EOS Lemon Lip Balm SPF15

I thought I’d do a quick post on my current favourite lip balm. Evolution of smooth (EOS) is an American brand that I have heard some quite good things about so I wanted to try it out. I couldn’t find a UK supplier so bought one off eBay for about £3.

With the weather getting slightly warmer I thought I’d choose the one with SPF in. Your lips are one of the first places to show signs of aging as they’re the thinnest layer on skin on your body. By pampering your lips with SPF daily it can prevent those thin lines appearing and not to mention stop them from burning.

People will wonder what you’re doing when you get your EOS lip balm out as it kind of looks like what you get in the middle of a kinder egg!

EOS lip balm is absolutely packed full of moisturising ingredients including shea butter, beeswax and a whole number of nourishing oils. It glides on smoothly and the smell is gorgeous, perhaps because it’s 100% naturally flavoured.

PROS

-100% naturally flavoured

-Not tested in animals

-SPF15 for protection

-Plenty of nourishing ingredients to pamper your lips

-PABA free

CONS

-Doesn’t last as long as other lip balms I’ve tried

-Not available directly from the UK 

I absolutely love this lip balm and think it’s definitely worth a go even if it’s just for its novel appearance!

If anyone has tried this product I would love to hear from you! 

Veet Sensitive Wax Gel REVIEW RRP:£11.99

When my wax pot broke recently I needed to find a substitute to last me a few weeks until I bought another. So I headed down to Boot’s and looked at the waxing range which I must admit was quite limited (although saying that, it was in the Lancaster Boot’s which is relatively small compared to the Trafford Centre or Manchester one). I picked up the VEET GEL WAX FOR SENSITIVE SKIN as I’d not tried a gel for a while and wanted to see how the formulas had developed etc. 

I warmed the pot in the microwave for about 2 minutes and used the temperature stick to make sure it wasn’t too warm then proceeded to try it out on my legs. The application is fine but then again I’ve been waxing for years. I think people less experienced with waxing would be better off getting a pack of wooden spatulas from eBay instead of using the provided spatula as I imagine it would be more difficult to use if you’re relatively new to waxing.

The wax came with a pack of 12 ‘re-useable’ strips. It is safe to say they are not ‘re-useable’. You could probably use them once more after the first pull off. Speaking of which, when I did pull it off it left a LOT of waxing residue behind and eventually I gave up as I was getting nowhere.

So does this product work?

Absolutely not. I’m not a huge fan of VEET anyway but this was a nightmare product to use. The price was expensive for what the product actually was therefore I definitely wouldn’t recommend using this product. It's messy, expensive and generally not a very well designed wax 'kit'. If you want to wax I suggest you either go to a salon and get it done professionally (and much less painfully!) or invest in your own wax pot and do it yourself which would work out a lot cheaper in the long run.

If any of you have tried this product I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

XEN-TAN Event

If you're looking for a natural-looking tan that lasts then head over to the Trafford Centre between the 29th May- 4th June where you can meet the fabulous and friendly experts behind XEN-TAN in a pop up booth event in Selfridges.

Also, XEN-TAN are kindly sending me a few of their products to test which I will be posting reviews of within the next few weeks so keep an eye out for them!

Good Things Bright Eyes Eye Cream 15ml

I’m a huge fan of the Good Thing’s range as it is one of the few skin care brands that is free from all the nasty ingredients you often find in a lot of beauty products such as mineral oils and paraben’s etc. Plus, it doesn’t believe in animal testing which is a HUGE bonus.

I’ve tried the stay clear cleanser and matifying moisturiser and decided to try their eye care product, the bright eyes eye cream to help combat puffiness and dark circles. It contains lots of yummy super fruits including lychees and raspberries so it smells absolutely delicious. 

I started using the product about two months ago and have used it every morning before my moisturiser. I have quite dark circles anyway so I wasn’t expecting it to dramatically make a difference but I must admit they do look slightly lighter and my eye area in general looks a lot more supple and moisturised.

I would definitely recommend this product purely on its smell; it’s a really nice treat to awaken your eyes early in the morning and leaves the whole eye area feeling refreshed. Affordably priced, I would definitely recommend this for younger skin as it seems a bit too light for more mature skin. 

All in all a fantastic, eco-conscious beauty product!

If you have any comments about this product or other eye creams you have tried I would love to hear them!

XEN TAN Mist Intense Self Tan 148ml

Excuse the messy cap!

Everybody loves showing off a tan as the summer months start to heat up so I thought I’d share with you my favourite self tanner to date - the xen tan mist spray. I heard about this product after one of my friends (who is also a beauty therapist) recommended it about a year ago. 

One of the complaints I often hear about fake tan is the smell. Unfortunately, not a lot can be done about that biscuit-y smell that seems to hang around once you’ve applied. This is because the dihydroxyacetone, or DHA for short, is the active ingredient that turns your skin darker. Basically, a chemical reaction occurs on the skin when DHA is applied. It then oxidises and the result is darker looking skin. Xen tan however is one of the few self tanners I have found that doesn’t smell quite as bad as the others. 

I apply my xen tan with the tanning mitt that you can buy alongside it. It’s a really handy thing to use if your new to fake tanning or just want an even streak-free finish. Also, using the mitt helps speed along the drying. You’ll find few other fake tans that dry as quick as xen tan. 

I’ve recommended the xen tan range to quite a few of my friends now and all those that have tried it seem to be converted so give it a go. Xen tan do a fabulous range of self tanners including mousses, lotions etc, if any of you would like to know which one I would recommended for different types of skin then don’t hesitate to get in contact. Remember though, the alcohol and other ingredients in all fake tanners dry the skin out so it is of paramount importance that you moisturise your skin frequently once you have washed the tanner off. This will keep your tan looking better for longer and of course regular exfoliation will aid this too. 

If  you have tried this product I would love you hear your thoughts!  

D.I.Y Eye Make Up Remover

Waterproof mascara, pigments, stubborn eye liner etc can all be difficult to remove, especially at the end of a night out. I have found most eye make up removers take a while to get everything off completely however I recently discovered a much better way to remove difficult eye make up using an everyday house hold product...

Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

If you havn't tried this before I seriously recommend you do. Simply dab some cotton wool into a small amount of oil and gently wipe the eye area in soft, circular motions to remove ANY type of make up. Not only is this a much cheaper alternative to eye make up removers and baby wipes but the natural moisturising agents found in olive oil actually provide moisture to the eye area AND nourish the lashes. Essentially, it's a 3 in 1 product so give it a go and let me know how you get on.


If any of you have tried this method or have any comments then I would love to hear from you!

D.I.Y Pore Strips

T-zone, Witch, Garnier etc all make nose pore strips aimed at getting rid of oil, dirt and other impurities that can clog up your pores. The cheapest I have found these pore strips is £2.99 for the T-Zone ones in body care with the most expensive ones coming from boots own range at around £5. 

However, I recently read quite a lot about DIY pore strips where you use powdered gelatine. I was a bit sceptical at first but this really works and is a MUCH cheaper alternative so I just had to share it. Another benefit of this method is that you can literally apply it anywhere on the face – most strips are designed for the nose and forehead. With this you can apply it on your chin area because you control where you dab it on.

You will need:

1 tbsp powdered gelatine

1 tbsp milk

A cup

An old make up brush

A microwave

Method:

1. Before you start make sure you have a cleansed face.

Measure one tablespoon of gelatine and one tablespoon of milk into a cup and mix together. It should be a lumpy consistency.

3.       Put in the microwave for 10 seconds.

4.       Stir the mixture; it should look like a runny gel.

5.       With an old make up brush apply the mixture to the areas you want to remove dirt and oil from.

6.       Leave to dry for 10-15 minutes, you will be able to tell it’s done as your face will feel stiff.

7.       Gently peel the mixture off slowly.

You should now have super clean skin and you’ll be able to see all the impurities on the back of the strip. The only downside to this is that the mixture doesn’t have the most pleasant smell but other than that this really is a fantastic cheap alternative to the nose strips you find in shops. Even if you’re just curious, give it a go!