Heaven Scent Body Mist Review 125ml RRP £1.99

It always amazes me when I get sent a real bargain of a beauty product. In this case it’s the Heaven Scent Body Mist at just £1.99! Before I write about the fragrance mists themselves, straight away I thought Christmas stocking presents! Of course you can buy them for yourself, and for the price it would be easy to dot them in your gym bag, travel bag, work, car etc.

However, regardless of the cost it’s not worth your money if the scent doesn’t last. Thankfully these do and whilst not all day, they’re quite nice to spritz on your hair, clothes or just for a sensory pick-me up.

Tropical Paradise

As you would expect this is a burst of fruity, tropical, punchy notes. It’s like opening up a packet of Starbursts. 

Lively, fun and like a bit like a Pina Colada, the notes of vanilla, coconut, pineapple and grapefruit give you that holiday vibe. Base notes are woody so stop the scent from being overtly sweet.

Ocean Breeze

This one is definitely my favourite, it’s slightly edgier and has that ‘cool water’ scent. It’s very seductive and gives that sense of lying on the beach at sundown. When the weather goes from full on sun to warm, and the skin is cocooned in sea salt and sun tan lotion. Notes include peach, coconut, gardenia and as expected have salted caramel that give that seaside lasting fragrance on the skin. 

Both scents have really captured summer holidays and so, if you are missing the warm weather, then a spritz of these will transport you back! Available to buy from Bodycare online or by clicking the link HERE

Living Proof® Scalp Care Density Serum £54 50ml

Launched this Summer 24, was the anticipated Living Proof® Scalp Care Density Serum. As a brand that I have used, since they stocked in one of the first Space NK’s in the UK, my loyalty remains as it’s a brand that delivers on their promises. The brand came together in the US, after a team of ‘world-class’ scientists pioneered the way in creating solutions to hair problems rather than disguising them. The brand has won over 200 awards and has over 120 patents, that puts them in a leading position in the field of hair health. 

This product is something that I have been waiting for since I hit my 40s (I’m now 52). Not only does it help regain thicker, fuller hair but it actually decreases new grey hair growth! Studies over 90 days with 30 participants showed 

‘100% experienced thicker-looking hair, 76% experienced a decrease in new grey hair growth, 70% reduction in visible hair shedding and 35% increase in hair density’.

Some of these active ingredients include antioxidants, amino acids alongside other beneficial extracts such as:-

• Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract - helps prevent greying of hair, reduces hair fall out, moisturises the scalp, helps with hair regrowth. 
• Saccharmoyces Ferment Lysate Filtrate - derived from yeast, this boosts hydration, this anti-oxidant is full of essential minerals and amino acids. 
• Pisum Sativum (Pea) Extract - clinically proven to help stimulate hair growth and reduce hair loss.
• Pullulan - puts a protective film on hair, reducing hair and protecting it from environmental aggressors. 
• Zinc Sulfate - used as a treatment for alopecia.
• Quercus Robur Bark Extract - aka the English Oak tree, helps combat dandruff and also strengthens weak, fragile hair. 
• Larix Europaea Wood Extract - contains sugar molecules that act as a humectant so draws moisture to the hair, it also helps stimulate hair follicles to encourage growth.
• Zinc Gluconate - again stimulates the hair follicles and encourages hair to growth thicker and more dense. Often if we are lacking in Zinc it will affect our hair growth.
• Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract - high in Lysine an amino acid that helps keep the hair strong.
• Urticaria Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract - contains many vitamins such as A, B, C, D and E so helps protect the hair from UV damage and damaging aggressors such as pollution. It also helps with scalp inflammation and has antimicrobial properties.
• Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein - contains B vitamins, amino acids all that help strengthen fine, fragile hair. 
• Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract - aka Green Tea, an ingredient that not only stimulates digestion but also stimulates the scalp. It also leaves hair very soft and shiny!
• Vitis Vinefera (Grape) Seed Extract - this lightweight extract gives shine to dull hair types without weighing the hair down.

Now I don’t get paid for writing reviews, I also am not ‘asked’ to do advertorials or put products out to review. I simply write about products that I personally like and I know that will deliver results, as (especially when writing in the press), I have a reputation to keep up!

Therefore, I do like to test everything before I put it to review. On this instant I haven’t had the time to give this the full benefit. However, I have passed it on to my mother, who due to losing my dad a while ago, has seen a dramatic loss in her hair density due to grief. 

This also leads me to say that there are so many factors that contribute to hair loss and it’s not just age. 

• Illness (medications), side effects of treatments.
• Hormones (especially during pregnancy and menopause).
• Stress, which can affect our eating habits so we may not be getting the right nutrients.
• Lifestyle such as smoking, drinking and burning the candles at both ends.
• Grief, anxiety and depression can all affect our hair health. Shock can turn our hair grey, the fight or flight response we have when faced with trauma or stress plays a key role in turning our hair grey. 

So I look forward to seeing the results on my mother and I will update accordingly. It’s easy to apply just a couple of drops massaged into a wet or dry scalp daily. The product is Sulphate-free, PETA certified cruelty-free, Silicone-free, Paraben-free, Formaldeyhde-free and safe for all hair types. 

You can purchase by clicking the link HERE

Maybelline New York Makeup Review

 

Recently I was lucky enough to be sent some Maybelline New York products. I used to regularly put them in the press but hadn’t reviewed any products in many years. I have a fondness for Maybelline as I always used to love their cult product the Great Lash Mascara (first purchased in the early 80s)!

Now I have already done a TikTok video on the products under @askmollybeauty and would urge you to look at that rather than the blog in the instance. Makeup is so much better shown live rather than written about, unlike skincare. However, for those that don’t have TikTok here’s a brief review of the products I’ve tested.

First up I was sent some foundations to test. Now I have to admit I very rarely wear foundations as I’m lucky enough to have quite an even skin tone and I’ve always found them rather cakey. Also as you get older, then less is most definitely more. Well I think my mind has just been changed. The Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour Skin Tint is simply just fabulous.

I have applied rather a large amount on to the back of my hand, but it has this wonderful light reflecting formula that is so very flattering on mature skin types. I didn’t use blenders to apply, I just used my fingers (as I always say I’m a Beauty Editor not a makeup artist, I write I don’t apply)! It lasts, as the name suggests for 24 hours (albeit I didn’t put it to the full test) and it’s ’infused with vitamin C’, so helps brighten the skin tone. 

However, you can see from my rather dodgy IPhone photo that the result is seamless. It blended quickly and effortlessly without any seam marks. The foundation has an RRP of £12.99 and I will tell you know, it is as good as others I’ve been sent to test of the luxurious high end price!

I also tested the Instant Anti-Age Eraser RRP £9.99 a multi-use concealer that has a great application technique. In a wind up formula to release the product into a sponge, you only need a small amount to give a good coverage.

You can see from the photo that it does come out quite thick, but once blended in (again with my fingers), it melted into my skin leaving it even toned and without clogging up fine lines. 

You can use it on your eyes as a base for eyeshadow, on your lips to give a good base and primer for lipstick, as well as using under the eyes (something I wouldn’t normally recommend), but with the light reflective pigments its very anti-aging. As well of course dabbing on to blemishes to literally erase the redness!

For a precise and lengthening lash, then the Firework Mascara RRP £12.99 is brilliant. The ‘spoolie/wand’ is fine and incredibly flexible, it has a patented 360° SuperSpark™ brush, that is designed like a spiral firework! This means you can really get to the base of the lashes so you don’t even need eyeliner. Just one coat gives length and definition, and as it’s enriched with vitamin B5 it also helps condition dry and brittle lashes. Suitable for contact lens wearers and allergy tested. 

My favourite product was definitely the Build A Brow RRP £11.99. The double ended formula contains a super fine pen one end, and a gel with spoolie the other. It’s foul proof (as you can tell from my TikTok video) and I didn’t even need a magnifying mirror (I wear glasses for long-sightedness).  The colour is perfect in Ash Brown. Often brow products are limited to ‘Black, Brown, Taupe or Grey’ and it’s so very hard to find an ash shade. Most are too harsh or contain too much warmth. This colour is universally flattering for all skin types and hair shades, especially blondes. Like the other products it’s long-lasting as the gel seals the colour into place for up to 24 hours. 

You can see from the photo above the definition created with just one coat of mascara on my right eye, and the super fine brush strokes on my brow. The end results is so natural. 

I loved testing some of the latest products from Maybelline. It’s really good to know that you don’t need to spend a fortune on designer brands to get the same results! The products are cruelty free. Products are available from stores nationwide or by clicking the link HERE

Paul & Joe Makeup Review Prices from £9

I first discovered this brand in the mid 90s, after falling in love with the vintage style packaging. It was of no surprise to learn that the founder of the brand Sophie Mechaly comes from a background of Parisian parents who had their own company, selling iconic printed clothing. Sophie named her brand after her 2 sons Paul and Joe! Featuring a ready-to-wear brand, including eyewear and following on the make-up range.

I was lucky enough to be sent samples to test and, as a Beauty Editor testing many products, it’s not often I am super-excited like a kid in a sweet store. Yet this is just how I was when I opened my package.

For starters the packaging, has far surpassed the lipstick I used in the 90s (I am quite sure it was the 90s, as I can remember I found a lipstick there from South Molten Street Drugstore)! It still houses the delectable kitten prints (a print that I am sure will stay due to the founder being a cat lover), but now compacts are adorned with crystals, florals and figurines. 

The quality of the pigments are simply amazing and, as you can see from above are bright, fun and, would create a dilemma for the wearer as, really too nice to be used! Above are the Eye and Face Colours, which are super easy to apply, either blended together or on their own. The golds can be used to highlight the eyelids, lips or cheekbones, whilst the colour pop can be used on eyes, cheeks and even on top of lipgloss! 

The ‘Soft Matte Lip Colour’ can be applied by just smudging with your fingertip into your lips. Whilst the compacts all contain a decent mirror, the ease of application means you don’t even need to look in the mirror and is foolproof. 

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Pictured above is Burgundy Petal, a rich tawny brown and Orange Petal a soft, warm red. Both can also be used as rouge, with just a few finger taps on to the apples of the cheeks to give some colour. The colours are ideal to inject a bit of colour into the face, and incredibly youth enhancing as the colour doesn’t contain shimmer (which can sometimes be aging). The cream formula blends effortlessly into lips and cheeks.  

My favourite part of the range is most definitely the lipsticks. Firstly there is a range of utterly adorable lipstick cases to choose from. The biggest issue would be choosing which one as they’re all so charming.

Ranging from bright florals to a multitude of kitten designs, as well as a couple of very majestic looking cases. The cases here are fun yet classy and chic as one would expect from a Parisian brand!

Finally the refill colours. If you follow me on TikTok @askmollybeauty you will see the live videos I have done on this brand. It’s all very well putting in the press (as I did several years ago), but really you need to see the colours on, and in different lights.

For it’s only then that you will see the most sheeniest, pigmented pure perfection of a youth enhancing lipstick. Each lipstick is also imprinted with a waxy floral seal, making this so unique amongst competitors. 

I tested a couple of colours, each one suiting my skin tone, my favourite being number Wool Cardigan a gorgeous rosy brown. The formulas are creamy, glossy and give an amazing shine that makes lips look fuller and plumper.

Prices start from £9 for the lipstick cases and I would urge you to look at the website (and my TikTok to get a real review). You can order via the website by clicking on the link HERE

As these have been sent as samples, I do believe they have not been tested on animals.