Top

A lifestyle blog focusing on travel, beauty, food and health

Archives for May 2018

Latest In Beauty x Sunday Times Beauty Awards 2018 Box

 

I mentioned last month in my Lookfantastic April box review that I’d had a second box of goodies to play with in April.

Latest in Beauty provide subscription boxes where you choose which items you want to receive monthly, opposed to waiting to see what shows up, as with Lookfantastic or Birchbox. On a normal month, you get to pick either 3, 6 or 9 products to try out from a large selection and can purchase the box as a one-off or rolling subscription.

In early April, Latest in Beauty announced a collaboration with The Sunday Times Style Beauty Awards offering samples, or in some cases, full sizes of all 60 of the nominated skincare and make-up items. You could pick 6 for £25 plus P+P

By the time I made it to the site, a couple of the makeup items that I’d been hoping to try out – Suqqu Eyebrow Framing Liquid Pen & Charlotte Tilbury Unisex Healthy Glow were out of stock so I focused primarily on skincare items.

 

 

Latest in Beauty x Sunday Times Style Awards 2018 Box

 

My picks:

Philip Kingsley – Elasticizer Intensive Hair Treatment (Sample)

Elasticizer is a product that I’ve heard lauded as a hair holy grail. It was originally developed by Philip Kingsley for Audrey Hepburn after she came to him in the 1970s, concerned with how constant hairstyle & colour changes for roles were affecting her locks.

I’m not kind to my own hair. While I’ve abandoned the use of the GHDs on all but the rarest of occasions, I still colour and curl frequently. I’m prone to frizz as my follicles can’t seem to work out whether they want to be wavy or straight, usually settling for something in between. While I’m diligent about conditioning and raking oil through the ends, (I like The Ordinary’s Squalane at the moment) they need as much support as they can get to prevent breakage and splits.

Elasticizer is meant to be used pre-shampoo once a week. After moistening the hair, I apply a coin size squeeze of product through the strands from just below the root and leave it on for at least 20 minutes – the longer the better. You can even use this overnight with a shower cap over the top to lock in the heat. I haven’t tried this yet as the weather has been so warm but I’m going to give it a try after my next dye session as my hair texture doesn’t feel great right after and this should provide the extra hydration to alleviate the issue.

The difference after just a few uses of Elasticizer is enormous, the individual strands of hair felt thicker, stronger and smoother than before. I’ve been experiencing less breakage and overall it’s more manageable to style and less prone to frizziness. My hair is feeling in better condition than it has for years.

I’m going to continue to use Elasticizer long-term to see how it holds up, occasionally my hair seems to get used to products and they stop being as effective as they were during early use. Hoping that won’t be the case with this because I like it so much!

Cruelty-free: Yes

[Read more…]

Tried & Tested: Bumblezest drinks – healthy shots of goodness!

 

Long time, no post! It’s been a busy few weeks and I can’t wait to share some of the details of my NYC trip with you all soon.

Today I’m focusing on a fab British brand, founded just up the road from me, in Battersea: Bumblezest.

Bumblezest produces a range of 5 healthy shot drinks packed with nutrients to support the body and enhance wellbeing. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to try out the full selection of flavours at the end of April.

Each of the 5 shots come in a 90ml recyclable glass bottles and are designed to be consumed on the go (though all can be diluted with water if so desired.) 3 in the range are completely vegan and 2 are not, using a drop of honey for sweetness. The honey used is ethically produced, from British hives where some of that precious honey is left behind to sustain the bee colony through the winter.

I’m not a calorie counter, but it may be useful for some to note that each flavour contains only 45Cals or fewer. All are gluten & nut-free and contain no GMO ingredients.

The 5 shot flavours are:

Propel & Protect: Matcha – Ginseng – Moringa (Vegan)

I tried this one out before a Vinyasa yoga class as all the main ingredients contain stamina, concentration and endurance enhancing nutrients. I felt calmer and more focused than normal, especially through the balance section which is never a strong point for me, so the reduction in wobbles was a plus. Matcha and Moringa are stuffed with antioxidants which help to guard against cell-damaging free radicals and inflammation. The flavour was delicious, invigorating and strong without being overpowering.

Nourish & Nurture: Cacao – Maca – Collagen (Non-Vegan)

 I know not everyone is on board with the taste of maca but as someone who enjoys it, I found the flavour of this drink pleasant. There is a subtle chocolate element due to the cacao – a great source of magnesium so a perfect ingredient for avoiding post-workout muscle tension – this was an after yoga drink for me. Both maca and cacao are supposed to have positive effects on mood and energy and can even improve libido. The marine collagen helps to stimulate the stores which we already have within the body, promoting healthy hair, skin and fingernails. It also contains anti-inflammatory properties and is great for keeping the joints supple. [Read more…]