Wake your eyes up!

The eye roll on is a product I have wanted to try for a long time now, I often suffer with bouts of insomnia, so finding suitcases instead of bags under your eyes in a morning after you have finally fallen to sleep is not a new thing for me and concealer has been a god send.

The Simple skincare brand is something I have used for the past 6 weeks and I have grown to love them.  Priced at around £4.99 in Boots, the Simple Kind To Eyes Revitalising Eye Roll-On is sold within in a cardboard packet which contains a 15ml tube. Information is supplied on both the outer packet and is printed on the tube itself and you can read more about it HERE.

What they say:

Smile, it's Simple. When your skin's happy and fresh faced, you feel healthier and happier too! Simple's Revitalising Eye Roll-On contains a refreshing eye gel formulated with cucumber extract and vitamin goodness to wake up and reduce puffiness and revitalise tired eyes.

Now this product is actually a 'roll-on' the end of the tube, where the liquid is released from, is fitted with a small stainless steel ball which, when pressed slightly, releases liquid from the tube over and onto your skin. This is the first eye roll-on product I've ever used so I had no expectations and I have nothing to compare it with or against.

The first thing to note is that you do not need to squeeze the tube, the liquid is released with minimal effort, when it comes to using it on your under-eye, and this is how best to use it:

How to use it

"For best results; Apply the Revitalising Eye Roll-On to the eye area in light circular movements. If required smooth in any remaining liquid with your fingertips. Avoid contact with eyes”.

So taking your tube between your thumb and forefinger, as you would hold a pen, you simply roll the roller ball to the area that is under your eye just a few times. As you do this, the first thing you notice is that because the roller ball is metal it creates a lovely cooling sensation under your eye which massages as you roll it along your skin which I find really wakes you up, then combined with the gel which is also cool to the touch, both work together to really wake your eyes up in the morning.

There are three main points with this eye roll-on:

1. It contains Pro-Vitamin B5 which actively restores smoothes and softens
2. It contains 3 skin loving nutrients:

• Cucumber Extract which refreshes and revitalises
• Glycerin which hydrates and nourishes
• Lupin extract which helps to reduce puffiness

3. No Perfume, No Colour - no unnecessary ingredients and no harsh chemicals

I found the gel, which is clear, to be quite a thin texture which for under the eye is perfect, the last thing you need is something that resembles the consistency of hair gel stuck to your under-eye.  Instead what you will find is that it absorbs itself quite quickly into your skin and there is no greasy after-feel.  Sometimes there is some gel that hasn’t quite sunk in, usually if you apply too much and to aid it along, you simply use your fingertips to massage the gel in.

There is no dominant over-powering smell which I am quite pleased about, given that Simple products are fragrance free; this wasn’t a concern I had.

After using this product on your eyes, it does improve the under eye area and definitely makes you look more alert and awake.  After one notable bout of insomnia and I was beginning to look tired, I use this eye-roll on and it definitely help de-puff my eyes and once my concealer was added, you would never have noticed how tired I looked first thing.  One thing to bear in mind is that this product is not a miracle cure and doesn’t make any claims to solve any long term problems, it does exactly what it claims it will do on the box - wake up tired eyes.

I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase this product, for a tube that hold 15ml of a product and can last 3 weeks when using it every day and make me look more alert and feel more awake, it is worth every penny of its £4.99 costs.

Work it baby... Work it...

I really miss my Tangle Teezer, I had for it years, back when they first came out and now I cannot find it and it is driving me insane, I am convinced I left it at a hotel I was staying at a few weeks ago.

Anyway, I haven't got around to ordering another one just yet, it is one of those things which is on my list to do.  However, whilst in Asda, I came across a product by 'Spa Gallery London', not someone I have ever heard of, or used the products of. However, this product is called 'Shower Brush' and it is sold in a really nice ice blue packaging which catches your eyes as it sits on the shelf amongst the other hair brushes.

The Shower Brush claims that it 'works through tangles' which is written in bold lettering which again is eye-catching in black lettering on the side of the packaging.

Similarly to the Tangle Teezer, this brush has flexible pins which glide through the hair without pulling or ripping it out, as you work it through your hair, it detangles as it goes.  The cushion part of this brush is soft and smooth and when it comes into contact with your head it helps the pins glide through your hair.

The pins on this brush are really quite soft.  The very reason I use a product like this is because I like how they help to distribute shampoo, conditioner, hair and scalp treatments evenly throughout your hair and on your scalp.

I always find my hair feels much better when brushed in the shower.  You can of course also use these brushes to distribute oils, gels, wax, conditioning lotions and anything else you might put onto your hair - even dry shampoo, which this particular brush is very good at brushing out.

The design of this brush is something I really like, the short little handle on the back of the brush makes it easy to grasp on to when using, especially with wet hair, as you can see in the photo's shown below, the handle is fairly long and and there is enough room for your index finger to go underneath the handle and then your thumb rests flat on the outside of the handle.

Finally - this shower brush retails for just £3.50 and in my opinion it is as good as the Tangle Teezer and I am glad I decided to impulse purchase it.

Have you got a Tangle Teezer?  What do you think of it? Would you buy this Shower Brush?

Is it really a Miracle Oil?

When Bio Oil first hit the UK market back in 2002 I remember quite a few of my friends buying it and using it and over the year a lot of my friends who have had children have used it to keep their stretch marks at bay.  I have never had children, but I naturally have a few marks on my body, some of which I more than want to hide from view.

The Bio Oil bottle is encased in a cardboard box which is both white in colour and detailed with a bright orange, almost luminous writing.  You are told on the box that it is for specialist skincare and that helps scars, stretch marks and so on.  Everything you need to know about this product can be found written on the box - everything from what it is, how to use it, what it does and its ingredients are all detailed.  

Opening the box there is a further information leaflet inside which re-iterates what you will have read on the box.  Then comes the Bio Oil bottle -  a clear see through plastic bottle with a white screw on and off lid, your eyes are immediately drawn to the Oil inside the bottle which you can clearly see, a first description of it, I would say it is a slightly orange colour.

One of Bio Oils key ingredients is called 'PurCellin Oil' which is easily absorbed into the skin and this particular ingredient is said to help with : 

Dehydrated Skin: Helps replenish the skin’s natural oils, stripped away by factors such as extreme weather, water with high chemical content, frequent bathing and the drying effects of central heating and air-conditioning



Weight Related Stretch Marks:  Helps prevent formation of stretch marks during periods of rapid weight gain or loss and helps to improve the appearance of existing stretch marks



Uneven Skin Tone: Helps improve appearance of uneven skin tone caused by hormonal fluctuations, skin lighteners or excessive sun exposure



Ageing Skin: Helps smooth and tone ageing, sagging and wrinkled skin on both the face and body, including skin over exposed to UV light. Plus ideal for age spots and softening cuticles



Daily Moisturiser: Helps moisturise the skin and can be used in conjunction with other skincare products as part of your everyday skincare routine. Built into a daily skin care routine, Bio-Oil can be applied all over the body, including the face, on its own or underneath a daily moisturizer, or as a night treatment. Great for dry patches such as dry elbows, heels and anywhere else that needs some TLC
• Scars:  Improves appearance of new and old scars whether from surgery, accidents, burns, insect bites, scratches and chickenpox.

You can see more information on Bio-Oil and all of its claims here - http://www.bio-oilprofessional.co.uk/

Bio oil is designed to help improve the appearance of scars and stretch marks, help with uneven skin tone and hydrate aging skin, whilst combating fine lines and wrinkles. Bio oil is made without harming animals and contains an ingredient called PurCellin Oil, it is toxicological safe and can be used by pregnant women. Other ingredients within this product include:

Vitamin A – helps improve the skin’s elasticity, texture and tone
• Vitamin E – helps increases the moisture content of the epidermis, thereby making the skin softer, smoother and more supple. Vitamin E also assists in the maintenance of healthy-looking skin
• Calendula Oil – has the ability to clarify and stimulates the growth of new skin cells
• Lavender Oil – known for calming and soothing benefits
• Rosemary Oil – helps to invigorate and it has a mild antiseptic capabilities and thus eases congestion, puffiness and swelling of the skin
• Chamomile Oil – has a calming and soothing effect and is particularly beneficial for sensitive skin

Further details on the rest of the ingredients can be found on the Bio Oil homepage which you can find HERE

As this oil has quite a thin consistency, you might need to be careful when dispensing it, though the bottle has its own inbuilt dispenser to help with applying it, but I tend to use it by pouring some into the palm of my hands and then rubbing my palms together before applying to the skin.  When you apply this oil to the skin, it wont come as a surprise to find that it is greasy, but only for those few seconds it remains on your skin without being massaged in, the second you begin to massage your skin it disappears immediately and all it leaves behind is a lovely rose and lavender scent on your skin.

I have a few scars on my body from injuries, one which really makes me feel self conscious was on my foot.  When I was 10 years old I managed to put a gardening fork through my foot (yes I did) and then pulled it out again.  I am sure you can imagine the damage it caused and over the years this scar has been something I have been embarrassed by, so this was my main ‘attack’ area with Bio Oil, the other being a scar on my wrist from an iron.  So since the beginning of February, I have used Bio Oil, as instructed on many scars across my body, but mainly on these two and I am amazed by what I have found.  Below is a photo of my ironing injury, as you can see there is a slight outline of what was once there, usually I have my watch covering the majority of the scar, so there are no other photos of it, but the difference for me is amazing.  The scar on my foot is much older than the one on my wrist and again there has been a noticeable improvement in how the scar looks, it has faded a lot and again for me this is brilliant.  

Bio Oil does advise that you should use this oil for a minimum of 3 months and whilst for me we are almost at the 6 week stage, half way there, the changes are really significant. I am beginning to feel much more at ease and I know that it cannot remove these permanent scars, but it has made living with them much easier.

For me, this has been a brilliant oil  and with its many uses, it is something I think everyone should try, if they haven’t done so already and probably something someone should have in their home somewhere for when they need that little extra bit of TLC or want to try it for themselves.  It is available in three different sizes:

• 60ml rsp £8.95
• 125ml rsp £14.95
• 200ml rsp £19.95

And you will find it in a whole host of stores, such as -  Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Asda, Lloyds Pharmacy, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Savers, Wilkinsons, and many independent pharmacies nationwide.   Bio Oil also have a Facebook page which you can find here -https://www.facebook.com/biooiluk

Finally Bio-Oil is preservative-free and is not tested on animals. 

Have you ever used Bio-Oil?  What did you think to it?

A holiday in your shower

If it has coconut in it, I am likely to buy it.  I love the smell, the taste and the feel of coconut.  So whilst in Asda I came across a new range of Radox Shower Gels and the one which caught my eye in its bright white packaging was ‘Coconut Kiss’ a shower cream which contains exotic coconut and milk.  On the shelves where you find shower gels, there is always a plethora of colours all trying to catch your eye and because this was bright white, I was immediately drawn to it and as it was on offer for £1, I bought two.  On the front of the packaging you will find the word Coconut in an orange colour with the word Kiss underneath in white and again, the colouring catches your eye along with the sticker that shouts ‘New’ to you as you move close to inspect it.  This shower gel is a 250ml bottle in the new design which is much easier to grasp onto with wet hands whilst in the shower.

I am quite a fan of Radox Shower gels and there is always a few in the bathroom, I buy the Mister some masculine smelling shower gels and I tend to opt for the more flowery or fruited scented ones.  This one fits in neither category, once you open the black flip top lid you can immediately smell the coconut, it is like having a Bounty chocolate bar and a bit of Malibu in a tube,  not an artificial smell at all, it just smells that wonderful.

What they say - Coconut Kiss

"For girls who like to chill and un-wind why not try Coconut Kiss: Why stop dreaming when you get out of bed in the morning? This blissful shower gel containing coconut and milk has a deliciously Caribbean scent that will allow you to calmly daydream into your very own world of paradise with super soft skin.

Radox Coconut Kiss Shower Cream is inspired by nature. This delicious blend of natural ingredients, like creamy milk and exotic coconut, evokes an uplifting burst of paradise to every shower. With fabulously fruity fragrances your Coconut Kiss shower cream will leave you smelling gorgeous all day“.

Upon squeezing the tube, you release a bright white cream which is fairly thick in texture and again that coconut aroma becomes more fragrant and unlike anything else I have used from Radox in the past, I simply loved it.  The cream itself produces a lot of lather, as soon as it comes into contact with your sponge, flannel, Loofah or whatever it is you use to wash yourself, the warm water fluffs the cream up and you are suddenly covered in coconut smelling lather, lots of it.  As you stand immersed in your coconut lather and wash yourself you could be on your tropical island with your cocktail, the smell is that fresh.

After showering I was delighted that the coconut smell was so strong on my skin and again it isn’t an artificial smell, it is a fresh coconut smell, almost as if you have covered yourself in coconut cream, Malibu and eaten a Bounty, it is delicious and it stays put for hours after using.  My skin, well soft and smooth to the touch as well, absolutely no complaints from me and as soon as the bathroom door is opened and the steam is allowed to escape throughout the house, with it goes that coconut scent into every room.

This is a delightful smelling shower cream, one of the best I have ever used from the range and one that is likely to remain in my bathroom for a long time to come, well worth the £1 I spent on it as an offer and I would happily pay the full price of £2.15 for it.  You can find these products in Boots, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Savers.

Did you know...

·         ‘Super’ power showers are costing the average family £928 a year and an individual person over £18,000 in their lifetime- the same as the average deposit for a terraced house in the UK.

·         Brits could save almost £10,000 in a lifetime, and over one million litres of water (1,514,240 litres) by halving their showers