ASDA Best for Mums Christmas Beauty Gifts

You know me, I love a bit of a pampering treat.  ASDA sent me over one of their pampering beauty gifts from the nSpa range as a bit of a peak at their ASDA 'best for mums' range of Christmas gifts.

This nSpa Spa Rituals gift set features their uplifting Orange Blossom and Honey range of pamper products presented in a bright, floral gift set.  The set includes a large body polish and a showe/bath wash as well as a fragranced body mist, small soft body polisher and a tub of luxurious body butter all scented with the sweet fruity smell of orange blossom and honey.

I've tried using the nSpa orange and honey blossom body polish with the soft hand-held body polisher and I think it works a treat.  A good balance between a practical exfoliating body scrub and a fragranced shower gel.  The soft polishing pad is made for petite hands (not like mine) but it does compliment the product well.

nSpa products are inspired by Nirvana spa, a stunning day spa no more than a mile from my house (and a favourite haunt, when I have the time or the money).  The scents remind me a lot of my rare, luxuirious days at Nirvana and it is great to be able to bring the feeling of a spa into my own bathroom.  The nSpa products are enjoyable to use, even if they aren't the very peak of cosmetic luxury.

I'm really pleased with this ASDA nSpa gift set and would certainly be happy if I received it as a gift from someone special this Christmas.

Madara Cleansing Milk and Clarifying Toner Review - from MyPure #bbloggers #naturalbeauty #organic #review

Long time readers of Mellow Mummy will know quite how strongly I believe in my daily ritual of cleansing, toning and moisturising.  To me, a good cleansing milk and matching toner are two beauty staples that every mellow mummy should have in their armoury of beauty products.  And, likewise, loyal readers probably know that when it comes to skincare products I like to sing the praises of brands that (a) actually work and (b) offer a natural or organic alternative to the big high street names.  Madara skincare products tick both of these boxes for me.

Madara Clarifying Toner and Madara Cleansing Milk

Madara cosmetics are entirely natural cosmetics certified by ECOCERT. ECOCERT prohibits the use of synthetic perfumes and preservatives like parabens, mineral oil and propylene glycol. We have used Madara baby shampoo in the past and loved it but thanks to Mypure, this is my first opportunity to try out the facial skinscare range from Madara for adults.

Madara Cleansing Milk

I love this cleanser!

This Madara Cleansing Milk left my skin feeling fabulous after use.  It is thick, but not so thick it feels gloppy - it comes in a pump dispenser which worked well (often they don't!).  I applied the cleanser with my fingers and wiped off using cotton pads and I found it worked particularly well when finished off with the toner and my skin felt fabulously clean.

The active ingredients of the Madara cleansing milk include oat kernel extract and linden flower extract which are both known for their soothing properties and calendula which is not only soothing but cleansing too.  I thought the scent was gentle and refreshing which adds to the feeling of cleanliness.

The Madara Cleansing Milk costs £15 for 200ml at Mypure.

Madara Clarifying Toner and Madara Cleansing Milk

Madara Clarifying Toner

To me, a good toner has to be refreshing and zingy yet soothing - it has to leave my skin feeling clean and ready for action. The Madara clarifying toner is a nice and gentle lotion that definitely achieves my"refreshing" and "soothing" goals.

I found the product easy to dispense onto a cotton pad but it smelled a bit too much like witch hazel to me to meet my "zingy" expectations.  Interestingly the ingredients don't seem to include witch hazel but instead has active ingredients such as rose flower water, cucumber extract and oak bark.  Admittedly, I had to look the ingredients up online on the Mypure website as the text on the bottle was printed in the same colour as the green lotion inside so I couldn't read it!!!

The Madara Clarifying Toner costs £12 for 200ml at Mypure.

You can find out more about Mypure on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

Avon Anew Genics Treatment Cream Review

It is many many years since I've tried any Avon products so I was really interested to find out how things had changed when asked to review the Avon Anew Genics Treatment Cream. My first glance through the latest Avon campaign catalogue showed that the product range had grown much wider since I last came in contact with Avon during my late teens - it also seemed a lot more glamourous than I remembered with gorgeous sparkly images of Alesha Dixon sporting some Avon classics on the front cover.

The Anew Genics range by Avon is a set of Anti-Ageing skincare products. My gut feeling is that they are targeted at a slightly older age range than me (judging by the age of the customers who comment on the product with some very positive reviews at the Avon shop) but I've always been a strong supporter of using anti-ageing products from your thirties onwards as a means of prevention, rather than cure (!) for the signs of ageing.

The Anew Genics Treatment Cream is a very thick and luxurious moisturising cream available in a 30ml pot. The normal price is £23 but it is currently on special offer.

The cream uses Avon's 'YouthGen' technology which contains ingredients that target dull skin, colour spots and wrinkles; it also claims to firm up the skin. My initial reaction to the product was that the texture was brilliant for a night cream - thick but not cloying. The scent is very strong and is not a natural fragrance - it reminds me of some of the fragrances Avon sell (you can try the fragrances on the scratch and sniff pages of the catalogue!) - once again I would think that the scent is targeted at the older lady.

I have been using the Genics treatment cream at night for the past fortnight now and I would certainly agree with the claim that it improves the firmness of the skin, particularly around the tops of my cheekbones. I haven't yet seen any improvement in skintone and, thankfully, I don't yet have any wrinkles to reduce!

Nursing Tops and Cleanser - This is how I rock!

When online fashion and beauty shop, Zalando asked me to review my choice of lovely things from their website I briefly entertained the idea of a piece of luxury women's clothing but then came back down to earth with a bump... quite literally. My 31 week pregnant body is not ideal for clothes shopping. Right now I'm dreaming about floaty summer dresses and smart work outfits but what I really need is nursing tops and comfy, stretchy t-shirts.

Thankfully, Zalando stock a small range of maternity clothing including a number of nursing tops. I chose this long-sleeved nursing top by Noppies.



The Noppies nursing top is lightly ruched around the waist so it can just about accommodate my bump but it is really designed for use after birth. The top has a v-neck cross-over design with discreet access for breastfeeding. I'm really happy with the quality of the fabric and I think the simple design means that this will become one of my staple wardrobe items in the coming months. The long-sleeved Noppies maternity top costs £34 at present.

In addition to this, I had a quick browse through their range of premium beauty products and what did I spot? Zalando stock Lavera natural cosmetics - a brand I only recently discovered thanks to My Beauty Bundle so I thought I would try one of their facial skincare products, a facial cleanser, to see if I was as impressed as I had been by their foot lotion.



The jury is still out on this one - Lavera's facial cleaner seems like quite a functional product and the scent is a little disappointing but it seems to be kind to my skin ( I chose the version for dry skin) and at £5.95 for 100ml, it is really good value for an organic and natural facial skincare product.

Meaningful Beauty Wrinkle Smooth Capsules Review

I(and my team of reviewers have) have tried a number of Meaningful Beauty products in the past and have been impressed beyond our expectations of them so I was really pleased to be asked to perform another Meaningful Beauty review, this time of their brand new Meaningful Beauty Wrinkle Smooth Capsules because, as I mentioned recently, I love the idea of capsules – they mean you can't under or over use a product.

The first thing I found was that the capsules are a lot more robust than others I have tried. By that I don't mean that they are hard to break open (in fact, they are just about the easiest twist-and-pull facial capsules I've ever tried) but more that they have withstood the test of atmospheric moisture levels better than most. Many capsules made from natural or near-natural ingredients tend to perish once the jar or packet is opened and stick together. The Meaningful Beauty capsules don't stick together.

The contents of the capsules is a thick opaque lotion which looks and feels remarkably like the Meaningful Beauty Glowing Serum! That tiny bead of lotion that comes out of the capsule is easily enough to cover your whole face.

It is hard to put into words the feeling your skin has shortly after using the Wrinkle Smooth Capsules. My skin feels velvety as I run my finger tips over my cheeks and neck. It feels, for a few minutes, as if it is totally and utterly perfect – its such a surreal feeling of perfection that it is ever so slightly disconcerting! The silky sheen disappears after about 10 minutes but it still leaves the skin soft to the touch for quite some time after that.

As regards to the capsule's wrinkle-smoothing effectiveness; well, its hard to say. I think that the skin around my neck is feeling more hydrated than normal since I've been using the capsules but I'm in this for the long term. One jar contains 60 capsules and I'm using them every other day – for me I'd hope that they acted more as wrinkle-prevention and so far, so good!

You can buy the Meaningful Beauty capsules straight from their website for £29.95.

The Sunday Review – Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Oil Capsules

I tend to use a facial oil interchangeably with a facial serum. I discovered the effectiveness of a good facial oil a few years ago – a plant-based oil is an integral part of a Decleor facial – and would highly recommend introducing one to your regular skincare routine as they are quickly absorbed into the skin where they can get to work quickly and they really compliment your normal moisturiser. The latest facial oil I have tried is the Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Oil which comes in capsule form.

I've always liked capsules as a means of distributing expensive cosmetics – yeah, I know it's just another way that they can charge more for something that already costs the earth, but for something like a facial oil it really helps you to get to grips with how much you are meant to be using. Too little and you might not notice the effects; too much and you might be wasting money or reducing the effectiveness through over-use. The Weleda oil comes in small 0.3ml capsules designed for use once every 3 or 4 days. The capsules are firmer than some I've tried which makes them quite hard to twist open – I also suspect that they are plastic, and not biodegradable, but I'm unsure.

The Smoothing Facial Oil is made from a mix of Wild Musk Rose Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Peach Oil and Almond Oil. I was slightly disappointed with the fragrance which is definitely more 'musk' than 'rose', and given the pink packaging, I had built up my expectations of an intensely floral aroma. The blend of oils is intended to help prevent the signs of ageing and provide a deep nourishing treatment.

Musk Rose (Rosehip) Oil is supposed to offer a particular combination of fatty acids and anti-oxidants which supports regeneration of the skin so it is ideally suited to stressed or ageing skin. Rose oil is also a natural source of Retinol.

Once you've managed to open the capsule (!) you rub the oil over your clean, damp skin. 0.3 ml is enough to cover your face and neck AND leave a little left over, which I blot off with a tissue.

I would say that the results are subtle. I haven't noticed any visible increase in the suppleness of my skin but I would say that there were small signs of an improved smoothness but this could just as easily be attributed to a very relaxing week's holiday in the South of France!

A pot of 30 capsules of Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Oil costs around £16.95. Find out more on Weleda's UK Facebook page.

The Sunday Review - Slendertone FACE

You probably all recognise the Slendertone muscle-toning belts for perfect abdominal muscles but did you know that Slendertone make a facial muscle toner too? I have been trialling the shiny new Slendertone FACE for very nearly two months now and it has become part of my weekly routine.

About 3 or 4 times a week I use my Slendertone FACE just before I get ready for bed to exercise those pesky facial muscles responsible for making us look that little bit older. The FACE product is designed to target the muscles just under the skin of the face that stretch from the lips to the cheek (the ones whose positions govern where our wrinkles appear) and attempts to stimulate them in such a way as to prevent the impression of a saggy face.

I can't say that wearing the Slendertone FACE makes me feel elegant in any way. It makes Mr. B. laugh every time he sees me!

I am, however, impressed with the results. After just two months I really can notice a difference. I don't think it is a dramatic difference that others would notice but when I look in the mirror, I can see a little bit more shape around my cheekbones – it makes me feel good.

I have a philosophy about the Slendertone FACE that it is like a good cleanser, toner and moisturiser. Ever since I was a young teen I have had a cleanse/tone/moisturise routine that is just part of my life and I like to think that it has done me good. There is no way for me to tell whether my skin would be as lovely (!) had I not had the routine for the last 15-20 years but I'm confident it was and still is the right thing to do. The same goes for the Slendertone... I really think you could build this into your daily routine so that it is simply part of your life and several years down the line you would be incredibly grateful and REALLY see the benefits it has brought.

The Slendertone FACE is astonishingly compact and easy to use. There is a tiny hand-held electronic device which you charge up from the mains (my charge lasted me about a month!). To start the treatment you place a headseat around the back of your head and rest the electronic pads on the top of your cheeks. Each pad has a small gel pad to cover it and safely transmit the electronic pulse to your muscle. The unit has 3 different settings – a 10 minute treatment, a 15 minute and a 20 minute workout, one for relaxing, one for zuzzing yourself up a bit before a night out, and one for really working those muscles!

You are totally in control of the level of the electronic pulse and can change the power quickly using the buttons on the unit. I managed to get to level 37 out of 100 after a few weeks of getting used to it. I had been planning on doing a Jackass style video of me trying to get Mr. B. to use the FACE at level 100 but I thought that might be a bit irresponsible!

The Slendertone FACE has an RRP of £300 with sets of replacement pads costing £20 for 12 week's worth. It is, no doubt, the most expensive facial gadget I've ever laid eyes on but compared to the cost of a facelift in the future, or other cosmetic treatment, I think its a far better investment in my future if I really can integrate it into my daily routine. You can buy the Slendertone FACE at Harrods or SlendertoneFace.com.

I know it's shallow but it comes in a gorgeous presentation box that really makes it feel like a luxury product and it is incredibly exciting to open it up and see the wonders inside! The product comes in either black or white and is suitable for women or men.

Promotional Images courtesy of MSL Worldwide