Fresh as a daisy!

Sleep is something none of us can avoid, however we don't always get that much of a refreshing one. Technology, stress, jetlag.... the list goes on as to why we wake up angry and usually hangry too.
 
I've tried Lavender before in various forms, but then I discovered it in a more potent oil form by Fresh Skin - an essential oils specialist website (they are also on Amazon!)

In the last few weeks I've been using this in the form of a couple of drops on my wrists/dotted on my sleepwear and it has massively improved both the length and quality of sleep I've been getting, with noticeable effects each time I use it.

I've even massaged it into the side of my face when wisdom tooth pain has occured and I found an amazing relief from doing so. The bottle cautions to avoid skin contact, however I have had no problems personally and I usually react very quickly! Of course, choose whether to do this or not at your own discretion.
 
It also goes without saying, don't use if you are planning to drive before you've had a sleep as it's effects creep on you very quickly! I prefer to apply about an hour before I plan to hit the florally adorned sack (thankyou Debenhams bedding kids section!) ;)

Prices start from £1.89, and even that goes a very long way before you even start to make a dent in the bottle contents. Infact, the smallest size would be more than ideal for traveling as it would even fit in your liquid bag allowance.

I highly recommend for anyone who has trouble sleeping or who is looking for a better quality of sleep overall. Use 2-3 times a week max so you don't become too reliant, and make sure you drink plenty of water when you wake up as it's not uncommon to be out for 10+ hours with this.

Vichy Haul

I decided to make the most of the Boots 3 for 2 skincare offer which was on recently and I decided to try some Vichy products as I had heard many a good thing but never tried for myself before.

With me the things I look out for in my daytime skincare regime are hydration, as my skin can breakout if not sufficiently hydrated which is always a problem in winter with harsh weather and central heating! I picked 3 products which I felt would counteract this problem and I've been testing them for the last few weeks.

In no particular order.....

Vichy Liftactiv Serum 10 Supreme

I was originally going to go for 2 Vichy products then a regular non-Vichy favourite, however this caught my eye as it had a tester out next to it which is not always a luxury you find in the Boots skincare section!

It immediately felt really cooling and soft on my skin. It's has a clear, fluid consistency and product wise is similar to Lancome Advanced Genefique, and Elizabeth Arden Superstart Skin Renewal Booster - both of which are firm favourites of mine.

The serum sinks into skin nicely and mixes well with other products. It's also devoid of any strong smells which I'm sure will please alot of you out there.

Only dislike up to now is I'm not too keen on the dispenser. It's an in-lid pump/pipette which fails to pick up enough product to drop enough out so you do have to pour this one a little. If that doesn't bother you though, then I can't see it being too much of an issue.

It's currently priced between £25-£35 depending on what offers are on. On the price ticket in the shop it was actually listed at £15 and after the lady at the till stated I can't possible have seen it at that price - she checked it for me and I ended up getting it as my "free" item in the 3 for 2 offer. Remember, the customer is always right! ;)

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum

Hopefully by now it's becoming ever so slightly apparent I have a thing for serums! This one in particular I've had on my hit-list for a while as it's frequently mentioned by bloggers who like me, have trouble reigning in their parched skin.

Firstly, it has a pump dispenser which works so much better than it's Liftactiv counterpart. It feels super hydrating and would fit in perfectly under most moisturisers or mixed in with another serum for a quick hit of hydration as I like to apply it.

One thing that did surprise me is it has a texture very similar to water - so be prepared to wait a few moments before applying anything else on top as depending on the product it may "slip" slightly.

It's currently priced at £22.50 so think carefully whether you'd rather buy this or it's rival Hydraluron at just £2 dearer.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Cream

Out of all the moisturisers I have tried from Boots over the years, this has to be one of the best. It's not heavily fragranced, doesn't irritate and generally hydrates quite well. Having said that my make-up has a very *slightly* tenancy to peel if using this moisturiser when layered with other products underneath. Nothing major and can be resolved by getting the right formation of products. Remember my skin is dry - I have to layer those hydrating bad boys underneath! 

I like that it's a "stick your hand in" type pot, although I do prefer a spatula for such packaging types as I find it much easier and not to mention hygienic. Unfortunately I think I hoovered my last one up so someone please remind me to steal another next time I'm working for L'Occtiane and no one is looking repurchase from Amazon or another brilliant retailer like I did last time - promise. In all fairness they cost about 5p so I really should get onto that!

Price wise, it costs £17 for a 50ml pot which I think is more than reasonable. A similar one I have tried to this is the Lancome Hydra Zen   which for the same size as the Vichy would cost you £39.50.   

Getting On My Nerves!

You may have noticed an absence in posts and videos from me lately. Aside from being busy with work, I've had a few ailments to contend with.
 
For about 5 months of this year and up until a couple of weeks ago I had been suffering really badly with pains down my right side of my arm. It was to the point whereby I was getting the constant feeling of electric shocks down my hand, and my arm movements became incredibly limited, as I couldn't lift my arm up at all without being in alot of pain.

At times I couldn't eat or brush my teeth with my right arm (my electric toothbrush sent such insanely painful vibrations through my arm I could have cried) so was doing everything like that left handed. My skincare routine was again very painful and drying my hair with my hairdryer was out of the question. My arm was very weak and tingly all of the time. 


I had been taking painkillers, using heatpatches and even had my hand splinted for most of the day and night as a vain attempt to try and fix the problem, which I suspect was initially caused by reading my phone in bed at night at an uncomfortable angle.
 
After seeing my Doctor and being tested for diabetes and thyroid problems *again!* he ruled it was probably a trapped nerve. This was without even touching my arm or checking it, just taking a guess. His advice was that I should remain in the splint and continue taking ibuprofen if I'm in too much pain. All they could do for me is offer me pain injections if it continued and that was about it.I wasn't really satisfied with this response seen as I'd lost most of the use out of my right arm (I'm right handed as well!) and things were becoming impossible for me. It's only suggested you take ibuprofen for 10 days and it had been about 5 months at this point (I hadn't been taking pillkillers that long but just to demonstrate how impractical this advice was!)  

In my desperate attempt to get my arm back to normal I went on a hunt for a cure. I came across a video on YouTube about Swiss massage techniques which told not just how to do them, but how to look out for knots and what they feel like in the skin. I had no idea knots are actually lactic acid build up that need to be released by applying the right amount of pressure and drinking lots of water afterwards to help flush out the toxins.
 
I was absolutely fascinated by this video, and got my Mum to repeat some of the techniques on my back with a tiny drop of deep heat over the course of a week or so. It hurt like hell even though she was trying not to hurt me! She told me I was very knotted and what I found is it hurt less and less the more times she went over the painful areas (coincidentally on my right shoulder!)
 
I kid you not even after the very first time of attempting this, I regained almost all the moment in my right arm and the pain had 95% gone. This was after months and months of pain, tingling sensations and constant discomfort. I had no idea it even hurt up there until she went over it and it was one of those Eureka moments people go on about.

We've topped up the massage about once a week or so (I'm still getting the odd knot, which weirdly I can feel as I get shooting pains down my arm and into my hands) and I really cannot believe the difference. I've since had no real problems and can once again lift my arm up and dry my hair and everything else I haven't been able to do for months.

I've also limited the use of my phone especially at night. Just to put things in perspective even "liking" an instagram post before would have left me in agony and any swiping motion on an app was out of the question because of the pain it set off.
 
I thought I would share this for anyone else out there suffering with similar symptoms, you never know it might actually be a knot build-up in your back. I spent so long concentrating on my hand/wrist as this was the main source of pain but the problems were actually from much further up!
 
Please give the video a watch and look into having a Swiss Massage if this sounds like you. Even if you get someone else to push the knots out like I did, it's better than sitting there in pain! Also, watch your arm/hand angles when using technology to avoid strains and damage long term.


Hope I've helped some of you out there!

Ooops I did it again!

So it turns out I won another contest! My 3rd this year - oops indeed! But to be fair all products I have never tried before and lets be honest don't exactly have the budget for either!

Interestingly this was yet another contest that required a creative sentence as an entry, this time it had to be beauty related. Mine was....

"No amount of makeup can mask an ugly heart" - Kevyn Aucoin.

This is something I really believe in. Of course I love my beauty products, but I feel it's so important to look beyond the aesthetics. Having worked in the beauty industry it was really disheartening to work for certain brands I had always loved, only to find the other team members to be the "you can't sit with us!" type of people.... you know what I mean?

Well I bet none of them are sat here now with a box of Nars! It pays to be nice folks! ;)

Anyhoo as explained yes this is indeed a box of Nars. The limited edition edit for Glossybox infact which trended on twitter and sold out very quickly.

It contains Orgasm blush (no you have not stumbled on the wrong blog here!) This actually reminds me a little of the Sleek Rose Gold Blush, which I'm guessing must be a dupe of the Nars. Either way it's a super soft colour and I'm so grateful as these type of shades work beautifully on pale skin!

Lets ramp things up with Orgasm the multiple which before I have to slap a parent advisory sticker on this blog - is actually referring to the different ways in which this product can be used! I was immediately impressed with how softly it glided across my skin when swatching, it honestly felt like pure silk. Again the colour is subtle and really catches the light. I can imagine it would look great on all skintones.

Also featured is the Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien, the Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Via Veneto and the new Audacious Mascara. I think it's great how they have included products that are actually popular and better still really wearable! With the variety of products one box really does cover all bases.

I can't thank you enough Glossybox for choosing me, as mushy as that may sound to the rest of you. This was actually the first time I have ever tried any Nars products so I feel so lucky right now.
 

On closer inspection I discovered the original Glossybox seems to have contained all travel sizes, where as my prize contains full sizes! Okay I definitely need to get this post published before I actually faint.

The Body Shop Foundation Shade Adjusting Drops!

Today's post features a product that will no doubt interest alot of you out there like me who have super pale skin! Finding foundations that match us non tanned species perfectly is the bain of our lives right?!

The Body Shop have brought out two identical products with the opposite effect: One for deepening the colour of foundations, and the one above for lightening up foundations and cancelling out those orange and yellow tones that seem to be in every "porcelain" shade! - Thank God these people don't work for Dulux! ;)

Whilst it is a bit of trial and error to see how much is actually needed (also varies with each foundation you try it with and of course the shade!) overall I am super impressed, especially as each drop is pretty pigmented.

I've been wearing it with my Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Foundation the shade BR10. This actually used to be the perfect shade for me, but I re-purchased it and found the shade was much deeper than it was previously and if left unmixed would turn very orange on me!

I've been trying it with the drops as these actually help erridicate those orange tones with the soft pink undertones of this product - perfectly for the colouring that typically makes up pale skin tones. It's been working brilliantly and I can imagine it will breathe new life into all my other "too dark" foundations too!

I really think The Body Shop are onto something great here, and I hope it's a product that will do well and help alot of you out there! If you try this, please tag me on social media to show how it worked for you!You can purchase Lightening Drops here for the incredible price of £10 for 15mls. 

July Favourites & New Purchases!

July has been quite the month for favourites and new purchases (it was my Birthday on the 8th afterall!)

Allow me to walk you through some of my favourites...

This set was part of a cheeky little gift given to me by a friend who was working their last shift at Lancome (probably just as well after this post gets published) ;) Some of what was in the gift pack I've saved for my Mum, however I have really been enjoying the skincare in this.

Most notably, the two products that have given my skin a noticable lift are the Hydra Zen NeuroCalm Moistursier, and the Advanced Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate. Both sit really well under makeup and don't peel when makeup is applied on top (my personal bugbearer!) Equally nourishing and hydrating and don't aggravate my skin either.

Also picked up a sample of their Teint Idole foundation in shade 005, which I have been mixing in with a white foundation and one pump of the Touche Eclat foundation in the shade BR10. This combination has given me a full coverage yet luminious base which I have been loving - especially as I have worked for Urban Decay and L'Occitane this month and had an interview for Dior! 

MAJOR love for these! The Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Treatment Pads (which are currently on offer in Boots!) I was dubious to try these after being dissapointed with the F.A.B facial radiance pads. These however really worked and I definitely did notice a difference. I love how they are gentle but very effective and don't strip the skin. I also picked up the Glycolic Scrub from the same range which I've also been enjoying. 

You know when you see something and just instantly have to have it? Yep that. I couldn't even wait to use it before photographing it (sorry not sorry!) This is the All Day Soiree Palette from Sleek. It's for eyes, cheeks, contour and well... anywhere where you would want to place any of these colours! I am utterly in love, especially with the blush colour which goes on really softly but beautifully. 

Last but most DEFINATELY not least! The Kerastase Bain Fluidealiste Shampoo. You know one of those things you have wanted to try for a very long time? Yes that!

For the last couple of years I have only used SLS-Free shampoos as I find they are far better for the scalp and leave it feeling much more soothed. I have been through quite a few and it was a bit like a game of Goldilocks Porridge. Some didn't clean the hair that well, others didn't wash out very well and some were far too harsh and others smelt like boot polish! 

I picked this up from Look Fantastic which were offering it for the cheapest price but also free delivery. I used it and instantly fell in love! It made my hair something I normally find to be quite the chore to something I really enjoyed. My hair felt really soft, manageable and less frizzy which for a shampoo is quite amazing! I highly recommend for anyone after a non sulphate shampoo.
 
Those were my July favourites and purchases! Let me know if you have used anything I have featured below and what you thought!

Sunday Riley Luna Review

This post should really be entitled “Ooops I did it again!”.... as if you remember earlier in the year I won 3 Sunday Riley products at a Caroline Hirons event. I casually entered another Sunday Riley competition on Sunday's instagram page and well... you know the drill. Luna winged it's way to me and 11 other people all the way from sunny Houston about 6 weeks ago now and I've been testing it every night since.

What is Luna? It's a sleeping oil just for night time as it contains trans-retinol ester. It's a bluey-green colour as it contains blue tansy. It also contains German Chamomile, Avacado and Chia seed oils as well as Cape Chamomile. It's not suitable for daytime use or pregnant women.

So how did I find it? I think Luna is one of those products you love the more and more you use it, instead of straight away as with Good Genes. It has a light liquidy texture which makes it ideal for sandwhiching between serums/moisturisers. I've heard it's also amazing when mixed with said Good Genes however mine had ran out. Although from previous SR mixing, I've found you can indeed make your own concoctions from the different products and they all work amazingly together.

I've found that with continued use my skin has gained a nice clarity to it, and I can always see a difference the next day which for me is important. It also has not irritated or broken my skin out which is equally important! It's worth noting there is no sting or “tingling” with this product it just goes on like a regular serum/oil. It also does leave a slight blue tinge to the skin well it did on my skin anyway! But this is gone the next day.

Luna costs £85 and is available from Space NK or can be shipped from Sephora if you are not in the UK. If that amount is a comfortable amount for you to spend on skincare or if you are looking to treat yourself/a loved one then go for it. However if this is outside your budget go for an alternative instead. 

I personally find that high potency products are great for night time skin repair, where as in the daytime I go for more hydrating products. Luna certainly fits the bill and I am really enjoying using it. 

Have you used Luna and what did you think?