Indulge yourself this Christmas with Pixy

If you're looking for some pampering treats this Christmas, whether it be for yourself or as a gift for someone then look no further than Pixy for your very own winter skin wonderland.

I was lucky enough to be recently sent out the Indulge Pixy Gift Box which is a complete bargain at under €20, so you won't feel like you're breaking the bank splashing out on this.

The Indulge Gift Box comes with;

A moisturising Bath Bomb - I got Lime Light in mine, a Pixy portrait Honeysuckle Soap that smells just divine and is full of natural goodness, some skin-softening Lime Body Scrub Cubes - ideal for exfoliating and brilliant for removing fake tan and last but certainly not least, a therapeutic bathing experience by way of the included Muscle Soothing Bath Salts that not only contain therapeutic Epsom salts and Dead Sea Salts but have the beneficial qualities of Black Pepper, Eucalyptus and Rosemary essential oils that create pure Pixy bliss.

The set comes in a delightful glossy cardboard box with each item lovingly presented. I personally think it looks great in the box the way it comes, however the set also contains some cellophane and ribbon so you can create a DIY hamper if you wish and get some extra brownie points too while you're at it.

The gift box

Contents

Bath Bomb in Lime Light

Zings into life in a burst of grapefruit and lime fragrances and a sprinkle of glittery mica, then the honey powder gently softens your skin as it cleans.

This smells absolutely amaaaazing! I could smell it straight away once I opened the box - you get a gorgeous citrus burst through the cellophane. Such a delicious scent - I even left this in my bedroom for a few days before using it to scent my room and it worked a treat.

Ingredients

Sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, honey powder, grapefruit fragrance, lime fragrance, colourant, mica.

Honeysuckle Soap

Contains rich cocoa butter and macadamia oil to deeply moisturise your skin, it is great for all skin types but is particularly beneficial for dry or ageing skin. With a sheen of glitter and a summer-fresh honeysuckle fragrance, this is a beautiful bar!

How pretty is this with the fairy? It's almost too pretty to use but It's not all style over substance with this however - it works up into a nice bubbly lather and leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean yet nicely hydrated - it's not at all drying. 

Lime Body Scrub Cubes

These moisturising Lime Body Scrub Cubes are probably one of Pixy's bestsellers and with good reason, when applied melts into the skin ensuring lovely, soft to the touch, silky, smooth skin. 

 Lime oils cleanse and purify the skin - if you're a fan of citrus scents you'll love this. It goes amazingly well with the Lime Light bath bomb. It's ideal for exfoliating your skin before applying fake tan too to ensure you're not left with any flaky patches.

Great all-rounder!

The Muscle Soothing Bath Salts include Epsom salts which remove toxins, exfoliate the skin, reduce swelling of sprains and bruises, relax muscles and sooth your aching bones. 

Dead Sea salts, rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium, gently exfoliate, improve circulation, slow down skin aging and ease muscle stiffness.

 Black pepper essential oil, rosemary essential oil and eucalyptus essential oil to help in healing and preventing skin conditions, they increase perspiration for natural skin cleansing, flushing out toxins and bacteria. 

They naturally deodorise and disinfect and to top it all, their scent is very beneficial for easing mental exhaustion! 

After a long hard day's shopping spent traipsing about the town all in the name of last minute Christmas shopping and frantic, panic buying it's hard to beat chilling out in a bath with a few spoonfuls of these bath salts to de-stress and clear your mind

These are quite potent, so a little goes a long way. It comes in a lovely jar which looks great in the bathroom and it's generously filled to the brim, so this should last ages. I've taken 4 baths using these salts and I've barely made a dent in it.

You can find this set, along with others for just €19.95 over at Pixy.ie

There's also free delivery when you spend over €10

If you fancy it, why not wish the Pixies a Merry Christmas over on their Facebook and Twitter while you're at it :)

Yuletide Treats from YON-KA

If you're a regular reader you'll know that I have a lot of love for YON-KA - the French luxury skincare brand really delivers on quality and it's a personal favourite of mine when it comes to keeping your skin in check over the winter months due to the brands hard working yet gentle on your skin formulas which are made from 90% natural ingredients.

I normally stock up on skincare during the winter months in the run up to Christmas as there's normally great value to be had with the various gift set offerings - usually making a saving on the RRP.

When I came across YON-KA's 2013 Christmas offerings I thought they were too good to pass up and wanted to share them with you all. The range features three beauty clutches containing products which target hydration, vitality and body softness.

The Hydration and Vitality clutches contain two full size products 

and one miniature whereas the Softness clutch contains two full

products.

Absolute Hydration

The Hydration set contains the brands three most hydrating and comforting products, namely Creme 28 a day cream, Hydralia an intensely hydrating and hardworking serum and Masque No. 1 which is a personal favourite of mine - see review here

Next on my wish list is;

Absolute Vitality

These products are designed to be radiance boosting - which

sounds like they might be the perfect pick-me-up after one too 

many mince  pies and glasses of mulled wine. This set contains 

 Pamplemousse (Which happens to be one of my favourite words

 - Pamplemousse, I could say it all day!) which is apparently a 

celeb-fav day moisturiser. You'll also find night cream Phyto 58

and last but not least, my hero product Masque No. 1

Last up to complete the trio is;

Absolute Softness

This is one for the body care lovers out there! All that rich food, late night partying and central heating doesn't do your skin any favours, however this looks to remedy this as it contains Lait Corps a velvety hydrating body milk along with Nutri-Protect, a 3-in-1 repairing hand cream, so there'll be no excuses for chapped and dry hands with this in your handbag!

I think these a lovely, well rounded selection of some of YON-KA's best loved products all wrapped up in a cute clutch. I think Mammy Morte be in line to get one of these as it was her who initally introduced me to the brand back in my teens when I frosted white eyeshadow and glitter was the height of glamour and sophistication - oh the shame.

Pricing and Availability;

Absolute Hydration Set - £80 / €95

Absolute Vitality Set - £78 / €93

Absolute Softness Set - £52 / €62
YON-KA Shop
Renaissance Skincare



Are any of these sets calling to you the way they are me yet? :)

Betrousse - Absolutely Fabulous, Darling

Well sweeties (I'm channeling Eddie here!) I'm back again with a brand spanking new Betrousse box today.

The latest Betrousse edition is called "Absolutely Fabulous" (I wonder if they've been catching up on some Ab-Fab re-runs?)

Yon-Ka Hydra No. 1 Range - Give Your Skin An Extra Boost This Winter

What do Angelina Jolie, Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller and 

Beyonce all have in common? They all use Yon-Ka!

Now I've been a fan of Yon-Ka for many years now (thanks to my good ol' Mom for introducing me to the brand back in the day!) but I didn't realise that they had such a celeb following til fairly recently, so it was with great gusto and glee that I started trialing their Hydra No. 1 Serum and Masque No. 1 - anything that's good for Beyonce, Angelina et al is good enough for me!

Mini Haul: Estee Lauder Modern Muse & GWP

Whilst makeup is and always will be my first love, a close second is my fondness (well, obsession more like, but let's not get into that just now or we could be here all day...) for perfume.

So of course when I heard that Modern Muse was going to be Estee Lauders biggest fragrance release in 10 years since Beyond Paradise, well I just had to go and pick up a bottle. It would be rude not to. Right?

Betrousse - The Glitz & Glamour Edition

Hi, I'm Belle and I'm a Beauty Box addict.

Yeah, you'll probably have gathered by now that I'm just a bit of a fan of the ol' beauty box malarkey. It's just so enticing, paying a nominal fee - £10 in this case and receive a big ol' box full of beauty booty normally worth multiples of the price you pay. What's not to like? Oh, well there is the case of sometimes ending up with a box of products not suited to your tastes or skin type. Or worse still, feeling like you've gotten a raw deal when you end up with a lacklustre box and you see others with their boxes jam packed with a treasure trove of highly sought after products. Yeah it sucks and we've all been there before.

Betrousse are a bit of a game changer in this respect - first off, there's no monthly commitment - you buy the boxes on a one off basis - secondly all of the "samples" you receive are actually full size products. Yes, you read that right - FULL SIZE products - kiss goodbye to those measly perfume vials and skincare sachets that always leave you with a sour taste in your mouth knowing that you could have picked these up for free from the friendly sales assistant at your local beauty counter. Also, and here's the biggie - you get to see what you're going to get before you commit to buy - no more ending up with a box of products you won't use and each and every box is identical so you can be assured you're not going to get the "crappy" box whilst everyone's seems to be handpicked by the Gods and sent from Manna. Praise be! :D

Rituals Touch of Happiness Body Cream

Rituals recently launched their Laughing Buddha Collection.  Inspired by the philosophy of a famous monk, Rituals brings a Touch of Happiness in to your bathroom. The scent of Sweet Orange and Cedar Wood infuses happiness, optimism and a dash of luck into your life.

If we all walked around with a smile on our face and a nice word for everyone we met, the world would be a much happier place. Rituals are aiming to do their bit for the good of all mankind with their Sweet Orange and Cedar Wood fragranced products :)

Good Things come in small packages...

When I heard that beauty journalist Alice-Hart Davis had launched a skincare range with yummy ingredients such like avocado, raspberry, lychee and super-food of the moment, goji berry I just knew that I had to try it out. The pretty packaging and branding certainly helped in swaying me too!

Skincare Sunday: Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm

I'm a bit of a skincare fiend - I'm always on the hunt for TNBT (The Next Big Thing) in my quest to find the Holy Grail of cleansers. As a result, I'm always eager to try out new brands and products to see how they fare. My favourite type of cleanser, without a doubt, are hot cloth cleansers - I love, love, love these and thankfully, my skin does too.

So, it was with eager in-trepidation and high hopes that I've been trying out the Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm, but does it live up to its claims?

8 Tips For A Flawless Complexion

BRTC Overnight Pore Tightener

Hello Beauties! :)

As a lot of you know, I've since been converted to BB Creams in recent months, and in my quest to find more authentic Asian BB Cream brands I recently came across BRTC. 

BRTC is a Korean company which was founded in 2006 and they aim to provide functional aesthetic skincare made with botanical ingredients.

I've been trying out their Overnight Pore Tightener which is billed as a "Pore Tightening System"

Washi! Hot Cloths - Treat Your Skin

Konnichiwa everyone and Happy Valentines Day! :)

I hope that you're all having a wonderful day and that you are being spoiled rotten given the day that's in it. If however you find yourself without a better half today - like myself, then fret not as I'm so excited to share a wonderful range of hot cloths to treat your skin - well if you're not being showered with chocolates and roses, I think having a day of pampering at home is the next best thing! ;)

Let me introduce you to Kazumi and her fabulous Washi! Hot Cloths

Glam Glow Super Mud Mask

Hi Guys!

I've been recently hearing a lot about the wondrous product beloved by Hollywood stars that is GLAMGLOW and they have recently launched Glam Glow Super Mud Clearing Treatment, so of course, in the interests of research I just had to try a sample for myself and see if it lived up to the hype.

Two Chemists in LA with celebrity friends used their free time to come up with a mask that made their friends red carpet ready.  Little jars of this volcanic mud mask were secretly being passed through the hands of Hollywood’s elite until now (Jennifer Aniston and Miley Cyrus are said to be fans).  I love that their story is so, well, Hollywood!

Pixy Rose Cleansing Mud

I recently wrote about Ireland's answer to Lush which you can read here; where I reviewed the Pixy Skin So Soft - Softening Body Oil and today I'm going to be showing you the Pixy Rose Cleansing Mud.

A cleansing mud I hear you say, isn't that a bit of an oxy-moron, how can a mud possibly cleanse your skin and make it cleaner?!

Yon-Ka Hydralia Hydrating Concentrate

With winter in full swing and the icy temperatures outside, no doubt many of you will find that your skin is suffering due to indoor heating, which though keeps us nice and toasty inside, it can also play havoc with your skin, zapping it of all of it's moisture content, acting as an exterior humectant.

Ok, I'll be the first one to say it, I have dry skin. Seriously dry skin. Think sponge. As soon as I slap on some moisturiser or foundation you can almost hear the "squelch" as my skin soaks up all the emollient and moisturising properties out of whatever lotion or potion I'm using so I'm always on the look out for The Next Big Thing when it comes to facial oils and moisturisers, which brings me now to Yon-Ka's Hydrating Concentrate from the Hydralia series.

Beauty Wishlist

Latest Purchases - Matis Skincare and Essence Cherry Blossom Paper Lashes

Hi Guys & Dolls!

I picked up a few bits and pieces for my kit today and thought I'd share them with you all.

First up I got some new Paper Lashes from Essence's brand new Cherry Blossom Girl Collection.

The Paper Lashes are limited edition and are inspired by Japanese culture - Konnichiwa everyone! :)

There's one style available and they're called: "Hidden In Sakura Garden" - I snapped up a few pairs whilst I could, as they're limited edition, so once they're gone, they're gone!

I simply adore the beautiful, intricate floral design - they're so dainty and girly. Definitely my must have pick from the Cherry Blossom Collection.

I got mine for just €2.89 from Penneys.

Next up I got a new skincare set for my kit from Matis.

Matis is a professional salon skincare brand from France. They have a great range of products available for all skin types.

I got the Essential Lotion, Essential Cleansing Emulsion and the AvantAge Jeunesse from the Response Jeunesse range and also the BiPhase Eyes & Lips Makeup Remover.

This set set me back €80 which was very reasonable for salon size products.

I'm really looking forward to trying these babies out. 

And that's the pick of my latest purchases for today guys! :)

Garnier BB Creams - Review with Photos and Swatches

Hi Guys & Dolls!

If you haven't already noticed, I'm totally loving BB Creams at the minute and in continuing in my series testing out the latest and greatest BB Creams, today I'm bringing you the offerings from Garnier.

The 3 Garnier BB Creams I have been trialing out are:

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One B.B. Blemish Balm Cream in Light 50ml

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One B.B. Blemish Balm Cream in Medium 50ml

Garnier BB Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One B.B. Blemish Balm Oil Free Version in Light 40ml

The Garnier offerings are very well priced for B.B Creams - I got mine from http://www.treatyourskin.com/ where they are available a bargainous £6.95 and £7.25.

Plus you can get 10% off your order when you use code "TYSBELLA"

You can view the full range of BB Creams here

Garnier BB Cream in Light:

This BB Cream has a nice, rich, thick consistency. I know that some people have been complaining that they find this too greasy on their skin - however if like me, you have dry skin, I think this just may suit you. The BB Cream is lightly fragranced - it almost smells like a refreshing Green Tea scent. It has an SPF of 15 - not as good as the Asian BB Brands, but SPF15 is better than none at all, so I'm not complaining! On your skin it gives a nice dewy, luminous glow which I love.

Ingredients:

Active: Octinoxate 4%...Purpose: Sunscreen. Inactive: Water, Isononyl Isononanoate, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Peg-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Cetyl Palmitate, Nylon-12, Cyclohexasiloxane, Propylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Stearyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance, Caprylyl Glycol, Lithum Magnesium Sodium Silicate, Disodium Edta, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Caffeine, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Benzyl Alcohol, Geraniol, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Polyphosphorylcholine Glycol Acrylate, Citral, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate. [May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides] F.I.L. B47069/7; G790303.

I found this BB Cream to be very moisturising on my skin, keeping it hydrated all day. I gives medium coverage, however you can build this up to a heavier coverage by applying thin layers if desired.

I did find that throughout the day there was some wearing with this BB Cream, and I needed to top up later on in the day. This isn't a huge issue for me, but it may be a concern for you.

Garnier BB Cream in Medium:

This cream is the exact same as the one above, except in a shade darker, so I'm not going to comment any further one this one.

Ingredients:

Active: Octinoxate 4%...Purpose: Sunscreen. Inactive: Water, Isononyl Isononanoate, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Peg-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Cetyl Palmitate, Nylon-12, Cyclohexasiloxane, Propylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Stearyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance, Caprylyl Glycol, Lithum Magnesium Sodium Silicate, Disodium Edta, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Caffeine, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Benzyl Alcohol, Geraniol, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Polyphosphorylcholine Glycol Acrylate, Citral, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate. [May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides] F.I.L. B47069/7; G790303.

Garnier BB Cream - Oil Free Version - Light

This formula differs from the other two in the sense that it is designed for Oily / Combination skin, whereas the originals are designed for drier skins.

This comes in a different shaped squeezable tube - it's more elongated and slimmer. It also comes in at just 40ml compared to the original versions which come in at 50ml.

This cream gives a matte effect with no shine.

This cream is also scented with a nice, refreshing fragrance - this dissipates once you rub it into your skin though so you're not left with any lingering scents on your face.

"Our Oil Free BB cream blurs pores and imperfections, evens skin tones and boosts your natural glow. Moisturisers and contains SPF 20 for UV protection."

• Ultra-absorbent perlite + mineral pigments
• Non comedogenic
• Oil-free texture
• Dermatologically tested

The Oil Free version comes with a higher SPF rating of 20 as opposed to just SPF15 on the original versions.

This BB Cream has a much runnier and watery consistency compared to the original formulas. I found that it also dries in quicker on your skin, so you need to be quicker when blending in your BB Cream. You have more play time with the original formulas as they're a lot creamier and richer to work with and don't set as fast.

Coverage again was I'd say, medium with this, but you can build this up with thin layers if you want heavier coverage. 

I found the staying power on this BB Cream to be the best out of the 3 I tried - it did not fade or slip throughout the day. It gave a matte effect and no shininess came through.

Due to the fact I have dry skin, I prefer the original version. However, if you do have oily skin, this may be a good choice for you.

Swatches:

Swatches with other BB Creams for comparison:

I got the Garnier BB Creams from Treat Your Skin

They're priced at a very affordable £6.95 (Oil Free Version) and £7.25 (Regular Version)

You can also use code "TYSBELLA" to get an additional 10% off your order.

You can see my other reviews on BB Creams here;

Skin79 VIP Gold

Skin79 Hot Pink 

Maybelline Dream Fresh

Ginvera Nude Cover

I hope this helps you when choosing your next BB Cream! :)