Nourish London Targeted Skincare Collections

Vegan beauty brand Nourish London have released a new range of Targeted Skincare Collections, designed for specific skin concerns.

These handy kits have everything you need to help out with a range of skin issues including acne and blemishes, dry skin, sensitive skin and rosacea. At £65 each, these sets offer great value for money and are perfect for Nourish devotees and those who are new to the brand.

Nourish London Acne & Blemish Prone Skincare Collection, £65.00

A soothing set of balancing skincare solutions. This trio includes the Kale 3D Cleanse (100ml), Balance Essential Moisturiser (50ml) and Radiance Firming Facial Oil (15ml). The Kale 3D Cleanse is an amazing cleanser that I’ve used quite a lot. It’s refreshing and leaves skin feeling suitably clean but never stripped.

 

Nourish London Dry & Mature Skincare Collection, £65.00 

This set is all about hydrating, moisturising and firming. It includes the excellent Nourish London Kale 3D Cleanse (100ml), Kale Enzymatic Exfoliator (50ml) and Argan Skin Renew Moisturiser (50ml). The moisturiser is exceptionally hydrating and rich - I've used this one both during the day and overnight.

Nourish London Sensitive Skincare Collection, £65.00

This set is a relaxing trio of calming products perfect for soothing skin prone to sensitivity. The Sensitive Skincare Collection includes Nourish London’s Skin Renew Cleanser (100ml), Relax Hydrating Peptide Serum (30ml) and Relax Calming Moisturiser (50ml). The serum and moisturiser both have a lovely, true-lavender scent to them which I find incredibly comforting.

 

Nourish London Rosacea Skincare Collection, £65.00  

This set is a trio of gentle, soothing skincare solutions designed to calm areas of rosacea and inflammation. The set features Nourish London’s Skin Renew Cleanser (100ml), Probiotic Multi-Mineral Repair Mask (30ml) and Argan Skin Rescue (15ml). The mineral mask is a really cooling, soothing treat for the skin - a cream mask that doesn't set.

The brand new Targeted Skincare Collections are available now at Nourish London.

Yoga My Life Afterglow Replenish & Repair Night Oil

 (sample)

I love a good facial oil. There’s something distinctly luxurious about applying a good quality face oil, especially at night, so I’ve really been enjoying trying this offering from Yoga My Life.

Yoga My Life was founded by Farah Khan, a renowned Holistic Yoga Therapist, Trainer and Social Entrepreneur. The brand’s aim is to encourage people to actively practice self-care and self-compassion by ‘meeting yourself in the moment just as you are’.

Vegan, natural and eco-friendly, Yoga My Life offers a range of wellbeing services and products (find out more here) but today I’m talking about a rather lovely facial oil which is part of the brand’s new skincare range

The Replenish & Repair Night Oil is a carefully curated blend of oils designed to deeply relax the senses while feeding the skin as it naturally repairs and regenerates overnight.

Part of Yoga My Life’s new Afterglow collection, the Replenish & Repair Night Oil rejuvenates and softens with Rosewood, Neroli, Sweet Orange, Mandarin Peel, Star Flower, Ho Wood and Palma Rosa oils blended with Sweet Almond and Wheatgerm.

You just need a few drops to cover the whole face – just apply to your palms then take your time massaging the oil into your skin, breathing deeply to feel the Aromatherapeutic qualities of the oils.

On application, the oil feels soothing and nourishing but not too ‘thick’ or heavy. The combination of essential oils in the formula create a dreamy scent perfect for settling down for the evening/ getting ready for bed. The essential oil scent doesn’t hang around for ages, I noticed it lasted about half an hour for me, with a decent dose of soothing fragrance when first applied.

In the morning, I have noticed perhaps a little more glow than usual and my skin feels ‘fed’ and happy. I’m hopeful that makes sense! This oil may be designed for use at night but I’ve got it on now as I write this just before I get ready to collect my son from school.

Yoga My Life’s Afterglow range features a gorgeous array of products including the Clarifying Melting Cleanser, Soothing Facial Toner, Hydrating Moisturising Cream, Exfoliating Facial Polish and a delicious-sounding Indulgent Organic Cocoa Mask. The Replenish & Repair Night Oil is £49. The oil and the above products are all available at https://yogamylife.co.uk/. 

Tisserand Nature's Spa Comforting Bergamot & Sandalwood

(samples)

 You've probably seen some of Tisserand's products in Boots (I have) and maybe like me assumed they just produce essential oils. While Tisserand is perhaps known for a range of quality oils, they also create some rather lovely bath and body products, like the Sandalwood and Bergamot Soap and Hand Cream I have here.

These products are part of the Nature's Spa collection, a bath and body range crafted using natural fragrances inspired by nature.

Choose from Comforting Sandalwood and Bergamot, Uplifting Mandarin and May Chang, Soothing Lavender and Neroli and Indulgent Rose and Ylang Ylang. Each of the four collections in the Nature’s Spa range include a hand wash, body wash, hand and body soap, hand cream and bath soak, so there are plenty of ways to totally immerse yourself in your chosen scent blend.

Made using Coconut Oil and Shea Butter, the soap creates a satisfyingly frothy foam. I personally like to use a bar of soap in the shower these days (it makes me feel cleaner than shower gel somehow?) and this one is lovely for the body. I feel moisturised and comfortable afterwards, with none of that sort of tight-skin feeling that some soaps can create. The soap has a very present but also sort of subtle bergamot and sandalwood fragrance- it left my skin smelling clean and fresh, with a touch of scent from the essential oils.

The Bergamot and Sandalwood Hand Cream is richly scented and gorgeous. This hand cream features a blend of Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Aloe Vera and Vitamin E-rich Sunflower Seed Oil to soothe and nourish. It's incredibly non-greasy and quickly absorbed, so a perfect addition to your desk or handbag. The bergamot and sandalwood scent is very soothing and zen so very good to have close by during your workday!

The Tisserand Nature’s Spa Bergamot and Sandalwood Hand and Body Soap and Hand Cream retail for £6.50 and £12 respectively. You can find them online at Tisserand - they don't seem to be available online at Boots right now but that may change.

5 Fragrances to Wear to Bed

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 Since I've discovered my newfound appreciation for fragrances, I've really been enjoying treating myself to a little spritz before bed.
My post-shower routine was once all about skincare but now, while rinsing out my conditioner I find myself thinking about which fragrance I'm going to choose too.
Obviously, you can wear whatever scent you like but here I'm sharing a few that make me feel comfortable and cocooned - exactly what I need to get me in the mood for sleep!

E. Coudray is a brand I'd not actually heard of until the December Escentual Perfume Blind Trial box. The theme was Gourmand so I knew there would be at least one winner in the box but I was not expecting the effect this fragrance has on me. The fragrance was sadly discontinued after the sample boxes were created but luckily the E Coudray Vanille et Coco Body Oil is still available at Escentual. This is the softest, most comforting powder-puff scent. It's warm and delicious and basically feels like a cuddle. I've been wearing it to bed since I bought it. Despite the name, I don't really detect the coconut in this (maybe a coconut cream rather than tropical coconut) but I'm thinking this note could come through if I were to wear it in warmer weather perhaps.

R.E.M is another Ariana Grande fragrance that has totally surprised me. I already love Cloud and the fruit-tart-esque Sweet Like Candy and now the fairly new R.E.M fragrance has me audibly sighing. If dreamy sugared lavender, salted caramel and Tonka bean sounds good, just wait until you smell this beauty. It reminds me a lot of Lush's iconic Sleepy range; Warm, comforting, sweet but never cloying. The lavender in R.E.M gives the perfume a slightly masculine edge which counteracts the sweetness and adds to the incredible cosiness of the scent. I've read that a lot of people wear this fragrance to bed and I'm now one of them. An affordable celeb scent that smells a little expensive.

Nivea eau de toilette is that iconic original Nivea cream scent, bottled. The universally loved clean, powdery scent is incredibly comforting and familiar to me. It's probably very evocative for a lot of people, as Nivea cream was (and still is) a very popular face cream, so I imagine this scent would bring back some lovely memories of parents and grandparents during simpler times! There's also a Nivea Sun version; ideal if the smell of sunscreen takes you to your happy place.

Molton Brown Milk Musk is a very aptly named fragrance, though it could have easily been called Warm Hug or Comfort Blanket. To me, Milk Musk smells like just that - milk and musk. Well, to be more specific it's like a creamy, warm cup of vanilla-spiked milk with a little whipped cream on top and comfy, cosy cashmere socks. This scent is definitely milky but not hugely sweet, with a musky, woody dry down and a touch of sugar. I find it to be very subtle and very much a skin scent. Perfect for getting snuggly.


Want to sleep like a baby? Wear baby perfume! Mustela's Musti is a light, alcohol-free fragrance water designed for kids but great for adults.
With notes of Honey, Chamomile, Rose, Lilac, Citrus and Amber, this light fragrance smells clean and fresh. I can imagine this would be particularly pleasant as a bed-scent in Summer thanks to the refreshing citrus.

So that's five scents to wear to bed, but really fragrance is such a personal thing, so I say wear whatever brings you joy! 

I'd love to know if you wear scent to bed and if so, what's your favourite?

Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream Review

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 Looking for a retinol product that won't irritate but will work? Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream might be just what you're looking for.
I'm not well versed in all things Murad but I do feel like it's a brand to be trusted. I like the sort of no-thrills approach to skincare that the brand has and the fact that the products are advocated by quite a few well known skincare experts. I had heard great things about the Youth Renewal collection in particular and, always keen to trial different retinol products, went ahead and decided to try the Night Cream from the range.

The Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream promises to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles, increase radiance and improve firmness all while strengthening the skin's protective barrier.
Results can be seen after as little as 4 weeks, which is pretty impressive for a retinol product.

The night cream is formulated with Retinol Tri-Active technology which involves a fast acting retinol, a time-release retinol and a retinol-booster which work together to diminish deep wrinkles and lines. Also in the mix are Niacinamide and Picolinamide to strengthen the skin's barrier.

I have been using the night cream *almost* consistently for around two months and can in fact confirm that the legends are true. This product works and it works fast.
Not only is my complexion more even with a lot less pigmentation, but my skin feels pretty great- it's smooth, firm and I swear that the lines between my outer eyes and temples are not as deep.

I use one to two pumps most nights - I say above that I've being using it almost consistently because some nights I just want something simple with ceramides and moisturising/hydrating ingredients only.
Murad say that results are optimised when using the night cream along with the Youth Renewal serum and eye cream so I'm keen to get my hands on both of those at some point. For now though, I'm pretty impressed with the results I'm seeing from using the Night Cream alone.
Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream retails for £70 for 50ml packaged in a hygienic airless press-pump. I got my jar from Space NK but it’s currently in stock at AllBeauty for £56.50. You can also find it at Look Fantastic, Feel Unique, Marksand Spencer and of course from the official Murad site. It’s also worth checking out the Youth Renewal kits that include all three products from the collection.

Kayali Get Rich Kit

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 Huda Kattan's fragrance line, Kayali, has a very good reputation for producing quality, expensive-smelling scents at accessible price points. I've tried Vanilla 28 previously and quite liked it, so when I saw the Get Rich Kit that features a Vanilla 28 hand cream, me and my Christmas money got in there pretty quick.

Along with the vanilla hand cream, this little kit features a dinky 10ml bottle of Invite Only Amber, which was incidentally on my ever-growing list of fragrances to sample.
Alone, these products are beautiful, but together? That's a powerhouse situation!
Vanilla and Amber are two notes that are often put together in fragrance creation anyway and layering these two products just further confirms why. The result is creamy, boozy, sweet and powerful and will almost certainly turn heads.

Vanilla 28

This may be a scented hand cream but it is rich in both formula and fragrance, so it's potent enough to act as a scent all on its own. Don't let the fact that it's a 'hand' cream put you off either; apply to tops of arms, wrists, collarbones, all over or anywhere you like! The Shea butter formula is intensely moisturising but not greasy and it smells delicious. With Madagascan Vanilla and Jasmine, Vanilla 28 is balanced with warm notes including Musk, Amber, Patchouli and Brown Sugar. To my nose, this is a sexy vanilla rather than a dessert vanilla – it’s still cosy and comforting but it has an edge to it.

Invite Only Amber

I had read a few reviews of Invite Only Amber before I bought the Get Rich Kit; mainly five star ratings raving about how the blend is reminiscent of expensive Ouds and is a major receiver of compliments. Notes of Amber Resin, Black Cherry, Madagascan Vanilla, Honey de Provence and Tobacco Leaf are complemented by Roasted Hazelnut, Benzoin, Sandalwood, Citrus, Rose and Musks to create an incredibly enticing fragrance. To me, this smells boozy and smoky in the best way – and a little like Jack Daniel’s Honey Whiskey when first sprayed!

The Kayali Get Rich Kit is a great way to get a taste (or whiff) of Kayali fragrances and is equally good for on-the-go and on your dresser. Worth £35, the cheapest I’ve found the Get Rich Kit is £22.50 at Feel Unique.