Merumaya #Beautyhasnoage Makeup Bag

I am a big fan of Merumaya products, I love how they make my skin feel, how well they work and ultimately the brand itself is pretty special.

MERUMAYA is all about you, feeling fabulous and confident about the way you look, at every age. Maleka, the woman behind the brand explains that a woman in her teens, should not feel vulnerable to peer pressure, to look a certain way or be depressed because her acne makes her feel ugly. A woman in her thirties should not feel the desperation of a ‘sell by date’ for her beauty. A woman in her 50’s does not have to succumb, to anyone else’s opinion, of what is age appropriate beauty. A woman in her 70's+ should still feel beautiful, relevant and her beauty celebrated. #beautyhasnoage is a mission, to unite every woman who ever felt insecure about the way she looks, in support. It’s success relies on all of us supporting each other, in the mission to feel confident about the uniqueness of our individual beauty, at every age.

Behind the brand are some amazing products, some of which I have featured on my blog (here, here and here) and again behind each product are the principles that Maleka uses as a guide:

• Prevent & Perfect skin ageing – the integrative, concept
• Performance - use evidence-based, clinically tested active ingredients, in the same concentrations as they were tested. Load with anti-inflammatories, so that even acne-prone and sensitive skins, can use high-performance, youthful-ageing products.
• Pleasure - over decades we’ve gotten a bit too pious about skincare. I want to delight your senses and the Signature Essence Blend, contains nature identical molecules, of scents that were used in times gone by, to raise confidence and attraction. It provides a unique experience based on your olfactory and limbic system and so, is very personal. It makes you feel fabulous and definitely a step away, from the somewhat boring and safe 'citrus', that is used as a standard because it is inoffensive. Also, the textures of the products are sensual, velvety and silky.
• Practicality - we all want to look youthful for longer but there is no need to spend more of your precious time, in front of the mirror, doing it! I wanted to save you time and make it super easy for you to take care of your skin. An example is our Melting Cleansing Balm™: in a tube, no 'warming' required, melts, milks, easy to remove and saves you at least 45 seconds on each effective, sensorial cleanse.
• Price - I was determined to bring to market, products that can rival any of those in the luxury sector, at a price that meant most customers can afford to use them all the time. This has been the hardest, because I refused to compromise on ingredients and formula. So, I put the money into the product and not packaging or advertising and I am prepared to take a much lower margin for myself, in the hopes that this will grow to be the next big British brand...help spread the word please!
• Patriotism - this is a British brand that is Made in GREAT Britain. I am a London girl and it is important, that we all do our bit to support our own economy and jobs. For me it is spending my money with British businesses that make and supply my products.   All of us can at least give British brands a try and, if they stand up to the test, continue to buy them.
• Personal – I genuinely want you to participate in this brand by communicating directly with us.  I want you to help us evolve, so that we are constantly relevant to youand your needs; so that we create products that genuinely deliver results.  I want you to have a hand in the growth we hope to achieve and humbly ask you, to help us spread the word by recommending products you love, to your friends and family please.

I was kindly sent this #beautyhasnoage makeup bag which is incredibly snazzy and you can get one for yourself too as a reminder!  There is currently a 50% sale on the top products from Merumaya and the bag is free with purchase or you can buy it on its own too.

Have you tried any products from Merumaya and 

do you agree #beautyhasnoage?

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Urban Decay biggest lipstick Launch EVER! #LipstickismyVice

As soon as I saw that Urban Decay was about to release a 100 (yes ONE HUNDRED) new lipsticks, the word excitement doesn't quite cover it and with Ruby Rose as the face of the launch, it was always going to be amazing.

The Vice Collection combines everything from new shades to cult favorites you thought you’d never see again and several shades were inspired by some of the other lip products and even Eyeshadows and Eye Pencils.

Encased inside iconic Urban Decay packaging, vice lipsticks come in a modernized luxed-up version of the original lipstick case. The faceted gunmetal casing with gold base screams luxury and the debossed lettering adds that little some extra. In true Urban Decay style, each lipstick also features an embossed UD.

Each lipstick will cost just £15 and with 100 to choose from there is something for everything whether you like your bold brights, Vampy or subtle neutral shades you will find something and they are available in 6 different finishes, 

• Mega Matte — super intense matte
• Comfort Matte — their creamiest matte
• Cream — the original creamy luxury formula
• Metallized — cream with a high level of pearl pigments
• Sheer — a punch of color, with a sheer, shiny finish
• Sheer Shimmer — slightly transparent finish with floating pearl and a smooth texture

I have five lipsticks from the collection to share with you today and all of them feature in Wende's top 10 picks and I can see why!

714 - was originally released with the Gwen Stefani collection and it is such a stunning shade. With a Mega Matte finish, 714 is bold, it is bright and it is described as being a medium-dark red with warm orange undertones, which sadly does nothing for my complexion, but it is a stunning shade.

Firebird - is a cream finish and is described as being a deep fuchsia. It is definitely a pinkish berry shade and it has cool, blue undertones which works well with my skin tone.  It applies like a dream and there is a fuchsia pearl shade which shows through which I really like along with a very natural sheen.

Big Bang - is a metallized finish and is described as being a bright pink sparkle shade. It is a raspberry pink shade with quite subtle, cool undertones and it has a light pink micro-glitter which reflects amazingly in the light. I don't think I have ever owned a lipstick that looks this glittery, but when the lipstick is applied, it isn't uncomfortable, the glitter doesn't drag or scratch the lips at all, it isn't rough and nor does it look as though you have just covered your lips in glitter, it is just the right amount of noticeable.

BackTalk - is a Comfort Matte finish and is described as being a mauve nude, though it does have a slight pinkish tint to it. It is also a lipstick with cool undertones but with a satin finish and it is one of those shades that everyone can wear. It applies much more smoothly than the other four lipsticks and I adore it.

Pandemonium - is a Mega Matte finish and is a dark, almost red toned purple which has a satin finish.  Again it applies to the lips like an absolute dream and it has a very light shimmer to it and again, this is a shade I wasn't expecting to like at all but I absolutely love it. 

Each lipstick shade has amazing colour pay off, literally like nothing else I have seen. Urban Decay use their propriety Pigment Infusion System which gives the formula its super creamy texture. Add to that there is in the infusion of a butte blend to hydrate, soften and enhance which leaves your lips feeling soft and conditioned. Aloe Vera, Jojoba, Avocado and Babassu oils help to nourish and soften your lips and Illipe Buter provides long lasting moisture with added Vitamin C and E give a hit of antioxident.

So not only do you get a fabulous lipstick, but you get one which looks after your lips whilst you are wearing it and I now need the other 95!.  Not sure which of the 100 lipsticks will suit you? Well there is an Urban Decay app which allows you to try on all the lipsticks to see which one works and which one doesn't and it is a whole lot of fun, bit like Tinder for lipstick!

Have you seen a shade you like the look of?

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Aquis Lisse-Luxe Hair Towel

Everytime I go to the salon, I am told not to wrap my wet hair in a towel because it can cause friction and frizz and that I should instead use anything but a towel, even a t-shirt is better.  Then I met Aquis, the Lisse Luxe hair towel. The what? Well the description is as follows:

"Lisse Luxe may sound like the name of an ‘exotic’ artiste. But she’s the perfect towel for normal hair. Lisse Luxe also excels at curly hair, fine hair, damaged hair and any hair that needs gentle treatment. New generation Aquitex improves absorbency and comfort. Wraps and tucks easily leaving hands free while hair dries. Dries fast with less friction, to minimize frizz and damage".

Now my hair is shoulder length, I have a lot of it and am prone to frizz and fly-a-aways and this is partly because my hair is how it is, but partly because I have always used a towel to dry my hair.  So was the towel causing the frizz and friction and would the Aquis Lisse Luxe make any difference?

The Aquis Lisse-Luxe is said to be the hair rehab program my hair has been waiting for, I have been using it every time I have washed my hair, washing it too and it is amazing. When your hair is wet, it is delicate and you will have been told many times not to over brush it, don't rub it dry and treat it carefully because you can cause damage, frizz and even breakage. Aquis uses an innovative fabric which gently wraps your hair, improves absorbency of the water and by not rubbing your hair you cause less friction which means less frizz. What's more, since using this Aquis towel, ive noticed my hair dries in half the time it used too and my hair is much smoother once dry and there was no need to add any extra products to calm my frizz because it had all but disappeared. So the answer to both of the questions I posed above is simply - YES.

Washing the towel every week has not made any difference in how it works with my hair and having now used it for the last few months, I am just incredibly impressed.  If you think this could be the hair care solution for you, then you can get your Aquis Lisse-Luxe right here in a range of different colours.

Generously Sized at 50 X 107CM