Merumaya #BeautyHasNoAge Campaign

When I was first notified of the "#BeautyHasNoAge" campaign the first quote that sprang to mind was Richelle Meads:'I'm like fine wine, I get better with age'.

The campaign strikes up the question, what is beauty? As everyone is different, the answer varies for all but the most interesting point that is raised, to me, is that there is no age cap. People don't see 'Age: 50' and think 'Nope. Past the deadline for beauty'.

Upon asking a few of my friends what made a person beautiful, to them, most replied with things not linked directly to beauty at all. The most common responses being "a nice smile", "sense of humour" and "confidence", all of which are timeless.

#BeautyHasNoAge really struck home with me, as a question I have often asked myself is whether I will let myself grow old naturally or undergo treatments to get rid of my wrinkles and other parts of me that are bound to change. Recently, I decided against it. The main reason being, when I look at someone older than me I don't think about their wrinkles, or even notice them, because growing old is natural. It happens to everyone and for this reason I am standing with the #BeautyHasNoAge campaign.

The brand is selling a limited number of the "#BeautyHasNoAge"bags* shown above on its website (here).

Merumaya sell some of the best skincare products, my favourite included in the picture above. The 'Iconic Youth Serum'* has a gel like consistency until its rubbed it when it feels like a mix of silicone and dry oil. It isn't greasy looking on the skin and can be used under make-up as well as under moisturisers. I've been using this products for a little over a month now and have noticed a 'glow' since I've started using it. The product contains hyaluronic acid which has helped to prevent spots forming on my skin which is always a problem for me during the summer, as it gets hotter and our pores get clogged. Buy here for £36.50.

Dermalogica Active Moist Moisturiser Review

My sister is as much, if not more, of a beauty hoarder than me so I value her opinions of brands as highly as I do my own. A brand she seems to never say enough good things about is Dermalogica* and when I received this tube I was excited to see what all the fuss was about.

I have combination skin so whenever I see the word "moist" I tend to avoid certain products but upon reading the leaflet enclosed with with moisturiser I found that this is infact an oil-free lightweight moisturiser. I really love using it before I put on my make-up because it dries in an instant and I don't have to switch between moisturisers on different parts of my face.

It doesn't carry a strong smell which is another plus, as fragrances are often harsh on the skin, and when I woke up the night after putting this on my face felt as smooth as anything.

I found this product hydrating enough for my dry patches on my face and it didn't disturb my oily t-zone at all which I was thrilled with, so I cannot recommend this product enough. Buy the 50ml bottle for £27.99 here or the 100ml for £39.00 here.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar K Plus

Two words, one love; french pharmacy. Ever since I tried Caudalie as a teen i've been addicted to french pharmacy, bioderma, la roche-posay, the works. So when the lovely people at Escentual* dropped this little gem through my post box I was really excited.

The product claims to perform a micro-exfloliation which unclogs pores of blackheads, white heads, spots, dirt, oil build-up, pretty much all of the nasty stuff. I wanted to give this a solid test and have been trying it for around two months, because with most products like this it makes your skin more sensitive, or at least has a harsher effect over time. However, with this I didn't find that, and it's part of the reason this review took so long to come because I was almost waiting for that moment it was going to go bad, but fortunately it never did.

The results were gradual, I started noticing a difference after 2-3 weeks of use and my skin felt a lot softer. It's not changed my blackhead situation, but mine is pretty awful if I'm honest! It has definitely prevented oil build-up and been a super affordable moisturiser. The tube has that hard metal material and for me it makes it feel like i'm using an ultra luxurious item.

It's normally £14.90 but escentual has it reduced at £9.93 for the moment. Buy here.

Sigma Haul + DISCOUNT CODE

 
The lovely people over at Sigma sent me a few goodies that I've been obsessed with and I thought it was about time I shared them with you.

I loved the size of the 'Indulgent' Lip Base pencil*, it allowed for a quick and easy application unlike smaller lip pencils. The colour is extremely pigmented and I loved the orangey undertone to the pencil as it added something to what would have been a typical colour. I'm also obsessed with the coral blush*, as it adds a lovely glow to your face without being too much. I really liked pairing it with the 'Elysees' eyeshadow* to add a bit of drama to my look.

The brushes really stole the show for me, the 3DHD kabuki face brush* made applying my foundation seamless and the 3DHD angle brush* made precise contouring super quick. The eye brushes are adding to my eyeshadow obsession and I've been using them everyday.

Buy them all here. Use code "SIGMA2016" with this link to get 10% off your order. (http://fave.co/1PE0ved if you can't click directly)

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shampoo Review

I must admit I was a little sceptical at first with this shampoo. On the front the description is 'super rich shampoo' and on the back description it's noted that it's also a 'cleansing shampo' that gets rid of buildup. Suspcious...However, I gave it a go and was pleasantly surprised that it did exactly what it said it did on the bottle.

The product has a strong fresh melon/aloe vera hybrid smell which I think is gorgeous, the smell doesn't last on the hair for more than a few hours which for me is ideal as I prefer to spray hair mists into my hair to get it smelling lovely. The bottle is also a lovely addition to my shower, I love the minimalist look of it.

The product lathers easily and leaves the hair feeling squeeky clean, whilst moisturised. I found that I had to wash my day earlier than usual after using this but I'm not sure whether that's just because I had been touching my uber clean roots so much that they became greasy.

Buy here for £8.71.

Beauty Blender- Worth the hype?

I was very kindly sent a beauty blender* by the lovely people at Beauty Flash and was thrilled to finally get to put the infamous sponge to the test.

I started by soaking it in cold water then squeezing the excess out 3-5 times, once it was damp I first used it to apply my concealer, I usually find with sponges it leaves a textured look in your make-up but because you apply this with a wet sponge the problem is avoided all together. To set the concealer I then went in with a setting powder and decided to try this with a wet sponge also, which I was nervous about. I dipped it in the powder then applied it to my face and found it looked amazing and a lot less cakey than when applied with a dry sponge. It gave the effect of using a setting spray without actually using a setting spray.

On the beauty front I was really pleased but as with all sponges, I was worried about the hygiene. With most of my sponges I throw them away after a week of use, but with this sponge coming at £16 a pop, you can't really afford to do it with this product. So, after religiously washing it with the solid cleanser after every use I kept an eye out for any problem areas on my face for a month- and there were none!

This product leaves an airbrushed finished and is surprisingly hygienic. Buy for £16 here and the solid cleanser for £14 here.

(Also, how cute is the colour?)

The Ultimate Christmas Gift-Guide for Everyone You Love 2015 (beauty, under £15, for him + more)

For the beauty lovers:

1. ONE SHOCKING MOMENT CHEEK STUDIO PALETTE £45
2. MODERNIST EYESHADOW PALETTE £56
3. MOISTURE ESSENTIAL SET £23
4. BECCA GLOW ON THE GO PALETTE £20
5. MORINGA CLEANSING BALM TREE DECORATION £10
6. GET YOUR GLOW ON GIFT SET £32

7. 10 MINIATURE BATH & SHOWER OIL COLLECTION £39

8. Pro Series Contour Cream Kit £39.50

9. Anastasia Illuminator £28

10. The Essentials Starter Kit £13.50
11. London Travel Case ( 5x50, 3x15ml ) £50.00

12.Hall of Fame Kit £33.00
13. Grab & Go Travel Kit ( 5x50ml, 2x15ml, 1x3ml ) £20.00

14.Discovery Kit £42.00
15. Primrose Facial Cleansing Masque ( 120ml ) £33.00

16. Pumpkin Enzyme Mask ( 150ml ) £39.50

17. Gold Hydralifting Mask ( 50ml ) £110.00

18. Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette £38

19. Urban Decay Naked Palette £38
20. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette £38
21. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette £38
22. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette £23
23. Urban Decay Naked2 Basics Palette £23
24. NYX Conceal, Correct, Contour Palette £10
25. theBalm Nude Dude Eyeshadow Palette £30
26. NYX Nude on Nude Natural Look Kit £10
27. NYX Smokey Look Kit £10
28. Pür Minerals "Love Your Selfie" Kit £32

29. GUERLAIN Winter Fairy Tale Collection: Ors et Merveilles Palette £56

30. 5 COULEURS Eyeshadow Palette - State of Gold Collection £46

For the bargain hunters (All under £15) : 

1. Topshop Beauty Glitter Nails 8ml £6

2. Barely Prep, Blot & Blend Sponge £5.99

3. Caudalie Pamplemousse Rose Lip Conditioner & Hand Cream Winter Duo £6

4.  Zoella Beauty Lace Collar Purse £6

5. MOR Little Luxuries Snow Gardenia Petite Candle £8

6. WAHL Steel Curling Tongs 25mm £9

7.  Ole Henriksen nurture me™ holiday duo £12

8. COLAB Travel Kit £10

9. Ole Henriksen cleanse & glow on the go duo £8

10. Burt's Bees Burt's Originals Gift Set £7.99

11. Origins Handy Hydrators Gift Set £15

12. NUXE Christmas Cracker £10

13. Antipodes Moisture Boost Mini's Kit £12.99

14. Caudalie Beauty Elixir 30ml Christmas Bauble £11.50

15. Balance Me Bathing Beauties Trio Gift Set £12

For perfume lovers: 

1. Calvin Klein CK One Eau De Toilette Spray 200ml £24.95

2. Paco Rabanne Lady Million Eau De Parfum Spray 50ml £42.50

3. VIKTOR&ROLF Flowerbomb Eau De Parfum 50ml £68

4. Lancôme La Vie est Belle Eau De Parfum 30ml £37

5. Vera Wang Princess Eau De Toilette Spray 100ml £59

6. Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl Cologne Spray 100ml £16.95

7. Narciso Rodriguez for her eau de parfum 30ml £38

8. Prada Candy Florale Eau de Toilette 30ml £39

9. Jimmy Choo Eau De Parfum Spray 40ml £34

10. GUERLAIN Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca Eau De Toilette 75ml £41

11. DKNY Be Delicious Eau De Parfum 30ml £36

Skincare saviours: 

For the candle burners:

1. SAPIN CANDLE £28
2. LARGE FIGUIER SCENTED CANDLE £180
3. LIQUIDAMBAR CANDLE £28
4. BAIES COLOURED SCENTED CANDLE £55
5. ROSE DE MAI SKIN SMOOTHING MASSAGE CANDLE £34.50
6. INCENSE WOOD AND OUD CANDLE £40
7. MOJITO CANDLE £37
8. LA PROUVERESSE CANDLE £55
9. TUBEROSE AND ROSE CANDLE FOR INNER PEACE £46
10. THE SCENTS NO. 1 “MAN”DLE LUMINARIE CANDLE £32

11. INDULGENCE CANDLE £36.50

12. RELAXING HOME CANDLE £29

For the watch enthusiasts:

I recently received a CLUSE* watch and I am IN LOVE. Normally I have to dig holes in the band to get it on my tiny wrists but they had enough holes and I was quietly impressed. They look so expensive, they aren't exactly cheap at £63 but I would happily pay £200+ for something of this quality. The band is soft and strong whilst the watch face is shiny and sturdy- what more could you want? My favourite feature is the accented XII, it just adds something extra special.

The site has loads of designs this is just my favourite design. Buy here for £63.

For Sparkly Addicts:

1. Links of London Sterling Silver Friendship Bracelet £150
2. Links of London Dreamcatcher 18ct Rose Gold Vermeil Necklace £95
3. Michael Kors stainless steel stone set circle necklace £99
4. Links of London Timeless Silver Single Station Bracelet £95
5. Links of London Sweetie Sterling Silver Core Bracelet M £175
6. Links of London Narrative Sterling Silver Bracelet £150
7. Swarovski Tranquility necklace £125
8. Vera Wang 18ct white gold 1.18ct H1/SI2I1 diamond ring £4799
9. Links of London Diamond Essentials Silver Heart Pendant £160
10. 9ct white gold pendant & earrings with a concealed diamond £499
11. 9ct white gold diamond ring £299


For the men in your life:

1. Awkward Family Pet Photos Book £12.99
2. 6 PACK GEO PRINT HANDKERCHIEFS £12
3. ASOS Watch With Rose Gold Case £17.50
4. Designsix Slim Bangle In Gold £12
5. Reclaimed Vintage Pocket Square £8
6. The Curious Bartender Book £17.99
7. Ted Baker Tweed Notebook £12.95
8. River Island Satchel with Double Buckle Detail £35.00
9. Nike Roshe One Trainers £70
https://www.mlfurs.com/fur/coats also have some wonderful picks.