IKON Fragrances

Introducing yourself to new fragrances on Zoom takes choosing a new scent to a whole new level, more so when you are talked through each note, the composition and its reason by an expert. 

The newly launched Ikon fragrances are described as being a range of premium, natural and responsible fragrances which have been developed with a premium, sustainable, natural mindset. IKON conceives fragrances as a holistic experience and are vegan, cruelty-free.

Available from The Fragrance Shop, IKON features 6 Eaux de parfum which are priced at £60 each and they feature responsibly sourced key ingredients and materials, plus the bottle is made from a light durable glass which is topped with a Manchurian ash wood cap, this is said to remind us that the most precious materials are often found in the most simple and natural of environments.

I find fragrances and their notes fascinating and I love that a scent can smell so differently on two people. Between the Mister and I, we went through each of the fragrances from a sample set that I was kindly set to whittle down to our favourite two - 807 and 906 being those choices.  Each one of the fragrance within the range is named by three numbers - 511, 709, 807, 906, 910 and 914 and of course they are all gender neutral/unisex.

Starting with 807 - This fragrance is described as being 'rousing and exotic - a scent of precious sensuality'. This fragrance sits within the Oriental Spicy family. It opens with a spicy mix of Rosewood, Cardamon and Neroli which is rich but most definitely woody. As it settles the heart notes of Jasmine, Saffron and Patchouli seep through before the base notes of Vanilla, Musk and Amber gives it a bit of warmth as it dries down.

I absolutely love this scent, it was the one we both agreed on immediately and whilst I think it does smell better on the mister, it is one of those fragrances either of us can wear and it smells differently.

The second choice is scent 906 which is described as being 'fascinating and dramatic - a fragrance of temptation'. For me, this one is my preferred scent of the two and it sits within the Oriental Floral family.

With a blend which is spicy but also what you might describe as being a bit moody. It has top notes of nutmeg, red berries and black pepper which give it that spice but the red berries are there in the background with an almost tartness to them. The middle notes which are made up of Jasmine, Tuberose and Ylang take the berries and their tartness and replace it with the most wonderful floral, if anyone knows my fragrances, Jasmine seemingly appears in all of my favourites, together the heart notes make way for the base notes of Amber, Musk and Patchouli, the latter fragrance note being the most dominant within this scent.

This fragrance is everything you would want if you like something to linger for hours, for which this one definitely does, ideal as an all day and all night scent, it is one which you can still catch a whiff of many hours after application. Despite its longevity, it isn't overly heavy but it is definitely a less is more when using.

If you are looking to change your fragrances to something which is vegan, cruelty-free and responsibly sourced, then this is a brand to look into. Whether you like floral, spicy or something a little bit different, Ikon has six fragrances for you to choose from and each one has a different story to tell.  You can find them all right here.

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

Primark Beauty The After Mask Mask

Facemasks have pretty much become a way of life, not just for the staff of the NHS and similar occupations, but for the everyday person who wants to go to the shop to buy some milk, board a bus or even chat to the postman, socially distanced of course!  Wearing that mask does come with issues for many of us, a new issue we didn't have before and once which already quickly gathered a name for itself - Maskne!

Primark Beauty has a whole host of hidden gems within its beauty hall, which one day, I hope we can all go back to visiting, but just before lockdown, I was kindly sent some of their new collection of masks, which are aptly names the After Mask Mask Half Sheet Masks!

Introducing the After Mask Masks by Primark Beauty, two variations of sheet masks created to help soothe irritated skin caused by wearing a face covering. These innovative sheet masks are designed to cover the bottom area of the face where the skin is impacted by a face-covering and will help to cleanse and hydrate skin, whilst also reducing any blemishes along the jawline, cheeks and mouth area.

Over the past 10 months we will have all read up on, read about or learnt that face coverings foster a micro-environment of increased humidity, friction and heat, meaning they can cause irritation, especially for those who already have underlying skin conditions. One of the most common face covering irritations is acne, or as we have come to know it “maskne". Breakouts, as we know, happen when pressure from the covering traps oil and skin debris in the pores. So how do we deal with it?

Primark have come up with a skincare treatment which is designed to help deal with maskne with the new After Mask Masks, which are made in Korea. With two variations of sheet masks which have been specifically created to help soothe irritated skin caused by wearing a face covering. These innovative sheet masks are designed to cover the bottom area of the face where the skin is impacted by a face-covering and will help to cleanse and hydrate skin, whilst also reducing any blemishes along the jawline, cheeks and mouth area. 

In the purple sachet we have the Hydrate Half Mask, which because it is a half mask, is designed to target the face that has been covered with a mask.  It uses Hyaluronic Acid and Cucumber to replenish the hydration as well as Sunflower Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Vitamins E and B5 and Rosemary to name a few of those ingredients.

In the blue sachet we have the Cleansing Half Mask and as with the mask mentioned above, it's role is to target the part of the face which has been covered with your face mask.  This one uses Australian Tea Tree Oil and Salicylic Acid to target blemishes.

At 90p each, it is easy to scoff and make a whole lot of assumptions as to the how well a job they do, but actually, not only is the cleansing mask incredibly good for soothing skin which feels sore to the touch after wearing a mask for long periods of time, the Hydrate mask is really refreshing if your skin is hot to the touch as well.  I really like that these are half masks, they sit really comfortably on the skin and you only need to wear the mask for up to 20 minutes to feel the benefits.

Have you tried any skincare or masks from Primark?

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

Finding the perfect Art Gift with My-Picture.co.uk + Discount Code

Wall Art is something we particularly like in our house, it started not long after we got married with a few different prints and from then we have added more and more, with the mister picking up a paintbrush and painting his own, some of which you might have seen on Zoom blog events or within my own blog posts.

Art is one of those subjects to which everyone has a varied taste, I like Canvas prints which you can get in all different sizes to suit your needs. 

We finally managed to create a photo wall which features photographs of our nearest and dearest, including all of the cats we have been lucky to have in our lives over the past decade, a few work photos and then one or two of us together. It sits in the hallway, a wall which at one time housed a mirror (which I always hated) which fell off the wall and having not found one to replace it, we instead went with a photo wall instead.

The joy of art and adding it to your home is that you do not need to be an expert, you don't need to have everything that matches and of course the chance of you ever owning an original by Dali is not likely to happen.  We choose art work based on what we like, it can be abstract, brightly coloured prints or something skull related - all of which, we have on our wall.  

But, what if you could also take your art work, your photographs that sit on your phone and print them too? At My-Picture.co.uk they have some wonderful offers and ideas for gifts, not just for Christmas, but for birthdays, anniversaries and much more. They feature a range of products from photobooks and calendars to cushions, towels and even blankets.  I love the idea that I could have a few cushions or even a blanket featuring my two boys (cats) as a keep sake as well as something to cuddle in to, I think they would quite like it too.

The lovely people over at My-Picture.co.uk are giving readers of my blog a massive 85% off all products ranges.  All you have to do is use the code BEAUTYGEENUK85 and with that code you can gift a whole lot of wonderful memories to people.

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

NAF! Stuff: Remove Your Gel Nails SAFELY At Home Kit

I haven't been able to see my local nail technician for over a year now and I know she will be horrified when she does finally get to see the state my nails are in!  Across my social media feed over the last week, I have seen so many people asking how they can safely remove their gel nails, which once looked perfect and now, not so perfect.  Not being able to get to your favourite Nail Tech doesn’t mean you have to neglect your hands and nails! In fact right now, it is the perfect time to ensure you give them all as much TLC as you can - starting with the removal of those pre-christmas nails.

NAF! Stuff, a brand I was recently introduced to has everything you need to take care of those nails with their SOS Soak Off Savior Kits.  This Gel Polish Remover Kit has absolutely everything you need to remove your nails not just once, but as many as 10 times. Inside the kit you are given everything you need to ensure the easy removal and those items are:

Contents

• 10 Removals Per Pack 
• 3.5ml Mint & Eucalyptus Cuticle Oil
• 100ml Peppermint Acetone 
• Cuticle Pusher
• White Buffing Block
• 100 Foil Wraps 
• A Step By Step Guide

All of the products from NAF! Stuff are developed by Nail Technicians, so not only can you be sure that you have Salon Quality tools but also the products to do the job right.

 

Tammy Koslowski, founder of NAF! Stuff and owner of NAF! Salon says: 

“I absolutely love our SOS Soak Off Savior Kit, it’s so handy to have in the house and I often reach for it when I can’t make it into the salon because the Foil Wraps already have soak off pads applied which makes removals quicker and easier! When we were putting it together it was really important for us to use the same products that we would use at NAF! Salon and I just love that that the Salon Grade Acetone has a Peppermint scent too. But my favourite part? The cuticle oil obviously!” 

This Gel Polish Removal Kit makes it super easy to remove your gel polish at home and it is priced at just £22 here.  

This is not a sponsored post

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