Small Things Make a Big Difference! Improving Your Health

Pexels - CC0 Licence 

2021 is the year that you can be the best version of you! Everybody's experienced highs and lows as a result of the pandemic. And no doubt, so many of us have felt a knock to our confidence, not to mention our own perspective of what our health really is like, for me my skin took a hit having to constant face-masks, so adding in CBD creams and serums has helped me to restore some calm to my skin, and this is definitely something I am going to continue doing in the future. While it's possible to boost your self-confidence and learn to take control of your attitude, your health needs to be in place as well. After all, if you've decided to make changes in your life, they are worth nothing if you don't have a healthy body! And the whole approach of tackling your health to change your life can seem momentous. But what are some of the best ways to improve your health, little and large?

Focus on Tackling Your Symptoms of Stress

When it comes to stress, there's the overriding reason, but it's also about recognising the symptoms, as and when they arrive. If you start to focus on tackling the symptoms, you will begin to recognise when you are hitting a downward spiral. The great thing is that there are different approaches out there. Some may work for you, and some may not. Ideally, you need to take opportunities to address the big symptoms that affect your life. For example, if anxiety is a continuous issue, you may benefit from a herb like CBD. They come in tincture form, but there are also CBD gummies, which can benefit when you are out and about. You can also think about other approaches to calm yourself down at the moment. Something like deep breathing is a very good example. For a lot of people, if they tackle the symptoms, it gives them better control over their lives and this leaves you with nothing to worry about and more time for doing things that you love, with people who mean a lot to you.

Look After Your Gut

A lifetime of unhealthy and processed foods can wreak havoc on our guts. The gut microbiome is essential for our overall health, and disruption in gut bacteria can result in chronic diseases, including obesity. Looking after your gut means cutting down on processed foods and sugar but also making sure that you have sufficient fibre in your diet, for this, you can take probiotic supplements. If you are someone that likes sweet treats, we can't deny you these, but you've got to be aware of the impacts they can have on your gut. 

The Importance of Vitamin D

Vitamin D has taken centre stage for many years, and now due to the coronavirus, a lot has been written about the impact of vitamin D on an individual's health and their ability to fight disease. A good quality vitamin D supplement is such a simple thing that you can take once a day, and you may very well see how it impacts your life in so many ways. You may not get as many colds, but you may also feel a bit better when you wake up in the morning. 

These three simple ways can make a difference in the quality of your life. And it goes to show that it is the smaller things that can make a big difference.

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

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.