Pestle and Mortar Skincare Deals

Hey all

When we were contacted to see if we fancied trying some Pestle and Mortar skincare items we of course said yes. We have both taken care of our skin with full skincare routines started from our early 20s in the hope prevention is better than cure.

We couldn't wait to get out hands on the Pestle and Mortar products as not only are they cruelty free (a must for me now), they are suitable for all skin types, both of our skin needs seem to be changing so a product suitable for all is great, they also free from parabens, mineral oil, silcones, sulphates and propylene. When we first started the blog we wrote about parabens, sulphates and silcones in products and what it means, you can find these posts here.

Pestle and Mortar is an Irish beauty brand that have a great range of skincare products all in gorgeous packaging. I love the simplicity of the packaging and the monochrome it looks great on my bedside table.

We were lucky enough to be sent the Hyaluronic Serum. I'm so excited to give this a proper try. L has tried the alpha h liquid gold before which contain hyaluronic acid so was excited to try this to see how it compares.

The serum is formulated from the salt of hyaluronic acid. This is a smaller molecule and is said to be even more penetrative than hylauronic acid. I can't wait to give this a proper trial and see the results. As I'm getting older even though I have oily skin I'm still finding my skin dehydrated. Serums such as this one are great for getting moisture in my skin without drying it out. 

It leaves the skin feeling really soft and the perfect base for makeup. We will be doing a full review once we've been able to try it for a while but wanted to go on and share it as with Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner Pestle and Mortar are offering some great deals. It's worth signing up to the mailing list as you get 20% off. Non-subscribers still get 15% off thought.

Have you heard of Pestle and Mortar? Will you be taking advantage of the deals? They can be purchased from pestleandmortarcosmetics.com.

Love M

xxx

Nip and Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads

Happy hump day!

Glycolic acid is famed for being great on skin, serious chemical peels done by professional doctors can take off YEARS by resurfacing the top layer and removing wrinkles and uneven skin tone. I love that companies are catching up with this and a lot are creating affordable ranges for the high street containing low levels of glycolic acid for exfoliating purposes.

Nip and Fab have one of those ranges and I've been testing them out.

After the success of the Dragon's Blood Cleansing Pads (review here) I couldn't resist but pick up the exfoliating facial pads.

They claim to unveil younger looking, smoother skin by using glycolic acid, witch hazel, blue daisy  and hyaluronic acid.
Glycolic acid helps to retexture and resurface, witch hazel helps to tone the skin. Hyaluronic acid hydrates and refreshes and Blue daisy soothes and calms.

The tub contains 60 pads that you swipe over your cleansed face once or twice a day.
It's a really easy thing to add into your skincare routine and barely requires any additional time.

I've been using these morning and night for the last few weeks to help a few scars I have on my face. Glycolic acid is known to help with resurfacing and aiding scars to fade. After the acne I had a few years ago I still have a few red marks on my jawline and my recent allergic reaction has also left some bumpy marks that I'd like to reduce or hopefully get rid of completely.

Over the last few weeks my skin texture has definitely improved. I can say that my skin has become smoother and clearer as a result of using these and possibly my scars have faded too. It's hard to say that they will completely go without a much stronger glycolic acid product but I'm hoping it will help in the long run!
These are so easy to use that I'm willing to keep them in my daily routine and see if they have a longer term effect. I've also picked up the Glycolic Fix Serum to try out too, it has 4% glycolic acid so hopefully between the two and using the cleanser my scars will fade and disappear!

What do you think of glycolic acid and its resurfacing properties? Do you think it should be more easily available on the high street?

Don't forget that when using glycolic acid you need to keep your skin out of sun light or at least protect it using a high SPF as your skin becomes much more sensitive.

L xxx

Nip and Fab Dragon's Blood Plumping Serum

I cannot BELIEVE there is only two weeks until Christmas Eve!
TWO WEEKS!!!

It's definitely getting to be a lot more Christmassy and festive now; I cannot wait for Christmas Day to come along with all of the food and festivities.

That aside I'm sure everyone has noticed that Nip and Fab have a fabulous new range out, this one dedicated to Dragon's Blood. This comes from a plant and has been used over many years for a variety of medicinal uses. I've really been enjoying using the Cleansing Pads from the same range and the serum was next on my list.

I picked this up during an introductory offer and then went back and picked up another. No wonder I'm in so much debt....!

The plumping serum is lightweight and sinks into my skin so quickly. My skin feels hydrated but not overloaded and I'm left with a lovely plump feeling like my skin has just had a facial.

I've mentioned many times before how I like Nip and Fab products and how the ranges are colour coded. This colour might be my favourite so far and the range is yet to disappoint me. I haven't picked up the mask yet but once I've used up other hydrating masks I will have to check it out as I've been impressed with the hydration of these products so far.

The pump is really sturdy and dispenses enough for half of my face and neck so 2 pumps is normally ideal. Another thing I like about this is that it is a 50ml bottle and this can mean it can be super expensive, most bottles can be 30ml meaning you don't get much for your money. This one however is £19.95 for the 50ml bottle and is a pretty good price considering what it contains. It has been on offer recently in a range of stores so keep your eye out as I got it for £13 which is even better!

I've never met a product from Nip and Fab that I haven't liked but the Dragon's Blood range seems to be pretty good to me and I'd recommend all that I've tried so far.

Have you tried any of the Dragon's Blood range? Are you a fan of Hyaluronic acid?

L xxx

Nip and Fab Dragon's Blood Fix Cleansing Pads

Hey there!

My oh my isn't it getting cold and wintery! I could do with having some gloves on as I'm typing this, my fingers are quite cold. I've successfully made the transition from summer pj's to winter ones and am fully embracing my onesies, slipper socks and dressing gowns again. It's my favourite time of year and i love being snuggly and warm!

After my recent skin care issues (I had an allergic reaction for an unknown reason that lasted a good 2 months) I've been a bit careful with my products. I went back to basics and tried to reintroduce items slowly to see if they were the cause of it but alas I am yet to find what it was.

One product that I was keen to try but had to wait (impatiently) was the Dragon's Blood Fix Cleansing Pads, of which I had heard lots of good things about and wanted in my life.

I was fortunate to buy them when they were on offer so only cost me around £6.60 which I thought was pretty good value for money. The cleansing pads contain hyaluronic acid for additional hydration, salicylic acid to help cleanse pores and dragon's blood for comfort and restoration of skin against environmental factors.

You're probably thinking what the hell is dragon's blood?! Isn't this taking the Game of Thrones obsession a bit too far?!
It's actually from a plant (no dragons were therefore harmed in the making of these products....) called Croton Lechleri and is used in many skincare products as well as for a dye, gastrointestinal medication and as well as a potential cancer drug.

Science lesson aside, the pot contains 60 pads for use twice a day so roughly a months worth from each pot.

I use the cleansing pad after having cleansed my face separately. I would imagine using these to remove make up would be a tad pointless and there's no way you'd get the benefits. I have to say I've used similar products before that were useless and honestly I didn't think these would be up to much.

I was quite surprised to find that i like them and that they seem to have a positive effect on my skin.

My skin has felt more hydrated and therefore plumped up, as well as having a clearer complexion. I'm not sure how much these help pores as I don't really have any to compare the before and after but I would definitely recommend these.

For me, this has been one of those products that I'm not really sure what they do but they've had a positive effect on my facial skin and so I can't really write a bad word about them!

Currently on offer at Boots for £6.60 ish they are normally just under £10. If it's anything to go by I've already bought another pot for the future as I couldn't resist an offer like that!

Have you tried the Dragon's Blood Fix range? What did you think? Have you used similar cleansing pads like these before?

L xxx

Balance Me Extra Care Wonder Eye Cream

Morning lovelies!

I've never really used much from Balance Me apart from an oil I received in a beauty box a while ago, so receiving this in one too I decided to give it a go.

The Wonder Eye Cream claims to soothe, brighten and lift the skin around your eye and claims to be suitable for all skin types whilst being 99% natural, that sounds like something I want in my collection!

The size I received in the beauty box was 7ml but the full size is 15ml and retails for £20. This is quite a generous size as others I've bought have been a lot smaller for the same price.

The eye cream is light enough to absorb into the skin easily but also rich enough to contain coconut, rosehip and carrot oil to soften skin, chamomile, cucumber oil and witch hazel to smooth away dark shadows.

As if that wasn't enough there is also hyaluronic acid and spruce knot (very antioxidant rich) to plump and boost the skin, phew what a list!

I also like that the cream is 99% natural and you can see the list of EVERY ingredient on their website for EVERY product.

So how did I get on with the cream?

I applied it as per the instructions below, I find I need to apply a good blob of eye cream as my eyes can get really dry with constant air conditioning and this seems to help a lot. I apply it all over my eye area which is probably not advised but it works well for me, and then try and tap it in or move slowly in small circles to ensure it has distributed evenly.

First off I'm glad to say that I didn't react to this one bit, my sensitive eyes and skin can react quite randomly to things and this just absorbed in almost straight away with no greasy residue and no reaction, hurrah!

Secondly my skin felt really hydrated for quite a while afterwards and I really do think it has helped to iron out a few tiny creases that have started to appear. I am hoping it's just tiredness and dehydration and not my first wrinkles appearing so I'll keep my fingers crossed! But nevertheless, they did diminish.

The last factor to consider is the dark shadows which for me didn't seem to have any change. I don't know if that is because it has been a particularly busy and stressful time for me or if the product doesn't really combat shadows as much as I'd like, but let's face it a good concealer would still be needed anyway!

I'd rate this product pretty highly on the eye cream scale. I use Origin's Eye Doctor as my staple as I haven't ever reacted and my skin loves it. This also rates about the same for me and seeing as it is £20 for 15ml and the Origins one is £28.50 for 15ml, potentially I have found a replacement.

Balance Me have won quite a few awards for their products and they have been given rave reviews by bloggers too which is always reassuring. I've heard a lot about them and have seen lots of products I would love to try from them particularly the Extra Care range, of which this eye cream is a part of.

It also contains the Radiance Face Oil and Anti Ageing Serum, both of which sound fabulous to me and I may have to look into going to Waitrose again soon and picking some up!

Have you tried the Wonder Eye Cream? What did you think? Have you any recommendations for the Balance Me range?

L xxx

Lacura Aqua Complete Skin Serum

Hello! 

Hope you're having a great day so far :)

I've got a bargain skincare product for you today which has made its way into my daily regime.

Lacura are a brand sold in Aldi stores. I've been a fan of their under eye concealer for a while but haven't been able to find it recently.

On an evening trip to get some food I saw this Aqua Complete Skin Serum for a bargain £3.49

Indeed Laboratories: Hydraluron, Pepta Bright, Eysilix

Morning all! 

If you haven't heard of Indeed Laboratories, then you've probably been living under a rock....

They've hit the big time with fans such as Caroline Hirons singing their praises making them the hottest property on the skincare market for the past year or so.

With a 3 for 2 offer on in Boots, who was I to say no to purchasing some of the most raved about products!
So I picked up Hydraluron, Eysilix and Pepta Bright.

Nanoblur was their first product to be launched and lots of people were huge fans, myself not included in this however as I didn't like the texture on my skin and it didn't work well with my make up.

I did pick up their infamous Hydraluron though and I'm going to run through all the products I picked up as briefly as I can and tell you what I think after using them for the past few months.

Pepta Bright is a white cream that you put on your skin after cleansing and before moisturising.

It claims to be a brightening treatment and who doesn't need a bit of that in their life??

I like the packaging of the products with the different colours but generally similar style boxes and arrangement.
On the side of the box is a brief synopsis of the company which is helpful, I always like a general blurb on the company and what it stands for, which you can see above.

So Pepta Bright contains 7 ingredients targeting 7 biological factors. It claims to be a cream/serum which is a bit confusing as I'm pretty sure its just a white cream but it is easily absorbed.
This product is designed to improve the appearance of hyperpigmentation, age spots and uneven skin tone and restore general brightness and luminosity to the skin.

I LOVE that the box opens up like a book and you can see the full list of promises, what the product is free from, and helpfully all the other products in their range.
The 7 claims are quite detailed and sound pretty promising...

I applied this cream morning and night after cleansing and before my usual moisturiser.
It was easily absorbed into the skin and I felt a tingling after application.
My skin is sometimes sensitive and I think this product heightens it but I'm not sure which ingredient it is. It's not uncomfortable but i am aware of it and so i felt it was something to note.

Aside from that after continued usage my skin did look brighter and I do think some of my scars have lightened and so my general complexion has cleared up a bit.

I do like this product and I have seen some small results, I'm hoping over even more time my skin will get better. After an allergic reaction I had a few months ago I've been reluctant to carry on using this as my skin has been sensitive, but I will be carrying on with it again now after seeing improvements!

The next product was Eysilix, an eye cream that contains 10 peptides to target concerns around the eye area such as puffiness, dark circles and to eliminate signs of stress and fatigue.

Again the book feature of the box details the 5 actions from this product which are 100% what you'd look for in an eye cream.

I like the design of the packaging where you can control the product coming out of the tube and don't waste it which is great for saving the pennies!

I applied this white cream on my eye area morning and night and as with the Pepta Bright I unfortunately had some tingling. As this was around my eye area I was a bit worried about it and have at times taken it off because I was worried it was stinging too much.

Again there must be an active ingredient in it which is causing it and possibly may be reacting with my skin. It did feel moisturising and the skin around my eye felt more hydrated.

My eye area is something that I'm worried about as genetics tells me that my eyes will be the first area to show signs of ageing and i already have a few lines which come and go depending on how tired and dehydrated I am. I'm hoping with copious amounts of moisturising it will keep them at bay for as long as possible!

Hydraluron is my favourite of the three products. Firstly it comes in a bright pink box that you cannot fail to notice.
I was drawn to this because of the massive amount of good reviews it has received and the fact I need some serious hydration in my life.

The box for this product was somewhat different to the others, noticeably because it had French on it but also because it had a lot more detail about the product and its mechanisms.

Long story short Hydraluron contains hyaluronic acid, which holds 1000 times its own weight in water which when applied to the skin means its happy and hydrated.

In practical terms I applied this after cleansing and before moisturising in the morning and evening. It's a clear gel that feels a little like it melts when you apply it.
I can't say that i noticed a huge difference initially and admittedly I did think it was a fad that everyone was jumping on the back of. However it sunk into my skin quite easily and had no negatives effects at all so i persevered.

And I'm so glad i did! After a few weeks my skin did feel smoother and more hydrated, and as soon as I stopped using the tube there was a massive change in the hydration levels in my skin.
When I restarted using it I saw an improvement in my skin again.

It's a weird product as it's not a miracle worker and in fact doesn't really show any improvement for a while.
If you're going to purchase it just bare that in mind as it won't suddenly be the answer to your prayers, but over a few weeks it will definitely improve your skin hydration.

Out of the three products, i would 100% recommend Hydraluron as a staple product in your skincare wardrobe. I do have an issue with the size of it though, 30ml is a small tube for a £25 price tag.

It's currently on offer for £16.66 however as all of Indeed Laboratories products are 1/3 off at Boots right now.

I would also recommend Pepta Bright as it does provide some positive results in terms of brightening and fighting hyperpigmentation, though I'd be wary if you have sensitive skin.

Eysilix however was a bit of a disappointment for me and I'm afraid I can't give it any rave reviews because my skin found it too powerful to use consistently and so I didn't see any results.


Have you tried products from Indeed Laboratories? Which one is your favourites? Did you rave over Hydraluron too?


L xxx

Review: Vichy Aqualia Thermal Light Moisturiser

I have bought a few things from Vichy and loved all of them so far.

I have since been and bought the Normaderm moisturiser I previously posted about here and really quite like the feel on my skin, the effects, and the price which the product costs.

On top of that there is normally a deal on with skincare in Boots or Vichy often have a deal themselves which are worth waiting for.

On my latest trip I picked up the Aqualia Thermal Light Moisturiser.

As you can see from the box, it is made from the thermal spa water that other Vichy products are made with, free from parabens and can provide up to 48 hours of hydration for sensitive skin.

This I am loving the thought of!

Especially as it was made 'light' and so effective when used on normal/combination skin which i currently have.

Another ingredient in this moisturiser that is VERY important in hydration is Hyaluronic Acid.

Even though the acid name sounds scary, it's actually a great product for drier skins and a must have during the harsher winter months.

If you haven't read about it before, it can hold up to 1000 times it's own weight in water and so when applied to your skin can provide a much needed source of hydration throughout application and a while afterwards.

My skin worries are seemingly endless, but as my latest Skinetica post has hinted, i may have found something that can actually help! Check back next Thursday when I have the full review planned for.

On top of this I have been applying this Vichy moisturiser to combat the increased dryness I've been experiencing recently and in order to fight off any further dryness, whilst hopefully not overloading my skin either.

In all honesty, this cream has been a dream and I've loved it.

The pot has quite frankly disappeared (even though it has actually lasted a good 2 months of usage morning and night).

It sunk into my skin really fast without leaving a greasy layer but my skin has not been dry in the slightest.

Having skin that needs hydration is odd for me as I've always had oily skin, and so I think this product would be perfect for anyone who is worried their oily skin will react to increased hydration.

I honestly love it and will be repurchasing before my contract at Boots ends ha.

I am trying to think of anything that might be negative to say about this.....

But I honestly cannot think of anything.

Aside from the 'if onlys' such as a bigger pot and cheaper?! But this pot is worth every penny and I will be repurchasing, that should say it all really shouldn't it??

Have you used many products by Vichy? What do you think? What's your favourite?

Have you changed to a more hydrating moisturiser for the winter months?

L xxx