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.

Beauty Products I want to try in 2014!

Not quite a wishlist but when you read other peoples blogs and think "Ooh I want to try that" I decided that I would create a list of products I want to try:

So it is almost like having a wishlist really, some of them I have seen reviewed and some of them I haven't, but they are:

1. Billion Dollar Brows Brow Boost - Billion Dollar Brows Brow Boost is a deep conditioning treatment formulated to help strengthen and condition thin, weak brows which mine most certainly are due to over-plucking and one dreadful waxing experience in a salon (never again).  Retails for around £25

2. NARS At First Sight Eye & Cheek Palette which includes - Deep Throat Blush and Laguna Bronze as well as Eyeshadow Top Row: All About Eve, Nouveau Monde and Eyeshadow Bottom Row: Bellissima, Cordura (II).  Retails for £45

3. This Works dream believers - I often suffer from broken sleep (cats meoqing at the window to come in and out all the time) and this little kit has a really lovely description "Wrap yourself in a cocoon of soothing essential oils – any place, any time – with our versatile hand and body cream, deep sleep dream cream. Let the calming properties of Lavender relax your senses by applying our protective sleep balm to your pulse points". which makes me want it more.  Currently on offer for £16 (and I have the sleep balm already).

4. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - seems to be a cult favourite amongst the world of #bbloggers and is yet to be a bandwagon that I am to jump on. Prices start at £14.75

5. Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot - an oil absorbing, shine controlling face powder for all skin types, which sounds perfect to me and is available in Boots for £12.

6. Glam Glow Mud Mask - Another product that I see frequently on beauty blogs and people rave about it, so naturally I want to try it.  Apparently great for when you need great skin and a glowing complexion in just 10 minutes.  Retails at around £25

The next three products are listed because I am intrigued, slightly scared and a bit obsessed with them:

7. Rodial Dragons Blood Eye Cream - The product description for this is fabulous

"This instantly cooling gel refreshes and hydrates puffy tired eyes with Rose Water, Arnica and Dragons Blood. Instantly brighter, the delicate eye area is restructured to thicken translucent skin and plump wrinkles. Hyaluronic Acid comforts dehydrated skin and refines the skin's surface for wide awake eyes" - it contains Dragons Blood!!  Anyway it costs £45.  I also want the Snake Mask which I have a sample of somewhere in one of my jars, I just haven't tried it yet, hence why it doesn't appear on my list.

8. Heaven by Deborah Mitchell Bee Venom Mask - Again the intrigue comes with the words Bee and venom it sound stingy but is it really?

"Containing Manuka Honey, renowned for its soothing and healing properties, it also contains the magic Bee Venom ingredient that works to control the facial muscles for immediate lifting, tightening and firming, whilst getting to work on frown lines and wrinkles"  and it costs £25.30 for 15ml

9. Dr Organic Snail Gel - Yes another gruesome sounding product and I simply want to try it because it sounds totally gross and it does actually contain Snail Slime, here is the description:

"Dr. Organic Snail Gel is a moisturising, soothing, anti-aging gel which harnesses the remarkable cosmetic benefits of Helix Aspersia Muller, a unique substance the snail produces to quickly regenerate its own shell and skin when damaged. Combined with organic Aloe Vera and our proprietary blend of bioactive ingredients it effectively soothes and hydrates the skin". It retails for £19.99

The final products on my list isn't something gruesome sounding it is:

10. Naked 3 Palette - Yes totally hopping on the bandwagon with this one, it seems like everyone has it and I don't and from the three of them, this would be my preference.  Retails for £37

11. MAC - Not just a Lipstick but there have been quite a few products that I have seen of late that I really want to try, the only problem is the stores scare me.  I have only ever walked into one and was pounced upon before I had even shut the door with the lady telling me how many amazing products she could see me wearing, that I turned around and left. Oh and Sharon and Kelly Osbourne doing a range - I want it!

So there you have a list of products that I really want to try in 2014.  Do you have a list and have you tried any or many of these?

Rose & Co.

I love being introduced to new brands.  Without being a blogger, I doubt very much I would discover and love as many brands as I am doing now.  One of those new brands that I have been introduced too is Rose & Co.

Rose & Co. to give a brief introduced was created by Patricia and Caroline Rose when they bought an old druggists shop in Yorkshire. With a love of all things vintage, beautiful and romantic, they restored the shop to its former Victorian splendour and a quirky but charming beauty apothecary was born.

I went sent a lovely box of products from Rose & Co*. and oh my did they look delightful. Not only were they beautifully packaged inside this lovely box, inside was so many lovely products that I didn't know where to start.

So, inside my lovely box I had this wonderful Lip Balm Collection which contains Rose Petal Salve, Cherry Kiss and Sweet Vanilla Salve.  They are packaged inside these wonderful little tins and they smell amazing.  The perfect gift for someone like me who is something of a lip balm addict.

A Sugared Violet Handcream which is described as being "A moisturising hand cream fragranced with the delightful scent of sweet violets. Apply regularly for soft, sweetly scented hands and nails. Beautifully packaged in a glass jar and decorated with violet "scraps". Handcream aside, it is simply adorable to look at and the scent reminds me of Parma Violets, those sweets you might of had as a child.

Sugar Rose Fairy Cake and fancies for the Bath which you simply put into the bath as you would any similar product and it is packed with skin-loving cocoa and shea butters and sweet almond oil not to mention the wonderful lemon Bon-Bon scent it also gives off.  It smells simply divine.

Lemon Bon-Bon Body Cream - this cream couldn't smell more like lemon bon-bons if it tried, it reminds me of the old corner shop near my grandparents where we would go at a weekend for a treat and I would always get my Grandad his favourite lemon bon-bons.

An Excellent All Round Beauty Salve - described as being "The perfect must-have beauty balm for lips, cuticles, rough skin, dry patches, lashes & brows, or anywhere you need a little shine" and it is tube form, so you can use it as easily as you do a lip balm and it is brilliant.

What I love about these products, aside from their scent is how wonderfully kitsch the packaging is.  I am a sucker for pretty packaging and something that stands out from the crowd, these products almost certainly do that.   I also love a company who has their own blog and Rose & Co do just that which you can find HERE and it provides a great insight into their products and you might just find the odd offering of a discount code too.

Rose & Co. products are sold in Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, House of Fraser, Heal’s, Cologne & Cotton and select independent retailers.

Have you tried any Rose & Co. products?

How I get Organised!

I am not the most organised person in the world, I try but if it wasn't for post-it notes I would probably forget what day of the week it was.  So in an effort to stay organised and not rely on my iPhone diary to tell me what is meant to be happening or that I am meant to be in a meeting I bought a Filofax:

What I love about this Filofax is the design, totally not something I would usually go for because it isn't pink, but I love the colour too.  Not to mention it was a bit of a bargain from Ryman being reduced from £34.99 to just £10 with all of the inserts:

So included within this Filofax is a 2014 diary, an addresses section, the personal section where you put your own details should you ever lose it and need it to be returned, a to do list, some plain and some coloured lined paper.

When the lovely Anna from Mrs Brimbles tweeted that she had some Filofax inserts for review from her Etsy Shop I jumped at the chance to do this.  Being a cat lover, I naturally chose the cat ones and what I love about these inserts is that you can sit and colour them in an they are just so pretty, you can see what is in the set HERE and there are some shown in the photograph below.

So, hopefully with this little bargain beauty I will now remember where I am supposed to be and when, what I have to do, my deadline and so on... I use it for both work, private life, socialising and blogging and so far it has been a total god send!

Do you have a Filofax?  How do you keep yourself organised?