KIEHLS ULTRA FACIAL CREAM & CHARITY PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MTV STAYING ALIVE FOUNDATION

MTV Staying Alive Foundation and Laura Mvula are announced as Kiehl's offical 2016 UK Charity partner.  The MTV Staying Alive Foundation is a global charity dedicated to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS and is again working with Kiehls as  official UK Charity for the 2nd year running. Last year they collaborated with Tinie Tempah.  This time, award winning British Singer/songwriter Laura Mvula has designed a limited edition label for one of Kiehl's most iconic products - Ultra Facial Cream. 

For each limited edition Ultra Facial Cream (125ml) purchased, Kiehls will give £10* to the MTV Staying Alive Foundation to support 3 projects around the world to empower and educate young women abut the prevention of HIV and AIDS. The MTV Staying Alive Foundation is an international charity working to build an empowered and educated generation of young people, equipped with the tools and knowledge to protect themselves and their peers from the HIV epidemic. They provide training and vital funding to grassroots, youth-led initiatives around the world that provide education about HIV and sexual and reproductive health in their local communities. 

Kiehls have been supporting the fight against HIV/Aids since the 1980s and to date have raised more than $2.8million. If you want to donate a little bit more, then Kiehl's and the MTV Staying Alive Foundation have also set up the option to text and all you need to do is simply text HIV1 to 70660 to donate £5 or £10.

So as well as donating to charity, you can get yourself this amazing facial cream. Described as being a light-textured, 24-hour hydrator helps to retain moisture within the skin, leaving skin feeling comfortable and well-balanced and it is not tested on animals. It can also be used both morning and night to keep your skin hydrated and if you are looking for a new moisturising cream, this one ticks a lot of boxes.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

You Beauty Box - Editor Picks!

This months You Beauty Box is titled the Editors picks and is designed to be a pick of beauty products which excel themselves and stand out against the competition. It is also the third birthday for the You Beauty Box and putting those two themes together, admittedly I had expected something a little more exciting and perhaps a bigger choice of products, but that was not to be and this is what was in store and maybe more of a mention it was the box birthday!

There is an inclusion of monthly treats and this months treats start with a treat sized bag of Propercorn and you either get Sweet & Salty or Lightly Salted and I got the latter which I adore. Secondly there is a sachet of Nanoblur, another product that I absolutely love and am happy to add to my stash in case of emergencies and finally a sachet of Glow Drops Dry Touch Facial Oil + Vitamin C, a product I have read a lot about but haven't tried so am looking forward to trying this.

As always with YouBeauty there is a whole host of products to choose from for your box, this month the product selection has AW16 in mind with nails, makeup and skincare the choices to select from. I decided to choose products I had never tried before and knew very little about, even though I might have seen them blogged about.

Eyeko Black Magic Mascara is one of those products I have read a lot about, seen on blogs and heard people rave about and I always seem to miss it when it is a magazine freebie, so now I can give it a go and as a mascara fiend, this is a nice little addition to my stash. Designed for after-hours seduction, Eyeko's ultimate mascara creates drama, volume and curl, with an extreme carbon black finish for a full bodied lash fringe. The curvaceous helix brush lifts, curls and volumises for clump-free, thicker, longer lashes. Enriched with a conditioning keratin and shea butter botanical blend with a superior staying-power. This is a 4ml sample and has a value of around £7.

Sanctuary's Ultimate Cleansing Oil is a product I have never come across and as a brand, it isn't one I have used a lot. The Cleansing oil is a special blend of four oils, this hard-working yet gentle cleanser effortlessly melts away make-up dirt and impurities to leave your skin feeling beautifully clean and soft with no greasy residue.  This is a 50ml bottle and has a value of around £3.

The product from the box that I am most excited about trying is the Erno Laszlo Firming Firmarine Hydrogel Mask. Said to improve skin elasticity, Firmarine Hydrogel Mask provides impeccably contoured smoothness reducing the appearance of wrinkles and the loss of elasticity. The formula contains Argan Oil and extracts of Algae and Grapefruit, and penetrates pores to remove toxins, reviving skin for a smoother, more youthful complexion.  This mask has a value of £12.50.

So there you have the September You Beauty Box and I think there is an interesting mixture of products and I am happy with my choices at £8.95. What do you think?

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Elizabeth Arden PREVAGE® Anti-Ageing Foundation

Right now Elizabeth Arden is right up there in my must have, need to have product wants. I use City Smart every single day it is that good and I am close to needing a new tube. Then in comes the brand new PREVAGE® Anti-Ageing Foundation with SPF 30 and it wows me from the first use. 

We all know living in the UK we have unpredictable weather, it is part of the Great British charm and a reason I love having changeable seasons, knowing that it could be sunny one minute and then you'll be drenched the next. Add to that living in the big smoke, the constant pollution really does wreak havoc on the skin, so Prevage® has come to the rescue.

On the skin it is incredibly lightweight but gives amazing coverage. My preference when it comes to liquid foundations is that they are not too heavy on the skin and also not to feel as though I have caked it on. Designed to give a long-lasting and dewy look, this foundation creates a naturally luminous complexion with a look that lasts all day and it has SPF30 for extra protection. As the texture is quite lightweight, it blends onto the skin like a dream, infused with Idebenone which is the worlds most powerful antioxident and helps protect skin from oxidative stress and free radical assaults, a leading cause of the visible signs of aging. Other key ingredients include:

• Hydra-Pigments – Encapsulated, moisture-rich pigments meld with the skin creating a shield to help the skin retain moisture while delivering precise long-wear colour instantly blur imperfections on the skin, 
• Antioxidant Complex – A potent blend of highly effective antioxidants including Idebenone, Thiotane, Ferulic Acid, Carnosine and Green Tea Extract that help protect skin from free radical damage 
• Vitamin C and L-Carnosine – Boosts skin’s own natural collagen, increasing the skin’s elasticity, reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles, and improving the clarity of the skin

Available in 8 different shades, I have shade 2 which is pretty near perfect for my skintone and I apply using either a beauty blender or foundation brush and thanks to a tip from Rebecca Restrepo, Elizabeth Arden's Global Makeup Artist I learnt how to apply PREVAGE® Anti-Aging Foundation properly - “when applying PREVAGE® Anti-Aging Foundation, begin at the center of the face, where the most discoloration occurs, and then blend outward to create an even and balanced complexion”.

If you havent guessed already, then I am a huge fan of this foundation, it is an absolute delight to use, I love how it feels on the skin, the coverage and that it lasts all day without the need to re-apply. PREVAGE® Anti-Ageing Foundation SPF 30 is available in eight shades from 1 September 2016 in department stores nationwide and online, priced at £45 for 30ml.

 

  *this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise