Can Vitamins Help Me Stay Looking Young?

As we head towards winter, many of us start to think about modifying our skin care regimes. Skin can become dry, in need of a little boost and the summer glow we managed to achieve can quickly start to fade.

Apparently vitamins and minerals can prevent and reduce wrinkles and support the health of our skin so I decided to give Evelle a try. It’s a nutritional supplement from Pharma Nord, which claims to improve the appearance and health of skin, hair and nails from within.

Evelle combines essential nutrients vitamins C and E, selenium, zinc and biotin. We struggle to get many of these vitamins and minerals in our modern day diet. Selenium, for example, is found in very low quantities in UK soils and cooking processes also deplete chromium from food, meaning many of us Brits are deficient.

All of these nutrients help to protect our cells from oxidative stress from free radicals. Free radicals, generated within the body as well as by exposure to environmental toxins and UV light, damage the skin by degrading collagen and elastin, which are responsible for maintaining the structure and elasticity of skin. The result is lines and wrinkles.

Evelle also contains plant extract Pycnogenol which works as a natural antioxidant, binding with collagen and elastin and protecting skin from various harmful enzymes.

 

 

I’ve only been using them for a couple of weeks and already I have noticed my skin feels much softer and less dry, which is handy seeing as we are coming into the colder months!

I do believe that nutrients, vitamins and minerals in the right quantities can really help our insides and outsides so I am definitely going to persist with this to see if it helps!

 

I was sent these tablets to test for the purpose of this review. No payment was received and all opinions are honest and my own.

 

Girls Night In Bundle Competition and Review

Every woman needs some girl time every once in a while, even at my age, so when I was given the chance to try out a girls night in bundle with my friends I of course agreed!

The bundle contained everything I would want and need for a night in, such as two great chick flicks (Blended was about single parents finding love which gave a spinster like me hope!) face masks and of course chocolate.

My Girls Night In Bundle!

 

I loved the gourmet chocolate pizza because it’s something I’ve never seen before! Two of my favourite things together: pizza and chocolate, so was bound to be a great success!  Within the first few minutes of The Other Woman DVD we had gobbled up the pizza and made a start on some of the wine I had bought with the £15 shopping voucher- you cannot have a night in without some good wine, gossip and food!

Competition:

The prize is everything a woman needs to have the ultimate girly night in, because let’s face it, every woman needs some quality giggle time with her friends.

This fantastic prize includes:

Brand new copies of Blended and the Other Woman on DVD from Cash Generator, the UK high street retailer of new and pre-owned DVDs. 

A 7” gourmet chocolate pizza from Qwerkity, the place to go for all of your unusual gift needs.

A bingo board game, 4 x face masks and a £15 supermarket voucher for a shop of your choice (so you can buy a bottle and some snacks) from Paddy Power.

To be in with a chance to win this fab bundle just go to my competition page on Single Parent Pessimist and fill in the Rafflecopter form!

I was given one bundle for the purpose of this review. No payment was given and all opinions are honest and my own. 

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Rokit Gel Polish Professional Kit Review & Competition!

 

 

As many people know I am a bit of a nail polish addict, so when I received Rockit Gel Polish Professional Kit I was very excited!! I haven’t tried a gel polish with a LED lamp before so I was a bit worried if it was going to be easy enough to carry out on myself………

“Rokit promises a rok-hard, high shine and salon quality finish from the comfort of your own home, with a simple one step application.

The brand new and unique Rokit Gel Polish Professional Kit makes gel nails even easier by reducing a typically five stage process to an easy one step application. Just polish and cure for shiny, salon quality nails that last up to 14 days.”

The kit contains: 1 high performance LED  lamp

Rokit 1 Step Gel Polish– Shock Pink

Ready– nail preparation

Remove– gel remover

1 file, cuticle pusher and lint free wipes

 Following the Instructions for use booklet, I prepped my nails with

Ready to make sure they were clean and oil free to obtain the best results.

 I then carried out my first thin coat of 1 Step Gel Polish and put under the LED Lamp to cure the polish for one minute, which I unfortunately think I timed wrong!

Once I completed the 2nd coat, I then left to cure under the lamp for a further 2.5 minutes, fortunately the lamp is timed to this length of time and turns off once complete! 😉

” The high performance LED lamp combines the latest LED and gel nail polish technology with a solvent free formulation that’s kind to nails. With 32 LED lights, the Rokit lamp promotes a super-fast curing time as well as a built in treatment timer for ease and even better there’s no drying time!”

 The finished result…….

                                      I love the colour and high shine, but next time I  won’t rush the first curing stage as the gel has slightly  rippled in places.  The gel polish feels tough and durable which looks promising!

 

 To remove the gel is much simpler then I thought! simply soak in Remove for 5 minutes and the colour dissolves and peels off!!

 

I found the whole process simple, enjoyable and look forward to using again! 

You can find the full range of One Step Polishes at  RokitBeauty      and the kit is available to buy from select Debenhams stores and on their website Debenhams.com 

 

To win one of these fab kits, enter my giveaway by pressing the Rafflecopter link below:

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

“I  received no payment for this review. All comments and opinions are my own!” x Nat x

 

Competition:Win a FabYouLess Card worth £49.95

Have you heard about the latest Fabyouless Card that gives you discounts on beauty, hair and fitness products and services?

The card gives you thousands of offers and discounts nationwide at many of the leading beauty salons, hair salons, tanning salons, gyms, nail bars, clinics and spas. You simply go onto the Fabyouless website, type in the area you live in and all of the nearby places that offer discounts are then listed for you.

I found quite a few places in Sussex for myself, and lots of them were offering 25% discounts and 2 for 1 offers which is really helpful whilst I’m looking at Christmas gifts to buy for people!

I have been sent a Fabyouless card and was so impressed that I am giving a 12 month subscription card to one of you lucky readers for free, worth £49.95!

I will also soon have a discount code if you want to buy a card, where you can get 40% off, perfect in the lead up to Christmas, so keep an eye out!

To enter the competition, simply click on the Rafflecopter below, good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was given one card to use for the purpose of this review. No payment was given and all opinions are honest and my own.

XMAS BEAUTY GIFT GUIDE

 

Here  is my Xmas Beauty Gift Guide for those looking for a bargain! All this products are no more then £15 and are good as stocking fillers or a present on their own!

Click on the product’s link to see the most recent prices as some are going on offer coming closer to the big day!

 

 

1. Lovely Vintage Body Care Gift Set and Dead Sea Aromatherapy Bath Salts with Frankincense Oil and Rose Petals

 

The Lovely Vintage Body Care set features three body butters in gorgeous, retro packaging. As well as leaving your skin soft and hydrated, they also leave you smelling divine as one is Hydrangea scented and the other two are Coconut.

This is a lovely stocking gift for any girl that likes to pamper herself and of course her skin.

The Dead Sea bath salts contain aromatherapy oils, rose petals and therapeutic minerals which help to transform you bath into that quiet, relaxing space us mums rarely get these days. These salts are gentle for all skin types and will leave your body and mind calm!

Giving this gift to a mum will encourage them to take the time to actually relax and use them, so add this to your shopping list! There are many more varieties on the website.

 

2. Dartmoor Lavender Natural Artisan Soap

Dartmoor have created a range of frangrant soaps including Orange & Cinnamon and Fig & Honey which are perfect for the Christmas season. These soaps were designed for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, as they do not contain any irritating chemicals, instead including natural and nourishing ingredients. 

What’s more, for every bar sold the company will donate five pence to the Butterfly Conservation so do your bit for them!

 

3. Dove Men Total Care Gift Set & Vaseline Gift Sets

The Dove Men’s set is stored in a rather funky silver tin which could be used for something afterwards and helps the set to look of a higher value than the low cost of it! The set includes body and face wash and antiperspirant. It can be purchased at Sainsbury’s, ASDA and Tesco.

 

The Vaseline Pink Retro Lip Tin is a large version of the classic Vaseline tins, and it contains three lip balms. The Vaseline Rosy Lip Pouch has a cute buttoned-pouch with a mirror and vaseline balm inside so it’s ideal for your handbag.  With winter fast approaching and the cold already making it’s mark on me and my skin, hydrating the skin is so important and Vaseline is a great product to use. 

4.David Beckham Instinct Sport Gift Set and Cheryl Storm Flower Perfume

 

No crimbo is complete without smellies and toiletries, and my choices for his and hers are David Beckham’s Sport Gift Set and Cheryl’s Storm Flower perfume.

 The Beckham gift set contains hair and body wash as well as body spray which has a fresh, light scent perfect for daytime wear and is a great gift for any man or teenage boy.

Cheryl’s Storm Flower is a blend of fruity and floral scents including mandarin, nectarine, vanilla and freesia which gives the perfume a modern and girly feel. This is something I would enjoy wearing in the summer on the beach or at work when I want to dream about being on the beach!

 

 

 

 

5. Nails Inc Superfood NailKale Base Coat

This is a definite must have! The NailKale superfood base coat can be used on its own as a strengthening, repairing treatment or as a normal base coat to prolong your choice of coloured polish. This superfood miracle contains extracts of aloe vera, lemon, ginseng, pomegranate and grape which nourish, smooth and brighten the nails. While its vitamins A, C, E, F and H provide nourishment and protection against breakage and splitting.

Keep a look out for the new colour polishes being added to the nailkale range too!

6. Ginvera Green Tea Exfoliating Marvel Gel

  Ginvera Green Tea Exfoliating Marvel Gel works by dissolving and removing the dead skin cells on the top most epidermis layer, in a very easy and non abrasive way. There are no gritty bits in this soft cooling gel, it doesn’t drag or pull the skin and is so quick to do! Very good for those with little time in the mornings!

As it’s a lightweight gel it is very good for all skin types even the most sensitive of skins. In the space of a minute your skin is transformed to a more radiant, firmer, even toned finish!

Look on the website for more products within the Green Tea range.

7. Belissimo Lips

 

Want to stand out at your xmas party?? then this is for you! Belissimo Boutique have created dazzling lip glitter in a range of colours to  create a sparkling new you.

The glitter is designed to last up to 12 hours and the water based adhesive is gentle enough for children to use!

Glitter lips is a new trend that has been featured in the  Ideal Home Expo , Magic of Christmas & Clothes Show last year.

I will be doing a separate review of this product, with  step by step guide, very soon!

Treating My Tootsies

If you are a mum, you probably understand the need for me to sort my feet out!

My feet have always been so soft and I remember finding it so odd watching my mum use pumice stones on her feet due to having such hard skin, but now it all makes sense!

I am clearly on my feet a lot more these days with my toddler, and I rarely have time or the energy to pamper myself after my daily showers like I used to, so I’m now in the position where the soles of my feet are cracking and peeling (gross I know).

So when Premier Healthcare & Hygiene Ltd gave me the chance to try CCS Foot Cream I obviously said hell yeah! 

Beauty Within Blog: Clarins Eyeshadow

Todays look is from wearing Clarins Forest Eye Quartet. I love the silky smooth texture of the shadows, it is very long lasting and doesn’t crease on the eye lid.

You can create different looks with this palette as there are 4 shades, gold, khaki green, brown and black, very versatile for day looks and can smoke it up for evenings.

 

New Me, New Hair!

I don’t know whether it’s to do with my age, or from me finally getting over what has been quite a traumatic two years, but I’m beginning to feel like a very different, calmer, lover of life person and I like it!

To celebrate, I’ve been making a few changes to my home, my wardrobe (as you can see from all my recent reviews!) and now my hair…

My sister kindly did my hair today, and she agreed to try an ombre hair colouring style, which she has never done before. She is a trained hairdresser and beautician (yes I am encouraging her to start writing on here about make up/skincare tips and great beauty products!) so I had complete faith in her.

This is the result, and I absolutely love it!

My New ‘Ombre’ Hair

 

What do you guys think?

Get A Free Eyebrow Arch for #browarchmarch

The fabulous people at Benefit and Debenhams are offering us all free eyebrow shaping this month for charity- where do I sign up?!

#BrowArchMarch is a yearly effort in order to support the cancer support charity Look Good Feel Better (LGFB). They provide free services for women and teenagers suffering from the visible effects of cancer treatment.

For a small donation (they suggest £5), you get your eyebrows waxed and shaped to perfection, as well as advice on how to maintain them and the chance to purchase products to help them stay gorgeous!

I most definitely need my brows shaping, as since I have gone from the ‘tadpole’ look to the ‘slug’ look, I cannot seem to get the shape quite right, and I want to improve them to help the old face look as good as it can!

You can also participate in their March, which starts in Berkeley Square on 9th March and the journey will take you past iconic places, such as Marble Arch. You wear little makeup, so that at each checkpoint you get to have some beauty touch-ups by Benefit Cosmetics! Visit the #browarchmarch site for more details.

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