Category Archives: Skincare

Simple skincare new products at London blogger event

simple skincare - somanylovelythings

New Simple products – pretty and good to the skin!

I was delighted do be invited to attend the Simple skincare blogger event which took place at Kettner’s in central London.

Basically, the evening was divided in pretty much what the Simple Sense skincare routine online tool is about; looking after your skin as a whole, including your body, inside and out,  through three points: skincare (the right products, routine, application), exercise and nutrition.

Upon arrival we were faced with a tough choice of amazing skin loving mocktails, prepared by Fiona Hunter, the Simple nutritionist. I went for a deliciously tropical mango combination and loved it.  Fiona also was at hand to create personalised smoothies (I ended up with a fantastic apple, avocado and melon mix) and give advice on particular nutritional concerns. Invaluable information!

Click on the images to enlarge

Loads of products
The much loved existing line
New kids on the block – and my mocktail
Pretty boxes of products and attentive bloggers
Caroline Frazer giving tips!
And here Caroline tells us how it’s done!
Bloggers pay attention to Anna’s demostration
More exercises? My face hurts!
Oh, the macarons….
Pretty decorations – and oh, my mocktail, again!
Skin loving ingredients for smoothies
More ingredients – are you feeling brave?

I was introduced to the amazing new products from the Simple Kind to Skin+ range. We all know Simple has skin loving ingredients, the products are formulated for sensitive skin and they unbeatable value for money; you can rest assured the new additions don’t deviate from that.

Here’s what Simple has for you:

  • Simple Kind to Skin+Perfecting BB cream – their first ever beauty balm; it is one colour suits all and blends really well on a various skin tones, as tried by the bloggers present. RRP £8.99
  • Simple Kind to Skin+ Illuminating Radiance cream – with light reflecting minerals to capture light; brightening. RRP £8.99
  • Simple Kind to Skin+ Protecting moisturiser with SPF30 protects against UVA and UVB rays and contains sweet almond oil. RRP £6.99
  • Simple Kind to Skin+ Sun-Kissed moisturiser – for the face, gradually builds up a tan and contains vitamins E and B5. I have been using the Simple Sun-Kissed moisturiser  (read the review), and love it. This has been slightly reformulated for the line re-launch, I am told. And if it is great now, I have no doubt this will be even better! RRP £4.99
  • Simple Kind to Skin+ Radiance brightening wipes and Simple Kind to Skin+ brightening eye make-up remover pads – RRP £3.99 and £2.99 respectively.
  • Simple Kind to Skin+ moisture boost hydro mist – helps refresh and hydrate the skin throughout the day. RRP £5.99

The creams are all very light on the skin! The radiance cream delivers a very glowy effect, and is great under make up to illuminate the complexion and boy, I love a mist. My favourite, however, has to be a fantastic Protecting moisturiser with SPF 30, and I’ll say it again – with RRP of £6.99. Yes, you read right. Under £7!!! Amazing.

If all that wasn’t enough, Caroline Frazer, a make-up artist and Simple’s skin expert and brand ambassador, was at hand really drilling down on the correct four step skin routine (cleanse, tone/polish, treat and protect!) giving out personalised tips and showcasing the products.

The tough but girly personal trainer Anna Reich, who is Simple’s fitness expert (and also lovely and super funny!) was there to offer great fitness advice, as well as introduce me to face yoga – and even demonstrating some exercises to tackle most common face problem areas, dubbed as the “biceps curls for you face!”.

The principle does make sense – if you look after the muscles on your face, just like your body, they will tone and perk and this will also help delay the dreaded effects of time! I have a cheek video of Anna showing how to do one of the 18 exercises in the face yoga programme.

Top it all off with great canapés (oh-so-tasty pink macaroon with creamy goats cheese – who would’ve said, trust me, it is lush!), lovely people (other bloggers, PR and the Simple guys) and a superb goodie-bag (which will fuel the blog for quite some time!) and you have a not only a fun, fantastic evening but also a very informative one.

Cannot wait to start telling you about the products! Trial has already started!!!

Don’t forget you can create your own tailored routine at the Simple Sense online tool and the new products are hitting the shelves of retailers nationwide in September, when you can get all the info on them on the Simple website.

Product review: Bahoma London fragranced body scrub

bahoma london body scrubGiven the lack of sun in London, I am very partial to a bit of fake tan – and there is no better way of preparing your skin for it than a good exfoliating scrub. even better if the scrub leaves your skin super moisturised – and that’s exactly what the Bahoma London body scrub does.

I used the Desire fragrance, which has some vanilla notes on it and it smells gorgeous! The consistency of this scrub is very thick, butter like, and full of grain. As soon as you dig into the pot, it melts in your hands and when scrubbing, the grains last enough for a few scrubbing movements, before melting.

After applying in my whole body, I rinsed it off and my skin was super soft, lightly fragranced and feeling really moisturised, as if I had applied a body oil (which I usually do after showering, but didn’t need in this case!), and this absorbed quickly, with no greasy after feeling.bahoma london body scrub

This really helped my tan to develop evenly and glowy and a few days after the scrub, my skin still feels super soft!

You can get more information about this and other products in the Bahoma London website.

Check out my review of the Bahoma London Vanilla Black candle

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: Simple revitalising eye roll-on

simple eye roll-onMy poor eyes usually wake up feeling quite exhausted and a bit puffy. I suffer from allergies and when I get up in the morning my eyes are in a bit of a state, so I really welcomed the Simple eye roll-on to my drawer.

What I really like about eye roll-ons is the massage it offers around the eye; gently, if physically pushes away the puffiness, leaving behind some skin loving ingredients and a bit of hydration, complementing my night eye cream work. I love that the roll-on ball is metal, so it is quite refreshing too!!! After application, the area around my eyes feels calmer.

The Simple revitalising eye roll-on has cucumber extract (you know, you don’t need cucumber slices anymore!) and pro-vitamins B5 and B3, glycerin and lupin extract, so what stays after your mini massage is going to care for that all delicate eye-area!simple eye roll-on

Having tried similar products from premium brands before, I can say that this products has the same effects of something a few times its price and for me, works great for what I need!

You can find more information on the eye roll-on and other products on the Simple website.

Product review: Chapstick Lipsations Shimmer

chapstick shimmerSo everyone want to have lovely soft lips, right? Of course we do. I wear a lot of matte lipstick and Lipcote, which dry my lips a bit, so I have a routine of exfoliating and applying a good lip balm, which I change from time to time, as my lips seem to be a bit temperamental.

chapstick shimmer

ChapStick has come up with a summery version of their lip balms we all know: Lipsations Shimmer.

I got two : Tropical, a piña colada type smell an flavour and Berry. They both smell amazing but it is not too overpowering. And the taste is alo very nice, again, not too strong.

The shimmer is very discreet, just a subtle gleam. My favourite, although I liked both is Berry – tangy smell and taste and a very light pink colour shimmer.

chapstick shimmer swatch

Both very hydrating and a great addition to any handbag!

You can find these beauties at the great price of £1.99 each!  Check out and like ChapStick’s Facebook page for more info on this and other products, as well as great promotions!

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: Simple Sunkissed face moisturiser

simple sun kissed moisturiserThe funny thing about this one is that I was talking to my mum about how much I needed a product to lightly tan my face (as I use sun block), to make it go a bit more with my body and minimise the need of a bronzer, on the day I got offered this Simple Sunkissed face moisturiser. Fate?

This product is very similar in consistency, colour  and the way it feels/moisturisers the skin to the Radiance moisturiser I reviewed a while ago but witha dded gentle tanning agents to create a light sunkissed glow, without the nasty smell, streaking or the dreaded orangeness.

Have to say the tanning effect  is extremely subtle, especially on me, as I have olive skin, but I noticed the difference after a couple weeks using it, the skin is really just looking healthier, not really darker or even worse, dirty! I suppose if you have lighter skin, you will probably notice the effect a bit more than me.

So I really like this one as I top up my body tan with self tanning lotions, but I think they are not the right thing to put in your face. And some days I even ditched the bronzer that brings my face colour closer to my body colour, so thumbs up!

More information about it here, and it retails for a reasonable £4.99!

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: Holland & Barrett sleeping beauty box

We all know that sleeping well is essential to our beauty. Dark circles, tiredness, dull skin, dry patches: a badly slept night can literally be seen in you face.

So although some of the products here are not really beauty products per se (apart from the one), I believe they can also be part of a beauty regime. I am lucky to sleep quite well already, but a helping hand is always welcome, especially in more stressful times.

I received four products, to be used in steps just before saying night-night:

dr organic night cream, cherry concentrate, lavender oil and wonder oil from holland and barrett

First, the Wonder Oil, a combination on olive, sunflower seed, wheat germ, sweet almond, sesame and jojoba oils and a blend of 14 herbs in a base of Safflower oil and a citrus blend of grapefruit, lemon and orange (phew!) so plenty of goodness there, to be used on the skin, hair, nails. I use it after showering, on damp skin. It absorbs quickly, leaves a subtle orangey smell on the skin for a little while and you I could still feel my skin moisturised and soft in the morning. It retails at £10.99.

Then, the Black Cherry concentrate. This is yummy. My favourite way of taking it was as yoghurt topper. OMG, it is sooooo tasty, and healty. You can add to ice-cream, use instead of squash for a delicious cherry drink – hot (lovely just before bed!) or cold. Love it. Has no added sugar and cherries contain the sleep hormone melatonin. It is also said to help relieve gout symptoms, arthritis pain and help prevent heart disease. The only problem is that I could not find the nutritional information for this anywhere – it would be nice to know how many calories and carbs it has. You can buy a 473ml bottle for £11.69.

After that, the lavender oil. I love lavender oil. For me, the way of using it is in the oil burner. Smells great and if you have undesirable moths in the house, this really helps to get rid of them – keep a soaked cotton ball in the wardrobe! This little bottle retails for £4.99 (10ml)

I also received a Dr. Organic Moroccan Argan oil night cream. It smells amazing and it is of a thick consistency  great for drier patches, I used on my hands, elbows, knees, around my hips and waist, as well as on my decolette. I found a bit too rich for my face, but it will probably be alright for more mature skin. It also contains Kigelia, Roselle and Baobab, all organic ingredients, of course!  It retails for £9.49 for a 50ml tub.

You can find all these products and much more at Holland & Barrett.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: Simple Radiance brightening moisturiser

simple radiance brightening moisturiser

A few Simple poducts have been popping up in the blog lately – I received a mish-mash of products from different ranges and they are really hitting the spot.

All I can say is that this is a lovely day moisturiser. That is it. It is very light and absorbs really well. White in colour and of a medium consistency, it spreads really well and doesn’t have smell, which is great, and it also has skin protecting SPF 10 – very handy! The skin feels nourished afterwards and seems to stay that way for most of the day. It doesn’t interfere with my make up; I haven’t noticed any difference in durability since I started using it.

What do they say:

“Our Radiance Brightening Moisturiser SPF 10 is a perfect blend of ingredients and light reflecting particles to help to moisturise, protect and visibly brighten your skin. Perfect for even sensitive skin.

Our special blend of Simple moisturising goodness containing  Mango Extract, Glycerin, Bisabolol, Pro-Vitamin B5, Vitamin E and Vitamin C, helps moisturise, protect and visibly brighten your skin.”

As you can see, lots of skin loving goodies there. I have to say, I am converted to Simple products. Everyone that uses, swears by them, and now I can see why! And all for the amazing price of £6.99!

To find out more about the Radiance range and other Simple products, click here.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: Simple Regeneration age resisting eye cream

simple regeneration eye creamEye creams have been part of my routine for a few years now. When I use certain acne products on my face, I feel the skin around my eye feels and looks extra dry, which makes it favorable to expression lines to appear, so I do what I can to keep the area around my peepers extra hydrated.

My eyes are very sensitive, meaning the last eye creams I have been using irritated them a bit, making me wake up with an urgent need to wash my eyes and put some eyedrops in, so it was really nice to get this Simple age resisting eye cream, part of their Regeneration range.

The cream is very light and it has a watery milk colour, spreads and absorbs really well and quickly. A small amount goes a long way. Before I started using it, I had noticed more dryness than usual around my eyes, probably a combination of weather change and medication for my skin, but this certainly did the trick!

What they say:

“Our Regeneration Age Resisting Eye Cream is a special blend of ingredients that helps to repair and protect the delicate skin around your eyes. Perfect for even sensitive skin.”

“Our special blend of Simple moisturising goodness containing Pro-Vitamin B5, Vitamin E, Mushroom Extract, Oat-Beta Glucan, Allantoin, Ginkgo Biloba, Shea Butter and Green Tea Extract, helps to moisturise, soften and tone the skin and help fight the signs of premature ageing.”

It contains 6 skin loving nutrients and 2 vital vitamins, as they point out in the pack, which is also simple and functional. It retails at £6.99 for 15ml, an amazing price for an eye cream, if you ask me, and you can find out more about it and the range here.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: Simple Regeneration age resisting night cream

simple regeneration night creamIt is no secret I am past my 20’s and that the fact I suffered from acne for most of my life means my main focus has only been attacking the blemishes and less on age defence and deep hydration.

Recently,I decided it was probably past the time to combine both, as breakouts are still happening but I cannot stand the aggression of anti-acne products any longer.

So I really welcomed this Simple night cream, part of their Regneration age resisting range, which “contains a special blend of active ingredients to repair and protect your skin whilst defending it from the early signs of ageing”. I knew Simple, but only their Kind to Skin range, so was pleasantly surprised at the breadth of their different ranges, aiming at different skin concerns.

The moisturiser is very light, which surprised me as it is a night cream, so no greasy feeling. As other Simple products, it is fragrance free, which I really like. It has a medium consistency, absorbs really well and I applied in the face and neck at night, of course, and in the morning, my skin woke up hydrated, soft, non greasy, a bit plumper and calmer, including my breakout areas.

Here’s what they say:

“Our special blend of Simple moisturising goodness containing Pro-Vitamin B5, Vitamin E, Mushroom Extract, Oat-Beta Glucan, Chamomile, Ginkgo Biloba, Borage Seed Oil, Shea Butter and Green Tea Extract, helps to moisturise, soften and tone the skin and help fight the signs of premature ageing.

No perfume, no colour, no unnecessary ingredients so it won’t upset your skin, dermatologically tested and approved”

I’ve been using it daily and can say I am very happy with the product. The packaging is simple, in an very easy to use pump, clip top, with the trademark green branding of Simple products. At £5.99, this night cream is truly amazing value!!!

You can find the Regeneration as well as other great Simple ranges here.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: Elemis Frangipani Monoi body oil

elemis frangipani monoi body oil

Ooooh, I absolutely LOVE a body oil, it keeps my skin soft in London’s crazy weather and hard water so I consider myself lucky to have received this GORGEOUS body oil from Elemis to keep my skin happy!

I have been using a few Elemis face products lately and my skin, which has been going through an awful patch, has been liking them. I also had an amazing facial and massage at their London Spa – bliss – so I have lots of good things to say about the brand.

To me, one word defines this Frangipani Monoi body oil: luxurious. It is made with Tahitian monoi (Monoï oil is an infused perfume-oil made from soaking the petals of Tahitian gardenias (best known as Tiaré flowers) in a semi-wax coconut oil) and infused with frangipani flowers (you know, those super fragrant tropical flowers with big oval petals that are white on the outer border and yellow-pinkish on the inside, that girls put on their hairs?).

It has this thing of being solid when cold, and you need to put the bottle into warm water for it to melt. I fill a container with water at the beginning of my shower and by the time I am finished, it is liquid, ready to be used.

If I have to point out a downfall, a very small one, is the top of the bottle. Looks very pretty, a little metal drop, but can be a bit fiddly in the shower – could easily go down the drain and because it is so dinky, it’s a  bit tricky to manipulate with oily hands. But this wouldn’t stop me from buying it.

The consistency is great and it gets absorbed quickly by the skin. There is no greasy feeling after application. A small amount goes a reasonable way. The smell is lovely – flowery, not too sweet, and not overpowering either. It lingers in the body afterwards but doesn’t interfere with your perfume, for example.

My skin felt soft and hydrated afterwards. Really, I will repeat – a luxurious product, try if you can. It is a 3 in 1 product so it can also be used in the hair and nails (which I have). What is not to love?

You can buy it here, full size retails at £31.50, Elemis also has travel sizes and other products in the range made with the same ingredients.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.