ELAN Dream Overnight Under Eye Renewal Serum 20ml

Hello fellow skincare lovers,

My review today is about a brand new company in the beauty world of skincare. It is curated by Joanna Silva, the founder of Elan Skincare, who has only just begun her journey. Joanna worked for almost a decade in product development in medical sector, in wound care, skincare and infection prevention.

Joanna’s dream is to bring together a range of products that are not ordinary, that stand out in their field from an ethical and scientific point of view. She combines the best quality organic ingredients with her vast knowledge of skincare. She has created a skincare brand that reflects her love of art and lends femininity to the brand.

This is the brand for women who want to age beautifully and gracefully, and all the qualities Joanna has put into her brand bring this to every individual woman. It is targeted, exquisite skincare to help us with specific skin concerns.

Joanna’s products aim to make us all feel better and when our skin looks good, we are so much more confident. She is of course so right encouraging us to do this, but I wonder how many of us think of it like that?

I would like to tell you about the Dream Eye Renewal Serum that I have been using for around 2 months now.

Packed with active ingredients and botanical extracts, Dream Eye Renewal Serum works so easily over the skin, like silk. It has an advanced form of vitamin C to brighten and boost skin luminosity and collagen stability.

Marine micro algae work to firm the skin, reduce wrinkle depth and volume and improve elasticity. I could really feel this from first use, that spring that I was starting to lose was back. The Dream Eye Renewal Serum is a targeted treatment that focuses on brightening, firming and toning the under eye area. You need just one drop of this serum (for both eyes) and that gives the under eye area the skin essential nutrients it needs to target all the visible signs of ageing. It is a very hard area to treat and most eye creams don’t go there because of that.

My under eye area feels so much more nourished now, the bounce that was leaving me is back, and the skin is brighter, fresher and healthier looking. The formula is in a squalane base, it is light and easily absorbed into the under eye, I take any extra out over my cheekbones, between my eyebrows and over my top lip.

I use the Dream Eye Renewal Serum every evening without fail and I really do like the fact that a once a day application is working for me. The bottle will last ages and the formula is exquisite, light, unscented, silken and quickly absorbed by the delicate under eye skin.

If you love luxurious skincare with beautiful textures and targeted formulations, look no further. Elan Skincare is a brand of luxurious skincare dedicated to women who care what they put on their skin and want to nurture both their body and soul. If that sounds like you, then you just have to check out ELAN Skincare here – https://www.elanskincare.co.uk/

That is it for now folks and I really hope you go check Elan Skincare out because I know there are so many more beautiful products to come from this brand.

30 Layers at 30 Years – by Hana Ames Guest Writer

I’ve recently turned thirty years of age, and this has me wondering that perhaps I should be more considerate of my makeup and skincare routine. I’ve suffered from acne for about twenty years and have been lucky in one regard; that no matter what I put on my face I would always have the same amount of acne; lots. Small victories, I suppose. Now that I turned thirty, I’ve been thinking about putting more effort into my skincare as I’m practically positive that I’ll be the only person alive suffering from both acne and wrinkles at the same time, if I’m not careful.

Let me just tell you; it’s wild out there. I know all about moisturiser (and know that even though I have skin that’s oftentimes oily enough to fry an egg on, I should still moisturise), I know about face wash, exfoliators, and even about serums. But I was not prepared for the sheer number of different products I was going to find out I needed to put on my face.

Oil cleansers are a thing that exist. I mean, I already have oily skin but apparently cleaning my oil with oil is a thing that will make me have less oil? Peel pads? I know both of those words individually, but together, not a clue. Essence, was another product I was told I needed to use. The name reminds me of something you might find in a video game, if I’m perfectly honest. Apply each layer in order of thinnest to thickest texture, they tell me. This sounds far too much like a science project to me.

I asked people in a beauty group I’m in what their morning and night skincare routines were and I was overwhelmed with the answers I was given. People commented showing me at least ten products for each! I can’t imagine having the time to use that many products every morning and night, let alone having the inclination. As one of the offenders still using face-wipes I must admit I’m quite lazy when it comes to night time routines. Mornings are less about laziness and more about rushing around like a maniac because I’ve slept through my alarms again.

My night time routine currently consists of micellar water to remove eye makeup, a face wipe to take off the majority of my makeup, and then micellar water to remove the rest. Sometimes I use Pixi Glow Tonic if I’m feeling particularly fancy. Mornings? I give my face a quick wipe with some micellar water and get straight to my primer. I know that I should at least use a moisturiser and I pinky promise that I will… soon.

I’m lucky that I don’t have any wrinkles just yet, but I know it’s only a matter of time before they start appearing, but I really don’t think I need all the lotions and potions that are being sold to me from every advert on the television, storefront and website I visit. At the end of the day, although I’m sure that some of them do do what they profess to do, I’m not convinced that my skin is in any less good condition having been without them, than it would be had I used them all. I’m definitely going to have to up my skincare game, but I think I’ll leave the ten step program alone and stick to a few basic products – ones that won’t take up half my day to use.

Hana is a newly 30-year-old part time student, copywriter and cat mum with a full time job on the side.You can check out her pages here – website and my Facebook Page for more details.

Thank you

Hana

A.S Apothecary THE Face Cream!

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all well and getting ready for Autumn & Winter and getting ‘Hygge with it!’ I have just bought a nice bright purple ultra fluffie bead spread for my bed which my cats will steal on me! I am sure come the cold weather we will all be glued to it lol.

Come Autumn I am always planning what skincare I need to take me through the days where my heating is on full blast because it really dries my skin out. So when I tried this A.S Apothecary face cream I had a real oh WOW moment!

Amanda Saurin is a true Apothecary who grows, distils her own plants. She instinctively knows when to harvest them and when you are nurturing your products from seed to harvesting and making your own skincare from absolute scratch the results are truly amazing, they really speak for themselves.

Wildcrafted, organic, made in small batches to ensure the finest quality that I honestly believe the quality shines through in every single product I have tried from this brand. It smells incredible a beautiful mix of flower and plant & herbs and really uplifting. It just smells so fresh and beautiful.

Secondly you see the lovely texture of the cream you just know it is going to be nourishing but it feels so light and it goes a long way on your skin. It is lovely and silken, hydrating and nourishing it sinks into the skin straight away.

I get no residue sitting on my skin after this. I just get skin that looks hydrated, radiant and nourished. It is designed for mature skin and my skin simply loves it. I think until you have tried a product like this you are really missing out compared to mass produced and full of chemicals skincare, the difference is immense.

This has to be one of the most beautiful face creams I have tried for all of those reasons above. For me it is the perfect hydrating face cream that is a treat and an absolute pleasure to use and that fragrance ….

I look forward to trying more of this brand as everything I have tried so far has been so truly divine on my skin and the botanical s smell so incredible it is a brand I just want lots more of, it is beautiful I cannot imagine anyone trying this and not loving it!

Have you tried A.S Apothecary yet? If so what did you think if it?
You can check out the A.S Apothecary website here – A.S Apothecary

That’s it for now everyone, take care,

Nicola xx

Pinks Boutique Organic Cuticle oil – Sensory Heaven!

Hello Fellow beauty addicts,

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of discovering the Pinks Boutique Organic nail oil and it was love at first sniff! It is utterly divine, mouth wateringly delicious.

Sweet fennel, Frankincense, to heal any redness & cracks and sores around the nail.I bite my cuticles when they get dry, I shouldn’t I know so I have to keep them hydrated. Bio-active carrot oil to fight dryness something that is a constant battle for me and rose mosqueta gives cells the essential fatty acids they need to repair and regenerate the skin around your nails. Evening Primrose oil & vitamin E also soften and nourish both skin and nails.

This nail oil smells absolutely incredible, it gives you such a mood boost as soon as you smell it. It is clean and free of anything synthetic and all the oils in the bottle are in there because they work in harmony to make one product that not only boosts your well being but it is also the best nail oil I have ever had the pleasure to use.

I get a real double purpose out of this oil. It is both very beneficial for my dry cuticles and after using I can see the skin nourished and the nail plate looks plumped and healthy too and that mouth watering Fennel and Frankincense fragrance.

I keep my nail oil beside my bed and it is an absolute treat to use every evening. You don’t forget about this because it is such a pleasure to use. I would and will repeat purchase this product because I am hooked on it. It has made me curious about their skincare too.

Pinks Boutique Organic Nail Oil is a hands down 10/10 winner for me, it intensely nourishes my cuticles where as some others just sat on top and did nothing. I highly recommend this to anyone who has dry cuticles as in my book – it is amazing!

You can purchase this in a 10ml or 30ml bottle. I splashed out on the 30ml because I just knew it got me and was something I wanted to keep on reaping the rewards for my cuticles and I wanted to keep smelling too. A 30ml bottle will last me a good year.. and you can also use it on your toenails as a lovely treat.

Pinks Boutique do a range of organic skincare, nail and body products and you can check them out here, they are extremely passionate about bringing you the best luxury organic product out there – Pinks Boutique

That’s it for now everyone

chat soon

Nicola x

Ancienne Ambiance Competition Time – Yay!

Hello beauty lovers,

Today I have news of a wonderful competition from the lovely people over at Ancienne Ambiance, as you know it is a brand I truly love and I am so happy to have been allowed to choose what I would like to be in the competition.

Ancienne Ambiance is a high end luxury ethical & sustainable lifestyle brand that offers some really beautiful products that have been curated from ingredients that have been used for centuries and are known to have stood the test of time.

I have chosen some of my real favourites from the brand consisting of –

1. Amandula Almond Soap
2. Damask Rose Soap
3. A Pure Floral Water in either Rose or Neroli 250ml
4. Damask Rose Hand & Body Wash 300ml

These are products I truly love, they smell incredible! Everything is sls and paraben free and they just give you such a mood boost too because they smell incredible. Everything from Ancienne Ambiance smells and feels incredible!

So all you have to do is follow Ancienne Ambiance here on twitter – Ancienne Ambiance
Follow me on twitter here – Nicola Murdock tag your friends who also love beauty products and that is it!
If you feel like giving the competition a Retweet then even better and thank you!

Competition will run from today for a week so it will finish next Tuesday 18/09/2018 with a winner being chosen by Ancienne Ambiance.

So good luck everyone and have a great day!

Nicola x

That Natural Hygge – A new Beauty and Wellbeing Website

Hello fellow beauties,

As we draw ever closer to Autumn and the days are getting darker I think we look to feathering or nests and making our home nice and cosy for a long dark old winter. Well we should be doing the same for out skins too!

Louise a fellow blogger from The Beauty Bank has opened up her own website and her aim is to inspire us to take much better care of ourselves and enrich out lifestyles with products and items to really take care of us and boost our well being.

I was sent a launch box to review and showcase some of the brands that Louise will be stocking on her website.

The products are all organic, natural, nourishing and mood boosting & uplifting to give a wealth of well being and nurturing benefits and just making us stop and think to take that step to slow down a little at times and truly relax.

With a host of incredible brands and one of my favourites the new Bodhi & Birch Superfood Series (sigh it takes me away to a private island lying on a beach with my own private beautician making up fresh formulas to use on my face & body) I digress….

There is a few brands I had yet to try like Alteya Organics. I have the Purifying face cleanser. It is a lovely cooling cleanser with Rose, Jasmine, Aloe Vera. It is a very effective cleanser and leaves me and my skin feeling cooled and very refreshed, skin feels great and there is no dryness, so I really like this as a second cleanse.

ISUN Amethyst body oil – is a beautiful wild crafted body oil, energised with The violet vibration of the Amethyst crystal it is a blend of organic herbs and essential oils. It is particularly good for the central nervous system and helps lift heavy mental fatigue whilst nourishing normal to dry skins. It smells amazing and is right up my street!

100 acres Rose & Lavender Bubble Bath – I already got this in a big size in my bathroom and this won’t go amiss either. A lovely evening bath to soothe the mind, happy days!

My last product is a mini Mage Rosemary organic wax scented candle. I have to say I really love Rosemary and its powers of reviving me on bad Fibromyalgia days, it is an amazing herb that I also love cooking with. Just rubbing it between my fingers and getting that wonderful scent. This candle smells amazing it scented the whole box beautifully too.

So I hope we are all going to get naturally ‘Hygge’ with it this winter and take better care of ourselves. After all when we do we are able to take better care of those we love too.

You can check out the website and sign up for the newsletter and special offers. There is also a 10% off with sign up and you can check out the website where there will be lots more exciting products to come here – That Natural Hygge

Bye for now folks

Nicola x

Ancienne Ambience Colonia Seven VII: Pink Grapefruit, Blood Orange & Musk EDP 100ml.

Hello fellow beauty addicts,

My first post in a long time as I have been very under the weather. Anyhoo onwards and upwards!!

Ancienne Ambience was created by Adriana Carlucci with just 6 candles and a small jewellery collection, how amazing is that?Antonia’s family have dealt in ancient art/antiquities for generations and she created her products to compliment the offerings of the gallery. She created luxury goods with an ancient theme and oh boy has she done it very well.

COLOGONE EDP – Uplifting, zesty, cooling: They feature a whoosh of notes like lemon, bergamot, orange, grapefruit, mandarin. (These notes are also slightly randomly referred to as being ‘hesperidic’ – after the Hesperides, the nymphs from Greek mythology!) Fresh fragrances smell clean, and usually come in the eau de toilette and Cologne versions.

This stunning fragrance from Ancienne Ambience has been keeping me fresh & uplifted all summer. I use it on a daily basis because it is that morning burst of the grapefruit effervescence that helps wake you up and get your mind and body going.

Then the lovely warming blood orange comes through as it starts to soften with the hint of must that keeps this fragrance making you feel fresh all day. Some citrus fragrances fade very fast. I found this to have legs and staying power.

When settled this smells of a beautiful sweet lemon, warm blood orange and a hint of musk, absolutely beautiful and something you keep smelling. I had myself spritzed from head to toe in this fragrance and it made me feel fabulously fresh all day.

It would also be a wonderful fragrance to take on holiday as it is beautiful day or night and really does give you that air of confidence that you are beautifully scented from head to toe!

I am a bit biased when it comes to Ancienne Ambience as I have been in love with it for years. Their soaps are so good too. I love the Almond milk & Rose. The Rose Pure Floral Water which I keep in the fridge, is a natural hydrolat, skin loves it .. Wonderful for a pure tropical moment or just out of the shower on a hot day all over!

The Damask Rose Hand & Bodywash is divine too, it leaves your hands beautifully & lightly scented. Paraben, sls & cruelty free the products are non drying and gentle on skin. It is absolutely beautiful. I would like to try the other hand and body washes but I cannot get past this one, I am on my third!

They are such a beautiful brand, everything smells amazing including your parcel from them, they just make you feel really special and you know you are getting that quality, you can feel and sense it …..

If you are interested in taking a look at the new fragrances by Ancienne Ambience you can find them here along with their other products. .. NICOLA10 gets you 10% off and there is free worldwide shipping –Ancienne Ambiance

Bye for now folks

Nicola x

A.S Apothecary Wild Beauty Balm Concentrate #30 – Well Hello Beautiful!

Hello Beauties, 

I hope you are all making the most of this beautiful sunshine while it lasts because it never does so get your vitamin D while you can eh! 

How have I not heard of or tried this brand before? O-M-G this Wild Beauty Balm Concentrate #30 is simply divine. The fragrance is the scent of a spring meadow with a little woodiness in to ground it, the smell just delights your senses and sends you instantly into a good mood. (I seriously cannot stop smelling this). It just gets me right in the heart!

So at A.S Apothecary they grow and pick most of the plants they use in their products themselves and these come from Sussex, Scotland and Cyprus. Amanda Saurin the founder is a traditional Apothecary, not something taught in classrooms but a rare talent handed down from hand to hand over centuries. She plants, picks grows and distills all her own oils & tinctures and a whole host more. Her knowledge of herbs, plants and flowers will be second to none. 

It is rare to come across a company that does not buy all their oils and potions in. All made in house you can be sure that you are getting the best ingredients into your product and I think that is what I am picking up on so strongly in this balm. It resonates with me, I didn’t know I needed it until I found it sort of thing.

The Wild Beauty Balm is made up of a concentrate of 10 active botanical oils and 5 essential oils to nourish and promote skin health.  Great for mature skin, it can be used  on any area of the body really to heal sore skin too. A small pea size amount is enough to do your whole face & neck. On contact the balm melts beautifully onto your skin releasing that intoxicating fragrance from within, it really is stunning! (as well as being fabulous on your skin).

If you love a comforting skin nourishing balm then you gotta try this! If you love aromatherapy benefits you have to smell this, it is a pot of wildflower fields held in a beautiful golden balm!

Have you heard of  this brand or tried the Wild Beauty Balm? 
If so I would love to hear your thoughts on it ..I think this won’t be my last time trying  this brand as I am somewhat obsessed with this little post of  magic .. beautifully made it really is something else. that rare and special thing that you only stumble across every so often .. got it bad haven’t I lol?

You can find the Wild Beauty Balm Concentrate – A.S Apothecary 

Everything I have tried from this brand smells and feels amazing!

That’s it for now folks

Nicola x 

Pink & Green Organic Marzipan Body Souffle to Nourish the Driest of Skins

Hello Beauties,

Pink & Green is an organic line of products for people with the most sensitive of skins. Made by Carol Alpin a holistic therapist who knows the real importance of self care and making some time for yourself in today’s busy world and especially from the social media train has really taken over our lives. It genuinely can be very hard to switch it off.

Self care is woven into the fabric of Pink&Green – Pink to represent women and green to represent the environment and of course the green, organic products that she uses in her brand. 

So with self care in mind the Marzipan Souffle only has 2 ingredients – Beautiful Organic Shea Butter which treats so many skin issues like dry sore skin, stretch marks, Sunburn, skin cracks, eczema it will help restore elasticity to skin so great for older skins too. I do sometimes use this neat on my skin and it really is a skin wonder for me. 

The other ingredient is organic cold pressed unrefined  plum kernel oil which funnily enough was used in the master chef final too! So perhaps a now and upcoming beauty and food ingredient as that is where the light marzipan fragrance comes from in the souffle. Very clever as then there is no fragrance oil in this product to irritate anyone with sore or red skin.

Texture wise for me it is not quite as light as a souffle but to me that also doesn’t really matter because it melts so beautifully onto the skin, firstly into the lovely raw oils and then it disappears straight into the skin leaving it silky soft and nourished. No residue or heavier oils left sitting on top of the skin, no paraben, sulphates, fillers just pure silky skin heaven! 

This is an eco friendly and Carol encourages you to reuse up your containers which I love as seeing our oceans struggle and the wildlife that live there on such a huge scale right now is just heartbreaking, the time for change is right now ..

That is it for now everyone, 

Nicola x 

Bodhi & Birch Have A Fabulous New Website & New Product Launches Coming Soon!

Hello fellow beauty lovers, 

Bodhi & Birch have just launched  their new website, not only that they have an Organic Super-food range launching soon (oh yes) I can’t wait! Not only that but Elijah has been working on reformulating on that which was already a stunning product – The Beautiful Organic Desert Rose Face Oil. I didn’t think he could make it much better but some how he has tweaked it and it is stunning!

One of the oils he took out of this oil was wheatgerm oil which can cause people with wheat allergies some problems. So this has made the oil more open to people who could not use it before. 

One of the oils he added was an organic prickly pear oil which was a new one on me , looking at the ingredient list it is very high up on the list and I know Elijah the founder really has not scrimped in any way in the making of this oil. He only put the finest ingredients together and put in what really does need to be there. I always pick up a beautiful balance from Elijah, someone who has life in balance, he gives off that lovely nurturing feeling and he has certainly nurtured this oil and brought it to life beautifully.

I did a little read up on the prickly pear oil. It is fantastic on older skins, it plumps, helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and it is packed full of essential fatty acids, Vitamin E & Vitamin K a big buzzword in the beauty industry right now. It smells soothing and wonderfully fragrant with Damask Rose and just a hint of the sharp pear coming in underneath. 

It is packed full of antioxidants so a great addition to the Desert Rose Oil which is already full of beautiful organic oils like Rosehip, Argan, Star Flower & Evening Primrose this oil is incredibly lightweight. It sinks beautifully right into your skin as the oils are so pure, the fragrance of the Damask Rose coming through and a hint of pear, not sweet pear but a hint of wonderful crisp pear.

Everything in this bottle is designed to soothe the mind and spoil your skin, give it a beautiful nourishing treat full of beautiful ingredients it is so balanced and a little bottle of joy that you really treasure. It is silken, super lightweight and it sinks completely into the skin as it is very pure and there is no residue on your face just velvety soft nourished skin. 

Bodhi & Birch have just launched their new website this weekend and with every purchase you can get a free luxe sample of the Desert Rose Oil. So go take a look here, I can recommend so many things that I love like the Pep Noir, Siam Ginger, Mint The, Rosemary Chi shower gels (yes I am a shower gel lover and hoarder!) Not forgetting the unforgettable Mint The Temple Balm guaranteed to kill all lurgy from 10ft! Great for stress, colds, flu you name it this balm helps lots!
I keep it beside my bed, it seems to kill off colds for me so when anyone is near me with the cold out comes the balm like holy water lol (works for me). 

Anyway you can check out the website for yourself and perhaps bag yourself something nice and a free sample of the Desert Rose Oil!

New website is here –   Bodhi & Birch

Bye for now 

Nicola x