Earthy Nail Polish Review

 

I have reviewed this brand before and so was excited to review some of their more autumnally colours. Earthy is an award winning brand that is passionate about bridging sustainability, natural, ethically sourced nail colour that actually treats the nail rather than just add colour.

The formula in the nail varnish contains Magnesium and Calcium. Magnesium helps prevent nails ridges and can also promote nail growth, whilst Calcium prevents brittle nails, weak and splitting nails and again encourages a healthy nail growth.

I tested a few colours all priced at £7.99. Goa is a sunset, light terracotta shot through with shimmering gold. For each of these photos I have only applied one coat, this shimmering glitter looks amazing with a single coat or applied over other colours to add a 3 dimensional look. 

Fire Cracker is just that, a bright glowing Vermillion, not quite red or orange this is the colour you will see on autumnal leaves. It looks classy, incredibly glossy almost patented in its effect.

Lastly I tested Ruby Red, a deep Cinnamon red which crosses between Auburn and light Chestnut. Again incredibly glossy this is a stunning colour and needs only one coat.

The Earthy Cuticle Oil £8.99 is your first step to a healthy nail bed. You only need a few drops to deeply nourish the cuticles. It has a whole host of ingredients to help improve the condition and encourage nail growth such as:-

• Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond Oil) - rich in Vitamins E and B, as well as magnesium and zinc. Helps strengthen the nails and is incredibly nourishing to dry and brittle nails. 
• Citrus Limon (Lemon Peel Oil) - helps strengthen soft nails, especially if they suffer from flaking. Lemon Oil can also help with staining that you may get from wearing regular dark nail colours. 
• Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil - rich in fatty acids and Vitamin E, this ingredient not only helps with nail health but also prevents against infections.

The range is vegan and you can also return the empty bottles and caps back to their Head Office (see link). The 11ml bottles have sustainable bamboo caps (rather than plastic) and so environmentally friendly. To purchase and see the huge list of shades click HERE 

Lab by Natura Siberica Biome Phyto Retina Anti-Puff & Dark Circles Eye Cream 30ml RRP £12

 

The last year has been a tough one for me, with my back operation came a huge reduction in sleep and that was without throwing menopause into the mix. As such I have noticed a big difference with my eyes, by way of dark circles and puffiness. Something I never used to suffer from, was the lack of sleep but now I am lucky enough if I get 4-6 hours broken sleep. 

I was searching through my products when I realised that I hadn’t reviewed the Lab Biome Anti-Puff & Dark Circles Eye Cream. Natura Siberica is one of my favourite brands due to the quality of ingredients and the price!

Whilst I have written about Biome before, here is a quick re-cap. Microbiome is basically the organisms that live on and inside your skin such as bacteria, fungi etc. So the purpose of the Biome products is to balance and maintain a healthy skin.

There are several active ingredients in the product that help de puff and improve circulation under the eyes, as well as protecting the delicate eye area. Such ingredients (and yes, there are a lot more) include:-

• Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil - Sunflower Seed Oil, this plant extract contains many fatty acids that help dehydration, fine lines and wrinkles. 
• Lactobacillus Ferment - helps protect against environmental aggressors such as pollution, smoke and heating. 
• Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate - a 3 amino peptide that targets wrinkles. 
• Biotin - contains B vitamins that help nourish the delicate skin area, giving hydration. 
• Folic Acid - firms the area under the eyes and helps prevent sagging, as well as protecting the delicate skin barrier function. 
• Cyanocobalamin - vitamin B12 helps promote healthy cell growth and provides essential nutrients for collagen production. 
• Niacinamide - reduces wrinkles, brightens the skin and improves the appearance of dark circles. 
• Pantothenic Acid - contains vitamin B5, which is antibacterial and again helps with hyperpigmentation and dark circles. 
• Pyridoxine - vitamin B6 helps with regulating oil production.
• Riboflavin - vitamin B2 helps improve skin tone and gives radiance. 
• Thiamine - vitamin B1 helps with the production of collagen, so prevents the onset of wrinkles and fine lines. 
• Angelica Archangelica Root Extract - skin brightening, reduces patchiness. 
• Aralia Mandshurica Leaf/Stem Extract - rejuvenates and strengthens the under eye area, helps prevent those fine, crepey lines by restoring the skins elasticity. 

Here’s a before of my eyes, you can see that I have puffiness and dark circles, caused by lack of sleep and illness.

I have applied the eye cream to just my left eye, and wasn’t expecting an ‘immediate’ difference. The eye gel was easy to press lightly into my under eye area and disappeared without the need to apply any pressure.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the results were instantaneous. 

There is a remarkable difference with lightness and brightness to the left of my eye. I will continue to use this over the next month, as the 30ml tube really does go along way!

As always with this fabulous brand, many of the ingredients are wild harvested and organic. The product is vegan friendly and you can purchase it by clicking the link HERE

Nioxin® Pro Clinical Sample Review

When it comes to hair thinning, hair loss, scalp health then there is one brand that is continuously recommended and that is Nioxin®. You only have to go on to Google and type in Nioxin® reviews to find hundreds of satisfied customers. These reviews are not just online in stores, but also on community addresses such as Quora and larger shopping sites such as Amazon. The reviews predominantly are all five star ratings and that’s simply because the products work.

However, this is where it gets a little difficult for me reviewing these products and so I have to take ‘the word of mouth’ and online reviews as they are. I have coloured hair and the system I have been sent to review (and test as I always test products), is for ‘Natural/Untreated Hair’. So my findings as a Beauty Writer will be based upon the active ingredients.

Scalp Care & Hair Thickening System 2 RRP £67

Firstly, the system itself contains 3 products each designed to help with hair that is thinning. This could be due to hormones, illness, age, medicines etc but they’re designed not for volume but for those that are seeing more hair loss be it when washing or brushing. 

The products can be purchased in 4 systems, depending on your hair health. 

Number 1 is for hair that lacks volume, that is flat, lank and the strands are fine, it’s designed for those who have natural hair, so not chemically treated with solution or colour.

Number 2 is for hair that is progressively thinning, those that, as mentioned above, are noticing more hair loss.

Number 3 is for hair that lacks volume but is chemically treated (dye, perm solution etc).

Number 4 is for hair that is progressively thinning but again chemically treated.

Now this is where I like to look at the ingredients to see just what makes this product work. The system includes Scalp & Hair Shampoo 300ml / Scalp & Hair Conditioner 300ml and Scalp & Hair Treatment 100ml.

Let’s look at the shampoo first.

Ingredients include:-

• Cocamide MEA - naturally derived from coconuts, this helps give foam to the shampoo but without drying hair out. 
• Salicylic Acid - a natural exfoliator that helps get rid of flaky scalp, dandruff. 
• Menthol Arvensis Leaf Oil - stimulant that encourages blood circulation to the scalp. 
• Menthol Piperita (Peppermint) Oil - again stimulating so encourages healthy hair growth.
• Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract - aka Green Tea, the caffeine in this helps promote stronger, thicker hair, as well as protecting the hair from environmental aggressors such as pollution. 
• Niacinamide - reduces hair loss by boosting blood circulation to the scalp, it also locks in moisture and boosts keratin (protein) production. 
• Panthenol - contains B5 a vitamin that is often found lacking if you are suffering with hair loss. 
• Biotin - an essential vitamin that helps with the production of keratin. 
• Lecithin - a lipid that conditions the scalp and gives hair a healthy shine. 
• Urticaria Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract - helps alleviate an itchy, dry scalp and prevents hair loss by soothing the scalp. 
• Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Flower Extract - helps remove dandruff and also regulates sebum (oil). It also helps weakened hair growth. Is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial so wards off bacteria and soothes eczema etc. 
• Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Extract - this antioxidant helps remove unwanted product residue such as mousse, hairspray etc. 
• Acre Saccarum (Sugar Maple) Extract - helps regulate sebum production as contains zinc and manganese, both known to aid in scalp health. 
• Yeast Extract - contains protein to help with the building blocks of hair strengthening. 

Whilst this isn’t for my hair type, I did test it and it smells utterly amazing (menthol), it also leaves your scalp tingling and feeling deeply cleansed. 

The Conditioner also contains several active ingredients similar to the shampoo. It’s designed to be left on for up to 1-3 minutes, then rinsed off. Whilst several active ingredients are similar (Biotin, Niacinamide), some of the conditioning properties come from ingredients such as:-

• Quaternium-18 - used for its detangling effects. 
• Stearamidoopropyl Dimethylamine - anti-static, helps with flyaway hair. 
• Hydroxypropyl Guar - increases hydration.

The Conditioner has a similar menthol fragrance that again stimulates the scalp. The final part of the system is the hair treatment, which is a leave in treatment,

Again this has similar active ingredients to that of the shampoo and conditioner. 

You do need to apply to the whole head after shampooing and conditioning. It contains a high amount of Caffeine, that is prominently used in hair care to encourage blood stimulation, thus in term encouraging hair growth. It also contains Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, an active ingredient that protects the hair and scalp from UV rays. The formula is enriched with B3 which helps fortify and strengthen hair strands. 

Results are apparent within 30 days, and it’s imperative you use it as instructed to allow the ingredients to penetrate into the hair follicles. The shampoo must be massaged into the hair for 2 minutes as massage also helps encourage hair growth.

As mentioned above you only need to Google to see that there are many satisfied customers, as well as statistics online that state 

Ultimate Power Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo 240ml RRP £27

Finally, there is the recently launched Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo, that again like the system has been clinically proven in reducing hair loss. It contains many similar ingredients to the system above, and results for stronger, more resilient hair are within 3 months. It’s designed to be used in place of your regular shampoo to get rid of product build up, impurities etc. 

It does have many of the key active ingredients in the 3 part system however, it also contains Sandalore™ which whilst often used in products for the scent of Sandalwood, in hair care the scent actually helps with hair growth and length increase. Breaking the jargon down, our scalp contains protein receptors which bind with odour molecules hence, they bind with Sandalore, which then activates a growth pathway. Sandalore also helps with inflammation so can help with scalp conditions such as eczema, itchy scalp and dermatitis. Again it smells minty and fresh due to the menthol ingredients.

The whole system is clinically and dermatologically tested and designed to use over 30 days. Owned by Wella who do not test on animals. 

You can purchase at Boots in store or online or Look Fantastic by clicking the link HERE

Miss So…? London Body Fragrance Gift Set RRP £7.99

 

One thing I do love about Christmas is the gift sets that adorn the shelves, often they are great value for money however, the main reason is that I do prefer a decent travel sized product rather than full sized. I tend to get bored quite easily and like to trial different products rather than stick to the same one (evident being a beauty writer). 

This year Miss So…? London have given us a real treat with their 4 Body Mists, 4 delicate pastel sprays all wrapped up in an elegant box. Great for not just stocking fillers, but also teacher gifts, travel, gym bag, school bag and, if you wish to split and give individually. 

The fragrances included are:-

🥥 Starlet - White Musk and Coconut, this is your holiday escape fragrance, not too sweet but softly hints of sun drenched skin.

🍬 Sugar Rush - Candy and Raspberry, this is your sugary sweet fragrance, like a lively fizz of sherbert that is juicy and sparkling.

🍑 Sunset Sky - Peach Bellini and Vanilla Musk, a fruity fragrance that renders softly into nurturing vanilla.

🥛 Twilight Kiss - Vanilla Fudge Milkshake, my personal favourite as it smells good enough to eat. The vanilla really comes through on this fragrance.

The fragrances are all 50ml, come in recyclable bottles and are vegan too. Available from Boots in store or by visiting So Fragrance online by clicking the  HERE

Cussons Imperial Leather Tickled Pink Campaign - Breast Cancer Awareness

 

Most of us know of someone who’s been affected by breast cancer, I personally know of 3 - thankfully all in remission but all have been through a very testing journey. 

Cancer Research UK statistics are as follows:-

56,822 New cases of breast cancer each year, 2017-2019 average UK

11,499 Deaths from breast cancer, 2016-2018, UK

76% Survival breast cancer for 10 or more years 2013-2017, England

23% Preventable breast cancer cases, UK, 2015

The risk factor of developing breast cancer is dependent upon several factors including age, genetics and some avoidable lifestyle factors, such as being overweight, alcohol, smoking, post menopausal and oral contraceptives. 

Information is taken from www.cancerresearchuk.org. 

Below taken from www.myclevelandclinic.org is a simple diagram of how we should be checking our breasts every month for any lumps.

Thankfully, there seems to be a lot of awareness now and Cussons is a brand who’ve not only raised a lot of awareness on breast cancer with their products, but are actively donating a percentage of the costs to registered charity Breast Cancer Now.

Imperial Leather Luxurious Bath Soak Rose & Frankincense 500ml RRP £1.60

This pampering bubble bath smells absolutely divine, fruity, calming and creates an oasis of bubbles that instantly gives a shoulder drop release of tension. 

Imperial Leather Mallow & Rose Milk 250ml RRP £1.50

This is actually my daughter’s favourite shower gel, a sweet, fruity and gentle shower gel that lathers up with just the smallest amount. 

Both are available from Asda or by clicking the link HERE