Tag: sensitive skin

Calma Ezzence

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Gifts for Her, Mother's Day, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Women

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

I have suffered with eczema for many years, most of the time it’s under control but every now and again it flares up, with my hands and feet suffering the most. Stress seems to make it worse and when it does flare up my skin becomes very dry and itchy and can start cracking which is quite painful. So when Calma contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying a pot of their Calma Ezzence I jumped at the chance. I have been using it for the last month and I’m really impressed with the difference it has made to my skin.

Calma was founded by Janna, who understands only too well the misery eczema can bring. After years of relying on steroids, she realised there had to be a gentler approach that didn’t just mask symptoms but supported long-term healing and Calma Ezzence was born – a rich, steroid-free cream designed to restore the skin barrier and bring lasting comfort.  

From the very first application, I noticed a difference. My hands, which were dry, and starting to crack felt instantly soothed. Within a few days, the redness had faded, the itching eased, and the chapped skin between my fingers has finally started to heal. The difference to my feet has been just as noticeable. The angry red patches have gone and the rough, scaly skin is at last beginning to improve and I am confident wearing sandals again.  

I’ve been using the cream several times a day, the pot is small enough to pop in my handbag, which means I can reapply whenever I need to, whether I’m at work, with friends or simply pottering about at home. At night I use a more generous layer and let it soak in while I sleep, and by morning my skin feels softer and calmer. The cream feels lovely and rich and it simply melts into my skin without leaving it feeling greasy or sticky.

Calma Ezzence is free from the 26 main cosmetic allergens, as well as being fragrance free. It’s also safe for babies from six months old, and even during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

For me, this cream has been a game-changer – my skin feels soothed and hydrated and looks better than it has for a long while. If you’re struggling with eczema or dry skin, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Calma Ezzence

RRP £28 but if you subscribe you can save 20% – available here

FIGGI Beauty products

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Gifts for Her, Gifts for teachers, Mother's Day, Stocking Fillers, Summer, Women

Disclaimer – We have received this item for free or on a loan basis for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

The team at FIGGI Beauty have sent us a whole hamper of lovely beauty products to try from their FIGGI range. So many products in fact, that I have had a hard time keeping up with all that there is to try!  FIGGI Beauty is rooted in a philosophy that skincare should be gentle, effective and rooted in self-care. The range is produced by Jeanne, who turned her life around after a diagnosis and decided to create her own skincare range based on her favourite product – South African Rooibos!

The first set of products is the FIGGI Beauty Purify The Goddess Makeup Dissolving Balm-to-Oil Cleanser for dry/sensitive skin and Refresh The Goddess Gentle Gel Cleanser for dry/sensitive skin.  Both bottles, used together, are 100ml pumps that remove make up and daily dirt. Purify The Goddess starts off as a balm and then melts into the skin nicely, to be able to wipe away make up. It’s not heavy at all but it does have the properties of an oil to be able to glide over the skin. It also dissolves any make up that it encounters! The second stage is Refresh The Goddess which is a gel. This doesn’t melt as much, and it seems more hydrating so it seems fitting that the two of them work together to combat dry skin. The lack of alcohol in these two products means your skin doesn’t dry out when they’re used and they do really work to dissolve make up effectively. I haven’t had any reactions to the products either. 

Nourish The Goddess Evening Rescue Cream (also made with Rooibos) is a great follow-up to the cleansers. It’s light, with no fragrance and absorbs easily. A night cream doesn’t have to have a heavy SPF so Nourish The Goddess hydrates the skin, leaving it with that subtle dewy look.  It’s certainly hydrating and doesn’t clog pores at night allowing your skin to renew.

Nurture the Goddess Antioxidant Enriched Day Cream managed to hydrate even my tough skin and although it’s fragrance-free too, it did seem to have a lovely ‘aura’ about it when I put it on. This Goddess Day Cream strengthens the barrier of the skin and defends against daily environmental factors. I used this throughout the day at my desk to hydrate my face in the ridiculously hot weather. Unlike the Evening Rescue Cream, Nurture The Goddess doesn’t leave a shininess to the skin. Instead, it’s a matt finish which allows you to wear make up on top of it.  I like how light this cream is, and it goes a long way so you don’t need much. I can highly recommend leaving it on your desk to use frequently too!

The Slow Glow Gentle Retinol Renewal Serum for Dry/Sensitive Skin provides a gentle base to your FIGGI skincare. Worn under the Nourish The Goddess Evening Rescue Cream, Slow Glow needs to be used 1-3 times a week and then built up over time until it is used nightly. This is because retinol is a powerful ingredient but works with the Night Cream to make your skin more luminous. I have used this a few times but not every night so far (I’m building up to it!) and it does give a lovely base and I can feel my skin more hydrated.

Finally, FIGGI Miracle Mist is a Rooibos infused Toner-Mist which is also aimed at dry or sensitive skin. It’s also fragrance free and Essential Oil Free.  This 120ml spray was a life saver during the hot weather, and I highly recommend leaving this on your desk too! The refreshing spray hydrates the skin but I also found during the heatwave that the evaporation helped loads especially in the evening. It’s no wonder that Miracle Mist won silver in the Universal Beauty Awards 2025 with the duel hydrating and antioxidant properties.  It’s a great addition to your skincare bundle.

The whole FIGGI range is available to buy at: https://www.figgibeautyuk.com/collections/all with some products already in bundles. Postage is free when you spend over £30.

Rumi Cosmetiques Ultimate Lash Care and BrowCare+

beauty, Christmas, cruelty-free, Gifts for Her, Stocking Fillers, Vegan, Vegetarian, Women

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

Since 2020, Rumi Cosmetiques has been on a mission to produce the highest quality make-up with the intention of helping all women, but especially older women, be their very best. This meant creating a make-up range which is made for sensitive skin, vegan and cruelty free. Starting with their eye make-up, Rumi have products for all ages and all of them are confidence building to make you feel more beautiful. We were sent the Ultimate Lash Care Kit and the BrowCare+ Kit for to see how they stand up to being Christmas gifts!

The Ultimate Lash Care Kit comprises of 3 products; mascara (VolumeCare+), eye liner (LushLine+) and serum (LashCare+).  If you look on the website (below) you can choose which colours suit you best and the serum size so you can mix and match as you wish. There’s also a cool option to be able to have the products on a 3-month subscription so that you don’t ever run out! We had the black eye liner and black mascara to try, which I would say are the safest and most standard colours but as time goes on and if you order more, you could get a mix of colours for different looks.

VolumeCare+ Mascara is designed to thicken eye lashes which naturally thin with age. The mascara dramatically volumizes eye lashes with deep colour and also separates each lash, leaving it waterproof too (great if you’re going on holiday!) but you will need to have proper eye make-up remover to remove it at the end of the day. The easy-to-apply LashLine+ is a pencil like eye liner which makes it easier to apply than a liner brush and easily glides onto the eye lid. In combination with the VolumeCare+ Mascara, it accentuates the eye, probably because it draws out the corner of your eye and works in tandem with the mascara to elevate the lashes. So far so good!

The LashCare+ serum is a new one on me. I don’t normally use serum on my eye lashes but seeing as I uses extra serum on my skin and a similar serum on my hair nowadays it makes sense to use one on my eye lashes.  It’s applied once a day, so I’ve been putting it on before bed. It’s only been a few weeks so I can’t see the full effect but I’m hoping it works even better over time as it does with helping the mascara bond to my eye lashes.  Make-up for older women has really come along!

Lastly, we were also sent the lovely BrowCare+ Serum. Again, a brow serum is not something that I have used before but with my eye brows becoming more erratic (yes, I used that word!) it makes sense to try and tame them with something that makes them fuller but also more controllable.  The BrowCare+ Serum needs just one application a day (makes sense for it to be at night at the same time as the eyelashes) and nourishes the brow hairs so that they grow thicker and stronger, and tamer too!  This typically takes a month or so to start showing so it’s another one of the long road ahead and perhaps a very good reason to buy more than one BrowCare+ Serum at a time.

Over time, my eye lashes and brows should start to thicken, back to (nearly) what they were in my youth!

Ultimate Lash Care Kit £67.00: https://uk.rumicosmetiques.com/products/mascara-eyeliner-lash-serum

BrowCare+ £64:

BrowCare+ Serum

Altruist Christmas Box

beauty, Christmas, Gifts for Her, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Summer, Vegan, Winter, Women

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

The cold weather always plays havoc with my skin, so I was really pleased to receive a lovely selection of skincare products from Altruist. The Christmas Box contains four fantastic products, chosen to offer round the year skincare and the products are beautifully packed in red shredded paper, making them look very festive.

Altruist products have been developed by consultant dermatologist and skin cancer surgeon Dr Andrew Birnie and whilst they are suitable for all skin types, they are especially suitable for sensitive skin.

Inside the box are the following products

• Altruist SPF 30 Face Fluid – 50ml
• Altruist Moisturising Fluid – 50ml
• Altruist Primer SPF 50 – 30ml
• Altruist Moisturising Body Lotion – 200ml

It can take a month to see improvements in your skin when you change your skincare routine and I’m pleased to say I am now seeing positive results – my skin feels more hydrated and now has a radiance that definitely wasn’t there before.  

The Moisturising Fluid contains 0.5% Hyaluronic Acid and is enriched with glycerin, urea and shea butter to enhance the skin’s natural moisturising factors. It can be used as a both a day and night cream offering plenty of hydration for my dry, sensitive skin.  The cream soaked into my skin without needing to rub too much and it felt instantly hydrating.

I always use a face cream with SPF protection no matter what time of year as even a sunny day in the winter or a cloudy day in the summer can have very damaging UVA & UVB rays. I spend a lot of time outdoors, so it is very important for my skincare products to have a SPF rating so was pleased to find that both the Face Fluid and the Primer are SPF rated. The SPF30 Face Fluid is nice and light and is easily applied on top of the Moisturising Fluid. Once applied it doesn’t feel greasy or sticky like some SPF creams tend to be and is perfect for everyday protection.  

The SPF50 Primer is a light cream which is applied before foundation, as well as offering protection from UVA and UVB rays. It absorbs into my skin nicely, creating a soft, hydrated canvas for my makeup which now seems to last for longer. 

The moisturising body lotion is a lovely rich consistency and is nice and easy to apply. The skin on my arms and legs is quite dry and this body lotion is very moisturising and smoothing and I have noticed that after using it morning and night for a month a persistent patch of dry skin on the back of my arm has cleared up too.

I am really pleased with the Altruist products, my skin is looking much better and is no longer dry and problematic.  The Christmas Gift Set is a lovely set and is bound to be well received by anyone finding it underneath the Christmas Tree this year.

Altruist also donate 40p for every box sold, to charities that support children with albinism so when buying the giftset you are also helping a good cause.