Sisley Paris Triple-Oil Balm Make Up Remover & Cleanser for Face and Eyes

 

I'm feeling a tad gutted as I've just spent the best part of 10 minutes showcasing this beautiful product by shutting myself away from the kids and nutty dog, and locking myself in the bathroom and recording myself. Sods law that my Blogger and Iphone 7 obviously need upgrading or I need a lesson in ICT. The eldest who's just got a distinction in website designing is working tonight so she can pay for her bread and water by giving me a lesson next week! That video is going up! In the meantime I will upload it on twitter @askmollybeauty. 

Anyway back to this wonderful cleanser. I have been sent 2 cleansers from Sisley as samples, but like to give a little 'air time' to both separately. My favourite skincare products have always been cleansers, despite top skin consultants advising me to spend money on moisturisers, for me I prefer cleansers. Simply as whilst technically the product is washed away, it's the ritual of massaging in and feeling the dirt and grime evaporate. A bit like Hoovering, it's my OCD kicking in.

This is a wonderful cleanser. Firstly it comes with the little spoon applicator so you can measure out the exact amount needed, not dollop it on carelessly like I usually do. Secondly it simply melts like butter into the skin and transforms to a beautiful oil that glides effortlessly over the skin. Lastly it smells heavenly, like the fresh sea spa, not perfumed, not artificial just fresh. Oh and of course it works. It has a whole heap of luxurious oils such as Babusa, Shea and Macadamia, these oils are well-known to be healing and contain an abundance of Vitamin E. The Babusa is especially healing with its plentiful essential fatty acids and is known as The Tree of Life.  It beats hands down on texture with my other spa brand cleansers and is now staying in my bathroom cabinet. My skin 20 minutes on without moisturiser, is feeling soft and supple. 

The cleanser is £74.80 for 125g but before you gasp, I say although expensive it will last ages. However, do check out their website, not only for the five star reviews but as they also offer complimentary samples. Have a look here Sisley

MYM Make Up Your Mind Prime

 

Make Up Your Mind aka MKM products is the brainchild of Victoria Adams founded in 2019, after her daughter suffered from poor mental health. A year after her company was born, Gemma Blake joined in the venture to bring in her experience of creativity and design. Today the products are successfully sold online and offer the consumer something unique amongst other skincare brands. 

The USP is focussed on a simple idea and one that works. Mixing your chosen well-being 'elixir' with a primer creates a unique sensory journey that can help 'Elevate, Align, Calm or Energise' your mood. The primer itself is a mattifying primer, used before moisturiser or alone. Simply choose your elixir and add a few drops to the primer, before inhaling and gently patting over your face. There's quite a bit of science that has gone into choosing the fragrance - see chart below.

I was lucky enough to be sent a sample of the Calm elixir with an assortment of Hand Shields and of course the Primer. Having myself suffered a mental break down in 2014, I'm a huge believer in taking time out, being in the moment and the power of scent. Every day when I walk my dog I will take time out to smell the earth, the flowers and breathe in the fresh air. It sets me up for the day, and so I was fascinated to see whether the products would work. After mixing in a drop of Calm with the Primer, I warmed between the palms of my hands (not sure if this is the correct way, but it's how I usually apply my products). The scent was subtle, comforting and felt rather cocooning so it did have the desired effect. I have to admit after smelling the Hand Shield in Energise this was my absolute favourite as it smelled like fresh grass!

The products came beautifully presented and make a wonderful gift for anyone. My only gripe is that I can't see if you can smell the fragrance before purchasing, although you can look at the list of ingredients and make your choice from that. 

I would invite you to have a look at their products and recommend that you purchase and certainly bear in mind for Christmas presents. If anything a donation of their sales supports mental wellbeing charities and having suffered first hand, as well as my children also having suffered I'm a huge advocate of mental health. You can check out their website here at mymproducts.com

J'TANICALS Skincare

I love unearthing new products and so was excited to receive the skincare range J'TANICALS to review. Founded by Julia Wilde who has an avid interest and expertise in CBD supplements in Germany, it was natural course that she would go on to develop a skincare range using her knowledge and love of CBD properties.  Even more so as Julia herself, had suffered hormonal breakouts in her twenties and wanted to find something to help calm her skin down and thus J'TANICALS was born.

You can view all the jargon etc online but I like to simplify for readers. CBD is known to have anti-inflammatory effects on sebum, hence it reduces redness, flareups and can help with acne, dermatitis and other irritations. It's a soothing ingredient and is becoming more popular in skincare than ever before.

I have included photos of the ingredients of the products and you can see that the quality is very high. 

Whilst the products themselves may seem expensive, a little goes a long way.  The Deep Sea Rebalancer CBD Gel Cleanser £34.95 for 100ml contains extracts of soothing aloe vera, broccoli and citrus that helps minimise pores whilst, also reducing oil so excellent for normal, combination to oily skin types. Just a small amount lightly massaged onto damp skin spreads into a luxurious, creamy consistency that left my skin smooth, not like many harsh cleansers that can leave it feeling tight.

The Floral Collagen Magic CBD Facial Oil £79.95 for 30ml has a high quantity of Babchi plant seeds that is similar to retinol (vitamin A) but more gentle, so not to flare up already sensitive skin. Again high in oxidants it has a known effect in stimulating collagen, improving fine lines and wrinkles, and can at high quality help with reducing UV damage such as brown spots. 

The Probiotic Safeguard CBD Moisturiser £49.95 for 50ml comes with a rather diddy applicator spoon. The spoon is the perfect size to apply the product to your fingertips, making sure that you don't use too much of the product. It's also ideal for pressing into and around your sinuses to give a light drainage massage, and excellent first thing to help rid of eye bags. The moisturiser contains Liquorice Root Extract, which contains 'Glycyrrhizin' a powerful anti-oxidant and known for reducing itching and irritation.  It also boasts Argan Oil, a wonderful healing oil that aids many skin conditions and helps balance and soothe the skin. You can see here how supple it's made my dehydrated hands look. The product sinks in and doesn't leave any greasy film, yet is rich enough so that my skin felt moisturised all day.

This is a luxury range, and yes it is expensive but a little goes a long way. I'm a sucker for packaging to the extent I decant my Aldi toner into my Espa toner bottle! These products are at the height of luxury but its the quality of ingredients that have impressed me. As you would expect vegan and cruelty free. You can have a look at their website here www.uk-jtanicals.com

Glow Hub Pep Talk

 

Having spent the last 6 weeks looking after my 13 year old following his knee operation and dealing with a very irritable 18 year old (she came back from her festival a different daughter), my mother having a stroke and guilt from dog not being walked, it was only time before my skin needed some full on TLC. At the moment I have dehydrated lips and having just peeled off my gel nails (no time to get them removed) my nails are flaking - aahhh single mum life is just fab!

Anyway now the youngest is back at school, eldest is skulking in her room and dog basking in the sun - it leaves me with time to do a few reviews. Glow Hub Pep Talk was sent to me as a sample and I was immediately drawn to the words on the box 'rescue'. This 15ml tube delivers an intense dose of plumping, moisturising and soothing peptides in a thick consistency which, as the box states rescues areas that need a little TLC primarily the lips. 

Infused with Castor Seed Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Avocado Oil, Soybean Oil, Grapefruit Peel Oil, Rosehip Oil, Licorice Leaf Extract and Sweet Almond Oil, it's a one stop product for delivering intense nourishment where needed.  I used at night on my lips paying attention to the fine creases and wiping the excess on my dehydrated nail beds. I also used mixed in with a matte lipstick for a personal colour treatment. My stress levels are still rather high but at least my lips are looking pretty good!

Glow Hub Pep Talk costs £8 and you can buy it here at glowhub.com

Wo Skincare

 

My first thoughts on receiving these little skincare doses was 'oh the PR has really just sent me a sample', proof not to judge by size and that it's quality not quantity that counts.

I hadn't heard of Wo skincare before and a quick Google search explained how their ethos is all about tailor making their products to your 'heritage'. This starts with a journey via a 

 few clicks about your skin type, followed by ethnicity and then a little about your lifestyle. After sending off your details you will be sent the 2 products recommended for your skin type. 

Wo's skincare range does consist of just 2 types of products - Daily Base and TonIQ. I tested the TonIQ Intense Hydrating Essence. The 'mono-dose format' comes conveniently packed so 1 vial contains all you need for your daily routine. At first glance it seemed the dosage wasn't enough - however, I was wrong. The pea size amount was enough to soak into my face and neck, confirming that I usually apply far too much product to my skin. It's also worth mentioning that the packaging is 100% recyclable to avoid waste.

Does it work? Yes - the Intense Hydrating Essence left my skin feeling supple and moisturised all day, and whilst I've only tested one dose of the Brightening Essence - you can see from the photo how it reacts to my parched skin literally leaving it with a beautiful dewy glow and one that is long-lasting. You can also read the rave customer reviews on their website and other platforms.

For a 2 week supply it costs £16 however, Wo have also recently launched a travel version so £5 for 5 doses,  To take the skincare test and check out their products visit their website here. wearewo.com