REVIEW: Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream and Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream

I need to admit, I was very excited to try Antipodes products. 

The brand won Best Natural Range in the Natural Health Awards 2012 and is becoming extremely popular in UK. I am not surprised- from my experience I can honestly say that their creams are truly amazing. I am also trying out the Reincarnation Pure Facial Exfoliator and I will be writing a separate review this week.

Antipodes offer a range of certified organic & natural skincare products containing exotic New Zealand plant extracts and premium avocado oil. Antipodes skin and body care products are not tested on animals and don't contain any harsh ingredients.

Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream 60ml* £32.99 link

INFO:Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream with 100% pure avocado oil, manuka honey, marigold flower and sandalwood. Natural Health Best Buy 2011 award winner.There's no better way to resurrect your skin than with the deeply nourishing properties of pure 100% avocado pear oil, containing antioxidants and packed with Vitamins E, A, B1, B2, C and D for superior restorative qualities. Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream also features calendula; oil from the petals of the marigold flower which is highly regarded throughout history for its healing and repairing properties. Manuka honey serves to soothe and moisten your skin and the warm and mystical aroma of sandalwood both purifies and uplifts your skin. Directions for use: Apply Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream at sunset by caressing into your face, neck and cleavage. For a super-restorative effect, use Antipodes Divine Face Oil first.

MY OPINION: This night cream is a very rich formula, quite thick and very creamy. It has an instant soothing effect on my skin. I have got normal/combination skin with some dry areas and when I put this cream on at night time (focusing on dry areas), I wake up with lovely looking skin in the morning.

 If your skin is very oily, I am afraid this cream would be to rich for you. But if like me, you have got normal or dry skin, it would be a perfect deeply nourishing night time cream for you, especially for a/w.

It soothes dry areas and locks all the moisture in. It takes about 20 minutes for it to be fully absorbed.

I like the smell (it includes my favourite ingredient-calendula), it is quite strong, but very pleasant.

I also like the packaging- a thick brown glass jar with a simple black plastic lid.

Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream 60ml* £26.99 link

INFO:Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream with 100% pure avocado oil, macadamia nut, manuka honey and kawakawa. A light but intensive hydrating cream that feels beautifully fresh and alive on your face. Notes of vanilla and citrus marry to form a fragrance that is exotically fresh.

Containing 100% pure avocado pear oil with Vitamins A, B, C, E as well as chlorophyll and Omegas 3, 6 and 9 - all excellent antioxidants - this incredibly moisturising and nourishing Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream will see you through each and every day with radiance. African karite butter glides the creamy texture of Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream on to your skin, and keeps it supple and protected. Plus it's easily absorbed by the skin for maximum hydration thanks to an extract from Spanish olives, squalane; a unique moisturising agent with a high affinity to your skin's own oils.

Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream also includes manuka honey to soothe and nourish skin, and an antioxidant-rich extract from the leaf of the native New Zealand plant kawakawa.

Directions for use:Apply Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream at sunrise by gently massaging across your face, neck and cleavage.

MY OPINION: The Vanilla pod cream is much lighter than Avocado pear night cream. It feels just as creamy, but it is a lighter formula and when I massage it into my face it absorbs quickly. 

Again, I don't think it would be suitable for very oily skin, but it works great on dry, normal/ combination skin.

Surprisingly  it doesn't have a strong vanilla scent :) At first I thought that it had a citrusy scent, but it doesn't :) haha  I was still smelling my citrusy face wash and toner! The cream smells of vanilla and Manuka honey. It is lovely! I use it on clean and toned skin underneath my tinted moisturiser and it works well as a base. I don't use primers at the moment. Unfortunately it doesn't come with SPF, so you will need additional protection, but it is an amazing product.

This hydrating cream leaves my skin feeling smooth and nourished, it is full of amazing natural ingredients and antioxidants. I really wish it came with SPF, it would be 100% perfect. Other than that, I love it! If you are looking for a deeply moisturising day cream, I think you should try Antipodes.

You can buy Antipodes products from Feelunique.

*PR samples

REN Active 7 Radiant Eye Gel and Clearcalm 3 Clarity restoring mask - Review

Hi everyone. Today I am reviewing two lovely skincare products from REN: Active 7 Radiant Eye Gel* and Clearcalm 3 Clarity restoring mask*. I mentioned REN before - in a review of the natural and organic Amarya beauty box and I am happy to report, that their products don't contain parabens and sulfates and are free from harsh ingredients. I also love their clever packaging - it really makes a difference!

Active 7 Radiant Eye Gel 15ml* £20 link

"A light and cooling gel to treat, revive and brighten the delicate eye area, under or over makeup. Cools and refreshes. Reduces the appearance of puffiness and dark circles. The eye contour looks smoother, firmer. Apply a small amount to the skin around the eye, gently massage until absorbed. Reapply as necessary."

I use eye creams religiously, but I prefer them in a gel formula :) I like the feeling of a cool gel on the delicate skin around the eye area. The Active 7 Radiant Eye Gel feels very refreshing and sinks into the skin very quickly. I use it twice a day and I noticed that it really helps with  puffiness. When I was crying my eyes out before and after my sons  operation, I needed something to get rid of the puffiness and redness around my eyes and this gel worked wonders. It gives instant relief and makes my eyes look fresh and less tired. I have been using it for over 2 weeks and I also noticed improvement in the dark circle department.  It is not a dramatic improvement (yet), but the effects are visible and I can use less concealer underneath my eyes now. You only need a small amount of the gel each time, so be careful with the pump to make sure you don't squeeze too much product out. You get 15 ml for £20 so the price is pretty reasonable. I would happily pay this amount of money for an eye gel that actually works. I used many cheaper alternatives before, but they didn't work at all.

this tiny amount was enough for both eyes

ClearCalm 3 Clarity Restoring Mask 50ml* £30 link

"REN's ClearCalm3 system combats the 3 key causes of breakouts and blemishes: excess sebum; build up of dead skin cells; blemish-causing bacteria... without harshness.A treatment mask formulated to combat and help prevent breakouts. It will reduce visible blemishes and leave skin looking clear, calm and even-toned. Absorbs sebum and gently exfoliates to decongest blocked pores. Antimicrobial action combats the spread of breakout-causing bacteria. Reduces the appearance of pore size and redness. Soothes and calms. Lightens the appearance of pigmented scars. For best results, use twice a week. Apply a generous amount of product onto clean skin. Leave on 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water."

Sometimes my skin decides to break out horribly and it is not a nice feeling. It is usually a hormonal issue, so it is very hard to combat those pesky breakouts! The biggest problem I've got is enlarged, clogged pores and congestion. I had very high expectations from this product, as it costs £30 and I heard many good things about it. 

Did it work? Yes! It worked wonders! It really does what it says on there tin. It cleared my pores, helped to reduce redness and congestion and since I stared using it I only had a few small breakouts. It really helped to clear up my skin, so if you suffer from acne or have problems with breakouts it should work for you too.  I apply a generous amount of the mask, focusing on problem areas and a small amount onto the rest of my face. I leave it on for 15 minutes and wash off with a muslin cloth and warm water. The effect is amazing - my skin feels really clear and smooth, my complexion looks more even and the pores are less visible. It is quite pricey, but definitely worth the money. It has a tiny cap to put on the dispenser to stop the mask from drying out- very smart idea. The only thing I wasn't sure about is the scent -it is quite strong, but I can get used to it. I could smell Sulfur and Zinc, but those are the magic ingredients :)

Availlable from https://www.renskincare.com/

*PR samples

NOTD: cotton candy with glitter, Barry M Baby Pink and Essence Space Queen

I am loving pastel pink shades at the moment, so here is my new manicure with Barry M Baby Pink and Essence 04 Space Queen. it reminds me of cotton candy :)

NOTD- blue glitter dust dream manicure

I ordered some false nails recently and I love the look of them. It also means that I can use as much glitter as I want  :) I created this blue glitter dust manicure yesterday and it looks so nice :)
Perfect Friday nails.

I used: false nails, glitter dust, Essence 38 Choose me

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe dupe- Essence Blue Addicted 78

As soon as I seen the Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe swatches I knew that I needed it in my life. Unfortunately the price tag was just too high... I know... I already own 5 Deborah Lippmann nail polishes and I would love to buy more, but my husband wanted to kill me when he found out how much I spend on nail polish :) He is right, the prices are absolutely shocking and I need to rethink some of my purchases, before I buy another ridiculously expensive nail polish.

I asked Ana to get the dupe of Across the Universe from Essence called Blue Addicted for me.
I have seen a few bloggers doing a comparison and the swatches looked exactly the same. The only difference is the price tag! :)
As soon as I opened the package from Ana I started unwrapping all the nail polishes with my little helper Zachary :) I found the gorgeous Blue Addicted and painted my nails right away :) I wanted this nail polish so much!!! If you are not obsessed with nails, you are probably thinking that I am crazy, getting so excited about a bottle of nail varnish :) but I was dreaming about this one for ages and couldn't get it in UK. Now it is finally here and I am extremely happy! :) I need another 10 bottles of it to make sure it never runs out :)

My first beauty swap with Ana.

Hi everyone!

Today was a little bit like Christmas :) I received a package from Ana, full of amazing goodies.

Ana is one of my favourite bloggers and I was very happy when she offered to do a swap with me.

If you would like to check out her blog, here is a link www.withloveana.blogspot.co.uk.

Ana is such a lovely girl and her blog is very addictive!!! She has the most amazing nails :) and great taste for beauty products and fashion. The quality of her photos is simply AMAZING and I also adore the inspiration photos she includes in her posts. You should definitely check it out!

I absolutely love everything Ana got for me and I didn't expect to get so many products! :) 

I think that many British bloggers feel overwhelmed with the amount of products they receive in swaps, simply because UK prices are shocking compared to other countries.

The swap was an amazing experience and I really enjoyed it.  

It is a great way to get products from other countries and meet amazing people, so I would definitely recommend it!

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING ANA! xoxo

all the goodies, including some of my dream nail polishes from Essence :) !!!

Essence colour & go polishes! I can't describe my excitement!!!

more essence, catrice and she

how cute is that? mini Essence lipglosses, the packaging  reminds me of Benefit kits :)

gorgeous hand made headband by mimi

He-Shi Express Liquid Tan and Day To Day Gradual Tan review +before and after

Today I am reviewing two products from He-Shi: Express liquid Tan and Day To Day Gradual Tan. You already know that I love fake tan. It is the only way to get a tan in Scotland :) Sunbeds are big big NO NO!!! I don't want to get skin cancer or look like a leather couch when I turn 30 :) Fake tan is the only safe way to get a nice healthy glow and make you feel more confident!

I have never tried Liquid Tan before so I was very excited to give the He-Shi goodies a go. I already reviewed the bronzer, so if you want to have a look, here is  the link.

HE-SHI Express Liquid Tan 150ml* £20.00 link

I am very impressed with this tanning solution! I have never used liquid tan before and I just didn't realise how amazing and easy it is. It is literally EXPRESS TAN! One thing you need to remember is EXFOLIATION. It is a very important step, especially when you use liquid tan. Don't ever skip this step if you want your tan to look gorgeous. 

When I received  the package I ran to the bathroom to try the product on my legs and I was very happy with the colour, but I forgot to exfoliate and the tan ended up looking patchy. It was my own fault and I was very annoyed. I exfoliated my full body in the evening with exfoliating gloves and an oil free body scrub, moisturised dry areas of my body with an oil free moisturiser and applied the Liquid Tan with the He-Shi tanning mitt. The application is so easy, the liquid glides onto the skin leaving a gorgeous guide colour with no streaks or ugly patches. You can see the difference in the before and after pictures below. Amazing results in a couple of minutes! The fading process was very 'graceful' and I was using the Day To Day Gradual Tan all week to keep my skin soft ant top up the colour.

Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that as soon as you apply the tan you can put your clothes back on, as it dries instantly. Remember to avoid contact with water for 6-8 hours though. It didn't stain my bedding at night and a little goes a long way so it is worth the £20 price tag. You can also get 300ml (a lot of product) for £30, saving yourself £10.

before and after using He-Shi Express Liquid Tan (it's the guide colour). It is less orange after a shower.

HE-SHI Day to Day gradual tan 200ml* £14.50 link

This gradual tanner is perfect if you have fair complexion or if you want to maintain the Liquid Tan and keep your skin moisturised and silky soft. It absorbs very quickly and smells lovely. By using this product every day I managed to keep a lovely tan for over a week! It is very important to keep moisturising your skin if you use fake tan and a gradual tanner gives the best results.

HE-SHI tanning mitt* £4.50 link

I have tried many tanning mitts before, but this one is simply the best.  It makes the application easy, it doesn't tear and helps to get a nice even finish.

*PR samples

Beauty haul: TK Maxx, Boots and a great magazine freebie

I went to TK Maxx on Monday and I just couldn't resist picking up some goodies (c/o husband)
I got two sets of Stila makeup for £7.99 and £9.99. WHAT A BARGAIN! I will be doing a separate post about it.
I also got two Pixi nail polishes, as set of scented nail polishes and an eyeshadow palette.
From Boots I got Soap & Glory exfoliating gloves and Barry M magnetic nail polish.
The best find was the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish that was a freebie with RED magazine. I wanted to buy more to stock up on this amazing cleanser, but I only got one :)