Optiat Coffee Scrubs

One of the reasons I absolutely love beauty boxes is because every now and again you come across a product that you just absolutely love and had it not been in that box, you might not have come across it. Optiat, which I chose as my selection from January You Beauty Box (here) is described as being a nature friendly company who transform used Arabica coffee grounds into scented scrubs that make you look and feel fantastic. 

It is no secret that I absolutely adore coffee scrubs and these two are just incredible as is the story behind the brand.

Founder William Brightman explains the concept behind his coffee scrub idea:

"Having received a cafetiere for Christmas, I began making my own coffee. However, I realised that post-brewing, the freshly brewed grounds had to be thrown away. With more than 55 million cups of coffee drunk every day in the UK, this represents a big waste problem. Indeed, it turns out that more than 500,000 tonnes of coffee grounds are sent to landfill every year in the UK alone! I saw an opportunity to change this."

So why do I love coffee scrubs? Well the smell firstly. Coffee is just an incredible scent and I adore it. Secondly the fine grounds act as a natural exfoliator which gently removing the surface layer of dead and dry skin cells. Thirdly, Coffee is the same pH as your skin so using it in this way isn't drying. Fourthly it is high in antioxidents. The antioxidant level in brewed coffee grounds is much higher than those in freshly ground coffee. We all know that antioxidents help to fight free radicals, one of the main causes of the signs of ageing and finally the caffeine in coffee helps stimulate blood flow, it is effective against skin conditions such as acne, eczema, cellulite and stretch marks and works to address those areas in need of renewal and regeneration.

So the two scrubs that I selected for this beauty box were Lemongrass Lifter and Mouthwatering Mandarin. Lemongrass Lifter s described as follows: "Scrub up zesty after getting hot and sweaty. A blend of used Arabica coffee grounds and lemongrass essential oils, this Lemongrass Lifter refreshes you after working up a sweat". If you love the scent of Lemongrass then you will love this. Not only is the scent of freshly brewed coffee just incredible, but mixed with the zesty tang of the lemongrass and in a morning it is the kind of which drags you awake.

The second scrub which is aptly titled "Feel Great" Mouthwatering Mandarin Coffee Scrub - has the following description "Scrub up deliciously for date night. A blend of used Arabica coffee grounds and mandarin essential oils, Mouthwatering Mandarin keeps you feeling fruity all night long". Unlike the Lemongrass Lifter scrub, I actually do prefer to use this one in an evening rather than a morning, possibly because I find orange scented products quite relaxing rather than invigorating. On the skin, again it is a delight to use and the orange scent mixed with coffee is just delightful.

Both of these scrubs are not only suitable for your entire body but they can also be used on your face, something I haven't yet tried. When using you only need to squeeze the tube slightly to have more than enough product and then you simply massage it onto the skin in circular motions to ensure it is being used to its best ability and yes it is a bit messy.

A 220g tube is priced at £9.99 here and as well as these two scents there is also two other options - Potent Peppermint and Vanilla Velvet to try.  So if coffee scrubs are your thing you need to try these and if you have never tried a coffee scrub but are quite intrigued then you need to try these!

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Merumaya Retinol Resurfacing Treatment

The brand Merumaya is no secret to my blog and I am a huge fan of Maleka who is the brains behind all of the amazing products. Whenever something new comes into my hands I can never wait to give it a try and right now I have been using Merumaya retinol resurfacing treatment for some good few weeks now and it is no surprise that I love it.

What I like about this product is that there is an upfront and honest point about Vitamin A (Retinol), it is a known fact that it can often cause irritation and inflammation with the way it works and in order to ensure that this is a product that resurfaces the skin without making your face fall off, the use of speciality natural ingredients have been used to counter the negative effects but to also impart additional benefit.

So what does it do? This cream is designed to resurface, improve density, target fine lines, add moisture, aid blemish control and soothe the skin!  To do that it uses a whole host of ingredients which are as follows:

Vitamin A boosts cell turnover, peeling away top layers to even skin tone, thicken the new skin layers and effectively smooth out wrinkles. For all these reasons and its ability to regulate sebum, it shows superb results for sensitive acne skins and reduces the visibility of resulting scarring. However, because Retinol is unstable, Merumaya used Vitamin A Palmitate, a stabilised version with proven efficacy.

Aroleat Samphira imitates the beneficial effects of Retinol, but without causing skin irritation. Proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, even out the skin tone, regulate sebum and reduce inflammation. Used together with Vitamin A, Aroleat Samphira allows Vitamin A to provide its many skin benefits without the associated inflammation.

Mediacalm - This is an active ingredient from the Boerhavia Root which has amazing calming properties. It works to restore softness to the skin and is intensely soothing.

Squalane is a natural component of the skin’s natural lipid barrier. We use Squalane from Olive Oil origin. This gives a luxurious feel to skin while supporting and reinforcing the skin’s natural moisture barrier.

Matrixyl 3000 - This is a peptide blend with a powerful skin repairing effect. It restores key proteins including fibrillin which is broken down with ageing.  It works together perfectly with Vitamin A to improve deep wrinkles. 

Finally, there are two different weights of Hyaluronic Acid and this is said to have double the effect of retaining moisture in the epidermis and dermis while also activating the skin’s own beta defensins, that help to prevent the microbial invasion that causes spots.

As Retinol is one of those ingredients that you possibly know about but are not sure whether you need it or know how to use it. This Merumaya Retinol Resurfacing Treatment is, therefore, the perfect product to try because its blend of ingredients ensures you get the resurfacing and peeling action without the without the inflammation or irritation.

This is a cream that for the first few times I used it, I did feel a slight tingle but I have had no side effects, no skin irritations or breakouts. I apply the cream after cleansing and as the tube is pump action, I find just a few pumps is more than enough to cover my face. My skin, is definitely beginning to reap the benefits of this some 5 weeks later. I do suffer from dry and dehydrated skin and this is becoming less noticeable and whilst spots and breakouts are not an issue from which I suffer, dryness on my cheeks is and this has now almost completely cleared up. 

This Retinol Resurfacing Treatment is only to be used at night time as part of your skincare routine, after cleansing. Then the during the following day it is important to ensure you wear an SPF, which you should be anyway because retinol can make the skin more susceptible to UV damage and irritation, but please do protect your skin.

This Retinol Resurfacing Treatment retails for £33.50.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise