Category: Women

RapidLash and RapidBrow Serums

beauty, Fashion, Gifts for Her, health, Women

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

The world seems divided these days between those who have false eyelashes and micro-bladed brows, and the rest of us who persevere with mascara and eye brow pencil.  I am in the latter group, and only recently released that as I get older, my eyebrows especially need more help.

I didn’t want to go down the false eye ashes and cosmetic enhancement route (the cost being one reason) so when I was offered a try of the RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum and RapidBrow Eyebrow Enhancing Serum, it seemed like a good idea. The research into both products seemed promising too;

  • 88% of testers* of the RapidLash Serum experienced improvement in the appearance of lashes and 86% experienced fuller looking lashes.
  • 93% of RapidBrow Serum testers* experienced improvement in the appearance of brows and 93% also experienced their brows being fuller looking.

*Consumer Study of 102 subjects over 56 days.

With this is mind, it was worth me having a try to see if it made a difference. The marketing suggest 8 weeks is all it takes for you to see an improvement, so with that in mind, I set about reading up what needed to be done.

For the RapidLash Serum, the supply only needs to be applied once a day, at night, to the upper lashes with the applicator along the base of the eye lashes. Eyelids need to be clear of make up and the serum shouldn’t be on the eyelid itself, just the base of the eyelashes themselves. For the RapidLash Serum, the formula is used twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Using the applicator, RapidBrow needs to be applied to the full length of the brow, and again should be completely clear of make-up. In each case, the serum needs to allow to dry.

Neither serum was difficult to apply, as they are both much like applying make-up or mascara anyway.  Once the serum dried, they were still soft enough to not notice that they had any kind of products in them, and it’s easy to sleep without them being rubbed off.

It’s difficult to show in photos but my eyelashes were stronger after about 3 weeks so I’m guessing that after 8 weeks they will be much stronger! This led to them being longer too. My brows were thicker and didn’t have the gaps between them as much as I used to have without the serum. Over time, I hope that they become thicker still and I won’t need any make-up for either eyelashes or eyebrows.

RapidLash and RapidBrow serums are a great addition to a make-up bag and beauty routine to improve the appearance of lashes and brows, without the cost of expensive cosmetic enhancements.

RapidLash available at Boots for £40: https://www.boots.com/rapidlash-eyelash-enhancing-serum—3ml-10103497

RapidBrow available at Boots for £37: https://www.boots.com/rapidbrow-eyebrow-enhancing-serum-10137216

ECO Professional Hair Styling Gel

beauty, Family Life, health, Women

Whether it’s a new hair style, a New Years’ Resolution for haircare or if you feel like a change, your hair styling is something very personal to you.  For 2023, I am trying more hair styles, colours and drying methods to see what suits me, so the Eco Professional Hair Styling Gel, made with olive oil was on my radar to try!

Olive oil has long been used as a beauty product, and the Eco Hair Styling Gel is made with 100% olive oil.  The oil acts as a way of keeping in the moisture and keeping hair soft, as well as working on the scalp to keep it hydrated. The effect of the olive oil overall is to keep hair slick and sheen and easily managed, especially as it’s so light weight.

The gel can be used on wet or dry hair, and hair of all lengths. Obviously if it’s used on wet hair it keeps in more of the moisture, and on dry hair you can style better. Both methods should give good hold.

I tried the Eco Hair Styling Gel on both wet and dry hair.  With my hair roughly dried but not long out of the shower, it was difficult to assume how much gel to use without it looking ‘crunchy’ so I used it sparingly at first, with the texture of the gel coating locks of hair. My hair is naturally curly so it was easier to work it through long strands. When it came to drying, I let my hair dry naturally and found that I should probably have used a bit more gel than I did so that the curls had more definition, but with trial and error, I managed to get an even, defined curl throughout.

When I used Eco Hair Styling Gel on dry hair, there was more of a ‘wet look’ and it made it easy to pull my hair back into a tight bun or pony tail.  My preference though, is to use the gel for defining curls, and anyone who has curly hair knows how difficult that is!

Available from Boots from £3.99: https://www.boots.com/eco-style-olive-oil-styling-gel-237ml-10261195?cm_mmc=bmm-buk-google-ppc-_-PLAs_HeroCompare-_-Toiletries_Hair-_-UK_Smart_Shopping_Toiletries_Hair&gclid=CjwKCAiAk–dBhABEiwAchIwkR_MKSkfzxIYdAB2snpW3y8Iq4qX4rHnu3ZfMKRT7H5z_emU_zXw-BoCPRsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

New Years’ Resolution, New Hair style, new hair, hair styling, Hair gel, curly hair

#NewYearsResolution #NewHairStyle #NewHair #HairStyling #HairGel #CurlyHair 

Mavrik Non Alcoholic Cocktails

Birthday Gifts, Drinks and Mixers, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Summer, Vegan, Women

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are our own

It’s the weekend and even though we’re taking part in Dry January it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a cocktail or two – there are plenty of delicious non-alcoholic cocktails available now and Mavrik have certainly come up trumps with their exciting non- alcoholic cocktail range.

The Mavrik taster pack contains four 250ml cans and with less than 50 calories per can they are perfect for those watching the calories as well as those who prefer a non-alcoholic drink. Choose from

  • Aromatic G&T: A delicious version of the quintessential English favourite with a refined low calorie pink G&T.
  • Cuban Mojito: Zinging with mint and rum flavours, this indulgent alcohol-free Mojito is the very refreshing and will be lovely to drink with friends this Dry January. 
  • Venetian Spritz: A refreshing, sparking orange drink, sweet with a hint of bitterness and is  delicious with plenty of ice and a few slices of orange.
  • Storm & Spice: a fiery, tongue tickling, low calorie version of the classic spicy Bermudan rum cocktail.

My favourite of the four was the Cuban Mojito which was just as a Mojito should be, nice and  refreshing with the taste of fresh lime and mint and with no sugar I can drink it all night guilt free.

I must say I was very pleasantly surprised with the non-alcoholic drinks, made with natural ingredients and carbonated New Forest spring water they are very refreshing and enable you to get into the party spirit without the hangover! They are vegan friendly, gluten free and contain less than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams so what’s not to love?

Mavrik drinks are available from their website and the tasting pack costs £9.75

The Contour Pro by Dr Levy

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Fashion, Gifts for Her, health, Tech, Women

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own. The Review Studio are not responsible for any of the information provided below and no information should be taken as advice. Consult your doctor before using any new devices especially on the face. Do not use The Contour Pro on the chest/breasts, neck (including the thyroid), within the orbital rim of the eye (including eyelids), on the lips, genitals or groin area. Do not exceed the 3 minute maximum per day.

Every so often a new technology comes on the market to wind back the hands of time and help eradicate the signs of aging.  The Contour Pro by Dr Levy Switzerland is a multitasking technology that helps plump and firms skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines.

Who is Dr Levy?

Dr Philip Levy is a dermatologist who works out of Geneva, Switzerland with an aim of delaying the need for cosmetic surgery and instead uses techniques to reverse the signs of aging and restore glow.

He was the first person to introduce cosmetic botox to Geneva in 1995, and also practices other technologies such as CO2 laser resurfacing and hyaluronic acid injections. When skin stem cells were discovered in 2009, a whole new world of ‘healing’ the skin opened up for Dr Levy who harnessed the skin’s ability to heal itself.  Along with his other treatments, Dr Levy is best known for the Nefertiti Lift® which is used to tighten the jawline.

How does The Contour Pro work?

The Contour Pro is a non-evasive, hand held machine which is used to tone and plump the face.  Using Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) and Radio Frequency (RF) in micro-pulsating sequences, it boosts deeper muscle strength and plumps the surface of skin. The radiofrequency stimulates collagen production and stem cell action, all of which help the appearance of skin.  The combination of the Freezing Anti-Fatigue Mask (more about that later!) and the heat generated from The Contour Pro, further boosts the skin to leave it illuminated. 

Why do I need the Freezing Anti-Fatigue Mask too?

It is highly recommended to use the Freezing Anti-Fatigue Mask with The Contour Pro for two reasons. Firstly, you MUST have a gliding gel on your face before using The Contour Pro. This is to ensure even texture, and it’s never a good idea to put an electrical appliance right onto the face, especially if you have never used such an instrument before.

The Freezing Anti-Fatigue Mask has been specially designed to be used with The Contour Pro because the benefits of this mask compliment the technology used in The Contour Pro.  

What do I need to do to use The Contour Pro?

Before I explain in depth, be assured that there is a well-designed and thought out booklet that comes with The Contour Pro which explains even more and has diagrams to help!

Firstly, you need to clean your skin thoroughly to remove any make up and residue. Dr Levy recommends the 3DeepÔCell Renewal Micro-Resurfacing Cleanser. You can also apply the Eye Booster Concentrate over the eye contour area and the Booster Serum all over the face. Once the products have been on your face for one minute (in order to penetrate the skin), you can add the gliding gel.

Dr Levy Switzerlandâ’s Freezing Anti-Fatigue Mask (a gel) is recommended as the gliding agent.  Distribute the gel all over the face and especially on the target areas. The device may stop working if you don’t have enough gel. Now you are ready to use The Contour Pro.

About The Contour Pro

The Contour Pro device is hand held, charged by a USB cord (only ever use the cord which is provided!) and easy to operate.  The head of The Contour Pro has 4 discs which administer the radio frequency and electrical pulses. There is one Universal Button on the front of the device which turns on and off, and changes the intensity. You can tell the intensity of The Contour Pro by the blades of the propeller on the front. 1 blade means the lowest intensity whilst 3 blades is the highest. Start with the lowest intensity first.

There are no other buttons to learn on The Contour Pro, making it easy to use!

Before you start…

Always undertake a patch test on the inside of your arm the day before using The Contour Pro. Check that the skin doesn’t have a negative reaction to either the Freezing Anti-Fatigue Mask or the device.

The full workouts are detailed in the enclosed booklet, which include the workout for eyes  (“Fox Eyes”),”Cheekbones contouring” and “Lips contouring.”  It is important to never use The Contour Pro on the eyes or eyelids, lips, breast and chest area or other sensitive areas especially not on the face. 

The booklet also states;

  • To use The Contour Pro slowly, in an upward motion, and with light pressure.
  • Always STOP if the skin becomes hot or red.
  • Do not stay more than 3 seconds on any general application area and continuously move the device.

What happens when you use The Contour Pro?

Once you have tried the patch test, you can start using The Contour Pro the next day. With the Freezing Anti-Fatigue Mask gel applied all over your face especially the target areas, follow the workouts detailed in the booklet. Start on the lowest intensity level.

When you turn on the device, there is no sound and no movement, which threw me at first. The intensity dial lights up but you only know it’s working once you apply it to your skin and feel the sensation.

I found that the electrical pulses, which are intermittent, were a bit of a strange sensation at first. They felt like sharp vibrations, and although they didn’t hurt, they took a while to get used to. It’s similar to holding the vibrating head of an electric toothbrush against your lips when you’re not used to it. I’m glad I took the advice and started on the lowest intensity!

Working for only 10 minutes maximum at a session with one session a day, work around the eye area (not the eyelid or the eye though!), cheekbone and lip area.  It’s best to do the workouts 2-3 times a week, not every day.

So, what was the outcome???

The Contour Pro is a sophisticated bit of kit which takes some getting used to.  It starts to work immediately with the device heating up and pulsating the skin, helping the products to seep into the deeper layers.  At first, you can see your skin reacting to the heat and stimulus with plumping of the skin surface.  After a few sessions (the course of a week if you are taking the advice and repeating every other day) the pulsations and electricity are more familiar and you will have learned the workouts to use.  I could feel that my skin was softer from the combination of the Freezing Anti-Fatigue Mask and The Contour Pro together, and it was as if the underlying muscle and tissue was ‘working’ which I took to be the muscles toning up and the skin repairing itself.  The contour of my jaw and cheekbones was smoother too, and my face felt like it had had a workout all of its own!

Over time, I’m sure the benefits will continue even if you don’t use The Contour Pro as often. I think once you get the desired effect and are used to the sensation it will be easier to increase the intensity and use it to maintain the benefits rather than having to use it so often. It’s difficult to show the physical changes in such a short amount of time, which is why I haven’t posted photos but I know that my skin and face has already started to feel different.

I especially like that The Contour Pro is an alternative to cosmetic surgery and non-intrusive.  You can adapt the intensity yourself and concentrate on one target area, or several, depending on your needs. It’s also very small and handy! I have used it for over a week now and the battery hasn’t run out yet.  I will be taking this on holiday with me soon, so that I can use it at my leisure and tone up those muscles even more!

The Contour Pro is available for £249 and the Freezing Anti-Fatigue Mask for £69 at: 

Dr Levy – https://www.drlevy.swiss/en/product/the-contour-pro

Cult Beauty –https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/dr.-levy-switzerland-the-contour-pro/13974127.html

Liforme Yoga Mat

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, cruelty-free, eco friendly, Family Life, Fashion, Fitness, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, health, Home & Garden, Plastic free, Sport, Sustainable, Women

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

By a certain age, or maybe it’s a certain level of fitness, yoga becomes less of a puzzle and more of a necessity. The company Liforme pride themselves on doing things differently to support and encourage the practice of yoga, and do so with their conscientious products. Their ethos to ‘Live for More’ by positively engaging communities is evident on their website, along with some delicious products any yoga fan will adore!

Amongst the products available was this Liforme Grateful Rainbow Yoga Mat which was sent to us to try out.  It’s bright pink, printed with an eco-friendly, non-toxic design of a rainbow mandala and alignment markings which can be described as guides for your feet and hands. This mat is a serious bit of kit for serious yoga people and you can tell just by looking at it. There’s much more science, and thought, behind it than you realise though, as I discovered.

The Liforme Yoga Mat is made with a real natural rubber base (so that it doesn’t slide all over the place) and the top layer is made of eco-polyurethane.  In all, the mat is 4.2mm thick but it feels thinner than that. It’s not chunky or clunky at all. The top eco-polyurethane layer is designed to be more grippy than other mats, so that you can practice without worrying about sliding all over the place, and the design is printed with durable yet eco-friendly ink. The same goes for all the designs of the yoga mats available on the Liforme website.  The mat weighs in at a hefty 2.5kg though so if you’re used to your yoga mat being light-as-air, this is going to be quite a shock!  The weight comes from the quality of the material though.

The dimensions of the mat come in at 185cm long and 68cm wide. That’s 73 inches long and 27 inches wide in old money.

As for the usability, the mat comes with a free carry case, which is needed when you have a rolled-up mat of this size and weight and need to transport it to several lessons a week.  The real test is in a yoga class, which is where any yoga equipment needs to prove itself.  The bright pink façade is very pleasing especially as you know in a dimly lit room and when you might need to wander around a bit, you can never lose it!  The surface is nicely grippy. Grippy enough for a Downward Dog and to not face plant yourself.  Liforme call this GripForMe technology and it allows you to use your full body weight in poses and not move an inch. Not even a millimetre for that matter, as I discovered when I was able to more pressure into some of the poses than I usually would. So in some ways, you could say that the Liforme Yoga Mat made me better at yoga as a result!

Liforme as a company have recently been awarded B Corp status. The B Corp status proves that Liforme has high standards of social and environmental impact as their core belief as a company and a quick look at their website proves that their high quality and non-toxic materials are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to responsibility. The mats bio-degrade in 1-5 years (depending on conditions) and believe that they have the world’s most planet-friendly yoga mat.

Truly a treat, the Liforme Yoga Mats aren’t cheap but they are suited to the serious yoga practitioner or fitness expert and look simply gorgeous. The unique design and alignment cues make this yoga mat stand out from all the rest, and a perfect gift too. 

Available for £140 (but currently on sale for £105) at:

Liforme Grateful Rainbow Yoga Mat – Grateful Pink/Rainbow

Sennheiser Momentum Ear Buds

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Sport, Tech, Women

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all words and opinions are our own.

The first time I had headphones I was a teenager in the 80’s and back then headphones were firmly attached to your Walkman. Thankfully technology has evolved and improved a lot since then and I was really pleased to be given the opportunity to try out the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 earbuds

The stylish grey fabric charging case is nice and solid and closes with a satisfying click. It holds the earbuds securely and once placed in the case the earphones start charging automatically. The USB-C connection makes the case easy to charge and there is also the option to use Qi wireless charging too. A single charge provides 7 hours of playback with the case providing an additional 21 hours of charge, so in total you can enjoy 28 hours of playback before you need to charge. When it does run out of charge, 10 minutes of ‘fast charging’ offers an hour’s playback and a full charge takes just 90 minutes. 

Included in the box are four pairs of silicone ear tips, three pairs of ear fins, and a charging cable. The earpieces are IPX4 rated for water resistance, and each earbud has three microphones for voice and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) functionality.

When I first received the earbuds, I found that they had 40% charge, so I was able to use them straight away – all I needed to do was fit the ear fins and then pair them to my phone.

Pairing the earbuds was simple – just touch and hold both earbuds and then select them on your Bluetooth device and they pair to your device easily. The earbuds power off when placed in the case and the lid closed and power on and connect automatically to your device the moment you open the case.

Once paired, I downloaded the Sennheiser Smart Control app. The app not only allows you to control settings on the earbuds but there is also an option to go through a ‘Sound check’ where you select your preferred sound from a choice of 3. There is also the option to set “Sound Zones” where you customise locations you frequent, like your home, gym or workplace and save preferred Active Noise Cancellation and Equaliser settings. Once you enter the radius—set by you on the location map—your settings automatically change to the saved setting when you are in that Sound Zone.

The earbuds feel light, well made, and with IPX4 sweat resistance they are perfect for the gym or when I am out walking.

So I’ve talked about the fit, pairing and app so what is the sound quality like?  

Well, it’s excellent, the sound is crisp and clear with no distortion, every song I played sounded amazing, whether it was rock, pop or classical music.

You can also use the earbuds to make and receive telephone calls – if you are playing music it stops whilst you are on the call. I found that the call quality (for both people) was very clear and background noise was minimal.

Answering calls, skipping tracks and turning on/off different modes can all be executed by tapping the earbuds. Once you get the hang of tapping they are very simple to use, the sensitivity is very good and works well all the time.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True wireless 3 earbuds – superior sound, excellent Bluetooth connectivity and a secure and comfortable fit. They are definitely a premium pair of wireless earbuds and anyone receiving them this Christmas won’t be disappointed.

RRP £219.99 available from the Sennheiser website here

Elliot Brown Bloxworth Hali Watch

Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Fashion, Fitness, Gifts for Her, Jewellery, Sport, Women

I am not the easiest person to buy presents for – I am told that every single birthday and Christmas, and with a milestone birthday coming up in a matter of weeks my family have started asking me what special gift I would like to celebrate the occasion. One thing that I have considered is a nice watch, but being an outdoorsy sort of person, I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a watch that will invariably get bashed and scratched when I get too close to a rock face, fall off my bike or slip on wet ground. I also don’t want a watch that is likely to stop working after getting wet too many times. Nowadays fewer people wear watches as it is easy to glance at our phones to check the time, but there is no denying the elegance and refinement that a proper watch brings. And, when you are half way up a rockface or standing on a paddleboard, believe me, looking at a watch is a whole lot easier than taking a phone out of your pocket – and you don’t run the risk of it slipping out of your hand either.  

So when Elliot Brown, a UK-based watch brand that makes the most wearable, affordable, toughest watches on the planet, asked me if I would like a loan of one of their Bloxworth Hali watches I jumped at the chance. Elliott Brown test all their watches meticulously so that they will withstand the toughest of situations. Me knocking it on a rockface, or falling in Lake Windermere is a drop in the ocean compared to being smashed with a 3kg mallet or being submerged for an entire winter in Poole harbour – just some of the rigorous tests the watches are put through. Oh, they also strap watches to the bows of racing yachts and send them off round the world for 40,000miles and 12 months at sea – the watch survived and was still keeping perfect time. How impressive – these watches really are built to last!

The watch is presented in a lovely solid grey box, with the instruction and warranty details in a neat little pocket in the lid of the box. There is also a mini screwdriver type tool to enable you to remove the strap should you wish to change it for one of the rubber straps that are also available for this model. This fantastic presentation helps to make this a really special present.

The quality of the watch was obvious from the second I took it out of the box. It has a solid feel but isn’t cumbersome to wear. I also really liked how the size of the watch face was slightly larger than a standard, small ladies watch. I have never been keen on tiny dials as I find them hard to read, and I think bigger ones look a bit more rugged too.

As the Bloxworth Hali isn’t a smart watch it doesn’t have the features that other outdoor watches might have but you can wear it all weekend without worrying about charging and be confident that it won’t get damaged whilst out and about, as it is super tough and incredibly durable.

With a recommended retail price of £595 this is not a cheap watch but, reading the specifications of the watch you can see just what you get for your money. At the heart of the watch is a Swiss Made Ronda 705 quartz movement which is encased in a finely brushed stainless steel case with high polished elements. The high contrast, easy to read face is protected by a domed anti reflective sapphire crystal. The high contrast face glows in the dark, making it easy to read when you are off on night time adventures.

The brushed link bracelet strap, has a concealed double folding deployant buckle on bespoke stainless steel, meaning I can wear it on top of my drysuit without altering the bracelet. Marine grade 316 stainless steel is used for the case, bezel and strap bars which means it won’t rust, even in saltwater (and after 12 months at sea we are confident that it has been thoroughly tested).

The other features to mention are

  • Dual layer piano sandwich dial with polished minutes track
  • Matte finished stainless steel uni-directional 60 click timing bezel
  • Signature basket weave textures on compressor case back
  • Domed crown at 4 o’clock with triple seals
  • 100% tested at 200m in water
  • Unbreakable easy change strap bars
  • 5-year warranty

This watch looks just as good when I’m out adventuring as it does with heels and a cocktail dress and is the perfect gift for any outdoor enthusiast. It’s not the cheapest watch on the market but you are investing in a serious, timepiece that will stand the test of time and I know it will still be ticking and keeping perfect time long after the smart watch has counted it’s last step!

Available to buy from https://elliotbrownwatches.com/