REN Clean Skincare ClearCalm Non-Drying Spot Treatment

I am quite lucky in that I don't get spots. I never had acne as a teenager and I never suffered from breakouts, my only issue is cold sores which I am prone too whenever I am stressed or feeling run down and the odd spot which appears either on my chin or on my forehead during my menstrual cycle, often poking at me from under the skin rather than emerging to make its presence known.

REN skincare is one of my go-to brands when I am feeling a little bit eurgh, their Magnesium Booster Bath Salts which are just incredible.  Anyway, REN has a brand new addition to the ClearCalm range called ClearCalm Non-Drying Spot Treatment (£20).

Again, continuing with their efforts to become zero waste by 2021, the packaging is 100% recyclable, with the cap being made from 100% recycled materials and the tube being made from 50% recycled plastic.

Described as being a skin-loving spot solution specifically designed to be non-drying. This treatment is infused with:

• Willowbark - This naturally derived precursor to salicylic acid helps clear spots without irritation.
• Maritime Pine and Thyme Complex - Soothes skin, while aiding recovery and reducing the potential for scarring.
• Prebiotic Chlorella Extract - Supports the skin microbiome and helps rebalance healthy bacteria.

Working together, they help to reduce redness, spot size and potential scarring as well as being deeply moisturising and helping to rebalance your skin's microbiome, this truly is a skin saviour that won't irritate or aggravate spots.  As if my hormonal spot knew this had arrived to be tested, I tried it out immediately.  The tube comes with a handy nozzle so you can apply directly to your spot(s) without getting the serum everywhere, bright orange in colour, as soon as the serum comes into contact with the skin, it disappears.

There are a few ways to use this serum, as well as being applied direct to the spot(s) in question, you can also add a few drops into your moisturiser, mix and apply all over.

What I like about this serum is that it is, as the name states, non-drying.  One of my issues with many a spot cream is that they do dry out the skin, which for me, never works and if anything I always feel my one spot is angrier than ever before.  So ClearCalm applied to my hormonal friend and within two days not only had it decreased in size, it was no longer sore to the touch and my skin didn't look angry. I am prone to redness on my cheeks, so I have been using this product on my left cheek where the redness is always more pronounced and being honest, it has slightly calmed it down, it hasn't fully disappeared, but then I have only been trying it there for the last two weeks to see what happens, usually I grab a green colour corrector to camouflage instead.

At £20 (here* and here) this is really affordable. The tube contains 15ml of product and because I have only used a little, it will last for quite some time before I would need to purchase a tube.  If you have tried this, I would love to know what you think!

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

Annicke Eau de Parfum Pour Femme by Eight & Bob

I love it when a product has a story to tell and Annicke Eau de Parfum by Eight & Bob has one which captivated me when I was told all about it at a Bloggers Event.

The story starts like this - One night during the winter of 1936, everything changed for Albert Fouquet. Fouquet had travelled to Megève, a meeting place for the European aristocracy, to attend a dinner organised by his friend, Nicolas. Albert was the perfect French gentleman, a passionate traveller with a fascinating pastime: he created perfumes for his own personal use. These perfumes became an object of desire within his social circle, and the perfect gift for Albert’s aristocrat friends on special occasions. That magical night in Megève turned Fouquet’s life upside down: it was Annicke, a young Austrian girl, the daughter of a banker and Hungarian noble. Her extraordinary beauty, innate elegance and irresistible personality made Albert’s heart skip a beat. She was the most amazing woman he had ever met. Their conversation and dancing, together with the warmth from the fireplace on that cold winter night left their imprint in Fouquet’s mind and on his heart, along with the indelible image of Annicke. There was no doubt that he had met the most fascinating woman that any man could ever have imagined. That magical night turned into day, but Albert had to leave for Paris at sunrise. But not before writing a heartfelt letter to Annicke, in which he expressed his ardent desire to see her again as soon as it was possible. Months passed and many letters were exchanged between Albert and Annicke. Their words of love, desire and dreams all inspired Fouquet to create a unique and exquisite perfume, which concentrated all that Annicke meant to him.

A perfume that was as precious as the woman who had captured his heart. When they met again in Vienna, Albert surprised Annicke with his first creation. She was amazed by the scent as were her acquaintances, creating an irresistible interest around the young perfumer. From that moment on, whenever Albert visited his beloved Annicke, he surprised her with a new creation, a new aromatic gem for her growing collection. Fragrances that delighted and fascinated her, always the most exquisite combinations of scents. And now, many years later, Eight & Bob produces the same scents for women who, like Annicke, are captivated by the exclusivity of this unique fragrance collection.

Such a beautiful story behind some quite stunning fragrances and I was kindly gifted this discovery set which features vials of all 6 Annicke fragrances.  

Each fragrance is numbered 1-6 and they are all completely different and unique.

• Annicke 1 is a Floral Woody Musk fragrance and it has top notes are mandarin orange, peony and ivy; middle notes are lily-of-the-valley, jasmine and cyclamen; base notes are driftwood and white musk.  It is a beautiful fragrance and one which you can smell on clothing a day or two after using.  It starts off quite citrusy with a hint of floral before lily-of-the-valley and the musk dominate to make what is a beautiful everyday scent.
• Annicke 2 is an Oriental Floral fragrance and it has top notes of mandarin orange, fig and hazelnut; middle notes are tuberose, immortelle and ylang-ylang; base notes are sandalwood, vanilla and cedar.  Now I am not a fan of vanilla as a scent at all, it leaves me with a headache, but thankfully, within Annicke 2, the vanilla scent isn't at all heavy.  What I love about this fragrance is the fruity notes of the mandarin orange mixing with the floral notes before Sandalwood and Cedar take over to settle the scent.
• Annicke 3 is a Chypre Floral fragrance and it has top notes of bergamot, mandarin orange and red berries; middle notes are gardenia, jasmine and white rose; base notes are meringue, cashmere wood and sandalwood. 
• Annicke 4 sits within the Floral-Woody-Fruity family and it has top notes of blackcurrant buds and nectarine, heart notes of ylang-ylang, rose and jasmine and base notes of patchouli, cashmeran and oakmoss. This is my favourite scent of all 6, I love the fruity notes as they mix with the floral notes, neither overpowering another and as soon as the base notes come into their own, they blend together and create a fragrance I adore.
• Annicke 5 is a Floriental fragrance which has top notes of bergamot, lily-of-the-valley and rum, heart notes of honey, plum and ambre 84 DL and base notes of patchouli, caramel and vanilla leaves.  Another beautiful fragrance, but for me, it is one which gets better and better as it settles on the skin.
• Annicke 6 is another Floriental and this time we have top notes of bergamot, carnation and Sichuan pepper, heart notes of rose, cinnamon and ambre 84 DL and base notes of sandalwood, labdanum and benzoin.  This one for me is my second favourite and it is one of those fragrances that can see you from day to night and still smell as amazing.   The floral notes mixed with the Sichuan Pepper giving it that hint of spice.

Having the chance to try a discovery set such as this one is a great introduction to perfume brands, each 100ml of Annicke is priced at £140 from John Lewis*, Lookfantastic* and Harvey Nichols, so it is a lot of money to pay out for something you might not like after a few uses, by having a sample vial, it gives you the chance to try a fragrance within familiar surroundings to make up your mind.

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

ICONIC London Luminous Compact Powder

Jade Elliott started her beauty brand Iconic London from her own bedroom and it has now become quite the phenomenon within the world of beauty with professional makeup artists, celebrities, bloggers, leading Beauty Editors and even Kim Kardashian all raving about just how good the products are. A few weeks ago I shared my views on perhaps the most raved about product, the Iconic Illuminator and today it is the turn of the Iconic London Luminous Powder.

The description of this Luminous Powder reads "Like an Instagram filter in a compact, this gorgeous golden bronze finishing powder is here to answer all your perfecting, highlighting prayers" and the first thing I noticed was just how pretty the gold packaging is. Inside the compact is a mirror which sits in the top of the lid and in the bottom is the actual powder.

The pressed powder features a trio of silky pressed powders and they are in a pretty art deco design which makes it easy to see which shade is which because right here you have a warm gold bronzer, a deeper bronzer and a really light shade which adds a touch of highlight to the skin.  Using a unique combination of pearl and pigment not only does it give a beautiful soft-focus, golden sheen that not only blurs and perfects skin, but it also manages to leave a seamless, subtle finish. 

The swatches shown above are unedited, you see them as they were swatched onto my arm, but what I love is that this compact gives you the option to use each of the shades individually or you can use a brush to mix the three together, depending on your preference to create your own shade.  I tend to use this compact in a variety of ways depending on both my mood or the occasion, but what I love is the that the two lighter shades make a really great highlight that you can use just about anywhere and I tend to switch back and forth between using a Kabuki brush or a smaller eyeshadow brush to get the look I want, without making it look as though I am an extra from Twilight with my blinding glow.

This Luminous Compact Power is priced at £30 here and makes a great addition to any makeup bag.

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

Emma Hardie Exfoliating Brightening Tonic

It was only a few weeks ago that I was celebrating the 10th anniversary of Emma Hardie skincare with a limited edition 200ml Moringa Cleansing Balm that had been beautifully illustrated.  Emma is back with a brand new product once again and it is quite different to anything I can honestly say I have tried and it wasn't at all as I expected it to be.

The Exfoliating Brightening Tonic is described as being a natural and gentle daily exfoliator that smooths, brightens and evens the skin's tone and texture as well as improving skin clarity and increasing elasticity.  

Formulated using a blend of botanical ingredients, this Tonic has five key ingredients which include:

• Natural Pomegranate Enzymes - These are gentle and effective exfoliators which work to enhance cellular renewal, release trapped bacteria as well as sloughing away dead skin cells that sit on the surface of the skin, this helps to create a smooth and even texture.
• Sytenol A - Also known as Bakuchiol, this is a natural compound that works as a natural alternative to retinol and offers similar benefits, including the stimulation of collagen.
• Nettle Extract - Used to help tone and tighten pores
• Aloe Vera - Used within this Tonic, it helps to soothe and hydrate the skin
• Amino Acid Derivative Tego Cosmo C250 - This is described as being a natural active ingredient which contains skin brightening properties and it helps to improve the skin's clarity and tone.  This ingredient also helps to condition and regulate the skin's pH balance.

Putting these ingredients together you get quite the exfoliator and one which comes in the form a spritz rather than a cream, balm, mask or other liquid.

Designed to be used after cleaning, before you do anything with the bottle, ensure you give it a really good shake and then spray the exfoliating tonic onto a cotton pad and wipe thoroughly over your face, neck and décolleté. I have found that 1-2 pumps are more than enough and if you have any excess left press it on the skin's surface, gently press it into the skin.  Once you have completed this task, you can continue your skincare routine with serums, moisturises and whatever you use on your skin.

What I love about this Tonic is not only how easy it is to use, but just how effective it has been for me on my skin.  I have combination skin, which whilst being oily, also means I have dry patches of skin on my cheeks and they do wind me up, so anything I can do to ensure they don't make me feel even more self-conscious, I am doing.  There is no stinging, tingling or burning sensation on the skin when using this Tonic and naturally, it does smell pretty good too, but it is all natural and not synthetic,

Emma Hardie's Exfoliating Brightening Tonic is dermatologically tested, Vegan and cruelty-free.  It is available right now for £28 via Cult Beauty*

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