Relax and unwind with Kneipp

When you have a monumental cold like I have right now, the one where you literally ache from head to foot, can't stop sneezing, go through more tissues in a week than you have done all year and have a cough that makes people not want to sit next to you on public transport and generally just feel rotten to the core, then for me having a hot bath is an absolute must.

Kneipp are fast becoming one of my favourite brands when it comes to bath products. Kneipp was founded back in 1891 by Priest, Sebastian Kneipp. Sebastian, cured himself from tuberculosis using the very nature around him and devoted the rest of his life to studying the healing power of water, plants and herbs. The Kneipp range is quite extensive and consists of plant based Herbal Baths with only the purest natural herbs, soothing and effective Herbal Body Washes, exfoliating and toning Thermal Spring Bath Salts, which are sourced from an ancient underground salt water sea, the best-known medical plant, Arnica Body Care and the natural skincare range New Energy. All of the bath and body products are made in Germany with caring and holistic methods, and contain no paraffin, silicone or mineral oils.

Kneipp Eucalyptus Sparkling Bath Tablet is just brilliant and describes itself as being an energising formula which will pep you up and revive you after a long day. It contains Eucalyptus to relieve sinuses making it an ideal bath accompaniment to have during cold and flu season. As it contains Eucalyptus Oil, it really packs a punch and as soon as you put it into the bath, it dissolves, similar to a bath bomb, and as soon as the oils are released and comes into contact with the steam from the hot water, it becomes instantly soothing and relaxing and magically your sinuses are unblocked and you can breathe. It also leaves your skin feeling silky smooth and moisturised too.

Kneipp Joint and Muscle Anica Bath Tablet has been designed to soothe aching joints and muscles making it perfect for those people who exercise rather regularly. I have used it whilst having this heavy cold, the constant back ache making it uncomfortable to sleep means anything I can use to soothe my aches and pains is a bonus. Again placing it the bath after a few inches of water, the yellow coloured tablet turns your bath water a lovely shade of Berocca and given the second ingredient is Pine Oil which also has known properties for soothing aching muscles and joints, it smells quite earthy but it does the job and does bring some comfort.

Kniepp Pure Bliss Mineral Bath Salt: Red Poppy & Hemp. I make no secret of the fact I love bath salts, they might sound old fashioned and it might be something you only ever hear your Nan mention, but trust me, they are amazing! 

These Red Poppy and Hemp salts are made with pure and natural thermal spring salt and the oils of Red Poppy and Hemp. Once in the water, your bath turns into a blissful bath treatment which helps to relax the body and and provide an overwhelming sense of peace and serenity helping you to forget the stresses of everyday life. Hemp oil moisturizses the skin and leaves it silky smooth to the touch.

Having a bath is something I particularly enjoy and Kneipp products have always done as they have promised to do.  Have you ever tried them?

Look Good Feel Better Make Up Brushes

I was introduced to Look Good Feel Better make up brushes in this post and if you have never comes across them before, Look Good Feel Better is the only international cancer support charity providing practical support for women and teenagers struggling with the visible side effects of cancer treatment. I am sure we all have experience of Cancer in one form or another and I am sure we are all agreed on how awful a disease it is. 

What I love about this charity is that they take into account how traumatic and daunting it is to find out you have the disease and think about the affects and stress it has on self-esteem and confidence and offer free skincare and make-up Workshops and Masterclasses are held all over the UK for people undergoing treatment for any type of cancer. The two-hour sessions are led by trained beauty volunteers, who share tips and techniques to help with eyebrow and eyelash loss and changes to the skin.

If that isn't enough, a 12% donation will be made to Look Good Feel Better from the sale of each brush and set. This will enable Look Good Feel Better to expand their confidence-boosting Workshops and Masterclasses, which teach skincare and make-up tips to women and teenagers undergoing cancer treatment.

The Look Good Feel Better Foundation Brush is handmade.  The bristles are hand cut, and they are made from super soft taklon which makes them cruelty free, allergy free, environmentally friendly plus they’re suitable for sensitive skin. The brush is really well made and is really great quality.  

The handle is quite a weighty wooden handle and it has a slightly rose gold toned metal ferrule which features the Charity's logo. The bristles on this brush are amazingly soft and tapered into a slight point making it really easy to use for your liquid foundations, BB/CC cream and it really does help give that even coverage.

The Angled Blending Brush also has bristles which are hand cut and again made from the same super soft taklon as the foundation brush and they are angled to help with sculpting the eye socket.  

The handle is again made of wood and whilst it isn't as weighted as the foundation brush, it does have a really long handle and for using with eyeshadows, I like brushes which have long handles because I just find them easier to work with.  Priced at just £6.99 this is one of the best priced angled blending brushes I have come across.  

The Concealer Brush is the one I was most looking forward to trying as it is one brush I really need.  Again he same hand cut super soft talon bristles are featured and the same wooden long handle.  

What I really love about this brush is the shape of the bristles, they are quite short and dense making it perfect for a cream product and the tip is also tapered to help get right into the corners of the eyes and around the socket of your nose.  For the bargain price of £7.99 this is well worthy of its price tag and is my favourite brush of the three.

These brushes can be found in some Boots stores and also online at Feel Unique, LookFantastic and Beauty Expert where you will find the full range of brushes, plus the make up brush kit and sponge.

For a company like this to do something so worth while and promoting an issue which will have in one way or another affected us all gets a massive thumbs up from me.  These brushes are really good, affordable and well worth looking into to top up your stash.

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Look Fantastic Beauty Box - November 2015

The Lookfantastic second limited edition Beauty Box collection has arrived and just like the first one it is adorned with a stunning hexagonal gold print to give you a gentle nudge that Christmas is fast approaching!

Each Look Fantastic box will always include a minimum of six products and there is a great mixture of skincare, hair care, make up, hand and body products to be had, so there should be something for everyone. What I like about this is box is the mixture of brands, some I will have heard f and some I won't have done and equally some that I have been wanting to try for ages. This month’s box is really really good, much better than the one I got last month and I quite liked that too. Inside there are products from Dr. PawPaw, Bellapierre, Korres, Ole Henrikson, REN and Kebelo.

Korres Guava Shower Gel – Travel Size 40ml - I am a huge fan of Korres as a brand and have tried quite a lot from the product range. Guava is one of my favourite scents and this is one of my favourite shower gels, so I am really hapy to have a travel sized version which will come in handy in a few weeks time. Guava Showergel has active aloe juice, rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and antioxidant enzymes, which enhance the immune system of your skin. Furthermore, due to its ability to stimulate collagen and elastin synthesis, this aloe vera gel retards skin ageing.

Ole Henrikson Empower Foaming Milk Foam – Travel Size 30ml - I am also a fan of Ole Henrikson too, every product I have tried from the range, I have loved. The empower Foaming Milk Foam is a rich, foaming cleanser dedicated to lifting away dirt, makeup and impurities. What I really like about this is how it transforms from a lightweight milk formula into a creamy lather and it uses a blend of Arctic cloudberry, Nordic cotton and willow bark work in synergy to benefit the skin; fighting free radical damage, intensely hydrating and gently resurfacing to reveal a smooth, supple complexion, all without over-stripping the skin.

REN V-Cense Youth Vitality Day Cream – Sample size 15ml. - I am yet to find a REN product that I really dislike and I am a big fan of the V-Cense range and am looking forward to giving this a try. Described as being a product that works to boost your skin's energy and elasticity, the REN V-Cense Youth Vitality Day Cream is an intensely hydrating cream that will protect against free radical damage and smooth out any fine lines and wrinkles. Also designed to prevent and minimise the signs of premature ageing, this revitalising day cream will leave your skin feeling nourished, protected and glowing.

Dr PawPaw Tinted Ultimate Red Balm – Travel Size 10ml - You can never have too many lip balms right now and Dr PawPaw is a brand well worth looking into. The limited edition Tinted Red Ultimate Lipbalm provides a lovely wash of colour without being too OTT for those of us who shy away from red lips and also works as a balm. Dr.PAWPAW products are 100% British made and their collection of balms are made from a variety of natural ingredients including Pawpaw (Papaya), Olive Oil and Aloe Vera Oil. The balm has a plethora of uses; it’s perfect as a skin protector, moisturiser, nappy cream, lip finisher, for sun burn, skin irritations, as a hair conditioner and for any other skin related purpose you can think of.

Kebelo Enriching Masque – Travel size 30ml - I find that my hair, which is combination (greasy roots, dry ends) needs a lot of TLC, especially if I am using a lot of heat to keep it under control. Once a fortnight, I like to use a hair mask to give my hair some TLC and having used a few Kebelo products, I am looking forward to trying the Enriching Masque which uses a blend of Argan and Grape oil to deep condition the hair and scalp without causing it to look greasy. Restoring lost moisture and a healthy scalp, the masque leaves hair smooth, soft and manageable.

Bellapierre Lipstick in Ruby – Full Size RRP £11.99 - If I felt I could wear a red lipstick and pull it off, then this is the shade I would want to wear. Sadly I know it doesn't suit me so I will need to find a home for it. Mineral Lipsticks from Bellapierre Cosmetics are designed to give your lips a flash of irresistible colour whilst working to keep them hydrated and nourished throughout the day. Containing natural waxes and rich mineral pigments, this lipstick does nothing but good things for your lips.Formulated with iron oxides and antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E, this silky lipstick also provides SPF protection from the sun.

This for me is a fantastic box, it has such a good range of products in here and from well known brands that everything will be used. I love that each product is of a decent size which gives you a good enough opportunity to try them out before deciding whether or not you want to buy a fill size version and all for just £15 which I actually think is a bargain price to pay and one that has given me the chance to find some new found products I absolutely adore.

If this sounds like the beauty box for you, then the November edition is available now right here.

Balmi Metallic Lip Balms

I absolutely love Balmi lipbalms and am lucky to have quite a few in my collection, which I have mentioned here.

Getting ready for the festive season, Balmi have launched three new lip balms to add to their collection but with an added bit of pizzazz, they have gone metallic with the design and they do look pretty good!  Within the collection there is a brand new scent Roseberry which you will find inside this Metallic Copper cube and it smells absolutely delightful.  The two other scents are Cherry which is metallic red and Blackcurrant which is Metallic Purple.

The lip balm maintains its conical shape and is really easy to apply.  Not only are they all SPF15, which gets a huge thumbs up from me, they also contain antioxidant-rich Vitamin E, soothing Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil to help leave your lips moisturised, soft and super smooth.

To purchase they are priced at £4.99 each and can be found in Boots, Urban Outfitters and Superdrug.

Do you own a Balmi?