Fenwick Beauty Bag for Spring/Summer 2019 GWP

Fenwicks on Bond Street is one of those stores I can lose time in, beautifully laid out and packed to the rafters with some incredible brands - Charlotte Tilbury, REN, Laura Mercier, Hourglass, The Ordinary and Kiehls to name just a few.

From the 14th March until 5th April, Beauty brands within Fenwicks Stores will be hosting a series of events which I have listed below for the Bond Street store but there is also the Beauty Bag for Spring/Summer 2019 which is an absolute must-have.  Titled Confidence You Can See Me, this self-esteem-elevating message is the theme of the beauty bag and its contents will sit inside a transparent bag.  Inside you will find a series of beauty products which have been specifically selected for their confidence-boosting effects and they include brands such as Estee Lauder, Laura Mercier, REN, Miller Harris, Benefit and Neom to name just a few.

The message of this clear bag and its chosen contents is that it allows you to see these confidence-boosting beauty heroes, which in turn allow you to see the confidence in yourself. To get your hands on this Beauty Bag, all you need to do is spend £125 on beauty products in any Fenwick store or online at Fenwick.co.uk.

The in-store Beauty Brand Events Programme for Fenwick Bond Street looks like this : 

• Aveda: From 14th March (until stocks last)
• Blink Brow Bar: 14th-17th March
• Bobbi Brown: 14th March – 3rd April (on-counter services) /14th March (Pro Make-Up Artist event)
• By Terry: 14th March
• Charlotte Tilbury: 22nd March
• Clarins: 14th March – 3rd April
• Clinique: 14th – 29th March
• Estee Lauder: 28th Feb – 28th March
• Kaplan MD: 21st March
• Nails Inc: 14th March – 3rd April
• Trinny London: 14th March – 3rd April (Beauty pop-ups) /11th – 14th March (Pop-up store)

There are other events happening in many other Fenwicks stores and it is well worth looking online to see if there is something that takes your fancy. In the past, I have been to the Bobby Brown, Aveda and Nails Inc events and they are great for advice and help with choosing products, often with the brands Pro Makeup Artists. 

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

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.