skincare Archives - SAHARASPLASH

saharasplash23 August, 2016

BeBeautiful Lunch with Beauty Expert

I’m going to take you back a few weeks now, as this is something I have been working on reviewing for a while. Not only are you going to read about a fantastic place called the Ivy London, but you’re also going to learn about some top quality brands which you can get all in one place at the click of a button. This is my BeBeautiful Lunch with Beauty Expert.

It was one of those impossibly hot July days in London as I made my way into the centre of the city to Covent Garden. There I was greeted by the team from Beauty Expert as well as some of the brands launching with Beauty Expert’s new collection- The Rose Edition.

I saw some familiar bloggers at the event and met with some new faces too which is always nice. The tables were set out for all the bloggers with personalised place names and we each had a lovely rose waiting for us too accompanied by some Ren Skincare goodies.

The Ivy London took such great care of us, and were happy to provide me with gluten free rolls and modify the dessert to make it coeliac friendly. We had the most amazing salmon starter, followed by chicken and corn purée, then strawberry sorbet and fruit to finish.

It was lovely to be sat amongst other bloggers and representatives from the brands. After lunch, we had presentations from each of the brands involved to tell us a bit more about their key products and why they were included in this first collection inspired by roses.

Here’s what you can expect when you purchase the Rose Edition from Beauty Expert, which I must add here that it’s collectively worth £134 but is priced at just £50 for the whole collection!

Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil (30ml)

This BioRegenerate oil will help keep your skin looking so radiant. It is vegan and cruelty free which I just love to hear and it can help to cleanse and repair skin prone to irritation. I love using this twice a week in the evenings and I always wake up to brighter skin when I’ve used it.

Monu Gentle Cleanser (180ml)

Ths cleanser contains Geranium, Rose and Aloe Vera to make one perfect gentle product. Also cruelty free, Monu are an inspiring brand which I cannot wait to discover more of their range. The lotion glides on smoothly with a cotton pad and I like to remove with a hot cloth so that it really opens my pores up for a deep cleanse.

Ark Body Beautiful Conditioning Oil (250ml)

This conditioning oil is such a great all rounder. It comes in a very genrous size of 250ml so you will get a lot of use from this product which can be applied to your bath, body or hair. I love massaging this into my legs, hands and feet after a bath as it helps to destress and detox.

Balance Me Rose Otto Body Cream (200ml)

The first thing I picked up when using this body cream was the scent of heady violets. It took me right back to my childhood and when I used to share a packet of parma violets with my nan, so I just love this product! I’d recommend only using small amounts as it is quite rich so again, it will last you a good while. It’s also 99% natural and made in the UK.

Korres Japanese Rose Shower Gel (250ml)

Although this contains hydrolysed wheat gluten, don’t be deterred if you have a gluten allergy. A lot of coeliacs tend to stay away from cosmetics and beauty products which contain gluten but there’s no need. Unless ingested, you are completely safe to use this japanese rose shower gel, and believe me it’s so worth it.

REN Keep Young and Beautiful Instant Brightening Beauty Shot Eye Lift (15ml)

This is by far my favourite product from the range. I have recently featured this wonder shot in my latest YouTube video- my August favourites. It has worked wonders around my eye areas in the past 3 weeks and the product gets to work instantly for immediate results.

The first collection from Beauty Expert couldn’t have been better in my opinion, it has a lustful range that will be coveted by most beauty addicts I am sure. Get yours today right here and let me know what is your favourite from the Rose Edition. I cannot wait to see what’s coming next, thanks ever so much for reading all about my BeBeautiful Lunch with Beauty Expert!

Saharasplash x

If you liked my Bebeautiful lunch with Beauty Expert, you will love my gluten free afternoon tea!

saharasplash3 August, 2016

Testing out Aviela Hair Butter

On the blog today I’m testing out Aviela Hair Butter. What is hair butter you ask? Well let me tell you! It’s a bit messy but super fun and you only need to try it once and you will love it. The brand is Aviela, and they are a great company founded by Patricia in 2007. She has a wonderful story to tell about why shea butter is so important. It has amazing properties if unrefined and it helped Patricia’s baby daughter (who couldn’t walk at 2 years of age) to regain the strength in her ankles by helping the cartilage to become less stiff. Shea butter is used in all Aviela products and is the heart and soul of the brand. Another thing is that all Aviela products are BUAV approved, none of it is tested on animals. Here’s what I tested out for myself:

Aviela Healthy Hair Butter

This fine product smells like citrus and coconut, I couldn’t wait to put it on my hair! The consistency is quite hard, like a wax, but as you scoop it out with your hands it gently melts and is easily workable into your hair strands.

The instructions say to leave on your hair for 30 mins before showering and shampooing off, so guess what I did to pass the time?!

I had such fun with that last shot 🙂

So it feels very greasy, naturally, so I would avoid laying down on any pillows while this stuff is in, of course you can remove it sooner than 30 mins too if you just can’t wait. After 30 mins I then took a bath to wash it all out, I continued with my normal shampoo and conditioner routine, and once towel dry I used my favourite Envy Professional Serum before blowdrying. Here is the result:

Fabulously smooth and totally nourished!

The Aviela Healthy Hair Butter retails at just £16 and you can get plenty of uses from just one tub. The range doesn’t sop there, Aviela has products from bath, body and skincare as well so you are bound to find the perfect product or gift online here.

I’ll leave you with one more fact about Aviela- it’s a word from Northern Ghana meaning ‘it’s beautiful’ and I certainly agree when it comes to testing out Aviela Hair Butter!

Saharasplash X

I received this product for free for my honest opinion and review

saharasplash15 July, 2016

I Love Connock London

I’m sure you all remember I hosted a really fun carnival party last month, if you didn’t see the post I blogged about it here. At the party I had MyShowcase come to show us a really lovely range of products, and one in particular stood out to me straight away. This brand (and post) is about Connock London, a lovely brand with a rich and vibrant history. Its founder, Amanda Connock, has developped a truly inspired selection of products as she follows in her father’s footsteps to bring a little piece of heaven to your doorstep- here’s why I love Connock London:

I have 2 products I want to show you in this post, both are made with the wonderful kukui oil. Kukui oil helps to lock in moisture and it keeps your skin feeling smooth and hydrated.

Hydrating hand and body lotion

This is perfect to keep in your bathroom with its sleek and sophisticated design. I use this on my hands daily and the scent is so lovely. You really do have to try it if you are a fan of exotic aromas. I can smell spices and flavours which are so addictive I just can’t stop smelling this lotion after I use it!

Radiant Glow Body Oil

This body oil is a best seller and I love this product! I spray this oil on my arms, shoulders and legs for a radiant glow if I’m going out. It doesn’t feel oily at all as my skin absorbs the wonderful liquid instantly. All that’s left is the amazing scent of the kukui oil mixed with a fabulous shimmer and glow. This is perfect for sensitive skin and for those of you who prefer a softer scent to using an EDT spray.

You simply have to try these out for yourself, I love Connock London products as they look great and smell even better too! The scent is consistent across the products so if you love one, you will love them all! Purchase the Kukui Oil lotion and radiant glow body oil here

Saharasplash x

Got time for one more read? Get colourful with my summer wishlist here!

PR Sample

saharasplash4 July, 2016

Two Great Skin Savers for Summer

Since starting my journey as a full time blogger, I’ve been going non-stop to bring you the best fashion, beauty and London lifestyle. These last few weeks have definitely taught me that I need to use my time wisely if I am going to make a successful longterm career from being a blogger. A lot of people have been saying that it must be great to not have to get up and go to work in the mornings, but that just isn’t true. I get up at the exact same time as I did before to start work off as early as possible. I seize each day as I am very aware that every single day counts. So this post is all about being conscious of time and I have Two Great Skin Savers for Summer to show you which I’m obsessing over right now!

These two products are from a brand called Time Bomb. Their slogan is: ‘We can’t stop time, but we can change how it shows on your face’. It’s something that we are all after am I right? Products which defy the natural order of things and that help to maintain our youthfulness for as long as we can. As a beauty blogger, I was so impressed with Time Bomb so here’s my Two Great Skin Savers for Summer.

Time Bomb Complexion Cocktail with a shot of Chlorophyll

This product smells like fresh, lush greenery as soon as the cap is open. This is great for me as an allergy sufferer, if I actually take a whiff of freshly cut grass I’m a sneezing mess! The Complexion Cocktail with a shot of chlorophyll is designed to detox your skin and create a smooth and renewed complexion. I use this every day and my skin is left feeling so soft and perky! This is a definite must for sun seekers and those who want a quick and easy way to get back to fresh and healthy skin.

Time Bomb Cosmetics holiday in a bottle

This is such a star product I cannot recommend it enough. It’s adorable size makes it perfect for on-the-go commuters who want a radiant boost to their complexion. This holiday in a bottle isn’t a tanner or a foundation, this is a pigmented cream which changes colour as you apply to give you a perfect ‘just got back from the beach’ glow.

Just look how this product changes my pale hand into a bronzed beauty!

Taken Inside

Taken Outside

These Two Great Skin Savers for Summer go hand in hand, and I am confidently looking ahead to the future with Time Bomb in my bag and a smile on my face.

Saharasplash X

If you loved my two great skin savers for summer then see what other brands I’m talking about from the Bloggers Ball!

PR Sample

saharasplash28 May, 2016

All Doved Up for a Change

So recently I have been rushed off my feet with hardly any time to slow down to even think about what I’m doing. What little time I do have outside of working hours I spend blogging and out and about in London at events. This is not a bad thing at all though, I love it and am so excited to start blogging full time as of next month! So I’m taking the leap and leaving my full time job, very scary indeed! I just can’t fit it all in anymore as hard as I try. This post is all about how I’ve partnered with Dove who keep me staying super fresh as I balance my everyday working life plus all the blogging in between! Here’s how I’m All Doved Up for a Change:

Dove has always been my go-to brand for an anti-perspirant, it works so well with my sensitive skin with 1/4 moisturiser in their deodorants. It also has the staying power I need in so many lovely scents. Right now I’m using the Dove original 48 hour protection spray in a compressed can, I love it so much!

So here’s where the day begins, I quickly spray, it’s in my bag and away I go to work and then onto 2 fabulous blogging events back to back!

After my 8 hour office day, I’m heading stright for the Ham Yard Hotel. I am wearing a sleeveless co ord set from House of Celeb Boutique, my underarms are feeling smooth and great at 6pm still as I arrive at the Palmers coconut escape event.

The Coconut escape is fabulous, signature cocktails on a rooftop bar and this coconut oil formula collection on display had me wanting to stay forever. But, it was time to move onto the next event…

I arrive at the brand new LashBar store for 7.30pm. They have just opened up a Lash and Brow Bar, and I am so excited to see the new store.

Treatments are underway to celebrate the new opening as well as offering guests the chance to try out the new semi permanent lash extensions ‘Russian Varia’. I go for a classic look and have individual lashes placed at the ends of my eyeslashes. The staff are lovely and here is a shot I took of one of the guests having the Russian Varia lashes done:

I’ve still got my outfit on and arms are out!

The time is now 8.30pm and I’m on my way home. It’s been an incredible (but busy day) and although I am so tired, I did not break a sweat all day thanks to Dove.

I’m definitely all Doved up for a change in my life, and now that I’m leaving my job to start blogging full time, plus the wedding planning, I hope that Dove will see me through for what’s to be an exciting adventure for the rest of 2016!

Saharasplash x

If you liked all Doved up for a change, be sure to check out my FaceGymPro experience here!

My FaceGymPro Experience

It was just another day in the life of a blogger. I was getting up to date with what had been going on over Twittter since being at work. Upon scrolling through my Twitter feed, I noticed one tweet about a Harrods experience which I was most intrigued about. The lovely Kirstie from Babushka Communications emailed me all the details about having a FaceGymPro trial with their new product! So here is all about my FaceGymPro Experience.

If you follow me on snapchat you saw me live on the day as I was walking through the rainy streets of London. It was a dull day but my spirits were high as I clutched my umbrella and iPhone tightly down Brompton Road.

At 6.30 sharp I arrived at the lovely Harrods entrance, and I walked all the way through to the beauty apothecary section while ogling at everything I went by!

So a bit about the device before I give all the details away about my FaceGymPro experience. The FaceGymPro is an electrical device which stimulates the muscles in your face. This essentially gives your face a workout, but without all the hard work you normally have to put in down at the gym! The FaceGymPro gives you a way to naturally lift your features and tighten up all the areas you want to be tighter without having to go under the knife or get injections.

My wonderful assistant Lyndsay explained to me that you can use any gel/water based product with the device to activate it, as this is what creates the current to get it to work. There are multiple levels of intensity to try depending on where you are rolling across the skin. I needed a higher level for my forehead and a lower level for around my brow bone and my jawline.

So the sensation is very bizarre at first. It’s not as intense as an electric shock, but you can certainly feel the current as it moves across your face. It was really funny around my mouth area as it made my lips twitch, but after a few minutes the sensation became less weird and more relaxing as it rolled across my cheeks and jawline.

I had a 25 minute treatment with the FaceGymPro, and here is my before and after shot:

I really noticed a big difference in my cheeks as my face looked more contoured and lifted. I also saw a really big reduction in the lines around my mouth and my forehead. I cannot recommend this enough to all you curious readers!

So details:

FaceGymPro comes in 3 colours- yellow, grey and white and is £399. You can alternatively book a 40 minute electrical lift treatment for £90 and there are other options too depending on what you are looking for.

I hope you enjoyed my FaceGymPro Experience. Go and book yourself a trial at Selfridges so you can see for yourself!

Saharasplash X

Want more? Then check out this crazy colourful post featuring Joe Browns!

Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil (30ml)

Monu Gentle Cleanser (180ml)

Ark Body Beautiful Conditioning Oil (250ml)

Balance Me Rose Otto Body Cream (200ml)

Korres Japanese Rose Shower Gel (250ml)

REN Keep Young and Beautiful Instant Brightening Beauty Shot Eye Lift (15ml)

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