Balance Me Natural Protection Moisturiser SPF 25

Balance Me Natural Protection Moisturiser SPF 25* - £26

Something that I am becoming increasingly fanatical about is sun protection. I'm the kinda gal who likes to wear sunscreen all year round. I turned 26 this year & I'm getting to the age where I feel like I do need to start including anti-ageing products in my routine. Wearing sunscreen daily is the best way to fight against fine lines, wrinkles & age spots. Not to mention that my love of AHAs & retinol means that I have to apply it or suffer the consequences. During the Summer I normally use a separate moisturiser & SPF product to ensure that my face is getting fully protected. You need to apply 1/4 teaspoon of sunscreen on your face to fully benefit from it so it's better to use separate products. However when the weather is cold & grey, much like it is right now, a moisturiser containing SPF is far more convenient & perfectly adequate for protecting your skin. The vast majority of moisturisers with sun protection only come with SPF 15 which is a little low for my liking. Balance Me's Natural Protection Moisturiser comes with SPF 25 plus protection against both UVA & UVB rays which is exactly what most of us should be aiming for.

As a daily moisturiser I do think that this product works very well. It features 99% natural ingredients including hyaluronic acid for hydration, blackberry seed extract to encourage collagen production and abyssinian, camellia & rosehip oils to nourish the skin. Balance Me have also created a bespoke blend of essential oils for this moisturiser including bergamot, frankincense, chamomile & lavender to calm, soothe & brighten the skin. They give it a really nice herbal scent too. The formula is quite thick yet it feels lightweight on the skin. It gives me the perfect amount of hydration without feeling greasy or heavy. My skin is left feeling perfectly plump & smooth. It doesn't break me out at all so it'd be a great choice for those with sensitive or problem skin. Although it says it's suitable for all skin types I feel like it might not be fluid enough for those with dry skin.

I really like the packaging of this moisturiser. The 40ml tube is very slim with a precise nozzle tip so you can get out just the right amount of product. It would be great to carry around with you too. The sun protection in this moisturiser comes from an innovative natural titanium dioxide-based sun filter. This means that it is a physical sunscreen which protects your skin by reflecting the sun's rays rather than absorbing them. Physical sunscreens are also less likely to cause irritation however they do leave an unpleasant white cast on your skin. When I first applied this product I was shocked by how white my face looked but after a couple of minutes everything sinks in & the white cast completely disappears. It dries to a semi-matte finish and I've noticed that my foundation stays on a lot longer when I use this, eliminating the need for primer. It is such a lovely base for makeup!

Balance Me spent two years developing this moisturiser which I think is shown through it's immense high quality. Sometimes with moisturisers that include SPF you can tell that something has been compromised, either the moisturising benefits or the sun protection levels. The Natural Protection Moisturiser gets that balance just right making this product a great skincare addition for those who don't get along with separate sunscreens. It's a simple one-step no fuss product that does it all. Are you a fan of Balance Me?

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April Favourites

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil*
This is such a lovely facial oil and it certainly does help to make your skin look more healthy & radiant. I like to use this at night in combination with a moisturiser to really lock moisture into my skin. It's perfect for anyone struggling with dullness or dehydration. By morning it always leaves me with softer, brighter, clearer looking skin. Any redness in my skin has been greatly reduced & it's suitable for those with even the most sensitive skin. The rollerball format distributes the perfect amount of oil & feels so relaxing. It's great for blemishes too! You simply must try this oil regardless of your skin type. Full review here.

Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Sunshield Superfluid SPF 50+
Now that the weather is getting better it's super important to protect your skin, especially if you're a fan of chemical exfoliants like me. In the past I've shied away from using sunscreens because they always made me breakout, felt heavy, smelled terrible & made my skin look greasy. But this wonderful facial SPF lotion from Soap & Glory has changed all that. Sunshield Superfluid feels as light as air on the skin, has a delightful fruity scent and hasn't given me a single blemish. It gives your skin a healthy glow with a satin finish but it never looks greasy. This is one SPF product I can definitely get on board with. Full review here.

Claudia Louch Hydrating Mango Face Cream*
Claudia Louch is a natural skin specialist & this is one of the products from her recently launched skincare range. This buttery soft moisturiser is 94% natural and features a blend of five hydrating oils to replenish the skin & reduce dehydration. It is best suited to those with normal or dry skin types. It feels amazing on the skin & I adore the velvety matte finish which is rare for such a hydrating moisturiser. I always like to go for a moisturiser that contains hyaluronic acid as it means I can skip using Hydraluron. It plumps up any fine lines & increases your skin's moisture levels. I think this product is best used as a night cream as it blends beautifully with a treatment oil & really helps to nourish your skin. Full review here.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser
Woah, this stuff is incredible! I was never really a fan of tinted moisturisers before as they would always melt off my face & I tend to need a lot more coverage than they can offer. But this one is different. NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser is probably more like a very light foundation as it does seem to cover most of my freckles & blemishes. I have the shade Terre Neuve which was added to the line last year & is for pale skin with pink undertones. It's so light & is a much better colour match for me than Mont Blanc in NARS Sheer Glow Foundation. It completely evens out my skin tone & looks seamless - like my skin is naturally flawless. I love the glow it gives to my skin & the staying power is pretty good too. Plus it contains SPF 30 so you don't have to worry about using a separate sunscreen. This is easily my new favourite Spring base product. I can't believe it's taken me so long to try it out!

China Glaze Nail Polish in Aquadelic
I have a bit of a problem when it comes to turquoise nail polishes. Whenever I try a new nail polish brand, it's the shade I'm always drawn too. I bought this a few months ago because I've always wanted to try out some China Glaze polishes. Aquadelic is from their Spring 2012 Electropop collection. I absolutely love this colour. It's quite similar to that famous Tiffany blue colour, although China Glaze's For Audrey is considered to be an exact match for that shade. This is slightly brighter & the colour really pops. I really like the China Glaze formula. All China Glaze polishes are free from DBP, toluene & formaldehyde. Aquadelic is long wearing & it took about a week for me to get a chip. It was perfectly opaque in two coats. Application was nice & smooth and it dries to a glossy finish. I can see myself buying many more China Glaze polishes in future!

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Balance Me Radiance Face Oil

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil* - £15

My evening skincare routine wouldn't be complete without a treatment of some kind. Facial oils are one of my favourite things to use because they just seem to do it all. Whether you're suffering from oily, dry, dull or congested skin there are massive benefits to be had from adding an oil to your regime. When it comes to choosing an oil I always think it's best to go for something as natural as possible. Lately I've been really loving Balance Me's Radiance Face Oil. This is a 100% naturally active oil which is designed to feed your skin with a rich blend of nourishing ingredients. It is suitable for all skin types & would be perfect for anyone in need of a boost. It works especially well for those with dehydration, redness or sensitivity.

To create their Radiance Face Oil, Balance Me have blended together eight different base oils namely sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, kukui nut oil, jojoba oil, rosehip oil, buriti oil, moringa seed oil & camellia oil. Together with ingredients such as Roman chamomile, yarrow & benzoin this oil packs a serious punch when it comes to softening & brightening your skin. I've been using it several times a week for the past couple of months & I've noticed a huge difference in the appearance of my skin. Every time I use this I wake up with perfectly hydrated, glowing & radiant healthy looking skin. I'm prone to quite a bit of redness around my nose & cheeks but this has definitely helped to reduce any red patches making my skin tone look brighter & more even overall. It really lives up to it's radiance boosting claims. There's nothing better than skincare products that do exactly what they're meant to do.

Radiance Face Oil is available in two different formats. You can buy a traditional 30ml bottle with a pipette dispenser or this handy little 10ml rollerball. The 30ml bottle is better value but the rollerball tube is more efficient when it comes to facial massage. I apply the product by starting from the centre of my face, moving outwards in circular motions until I've covered most areas. It feels so relaxing! What I really like about the rollerball format is that by rolling it over your entire face, it seems to dispense the perfect amount of oil. I then go over my face with my hands to massage it in further before applying my night cream. The soothing herbal scent makes it such a pleasure to use. I have combination skin and it really helps to balance out the drier & oilier areas. It sinks in quickly to give an instant hydration boost without feeling greasy. Come morning not only does my skin look a million times better but it feels much softer & smoother too.

If you're still not convinced that putting oil all over your face is a good thing you can simply use this oil as a spot treatment by massaging the rollerball directly over a blemish. It sounds odd but it's actually super effective. It normally makes angry spots disperse under my skin so I don't have to bother with extractions, reducing any subsequent scarring. It also helps to diminish the appearance of scars leftover from past blemishes. Most of my current skincare routine is based around getting rid of blemishes & scarring so this is a fantastic addition to the lineup. This oil is a dream for anyone with dull or dehydrated skin. It's everything you could ever want from an overnight treatment. Have you tried anything from Balance Me?

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