Anatomicals Never Lose your Cherry Lip Scrub £5 Sample Review

 

I've been blessed with big, full lips from both my late father and my mother's side and whilst, when I was younger, they were very 'unfashionable' and I was bullied for them, now I see just how lucky I am. As I've gotten older they've retained most of their fullness however, with this blessing also comes the fact that big lips need some self care - especially if you want them to remain soft and kissable. Showing the signs of dehydration is evident in larger lips, and having been on a lot of pain meds recently due to my broken ankle, well my lips are paying the full flaky price.

So I was delighted to be sent this fun, fruity and juicy lip scrub. It smells utterly delicious, which is a good thing as it's made of sugar and so some of the residue may have gotten into my mouth!  

The scrub contains a cocktail of nourishing ingredients to help hydrate your lips, such as olive fruit oil, jojoba oil and avocado oil. These oils are full of essential fatty acids to help repair dehydrated lips and also anti-oxidants that protect your lip from environmental pollutions and sun damage. The sugar ensures a gentle, yet thorough exfoliation that leaves lips looking smooth and primed for lipstick - a must have if you wear matte lip colours.

You can see before my lips are dry and slightly dehydrated. 

Just one small amount massaged in for 10 seconds has transformed my lips.

It's a great fun range and I can't wait to explore more of their products. Check them out for yourself here at www.anatomicals.co.uk

BERÈZA SIBERICA Polar White Birch Moisturising Face Cream-Gel £8.49 50ml

 

I wrote a post just recently on oily/acne prone skin types, both my daughter and my son suffer from breakouts (teenage hormones), and I'm just getting them both into a proper skincare regime. Also whilst I've always had dry skin, since menopause I have seen a huge change of direction in my skin texture. Once dry, it's now prone to the odd breakout and it's when I have these flare ups that I need to switch my skincare regime. 

The issue that I find with many products formulated for acne prone skin is that they can be harsh and often full of synthetic ingredients. Acne, especially when inflamed needs to be treated sympathetically although when it's impacting on life, I would always recommend seeing a professional dermatologist. However, for day to day then I would always suggest using products that contain natural ingredients, gentle but effective and formulated to treat the symptoms.

Polar White Birch Moisturising Cream is an incredibly lightweight cream. It sinks into the skin but doesn't leave any greasy film and thus doesn't clog pores . It's almost cooling to the touch and so ideal if you are having flare ups or have an oily skin. It can be used both morning and night and is vegan. 

As you can see from the ingredient list there are a cocktail of ingredients formulated to help combat oily skin such as:-

• Betula Alba Bark WaterWHH / Extract - the fundamental ingredient here is White Birch, used in skincare as it's soothing, healing and helps calm irritated and inflamed skin. Both the bark and the leaves are used to help with sensitive, red skin. A natural anti-bacterial ingredient that helps rid the skin of bad bacteria. 
• Sodium Hyaluronate - helps the skin retain moisture, provides nourishment and comfort to irritated skin. 
• Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract - another soothing ingredient, calms redness such as rosacea and is skin balancing and healing. Chamomile is full of anti-oxidants and can help with cell renewal.
• Nuphar Luterum Root Extract - I'd actually not researched this one before, from the roots of the yellow water lily, an extract that helps soothe and balance the skin. Water lilies also give instant hydration and give comfort to dry skin. 
• Viola Odorata Extract - a cooling ingredient that calms inflamed skin. Healing and soothing making it ideal for flare ups.

The gel like texture sunk into my skin, it didn't leave that greasy film and also didn't sting, which again many products formulated for acne can sometimes do. I've actually passed on to my daughter to use now, as she really is suffering from stress (running around after myself with my broken ankle, her brother and work). She told me it feels nice and also sits well under her makeup, as doesn't make her foundation slide off.  

Check out the rest of the range here (oh and also the amazing reviews) at www.naturasiberica.co.uk

Blueberry Siberica Anti-Ox Wild Blueberry Moisturising Face Mist Tonic Sample Review £7.99 100ml

 

Whilst facial mists were once thought of as the 'middle man' of skincare, not so important as moisturisers etc, they have come a long way in recent years. No longer for that in between cleansing and moisturising stage, facial mists/tonics have come into their own. I often keep one in my fridge to spray on my face just before the school run and also if I am going out to 'set' my makeup. 

Then comes along the next generation of facial mists that are filled with an abundance of ingredients to not only compliment your skincare regime but actually be an essential part of your skincare regime. Natura Siberica (one of my favourite brands, as you can tell from previous posts), has filled the gap of 'so-so toners' and formulated a tonic that not only refreshes, but is filled with ingredients to help your skin health. Ingredients such as:-

• Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Water /Extract- Bilberry, strengthening and skin healing. Helps protect the skin against UV damage. Helps balance oily skin and is a great astringent, so tones and can aid the appearance of large pores.
• Rubus Articus Fruit Extract - extracted from raspberry, this anti-oxidant can even out skin tone and protects the skin from UV damage. 
• Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract - sage leaf and known for it's anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Helps protect the skin from environmental aggressors (smoke, sun etc), and again, is a good astringent. 
• Rhodendendrun Adamsii Leaf Extract - anti-inflammatory and good for blemished skin, it's cooling and skin refining.

Just one spritz covered my whole face and left it feeling incredibly refreshed. These sprays as mentioned above are ideal, if you are tired, need a boost before work, to keep at your desk to help revive your skin (especially if you are in an air conditioned building). Not only do they awaken and refresh but the ingredients can protect you from UV damage (although as an add-on, not an alternative to SPF) and with added hyaluronic acid, helps the skin keep its moisture. A must-have for a quick pick-me-up with the added benefit of feeding your skin with organic ingredients. 

Check out the range here at www.naturasiberica.co.uk

Lottie London Makeup Sample Review

 

I love reviewing makeup - not only is it a 'fun' thing to do, but there are so many good brands out there for a fraction of the price of expensive brands, and it's always a delight to discover one. Lottie London I have just discovered is one of those brands. Over the 25 years of beauty editing I've reviewed, as you can imagine thousands of make up products - and when it comes to make-up I've learnt that often expensive doesn't mean better quality. 

One of my must haves with make-up is multi-purpose, I'm a busy single mum of 3 (including the dog) and I just don't have time to apply make-up.  The items I keep to hand are my 'all-in-ones' and whilst, what I've tested today isn't marketed as such, I've discovered they are in actual fact the perfect 'do-it-all' product.

Today I tested part of the newly launched 'Gossip Girl' collection, one of my favourite all time TV series that I may start re-watching (as I'm sat here with a broken ankle). In partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products is a range that is inspired by all things Blair and Serena, classy, fun but affordable.

Sweet Blush (Gossip Girl) £6.95 & Vegan Oil Slick Extra Cherries £5.95

I started off with applying the tiniest amount of Sweet Blush, a candy, baby pink shade in a cream formula. You only need the tiniest amount however, it does disperse into the skin so is buildable, once there is stays put. I loved the colour so much - it gives that healthy, pink cheek glow, and that's when I  decided to put it on my lips and went from impressed to super impressed. The formula gives a semi-matte finish on the lips in the most beautiful shade of pink. One slick of the nourishing Oil Slick and I was good to go! Independently the Oil Slick is just that, a slick of moisture for your lips and ideal for turning matte shades into gloss, using over liner or just on it's own, oh and it's vegan!

Mega Watt Palette £9.95

This nude palette has all the colours to take you from day to evening. Not only does it contain a selection of matte and shimmers, the colours will suit all eye shades and skin tones as the pigment is so buildable. Again, I was very impressed as you just cannot tell from the more expensive brands. I do not use any filters in my posts and I like to give a 'real view' photo. I'm nearly 50, have no primer on and dabbed on some colour with my ring finger. The colour (gold shimmer) blended well and is simply beautiful, in fact with a little liner and mascara, it's all that's needed for an evening look. Finally I put a pop of the white shimmer into the centre of my lips and took my pink to the next level.

How stunning is this! Anyway my eldest is now hovering over the computer as she wants a look-in, I'm off to rest the ankle, and to browse more of their products (note they have a whole vegan range) - you can too here at www.lottie.london.co.uk and www.lookfantastic.com

Revision Skincare Hydrating Serum Sample Review

 

Many people think that dehydrated skin is a 'type', it's not it is a condition - this is good news as it means it can be treated. Dehydrated skin is a symptom of many things but fundamentally it's a lack of water. This could be due to illness, air conditioning, heating, exercise, sun etc not just a case of drinking too little liquid.  However, the issue with dehydrated skin is that it can cause very fine lines to appear, and unless treated these can turn into permanent wrinkles and deeper lines. So it's imperative that if your skin is dehydrated that you fix it sooner rather than later.

It's easier to tell if your skin is dehydrated, you can either gently push with your ring finger under your eye towards your nose, that crepiness around the socket indicates a need for moisture. Also by taking a pinch off the back of your hand, the slower it 'bounces' back, the more dehydrated you are. Of course there is also the 'urine' test - the darker your urine, the more water is needed.

Often people think that with dehydrated skin, you need to pile on the oils to get moisture back. Whilst, many oils are excellent for making the skin feel nice, for those of us with oily skin types this can cause more issues. This is where the Revision Hydrating Serum comes in. Not only does it give thirsty skin a huge drink of moisture, but it's delicate formula is the perfect product to hydrate without causing more oil build up - as it's oil-free.

A look at the ingredients:-

The main superhero ingredient is of course, that wonderful addition to skincare Hyaluronic Acid - made up of sugar and glucosamine, it has the ability to cushion the skin and hold water. Often this ingredient is included at the bottom of ingredients, which means it's not in great quantity - this however, is one of the first ingredients in the serum. There are also other hero additions to the serum:-

• Honey - healing, moisturising, exfoliating, anti-bacterial.
• Hydrolyzed Hazelnut Protein - conditioning, skin balancing and evens out skin tone.
• Punica Granatum (Pomegranate Extract) - anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and ideal for hormonal breakouts. Contains vitamin C and helps the production of collagen.
• Macrocystis Pyrifera (Sea Kelp) Extract - rich in iodine, ideal for flaky, itchy and dry skin types. Protects the skin from sun damage and environmental aggressors. 
• Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit Extract - rich in vitamin C and amino acids, naturally exfoliates so helps cell regeneration. It's also incredibly repairing and good for sun damaged skin.
• Lens Esculenta (Lentil Fruit Extract) - minimises the look of large pores, skin tightening and anti-aging. It's anti-inflammatory and full of anti-oxidants, making it an ideal ingredient in skincare.
• Pyrus Malus (Apple Fruit Extract) - skin brightening and excellent for dull complexions.

I applied to the back of my hand (just for the photo) and as you can see it's an incredibly light texture (this was without pressing it into the skin). Pressed into the face (avoid the immediate eye area), it's cooling and immediately sunk in without leaving any greasy residue. You only need 2 pumps as a little goes a long way.  Whilst I haven't had the whole month to test this (something I usually like to do), I love it for several reasons - first it doesn't leave skin feeling greasy, and secondly it can be applied under make-up or your moisturiser without feeling heavy, or without threat that your makeup will slide off. 

It it costly at £91 however, this is reflected in the quality of ingredients. You can purchase it here at www.revisionskincare.co.uk