Category: skincare

beauty, cruelty free, reviews, skincare

Skincare Saturday: Essential Vie Review*

ramblingmads

Today I thought I’d share my thoughts on some skincare I was recently sent to review.

Essential Vie Hydrating Moisturiser

🍓Highlighted ingredients were organic Argan Oil and Vitamin E.

🍓Suitable for sensitive skin (very important for me)

🍓Not tested on animals.

🍓Vegan.

🍓Free from parabens and sulphates.

🍓Made in the UK

This is a medium thick daily moisturiser, lightly scented from ingredients not added perfumes. It absorbs quickly and leaves the lightest of residues on the skin during absorption.

I did struggle with the pump at first as it seemed to get clogged and stop working, only allowing tiny amounts out. But I persevered as it seemed like a cream my notoriously stroppy skin could get on with.

I avoided areas where my eczema has flared as that really needs something a bit more ferocious and steroid-y (prescription time!)

I had no bad reactions to this and overall it’s similar I think to Superdrug’s Vitamin E cream in texture and consistency.

You can get this from Boots priced at £9.99 for 100ml.

Essential Vie Anti Stretch Mark Oil

🍓Highlighted ingredients are organic Argan Oil and Vitamin E.

🍓Cruelty Free.

🍓A blend of essential oils designed to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

The only fragrance is from the oils, this is easy to use and suitable for the whole body.

I used it on some rather angry looking marks on my arm from blood tests that have always bothered me. It seemed to lighten the skin a bit, and certainly added some moisture and improved the overall appearance of my skin.

I had no negative reaction and found this nicer to use than Bio Oil which I find slightly unpleasant to smell or feel. This didn’t leave my skin greasy or my hand after application.

You can pick this up in Boots priced at £11.99 for 100ml.

*I was sent these products to test and review but all words and opinions remain my own.

beauty, cruelty free, make up, reviews, skincare

Sey-Beaute Naturelle Lipsticks*

ramblingmads

Sey-Beaute is an independent, cruelty free, vegan beauty range designed by an incredibly talented lady called Meghan who was inspired to start her line while studying in China and struggling with her hair health. Hailing originally from the Seychelles, but now based in the UK, Meghan went back to basics – coconut butter and other natural ingredients that have been used for years.

I was gifted a selection of gorgeous soy based lipsticks to test as well as a tub of delicious smelling watermelon body butter.

Sey-Chic is a gorgeous purple-pink, a warm toned lipstick that brings a pop of colour to my pale winter skin.

Sey-Shea is already a favourite, a rich golden nude that I wasn’t sure would work on my skintone at first, but imparts a slight shimmer in place of my more usual matte nudes.

I also have three of the Sey-slick lipsticks in purple, brown/red and dark pink. All rich, but not overwhelming shades, and you know I love a dramatic lip.

The use of shea and coconut oils mean these lipsticks are moisturising as well as pretty, taking care of my lips while looking good.

The watermelon body butter smells like summer and is made of all natural ingredients that my thirsty skin loves.

The use of natural ingredients and the cruelty free nature of these gorgeous products mean I can see Sey-Beaute becoming a firm favourite and one more people should be aware of.

Currently you can only purchase products directly from Sey-Beaute but I’m sure that will soon change and you’ll see these beauties stocked on the high street.

*this post contains gifted or sponsored items but all words and opinions are my own.

beauty, beauty boxes, cruelty free, haircare, latest in beauty, make up, reviews, skincare

Beauty Box Review: Winter Glamour by Latest in Beauty*

ramblingmads

One of the worst things about winter is once Christmas is over the glamour quotient disappears. The velvet, glitter, sequins all gone.

But when Latest in Beauty sent me their Winter Glamour box it brought back a little sparkle.

This box is rammed with treats – and I’ve already played around with a lot of it.

Max Factor Creme Bronzer in Light Gold – I’m not great with bronzer, I think I get a bit confused about whether it should be like blusher or highlighter in terms of application but this is very pretty and shimmery.

This Works Plus Hair Elixer – this spray goes on your hair at night to improve its quality. It smells quite herbal and I definitely want to see if it helps my grumpy hair.

Nude by Nature Radiant Loose Powder Foundation – I’ve never used a powder foundation before – my bad skin as a teenager required thick cream/liquid and I’ve mostly used various liquid bases since then. I think this is lovely and silky and could work quite nicely over the worst patches when my liquid foundation isn’t enough.

Rodial XXL Lip Liner in Nude – I don’t really use lip liner as the lipsticks I wear don’t really seem to bleed but some of the newer ones I’ve bought are a bit feathery so this might be useful. And as a nude tone I reckon it’ll work under most shades.

Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Leave in Conditioner – I haven’t used this yet because I haven’t washed my hair this week, and it says it should be smoothed through damp hair but having used a similar CW product before I know it was quite nice on my hair.

Moroccoanoil Treatment – argan oil is my hair’s best friend so this will get used quickly.

Ecotools Perfecting Blender Duo – I have these sponges so extra are always welcome. I love a blending sponge.

Kitsch Hair Ties – these are so sparkly and cute. Sometimes I feel like I collect hair ties, I have so many.

The Vintage Cosmetic Co. Duo Pencil Sharpener – this is very helpful, I don’t know what happened to my last sharpener.

Most of the items are from cruelty free brands, with one or two exceptions (I like to check on this website and via Google before I buy).

This is a really nice mix of products, some boxes can be heavily weighted to certain types of products, and I like the inclusion of the beauty tools and hair ties.

*I was gifted this item for review but all words and opinions are my own.

beauty, cruelty free, reviews, skincare

Product Review: Dr Botanicals Moroccan Rose Light Summer Cream* 

ramblingmads

I’ve been testing out the Dr Botanicals Moroccan Rose Light Summer Cream for a while now and thought I’d share my thoughts.

Dr. B is vegan friendly so cruelty free and contains no animal derivatives. Containing rose water and coconut oil, this soothes and hydrates skin while Tiare Flower extract nourishes the skin. This is quite a heavy moisturiser compared to some of the others I use and I prefer it for the days I’m not wearing make up as it doesn’t play well with my foundation. The fragrance isn’t too strong and fades quickly, so you can still wear perfume without the scents clashing.

The only thing I didn’t like was that it warmed my skin and felt a bit weird the first few times I used it. However I didn’t see any concerns and my rosacea didn’t flare up or become irritated. Overall I think this is a pretty decent moisturiser if you want something to keep your skin happy in winter.

*I was gifted this item in exchange for review. All thoughts and words remain my own.

beauty, reviews, skincare

Skin Refresh with Frezyderm* 

ramblingmads

As some of you may know I have rather complicated skin concerns ranging from extreme paleness to rosacea and ezcema. 

The team at Frezyderm have developed a range of products designed especially for sensitive skin and rosacea. 

They kindly sent me three items to test on my grumpy skin. 

Mild Wash Liquid – suitable for all ages, designed for sensitive skin. 

Sensitive Red Skin Facial Cream – suitable for all ages, designed to control rosacea and redness. 

Sensitive Red Skin Tinted Cream – CC cream with SPF 30, suitable for all ages, designed to cover rosacea symptoms. 

The face wash is ok, it works well enough but it didn’t leave my skin feeling as squeaky clean as I like so this has become a morning wash to get my rid of any sleep residue. 

The moisturiser I’ve found  works best over a serum. It’s not really heavy enough for winter as my skin gets thirsty, but so far I’ve been using it on make up free days over My Good Skin serum from Boots, the only real issue is that it doesn’t have any SPF so I have to layer that on too.

The only product I haven’t really got any use out of is the CCC cream and thats because it’s too dark for me. Which is a shame as I was hoping it would work as an alternative to my foundation when I just want to cover the redness. 

*indicates gifted or sponsored items but all words and opinions are my own. 

beauty, Christmas, cruelty free, lifestyle, make up, skincare

A Very Soap & Glory Christmas…

ramblingmads

This Christmas I didn’t do too well on the beauty gifts but I did receive a lot of Soap & Glory gift sets, which after missing out on their Advent Calendar, was pretty nice. 2018 I’m going to be squeaky clean. 

The Hello Soaper Spa set was probably the most wasteful in terms of packaging with a cardboard cover over a plastic, non-recyclable, tray inside. It contained Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss, Face Soap & Clarity Vitamin C face wash, The Righteous Butter body wash, The Scrub of Your Life body buffer, The Righteous Butter body butter & Sugar Crush body wash. 

Glow Ball is housed in a round tin, that if you had an enormous tree could be a bauble. It was a bit tricky to open and I had to get C to help me. Inside was a shower puff, Smoothie Star Breakfast Star body polish, Smoothie Star body buttercream, Hand Food hand cream & Rich and Foamous body wash. 

The Lime of Your Life is also in a reusable tin, full of travel sized goodies. Sugar Crush body wash, Clean On Me and Rich & Foamous body wash pods, Sugar Crush body scrub, Sugar Crush body buttercream and Hand Food hand cream. 

 
Spa of Wonder is a reinforced cardboard hamper with a clever holographic lid. Inside it is absolutely packed full of Soap & Glory. Bright & Beautiful mask, The Scrub of Your Life body scrub, The Righteous Butter 3-in-1 body wash, Clean On Me shower gel, Smoothie Star body milk, Thick & Fast mascara, Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss, Supercat liquid eyeliner, The Righteous Butter body butter, Face Soap & Clarity Vitamin C face wash. You might be thinking, good grief that’s a lot of shower gels but they will all get used. I love a nice hot shower with a moisturizing skin friendly body wash. 

The only product that won’t get used is the two lip glosses – something in them triggers an allergic reaction. 

Soap & Glory is a cruelty free brand so that’s an added bonus and I have it on good authority (aka I asked them) that the microbeads in the face wash are biodegradable and don’t cause any harm to the environment. 

If you know me irl then I recommend going to Boots and sniffing a few products so you will know 2018’s signature scent – my Soap & Glory Christmas obsession.  

beauty, beauty boxes, reviews, skincare

Tili Beauty Box from QVC

ramblingmads

Tili is a beauty box from home shopping network QVC but it’s not a subscription box. You can purchase it as a one off for £20 including postage. I ordered mine on Monday and it arrived Thursday – which is super fast. 

While most of the items are sample size, all of them can be purchased on the QVC website full size which makes this more of a test it and see box than some others. Till actually stands for Try It Love It – something I only just got from the box’s inside lid, duh. 

Tula Exfoliating Treatment Mask 

Taya Red Clay Naturals Miracle Balm

Pixi Glow Booster 

Korres Water Lily Blossom Shower Gel

Erno Laszlo Firmarine Hydrogel Mask

Decleor Aroma Cleanse 1000 Grain Body Exfoliator 

Bio-Extracts Glow Boost

Laura Gellar Lash Boss Mascara 

Philosophy Purity Cleanser

Nails Inc. Nail Polish 

I really like this concept and can’t wait to test out all these goodies – although obviously I have to be careful with my sensitive skin (and winter is kicking my arse in terms of skin issues) but hopefully I will find some new favourites. 

Have any of you tried a Tili box? What did you think? 

beauty, beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, reviews, skincare

Glossybox – not a special edition this month

ramblingmads

So we’re back to the pink and black livery of the box after several fancier ones. 

But the contents can still be special I hear you cry. Well you’re wrong – it’s just ok. 

Between promoting the £59 Glossy drawer and changing all your Glossydots (which used to get you a free box) to points for lookfantastic’s website  (They do their own box so we’ll see how that pans out) it seems the team at Glossy HQ didn’t quite find 5 awesome things this month. 

One of them is actually from Boots own brand range – something I’ve never seen before in a beauty box. As Alice said of Wonderland “curiouser and curiouser”. 

Green Frog Botanic Natural Body Wash in Relaxing Geranium & Peppermint (RRP £8.95) – I’m never entirely sure what’s supposed to be relaxing about washing. It’s pretty much something we do so people don’t sniff on public transport and stare pointedly. 

Sportfx Candy Floss Moisturising Lip Balm (RRP £ 4.99) – this tastes like Lush’s candy floss lip scrub, which is basically sugar. What do you mean I’m not supposed to eat it? What are you, my dentist? (If you are and you’re reading this, I’m sorry). 

Boots Ingredients Charcoal & Willow Bark Sheet Mask (RRP £2.50) – I like my sheet masks on the slightly ridiculous side price wise especially in a beauty box, y’know, a bit exclusive. Not one I can chuck in a basket with deodorant and hairspray. Also my skin hates all charcoal based products  (based on a not remotely scientific experiment with charcoal facewash) – one for human guinea pig and fiance then. 

Beauty UK Cosmetics Contour/Powder Brush (RRP £6.99) – it’s a make up brush for blending and buffing. I have about a million, mostly from beauty boxes, mostly for the same reason. And yet I cannot find another of my perfect-for-eyes Lottie London brushes anywhere (I think it’s been discontinued). 

Collection Cosmetics Define & Perfect Eyebrow Powder in Blonde (RRP £4.19) – dirty blonde to be precise. And it seems to have dried up as I couldn’t seem to locate any powder in the tune or on the pointy brush thing  (not a spoolie just a plastic nib). 

There you have it, an ok box, I will eat (I mean use) the lipbalm and the body wash, the brush will move in with all the other brushes in my life, C will get another face mask (sheet masks on bearded men are hilarious, trust me) and the eyebrow thing will move to the bin.  

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, make up, reviews, skincare

Birchbox October 

ramblingmads

This month’s Birchbox just got dropped off, it’s a pretty box too. 

There are five beauty products in this box – two are fullsize. 

ModelCo Contour Stick RRP £8 – this is way too dark for me – it just makes me look like I haven’t washed. Shame as I picked it as my choice of ModelCo product this month.

 

Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash RRP £16 – this has a bit of a strange a scent probably because grapefruit and frankincense don’t really go. However it’s a good facewash – not too astringent but does leave skin nice and clean. 

Anatomical Grab Your Melons Shower Gel *Fullsize* RRP £1.50 – nice zesty morning shower gel. In collaboration with charity CoppaFeel this shower gel reminds you to check your boobs with a handy shower sticker. 

EcoTools Contour Perfecting Applicator *Fullsize* RRP £5 – essentially a beauty blender on a stick. Nice soft sponge designed to create and blend your contour. 

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner RRP £16 – essentially a skinny felt pen eyeliner in a nice solid black. Another way for me to end up with it smeared all over my face. 

A nice balance of products from the skincare and make up options. While I don’t think I’ll get much use out of the contour stick the rest will be handy. 

beauty, beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, reviews, skincare

Glossybox October – Unicorn vs Mermaid 

ramblingmads

This month’s Glossybox is about those two Instagram faves Unicorns and Mermaids. 

I received the Mermaid box which is a pretty greeny/purple colour. 

Inside there is matching paper and ribbon which is lovely, and will be very recognisable in the photos I’ve taken. 

The beauty products inside are very much in keeping with the theme starting with the Make Up Revolution Mermaids vs Unicorns eyeshadow palette. This is lovely, with shades covering something of a rainbow from greens to blues, purples to pinks. 

Sleek Creme to Powder Blush in Amaryllis – this is really pink but I have been told I can pull off a bright pink blush. It feels very soft and silky, gliding onto skin. 

Lord & Berry Magic Brow in Brunette – once again a brow product I can’t use, way too blonde for this. 

Bang Beauty Dolce Pink Cream Colour – at first I couldn’t work out what this was, the packaging gave nothing away – it could be a lip gloss, blusher, highlighter, who knows. However it seems to be an eyeshadow, a bright cream eyeshadow. Which is a bit of a random item. 

Kawaii Brush Cleanser – I have a cheap eBay version of this and it is brilliant for getting my make up brushes super clean. 

I really liked this box – something of a return to form for Glossybox, which as you know, I have occasionally been furious with for their choice of products. 

You can also purchase a unicorn or mermaid jumper from Glossybox to go with the box. Unfortunately they’re a) £30 and b) the large is still quite small. So I won’t be partaking.