Nail HQ London + Giveaway

I long to be one of those people with strong nails that always look good, in an amazing condition and never break, chip or flake - alas, that is not what I am blessed with.  I have over the years tried acrylics, gels, regular manicures and nothing has seemed to prevent the splitting and breaking. I tried shaping my nails different, moving from square to squoval but again once my nails reach a nice length, one would break and like dominos the rest followed.

Then I was introduced to Nail HQ, a brand who uses cutting edge technology found in hair care and they have a wide range of products which includes 9 core nail Treatments. Nail HQ is described as being a problem, solution range with each product targeting a different problem area of your nails. Each product is infused with different oils, vitamins and proteins which can be used directly onto your nail.  So I have gone back to basics with my nails with thanks to Nail HQ London and that included ensuring all my nails had been cut and shaped to the same size and length and I've sorted my cuticles out too.

The first item I have in my little package is the Nail HQ Cuticle Oil and its role is to moisturise and condition both the nail bed and the cuticle area.  I hold my hands up and admit that this is not something I regularly use and really should.  

The formula is non-greasy and it contains a whole host of ingredients to rejuvenate and soften those dry and lifeless cuticles and they include Jojoba Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil and Beta-Carotene as well as Vitamins E, A and D3.  Coming together the ingredients work to restore the moisture and lubrication levels which are necessary to stop the cracking and the peeling. 

What I like about this oil is how easy it to use and this is partly owing to the formula not being greasy and just sitting on your nail bed taking ages to absorb, but also to the brush, which is exactly the same as a nail polish brush, makes the application much easier and much more precise. There is no chemical or nail polish scent to the oil and what I also like is that you can apply it more than once daily if your cuticles are really dry.

The second product is the Nail HQ Base Coat and it is quite a unique product in that it is both a treatment and one which has a rubberised formulation to ensure it helps prepare the nail for colour application. With the formula being as it is, it creates a barrier to prevent discolouration of the nails, particularly with shades which have really high pigmentation.  I have often found with darker nail shades that if I don't use a base coat, my nail bed does discolour and it can often take months to get rid of it entirely.

The Base Coat again is one I have just worn on its own and remove every few days and reapply when I need too.  As I am taking my nail care as back to as basic as I can, I don't want to be sticking to my darker nail shades.  So for me, this is working just fine for now.

The product which really intrigued me was the Nail HQ All In One and it is described as being a nail treatment designed to be a multi-solution product. Using Acai Berry and Argan Oil as well as a replenishing Mineral Complex, these ingredients come together and their job is to provide moisture and nourishment which help maintain healthy but flexible nails whilst preventing brittleness and breakage.

The Formula of this treatment is slightly different to the others within the range in that it is blue in colour, though on the nails it is clear and the formula is that little bit thicker in texture, but it applies like a dream. 

Finally, we have the Nail HQ Gel Top Coat and it is described as being a nail treatment which contains an exclusive dual polymer which has been developed exclusively to create a long-lasting, extra durable high gloss finish. The acrylic provides non-yellowing properties that help preserve and protect the colour underneath and the inclusion of Shellac also helps for added durability.

This top coat includes Argan Oil for its moisturising properties and it helps to benefit the health of your nails.

What I like about these products is that as well as making your nails look good, even mine which really are in a sorry state, is that they work to protect our nails as well as work as a treatment and they don't cost the earth to purchase either.  If your nails need a bit of TLC then as well as the four products I have mentioned within this post, you will also find a Ridge Filler, A Growth treatment, A Nail Hardener, A Nail Protect and Repair and a Nail Strengthener.

I have a set of these products to give away over on my Instagram (here) so to be in with a chance of winning them, all you need to do is follow the rules which are on that Instagram post!

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

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.