Weleda Calendula Cream Bath - Review

Aaron (aged 4) has been helping me review a couple of Weleda products -  the first review was of the Weleda Calendula Weather Protection Cream and today the Calendula Cream Bath.

Bath times are I feel very precious, sometimes they can be full of fun, laughter, toys and mess and other times quiet and relaxing preparing for bed and sleep. The one thing I don't compromise on is the products that I use on my child. Around water your children trust you to keep them safe but I also feel that that includes the products that you use on them.

Personally I check all labels to ensure that the products that Aaron uses are paraben free and as gentle as possible and have a few brands that I buy regularly and rarely venture far away from. If they cost a bit more then so be it.

Weleda say

Weleda baby products care for your child's skin from the very first day with natural ingredients. The mild formulations developed in collaboration with midwives, are specially formulated to care for baby and infant skin. Our products provide comfort and promote the development of healthy looking skin.
A creamy bath milk to cleanse gently without drying. Naturally fragrant and free from synthetic detergents.

Weleda Baby Calendula Cream Bath gently cleanses and cares for your baby's delicate skin. Precious Almond and organic Sesame oils envelop your baby in warmth, keeping the skin smooth and supple and protects the skin from moisture loss.

To use - Add to running water when bath is almost full. Mix using hand.

Ingredients (taken from the Weleda website)

Water (Aqua), Prunis Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Oleate, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Sodium Beeswax, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance (Parfum)*, Limonene*, Linalool*. * from natural essential oils

My thoughts

Well this has been a complete hit with Aaron he loves the creamy lemon scent and it leaves his skin so incredibly soft after his bath and he smells so lovely too.

As an aside I use it on him as a wash rather than popping it into the bath and I only need to use a teeny tiny amount to clean him.

Thumbs up from the both of us

Weleda Calendula Cream Bath costs £8.95 for 200ml

*PR Sample

Weleda Calendula Weather Protection Cream - Review

Weleda is a brand that has until now not featured on my radar but this is all about to change having had the chance to try a couple of the products from the range and been suitably impressed.

The first product I was sent to try was the Calendula Weather Protection Cream. I have enough lip balms and this was really sent for Aaron my 4yr old to test. The Winter that has just passed has been pretty nasty, icy cold weather coupled with strong winds. Aaron's lips and the area around it have really suffered - It has been sore and red and the skin on his lips all dry and flaky. Try as I might to apply one of my balms to my despair he has declared them for girls (as he had seen me use them) and has refused to use them - cue a sad mummy!

However when this arrived he asked me what it was and I said it was for children and to my delight he let me apply it :-)

Weleda say 

Intensive protection against drying winds or cold, wet weather, for babies and all the family.

Weleda Baby Calendula Weather Protection Cream contains extracts of biodynamically grown Calendula flower and precious Sweet Almond Oil to care for dry skin, leaving it visibly smooth and supple. It spreads easily and is ideal to protect skin and lips of both babies and adults.

Can be used for face, lips and hands.

Ingredients - from the Weleda website 

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Lanolin, Beeswax (Cera Flava), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Fragrance (Parfum)*, Limonene*, Linalool*, Benzyl Benzoate*, Benzyl Salicilate*, Geraniol* * from natural essential oils

My thoughts

This isn't really a cream more like a thick oil, a tiny bit squeezed out goes a long way. It has a very light herbal scent that is nice and pleasant. Best of all this really works. On the windy days I have been putting this on Aaron's lips and when I collect him from school his lips are perfect and soft and appear unaffected by the weather.

The 30ml tube is the perfect size for popping in the handbag and the bright packaging with a ladybird is fun and eye catching for the little ones.

One happy child and one happy adult.

Weleda Calendula Weather Protection Cream 30ml costs £7.95

*PR Sample

Belmacz Stardust - 24ct Gold Leaf Eyeshadow - New

Stardust is the latest eye shadow addition from Belmacz Beauty. 

Containing 24ct Gold Leaf combined with warm copper pigments this creamy shadow lends a mesmerising and beautiful lustre to the eyes.

A little background behind the brand - 

Belmacz Beauty is the offshoot of Belmacz fine jewellery. The make-up and skin treatments within the line are imbued with the luxuriance of Belmacz jewels. Stardust’s formula is infused with 24-carat gold leaf. Since ancient times, this natural ingredient has been highly prized as a luxurious treatment to enhance and heal the skin.

With flash

Swatches 

Daylight 

With Flash

The texture of Stardust is wonderful to work with, really creamy, it has wonderful pigmentation and has a superb metallic sheen and quality to it. I have worn it as an eye shadow and the copper shade with gold flecks really makes my green eyes pop and makes the whites of my eyes whiter. So pretty!

A little pot of gorgeousness

I am looking forward to trying out the other suggested uses...

Mix with moisturiser and apply to cheekbones as a highlighter.
Apply Stardust with a thin tipped sable brush for dramatic flicks.
Add to your body moisturiser for an all over body shimmer.

Stardust 24ct Gold Leaf Eyeshadow costs £29 and is available to purchase from today (19th April 2013) online at www.belmaczbeauty.com and exclusively in the USA with Woodley & Bunny stores www.woodleyandbunny.com 

To celebrate the launch Belmacz will be giving away a *FREE* Moonstone Glow lipgloss (RRP £26) with every purchase of Stardust*


*Offer from 19th April until 25th April only.

*PR Sample

A Life Loved and Lost - A Poem

As the sun sets, the glow in my heart fades
For where there was hope, now there is pain

Caresses and whispers deep in the night
Memories of stolen kisses in the pouring rain

As darkness arrives, it mirrors my soul
Certain and sure never to feel love again

Infectious laughter surrounding the air
Silence is golden too soon a deathly stare

My mind all twisted and tortured
Muddled it makes no sense I am aware

Time passes as leaves rustle in the wind
My life lain cold and laid bare

An original work of fiction - all rights reserved

New Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Ageing CC CREAM SPF15

Just as I am getting the hang of the trend for BB creams and their benefits along come CC Creams - Complexion Correctors (also known as colour control or colour corrector creams)

CC creams provide more intense levels of tone-correcting and anti-ageing skincare ingredients than BB creams, at the same time as leaving the skin with a sheer, natural coverage. New Olay Regenerist CC cream takes it one step further with a unique 3-in-1 swirl system – the first and only cc cream to blend three core elements together – a serum, an SPF15 moisturiser and a sheer foundation so that skin is perfected now and over time. with a light texture the all-in-one corrective product gives complexions an instant gorgeous glow whilst balancing skin tone

Olay say

Olay Regenerist CC Cream’s 3-in-1 swirl blends the 3 elements together at the point of delivery:

• an anti-ageing serum containing Olay’s ‘Essential Glucosamine Complex’, which comprises N-acetyl glucosamine (Nag) and Niacinamide – clinically proven to reduce dark spots and wrinkles.

• a moisturiser with glycerine, SPF 15 sunscreen and anti-oxidant vitamin E– a powerful combination which hydrates and protects the skin instantly improving tone and texture.

• a sheer foundation incorporating mineral pigments which immediately blend and match skin tone delivering natural-looking and even coverage.

A pump of the CC Cream

My thoughts

Readers of BeautySwot.com know that I love my coverage to be medium/full so I am always wary of trying things that have the words 'sheer' in them..

First of all I love the clear packaging and swirl effect of the product, it look so pretty on my dressing table. The pump dispenses the right amount of product so this gets top marks for ease of use.

The CC cream has a pleasant light scent, not the usual stronger scent that is associated with many of the Olay products. It blends beautifully and seamlessly.

I have been trying this for a few days now and whilst I obviously have not tried it long enough to see any skincare benefits I find it to be hydrating as a moisturiser. The foundation is so light that it essentially is undetectable, if you really don't like to look like you are wearing foundation this is fabulous. Impressively just as promised my skin tone is evened out and the redness is concealed (which is always my main concern).

I am already using the serum/moisturiser duo and am a fan of Olay products in general, I feel that this is a great 3 in 1 product time saving product, perfect for busy mums like me who sometimes just don't have time to apply so many products but still want our skin to look and feel good.

Available in 3 shades - Light, Medium and Dark - I am using the Medium.

AVAILABILITY: NEW Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Ageing CC Cream SPF15 will be exclusive to Boots stores and Boots.com from 1 May 2013. Recommended retail price £24.99.

Join the Boots.com wait list now to be one of the first to hear when NEW OLAY Regenerist CC Cream hits the shelves in a Boots store near you!

Join the Olay Regenerist CC Cream wait-list now at www.boots.com/Olay.

*P&G/Olay sponsored post

Beauty Blazes - London Fire Brigade Issues Warning

I was sent this press release from the London Fire Brigade and I thought it was worth sharing as a gentle reminder about the dangers posed by our 'beauty tools and the shocking statistics that they have provided.

London Fire Brigade has today issued a warning about ‘beauty blazes’, following a large house fire that is believed to have been caused by a hairdryer in Harrow this week.

New figures from the Brigade show that there is a ‘beauty blaze’ every fortnight in the capital, caused by items like hairdryers, straighteners, tongs, vanity mirrors, and bathroom candles.

Tom George, Acting Deputy Head of Community Safety at London Fire Brigade, said:
“Firefighters in London attend at least one of these ‘beauty blazes’ every fortnight. Whether it’s candles used during a bath or straighteners used in the morning, people need to make sure they include fire safety in their beauty routines.

“Many of the straighteners available today can reach temperatures of over 200 degrees celsius, which is hotter than the oil in a deep fat fryer, so it’s vital that people take care.

”Candles are popular in the bathroom, but if they’re not placed on a heat proof surface, they can melt through your bath or toilet. This is especially important with tea lights, which get very hot on the bottom.”

The fire in Harrow this week caused severe damage to the first floor of a terraced house. The blaze is believed to have been caused by a hairdryer which was left on a bed. It heated up the bedding which then caught fire, and quickly spread to the rest of the room.

The fire comes just days after the Brigade issued a press release warning about the dangers of Hair Straighteners after two house fires.

In the first of the two recent incidents two young boys were rescued from a fire, which is thought to have started when a woman left her straighteners on a pile of clothes when she went to the door to collect a takeaway pizza .

The second fire saw a woman rescued by fire crews wearing breathing apparatus from a house in Southgate after she left her hair straighteners switched on while they lay on a laminated floor.

The Brigade’s top three tips for avoiding a ‘beauty blaze’ are:

1.Hairdryers, hair tongs, and straighteners can get extremely hot, so it’s very important to remember to switch them off and leave them to cool on a heat proof surface, such as a cork mat.

2.Shaving or make up mirrors should be kept away from direct sunlight, along with any canisters, such as deodorant or hairspray.

3.Candles need to be placed on a surface that can’t melt or catch fire, such as a ceramic plate. Always blow them out when you leave the room, and never leave them burning without supervision.

I leave you with some sobering images of 'beauty blazes' 

Candle on bath

Hairdryer on bed 

Mirror fire

St Ives Natural Beauty Challenge

I was recently contacted by the St Ives team and asked whether I would like to take up the challenge of capturing and defining my idea of Natural Beauty, I duly accepted the challenge and will share my photo a bit later on in this post.

I think that nearly almost everyone of us girls has picked up a tube of St Ives Facial Scrub or two along the way of our skincare journey, I know I have! I have enjoyed the gorgeous scent of Apricot whilst cleansing...

St Ives say

St Ives facial scrubs are made with 100% natural exfoliants and extracts that deeply cleanse so you will have younger, fresher and healthier looking skin in just 7 days. That's a promise!

I haven't tried one of the scrubs recently but I am looking forward to giving it a go as I love my skin appearing brighter and more radiant.

Now when I was thinking of what I would like to capture that defined natural beauty I immediately thought that the most naturally beautiful thing in life is the birth of new life. I really do believe this. I went back and looked over old photos to try to find a photo of my son in those magical first few hours after his birth but none were really what I was looking for.

Last week I was heading to the tube station and on this journey I have to pass by a pond and I came across some ducks..nothing unusual about that you may say, however as I got closer I noticed that there were fluffy young ducklings too!

Nature at its best.

Virtually everyone that passed by, stopped to take a look and enjoy the moment. It is such an adorable and charming sight.  In the background of the photograph is the huge duck pond but the ducks and ducklings had ventured to a small puddle.

I call this picture - Ducklings in the Training Pond

I hope you like my vision of Natural Beauty.

* The images will be judged by a well known beauty photographer, who will select an overall winner. The winner – along with all the photo submissions – will be revealed and displayed at a gallery style event held in May in central London for all entrants.

The blogger with the photo judged to be the best depiction of natural beauty will take home a Tree House getaway for two, along with a professional camera for themselves and one to give away to one of their readers.