Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF15

If you have never tried anything from Alpha-H Skincare, then you need too because they are just an amazing brand and one who is known for their ability to perfect even the most troublesome of complexions one product at a time. New to the collection comes the Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser with SPF15 and if you managed to get your hands on the most recent QVC TSV offer, then you will have got this product included.

Our skin is under constant attack, whether it is from environmental aggressors, pollution, UV radiation and the one we are all beginning to understand more about and that is blue-light which is emitted from our computers, phones, TV's and tablets because we are more technologically savvy than we ever have been.  All of these together are degrading our skin and causing premature signs of ageing. To prevent damage to the skin we need a lot more than moisturisation, exfoliation and to some extent masks.  Products that I am beginning to see a lot of are referred too as 'anti-pollution' sprays, creams and masks which all want to work to protect our skin, but Alpha-H have gone that one step further.

he Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser SPF 15 is described as being a next generation 5-in-1 daily protectant. It moisturises, primes, shields against blue-light, pollution, and filters UVA/UVB radiation in one easy step, future-proofing your skin and complexion from environmental and digital ageing. Using the latest technology in the form of what is called 'Uplevity and Serilesine' a dual peptide technology which works to stimulate Collagen production, increase firmness and dimish wrinkle depth.  Also included you will find:

• New Zealand Pine Bark Extract, known as Enzogenol which a much more powerful antioxidant than vitamin C and helps to protect cells from UV damage. It stimulates new cell growth and extends the life of the dermal matrix. It also gives the cream the peachy shade, which doesn't transfer to the skin, it instead perfects.
• Cureberry which is derived from bilberry leaves and they work to stimulate the body’s own antioxidant glutathione. Proven to reduce the production of collagen-degrading enzymes and free radicals which are triggered by blue-light exposure.
• Caffeine Extract which is locally sourced from Queensland farmers in Australia, hosts powerful antioxidant properties and works to improve skin firmness, and effectively moisturises and hydrates the skin to improve suppleness.
• Pollushield has been clinically proven to trap between 74% and 97% of all pollutants on the skin over a 6 hour period. This vital ingredient creates a microscopic net over the skin’s surface to limit the absorption of the daily assault of airborne pollution.
• Niacinamide which is known for its ability to hydrate, it also works to stabilise the skins barrier function by increasing the ceramide levels and reducing water loss from the transepidermal.
• Shea Butter also helps with nourshing the skin and helping to reduce inflammation.

Putting all of these ingredients together, Alpha-H have managed to create a product that is incredibly lightweight and it absorbs really easily.  Since this came into my possession, I have used it every single day and I love how it makes my skin feel. It does an amazing job as a primer too if you happen to run out, but for me, more importantly, I like the feeling of knowing I am doing all I can to protect my skin.

Available now and priced at £39.99 via Cult Beauty (aff link) I enjoy using it so much, I have already purchased a second tube.

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

Follow your fjaka with Saint Iris Adriatica

When you have been introduced to a brand and their products and manage to use every single drop before writing about them, that has to be a good sign right? Well, I was very lucky to be introduced to Saint Iris Adriatica, a brand I had never come across before but if you judge a product by its looks, then this one ticks boxes!

A brand who asks if you have ever felt relaxed, yet energised and powerfully alive? In the Adriatic, this blissful state is known as fjaka [pron: fyak.ka] and it’s at the heart of new, naturally symbiotic premium body care range, Saint Iris Adriatica. The name is said to have been inspired by the Sweet Iris of Dalmatia, traditionally offered to goddesses and saints for protecting spice cargoes en route from East to West via Adriatic ports. This delicate bloom, which thrives in the rockiest terrains, symbolises grace and resilience.  The three products I have been using are the Everybody Purity Paste, Everybody Wake-up Droplets and Everybody Energy Cleanse and as I have said, I have used every single drop of every single product I was given to try!

The Everybody Wake-up Droplets (£46) which are described as being silky, gel-in-serum drops and they are dry to the touch whilst being both soothing and cooling and their job is to smooth, brighten and balance uneven, hyper-pigmented skin.  

Using three hero ingredients, we have:

• Adriatic mountain daisy extract, rich in skin-brightening arbutin, helps to prevent melanin synthesis and pigment transfer to cells. With soothing allantoin and betulinic acid, it gently encourages a more even skin tone.
• Stabilised vitamin C concentrate is converted in the skin into vitamin C, for increased sustained action. This potent antioxidant helps reduce the appearance of photo-ageing.
• Prebiotic fermented pomegranate enzyme gently exfoliates, smoothing and strengthening the skin.

The bottle, in its beautiful bright green glory, is a pump action with a nozzle, that nozzle when pumped gives you a fair amount of product and you simply apply it to cleansed skin daily, you can also apply it to targeted areas and of course because it smells just absolutely incredible, it is well worth taking the time to enjoy the fragrance and breathe it in.

The Everybody Energy Cleanse (£29) is one of those products who fragrance you just want to bottle up and re-open whenever you are feeling a little blue, lethargic or even just 'meh' for want of a better description. 

Free of SLS, this daily body wash, which has a natural citrus fragrance, not only stimulates the skin but also invigorates and uplifts the mood. Fruit enzymes and plant seed essential oils clarify, hydrate and soften skin.  As with the Wake-up Droplets, this Cleanse also has its hero ingredients and they include:

• Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and prebiotic pomegranate enzymes gently exfoliate without disrupting skin’s natural mantle.
• 20 essential plant oils including borage, rosehip and safflower which are rich in nourishing fatty acids, plus soothing organic honey soften and hydrate skin.
• Bearberry which works to detoxify and reduce inflammation whilst brightening and improving the skin tone.

Again, packaged inside the most stunning green bottle, the Cleanse is a clear gel and it feels just so soothing on the skin when applied. Designed to be used daily, it has a pump action applicator to make it easy to use and the directions are to mix it with cold water and sweep firmly over the body towards the heart to boost circulation and lymphatic drainage. I absolutely how alive the fragrance becomes under hot water, so for me, this is a product I use first thing in a morning when I need kicking awake!

The final product of my trio is the Everybody Purity Paste (£48) and this is a product that is suitable for the body and the face and takes up just three minutes of your time. Described as being a naturally warming express mask, it works to gently exfoliate and shifts impurities, improves texture and leave skin rejuvenated and glowing. 

What I love about this Paste is not just the fact it is called a paste, but the scent, here is an almost earthiness to it that I cannot get enough of. Packed full of essential oils, the ingredients you will find here include:

• Mediterranean cedar micro-dust which works alongside willow bark extract and its job is to gently exfoliate and detoxify skin as well as to enhance absorption of active ingredients.
• Omega-rich olive, seaberry, seaweed protein and 20 wild plant oils, which includes borage and rosehip, help to revitalise and nourish skin.
• Cherry kernel oil which is high in antioxidants, plus vitamin A and E help to leave the skin feeling soft, smooth and supple.

This paste takes on a sort of orange-brown texture, the kind of shade you don't ever want to see your fake tan turning. You apply it to dry skin and have the choice of using it all over, or as far as you reach, or you can use it on targeted areas and then leave it to work its magic for just three minutes.  Once that time is up, you will need to shower it off and it comes off really easily with no scrubbing required. Thankfully it doesn't stain the skin and what it does do, is leave everywhere soft and smooth to the touch but with that just stepped out of the spa clean feel. The Purity Paste works amazingly well as a bi-weekly brightening treatment for the skin with anti-inflammatory benefits.

I feel incredibly lucky to have tried these three products because they are just absolutely stunning and a delight to use.  I love the whole story and ethos behind the brand, I love the packaging and the greenness of the glass, I love the term Fjaka and have used it a lot since it came into my vocabulary, more to confuse people than anything else and I cannot wait to see what comes next for Saint Iris Adriatica.

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

Patchology Night Restoring Cloudmasque

Until recently, Patchology was not a brand I had come across until an email landed in my inbox and the Cloudmasque arriving back in December.  Formed over ten years ago, Patchology was formed around the idea that the truly effective delivery of great skincare ingredients, on your terms, is a game changer.  For Patchology it is all about creating products that work for you, on your terms and work with your busy schedule, so if you only have five minutes to spare, then there should be a product that you can and should use during that time.  Within their arsenal of products, there is a whole host of masks, patches, gels, creams and kits for everything you can think of.

No matter how busy life is, the one product we all have the time to apply and utilise is a sleep mask. A product which looks after your skin as you sleep and from Patchology we have the 'Restoring Night Cloudmasque'.  Described as being weightless and whipped, this mask works to hydrate and restore moisture to your skin as you sleep. What I love about products like this is that they take little effort to use and if you pick the right product, it can make a whole world of difference.  

Patchology Cloudmasque is packed full of amazing ingredients which include 17 skin-conditioning plant extracts such as Rosemary, Fig and Chamomile. It also includes Niacinamide which my skin absolutely loves alongside three main ingredients:

• Hyaluronic Acid: Hydrates skin to help improve elasticity
• Retinol: Helps speed cell healthy turnover
• Peptide Complexes: Reduce fine lines and crow's feet

Putting everything together, you have a masque which does all the hard work whilst you sleep and lets you wake with refreshed, hydrated skin.  Anyone who knows me, knows I adore the scent of Jasmine and that is the one dominating scent of this mask, it is a fresh scent of Jasmine which I find really relaxing and it is a fragrance which also helps you drift off to sleep.

To use this mask, I always ensure I have double cleansed my face and added my oil, if I am using one at the time and then, around 15 minutes before I want my head to hit the pillow, I apply an even layer of this masque to my skin and allow it to slowly penetrate my skin. If my skin is feeling dehydrated, it literally hoovers up this product really quickly, if my skin isn't dehydrated, then I often find I need to massage in the final bits of the masque. Waking up the next day, there is no transfer onto my pillow case and my skin always feels soft and smooth to the touch, better still, it is alway as hydrated as I hope it will be.

Priced at £35 for a 50ml jar (here), I use this masque at least once a week depending on how my skin feels and it lasts quite a long time.  As mentioned, my jar arrived towards the middle of December and I am still using it now, some three months later.

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

Pixi Beauty UK - What's New for 2019!

Last week I was very lucky to have been invited to the Pixi #HouseofGlow Event here in London, an event that was so beautifully put together transporting you from a gloomy wet and windy spring day to a brightly lit and colourful store.  Inside, Pixi was showcasing the newly launch products and I was literally in Pixi heaven.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you will know how much I adore Pixi as a brand and just recently, I shared my views on the Rose Infused range (here) which came packaged inside the most amazing travel bag.  

At the Pixi event, I was lucky enough to have a closer look at the newest Pixi launches, speak to the girls for advice on which would suit my skin, ask what the products do and get a sneaky peek of what is yet to come!

So first up we have the Vitamin C range which launched a good while ago now but this was the first time I have got to see it up close.  The range consists of a Tonic, Caviar Balm, a Juice Cleanser, a Lotion and a Serum.  The Vitamin C range is designed to brighten, protect and preserve the skin and as we know, Vitamin C has a potent antioxidant power which promotes healthy collagen production and is known to boost skin luminosity.  

Then we have the Pixi Milky Range and this is the one which intrigued me the most and it is referred too as the Hydration Range and it is designed to soothe, nourish, balance and protect sore, dry skin.  This range consists of a cleanser, lotion, makeup remover and a peel.

One product that did catch my eye is the Pixi In-Shower Steam Facial and essentially it is a gel-to-oil cleanser that can be applied in the shower to give that mini facial feel and it contains collagen and peptides that act to hydrate and plump skin!

If you are a huge fan of Pixi Glow Tonic then keep your eyes peeled for the Pixi Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel! Described as being a hydrating cleansing gel that doesn’t strip skin of essential oils while gently exfoliating and brightening with glycolic acid, horse chestnut extract, aloe and ginseng - essentially making it Glow Tonic in a gel!

If eye patches are something you absolutely love (and I do) then Pixi has a choice of two products for you.  Packaged in pots of 30 eye patches there is the choice of Pixi FortifEYE Firming Eye Patches which work to firm, hydrate and depuff the skin under your eyes using peptides and caffeine.  The second option is DetoxifEYE Depuffing Eye Patches and these are hyaluronic acid and caffeine-infused hydrogel patches which work to hydrate the skin under the eyes whilst helping to retain moisture and reduce the appearance of puffiness.

One item I always needs to have within my stash are facemasks and again Pixi are ticking all my skincare need boxes right now because again, there a few choices!  The first is the GLOW Glycolic Boost Mask and it is designed to instantly brighten and hydrate. Next we have the Pixi Plump Collagen Boost Mask which is a collagen and Peptide infused sheet mask which helps to improve and maintain elasticity while firming the skin.  These sheets masks are sold in boxes of three.  If you prefer a more traditional mask then Pixi has the Pixi Collagen Plumping Mask and it is a botanical collagen and amino acid mask which works to restore glow to the skin whilst plumping.  

If you like gel products when we have pHenomenal Gel which is perfect for dry and sensitive skin and it is ideally pH balanced to keep the skin barrier strong and healthy, while aloe vera hydrates and soothes.

Whilst those are just some of the amazing products I have seen, there was a whole host of products I spotted as I left the event and they come in the form of oils.  If you follow me on Instagram, then you might very well have seen my excitement!

Oils are not a new product for Pixi to introduce to their line up because there is already quite a few, the Rose Blend Oil being one of them.  These, however, are the Rose Quartz, Rose Blend, Pearl, Pink Salt and Gold Luminous Oils and each one has its very own role to play from cleansing and brightening to soothing and hydrating.  Having covered myself in them before leaving, I literally cannot wait for these to launch!

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a few of the products mentioned above, so keep a look out for those reviews once ive had time to properly try them out!  If you love the Pixi makeup range, there is a whole host of newness there too!

Are you a fan of Pixi products and have you seen anything you like the look of?

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