One of the things I hate most about wearing perfume is the fact it wears off (on me at least) by half way through the day. This is made worse by the fact I’m currently loving a budget perfume from Lidl- whilst I love the scent, it just doesn’t have much staying power. I carry enough in my handbag on a daily basis without needing to add in a full sized perfume bottle so up until now I’ve just been putting up with a fading scent, then I was introduced to PortaScent*.
PortaScent is a neat little atomiser and my new handbag essential. It carries an impressive 120 sprays of perfume and features pump to fill technology which means there is no risk of spills when filling up (great for someone as spill prone as me!) It is also leakproof and approved for air travel for carry on luggage making it perfect for packing on holiday when you don’t want to use up precious case space with scent.
PortaScent costs £7.99 and comes in several glorious colours. I hate to mention the C-Word in September but as well as treating yourself, they’d make awesome little stocking fillers or secret santa gifts!
Any tips for making fragrance last longer welcome, and also I’d love to know what your favourite perfume is?
We are all, as we should be, making more effort to minimise our impact on the environment. The crackdown on plastic straws, cups, and bags, is great – but we still have a long way to go.
If you take a good look around your bathroom, you will probably be shocked at the amount of plastic you see. Bottles, tubs, tubes, and more – many beauty products are still unfortunately designed without considering the effect on the environment.
When it comes to shaving and razors in particular, the situation is particularly worrying. Head into any drugstore on the high street and it is immediately obvious how much plastic goes into the making and selling of disposable razors.
This simply doesn’t need to be the case. There are many alternative options out there for women and men to shave, without contributing to the amount of plastic going into our landfills.
For now, let’s focus on eco friendly razors, otherwise known as safety razors. These nifty tools are made entirely from metal and can last a lifetime, rather than having to be thrown away after a couple of uses.
Here are my top three reasons to use eco friendly razors:
Cost-effective.
First off, investing in a high-quality safety razor can save you a ton of money in the long run. Think about how much money you’ve spent over the years on endless packs of disposable razors, only to throw them away after a few uses.
Now, think about how many times you’ve been reeled in my savvy marketing to try a ‘new and improved’ model of disposable razor, when really these pink handles, gel strips, and extra blades make no difference to the quality of your shave. Don’t let yourself fall into these traps.
A safety razor may cost you a little more initially, but if looked after, it can last your whole life. All that needs to be replaced is the blade itself once it starts to go blunt. You can buy a pack of 100 replacement blades for as little as £5. So, instead of buying a new pack of plastic-filled disposable razors once a month, you can buy a pack of blades to last you years!
If saving the planet wasn’t enough reason for you to get yourself, your mum, your friends, and any woman in sight, a safety razor, the money you can save should be.
The English Shaving Company offers a wide range of the very best quality safety razors to improve both women and mens shaving. If you are considering going green with your shaving routine, they have multiple options and products available to help you make the change.
2. Better for your skin.
Contrary to what you might think or be told by the big brands out there, more blades on a razor does not equal a closer shave. Actually, more blades makes it harder for you to shave at the right angle and increases the chance of cutting or nicking your skin.
Safety razors have one single blade, making it far easier to control and keep flat against the skin’s surface. The less blades pulling on your skin, the less irritated it will be by the process. Yes, eco friendly razors do take some getting used to and should be used with caution initially due to the sharp blades. Once you’ve had some practise though, your shaving routine will be quicker and more effective than ever before.
3. Plastic-free, zero-waste.
Last but not least, you should opt for eco friendly razors simply to reduce your impact on the environment. Global warming isn’t going anywhere, so it’s our job to do what we can.
Disposable razors are one of the most common and problematic items in our landfills. Each razor is produced using multiple layers of plastic, and worse, these are then sold in plastic packaging too.
Eco friendly razors like safety razors mean there is no excuse to be buying/using anything else. These razors are most commonly made using stainless steel, so they won’t rust and can be used over entire lifetimes. Plus, with there being so many forward-thinking companies like The English Shaving Company around now, it’s never been easier to access eco friendly products!
Hot on the heels of the amazing lemon super-food butter from Dr Botanicals came another delivery; and based on the success of my first experience with the brand my hopes were high!
The Cocoa & Coconut Superfood Reviving Hydrating Mask promises to be a 10 minute miracle for your skin. Made with 100% natural ingredients including cocoa butter and coconut oil, this hydrates and revives dry and tired skin (that’d be mine!) without being heavy or sticky as some masks tend to be.
I’m not a massive fan of masks, I find them a bit claustrophobic due to the often heavy texture and I’ve never found the results worth the anxiety they provoke. Buoyed on by the success of the delicious lemon cream I bravely put a light layer of this on and waited.
10 minutes passed without palpitations; this is light enough that it didn’t feel uncomfortable and it sits gently on the skin. It was also easy to remove (another bug-bear of mine) and afterwards my skin was more hydrated than I remember it being and I felt much fresher, and dare I say slightly younger looking.
I’ve now got this stashed in my fridge, as per recommendations ready for the next application…yep, my usual use it once and forget it attitude has been banished for this product, I have every intention of finishing the tube and then purchasing a new one!
You can get this product from the Dr Botanicals website for £5.94 at the moment – usual price £9.90 as well as from all of the well known online beauty retailers.
Do you have any other mask recommendations for me? Or more Dr Botanicals recommendations…I’m so loving this brand right now, I want to try it all!
It’s been a little while since I last ran a giveaway on the blog so I’m delighted to be teaming up with Code Beautiful to review two of their products and offer the chance to win them to one of my readers.
Code Beautiful is a is a vegan-friendly beauty brand that focuses on the basics and getting them right. They kindly sent me out two of their products to try and share my thoughts on, and based on looks alone I was excited to test them out.
I instantly loved how sleek these products look. The lip plumper especially with it’s matte black packaging and graphic design.
I tried the Soft Smooth lip liner (£18) first- it’s a fantastic nude/pink colour that works with the majority of the lipsticks in my collection. One of it’s top selling points to me is the self sharpening technology making it perfect to keep in my handbag without worrying about it going blunt. This claims to be a long-lasting product and I can report it lives up to it’s claim. I got a good 8 hours out of this and during that time nothing budged. It also works as a lip plumper giving more definition without the need for needles. Pricey for a lip liner, I agree, but I can’t fault the product.
The Lip Intense lip plumper (£20) contains an exclusive blend of ingredients to help redefine your lips natural contours making them look fuller. Again it’s a great suits all shade, and, plumping properties aside one of my favourite clear lipglosses I’ve tried for it’s longevity (a good few hours) and non-sticky formula. In terms of plumping, don’t expect anything drastic (100% a good thing in my book). Instead of artificially inflated lips this actually makes your mouth look more hydrated with a longer term gentle plumping effect thanks to hyaluronic acid and the magic ingredient Hilurlip. There is a gentle minty tingle when you apply this which I loved, and on the whole I was just hands down impressed with how much better my lips looked.
You can pick up both of these products on Amazon (linked above) and for your chance to win simply follow the steps below.
We arrived home from America to find a cold, damp and dismal landscape awaiting us. I instantly missed the brightness and warmth of the Californian Sunshine and craved anything that could bring that back.
Happily for me there was just the thing sitting in my post pile- I’d been sent a brand new product from Dr Botanicals, their Lemon Superfood all-in-one Rescue Butter* (quite a mouthful) to try out.
My first impression was that this look like sunshine in a tube. I love the bold, bright packaging!
This is a multi-use product that promises to moisturise and treat skin problems and can be used literally anywhere on your body. It’s made from 96% natural ingredients, including lemongrass oil, coconut oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil and sea buckthorn fruit oil.
As you would expect, this has the most incredible lemony-fresh scent, I couldn’t help but smile as soon as I squeezed some out.
It’s a nice and thick consistency and rubs in well. I’ve mostly been using it as a hand treatment (as my left hand is subject of a lot of attention right now) and as a general all over soother when hay-fever itches get too much.
It’s the perfect size for keeping in my handbag, and despite my concerns that something so scented may actually irritate my skin ,I’m delighted to say it doesn’t.
All in all this is a fantastic all rounder product that costs a reasonable £14.90 (currently £9.90 on the Dr Botanicals website). You will also find it on many of the well known online beauty retailers.
