Right, it’s no secret that I love a good cleanser. It’s a bit of an obsession actually and balm cleansers are one of my favourite little luxuries in my routine.
I love the feel of massaging a beautiful balm into my skin and really deep cleansing. Over the last year or two, I have tried a lot of different products (all in the name of research of course…) and I have come across some absolute gems during the course of that time.
Sit back and get comfy, here are my top balm cleansers of the moment!
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock recently, you’ll have seen that Belfast has a brand spanking new restaurant in the heart of Cathedral Quarter, Six By Nico.
The restaurant is the brainchild of talented Scottish-Italian chef, Nico Simeone and is the third restaurant to open its doors in the already hugely successful chain (there’s also one in Glasgow and another in Edinburgh).
The concept is simple yet genius. Every 6 weeks, Six By Nico serves a brand new, 6 course tasting menu, each themed differently. From Tuesday 5th March to Sunday 14th April, the tasting menu in Belfast is “The Chippie”.
We were very fortunate to be invited down last week to try the menu for ourselves by the wonderful PR team and were hosted by the gorgeous Cathy Martin and I couldn’t have been quicker to accept the very generous invitation.
Lately I’ve been trying really hard to understand more in relation to the ingredients I’m using on my skin and the science behind skincare. I’m by no means an expert, but I have picked up some knowledge along the way and I thought it might be nice to have a series that focuses on key skincare ingredients that helps explain the benefits and advantages of incorporating a particular ingredient into your routine.
To kick things off, the first ingredient that I want to focus on is rosehip oil which has a tonne of skincare benefits and is actually not that expensive to pick up!
A little while back, I was fortunate enough to be given the chance to try out a new Australian Skincare brand, RosehipPlus and after trialling the brand, I thought it would be a really good fit for this series.
So firstly, what are the benefits of rosehip oil in terms of skincare?
I’m going to be honest, when I opened this press package I screamed. And then I nearly cried. Too Faced have long been one of my absolute favourite makeup brands and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, Erika Jayne, is one of my favourite people to watch on reality TV – she just keeps it real and she’s a total geg (Northern Ireland speak for hilarious). So when several products from the hotly anticipated collaboration made its way to me, I was absolutely chuffed.
This collection has been widely anticipated, two years in the making to be exact, so if you want to look like Erika, now’s your chance. As expected, the product names are risqué in line with former Too Faced launches and Erika’s personality. The packaging is also bright, fun and bold which fits in perfectly with the Too Faced brand as a whole – their packaging has always been one of my favourites.
The full collection features an eyeshadow palette, kissable body shimmer, highlighter, two lip kits and a tinted version of Too Faced’s iconic Lip Injection Lip Plumper. I was fortunate enough to have been sent the majority of the collection (seriously, somebody pinch me) and after a couple weeks playing with the products, I’m ready to give you the low down!
Hello lovelies! I’ve been trying to streamline the amount that I carry around with me in my bag because (a) my bag gets bloody heavy and (b) I can’t find anything when I need it which kind of defeats the whole purpose of carrying it with you anyway.
However, there are certain staple products that I really can’t do without. These are products that you’re likely to find on me anytime you see me. So what are they?
Vitamin C is one of those hero ingredients that should be incorporated into every skincare routine if you ask my humble opinion. It helps boost the skin’s collagen and brighten dark spots whilst fighting free radicals and pollutants to name a few the benefits.
My skin reacts really well to vitamin C products so I was super excited when the opportunity arose via online K Beauty retailer Koja Beauty, to try, By Wishtrend’s Pure Vitamin C 21.5% Advanced Serum* I jumped at the chance!
By Wishtrend is a cruelty free Korean skincare brand that has created a line of products purely in response to their customer needs and I was really keen to explore the brand. I mean, it’s no secret that I love K Beauty brands!
So what did I think of the serum?
Organic beauty and wellbeing brand, Inner Senses recently added some new facial oils to their line including this Reset Facial Elixir* which is targeted at stressed, unbalanced and lacklustre skin.
I had not tried anything from the brand before and after a little research I was pleasantly surprised to find how established the brand is with over 20 years experience.
I have tested this product for a few months in my routine and i’m ready to share my thoughts!
