Archive for the ‘Skin Care’ Category
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. This was certainly true when I was on holiday and Do Not Refreeze‘s Leanne howled it had been more than a week since we’d seen each other. Well at the weekend after two whole weeks we made a date at Westfield Stratford City to catch up. And it didn’t involve our usual jaunts to a beauty launch.
Westfield Stratford City is conveniently close for Leanne and an easy drive along the A406 for me. It was also a nice change to venture east as I’m always at Westfield London.
Turning up at 11 o’clock in the morning, we were amazed to see how blissfully chilled out and empty Westfield Stratford City was for a Saturday. The calm before the storm… My suggestion is get here in the morning to take advantage because come 2 o’clock, it’s a different story altogether.
We planned to see what Westfield Stratford City had to offer to a couple of beauty junkies so we headed straight to Tantrum for a manicure first. It would be rude not to since we are beauty bloggers…
Having had naked nails for the past fortnight, I was in need of a splash of colour and a re-shape after breaking two of them. Leanne likes to be awkward so she presented her talons covered in glitter. Her manicurist didn’t bat an eyelid and happily removed it.
Tantrum is a new face on the high street and their first and flagship store is in Westfield Stratford City. It opened last summer as a pop-up store but recently underwent a makeover, making its permanent mark in the mall. You’ll find it on lower ground floor in between the food court and Great Eastern Market.
From outside it doesn’t give the game away but when you step inside, it’s a haven for jewellery, hair, nails and make-up for the fashion conscious yet affordable. We were thrilled to see cherry-picked Nubar and Mavala polishes as well as Bourjois and Jessica, plus skin care from Elemis and Amie on sale.
Tantrum’s nail bar is at the back where you can perch yourself on a stool, order a cold drink and get your nails done. Leanne and I both had a mini manicure, which costs £10. As our manicurists beautified our nails, I was entertained by Leanne’s tales and anecdotes (the details of which I cannot disclose…).
Our next destination was a short stroll away at Neal’s Yard for an express facial. We had a skin consultation and discussed our main concerns before our therapist selected the best products to use.
I much prefer cleansing balms to take off my make-up so their award-winning Wild Rose Beauty Balm was used, which was perfect for tackling dehydrated skin – something I complain about quite a bit. This was followed by the Rejuvenating Frankincense Toner and Rejuvenating Frankincense Facial Serum, both which are elasticity-boosting and give the skin a radiant glow.
With our complexions glowing, the finishing touch came from some light make-up from Neal’s Yard mineral range of foundations, bronzers and blushers, which we’d never tried before. Shocking, isn’t it? It was like wearing next to nothing on the skin, very light but with a subtle shimmer and totally skin-friendly.
I forgot how much I adore Neal’s Yard for their organic skin care so this visit has prompted me to rekindle my relationship with an old favourite. I definitely want to invest in the Wild Rose Beauty Balm as my next cleanser. Meanwhile we were given a few samples to take home and try, so I may add a few more items to my shopping list.
We then trotted off to L’Occitane for a fragrance workshop and to gush over some of our L’Occitane favourites. Interestingly, L’Occitane at Westfield Stratford City hosts monthly events in the evenings that you can bring all your girlfriends to. It’s a chance to try out their products outside of the madness you sometimes get during the shopping hours.
After over 3 hours of being pampered, our bellies rightfully made a point that they were being neglected. We wandered to the Great Eastern Market area tucked away by Waitrose and overlooked by many in favour of the more commercial joints. Our pit stop for refuelling was Umai by Japan Centre – an incredible place that is packed with so much in such a small amount of space.
It has a counter serving piping hot noodles and crisp tempura, fresh handmade organic sushi on the other side and it’s also a mini supermarket selling authentic Japanese ingredients to set you off on your Japanese cooking adventures.
We ordered deep fried sweet potato and asparagus as sides while Leanne opted for beef and rice and I chose crispy fried king prawns and vegetables with sticky rice for our mains.
The staff at Umai are so warm, friendly and adorable, and the food served is delicious, filling and such good value. I think our main meals were under £10 each. Next time I’m taking away a sushi box – far more appetising than the standard supermarket offerings.
Our final stop? The shops of course. Like we were going to leave without buying at least one or two little things…
The best quote of the day came from Leanne (naturally): “We look like a frigging zebra crossing – you’re so dark and I’m so pale”.
I *love* this girl.
Leanne and I finally left Westfield after 4 o’clock that afternoon – more than 4 hours later. We did well not to be over zealous in the shops and in fact, had a better time enjoying each other’s company and discovering other things Westfield has to offer.
You can make a date at any of Westfield’s shopping centres across the country – Westfield London, Westfield Stratford City, Westfield Derby and Westfield Merry Hill. If you pop along to either of the London ones, your visit can be made that little bit sweeter with some special offers on eating out and at the cinema until 5th June.
For more information, visit http://uk.westfield.com/stratfordcity/news-and-events/make-a-date/.
*We were invited by Westfield to experience ‘Make a Date’ and received complimentary treatments and food courtesy of our kind hosts.
Eve Lom is a name that’s been on my wish list for some time so I was thrilled when I was given some samples of this plush skin range to try.
As I spend more time examining where on my face I’m starting to look older and ponder how long I’ve got left to get a ring on the finger (no Asian aunty will look twice at me now that I’m ‘past it’), anything that will slow down the process of ageing and fool people into thinking I’m still in my twenties is seized with both hands.
Eve Lom’s Intense Firming Serum is packed full of age-defying magical ingredients that stimulates cell renewal and visibly improves the surface of the skin for a smooth supple finish.
The serum works simply by firming the skin and minimising the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Used daily, it is supposed to boost radiance and softness, giving a youthful-looking complexion.
It comes in a glass bottle with a pipette and the serum is a clear liquid. A couple of drops of this potion is sufficient to cover the face and neck and disappears into the skin almost instantly. It feels like water with my skin quenching it and immediately, you do notice the tautness of the skin from the effect of the serum but not in a painful face-lifting kind of way (not that I know what a face lift feels like!).
I’m used to serums that are oily or creamy though their purpose is to lock in moisture rather than target skin firming. Eve Lom’s serum serves an obvious purpose and it is virtually weightless – like an invisible veil.
The thing is, I’ve finished this bottle without realising, which is a rare feat for a beauty blogger when trialling a product. To be honest, I’m a little sad! My skin feels silky smooth after use and last weekend I was asked if I had graduated last year so I guess the serum is doing its job!
I can’t imagine not incorporating a serum in my daily skin care regime and neither should you. If you can afford it then invest in a quality one like this.
Eve Lom’s Intense Firming Serum costs £75 for 30ml and is available from Space NK stores and http://uk.spacenk.com.
*PR sample
A few weeks ago I attended the launch of Dr Lewinn’s Skin Perfect Anti-ageing foundation and was given the chance to try the new base for myself.
There are six shades available and I was paired up with Tan. The remaining five shades are Ivory, Cream, Beige, Latte and Sable, with Tan being one from the last.
The scent is the first thing that grabs you about this foundation. It smells of roses because it contains rose stem cells for renewing and stimulating skin. It also has matrixyl synthe’6 to help enhance skin collagen, tourmaline for radiance and hyaluronic acid, for hydrating the skin. For a brand which prides itself on understanding the complexity of skin care, it is no surprise Dr Lewinn’s has ensured maintaining healthy and young looking skin is an integral part of this formula.
Coverage is full with SPF of 15 and gives a velvet like, soft powdery finish. This specially created foundation is supposed to help visibly smooth wrinkles and fine lines, leaving skin looking firmer and more youthful. It is also worth pointing out that it is a gel-like formula.
In a first on Just Nice Things, I am posting a picture of myself without make-up (apologies for not warning you in advance). OK, I have fibbed a tiny bit – I am wearing mascara and a bit of eye make-up but my face is naked so you can see my actual skin tone.
And here’s how I look wearing Dr Lewinn’s Skin Perfect Anti-Ageing Foundation:
Have you stopped screaming in horror?! I can’t decide which is more freaky – with or without make-up. You see, my usual choice of foundation has yellow undertones and Tan is pale in comparison, and slightly pinkish too. I have to admit that the difference is noticeable on the parts I’ve missed out on covering.
I appreciate how this foundation works brilliantly for others (I noticed how amazing London Beauty Queen looked wearing her perfect match) but we all have different skin types and tones, and it would seem on this occasion Dr Lewinn’s Skin Perfect Anti-Ageing Foundation isn’t right for me. It makes me look grey and washed out. I have been wearing this foundation a few times a week at work to see how it performed in duration and whether I felt differently about it in the day time but my sentiments remain unchanged. In fact I felt very conscious that others could tell my foundation didn’t match properly!
I suppose I could get away with wearing this in the winter though saying this, we have been in a permanent state of winter for about eight months so it’s not as if my cheeks have been flushed with colour!
It is a superb formula with no cracking or drying and it lasts all day but anyone with the same skin tone as myself or much darker will be disappointed.
Dr Lewinn’s Skin Perfect Anti-Ageing Foundation costs £25 for 30ml and is available from www.drlewinns.co.uk.
*PR sample
Image courtesy of Balance Me
My favourites Balance Me keeps bouncing back with beautiful things for the skin and their Cleanse & Smooth Face Balm is nothing short of utterly divine.
I’ve reviewed a couple of other cleansing balms and each one has something different about them, but let’s focus on Balance Me, shall we? It’s a runny, 100% natural oil-based balm with fine oat grains for polishing. You smooth a reasonable amount all over your face and neck, and work it in for a minute before wiping off the excess with a face cloth (or the good old flannel, as I prefer to use).
The satisfaction I get from taking off my make-up this way is immense and my skin looks and feels stupendously clean. I won’t bang on about how caring and friendly Balance Me is for your skin (just read my other BM reviews on their range) but I will wave the flag for them for creating another super skin care cleansing product.
Big love and kisses to you, Balance Me. You ought to be proud of this one.
*PR sample
