Roccabox Collaboration with Q&A Skin

Roccabox, the monthly beauty box subscription, has collaborated with skincare brand Q + A to create 4 bespoke beauty boxes, each tailored to a different skin type. I really like this idea and I love that there is a skincare quiz that you can take to decide which box works best for you before purchasing.

This Limited Edition Box has been curated to treat four different skin types – oily, combination, dry and mature and within each box will be 6 products from across the Q+A brand which are designed to target the skin concerns associated with those skin types. 

As a brand, Q + A has earned cult status for its no-nonsense approach to skincare. Its range of highly effective, ingredient-led skincare products targets a range of skin concerns and the brand is frequently praised by beauty editors for demystifying skincare and helping consumers understand their own skin’s needs. Cruelty free, vegan friendly and almost entirely natural, each product in the skincare brand’s line has been designed to form part of a bespoke approach to skincare.

 

Helpfully, if you are not sure which box you will need?  There is a skincare quiz, which you can find linked here - https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/606c682c8484580017a148a1 to help decide which box you will need for your skin type and it takes just 2 minutes to complete.  I took the quiz and as expected, the Combination Skin Box is the one I need.

Perfect for Roccababes with combination skin, the Reinvigorate Box is all about restoring your skin to it's best self! This box is packed full of Q+A products designed to combat dry patches and tackle oily T-Zones.  

The Box Contents

 

The Q + A Roccabox for Oily skin :

• Zinc PCA Facial Serum RRP £9
• Niacinamide Daily Toner RRP £8
• Peppermint Daily Cleanser RRP £7.50
• Activated Charcoal Face Mask RRP £6.50
• Apple AHA Exfoliating Gel RRP £8.50
• Liquorice Lip Oil RRP £6.50

This box is priced at £20 and its contents are worth £46.

The Q + A Roccabox for Dry skin

• Collagen Face Cream RRP £12
• Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum RRP £6.50
• Rosehip Cleansing Oil RRP £10
• Vitamin ACE Warming Gel Mask RRP £8.50
• Super Food Facial Oil RRP £8
• Liquorice Lip Oil RRP £6.50

This box is priced at £20 and its contents are worth £51.50.

The Q + A Roccabox for Combination skin

• Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum RRP £6.50
• Chamomile Night Cream RRP £12
• Green Tea Daily Toner RRP £8
• Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Cleanser RRP £7.50
• Seaweed Peptide Eye Gel RRP £6.50
• Liquorice Lip Oil RRP £6.50

This box is priced at £20 and its contents are worth £47.

The Q + A Roccabox for Mature skin 

• 5HTP Face & Neck Cream RRP £12
• Peptide Facial Serum RRP £9
• Caffeine Eye Serum RRP £6.50
• Hyaluronic Acid Facial Cleanser RRP £7.50
• Squalane Facial Oil RRP £10
• Liquorice Lip Oil RRP £6.50

This box is priced at £20 and its contents are worth £51.50.

So those are for the four boxes and their contents and I think you will agree that you more than get your monies worth with each box being priced at just £20 and, if you have never come across the brand before, it is a really good way of introducing them to you and obviously to your skin!

The four limited edition Q + A Roccaboxes will go on sale Monday 26th April at 1pm and will be available only while stocks last. If this sounds like a box you want to get your hands on, you can sign up to the waiting list to be alerted to the sale!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Suqqu GANKIN Facial Massage Technique

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see that I signed up, via Get The Gloss to take part in the Suqqu event which was centred around the Gankin Facial massage, something I’ve been fascinated by ever since I had heard about it. 

For the masterclass, as well as learning the Gankin technique, we also had two products from Suqqu to learn the method with.

What is the Gankin Facial Massage?

Developed by a makeup artist, the Gankin Massage is said to be a fundamental facial for the Suqqu brand. It’s purpose is to firm the muscles on your face, stimulate blood circulation and drain the lymphatic system for refined glowing skin.

The Gankin Massage and how it works

Before applying massage cream, press fingertips against the hollow above the collarbone, while leaning head side to side. Then taking a grape-sized amount of massage cream, using the accompany spatula and apply evenly to the entire face.l, avoiding the eye and mouth areas. The designing massage cream was specially designed for this facial and it is just divine.

Once the cream has been applied to your face the Gankin Massage works the head, round the eyes, round the nose, the cheeks and the jawline before finishing with a cooling down exercise. All of which you can watch in the video above and the best part is that once you get used to completing each of the stages, it takes just under 6-minutes and it is just so enjoyable.

The Suqqu products

As mentioned, the Designing Massage Cream (£43) was specially designed for GANKIN MASSAGE. Described as being a multi-textured cream which firmly adheres itself to the skin. Using the spatula to apply the cream, it has a slight indentation, which I’ve found of used gives you just enough of the product to complete the required steps of the massage.

The massage cream formula, which feels divine on the skin, is infused with a whole host of amazing moisturising ingredients - yeast extract and geranium thunbergii extract to marshmallow root extract, equisetum arvense extract, rose multiflora fruit extract, and green tea extract. All of these ingredients come together to leave the skin not only feeling deeply hydrated and comfortable but it also imparts the most refreshing floral-citrus scent, which I find quite comforting.

The second product is a Clarifying Toner (£43) and it is used for wiping away excess sebum, dead skin and other impurities after the GANKIN MASSAGE™. 

The lightweight formula, which lightly drenched the skin rather than French you wet through, is powered by a whole boat of nourishing, natural extracts such as zostera marina and prunus yedoensis leaf to green tea and yeast and they all come together to work to refine and clarify your skin. This must is also infused with hyaluronic acid to give that lasting hydration and it imparts a dewy finish. 

This clarifying formula has also been designed to be used in harmony with SUQQU's Gankin massage and it is a great way to finish up the technique. To use, the advice is to dispense onto a cotton wool pad and spread across your face to ensure you have removed everything that is sitting on the skin's surface.

I thoroughly enjoyed my masterclass with Suqqu and Get the Gloss and the Gankin Massage is something I still practice a few times a week and it is a lovely technique for taking some time out from life to concentrate on what you need.  You can find the products from Suqqu and from Cult Beauty*.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Aldi Lacura Max Volume Mascara

If I had to choose a favourite makeup product, it is always going to be a mascara and it is always the first product I want to try when something new is released.  Having already tried the Aldi Lacura Too Legit Waterproof Mascara, today I am sharing the Max Volume Mascara.

I say this alot, but I am picky with a mascara because I want to use something without an overly wet formula. Having fairly long lashes also wearing glasses, I am looking for a product that I can wear without weighing down my lashes and without smudging onto my glasses. So, there is actually a limited number of mascaras that I will use.

With this mascara, for me isn't a dupe of any other brand, something Aldi are quite good at doing, so I wasn't too sure what to expect. Packaged in a shiney black hard plastic tube with the product name plus 'For Fullness and Density'.

Create the lashes of your dreams with this Lacura Max Volume Mascara. Designed to create fullness and density from root to tip, this fabulous mascara will easily take you from day to night, whatever your lash preference is.

Inside the tube, the formula sits perfectly between the not too wet and not too dry, to the point that as you extract the mascara wand, there is no need to wipe off any excess product, because there is none.

The brush itself is thick and manages to wiggle between your lashes without over-coating them to give that awful spider-leg clumped look.  I'm not a fan of overly coated eyelashes, it just not a look for me, for this 1-2 coats is enough before they even get to that clumping stage. Once on the lashes, i've found this isn't one which flakes or smudges.  With removal, I use an eye makeup remover and a reusable cotton pad and it comes off as easy as it was applied, with no need to rub excessively.

I have absolutely no complaints with this mascara, it coats my lashes better than some high-end mascara brands, it adds a bit of volume and density too, though depending on your lashes and their own look and volume, will always depend on how a mascara works for you. This one, priced at just under £3 is worth scouring the middle aisle for, as with all Aldi beauty products, they come and go quickly!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Soak Sunday - Relax and Indulge

I’m very much into my health and well-being products right now, particularly products which are mood influencing or scene setting - think candles, oils and diffusers to name a few things. Just before Christmas, a brand called Soak Sunday caught my eye with their Instagram feed and I ordered one of their sets.

Soak Sunday are describe themselves as the brand which is inspired by lazy weekend and the power of natural bath botanicals and is bringing back bath time. 

Time to sink in, time to switch off and savour… More than just a simple soak, we’re bringing back bath time as a moment to indulgently relax, unwind and unite body and mind, losing yourself in the art of slow beauty. Made in the UK, the plastic free, glass and aluminium bottles evoke and awaken, telling stories through thoughtful design and indulgent experiences. Savour the unboxing, indulge in the aesthetic, sink into the sensorial.

I love the idea of building my bath time, something Soak Sunday is very well known for. So I couldn’t wait to build mine. Before you start, there is an option to shop for your products by type or based on your mood - I opted for the latter. With three moods to choose from:

• Relax and Indulge - Indulge your soul and transport your mind to a garden of Rose Utopia 
• Detox and Restore - Balanced by a smoky solstice and awakened to a Midnight Storm
• Calm and Soothe - Let Cleo’s Paradise evoke the experience of Egyptian reincarnation.

Once you choose your mood, you can then work through the options to build your bath time. I opted for Relax and Indulge with Rose Utopia (£26) and in my bundle I opted for the Rose Utopia Botanical Bath Soak and the Rose Utopia Botanical Bath & Body Oil.  As you can see, it comes beautifully packaged in a black presentation tin, making it just the most amazing gift to give or a treat for yourself.

The Rose Utopia Botanical Bath Soak is incredible. Using a blend of ingredients such as:

• Lavender - A relaxing, calming and soothing addition, known for its abilities to bring about rest and sleep.
• Red Rose Petals - A very sweet, soothing and wonderfully indulgent addition for mind and soul.
• Pink Himalayan Salt - Enriched with magnesium and potassium, detoxify, refine and soothe skin and soul.
• Sage - described as being a sage smudging for your body and mind, it is balancing, soothing and cleansing.
• Jasmine - Not only is Jasmine my favourite note of any perfume, it is also an indulgently skin soothing, mind de-stressing & mood levelling ingredient too.

Once the bath water is a few inches deep in the bath, I grabbed a large handful of these salts and scattered them across the water. Almost immediately the wonderful fragrance came to life and it’s a scent that I’d lovingly bottle to breathe in when I need a moment of calm, it is that good!

Once out of the bath, the bath soaks partner in crime, the Rose Utopia Botanical Bath & Body Oil is an absolute delight. You can add this product to your bath if you so wish, it’s wonderful as an addition to the soak or on its own, or my favourite use is to apply it to my body after relaxing in that bath.

As with the soak, this Bath & Body Oil shares a lot of the same ingredients, but the oil has one addition, Jojoba Oil and it is described as being indulgently calming, vitamin rich and glow inducing which works to soothe, nourish and de-stress. 

On the skin, as an oil, I was expecting a greasy slippery nightmare, absolutely don’t get that at all. As soon as it comes into contact with your skin, it absorbs quickly and leaves behind the softest, silkiest skin and in doing so, it imparts a much stronger scent of those amazing ingredients I’ve mentioned. I definitely can detect the Jasmine and the Rose whilst lingering in the background is Lavender.

For me, I’ve loved using both of these products and having just enjoyed the very last drop of them both, I now want to try the other ranges and am even tempted by the candle and the body scrub in the very same scent!  Find out more about Soak Sunday and the ranges they have to offer on their very own website.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.