Rebecca Yates London Stationery and GIVEAWAY!

I absolutely love stationery and have done since a very young age. I spent over 15 years penpalling with people all around the world and the UK, ensuring each letter was written on something a little more exciting than A4 lined paper, my favourite being Diddl, of which I still have quite the collection or anything that I could find that was pretty.

Met Rebecca, the creative driving force behind Rebecca Yates London, someone who is on a mission to brighten the world with art, stationery and homewares. Rebecca's creations are designed to be fun, colourful and positive – made to bring a splash of colour to everyday life, whether it’s the art on your wall or the notebook in your bag. The story behind the brand is as follows:

It all began in my apartment in Putney where with no training, I picked up a paintbrush and decided to have a go at abstract painting. I fell in love with the process of intuitively painting and with what I could create. 

I have always been obsessed with colour and how it can change the way we feel and quickly saw from working with a number of clients how art could transform a space. 

From there I was inspired to use my art to create stationery and notebooks and I am looking forward to continuing to expand my range of designs.

Now selling her designs on Etsy (here) you will find a whole host of products from Abstract Art (how beautiful is this) to planners and notebooks and I have some to share with you today.

this will be a great week - A5 weekly planner (£6.95) which I have in the colours turquoise, Hot Pink and Dreamer and are designed to bring you weekly positivity, help you reach your goals and celebrate your achievements. Within these A5 planners, there are 50 gummed sheets which are printed onto 100% recycled paper using environmentally friendly vegetable based inks, these notepads are also great for the environment. 

What I love about these planners is their size! Handy to fit into my handbag, laptop bag and not taking up too much space on my desk, there is enough space to write down everything I need to do/remember to do, make telephone notes on and leave reminders to myself, something I do quite a lot of.

As well as the A5 Planners, Rebecca also gave me three A5 Recycled notebooks (£7.50) which mirror the colours and designs on the planners making them a matching set.  One the front of each notebook is a motivational quote and they read:

• Girl Boss
• Don't Call it a Dream, Call it a Plan
• Don't overthink it, just start

Each of the covers is really sturdy and like the planners, each notebook is made from 100% recycled materials and is also printed using eco-friendly vegetable based inks. With 80 lined pages in each notebook, these are not only great sizes for keeping in your handbag to jot down those blog ideas whilst being on the go but they are also great for list making, note writing, letter writing and even just doodling into.

So, because Rebecca is so awesome, she has given me three sets to give away and they are the ones featured in this post.  All you have to do is complete the Rafflecopter widget below.  Please note that I will need the full name and address of those who win and a way to contact you be it email or via social media, so please take that into account before entering.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Fabulous Beauty Awards Beauty Box by Latest In Beauty

The first ever Fabulous Beauty Awards Beauty Box is the latest collaboration with Latest In Beauty and Fabulous Magazine. This is Fabulous Magazine's first ever beauty box and it includes some of the team's favourite products from the Fabulous Beauty Awards shortlist.

The box is worth £78 and to purchase it, it will cost you just £20! An absolute bargain for a total of 15 products of which more than half of them are full sized.  This is what you will find inside the box

• GARNIER Micellar Cleansing Water – 100ml
• BEAUTY PIE 24hr Pass
• JIMMY CHOO The Original – 2ml
• MISSGUIDED Babe Power – 2ml
• CARMEX Lip Pot Original – Full size
• SLEEK MAKEUP Metallic Matte Me: Molten Topaz / Metallized Rose /Platinised Plum (shade may vary) – Full size
• WUNDER2 COSMETICS WunderBrow 1-Step Brow Gel: Blonde, Brunette or Black/Brown (shade may vary) – Full size
• SANCTUARY SPA Purifying Charcoal Bubble Sheet Mask x1
• PERCY & REED Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Overnight Recovery – 30ml
• SOAP & GLORY The Righteous Butter™ Mini – 50ml
• WILKINSON SWORD Quattro For Women Sensitive Disposables – Full size
• BATISTE Dry Shampoo Original Clean & Classic – Full size
• HASK Monoi Coconut Oil Deep Conditioner 50g
• HASK Charcoal with Citrus Oil Purifying Deep Conditioner 50g
• STARSKIN 7-Second Morning Mask 7-in-1 Miracle Skin Mask Pads – x1 single use sachet

The Fabulous Beauty Awards Box is available now for £20.00 via www.latestinbeauty.com

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

Relaxing Skincare Routines

As we bin the tights and slip on the sandals in the summer months, we’re exposing more skin to the elements. To give it some TLC, why not spend some time at the end of a long day focusing on your skincare routine? 

Image Credit - Neal's Yard Remedies

Essential oils are the perfect ingredients for everything from easing dry skin to boosting blood flow. Each oil has different soothing properties and can make all the difference. 

Here are some relaxing essential oils to give your skin a treat. 

For Dry Skin

Spending a lot of time in the sun can aggravate dry skin because it loses moisture in the warmer weather. Flaky patches and wrinkles appear – not ideal when you’re trying to enjoy the summer. 

To combat this, invest in rose oil, which has moisturising and cell replenishing properties. After cleansing, gently massage a pea-sized amount of rose oil with both hands in a circular outward fanning motion. 

For Oily Skin

Oily skin can cause all sorts of issues, from spots to blackheads. If you have oily areas and want to reduce the shiny appearance of your skin, lavender oil could help. It has anti-inflammatory properties and helps to tone the skin. Simply drop some lavender oil into your regular night cream and use as normal to start balancing things out. 

For Sensitive Skin

For those with sensitive skin, it’s important to make sure your skincare routine is soothing everything from your face to your toes. Avoid flare-ups and calm aggravated skin with some blue chamomile oil. When a few drops are added to some shower gel, this oil can ease itching and soreness across the whole body. 

For Combination Skin

Is your skin a little bit of everything? To restore balance, try ylang-ylang. This magical oil can deliver moisture to dry skin, dry out oily patches and calm sore spots. Like blue chamomile, it works well when added to your usual shower gel or you can try body oils containing ylang-ylang that can be massaged into the skin. 

Whatever your skin type, changing up your routine by trying some essential oils is an ideal way to give it a treat. Whether you have time for an indulgent massage or you need a quick way of giving your skin a boost before you dash out to the next summer barbecue, you will find that a few drops make all the difference. 

Will you be bringing essential oils into your skincare routine? Have you noticed a difference?

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

OSKIA Citylife I-Zone Balm

Earlier this month I reviewed the June edition of Mintd Box, a beauty box which consists of 4/5 products curated from luxury beauty brands and when I say luxury, I mean luxury! One of the standouts for me from that box has been the Citylife I-Zone Balm from Oskia. Oskia only launched back in 2009 and has already been a winner of over 110 international product and brand awards including which includes Best British Brand and Best Natural Brand. I came to know the brand via their Renaissance Mask, which I happen to also adore.

The Citylife I-Zone Balm is described as being a soothing lip and eye balm, it is formulated to defend your delicate features from the harmful effects of indoor and outdoor pollutants, such as airborne metals, smog and smoke. So living in London, I am sure all of these things live on my skin, I travel around on public transport and I walk down some of the most polluted streets in the capital. I also know that having spent an entire day in the City Centre, I get home, double cleanse my face and the sheer amount of 'stuff' that washes off is absolutely grim. To that end, I am all for using products that can and will protect my skin.

Enriched with avocado oil, vitamins A and E you will also find some ingredients which are referred to as being 'Key Actives' and they include:

• RETINOL - improves the appearance of sun damaged, dry and mature skin to reveal soft, supple texture.
• ASTAXANTHIN - a really powerful antioxidant that is 6,000 times more potent than Vitamin C. It protects throughout the dermal layers from free radical damage, responsible for the ageing process, and sun’s damaging UV rays while also improving elasticity.
• WHITE LUPIN SEED - (Collangeneer) is a patented active that boosts Collagen I synthesis and the formation and quality of the collagen matrix to firm and improve elasticity for improved facial contour. 
• MSM - reduces inflammation, boosts the power of Glutathione and increases the production of pheomelanin, the type of melanin that is found in fair-skinned people, relative to eumelanin, the darker type of melanin, to reduce pigmentation. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory and calms breakouts.
• MICA - reflects light to enliven skin.

What I like about this balm is that it is clever, its ingredients actually do something useful and it is easy to apply.  All of those ingredients mentioned above come together to work to deflect pollution from the delicate eye and lip area. I don't think I have ever come across or used a product that has been designed to be used on both of those areas and given how delicate both areas are, I am happy to put it to use.

As a reminder of what this balm does, it:

• Protects the delicate eye & lip areas from the effects of day-to-day pollution and free radical exposure.
• Plumps, firms, contours and lifts.
• Nourishes and hydrates.
• Reduces the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and sun damage.
• Can also be used under makeup or highlights the eyes & lips on its own.

On the skin, it is light and non-greasy and it absorbs really quickly which is also a thumbs up from me. I am intrigued as to what difference this will make to my skin and it is a product I will keep using. You can find the Oskia Citylife I-Zone Balm for £55 here via Cult Beauty.

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