Give and Makeup

When I saw this post on the Escentual Website it struck a cord with me and with permission I have copied and pasted it. 

We all have ‘tried once, didn’t love’ makeup, skincare and toiletries.

Some of you may even have drawers full of the stuff, an archive of unsuitable presents and hasty purchases that are crying out for a new home. But don’t throw them all away in a fit of ‘New Year, New Me’ madness – if your New Year’s resolution is to detox, we’ve got a solution that will help you make others else feel a little better about themselves in 2015.

Donate your unwanted makeup and toiletries to Give and Makeup and you’ll be making a direct and tangible difference to women and children who’ve started the New Year in an unfamiliar place with limited possessions.  

About Give and Makeup

Give and Makeup is a non-profit initiative kick-started in 2010 by skincare guru and all-round wonderful lady, Caroline Hirons. Upon realising that women and children who escape from abusive households arrive at women’s shelters with absolutely nothing, Caroline brainstormed useful ways in which she could help. And her answer was straightforward: to donate and encourage others to donate surplus makeup and toiletries to shelters in the hope of restoring some normalcy to the lives of those who have found themselves in a desperate situation. The idea took root, and as of 2015 the Give and Makeup initiative has ensured thousands of products have made it into the hands of those who need them the most.

Escentual works with Give and Makeup by acting as a donation point, which means that anyone who wants to donate can send their products through to us, and we will deliver them directly to Welsh Women’s Aid. It’s simple, straightforward and very easy to get involved.

What you can donate

When women and children make the brave decision to come to the shelter, they often arrive with absolutely nothing. This means every donation is very important, no matter how basic. We accept a wide range of products on their behalf:

The Essentials	Skincare & Makeup	Babies & Children
Shampoo & Conditioner	Cleanser	Bath products
Bath/Shower Gel	Toner/Water Spray	Body lotion
Body lotion	Moisturiser	Nappy rash cream
Hair products	Serum	Cotton buds
Toothbrushes*	Foundation	Cotton pads
Feminine Hygiene Products	Mascara*
At-Home Hair Dye	Concealer*
Shaving products	Eye shadow
Tweezers	Lip Gloss*
Heated hair tools	Blusher
	Makeup brushes

Regarding the condition of the products, the rule of thumb is: ‘if you’d be happy to give the product to a friend, we’ll take it!’ If you have products that don’t appear on the list and you’d like to know whether they’re suitable for donation, tweet @escentual and we’ll be happy to help.

*Due to hygiene reasons, we can only accept the starred items in a brand new condition.

How to donate

Wrap your donation up securely and post it to:

Give and Makeup c/o
Escentual.com
63-67 Wellfield Road
Cardiff
CF24 3PA  (There is further information on Caroline Hirons page which is linked above)

What happens to your donation

When your donation arrives with us, we sort through it to make sure that everything included fulfils the criteria. Unfortunately, there are times when we receive products that are unsuitable for use (e.g. used mascaras and products that are almost empty), so try to follow the ‘What you can donate’ guidelines above to make sure that your donation is as useful as possible. Finally, we deliver the donations in bulk to Welsh Women’s Aid, who then get those essential products into the hands of women and children in sheltered accommodation across Wales.

You Beauty Discovery Box - January 2015

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I am a huge fan of You Beauty Discovery Boxes because they are not only amazing value for money but the actual concept is brilliant.  Most of us love Beauty Boxes and subscribe to them, most of the time not knowing what an earth you might find.  With You Beauty Discovery, every month you get a menu to choose from and then you also get one or two treats as well.

This month the list to choose from was again amazing and I was chuffed to find two products listed that I have wanted to try for some time and this is my box:

Every month within the box, which cleverly fits through your letterbox, is a little magazine to read and it is one I always read cover to cover.  This month we are told that the products we have had to choose from are about banishing the January Blues.  The freebies or little treats this month are ones I really like too and they are as follows:

Starting with a £25 off card for Hello Fresh - Hello Fresh is the UK’s leading cook-from-scratch delivery service. Hello Fresh believe that everything positive in life starts with great food and that everyone should have access to the highest quality ingredients and the knowledge to cook themTo make that happen they send you amazing recipes and all the exact fresh ingredients you need to cook them, direct to your door. Beautifully photographed recipe cards walk you through every recipe... No shopping, carrying or planning. The only thing you need to do is the fun bit: cooking and eating! PLUS, they won’t charge for delivery either.

Dove Youthful Vitality Hair BB Cream - Specifically formulated for ageing hair, the new Youthful Vitality range from Dove Advanced Hair Series helps replenish your hairs lost nutrients and restore elasticity. Dove Youthful Vitality BB Cream, part of the new Dove Advanced Hair Series, is a one step multi-tasker designed to replenish, style and protect hair. Formulated with anti-oxidants and a UV filter it improves manageability to make styling even easier.

Dragonfly Tea - I have tired some tea before from this brand and loved it. A family-owned, British brand, the range of teas keeps growing. With recently launched new look packaging, be sure not to miss this delicate and delicious tea brand. The brand scour the globe to find artisanal and often rare teas, some from remote tea gardens, and some from the world’s most renowned tea makers. Dragonfly Tea was the first to introduce favourites such as rooibos, white tea and honeybush to Britain’s high street. IN my box I have Swirling Mist, Green Gaucho and Mountain Honeybush.

The we have the products I actually chose from my shortlist, the entire list can be found HERE.  The first of my products is this:

MeruMaya is a brand I have read a lot about and not tried, though I did have some sample sachets somewhere and for the life of me cannot find them, so I was happy to see these options available and readily added them to my box.  So we have the Melting Cleansing Balm and the Overnight Recharge Night Cream.

• The Melting Cleansing Balm claims to efficaciously removes all traces of make up and grime and leaves the skin feeling velvety soft.  It uses Sweet Almond Oil allows thorough cleansing with moisture delivery and Echium Oil (RevitElix™) helps perfect lines and wrinkles whilst improving skin elasticity.
• The Overnight Recharge Cream uses the inclusion of FIVE highly potent actives addresses the complexity of effective and lasting moisturisation, that helps your skin perform better at every level and you can read more about those HERE.

My second choice this month was the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, another product I have read about and wanted to try.  

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil manages to remove all forms of impurities on the skin and can even be used by those who suffer from sensitive or oily skin (the ‘Oil’ in the product name can sometimes make those with oily skin think otherwise). As a make-up remover it completely dissolves all traces of dirt and cosmetics – even waterproof mascara and eyeliner – while nourishing your complexion with antioxidant-rich olive oil.

Now this box cost just £6.95 and look at the contents, isn't that just great value for money? I think so and I would love to know if you also subscribe and what you chose from the list!

Look Fantastic Beauty Box January 2015

I have been getting the Look Fantastic box for the last few months and it has all been detailed on my blog if you would like to see previous boxes.  For just £15 a month you get such great quality products that for me, this is one of the best subscription boxes that there is out there.  Sadly I wasn't a lucky winner of the 20 included GHDs..had hoped to win one of them, but I still love the box!

Now we are in a new year and I am hoping this box continues because I am so impressed with it and the January Box is amazing, there is nothing I dislike or wouldn't use and this is what was inside.

Firstly the box, it is always so well designed and strong, not at all flimsy and you can see the 'Look Fantastic' logo clearly visible on the front and inside, there is nothing to spoil the surprise as to what might be inside (unless you have looked for spoilers) because the card which details the contents is hidden inside.  

So this month I have been treated to:

Michael Van Clarke is a hair brand I am quite familiar with and have me the great man himself at a blogger event he hosted in his West End salon.  The Life Extending Haircare pre-wash Treatment is something I am a fan of as well as the '3 more inches' idea, which I wrote about HERE.  Essentially it isn't about adding or encouraging your hair to grow 3 more inches, it is about the unique formulation which naturally slows down the ageing process allowing the hair to stay stronger and healthier during its lifetime, so it can grow naturally thicker, longer and more lustrous.

Molton Brown is comes next and as a brand, it is one I don't feel I have tried too much of. I have had the odd sample here and there, but have never exhausted the products out there. This box has given me the Templetree Bodywash Which is described as being "A blissful bath and shower gel blended with moisturising algae extract and purifying templetree flower extract". It also includes Jasmine, Fruity Rose and Sandalwood and it smells absolutely amazing, I cannot wait to give this a try!

Another haircare product next with Philip Kingsley, whom for many is synonymous for his elasticizer. This box however brings me a product I have never tried before with the Daily Damage Defence. This is a leave-in protective conditioning spray which adds elasticity and provides defence from daily heat styling, breakage and environmental effects whilst adding shine and manageability for all hair types.

Nuxe comes next with a product I have tried before but really like. The Creme Fraiche masque is said to quench the thirst of the driest skin types to leave your face feeling smooth and moisturised not to mention radiant.

Gatineau Collagen Expert is the final skincare item within this box and it is a sachet sample.  Designed to revive and rejuvenate your eyes with clever eye compresses which are drenched in soothing marine-based collagen solution. They are also said to help reduce dark shadows, plum out wrinkles and relax the eye contour.

The final item in this box is not skincare or bodycare and nor is it for your hair. Instead what we have is a tube of MyVitamins which are dissolvable in water and are said to make a great tasting drink. Effervescent tablets are ideal for anyone looking to increase their intake of vitamins for a healthier lifestyle.

I have to admit, I am not the best at remembering to take vitamins or indeed any tablet, I always need to set a reminder in my phone which literally shouts at me to get on with it. So I will attempt to give these a go and see how it goes. The tube has 20 tablets in it which is an odd number as it isn't enough for a month.

So that is my January box and it is worth over £44 in total, which is pretty amazing value for money when I paid just £15 including delivery.

What do you think to the January Box?

Artistry Intensive Skincare - Advanced Skin Refinisher

I don't usually get too excited over skincare with fancy names, to me it is all about what it does as opposed to what it is meant to do... Sometimes those notions are few and far between.  When Artisty came into my life, I will admit, I wasn't all that enthused about it, but them I opened the box and my fascination was pricked.  You see the bottle within which the Advanced Skin Refinisher sits, is just stunning, it is something to coo over and ooh and aah it every time you see it.  So it is true, first impressions do count and that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover!

Artistry is a new brand for me, this is the first product I have used from the range and have no previous experience of using it or anything else, so actually it is a little bit more exciting than I have it credit for because this product, titled the Advanced Skin Refinisher is described as being an intensive “Smart Pore Eraser” for instantly softer, more even-textured skin and a progressively more refined look and feel, wow some claim!  

It uses a series of patented non-acid exfoliating ingredients which gently resurface skin’s texture, instantly transforming rough, dull skin into smooth, shine-free perfection. Intensely concentrated botanical extracts penetrate deep within the surface layers of skin, strengthening its natural support, making pores appear significantly diminished. Over 4 weeks of daily usage is said to reduce the size of pores by as much as 62%. Those ingredients are:

• Patented* Oat Extract and NMF Sugars exfoliate the skin’s surface area to unclog pores and smooth away roughness. 
• Anti-oxidant rich Lentil Seed Extract counters the hollowing effect in the wall lining of the pore for a reduced appearance of pores. 
• Java Tea Extract suppresses excess sebum production, down to the core of the pore. 
• Star Fruit Extract reinforces the outside area of the pore’s structure to help reduce slackening, visibly tightening pores for an even texture.

I have used this product for almost 6 weeks now and whilst I haven't as yet seen any dramatic reduction in the size of my pores, because they aren't that visible to begin with, what I have noticed is that my skin feels velvety smooth as soon as it is moisturised into the skin and that effect lasts for an entire day, whether I am wearing make-up or not and let's face it, I've been having a lot of duvet days and make up has not been required, so my skin has really been treated and cared for. As the cream touches the face, it feels every bit as luxurious as you would expect it too, quickly absorbing itself and leaving no trace that it was ever there behind.

The downside however is that a product as that is this good comes with a fairly hefty price tag of £53 which you can find here but it has definitely made a difference and it is something I am going to continue to use.

This product has been both allergy and dermatologist tested. Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin.