Soak Sunday - Relax and Indulge

I’m very much into my health and well-being products right now, particularly products which are mood influencing or scene setting - think candles, oils and diffusers to name a few things. Just before Christmas, a brand called Soak Sunday caught my eye with their Instagram feed and I ordered one of their sets.

Soak Sunday are describe themselves as the brand which is inspired by lazy weekend and the power of natural bath botanicals and is bringing back bath time. 

Time to sink in, time to switch off and savour… More than just a simple soak, we’re bringing back bath time as a moment to indulgently relax, unwind and unite body and mind, losing yourself in the art of slow beauty. Made in the UK, the plastic free, glass and aluminium bottles evoke and awaken, telling stories through thoughtful design and indulgent experiences. Savour the unboxing, indulge in the aesthetic, sink into the sensorial.

I love the idea of building my bath time, something Soak Sunday is very well known for. So I couldn’t wait to build mine. Before you start, there is an option to shop for your products by type or based on your mood - I opted for the latter. With three moods to choose from:

• Relax and Indulge - Indulge your soul and transport your mind to a garden of Rose Utopia 
• Detox and Restore - Balanced by a smoky solstice and awakened to a Midnight Storm
• Calm and Soothe - Let Cleo’s Paradise evoke the experience of Egyptian reincarnation.

Once you choose your mood, you can then work through the options to build your bath time. I opted for Relax and Indulge with Rose Utopia (£26) and in my bundle I opted for the Rose Utopia Botanical Bath Soak and the Rose Utopia Botanical Bath & Body Oil.  As you can see, it comes beautifully packaged in a black presentation tin, making it just the most amazing gift to give or a treat for yourself.

The Rose Utopia Botanical Bath Soak is incredible. Using a blend of ingredients such as:

• Lavender - A relaxing, calming and soothing addition, known for its abilities to bring about rest and sleep.
• Red Rose Petals - A very sweet, soothing and wonderfully indulgent addition for mind and soul.
• Pink Himalayan Salt - Enriched with magnesium and potassium, detoxify, refine and soothe skin and soul.
• Sage - described as being a sage smudging for your body and mind, it is balancing, soothing and cleansing.
• Jasmine - Not only is Jasmine my favourite note of any perfume, it is also an indulgently skin soothing, mind de-stressing & mood levelling ingredient too.

Once the bath water is a few inches deep in the bath, I grabbed a large handful of these salts and scattered them across the water. Almost immediately the wonderful fragrance came to life and it’s a scent that I’d lovingly bottle to breathe in when I need a moment of calm, it is that good!

Once out of the bath, the bath soaks partner in crime, the Rose Utopia Botanical Bath & Body Oil is an absolute delight. You can add this product to your bath if you so wish, it’s wonderful as an addition to the soak or on its own, or my favourite use is to apply it to my body after relaxing in that bath.

As with the soak, this Bath & Body Oil shares a lot of the same ingredients, but the oil has one addition, Jojoba Oil and it is described as being indulgently calming, vitamin rich and glow inducing which works to soothe, nourish and de-stress. 

On the skin, as an oil, I was expecting a greasy slippery nightmare, absolutely don’t get that at all. As soon as it comes into contact with your skin, it absorbs quickly and leaves behind the softest, silkiest skin and in doing so, it imparts a much stronger scent of those amazing ingredients I’ve mentioned. I definitely can detect the Jasmine and the Rose whilst lingering in the background is Lavender.

For me, I’ve loved using both of these products and having just enjoyed the very last drop of them both, I now want to try the other ranges and am even tempted by the candle and the body scrub in the very same scent!  Find out more about Soak Sunday and the ranges they have to offer on their very own website.

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

Medik8 Hydr8 B5 Liquid Rehydration Serum

Medik8 is a brand I know very little about, but have read a lot about. The Hydr8 B5 Liquid Rehydration Serum is a product that featured in the Beauty Expert 2020 Advent Calendar. Described as being a serum which is fortified with Vitamin B5 and Hyaluronic Acid which together work to deliver long-lasting moisture and hydration for a smoother, more refined complexion.

Founded by Elliot Isaacs, Medik8 is a brand which is formulated on the belief that the perfect skin care routine should be simple yet structured, advocating that the pillars of your regimen should include vitamin C and sunscreen by day, and vitamin A by night.  

This serum uses hero ingredients that we all know and love such as hyaluronic acid and panthenol which we know better as B5 and they come together with the aim of imparting lasting hydration to the skin as well as to leave it looking plump and smooth.  I absolutely love anything that has a pipette, so this ticks extra boxes for me and it helps with the application too.

On the skin, this serum is just divine and it makes quite the difference to how your skin looks and feels. The inclusion of hyaluronic acid, which is often referred too as being a moisture molecule, has the unique ability to attract and retain more than 1,000x its own weight in water, which is why when this serum comes into contact with the skin, the serum becomes almost watery and absorbs without any fuss. Hyaluronic acid also draws moisture from the surrounding atmosphere into the skin and in doing so, leaves the complexion feeling and looking both nourished and supple. Once on the skin, the larger molecules of the acid form a veil on the top layer of your skin to continuously water them and then the smaller molecules reach those deeper layers of skin to draw hydration from them, the action for which gives that change in how your skin feels, for the better.  This serum, also being infused with Vitamin B5, helps to improve the retention of water of your skin whilst at the same time, supporting the natural regeneration process of your cells.

Using this serum is really straightforward you will be pleased to know. Designed to be used after cleaning in the morning and evening, the advice is to massage around 6-7 drops of Hydr8 B5 across the face, neck and décolletage and then leave it to fully absorb into the skin before applying your moisturiser.  If you are minded too, you could add a few drops of the Hydr8 serum to your moisturiser instead.

Non-sticky, lightweight, glides onto the skin, has no scent and worth noting it is also cruelty-free, vegan and free from artificial fragrances and oils. It is fair to say that I have absolutely loved using it and you can find it from Space NK*, Lookfantastic*. Feelunique* and Cult Beauty* priced at £40 for 30ml.

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

Burt's Bees® NEW Squeezy Tinted Balms

I don’t know of many people who have never come across a product from the Butt’s Bees range, particular the lip balms, which I always have in my handbag and makeup up. Just when you think those balms couldn’t get any better, they have - this time in their new Squeezy tubes.

Described as being a hydrating hint of colour with a burst of flavour, these Burt’s Bees® new Squeezy Tinted Balms are designed to both moisturise and nourish your lips, while at the same time delivering a healthy-looking shine. 

As they are made by Burt’s Bees, they are formulated with responsibly-sourced Beeswax and hydrating Cocoa Butter, with a hint of natural colour and there is a choice of shade and flavour:

• Watermelon Rush, 
• Mandarin Granita, 
• Berry Sorbet  
• Sweet Peach.

I have all four products which I have loved playing with over the last few weeks. As an avid fan of lip balm and being particularly fond of Burt’s Bees, these did take a bit of getting used too, but they are simply brilliant.

The Squeezy tubes work better when you have warm hands rather than cold to get the balm moving inside the tube and you need just a small amount to be applied to your lips. The balm itself isn’t as sticky or tacky as I had expected it to be, infact it wasn’t sticky at all. 

The swatch above, which is completely unedited, features all of the shades. Starting with Sweet Peach which is the lightest colour pay off but it smells just amazing. Then we have Mandarin Granita which is much more of a vibrant orange shade. The final two shades Watermelon Rush and Berry Sorbet look very similar at a first glance, but on the lips, Berry Sorbet is a deeper red shade and is the one which has the best longevity.

Each one of these balms is priced at £5.99 and you can find them via Burt's Bees website.

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

SELFRIDGES Project Earth beauty bag 2.0

Selfridges have released their latest Project Earth beauty bag 2.0* and it is absolutely insane value for money. There is an incredible amount of brands involved and I’m delighted to see REN feature in this beauty bag because they had an incredible collaboration for this cause just last year, I shared it here.

The Selfridges Project Earth Commitment is about questioning the past, present and future of sustainability for Selfridges. The belief is that together, through our daily actions, we can create a more sustainable future for people and the planet and we do that by questioning everything from the way we shop to science, conservation, the clothes we wear, how clothes are made and so much more. So there is absolutely something to think about everytime you shop, make a purchase or even discard something you own.

Take one reusable pouch (crafted from kraft paperboard, lined with cotton and topped with a secure zip), fill it with 16 good-for-the-planet beauty must-haves and what do you get? Why, our Planet Earth beauty bag 2.0, of course. Back again with a handful of sustainable brands (we’re talking Face Halo, Truthbrush, Coco & Eve and REN, to name a few), it’s kitted out with a hair mask, soap, night serum, reusable make-up remover pad, hand cream and bamboo toothbrush.

The Beauty Bag 2.0 has contents said to be worth a massive £200 but you can purchase it, right here*, for just £55 which is just incredible.

Contents

• Acala Green Clay Geranium and Lavender Soap 100g
• Biossance Lactic Acid Resurfacing Night Serum 10ml
• Bouclème Super Hold Styler 100ml
• Coco & Eve Super Nourishing Coconut & Fig Hair Mask 60ml
• Comfort Zone Active Pureness Fluid 30ml
• Davines MOMO shampoo 75ml
• Davines MOMO conditioner 75ml
• Face Halo Original Face Halo single
• Floral Street Arizona Bloom EDP 10ml
• Indie Lee Purifying Face Wash 30ml
• Konjac Eye Pad Duo packs
• NUDESTIX Magnetic Matte Fig – Magnetic Matte Eye Color 1.41g
• Nursem Hand Cream 75ml
• REN Ready Steady Glow AHA tonic100ml
• Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream 75ml
• Truthbrush in Storm Grey

Once again, this beauty kit features an amazing array of products across the skincare, haircare, bodycare, fragrance and makeup lines and what o really love is how much thought has gone into putting together, including the reusable pouch! 

You can grab all of these products, worth £220 for just £55* before it sells out.

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