Beautifect

Beautifect is a makeup box, essentially. Something we have all seen, and used time and time again. But there is something very special about this particular beauty box, read on to find out more…

Founded by Tara Lalvani, Beautifect is set to revolutionise the way you apply your makeup. An idea born out of frustration at the hassle of makeup application, Beautifect solves so many common problems in one (incredbily luxe looking) product.

Beautifect boasts 6 key features to make a real difference to your every day makeup routine:

  1. It uses LEDs to simulate daylight, with 3 brightness levels meaning you never need fight to apply makeup in poor, artificial lighting again.
  2. It has 5 lighting environments too, so you can see how your makeup will look in different scenarios; for example, bright daylight, or the office.
  3. It has a true definition mirror that allows you to see your entire face in a true reflection, with distortion free 1 x magnification.
  4. It’s a smart storage system that allows you to organise and sort your makeup easily and find things efficiently.
  5. It’s magic hinge allows you to angle and hold the mirror at any angle making your makeup application 100 times more comfortable.
  6. It’s rechargeable and cordless- with average full power usage one charge should last a full week making it perfect for travel!

Of course, this miracle worker comes at a cost- £279 to be exact. This makes it firmly a wish list only item for me, for the foreseeable future, but it’s such a brilliant idea that I thought it worth sharing anyway.

You can buy the Beautifect case from the website, and it’s also available at Harrods.

What beauty invention would revolutionise your daily routine?

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The Hair Boss

I’m definitely guilty of being fickle when it comes to my hair care products and routine. I’m forever picking up new products to try and tame my long, thick hair, but often end up underwhelmed or don’t deem them worthy of the price tag when they aren’t on special offer. It takes quite a lot to impress me and make me want to part with my cash for a repurchase, and today we’re going to see whether The Hair Boss by Lisa Shepherd could convince me.
[Note these products were gifted for blog consideration].

As you can see, it’s a very attractive bunch of products, and they certainly look pretty in my bathroom!
The Hair Boss focuses on a 4-step hair regime and there are several ranges available for all different hair types; you can do a free consultation on the website to find out the perfect four product plan for you.

Because my hair is so thick I am prone to getting a product build up, sometimes leaving me with a flaky scalp, so the products of greatest interest to me were The Scalp Scrub (a pre-treatment) and The Scalp Soothing Tonic, part of the step 4 styling range.
Both of these products were an entirely new concept to me- the scalp scrub is great, it works as a pre-wash exfoliator that you use weekly to rid the scalp product, dirt and oil buildup. It feels a bit odd at first, putting something distinctly grainy on to your head, but you get used to it and the results are well worth it.
The Scalp Soothing Tonic is designed to soothe a dry and itchy scalp by cooling it and rebalancing the PH. I’ve definitely noticed a reduction in the flakiness I was getting since using this, alongside the scrub so both products are well worth the £7.99 price tag and I will at the very least be buying the scrub again when mine runs out.

I was sent the virgin hair shampoo which is designed mainly for natural hair (i.e. un-dyed or only lightly coloured). My hair is not natural but I still have a lot of love for this shampoo. The shampoo makes up Step 2 of the regime- cleanse. It took a while to get used to the runny formula, but once I did I actually found this easier to get through my thick hair and my hair honestly has never felt so clean! At £7.99 this is more than I would usually spend on a shampoo, but a little goes a long way and for the results I’m getting currently I would say it’s worth it.
The same goes for the conditioning lotion, this is such a hydrating formula that leaves my hair feeling oh-so-soft…something that not all conditioners manage to do. As promised on the packaging, it leaves no heavy residue and it rinses out really well. This costs £8.99 and I would most likely part with my money for this again as well.

Finally we have a few finishing touches. The Clear Shine Gloss is a permanent product that lasts for up to 6 washes and helps revitalise coloured hair and give it super shine. I’ve only used this once as it is a 20 minute treatment and I am not that patient most of the time, for that reason I wouldn’t spend £14.99 on this as I don’t feel I would get the use out of it, but the results are genuinely fantastic so for anyone less lazy I 100% recommend for some serious salon effect shine.
A product from the Step 4 style range that I will be buying again is the Permanent shine spray. At £12.99 it’s a lot more than I usually spend but I am in love with this product. It protects against humidity and frizz (both hair enemies of mine) as well as protecting from damage inflicted by styling. This is heat activated so I use it on damp hair before drying and straightening and I’ve been getting so many compliments on how healthy my hair is looking- and only since I started using this so it’s not pregnancy glow!

So there we have it, a range of hair products that has left me wanting more! I genuinely wasn’t expecting to love these so much when they arrived but I am totally smitten. You can buy The Hair Boss products from the website, and it is also stocked on ASOS and Superdrug. There are a few more products I would like to try out so if and when I do I’ll report back. I think after 34 years on this earth I might have finally found a hair care range I feel worthy of staying loyal to! And whilst more than I would usually spend it’s pretty mid-range in terms of prices so not out of the question to buy again and again either.

Cleaning up with Beauty Hygiene Plus!

Products gifted for blog consideration

Hands up who else is guilty of neglecting their makeup brushes despite being meticulous about keeping everything else in their life super clean and disinfected….I’m pretty sure it can’t just be me!
I’ve always found cleaning my makeup brushes and tools to be a chore, and one that always seems to fall to the bottom of my list. However, I’m trying to get more organised with my life and this is one place that is finally getting priority thanks to these new wonder products from Beauty Hygiene Plus.

“The new beauty hygiene range from Beauty Hygiene Plus is set to be a ‘game-changer’ as it includes everything you need to keep your makeup products and beauty tools as safe and germ and virus free as possible. The products are quick and easy to use with no fuss and eliminate 99.9% of bacteria and viruses* within two minutes of application. Makeup and makeup tools are a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus that could be harbouring ‘nasties’ from E-coli to ringworm along with viruses such as herpes and conjunctivitis caused from cross-contamination and unhygienic use and storage.

The range consists of four antibacterial and antiviral products, Quick Dry Brush Cleaning Spray, Quick Dry Makeup Sanitising Mist, Quick Dry Beauty Tools Sanitising Spray and Deep Cleanse Sponge & Brush Wash.
Each product has its own unique individual formulation, for specific use on makeup, makeup brushes, beauty tools such as tweezers and eyelash curlers and makeup sponges and powder puffs. Together, the
distinctly different products, create a simple and effective user-friendly system for taking care of daily makeup and beauty hygiene. Beauty Hygiene Plus is on a mission to drive awareness as to why makeup hygiene is so important, and wants to help beauty consumers to create new, more healthy daily beauty hygiene habits.”

I was sent the Beauty Hygiene Essentials Kit + which contains 50ml of each product in the range, plus four travel sized makeup brushes all contained in a handy clear pouch. This makes the set perfect for travel and a great way to try out the entire range to see which products best suit your needs. The RRP for this set is £20 although it is currently on sale for £15.
I’ve popped a quick run-down of my thoughts on each product for you below…

Quick Dry Brush Cleaning Spray (100ml, £12.00): this was my favourite product from the range. It’s so useful for cleaning brushes during makeup application, say if you want to switch eyeshadow colours but only have one brush to hand. It really is quick drying and I will definitely be purchasing the full size version of this soon.

Quick Dry Makeup Sanitising Mist (100ml, £12.00): This is the product I have the least use for, although it’s handy to have around and I’m definitely glad of it. I can see how valuable this would be for anyone who works with makeup, or who tends to share their lipstick around!

Quick Dry Beauty Tools Sanitising Spray (100ml, £12.00): I’ve taken to giving my tweezers a spritz with this after using them (who even am I?) as well as the surfaces I use for makeup application. It’s the product I never knew I needed and probably a new travel essential for me, especially as we’re going camping soon and things tend to fall out of my bag and on to the ground!

Deep Cleanse Sponge & Brush Wash (100ml, £12.00): I desperately needed a new brush shampoo so this was a well timed arrival (I mean, I ran out like six months ago but ssh!)
This not only cleans but also disinfects, making it one up on what I had been using. Another full sized purchase pending!

The range is also now live on Feel Unique where it is also on offer.

What are you current hygiene essentials?

No tricks, only treats with Avant this Halloween

Halloween is going to be a little different this year, and Avant skincare are offering 25% off all of their nighttime skincare from the 30th October until the 1st of November to help soften the blow.

From masks to mists, there is a lotion or potion for everyone – you can preview the collection of products that will be available on the avant website.

Get compiling those shopping lists!

Beauty Bites: Anti-ageing sun protection from Calypso

We all know the importance of daily sun protection, especially on your face which is exposed to the sun’s rays day in and day out. During the summer I’m hot on applying sun lotion to my body (being fair skinned and red haired) but I do tend to skip my face due to most products feeling too sticky, or too greasy to wear comfortably, especially under makeup.

Sensitive Lotion for Face & Neck c/o Calypso

I was recently sent this SPF50+ sensitive lotion for face and neck from Calypso, a brand I have regularly used in the past for my general sun-protection needs.
It’s been a while since I used anything from the brand and I was surprised at how big a range of products they do.

This lotion is delicate enough to use on the most sensitive of skin, and it has a special formula to make sure it is light to wear and non-greasy. I was sceptical as to whether it could meet these claims, but after a tentative application one morning before putting my makeup on I honestly couldn’t tell I was wearing this- there was none of that sticky, clogged up feeling you can get with some sun lotions.
This lotion also protects you from UVA rays (responsible for ageing) which is something that a moisturiser or makeup product with SPF can’t do…and now I’m noticing fine lines appearing by the day this is something I definitely need some help with!

A worthy and welcome addition to my fledgling skincare regime and worth checking out if you’ve struggled with facial SPF before.

*product gifted for blog consideration*