Review: Holos Skincare the Natural Routine!

Recently I was guest blogger for Holos on #HolosLovesBloggers on Twitter and I must say I really enjoyed the evening! While it was just an hour it flew by and there was great interaction between those who took part. 
As a treat the lovely Niamh owner of Holos sent me some samples to try out a new skin care regime. I'd explained to her about my recent outbreak so she knew just what to send! When I received the samples I knew there was only one place to try them out and it was the perfect location for some wonderful products. 

Recently we were on holidays in Currane, Co. Mayo and for me it was the ideal time to try out a new regime. While I was away Holos had some tough challenges to face when it came to my skin! For me holiday is a guilt free zone which means I eat and drink what I want and my water consumption always reduces. Not only was I relaxing and enjoying myself but the sea air too was testing my skin! 

My daily view on holidays! Not always as sunny but always beautiful!

Niamh very kindly wrote out my daily routine which was as follows:

Morning:

- Splash cold water on my face to clean followed by Love your Skin Floral Toner

- Then use Love your Skin Face Cream 

- In addition if I felt I needed it to use the Love your Skin Anti-aging Facial Oil

Night:

- Use the Love your Skin Cleansing Cream - Massage in and remove with a warm damp towel

- Followed then by the Love your Skin Floral Toner

- Followed then by the Love your Skin Anti-aging Facial Oil - Use 4 drops and massage in for 1 minute

Weekly:

- Use the Blossoms Light Exfoliating Skin Polish - Massage straight from the jar onto a dry face for 1 minute. Leave for 2 - 3 minutes and then wash off with warm water. 

- Follow then as per morning routine

My Routine! 

€20.80*

I began my routine with the weekly use of the  Blossoms Light Exfoliating Skin Polish. I found this to be quite gentle on my skin and once I applied I felt if quite soothing. The polish is blended with essential oils Neroli, Ylang Ylang and Jasmine. After using the polish my skin felt smooth but not dried out like some exfoliates can make you feel. 

                  €15.20*                                                                                                        €15.70*

After, I then used the Love your Skin Floral Toner and Love your Skin Face Cream. The floral toner as you know I've used before and you can read here. I find that it is beautiful to use. I love the floral scent and feel it's quite uplifting to use and a great start to the day! 

The face cream too, for me was very smooth and light when applied. After my daily morning routine I always felt fresh and loved how my skin felt. On a couple of mornings with the sea air drying my skin a little, I used the Love your Skin Anti-aging Facial Oil to give my skin some extra TLC. 

               €19.20*                                                                                                         €22.20*

At night then I followed as recommended with the Love your Skin Cleansing Cream and the Love your Skin Anti-aging Facial Oil. The cleansing cream I really enjoyed using as it was light in texture but effective in cleaning my skin after days walking about and playing at the beach with our two smallies. What struck me too about the oil was how light it was and how nicely it absorbed into my skin. Some oils I've felt can feel like they're "sitting" on your skin and you dont really feel like they are doing anything to help. 

The Love your Skin range is blended using the essential oils of Rose, Palmerosa, Frankincense and Benzoin. 

My thoughts!

For me me as many of you know, I can struggle with a good skin care routine. What I loved about following the Holos routine was its simplicity but most important the effect it had on my skin. After a couple of days I noticed my skin feeling a lot fresher and I felt it was younger in appearance. Any dryness I had from the sea air was gone in no time using the Facial oil. With the smells of the products it couldn't but invigorate your senses making you feel fresher and revived to take on what lay ahead. 

If I had a "negative" it is that there is no SPF in the face cream (you all know I love my SPF) but then if there was, it wouldn't be natural! I soon overcome this using a foundation with an SPF in it! 

Holos is as it says, "Skincare from Nature" and for me my skin was certainly thankful for how it treated me! 

*

You can follow Holos on Facebook here, Twitter here and check out your nearest stockists here! Pop by the website and see the wonderful ranges Holos have at www.holos.ie

Check out #Holoslovesbloggers on Twitter Monday nights from 9pm - 10pm 

and join in the fun and chat. 

* images above are from Holos website and are of full size produces 

Netflix: It's Mum, Dad & Me Time!

For those of you who have children going to school you will know only too well how nice it is to have a regular routine in your home and hopefully, just hopefully some extra "Me" time! While our home has always been great for a routine this year with the addition of my son beginning pre-school it means our two little ones are very tired in the evenings and are asleep in no time. And children who are quick to sleep can only mean one thing - Netflix! So here's just a sample of what myself and my husband have bee enjoying to watch. 

Narcos

From the first episode both my husband and I were hooked. Narcos is Netflix's new crime drama and it launched on 28th August. It is based on the true story of Pablo Escobar and his fellow drug kingpins of the late 1980's. Pablo is considered the worlds richest criminal and when you watch Narcos you will see how! 

Within minutes of watching this we were hooked. It is a raw, gritty series and it details the efforts of the various law enforcement's to control the cocaine industry and also to take Escobar down. 

As much as Escobar is a criminal you have to admire him for the lengths he went to to prevent being found out for who he truly is. We are due to begin episode 5 and I'm really looking forward to it. 

The Killing

We are only about half way through Season One of the Killing. Within Season One it covers the first two weeks into the investigation of the murder of a local teenager Rosie Larsen and the various storylines that interlink. 

Tim Goodman a Hollywood reporter reviewed The Killing as being "excellent, absorbing and addictive when each episode ends, you long for the next—a hallmark of great dramas" . I must say I'd have to agree. For me too, it leaves me thinking about what has happened and of course trying to work out the various storylines. 

Season 4 and the final season was released on Netflix 1st August so for us we've a lot of catching up to do! 

Pretty Little Liars

This is my own guilty pleasure. When I want to just have 100% me time I pop on Pretty Little Liars. The storyline is about best friends Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer who grew apart after their ring leader friend Alison goes missing. A year later is where the story really begins and the girls receive messages from "A" who threatens to reveal their deep dark secrets! 

Like all dramas based on teenagers there are twists and new discoveries and I really am enjoying following along. 

For you, what are your Netflix favourites? Have you watched Narcos? The Killing? Or Pretty Little Liars yet? I'd love to know what you think if you have. 

Disclaimer: 

I received a Netflix subscription and an Apple TV from the Netflix Stream Team. All views and comments are my own 

Review: My NeoStrata Skincare Regime

Those of you who follow me via social media will know that recently I was having some trouble with my skin. After using a brand range to try and get a proper skincare regime in place I had a reaction which caused my skin to breakout. During this time to say I was feeling down is an understatement. My skin became inflamed in areas and it was difficult to be able to walk out the door without makeup on (I didn't want to scare people, lol). 

So after trying a number of home remedies to try and get my skin back on track, I turned to those I knew who would be able to help me out, my fellow bloggers in the Irish Beauty & Lifestyle Group. The replies I got were full of great advice such as using Waxperts Wonder Pads as recommended by Claire by Reverie and Dolledup.ie and also NeoStrata's Bionic Cream again recommended by Dolledup.ie. 

On hearing about my dilemma, NeoStrata kindly gave me a range of samples (above picture is just a selection) to try out to see what was best suited for my skincare needs. I was delighted to receive these as I think samples are a great way of trying something new to see if it suits you before splurging out and then being disappointed or have a reaction like I did with a previous product range. 

After going through the samples I chose a basic routine which included the Ultra Brightening Cleanser, the Matrix Support (SPF30) and the Bionic Face Cream. Each product I used as directed and my daily routine was cleansing in the morning and evening with the Ultra Brightening Cleanser. After my morning cleanse it was followed by the Matrix Support SPF 30 and in the evening with the Bionic Face Cream. 

Ultra Brightening Cleanser 

http://www.neostrata.ie/store/enlighten1.asp

€27.50

When I used the cleanser, I found a little went a long way which was great. It is a creamy foaming wash off cleanser. The NeoStrata Ultra Brightening Cleanser is designed to "brighten, illuminate and help control pigmentation for a more even skin tone". 

I found the cleanser to be quite gentle on my skin and was also quite effective in removing makeup. Once my skin was cleansed I felt quite "clean" and refreshed. 

At €27.50for 100ml , I think this is great value for money as a little really does go a long way. 

Matrix Support

http://www.neostrata.ie/store/matrix_support_spf30.asp

€58.99

As many of you will already know, I love my moisturiser to have an SPF so with the Matrix Support having an SPF of 30 it ticked a big box for me.  

The Matrix Support is an "antioxidant, anti-aging daily moisturising complex" The cream is designed for "sagging skin, deep lines & wrinkles, sun protection and discoloration" While at 38 years young my skin is not sagging or with deep lines (yet!), they are things I'd like to prevent as best I can. 

When applying the cream I found it to be similar in consistency to some "thick / heavy" anti-aging day creams I've used in the past but without the heavy feeling on my face. I really liked the fact that I felt a layer of protection on my face without feeling it was going to melt away as I hit the sun (the little bit that we had!). Something I realised too was when we did get some sun I was trying these samples and I'd no discoloration on my face as I normally would. Every year I get "dirty" tan areas on my forehead and across my cheeks but this year it wasn't the case. This may be partially down to wearing a higher SPF during the day or obviously the fact that the cream is designed to reduce discoloration. 

At €58.99 for 50g it is a bit on the pricey side but again like the Ultra Brightening Cleanser a little does go a long way so I feel it would last some time. 

Bionic Face Cream

http://www.neostrata.ie/store/bionic_face_cream.asp

€44.95

After receiving the recommendation from Dolledup.ie I was really looking forward to seeing how good the Bionic Face Cream really was. As directed I used this after cleansing in the evening. The Bionic Face Cream is "fragrance free, non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic anti-ageing face cream" It is also recommended for Rosacea, Eczema and Dry Skin.

I found on application for a night cream is wasn't heavy which is quite refreshing. Something that has put me off a night time skin care regime is many of the creams I've used in the past are quite heavy which isn't something that appeals to me as I'm about to tuck up for the night.

Something else I noticed with using the Bionic Face Cream was in the morning how soft my skin felt. Also, after a couple of days I noticeable could see a difference from the raised scarring I had from my breakouts. This was something that really upset me so seeing them reduce within a day or two and then clear altogether within the week brought back my Chirpy smile!

At €44.95 for 40ml I thought this was good value. A little really does go a long way which I was surprised by, and the difference in my skin I felt was quite significant.

After 2 weeks of the above regime I noticed quite a difference in my skin. 

Around the sides of my mouth there we're lines partially I think from dehydration in my skin, these were now gone. 

A significant difference could be seen in the areas where I'd blemishes. The inflammation I had was significantly reduced and the blemishes themselves were pretty much gone along with the scarring. 

Overall I must say I was delighted with the results. 

Have you tried any NeoStrata products before?

If you haven't check out where your nearest stockist is here or alternatively you can purchase from Dolledup.ie here