Tony Moly at BeautyMart

I have said on a few occasions that I am a huge fan of Tony Moly.  Tony Moly is the leading Korean beauty brand with stores which span across Korea, Asia, Southeast Asia, America, Russia, Austrailia, Spain, Saudi Arabia and now the UK, in fact the very first Tony Moly counter has just debuted in House of Fraser at Rusden Lake Northampton and of course you can buy everything from BeautyMart that you need!

K-beauty is literally taking off here in the UK and I absolutely adore everything it has to offer, especially from Tony Moly, from whom I recently did a giveaway featuring some of my favourite products!  Since BeautyMart launched in 2012, one of its co-founders Anna-Marie Solowij has championed K-beauty, of which they now stock 10 South Korean brands.  For me, my love started with a BB Cream, then CC Creams and before I knew it Bamboo products really grabbed my attention. South Korea is considered by many to be 7 years ahead of western product development and its influence is gaining a lot of attention for everything unusual such as Snail Slime and Donkey Milk to its famed 10-step skin care regime, sheet masks and some of the products I am sharing with you in today's post.

Tony Moly Magic Food Banana Sleeping Pack - I am sure we can all accept just how cute, slightly kooky but playfully packaged mask is. Disguised inside the banana packaging this is actually an overnight mask. 

The rich, nourishing and incredibly luxurious formula works its magic as you sleep using the ingredients of softening banana extract and soothing chamomile which give your skin some much need love and attention as you sleep so that you can wake up to skin that is moisturised, nourished and hydrated. To apply, you only need a really light layer on your face and neck and it is just really lovely. Priced at £15.50.

Tony Moly Panda's Dream Hand Cream - Who doesn't want a Panda shaped hand cream when it is this cute? This is a rich and again luxurious hand cream which is really moisturising and hydrating for the hands.

It is infused with a blend of precious manuka honey, Shea Butter and bamboo sprout extract. On the skin, the cream softens, soothes and moisturises the skin to leave palms and fingers feeling moisturised and supple. At £10.50 it makes a lovely gift or a treat!

Tony Moly Sheet Masks are some of the best I have tried. The I'm Real range features some amazing masks and whether you want something to add vitality, radiance or clean the skin, there will be something right here.

Each face mask is designed to be left on the skin for 20-30 minutes and the serum like texture absorbs quickly into the skin. The one I was kindly sent is one I haven't yet tried and it is the Tea Tree mask which is enriched with Tea Tree Oil, a natural anti-bacterial agent that helps to clear and soothe acne prone skin and Banana Extract which is great for dry and dehydrated skin owing to its moisturising properties.  These masks retail for around £5 each.

The final product is the Tony Moly Eco Bamboo Toner. Shaped like a piece of Bamboo, which is so brilliant, this toner is formulated with 96% Damyang bamboo water which has 18 different kinds of skin-loving minerals and amino acids. 

Described as being a multitasking toner, it works to relieve sensitive skin, provides intense hydration and gently exfoliates residue and dead skin cells to leave your complexion looking healthy and radiant. The bamboo-based formula helps to give skin a silky-smooth texture.  I love that this toner isn't tacky and that it is easy to use and as you might have guessed, does exactly what it states it will do.  There is no overriding smell to this toner and I love how soft my skin is after using. Priced at £14.50 if you need a new toner, this is the one!

I am really excited to find Tony Moly on the highstreet and am looking forward to trying more products from the range! Have you tried anything from Tony Moly?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Glossybox September 2017

So it is September already and whilst it has been a busy month already blog wise (Beauty Advent Calendars anyone?) and beauty boxes have started to appear in my letterbox. The September edition of Glossybox is a really good edition this month and it comes with a little gift of a bar of Kinder Bueno chocolate.  

First out of my box is a 30ml sample of MONU Firming Fiji Facial Oil and it is worth around £6.50.

This facial oil designed for dry/sensitive skin and is described as being a nourishing and soothing facial oil which is paraben free and uses a mixture of Plant oils to firm and tone the skin, whilst keeping it hydrated alongside rosewood oil and patchouli which provide essential protection to soothe dry skin and stimulate your complexion.  I am a huge fan of facial oils and this particular one has that calming spa like scent to it.

The next product is from Pixi and it is their Brow Tamer and this is a full sized product worth £12. I adore Pixi as a brand for both skincare and makeup and have featured them on my blog on quite a few occasions, with a few more posts to come. 

Described as being a clear brow gel that works to prolong the wear of your brow colour, it is infused with both Aloe Vera and Panthenol. I find the formula to be really quick drying and whilst it doesn't harden on your brows (some people have claimed it does) I did find it does give enough hold to keep your brows in place and the spoolie brush is really easy to use.

Next up is quite an odd inclusion, but one which fascinates me all the same and it is the Taylors 32 Natural Whitening Toothpaste worth £5. Taylor's 32 is a shiny and new dental healthcare company whose mission is to create high quality and effective products, made from natural ingredients, and that are free from harsh and unnecessary laboratory made chemicals.

I am quite particular when it comes to teeth care products and I am quite looking forward to giving this a try, I like the idea of using a toothpaste with nothing harsh in it.

At the beginning of 2017 I was introduced to a brand called Skinfix and shared my thoughts on some of their products HERE. In this months GlossyBox we have the SkinFix Eczema Hand Repair Cream in a 30ml sample size worth around £4.

It has no added fragrance and is described as being an ultra rich hand cream which uses shea butter, vitamin e and sweet almond oil. When used it is said to be effective at treating and managing eczema, dermatitis and other dry, cracked skin conditions on the hands. It works fast to create a barrier on the skin to help lock in moisture and keep irritants out.

The final item in my box is the StyLondon Siligel Blender which is full sized and valued at £5.99.  If you have used a silicone blender before then you won't have too much trouble with this one.

They are designed to be used with liquid of cream products and to that end, they help to minimise product wastage meaning your beloved foundation lasts much longer.  I like using mine with face masks as I find I get a much more even coverage than with a brush, but this is just a personal preference.

So there you have the September Edition of Glossybox. Do any of the products stand out to you?  I think for the price, this is a great box and if you’re a new subscriber or you choose to subscribe to this month’s fabulous box, you’ll receive a makeup gift worth £30 from Spectrum Collections and Bellapierre Cosmetics by subscribing HERE.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Rejuvence Clinic - My Experience

For years now I have had a skin tag on my eyelid which has really really irritated me and at times made me feel really self-concussions. It wasn't a huge skin tag and very little people even mentioned it, but I knew it was there and every so often I would catch it when washing my face and it really began to annoy me. 

Skin tags are small, soft, skin-coloured growths that hang off the skin and look a bit like warts at a glance. They are really common and can differ in size and are usually found on the neck, armpits, around the groin, or under the breasts. They can also grow on the eyelids or under the folds of the buttock. These tags are made of loose collagen fibres and blood vessels surrounded by skin. Collagen is a type of protein found throughout the body.

The removal of skin-tags is regarded as a cosmetic procedure and isn't something that is usually available on the NHS, mine wasn't when I asked about it recently. As always with ay procedure, there are things you really should consider.   When the opportunity arose to have it removed, I was nervous as to what the procedure might end up being, but I was delighted to get the chance to visit the Rejuvence Clinic which is local to me, to find out everything I needed to know.

I met with both Dr Sam Ghani and Dr Ruhul Amin to discuss the removal of my tag. As mine sat in quite a precarious position, both doctors wanted to ensure I understood the procedure that would be undertaken and we sat down and went into a lot of detail, the pros and cons and obviously why I wanted the tag removing. Throughout the whole consultation at no point did I feel under any pressure to have the procedure, it was an incredibly relaxing atmosphere to sit and discuss my options, have my questions answered and both Doctors are just so incredibly welcoming and care deeply about what they do. After spending almost an hour with them, it was agreed that I would have a think about my options and if I was happy to go ahead, then I would go back in a weeks time.

Having decided that I would go ahead with the removal, I went back to the clinic and before any procedure took place, we again sat down and discussed how the tag would be removed, answered further questions that I had and then once I was happy the procedure took place. The first part was to apply an anaesthetic cream to my eyelid rather than use an injection, so once it was applied, the cream needed to be left for 20 minutes to work its magic. As the cream was setting in, I was able to chat to both Dr Ghani and Dr Amin about further treatment if it would be needed. So the cream had done its thing and I was ready to have my tag removed using what is called a Dermablade, something I had never come across before, but it is essentially a bendy blade which has been specifically designed to remove skin lesions such as mine. The whole process took less than 5 minutes, didn't hurt a bit, in fact I hadn't realised the tag had been removed until I was jokingly asked if I wasn't to keep my little friend. I did have to have 2 stitches, again thanks to the anaesthetic cream I didn't feel a single thing and on top of those stitches are some Steristips to ensure they remain in place.

Despite the slight bruising, which you could only see if I had my head down or eyes closed, there was no pain at all, which even surprised me. The only issue I had was remembering not to get my entire face wet or the Steristrips would come off and as a Beauty Blogger, this was the hardest thing about the entire process - that and no mascara!

A week after having the tag removed I was back to have the stitches removed, something I have ever had done before, so I didn't quite know what to expect. Once in the chair, eyes closed I was told I would feel a little tugging, possibly one of the weirdest sensations I have ever experienced and given that the stitches were right on my eyelid, I was expecting there to be a lot of pain, but it was over in minutes and this photo was taken within an hour of the stitches being removed.

Again at this point there was no pain at all.  What felt really good was being able to double cleanse again and get my eye area wet without fear of losing a Steristrip or tugging on the stitches.  

There was still some slight bruising, but only noticeable if I closed my eyes and thankfully no one actually noticed it all.  The final picture below was taken a whole week after the stitches had been removed and it has healed so well, I am chuffed to bits with the whole process.

As you can see, there is very little in the way of scarring, the area where the skin-tag was is flat and the bruising has all but disappeared.

So the entire process is now over and if a similar tag appeared anywhere else, I would not hesitate to visit Dr Sam Ghani and Dr Ruhul Amin again. I had no idea what to expect with the tag removal and it was such a straightforward procedure with no scarring, no pain or irritation and the entire time I was at the clinic, I felt calm, relaxed and knew that I was in good hands.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream

Every so often a product comes into my posession and having read an introduction to it, I go 'Wow' and this is what happened with Yu-Be Moisturising skin cream.  It was invented back in 1957 by a pharmacist and has since then been one of Japan's top-selling skin creams, yes for over 50 years! This is where I said wow!

Yu-Be is a moisture rich, petroleum free formula which contains the highly nourishing Vitamin E and B2 alongside Glycerin which helps to preserve moisture and Camphor which helps to soothe irritation as well as a menthol-like fragrance, which I find quite soothing.

Yu-Be can be used from head-to-toe and it helps with all forms of stubborn dryness such as flaky red skin, chapped lips, dry knees, elbows, on the cuticles and even on the dry skin of your feet, infact, I have smothered my feet in this cream, put some socks on and left them for a few hours to soak in the cream, which resulted in incredibly soft and smooth skin in place of FitFlop causing dry skin around my heels. 

The formula is a thick, yellow cream which means you only need to apply a thin layer at any one time and there is a menthol fragrance to this cream which does fade quite quickly, but when applying the cream to my skin, I found the fragrance quite soothing.  I love that it can be used on all kinds of skin and how gentle the formula is and knowing it has been used by Sumiyo Tsuzuki, a world class climber and explorer, to protect her skin as she climbed to the tallest peak of Mount Everest, really speaks volumes as to how good this cream is.

The Yu-Be skin care range includes a lip balm, body lotion, moisturising socks, a travel kit and of course this amazing cream and prices start from £7 and it can be found in stores such as BeautyMart, SpaceNK and on Amazon.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here