& Now To Sleep | REN Skincare

For me right now REN skincare as a brand has come out with some amazing products - Perfect Canvas which I featured here, the Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium collection which I featured here and even the amazing Christmas gift range which you will find here.  Their latest release which is called & Now To Sleep is just incredible.

I am sure most of you will have tried Sleep Sprays, Pillow Sprays and anything that promises to have to fall asleep before your head hits the pillow, I know I have.  Sometimes when sleep just doesn't come and you have counted all the sheep, watched a boring TV show and even read a book, you will try absolutely anything to just get a few hours of shut-eye right? Well REN has come up with something new and I think it is the best I have tried so far!

& Now To Sleep is described as being a scent which will send you to a deeper sleep. Enriched with a unique blend of pure essential oils, it works to restore calm and pre-sleep tranquillity, so that you and your skin can renew and regenerate naturally.  At this point, I am already half asleep because it does sound just so good!

To use it, you simply spray it onto your bed linen and your pillow but unlike other products, & Now To Sleep gradually releases its scent throughout the night, rather than all at once and this for me makes it stand out.   Using a unique blend of Frankincense, Lavender and Clary Sage it creates one heck of an amazing scent and whats more, for those people who always comment how much they hate Lavender as a scent, you can barely detect it within this product.

So why Frankincense? Firstly, REN really believes in the power of Frankincense to relax the body and mind as well as to alleviate stress and tension. It has been used in the V-Cense range but it doesn't really get the praise it deserves. I find Frankincense quite a warm scent, much more subtle than Lavender but much more relaxing and much more calming. Blended into a product such as & Now Sleep along with Clary Sage which in itself is calming particularly when it comes to stress, nervous tension and insomnia and then Lavender, which by now we all know it helps to ease tension and stress and does help with calming and the need to sleep.

I have used this spray a few times since I was given it and it is a dream to use and has so far lived up to its claims.  For me, sleep doesn't come easy when I have a lot going on with work and I find myself tossing and turning, which only makes the whole problem worse.  This little gem has at least help to alleviate the stress and tension and combined with a nice bath using the Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium bath oil, sleep does come easier.

The REN & Now To Sleep Pillow & Linen Spray is £18 .

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

Urban Decay Troublemaker Mascara

When Urban Decay announced their new mascara Troublemaker was ‘sex-proof, my entire timeline on social media got very excited and whilst I am not quite willing to admit anything to state whether those claims are true or not, I do love a good mascara and it is always the one item of makeup that I never leave the house without.

I am quite set in my ways when it comes to a mascara, there are things I like and there are things I don't.  I have fairly long lashes and as such, if the formula is too wet, they do absolute nothing, there is no lift, no wide eye look and instead, they feel weighted down and generally just horrid.  I like a Mascara to give me volume as well as the length and I like every lash to be coated.

The packaging for this mascara is incredible, described as being prismatic it is the first thing you notice and that same effect is also present on the tube and it does look incredible. Noted on the box you see that it tells you that you will get 13.7x more lash volume and sexy, fluttery, intensely black lashes.  The formula uses two different types of black pigment which give that black intensity and it is infused with a combination of hollow silica and ultralight fibres which add volume without weighing the lashes down.

The custom-made brush which grabs onto the lashes, separates and curls as it coats them and the good things about this mascara is that you can layer it up as much as you feel you need too, the more layers means more trouble and best all - no spiders legs, no clumping and no spatter across the face when you blink, I am sure I am not the only person who always has to blink more than normal whenever I apply mascara.  For me to get the volume I wanted, I had to add three layers and I am really impressed with the difference it makes by adding further coats.  Once applied there is no smudging, budging or flaking and I applied Troublemaker to my lashes in the morning and it lasted all day at work and then onto an event after work I didn't need to re-apply, but I was asked on several occasions whether or not I had lash extensions, which I do not.

Given Troublemaker worked so well with my lashes, I wasn't expecting its removal to be as straightforward as it was.  I simply used my DHC Cleansing Oil and it came away without the need to rub or scrub, literally a wipe across both eyes with a cotton wool pad and it was gone.

Simply put I absolutely love this mascara and it does absolutely everything I want it to and much more.

Troublemaker costs £19.50 and is available to buy here.

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

11 Beauty Brands Supprting Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This month is Breast Cancer awareness month, something I alluded to in this post featuring Merci Handy and Coppafeel.  Breast Cancer is a disease which affects many of us in one way or another.  You might have had it, currently are receiving treatment from it, know someone with it or know of someone who didn't survive.  I have had 4 friends with it, one of them is still having treatment which looks hopeful and one has recently been told the disease has spread.

So to raise the profile of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this month a lot of beauty brands are lending their support and have given their products a makeover, many featuring the pink ribbon to support, raise funds for and raise awareness to a range of different charities. Here are just 11 of those brands and their products.

Jo Malone - Red Roses Cologne displays the Pink Ribbon and for every bottle sold, £20 will be donated to Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation. Priced at £88 here..

La Mer Crème de la Mer -La Mer has swapped the signature peach logo to pink for this limited edition mini pot in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness'. £19.50 from every pot sold will be donated In support of The Estée Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Campaign and it is available here for £65.

GHD - the ghd Air™ Hair Dryer in Pink Blush; a limited edition dryer that supports ‘Pink is Good’, the Umberto Veronesi foundation project that supports the scientific research on breast cancer.  Priced at £99 here

Bobbi Brown - This beautiful Pink Peony Blusher and a Mini Face Blender Brush with a pink handle, Bobbi Brown will donate £5 from every sale to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Priced at £35 here.

Elemis - The Hero Collection for Breast Cancer Care. It features Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules Pink Edition, Pro-Collagen Marine Cream Pink Edition, New Pro-Collagen Neck and Décolleté Balm Pink Edition, Frangipani Monoi Body Oil Pink Edition. Priced at £50 here.

Estee Lauder - Advanced Night Repair, which is an incredible product, has turned Pink in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness month and it also has a pink ribbon key chain too. With 20% of its proceeds going towards the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Priced at £72 here.

Origins - Drink Up Overnight Intensive Mask is one of the best hydrating overnight masks I have tried. In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness the tube has had a pink ribbon make over and £4 from every sale being donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Priced at £25 here.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturiser - A jumbo Sized Edition which comes with a Breast Cancer Awareness print and keychain. £2 from this purchase will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®. Priced at £38 here.

The Mama Mio Pregnancy Boob Tube Breast Cancer Awareness Edition is the same tried-and-tested, best-selling formulation, updated with limited edition packaging in support of the international Breast Cancer Awareness charity, Look Good Feel Better. Priced at £29.50 here. 

Bumble and Bumble - BB Thickening Spray for Breast Cancer Care. Bumble and Bumble will donate 20% to Breast Cancer Research Foundation from each limited edition Pink Ribbon Spray. Priced here at £23.

Aveda hand Relief - Aveda's hand relief is adorned with a pink ribbon and will donate £2 of each purchase to cruelty-free research through the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Priced at £22 here.

New just in from Tropic Skincare

The multi-award winning Firming Body Cream which is priced at £20 (here) for 250ml and will, throughout the whole of October be donating 10% from the proceeds to Breast Cancer Care.

Every year, 62,000 people in the UK are told they have breast cancer. The diagnosis not only changes their lives forever but also the lives of their family and friends. Breast Cancer Care understands the emotions, challenges and decisions people face every day. They know that everyone’s experience is different. That’s why they are there to offer support and information and campaign for better care.

Breast Cancer Care is the only specialist UK wide charity providing support to people with breast cancer. Their free services include support over the phone with a nurse or someone who’s been there, welcoming online forums, reliable information and local group support. They’ll help people to live life with breast cancer and beyond. From the moment someone notices something isn’t right, through their treatment and beyond, Breast Cancer Care will be there 691,000 people in the UK are currently living with a breast cancer diagnosis. Right now, Breast Cancer Care can’t reach everyone when they need them. With support, they can be here for more people, with care, support and information.

You can have course donate at any time to Breast Cancer Care via JustGiving too and that is my link. 

https://www.justgiving.com/4w350m3/donate/direct/campaign/5567491?&reference=influencer

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Woods of Windsor Blackberry & Thyme Gardeners Range

Woods of Windsors is a premium English lifestyle and gift brand and they recently launched their Blackberry & Thyme Gardeners Range which smells just incredible.

A gardener’s work is never done, with year-round maintenance and constant exposure to the elements, all too often our hands are neglected in the pursuit of creating the perfect garden. Woods of Windsor’s new Gardeners Range is formulated with extra conditioning and moisturising ingredients, to nourish those green fingers and restore smooth skin to hardworking hands. 

Whilst I don't have a garden, I do have pots outside on my terrace and spent a lot of time, planting, potting, pruning and picking fruits, vegetables and flowers and my hands do get really dry and scaly if I don't take of them. 

The Gardeners range has everything you need to ensure this does not happen.  Taking the theme of an English Country Garden to heart, these products combine green tea and ripe blackberry with the heart of rosemary, thyme mimosa and white jasmine which are enhanced with musk and amber. Within the collection there are four products - Moisturising Hand Wash (£6.99/350ml), Exfoliating Hand Scrub (£4.99/100ml), Nourishing Hand Cream (£5.99/100ml) and Intensive Hand Balm (£7.99/100ml) and they are all paraben free. I have been using three of the products and I even have a favourite.

The Moisturising handwash which is packaged inside a pump action bottle is really lovely. The first thing you notice is the Blackberry scent which is incredibly fresh and then that the handwash has a purple tint to it which foams and lathers when it comes into contact with water, this works to intensify that Blackberry scent but at the same time it awakens the Thyme scent too.  

This hand wash uses antibacterial and healing thyme oil and blackberry extract which is rich in anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids that help protect and moisturise.

Then we have the exfoliating hand scrub. It wasn't until we had an allotment that I realised such products existed and when you have spent all day digging and weeding, it is at that point you need to exfoliate your hands to rid them of horrid calluses that have formed. 

This scrub uses pumice to cleanse and remove ingrained dirt and when you massage into the skin you can feel the pumice working on the skin. There is also the inclusion of antibacterial and healing thyme oil and blackberry extract which is rich in anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids that help protect and moisturise.

Finally, we have the hand cream and like the other two products I have mentioned so far, it also uses antibacterial and healing thyme oil and blackberry extract, rich in anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids that help protect and moisturise but this time there is also the inclusion of Shea Butter. 

On the skin, this hand cream, which doesn't have a thick texture, just melts into the skin and it leaves behind a beautiful Blackberry earthy scent which is just divine.

These three products are just divine and for me, the stand out product is the exfoliating hand scrub, it is so gentle but so effective at what it does, that it is hard not to love it.  The entire range is simply delightful and it has a scent that everyone could and should adore.  

This was my first time using products from Woods of Windsor and having had the chance to look at the site, there is an incredible range of products to discover.

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