Staying Cool and Refreshed In The Heat

Living in London in the Summer can be both amazing and an absolute nightmare. We all relish seeing that yellow ball of fire in the sky, spending lazy days in the park eating ice cream and watching life pass by - absolute bliss. Then comes the fact that London is a bit of a sun trap and the heat can be absolutely stifling, whether you are at work, at home or on public transport.

Given the temperatures in London now and for the last couple of days, the heat is manageable but there are always some items I have to hand to help cope - Mists!  Be they facial mists or mists in general, they are an absolute god send and are just amazing when you need a cooldown.

These are the ones I have around the house, carry in my handbag or use at work currently:

Avene Eau Thermale Spring Water Spray has a unique formula soothes hypersensitive, allergic and irritated skin by leaving a barrier on the skin to deliver long-lasting comfort and reduce itching. The versatile spray can be used by the whole family and is ideal for cooling sunburn, nappy rash and razor burns caused by shaving.  This mist costs £7 for 150ml

Caudalie Grape Water* is made from 100% organic grapes. Extracted from grapes during the harvest, this mist soothes, refreshes and moisturises the skin at any time of the day. Preservative-free. Fragrance-free. No need to blot after spraying.  The mist is so light, it doesn't leave your skin drenched, but instead it instantly cools and refreshes on contact.  This mist costs £6 for 75ml.

Benefit ultra radiance facial re-hydrating mist* not only looks stunning in the bottle, but it instantly refreshes, revives, soothes and moisurises. Using the exclusive tri-radiance complex to deliver immediate & long-term hydration. Contains magnesium PCA and white & blue lotus extracts, known for their relaxing properties and to help skin combat stress. This mist costs £20.50 for 133.1ml.

Vichy Mineral-Rich Thermal Spa Water* is a unique water well-known for its fortifying and soothing properties. Filtered through volcanic layers, Vichy Thermal Spa Water is naturally enriched with 15 minerals and 13 trace elements. Vichy Thermal Spa Water is recognised by the French Academy of Medicine and has been shown to hydrate and soothe the feel of the skin in order to fortify the skin's natural protective function. This mist costs £7 for 150ml.

Evian Brumisateur Facial Spray, a lightweight mist enriched with essential mineral salts. The spray contains pure Evian mineral water from the Alps, which is free from chemical treatments, has a neutral pH, and is hypoallergenic. Each spray releases several million micro-droplets for hydrated and instantly refreshed skin, and can be used at any time of day by the entire family.  This mist costs £2.99 for 50ml.

I never go anywhere without having a mist spray with me, whether it is at home, in my handbag or on my desk at work, they are invaluable to have and incredibly hydrating, soothing, cooling and refreshing.  A tip - keep the mist in the fridge so it is extra cooling.

Do you use a facial mist? 

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Benefit ASOS Exclusive Contouring Kit

ASOS is possibly not the first place you think of when it comes to Beauty, but it should definitely be somewhere you consider. If like me you love Benefit Cosmetics, then this Contouring Kit which is exclusive to ASOS is a fantastic deal.

The contouring Kit by Benefit features a five piece kit which, as you can see, contains:

• 2 x boi-ing Concealer: I have shades 1 and 2 within this kit with 1 being light and 2 being light/medium. What I love about Boi-ing is its ability to conceal and camouflage dark circles without creasing under the eye. It can also be used to conceal minor imperfections and discoloration again without creasing. These are two full sized 1.3g pots.

• Dandelion Shy Beam Highlighter: This is a liquid highlighter and again, I adore it having had a few sample sizes.  It is a soft-matte, nude pink highlighter which is said to put the most natural-looking spotlight and is perfect for strobing. This is a full sized 10ml bottle.

• Hoola Bronzer: I have used Hoola for absolute years and it is one of the first products (along with You Rebel) that I bought. Hoola is a matte warm tan bronzing powder which you can double up as an eyeshadow and it comes with its own little brush! This is full sized.

• the POREfessional PRO Balm: - Quickly minimize the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother-than-smooth skin!  You can apply the balm which is really lightweight alone, under or over makeup. It is a translucent formula which contains a vitamin E derivative known to protect skin from free radicals.  Within the kit, you get a 7.5ml luxury sample tube.

All of these bought separately would cost in the region of £85 and with ASOS they cost just £43 which is a massive saving and goes back to my first point of why you should not only shop around when purchasing your beauty items, but do look to ASOS for some absolute bargains!

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

T3 PINK COMPACT TRAVEL HAIRDRYER

Whenever I travel anywhere - overnight, long weekend, week away or go away for even longer, there are two items I always have with me - Hair Straighteners and Hairdryer and until now I only had a full sized hairdryer which weighs a tonne and takes up far too much room, but lets face it, those offered in hotel rooms are A) awful, B) crap and C) I could blow my own hair dry much quicker and travel hairdryers are just as useless, until now!

I went to the launch party for the new T3 Featherweight Pink Compact Hairdryer, Now first of all it is not only pink, it is baby pink and oh gosh it is so super light to handle that it is much easier for travelling or chucking in your gym bag! As you can see in my photos above, there's a hinge at the top of the handle that allows it to fold in on itself, it makes it so much easier to pack away and is perfect for folding up into my little suitcase.

So why is it so amazing? Well, apart from being pink and travel friendly, it actually dries my hair in half the time my current Babyliss hairdryer takes. Using what is called T3 Tourmaline® SoftAire™ it uses a specially engineered fan which generates a high volume of ion-enriched air. That air exits the dryer in a wide cone shape at a soft, gentle speed that allows you to dry large sections of hair - fast. Negative ions in the airflow cancel static and quickly seal the cuticle, which helps hair retain natural moisture, reduces frizz and enhances shine.  So instead of my hair taking 20-25 minutes to dry, using this it takes between 12-17 minutes, which is insanely impressive.  

The T3 Featherweight dryer features 2 Speeds/Heat Settings which are designed to work perfectly with all hair types and textures and there is also what is called a 'Cool Shot' which helps lock in any style for a smooth, sleek finish.  Whenever I dry my hair, I start off on the highest setting and then move to the cool shot once I am happy my hair is dry.  Admittedly, I don't dry my hair everytime I wash it, I do like to leave it to dry as often as I can. Once my hair is dry, there is a notable difference in the lack of static within my hair and whilst I have naturally wavy hair, my hair is much sleeker to the touch, so using my hair straighteners is an absolute breeze and the style holds for much longer, seemingly because I am using less products to reduce frizz and static.

It naturally comes with a 2 year warranty and has switchable Dual Voltage so it is even easier for travelling internationally (though you will still need the adapter), a 2.7 metre cord.  As someone who spends a lot of money on haircare, I think it is only right to also have the right tools to keep it in the best condition possible and for £125, I think this hairdryer is a worthy investment.

Origins Mix & Mask Box by Britishbeautyblogger

I am a huge fan of the BBB Beauty boxes and have had quite a few of them in my time. The current Origins Mix and Mask Box really excited me. I am a huge fan of Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask and it does wonders for my skin when it feels dehydrated and in need of some TLC and that is where my experience with Origins ends. The chance to try some more products from the range was too good an opportunity to miss.

Inside the box there is Five products and a quad of pods. The quad of pods is such a fantastic idea and if you haven't seen them already, you can go along to an Origins stand and purchase a selection of pod masks to try out and they are also handy for travelling with too.

So inside the box we have:

Maskimizer Skin Optimizing Mask Primer

A mask primer sound pretty ingenious to me and it is exactly what it says it is. This primers helps to improve the effectiveness of your clay, cream or sheet face mask. Using a Marine Algae Complex, the lightweight primer hydrates skin and softens pores to allow the mask to spread evenly on the face, whilst helping to boost radiance and hydrate your complexion. It is a fine mist spray, so it is really light on the skin and quite refreshing at the same time. This is a 95ml Full Size, value £18.50.

By All Greens Foaming Deep Cleansing Mask

I adore the sound of this. This Mask is a self-activating foam mask with Green Tea, Spirulina and Spinach helps gently deep clean and unclog pores without stripping skin. Perfect for a skin detox and given it packed full of rich antioxidants, vitamins and minerals it sounds just incredible. You will also find Coconut derived cleansers and Kaolin Clay help remove skin-damaging dirt, pollution and pore-cloggers. So skin gets its’ deepest, purest clean. Feels cool, clear and totally refreshed. A 25ml, Luxury Sample Size, value £11.42

Origins VitaZing SPF 15 Energy Boosting Moisturiser Sheer Tint 

This is a multi-tasking moisturiser that handles the vital jobs of hydrating, energising and protecting to maintain skin's momentum all day. Designed to give your skin a refreshing zing of antioxidant-rich Mangosteen, it adds a healthy hit of radiance that mimics the glow you get from a week's vacation. All in 10 seconds max. This is a 50ml full size, £29

Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

The only product that I have tried from Origins and reviewed here. I absolutely love this and it uses a blend of avocado and apricot kernel oils along with Japanese seaweed to not only make your skin feel super soft and smooth but it does an amazing job at instantly hydrating skin. Designed to be used around twice a week, it is divine. A 30ml luxury sample size, value £6.90

Original Skin Retexturising Mask Pod with Rose Clay

This is an innovative 2-in-1 mask which is made with Mediterranean Rose Clay, Canadian Willow Herb and exfoliating Jojoba beads. Said to help gently deep clean while refining skins texture. Pores appear to vanish. Clarity is restored. Glow is instant. A 30ml luxury sample size, value £6.90

GinZing Peel Off Mask 

This is the mask I cannot wait to try! My obsession with coffee beauty products is well and truly indulged with refreshing peel-off mask which is fortified with Coffee Beans. So I not only love that it is a peel off mask, who doesn't love to peel off a mask I ask you. It also uses fruit acids and Panax Ginseng alongside the coffee to lift away stubborn dead skin cells, dirt and debris to smooth and refine the skin. A 15ml sample size, value £4.80.

Mask Pods 

This to me is such a great idea for two reasons. Firstly it is a great introduction to Origins masks, a sort of try before you buy if you like. I am a huge fan of getting a decent sized sample product rather than purchasing something full sized and not liking it. Secondly, I am a huge fan of multi-masking. Different areas on my face often need different treatments, more so because I have combination skin which leaves me with an oilt tzone but dry cheeks, so I need lots of moisture in parts and not so much in others.

In my box I got the following:

• Out of Trouble 10 minute Mask Pod to Rescue Skin 
• Drink Up 10 minute Mask Pod to Quench skins Thirst 
• Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask Pod to Clear Pores 

I think the names on these are self explanatory as to what it is they do but for my skin type, Clear Improvement and Drink Up are perhaps the two I would partner to multi-mask. These are 10ml each, value £2.50 each.

If you ever wanted an introduction to a well known brand like Origins, then this is it. It is just absolutely amazing, more than value for money when the contents are quadruple the £20 it cost to purchase. I think this is my favourite box yet.

If all of that isn't enough, inside your box is a code for £10 off when you spend £30 at www.origins.co.uk, a great little treat if you have found a product you absolutely love.