Getting Your Shimmer On With Madara Flower Dust Shimmer Moisturiser*

Although I'm most definitely not a party girl, when the festive season arrives I normally make an exception and I don't need any excuse to dress up to the nines, and sparkle the night away. In the summer it makes perfect sense to care for our skin because it's going to be on show but come winter time we often forget and it's a mad dash, to primp and preen ourselves in time for that New Years Eve party. Over the last month  or so though, I've been trying out a product from My Pure that promises to make your skin look amazing no matter what the season.

I've tried a few products from award winning, Latvian brand, Madara now and bar a couple of minor quirks I've been pretty impressed; Up until recently though I'd only tried  some of their skincare products, one of their new editions though give me the opportunity to branch out into their body care range

The Madara Flower Dust Lotion Shimmering Moisturiser like all of the products in the Madara range is certified organic, and 100 percent of the ingredients are natural in origin.Their products are also suitable for vegans and they aren't tested on animals. This body lotion contains a host of natural ingredients including sunflower seed oil, cocoa butter, rose hip and algae extracts, and something called titanium dioxide, but more on that later.

This lotion comes boxed and it comes in a pump action airtight bottle. It takes a couple of pumps to prime the bottle but after that the product comes out easily. I found the one pump was more than enough for both arms as a little goes a long way, making this product both hygienic and economical.

Although it's described as a lotion this actually has a lovely, rich and creamy texture, Just dispense a little bit of this lotion into your hand and you can see what makes it so special.

It's crammed full of titanium dioxide, and other natural minerals, this isn't just a normal body lotion, it is in fact a shimmering body lotion. It's not that easy to see in most of these pictures but this lotion leaves a beautiful golden, shimmery glow on the skin.

This isn't a chunky glitter by any means, it's a fine subtle shimmer that is perfect for when you want to show a bit of skin. Apply a little bit to your arms, legs and your collar bones and you're party ready in an instant. It goes without saying that this product would look beautiful on tanned and darker skin tones, but even if you're pale and pasty, this will definitely give your skin a bit of warmth and a healthier appearance.

The shimmery aspect is without a doubt this products biggest selling point, but this isn't just a cosmetic or make up product, this is a serious body lotion, with lots of natural oils and butters to smooth and care for the skin. It takes a little while to absorb but it leaves the skin feeling smooth, soothed, and looking fabulous.

I absolutely love this product and I think it's a real must have for the festive season, it adds a subtle sparkle to the skin, and it adds a good dose of moisture when the skin needs it most. The only tiny drawback could be the the scent ,it has the same distinctive very green fragrance that the Tinting Fluid has - I think that this is probably a love / hate scent, but if this doesn't sound very you, don't worry, in this case it doesn't linger and it definitely won't interfere with your perfume. If you have a party to go to this winter then you need this lotion in your life, even if you're not planning on flashing any flesh, I'm sure a tiny little bit applied to the cheek bones would give you that party feel even if you're just wearing your Christmas jumper. The Madara Flower Dust Lotion Shimmering Moisturiser retails at £19 for 150ml from My Pure. If you have any questions please let me know x  Thanks for reading x

*Sample

Trimming My Stash October 2015 Edition - Empties, Updates And Mini Reviews

A nip and a punch for the first of the month and welcome to November! It's quite a scary thought but there are only about 8 weeks left of 2015 - argh where has this year gone! My life is passing me by Never mind the start of November means that we're one step closer to my favourite holiday - Christmas! 

I'm trying not to get too excited just yet - there is a lot of water under the bridge between now and then, and I'm just trying to focus on the here and now with my imminent oral surgery (sobs) and a few home renovations. It seems as though we've been changing decor and furniture for nearly all of 2015 and it looks as though it's going to continue to the very last moment, so it's going to be a mad dash to get everything tidy and organised ahead of the big day.

I'm trying to focus on a couple of rooms, my bedroom and my office / craft room and just when I think I've made a dent in my beauty stash I find another box of goodies. I'm doing my best to use things up as quickly as possible but sometimes it seems like such a slow process.

Prada Candy Florale Eau De Toilette -30ml
Collection Limited Edition Mardi Gras Lip Balm - 1 Green Apple
Mal All In One Body Wash Cedarwood And Fig - 150ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipe For Combination Skin x 25 Wipes
Imperial Leather Foamburst Luxurious Body Wash - Rebalancing Green Tea & Jasmine - 200ml
Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm - 30g
Decleor Systeme Corps Moisturising Body Milk - 75ml
Madara Multi Action Micellar Water - 100ml
Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover - 150ml
Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara -001 Black - 7ml
Total - 10 Items

That said in October I did manage to finish 10 beauty products, equalling my best monthly performance of the year. I still have a long way to go to get my stash at an even vaguely manageable level but every little helps, and over the last month I've managed to finish a good variety of products.

1. Prada Candy Florale Eau De Toilette - 30ml

When Prada first started making perfumes, I have to say I was disappointed. Fragrance is such a personal thing and up until this one, nothing appealed. Prada Candy Florale is the most recent additions to the popular Prada Candy line, and whilst it has some of the caramel, candy sweetness of the original, it has something else that made it more me -both fresh and floral notes. I'm useless at describing fragrance but I'm lead to believe that the notes that are appealing to me are peonies and limoncello :) My sense of smell is a little awry at the minute so this is smelling a little strange to me but this is easily in my top 3 fragrances now. I love it and since I have a 50ml bottle and a roller ball to use up, so happily this fragrance is going to remain in my collection for quite some time to come.

2. Collection Limited Edition Mardi Gras Lip Balm - 1 - Green Apple

This pocket money friendly lip balm was originally released as a Limited Edition but it's now being integrated into the permanent collection line, all be it though in different packaging. This is a traditional, twist up, stick style lip balm, with an apple, melon, like fruity taste. It's very moisturising, on the lips, and seems to absorb without being too sticky or tacky. This lip balm comes in a few different flavours and it retails at a very budget friendly £1.99.

3. Mal All In One Body Wash Cedarwood And Fig - 150ml

This was a product that I received in a goodie bag quite a while ago now, at the Newcastle Meet Up At The Mal event (read my post here). The body wash is one of the complimentary products that you will find in your bathroom if your lucky enough to stay in a Malmaison hotel. Sometimes the products that you find in hotel bathrooms aren't up to much but this was decent. A little went a long way and it had a pleasant warming woody, fruity aroma. If you stay in a Malmaison hotel make sure that you take this one home with you x

4. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipe For Combination Skin x 25 Wipes

You must be sick to death of seeing pictures of these on my blog but I really do buy them and use them up. As I've said about 100 times now I don't tend to use wipes on my face so these are really just for emergency or lazy person use but I do use them to freshen up my hands and for cleaning up swatches. They have a light tea tree aroma and of course they have the antibacterial properties that tea brings. I buy these pretty much every time I'm in Primark, and for the price, they are a really useful item to have have in your beauty stash. These wipes retail at just £1 for 2 packs so they are definitely worth a try.

5. Imperial Leather Foamburst Luxurious Body Wash - Rebalancing Green Tea & Jasmine - 200ml

This was a produce that I was sent for review purposes and you can read my full review here x I really enjoyed using this, I'm a huge lover of shower foams, as they seem to add a bit of indulgence to the pretty basic showering experience. This one had a lovely fresh, slightly floral scent, and it lasted for ages. There are a few different fragrances to try, so your bound to find something that you like.

6. Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm - 30g

This is something that I'm planning to review in the future for you so I'll try and keep this one brief. This is a melting, balm cleanser, that's packed full of essential oils and good skincare ingredients, add a bit of water to it and it transforms to a creamy milk that dissolves the heaviest make up in an instant, leaving the skin soft and hydrated. I like this but I don't love it, but I have a super size which I'll happily use up, and if it came in a kit I would use it again, It's good but I personally prefer the Emma Hardie Moringa Balm.

7. Decleor Systeme Corps Moisturising Body Milk - 75ml

This wasn't the hugest bottle of body lotion but it was something that I found in one of my long forgotten and ignored beauty piles. From French brand Decelor this is described as a body milk but that makes me think of something runny and watering, this has more of a thick, lotion consistency. It has a nice gentle, neutral fragrance, and it leaves the skin, silky soft and hydrates. This isn't the cheapest of products but a little goes along way and I would definitely consider a repurchase, if I didn't already own the worlds body lotion mountain.

8. Madara Multi Action Micellar Water - 100ml

This product was one of my regular My Pure and it was something I only reviewed a couple of months ago (read my review here). After finishing the bottle the same thing still applies, I'm still not sure about the smell, but it does the job and removes make up, and even eye make up, without drying or stinging. My only issue is the size of the bottle and the price, and that's what puts me off making a repurchase.

9. Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover - 150ml

Get the violins ready, the tissues and the sad music! It's not often that finishing a product makes me sad but this one has. The original Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover was my holy grail eye make up remover. I bought bottle after bottle of it, it removed my eye make up in a couple of swipes, and it didn't sting. The new reformulated version however did sting my eyes like crazy so I bought it once and never again. I've found a couple of replacements but this original product still holds a special place in this beauty lovers heart x  You can read a full review of this here x

10. Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara - 001 Black - 7ml

Yeah a make up item! I know mascaras are normally the quickest thing that we finish but I normally have about 3 on the go at once so it can take a while. This was a pretty decent, drugstore brand mascara, I personally found it a bit fluid, and it did have a tendency to gloop and to travel but it made the lashes look long and pretty decent. As well as being a lengthening mascara this one also contains lash conditioners, and claims to help the lashes to grow longer, unfortunately I didn't see any real difference in the length of my lashes in the the long term but this was still an okay mascara but I probably wouldn't repurchase.

I'm pretty pleased with this little last, I tried really hard and it definitely paid off. Another 10 items will be a hard target to reach in November but I'm going to do the best that I can to up my yearly total. I'm aiming for a few hair products, maybe a skincare item, some shower products, and maybe a make up product or two but who knows - Make sure your following my blog to see how I get on and if you have any questions please leave me a comment x

Madara Multi Action Micellar Water - A Review For My Pure*

Listen to any beauty guru or skincare specialist and they will tell you that there is no point spending money on moisturisers and serums if you aren't cleansing your face properly. I think by now we all know how to do it - warm water, a muslin cloth or a flannel, and a cleanser carefully selected for our skin type , but sometimes, be honest, it can be too much of a chore. I stick to it for about 90% of the time but sometimes, I either don't feel well enough or I'm just too tired to do it properly. In the past I would have just reached for a face wipe but nowadays I'm more likely to use a micellar water.

Ah the micellar water - the perfect invention for make up artists, people in a rush and dare I say it for lazy people like me. Whilst a micellar water can't and probably shouldn't be a replacement for a proper cleansing routine, there are some good ones out there and whether you use them as the first step in your routine, as an eye make up remover or just for emergencies, they can be a useful and versatile addition to your regime.

There are a lot of micellar waters on the market at all price points, and believe it or not for something so simple they can vary an awful lot. I've tried a few and some I've loved, some I've hated and others I've just felt a bit mehh about. I think I've found a one that I really love, but I'm always looking to try something new so for one of August's My Pure reviews I decided to try one from Latvian brand, Madara.

The Madara Multi Action Micellar Water with Hyaluronic Acid is designed to cleanse, balance and hydrate the skin. It's suitable for vegans, it's gluten and nut free and it isn't tested on animals and like the rest of the products in the Madara range it's also certified organic. Suitable for all skin types including the most sensitive. it contains moisturising aloe vera, skin quenching hyaluronic acid, witch hazel, and northern peony extract, which it known for it's calming properties.

It comes packaged in a hard, frosted plastic, 100ml bottle, with a flip top cap. The bottle is quite hard so you need to shake it a little bit to get the product flowing. 

Like most micellar waters it's a clear solution, that resembles water. It's probably a tiny bit denser than water and whilst it doesn't feel oily, it does feel more hydrating then say water on its own. The scent reminds of some of the Living Nature products that I've also tried from My Pure, it's subtle but there is definite herbal hint and you definitely pick up the witch hazel. I'm not fussed on the scent but really it's all about how it performs.

First up some before pictures - basically I'm wearing the same make up that you can see in yesterday's post plus some blush, lipstick, mascara and some cream eyeshadow x 

Before

 

and the afters x  All I've used is the micellar water on some large cotton wool pads and I've just gently wiped the solution over my face and my eyes.

After

and just to prove that was all I did, here are the cotton pads I used to prove it.

Well it certainly took everything off including my mascara and my long wear eyeshadow but how did it feel? Pretty good as it happens, it instantly melted my make up and it took virtually no effort to remove my eye make up, so no rubbing, no pulling and no tugging! Perhaps more importantly though there was no stinging, it literally felt as though I was removing my make up with water. My eyes are notorious for reacting to cleansers and eye make up removers but when I used this product there was no stinging, no burning and no watering. My eyes were fine and so was the rest of my face, my skin isn't that sensitive but it can be sensitised by product but again there was no redness, and no stinging or irritation. The pinkness that you can see in the after picture is just my normal skin colour, in fact I would even say that my skin felt  even better after I'd used this product, there was no dryness or tightness and my skin actually felt hydrated and though it had, been given a drink of water!

I'm so, so impressed with this product - okay I'm not too keen on the smell it did everything it promised and more. The only other drawback bar my personal opinion on the scent is the size of the bottle. It's only 100ml and if you used this product regularly as an eye make up remover or as main cleanser, it wouldn't last very long. That said if you're an occasional user or if you want an all in one product for holidays or for travel then this size would be fine but Madara if you're listening please make a bigger size! The Madara Multi Action Micellar Water with Hyaluronic Acid comes in a 100ml bottle and retails at £12 from My Pure. Have you tried a micellar water before? Let me know your favourites below xx 

*Sample

Madara Brightening AHA Peel Mask - A Review For My Pure*

Although I'm a bit to launch into a bit of a whinge I have to say that by and large I'm pretty happy with my skin. Now that I'm in my mid (cry) 30's my skin seems to be have sorted itself out. It's a bit drier and I no longer get the spots that blighted my teenage years and bar the odd hormonal breakout my skin is pretty clear.

 

I still have quite oily skin though but some people (aka Mummy Lou) see that as a blessing and in some senses I can see why - the fine lines seems to be slower in appearing and as yet I have nothing I could really describe as a proper wrinkle - sometimes though oily skin is a pain. Make up slip slides off my face, and sometimes I think you could probably drive a truck through my pores. Chuck in a bit of redness and a general lack of smoothness and maybe I'm not as happy with my skin as I'd originally thought.

Good skincare can make a difference though  and something that has made a real difference to my skin are products containing AHA's (Alpha Hydroxy Acids), for example glycolic and lactic acids.

More often than not plant derived, these toners, masks, moisturisers and cleansers have really made a difference to both the appearance and texture of my skin.

Always wanting to experiment and try new brands, for one of November's My Pure reviews I decided to try a product that I'd already heard a little bit about the Madara Brightening AHA Peel Mask.

Made in Latvia from 99.9% natural ingredients, this face mask contains a combination of Vitamin C, from the Quince fruit, lactic acid and Elderflower extract.

This product is designed to exfoliate and deep cleanse the skin, and unclog the pores, which will in turn lead to a more even, brighter, and fresher complexion. 

This mask comes boxed, and comes with a instruction leaflet. AHA's and the like, are pretty powerful ingredients, and even through the concentrations that your using here are way less than you would get in a salon peel you still need to read the leaflet thoroughly before you do anything. This mask isn't suitable for anyone with fragile or hypersensitive skin. You also need to use an SPF cream and your need to avoid sunbeds or intensive tanning for at least a week after use. Other that that it is suitable for all skin types, and the instructions tell you the best way to use it and how long to leave it on depending on your own skin.

Packaged in a squeezy tube, the texture from this mask wasn't quite what I expected. With a pleasant herbal smell, it's an opaque, white in colour, and has almost a cream, gel, serum type feel to. It's quite liquidy and it doesn't feel sticky or like any other mask that I've ever tried. 

Since I have an oily / combination skin the instructions advise that I use the mask twice a week, and leave it one for about 10 minutes at a time. It's easy enough to apply but I have to say I'm still not sure how much to apply, so I just applied enough to create a thin layer across my entire face and neck avoiding the eye area.The mask feels quite cooling and a little bit tingly when its first applied but it does seem to warm up as time progresses. Time for scary mask pictures!

I know, it's nearly Christmas not Halloween but I hope this gives you an idea of what it looks like on the skin. You can't see much much but you can start to see and feel a tightness. After my ten minutes are  up it does start to feel drier on the skin and it does seem to have set slightly. I don't think it matters whether it dries or not because if you have a different skin type your potentially leaving it for less time than I did. It is possible to almost roll it off, but you need to wash it off properly with warm water.

I'm not going to lie this mask does my skin looking quite pink (more than it looks here) and feeling a bit tingly after application but this is what it's supposed to do. You're removing all of that dead, dull skin to reveal the fresh, bright new skin underneath. That's probably why they recommend that you use this mask at night to give your skin a chance to go back to normal. 

I did get a few breakouts after my first couple of uses and whilst I am now feeling the tingle a bit more now than I did at first,  I do think that this has made a difference. I've only been using it for about 3 and half weeks now but already I can see a difference - my skin looks fresher, and brighter, and it's also starting to look a lot clearer. My expected hormonal breakout was almost none existent, and my skin feels a lot smoother particularly on my notoriously bumpy forehead. I usually like to try out skincare products for at least 4-6 weeks but all I can say is so far, so good. I know my skin responds to acids and glycolics so I'm definitely going to continue with this one till at least the bottom of the tube. 

I know people are often a little bit scared of AHA's  but if your looking to give dull, tired, mehhh skin a boost then this mask could be one to try. My Pure offer two sizes of this mask, the 60ml tube that you can see here, which retails at £20, and a more purse friendly 12.5ml size, which would be an ideal way to try this product, and retails at £5.50.

(*Sample)

Madara Moon Flower Rose Beige Tinting Fluid - A Review For My Pure*

I love the summer don't get me wrong but the heat doesn't half play havoc with your make up. Like a lot of people in the summer I switch up my make up routine. Instead of heavier, full coverage foundation I switch to mineral powders, BB creams and tinted moisturisers. I'm always on the look out for new tinted moisturisers and BB creams so for one of this months My Pure reviews I went for a tinted moisturiser, the Madara Moon Flower Rose Beige Tinting Fluid.

One the most interesting aspects of My Pure as a website is the wide range of brands that they sell. Whilst I was familiar with a lot of the brands on the site some of them are brand new to me including Madara. Madara are an organic skincare brand who rely heavily on plant ingredients and ingredients in particular from Northern Europe and the area surrounding the Baltic Sea.

Madara Moon Flower Rose Beige Tinting Fluid, is designed to tint, illuminate,and even out the skin tone, leaving the skin fresh and radiant.

It contains a wide variety of ecologlocial, and organically sound ingredients, including rose flower water, rose hip extract, chamomile and calendula flowers,  and plantain extract.

The product comes boxed, and comes in an airtight, 50ml pump action dispenser, which makes it easy to control just how much product you use.

Rose Beige as the name would suggest is a flesh toned, pink shade, perfect for my skin tone. It has a fluid yet creamy texture, and it blends into the skin easily without any obvious streaks or demarcation lines

It feels very moisturising on the skin, but at the same time it feels quite light. It dries down to give quite a matte finish making it ideal for all skin types including my current oil slick like complexion. It isn't a flat matte finish though by any mean, it seems to give the skin an almost radiant and healthy glow

The coverage isn't the heaviest so this products is definitely for good skin days, or days when you just don't want to wear much make up. My skin hasn't been the best lately so I've been using it alongside a tiny bit of concealer and setting it with powder just to try and counteract some of the redness, and some of the heat induced shine. These before and afters aren't the best to be honest but I hope they give some idea of the texture, the radiance and the coverage x Just a heads up, in real life and real lighting my neck and ears don't look as though they are a different colour - stupid lighting ;)

Before

After 

I have to say I've really enjoyed using this, and it's probably had one of the sternest tests it could have with the high temperatures and humidity. Although it is not the most full coverage product I've ever used, it's provided just enough coverage, without feeling overtly heavy or sticky and it's also provided a decent amount of moisture to my skin. I also found that it lasted pretty well, all be it with a bit of powder on the top.Mummy Lou also tried this and she also liked the feel of it on her drier, more mature skin, and she also liked how it evened out the redness across her nose and her cheeks.

No product is perfect though and this one does have a couple of drawbacks. The first one, well it's a familiar one for me and it's the smell. It has quite a strong scent, it's a natural, very green scent, that my mum described as a real garden smell, and I described as the smell when you clean out your juicer! It doesn't last very on the skin which is just as well because it is quite overpowering.

The other negative is the price, this isn't a budget product by any means, the Madara Moon Flower Rose Beige Tinting Fluid retails at £23 for 50 ml of product, although it is on offer at the moment for £18.40 from My Pure. It does seem to only come in the one shade but they also offer the Madara Sunflower Golden Beige Tinting Fluid which supposedly gives a more of a summer tan like finish. Do you switch your make up in the summer? Leave me a comment and let me know x I love reading what you have to say x 

(*Sample)