Bia Beauty

It seems everything I write about on this blog always comes back to me having dry skin. But, I really needed some kind of gentle facial exfoliator, and I remembered about the fantastic brand made in Cork  Bia Beauty. I used a sample of their Orange & Grapefruit Facial Exfoliant & Cleanser a while ago and I remember I loved it because the little exfoliating beads were that fine, they were extremely gentle on the skin and yet they got the job done. So, I finally purchased the full size. I absolutely love the quirky jars that they come in.

The lovely people at Bia Beauty put in a sample of the Mellow Mandarin Moisturiser in my parcel so I was delighted to try that as well. I loved it so much I went back and ordered the full size of it too!

First of all let me talk about the scent of these products. I think some will love it, some will hate it. They just smell completely "natural" if you know what I mean? I just love the scent. You really feel like you are putting something really good on your skin.

I use the cleanser/exfoliator every other night to keep my skin as flake-free as possible! As I said before, the "grit" in this product is extremely fine and does not cause any irritation or redness on my sensitive skin. It contains castor and thistle oil, orange blossom water, orange & grapefruit essential oils, and jojoba grains. I just give it a good massage all over my face, focusing on the extremely dry areas and just rinse off. My skin has never been in better condition and I really mean that. My complexion is brighter and the jojoba grains are keeping the obvious dry texture of my skin at bay.

So to finish off my cleansing routine I slather on the Mellow Mandarin moisturiser! I know the Bia beauty slogan is "feed your skin", well i really feel that is what I am doing when I use this moisturiser. It feels really nourishing on the skin..I actually think I am addicted to it! It's suitable for all skin types, and it's a light enough moisturiser to use as a day cream too. It contains Mandarin essential oil, calendula water and sweet almond oil to keep skin hydrated and to balance the skin's sebum levels. I use it day and night and together with the cleanser/exfoliator they have made such a massive difference to the condition of my skin.

Also ordering from the Bia Beauty website has been really great, they are kind enough to include a little "bite size" sample of their products with my orders and a little handwritten note which honestly just makes my day when I open up the package. And also the service is super fast, my package is delivered to me in the north after about 2 days.

I am so so impressed with Bia Beauty and I am very eager to try out more of their products. I think I might try their eye cream next.

My new skincare routine with La Roche Posay

My face was in seriously bad repair the last couple of months. I do believe that it was down to the Clarins One Step cleanser that I was using. I enjoyed using that cleanser at first but pretty soon it left my skin looking red and blotchy, and putting anything on my face made it sting!
I stopped using the Clarins One Step and tried some more gentler products, but my skin still looked rather irritated. I read that La Roche Posay would have products that would help with that, so off to the chemist I went!

I needed a little help, because I really did not know what I was after. I've only ever used La Roche Posay sun cream, so their skincare products are all new to me!

The sales assistant in the chemist helped me pick out a few things, after I told her what the problem was with my skin she recommended Toleraine cleanser and moisturiser. I also wanted to get some kind of exfoliator, as I had noticed a lot of dry skin around my nose. So I bought Physiological Ultra Fine Scrub as well!

Before

After

As you can see there is a substantial difference after just one week of using the La Roche Posay skincare! In fact, when I started using La Roche Posay, my skin looked even worse than it does in the "before" photo. 

I cannot believe the difference! All of the La Roche Posay products that I got are absolutely fantastic. The cleanser is a lovely consistency, lotion type cleanser. The exfoliator is a gel-type consistency with very fine exfoliating beads. It has a nice sweet scent too. The moisturiser has almost a gel type consistency too. Only a tiny amount of the moisturiser is needed! I have to get used to only squeezing out a tiny dot, as the tiniest amount goes a long way.

Also La Roche Posay was a touch cheaper than the Clarins skincare products I had been using, which are a little expensive. I got the Toleraine moisturiser and cleanser, and the exfoliator for just over £30.00 in total. Not bad!

If these are the results I am getting after just one week, I will definitely be continuing my use of La Roche Posay and I wouldn't mind trying out more of their products!

Sampar Sea Scrub....wanted to love this but I don't :(

In my nearest Debenhams, there is a small stand selling this skincare brand Sampar, which i had never heard of.  A few months ago, the saleslady was talking to me about this French brand, telling me how popular it was in Europe. That day, I bought the cleansing lotion which I really liked, but the saleslady showed me this amazing scrub, which I thought looked amazing, and the scent it has is so incredible, it smells just like a luxurious spa. I asked how much it costs...and nearly passed out when she told me £50.00..

Anyway, fast forward a couple of months to Christmas and I had some money and vouchers to spend. My first stop was Debenhams, where I bought a lot of make up and goodies that I had my eye on for ages but couldn't normally afford. I never forgot the scent of the Sampar Sea Scrub though, so I took the plunge and bought it

There is no doubt that it is an incredibly luxurious product, and it is a very generous sized tub so it will last a while. But I cannot help but be disappointed. I used this in the shower when my skin was wet, as directed. I scooped out a bit of the sea scrub, and the texture of it is so strange. It is very light and almost spongy! You can't get a good scrub out of it like Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff or something. The sea salt actually melted away before I could get a good scrub out of it. It is not the most grittiest of scrubs.

Using it on dry skin is just impossible as you can feel it dragging and it is so unpleasant, and doesn't achieve anything anyway. I do use this occasionally on my face, first wetting my face using a facecloth and using a bit of this scrub. It does work quite nicely, but using it as a body scrub I thought was an epic fail for me!

This is by far the most I have ever spent on a skincare product, and it will definitely be the last! I still love the scent though, I could smell it all day but in terms of effectiveness I would have to say that this product is definitely NOT worth the money!

Beauty stuff I got for Christmas

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a nice Christmas! I certainly did. It is so good being off work for a while. I have been enjoying just being at home, watching movies, eating chocolates and just generally chilling out! It's going to be so difficult getting back into a routine in the new year. But I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

So on Christmas Day, it was so much fun being at my sisters house. We played games, ate great food and just had a really nice day. Christmas is so not about presents for me, although I did get some lovely things. I just enjoy having fun. But, I will now show you what beauty stuff I got for Christmas. Admittedly, I did buy a lot of this myself with money I got. (Thanks dad!)

Clarins Eye Contour Balm - I chose this as I really need to start using an eye cream again. I have read good reviews about this one and the texture is so nice. I don't see any results just yet but I swear I will apply this religiously every night!

Lancome Rouge in Love Lipstick - I adore the cute packaging of this lipstick! The shade is "Midnight Rose" which is a gorgeous deep, raspberry pink. Unfortunately I have been unable to wear it yet due to a horrible outbreak of coldsores :( but this shade is so beautiful. I cannot wait to wear it.

Clinique Party Tips Nail Polish Trio - I love these gorgeous nail polishes, and is it just me or are they the most perfect shades for New Years Eve? I am kind of excited to try out Clinique polishes for the first time. They come in such a cute bag too.

YSL Touche Eclat - Oh my God, where has this been all my life? You know how I always complain about my undereye area looking less than impressive, and no concealer helps? Well this is so light and brightening, it is exactly what I needed! I got shade 2. I swear this is the best thing I have ever tried, and the only concealer that has ever made any kind of difference.

Sampar Sea Scrub - I have been lusting after this for some time. The scent of this product is to die for, it just smells like a luxurious spa. I actually thought this product was for your face, but it is a body exfoliator. I have used a small amount on my face though. It is the most expensive product I have ever used! (it was around £50.00). It is so nice and so effective.

Lancome Hypnose Mascara - After buying a Hypnose Star mascara earlier in the year, I have decided that I think Lancome do the best mascaras. I had a tiny sample of the original Hypnose which I loved, so I decided to buy the full sized version. The wand is just perfect and the bristles are so soft. It makes my eyelashes super long and full. I love it!

Nuxe Creme Fraiche de Beaute moisturiser - In desperate need of a new skincare routine, I chose this moisturiser. It is so thick and creamy, and I think it is designed for dry skin. It feels so nourishing and has a beautiful scent. It is such a luxurious product and my skin feels so soft and plump even after just a week of using it!

I also got a ton of Lancome and Clarins samples when I bought my products, so I am really excited to try these out too!


I hope Santa was good to everyone!

Cocoa Brown - "Tough Stuff" !

Well here we go, another fab product from Cocoa Brown! I was so excited to try this out. You know when you have stubborn tan that you just can't get off? This is what you need!!

..And it is pink! What a nice touch! You can barely see the exfoliating beads here, they are so tiny and yet so "tough"! This exfoliator also features the signature Cocoa Brown scent, Tahitian Gardenia. So nice!

This is by far, the most effective scrub I have ever used. I have used this both in the shower and also when my skin is dry. I find it is more effective for removing tan when your skin is dry. Give yourself a good scrub, and when you shower it off, you can actually see the tan washing off your skin. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! It gives a slightly more gentle exfoliation when your skin is already wet.

After using this product, my skin has never felt in better condition. No rough patches, no lumps or bumps, just super soft skin. This really is a wonder product in my opinion! The sachet is good for maybe 2 full body applications. If you are worried about storing an open sachet, then don't worry, this product will be available in a tube come October. In the mean time you could store the Tough Stuff in those little travel bottles you can get it Primark.

Now because I was already wearing some fake tan (Cocoa Brown 1 Hour of course), I thought I would show you all how good "Tough Stuff" works at removing tan!


At the weekend, I was invited down for afternoon tea, courtesy of the lovely Cocoa Brown team. It was held in the fabulous Radisson Blu St Helens, Blackrock, Dublin. I had an amazing time, I met some lovely bloggers and just really enjoyed myself. Here are a few pics...

 L-R: myself, Danielle from The Imperfect Beauty, Rebecca from Give a Posy and Laura from Life, Laughs and Laura

Myself and the lovely Marissa Carter

Cocoa Brown have done it again for me! Tough Stuff is a great accompaniment for you fake tan wearers. Amazing at removing stubborn patches of tan, whilst leaving you skin super soft, ready for your next application!