I'm seeing more and more impressive all natural beauty brands around these days. No animal testing, no nasty chemicals, and as effective as many of the more mainstream products I'm familiar with. Skincere is the latest brand I've had the pleasure of testing, and I'm happy to say it's no exception.

Skincere is a new brand, available to buy from Holland and Barrett. 100% natural, it's free from parabens, preservatives, alcohol and synthetic fragrance, as well as being safe for those who are intolerant to wheat, soya, dairy and nuts. I've been testing the facial serum, day cream and night cream, all of which are designed to reduce redness, moisturise and soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Over time, Skincere claims that you will notice a more youthful, even toned and radiant complexion.

From left - night cream, day cream, facial serum

The facial serum* comes in the smaller, 30 ml tube. I've been applying it morning and evening after cleansing. It contains jojoba, sunflower and mimosa waxes to protect skin's moisture levels, shea butter and resplanta babassu oil (whatever that is) to smooth the appearance of wrinkles, monoi Tahitian oil to nourish and aloe vera to firm.

The day cream* contains the same ingredients, as well as balloonvine, echium oil and sunflower oil to counteract any itchiness or allergic inflammation, as well as to strengthen and protect the skin's natural barriers.

Again, the night cream* contains the same ingredients as the serum, with the addition of collagen boosting avocado oil and soothing, moisturising vitamin E. 

It's always difficult to judge a new skincare range when you are already using something that works for you. I mentioned in my August Favourites that I recently switched to a new cleanser that cleared up the oily t-zone issue I'd been having, but in terms of the rest of my skincare, I've been very happy with the Avene Physiolift range for a while now. Using that makes my skin feel plumped and hydrated, and it seems to do a good job of softening the appearance of fine lines. Since switching to Skincere, I'm very pleased to note, all that is still the case, so I guess that means that Skincere is performing equally well for me in terms of its anti-ageing and moisturising benefits.

One difference I have noticed is that my skin has been looking a bit more radiant lately. Believe me, this is quite an unusual occurrence for me. It might be in part down to the change of cleanser, but given that Skincere is designed to promote a radiant complexion, I'm inclined to think it's mostly this. As I said, even when my skin is at its best, it's unusual for me to think it looks radiant so this is definitely the biggest plus point of Skincere as far as I'm concerned!

If you follow me on Snapchat, you might have seen that I recently took a trip to the hairdresser's "just to get my roots done", and ended up with hair blonde enough to give Daenerys Targaryen a run for her money. Well, perhaps not quite that blonde, but there was a lot of bleach involved. A lot. I've actually got used to the colour now. Turns out my hairdresser was right - I'd left it too long between appointments (mostly because I hate spending hours getting my colour done - anyone else?) and the underneath sections were starting to look pretty tarnished. It's definitely more even now, but boy did it feel dry and damaged once it was done!

So if ever there was a good time to put a new haircare range through its paces, it was in the wake of this appointment. I was very interested when I was offered the chance to try this Argan Oil range from Natural World - a London based haircare brand that creates ranges from natural ingredients from around the globe. Argan oil is widely known to be very moisturizing, and that was definitely what I needed at this point! The range is also free from a lot of nasties such as parabens, phosphates and phthalates, is gluten free and contains 95% natural ingredients including certified organic argan oil.


I was sent a shampoo and conditioner to try, along with a hair mask and two different sizes of treatment oil. Looking the products up online, I was pretty impressed with the generous sizes compared to the price. For example, I received 500 ml bottles of shampoo and conditioner, which retail for £4.99 each. That's a lot of bang for your buck. The packaging isn't the most luxurious out there but the bright blue colour is fairly appealing and for the most part it's practical enough, although I have to say I hate the packaging of the smaller treatment oil. It's a narrow tube with a screw top and just pours out into your hand, so it's impossible to avoid wastage and mess. The larger treatment oil comes with a press down lid allowing you to dispense a controlled amount of product, which is much better.


All the products feel lovely to use, rich without being heavy, and with a beautiful fragrance. As well as argan oil, the range is also infused with a blend of cedarwood, rosemary, lemongrass and ylang ylang, and this is certainly evident in the scent - especially the orange. As most people know by now, argan oil - particularly nourishing in Vitamin E and anti-oxidants - is a popular choice when it comes to moisturising ingredients in haircare, and the blend of essential oils contained within this range is designed to gently cleanse hair whilst adding moisture and shine.


For my first hair wash post Daenerys-gate, I decided to use the shampoo and the hair mask, for an extra hit of much-needed nourishment. As directed, I left the hair mask on for twenty minutes, wrapped in a towel. When I came to rinse it out, my hair felt soft and manageable. I wouldn't go so far as to say it felt like silk, but to be fair, I don't think there's a product in the world that could make that happen, given how much bleach it's been subjected to.


For hair washes after that, I've been using the shampoo and regular conditioner, switching the latter up for the hair mask once a week or so, and I'm pleased to report that my hair remains soft and relatively easy to comb through before styling, which is impressive considering the aforementioned bleach. It also seems to work very well at not weighing down my fine hair or causing it to become greasy, which is great as it means I can leave it a few days between washes - a desirable thing if you want to avoid subjecting your hair to too much heat styling, as I do.

As for shine, this has always been an elusive quality as far as my hair is concerned, and even more so since I became a bottle blonde. I don't find that the shampoo, conditioner and hair mask add shine to my hair, although someone with a different/less abused hair type might well find differently. I do however think that the treatment oil, when used on dry hair, adds a little. I really like the treatment oil. You can use it on both wet and dry hair, and it's so light that even if you make a mistake and end up being a bit too heavy handed with it, you can still work with it. Combined with the other products, it definitely makes my hair feel softer and smoother. Can you see the added shine in the "after" picture below? I'll admit, it's minuscule, but I do think there's something of a difference!


All in all I think this is a lovely range - effective, natural, pleasant to use and great value for money. If you're interested in trying any of the products, you can pick them up at ridiculously low prices here.

What haircare products are you using at the moment? Any recommendations?

Kate x

*Products sent to me for review. All opinions, as always, are my own

The other weekend I went to the most amazing wedding. I knew it was going to be good. When a Greek Cypriot bride (my husband's cousin) and an Indian groom tie the knot in a fairytale English castle, you sort of know it's going to be a fun day, especially when they each bring their own team of professional dancers! They also wrote their own vows, which added a beautiful, emotional touch to the ceremony, and I must admit, a few tears were shed! The sun shone all day long, and the backdrop of Leeds Castle in Kent was the perfect setting. 

At the risk of sounding superficial, I always enjoy an event that much more if I'm happy in what I'm wearing, and I could not have been happier in the Asos dress I wore to this wedding. An off-the-shoulder, full-skirted jacquard dream, it was comfortable, elegant and really did make me feel like a princess. In fact, I may or may not have spent some considerable time prancing around the grounds of Leeds Castle, pretending it was all my very own.

 

 Dress - Asos, Shoes (similar) - Aldo, Bag, Ring, Earrings - Accessorize

A definite contender for the prettiest dress I have ever worn, I love it for all sorts of reasons. To name just a few:

1. It is beautifully made. It fits like a dream, and the off the shoulder part sits snugly exactly where it is supposed to - not once did I feel like I needed to straighten it out or adjust it.
2. Although the sheen on the fabric makes it look rich and heavy, it isn't. In fact, the skirt is unlined, making it very light to wear, which was welcome given how hot it was on the day of the wedding.
3. The longer length meant I didn't have to worry about fake tanning my legs. That's probably the least glamorous of reasons to love this dress, but it's a big one nonetheless!
4. There's just something about the style of it. That fold over detail, the fitted waist and full skirt... it's just so elegant.
5. It shimmers when you catch the light. Who doesn't want that?!

  


Styling this was a breeze. I went for some delicate nude caged heels from Aldo - a sale bargain and apparently no longer available, sadly, although I have linked a similar pair above - a sparkly clutch and a little bit of costume jewellery. That was all I needed as the dress really did all the talking! Makeup-wise I kept things fairly neutral, glowy and fresh, and after much deliberation opted for Barry M Copper Mine on my nails.


 


All I need now is someone else to get married so I can wear it all over again!

Have you been/are you going to any weddings this summer?

Kate x