REVIEW // Kiehls Ultra Light Daily UV Defense

Prior to purchasing the Kiehls Ultra Light Daily UV Defense, I had gone into Space NK and eyed it up around 8 - 10 times, each time I went in with the intention of buying it but ended up walking out with something else. I don't know what it was, it was just the fact that it was £31 and my skin can be very funny with SPF, it's quite sensitive and for a while was allergic to most sun screens, thankfully it has calmed down a little but can still react so the thought of spending £31 and having a skin reaction (it's not pretty, think red, blotchy, sore skin) just didn't quite appeal but one sunny, slightly hungover day, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase this and I'm so pleased I did, I have had zero reaction to this and while I can't quantify the results of this obviously, it's nice to know that I have factor 50 on every day, I'm a big advocate of SPF and protecting you skin from the sun so I slather it on if any part of me is exposed to the elements even during the winter.  The damage that can happen to unprotected skin, I just don't think it's worth the risk personally. So, back to this product, this spreads very easily so I find that a really small amount (in between a 5p and 10p size) can cover your whole face and neck which also means that I think this tube will last quite a while, thankfully. It contains both Mexoryl SX and Mexoryl Xl to help protect against both UVA & UVB rays which is an added bonus. It's down as a moisturiser but I find this isn't rich enough for my dry skin so I tend to pair it with my regular moisturiser but if you have an oilier skin type, this could work as your regular moisturiser. 

All in all, I really love this and I'm glad I decided to purchase in the end. There's nothing fancy, packaging is standard black and white Kiehls and there's no scent but it's just one of those products that I want to work into my routine so I know my face is always prtoected if you know what I mean, it's a little gem especially during the summer months! I'm sure there are cheaper products that do a similar job but I like the fact this works well with my skin and offers that bit of extra moisture too!

You can pick this up here for £31.

Have you used this? What do you think of this? 

Soph x





REVIEW // Mr Nutcase Custom Phone Case

So, a little bit of a random post for you today but I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Mr Nutcase to see if I wanted to review one of there custom phone cases, the idea is that you create the case you want online, they create and print the case and ship it out to you, Very simple and you get a customised case that will be a one off. There are lots of different ways to create the case, so multiple layouts that you can slot different pictures into until get the perfect case you want. I went super simple and got a case designed using one of my favourite illustrations, you can see in the picture below. I was going to do an 8 block layout and have some pictures from my Facebook page on there but decided with this case instead and I do love it but I might actually order a case with some of my personal pictures on it this week. The whole process was very easy and I'm really pleased with the end result, the one thing I will say is that I went for the Ultra Lightweight Slimline case which is very lightweight and won't offer a huge amount of protection to the phone but I hate bulky cases so I'm happy with this but if you want something with a little more ooomph, then it might be worth selecting one of the other options. Shipping wise, this was very quick, I created my order on the Monday morning, it was shipped on the Tuesday and delivered on the Wednesday, you can't really beat that. 


They also have an app which you can find on the App Store if you want to have a play around and come up with a design. 



I've also been given a 10% discount code for you guys to use if you do want to get a new case - the code is Thanku10 and can be used here.



Let me know if you like this?



Soph x




HAUL // Home feat. BHS, Cotswold Trading & more....

Another random little haul featuring some home bits and pieces that I've picked up over the past few weeks.

Enjoy! 

Soph xx


Tiger Feather Timbergram - £17.95


I actually paid a little more for this than the link above, I think around the £20 mark but I absolutely love this, it's in situ on my desk and makes me smile when I start work each morning. This is around A3 size I think.


Big Love Bear Timbergram - £3.50

This is a postcard sized version but same concept as above, design printed onto timber, I really love these and having had a look at the website, there are so many options. 




BHS - £2.40

Very random and unnecessary but I like this little sign a lot.


                                             

Charity Shop - £3

I actually picked this up in a charity shop for £3 and really love it, I have a bit of a thing for old tins, and despite growing up in Ireland and counting myself Irish, I love a bit of royal family memorobilia as well. This is an old writing set and still has everything inside.




This was a bit of a hungover purchase, I think I was obviously craving comfort but I spotted this bedspread in BHS for £45 down from £90 and fell in love with it, I really like the print, it's very Cath Kidston-esque but about a 1/3 of the price, I actually don't mind spending money on Cath Kidston, I have a lot of their bedding and think it stands up quality wise but I haven't found one of their bed spreads that I fell in love with yet so I think this will be a good stand in until I do.


BHS - £10

Same print as above, I actually picked up 2 of these, I can't find it online but you should be able to find it in store if you like it. These were down from £30 to £10.



NOTD // Models Own - Sun Hat

A super quick post for you today to talk about Models Own Sun Hat polish, I haven't actually seen this one before but I think it's part of the Polish for Tans collection that aim to enhance a tan. I was instantly drawn to it as soon as I saw it in the shop, it's very neon but it's also a real candy pink, if I was to think of a barbie nail polish, this is exactly it. I have had so many compliments since wearing this and it's been amazing for this heat wave that we've had (although looking out of my window now, I think I might have to say bye to the sun for a little bit). A few negatives, It's a little streaky at times but this can be counteracted by using 3 coats and letting them dry properly in between each coat, another is that I find it can be a little clumpy so you really need to give the bottle a good shake before using. Neither of these issues would put me off though and I'm already trying to hunt down a back up.

Obsessed.

What do you think of this polish? 

Soph x


P.S Please excuse the cuticles, I'm in Nail rehab at the minute....




REVIEW // Bioderma Micellar Water

I'm really surprised I haven't blogged about Bioderma before, it's old hat in the beauty blogging world and pretty much a cult product these days. I've been using this on and off for the past year to year and a half now, before this I was a total Avene Micellar convert which I still really love but I feel the Bioderma is a little better at completely removing makeup - this used to be pretty much my only step in cleansing but since I've gotten my unhealthy addiction to skincare and cleansers (healthy for my skin, unhealthy for my bank balance) I tend to use the Bioderma for removing my eye makeup pre-cleanse or if I'm being particularly lazy and can't be bothered to actually go and use a cleanser. 

So, a Micellar water for those that don't know is essentially tiny particles of oil suspended in a water which break down and remove makeup quickly and gently and a lot more effectively than a typical water based maekup remover. I have skin that leans toward being quite sensitive and dry but can also be prone to the odd hormonal breakout so I go for the Bioderma with the red packaging (Sensibio) which is aimed at sensitive skin but they also have micellar waters with green packaging (Sebium) for oily skin and blue packaging (Hydrabio) which is for Dehydrated and sensitive skin so they have a range to suit most skin types. I've tried several Micellars now, Avene, L'Oreal, Garnier and a few random ones I picked up in Spain but is the one that suits my skin best and leaves my skin feeling the cleanest.

It's a lot easier to get your hands on this these days as opposed to a year ago when it wasn't available in the UK but now you can pick it up online very easily - It's not the cheapest Micellar water you can get but I definitely think it's worth spending a little more to get this one if you can. You can pick it up here.

What's your favourite cleanser?

Soph x


HAUL // Americana

So, my lovely sister went to the US for a couple of weeks last month and while she was there, I decided to take full advantage and put in a little order of some bits I wanted her to pick up for me while she was over there so I thought i'd put together a little haul for you guys to see what I got...

Hope you like, 

Soph x


First up for me, without a doubt, is anything peanut butter flavoured, I'm obsessed, so the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Chips Ahoy were a must along with the Snickers Peanut Butter squared, little square snickers with peanut butter flavoured nougat - yes, please! 


Second up is a selection of Lipton teas for making Iced tea during the summer, I'm a bit of a tea addict!


As above, I'm a bit of a peanut butter whore so more Reeses were on the cards!



Next up is the Skin Bender kit from Sephora, which has a variety of travel size goodies to try at a fraction of the price, it includes the Josie Maran Argan Oil, First Aid Beauty, Origins, L'Occitane. I'm excited to test these out! 


I've heard a lot about the Ole Henriksen face wipes and as I'm about to head away for a week I figured it would be a good chance to test these out and I they work out a lot cheaper if you buy these in the US.


Hands down, the L'Oreal Voluminous is my favourite mascara, you can get these here but they're half the price in America.


The GlamGlow mask is another hyped about product that I've been desperate to try, this again is a fraction of the price over there so I asked her to pick up the mini size to try out.


As an ex smoker, I'm always on the look out for products to try and whiten my teeth a little, I love the idea of these white strips so again, excited to try these out, will post up a review shortly once I've given them a whirl.


The L'Oreal Color Riche Balm isn't something I've heard much about but when I saw this on the Walmart site, I knew I wanted to test it out - it gives a sheer super moisturising was of color to the lips and smells like vanilla heaven. We don't have these here for some reason and I can't find anything to suggest that we will be getting them but I have seen them advertised on eBay here if you want to test them out.


I am a little obsessed with the Estee Lauder Turbolash Mascara, it's a strange concept, the wand vibrates as you apply but it really works and gives me a false lash effect in seconds. It is however crazy expensive but I do think it's something I'd keep repurchasing because it makes eyes look amazing!


Finally, as I mentioned before I love any Balm/Sheer lipstick type product and I've wanted to try the Dior Lip Glow for quite a while, it changes colour depending on the PH of your lips so you will get a unique colour that suits you! 

TOP 5 // Hair Products

So, it's been a little while since I last posted a Top 5 list but here's the next in the series, I have blonde hair that I do bleach but I keep it in quite good condition so although I a little from dryness at the ends, It generally looks quite healthy, I have a good hairdresser and a good routine to thank for that because bleached hair is notoriously difficult to maintain and mine was in a terrible state a few years back before I decided to make it a mission to get healthy hair. I do wash my hair daily because I find my hair is easiest to style on the first day of washing it and because it's shoulder length, it isn't an arduous task to dry and style it. Usual rambling is now over, onto the top 5: 



  • Bumble & Bumble Gentle Shampoo & Super Rich Conditioner // £18£20
These two products were my first foray into Bumble & Bumble and I am now completely addicted to the brand, the shampoo is really cleansing without being stripping at all, my hair just feels very clean after using it, the Super Rich conditioner is super rich and perhaps slightly rich for my hair but if you suffer from dry or very dry hair this would be perfect for you. As I wash my hair every day anyway, this is OK for me but I think it could be quite heavy and grease inducing if you have normal/greasy hair. My hair feels so silky soft after using these two as a combination and people have been commenting about how healthy my hair looks since I've started using this. It's just a really lovely combo.

  • Phyto Phytoneutre Clarifying Detox Shampoo // £10.16
I have spoken about this before in this post and was sent this to review by Farmaline but I love this so much that I've already re-purchased a back up, I use this once or twice a week to remove all the build up of product in my hair and to give it a real deep clean. It's the only clarifying shampoo I've tried so far that leaves my hair super clean but without stripping it and leaving it a dry, tangly mess. It smells amazing too, it has eucalyptus in it which smells so good when you put it on. The scent doesn't stay in your hair though so whatever conditioner you follow up with, will stay put.

  • Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray // £25
Not so much a winter favourite but an all year round favourite, although I do tend to use a hairdryer more in Winter. This stuff is AMAZING, I have a post coming up soon with a full review on this but it's like your hair on acid, a couple of sprays of this before drying your hair and you have long lasting volume, i'm not overly keen on the smell myself but I've read lots of reviews where people love the scent. I also think that the price point considering it's Oribe is actually very good considering how well this works.

  • Tresemme Texture Style Divine Definition Spray // £5.50
I have the Bumble & Bumble Thickening Dry Spun Finish  which would have been in place of this but I found the Tresemme Texture Style Divine Definition Spray and it's incredibly similar, I prefer the smell and packaging of the Bumble & Bumble but this still smells good too! It adds a bit of extra grit and volume to my hair, and just makes it look a little less "done" if you know what I mean.

This probably isn't going to appeal to you non blondes but this is my all time favourite Purple shampoo, I've tried so many now and I find that this one is the best on price and knocking out any brassy, yellow tones in my hair. I tend to use it once a week after colouring my hair, building up to maybe twice a week when I'm getting close to needing my roots doing again and it just brightens and gives my hair that ashy tone rather than the harsh yellow tone that bleached blonde hair can get. I've put a link to FeelUnique to buy this but you can get it in Sallys as well where they normally do a special price for 2 bottles. If you're in the market for violet toned shampoo, I'd really recommend this one. My giant sized one was picked up in TK Maxx for £11 so if you want this, check out there first.






BUY // Sarah Chapman Skinesis Set

I wanted to share my most recent purchase with you today and to give you a heads up on it in case it's something you are interested in because I don't think it's going to be around for long. I bought this Sarah Chapman set from QVC online around 2-3 days ago, the items included are:




  • Skinesis Ultimate Cleanse 
  • Intense Hydrating Booster
  • 3D Moisture Infusion Sheet Mask
  • Overnight Facial Oil
  • Facialift Tool
  • 2 Professional Cleansing Mitts
  • Waterproof travel bag


  • I've been pining after the Skinesis Overnight Facial oil for months and when I saw this set, I decided to bite the bullet and go for it. This was actually on special offer for £72 which is pretty damn good considering the oil on it's own is around the £45 mark and when I saw it I just couldn't not get it, I'd had a bad day and this felt like the perfect way to cheer myself up. It has now gone up in price to £96, it was one of the Special Value deals on Wednesday, but I think is still really good value for money, particularly if you were already after one or two of the items. All the products are full size and have a total value of around £179 (this isn't including the Skinesis Sheet Mask or the travel bag - I can't find prices for these.) I'll do reviews in due course once I've had a chance to try them out properly but I wanted to share this with you now in case you wanted to get it too.


    I haven't tried any of these yet, but I literally can't wait to, my plan for this evening is to have a glass of wine and have a bit of a pamper evening, I know, I know, I am pretty ROCK & ROLL...

    You can still get this set from QVC for £96 here.

    What do you think of this? 

    Soph x