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Sweet Elyse: As Sweet as Honey

The skincare journey continues......

Many of my regular readers will have read about my skincare journey, I decided to take on the hard task of testing out a range of skincare products to really find the ones that work and the ones that don't. My skin like many other ladies (and not forgetting teens and tweens) find that their skin changes from one day to the next, I was and still am no exception. I realised that at my worst my skin was acting like an unruly teenager and it should be treated the same way it was acting which lead me to the fabulous Blush 'n' Kiss.

Blush 'n' Kiss are a company that sell a range of brands aimed at the teen and tween skincare market. The brands they sell are Peachface, Oxygen, Bellaboo, Dollface and Good for you girls. I found that I was highly impressed because these brands create products that are not filled with nasty ingredients and they genuinely do care about tweens skincare.

I have tried many of the products from each brand sold on Blush 'n' Kiss and you can find my previous reviews of those products HERE and HERE.

But today I am letting you know about 2 wonderful products that are as sweet on the skin as they sound.

Peachface Tween Honey Bee Moisturiser £13

Firstly how cute is that packaging? I know I am a grown woman but I would want to display this all of the time, currently my honey bee is stored on my dressing table very proudly and away from little hands that like to make potions.

The product itself was amazing, it's like that saying 'leave the best until last' and this product was for sure one of the best from all of the Blush 'n' Kiss products. The moisturiser is an off white cream which is somewhere between a cream and a lotion. It absorbed really well and wasn't oily on the skin. My skin felt cared for, healthy and moisturised all day and night and upon waking in the morning I found that my skin was less oily on the T-Zone and didn't have dry patches on the cheeks.

The scent is to die for, I generally don't like scented creams and lotions only because a lot of other brands (namely larger high street brands) smell awful, synthetic and chemically produced, but Peachface Honey bee smelled sweet, but not cloying and it did have a delicate scent of honey which was really nice.

The second product was ....

Oxygen Woman's Purifying Honey Mask £19.95

You will find when you click through for this product that it is not on the Blush 'n' Kiss web store and that is due to it being in the Oxygen Woman's range. Blush 'n' Kiss like to keep the woman's skincare and the teens/tweens ranges separate which I think is really clever. The Oxygen Woman's range is sold on the Blush 'n' Kiss Amazon web store which you can find HERE

This product is another one that I loved, and If I had not been shown the brands or the packaging I genuinely would have thought the Peachface and this product where in the same brand family. The scent is very similar, sweet but not cloying with a delicate hint of manuka honey. The product resembles an off white creamy coloured gel which you apply like any other mask to the face and neck ensuring not to apply it around the eye area.

I found that this mask unlike other brands didn't leave my skin feeling super tight afterwards and the effects where not short lived like other brands either. I noticed that my skin looked more evenly coloured straight away with this product and this combined with the Peachface was a skin dream. My skin was more evenly toned, I didn't have dry patches, my skin didn't go as oily around the t-zone and when it did go oily it took longer than normal.

I even decided to stop using the Peachface and Oxygen for 4 days just to see if it was the products that where making the difference and on day 2 I got my answer. My skin started to look more red around the nose, my under eye area also looked uneven and my t-zone returned back to it's very oily state.

Since returning back in to the arms of my beloved Oxygen purifying honey mask things have calmed down. I'm not sure if it's the manuka honey in the product that is making the difference or if it's something else.

Needless to say these two items are on my skincare love list! I urge you to all try these products regardless of your age and skin types.

Have you used these products before? What where your views on them and on using honey in skincare products in general?

If you want to visit Blush 'n' Kiss and find out a bit more about their wonderful products please head to the links below.

Blush 'n' Kiss web store HERE

Blush 'n' Kiss Amazon store HERE

Blush 'n' Kiss Facebook HERE

Blush 'n' Kiss Twitter HERE

Hugs & Kisses

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10 Reasons Why you should use Dollface Mineral Makeup.......

Reasons Why you should use Dollface Mineral Makeup…….

There is NO reason why you shouldn’t be using this product. I know that’s a bold statement but I mean it.

For those of you who have never heard of mineral makeup:

▪ This product has been used in many cultures throughout history and within the last few years was made very trendy by a few large cosmetics companies.

▪ It is made up of all natural ingredients such as zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, mica, and other natural stuff.

▪ It is free of preservatives, talc, oil, alcohol, fragrance and other chemicals.

Now you have a basic understanding of this powdery product.

Here are the top 10 reasons why you should be using mineral makeup instead of anything else:

The ingredients in mineral makeup have a natural sun protection factor. This helps you to prevent sunburn today and skin cancer tomorrow. Two birds, one stone.
Mineral makeup is waterproof. Now, I know what you are thinking: “she’s lying!” I’m not. I wore it this morning, rode my bike for half an hour, was sweating pretty hard, and my minerals were still in perfect tact. Believe it.
This makeup is very light and you can’t even tell that you are wearing it; not like liquid foundation or other products.
Because of its natural composition, it is ideal for all skin types especially sensitive, oily, and/or dry skin.
If you struggle with acne, rosacea, eczema, or just uneven skin tones, mineral makeup evens out the color of your whole face.
None of the ingredients in mineral makeup are comedogenic (pore clogging) so if you have a wild and crazy night and forget to wash your face, you won’t be punished in the morning.
It gives a natural look that appears as if you are not wearing makeup at all.
You can use this product after chemical peels or laser treatments because it is so gentle.
It possesses anti-inflammatory properties.
Mineral makeup doesn’t even require preservatives and it lasts longer than other foundations.

So, there you have it. Mineral makeup is the cool chick. It feels good, looks good, and is good.

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Things that cause Pimples and other Blemishes

Suffering from breakouts is very common as a teenager. 85% of teenagers will experience a change in their skin around puberty.

Things that cause pimples and other blemishes

Overactive sebaceous glands
A build up the dead skin cells with which lead to congestion in the follicles
Bacteria, which helps cause inflammation and breakouts
Inflammation that causes redness, irritation and can cause scarring

Things that you can do to help your skin be clear

Begin a daily and nightly skincare routine with one of our BnK Brands
Make having a home facial fun by inviting your friends over for a BnK Spa Party
Sleep , its not called beauty sleep for nothing!
Feed your body with healthy foods like apples, pears, salad, water and nuts, all as fresh as you can find.
Use natural products
Believe in yourself and know that your beauty is real and deep and that your inner self shines when you love her.

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A Few Skincare Tips for Teens and Tweens with Pimples

As part of our philosophy, it’s important for teens and pre teens to be informed and stay informed. Here are some tips for healthy teen skin (and they can be used for pre-teens too!)

Pimple problems

1. Overactive sebaceous glands can produce extra oiliness on the skin.

2. A build up of dead skin cells can cause blockages to the skin’s follicles.

3. Bacteria doesn’t help, as it can create inflammation and infection in the follicles.

4. Inflammation causes the redness and pain and can lead to scarring.

Being a teenager, or the parent of a teenager, can be fraught with worry. Everything seems to be intense and happening at once in the teen years. Self-esteem and personal body image are often the focus and this can be made even more stressful with the addition of pimples. Blush’n’Kiss Brands can make this time easier for everyone with a few easy skincare tips. Starting healthy habits early enough can really help with the stress and confusion so let’s take a look at what you can learn to do to support a healthier looking complexion.

1. 1. Don’t Use Soap

Soap is way too harsh to use on your skin. Soap or detergent based cleansers can really mess with your skin’s natural pH balance, because soaps are alkaline (higher pH) compared with your skin, which is normally slightly acidic (lower pH). An alkaline environment encourages acne. Our natural cleansers are designed to be gentle and to help balance the normal production of sebum, which is the skin’s own oil supply. All you want to do is remove the toxins, grime and make up when you cleanse. If you are using a cleanser and it leaves your skin feeling tight and looking shiny you’re stripping your skin of its oil supply. When you reach puberty your hormonal system produces more oil and you can feel very oily at times - but stripping it away will only cause more oil to be produced.

1. 2. Moisturise Your Face

The idea that oily skin doesn’t need a moisturiser is simply not true. Use one of the BnK moisturisers which are natural and free from all nasties. These natural products will protect your skin as they are full of balancing ingredients that also inhibit bacteria.

1. 3. Have a Daily Routine and a Weekly Routine

Learning to manage your skin at an early age is really beneficial! Not only does it help you get to know your complexion, it sets up great habits which will have a long lasting, and positive, effect as you grow older. You might begin to notice a change in your skin as a pre teen around 8 or 9.

Choosing a wholesome moisturiser that contains natural ingredients is really important , especially in the winter months. Applying the most nurturing products to your skin can be uplifting for your complexion and your spirit. BnK provides a wonderful range of moisturisers that feed your skin and keep it clear from blemishes. As an added bonus the essential oils in these products help to balance emotional states in teenagers and pre teens. We have had a lot of positive feedback about how good girls feel when applying products they have bought from us.

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Sweet Elyse

The Blush 'n' Kiss Skincare Review

Over the past few weeks I have been testing a range of skincare products to find out which are really worth purchasing and which a waste of money are. I posted a while ago that I needed to find a whole new skincare regime due to my skin type changing back in to a hormonal mess in this post (HERE)

I decided to be fair in the way that I test and review products and decided the best and fair way would be to follow a set of rules. Those rules are that I will test each product twice a day and take notes on the look, scent and how the skin felt after washing, treating and moisturising as well as after few hours and the results after a few hours.

Like everything else our skin changes these changes can be dependent on inside factors such as stress, diet and exercise as well as recent illness and imbalances. Outside factors such as the weather, the environment and country you live in also impact on your skin. It’s wise to keep note of how you are treating your skin so that you can make the necessary changes before they really become problematic and this is the reason why I suggest that you carry a range of products and product types to suit different skin types.

The skincare that I have been testing for Blush 'n' Kiss really are amazing and I do have my favourites but my faves might differ from yours so I hope that these mini reviews will help you decide if you will benefit from trying out a new skincare regime.

Oxygen Teen Skincare Range

Oxygen Teen 2 in 1 Cleanser

This cleanser is light in colour and resembles a light gel with superfine pumice. It does not have much scent and is great for greasy and combination skin types that don’t handle heavy or cream based products too well. This product costs £9.00 for 100 ml.

Oxygen Teen Crème Cleanser

This cleanser is white in colour and is thicker than the 2 in 1 cleanser which is great for normal to dry skin types. This particular crème cleanser smells amazing and reminds me of patchouli. This product costs £9.00 for 100 ml.

Oxygen Teen Blemish And Acne Gel

Typically gel coloured and doesn’t have much scent which is what you want and expect from a blemish treatment. The gel is cooling and light upon application and I noticed a real difference in angry red boils and pimples by morning. They had definitely decreased in size and the redness faded leaving me with clear skin within the week. This product costs £16.00 for 10 ml.

Oxygen Teen Vitalising Moisturiser

This is a white lotion moisturiser but unlike most lotions this actually nourishes the skin. You only need a tiny spot of this moisturiser to cover your face and décolletage which will leave you feeling healthy and glowing. This product has a delicate Pina Colada scent which is absolutely gorgeous I personally think it smells like sweet roses with honey and a delicate hint of coconut. This product costs £13.00 for 50 ml.

Oxygen Teen Foaming Cleanser

I love, love, love this product. It is a clear gel type cleanser which is great for combination skin but that’s not what makes me love this product I love that it has little flecks of turquoise spearmint in it!! It really does wake you up and the tingling feels amazing after you have washed, my skin remained normal for longer than it normally does with it returning to its typical oily T-zone within the hour this product left me with normal skin until morning. This product costs £9.00 for 100 ml and I recommended this product completely.

Out of the Oxygen Teen and Oxygen Women's skincare range my favourites are:

Cleansing : Oxygen Teen Foaming Cleanser

Moisturising: Oxygen Teen Vitalising Moisturiser

Treatment: Oxygen Teen Blemish And Acne Gel

These are my favourites due to the results they each gave individually and as a skincare regime. As I speak my skin still feels super smooth and baby soft with no dry patches or oily patches which is amazing. The results where the same each time I tried these out and I am absolutely recommending these to anyone who wants to improve their skin without any nasty chemicals or additives.

I have put these on my Christmas wish list why not add these to yours. If you want to purchase any of the products mentioned in this post head to...

Blush 'n' Kiss webstore

Blush 'n' Kiss Amazon

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