Natural Science For Your Skin| Monu Skincare Review

 

Monu Skincare is a new brand to me, having not heard of them before they contacted me asking if I would like to review their products. As a girl who does struggle with my skin I obviously jumped at the chance to try a new skincare regime. I was asked about my skin type and any issues I have with my skin, and then sent the products that would best suit my skin type and help offer the results I needed. I received a lovely package in the post; the products in a handy wash bag and an informative brochure.

I received the Line Smoothing Beauty Bag, retailing at £29.95, which is designed for normal or combination skin, or those with fine lines, first lines and expression line. I agree I have combination skin, however I’m not sure on the fine lines! I seem to have been given quite a lot of products for fine and first lines recently and I’m starting to get a little paranoid! I must be looking older than my 23 years! Anyways enough about me and onto the review.

The Company

In case you are new to the brand, like me, I will give them a little introduction. Monu believe in quality, purity and authenticity; their products being designed to bring out the best in the user, using only the best of nature. They use only pure, natural ingredients such as plants, herbs, minerals and essential oils. No damaging chemicals, artificial perfumes or synthetic colours, and definitely no testing on animals!

The Products

• Active Cleanser and Toner

Monu- “This milky cleanser and refreshing toner, leave skin thoroughly cleansed, balanced, toned and comfortable.”

I completely agree, the cleanser was gorgeous, very creamy and it applied like a dream. When rubbing into your skin it was both soft and refreshing, and my makeup was completely removed after using the cleanser twice and the toner once. The Witch Hazel in the toner really helped reduce the size of my pore over the period of use.

• Skin Perfector

Monu- “An award winning weightless cream that instantly soothes imperfections and enhances natural radiance. Its soft focus technology has an instant smoothing effect, giving your skin a flawless, fresh and incredibly smooth complexion”

This has to be one of my favourite products in a long time! I used it as a day cream; it sunk into my skin well and gave a great based for my makeup. It is described as being a BB cream but it doesn’t have any colour in it, so I would say it is more of a primer. My skin was left as smooth as a baby's bum and looking fresh, glowing and healthy.

• Night Renewal Complex

Monu- “A rich complex of actives to help smooth and frim the skin whilst you sleep, leaving you with rejuvenated and renewed skin”

I love this night cream! It was very rich and creamy, but not heavy and “too rich” like I find many to be. It did not leave a residue on my skin and was absorbed quite quickly, but not too quickly, so I knew it was still working miracles.

• Warming Aromatic Mask

Monu- “ The velvety smooth mask slightly warms on application to renew and invigorate the complexion”

Unfortunately I was not overly impressed with this product, it did warm slightly, not enough for my liking and left my skin clean. However I prefer other mud mask products on the market. (I am quite fussy with my facemasks)

• Eye Cool Gel

Monu- “The refreshing gel instantly revives and tones tired eyes, reduces puffiness and dark circles”

Again I have to agree with Monu, this product did deliver results. My puffy morning eyes soon disappeared after applying this gel. However I prefer eye creams that are applied with a metal ball, as this helps to wake me up!

• Extra Freebie! Monu Micro Exfoliant

Monu- “ Dual-action microdermabrasion. This powerful treatment delivers instantly radiant skin, refines skin texture and reduces the appearance of fine line and pores.”

Oh my word! Did some one replace my skin with someone else's! I have never tried microdermabrasion products before but I would definitely purchase this product! This exfoliant had the tiniest little beads that really got into every corner of your nose; great for those blackheads! Even better these tiny beads did not break up they were persistent little things, meaning you could give your skin a good scrub. Once the product was washed off I was left with the smoothest skin that was glowing… it was like I had new skin, no word of a lie! I was (as you can tell) made up with this product. Thank you Monu!

 

Overall I greatly enjoyed these products and definitely saw amazing results. I have used them for around 2 months now, so they have definitely lasted well, so they were great value for money! Plus I believe I have used them for an adequate amount of time to give an honest and realistic review. Overall my skin has been left incredibly soft, smooth and glowing. If I did have fine lines before there is little evidence of it now! The whole skin care regime that I developed when using these products has been an absolute treat, normally I use face wipes! However I have definitely been converted! My face actually feels clean and refreshed after going through the regime twice daily. The only negative to these products is that when first using them they have quite a strong smell, it is a floral smell so not pungent, its just a little over powering at first. Secondly as much as I love the sleek minimalistic packaging, the writing on the back of the bottles was very small and in a pale colour so it made reading it quite difficult.

Have you heard of Monu Skincare before? Have you tried any of their products? Which would you recommend?

Look Perfect Despite Not Feeling It| How to Cure a Hangover

So its that time of year, when a lot of people burn the candle at both ends of the stick. Meaning some of us can end up becoming unwell and looking even worse. Due to myself working in hospitality I don't get much time off work, so I am guilty of not having much sleep, too much alcohol and energy drinks, and a poor diet. Here are a some tips that I follow or have heard of through the years.

Tired Puffy Eyes

We've all woken up with little piggy eyes, despite getting what we thought was enough sleep.

These puffy eyes, are actually caused by things such as dehydration from excessive alcohol consumption, or from sleeping in dry stuffy rooms. 

To reduce the symptoms try letting gravity do its work, so prop your head up while you sleep with an extra pillow. If this does not help, try gently tapping the eye area lightly with your finger tips, working from the inner eye by your nose, toward the temple. 

If this does still not work, use the good old trick of cupping each closed eye with a chilled stainless steel teaspoon for five minutes. 

Bloodshot eyes

Eyedrops! Eyedrops! Eyedrops! These work miracles, as often bloodshot eyes are the telltale of a tired or hungover person. For those who wear contact lenses, so cannot spend the day putting eye drops in many companies now have solutions that you can spray on your closed eyelid and they still have the same effect.

There also exists a homemade remedy, however I have not tried it, so do not know whether it works, but to me it sounds painful due to the witch hazel. Anyways you are to add a couple drops of witch hazel into an egg cup of mineral water, then place it snugly over the eye allowing it to wash the eye for around 10 seconds. 

Chapped lips and noses

Shiny, peeling noses are often around this time of year to the risk of colds and flu. The easiest way to get rod is of a slick of one per cent hydrocortison products such as Hc45 cream, which is available at chemists. 

Chapped lips need protected and healed from products such as Vaseline, use this especially at bedtime. 

Always avoid matte, pale, frosty lip colours of you do have chapped lips as this highly emphasized the flaky lips, instead use moisturizing lipstick with a sheer gloss or satin texture. 

Dry, Flaky skin

Due to low humidity, central heating and other dehydrating elements pf the colder months, our skin becomes dry, flaky and dull.

I am an avid believer in exfoliating, but it is needed even more so in the winter. We do not shed our skin unlike reptiles, so we need to give ourselves a helping hand. Exfoliating will rid the old dead skin cells, and reveal more fresh healthy cells. Always layer on the moisturiser afterwards though, otherwise you will see no benefit. Outdoor exercise will also help boost circulation and will improve the look of your skin. 

Dull complexion

Diet and exercise will always help your complexion, there is really nothing better. So despite the cold months and stodgy food, please still keep up your exercise regime. 

Boost your complexion even more so with the use of a good moisturiser, a radiance-enhancing one will work best. Really massage the lotion into your face, then let it absorb into your skin for five to ten minutes before applying your foundation. 

The dreaded hangover

You feel awful because of the alcohol leaving you dehydrated, which affects the blood vessels around the brain giving you an awful headache. 

- The things you can do to minimize the symptoms are lining your stomach before you go out with a good meal. This helps slow down the rate the alcohol is absorbed. 

- Drink water before, during and after drinking alcohol this is the best thing you can do as it slows down your drinking, and helps flush your body of the alcohol and stops dehydration. 

- Treat headaches with paracetamol rather than aspirin or ibuprofen painkillers as these can irritate your stomach.

- Eat protein rich meals (if you can keep it down) scrambled eggs, or a chicken wrap are ideal.

- If you are feeling sick, ginger helps as it has anti-nausea qualities. So have a smoothie with ginger included in it, also  a smoothie will help replenish your body with vitamins. 

- Eat yoghurt, better still live yoghurt. As the "friendly" probiotic bacteria in your gut can help to boost recovery from alcohol-induced liver damage. 

What are your go-to tips to ensure you look alive after a heavy few nights? What hangover cure do you use? 

The Princess and the Bee| Bee Venom Face Mask

I bet you are all wondering how the lovely Kate Middleton looks so great and what her facial routine is and how she is so wrinkle free! Or like me, you really haven't given a second thought about it. But anyways here is how she supposedly keeps her face line free, and it's a trick given to her by Duchess Camilla.

The big secret is a natural alternative to Botox, in the shape of a Bee Venom Mask. It is a product supplied by Heaven Skin Care by Deborah Mitchel. The science behind the product is that the cream contains one per cent bee venom. This venom tricks the skin's surface into thinking it had been stung, thus increasing the blood flow, collagen and elasticity. The Princess herself has private treatments at her home, as opposed to buying the product.

In my opinion I can see the sense in this, I understand how it works, and think it's a pretty innovative product. I would love to try it myself, but as I currently don't have many lines on my face I'm reluctant to folk out the £65 needed per pot.

If anyone has tried this product I would love to hear about it, and see what your experiences have been like.