Teaface | Your Tea

Those who read this blog regularly will know that I am a huge fan of odd sounding products, essential oils and put the two together and I am almost hyperventilating with excitement. So when Teaface landed in my lap, I wasn't too sure what to make of it. 

Ive read many articles which claim tea is great for the skin and I have been known to use tea bags in my bath, okay so I don't just chuck in some Tetley and hope for the best, these have been specially designed for bathing purposes and my skin has always reacted really well to it.

Described as being indulgence in a jar, Teaface is a mix of Tiny Tea granules which are then combined with healing high grade essential oils. Rosehip Oil which is full of essential fatty acids and Omega 3, 6 and 9 and is renowned for its moisturising abilities especially on skin which is need of some deep hydration. Jojoba Oil which is said to dissolve sebum that clogs up pores. Cold Pressed Coconut Oil, which as a beauty blogger, you will know it is amazing for the skin. Ylang Ylang Oil which is often used to moderate oily skin calm blemishes, tackle premature ageing and stimulate new skin cell growth.  Then of course TinyTea granules. These granules are said to alleviate hot/irritated skin, as well as to act as a soft yet effective exfoliate for the skin. Putting all of that together and you have a product which is designed for

• gently exfoliating & revitalising skin
• deeply nourishing skin
• healing scars
• addressing uneven skin tone
• glowing complexion

When it comes to using this product, you firstly need to cleanse your skin to remove any dirt, grime and makeup.  Then you need a teaspoon full of the mixture which you then slather onto your face, massaging it in circular motions. As you do this, you can feel the tiny particles working on the skin, not in a harsh or abrasive manner, but just enough to know that it is working. 

After you have finished exfoliating, you can leave TeaFace on your skin to sink in for up to an hour before washing it off. I have used this a few times now and I am yet to find an easy to way to use it because it is quite runny due to the oils and you do need to ensure either shake it or stir it before using. The easiest way ive found to use it is by using an old make-up brush when applying to my face, it seems to make the least mess and it ensures I get a pretty even coverage.  As you can see it isn't the prettiest of products and it does look and feel like soaking wet tea granules, but in its defense, it not only smells incredible it left my skin feeling so incredibly soft and smooth and really hydrated.

Teaface is not tested on animals and because of its ingredients, once you opened, you should store it in the fridge where it will stay fresh for up to 1 year. It gets a huge thumbs up from me, it does what it says it will do and whilst being slightly messy, I am more than happy to continue to use it on my face, especially when my skin feels really dry and indeed of hydration.

Have you tried Teaface?

Cohorted April Beauty Box

This months Cohorted Beauty Box is amazing, it has four fantastic items included, all of which I will be using. If you are present on Twitter, then you will know that these boxes are quite the conversational subject when they go on sale because the last three have, including this one, have all sold out! They costs just £19.99 but the contents alone add up to a huge £70!

So this month there are 4 full sized products within the box and all of them are for sale with Cohorted in their shop. What's more, each product is from a brand that you will have heard of or possibly even used something from and it is a good mixture of highstreet v's high end. This is one of the things I love about beauty boxes, the chance to try products you might never have thought of trying, the opportunity to try things you might not necessarily have heard of, the chance that you have wanted a product for a while and actually it isn't what you had hoped or it is more than you hoped for and of course the build up to that box arriving, the refreshing of the package tracking page and then the arrival.

So, inside my box this month is the bareMinerals: Heavenly Face Brush (RRP £22) made from goat hair, this brush is large, soft and features a blunt-cut brush head. 

On the skin it feels incredibly soft on the skin and I find it is great for giving that flawless look with liquid foundation and equally it is great for using as finishing brush too.

Ark Age Prepare Skin Purifying Masque (rrp £10) is next and it is described as being a cleansing masque for congested skin that will leave it feeling very refreshed. The masque is said to absorb excess oil, reduce the appearance of blemishes and pores for clear skin. Designed to be used once or twice a week, this masque uses Kaolin Clay which heals blemishes and prevents new ones from forming. Wild Water Mint reduces the size of enlarged pores and Anti-pollution Algae prevents skin damage from free radicals.

I have never used anything from Ark skincare but I do love a good facemask, so I am really looking forward to trying this.

Korres are one of my favourite brands for lip butters, so to find the Mulberry Vanilla Body Butter (RRP £19.50) in this box is a delight.  Made in Greece, this body butter is free from propylene glycol, synthetic dye, mineral oil, silicones and parabens. 

It contains shea butter, quince extract and a proprietary blend of sunflower, almond and avocado oils which moisturises and soothes the skin and is luxuriously hydrating. Having worn jeans, trousers and thick tights for the last few months, the skin of my shins is quite dry, so I need something that will soften and hydrate my skin and not only does this body butter smell absolutely beautiful, it is such a lovely cream, you can't help but love it.

The final item in this amazng box is from MAC and it is the Sheertone Shimmer blusher in Dolly Mix. When I first looked at this blush I immediately loved the shade, who doesn't love pink, but I did expect it to be too pink for my almost porcelain skin. 

However, having had a bit of a play with it, actually whilst it is really pigmented, if you use a stippling blush lightly, it does give a great transfer of colour, giving that natural flushed look add to which the shimmer is just amazing, it creates a nice glowy sheen on your cheeks.

I think this is an absolutely amazing box and my favourite of the Cohorted boxes that I have seen to date.  I love that there is a nice mix of products and all four of them are not ones I would ever normally pick up or choose, but now I have them, I am wondering why I have not picked them up sooner.  This is one of the first boxes for a long time that I have used all of the products and have not been left feeling disappointed.

Did you manage to get your hands on this box?  What do you think to the contents?

Yves Rocher Make-up

Yves Rocher is one brand I am really enjoying the discovery of and have in recent months found products I have absolutely adored, so when the chance to try some of their makeup products I jumped at the chance.

In my package are 4 really lovely products.  The first is the 100% Intense Kajal liner which is really pigmented.  The first thing which caught my attention my how it is packaged and designed like a lipstick, by that I mean you remove the lid, twist the bottom and up pops your eyeliner.  Now I am notoriously bad at eyeliner, I have no patience when it comes to applying it and it just stresses me out, yet this product feels like something I can use and with a bit of practice who knows...  From the swatch that you can see on my arm, you can see how black it is and it is really hard to budge, so for those of you who like your eyeliner as black as your soul, which doesn't shift in the rain yet with a bit of eye makeup remover is easily removed, this is worth a look.

The Fixing Eyelid Primer comes next and I was chuffed to see this in my package because it is one item I have run out of and if I am wearing eye makeup, which isn't everyday, I like to have a proper primer.  When I first tried this primer, it does, on my skin look quite yellow, but once you have smoothed it across the lid, the yellowness totally disappears and it is a brilliant eyelid primer, admittedly much better than I expected.  What I love is that it isn't too thick that it grabs onto my eyeshadow, nor is it too thin that it makes no difference, it creates an almost perfect base to work with and it stops creasing, which is exactly what I expect from my primers.

Next is the Volume Vertige mascara which was the first item I opened as I am a bit of a mascara fiend.  Aside from the beautiful silver packaging is a brush that I adore because I like wide wands that have a mixture if long and short bristles, much like Benefit Mascara Wands.  There is also no excess mascara that needs to be wiped off the wand which again gets another thumbs up from me, there is nothing worse than having to remove the excess or having something which clumps upon first application, this does neither, infact one coat you can see the difference immediately, more in volume than in length and it makes for a perfect daytime mascara.

The final item is this beautiful looking Sumptuous Colour Eyeshadow Quad, I was sent the green quad, which is not my first choice as I have blue eyes, but there are plenty of other options to choose from. What I do love about this palette is that those four shades can be used as they are or wet.  Included are two small brushes which are perfect for on the go if you dont have travel sized brushes and the best thing is the size of the mirror which fits the width of the palette and is really handy to have.  On the bottom of the palette and also included is a little chart which details how to get the best use from the shades - Highlight, cover the eyelid, sculpt the eye and finally underline to give the smokey effect.

Overall I am really impressed with each and every one of these items, they look great, are easy to use and my favourite product has to be the eyelid primer, which I am absolutely loving.

Have you ever tried any makeup from Yves Rocher?

Great Kitten - World's 1st Cat Cinema

Anyone who reads my blog or follows my Instagram account will know that I absolutely love animals especially cats and I have three of my own.  If I ever won Euromillions, one of the things I would love to do is run my own cattery for unloved and unwanted cats.  

Today I am highlighting a cause which I absolutely love and you might have heard and read about them in the media recently - Great Kitten - World's 1st Cat Cinema in London - yes you did read that right! So, Imagine a crackling fireplace, exposed brick walls, wooden beams and comfy sink-in sofas – think rustic log cabin. Now, imagine this cabin filled with purring cats, ready to receive all your love and attention.  Add to that regular screenings of your favourite films that you can enjoy with a cup of tea and your friends, family or your other half. Oh, and don't forget a cat napping on your lap. There yet?! We thought so!

Better yet, we will put aside one afternoon each week to invite adults and children suffering from physical and/or mental disability to help them enjoy the healing power of cat's purr. Each guest will be treated to Great Kitten's full service - an exciting visit full of cakes, tea, good movies and our resident cats company, all funded by your donations and our profits.

Here is their story...

Last year, we decided to make a bold decision - we moved from London to Vietnam for a year to experience a different lifestyle, a new business culture, and to travel. Whilst travelling Asia, we had plenty of time on our hands to brainstorm all of the possible ventures we could start when back in London. The bigger plan became clear for us after visiting a Cat Cafe in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We immediately fell in love with the idea. As avid film lovers, it wasn't long before our restless minds came up with the idea of combining the two. We knew that cat cafes were becoming increasingly popular in Europe, with 2-month waiting lists to book a table. We also knew about all the quirky and unique cinemas popping up in London practically every week. We knew immediately that combining 3 of Britain's most loved - cats and cinema and a cuppa, is bound to resonate with Londoners and cat-lovers alike.

As well as this unique cinematic USP, an important part of our mission is to give back to the local community. Once a week, we'll invite children and adults who struggle with mental health issues (such as depression and anxiety), physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses. All expenses will be covered from our profits. Each of these groups has been proven to benefit from cat interaction and we would love to put smiles on their faces as well as for our paying guests.

In our cafe we'll serve hot & cold drinks (tea, coffee, hot chocolate, lattes, juices, soft drinks and more), light snacks and sandwiches inspired by our rustic theme and a wide selection of cakes, slices, scones and pastries. We'll make sure that patrons who require vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free food will be more than catered for.

We're so passionate about our idea and we are determined to make it work. We've had fantastic press coverage, but now we need you to share in the development and success of Great Kitten. We've already had so much good advice and encouragement from our supporters, and we plan to involve you every step of the way.

Check out our perks - we offer the chance to become a part of our team, to experience first hand our unique Cat Cinema, and to help our chosen charities and many more.

If this sounds like a charity you want to support, even if it is just £1, there is a Crowdfund page right HERE.

What do you think to this idea? Are you a lover of cats?