Illamasqua Freak Eau de Parfum

I recieved this sample of Illmasqua's  first ever fragrance Freak in my November edition of Glossybox (so the sample bottle does not mirror the actual packaging, which is by the way a unique shape) and I absolutly love this fragrance. I have to be VERY careful when using perfumes  on certain areas on my skin to not bring myself up in a flare up, so I mainly just spray it on my clothes and very thinly on my wrists.


I was very excited to try out this product as i absolutly LOVE the Illmasqua brand, their unique styles, colours and their tagline "make up for your alter ego". I have been to a few of their demonstrations in the past year, most recently last month at Masterclasses annual Theatrecraft event (for those wanting to start careers in theatre behind the stage).

The key scents which make up Freak are: Black Davana, Opium Flower, Belladonna, Poison  Hemlock, Datura, Queen of the Night, Frankincense, Oud and Myrrh. To be perfectly honest,I have never smelt what any of these different fragrances smell like by themselves, but I do know one thing: they work together like a charm and smells so lovely.

I recently found out aswell, that the perfume is infact uni-sex, so it can me worn by either a man or a woman, and infact when you smell the perfume is smells very fruity and feminine but also quiet rich smelling so its ok for a man to wear. It does smell abit strange when you first spray it but the scent really does work, but personally I would only wear this fragrence in the evening as there is something sexy and seductive about this fragrance, which I think is Illmasqua's initial idea and its one of my favourite smells of 2011.

Uppercut's High Energy Nut Nut Oil Hair Treatment

Uppercut is a independent salon group based in Essex for the past 30 years with salons in Romford, Brentwood, Chigwell , Gants Hill, Hornchurch and Upminster. I recently went to the branch in Romford to have my hair dark brown hair dip-dyed  and curled with a really 3 colours mixed up of 2 light brown and dark blonde (looks much better than i can describe it). The overall experience of  the salon was so lovely and friendly with teapots and cups on a teeney tea tray as refreshments, and the girl who did my hair Emily was wonderful and so nice.  

After I had my hair tips bleached and I was sitting with my hair in the wash basin, I was offered an extra conditioning treatment, where I got to take the product home afterwards, after getting all the information and ingrediants of the Nut-Nut Oil conditioner, as I had to make sure it would not irritate my scalp or bring my eczema up in a flare up, I gave Emily the ok to use it, as it would help treat my hair and scalp and make it silky smooth which feels wonderful.

The High Energy Nut-Nut helps to restore a natural balance to dry,damaged and/or brittle ends, which I have from my eczema and frequent use of my ghd's and curling tongs. It also moisturises the hair with vitamin 5 jojaba oil and is the perfect treatment for coloured or bleached hair and it actually smells just like a hairdressers once you open the cap, which makes you feel like you want to be in a salon once you use it and for £6.95 for 100ml is amazing and you only need to use a small amount of the treatment once or twice a week at the most and makes you feel good about your hair as it leaves it soooo soft and thick.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream trial

I recieved this sample a few weeks ago as I had heard so much about Garnier's BB cream and I was interested to see how the cream and the concept of it, as I was a little confused as to how the cream worked. So I sent away for this sweet little sample pack which contained 3 sachet samples of the cream in a light shade,with a brief explanation on what BB actually is, which made me even more excited when opening the sachets as it belnds skincare (which is a MAJOR part of my daily life) with make-up.It also came with a £1 off  a full size voucher vaild until June 2012, which I will most definatly be using.

BB Cream has been a cult favourite in Asia for many years and is set to become a favourit in the UK,  It is thought as a beauty all in one: moisturiser, sun block, primer and foundation and evens out belmishes and illuminates while hydrating the skin and I cant wait to give it a go

As the cream was in the sachet, it was a generous amount so it came out abit too thick but generally once it was spread out on my hand it had a really creamy texture and smelt sooo nice and sweet. As the packaging sait it was a light shade I was worried it would not match my skin tone as I have an olive coloured skin but it matached almost perfectly , so I was really happy and now know what shade to go with when buying the full sized product :).



Overall I really Loved this cream and it will hopefully sit well on my face with my prescription creams :)

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream costs £9.99 and is available from Boots.

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP

I recieved this sample of La Roche-Posay's Lipikar Baume body balm from the National Eczema Society and it is one of the most wonderful and relieving products I have ever used for my skin condition, as it cools you down and sooths the second you rub it into dry,irritated or red skin or just generally as a moisturiser, while building back up the skins layers. This product is seriously such a great product for the treatment of eczema and is better than some prescription creams that I have been givent and I want to thank the Eczema society for offering this product as a sample as I would not of found out about it otherwise. :)

The cream is very light and not one bit oily in the slightest , is not perfumed or has any fragrances and is the perfect product for all types of eczema and dry/itchy skin sufferers. La Roche-Posay works closely with dermatologists to develop products such as this body balm to give sufferes the best chance of doing day to day things without worrying about irritation, redness and breaking the body out of its scratching cycle like I have and my skin feels amazing and I have gone ahead to buy full sizes of this sample product, and the prices are very reasonable aswell and I cannot wait to try other products within the brand.

It is also a good practical product for your handbag as you can use it anytime you feel an itchy irritation coming on and you feel cooled automatically. It is great for me in my job aswell as I am coming in and out of hot and cold enviroments and especially in winter we will have central heating on which in different environments, and for an eczema sufferer this type of irritation can be very annoying.

 This body balm also includes La Roche-Posay's unique thermal spring water, which is incorporated into all of the brands products, calms all inflamations of the skin with a wonderful cooling sensation and feels extremely therapeutic, and it also has a hidden plus which is amazing and is that it helps anti-aging so yay :)

I would HIGHLY recommend this product not just for eczema and sensitive skin sufferes but for anyone wanting an amazing body balm/moisturiser for the winter seasons. I would again like to thank the Nation Eczema Society not just on my behalf but those who have also discovered this amazing brand and product through your sample.

La Roche-Posay products are available from http://www.laroche-posay.co.uk/United-Kingdom/beauty/home-h.aspx independent pharmacies and selected boots stores

La Roche-Posay Products are priced between £10-£20

Ren: Clean Bio-Active Skincare Products

I recieved these samples in an induction pack from Ren after being reccomended them from a friend who also has sensitive skin. These four products that I was sent are wonderful and all leave you feeling refreshed with a radient glow and they do not contain any harsh cemicals that can damage the most sensitive of skin .  They all sooth and moisturise the face and eyes and tighthen up pores and I highly recomend the REN skincare range.

In their full sizes they come in  hygenic pumb bottles and are each priced around £18 up to £32 and available from the REN website, Asos.com, SHOP.com

 

This first product the Active 7 Radient Eye Gel is fantastic and I love it, it cools and sooths and reduces the puffiness under your eyes in the mornings, and works amazingly well under make up, concealers and foundations. It is a light thin water gel, which isnt oily which is great for me using it with my perscribed medicated creams, and dosent irritate in the slightest, and if needs be can be applied throughout the day giving you bursts of feeling cool.   

This gentle Hydro-Calm Cleansing Milk is made with coconut and gentle palm oils but it is a little bit thick so if you have oily skin this may not be too good or be too heavy for you on your skin but does work really good for dry and sensitive/eczema skin as a moisturiser. This product is also great when removing make-up calmly and you dont need to scrub with a cotton ball or pad with it and it also removes trapped dirt without hurting you or giving any discomfort or stinging.

This radience renewing mask is my favourite one of the four that I was sent. It has a really nice zesty fruity smell but texture of it is a bit strange being a bit thick with the little moisturising balls but you only do need to apply a small layer ,but once the mask was on my face it was it felt wonderful. This mask has also tightened up my pores and my skin feels so smooth and has a really nice glow to it and has reduced the redness in my cheeks alot . You do not need to use this product every day , just maybe once or twice a week

This night cream is absolutely fabulous, I loved it, it refreshes and rejuvenates your skin while you sleep and works on the finer lines on your face and neck. It contains vitamins A,C and E and boosts the collagen in your face, which makes your skin look fuller when you wake up, which made me feel really good about my sensitive skin. As with its name it has a relaxing Frankincense and shea butter smell which is soooo lovely and makes you feel all calm when you go to sleep, in the same way lavender works .

Label M Protein Spray

This was another of my fabulous gifts in my London Fasion Weekend goody bag. I had never previously heard of the Label  M brand but the packaging, colours and text seemed really appealing to me as it is used in Toni and Guy salons. As it states on its packaging that it is suitable for ALL types of hair which I thought I would try for my sensitive scalp and since using I have had no scalp irritation, stinging or itching, so it is as it  says and is good for all skin types.

This product has an amazing sweet smell which lasts nearly all day and contains a moisturising blend of Jasmine, Sweet Pea, Vanilla, Wheat and Soy to keep your hair both feeling and looking fresh and healthy, and you never need more than 3 squirts. You can use this spray on both dry or wet hair, between washes to spritz your hair up and protects your hair and roots from heat damage from styling utensils. From the first time I used this product I have become addicted to it and it leaves my hair looking shiny and feeling great without the slightest bit of irritation at all and I highly recommend this product

Label.m Protein Spray 250ml is available from the Label m website, amazon.co.uk and instore and Toni and Guy salons nationwide, around the RRP of £11.50

Kleenex Sensitive make up remover wipes

I recieved these wipes in my goody bag from London Fashion Weekend in September and I was delighted to recieve these in my bag. These wipes are part of Kleenex's new skin care range consisting of these, Facial Cleansing Wipes,Facial Cloths and Shine Absorbing Sheets. As I recently found out, the UK's favourite tissue brand, Kleenex was originally make-up products in the 1920's for women to hygienically remove their make up and cleansers, so I was glad to hear that Kleenex were returing to their roots.

I really love the packaging on these and the masquerade design as it ties in nicely with their "removing your 'mask' at the end of the day" theme. The wipes are a little bit smaller than a regular sized make up wipe or baby wipe but they are thick and moist and filled with a lightly scented fluid. The wipes also contain Ecoform natural fibres which means that aswell as being gentle and effective they have a lower environment impact than regular wipes. These wipes are also for sensitive skin and they feel amazing on the most sensitive of skin and have no side effects of  redness, stinging or blotching and are extremley ok to use on eczema which I have severly, and these wipes work with no problems to my skin.

I did not need to scrub or rub my face to completly remove all of my make up like many make up brands but with gentle wipes and strokes these wipes removed all of my make up including base foundation and hard mascara , leaving me feeling completly refreshed after i finished using them. Overall I really loved this product and will definatly be using them again and they are fabulous for anyone with sensitive skin or eczema.

The Kleenex Sensitive Make up Remover Wipes are priced at RRP £2.99 and the whole range is currently only available from Superdrug,and from other stockists in January 2012

Link to more information on Kleenex, their products and the environment using ecoform http://www.kleenex.co.uk/UK/About/Environment.aspx