Christmas with REN Clean Skincare

REN Clean Skincare has been an amazing brand for me this year and I have been lucky enough to try some amazing products such as the Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm (here) and the Magnesium Booster Bath Salts (here), so I was quite excited to see what was on offer for Christmas.

This year, REN Clean Skincare has collaborated with kikki.k and for anyone who loves stationery as much as I do, then I am sure you will have been into the Covent Garden store and wanted to purchase absolutely everything.  A global Scandinavian design brand that empowers and inspires people to live their best life, REN have taken their inspiration from the beauty of Scandinavian landscapes and nature to encapsulate hygge to bring to you a feeling of cosy contentment.  If you know REN as well as I do, then I think these two brands coming together is a match made in heaven.

This year, REN have an incredible range of gift sets and stocking fillers for all budgets and for me, this is a fabulous way to get to know the brand, pick up some of your favourites and even treat a loved one to something a little bit special.

I was kindly sent the Love Gift Set £38 and it is described as being the chance to experience REN's multi-award winning Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash and Body Lotion.  I absolutely adore the scent of rose and both of these products are just stunning.  One of the world's most expensive essential oils rose otto oil is known for its ability to soothe and calm, leaving skin soft and cleansed, and the mind de-stressed.

The Body Wash when used in water, lathers up really nicely and it is at this point that the scent intensifies and comes to life.  Alongside the Rose Otto Oil is two further oils which are:

• Palmarosa Oil - Calming and Uplifting fragrance improves mood
• Genanium Oil - Minimises signs of stress and fatigue, increasing radiance

Together these scents are just wonderful and if this is a scent that, like me you adore, it is also available as a body scrub and a body oil too.

The Moroccan Rose Otto Body Lotion is wonderfully light and beautifully scented. Like the Body Wash, it contains Rose Otto Oil and alongside it, you will find:

• Rose Hip Seed Oil - Rich in vitamin A to rejuvenate the skin
• Shea Butter - Rich in natural vitamins and oils to nourish and hydrate the skin

When used after bathing with the Body Wash, the skin smells just absolutely incredible and it is a scent which lingers on the skin for most of the day.

As well as the Love Gift Set, I was also sent the Moroccan Rose Hand Balm Stocking Filler (£15) and inside the most beautifully packaged pink box, the hand balm.  I absolutely love just how luxurious the formula of this balm is and once applied, it absorbs quickly into skin. 

Infused with Shea Butter and Sunflower Seed Oil, the balm is not only lightweight and non-greasy, it feels just delightful to use.  I am a bit of a hand demon and go through tubes of it to ensure my hands are nourished and cared for.  This balm works to nourish and hydrate the skin whilst at the same time leave your skin scented beautifully of the Moroccan Rose scent.

If you are looking for something special for Christmas, then you will find everything REN has to offer right here.

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

Omorovicza Cashmere Cleanser

Omorovicza is one of my favourite brands. I adore everything from its luxurious packaging to the products and how they make my skin feel, plus I am yet to find a product I dislike. Pronounced Oh - more - o - veet - za the brand is inspired by tradition, guided by nature and spearheading the concept of Mineral Cosmetology. The Omorovicza skincare range has a rich, romantic heritage. It was founded by a young couple, Stephen and Margaret de Heinrich de Omorovicza, who met in Budapest. One of the cult products from the brand is The Queen of Hungry Mist and if you haven't tried it, then you need too.

I have used a lot of Omorovicza products and reviewed them here but new to my collection is the Cashmere Cleanser which I have been using for the last few months and one word which springs to mind when describing it is soft.  I am picky when it comes to a lot of my skincare, especially cleansers because I find some leave my skin feeling quite taut and dry. 

From Omorovicza, this Cashmere Cleanser which is infused with nourishing, gentle and soothing actives which cleanse the skin without stripping it to leave it feeling soft and smooth or as the name of the product might suggest – as soft as cashmere. I love how this cleanser feels before I use it, as I am using it and after I have used it. There are no synthetics smells, no scent of alcohol, just a fresh scent which leaves my skin feeling as though it can breathe.

  Key ingredients within this cleaner include:

• Calendula extract, known for its anti-inflammatory and decongestive properties, helps soothe and restore the skin.
• Apricot kernel oil, rich in vitamin A and vitamin E, helps rejuvenate and nourish the skin and promote collagen production.
• Shea butter nourishes, moisturizes and helps boost the skin’s lipid content.
• Omorovicza’s patented Healing Concentrate™ leaves skin firmer, more supple and younger-looking.

To use, all you need is to wet your hands and then pump a pea-sized amount of the cleanser into them and then massage onto the skin in circular motions across the face and neck before rinsing thoroughly.  This cleanser is suitable for sensitive, dry, oily, normal and combination skin and my own skin is combination/oily and I haven't had any issues with using it so far, in fact, my skin just loves it.  

Priced around £47 for 100ml, this Cashmere Cleanser from Omorovicza can be found on Cult Beauty, Lookfantastic, John Lewis and Feelunique.

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

Gatineau Perfection Ultime Radiance Energizing Eye Concentrate

Gatineau is a brand I have really enjoyed discovering and the product I have been using of late is the Perfection Ultime Radiance Energizing Eye Concentrate. For as long as I can remember, I have always been told that it is important to have a good eye cream/serum within your skincare routine. However, I am quite picky when it comes to eye creams because I cannot stand anything that is too thick, too sticky or anything that is overloaded with chemicals and ingredients that make my eyes sting and water.

This revitalizing eye serum reduces the appearance of puffiness and dark circles. Instantly absorbed and silky-smooth, it provides long-lasting hydration whilst refreshing and soothing tired eyes.

For me, one of the biggest concerns with my skin is that I am always dehydrated under the eyes, whenever I have my skin looked at through a scanner at beauty stands, it is always the issue that is flagged up.  So I do as much as I can to ensure I use eye creams which are hydrating and I use under eye masks every single week.  

The Gatineau Perfection Ultime Radiance Energizing Eye Concentrate (£55 here) uses some incredible ingredients which include:

• Horse Chestnut Extract - boosts circulation, smooths lines
• Yeast Extract - fights puffiness around the eyes
• Sweet Almond Oil - softens and leaves skin smooth, plump and youthful.

Coming together, these ingredients work to ensure the serum provides long-lasting hydration as well as helping to refresh and soothe tired eyes. Spending a lot of time in front of a laptop, computer, iPhone and even Kindle screen all contribute to leaving me with tired and dry eyes and I am loving the formula of this cream.

For me, Gatineau is a luxe brand, the packaging of this eye concentrate is beautiful with the white glass bottle.  I love that it comes with a pump and one pump is more than enough for both eyes and it is perfect for using both morning and evening.  I always use my ring finger to apply any eye cream or serum and I gently pat it until it has absorbed.  I love that it feels smooth to the touch.

Priced at £55 this Eye Concentrate from Gatineau is currently on offer at allbeauty for just £24.95 here.

Do you have a favourite eye cream?

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

MUA Pro Base Products

When it comes to creating that perfect base for applying your makeup, MUA/Makeup Academy has a whole host of products ranging from powders and creams to concealers and sticks to help and until very recently, I hadn't tried anything from the range.

Within my collection, I have been using and trying six different base products and I am really impressed that there is so much to choose from.

One item I never seem to switch from is Concealer.  I have my favourite two and it is rare I would look for something else.  I was colour matched for this Pro Base Concealer from MUA at their launch event a few months ago. 

Described as being lightweight this concealer offers buildable coverage.  What I like about this concealer is that it doesn't have that horrid wet paint smell, the only way I can think to describe a few other highstreet concealers.  On application, it is lightweight but you can build it up to give pretty full coverage.  It doesn't crease as much as other concealers but I have found the more you apply the more it will crease.

With 10 different shade options within the collection, the price point of £2.50 is pretty darn good!

Moving on from Concealers we have the Pro/Base Full Coverage Matte Pressed Powder. Described as being long-lasting, this powder has a talc-free formula.

If like me you have combination skin which leads to the oily side, having a powder which sets makeup and prolongs it for a shine free complexion ticks the box for me.  I have a shade which is slightly too dark for my skin tone, but I have given it a try around the house and I do like how it sits on my skin.  Again it has a price of £2.50 which is impressive.

The Pro Base Primer collection gives the option of using a tube or stick option.  I have one of each and the first one to share with you in the Pro Base Banana Blur Primer. Described as being a velvety, mattifying primer with added vitamin E.

Lightweight on the skin, what I like about this primer, is that although it isn't blurring as I expected it to be, it does make my liquid foundation sit really nicely on my skin.  Alongside the Banana Primer, there is also the option of having an Oil Free Primer which is also Silicone Free or the Moisturising Primer which has added Vitamin A and E as well as Tea Tree.

Each Primer is priced at £4 and again available from Superdrug.

I am a huge fan of stick products, be it a concealer, cleanser, foundation, bronzer and so on. MUA have a Balm Stick primer which looks similar to a roll on deodorant in style and size.

I have the soothe and cool Primer Stick which I loved the minute I tried it. As a solid balm it is incredibly easy to apply and if you have tried anything in stick form, you will get the gist pretty quickly.  Once you have cleansed and moisturised, the idea is that you apply this primer to the areas you need to prime and the Soothe & Cool Stick gives a slight cooling sensation on the skin and the idea with this is to help reduce puffiness whilst soothing skin.

It does a pretty good job at being a primer and I tend to apply to my tzone as I find that is where it works best.  Also within the range, there is the Soothe, Set & Blur Prime Stick, the Softening Facial Oil Stick and the one which intrigues me the most and I intend to pick it up to try is the Make Up Remover Stick.  All priced at £5 via Superdrug.

Setting Sprays and Mists are items I always have in my stash and I have a few highstreet products and a few high-end options to choose from.  MUA have two within their range which I have also been trying and the first is the Mattifying Fixing Spray.

I have the Mattifying Mist Spray and it is worth noting that there is also the option to have the Cooling Spray, The Fixing Spray or the Primer Spray too.  This Spray is a lightweight spray when spritzed and although it doesn't soak you through, you definitely notice that it has hit your skin. Whilst it does mattify my skin after using, I didn't find that the effect lasted all day and come mid-afternoon, the oil slick appeared that I had hoped to keep at bay. So for me, this would be a product I would need to carry with me to use more than one if I was to ensure I had an oil-free finish for the entire day. 

Each product within this range is priced at £4 and you can find them.

The final item within my MUA Pro Base Collection is the Fixing Mist and the big difference between this and the product above is how it feels when spritzed onto the skin because this one is definitely more of a light mist than a spray.

Described as being a Micro-fine mist for easy application and up to 8 hours fixing time, the one thing I would state is that I have found it gives 4-5 hours fixing time rather than the 8 but I have been using it during the warmer weather and I think once the cooler Autumn days arrive, then that 8 hour time will be much more achievable.  I like that there is no chemical scent to this and its selling point for me, other than being just £5, is just how lightweight the mist is. 

You can find this Mattifying Fixing Mist and the rest of the Makeup setting sprays at Superdrug.

So there you have my little collection of MUA Pro Base products that I have tried over the Summer and more recently and I would love to know if you have tried any of them for yourself?!

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