Tuesday, 8 December 2020
Nourish London Gifts for Christmas 2020
gifts, nourish, skincareTuesday, 27 October 2020
The Beauty Edit at Marks and Spencer
(affiliate) If you don't already think of Marks and Spencer when you think of beauty shopping, you really should start because they often have some great deals. The latest, newly launched beauty bargain at Marks and Spencer is The Beauty Edit. A currated selection of skincare, bodycare, haircare, nailcare and makeup, this beauty line up is worth over £120 and is yours for just £20 when you spend £30 across clothing, home and beauty. I think this box of goodies would make an excellent Christmas gift - or a nice treat for yourself obviously. So if you've already got a few bits in your basket or were waiting for an incentive to spend at Marks and Spencer, this is it.
Here's what's in the box (mainly deluxe sample/ travel sizes but a couple of full sized products too:
- Percy & Reed Define & Hold Finishing Cream
- REN Evercalm Ultra Comforting Rescue Mask
- Philip Kingsley Body Building Conditioner
- Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Florale Multi-Purpose Dry Oil
- Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Hair Treatment
- This Works Deep Sleep Body Cocoon (Full Size)
- Leighton Denny Renovate Intensive Nail Repair
- Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in shade Stingray
- Eyeko Lash Alert Mascara
- Prai - One of either the 24k Gold Wrinkle Repair Creme or Wrinkle Repair Serum
Thursday, 22 October 2020
Aurelia Brightening Eye Serum
Aurelia Probiotic Skincare, skincare(Gift/affiliate) Aurelia is such a beautiful brand isn’t it? Every product I have tried to date has been a pleasure to use thanks to the lovely textures and scents and Aurelia’s latest launch is no exception.
Like all of the British brand’s creations, Aurelia Brightening Eye Serum harnesses probiotic ingredients to protect, restore and balance the skin, with this particular product designed for the delicate eye area. Hydrating, smoothing and brightening ingredients work to create a more youthful and rested look, and I know that I for one can always do with looking like I’ve slept better than I have.
It can be used anytime, day or night and is particularly
good beneath under-eye concealer, as it sort of primes the area and creates an
instantly smooth surface.
To use, just apply 1 or 2 pumps under and around the eye,
using ring fingers and a gentle tapping action. It also plays well with Aurelia’s
The Probiotic Concentrate, so feel free to mix it with that for a good dose of probiotics.
Other ingredients include Aloe Leaf Juice, Damask Rose Flower
Water, Milk Protein and Bifida Ferment Lysate – a probiotic derived from a type
of yeast.
To find out more and explore the rest of Aurelia’s beautiful
products, head over to Aurelia. The Aurelia Brightening Eye Serum is £48.
Thursday, 17 September 2020
L'AVES Skin Riches
skincare(Gifted) Small batch, apothecary-style skincare products are often my
favourite, so I was very much drawn to British beauty brand L’AVES.
L’AVES combine effective, high-performance ingredients with
botanicals, clays, oils and natural actives to create skincare that not only
works, but is very enjoyable to use.
L’AVES refers to its products as Skin Riches, a
concept that basically means that ‘beautiful skin can make you feel ‘rich’
even if, like most of us, you’re actually not! The carefully formulated
products certainly do look, feel and even smell very decadent, so I totally
understand the idea behind this concept.
I have two L’AVES products I have been trying for the past few weeks – the Botanical Rain Mist + B3 and the Bright & Lift Extreme Performance Facial Elixir.
L’AVES Botanical Rain Mist + B3 100ml £40
Designed to be used both morning and night, this fine mist
is packaged in a weighty, frosted glass bottle and has a number of benefits.
The mist deeply hydrates, balances, detoxes, refreshes and restores cellular
energy and contains humectants to continuously deliver moisture and hydration
to the skin.
The mist has a very botanical scent (that dissipates after a
minute or two) and to me, smells quite a lot like Fennel, which is probably down
to the addition of the anti-microbacterial agent Sodium Anisate, which is
derived from Fennel.
It’s non-sticky and basically feels like water on the skin,
which makes sense because it contains a lot of floral waters including
Chamomile, Orange Blossom, Rosemary, Bamboo Stem and Rose as well as Aloe Leaf
Juice. The Botanical Rain Mist is rounded off with Nicotinamide (Vitamin B3)
which has a number of benefits for the skin, including minimising/ tightening
pores, improving barrier function and aiding the natural production of
ceramides.
Bright & Lift Extreme Performance Facial Elixir 30ml £65
Firstly, this elixir is beautifully packaged in heavy glass
with a dropper dispenser and wood-effect lid. It feels really luxurious and
weighty in the hands, which I think adds to the ritual of actually applying it.
This is one of the brands's best selling products and has numerous benefits for the skin including reducing stress, nourishing,
restoring elasticity, restoring luminosity and creating an immediate radiant
effect.
The lightweight elixir is oil based and when massaged into
the skin, absorbs beautifully, leaving a slightly dewy finish. To me, it smells
a bit like honey; gently sweet and sort of floral. A pleasant, comforting
scent.
The L’AVES Bright & Lift Facial Elixir contains a blend
of flower, fruit and vegetable oils including Camelia, Rosehip, Cucumber Seed,
Tomato Seed, Broccoli Seed, Pomegranate and Neroli. Rosemary Leaf Extract, Vit
E, Sugar Beet-derived Isoamyl Laurate (a kind of natural alternative to
silicone), Olive Squalene and Algae Extract are also in the mix, which is
designed for use morning and night on the face, neck and décolleté.
L’AVES products are 100% vegan, 100% natural and 90%
organic, cruelty free and contained in recycled packaging. For more info on the
brand and the products (there really is a lot to explore), visit L’AVES.
Thursday, 13 August 2020
Sol de Janeiro Travel Light Set
(Affiliate Link) This little travel set of two body creams from Sol de Janeiro is not only great for throwing in your hand luggage but is also a brilliant way to sample a couple of products. I’ve previously blogged about the iconic Brazilian Bum Bum Cream but hadn’t tried the brand’s newer offering, Coco Cabana, before I got this set. I was pretty desperate to try the Coco Cabana to be honest and at £12 for this kit, it’s probably the most affordable way to do so.
Each pot of cream is 25ml, so they are pretty tiny but
provide more than enough product to test both the consistency and scent to decide
whether you’d commit to the full sizes. Bare in mind, these products are very generously
scented and just the smallest amount of cream will likely be enough to have you
smelling delicious.
Speaking of scent, if you don’t already know Bum Bum Cream
basically smells like a sort of boozy, tropical dessert, with notes of salted
caramel and pistachio. A lot of people absolutely love the smell of this stuff
but there are some who can’t stand it. If you’re not into sweet scents, it
probably won’t be for you.
Coco Cabana on the other hand is very coconut-centric. With
notes of warm vanilla, toasted praline, sandalwood and tropical orchid. It’s
quite a sophisticated coconut scent, absolutely perfect for warmer months, with
a lightweight fast absorbing texture. It’s almost gel – like and a lot lighter
on the skin that the Bum Bum Cream. Coco Cabana also doesn’t smell as in-your-face
as Bum Bum, which some people might appreciate.
Bum Bum Cream also has Mica added into the mix to add some
lustre to the skin, while Coco Cabana doesn’t. They’re both beautiful, slightly
unusual, tropically scented products that make a perfect pair.
You can find the Sol de Janeiro Travel Light Set at Feel
Unique.
Monday, 10 August 2020
The Inkey List SPF 30 Daily Sunscreen
skincare, SPFTuesday, 4 August 2020
Estrid Razor Subscription Review
Estrid, hair removal, shavingOnce you get through to the billing page, you'll see that you're only charged for your starter kit and won't be charged for your first round of replacement cartridges until the following month. Bare in mind that you can skip, pause or cancel the subscription if you try out the starter kit and decide it's not for you, or if you don't think you're going to need replacement blades as soon as you thought. You're really not locked into anything here.

Cruelty-Free and Vegan (yes, apparently that's a thing) the razor itself is obviously pretty aesthetically pleasing but I was pleasantly surprised by its durability. It's got some expensive-feeling weight to it (you know what I mean?) with a steel handle with a rubber underside for good grip. And we all know how important a firm grip is when it comes to wielding a razor. Ergonomically shaped to comfortably fit into your hand, the razor comes with a 5-blade, removable and replaceable head with Aloe Vera and Vitamin E for a smooth, close shave. It probably sounds odd but I'm impressed with the Aloe Vera and Vitamin E bit. It's not like one of those glued on lubricating strips that goes gloopy and swells up after it gets wet once and it doesn't fall apart, leaving bits all over you. It's sort of stone-like but satisfyingly slippery when wet. I have shaved my legs relying only on the lubrictaing bit of the razor for slip, and it glided over my skin beautifully.
This razor really does provide a beautifully close shave that leaves me with no irritation, so even though I was given the razor for review, I am tempted to subscribe for the replacement cartridges. It's worth mentioning that subscribers have the option to purchase a few extras to complement their shave, including a Shave Cream, Body Lotion and Body Oil Wash priced from £7.95 to £8.95.
You can find out more and subscribe by visiting Estrid *. If you do choose to subscribe, use the code EQUALITY and Estrid will donate one euro to Fawcett Society, the UK's leading membership charity that campaigns for gender equality and women's rights at work.