Skinetica - Product of the Week

Here is the first in a new weekly post which will give my Product of the Week be it an old faithful or something brand spanking new it'll just be the thing I'm loving most at the time. It'll be short and sweet not a full on technical review just the product and why I love it.

As I mention in my disclaimer I don't really like to write bad reviews on here because what doesn't work on me may be fantastic on someone else but sometimes companies ask for your feedback and I want to give my honest opinion. When I had just had Ned Glossybox sent out Skinetica and then asked our opinion on their website. Having babies makes you hormonal in all sorts of ways and mine was manifesting in spots and rage. Skinetica did not get rid of my spots (because they were baby related) and this made me angry so I waited for the baby to nap and then went on the Glossybox survey and said how crap it was.

Then I stopped breastfeeding, got my life back and my skin started going back to normal. I got a normal spot, used Skinetica and it disappeared. Almost instantly. And it's worked on every spot ever since and I don't know what I'd do without it. Kind to skin, great size and reasonably priced at £9.99 for a spot treatment that really works.

So it is my first Product of the Week really worth having in your washbag.

Give and Makeup

I am one of those people that finds it hard to through useful things away. I'm not a hoarder but I can see how such a problem can get started. I'm signed up to Glossybox - a fantastic service where you get a box of goodies delivered every month - and the boxes are so pretty and useful that I cannot bring myself to chuck them out. As you can imagine, one a month means that quite a few have now been stacked up in my office, occasionally I use one to send someone something fragile or a make-up product I don't want to get squeezed in the post.

Then I came across Give and Makeup on twitter and suddenly I not only have the perfect use for  my old Glossyboxes but it is a great way to get rid of all those make-up and beauty products you don't use. I get sent quite a few things to test out, often all within the same range and there will be things I know I'm just never going to use, lipsticks and nail varnishes in the wrong colour, the majority of perfume samples I get from Glossybox and they just lie around unloved, taking up valuable space. I'm also terrible at going out and splurging on makeup in Boots and Superdrug and then getting home and finding I've already got something or I've bought it in completely the wrong colour - some end up in my kit, some just go to the back of my personal make-up box. My initial trawl through revealed two boxes worth of products. Now I'm just going to keep an old box in my office for anything that I don't want.

Initially you may wonder why make-up and beauty products are needed for charity - I mean, they are a bit of a luxury surely, but all the products donated go directly to Refuge and Women's Aid who help victims of domestic violence. Thousands of women and children have had to run from their homes to protect their lives and they have to leave everything behind. Give and Makeup need everything from everyday essentials - shampoo, condition, toothpaste, deodorant, to skincare - cleaners and moisturisers and the added extras - makeup, makeup brushes, perfume, nail varnish and even clothes and baby products. Rather than listing things on eBay why not make a box up and send it in? These amazing charities need your help and Give and Makeup is a fantastic way to do it.

Jelly Pong Pong Lip Frosting

There is something rather frivolous about this product but I am still completely in love with it. I have to confess that I had completely forgotten about Jelly Pong Pong until their Lip Frosting arrived in my July GlossyBox and after just one use I was reminded how I loved their other products I had tried quite a while a go. Not only is the colour beautiful and unusual, but the packaging and reasonable price make this the perfect package. The reason I say it's slightly frivolous is that it tastes so good ( Irish cream pavlova flavour) that really, you are going to chew this off within the first 10 minutes of wearing it. But I don't care - the residual colour still looks lovely and that's good enough for me.

This swatch does not do it justice

The colour is gorgeous, really unusual I think and although initially quite scary to imagine using on your cheeks as well does give a lovely glowing bit of colour even if it is a bit sticky. You have to apply this with your finger which is great because I often hate the applicators that lip glosses come with but does make the whole thing a bit messy (which is why its worth trying it out on your cheeks... use them as portable hand wipes!). I'm not the only one who loves it - it has been sold out on their website for the last couple of times I've had a look. If you manage not to chew it all off it soaks into the lips a bit and feels wonderfully moisturising and smooth and all Jelly Pong Pong products are guaranteed to not contain anything bad - no ammonia, sulphates, pthalates, or alcohol and they are against animal testing.

Not only am I going to buy a tube of this Lip Frosting to keep in my kit (if a model is chewing it off I can dash in and reapply) but I'm going to buy a whole load of their other products to try out. I hope the colours are as gorgeous as this.

Noble Isle

I realised when I went to put labels on this post (which I do at the start to stop myself forgetting at the end) that I never really write about bath products (I didn't even have a label) mostly because I have to say I'm never that fussy about what I put in my bath. I usually use Sainsburys own brand which is perfectly fine and occasionally treat myself with some Florris bath oil I got as a birthday present. When I received this Noble Isle bath and shower gel in my GlossyBox I nearly gave it away as a little house gift but at the last minute decided it was the perfect size (the GlossyBox smaller size) for my swimming bag so in it went.

For two weeks running we must have sounded like a (bad) tv advert for Noble Isle. Firstly, Libby and I oohed and ahhhed about how lovely smelling it was and the week after when my sister joined us she commented on the gorgeous smell and we said 'that's just what we thought!' The smell is Summer Rising Cornish Hedgerows - a quite masculine mix of elderflower and gooseberry with 'clean notes' of moss, orange blossom and cut grass.

It's the strength of smell I love about this, something which I find is often lacking from bath and shower gels aimed at a unisex or female market. And yet when you've used this its not overpowering on your skin - and this has been approved by three pregnant women with oversensitive senses of smell. For £20 I think this is incredibly well priced - cheaper than Jo Malone or other higher-end competitors but I think that Summer Rising is every bit as yummy smelling and therefore a great, and patriotic (all their fragrances are inspired by the British Isles), option for a lovely house gift for someone. I like it so much I might buy it for myself - from someone saving for a baby and spending any spare money on makeup that really is saying something.

Osmo Berber Oil

A little treat from my Glossybox a couple of months ago and I've been wanting to review it because I LOVE it but I'm not quite sure what to say.

Travel size Berber Oil

Berber oil is a sort of hair rehab with Argan oil to restore, strengthen and nourish sad hair like mine. One thing I found intriguing, and slightly hard to really prove, is that it contains Vitamin E which reduces drying time so less heat damage to your hair. I mean, my hair seems to be drying quicker but I'm not sure whether I just think it is or if it's the oil. It is definitely silkier, smoother, easier to manage and drys so nicely I haven't really been needing to do too much straightening or styling. My hair also seems thicker, something I was worried about, putting oil on fine hair can sometimes be a disaster, but that could just be this baby I'm making.

You can put it on dry hair but I've been using it when my hair is damp from the shower, before blow drying. You only need a little and I wouldn't advise putting it on the roots unless you are one of those lucky people with amazing thick hair.

It's also incredibly reasonably price - the small Berber Oil 10ml - Travel Size bottle for around £2.50 (perfect for in the washbag - you won't need any other hair treatments whilst travelling) and the Berber Oil 100ml for £11.50. I really recommend trying this out. I was completely unconvinced by hair oils until I tried this out.