Alpha-H Liquid Gold Midnight Reboot Serum

Bring your radiance back! A term I am seeing quite a lot these days in reference to skincare and makeup products which are newly launched, the idea being that being at home a lot more than we ever have been before, might just have dulled that sparkle and no amount of champagne can bring back. In comes Alpha-H with their brand new Liquid Gold Midnight Reboot Serum, which I was kindly sent before Christmas and have been using ever since.

Described as being an industry-first overnight treatment, it combines two of the most powerful age-defying skin-revitalisers - 14% Glycolic Acid and 1% Granactive Retinoid (a form of Vitamin A) and what makes it special is that these two ingredients wouldn't usually be friends and appear together, they are more enemies who don't mix. However, being that industry-first, together these two ingredients do come together to work to target pigmentation, dullness, uneven texture, congestion, diminished elasticity and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles – all without irritating the skin!  Of course being a product from Alpha-H, it is packed with amazing ingredients which include:

• Tripeptide-5, the Collagen boosting ingredient which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
• Australian Tazman Pepper which helps to reduce the overall appearance of redness.
• Powerful antioxidant Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) which helps to reduce the appearance of uneven tone and texture.
• Ferulic Acid's potent antioxidant properties which act as a safeguard against free-radical damage.
• Pyruvic Acid which is derived from Hibiscus Flower Extract and it helps to soften uneven skin tone and dull complexions.

All of that together becomes one incredible golden reboot serum which in clinical trials, 83% of users noticed an improvement in their skins tone and luminosity, while 63% reported that their skin felt firmer and more ‘elastic’ - very impressive results, I am sure you will agree.  It is a night time treatment and fits easily into your routine, just don't forget to wear SPF during the day time (as you should do every single day anyway). 

I have been using this serum just a few nights a week, not every single night and I just absolutely love everything about it - the texture is divine, its luxurious and slightly thick like a creamy serum, but it absorbs and isn't greasy or tacky. It doesn't sting or irritate, it doesn't leave my face looking beetroot red, it comes with a pipette dropper, which whilst I am a fan of the delivery system, this one is slightly too thin to dispense the thicker serum, so it's a fidget but not world-ending and certainly not off-putting, instead you just need to persevere with the dropper slightly to get those 4-5 drops you need.  Once applied and absorbed you can continue with the rest of your night time routine if you wish.

Have I noticed any difference to my skin since using it? Like others, I have noticed a difference in the texture of my skin and it also looks a little brighter and smoother too. I have combination skin which is both dry and oily, so sometimes I need a little more than an oil but at the same time, something which isn't too heavy because it can irritate my skin. This is the perfect all rounder and it a product that you have always needed to have in your life once you have it and at the same time, definitely isn't something you will be willing to give up quickly.

It does come packaged in a generously sized 50ml bottle which you can find via Cult Beauty and it is priced at just £79, which admittedly isn't cheap but if you look at other brands and their offerings, it is most definitely reasonably priced and it should last a good few months.

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

Aldi Lacura Too Legit Waterproof Mascara

Over the Christmas period, I have been putting a few mascaras to the test, one of them comes from the Aldi Lacura range with their “Too Legit Water Proof Mascara” a cruelty free mascara which costs just £5.99. 

Every time Aldi release a new product within their skincare and makeup range, the word “dupe” is one which is bounded about. Admittedly, some of the Aldi products may sound similar to those at the higher end of the price market, but just sometimes they are better.

This Too Legit mascara is an addition to the brands best selling mascara. The formula is described as being rich, black and long-wearing to create voluminous, longer looking lashes. I am picky with a mascara formula because I cannot stand those really overly wet ones which make your eyelashes feel wet.  With this formula, it isn’t overly wet or dry, it’s somewhere in the middle.

Nestled inside a metallic blue tube, this mascara features a wand which is mid-length with a specially designed brush which gets into the corner of your eyes to reach the smallest of lashes. At the end of the brush is a spiked end which features about 10 bristles and as you wiggle the brush between your lashes, they reach those hard to reach lashes. Added to that, once the brush is out of the wand, it doesn’t hold excess formula on any one side, another bugbear when using a mascara is excess mascara on the brush which creates smudges.

This Too Legit Waterproof mascara does lift, coat and help build volume, but as I have fairly long lashes, I can’t comment on whether or not it lengthens. What I can tell you is that it doesn’t smudge, it doesn’t flake and as it is waterproof, once it has been applied, it doesn’t come off easily until you use eye makeup remover and then, unlike those products to which it is referred to as being a dupe, it comes off easily with no need to run the eyes. 

If you are wanting a new mascara and don’t want to spend a lot of money, this one, for just £5.99 is exceptionally good and it gives some of my more expensive mascaras a run for their money.

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

La Montana Fragrance Discovery Set

I was first introduced to La Montana as a brand back in 2015, a brand that has been inspired by life in a Spain Village. Founders Cass and Jonathan Hall decided to leave London life behind back in 2011 and move to move to a Valencian mountainside where they became inspired enough to create their own home fragrance range that captured the beautiful surroundings and the new smells of the area.

As well as candles and Reed Diffusers, the latest launch from La Montana is their Discovery Set.  I am a huge fan of Discovery sets, I’ve featured many offerings from brands on this blog over the years. 

The idea of a Discovery set is that it gives you the opportunity to find a new fragrance, usually a perfume but in this case from La Montana, it is a way to find your favourite room most from their new collection.

The joy of these room mists is that as soon as you find the fragrance of choice, it makes choosing your candle that much easier too. Each one of the vials within this collection is 2.5ml and there are 9 to work your way through, the discovery set being accompanied by blotters if you don’t want to spritz them into the air.

The scents within this discovery selection includes:

• First Light - conjures the glistening stillness of breaking dawn with Fennel, Rosemary, Rockrose and Mountain Pepper
• Inspired by a local orchard, 'Fig Grove' is blended with juicy Orange Flower and Jasmine, and grounded by base notes of Wood and Musk
• Infused with lavender, Juniper and Thyme, 'Siesta' is said to recreated the hazy "sun-baked fragrances of the countryside"
• 'Galán de Noche' is a soft floral blend of Jasmine, Rose and Orange Blossom
• A best-seller, 'Alfredo's Café' evokes the warmth of a Mediterranean village square with Coffee, Brandy, Tobacco, Leather and Incense
• Fresh, earthy with a touch of citrus, 'Cloudburst' is inspired by the moments after rain
• Warm and zesty, 'Winter Oranges' is heated by touches of Smoke and Wood
• 'Three Kings' is a heady blend of Turrón, Brandy, Cedarwood and, of course, Frankincense and Myrrh
• Profuse with Geranium, Orange Blossom, Chamomile and Lavender, 'Sacred Roses' is inspired by a garden in a 13th-century monastery at the foot of the mountain.

It is a real hard choice to choose between these 9 fragrances to find a favourite, but there was four that really did stand out - Cloud Burst and Winter Oranges, though Fig Grove and Sacred Roses is also stunning. 

This Discovery set is currently priced at £25 but, I have a special offer for you! Readers of my blog can get their hands on this discovery set for just £5, including postage and packaging (this is U.K. only for p&p), all you need to do is use the code Beautyqueenuk at the check out!  I would love to know what scent you like the most, if you take advantage of this offer!

 

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

Can You Make Yourself Feel Beautiful All Year Round?

Looking beautiful and feeling beautiful are two entirely separate things. You can look beautiful and not feel it, which is a super common occurrence in today's society. We live in a society that makes you feel like you’re not pretty if you look different from what is ‘normal’, but that is simply not true. In this article, we’re going to be looking at some of the things that you can do to make yourself feel more beautiful all year round. Keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.

Image Source - CC0 Licence

Your Face

The first thing that you’re going to need to think about is your face. You are beautiful, and before we carry on we feel as though that is an important fact to point out. No matter what you look like, there is nothing wrong with how you look. But, if you feel as though this is something that you would like to change or enhance, there are plenty of products to help you do so. The cosmetics industry is full of things that will enhance your natural beauty and make you feel fantastic.

You should also make sure that you are moisturizing your skin at least once per day. If you want to keep your skin in good condition, and you do if you’re worried about looking beautiful all year round, then this is going to be essential.

Your Outfits

The next thing that you should think about are the outfits that you wear. In the summer, shorter clothes are going to be your best option to keep you cool, but in winter you’re going to need to wrap up warm. You might think that it’s only with the more revealing clothing that you can feel beautiful, but this is simply not the case. There are so many different combinations of clothes and styles that work fantastically to make you look fabulous. Remember that you don’t have to fit in with the trends if you don’t want to, as long as you feel comfortable and beautiful in whatever you decide to wear.

Your Hair

People change their hair all the time. From the length to the color, there is always something different that you can do. If you want to feel beautiful, then we recommend trying a new hairstyle. If you don’t know which way to go with this, then you can always ask the hairdresser what they think and go with that. Your hair can completely change the way that you look, so think carefully before you make this decision. While it can be changed if it’s color and it will grow back, it takes a while!

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you can do to make yourself feel beautiful all year round. It’s important that you feel good no matter what time of year it is, so take this advice and that might just happen. We wish you the best of luck achieving this goal!

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