My Love of Essential oils

If you have looked through my posts it occasionally read them, there is one issue I am quite fascinated by and that is a list of ingredients. Of course it is all perfectly reasonable to try and learn about what that list of inclusions within a product does, claims to do and it's reasoning for being included in the first place.

Image Credit - DarwinianSecurity

One of my main areas of fascination is with essential oils and I have a few friends who are aromatherapists and whenever I have had a massage, facial or any form of treatment I am always keen to know what essential oils are used and why and a lot of my information comes from sites such as essential oils by New Directions Aromatics.

Once I began to understand the purpose of an oil, the more I would begin to notice them in everyday products that I use such as Optiat Coffee Scrubs, Beautitude Bath Oils and Mio Liquid Yoga to name just a few. Essential oils have been used for thousands of years in various cultures for medicinal and health purposes. In fact Essential oils can be used for everything including aromatherapy, household cleaning products, personal beauty care and natural medicine treatments.

I have the Anjou Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser but you can use them in so many different ways, for me it is the diffuser which sits in my bedside table unless the essential oil is already included within a product.

So I would use the following oils to help:

• To relieve Stress and tension - lavender 
• Relaxation - Lavender/chamomile
• To aid sleep - lavender
• Colds and stuffy nose - peppermint, rosemary, lemon, eucalyptus
• Feeling blue - sweet orange, jasmine, rose, 
• Get rid of bugs - Citronella oil in the summer is a god send to keeping those pesky flies out!

The actual uses of essential oils is quite incredible and there is pretty much something for everything, even the weird and wonderful ideas that people have come up with that are so strange that your inner-curiosity wants to give it go. For example did you know that a lot of household bugs such as ants, , beetles, mice, spiders and cockroaches do not like peppermint oil? Well I know some people reading this will be ordering the oil by the bottle to keep these critters out of there homes, I have never tried it but would be intrigued to see if it works!

Do you use Essential Oils and if so for a purpose?

*this post has a sponsored link but all words are my own.

An Introduction to Mary Kay

Mary Kay might not be a brand you have come across, but if you have some American beauty lovers on your Social Media, you will quite quickly find out that they are very likely to be well aware of the brand. For those of us in the UK, we have something similar (and I mean similar, not the same) with Avon. Mary Kay has a team of independent consultants who sell the brand at makeup parties and via door-to-door. Until a few months ago I had never come across the brand before and nor did I really appreciate what a huge collection of makeup and skincare there was to get to acquainted with and you can buy it online.

With everything in the makeup range from lipsticks, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, eyebrow pencils, Lash Primer, foundation, bronzer, highlighter, blusher, lip liner to tools to apply and products to remove it there is just so much more.

I am lucky enough to have been a few products from the range which I have spent the last few months playing with and I am really quite impressed. First up is the Limited-Edition Pure Dimensions™ Eye Palette called Maui Gardens and as well as the outer packaging being simply stunning, the four colours which make up the quad are just incredible. 

Described as being a palette which 'evokes a tropical forest of lush, iridescent colour where nature is always in bloom, and sunlit pools reflect breathtaking beauty' it features a three-dimensional design expressed in four artfully harmonised shades to inspire new heights of makeup artistry, the four shades are matte shimmers and as you can see there are two neutral shades alongside a more daring navy blue and green.  One swipe of my finger onto each shade gives an amazing swatch of colour with no need to rub my finger back and forth, in fact in the swatch, this is exactly what I have shown and each shade is incredibly beautiful.

If these shades are not for you, there are two further palettes named Moroccan Dunes which feature soft, sandy neutrals that are matched with rosy pinks to deliver subtle shimmer or Paris Starlight palette captures the romance of the city with luminous blacks and silvers for a touch of sparkle, while soft lilac and radiant stardust perfect this exquisite palette. Each palette retails for £28.

Then we have two lipsticks and we all know what an obsessive I am when it comes to these products.  The two lipsticks that I have come from the Gel Semi-Matte range and the shades are Rich Truffle and Crushed Berry.  These are the first full-coverage lipsticks from Mary Kay which feature a gel microsphere technology which gives a rich, stay-true colour that lasts for hours on the lips without drying them out. Encased inside a black bullet with a see through window at the top, there is a pretty silver Mary Kay logo in the middle where the bullet opens and closes.  

On the lips, the formula has the feeling of a balm and the transfer of colour is quite incredible, I love how smooth it feels and I love how lightweight it is on the lips and I almost forgot I had applied anything.  Rich Truffle is best described as being a Warm rosy caramel and isn't a shade I would usually opt for because I am not good with my nudes, even ones as warm as this one is but there is something about the shade I just adore.  Crushed Berry is definitely more my shade and it is a soft plum shade which is my go to shade whatever the weather and of the two it is the one I have worn the most.  These lipsticks retail at £14 each.

As an introduction to the Mary Kay brand, I am really impressed and the quality of these products is so much more than I ever imagined it would be. 

Have you tried anything from Mary Kay? 

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

GLAMGLOW® Poutmud Fizzy Lip Exfoliating Treatment

I adore Glamglow Masks, there is something about them and how they make my skin feel that I can never get enough of. Then I met PoutMud Fizzy Lip Exfoliating Treatment and it became my new favourite GlamGlow product and if you love your Mattew Lip - You need this!

Described as being a multi-action formula that works to energise and smooth, renew and energise the look of your lips, Poutmud features an exfoliation complex of Caribbean can sugar, Hawaiian sea salt & hibiscus flower powder. The treatment works to remove the dead and dry skin from the lips to give you that smooth polished feel. It then used a blend of Sweet Almond Oil, Guava and Lychee which as well as their moisturising properties also offer antioxidant benefits. The Poutmud is then finished with the inclusion of an ingredient called TEAOXI® Moroccan Mint Leaf which leaves a lovely minty tingle on the lips.

To use there are just a few simple steps and if you have ever used a lip scrub then you will have an idea already.  First things first, of course, is to remove any balm, lotion, lipstick or gloss from your lips and then liberally apply the Poutmud.  On the lips, as you massage it on, the Poutmud feels abrasive, but it doesn't scratch the skin, if you feel you need more of an exfoliating treatment, then apply more pressure as you massage the mud around your lips.  This action should take between 5-10 seconds to complete.  Then, I prefer to use warm water, repeat the massaging of your lips and this activates the fizzing renewal action. At this point, there is a slight fizzing feeling on the lips, I am quite saddened it was not the popping candy style fizzing but it is there.  Once you have finished massaging your lips, you then need to remove any excess Poutmud and skin (yuck).  Once I had done this, my lips felt so soft and smooth that I quickly slapped on my lip balm.

This treatment is designed to be used 2-3 times a week, which I have been doing and it has made a huge difference in the dry skin I had on my lips.  Priced at £18, you can find the GlamGlow mud on sale at Marks and Spencers. 

Don't forget rRunning from 27th March until 26th April The Beauty Discovery Event offers a free gift from some incredible brands which include REN, Balance Me, Neal's Yard, Alpha-H, Filorga, Skyn Iceland, Rodial and many more which you can read about here.

*this post contains PR samples/Affiliates links unless indicated otherwise

Vincent Longo Sunkissed and Mermaid Muse

I absolutely love discovering new brands, in fact, it is my favourite thing about blogging.  Half the time I am lucky enough to use products that might have otherwise passed me by.  Vincent Longo is one of those brands that has featured quite a few times on my blog (here and here) and everything I have used I have adored, in fact, I've never hit pan so quickly as I did with the Water Canvas Creme-To-Powder Foundation or run out of a primer so quickly.

Today I have two more products to share and honestly, ever since I have had them, they have been used daily.  The first is the Vincent Longo La Riviera Sun Matte Bronzer in shade Sunkissed and the description goes like this:

Incredibly finely milled, Vincent Longo’s La Riviera Sun Matte Bronzer is the key to achieving a realistic sunkissed look. Multi-layered shades are pressed into unique patterns, to ensure a multi-dimensional, natural tan with the perfect balance of warm russet and cool olive tones.

This bronzer is just stunning and is, like many other products from the brand is a marbled multi-tonal one. 

Enriched with Vitamin E which is really hydrating for the skin, this bronzer has a matte finish just as the name suggest and it is a shade that, even for someone as pale skinned as me (I am almost see-through) it works just so well and doesn't, like some products, make my face look as though I have a dirty mark, in fact it is the perfect almost just there bronzer. I love the texture of this bronzer too, it is silky to the touch and is so blendable that you can dab it on with your fingers or a brush. Priced at £25 you can grab it from ASOS and Cult Beauty.

The second product is the Vincent Longo Water Canvas Crème-to-Powder Highlighter in shade Mermaid Muse. 

Now, who doesn't want a product that has a Mermaid name to it right now! This highlighter is described as follows:

Vincent Longo’s Water Canvas Crème-to-Powder Highlighter corrects as it enhances thanks to the brand’s signature, intelligent ‘Microwater’ technology. Cooling and refreshing upon application, this hydrates thirsty cells to exhibit a subtle plumping and line-lessening effect.

The first thing I love about this highlighter is the texture, it is a unique crème-to-powder formula which has been created by using a patented process and 75% Microwater for weightless hydration. The use of Seaweed Extract works to protect and nourish the skin as well as locking in moisture while the Microwater not only seeks out imperfections, and dry patches but also helps to fill in the look of fine lines and smooth skin for a flawless complexion - all from one product!

On the skin, Mermaid Muse literally glides on, the water-based texture is a delight to work with giving a sheer but buildable coverage depending on your preference.  It works perfectly on the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, cupids bow and brow bone and to apply, I use my finger and then a dabbing motion rather than a brush, though a beauty blender also works just as well to bounce the highlighter onto the skin. Available from both ASOS and Cult Beauty this highlighter retails for £32 and frankly is so incredible it is worth every penny!

When swatched, both shades are incredible and as you can see it is hard not to love either of the two shades.

Have you tried any Vincent Longo products?

*this post contains PR samples/Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise