The Perfume Pen That's Interestingly Spot On!

This most interesting pen, from Lazer Cutz, has been hand-turned from wood sourced from sustainable managed woodland.  It is a wooden dabber pen and is incredibly high quality.  Very stylish.  It has been designed for the precise application of perfume.  You simply dip the nib into your favourite perfume and apply with great precision but it made me think..... there's another use for this.  Read the article at maboho.co.uk

My Big Fat Tub Of Organic Skin Love!

From the second the lid came off, I was in a sweet, buttery heaven.  The recently launched Top To Toe body butter from ethical brand, Beyond Organic Skincare, is the haute cuisine of skin care.  A tub that hosts an A list, elite guestlist of natural, organic goodies, with vanilla and active alpine rose being the stars of the show. and together, these lovelies work in synergy to moisturise, protect and soothe the skin and reinforce it’s natural defences.

This butter has an unusual texture and an intriguing surprise upon application, which adds a new dimension to the experience.    Read the full review at Maboho World...

Yomojo Mojo....

I have been lucky enough to able to try the Neroli Balm from Yomojo but before I talk about this, I would first like to introduce you to the creator behind the balm. 

Rajiv, one of the calmest and nicest guys you could wish to meet and has a strange way of transferring this vibe through the ether and onto others.  Without wishing to sound too ‘out there’ and I know that is does sound a bit strange but honestly, he’s a lovely guy with a great vibe and I swear that he gives each pot of balm a nice dollop of good karma.

Not only does Rajiv teach yoga but is also a Thai Yoga massage therapist and combines techniques based on yoga and Ayurveda working along the body’s energy lines.  Here’s a short video of him at work….


Thai Yoga Massage from Rajiv Shah on Vimeo.

Read the full review at Maboho World...

Extreme Skincare & No Fluff

A while ago, I got to test-drive a range of certified organic products from the multi-award winning skincare company, Beyond Organic Skincare .

Sea buckthorn features heavily throughout the range and Beyond are particularly interested in harnessing the unique properties of this wonder plant, since it “it is the only plant in the world known to include omega 3, 6, 7 & 9”.  Beyond are proud to say their products “contain more than one hundred and ninety biologically active compounds”.

But what is it like to use?  Well, I can say first hand that Beyond have created a range that is quite different.  Despite their complexity at molecular level and the clever combining of biological actives, I feel it is a range that has been somewhat ‘stripped back’ and loses all the unnecessary ‘fluff’.  I think Beyond have focussed most of their attention on really goes on at skin level and it is this, I think, that makes it a very different product to use.

Take A Closer Look & Read The Full Review At Maboho World....

Sweet Sugar Shower

Sometimes I am in such an honoured position and get to try out some absolutely beautiful products, even before they are brought to market.  Well today was one of those times.

Nicoletta, from Nicoletta’s Beauty Space, has been doing some product development and I got to try out a Pink Sugar & Gingerbread Solid Scrub Bar she’s been working on.  Packed with lovely natural oils, butters and crammed to the brim with luscious, sweet sugar (to exfoliate) and wrapped in a lovely foil wrapper, these pretty little bars pack quite a punch!


They are not designed as a cleanser, so best applied after normal soap/gel cleansing, but whilst still in the shower.  The bar is just the right shape and size to be held comfortably in the hand and I found that a few long strokes deposited just enough product on the skin.  Once applied, if you use circular motions, the scrubbing action is gentle, but enough to give a stimulated sensation and the oils/butters both work to act as a skin emollient as well as help to work the sugar evenly over the area to gently exfoliate.  Then simply rinse off the excess to leave a lovely, emolliating film on the skin.

So, what I loved about it….

·    Simple, yet pretty, presentation in the little foil wrapper (like an expensive chocolate)
·    Excellent size & shape – easy handling
·    Gentle scrubbing action, yet leaves the skin stimulated, soft and glowing
·    No need to moisturise afterwards – it leaves a lovely, natural oil film on the skin so no need to moisturise afterwards
·    Moisturiser chill avoidance – Because you apply it while still in the warm shower, you don’t get that chilly time that you can get (especially in the colder months) while you apply moisturiser after showering.  Or is that just me, lol.
·    The lovely oils leave a nice film on the skin that isn’t too oily – just enough
·    Skin feels soft, smooth and moisturised
·    No mess left in the shower (so no major clean up afterwards and no clogging plughole)
·    Easily enough for 2-3 applications
·    Eco-friendly – minimal packaging
·    Leaves a lovely, soft scent on the skin

Any downsides?

Not exactly a downside but more of a little caution (and this is true for all similar, oil-based products).  Be careful in the shower (and I imagine in the bath, although I haven’t actually used it in the bath yet) as it can become a bit slippery.

Other possibilities perhaps?

While talking of baths, I would think this would be a fantastic treat in the bath because the oils, from the bar, will disperse throughout the bath water and, coupled with the oils that are present on the skin as well as the warmth from the water, it would absolutely cocoon the skin is these lovely, luscious oils.

These definitely get my thumbs up and I really have enjoyed trying this.  They are not available to buy (yet) but hopefully, Nicoletta will consider that an option at some point in the future????

My sincerest thanks to Nicoletta x

Nanoblur Review

http://www.indeedlabs.com/

 Well, I am having a few issues with the Maboho World site so, while that is being sorted out, I thought I would use this opportunity to talk about Nanoblur. 





If you aren’t familiar with Nanoblur, it is a cream that is claimed to make you “look up to 10 years younger in 40 seconds”.  Quite a claim and I have to say, it aroused my curiosity, so I thought I would give it a go.  Why not?

The cream is a little expensive, £19.99/30ml but I guess, if it works and you are happy with the result, it is a small price to pay.  It creates an optical effect (so no claims that it works deep within the epidermis) that is designed to soften fine lines, enlarged pores, sagging skin etc….  and is designed to be used as the last step in your morning/daily skin care/make-up routine.

It can be used:

- alone after moisturising
- after foundation but before powder

You are advised to mix it with moisturiser if your skin is very dry.

My experience:

At first, I thought that maybe yes, my skin seems more luminous, but I did have a bit of trouble using it over foundation, because as I was applying it, it seems to rum off the foundation.  So, the next day I tried gently patting it on, using a rolling action with the pads of my fingers.  This seemed to be better however, when I applied the powder over the top, I felt the powder was sticking and it seemed patchy – clearly I hadn’t applied the Nanoblur evenly enough using the rolling and patting. 

I think I have perfected applying it over foundation now, still using the patting and rolling action, but I seem to do that more evening now.  But I would advise anyone to wait a few minutes before powder to really allow the cream to dry – as it can seem a bit sticky/tacky if you apply powder straight away.

You might be reading this and saying, that’s great Helen but does it work?  Does it make you look younger? 

Oh I so don’t want to say this and I wish I could be more positive.  All I can say is I didn’t think it worked for me.  Maybe I am not applying it correctly.  Maybe my mirror is in lighting where I can’t tell.  It may well be wonderful for others (and I am sure there will be lots of really positive reviews), but for me, I don’t think it is the right product for me, at this time.  I just didn’t notice much of a difference, well not enough to make this a must-have product in my skin care collection.  Sorry Nanoblur.

There is one more thing (gosh… I hate being so negative), I noticed a flakey film develop on my skin after a few hours (although it was only visible when you looked up close – so not so bad).  It gave the appearance of dry skin but I don’t tend to have dry skin on my face.

So all in all, for me, it wasn’t the wonder-product.  Sad because I really did have really high hopes.  That is not to say that it won’t work for you as I am sure it has been fabulous for some.

To help balance this, there is a great review over at Nicolletta's Beauty Space blog, where she talks about some of the issues that I experienced but was, all in all, really impressed and there's some great before and after pics.