bkr

It's not everyday you go to the launch of a brand new product and love it before you have heard anything about it. Well that is exactly what happened when I was introduced to bkr (beaker) a luxe, bubbly glass bottle that jumped out at me in Selfridges. Sitting there on a display stand in a variety of colours from your bright pinks to the neutrals that make you want to pick them up, touch them and make your own display.

Anyway, I was lucky enough to meet and chat to Tal Winter and Kate Cutler, the brains behind the idea who were just so lovely to chat too, answer questions about every aspect of bkr from where the idea came from, to its production and the celebrity following which by the way is huge, we are talking Gisele Bundchen, Blake Lively, Reese Witherspoon, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, January Jones and Jamie Chung to name just a few!

What I loved was the main point, you can spend hundreds, possibly thousands of pounds on creams, lotions and potions to keep your skin in tip top condition but if you are not drinking enough water, then what is the point. Water is something we should all drink more of, I drink around 1.5litres of it per day and should drink more and if something as cute as bkr can encourage me to do that then I am ready to put my hand in my pocket and try it. Essentially that is what bkr is, a cute glass bottle, a very well made one, whose who purpose is to encourage you to drink more water, the more you drink the better you not only feel, but so does your skin, your eyes, your hair and your nails.

For me bkr is such a brilliant idea, it has a non-leak cap which means you can carry it around in your handbag without fear of it leaking and it has this cute little hook that loops over your fingers to help with the grip when you carry it around and who wants to hide such a cute bottle in  handbag anyway.

I did ask Tal and Kate where the inspiration came from for the colours and some of the bottle names and essentially the collections are based on runway trends in New York, London, Paris and Milan and the names are only ever given if they both agree and love it. So the bottle I was very kindly given is called Bambi and if I had to choose a bottle, it would have been this one for two reasons - firstly it is bright neon pink and who doesn't love the colour pink and secondly the black heart right in the middle grabbed my attention and it has an RRP £28.  It is described as follows:

"Inspired by a big fluffly bed at a five-star hotel, his XL hoodie over your tiny bikini, the sharing of a naughty secret at a dimly lit speakeasy, hosting the coziest afterparty. I know you should be going, but how can I send you out in that storm"

It is washable by hand or dishwasher but not suitable for a microwave, but it literally takes just a few minutes to clean, including the outer sleeve which is removable.

There are over 30 different choices when it comes to choosing your own bkr and there is definitely something for everyone and if it encourages me to drink more water than I already do, it gets a huge thumbs up!

Area H20 Hair Care

Living in London means hard water, very hard water which at times means is a nightmare for washing my hair and getting that 'clean' feel, instead it feels weighted down, becomes a struggle to untangle and i'm just left with that feeling of dirty hair, even though it has just been washed and it drives me insane.

I was recently introduced to Area H20 Haircare** which is scientifically tailored to water type, having become quite intrigued as to how this would work, I was very kindly sent a bottle of shampoo and conditioner to try.   Developed by Patrick Lehane, a hairdresser from London and a team of biochemists, they came up with Area H20 after 4 years of hard work. Now, I have to say having used it for the past 6 weeks, I am really impressed.

Living in a hard water area, it is suggested that the left over mineral deposits is limescale, it is formed after the water has evaporated and it is those insoluble salt residues that remain on my hair after washing. So, here comes the science which even I understand. By identifying your water type, Area H20 attracts the metal ions that are present within all types of water, like a magent and it is those ions which react with your shampoo and create what are referred to as mineral deposits which cling to your hair, having got their attention, this shampoo makes it easierfor you to wash them away much more easily than before thus leaving you with cleaner, healthier looking hair.

There are many benefits of Area H20 which include:

• Scientifically tailored to water type
• Gives a more thorough and effective cleansing of the hair
• Gives an improved lather using less water
• Metal ions present on the hair prior to washing are removed
• No known scum is formed
• Hair is less flyaway and has a noticeably smoother texture
• Paraben Free
• Both Shampoo and Conditioner contain a pH of 5.5 - the bodys natural pH

The shampoo itself is like a clear gel and the only way I can describe the scent is a fresh clean smell, one which remains on the hair after washing. For me this is not a shampoo I would use every time I was my hair but one I use at least once a week to ensure my hair gets a thorough wash and deep cleanse and then with the added luxury of using the conditioner, my hair feels just like I have walked out of the salon. I also find no irritation of my scalp, no drying feeling on my hair and nor does it feel greasy and dirty, instead it feels soft, smooth and easy to manage and style.

I had expected this duo to be really expensive but was surprised to find that it is not too pricey at all, costing just £8 each for the shampoo and conditioner or £17 for the duo which you can buy on the Area H2O website or sites such as Feelunique and LookFantastic.

Have you tired this shampoo and conditioner combination?  Do you find that living in a hard water area effects you?