Mahoghany Naturals Review and Giveaway

TheFoundationDirectory; Mahogany Naturals

 If you follow me on twitter and Instagram you may already be aware that I am now a Brand Ambassador for Mahogany Naturals. Mahoghany Naturals is a brownbeauty owned brand, created by Tope Beesley in 2012, Tope is an award winning curly hair stylist and certified aromatherapist and created this brand to address the needs of Curly and Afro textured hair. The brand has recently gone thorough a re-branding and is expanding it's product range to address hair, face and body with an adult and kids range. This brand creates spa quality natural and organic products that are cruelty free and vegetarian friendly, they are hand made in small batches to maintain freshness.

TheFoundationDirectory; Mahogany Naturals

I was sent my first batch of items from the brand that included the Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo, Brazilian Butter Damage Reverse Treatment and the Luscious Hair Milk. The Damage Reverse Treatment is an amazing strengthening treatment, if your hair loves protein it will love this deep treatment, my hair instantly felt stronger after the first use and it smells absolutely amazing. This treatment is for those with dry, damaged and colour treated hair and it is a pre-shampoo treatment applied on damp hair. It contains an array of Butters including Brazilian Nut Butter, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter to name a few as well as Aloe Vera, Avocado Oil, Emu Oil (see full list of ingredients on the website).

I follow this treatment with the Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo that is full of happy scalp ingredients to gently, but thoroughly cleanse your hair without stripping it, a very difficult combination to achieve. This shampoo will clean your hair, balance your scalp, smooth your cuticle and remove buildup. It contains Apple Cider Vinegar as the first ingredient, which will help maintain the hair and scalps PH level, remove buildup without stripping the hair of it's natural oils.
It also seals the hair cuticle, making hair smoother, softer and shinier helping hair maintain moisture and prevent split ends, it also treats dandruff and itchy scalp, works as a natural detangler and encourages hair growth. Need I say more, if you struggle with the smell of Apple Cider Vinegar, this maybe a great alternative. It also contains Avena Sativa Oats, Shea Butter and Argan Oil to name a few, I was worried this wouldn't lather up, but it creates a beautiful gentle lather, while being sulfate free.

And next is the Luscious Hair Milk a daily leave in conditioner and moisturiser, great for dry damaged hair in need of intense moisture, it reduces breakage, detangles, moisturises and defines curls. It can be applied to damp or dry hair and is great for use before blow drying, which is how I like to use it. It contains Sweet Almond oil, Mango Oil, Vitamin E among other things and also smells great.

This is a great truly organic natural luxury brand, that creates great products that work without all the nasty's we all want to try and avoid. The Damage Reverse Treatment is £40, the Shampoo is £20 and the Luscious Hair Milk is £25 all are 250ml and if you head over to my instagram now, there's a giveaway to win this amazing Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo. To check out the rest of the range head over to Mahoganynaturals.co.uk, you can also find her products here and here as well as in Xsandy's Hair & Beauty Shop in Lewisham Shopping Center.

Have you tried anything from this brand? Any recommendations of what I should try next?

Pretty Honest; The Straight Talking Beauty Companion

I get really weary of buying beauty books and the like, just because there's so much available for free on the internet, I always wonder what extra I'm going to get that I haven't already heard, read and watched for free. However I had actually been contemplating this purchase, so when given the opportunity to review it I jumped at it, as I like Sali Hughes straight forward and honest approach to beauty.

TheFoundationDirectory; Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes

The great thing about this book is you can read the chapters independently, so for a busy working mum like myself I can skip straight to the sections of interest, and have the book to hand to draw on whenever I need it. One of my biggest bugbears is 1. Assuming I'm wearing makeup to cover up bad skin (I love skincare just as much as makeup), 2. Assuming because I wear makeup I'm unintelligent, 3. Assuming because I wear makeup I'm shallow, ok so that's more than one. Reading the introduction in this book was like have a good natter with my bestie; ranting and moaning about the same thing and realising you really get each other. But it's also nice to hear it from a well respected journalist, almost gives it extra validation, if it was ever needed.
 

TheFoundationDirectory; Sali Hughes - Pretty Honest

After reading the Introduction, the chapter on Skin Types and Managing Counter Staff (great tips by the way), I jumped straight to the section on Foundation, and by the second page I read this.....'And how women of colour manage to leave the department stores without attacking a make-up counter with their handbag is beyond me, so under-served or plainly ignored are they by very many brands'.....I fell in love with Sali even more.  

 

Now I haven't had the chance to read the book cover to cover (see busy working mum reference above), but I do feel like I've got a treasure on my hands, I'll make reference to this book time and time again, after all there's nothing better than being curled up on the sofa, drink in hand with a good book.

Sali Hughes Pretty Honest is out now in paperback, you can find it here, here and here.

Do you buy beauty books? Have you read this one? What others would you recommend?

Byterry Light Expert Click Brush Foundation for Darker Skin Tones

If you follow me on instagram and/or snapchat (Aallexxy1) you would have seen that last summer I got invited to a Byterry event for the launch of a new high tech foundation for the busy on the go woman, it was Light Expert Click Brush, I eagerly and excitedlyattended. So you can understand my dismay/frustration when, even with 6 shades on offer, the darkest shade was no match for me.

Byterry Light Expert Click Brush Event last Summer (darkest shade on offer)

During the event they were questions from fellow brown beauty bloggers as to why this was the case, we were promised that these were in the works, but due to the high tech formula they were taking longer to develop and perfect than the lighter shade counter-parts. It was a synchronised eye-rolling moment for us all, as I personally felt it was another line to fob us off, especially as we were told we could use the current darkest shade (see above) to highlight. So to my delight fast forward to about a week ago when I got an email from the Global Brand Ambassador for Byterry inviting me to a Light Expert Click Brush Workshop for darker skin tones at the office in London. I obviously went along, expecting maybe 1-3 extras shades for brown beauties, much to my delight they are planning to expand the range by 6 shades and wanted input before mass producing the products for a September release.

TheFoundationDirectory; New Byterry Light Expert Click Brush Shades

Pictured above are lab samples, so I don't know the official shade names, but I did get to apply this foundation on my skin. If you like a lightweight serum textured base with light-medium coverage, that can be applied on the go, on top of pre-existing makeup without caking then this is definitely for you. If you follow me on snapchat you would have seen how the makeup still looked pretty after several hours of wear, once I receive my official sample I will do another post with swatches and wear time, I can't wait for this to be released.

Wearing one of new shades of Byterry Light Expert Click Brush with Terry Degunzburg (Founder)

I have to say this is very impressive from the brand, it shows they really care and what to embrace the woman of colour as a serious customer, with much larger brands choosing to ignore us, it's nice to be able to write this post. I also got to met the founder herself Terry Degunzburg, and watch her in action, again you would have caught this all on my snapchat. I have to say she is absolutely brilliant, she took the time to take pictures with us all, applied makeup to some, and asked what our thoughts were on her product. They also asked what other brown beauty friendly products we would like to see from the brand, telling me this isn't going to be a one off situation. This is a great example to other brands who say it can't be done, more like they don't want to do it, Byterry have secured a customer in me from this as a result.


Are you excited for the new Light Expert Click Brush shades? Have you used anything from this brand before? Do you have any recommendations?

Radiant London Salon Launch

I'm sure my fellow brown beauties know the struggle of finding a good hair salon in London, in fact I'm sure any woman can relate!!! So when I was invited to the launch of Radiant London Salon in Bermondsey, following their refurbishment I knew I had to pop down and check it out.

So what sets them apart?! Well an in house cocktail bar serving an assortment of soft and alcoholic drinks, complimentary to clients getting their hair done, an ultra modern virtual mirror with built in Lumen lighting, controlled through an app, so you can capture your salon fresh do moments after getting it done and share with friends and family instantly through social media. They also have an app you can download that features their pricing, opening times, hairstyle inspiration and much more. The Croydon branch (yet to launch) will also have an in-house DJ on Thursday, Friday & Saturday's, this might be the first salon where you go to get your hair done, rave and then go home lol!!! They also have a great in-house nail technician who did my nails using shellac gel during the launch event (check out my instagram), and even in the rushed environment on the night due to a long list of people wanting to get their nails done, I was impressed with her work.


At the launch event the lovely Brunetta, owner of DemureLashes, was manning the Lash Bar and applying her great mink strip lashes on the night. I also got a look at the wigs displayed on the Wig Bar, Radiant can create these customers specifications, whether you bring your own hair or they provide it for you.

TheFoundationDirectory; DemureLashes/Radiant Salon Launch

Now of course all this means nothing if they are no good at doing hair, or if the customer service is not on par, Rita Balogun (please note female, brown beauty owned and to boot she's Nigerian, yes I'm bias lol) takes pride in delivering an excellent customer experience and wants to take this to a new level, ensuring all customers receive star treatment and have a 'radiant' experience. I am yet to get my hair done in this newly refurbishment salon, but they have been nominated for several awards by Black Beauty/Sensational Awards and L'Oreal Professional Awards and have a celebrity clientele that includes the likes of Laura Mvula and AJ Odudu.


Just check out their instagram (radiant_salon) for examples of their work, the Bermondsey branch will open its doors to the public on Tuesday 2nd March, I look forward to having my first 'radiant experience' in the newly refurbished establishment.


Will you be paying Radiant a visit?


Alex

DHC Beauty Lift

DHC introduces the ultra hydrating Beauty Lift Series, a range of products to hydrate, smooth and give skin an instant firmer feel and appearance, the collection is different in that it has a lightweight, calming formula compared to some more heavier anti-ageing options. The range includes 4 products; Beauty Lift Lotion (Toner), Beauty Lift Essence (Serum), Beauty Lift Milk and Beauty Lift Cream.

          

The Beauty Lift Lotion (Toner), is the first step to be used after cleansing, DHC call their toners lotions because there said to be just as hydrating as a lotion and I can vouch for that. This is a hydrating toner said to reduce the look of fine lines and prepare skin for moisturiser, it contains Oat Kernel to provide vital moisture, Ceramide-3 to promote barrier strength, Pentapepide-18 to improve elasticity and minimise expression lines and Mevalonolactone to ensure all this essential hydration is held in the skin. If you're like me and love a spray toner, decant some of this into a spray bottle and mist over skin, it'll feel plump, soft and hydrated.

TheFoundationDirectory; DHC Beauty Lift Range

Beauty Lift Essence is a hydrating serum featuring an advanced formula of botanicals and peptides combined with olive oil, it's very lightweight and absorbs quickly into the skin, while still leaving it plump and hydrated.

Beauty Lift Milk is a lightweight moisturiser that has similar key ingredients to the toner, this moisturiser will be great for my combination skin come warmer weather, to hydrate it without creating further oil and a great base for makeup.

Beauty Lift Cream is a deeply moisturising and rich formula that I prefer to use overnight, when I do, I wake up with plump, soft and hydrated skin. Dry skin ladies will love this, all year round to beat dry flaky skin. All these products are fragrance and paraben free, and so should be suitable for even those with sensitive skin. The products range in price from £34-41, but are currently on sale on the DHC website here till the end of the month. Selected DHC products can also be found here, here and here.

Have you tired anything from the range?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex



Dermalogica's HydraBlur Primer

When this cute little package landed on my doorstep in December I was surprised and fell in love instantly, I mean look at that gorgeous personalised makeup bag, and everyone knows I love a good selfie. So I couldn't wait to open and see what would aid my pursuit of the perfect selfie lol!!! Obviously the contents of the selfie prep pack are more important than the packaging, and I'm pleased to report it didn't let me down.




TheFoundationDirectory; Dermalogica's HydraBlur Primer

So what is this HydraBlur Primer? HydraBlur is a skincare primer hybrid, Dermalogica wanted to create a primer that would not only benefit makeup application, but also skin health, and who better to do that really?! So what did they come up with? A lightweight, mattifying, blurring primer, that leaves skin with a silky smooth finish. The good thing is that mattifying doesn't mean drying, HydraBlur offers intense moisturisation, natural coverage, blurs fine lines and wrinkles and refines pores for all skin conditions especially dry and dehydrated. It contains H2ORelease Complex of Hyaluronic acid, Algin and Trehalose to optimise hydration levels throughout the day. Abyssinian Seed Oil also helps maintain moisture levels, but also smooth's skin texture and tone. Wu-Zhu-Yu fruit extract enhances skin's radiance by boosting microcirculation, micro-encapsulated tint releases upon application to provide natural coverage and mattifiers reduce shine, disguise fine lines and create a soft-focused blurred effect.


Now two things in makeup raise my eyebrow instantly (think quizzical look), that's things that claim to blur and one shade does it all tinted products. But this actually does gives a minimal blurring effect to the skin and does not leave my brown skin ashy or grey looking, in addition it instantly mattifies, but my combination skin is not left dry or dehydrated in the current cold climate.


I honestly have to say I didn't think I would like this primer this much (see raised eyebrow comment above), but I have fallen for it, what more can you want; hydration, blurring, mattification (not sure that's a word), increased makeup longevity.... Oh, I'm sure you're waiting for the catch, well here it is....it cost £38! But if you want that hybrid between makeup prep and skincare then I would definitely check this out, it's just launched and is available here, and comes in a nice squeezy tube so you can get every last bit of your product out.


Thanks for visiting the blog today


Alex

 

LUSH Christmas; Reusable Gift Wrapping (Knot Wraps)!!!

No one does christmas quite like Lush, the sparkly bath bombs, snowmans, peeping santa bubble bars and sparkly shower jellys. Not to talk about the smells, it's an explosion of christmas in a store. What got me most this year though were the Knot Wraps, did you know last year we used enough wrapping paper to go around the world 9 times, shocking right?! So Lush came up with the idea of tying your loved ones presents up in reusable gift wrapping in the form of beautiful scarves, some which are made of organic cotton and others are made from recycled plasctic bottles, yes you read that right each scarf is made up of 2 plastic bottles.

TheFoundationDirectory; Lush Knot Wraps

The idea is based on a traditional wrapping cloth called Furoshiki, used in Japan to wrap everything from gifts to groceries. All you have to do is visit your lush store, pick your chosen items for your loved one and the design of the Knot Wrap that most takes your fancy, and a member of staff will wrap them very creativily for you. You can also buy online, and and watch the video for various ways to tie your knot wrap, whic one are you going to try?! The Handbag, The Bottle Wrap or the Plaited Handle to name a few. Your loved one gets a little bit of christmas happiness from lush, as well as a Knot Wrap that they can treasure and use over and over again, with the added bonus that your also helping the environment. And at only £4.50 each, what's not to love?!



ThefoundationDirectory; Lush Winter Wonderland Christmas Gifting


If this is all a bit too fussy for you, or you want a bigger selection of items for your loved one, don't forget Lush will still have there usual Christmas Gift Sets that come beautifully pre-packaged. Like the Winter Wonderland gift above, it contains 20 of Lush's most popular bath bombs, bubble bars and bath melts for £82.95.

You can find the items here. Do you know what your choice will be this year? Knot Wrap, Gift set or both?!



Trilogy Makeup Be Gone Cleansing Balm!!!

My first foray into the Trilogy brand was through their Rosehip oil Antioxidant+ Facial Oil in 2013. Rosehip Oil is the brands signature ingredient, after New Zealand based sisters and founders of the brand discovered how potent it was, and this is supported by independent clinical studies for the reduction of scars, stretch marks and wrinkles. They wanted to develop a brand that was truly natural and organic, and prove that using natural skincare doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on performance and results. Since it's launch in 2002 the brand has expanded it's skincare range, and one of the more recent additions is the Makeup Be Gone Cleansing Balm*, accompanied by a sustainably produced, organic cotton, unbleached face cloth (of course).

TheFoundationDirectory; Trilogy Makeup Be Gone Cleansing Balm

Cleansing balms are such a staple in my skincare routine, I can no longer remember a time when I wasn't slathering a balm over my face, it's one of the items I will always have in my skincare arsenal. This balm combines a blend of rich plant oils, including Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Mango Seed Butter and Rosehip Seed Oil to name a few. It's been formulated to remove even long-wearing and waterproof formulations of makeup, including foundation, mascara and lipstick. I usually use a micellar solution, wipe and/or eyemakeup remover prior to the use of a balm, but I did put this through it's paces on a full face of makeup. I applied it to my dry made up face, massaged and remove with the included organic cotton face cloth and warm water.

TheFoundationDirectory; Trilogy Makeup Be Gone Cleansing Balm

I have to say MakeUp Be Gone is the perfect name for this, you almost feel as if you can skip double cleansing, but I do then move on to my second cleanse. It leaves my skin clean but not stripped, and there's no residue. I honestly expected this to be more expensive, but it's £19.50 for 80ml and an organic cotton face cloth, if you are in the market for a truly natural and organic cleansing balm you can't go far wrong with this. 

 

You can find Trilogy products at an array of places now, including Trilogyproducts.com, boots.com and feelunique.com. Have you tried anything from the Trilogy brand?

*Pr Sample

 

The Bodyshop have Extended their Foundation Shade Range....Yippee!!!

Foundation Files; This is where I test out different base products, from concealer to powder, tinted moisturiser and foundation etc, over a period of 7-14 days and post my findings. (Follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Bloglovin so you don't miss a post) So let’s get started!!!

First off some information about me; Skintype: Combination (leaning dry in winter and Oily in Summer). Shade Reference: in between MAC NC45-50/NW43. Undertones: Yellow/Neutral.

FoundationDirectory; The Bodyshop Fresh Nude Foundation and Shade Adjusting Drops

Brand: Bodyshop
Name: Fresh Nude Foundation

Coverage: Light - Medium

Shade: Caribbean Mahogany 075

Swatch:

FoundationDirectory; Fresh Nude Foundation and Shade Adjusting Drops

What The brand says: OUR FIRST FRESH-FACED FOUNDATION FOR A GOOD SKIN DAY,EVERY DAY.

Enriched with hydrating rose water, skin is left beautifully moisturised for up to 24h and protected with SPF15. With a semi-matte finish, all our 16 shades mimic the look of fresh natural skin with a nude glow. And with shade names inspired by nature, choosing your foundation moves from daunting to a journey around the world. Our blend of high purity pigments fade out imperfections without the mask effect. Hydrating Rose Water and 100% Organic Aloe Vera quench skin whilst letting it breathe. 16 semi-matte shades that perfectly mimic the fresh natural skin tone of all complexions.

Wear time (with/without primer): This has great weartime even without a primer, I touch up once around lunchtime, mainly out of habit than necessity. By the end of the day my oils have pushed through slightly, but this gives me more of a glow than an oil slick look. I obviously cannot comment on how it will perform during the summer months, but my skin is still slightly more oily in the t-zone area, and this handles that very well. 

Price (ml): £15 for 30ml

Pros: SPF15
16 shades
Affordable
Extended shade range from the brand
Accompanying launch of shade adjusting drops
Comes in a pump bottle

Cons: Darker shade range needs extending

Suitable Skin Types: All

Ingredients: Aqua (Solvent), Diheptyl Succinate (Skin Conditioning Agent - Emollient), Cyclohexasiloxane (Conditioning Agent), Octocrylene (Ultraviolet Light Absorber), PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate (Emulsifying Agent), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Ultraviolet Light Absorber), Silica (Absorbent), Cetyl Dimethicone (Emollient), Titanium Dioxide (Ultraviolet Light Absorber), Hydrogenated Polydecene (Skin Conditioning Agent), Magnesium Sulfate (Absorbent/Bulking Agent), Alcohol Denat. (Solvent), Glycerin (Humectant), Disteardimonium Hectorite (Stabiliser), Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil (Skin Conditioning Agent - Emollient), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Caprylyl Glycol (Skin Conditioning Agent), Ammonium C6-16 Perfluoroalkylethyl Phosphate (Surfactant - Emulsifying Agent), Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer (Film Former), Ethylhexylglycerin (Skin Conditioning Agent), Caprylhydroxamic Acid (Chelating Agent), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder (Skin Conditioning Agent - Humectant), p-Anisic Acid (pH Adjuster), Parfum (Fragrance Ingredient), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Propylene Glycol (Humectant), Sodium Hyaluronate (Humectant), Rosa Alba Flower Extract (Skin Conditioning Agent - Emollient), BHT (Antioxidant), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Sorbic Acid (Preservative). [+/- CI 77891 (Colorant), CI 77492 (Colorant), CI 77491 (Colorant), CI 77499 (Colour)].

Oxidation: None at all

Any Other Information: This is obviously my first ever foundation from the Bodyshop, as they have never really catered for my skin tone until now. There are 16 shades in total, but probably only 3 that are brown girl friendly (Caribbean Mahoghany is second to the darkest in the range)although the addition of the shade adjusting drops (I will review these separately) means even greater flexibility in the shade range. The foundation is housed in a clear glass bottle, with a black plastic pump and lid.   

Conclusion: I really wanted to like this foundation, and I'm so happy to say that I do, it's a plus that this shade is a near perfect match for my skintone at the moment. It really does have a natural skin finish, I use about 1 and half pumps (building up coverage where it is needed), whilst covering most of my imperfections. It has that lit from within glow, which is great at this time of year and last well on the skin. It's so lightweight, and while we know skin doesn't actually breathe, it doesn't feel heavy or cakey.

*Rating: Love

*Ratings; Hate, dislike, Like, Lust, Love

My latest obsession with Charlotte Tilbury's Matte Revolution Lipsticks

I know these are not new, but if you love a matte lip, but don't want the dryness that can often accompany them, then you have to check these out. These lipsticks have been designed to give the illusion of a fuller, lit from within pout, with the addition of 3D glowing pigments, not really sure what that is. Charlotte wanted the consumer to be able to create a fuller pout that often takes makeup artists quite a few products and techniques, including lighting trickery, powder and illuminators, in one swipe of a lipsticks. Now it's quite an oxymoron to have glow and matte in one product, I don't think these are particularly glowy, but they are definitely not a flat matte either.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick

What I love about these lipsticks is the pigmentation, the hydration and staying power. All made possible with the addition of Orchid extract, oils and waxes that help to soften, protect, hydrate as well as give the lipsticks there creamy formula that literally glides on to your lips. There are 10 shades in total (with a new one on the horizon, launching in February), of which I have 4, and still lusting after Birkin Brown and Glastonberry.

 

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick and Lip Cheat Lip Liner Swatches

In the order they appear above; Love Liberty is a deep plum shade (can sometimes photograph and pull a little red). Red Carpet Red is a true blue toned bright red, Very Victoria is a pale taupey mauve nude shade and Bond girl is a deeper mauve pinky brown shade. And swatched above these is the Foxy Brown Lip Cheat lip liner, a neutral toned brown.

 

I love the unusual square shaped bullet, this makes getting a precise lipline so easy, with or without lip liner. I mainly use Foxy Brown lip liner with the shade Very Victoria, although it's not needed as the shade will still work on me alone, but may be necessary depending on your skintone.

 

The lipsticks cost £23 each and can be found here and here.  

 

Have you tried any of these lipsticks?