Bloom and Halo

I’m so glad to introduce you to a new brand called Bloom & Halo! They have a skincare range that includes 4 products. Eye patches, an exfoliator, a Vitamin C serum and a clearing mask. Their skincare doesn’t cost the earth and they are committed to help reduce landfill waste using a mix of recyclable materials and alternative packaging made from 96% less material than traditional designs. The key ingredient of this collection is the Hyaluronic Acid, which is across all their products.

Brand values

Let me introduce you to their brand values, which you know are very important for me!

Their Clean Commandments

✔ Developed by dermatologists
✔ No nasties and effective ingredients (they have an extensive list of don’ts,  including synthetic fragrance, silicones, mineral oil etc.)
✔ Cruelty free
✔ Non comedogenic
✔ Reef Safe

Packaging is 100% recyclable and even the tape is biodegradable, they also try to group freight and shipments as much as possible and use zero waste shipper cartons for all of their orders.

Products

Let’s get a closer look at the products!

Eye Need Dew:

Eye Need Dew

These eye patches are designed to improve hydration and firmness, to soothe and nourish, to brighten the under-eye and to reduce puffiness. There are 30 pairs in a jar, so 60 patches in total. They are infused with collagen, amino acids, aloe vera, liquorice, peptides, retinol, honeysuckle, gold and the key ingredient – Hyaluronic Acid.

I certainly enjoyed the natural feeling of the patches. They had an organic feeling instead of the silicon touch I experienced with patches from other brands! Once used, you can pop the eye patches in hot water and they dissolve completely, how great is that!?

After using them I found my under eye area really hydrated. They definitely improved my fine lines and plumped my skin! Although I’m not an eye patch fan, I would certainly buy these, because I found them very efficient!

Skinshot Serum

Skinshot Serum

These syringes contain only 2 main ingredients! Speaking of highly efficient skincare! At first, I was a bit surprised with the packaging. Let’s face it, skincare in a syringe, scares me a little. Being a product designer, packaging in a special form, always needs to have a purpose for me. Otherwise, there is no use in making packaging expensive. So, the question is, does this syringe have a use?

“This is just the best Vitamin C I’ve tried in ages!”

Absolutely! It keeps the Ascorbic Acid (vit c) separated from the Hyaluronic Acid, preventing it from oxidising and crystallising, so each syringe gives a fresh shot of vitamin C serum. You can use the mixed liquid for 4 applications or more. If there’s any serum left in the syringe, pop it in the fridge (so that the Vitamin C doesn’t oxidise)  and use it in the next 48 hours. Don’t you think this is brilliant product design?

Of course, there are some downsides to this syringe. First time I used it I found myself intelligent enough to figure out how it worked without reading the instructions. The Ascorbic Acid wasn’t mixed well into the HA and I had to use the entire syringe in one application. I ended up reading the instructions carefully and I recommend doing so. So, this is a small downside for me, the fact that you really should read a small step by step, easily explained instruction, which I won’t explain here.

There are more brands who separate the Vitamin C from the rest, some famous ones too, some expensive ones also, but the difference is that the customer has to do this at the start of using the product. You do this for the total serum packaging. Being an impulsive skincare user, I don’t like that, because those serums oxidise in my vanity. I like to choose what I use; I can use a certain serum for 4 days in a row, but using something 30 days in a row is hard for me.

Ok, I could talk about packaging for a whole day, but that’s not why you are here. Let’s talk about the performance of this serum – I found my skin being glowy and bright after just 4 days! It’s amazing! It leaves your skin so hydrated and it was an excellent base for the rest of my routine! This is just the best Vitamin C I tried in ages!

Exfoliation: Micro Exfolistick

This is a stick infused with gentle exfoliators – Lactic Acid and Glycolic Acid. It’s meant for quick usage and you can leave it on, no need to wash off. Key ingredients of the exfoliation liquid are lactic acid, glycolic acid, niacinamide, and sea grape extract.
I found it to be a very gentle exfoliation and I’m quite sensitive when it comes to exfoliating. I used it for several weeks in a row, once a week as mentioned on the box, and I definitely saw some improvement in my glow! With the separate packaging, it’s good for travelling and they will be hygienic/non contaminated, but I’m not sure I am a fan of the packaging. In this case I think it would be better to just use a bottle whereas people like me, who try to live quite sustainably, can use their reusable wipes. 

Mask: Supercharged Mix Mask

Let’s just put this straight – I adore this mask, it’s one of THE MOST HYDRATING masks I’ve ever used! It is packed with antioxidants and minerals to give you the smoothest, clearest and youngest skin after a mask. I swear!

Some of the hero ingredients are: hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, niacinamide, caffeine and gold. With one mixture I masked myself, my daughter and my husband! I found it fun to mix and it was absolutely easy peasy!

My daughter who has severe acne found herself less red with better skin than before! My husband liked it a lot.

The mask itself stays on for about 20 minutes and then you can peel it off. When applying it, you can also see the twinkles of the gold, it’s really beautiful and feels very healthy.

Overall Thoughts

Here are my overall thoughts about Bloom and Halo.

I really liked the fact that it was surprising. You know, there are a lot of beautifully packaged skincare products out there, but with Bloom & Halo you can’t not notice it. So yes, this is great! Do I really like all the packaging? No. I thought for the exfoliation stick they could have done it with a glass bottle? It could be I’ve overseen something, but honestly, I don’t know why the exfoliator wouldn’t be good in a 100ml bottle.

So, if you aren’t into fancy packaging, will you like the results?

Absolutely yes, I mean the Skinshot Serum really is one of the best, if not THE best Vitamin C serum on a water base I have tried for a long time! The eye patches simply ARE the best in the market. The mask is also amazing. Would I buy them again! I would  definitely buy everything but the Micro Exfolistick. Not because of its performance, but due to the packaging. But maybe my voice gets heard and they’ll do something about it.

You can buy them at www.bloomandhalo.com  I really hope you get to try this brand, because you’re really missing out on something if you don’t!

xoxo Ilse

Links are non affiliate – AD

actives, Beauty, Eye Cream, Skincare, Vitamin C
Make up

A𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜…


I like to paint with watercolour, I don’t do it often any more but I did when I was younger. Back in the days, I had a huge preference for natural hair brushes🐿️!

It took me a while to realise most of my make-up #brushes were made of synthetic fibres. Probably the most cruelty free option, but in terms of #sustainability, what pollutes the most? Recycling hair from fur that was to be used without hair or producing products with synthetic fibres. It would be an intresting research to do! Of course you can’t shave a goat and use the hair, probably in the use of #goathair 🐐 are washing and maybe dying (mine aren’t dyed) issues too that consume water and chemicals. But if anyone knows more about that, feel free to share with me! I think it’s cool to know more about this!

But hey, let’s dive into the performance of some natural hair brushes I recently acquired!

C𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂 C𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽 124 @𝓈𝓂𝒾𝓉𝒽𝒸𝑜𝓈𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓈
As I’m using more and more #creamproducts , I was in desperate need for some nice brushes. I found this one. It’s made of pony hair 🐴 and has angled bristles, they are very densily packed. At first I thougth it would feel really hard on the skin, but this is an absolute game changer for people, like me, who aren’t precise fingerpadders! This really changed my game in terms of getting my #contour and #bronzer where I want it! Above all, it blends like a dream and also the fast drying cream products like my ABH cream #contourstick.

18 W𝒶𝓎𝓃𝑒 G𝑜𝓈𝓈 @𝑔𝑜𝓈𝓈𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓊𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓈𝓉 So this was my first eye brush, it has cruelty free goat hair 🐐. This packs on colour like the Holi festival in India, but not in the air but on your lids! It’s performance is fantastic. It picks up the pigment and releases is exactly where you want it! And it’s #coverage is amazing! This brush made me fall in love with #naturalbristles!
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S𝑜𝒻𝓉 S𝒽𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝓎 S𝑜𝓃𝓎𝒶 G @𝓈𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓉𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓊𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓂𝓅𝓉𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 Due to WG performance I wanted to experience the #SonyaGbrushes too! These are so beautiful and lightweight! This one is part the the Sky Eye Set, very suitable for #hoodedeyes as it is so precise! It doesn’t need a large lid! It’s made from Saikoho goat hair 🐐 and glides on without scratching. It’s so gentle!

If you need to choose between the latter ones go for Sonya G. if 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 is the most important for you and for Wayne Goss if 𝗽𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 is. Let’s say this is if these matter in a huge way for you, because both are of an excellent quality!

Hopefully this was useful to you! Did you try natural bristles on your brushes? Have a wonderful Thursday sweeties!
Ilse

Make-up

Peptides and Omegas firming eye cream

This eyecream took Allies of Skin three years and 37 reformulations! It definately should be good! And costing 72£ it better be excellent. There is no hair on my head that doubts about is! Actually I tried a lot of their range, and nothing disappointed me. But let’s have a look at it’s claims!

Claims

It claims to hydrate and depuf the eye area, providing nourishing care to delicate skin. It promotes firmer and brighter looking skin, reducing visible signs of premature aging.
It should do that due to a blend of high performing peptides. It claims to work on 3 types of wrinkles: crow’s feet, inner corner creases, and dehydration lines.
They use a combination of brighteners to target dark circles and puffiness. It’s also charged with a potent vitamin C derivative, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate. 1% of Bakuchiol should reduce the appearance of wrinkle depth and skin roughness. Oils as Baobab, Rosehip, Argan and Squalane take care of deep hydration of the eye area.

Key Ingredients

The important ingredients are:
Hyaluronic Acid : Hydrator
Squalane : mimics the function of its natural oils and provides additional moisture to its outer layer by improving elasticity and promoting suppleness
Bakuchiol : Bakuchiol helps to improve fine lines, skin elasticity, hydration and firmness and diminish the appearance of uneven skin tone.
Vitamin C : Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate is a stable but potent Vitamin C derivative that brightens and reduces the appearance of fatigue and dullness while providing antioxidant protection.
Licorice Root : soothe, brighten and even out skin tone
Chrysin + Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 + Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 : this powerful Peptide team helps strengthen delicate under-eye skin while Chrysin helping reduce puffiness
Methylglucoside Phosphate + Copper Lysinate/Prolinate : Firms skin Reduces the appearance of deep wrinkles
N-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate : Reduces signs of premature ageing Smoothes skin
Organic Rosehip Oil : Anti-oxidant, intensely moisturizes
Organic Argan Oil :
Baobab Oil : Antioxidant, Brightens dullness, Reduces signs of premature ageing
Ceramides : Prevents dryness and irritation, Promotes moisture retention, Rejuvenates mature skin
Superoxide Dismutase : most potent antioxidant, Evens out complexion, Reduces signs of premature ageing
Orchid Stem Cells : Firms skin, Rejuvenates skin, Promotes radiance
Green Tea: De-puffs tired skin, Promotes radiance, Provides trace nutrients and vitamins, Reduces redness, Repairs skin, Soothes irritation
Ergothioneine : Antioxidant, Brightens dullness, Protects against pollution damage, Repairs skin, Reduces signs of premature ageing
Vitamin E : Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Hydrates skin, Promotes moisture retention, Provides healing properties, Reduces signs of premature ageing, Strengthens skin barrier
Coenzyme Q10: Antioxidant, Brightens tired skin, Protects skin, Strengthens skin barrier

My experiences

This eyecream has a lovely light creamy texture. It’s stored in a pump packaging which is both very hygienic and it doesn’t spill product. It spreads really smooth and lovely and get’s absorbed well. The finish it leaves is hydrated, nourished skin.
Just as the Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment I had very good results with it! This cream keeps my eye area so beautiful. It definately replaced my favourite eyecream! The Peptide and Omega firming eye cream is a real powerhorse! It is definately not too oily but hydrates and evens out my fine lines really well! The immediate reaction removing fine lines out of dryness is one thing, but with regular usage, I find it working really well on all my wrinkles. I have no experience on how it behaves on dark circles, because I don’t suffer from any dark areas around my eyes! I do suffer sometimes from puffiness and I do see a reduction after the application of the cream. I don’t know however if it’s from the massaging or from the cream, probably the combination of these two!

Would I rebuy?

There definately is a group of people saying that an eye cream is just the same as your regular moisturizer, but in a smaller jar to generate more profit. This could be the case for some eyecreams, but I am an eyecream user. The skin around our eyes is really thinner, especially when getting older or menopausal! I find the Peptides and Omegas firming eye cream, a really good eye cream. It takes care of the skin around my eyes in the most delicate way. My skin feels perfect after usage and in the long run it keeps it perfect! So would I rebuy, I certainly would!

*The links in this article are affiliated. Clicking and then buying makes me earn a really small percentage, not even enough to cover the costs of this blog! But you do help me using them!
actives, Beauty, Eye Cream, Retinol, Skincare, Vitamin C

Skinmaximalism?

Some thoughts about the trending Skinminimalism…

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Skinminimalism… if you are looking for it, I need to disappoint you today! This is skinmaximalism at the top 😂!
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I read a lot about skinminimalism. Everytime I read about it I do have some thoughts about it! It’s not criticism, it’s only things I run into when I would want to simplify my routine!

First Thought

Suppose I would replace four products of my routine into one serum or moisturizer.
There are days in which I absolutely feel that I need temporarily more ceramides in my routine. Well I could just buy a product with ceramides and add it. But often some days later I feel like I actually need a bit more hydration than usual because I wore my mask 6 hours in a row…

I suppose you hear my coming….after a while I still end up with a lot of products and the one does all serum or moisturizer suitable for my skin.

Second Thought

In a rare case I’m sensitive to something. Suppose I know it was a serum containing a lot of actives, I need to exclude one serum but I exclude a lot of actives… Same problem to find out what it was that caused the sensitivity. I do end up with a probably expensive product which I cannot use any longer!

Third Thought

Finding a product with a bunch of actives that really does the trick for your skin is way more complicated than find a simple hydration serum, or a serum which provides you collagen!

Of course I do use multi-purpose expensive skincare, but I first tried it or I was asked to write a review.

So put a side note to the new trend of #skinminimalism and remain yourself and listen to your skin!

Tonight, after my night out, I will be skinminimalist at the maximum, using cleanser, double cleanser and slather the Seated Queen on my face and probably on my pillow!

Have a lovely Fridayevening!
xoxo Ilse

actives, Beauty, cleansing oil, Marketing, Retinol, Routines, Skincare, Vitamin C
Giving a visual on the deodorants I've tried and tested.
The deodorants I tried

Why Natural Deodorant?

For years I used the normal deodorant in an aerosol. 3 years ago when I started this blog I wanted to eliminate the use of gases and the use of containers under pressure. This gave a problem for my deo’s. I tried using before glass containers with a roller ball, or sticks bought at the supermarket or even in the local pharmacy.

Actually there was nothing which did the job well. Most of the time it made my pits sticky and often I had the impression of sweating more! Until I found this lovely brand Speak skincare, they made a beautiful deo in a small metal container and I adored it. There even is a review on this blog about them. Speak produces in Maleysia and USA and at a cerain point they cut back the work with influencers outside of these countries. I still had one back up, but this lasted me to somewhere last year! So time to go on exploration in deodorant land!

Different kinds of natural deo!

There are deodorants and antitranspirants. Deodorants do something with the sweat to avoid odor, and antitranspirants stop you from sweating. The antitranspirants could cause blokked pores and infections of the glands in your pits. There are different kind of ingredients that neutralise odor, to name a few like hops, kaolin clay, eucalyptus and saccharomyces ferment. But they all do this differently.

Absorbing ingredients for a dry feeling

The deodorant can work by absorbing the sweat, the main ingredients doing so are kaolin clay and Zea mays starch. These absorb the liquid and are very important to give you the dry feeling.
If you think this is important, please look for these ingredients, the higher in the inci the more you feel of it.

Odor neutralising ingredients

A bad odor is caused by the growth of bacteria. To stop this or reduce this the deodorant has to create an environment where bacteria have no chance! You can use zinc or aluminium connections these make the skin very acid. Natural deo’s avoid aluminium salts. Or you can use alcohol, triclosan who kill the bacteria. Natural deo’s don’t use triclosan.

Another way of neutralising is to chemically react with the sweat. Zincricinoleaat and Zincoxide work in this way. But also aluminiumchloorhydrate.

Reviews

Malin & Goetz Eucalyptus deodorant

This is a stick deodorant. Texture slides on the skin. Main ingredients are refreshing natural eucalyptus extract and odor-neutralizing citronellyl. This is appropriate for all skin types, also sensitive skin types as mine. It’s formulated without aluminum, alcohol or parabens.
If you like a eucalyptus scent you’ll like this one. I wasn’t such a big fan of the scent. For me this didn’t work out well, but all stick deo’s didn’t work out well for me! Not for the same reasons though.
The Eucalyptus deodorant gave me the impression of being constantly wet in my underarms. When I was actually sweating at the end of the day I could smell myself. So for me this was a bummer.
This is ideal if you aren’t a big sweater and if you like to go baking soda free!

Kopari Deodorant

This is absolutely the most gentle deodorant of them all! I tried the signature scent sweet cocunut milk. It’s Aluminum and baking soda-free! The texture is the same as the Eucalyptus exept for the color.
It neutralises odor with Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate and absorbs sweat with silica. It creates an acid environment where bacteria can’t survive. The silica could be in some cases irritate the skin, but I didn’t experience any sensitivity to this deodorant.
As for me, I unfortunately had the same experience as with the Malin and Goetz. I do adore the scent! I mainly use it in wintertime when I don’t sweat so much.

Corpus Neroli

This was the most expensive deo of them all, and I hate to say it but for me the worst. This one silently burnt my underarms. At a certain point there were big red spots and after the use of the deo my skin fell off.
It neutralises odor with Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate and absorbs sweat with silica. It creates an acid environment where bacteria can’t survive. Was is the alcohol listed as 4th ingredient, was it sodium chloride? The last one is salt, salt from our earth. It is often used in natural deodorants, it is like the solid deo crystal you can buy in the supermarket.
I don’t know what caused this reaction, but it did happen. So sad because this Neroli scent was so lovely!

Drunk Elephant Sweet Pitti deodorant

Well this is a lovely one! It’s a really gentle deodorant cream which has a delicate sweet scent of cocunut milk. You could discuss about the applicator but I felt fine with it. You practically push the cream out of 4 holes and then smear it under your arms or use your finger. Some product may stay in the holes of the container, but I cleaned it regularly and didn’t take it as a concern.
It is without baking soda, essential oils nor aluminum-derived ingredients.
It fights bacteria with Mandelic Acid. Mandelic acid is an AHA (alphahydroxy acid) Mandelic acid is also an excellent killer of odor-causing bacteria while being milder to skin than glycolic acid (due to its larger molecule size).
It absorbs sweat with Arrowroot Powder. This is absorbent powder derived from the roots of the arrowroot plant. This is also a delicate absorbtion, absolutely not irritating.
Furthermore this deodorant contains lovely oils and Shea Butter all focusing on the skin barrier, so this was the one I used after they were burnt.
Allthough it doesn’t keep me dry as a desert, I don’t feel like drowning in a river either. On normal not so sporty days I’m really enjoying the goodness of this deodorant.

Nuxe Bio Deodorant Sensitive Skin

The texture of this deodorant is like a cleansing balm. It solves with body warmth ans spreads easily. Nuxe is on their website not so transparent about their ingredients, meaning they don’t show their inci list. What they do mention is that their key ingredient is a Botanical Powder (organic corn Starch), with a high absorption capacity. It effectively captures humidity, leaving armpits soft, with a dry-touch. Additionally it contains Organic sweet Almond Oil: recognised for its ability to soften and soothe the skin. It is a waterless formula which is completely vegan. The incilist on the product mentions also zinc gluconate, which is the zinc we know to be effective in the treatment of acne.

Makesenz Deodorant Balm Shea Butter and Magnesium Hydroxide

The texture of this deodorant is like a balm, but it’s a little more difficult to spread than the Nuxe one.This deodorant is composed in a simple way with very few ingredients: Shea butter, Zea mays starch, Helianthus annuus hybrid oil*, Magnesium hydroxide, Magnesium carbonate hydroxide, Zinc ricinoleate, Helianthus annuus seed oil, Tocopherol, Aqua. The magnesium hydroxide is a safe alternative to baking soda to absorb sweat. Zea mays starch is like arrowrhoot extract and also used to absorb sweat. Zinc Ricinoleate absorbs odor and is a natural and safe ingredient to use.
I found this one the best sweat absorbing deo between the ones I tried! I suppose there are used more absorbing ingredients, but I think this is kind of what I search for in a natural deo! This is my absolute number one!

Kosas Chemistry

As the name probably reveals this deodorant is completely working on the chemical level! It uses acids to fight bacteria! They use quite unknown acids like Shikimic Acid, Mandelic Acid and Lactic Acid. Furthermore it uses hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and peptides to sooth and firm the skin of your pits.
This didn’t cause irritation but again, I felt there was nothing to absorb the sweat, which made me feel quite unconfortable with pools in my underarms. Again if you are not a heavy sweater, this is for you!

Hope you enjoyed reading! If you did please leave a comment and a like!

Beauty, Skincare

I often get asked what to do #𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿30 to treat your skin so that it will remain in good condition while growing older.
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Part from specific conditions as acneprone skin or excema which ask purposed treatment, the main goal is to keep your skin hydrated, moistured and balanced.
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It’s really important if you want beautiful skin to eat healthy! This doesn’t mean you can’t drink or you can’t treat yourself a McFlurry! It means paying attention to the food you eat on a daily basis and drink enough water!
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There’s a lot to say about food, but I’ll keep it short. If there is one thing I really care for is that I eat enough food with anti-oxidants and drink water. So a standard ingredient of my breakfast are blueberries which are loaded with antioxidants!
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Back to our skin!
H𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 with for instance Hyaluronic Acid and M𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 or lock in with products using an oil, a regular #moisturizer is ok.
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Products containing caffeine help a lo t in D𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨. Our head can be a little puffed when our lymfatic system isn’t functioning optimal, a gua sha massage can help but also the ingredient caffeine. Caffeine helps to get rid of puffines in general.
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Don’t go to hard on actives – when it isn’t necessary – and accentuate on S𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. Do think about peptides and ceramides as ingredients to 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘱 that skin!
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“A𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 are the superheroes in this scenario. They both reverse and prevent free radical damage (this includes things like premature aging, inflammation, and hyperpigmentation). So basically, if you don’t have any A𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵 skincare products in your beauty routine, your skin is at the mercy of free radicals.” (#byrdie) Most known antioxidants are Vitamin C, Niacinamide, Resveratrol, Vitamin E, Retinol (Vitamin A), Coenzyme Q10, Polyphenols… I basically stick to vitamin C and Niacinamide.
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One important thing to do is nourish those lashes! They reduce significantly when you get older! So in the evening before you go to bed, use a lash product to give them some nourishment!
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Please pop your questions below and have a lovely start of the week! 😘

actives, Beauty, Retinol, Routines, Skincare, Vitamin C
Allies of skin Peptides and Antioxidants daily firming treatment and Prebiotics and Niacinamide Pore Refining Booster

R𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 T𝗶𝗺𝗲⁠
P𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 A𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 Allies Of Skin⁠

A good while ago I received this moisturizer in PR from AOS as a top up. We are now at the end of the first package and I think it’s about time to review this daily treatment in depht.⁠
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T𝓮𝔁𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮:⁠
It’s a light cream with the same colour as it’s packaging. It absorbs very well and doesn’t leave you a sticky feeling. A little goes a long way and wether you’re abundant in serums or not there’s only a peasize necessary to cover your face and neck and top part of your decolleté. ⁠
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I𝓷𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼:⁠
On the packaging: 7 Brighteners, 9 Antioxidants, and a 16.5% Repair Complex – What does this mean?⁠
So there is Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, a stable fat-soluble form of Vitamin C that penetrates deep into the skin to stimulate collagen production, brighten dark spots and provide free radical protection. Astaxanthin helps brighten skin and is a potent antioxidant as well as Thiotaine and Niacinamide.⁠
Hydrolyzed Verbascum Thapsus Flower, which protects the skin against harmful light energy sources and transforms part of the absorbed energy into visible light to brighten skin. Caffeine for tightening and de-puffing. Also antioxidant protection.⁠
There are many more ingredients like peptides, ceramide and a lot of anti-oxidants and beneficial fatty acids., probiotics, manuka honey, hyaluronic acid and raspberry and acai seed oil. ⁠
This is an exeptional ingredient list which justifies the word treatment in the name of this cream. Based on the ingredient list the purpose of this cream is to support the skin barrier, helping skin to age well and promoting a bright and glowy appearance while keeping blemishes at bae.⁠
.⁠R𝓮𝓼𝓾𝓵𝓽𝓼:
Actually I always used it as a moisturizer, but calling it this way would do dishonour to the cream because it’s so much more. In the months I used this I had no problems whatsoever with my skin. Before using AOS, I sometimes woke up with tight skin and visible fine lines around my mouth and eyes. I often got a small pimple on my chin. Okay, I admit, nothing really bad. And if I went to sleep with make-up on or on holiday in extremer conditions I would be in need of skin saviours.
This completely disappeared. My skin feels resilient to changing circumstances and never feels tight. On the contrary fine lines above my lip and around my eyes are under control and waking up to tight skin belongs completely to the past.
.
F𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓳𝓾𝓭𝓰𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽:
10/10
I would certainly rebuy and it’s absolutely worth it’s money. Consider you can basically do with a cleanser or 2 to double cleanse, a mist or a simple serum to improve absorption, this cream and your SPF!
Would I do this, well no I will use this daily treatment after my usual routine and before sunscreen, because doing my routine is the best moment of the day and I want it to last forever!
actives, Beauty, Skincare, Vitamin C

Have you ever heard of Cupping?

It´s a massage technique with benefits for cellulitis, blood circulation, muscle pain. It can be done by a fysician and also by your partner and you can even do it yourself!

I use it to reduce my double chin and reduce pain in my hip and low back.

Necessities:
– silicon cups (see picture) -> cold method
– glass jars -> warm method

Method:
1️⃣ Spray or apply a body/face oil abundantly where you want to start cupping.
2️⃣ Press together the cup and put it on your skin while releasing the cup. Your skin is sucked slightly into the cup.
3️⃣ Start moving around in circles on the spot you want to treat. If it hurts release the cup and press less while putting the cup.
4️⃣ Keep moving in circles until you feel your skin warm up and become more bouncy.

What it does?
Cupping is a technique to move your fascia. The fascia of the body normally are elastic but can get stuck due to stress, toxins and injuries. Fascia is a layer of tissue in between our skin and fat and muscles, they are connected throughout our complete body. Being tense in one bodypart induces a disequilibrium which gives complaints at different levels.
In the face I use it for my chin, but also reduce headaches caused by stress. You use a small cup. On my hip I use a big one, it´s quite painful for me because of my underlying condition. For instance for my husband it isn´t painful at all, but when I treat his back he feels really relaxed afterwards.

After a treatment of muscles in your moving parts, you better not do intensive sports giving your body the time to heal!

Cupping made me able to help myself in case of tense muscles and pain! I´m really glad my fysician introduced me to it!

Cups are available in almost every beautyshop!

Happy Cupping!
Xoxo Ilse

Skincare
Empties of May


𝙽𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜!⁠
.⁠
These are my empties of May! I’m a little late, but don’t won’t to withhold them from you!⁠
.⁠
* @a.florenceskincare Balm to milk cleanser + make up remover : This balm cleanser is certainly one of my favourites! I’ll certainly rebuy!⁠
* @birdie_nutrition these are probiotics in a gum, I enjoyed them, I got them in my @blissim subscription⁠
* @soapwalla Sensitive deodorant This is a natural deodorant which I looked for when I couldn’t get hold of my @the.speak.collective deo any longer. Loved this one a lot! Would also rebuy!⁠
* @sundocosmetics Galactomyces Miracle Drops , this is an honest K-beauty brand launched recently which I adore, and these drops are so good! They just help your skin barrier so well!⁠
* @tlw_products Three Little Words haircare naturally derived Winter is coming, this was a hairmask which was absolutely fantastic, want to explore more from this brand!⁠
* @thermebeauty This is the deo of my daughter before she joined me to clean deodorant. She loved the scent and the efficiency.⁠
Hope these 5seconds reviews can help you!⁠
xoxo Ilse⁠
⁠

Skincare
Beauty Of Joseon: Ginseng and Snail Mucin Serum

It’s a lightweight gelly serum that is a little tacky upon appliance but gets absorbed by skin easily.
The serum has no scent. The packaging is a plastic bottle, not glass, that’s a pitty. But the dropper is ok.

Since I use it, I notice a good effect on red parts of my skin. I find it very soothing. I love it!

The serum contains 63% Ginseng root water and 3 % snail mucin. First I was hesitating to try because of the snail mucin. Actually you don’t notice anything groce of this ingrediënt which is a luxury skincare ingrediënt in the East. Other key ingrediënts are Niacinamide, Adenosine and Matsutake.
Ginseng has a lot of anti-aging properties and a brownish colour!

Snail mucin has regenerating properties! I must say I was quite impressed with this little beauty. Ginseng has a lot of anti-oxidants, it is called a natural skin balancer used by the dynasty of Joseon back in 1500. It boosts blood circulation pushing cells to produce collagen, it balances oil production, it inhibits melanin production and it had anti-inflammatory properties.

actives, Beauty, Routines, Skincare
Supplements of Lily and Loaf

The search for natural, safe and economic supplements

(links in this article are affiliate)

While we see supplements everywhere nowadays, I just didn’t want to take them because they were a hype on TikTok or Instagram. Before taking something I wanted to be informed. With collagen I already had some experience because I took collagen leaves which are melted on the tongue and had really good results with my nails. They were made of marine collagen, the collagen that is the best absorbed by our body.

When Lily and Loaf reached out to me, they asked me to work together for their skincare. While checking them out, I noticed they had a whole range of supplements alongside skincare, haircare and essential oils. Furthermore I saw that everything they produced was completely along my standards, natural, safe and not too expensive! So I wondered wether they fancied a collaboration for supplements instead, and lucky me, they agreed!

So what did I try? I choose Skin, hair and nail gummies, Collagen Plus capsules, Fat Grabbers, Healthy starter pack+ to detox and Liquid Chlorophyll. This was in March 2022 and due to the fact that I wanted to make an honest informative blogpost it took me until know to talk in depth about 4 of the products I chose, because I didn’t take the Fat grabbers yet.

Good News! Using my code GLOWINGSKIN15 will give you a reduction of 15% on their page!

Skin Hair and Nail Gummies (60pcs)

Skin and Hair and Nail gummies

This was a 30 day supply and costs 16,73euro. 2 gummies contain 100% of the daily requirement of many essential vitamins & minerals. They contain Biotin, Vitamin A, D, E, C, B6, B12 Zinc, Selenium and are suitable for vegetarians. The taste is good, fruity and not too sweet, but they do contain a form of sugar, glucose syrop.
While my family doctor informed that for Hair supplements you need to take them at least 3 months to see result, I unfortunately had supplies for only one month. So please take this into account.
What I noticed was a severe reduction in hair loss! Before taking these, and even now again unfortunately, I lost quite a lot of hair in one day. Hair loss of 100 hairs a day is normal, I think I certainly lost these 100 a day! After the month of the hairgummies I noticed less hair in my brush in the morning and almost no hair loss in the evening. I do think they were efficient and an alternative to just take a tasteless capsule (which I don’t mind, but maybe you?).

Good News! Using my code GLOWINGSKIN15 will give you a reduction of 15% on their page!

Collagen Plus (60cps)

Collagen Plus

This was a 60 day supply and costs 22,73euro. They contain a combination of marine collagen, hyaluronic acid, biotin, vitamins & Hebridean seaweed. Collagen also has an effect on your hair, skin and nails. Therefor I took these after the hair gummies. In this way I could differentiate which one gave me the best results.
What are the benefits of collagen? Beyond the mentioned positive effect on hair, skin and nails it also promotes youthfull looking skin, bone strength & joint health, mood & sleep, wound healing, reduction in inflammation and it would have positive effects on weight management.
So what did I notice?
The hair loss remained reduced! After the two months(+one month hairgummies) I had many small new hairs on my temples. My nails improved tremendously!
I have to mention that due to my illness I have to take a lot of painkillers. These have an effect on the strength of my nails. It causes my nails to split and break very easily. After taking these capsules my nails had become the closest to normal that they had ever been in the last 8 years. Furthermore while I normally have a bad healing of wounds, the wounds of my latest surgery have healed very beautifully!
I can certainly recommend these supplements! I’m not into shakes! I wouldn’t know how to fit them into my diet, but these capsules work wonders! Even if I didn’t notice any effect on my skin, bone strength & joint health, mood & sleep, wound healing, reduction in inflammation neither on my weight.

Good News! Using my code GLOWINGSKIN15 will give you a reduction of 15% on their page!

Healthy Starter Pack + (30 single serve sachets)

Healthy Starter Pack +

This was a 10 day supply and costs 37,10euro. This is a ten-day course of five powerful herbal products which collectively help to detox the body. Due to the fact I take a lot of meds since 8 years, I wanted to start with a good detoxification of my body. This box provides five natural, herbal combinations to support five elements of cleansing, which you can do 4 to 5 times a year. It should fit in perfectly alongside your normal daily routine, without disrupting your everyday work-time, or social schedule. Some detox programs have a big effect on your gut health stimulating your toilet visits in a positive way, which I didn’t want to experience.

One sachet contains one capsule of Psyllium Hulls, one of Digestive Health, one of Liver Health, one of Cranberry & Buchu and one of HSII. I will explain them below this article in depth **, because it’s a lot of information!

I must say my diet is actually very healthy. We always cook with fresh ingredients, we use a lot of garlic and ginger. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables rich in vitamin C. I don’t drink much alcohol, due to the meds I take. I know, my life is maybe boring… On the other hand this might be the cause of me not noticing any effects of this starter pack.

Good News! Using my code GLOWINGSKIN15 will give you a reduction of 15% on their page!

Liquid Chlorophyll (467ml)

Liquid Chlorophyll

This was a 90 day supply and costs 18,89euro. This is a valued companion of a cleansing program. This was a trend on Tiktok and is supposed to have a lot of beneficial effects. But if you look into scientific documents this effect is actually not proved. While chlorophyll does no harm, I did want to give it a go. I drank this daily as indicated during 3 months. I can’t say for sure what the effect was, but during these months my breath was good and I noticed less craving for sugar. But I don’t know wether the lather has to do with the chlorophyll or me cutting on sugar and gluten intake!

I’m rather sceptic on this one, as our intake in chlorophyll normally is on fleek while consuming enough green vegetables. So if you do want to improve your intake, there is just an easy way by consuming more green vegetables. These bring you more benefits than just a drop of chlorophyll in your water!

Conclusion

While I may sound a little sceptical on this matter, I’m not :-). I really do think there are a lot of benefits taking supplements! But I also think there are some supplements that have an unvisible effect, like the Starter Pack+ and some supplements that aren’t more than a trend. Would I recommend Lily and Loaf, yess, absolutely yess! They have a wide range of products and I’m sure there are loads of products that I haven’t tried but truly are beneficial like Omega 3-6-9 – Flax Seed Oil capsules, their Vitamin C, their Vitamin D3 and so many more! They have such gorgeous candles in their range and so many beautiful esential oils, not to speak about their fully organic skin and hair care!

Good News! Using my code GLOWINGSKIN15 will give you a reduction of 15% on their page!

I hope you enjoyed reading, if so do subscribe to my blog for more sceptical reviews on beauty matters and do leave a message below! In case of questions, I will be glad to answer them!

xoxo Ilse

**More information about the Starter Pack +
Psyllium Hulls 
Encapsulated psyllium hulls are a convenient way to add important fibre to the daily diet

Digestive Health 
This speaks for itself. It contains Magnesium (hydroxide) , yellow dock root (Rumex crispus), ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale), marshmallow root extract (Althaea officinalis) and slippery elm bark (Ulmus rubra).

Cranberry & Buchu Combination
Cranberry supports the urinary system. It influences the sourness of the blatter leaving bacteria no chance to grow. There are a lot of medical studies to confirm its activity.

HS II 
I didn't find any information on their website about these capsules only the ingredients. They contain Hawthorn berry (Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna), capsicum fruit (Capsicum annuum), garlic bulb (Allium sativum). Garlic is known to be very healthy. It reduces blood pressure, works as an antibiotic, reduces cholesterol, boosts our immuunsystem and helps in the prevention of many diseases. Hawthorn berries are loaded with anti-oxidants, have anti-inflammatory effects, reduce blood cholesterol and aid digestion. In this way they have a detox effect on the blood and improve the drain of toxins via your feces. Capsicum fruit is known as cayenne and would benefit inflammation and weight.

Liver Health 
These capsules would nourish the liver, according to their website. They contain Burdock root (Arctium lappa), turmeric root (Curcuma longa), gentian root (Gentiana lutea), Irish moss algae (Chondrus crispus), slippery elm bark (Ulmus rubra), fenugreek seed (Trigonella foenum-graecum), safflower flowers (Carthamus tinctorius), dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale), uva ursi leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), chickweed aerial parts (Stellaria media) and catnip leaf (Nepeta cataria). With a well nourished liver, the liver is well capable of performing its function, excretion of non-beneficial substances out of our bodies among other things!

Beauty, Skincare, Supplements