Antipodes Rejoice Light Day Cream

Hello there!

If you've read Mia's post on the Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream then you will know we were recently sent some products from Antipodes containing avocado. Everyone is totally obsessed with the stuff lately and it's not hard to understand why!

Avocados are renowned for containing a large number of healthy fats and are championed for a healthy diet for weight loss, shiny hair and of course good skin. But if you're applying it instead of eating it, is it worth it?

Antipodes Manuka Honey Skin Brightening Light Day Cream and Eye Cream

Hey all

Our Antipodes love continues today. We were recently sent some new bits to try and we've been testing them now for the past month. With skincare like this we like to wait a while to review it as it can take a few weeks for skin to decide if it like it. You can find all our other Antipodes posts here.

As I'm sure you'll all be aware by now at the beginning of the year after getting my two fluffy bunnies I went cruelty free. It meant I had to totally change everything I'd normally buy and left me searching for new brands. Antipodes is now one I throughly recommend. This year we've been lucky enough to try out more of the range and we've loved everything so far.

Today we're sharing our thoughts on the Manuka Honey Skin Brightening Light Day Cream and the Eye Cream (L has previously purchased and loved the Aura Manuka Honey Mask, reviewed here)

The Manuka Honey Eye Cream and Day Cream are both vegetarian society approved products and bee friendly products. I love the brand ethics of Antipodes! Manuka Honey is amazing and something that is everywhere. I decided to do some research on different Manuka Honey after recieving these to see the benefits and the differences. Manuka honey have different UMF ratings (grading systems for the beneficial properties) which is usually reflected in the price. The range from 5+ anything less than 5 has undectable levels, 5-9 have low levels, 10-15 useful levels and 16+ superior high grade levels. The different levels have different benefits too. Both the antipodes products are 20+ so you get great grade Manuka Honey that's really going to benefit the skin.

Manuka honey is know to help fight ageing, promote hydration and help with skin blemishes due to it's antibacterial properties. I couldn't wait to try these products out!

Here's what Antipodes say about the Day Cream.

Manuka Honey Skin-Brightening Light Day Cream (60ml) features bee venom, Vinanza® grape and kiwi seed to restore a light and fresh visage. Bee venom and mamaku black fern provide a gentle lifting effect. World-famous manuka honey Active 20+ with natural antibacterial properties helps address any skin blemishes. Revolutionary Vinanza® antioxidants from grape seeds and kiwi work with peony flower for the ultimate skin-bright finish.

You get 60mls of product with this which is 10mls more than standard day creams. I've been so impressed with it. I've been using it at night as well. As my skin tends to be oily combination I tend to worry a bit about trying out a new cream but this is amazing. It absorbs into my skin easily leaving it feeling moisturised and plump. My makeup allows really well over this as well (it's never good when your foundation makes your moisturiser peel off your face!) As I've just come back from holiday my skin has been loving the extra help with hydration this has been giving it and it's not made me break out which is amazing. It doesn't have SPF in which may be a downside for some people but I've taken to using a separate facial SPF lately anyways as I'm crossing my fingers it'll help with ageing!!

Here's what Antipodes say about the Eye Cream

Manuka Honey Skin-Brightening Eye Cream (30ml) with Persian silk flower helps hydrate and freshen under-eye tissue. Manuka honey Active 20+ has world-renowned moisturising and anti-inflammatory prowess. This luxury formulation introduces Persian silk flower blended with revolutionary antioxidant Vinanza® grape seed and kiwi skin to brighten delicate skin.

Again this is larger than standard eye creams and actually double most as it's 30mls. When I opened it the size suprised me. You get so much product for your money. This feels amazing on the skin. It feels so refreshing under the eye and sinks in easily leaving the skin feeling hydrated. For me I don't find many products that brightening for the under eye area so I can't comment on those bits. It leaves the skin under my eyes feeling so soft though and has been great for the changes in weather my skin has been subjected to lately.

I've really loved both these products and after using them for about a month I'm really loving them!

Love M

xxx

Hey all!

As Mia said, we're huge fans of Antipodes. Not only because their products are beautiful and actually work but their ingredients and ethos of being cruelty free are something that we believe in.

I have really sensitive eyes so am always a bit nervous trying out new eye creams because I don't want them to become sore. This eye cream however has been amazing, so hydrating and as it's quite a thin consistency doesn't feel heavy at all. I've been using it the last few weeks without any reactions and the skin around my eyes has stayed really hydrated - I would definitely repurchase this especially as the size of the pot is so much bigger than others.

The day cream has also been a treat to use, I've been using some other oils recently in the day to keep my skin hydrated for longer and the combination of the two together has been great.

Just like M I have also been using this in the night as it is so light and my skin just drinks it straight up!

We would both definitely recommend both of these and they are a great addition to the Aura Manuka Honey mask which has been part of their range for a while.

Have you tried Antipodes before? What are your thoughts on ingredients like Manuka Honey?

L xxx

Nip and Fab Bee Sting Fix Cream Deluxe

Sometimes I look back at my shopping trips and wonder what on earth I was thinking; recently I seem to have purchased the entire Nip and Fab range without batting an eyelid.

It's hard not to when I've loved everything I've tried and there have been so many offers on recently.

N&F claim that the Bee Sting Fix Cream Deluxe is a 'second skin' anti ageing shield that helps to reduce the look of lines and wrinkle by hydrating the skin.

The ingredients list is pretty interesting and have some really good properties:

Bee Venom: controls the facial muscles, increases blood circulation gently plumping out and firming the skin. Also fills and smoothes fine lines and wrinkles 
Propolis Extract: this is a resinous substance harvested by bees on flower buds and it is a great skin healer, anti-oxidant and antiseptic
Hyaluronic Acid: increases moisture retention while being hydrating and moisturising
Shea Butter: helps strengthen skin + repair damage
Vitamin E: powerful antioxidant and protects cells against free radicals damage

With so many ingredients and promises I was concerned this would be one of those things that would fall short of all of the claims.

When opening the pot I was relieved that it was actually a full pot, and not a disappointment like the matching Eye Cream (review here) as that was definitely a concern. 

However the pot was EXTREMELY full and inside was a lovely thick cream that almost felt hard to the touch. This is probably the thickest cream I've ever used but on the skin it seems to melt a bit and spreads a lot easier. 

I've been using this morning and night for a few weeks and my skin has felt a lot more hydrated. I feel an improvement in my skin since the colder winter months have arrived and the increased moisturisation has definitely helped. I would agree with the claim it acts as a second skin as it seamlessly absorbs into the skin and fingers crossed it is helping my skin prevent any signs of ageing!

What do you think of Nip and Fab ranges? Do you think ingredients such as Bee Venom can help your skin? Would you be willing to try it out?

L xxx

Ener-chi

Hello there!

We've got a joint review for you today, courtesy of a lovely spa in Cardiff called Ener-chi. They have two branches in Cardiff, one in Radyr and one in Penarth.

They aim to combine the mind, body and spirit of individuals through the medium of beautifying, healing and relaxing rituals.

They have a wide range of treatments including facials, massage and personal grooming with products from brands such as Dr Haushka, Caudalie, Antipodes and Glamglow.

They sent us a beauty pack for our own little relaxing pamper sessions at home, and before we went out last weekend we put a girly film on and put our feet up..... 

The cute beauty pack contained a Glamglow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate treatment, Caudalie Detox Oil, Dr Haushka Rose Day Cream and a Pukka Cool Mint Green tea for a start to finish pamper set.

We've both heard a LOT about Glamglow and their mud treatments; their results have been raved about and we couldn't wait to get the packet open and onto our faces!

It definitely does what it says on the packet; it tingles! When we first put it on we did a little dance around the room as it tingled and then it settled down and began to dry, here's a quick selfie:

The most interesting part was as it dried, you could see all of our pores! It was really weird but hopefully this means our pores were getting an extra deep clean.

We also boiled the kettle and made ourselves a cup of mint green tea to fully relax, mint teas are one of our favourites and a daily occurrence.

After it had dried we washed it off with warm water and a muslin cloth, it came off quite easily and our skin felt really clean and smooth afterwards.

Next we applied the Caudalie Polyphenol Overnight Detox Oil. As we were going for a night out we didn't apply as much as was stated but the few drops we did apply absorbed really quickly into the skin and didn't leave any trace.




I've used it since and applied the full 6 drops as an overnight treatment and my skin drank it up!

It's really quite nice and I'd definitely look into purchasing it in future, I've heard a lot about Caudalie but this was the first product I've tried.





The tiny vial was so cute but actually held a lot of product as I thought it would only hold enough for one application. But I've used it at least twice since and still have another left.

A few hours later we then applied a Rose day Cream from Dr Haushka, another first for me. Dr Haushka is a brand that I've heard so much about but have never tried anything from. Their packaging and display are beautiful, and the product itself was luxurious.





Allegedly the centrepiece of the Dr Hauschka range the day cream nourishes and protects a wide range of skin types including from redness and irritation which is something that we all experience at some point.

All of these products were lovely to try out and it was lovely of Enerchi to send us samples of their range. After having a full body massage there a few weeks ago I will be sure to visit again, their staff were really friendly and my massage was out of this world!Not only was it a head to toe massage it included a facial too and I was honestly the most relaxed I've ever been (if extremely oily afterwards too!)

You can find Ener-chi's website here, check out their range of treatments and the brands they stock!

What's your favourite treatment? Have you tried anything from Caudalie, Glamglow or Dr Hauschka?

L xxx

Hey all

As L said we decided to treat ourselevs

ourselves to a full on pamper before we went out. Glam glow is something i was so excited to try after hearing so much about it. The fact it fully opened the pores impressed me and my skin was so smooth after wards! It was quite red though but it did go down within the hour.

As our skin was so soft we followed up with the oil. Being oily skinned i was dubious to put this on before a night out so had planned to leave it on for a few hours then cleanse my skin before I got ready. I was so surprised though as my skin just soaked up the oil and was left feeling soft and smooth and not at all greasy. This is now firmly on my wish list.

I love trying new products like this and it wad good to be able to try a little routine. As L said they have two salons in the local area and stock a lot more products including some amazing scented candles and some great gifts. You can also buy online at ener-chi.co.uk.

Happy Friday!

Love M

xxx

Dr Organic Day and Night Creams

Good evening!

This post has been a long time coming as we were given these at the Bristol Blogger meet a fair few months ago....but working through our stashes it has taken a while to get to them.

Dr Organic is a great brand, they have an amazing versatile range and cover every possible scent you could ever wish for from a brand. They include pomegranate, lavender, tea tree, coconut and manuka honey, they even have a product containing snail gel!

Today we're reviewing their Virgin Coconut Oil Night Cream and Moroccan Argan Oil Day Cream.

The Coconut Oil Night cream has a list of claims detailed on the side of the box which sounds very promising! These invlude overnight hydration even down to the trans dermal level, improving firmness and tone of skin and protecting against free radicals.

I love that Dr Organic list all of the bioactive, natural and organic ingredients in their products, some of which I've never heard of but I love the honesty.
As we've mentioned in previous posts on products from Dr Organic, all of them are free from parabens, SLS, artificial colours, fragrances and any harsh preservatives.

The packaging is really simple and the pots are made of glass which is a really nice touch. The screw top lids are really good too, it might be a random thing to notice but they're really easy to unscrew but there's no chance of them coming off and spilling product everywhere.

And as always, i love simplistic styles and this ticks all my boxes.



For me, the Coconut Oil night cream was really thick in consistency and is initially hard to absorb into the skin. I found applying it as a face mask before bed was a better way for the product to provide it's maximum hydration.
I loved the feeling of my skin the next day, but as it's so thick I did use a lot more product than i would normally but I think it was still worth it!
Plus it smells gorgeous!





The Argan Oil Day cream is lighter and has the same claims as the night cream, with an added one of increasing Vitamin C production.

The Argan Oil Day cream absorbed more easily into my skin than the night cream, which is obviously better as I'm always in a rush in the morning and haven't got time to sit and wait for it to absorb before applying my make up.

This day cream smells pretty good too, and I love that the pots have the three main features of the product on the sides: Firming, toning and cell protecting. all three of these sound pretty good to me!

I have really enjoyed using both of these moisturisers and look forward to purchasing more from their range. I am a big fan of the lip balms and their coconut hand cream is amazing!
There are plenty more products I'd love to try including their Virgin Coconut Oil Moisture Melt Body Oil, Rose Otto Facial Serum and Snail Gel.

Which are your favourite products from Dr Organic? I really do want to try EVERYTHING!

L xxx

I was initially concerned about using these products as I have oily combination skin and worried that a product for nourishment and hydration would be too much for my skin but I was pleasantly surprised.

I love the glass packaging. Glass always makes something feel more luxurious. Both the day and night creams are really thick creams that sink into the skin. The day cream feels light on the skin and doesn't leave me oily. It leaves my skin with a great base for my foundation. 

The night cream is really thick and I did think because of this it would leave my skin feeling super soft but as L mentioned you do need to apply a lot of it to get those results. I do feel like I need to use more of this than most creams and therefore have found it's not been lasting too long.

I have liked both of these creams and they have made me want to try more of there products and some specifically for my skincare. Any recommendations?

Love M

xxx

What's On My Bedside Table

I've been meaning to write this a while.  It's kind of my beauty favourites but it's what I use every day skincare wise.

Since moving I've been a lot more organised.  I keep everything in these Skubbs from ikea. 

For £6 you get 6 boxes 3 of each size.  They come in black, white and purple.  They are great for organising.

On my bedside table. I always keep a glass of water.  I get thirsty in the night a lot. I also have a soft cushioned brush. I'm trying to brush my hair more often as I figure it's better for it.  I try to spend a minute a night brushing it. 

During the week I straighten my hair so I used to be lazy and just brush my fingers through it in the morning.  Also I have deodorant.  I use whatever is on offer and pillow mist.  Not convinced it works.

Things I use morning and night in my box are: My lush lip scrub. These are amazing.  I wouldn't be without mine it makes such a difference and they are a bargain too. Lush whipstick lip balm. This is one of my favourites.  It tastes and smells amazing.  Lastly is my origins super spot remover. I do like this but I probably wouldn't repurchase.  I thought it was brilliant at first but I'm going off it now.

For day cream I use Origins balanced diet.  You can see a full review of this in my save, spend, splurge series and for eye cream I use Origins Ginzing.  I really love this.  It's light and great for mornings and brightening.

For the evening I use a lot of things. I'll use either the Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus corrector or the Bioeffect EGF serum. I love both of these. Unfortunately the bioeffect serum is out of my budget for repurchase but I will be picking up the Clinique.  I really love this. It's light on the skin and feels great.  

For night cream I'm currently using Origins starting over. To be honest I don't like it. It feels like it sits on the skin rather than sinks in. It was a freebie so I'm trying to use it up. 

My evening eye cream is Origins perfect world for eyes. I love this. It's thick and sinks in well. It's perfect for night time.  As I'm oily skinned I don't like it for days. I really love origins eye creams. I think Clinique wins on face moisturiser for me. 

Lastly at night I apply vaseline to my eyelids after my eye cream focusing on my eyelashes.  I've heard it's good to make them grow plus someone I work with said she always does it and she's over 60 and has amazing eyes so it's worth a try.

Lastly I keep my inhalers and other medicine stuff I use regularly in there. It's so handy having everything to reach. I really need to find my cuticle oil and put that in.

What's your skincare must haves?  Do you use anything like vaseline on your eyelids?  

Love M

Xxx

Review: Clinique Superdefense SPF 25 Age Defense Moisturizer Combination Oily to Oily Skin and Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Moisturizer Combination Oily to Oily Skin

Hey all. 

Today I bring you my first indulge in expensive skincare. With skincare I like to use the products for a good month or two at least before reviewing. I'm now addicted to Clinique and here are my thoughts on some of it.

So a few months back now I decided it was time to try a more premium brand skin care for my day and night cream. I'm only 23 but I've always been told prevention is easier than cure. A motto I like to live by. So I decided to look for day and night creams, aimed specifically at oily skin types that will still help combat the first signs of ageing.

I hadn't looked at reviews of products online and decided to stroll into boots and see what counter hit my eye, the scientist in me was draw to Clinique with the white coats reminding me of lab coats and there clean looking display. As I walked up to the beauty counter it was one of those days I need a lot of help and advise and a good chat with an assistant. Unfortunately she decided to ignore me. Nice eh? When you need them they don't bother. I decided to try House of Fraser as by this point I was set on Clinique. As I strolled in she finished serving and then had a chat with me about what I was hoping to get from my skincare and what my problems were and the main ones I wanted to target.

Nice free gift bag

 My free gifts. How generous are Clinique!! Lots for me to test out 

 One of the things I loved the most about Clinique is you can buy most of their products for different skincare. I was told I was a 3 and could use products aimed at 3 or 4. I was recommended the superdefense SPF 25 age defense moisturiser for combination oily to oily skin. It comes with a slightly eye watering price tag of £37. But as L once said to me if you'll spend it on a dress or bag why not on skincare. So I splurge and as they were offering a bag of goodies if you bought two items I picked up the night cream to which is the super rescue antioxidant night moisturiser again for combination oily to oily which is £35.

Both products are paraben free, allergy tested and 100% fragrance free. Great for if your skin is a little more sensitive. Something both L and I try to look out for. The day cream is gorgeous. A light product that just sinks into your skin and leaves it well moisturised without feeling greasy or tight. I find some products for oily skin leaves my skin feeling so tight it's uncomfortable. For the price you get a reasonable 50ml. I've been using mine most days now for 3 months and I'm probably 2/3 through the pot. I try to use only what's needed and make this product last. It also contains a healthy SPF 25 so great for protecting the skin from the sun and hopefully preventing even more wrinkles.

As you can see it's a good consistency and blends into the skin without leaving a greasy residue. I've been so impressed with this product. I've had no product related breakouts. Which is always a worry with my skin type and my skin is left feeling moisturised and healthy.

I love the night cream just as much. These two work together so well and I'm so pleased I splurged out on them. They are so worth it. This is again 50ml but I feel I'm using it quicker. One thing I don't like about the night cream is that it's in a tube. I prefer a pot so I can get out just the amount I need easily and I can see how much I have left. I feel like this may run out before the day cream which will bug me as I like them to run out at the same time. 

The night cream is a slightly thicker consistency but still sinks into the skin well without leaving the skin feeling oily or coated in product. I can't say how well they work on wrinkles really as the few fine lines I have do appear a little reduced but I'm hoping this will more be protecting my skin against further.

Even though these products are more than I would normally spend on day and night creams I'm completely converted and would repurchase without a doubt. They have lasted a while so isn't as expensive as it first seems.

I would wait to repurchase till there are good freebies though as Clinique are generous with their free gifts and you get a lot of products to try. I especially loved the eye cream and the serum I got in the free gifts and I am considering purchases those along with a foundation. I've heard so many great things about Clinique lately I can't wait to try more products.

The lady in House of Fraser was lovely and as I had a delay at the till was kind enough to give me all these samples along with my free gift.

Successful first trip to Clinique I think. I'm still working my way through the samples and I'm loving some and will purchase some not so much like the eye make up remover. You can find my thoughts on that here.

Have you tried Clinique products? Any recommendations?

Love M

Don't forget our giveaway. Some great skincare products in there!