skincare – Page 18

The Body Shop Vitamin E range

Hey loves, taking a break from hair updates and going to skincare products.

A good place to start will be the Body Shop Vitamin E range. Vitamin E has many uses including boosting collagen production and supporting new skin cell growth. It also helps scar healing and prevention and helps to lighten dark spots. It is also has excellent moisture properties and protection against free radicals.

The body shop vitamin E range is very affordable and has an extensive amount of products for most skin types. Although I don’t own a lot of body shop products (infact just one from this range and a primer sample lol), I have another vitamin E skin care products I really love.

The full collection is

Vitamin E moisture cream
Vitamin E overnight serum in oil
Vitamin E moisture lotion
Vitamin E eye cream
Vitamin E cool BB cream
Vitamin E face mist
Vitamin E gentle facial cleansing wipes
Vitamin E lip care with spf15
Vitamin E sink in moisture mask
Vitamin E aqua boost sorbet
Vitamin E eyes cube
Vitamin E night cream
Vitamin E cream cleanser
Vitamin E hydrating toner
Vitamin e cream exfoliator
Vitamin E gentle facial wash
Vitamin E illuminating moisture cream
Vitamin E intense moisture cream
Vitamin E moisture serum

That’s 19 products to cleanse, tone and moisturise for any skin type! I have the facial mist and I really love it. I use this to set my makeup for a semi- dewy glow but also on a bare face when I want extra moisture. I really want to try more of the products in this range ( Am I thinking of a shopping trip soon? Lool)

I have been able to find some videos on what people are saying about some of the products, check them out below:

What do you think? Remember for skin care products (hair products too), the entire collection has been created to work together so you will probably get the best results from using products from this range combined together e.g. you could start with one of their cleansers, then toner and finish with one of their moisturisers. They have body care products as well in this range if you wanted to buy some vitamin E stuff for your body.

If you love shopping online, I have a link for you to earn up to 11.55% cashback on all purchases on the body shop website! Sign up for Top Cashback and shop through the site to earn this amazing deal PLUS they have any online store you can earn from (ASOS, BOOHOO, NARS, and many more)

http://www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/sarahfynn

That’s all folks. Next we will be looking at their vitamin C range.

Until then

Love

Sarah

Sukin Press Breakfast

Hey guys, I was invited to the press breakfast event of Sukin, Australia’s number natural skin care brand! I will tell guys about the event and let you know where you can purchase some of their products. If you have been searching for natural skin care that is very affordable look no further! For all natural skin care products, I was very surprised about the price point but anyway I will tell you all about that below!

The event was at Whole Foods (One of the stockists) at Piccadilly Circus (Yes, I was around the area the day before for the Curly hair event. Actually the Grace bar is on the parallel street lol). All the collections were on display as well as some testers. They have a few collections, so let’s go through them:

Super Greens collection, I think this is not available in the UK yet, it will be available in October or November. This collection is enriched with Kale, Spirulina, Chlorella and Parsley, Aloe Vera, Sesame Seed Oil, Rose Hip Oil, Avocado Oil, Cocoa & Shea Butter among other great ingredients. Products in this collection are

Super greens Nutrient rich facial moisturizer
Super greens facial recovery serum
Super greens detoxifying facial scrub
Super greens detoxifying clay masque

Sensitive collection, perfect for sensitive skin or skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis etc. Formulated with Shea Butter, Aloe Vera, Rose Hip Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil. Full products in this collection are:

Sensitive Facial moisturizer
Sensitive cleansing gel
Sensitive cleansing lotion
Sensitive calming night cream
Sensitive soap free body wash
Sensitive soothing body lotion

Rose hip oil collection., formulated of course with rose hip oil. Products in this range

Certified organic rose hip oil
Rose hip hydrating day cream

Classic collection, formulated with Aloe Vera, Sesame Seed Oil, Rose Hip Oil, Avocado Oil, Wheat Germ. Full collection list

Facial moisturizer
Antioxidant eye serum
Moisture restoring night cream
Nourishing lip treatment
Cream cleanser
Micellar cleansing water (I need to try this!)
Foaming facial cleanser
Hydrating mist toner
Revitalizing facial scrub
Purifying facial masque

Purely ageless collection, formulated with argan oil, acai and goji berry extract. Collection includes

Purely ageless hydration booster
Purely ageless intensive firming serum
Purely ageless replenishing night cream

That’s an extensive list! And this is just their skincare range.

They also have a body care range. Their new lime and coconut range smells amazing! Some products in this range

Aloe vera gel
Natural deodorant
Body wash

DSCF2670 — lime and coconut smells so good!

They also do a hair care range and body care range. For the full product list for this range, please visit their website, I will provide links at the end.

At the event, each of the collections was explained to me. I also got to test out some of the products; at the end I had no space on my hands for more lol. They also gave out free hand massages with their hand and nail cream on the day (nice way to start your morning). They had breakfast smoothie shots and pots inspired by the range too (Which I thought so cool lol).

I learnt so much on the day form talking an interacting with people. At the end we were given goodies bags and mine contained.

Rosehip day cream, their best seller body lotion and face moisturiser from thier classic collection and a very cool looking usb stick — Rosehip day cream, their best seller
Body lotion and face moisturiser from their classic collection and a very cool looking usb stick

Here in the UK you can purchase Sukin from Whole foods, Ocado, Holland and Barrett, as nature intended to name a few (The ones I remember off top my head). You can also get them online from feelunique.com. For the full stockist list, check out their website > http://www.sukinorganics.com/store-listing.asp?co=1069

For more information on any of the products and full ingredient list, visit their official website> http://www.sukinorganics.com/

The price range is fantastic, many of their products under £10! I think a lot of people including myself want to try natural products however the price point is not budget friendly. This is really good and I can afford this too, they have trial sizes if you would like to try them before investing in a full sized product.

That’s all folks; let me know if you give this a try. Australia’s number 1 skin care brand is now available in their UK! If it’s great for the land down under it will be great here too! Let me know your thoughts, I’m off to buy that micellar water! I will bring you reviews on the products I received,

With love

Sarah

The Re-Discovery: African Black Soap

I love how we are re-discovering certain things the older generations used to use back in the day. While the use of natural products for skin and hair e.g. shea butter maybe new to us and we are only now discovering its benefits, the older generation are well versed in this area. I remember growing up in Ghana and the older ladies talking about how they use nkuto (shea butter) for everything: cracked heels, chapped lips, burns, relationship issues (lool) etc. I remember sitting there thinking why would anyone ever use that when you have *insert fancy brand product here* available to use. Fast forward 20 years later, and I can’t live without my shea butter mix. Infact the number of ladies who are now using shea butter as some form of cosmetic solution whether hair or skin have doubled in the last years. The number of stores/entrepreneurs who now stock and sell African shea butter have increased too.

Myself and other beautiful people out there are also re-discovering the great benefits of shea butter among other natural product and have now fully incorporated them in our hair/skin regimes. In this post, we will discover or should I say re-discover the great properties of African black soap, because I feel by now everyone and their sister’s best friend’s ex-boyfriend’s side chick knows about shea butter and its uses LOL. So I want to talk about the amazing benefits of African black soap and why you should think about incorporating in your regime.

20150729_185441 — Black soap from SheaButter Cottage!

African black soap aka alata samina is not new to me. My aunties back in Ghana used to use this religiously and now I do too. But why now? What’s so special about it? Let’s find out. Black soap is made from plantain skin, cocoa pod powder, honey, and Shea butter and/or virgin coconut oil. There are a lot of variations however each country/ tribe has its own secret recipe. Each ingredient has been carefully selected for its skin nourishing properties, let’s take a look at some of them individually:

Plantain skin- this is very rich in iron and vitamins A and E. Vitamin E is known for healing and helping to improve the skin’s texture and tone whilst vitamin A boots collagen production to help firm the skin. Plantain leaves contain allantoin which help stimulate new skin cells

Cocoa powder- softens skin. Rich in antioxidants that help protect against free radicals.

We all know shea butter, honey and coconut oil are known for their great moisturising properties.

Black soap also contains palm kernel oil which has anti-bacterial properties and palm oil- very useful in the treatment of acne and eczema

Great ingredients = great results. This is literally the only soap I use now for my skin. Since I started using black soap, I literally have no need for my face washes and masks but the product junkie in me still uses them, sparingly anyway LOL.. I have a lot of dark spots from acne/ chicken pox and a very active childhood lol which really bother me and hyperpigmentation. Using black soap has greatly improved my skin! My skin tone/complexion looks much better (I should add I drink water a lot too). I didn’t even notice this until I had a photoshoot for my friend and she sent me the pictures and I could not stop looking at my skin, I was glowing lool. This was way back in May and I had been using black soap for a month or two previously and using shea butter as my skin moisturiser but took a break, so imagine what I did next? Lool I went back to using black soap and shea butter lol and you should see me now lool. My skin tone has greatly improved and the dark marks are fading.

My pores yes PORES have dramatically reduced to almost disappeared! Like literally, of course I still have them but about 90% reduced. When I use minimal makeup, so let’s say just powder and concealer and I’m feeling real lazy, I use black soap to wash my face and it removes my makeup. Breakouts are less often too. I swear by this and it’s literally the only thing I use now. I am on a quest of just using natural products so my body moisturiser is now just a mix of shea butter, coconut oil and grapeseed oil. I have some lovely pure cocoa butter waiting for me too lol.

African black soap is an all-round great product that can be useful from head to toe. It’s a powerful cleanser yet very mild and gentle enough to be used on sensitive skin and even new born babies. Now let’s talk the suds of the soap! If you love your bubbles you will love this lol, it creates lots of dark brown suds (Yes dark brown) with little product. A lot goes a long way. You can get it in both solid and liquid form but I always just make liquid form myself. This is so easy: just grate some soap and add some hot water, the more or less water you use will determine how soapy it is. I add lemon juice as it naturally helps to fade dark spots.

Verdict: as people are becoming more health conscious, they are looking for more natural and cost effective products. African black soap is very cost effective too and will last very long. I usually get mine straight from the motherland Ghana. You know when your relatives or friends are going to Ghana and you give them a list of things to bring you lol, mine is always the same: shea butter, black soap, pebbles (Ghanaian version of M and M’s) and chocomilo (Chocolate cubes) and kingsbite chocolate lol (So if you’re going to Ghana soon or you’re in Ghana and coming back or you’re in Ghana and you feel like sending me stuff looool).

Here in the UK you can get some from the BSS, I can’t comment on its authenticity but I recommend you get it from either:

Shea butter cottage- I recently purchased some from there. She also has a variety of black soaps with different recipes. Link to the website> http://www.sheabuttercottage.com/NATURAL-SOAP/

You can also get some from Mon Shea shea butter >> http://monsheabutter.co.uk/products . I am currently using their shea oil and shea soap and I love it! You can check out the full review here >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-AM

That’s all folks. Have you heard of black soap and what are your thoughts on it? If you already use it, how is that going for you? Hate it or love it?

P.S – you can also use it in or hair. If you want to try it in your hair but you’re not fully convinced, Shea moisture has a line with African black soap you can try. And been that I am very lovely lol, I have a post with the full collection and reviews AND where you can purchase in the UK. You can view it here>> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-Bs

I have event covers coming up next! Stay tuned

Until next time

Love

Sarah

Montagne Jeunesse Face Mask

Hey beaus

So carrying on from my current skincare favs, this post will about the Montagne runny honey mask I told y’all I was eager to try. I finally did and I’m going to tell you all about it! Warning: graphic pictures lol. I tried the manuka honey and vanilla flavour? Scent? Version? I don’t know lol but that’s the one I used. And it worked! I was a bit sceptical on how peel off masks work and if they actually form a film you can peel off. But it worked lol. This smells so good too. I was a expecting a white thick cream consistency but boy was I wrong. It actually looked and smelt like honey! (Duuh Sarah lol) try to not eat it haha

20150719_122931 — lool, i look like an alien. sleep derivation smh. see how i store my earring using cardboard and a hanger? DIY projects coming soon!

20150719_123514 — can you see the peelation taking place!!!! I’m a believer!! LOL

So it worked. And I got to peel off my face lol. I don’t actually know if I benefited from it though as in softness, glow etc but I guess a second application will do the trick.

That’s all folks lol. Now I am a firm believer in peel off masks at least this one from this brand. If you are a sceptic like me and you really want to give peel off masks a go, try this one it won’t let you down. You can get them from Superdrug, Boots, Primark and some supermarkets I think

Until next time
Love
Sarah

CURRENT SKINCARE PRODUCTS

Hey peeps! Let’s take several steps back from hair care for now, I promise we will get back to it soon! Let’s talk skincare: for those of us that were blessed with other things other than acne/hyperpigmentation/scarring free skin lol, we have to work extra hard in order to keep our skin in tip top condition. But we don’t mind right? Because everyone is beautiful, acne or not and we ae product junkies so it’s cool lol.

So I’m here to share my current and very simple skincare products. I don’t use much because I try to not put too much harsh chemicals on my face (so as not aggravate it lol) and to just let it breathe and do its thang lol. Two of the products I use I could not get a picture of because I need a refill lol.

Let’s get started

So the number one and most important product ever for the skin is water! Drink as much water as possible and reduce your intake of juice/soda etc. I was very sceptical of this but I did a mini experiment to find out if it works or not. Basically when I started taking hairfinity, I knew I had to up my water intake because I found a lot of people were breaking out from it if they didn’t drink enough water. So for 3 months I cut down on any drink that wasn’t water lol and drank 2 litres of water a day! Lol. I mean once in a while I drank juice etc but I always compensated by drinking double the amount of water of whatever I drank LOOOL. Anyway after 6 weeks or so I really began to see a difference in my skin and less to no breakouts! So I really do recommend drinking water and a lot of it. Invest in a 1litre bottle for starters, there are plenty of cute bottles you could get if that’s your main problem 😉

Let’s get to the picture, starting from left to right

The body shop vitamin E face mist, I love this for setting my makeup and for adding moisture. I use it alone on days where I am rushing to work and I know I didn’t moisture my face properly. Quick spritz and I know my face will not be dry. It sort of leaves a dewy finish (if you like that) and smells nice (don’t worry the smell doesn’t linger.) It does a great job of setting makeup and is a great alternative to Mac Fix plus. You can purchase this in any body shop store and its £8.

I know you can’t see this properly but the next products are

Vitamin E facial oil (Small bottle by the Avon care bottle). I used to mix this with my face moisturiser in the winter months. It’s not too greasy and I really like it. Nowadays I use it for a mask (mixed with coconut oil) and leave on for about 3-5 minutes before I scrub my face or wash it. I only do this once a week or whenever I remember. I can’t say if I have noticed a huge difference yet, I only started this last week but it does eliminate the need of adding my moisturiser after I wash my face. I forgot the price but you can get it from Superdrug

Vitamin E SPF 15 daily moisturiser. I love this because it has SPF in it. I am starting to be very particular about this so I was happy to find this and a very low price. It’s a great starting moisturiser if you want something light and a low SPF on a budget. It’s also from Superdrug

Vitamin E leave on mask. To me this is a light moisturiser because it’s like a serum/gel formula and you’re supposed to leave it on and not wash it off. It works and leave my skin moisturised so I am not complaining lol. I use this when my face starts to play up lol and needs some attention. I apply overnight. Also from Superdrug

Pure face wipes I use this for travelling. Small and handy. Johnson’s baby wipes, I used to use this for my makeup before I fell in love with micellar cleansing water lol. I really like my simple one but I use the baby wipes on days where I just use powder on my face.

Avon Care 3 in 1: toner, cleanser and moisturiser. So when I am really lazy and can’t be asked to cleanse and use my toner then follow up with a moisturiser I use this bad boy and boom, 3 birds, 1 stone. It does a great job at the first two but its moisturising properties are very little to almost none. I mean my face is soft and I use a little bit of cream afterwards just in case.

Masks- Montagne Jeunesse runny honey and vanilla peel off mask. I have been wanting to try a peel off mask for a while now. My girl recommended this one to me as she uses it and likes it. It was only 90p from Primark so I thought why not? I have used this and I will be posting about it shortly. Sugar and spice self-heating mask. I got this from Superdrug but I haven’t used it yet. I am planning on using it in the next few days and let you guys know about it

Avon blemish clearing 3 in 1 wash, scrub and mask. I LOVE this. I used it when my face is really playing up and needs some ‘heavy’ duty cleansing. It contains alpha hydroxy acid which is quite strong so I am careful not to use this daily or often. And always always apply SPF after use. It actually says on it to try and limit sun exposure afterwards for about a week. It does a great job and after using I always see a difference in my pores and spots. I highly recommend. I love it so much I have two because I was living in Spain for a while I didn’t take it along so I bought another one whilst I was there lol

Clearasil 2 in 1 anti-blemish wash and mask. This is a ‘lighter’ version of the Avon product and is suitable for daily use. It’s supposed to help reduce marks left from spots but I haven’t noticed a visible difference in them. I like it though to use more often, I keep this in the shower with me for that.

Garnier moisturiser. I got this about two years ago when they released the coloured line of moisturisers targeting different needs. Remember? I don’t like this. I think the orange one is for dry skin, but I found I would apply it and my face would seem ‘wet’ then it will dry off and not leave it moisturised. I love Garnier products so I was a bit disappointed with this one.

Two things I also swear by

My African black soap- I will be doing a whole post about this! But in short- AMAZING

And a mild lemon solution, like a salad dressing lol as a toner- it works!

Share with me your fav skincare products! And what’s your go to product for tackling problems before a big day? Let me know

Until next time

Love

Sarah

MON SHEA FULL REVIEW

Hey guys! I hope you guys are doing well. As the title suggests this post will be the full review on the products I received from Mon Shea last month. If you haven’t already check out my first impressions of the products >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ys

Let’s get straight to it!

So I chose to review the Pure Shea soap and the shea oil. I used the soap to wash my hair and I must say I LOVED IT! It lathers really well and mean really well! I use it ONCE! NO need for a second lather. It doesn’t strip my hair, infact I feel my hair clumping as soon as I apply it on my hair. Once is enough to cleanse the scalp and hair. I love the ease of use of this shampoo bar, wash day has never been quicker! It can also be used as a body soap but I haven’t used it for that purpose yet. It smells like normal soap actually if you’re from Ghana and you can remember the smell of key soap or duck soap or ameen soap LOL it kinda reminds me of that. If you’re not from Ghana, it smells like regular soap LOL

Shea oil. I have used this for my body and not my hair yet. I LOVE the way it leaves my skin leaving- silky soft. I am DEFINATLEY purchasing this once it’s finished! It absorbs quickly and doesn’t sit on top of your skin. It’s also very good for dry/cracked heels. And leaves a lovely glow. I remember I used it on my legs when I wore a skirt out. I applied it in the morning, around 7am and at 3pm I did the scratch test LOL. Wait Sarah what? Ok every black person has done the scratch test without realising it lol. You know when you want to test if your skin is dry or not, you scratch it lol, if you get a white line you need some cream if not you’re good to go LOL ( now tell me you never done that before?) anyway at 3pm I decided to do the test and nope! No white mark! It’s so easy to use and spread. I also like the smell, I mean it smells of shea butter and I like how shea butter smells on my skin. I will definitely recommend this! Especially in the summer when you don’t want heavy creams etc sitting on your skin! I’m trying to use this for my hair but guys I just love it for my skin so much!

Verdict- its two thumbs up from me! I love the multi of these products. I definitely will recommend you try them out. I have been using the oil in combo with my African black soap and my skin has never looked better! Once again I used the pure shea oil and soap from Mon Shea. Check out their website for the full range of products >> http://www.monsheabutter.co.uk/

That’s all folks. I hope you enjoyed this review. Let me know what you guys think in the comments below. Also keep up to date with me on my social media so don’t miss any of my shenanigans lol.

Until next time

Love

Sarah