Where do you get your Beauty News from?

When it comes to Beauty News I am always interested in where people get their information from. Being a beauty blogger I absolutely love reading beauty sites, beauty pages, press releases and magazines.   Now being a blogger I realise that the information I am privy too is often before before it has gone to print in a magazine and over time, I do think blogs will become an even bigger and better source of information than anything in print form, because like the media which is now a rolling 24 hour source of information, magazines cannot print their article as quick as we can write them.

That said, I do still like to read and don't just rely upon blogs for information which came as a surprise to some of my friends who just assumed I relied upon blogs and press releases. So I thought I would share with you what I like to read and which platforms I use to find out bits of information. 

A simple Google - One of the terms that has caught my attention this week is Tan-touring, unable to ind anyone who had written a blog post about it, I found a simple explanation as to what it is in Grazia. Essentially it is Tan Contouring on your face and it is said to be the next big thing - move over Strobing!  I also buy magazines depending on their freebie offers which tend to lure me in.

Boots Health and Beauty Magazine - I absolutely love getting this free magazines from Boots, though it isn't quite as exciting as the Christmas Catalogue, it does usually have some great offers and competitions. If your local Boots never seem to have it in stock, then you can read it online right HERE. This months issue has a great arfticle on finding your 'Power Perfume' and mine is either t and Gabanna Light Blue or Marc Jacobs Decadence, neither of which I have tried but I am intrigued enough to hunt them down.

Dare from Superdrug - Again, another little freebie from Superdrug that usually has me writing a wishlist as long as my arm and if your local store doesn't have it, well there is an app for it whether you have an iPhone or Android or you can read it here. I have already added the Freedom Pro Blush Palette in Bronze and Baked, £6 to my wishlist because it looks just amazing.

Twitter - You might not realise it, but on Twitter there is a whole wealth of information and knowledge right there within your feed.  We all have our favourite people whom we follow to get our news and mine include Dave Lackie, who not only has the most amazing giveaways but he is also the Editor of BEAUTY the Guide Magazine which I absolutely love reading. Then we have Phil who is a fellow blogger and Beauty PR and he writes some amazing articles about products that I simply want and yearn to have. Nikki Taylor is also a wealth of knowledge and information alongside both Hayley and Jane, whom I read religiously.

My favourite websites - Escentual, FeelUnique and LookFantastic are three I go to the most and do a lot of clicking from Twitter on.  I love taking part in #AskEscentual even if I don't have a question to ask because there is a lot to be learnt and they also have a fabulous blog which I read religiously too. I love the Lookfantastic Beauty box and think it offers something different to other boxes that I subscribe too and having recently discovered the Outlet, my wishlist has grown a little bigger.  Feelunique has a section called Beauty All Access which I tend to go to first whenever I visit the site.  It has a great section called 'What's Hot, What's New' and there are more often than not some hidden gems to lust after.

Now that you know what I spend my spare time doing or where I get my information from, I would love to know where you gets yours from.

*This  post is a PR Collaboration, all words are my own.

Mandara Spa - Time to Spa

I dream of spending a weekend at a spa being pampered but in the absence of that actually happening, there are some amazing products to be found that can help you have your own little pampering session at home.

Mandara Spa offers some amazing products, some of which you will find in Sainsburys and they are so reasonably priced that you need to get out there right now and snap them all up to give them a try because they not only smell absolutely divine, they are just that - divine.

Mandara Spa Bali Santi Bath & Shower Cream is one of my favourite products from the range. Costing just £7.99 for 300ml it contains an evocative blend of coconut oil, yoghurt and lotus flower milk which not only smells exactly as the description states but within the bath it creates copious amounts of bubbles and it leaves your skin feeling so soft, smooth and moisturised. It is one of those products you put aside for an extra pampering treat.

Mandara Spa Bali Santi Coconut Glow Smoothing Body Polish is a stunning addition to the Bath & Shower Cream. Coconut is another big fragrance here and it uses nourishing coconut oil, exfoliating and smoothing coconut shell, spice and floral fragrance all of which come together and become a creamy scrub which can be as abrasive on the skin as you need it to be, just by adding a little more pressure in places as you massage it onto the skin. This tub 350ml tub costs just £8.00.

The third product within this Bali Santi range that I have absolutely adored using is the Firming Body Lotion which again uses an evocative blend of coconut and sweet almond oils to nourish and moisturise with Alaria Esculenta extract to help encourage skin firmness.  Once out of the bath or shower, massage the lotion, which isn't too thick a texture, into the skin and it almost immediately absorbs on contact with warm skin.  The coolness of the lotion is incredibly refreshing and it smells absolutely divine.  A 150ml tube costs just £5.

The final two products which have made up my home spa pamper package are for my hands and feet.  Whenever I have had a long soak, I do always apply cream to both my hands and feet to ensure they remain moisturised.

The Citrus and Coconut Foot Butter uses Shea butter, nourishing coconut oil, skin softening jojoba oil, hydrating glycerine, fragrant rosemary, lavender and sweet orange which come together to create a really wonderful scent with the sweet orange and Lavender for me being the dominant scent. As a foot butter the cream is really luxurious and thick, so you only need a small amount to massage into the skin. A 75ml tube costs just £4.50.

The Shea and Coconut hand butter uses Moisturising Shea and cocoa butters, smoothing sweet almond oil, nourishing coconut oil and hydrating glycerine to create a luxurious hand cream which is a perfect after bath and shower treat. A scent combination that I absolutely adore, the sweet almond oil is really noticeable and as soon as it comes into contact with your skin, it takes a little massaging before the cream sinks into the skin leaving it soft, smooth and really hydrated. A 75ml tube costs just £4.50.

Palmer's: 175 Years of Extraordinary Skincare + Giveaway

Did you know that the iconic beauty brand and celebrity favourite Palmer’s, is celebrating its 175th Anniversary this year and that Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Range with 100% Pure Cocoa Butter & Vitamin E, is also turning 40 years old? Well you do now and are you surprised to find that it is as popular today as it was in 1975 when it first launched. 

Palmer’s has also achieved over 100 Beauty Awards over the past decade (over 40 of these are for the cult favourite Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion) and now has a global presence in over 110 countries.

Palmer’s is the Original Cocoa Butter Brand for super soft silky skin, I first came across it in my teens when I was given a tub to use by a cousin of mine who said the scent reminded her of Caramac Bars. With its rich and creamy formula carefully blended using the richest, 100% natural Cocoa Butter, high quality cocoa beans and Vitamin E, Palmer’s is a trusted brand with proven heritage in relieving numerous skin conditions including dry skin, stretch marks and scars. Naturally packed with antioxidants, Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula provides 24 Hour Moisture and the creamy emollient, fast absorbing formula will make you feel touchably soft, smooth and special.

In an effort to treat their many loyal fans, Palmer’s are giving away a ‘Palmer’s Feeling Experience’ worth £1,500 as well as 175 bottles of the iconic Cocoa Butter Body Lotion each week. For the chance to win, all you have to do is share your #PalmersFeeling at http://www.palmersfeeling.co.uk and here are some ideas to help get you started:

I also have a lovely Pamper Hamper for one of you lucky readers to win and it has some of my favourite products included:

To win, all you have to do is use the Rafflecopter widget below.  The giveaway is open for one week and a winner will be chosen at random next Monday.  There are some mandatory entries which must be completed in order for your entry not to be disqualified (and I do check).  As always please ensure you are over 16 years of age or have your parents permission to enter because I will need your address.  This is also a UK Only competition- Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy 5th Birthday Birchbox

Birchbox was the first beauty box company to launch in the UK, so it earns it status as being very special. Since then there seems to have been an explosion of other beauty boxes flooding the market, but with Birchbox celebrating their 5th birthday, it has clearly got something right.

For their birthday box, Birchbox have gone back to their roots in the USA with each product coming all the way from the good old USA and it is a great box!

My first item comes from New York and it is from Bliss. A 30ml tube of Foot Patrol is one of those all in one products. It exfoliates, cools and conditions your feet giving them a bit of TLC. Now after the Summer, my feet do need some TLC as I've pretty much lived in my Fitflops. Alpha hydroxy and salicylic acids slough skin while cooling peppermint stimulates tired toes and it does, as a cream, smell absolutely delightful and is instantly refreshing when applied. A top tip is to apply to your feet before going to bed, pop on your moisturising socks and wake up the following morning with incredibly smooth feeling skin.

Next there is a 30ml sample of Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant which hails all the way from Seattle. I am not familiar with the brand, so I am looking forward to giving it try. To use you apply once daily to clean skin using a cotton wool pad, you don't rinse off or remove but instead apply your moisturiser over the top. This product utilises Salicylic Acid to exfoliate, remove impurities, soften and brighten the complexion plus it is also said to reduce redness and build collagen.

Next I have a 30ml sample of John Masters Organics Citrus Neroli Detangler which hails all the way from New York. This conditioner uses Coconut Oil and Wheat amino acids to help detangle, repair and nourish the hair shaft, with neroli and grapefruit soothe those troublesome scalps. When using it, you can either rinse it out after 1-3 minutes or you can also use it as a leave in treatment.

Next up from San Francisco and Benefits POREfessional range which every subscriber will get to sample. ThePOREfessional Licence to Blot (which I reviewed here). For me this is a lifesaver of product. It works as an oil blotting stick which is designed to instantly mattify the skin, giving those of us with a slightly shiny t-zone a long-lasting shine-free complexion. This sample size if perfect for make up bags and for carrying in your handbag.

The fifth product is another that all subscribers will receive and it is Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil which comes all the way from Brooklyn.  My Lip Pencil came in the shade Humble Brag which is described as being a pretty blush pink shade and it is a multitasking item which can be used on the lips and cheeks. It is easy to apply and is really pigmented, much more so than I was expecting it to be. 

The final item is the Birchbrush. A product which you could say is the Birchbox alternative to the Tangle Teezer. Designed to sit comfortably in my hand, this bright orange brush is brilliant, I already love it and it does a great job of easing knots out of my hair without tugging and causing breakage and it also works really well if you have a hair mask on to brush it through and massage into the scalp, so again another fabulous multitasking tool to have.

I think this is a brilliant box.  It has a nice mixture of products which are all a really good size, perfect for a long weekend away, to pop into your handbag or to sample at home.

What do you think to the Birchbox Birthday Box?