Vegan Beauty brand

Samaya Ayurvedic Renewing Exfoliant Pitta

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Samaya is an ‘all natural’ brand based on ancient Ayurvedic principles (one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems) which focuses on maintaining balance through the health and wellness of your mind, body and soul and their products are the perfect antidote to a stressful, busy and hectic lifestyle as it allows you to incorporate balance and wellness into your daily skincare routine.

My dosha was identified as Pitta which tend to be: Well-proportioned and compact build, with a focused mind and a love of order. Confident and passionate, enjoying challenges. Prone to anger and impatience when out of balance. Benefits from gentle skincare as skin can be sensitive and irritable, susceptible to wrinkles, sunburn, and inflammation.

Which I have to say is a damn good match for me & my skin concerns.
I really like that the Pitta skincare focuses on healing, repairing and soothing, which is so up my street.

You can learn which dosha best suits you here, by answering a few simple questions

I’ve been trying out the Renewing Exfoliant. It’s a creamy non-abrasive enzyme based exfoliant. You use it every other day, apply to dry skin, leave it for 20 minutes then rinse it off.

I tend to use it when I have got a little more time, and that is more often than not in the evening. It gently removes dead skin cells, helps unclog pores, smooths skin and prevents blemishes.

It is also great at preventing and reducing pigmentation, fine lines and scarring. The cream texture means that it won’t damage your skin and that the exfoliator works without you having to scrub away a layer of skin. A much more gentle approach.

The ingredient list is packed with natural skin loving, beneficial oils, extracts, and plant based goodness. It is rich in nourishing & soothing ingredients,

If you haven’t used Samaya skincare then you are in for a treat, I would describe them as a premium skincare brand, that use key, concentrated ingredients to ensure their products delivers results.

*this product is a PR Sample, but all opinions are my own.

Forest and Shore Thrive Hair Oil

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#Gifted I had heard so many positive things about rosemary in haircare and how good an ingredient it was in hair oil for promoting growth, strength, and shine, so I was very excited to try the Forest & Shore Thrive Hair Oil. Right away I noticed how luxurious the packaging was, it has a high quality salon feel and look.

The box has pretty sketches of all the wonderful botanical ingredients, and the soft lemon colour is pretty against the white and the black illustrations. They clearly tell you how to use the product and the benefits. I even like the font they have used, I appreciate a good type face.  The bottle and the pipet are glass, the top is rubber (good quality) I like the nice minimal label, and you can clearly see how much product you have left. So the quality and aesthetic of this product gets a big thumbs up from me.

You can use this product in two ways, you can use it as an overnight treatment up to 3x a week, then wash your hair in the morning. Or you can add 3 – 5 drops after you wash your hair, which is how I have been mostly using it. I have a short bob, so only use 3 drops on the midlength of my hair, and I have noticed a big difference after 3 months of use. I had quite split ends which looked frizzy and dry, I also noticed before using the oil that I would get a lot of breakage and this has greatly reduced in recent months.

My ends never look frizzy, my hair is very glossy and less breakage means it is stronger. So I am thrilled. It took me a week or so to get the amount of product right, as I was being a little too liberal with how much I was putting on and my hair would go greasy, so 3 drops works well for me and my hair length.

If you want to see more results and stimulate hair growth, then using this oil overnight is the best way to achieve that. I wanted more targeted results, focusing on the ends of my hair, and this is where I have seen visible results.

Because Forest and Shore use a blend of the very best oils that are nutrient rich, your hair is in the very best hands! This oil is absolutely jam packed with, as the box says, earth loving botanicals (and hair loving too). You will also notice straight away that Thrive Hair Oil smells like a luxury spa, it has a relaxing and soothing fragrance. To me, I can smell the lavender, parsley, and rosemary which are beautiful!

Here are a list of all the fantastic natural ingredients in the oil and the benefits for your hair, there are so many!

This oil will nourish your hair and scalp, encourage hair growth, strengthen hair, reduce split ends and frizz and make your hair look, feel and actually be healthy and glossy. I very rarely use conditioner now, and the only other styling product I use (only when I am putting heat on my hair) is a heat protector spray. Otherwise I only use shampoo and my hair oil, talk about simplifying my routine, love it! You can’t beat a simple routine.


Not only is the Thrive Hair Oil good for all hair types, you name it curly, wavy or poker straight, it is also completely natural, certified organic and vegan-friendly. Made in the UK with high quality sustainably sourced ingredients. This oil is 100% natural, free from silicones and is cruelty free.

The founder of Forest and Shore, Emily Horrigan has done a lovely job with this brand & it is a slice of British luxury, with a focus on using natural botanical ingredients and really harnessing the power of plants.  Let me know if you have tried anything from this brand, if you want to learn more about their products head to Forest & Shore or you can purchase their products on Amazon.

* This post contains an affiliate link.

 

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