Facial and Heaven Skincare by Deborah Mitchell

TheFoundationDirectory; Heaven Skincare and Facial by Deborah Mitchell

I was super excited when I got an exclusive invite for a special evening with Founder Deborah Mitchell of Heaven Skincare and beauty therapist. Heaven is a luxury British organic skincare brand, founded in 1991, the key ingredient in most of her products is Bee Venom. Deborah came up with this potion in a dream, her sister is a bee keeper, so she knew a lot about bees. She has now patented her 'secret' mix as Abeetoxin, a complicated formulation of bee venom, honey and natural botulinum harvested from bees.

TheFoundationDirectory; Heaven Skincare Bee Venom Mask - Gold

Deborah's infamous Bee Venom Mask is sold in 3 tiers;
Silver (£7.50-£82) - this contains the lowest amount of Abeetoxin as an introduction to the masks, but also good for those with sensitive skin. It's more like a rich cream than a traditional mask, and appeared to disappear from the surface of my face within minutes of application. It contains essential oils like organic Rose & Lavender, also organic Marshmallow, organic Shea Butter, vitamin E, Beta-Carotene, obviously Bee Venom, Abeetoxin & Honey. It's said to control facial muscles for an immediate tightening & lifting effect, it firms & releases collagen, relaxes muscles, and interestingly can help with pain.You apply a thick layer, leave for 10-20 minutes and then wash off. You can also apply it on top of your usual moisturiser or as your moisturiser, I've not trialled it in this way yet though, but it did feel very hydrating upon application so I can see how it would work. I cannot comment on the anti-ageing effects unfortunately, because even though I'm in my 30's wrinkles are not something that is a concern for me, but a great preventative measure and really nice moisturiser.

Black (£163)- her bestseller and Gold (£352), which you can only buy once, as it uses the Queen Bee Venom and there's only one in each hive. But don't forget this is an organic brand, so Deborah is now a 'Guardian of the Bees', because she donates a percentage of all her profits to bee charities and the way she extracts the venom actually saves the bees lives.

TheFoundationDirectory; Heaven Skincare

Deborah started out at 17 years old as a mobile therapist, she has been quoted as saying 'when I put my hands on the first person I ever treated, a strange, life-changing feeling came over me.....Now if I don’t do enough treatments, I suffer; it’s therapeutic for me'. Deborah can quote a long list of some very important royal clients and A-list celebrities including Camilla Parker Bowles, Kate Middleton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Junior and Victoria Beckham to name a few. So when I got the chance for her to lay her hands on my face (feet and hands included) I jumped at it, she doesn't only just do facials, but reads your aura/heals while she's at it. In the luxurious setting of the Langham Hotel room, I laid down while Deborah read my aura, I have a lot going on in my head she chimed (she's not wrong there). She cleanse, massaged and treated my face, neck, décolletage, hands and feet, it was a wonderfully relaxing experience and my face felt clean, plump and glowing after.

TheFoundationDirectory; Aallexxy with Deborah Mitchell following Heaven Skincare Facial

I have to say the packaging and overall presentation of the brand is gorgeous, when you expect to see a tub, it's actually a pump, it's clean, sophisticated and luxurious. Deborah has a great down to earth, vivacious bubbly personality, you can tell she really cares about her clients. If you are looking for a great British luxury organic brand with a focus on anti-ageing this is definitely for you, check out the range here.

The Limited Edition Rituals of Karma Summer Collection

TheFoundationDirectory; Rituals of Karma Summer Collection (image cred: rituals.com)

Rituals have created a limited edition summer collection called, The Ritual of Karma. According to ancient Hindu belief, living with good intent attracts positive karma, that is good or bad luck being viewed as resulting from one's actions. Rituals have devised a four step routine using the products from this collection to help practice the art of good karma. I'm not sure how this routine will do that exactly, but it definitely gives you food for thought and is relaxing and pampering in the process, which will hopefully put you in the head space to think good thoughts, which is a start.


TheFoundationDirectory; Rituals of Karma Body Cream (image cred: rituals.com)

I received two items from the five in the collection; The Ritual of Karma Body Cream (£19.50) and Shower Oil (£8.50). The body cream is a rich creamy moisturiser that contains gorgeous shimmer particles, that look great on my skin tone. I really love this body cream, it's perfect for summer, rich enough to moisturises the skin but not at all heavy or sticky. And the shimmer particles are an added bonus, I've almost used up this 200ml tub, and will need to repurchase for my pending summer holiday, can you imagine my skin shimmering away in the sunlight by the pool?! Don't worry I won't forget to apply sunscreen, if only this body cream contained an SPF, that would have been the cherry on the cake. The body cream has a light refreshing scent, as it combines the floral aroma of White Lotus, with refreshing Bergamot, bliss!!!

TheFoundationDirectory; Rituals of Karma Shower Oil (image cred: rituals.com)

Next is The Ritual of Karma Shower Oil, this is a lightly foaming shower gel that nourishes while it cleanses, leaving the skin soft and clean with the same scents as the body cream. If prolonging a tan is something you look for this will help, as it nourishes and hydrates the skin, ensuring you lose less pigment.


The collection also contains a Body Scrub, Shower Foam and Bed & Body Mist, but hurry at it is limited edition. You can find the collection here prices start at £8.50.

Sip 'n' Share Event with Illusions Cosmetics

TheFoundationDirectory; Janice & Denise Tunnell of Illusions Cosmetics

I was super excited when I was invited to an intimate event in London by one half of the dynamic twin duo makeup artist Denise Tunnell. Denise and Janice Tunnell are celebrity, television and film make-up artists based in America, their clientelle reads like a who's who of the A-list, including Brandy, Gabrielle Union, Taraji P. Henson & Mike Epps to mane a few. And the film/TV accolades are even more impressive The Notebook, The Hunger Games, The Grammy Awards, Vampire Diaries, need I go on?

In addition to this the Tunnell twins somehow found the time to create their own cosmetics line in 2006 called Illusions Cosmetics, created to address the needs of women of colour. This extensive line features foundations, powder, blush, eye shadows, liquid lipstick and lip gloss to name a few. The twins also have plans to extend the line to include skin care and make-up brushes in the near future. I have previously reviewed items from the Illusions Cosmetics range, see here and here.

TheFoundationDirectory; Illusions Cosmetics Liquid Lipsticks

At this event I also got to try the Liquid Lipsticks, which I absolutely love, there isn't a shade in there I wouldn't wear. Below I'm wearing the shade Sushi Flower, a gorgeous fuchsia pink, these liquid lipsticks are very pigmented and have a satin finish so very comfortable to wear on the lips.

Aallexxy in Illusions Cosmetics Liquid Lipsticks in Sushi Flower

I also got to play around with the Eye Dusts, which I have reviewed previously (see link above), I fell in love with Bada Bling. It's a dark black brown with lots of gold shot through it, but to be honest all these shades are great, pigmented and in this great spill resistant packaging.

TheFoundationDirectory; Illusions Cosmetics Eye Dusts

The Tunnell twins are such inspirations, not originally trained in make-up artistry, for years they worked 2 jobs to be able to follow their passion. They are great role models for the likes of myself, pursuing our passions on the side of a full time career. Even now the Tunnell twins are juggling a very busy schedule as they host a weekly online radio show called 'Beauty Talk', where the sisters give the beauty industry it's voice.

You can check out the full Illusions Cosmetics line on their website IllusionsBeauty.com, prices start at $9, and they will soon start shipping to the UK.

Have you tried anything from this brand?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex

Kiko Cosmetics Summer Collection

I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Kiko Milano's Limited Edition Summer Collection, inspired by the passion to travel, I have to say I was awe struck by the gorgeous packaging straight off the bat. The packaging was designed by designer Ross Lovegrove who's known for his futuristic and conceptual work, he was given the brief to design beautiful products you can take with you anywhere. This fits well with Kiko's overall ethos to provide functional and affordable products, that look and perform far better than there actual cost. The result? The collections gorgeous golden lust worthy packaging, that I'd be happy to pull out of my bag for on the go touch-ups absolutely anywhere.

TheFoundationDirectory.blogspot.com; Kiko Summer Collection

This huge collection includes a DD Cream, Cream & Powder Foundation, Bronzer, Eyeliner, Eyeshadow, Mascara, Lipstick, Lip Oils, Highlighters, Makeup brushes, Baked Blushers, Fragrance and another gorgeous make-up bag I'd rather use as a clutch bag (Click here to see what I'm talking about). I haven't managed to try everything I received from this massive collection, partly due the size of the collection, but also because the foundation I got in the goody bag actually doesn't match my skin tone. I'll pick some of my favourites so far from what I have.

TheFoundationDirectory.BlogSpot.com; Kiko Summer Collection

First up is the Endless Sky Volume Effect Mascara £12.90; As the name would imply, this is a volumising mascara, and it's great at doing that, but not so much lengthening. It's a very nice very black mascara that stays put all day, it has a medium sized brush that tapers to a point. I really like this mascara, but I do pair it with a lengthening mascara (which I do a lot with my mascara's) to get the benefits of both volume and length. The Dessert Dunes Bronzer £22.90 is another item I like, not because it actually bronzes my skin tone, even though I have the darker of the 2 shades available. I used this as a finishing powder to add a subtle glow to my face. This bronzer is absolutely huge, a massive 20grams to be precise, very reminiscent of something from Tom Ford. It could also be used as a subtle highlighter depending on your skin tone. Next up is the Mirage Lip Stylo £13.90 (aka Lipstick), I have 2 of the 16 shades and 11 Soul Blackcurrant is my fave, the deep fuchsia shade is right up my street, when I want to opt for bold colour on my lips, see it in action on my instagram (Aallexxy) here. The next item I'm going to touch on is the Lip Oil £10.90, which I feel is a brewing trend in beauty. This is a great glossy textured moisturising lip oil that has no colour, but is available in three scents, hence the different tints I have the vanilla scented option. The scent is not overpowering or sickly, which is nice, it just gives some hydration and sheen to the lips more than anything. It's a nice alternative to applying a balm, while out and about. And finally is the Makeup Pochette £16.90, which as mentioned previously, I'd more likely use as a clutch bag on a night out.

TheFoundationDirectory.blogspot.com; Kiko Summer Collection

What do you think of this new collection? Have you picked up any items yet? See the collection here, prices start from £8.90.

Dove Soft Feel Deodorant

TheFoundationDirectory; Dove Soft Feel Powder Room

I was invited down to the Dove Soft Feel Powder Room at Westfield Stratford, to learn all about this popular deodorant called Soft Feel, that's now in it's second year. The scent for this was developed in collaboration with global fragrance house Givaudan, as Dove wanted to explore how we attach scent to memories, you know when you smell something and it gives you a feeling of nostalgia. So Dove partnered up with Givaudan to create a scent that would evoke a sense of comfort, freshness and luxury, the fragrance has top notes of Vanilla, heart notes of Sandalwood and base notes of Ylang Ylang. You wouldn't believe I was still talking about a deodorant with a list like that would you? This all while still incorporating Dove's signature 1/4 moisturising cream, 0% alcohol and 48 hour protection, so the deodorant is still gentle on your underarm skin. I didn't realise so much went into the development of the scent for a deodorant, I will definitely be picking my scent much more carefully from now on, rather than just opting for the odourless version.

TheFoundationDirectory; Dove Soft Feel Deodorant 

The scent as you would imagine from the name is very light and soft, so present enough to be worn on it's own, but definitely wouldn't interfere with any perfume layered over the top. The Soft Feel Powder Room toured London and Manchester, did you spot any pink fluffy pods while out shopping during the month of May?

Dove Soft Feel Deodorant is available here, and currently on offer.