August Favourites

Bourjois Instant Dry Nail Drops
The last time I went to the hairdressers I discovered that they had set up a DIY nail bar so that you could spruce up your nails whilst waiting for your colour to develop. It's such a genius idea & I had a lot of fun playing with all the products. I'd never tried nail drying drops before but one use was enough to convert me. At the salon I used the Essie Quick-E Fast Drying Drops but when I went to Boots afterwards I spotted this Bourjois version which was a bit cheaper. This product is basically a clear liquid that you drip onto your nail beds with the pipette to dry them off in a matter of seconds. I never have time to sit around waiting for my nails to dry properly so products like this are essential to me. I use a couple of drops per nail to make sure that everything has been covered & my polish dries off super fast. The oily texture also nourishes your nails & cuticles so it's a brilliant way to finish off your manicure.

Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Primer
I absolutely adore Bumble & Bumble's Hairdressing Invisible Oil. It makes such a difference to my damaged hair. That magical blend of coconut, sweet almond, grapeseed, safflower seed, macadamia nut & argan oils literally works miracles. Bumble & Bumble recently expanded this line by bringing out three new products. I think that their shampoos & conditioners are way too expensive but their styling products are little bit more affordable. I recently got the new Invisible Oil Primer for my birthday and I was instantly wowed by how much softer, shinier & generally more amazing it made my hair. This product has such a huge list of benefits, it basically does it all! It's main use is to offer protection against heat & UV damage, thus reducing breakage. A few spritzes of this lovely light mist all over my hair helps to detangle, soften, defrizz & tame flyaways. My hair is so much more manageable & easy to style. It totally transforms dry & dull hair and I don't think I could give up using this product anytime soon. I'm not sure whether I prefer this or the original oil but you'll probably get on better with the primer if you have very fine or greasy hair.

Lush African Paradise Body Conditioner
There's nothing better than a trip to Lush when you're in need of some quick pampering. One of my favourite treats are their body conditioners. I can hardly ever be bothered to moisturise my body when I get out of the shower so I prefer to rehydrate my skin when I'm still in the bathroom. After washing your body you simply massage this creamy concoction all over & then rinse it off. This conditioner is made from an indulgent blend of shea butter and cocoa butter along with almond oil, moringa oil & marula oil to deeply moisturise the skin. It feels so wonderfully hydrating without leaving any greasy residue. Lush have also included mango juice to brighten the skin and aloe vera to cool & soothe. It makes my skin feel softer than ever before & imparts a beautiful sheen that makes my limbs look nicely toned. Best of all this stuff smells absolutely incredible & the tropical scent stays on your skin all day long. African Paradise is probably one of Lush's most expensive products but by golly it's good!

Mavala Double-Lash
I'm forever trying out new lash growth products as I feel like my eyelashes aren't quite as long & lustrous as they once were. My mascara picking habit certainly doesn't help things as I often get unsightly gaps along my lashline. Some of the ingredients found in these kind of products can be quite scary & expensive to boot. I prefer to use things with natural active ingredients like Talika Lipocils & Indeed Labs Peptalash. I've always heard amazing things about this Mavala offering & it soon managed to find it's way into my shopping basket. I've been using this every morning before mascara & every night before bed for the past month. As a result my lashes are looking much fuller & thicker. They seem a bit stronger now too as I haven't had as many come out when picking off mascara. I wouldn't say they look much longer but I feel like their overall condition has definitely improved. The mascara wand style applicator is much better than those thin eyeliner brush style ones. It thoroughly coats each lash & can be used on eyebrows too.

Skinbreeze Blemish Fix*
I love dual-purpose products and that's why I can't get enough of this Blemish Fix serum from Skinbreeze. The combination of hyaluronic acid with salicylic acid is a dream come true for acne sufferers. This light watery serum will help to rehydrate your skin & fight blemishes at the same time. Salicylic acid exfoliates inside your pores, unclogging them to reveal clearer skin. It also has anti-inflammatory & mild antibacterial benefits. Regular use of a BHA product can reduce oil production but one downside is that it can also dry out the skin. That's why this serum is so lovely to use as the hyaluronic acid stops your skin from getting dry. Blemish Fix also contains seaweed extract to help soothe the skin. It's a very gentle yet incredibly effective way of clearing up blemishes. I normally use this serum in the morning before my moisturiser as I use an AHA in the evening. I like that I can use this under my makeup as way of fighting spots throughout the day. It's the kind of thing that would make a wonderful addition to any skincare routine.

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Skinbreeze Brightening Serum & Blemish Fix

Skinbreeze Brightening Serum* / Skinbreeze Blemish Fix*

I've extolled the virtues of hyaluronic acid many times before on this blog. There really is nothing better for dehydrated skin. Indeed Labs' Hydraluron is probably the first product that comes to mind when thinking about hyaluronic acid but Skinbreeze have included the substance in every single skincare product they produce. This means that their products can treat various other skin problems whilst rehydrating it at the same time. I've previously reviewed Skinbreeze's amazing Hydro Mask (a gel sheet mask infused with hyaluronic acid) so I had high hopes for the rest of their skincare range. I was recently sent a couple of their serums to try & they are just as impressive as the mask. I really love the packaging of these serums. The syringe style is unique & makes the products fun to apply. You simply pop off the lid, twist then pump the syringe plunger and the serum comes out the top. It's such a cool idea & allows you to get out just the right amount of product minimising wastage.

During the Summer I always end up with really freckly skin. I absolutely hate how they look on me & often cover them up with a flesh toned pencil. I feel like even when I'm blemish-free I'll never have completely clear skin as all these little brown dots are marring my complexion. I've tried quite a few anti-pigmentation products over the years but none of them have really made much of a difference. As I'm so pale (& can't resist squeezing my spots!) I'm also prone to post-acne scarring. I hoped that the Brightening Serum would be able to give me the clear skin I've always dreamed of. Sadly it's not done much for my pre-existing brown spots but I've definitely developed less of them this Summer. This serum combines several skin whitening ingredients including alpha arbutin, Melanostatine®5 & Tyrostat together with a human growth factor peptide that blocks melanin synthesis to reduce the formation of unwanted pigmentation. When used daily in conjunction with a good sunscreen, the Brightening Serum helps to keep hyperpigmentation at bay. The light formula makes this product a pleasure to use. Overall it has helped to brighten my complexion. My skin tone looks very even & much more radiant than before. It's well worth giving this a go if you suffer from dark spots, post-blemish scarring or simply want brighter looking skin.

My skin is prone to breakouts so I really wanted to try the Blemish Fix serum. This serum contains salicylic acid which helps to unclog pores & regulate oil production. This type of acid doesn't cause photo-sensitivity so it's totally safe to use both during the day & at night. I prefer to use an AHA at night but using this serum in the morning has helped to reduce inflammation & speed up the healing time of my blemishes. My skin has been looking so much clearer since I started using this. Salicylic acid is known to be quite drying so the inclusion of hyaluronic acid in this product really helps to keep your skin feeling plump & well balanced. It also features seaweed extract which is known for it's powerful soothing properties. I'd highly recommend this product as the serum format makes it so easy to slip into your skincare routine. You can either apply it before your moisturiser or throughout the day over any breakouts. Either way, this serum is such a brilliant spot buster!

Skinbreeze products are available at all Skinbreeze salons & online at FeelUnique.com.

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Skinbreeze Hydro Mask

Skinbreeze Hydro Mask*

Don't worry, I'm not about to come out as one of those creepy living dolls! As odd as it may appear this is simply an innovative new way of applying a face mask. I'm sure we all know about the many benefits of hyaluronic acid by now. If you have dehydrated skin then it is one of the best ingredients you can use to feed your face with moisture. So the idea of using a sheet face mask infused with plenty of the stuff was rather appealing to me. Hydro Mask comes from the microdermabrasion experts Skinbreeze. They're a brand with a whole host of celebrity fans including Binky Felstead, Roxanne Pallett & Luisa Zissman. Their facials incorporate the latest pain free treatment technologies which can be used to tackle a variety of skin concerns ranging from acne & blemishes to wrinkles & anti-ageing, appealing to both men & women of all ages. As well as their treatments they also have a range of skincare products. The item that really stood out to me was this mask. It promises to deliver an intense hit of hydration to the skin, soothe & calm any irritation and soften the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles. I'd only heard about sheet masks a few times before so I really wanted to try one out for myself.

Hydro Mask comes in two separate parts - a forehead sheet with eyeholes & a nose flap and a chin section with a mouth hole. Each half sits in it's own small tray inside the packaging. The sheets feel like a solid gel & they are very slippery. You simply unfold the two sheets, place them onto cleansed skin and leave them on for 10-20 minutes. It was fairly difficult to get a good picture of me wearing the mask a) because it made me look a bit like Buffalo Bill and b) because it tends to slide down your face quite quickly if you're standing up. The best way to enjoy this mask is to lie down in a comfy bed & let it work it's magic. This mask feels absolutely amazing on the skin. If you ignore the slippery wetness of it, then it is easily the most refreshing & cooling thing I have ever put on my face. It certainly perked me up when I was feeling a bit tired & stressed. You can even keep it in the fridge to further enhance it's intense cooling properties. Removal was as easy as the application, it just lifts right off. You don't even need to wash your face again afterwards, just let all the excess gel absorb into your skin & follow it up with some moisturiser. However the main disadvantage of using this kind of mask as opposed to a traditional face mask is that you can only use it once. It's not a very cost effective way of treating your face but this kind of mask would be perfect to use just before a special occasion.

Despite it's strange appearance this mask actually works incredibly well. It's a great antidote to all of your Winter skin problems. I will admit that I was dubious about the whole thing because this kind of product isn't exactly popular in the UK yet. Sheet masks are all the rage in Asia though and with good reason. They're convenient & easy to use with hardly any mess involved. Hydro Mask completely delivers on all of it's promises. After taking it off my skin felt really smooth & much more hydrated. It also looked less red & felt perfectly calm. The results are almost like instant botox. I have some fine lines on my forehead & my nasolabial folds are fairly prominent. This mask plumped up my skin & filled in all of those tiny lines. I couldn't believe how much smoother & firmer my skin looked. The effects last for several hours & it's one of the few products I've found that make an instantly visible difference to your face. If you like Hydraluron it's safe to say that you would love what this mask can do for your skin. I wouldn't say I'm a convert to this kind of face mask at all but Hydro Mask is definitely a good'un. Skinbreeze treatments & skincare products are available at all Skinbreeze salons. Visit the website to find out more.

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