We love these Bomb Cosmetics Tinned Candles. They look amazing, they smell amazing and they look great too. It even took a lot of willpower to not try and eat the chocolate orange one
These candles are hand poured and can burn for 50 hours. They are made with essential oil and even the cute shapes within the candles are cut by hand. Every candle is checked for quality and uniquely different. Super cool.
Bomb Cosmetics Tinned Candles are available here.
We have reviewed some more amazing night-time beauty products, including a luxury candle that can be used on the skin when it is melted down. Pretty cool. Read on and let us know what you think.
Champneys Spa Facial Skin Resurfacing Mask
Champneys says: ‘This has natural fruit acids of Bilberry and Sugar Cane, skin appears radiant and renewed whilst an intense blend of Salicylic Acid and Vitamin E leaves fine lines appearing visibly smoother. Enriched with Shea butter and Jojoba Oil to leave skin feeling soft and smoother.’
This mask is great for gentle skin resurfacing. This smells nice too. It has AHA in it but is gentle on skin. Good stuff that makes skin more radiant.
Phyto Secret De Nuit Intense Hydration Regenerating Night Cream
We all know night creams are great for the face, but we often neglect our hair. But this Phyto Secret De Nuit is hassle-free with great results. It is silicone and paraben free and is hydrating and regenerating. It is suitable for all hair types. Contains natural and botanical origin active ingredients, it is a complete concentration that regenerates and protects the hair to leave it de-tangled without residue. You can leave it on overnight and as long as you use the proper amount, you won’t even have to wash your hair in the morning. Great stuff.
Phyto Secret de Nuit Intense Hydration Regenerating Night Cream is available here.
Champneys Age Excellence Ultimate Repair Night Cream
This is a replenishing night cream, rich in exotic purple orchid and sweet liquorice which overnight, hydrates the skin and leaves it looking brighter on waking. Used with Champneys 24 Carat Gold Serum, its triple-firming complex helps lift, tone and restores elasticity, so fine lines and wrinkles are significantly reduced and your skin is left looking firmer and full of radiance.
The is a thick and rich cream. This emollient has a gorgeous scent. This cream goes on easily and you only need to use a little. This cream really moisturises and leaves skin looking radiant and well-rested.
Champneys Age Excellence Ultimate Repair Night Cream is available here
NSpa Night Repair Cream
NSpa say: ‘Apply before bed and let this rich and soothing cocktail of active ingredients nourish and strengthen your skin while you sleep. The cream contains ceramides to help repair skin and a combination of ginseng, natural vitamin E and sweet almond oil to replenish a tired complexion.’
This is a good night cream and is also good for sensitive skin. This contains ceramides which help skin recover from daily stresses and then boosts cell restoration while you sleep. It leaves skin looking healthier and more radiant when you wake.
Champneys Spa Facial Replenishing Moisture Mask
Champneys says: ‘This intensely revitalising mask with nourishing essential oils of rose and chamomile and comforting aloe vera to rescue dry, dehydrated, stressed skin leaving it, beautifully soft fresh and radiant.’
This mask leaves skin soft and hydrated. It is great for oily skin. It leaves no residue and it smells incredible. It leaves skin looking instantly better, alive and hydrated. Brilliant mask.
Champneys Spa Facial Replenishing Moisture Mask is available here.
Janjira Art of Siam Therapy Massage Candle
This amazing luxury Therapy Massage Candle melts down in to an oil you can pour out and use on your skin. Is a paraben free candle and is made of soybean and coconut oil which makes it kind to skin and contains uplifting notes of grapefruit, tangerine and rhubarb. It helps you unwind and is soothing. A brilliant, original idea, brilliantly executed.
What is your favourite night time beauty product?
We have tested a few beauty products that are perfect for summer.
Rococo Chichi have a new range of natural shea hair butters. They can be used as pre-wash conditioner, as a treatment before blow drying or as sun after care treatment to help your hair back to its healthy, lustrous and hydrated state. They are free from chemicals, preservatives, parabens, SLS, artificial colours and perfumes. We tried the…
Rosemary Whipped Shea Hair Butter (100ml) £7.95
A great natural shea butter, Rocco Chichi’s nourishing rosemary whipped shea hair butter stimulates the scalp, and softens, fortifies and revitalises lacklustre hair. Naturally scented with rosemary scented oil, Rocco Chichi’s Rosemary Whipped Shea Hair Butter increases the circulation to the scalp and is therefore effective for promoting hair growth; just perfect for those who want flowing hair that smells divine.
This smells amazing and was a good hair butter. It is handmade and softened dry hair. I would just use a little to stop hair looking greasy.
Unscented Whipped Shea Hair Butter (100ml) £7.95
This luxurious moisturising Rococo Chichi’s Unscented Whipped Shea Hair Butter wave’s goodbye to split ends. Perfect as a pre-wash conditioner; just massage well into your dry hair and scalp and leave on from anywhere between twenty minutes to an entire night, shampoo as usual, and hey presto beautiful looking hair.
This is good for split ends. Leaves hair looking better and split ends less noticeable.
Thea Organic Enriched Skincare Age Revival Uplifting Face Creme
We liked this creme, it smelt nice and left skin looking healthy. The 15ml tester we used was not enough to conclude whether it would leave a lasting difference to skin but it is rich, 100% natural and has no chemicals. This British beauty brand left a positive impressions on us. Here is what they say:
Firm your skin and reduce wrinkles with this indulgently rich, smooth and easily absorbed unity of age-defying natural ingredients that feed moisture and nutrients deep in to the skin, restoring elasticity and stimulating circulation. With 78% high performance organic ingredients, this creme targets areas that are prone to premature ageing such as the cheeks, forehead and neck
The result: firmer, plumper, softer skin with a healthy radiance.
Organic Aloe Juice attracts & seals in moisture, encourages new skin cells to grow & enhances circulation.
Organic Coconut, Jojoba & Avocado Oils highly nutritious & hydrating, deeply penetrate, balance & moisturise, plump the skin & clean pores.
Organic Rooibos Tea powerful antioxidant slows down the aging process by purifying & regenerating the skin, protecting from free radicals.
DMAE a B vitamin derivative proven to reduce sagging on the face & neck & stimulates cell growth.
MSM organic sulphur, essential to the health of skin cells. Helps repair, replace & strengthen mature skin, reducing wrinkles.
Sweet Basil Essential Oil removes excess oil, moisturises & rebalances the skin
Lavender Essential Oil balances skin tone, hydrates & purifies.
Fresh Ginger Essential Oil stimulates circulation & revives mature skin.
Vitamin E one of the best anti-aging vitamins. Protects, repairs & feeds mature skin with a naturally occurring SPF of 6.
Buy their products here.
The Bakewell Soap Company May Chang Multi Purpose Balm
This is a handy multipurpose balm. It is uplifting and has a great zesty lemon citrus smell. The lemon smell is quite strong but I like it. It is made fresh with naturally antiseptic and anti-inflammatory oils that help clear oily skin. It is a soft balm that melts into skin. Very handy and really works. Here is what they say:
An all-natural balm for hands, nails, lips and body with soothing Hemp, Walnut and uplifting May Chang Essential oils.
Commended by the experts at the ‘Free From Awards’, a bright and uplifting natural balm with zesty lemon notes. Naturally antiseptic and anti-inflammatory and rich in replenishing Vitamin E. This multi-purpose balm has been specifically formulated for oily skin.
Contains Hemp and Walnut oils rich in Omega 3 – essential for healthy skin and nails. This pocket-sized balm is perfect to use on the go!
Petrolatum and Parabens free. None of our products are tested on animals. Each product is made in accordance with our Environmental Quality Mark accreditation.
made from:
Sweet Almond Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Beeswax, Hemp Oil, Walnut Oil, Pure May Chang essential oil, Roman Chamomile Essential Oil, natural vitamin E.
dimensions:
Available from notonthehighstreet.com
DenTek Floss Picks Case
These are great and handy. Flossing makes a huge difference to the teeth. The cases are perfect for traveling or just popping in your bag. Floss picks are also so much easier than actual dental floss. They come in different colours too.
Available from Boots or Amazon.
What are your summer beauty essentials?
It is hard to create something unique and different in London, but it is fair to say that Bounce – Europe’s largest social ping pong and cocktail club based in Holborn, achieves this. In fact, it has everything you could need: cocktails, good food and ping pong.
The venue was designed by lauded interior designer Russell Sage and is visually stunning. It boasts an impressive 95 cover restaurant and cocktail bar and 17 bespoke designed ping-pong tables available for play – one being the Olympic final table. All of this can be enjoyed surrounded by London’s most impressive UV installation rolled out throughout the entire club.
The Frost team went down in force to review. Here is how we got on.
Paloma, Marcin, James and I arrive and head to the restaurant area. The menu has a great selection and it takes us a while to decide what we want. We order our starters and a cocktail each.
Paloma has the H Forman’s Scottish smoked salmon, roasted beetroots & horseradish cream which she says is earthy and smoked. The horseradish was a perfect accompaniment, didn’t have too much of a sting. Marcin has the Bruschetta 3 ways (Parma ham & pesto, Datterini tomatoes, peas, broad beans & pecorino): he says it is fresh and the pea complimented the mint well. James had the Gamberoni – baked king prawns, smoked garlic, chilli, Sicilian lemon butter, rocket & parsley: he says the prawns were huge and juicy and the sauce was amazing. For my starter I had Buffalo Mozzarella, Pixel tomatoes, Sorrento olives, toasted pine nuts, wild rocket & lemon infused olive oil. It was amazing. The ingredients are high quality and the combination really works well together.
For mains Marcin had the Baked salmon, heritage beets, broad beans and horseradish cream which he said was excellent: tender on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. Paloma had the Spiced Newlyn Bay crab macaroni cheese. She said it was slightly a let down and overshadowed by chilli. James had a Spicy pork & fennel, plum tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil & fresh chilli pizza which was excellent. James thought it was perfectly spicy. I had the Pan fried Label Anglaise free range chicken breast with smoked pancetta, roast squash, Italian beans in a rich tomato ragu: this dish was amazing. The best one I think. It was comfort food but even better. The sauce was amazing and the chicken was perfectly done.
For my dessert I had the Rum & raisin panna cotta with winter berry compote. It was amazing, with real raisins in. A very unique and tasty dessert. Paloma had the Warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream, which she said was possibly the best she had ever had. James had the Spiced plum & amaretto tart with Devonshire clotted cream which he says was superb. Marcin had an expresso which he said was good and we also had some really good English Breakfast tea. The service was also amazing. Everyone is really friendly.
We made a fair dent in the cocktail menu. We had The Tipping Point, which tasted fruity and dangerous. It was far too drinkable for something which had every alcohol under the sun in it including absinthe. Bounce only allow two per person, the clue is in the name but Marcin handled it well, a Hatton Garden Spritz which was delicious and summery, a Wiff Waff which was also amazing and different, The Pink One which was yummy, a Ladies Delight No 2, which, indeed, was a delight, a Ping Pong Show which was brilliant, a Daddy Mac, which says it is not for girls but we’ll show them, it was very tasty and strong. Lastly we had a Gin Lane Spritz which was superb. Phew! All of the cocktails were fruity and easy to drink.
Paloma and Marcin play ping pong.
After all of that alcohol came the ping pong. I was terrible which I won’t blame on the alcohol but just on my general ineptness. I did get a little better towards the end. Annoyingly the boys did very well. Although Paloma held the girl’s side up. The ping pong is lots of fun and comes in thirty-minute slots. Bounce is the home of Ping Pong and you definitely get an amazing vibe from the place. Paloma text me the day before I wrote this review saying Bounce was on Made in Chelsea, so it has reached the peak of trendiness and is showing no signs of letting up. The day before we were going to go, my fiance and I were at his best man and girlfriend’s house and they were also going to Bounce. It is thee place to be seen at the moment.
Bounce has amazing food, brilliant cocktails and excellent ping pong. I cannot praise it enough, we really had a wonderful time. A hen party even come to our ping pong table after we had finished, so Bounce is perfect for many different occasions. We will be going back, numerous times.
I am double-jointed and can reach every part of my back. This is a rare skill however and my doctor does tell me off for ‘overstretching’. So to stop annoying him, and for those without freakish joints, we thought we would review the Backbliss Lotion & Cream Applicator. A great beauty pick for summer.
The BackBliss Lotion Applicator is a device to help you apply sun lotion, cream or after sun to that awkward middle part your back to keep your back protected in and out of the sun. When Caroline Wagstaff, 55 the product’s inventor from Windsor, Berkshire, appeared on the BBC2 show Dragons’ Den the Dragons thought BackBliss was ingenious!
‘Sun care has improved enormously over the years but it is still difficult to get all this good stuff in the right places’ says Caroline.
Now anyone planning to enjoy the sun here in the UK or abroad can easily and regularly apply SPF to their backs to protect themselves from the suns harmful UV rays and get a safe and healthy suntan.
Applying stuff to your back is difficult even if you are on holiday with someone else. Your partner, friend or colleague is not always willing to cream your back, they are not always by your side, they often do it begrudgingly or simply not very well. Sometimes you just don’t want to ask them again!
Why BackBliss?
Compact and lightweight, easy to use – take it to the beach, salon, pool or gym
Fun, funky and functional! – Available in blue or charcoal (and pink, purple and clear!)
Hundreds of uses – self tan, sun and after sun creams, body lotions and butters, moisturising cream, medical treatments and ointments.
No wastage! Patented pad material doesn’t absorb lots of lotion – only use the amount you need.
Hygienic Replacement Pads – are washable and long lasting.
Ergonomically tested – BackBliss’s patented design perfectly moulds the contours of your back
RRP Single Pack £11.99, Double pack £19.99.
Some genuine customer reviews
Just what I needed for my holiday. I cannot believe I hadn’t thought to search for this product before. I was able to apply my sun tan lotion (and after sun) easily all holiday.
Gemma Cairns
I wish I had discovered BackBliss ages ago. I’ve had difficulty for a few years due to a stiff shoulder and I hated asking my grumpy husband to rub moisturiser on my back.
This device is a fantastic solution if, like me, you need to regularly apply prescription creams to your back. I shall also use it for sun lotion.
So what did we think?
It really works. It stops you straining or hurting a muscle or having someone you don’t like rub cream into your back. It is also good if you have an itch. It comes with a suction hook which you can attach to the shower and the packaging is handy for traveling. It also comes with a spare pad. This is a very good invention and ideal for people with bad backs too. A highly recommended summer pick. Good stuff.
I fell in love with facial oils last year after being sent some to review. I never thought I would like putting oil on my face; it would be too slick and greasy. But it actually makes a huge difference and is lighter than some moisturisers. Another benefit is that you tend to massage it in rather than just put it on, which also makes a huge difference to skin.
Facial oils tend to be natural too, and Fushi Virgin Marula Oil is so natural that you can actually eat it. Perfect for sensitive skin and for those who are sick of putting chemicals on their face.
Fushi have a large African oil range, all of which are perfect for protecting and reviving skin and hair from the damages caused by the summer sun and the environment.
With a higher antioxidant level than Argan oil, Marula Oil works in two ways to help fight the ageing process; protecting the skin against damaging free radicals and also visibly reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
Marula oil is often known in Africa as a “miracle oil,” Marula Oil has been revered among African women for hundreds of years for its powerful moisturising and anti-aging benefits. This prized oil is extracted from the fruit kernels of the Marula tree from Kenya. Marula oil deeply nourishes and hydrates the skin and is quite unique due to its super rich content of fatty acids, vitamins C and E. Marula oil is thought to have a richer content of antioxidants than even Argan oil. It is ideal to use to protect the skin from aging, for fine lines and crows feet. A light non greasy oil, Marula oil is absorbed easily and is the perfect anti aging night oil for the face and neck area. It is most effective at protecting the skin from those damaging free radicals that accelerate aging.
It says it is perfect for mature skin types but I am in my twenties and I still love it. I don’t have any wrinkles yet but I have noticed some enlarged pores and a few fine lines forming. After using the marula oil I have noticed a significant difference. Even my fiance remarks that I am ‘glowing’. It is also great for dry skin as it really hydrates.
The smell isn’t great but it is bearable and doesn’t linger for too long and a little of the oil goes a long way. I don’t use this during the day as it leaves the face shiny and I am just not sure it would work but it is my current night oil of choice. I love it and it is organic, cold-pressed and fairtrade. Sigh, I’m in love.
You can buy it from the Fushi site.
I have to be honest. I have put off writing this review. Which may seem weird considering the fact that A Fort of Nine Towers is one of the most important books I have ever read. Many books change you, give you enjoyment, make you think, even change your outlook: A Fort of Nine Towers does most of these, but it also touches your soul, your heart and then breaks them a little. As a Western woman, with all of the privilege that entails, reading this book is an eye-opener and a game changer.
I read papers, I watch the news, I watch documentaries and read books. I stay involved in politics and world events, but this tale of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan should be required reading for every one in the Western world (and beyond).
How much the human spirit can endure is both interesting and fascinating. The same with the human body. Qasis Akbar was only eleven when a brutal civil war broke out in Kabul. For Qais, it brought an abrupt end to a childhood filled with kites and cousins in his grandfather’s garden: one of the most convulsive decades in Afghan history had begun. Ahead lay the rise of the Taliban, and, in 2001, the arrival of international forces.
Called ‘poetic, powerful and unforgettable’ by The Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini, A Fort of Nine Towers is the story of Qais, his family and their determination to survive these upheavals as they were buffeted from one part of Afghanistan to the next. Drawing strength from each other, and their culture and faith, they sought refuge for a time in the Buddha caves of Bamyan, and later with a caravan of Kuchi nomads. When they eventually returned to Kabul, it became clear that their trials were just beginning.
A lot of this book is horrifying, the inhumanity from one human to another, but there is also hope. Qais apologises to the reader for the stories he tells, knowing they will never leave your mind: stories of pits full of skulls, women being gang-raped, a man called ‘Dog’ who tortures and kills people by biting them. Something that happens to Qais and his father, but only after they have seen a row of dead naked people, some tourists, all in a row, horror as their death masks.
This book is also important as a way to dispel propaganda. Rather fascinatingly Qais writes about hearing talk of a rich Arab named Bin Laden (Yes, that one), who lived near Qais in a big house which used to be owned by someone called the Pimp of The King. The place was always covered by Taliban and they would drive black Land Cruisers and have big meetings there. So Osama Bin Laden was in Afghanistan. I am not saying this has made me pro-war, I believe lies were told, but this piece of information, and the stories of the Taliban; what they did, their brutality, what happened to women…Westerners don’t just have a duty to other Westerners and certainly not just to other white people. We can not just turn a blind eye. When I read the book and got to the end, I see how the invasion of Iraq also benefited Afghanistan. I am more educated but I want to learn even more, talk to more Afghans. The book even prints out the rules for women and information the Taliban distributed after it took over Kabul. These include toppling walls on homosexuals (if they live it means they weren’t homosexuals) and women should not step outside of their residence…she belongs to only one man (Husband) or soon she will be property of a man (Husband). And the ironically illiterate: women do not have as much brains as men, therefore they cannot think wisely as man. These ended with ‘Sincerely! The Taliban rules’. Like some illiterate teenager would graffiti on a wall.
I learned a lot reading this book. Some I already knew but it was reinforced: the Taliban are evil. Horrible peasants who use religion as an excuse to murder and torture and rule, the horror of organised religion and the damage it can cause, how privileged anyone is to be born in Britain or the US, how they have no excuse whatsoever not to make something of their lives, when there are people like Qais, who survived a brutal war, who saw the people he loved killed, who saw such horrifying things at such a young age. But more importantly I was more educated after reading this book, more compassionate. I was sadder, emotional but with a fire in my belly: knowing that every human being must do their best, and what happened in Afghanistan should never be forgotten. God knows what will happen when US troops pull out soon. I only hope the Taliban do not return, but I fear that they will. It is too awful a thought to even contemplate and God help Afghanistan if they do.
You can buy A Fort of Nine Towers here. I highly recommend that you do.
What do you think?
We were pretty happy when Spicy Ginger Crunch Cookies and Lemon Butter Shortbread from Kent & Fraser arrived hot on the heels of Cocio Chocolate Milk.
Right, let’s start with the chocolate. Cocio is the new chocolate milk from Aria. This Danish chocolate milk has only three ingredients: fresh milk, luxury cocoa and natural sugar. It is best served ice cold and drunk straight from the bottle after giving it a gentle shake to mix the three ingredients. For those watching their waistlines there is Cocio One which only has 1% fat and 1% added sugar. It’s only 130kcal per bottle and is as delicious as the classic. We love Cocio chocolate milk and would buy it. It goes on sale this month nationwide priced at £1.39 for 270ml.
These were amazing. They are gluten and wheat free but are just as delicious as ‘ordinary’ biscuits. The lemon butter shortbread is light and zingy. The amount of lemon is perfect and they are very moreish. They melt in your mouth. The spicy ginger crunch cookies are superb. Not too spicy that they are not enjoyably, just a good kick which is not uncomfortably hot. They are crunchy and delicious. We polished both packets off worryingly quickly. These biscuits taste too good to be natural, but they are, so even better.
Available from Harrods, Selfridges and Ocado priced £2.29
And a special mention for…
Magnum Marc De Champagne Ice Cream Bars
These were bought in Sainsbury’s because, why wouldn’t you? They are delicious and we highly recommend them. Chocolate, ice-cream and champagne. Sigh. The champagne is subtle but noticeable. £2.99 for three and the alcohol content is only 0.5% so you can have a few….
What will you be indulging in?
