Prismologie Skincare Reviewed

What a real treat it has been trying out and experiencing luxury skincare brand Prismologie. Created to inspire people to embrace the mood enhancing powers of colours, through six distinctive colours chosen for their unique qualities. I know it enhanced my mood when this splash of colour arrived through my letterbox!

The six colours are - White for Clarity, Yellow for Confidence, Pink for Comfort, Green for Serenity, Red for Vigour and Indigo for Stillness. Diamonds, Citrines, Rose Quartz, Jades, Rubies and Sapphires are crushed into the formulations for their wellbeing properties. Working with leading Perfumers they created fragrances that unfold to complement the colours - Neroli for Clarity, Bergamot for Confidence, Rose for Comfort, Vetiver for Serenity, Cedarwood for Vigour and Oud for Stillness. The result is some really quite stunning scents for the products.

But do they work?

I was sent the above products to try out and below are my thoughts

Prismologie Jade & Vetiver Hand Exfoliant 75ml £35

Prismologie say - A creamy gel, enriched with moisturising oils, fine exfoliants, jade micro-crystals and the serene scent of vetiver to cleanse, restore and refine working hands.

My thoughts 

This is a really gentle exfoliator that leaves hands feeling nourished (from the moisturising oils) super smooth and soft and beautifully cleansed. The scent is lovely and warming. Just gorgeous and a perfect base to apply your hand cream.

Prismologie Citrine and Bergamot Shower Gel 200ml £30 & Body Lotion £30

Prismologie say 

Shower Gel - A foaming gel with brightening mineral and botanical extracts, citrine micro-crystals and the refreshing scent of Bergamot to leave you feeling thoroughly cleansed and good to glow.

Body Lotion - A silky lotion infused with botanical oils, citrine extract and Bergamot fragrance to hydrate and awaken skin for a thoroughly radiant you.

My thoughts 

If you are looking for a bright and uplifting start to your morning then you will adore this sunny combination of Shower Gel and matching Body Lotion. The shower gel is just how you expect a shower gel to be and the Body Lotion is wonderfully light so it absorbs instantly leaving wonderfully soft skin. As ever the scent is fantastic, zesty but not overpowering.

Prismologie Hand and Cuticle Cream with Rose and Rose Quartz 75ml £30 

Prismologie say  - A sensuous cream enriched with botanical extracts, Rose Quartz micro-crystals and Rose fragrance to soothe and moisturise stressed hands

My thoughts 

I really like rose scented products but I am fussy, they cannot be that old lady rose scent that I think most people deplore, it has to be like a delicate flower. Happily for me this hand cream has a beautifully light and fresh rose scent that is just the perfect pick me up, it's more a like a hint of rose which I think will appeal to most people. The lotion is once again light but does the job of softening hands with just a small amount of product. 75ml will last you ages.

Prismologie Foot Cream with Oud and Sapphire 75ml £28

Prismologie say - A deeply moisturising cream with antioxidants, mood enhancing actives, Sapphire micro-crystals and Oud fragrance to help soothe your tired feet and leave skin soft and supple

My thoughts 

This is my favourite product in the whole range. Quite frankly the best smelling footcare product I have ever used. Usually foot creams are fragranced with lavender which is not a scent that personally appeals to me much, this product pleasingly does not contain it, hurrah!

I apply this as I go to bed and it gets to work. Moisturising for truly soft feet and calming, relaxing my mind, aiding sleep with its warm and musky Oud scent. Sublime.

Skin Care for mind & body, I love it!

For more details visit www.prismologie.com

Scholl Velvet Smooth Pedi Express Review

Just as you thought it was time to put away your sandals and break out the Winter boots, September has brought the warm weather back once again. It appears that it has taken people by surprise that they have to wear their sandals and so I have noticed some feet that look like they need some TLC, really today with the tools out there within easy reach, there really is no excuse! No need to say I don't have time for a pedi as nowadays you can do it yourself in the comfort of your own home...

Scholl Velvet Smooth Pedi Express got my feet Summer Ready in just a few minutes and throughout the Summer I have continued with this fast and easy footcare regime, ensuring my feet always look fabulous and feel super soft.

Scholl say 

The Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi is an electric foot file for the professional removal of hard skin skin at home. Its roller surface furnished with microgranulates removes excess hard skin in no time and almost magically softens the soles of your feet starting with the first use. Easier than ever before!

The Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi functions without any sharp blades and is furnished with a safety stop that stops the device as soon as too much pressure is applied to the skin.

My thoughts 

Chunkier and wider than the original Scholl Pedi, this demolishes hard skin in seconds, followed by a routine of the Scholl Velvet Smooth Intense Serum and daily application of the Scholl Velvet Smooth Essential Moisture Cream, gorgeous feet can be yours.

The Serum and Foot Cream have a fresh, pleasant scent and the cream is non greasy and absorbs in seconds. Simple, effective and affordable home treatment.

Can you afford not to have fabulous feet?

*PR Samples

Scholl Express Pedi Review - Summer Feet

With all this glorious weather it is time the feet were out on display so I have been giving my feet some much due TLC and treated them to the Scholl Express Pedi followed by some intense moisturisation with Scholl Dry Skin Instant Recovery Cream.

I have had the Express Pedi for a while now and finally felt able to unwrap it and put it to good use... the wrapping is a nightmare to open!!

However, thankfully, the product is incredibly easy to use. Billed as 'Professional Hard Skin Removal At Home' the Express Pedi makes light work and takes very little effort to operate. Once you pop in the included 2 x AA batteries you switch it on and are good to go.

To use, you just turn the pedi on and apply the rotating roller with light to medium pressure to the hard skin.

Results 

In seconds it had pretty much removed all the hard skin on my feet ( I will say now I don't have really bad hard skin but it was beginning to bother me) and delightfully collected the shavings (okay maybe that is a bit gross) in the base of the revolving sandpaper section.

Pain-free, fast, easy and effective. I think this is a brilliant product and the only thing letting it down is the lack of a little collection point for the shavings, which you can then empty, as really they are free to fly anywhere.

Replacement heads will need to be purchased.

Warning

Do not use on very cracked or bloody skin. Keep out of reach of children. If the skin is sore or inflamed, discontinue use of the product. Store in a safe place. Make sure the device does not get wet. Don’t use for longer than 20 minutes at a time. This product is NOT SUITABLE for diabetics and those with poor blood circulation.

Scholl Express Pedi £39.99

I followed by applying Scholl Dry Skin Instant Recovery Cream £5.99.  This is a fairly rich and hydrating cream, using both together the results were super soft, silky feet. Softer than I have had in years.

Final thoughts 

I use the Express Pedi every 3 or so days and am moisturising my feet daily to maintain the fabulous feet results.

*PR Samples

Love For - L'Occitane Almond Delicious Paste - Review

The delectable Almond Shower Oil was my introduction to the L'Occitane brand and what an introduction it was, the product became my Holy Grail bathing product and since then I have never looked back. I am a huge fan of the brand and its fantastic products.

I have been using the Almond Delicious Paste recently and have been suitable impressed with this very apt product... Delicious it most certainly is!

L'Occitane say

This delicious blend of almond butter and almond oil, infused with crushed almond shells and sugar crystals, offers a gentle, yet effective, exfoliation of the entire body. Skin is left smooth and soft, delicately fragranced with the crunchy note of fresh almond.

This product is free from: synthetic colorants, mineral oils, animal ingredients, parabens, phenoxyethanol, phtalates, silicone, triclosan, formol or formaldehyde, EDTA, BHA, BHT.


My thoughts 

A gorgeously buttery textured almond exfoliator that contains enough grit to be effective without feeling scratchy. The perfect gentle exfoliator that leaves skin wonderfully moisturised, soft and smooth with a scent that smells good enough to eat.

Seriously good.

L'Occitane Almond Delicious Paste costs £27 for 200ml

*The sample size pictured was included in a Christmas Gift Set

Organic Surge Skin Perfecting Polish & A Great Offer!

I'd seen a few adverts for Organic Surge and all the chatter on twitter about it, so naturally I was curious to try this brand. When the fabulous sounding "polish" was mentioned I knew I had to get my hands on it. I LOVE the name Organic Surge. It has a real "must have" factor about it.

When I found a £2 off coupon in my weekend newspaper, I rushed out to Boots to pick one up. I was pleasantly surprised how reasonably priced this brand is considering it is organic and "nasties free"!

You will find none of the following in their products:

• Parabens, sodium lauryl/laureth sulphate
• Synthetic perfume, artificial colourants
• Chemical antioxidants mineral oils, propylene glycol
• Aggressive foaming agents

Skin Perfecting Polish 

The packaging is clean and smart and it looks great on my bathroom shelf

The product is suitable for all skin types. It claims to stimulate, smooth and rehydrate. Active ingredients include organic rosemary and lemon essential oils. The exfoliating granules are made from finely ground apricot stone and walnut shell. 

I love this product, it smells fabulous - like lemon sorbet. It comes out quite runny but creamy. There are a few granules, but not as many as there would be in a traditional scrub - it is a polish after all! I found it really gentle and it felt like it gave me a real good clean.

It left my skin feeling clean and incredibly soft and smooth. This is a fantastic light exfoliator. I also noticed that my skin looked more radiant - so an extra plus point there!

To use - Massage onto damp skin using circular motions and then rinse off. Avoid the delicate eye area.

I now use it twice a week and use a mask once a week.

I am looking forward to trying more from this range as I was so impressed. 

It is such a great value, quality product.

Skin Perfecting Polish 150ml is priced £5.99 from Boots or direct from www.organicsurge.com

*SPECIAL OFFER*


Between the 16th and 25th November 2010 if you purchase 3 Organic Surge skincare products from Boots, Organic Surge will send you £10!

See here for more details, conditions apply.

Yes to Carrots C the Difference Exfoliating and Smoothing Mud Mask

I first came across the Yes To Carrots range of products in the beauty section of a Sunday magazine and as I hadn't heard of it before was keen to find out more. So I carried out the obligatory google search and found out a bit more about the company (they also have a Yes To Tomatoes range) and was keen to try it out for the following reasons -

It is Paraben free
It is Organic
It uses Dead Sea mud and minerals
It contains fruit and vegetables

This mask promises to tone, purify and revitalise. Use it once a week by applying a thin layer all over your cleansed face avoiding eyes and mouth. Allow to penetrate and dry for 5 minutes. Remove using a damp cloth.

As this product is aimed at Dry to Sensitive skin, today's guest review comes from my adorable (fussy about what she uses) little sister Roxanna -

Here are her comments about the mask

1. It seems quite hard to apply, very thick and paste like, didn't glide with my fingers however my face looked like the traditional "girls night in mask" the type you would see in the movies!

2. I quite like that there is no strong smell and that it dries nicely within the 5 minute timeframe. I have quite sensitive eyes and when products such as masks or creams are placed near them they tend to water. My eyes did not water with this product which was a nice surprise.

3. When washing it off, it formed lumpy bits but despite this was easy to remove.

4. Once it was all off and I patted my face dry, I noticed the parts of my face that had blemishes appeared clearer

5. The overall feeling of my face seemed to have transformed in the total of 7 minutes.  It felt much softer and very silky! My skin sometimes when using other products dries out again fast and becomes tight but using this mask I haven't felt any dryness, in fact it feels hydrated.

6. Would I say Yes To Carrots??? I WOULD NOW! :)

Thanks Roxanna for trying the mask for me.

The Yes To range is available from http://www.victoriahealth.com/or Debenhams stores nationwide.

C the Difference mask is priced £11.99 for 50mls

Look out for future reviews of products from the Yes To range.

Peony Rejuvenates Foaming Facial Cleanser and Juniper Exfoliating Crystals

Peony is a new skincare range that was launched in Spring of this year and is based upon the benefits of the white peony plant. It is a range free from chemical additives and parabens.

I think the packaging is pretty and fresh looking,  good enough to be left on show in the bathroom.

Foaming Facial Cleanser -

What Peony says - A rich foaming cleanser which removes make-up without stripping natural oils. Gentle cleanses and removes impurities whilst maintaining the skin's natural pH level. Suitable for the sensitive eye area, leaves skin feeling soft, supple and clean. It is suitable for all skin types.

What I think - The cleanser comes in a pump action bottle, and when it says it's a foaming cleanser, it really means that. The product came out as foam, to be used with water to lather up,  massage into the face for a couple of minutes and then washed off. It smelt lovely (I think it is the Green Tea, smells fresh, similar in scent to Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea perfume).  It does leave your skin looking bright and feeling clean,  unfortunately though I am not a fan of the tight feeling that it leaves the skin with, so this cleanser isn't for me. If however you don't mind that, then you may want to give this product a try.

Gold Juniper Exfoliating Crystals -

What Peony says - A gentle dissolving exfoliator & detoxifier, eliminates dead skin cells, unblocks pores and helps stimulate the skin's cell renewal cycle. Visibly reduces pore size and helps minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

What I think - The crystals are to be used in conjuction with the cleanser to make an exfoliator. It smells strongly of lavender and on closer inspection I saw that lavender was one of the ingredients. However,  I found the smell doesn't really materialise when the crystals are mixed with the cleanser. I cannot comment on claims that it minimises the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, I saw no evidence of this but I haven't been using the product long enough to tell.

I liked the exfoliator a lot, it left my skin extremely soft and my pores were so clean, they were barely visible.

In conclusion, although I wasn't overly keen on the cleanser on its own, it was a great exfoliator when used with the crystals. The tight feeling disappeared when a toner was used afterwards.

Coming soon - reviews of the Green Tea & Collagen Eye Mask and Pro Collagen & Cell Renewal Serum

Products available at Fenwick or www.peonyskincare.co.uk

Foaming Facial Cleanser 150mls - £24.25
Juniper Exfoliating Crystals 15g - £22.75