A Small Essence Haul from Wilko…

Welcome to Elegant Ageless Beauty, I’m Teresa.

Mark and I just had to get into the car and get out for a while on Sunday, after we had a really rubbish week. I wanted to purchase a few Essence cosmetics goodies from Wilko online but because the rubbish week was down to a bit of online fraud on Mark’s bank account we decided to go to our nearest Wilko store instead, safer that way.

I did write myself a list of Essence products I wanted but only managed to get a few from said list, our local store didn’t have everything in, but what I did buy I was happy with. I’ll be writing reviews on EAB soon.

I’m really looking forward to trying the Essence Camouflage 2 in 1 Foundation & Concealer, will I still need my concealer? We’ll see, and I will get back to you, soon  It was only £3.80. I’ve always wanted to try a lip oil, and when I saw this one by Essence I thought that I’d give it a go. I’ve no idea what a lip oil is for, does it colour, does it condition, does it hydrate? I’ll get back to you on that. The lip oil was just £2.00. I have wanted to try an Essence mascara for ages, especially one that claims to give “extreme volume and curl” my eyelashes or rather the state of them is really depressing me. I’d give my right arm to be able to go and get eyelash extensions done but until my numbers come up in the Lotto I shall keep on looking for my holy grail mascara. Could this be the one? I’ll let you know. The Essence False Lashes mascara is £2.80. I hate my lips as much as I do my eyelashes! If I could afford lip fillers I wouldn’t hesitate in getting them done! So until I do get that big Lotto cheque it’s lip plumping products for me! I picked up the Essence Volume On! lip plumping lipgloss, it’s a pretty nude peach shade, so I’ll give it a go and get back to you with my thoughts. The Essence Volume On! lip plumping lipgloss is £2.30 and finally I picked up a Nail Caring Oil it contains Apricot oil so I’m looking forward to trying that too. I’m in the middle of trialing some nail products at the moment, so I’ll let you know what the Essence product is like, soon. The Essence Nail Caring Oil is just £2.00.

I purchased my Essence products from my local Wilko stores but you can purchase online from Wilko too, HERE or from the Essence website HERE

Thank you for reading, I’ll be back soon with my thoughts on my Essence purchases.

XXX

 

 

 

Ko-To-Ha Rejuvenating Serum and Anti- Ageing Cream….

Welcome to Elegant Ageless Beauty..

I’m back to share with you the final two products that were sent to me for reviewing here on EAB from Yoko at Ko-To-Ha a Japanese skincare brand here in UK. All the products are made using Shoyaku herbs. Ko-To-Ha says “Shoyaku is the Japanese for ‘active medicinal herb’ . KOTOHA’s products are formulated from combinations of oriental herbs from countries such as China, Japan or Korea” These herbs are: Ginseng, Peonia lactiflora, Chinese Angelica, Chinese Angelica, Mulberry Root Bark, Licorice, Green Tea, and Camellia Tsubaki. This is the Ko-To-Ha Rejuvenation Serum.

The serum has a pump delivery system so that you get the correct amount of product to use. Containing  hyaluronic acid to boost moisture in the skin, there’s Raspberry oil within to nourish and give a boost to the skin cells to give it a more plump appearance therefore making the skin less tired and grey looking, which is definitely something my skin needs at the moment. I have been using the whole range of Ko-To-Ha products on my skin over the last few weeks and I’ve really enjoyed them on my skin. This Rejuvenation Serum has done exactly what it says it does, it has livened up my dull looking complexion, my forehead is less lined, and I find that by “pressing” the product onto my face it gets to where it needs to be by penetrating into the skin. It does feel slightly sticky when first applied but within a few moments my skin is soft and smooth to the touch, ready for the next step in my skincare routine, which is the Ko-To-Ha Anti-Aging Cream.

With CoEnzymeQ10 added to Ginseng extract along with Kukui nut oil which contains Vitamins A and C and is high in anti oxidants, this is a rich and creamy moisturiser. There is also Rosehip oil, Pomegranate oil and Hemp oil within, making this ideal for mature/ dry skin. It sinks in like a dream when massaged gently into the skin, I use 2 pumps worth for my face and neck and I’ve found that plenty. In the few weeks that I’ve been using Ko-To-Ha Anti Aging Cream I’ve noticed that my skin is a lot brighter, certainly less grey looking when I wake up in the morning, and the dry patches that I’ve been suffering from have disappeared, at last.

If you would like to try these or any of the lovely products from Ko-To-Ha you will find them HERE.

Thank you for stopping by and reading today.

XXX

Up For Review….Microcell Nail Repair..

Welcome to Elegant Ageless Beauty

Over the next few weeks I shall be using some nail products by Micro Cell, specialists in hand and nail care. I have been sent a gorgeous set of Nail Repair to review here on EAB, which I’m so happy about because I can’t get hold of my usual nail treatment and my nails are really suffering right now.

This is a super little try me kit that I shall be using over the next 2-3 weeks and then I shall be back with some “before” and “after” photos and a full review of the products. I’m looking forward to trying something new on my nails, the treatment that I’ve been using for over 10 years has been discontinued which was disappointing, so hopefully fingers crossed this will do the job for me.

See you back here soon.

XXX

*This post contains pr sample*

Feeling the Heat with MUA Makeup Academy… Fire Vixen Eyeshadow Palette

Welcome my lovelies to Elegant Ageless Beauty..

A lot of bloggers have been getting hot under the collar over the new eye shadow palette to be released by Urban Decay, Naked Heat. I am not able to purchase a palette with  that price tag at the moment, so I decided to treat myself to one of the newest palettes that MUA Makeup Academy have released, and it’s just as “hot” this is the Fire Vixen Palette.

This palette is going to take me through the rest of Summer through to Autumn, Winter and all over the Christmas holidays with these 15 buttery soft glorious eye shadow shades!

Aren’t these colours just fabulous? From pretty nude shades, to bronze, copper, burnt orange and a gorgeous cranberry red, with grey’s and silver and different shades of pink, and 8 of the colours are Matte! The colours that I used on myself (and to be honest I think I will use them more than others in the palette) are the first one on the top row, the cream all over my lid and up to the brow, the fourth one along also top row I applied to the mobile lid, and the last matte shade on the top row I blended into the crease and slightly above to actually give myself the look of a lesser hooded eye. They blend out so beautifully too, this is a gorgeous palette and one I feel I shall be using rather a lot.

You can check this and other such gorgeousness from MUA Makeup Academy HERE.

XXX

 

 

Crowd Colour Matte Liquid Lip…

Hello, Welcome to Elegant Ageless Beauty, I’m Teresa.

Ok so Crowd Colour are a brand that gives! Not only great quality make up but everything you buy from them they give 10% back to your local schools and community! Click the link HERE. To learn more.

Gareth from Crowd Colour very kindly sent me three of their Matte Liquid Lip colours, this one is RUBY.

This next shade is another red with more pink undertones, this is CHLOE.

But my favourite shade and the one that I wear most of is a coral/nude shade called IZZY.

I do like the way the liquid lipsticks apply, they have a doe foot applicator and they go on to the lips so smoothly, the three shades are very highly pigmented and they dry to a silky matte finish. When I tried the RUBY lip colour I wasn’t sure I would like any of them, I’ve always been wary of matte lip products, due to my ageing thinning lips! On first applying I noticed how flakey my lips were! So I removed the colour and used a lip scrub to get rid of the dryness. That’s better, the dark red lip colour looked a whole lot better. It dried down in about 5 minutes, and I did notice that my lips felt slightly dry and tight, but I guess that’s just the nature of a lot of matte lip products, they aren’t very moisturising, are they?

I applied my matte lip colour after breakfast, and the colour was still on at lunchtime. I drink a lot of coffee and water throughout the day AND I’m a lip licker and the colour stayed on my lips without me needing to re-apply. It did however start to break down and disappear after I had eaten a salad sandwich with mayonnaise. I decided to remove the rest of the lip colour, and I used a normal micellar water which took it off completely, so there’s no need to scrub it off your lips, it will come off in a normal skin care routine.

There are 6 pretty shades available, check them out HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today.

XXX

* This post contains pr sample*

 

 

 

Ko-To-Ha Moist Water Facial Moisturising Toner…

Hello lovelies, welcome to Elegant Ageless Beauty.

I’m back to share with you another product that was sent to me by Yoko at Ko-To-Ha, a Japanese skincare brand in London. This is the Moist Water Facial Moisturising Toner.

Ingredients within the Moist Water are so good, with Ginseng, Peonia Lactifolia both have been used in the Far Eastern  skin care for hundreds of years to help keep the skin youthful. Exactly like the last Ko-To-Ha product which was the Lavender Cleanser, there is a certain way to use the Moist Water to actually get the effectiveness from the product. This is how Ko-To-Ha say to use:

“As soon as you cleanse your face, take few drops of Moist water and spread on your face. This will prevent your skin drying out after washing.

Take generous amount of Moist water on to cotton, and pat gently and thoroughly on to your every parts of your face and neck until your skin surface feel a little cool sensation.

Warm your skin with palm gently, this will help penetrate the lotion into your skin further.”

There is no added fragrance to the Moist Water, but it does have a lovely clean fragrance to it, it’s so lovely. I followed the instructions on how to use it, and after a generous application to my skin after cleansing, my face was tingling and felt fresh and extra clean. After a few minutes my skin feels soft and moisturised rather than dry and tight like the alcohol based toners I’ve used in the past, as Ko-To-Ha say, this is a moisturising water NOT a toner, and it’s lovely, a hit for me!

You can find this and other lovely products from Ko-To-Ha HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today..

XXX

B. Skincare Cooling and Soothing Mask

Welcome to Elegant Ageless Beauty, I’m Teresa.

Yes, I’m that age now when I’m using skincare for menopausal skin, skincare that’s created for late 50’s and beyond, and right now I’m not coping very well with the ageing process, I basically feel like crap! But thank goodness my skin can look alright with the help of some gorgeous B. Skincare which is available from Superdrug on the High Street or online. This is the B. Nourished Cooling and Soothing Mask.

There’s some pretty nice ingredients in the mask, including, Witch Hazel, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Sweet Almond Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, to name just a few.

My oh my I have enjoyed using this product! It does what it says on the tube, it’s so cooling on my skin. I suffer from redness on my chin and cheeks but once I apply this it calms the areas of redness considerably. It makes my skin look and feel smoother, and I think it mattifies my skin too, so I don’t look like a hot mess all the time. It applies to the skin like a dream and sinks in perfectly. I actually don’t know why it’s called a “mask” because you apply it and leave it on the skin. I press it onto my face so that the product delivers all the moisture into my skin. During the day, I can apply my foundation over the top, the mask acts like the perfect primer due to the mattifying properties, and keeps me moisturised for up to 12 hours! At night after cleansing, I apply a generous amount, after a few minutes I massage the excess into my skin and leave overnight. The following morning, perfect smooth hydrated skin.

Right now when you shop at Superdrug, there is a Better than half price on selected B. Skincare, and the Cooling and Soothing Mask is included in the offer, at just £4.45 reduced from the normal price of £8.99. HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today.

XXX

* This post contains pr sample*

 

 

Ko-To-Ha Lavender Cleanser

Welcome to Elegant Ageless Beauty, I’m Teresa..

I was recently contacted by Yoko who founded her Japanese beauty company Ko-To-Ha in 2015, to ask me if I would like to try some of her skincare products and then review them here on Elegant Ageless Beauty. As its natural skincare something that I love, I was more than happy to agree to trialing. I have 4 products in all to share with you, and I will writing a separate post for each product.

The first thing I noticed about Ko-To-Ha‘s products is the  packaging, it’s pretty, clean white with a hint of pink! Winner for me. But the ingredients are also a huge winner for me. Ko-To-Ha uses Japanese  Oriental Shoyaku herbs in all their products. Shoyaku is Japanese “active medicinal herb” and ko-To-Ha uses a combination of them. These herbs are: Ginseng, which   contains Vitamin B1, B2 and B12 Amino acid. Ginseng also helps the regeneration of skin cells and it amazingly has the ability to stop the decrease of Hyalauronic acid! There’s Peonia Lactiflora it’s used for its anti inflammatory purposes and is also astringent. When used it also helps to reduce the look of large pores. Chinese Angelica, contains Amino Acid its anti allergen and is often used to treat eczema. Mulberry Root Bark, contains flavonoids, is a powerful antioxidant and is 30 times more powerful than vitamin c! Licorice, is a skin brightener and it’s an anti-allergen so safe for eczema too. Green Tea, contains antioxidants , it helps with the regeneration of skin cells. Some or all of these wonderful herbs can be found in the ko-To-Ha products I’m sharing with you over the next few blog posts. So let me start at the beginning with the  Skin Cherish Lavender Cleanser.

Okay, so it’s certainly Lavender it smells amazing of it, absolutely gorgeous if you like the fragrance of Lavender. So after the initial “hit” of the fragrance I picked up the cute little scoop to take some product from the pot. I thought it was going to be a soft rich cream, but no it’s not soft at all. It is actually more like a “balm” or even coconut oil that has set hard in its jar. I scooped out the cleanser and followed the instructions on how to use, which I do recommend you read if you get hold of the cleanser. This is how Ko-To-Ha say to use the Skin Cherish Lavender Cleanser.

1.  Take one spatula-full of cleanser in the palm . Spread the cleanser evenly on your palm (your palms should look white all over).
2. Dip your fingertips in warm water and blend with cleanser. Then the cleanser becomes smooth. Please be sure to just add water little-by-little.
3. Spread the cleanser on your face using a circular motion. If the cleanser becomes dry and hard, add a little warm water again to make it smooth. Repeat this process so any remaining dirt and makeup blends with the cleanser.                            
4. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

Now, I did this and when the cleanser is spread all over your hands they do look very white, the cleanser feels like no cleanser I’ve ever used, before adding water to my hands it feels “hard” it’s not oily or greasy in any way at all. I did think how on earth was this going to cleanse my face! But once I had added warm water to my hands and began smoothing the cleanser over my face it massages in wonderfully. I like to massage for a good couple of minutes and I found that the cleanser goes dry and hard while massaging my face, but I just added more warm water and it was okay again. I washed the cleanser away with a face cloth to complete the routine.

After I finished cleansing, my skin looked clean, bright and felt very soft, neither dry or tight. I would however use this as a second cleanse after removing makeup, or as my morning cleanse which in fact is what I am doing, I use it every morning and am really enjoying it. You can find this lovely cleanser HERE.

XXX

 

Yogi Smart Styler

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive a hair styling gadget from Yogi, a brand I had heard of from seeing them presenting their hair styling wand on the shopping channel QVC. I was asked which product I would like to try, and because I knew that I would be getting my hair cut I decided to go for the Yogi  TouchX Smart Styler.

I am so glad I chose the TouchX Smart Styler too, it’s a 10 in 1 styling tool that’s so fantastic to use, it’s easy and it’s so lightweight which I was pleased about as I do suffer from a bad neck and shoulders sometimes which makes it difficult to reach the back of my hair. Well until now that is, now it’s a piece of cake and I can get my hair looking as good from the back as I can the front!

The Smart Styler  has Tourmaline and Ionic technology  which helps to smooth the hair also reduces static and locks in moisture. It has a fast ceramic heater, which heats from 120 degrees centigrade to 200 degrees centigrade with easy to control temperature settings. It’s suitable for all hair types from fine/delicate hair, to thick strong and curly, and also thick, course and wavy hair like mine!  This is such a versatile styler it will  add volume to the hair, adds beautiful waves and flicks it will twist and curl and it will also smooth and straighten and more besides! It’s 10 in 1 after all..

To switch on the styler you press and hold the power button for a couple of seconds, then to select your appropriate heat setting you  press the on/off button until your temperature choice is illuminated. Once you have selected your required temperature the red light will flash, then stop and remain lit when the temperature has been reached, easy peasy!  To switch off the styler you simply press and hold the power button until the red light goes off, it’s then safe to unplug the styler.

I recently had my hair chopped off into a layered style (which I now regret doing, my hairdresser was rather scissor happy) I like my hair big, always have always will, it suits me better than a sleek straight style. To get plenty of volume and bounce in my hair I shampooed and conditioned as usual and applied a heat protecting spray too. I then dried my hair thoroughly, you can’t use the Smart Styler on wet hair. I started at the back of my head, and with the extra long 360 degrees swivel cord it’s easy to get to the back. To add volume you just place the styler into the roots of the hair and lift up as you are drawing the styler out, right to the tip of your hair, WOW, the volume it gives my hair is brilliant, AND it leaves my hair shiny too. That’s what makes this styler so smart, apart from the fantastic curl and volume, it’s  the lovely shine it gives and with much less damage too, which is perfect as an older woman (late 50’s now)  with mature hair, a fantastic hair styling tool for me! You can check out the Yogi Smart TouchX Styler HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today.

XXX

 

 

 

Heaven Skincare Prism Age Defiance Cream … My Thoughts

I am seriously nervous about writing and posting my review on this new Heaven Skincare product. It uses technology that I really don’t understand at all. I’m not a scientist, I’m not a beauty therapist or a skin specialist, I’m just someone who enjoys using beauty products and then writing about them here on Elegant Ageless Beauty. This product was sent to me for review.

Heaven’s newest product is the Prism Age Defiance Cream, an anti-aging cream which is made all the more powerful when in contact with a light source! This is the part I don’t understand, so I’m going to be honest with you, I’m just going to tell you how the Prism cream worked for me. This is what Heaven says

“Prism Age Defiance Cream is a revolutionary anti-ageing moisturiser that on contact with any light source generates smoother, tighter skin actually reversing the signs of damage & ageing from sunlight, light and pollutants. a natural sun care boosts collagen on exposure to UVA, UVB and Infrared light. protects you from visible light from mobile phones, tablets and computers”

Let’s talk ingredients. Organic Coconut Absolute is the base oil, with Vitamins B5 and E in there too as is  Hyaluronic Acid. The amino acid called L-Carnosine packs a punch in anti-aging skincare and it’s within this beauty also, to help skin cells to reproduce quicker, it especially helps with deep-set wrinkles and helps to reduce the appearance of age spots and skin that is thinning.

Prism Age Defiance from Heaven Skincare has all these amazing features, It helps to protect against sun damage, as it protects against skin DNA damage although it is NOT  an SPF, it’s an anti-ageing moisturiser that helps clear spots and prevent further break outs. Which I am so grateful for actually, as it’s worked for  my breakouts, I’ve been suffering terribly recently because I’m trialing other skincare at the moment. Other things I’ve noticed since using the Prism Age Defiance Cream is that my nose to mouth lines (nasolabial folds) are plumped out and less noticeable. As a former smoker I have lines on my top lip that bug the heck out of me, but they too have diminished since using Prism Age Defiance Cream it’s also soft and smooth and moisturised too. This anti-aging cream really is Heavenly, it’s suitable for all skin types, helps with rosacea and sensitive skin too. You will find Heaven Skincare Prism Age Defiance Cream HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today.

XXX

 

MUA Makeup Academy Unique Lip Gloss…

Welcome to Elegant Ageless Beauty, I’m Teresa.

I have something Unique to share with you today. Unique to MUA Makeup Academy anyway. This is a pretty Unique Lip Gloss.

It’s from the MUA Luxe range of their gorgeous products and it is said to adapt itself using the pH in your body to give you your perfect pink shade on your lips. Although this is a clear pink lipgloss it applies clear to the lips. Then after a while it should take on your own shade of Pink. Below is what MUA says:

“Apply this pH reactive lip gloss to your lips for your personalised shade. Upon application the formula adapts to your natural pH to create a bespoke subtle pink shade.”

Before I started trialing this lipgloss, which I did purchase myself by the way. I used my MUA Lip scrub to get rid of any dryness that I’ve been getting in the hot weather. I applied it to clean dry lips, and it applies beautifully, there is no stickiness to this lipgloss, it doesn’t feel in any way gloopy and it’s so glossy on the lips too! Did it change colour on my lips though? Did I get my own bespoke shade of pink? Well, my lips did appear to be darker looking in appearance but they weren’t pink at all. Maybe the darker my lips were looking IS my bespoke shade of pink? I must say they did look glossy and hydrated, and I do enjoy wearing the Unique Lip Gloss, and it’s only £4.00 HERE.

Have you tried the Unique Lip Gloss from MUA? If you have I’d love to know what you think to it. Did you get your bespoke shade of pink?

XXX