Caudalie Divine Oil

Caudalie is a brand that I am new too and one from which I have no great knowledge about, so when the opportunity arose to try out their Divine Oil** product from Farmaline I was delighted and jumped at the chance.

Being a recent convert to oils, for the hair, face or body, I am amazed at how well my skin and hair react to them, more so because my skin can either be quite dry in part and also quite oily, especially my face.  As this is a multi-use oil which can be used on your body, hair, nails, as a massage oil and as a bath oil, I couldn't wait to try it out.

The Divine Oil, which comes in this pretty glass bottle with a wooden lid, is a dry oil and to use it you simply spray it onto your skin.  What I love about this oil is the scent, I won't lie it is beautiful, more so than I expected it to be.  It is described as follows:

"Caudalie Divine Oil is a multi purpose dry oil with an intoxicating fragrance. It moisturizes, nourishes and enhances the skin thanks to its unique formula made with exceptional blend of Grape, Argan, Hibiscus, Sesame oils combined with patented anti-oxidant Polyphenols.

This quick-absorbing oil is formulated with anti-oxidant grape seed Polyphenols, moisturizing and nourishing oils of grape, hibiscus, sesame and argan. It envelops the skin with a subtle, floral and sun-kissed fragrance, with woody notes."

I have used this oil inn a variety of different ways and having done so, I love it all the more. If I use it after showering, I apply this to my entire body and face, though I haven't tried it on my hair.  You can either spray it directly onto the skin, or into the palms of your hands to massage onto the skin, my own preference is directly onto the skin because it disappears really quickly, as a dry oil there is no grease or residue left on the skin, the one thing you are left with is a stunning scent.  The photos below show some on my arm and then massaged in how there is no greasy residue left behind.

If you use this in the bath as a bath oil, the scent really comes alive as soon as it comes into contact with steam and then when on your skin in the bath, you massage your skin and once you have dried yourself, you will have soft, smooth and again lovely scented skin.

Towards the end of last year, I was introduced to facial oils, something I never would have dreamt I could use because my skin is normal/combination – leaning towards the oily side and I always assumed that adding an oil would leave my skin congested and even more oily, how wrong was I and infact it is the complete opposite, I have lovely, soft, smooth and very moisturised and hydrated skin after using this.  I do tend to use it mixed in with one of my night creams a few times a week as a little extra pampering treat.

This Caudalie Divine Oil has become one of my most used products since I got my hands on it and my skin really likes it not to mention so do I

Have you tried this product? What do you think of Divine Oil?

Caudalie uses natural active ingredients that are biodegradable, free from toxins such as parabens and petrochemicals and free from animal cruelty

Graham's Natural Skincare

Grahams skincare are natural based products for people who suffer from skin conditions such as Eczema or Psoriasis.  It is new to the UK and comes all the way from Australia and I was very lucky to get to try out a shampoo*, conditioner* and some bath oil*.

Grahams describe themselves as being:

“NEW to the UK Grahams Skincare, Australia’s best-selling natural skincare range of top-to-toe treatments for eczema and sensitive skin conditions has been borne out of a fathers’ desire to ensure his son did not have to suffer from such debilitating physical and psychological effects of severe eczema”.

Living in London, we have hard water and it is one of the things which my hairdresser thinks irritates my scalp (as well as stress) and every now and again I suffer from a flare up of dry skin and my scalp can become a snow globe and it is really annoying.  So I am more than happy to try anything that will help.

Each product came packaged in this lovely bright yellowness as you can see below, a product you certainly wouldn’t miss if it was on the shelves in your local drug store with the bright blue lid giving it a real finish.  Colour aside, the packaging is fairly simple to look at and everything you need to know if before your eyes.

The Shampoo and Conditioner both contain manuka honey and coconut and I should mention they are also SLS Free for those of you will need to know and that they include a gentle blend of organic and natural ingredients to relieve and protect a dry and sensitive scalp.  When using the shampoo, the first thing which shocked me was that the shampoo itself is a pale blue colour, not what I was expecting and having taken the lid off to look inside both bottles, it seems that the shampoo and conditioner are infact blue!  Colour aside, they smell divine, the honey and coconut scent hit your sense of smell as soon as they are released.

Having used this on my hair for the last month, really well timed because my scalp has been a nightmare, I have to say I am impressed that it helped clear up my issue, it didn't cause build up, didn’t make my hair any greasier and left my hair smelling really lovely.  The same with the conditioner, though I don’t tend to condition every time I wash my hair because it simply doesn't work for me, when I did use this, it left my hair really lovely and soft with no knots. Also, when I used my GHD’s to straighten, they glided through my hair.

Then we come to the bath oil.  My favourite of all 3 products and something I really love.  Whenever my skin feels really dry, despite how much I moisturise, I love to add a bit of oil to my skincare routine and sometime there is nothing better than a bath oil.  This particular bath oil contains manuka oil and honey as well as other natural oils such as Olive Oil, Apricot Kernal Oil, Almond Oil, Emu Oil and Vitamin E oil all of which help to cleanse, replenish, nourish and protect the skin without drying it out.

As you add a few drops to your bath water, and I mean a few drops because it is an oil and adding too much can make your bath slippery when you get into it, you can see the oil within the water, so it isn't a good idea to wash your hair (does anyone still do that?).  As you get into the water the oil literally coats your skin and once you emerge from the same water, again taking care not to slip, my skin was amazingly soft, the rough skin on my elbows as was very smooth, the same with my knees and I for one am very impressed with this product.  It can also be used on its own as a massage oil and is gentle enough on the skin to be used on a daily basis.

If you have a scalp issues like me or suffer from Eczema or Psoriasis, I would highly recommend trying out these products.  They are available HERE.

May GlossyBox - What did I find?

So the postman has just been with my May Glossybox - super quick delivery yet again.  Whenever my Glossybox arrives I am always full of anticipation as to what I am going to find within my box.  Naturally if you havent got your box yet and don't want to know what is inside, click away now.

So opening the outer box inside I found the lovely dusty pink box that we have all come to love and like getting.  Now this month it is the 2nd Birthday for Glossybox, so I have my hopes up for some pretty fantastic and something a little unexpected maybe?  Well this is what I got:

I love the Neon Pink Ribbon and the wrapping paper inside this box, so we are off to a good start!

Now the contents:

Givency Noir Courute Mascara - it is in a sachet so this had me intrigued until I opened it to find a miniscule version - said to be a multi-tasker that creates instant volume, length and curl and using an active complex bunch of ingredients it is said to nourish your lashes too... Hmm.... this would cost £22.50 full size price.

Caudalie Divine Oil comes next and it is inside a 15ml glass bottle which costs £4.05 should you wish to buy it.  This Divine Oil is said to be the "Ultimate beauty Elixir for your body, face and hair" and after using it will turn me into a Caudalie Convert.  It can be used on the body, face, hair and nail or added to a hot bath and even used as a massage oil.

Premae Harmony Balm  - said to be a skin protector and primer leaving you with a silky, dewy finish.  It uses antiseptic lemongrass and aloe vera to soothe breakouts and reduce excess oil.  A full size tub of this at 30ml will cost you £26.50, the tub in the Glossybox is a 10ml tub

Beautiful Movements Cosmetics - Formerly known as BM apparently.  This is said to be a new product and a multi-tasking one at that.  It is a Prime and Create Mixing Medium which is an addition to Kimberley Wyatt (Formerly of the Pussycat Dolls) collection and it can be used as a primer to give that matte, shine free base for make-up or mix it with foundation for an air-brush effect or with blushers, bronzers to create a creme tint or even eye shadow pigments to create liquid eye-liner.  This is a 2.5g product within the box and to purchase it is £20 for 20g

Finally we have (yet another) Nails Inc mini - Portobello is mine, eye-catching Neon Shade named after one of London's most popular roads.

As this is a birthday box there is something extra - a matchbox styled box of mini nail-files which I love.  These can quite easily be shoved into your handbags and are so useful to have.  The packaging matches the wrapping paper from within the box and the nail files match the ribbon - cute!

So there you have it - the May Glossybox - what do you think?

Unusually balanced - that's me!!

Unlike most people, I am quite new to the Balance Me range, until this particular product I was yet to actually try something from the range, despite seeing them everywhere.

Radiance Face oil tells you that it will "enhance skins natural lustre" and that it is 100% natural.  I also like that on the back of the box, as shown below you can read the following - "smooth away the years with our highly emollient, 100% natural face oil.  Skin lacking in lustre is enhanced with a rich, replenishing blend of naturally active and smoothing ingredients. Don't be afraid to use this if your skin is prone to congestion as oil on oil is extremely balancing, hydrating and comfortable to wear".

That little blurb on its own answered the question for me as to whether or not having combination skin; leading more to the oily side would work well with this oil.  Never in my life have I used a product like this on my skin, more through fear of expecting to turn into a bottle of vegetable oil and making my skin super shiny, however until you try it I guess you just never know.

Inside the box I was surprised to find how lovely the glass bottle looked, the oil itself is almost orange and reminded me a little bit of some extra virgin olive oil that I have in my cupboard.  This 30ml bottle comes complete with a little pipette that you use to dispense the oil onto your hands. The reason you drop it onto your hands is because your body's natural temperature helps to warm up the oil as the 'directions' show on the side of the box, which again you can see in the picture below. 

I like how clear the directions of use are and that it explains fully how to use this oil to get the full benefits such as massaging in circular motions and words such as toxins, circulation and boost cell renewal all catch the eye and attention as you read.

When you first apply this to your face, I was surprised, infact I was so surprised at how non-greasy it felt.  I had been expecting to find a mini oil slick on the palms of my hands but quite the opposite, as soon as you apply to your face it has absorbed itself in double quick time leaving nothing behind except glowing skin that was silky smooth to the touch. My skin hasn't broken out in any spots, it doesn't irritate my skin nor make it itchy, all of which has slightly surprised me, again having never used oil on combination skin I was waiting for something to go wrong - it didn't.  Usually around the time of my monthly visit I sometimes get one or two spots around my chin which annoy me because I'm not used to having them, using this product they didn't even make an appearance, again another thumbs up from me.

All of the ingredients within this oil are natural and you have no less than 8 base oils which includes:

• Amazonian Buriti Nut, Cameilla and Rosehip Oil all of which work to reduce redness and address uneven skin tones and minimise the visible signs of scarring. 
• Add to that Yarrow, Benzoin and Roman Camomile which work together to create a highly moisturising effect.  
• You will also find Sweet Almond Oil which smells divine and again helps to keep your skin feeling soft, smooth and moisturised and finally there is grape seed oil, again an ingredient that works with the other 7 and again has moisturising properties for the skin.

When I use this oil, I tend to use it first thing in the morning after getting out of the shower and before I go to bed having removed all my make-up and the days dirt and grime and before I add any extra moisturiser even though some days I feel as though my skin is not in need of anything else.  The smell is perhaps the one thing I'm not too keen on, I had hoped the sweet almond oil would be the dominant fragrance within this product but what you get is something quite herb like, and it isn't off-putting in any way and wouldn't stop me from using it.

This product retails at £30 for a 30ml bottle from the Balance Me website which isn't cheap but when you are only using 3 - 4 drops per day, it is certainly going to last quite a while.  I have no hesitations when it comes to recommending this facial oil, I love how it makes my skin feel, I love the pipette application because it is so different to the products I would usually use and makes applying it a little lore fun. A great face oil that does leave your skin feeling soft and smooth to the touch whilst leaving your skin glowing.  For me this would be a definite re-purchase.

Which balance me products do you use?

Have you tried any face oils?