Alpha-H Daily Vitamin Mist

Looking for something to deflect damaging pollution and give your skin a boost of dewy radiance? Ask Alpha-H! One product which promises to do just that is the Alpha-H’s Daily Essential Vitamin Mist, a product I have enjoyed rediscovering from my stash on the return of these hot late August summer days.

If you didn't know, Alpha-H which is very much a family business and they formulate all of their own products and are stocked in over 25 countries including prestige clinics, exclusive day spas, TV shopping networks, cosmetic giant Sephora, department stores Marks & Spencer, Myer and Harvey Nichols, as well as a selection of premium airlines and over 2000 clinics worldwide offering Alpha-H facials - the absolute dream.

The Alpha-H Daily Essential Vitamin Mist is enriched aloe vera, rose flower oil, orange and lavender, it soothes the skin, as well as nourishing, soothing and hydrating it with Alpha-H’s encapsulated vitamin complex A, B, C, D, and E. The two hero ingredients being Cureberry and Pollushield™ which are described as being groundbreaking new ingredients, helps to shelter skin cells from the electromagnetic radiation emitted by computers and smartphones. As a result, it helps with reducing the effects of exposure to these toxins, including pigmentation, dullness, inflammation and premature ageing.

What I love about this Vitamin Mist is that it is not only lightweight, it is also one which doesn't wet your skin and face through, one spritz is more than enough at any one time for use.  It is this spritz which helps to protect your skin against everyday environmental aggressors, even your smartphone and computer.  The latter is something I am still getting to grips with but I am glad to see that there are some brands who are willing to do something, even if there is still a lot of scepticism out there.

As with every product Alpha-H release, they are all easily incorporated into your existing routine and this one is no different.  Vitamin Mist is an ideal product for boosting hydration levels during flights, in air-conditioned environments or after sun exposure. To use, you simply close your eyes and apply the mist liberally to cleansed face, neck and décolletage. You can re-apply the mist throughout the day over your moisturiser or make-up and it doesn't wash your makeup away.

The Alpha-H Daily Vitamin Mist is priced at £33 for a 100ml bottle.

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

O'Keeffe's for Healthy Feet

I have mentioned many many times about my love-hate relationship with feet, in truth it is more hate than love, but like the rest of my body, I do the best I can to look after them, mainly to avoid someone else having to touch them, but moisturise, exfoliate, scrub and when needed, massage. For the last few weeks or so, I have been using a brand called O'Keefes and their Healthy Feet range to keep my trotters in good condition.

O'Keefes is a brand with a 20-year history, found in an arid region on the California-Oregon border known as Klamath Basin.  A family-owned business whose formula came about when Tara, a pharmacist and her father Bill, a rancher, spent years creating and testing various formulations mixed in her kitchen until, many years later, she developed a product that worked better than any others. It is this basic formula that has become O’Keeffe’s Working Hands and, several years later, O’Keeffe’s for Healthy Feet, O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair and O’Keeffe’s Skin Repair.

Usually, as soon as the weather gets warmer I live and breathe in my Fitflops, but owing to an ankle injury, my feet have spent most of their time in trainers with an ankle wrap. That said, I have still constantly applied cream and exfoliated the skin once a week, as I would do my arms, legs and face. I was kindly sent a gift package from O'Keefe's to try and inside was the Healthy Feet Foot Cream and the Healthy Feet Exfoliating Moisturising Foot Cream in 85ml tubes.

Described as being a unique formula of moisturising ingredients guaranteed to improve dry, cracked skin. O’Keeffe’s foot cream (£8.49*) is designed to protect, hydrate and moisturise the skin on your feet, as O'Keefe's state "Parched, barren earth needs water - the same goes for rough, dry skin".

Healthy Feet contains a high concentration of glycerin and it draws in and retains moisture, which is necessary for healthy, hydrated skin. It also contains Allantoin which is designed to penetrate thicker and rougher skin on the feet to ensure that moisture is kept in.  I apply this cream to my feet once I have exfoliated and buffed any dead/dry skin away and depending on how dry the skin and my feet are, I sometimes apply a thick layer and then leave it on overnight under my moisturising socks.  There is no scent to this cream, though its formula is fairly thick.

The product that really intrigued me was the Exfoliating Foot Cream (£9.49*) because it has no exfoliating particles, is of a similar texture to the Foot Cream shown above and it smells absolutely incredible of Peppermint.

Rather than being a scrub in the traditional sense of the word, with this product, you apply it to your feet and don't wash it off, instead, you let it absorb and work its magic, the result being smoother feet, particularly around the heels, which is often my problem part.  This cream is incredibly refreshing on the skin, the Peppermint giving it that cool, fresh feeling as it is applied to the skin. 

What I like about both of these creams is that neither one of them is greasy on the skin when applied, they sink in without leaving much a trace behind, the only indication being the hint of peppermint from the Exfoliating Foot Cream.  I have really enjoyed getting to try both of these creams and as much as I don't like touching my own feet, it is a necessary evil, so I might as well have nice products to do it with.

What products do you use on your feet to keep them in good condition?

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

No.7 Laboratories Line Correcting Booster Serum

When the No.7 Laboratories Line Correcting Booster Serum first launched, there was a huge waiting list of people wanting to give it a try, 36,000 of them to be precise and all within 12 hours of the launch. Described as being a new fast-acting non-invasive solution which is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles by up to 5 years, this new Booster Serum is said to have been No.7's most concentrated age-defying solution and one which has been specifically designed to be applied directly to lines and wrinkles!

So how does it work? The secret to this formula lies with No7's powerful anti-wrinkle peptide technology known as Matrixyl 3000 Plus™ and it helps the skin to recover some of its key properties and components - think elastic fibrillin, the substance that gives skin its bounce and dexterity, which is lost early on in the ageing process and it also gives rise to lines and wrinkles.  Now, being at the wrong end of the 30's I am more aware than ever that I am about to become some wrinkled old leather handbag if my inbox is to be believed - the offers of botox I've had is quite something - but the wrinkles haven't yet marched their way on to my face and whilst I have noticed one or two lines, alongside the one or two white hairs appearing, I am naturally keen to try products that promise to help me age much more gracefully!

The No7 Line Correcting Booster Serum contains a much higher concentration of Matrixyl 3000 Plus™ to help maximise its fibrillin repair capabilities. I love that it comes packaged inside a syringe style tube, which not only makes it easy to apply thanks to the dainty little nib, but you can also see how much has been used and when you need to replace.  My first tube arrived damaged in the post, someone had clearly trodden on it, so I went and bought a second tube to give it a try having read quite a few rave reviews.  When I use a serum, especially near to or around my eye, I want something that doesn't sting, irritate or dry that area out, one of my big complaints with eye cream is that they are too thick and just cause too many issues for me, so I stick to those few products I like.  No7 do state that this serum is suitable for all skin types, including those with sensitive skin. The best peptide serum will contain a mix of ingredients that help combat the signs of aging.

To use this serum, it is designed to be the first part of your skincare routine before your usual serum and moisturiser, you use the nib on the syringe and apply dots of the serum on the areas you want to treat, No7 suggests that these might be crows feet, vertical lip lines, under the eyes, between the brows or the nasolabial folds to name a few. So, I applied the serum as instructed to the area that gets what is known as Crows Feet, not the most attractive term, but we all know what it is. Once applied, I will be honest, I wasn't expecting to see any difference, but as I always do, I carried on applying the serum, the fun of using what looks like a huge syringe not get boring but within a week, I could see a difference. My crow's feet are not deep, nor are they pronounced but I know they are there and for me to see a difference is all that matters to me.

This Line Correcting Serum Booster is priced at £38 here* from Boots and I am now about to start my third syringe of the product because I have been that impressed with it.

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

Glossybox September Edition - Delicious Beauty

The excitement of the Glossybox Advent Calendar launching (here) made me forget about the monthly subscriber's box, which I have had or a few days now.  This months edition is called Delicious Beauty and it has everything from coconut and banana to a delicious bar of chocolate inside.

As you can see this months box has quite the mix of products and I will be honest, they all smell amazing, well apart from the toothpaste, but there is a reason I am glad to see this!

Naturally, as soon as I saw the Godiva Masterpiece chocolate bar I devoured it in one sitting whilst laying with a facemask on and it was amazing!  So that was a really nice treat to find.  Then we come to the Colgate Max White Toothpaste with Charcoal.  I am almost OCD about ensuring my teeth are clean, it's something I do twice a day without fail. I have never had a filling or a tooth out and when you get to my age, well I wear it as a badge of honour.

So naturally, if like me you have a sweet tooth, then cleaning your teeth is incredibly important. Formulated with activated charcoal and mineral micro-particles which help to gently remove surface stains.

Mitchell and Peach is a brand I have come to know through beauty boxes over the years and the inclusion of Flora No.1 Fine Edition Eau de Parfum was a lovely surprise.

I do love a floral fragrance and this one is definitely sitting within the floral family.  It has notes of Flora No.1 Fine Edition Eau de Parfum Rose, Fennel,  ylang-ylang, peony, and lavender.  Once spritzed the notes which come to life for me is the Rose and the Fennel but as it begins to dry down, there is a hint of lavender which isn't too sharp.

I usually always have a hand gel on my desk at work and in my handbag, usually, I opt for a Bath and Body Works hand gel as I love the scent of them but they are often hard to get hold of.  This month Glossybox has included the Love Heart Carex Hand Gel and it smells so good!

If you are a fan of Swizzles Love Heart sweets then you will love this hand gel because it smells exactly the same. Bright pink in colour, it doesn't have that clinical scent too it, which admittedly I do like.  This one dries quick and once on the skin, it leaves a little hint of fragrance.

Regular readers of my blog will know I am a huge fan of coffee scrubs and within this months Glossybox we have a Black Tea Body Scrub from Delhicious Body.

I absolutely loved this scrub and have already ordered more! Packed with amazing ingredients such as Assam Black Tea, Brown Sugar, Himalayan Pink Salt and Sweet Almond Oil, on the skin, it creates a really good buffing product for that dead and dry skin.  It feels slightly less grainy than a coffee scrub but it smells just absolutely divine.

The final product within this months box is the Palmers Coconut Oil Formula Deep Conditioning Protein Pack. Formulated with raw and natural ingredients together with Keratin and silk proteins, this s quite the hair mask.

Using sustainably-sourced coconut oil with Tahitian Monoi, it is designed to hydrate, nourish and give the hair a natural shine.  This is a mask that can be applied to clean and damp hair from roots to tip, you leave it on for 10-20 minutes before rinsing.

What I love about this box is that every product follows the theme and fits withing it perfectly, there have been some great new discoveries for me, especially the Original Black Tea Scrub which I just loved as soon as I tried it. As always you can subscribe to Glossybox right here and if you use the code BQUEEN20 you can get yourself 20% off that first box!

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