warmer months so when I heard that you could purchase this in the UK (it was only available in the USA until recently) I knew I had to treat myself to a bottle.

I treated myself to the smaller 2oz bottle & it’s just so cute! It is a glass bottle so not that travel-friendly, but as I said the design is so sleek and ticks all the boxes. This Beauty Mist is multi-use & it,

‘Silkens and tones skin refreshes weary hair and makeup uplifts the spirit. Just mist liberally on face, hair, and body for instant hydration and soul-affirming aromatherapy.’ 

Love & Roses Beauty Mist

It has a really pretty floral scent which is refreshing and uplifting, it’s so nice to have sat on your desk to use when you feel a little tired or in need of a boost of hydration. This isn’t just a run of the mill face spray Olivine Atelier have included lots of ingredients that will help hydrate, soothe and combat the signs of ageing. It’s quite incredible & includes,

  • Rosa Damascena Flower Water & Rosa Damascena Flower Oil: known to refine and renew skin at the cellular level, with powerful anti-inflammatory action
  • Cassia Augustifolia Seed Polysaccharide: mimics hyaluronic acid to retain water on the surface of the skin and hair
  • Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract: a powerhouse adaptogenic herb that protects skin and hair from environmental damage, minimises fine lines and wrinkles, and assists with stress and fatigue management
  • Moringa Seed Extract: a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that promotes collagen production, supports skin firmness, and boosts the immune system
  • Andean Orchid Flower essence promotes youthful vitality and cellular regeneration
  • Rose Quartz essence + other precious gems: for soul-affirming aromatherapy, the revitalising and uplifting powers of self-love, confidence, grace, beauty and self-esteem

I’ve mostly used this as a face mist but I do spray a little on to my arms & chest area when I get out of the shower in the morning and It feels lovely & refreshing on the skin. I have had my bottle for almost 2 months now and although it is only a small bottle I have only used half, I use it most days too. I will be buying the larger 8oz size and also treating my Mum to a small one for her birthday. I know she will enjoy using it as much as me and I’m head over heels in love with it!

I also have my eye on Love + Salt from the same brand, which sounds perfect for achieving those Summer beach waves

Love + Roses is 100% natural, vegan, cruelty-free, eco-friendly (the glass bottles are reusable and recyclable) and made in small batches with love in the Pacific Northwest.

Olivine Atelier Love + Roses Beauty Mist 2oz £8.50 from www.abeautifulworld.co.uk

Olivine Atelier also has a lovely Etsy Store 

Blemish Free Skin

- Vicki 10 Comments

Favourite Blemish Products

We all get blemishes / spots and I thought I would share with you 6 of my favourite products for preventing & treating my breakouts. Let me know what you like to use and if you have any product recommendations, or if we share any of the same favourite products for keeping those blemishes at bay!

Origins Super Spot Remover £15.00

This spot treatment gel is instantly cooling on the skin and you can feel it working right away. It can sting a little but I find that only lasts a few seconds. As this is a targeted treatment you only need to put it on the area where you feel a blemish coming or if you have a blemish thats already erupted. I don’t suffer too badly with breakouts but when I do I pop this on anytime of day and it instantly helps calm and treat the area. It stops blemishes from becoming too sore & angry and helps them clear up much faster too.  This bottle might be small but the contents are pretty mighty & I don’t know how I’ve lived without it.

Murad Exfoliating Blemish Treatment Gel

This Murad Gel is quite like the Origins Super Spot Remover in that it is a targeted blemish treatment. This has really calmed my breakouts and it helps reduce the redness and size of blemishes. I use it morning and night when I have a breakout. You just massage this in to the area where you have blemishes or are prone to blemishes. Its quite thin in consistency & isn’t sticky at all on the skin. I find this Murad Blemish Treatment better for treating larger areas and I keep the Origins Spot Treatment to put on single blemishes.

ESPA Essential Cleansing Mask £28.00

This is a lovely soothing Mask, when I use this I put a few drops of my ESPA Pro Serum underneath just so my skin doesn’t dry out & to add a little boost of something extra. This dries like a standard clay mask and leaves my skin feeling very clean, but not stripped at all. I use this at night so when I wake in the morning my skin is looking calm & radiant. This mask is very good at helping with decongested skin too & I find that my skin gets quite decongested in the summer with all the facial SPF so its nice to use a cleansing face mask. The packaging of ESPA products is as luxurious as the skincare inside, this is a lovely glass jar & the lid is so pretty it looks like marble

Favourite blemish products

La Roche Posay Serozinc Spray* £8.50

There is a lot of hype that surrounds this product & I was so excited to get my hands on a bottle a few weeks ago. I have never been so excited to try a product. So this is a new release in to the UK from La Roche Posay (its been a cult product in France for many years) & now available on Escentual.com. This is a toner that’s great for calming irritated skin, soothing blemishes and preventing breakouts. You can spray the fine mist either directly on to your face after cleansing or you can spray it on to a cotton pad and sweep over the face. Either technique works well.

This product contains only 3 ingredients – zinc sulphate, astringent sodium chloride and thermal water. Together these three ingredients target blemishes, marks and excess oiliness, ensuring your complexion feels fresh and comfortable at any time of day. I like that this has so few ingredients and that they all have a purpose. This face mist is antibacterial, blemish busting, sebum reducing and I have been spraying this morning & night. I find it cooling and the mist is just perfect for lightly covering your skin & not soaking it. It does help control my oil as well as keep blemishes as bay. If you haven’t already then you need to add this to your skincare regime. Its been a welcome addition to my routine.

Nip & Fab Deep Cleansing Fix £7.95

This is quite a thick cream but it’s easy to massage in to the skin as a cleanser or smooth over the skin as a mask. It contains sweet almond oil which nourishes and smoothes whilst the tea tree oil cleanses pores. So your skin will feel clean and look bright. For the price this is a cleanser you should have in your arsenal for those days when you’re skin feels decongested, dull or you need some thing that packs a punch to help those blemishes heal quicker. Did I mention how huge this tub is?! 300ml is bigger than most body products so this tub will be with you for a very long time. Which is good news for the bank balance.

Anatomicals World Pore 3* £7.00

Anatomicals is a beauty brand with a fun attitude, their products have the best tongue in cheek packaging but don’t let that fool you into thinking their products are gimmicky because they’re not. I don’t often get blackheads but I do use pore strips on my nose & chin just to keep the few I get in check. These ones from Anatomicals do the job well, they are super sticky so if you have any peace fuzz expect it to take that with it too! I tend to use these once every couple of weeks, not too regularly as they do pull at your skin, I like to cleanse first as I find that helps remove more blackheads. Let me know if you have any Anatomicals product recommendations. Oh & you get 10 strips in a box.

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.

Jurlique Rose Duo

- Vicki 6 Comments

Jurlique is an Australian brand which was started in 1985 by a husband & wife dedicated to harnessing the power of nature to create incredibly effective products. Their ethos was Nature + Science = Beauty and to this day Jurlique develop high performance skincare, using potent, biodynamic (Biodynamics is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, food production and nutrition), organic and natural ingredients sourced the world over.

Jurlique have an Organic Farm in the Adelaide Hills of Australia where the magic happens and this was the brain child of the founders Dr Jurgen Klien and his wife Ulrike, a Horticulturist and a Botanist with passion for combining nature with science to deliver natural skincare with long lasting effects. To this day the farm is thriving and its where many of the herbs, flowers and plants are grown for Jurliques products.

Jurlique Rose Scented Products

Jurlique is also a brand with an emphasis on the environment, they are committed to sourcing their ingredients from sustainable fair trade suppliers and use biodegradable & recyclable materials in their packaging. As a brand Jurlique is always helping to support the empowerment of women all over the world with their Ideas Of Beauty Fund which is not for profit, it focuses on supporting ideas that empower and educate women & children globally.

The more I learn about Jurlique the more I’m proud to use their products & support the brand and the work they do in Science, Botany, Horticulture and all aspects of their environmental goals. I have been using Jurlique products for a good 10 years & I love seeing my family & friends discover this brand too. I know its cheesy but this is a brand that isn’t just putting product on our shelves, they are involved in so many worthwhile projects throughout the world. Its so nice to see a brand giving back.

Jurlique Rose Box Set

Jurlique Blooming Roses Gift Set

If you’ve read my blog for a while you will know how much I like using face mists & in particular this Rosewater Balancing Mist so I was very excited to receive it as part of this Blooming Roses Indulgent Collection* alongside the Rose Body Oil, which is a product I have never tried. They come packaged in a beautiful rose illustrated box and is just perfect for a pampering treat.

The Rosewater Balancing Mist comes in a frosted white glass bottle, it feels weighty and luxurious. It’s always within reach on my desk as I like to spray it throughout the day to keep my skin hydrated, soothed and feeling fresh. I know that for many people rose products make them think of old fashioned products aimed at more mature women but that is so not the case with the Jurlique Rose range. It does smell floral but in a fresh and relaxing way not in an overpowering stuffy way. So don’t let yourself overlook this range just because it is Rose based, because it is a very light and perfect for skin that needs soothing.

The 100ml bottle lasts me a couple of months & I use it all the time, so its well worth investing in. The product comes out in a light mist that gently covers your skin & doesn’t spray out like a jet soaking you & giving you the fright of your life (that has happened to me before with quite a few facial toners). I love how it stops my skin from drying out and the rose scent is very uplifting and calming. A few spritz of this throughout the day leaves my skin feeling soft, soothed and hydrated.

  • Marshmallow and glycerin help prevent moisture loss and intensely hydrate and soften skin.
  • Rose and aloe vera soften, sooth and calm the skin.
  • Grapefruit seed extract provides antioxidant protection.

Jurlique Rose Duo

Rose Body Oil, as I said this is a product from Jurlique that I had never tried before. I do like using body oils and the way they hydrate and keep my skin soft especially in the colder months. I have been using this body oil as a treatment for my very dry legs and it has been working wonders. Its light non greasy texture is easy to massage in to the skin, easily absorbed and you need very little product. Its an effective way of really targeting very dry and sensitive skin.

  • Rosemary invigorates, restores and rebalances oiliness.
  • Chamomile and Lavender soothe and restore skin radiance, while Macadamia and Jojoba Oils soften skin.
  • Vitamin E provides antioxidant protection.

So not only is this hydrating and calming but it is soothing and ideal for using in the evening before bed as the sent is so very relaxing. This has been a real treat for me these past few weeks and as the weather gets colder I know my skin is going to feel the benefits.

Let me know what your favourite Jurlique products are & if you have tried either of these products.

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.

Empties August and September 2014

- Vicki 10 Comments

August & September Empties 2014

Baylis & Harding Body Firming Cream* – This was nice to use in the evening after a bath, I likes the lightweight texture and found it absorbed easily without leaving my skin feeling tacky or greasy. I wouldn’t say this was body firming but it did hydrate and leave my skin feeling soft & smooth. I wasn’t a big fan of the scent either it smelt quite synthetic, but that didn’t linger once I’d massaged it in. I have seen this Great Body range in Body Care which is a purse friendly shop so if you want to try any of the 5 steps in the range I recommend picking it up in there.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Conditioner The Sleek Restorer –  LOVED using this range. I finished the Shampoo last month but I really enjoyed this sleek restorer range, as it left my hair in really good condition. Smooth, glossy and very manageable. It smelt really nice too. The conditioner was creamy and felt nourishing on my hair. I will be repurchasing both the shampoo and conditioner. I like to wait until they are on offer (bargain shopper)

Bath & Body Works Pocket Bac Hand Sanitiser – These are a bargain if you ever get to visit a B&BW store. I bought 5 for $5 & wish I’d bought lots more. The two I finished this month were Warm Vanilla Sugar and Winter Cranberry. Both smell amazing and are perfect to have in your handbag to keep those germs at bay. I know these contain alcohol so won’t be great for my hands but they smell SO good.

Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser – I had seen these & thought how good can they actually be! Well, let me tell you they’re so so good. Quite a thick creamy texture and you use it like a shower gel, massage it in to your body & rinse off, then there is no need for moisturiser when you get out the shower. Who doesn’t love a lazy way of apply moisturiser!? It leaves my skin incredibly soft and smooth. I also like to use it when I shave my legs as its nourishing and keeps my skin from drying out. I now have quite a large stash of these in all the available scents.

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum* – Julrlique know how to make great skincare! I’ve been using their products for about 10 years now & love how luxurious and effective they are. This 30ml serum lasted me almost 3 months of everyday use. It has a gel like consistency which feels cooling on the skin the product is quickly absorbed to leave your skin feeling very hydrated, smooth and refreshed. It has a whole host of skin benefits including, defence against free radicals, cell regeneration, radiance, brightening and intense hydration. This really is a powerful botanical serum. I loved using it & would buy the full size in a heartbeat.

Q Awe The Fine Fragrance Body Spray – This is the perfect grown up body spray, it smells refreshing and floral (without being old lady). Its very inexpensive and is handy to have for the gym or for freshening up throughout the day. I haven’t used a body spray in a can for years but this has persuaded me to use them again. I urge you to test them out next time you’re in Boots.

Melvita Narcissus Extraordinary Water* – I used this as a toner and thought it was very soothing and refreshing on my skin. I like products that promise to give me radiance and help brighten my complexion. This lasted me about 2 months of daily use and It helped keep my skin looking healthy and hydrated, I did think my skin looked bright and smooth whilst using it. It was gentle to use and smelt very botanical so this gets a thumbs up from me. Toner is my new obsession I love trying them & wouldn’t miss that step out in my routine.

Let me know if you have tried any of the products I’ve mentioned & let me know if they were HITS or MISSES for you.

http://www.feelunique.com/p/Melvita-Narcissus-Extraordinary-Water–100ml

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.