This Works Deep Sleep Heavenly Candle & Pillow Spray

A while back I was suffering pretty badly with insomnia. As in wide awake for most of the night, usually finally falling asleep once it was actually the start of a new day. It was absolutely exhausting and stressful. I was stressed anyway (part of the reason why I couldn't sleep) and the added stress of not being able to sleep properly just made it all a big vicious circle. Fast forward a few months to improving health and generally just being exhausted from being back at work which means that I'm now getting around six hours sleep a night; a huge improvement for me. I'm not quite there yet obviously so I decided to try out a couple of sleep aids from This Works. It's important to note that prior to this I also tried meditation, exercise and those creepy sleep sounds, none of which worked. 

First off, the deep sleep heavenly candle. This is designed to help you "relax, unwind and slow down" through a strong blend of lavender and Roman chamomile essential oils. I find this has quite a masculine scent. It's not something I would gravitate towards and actually buy if I'd picked it up and smelt it in a shop first (I got it online). That said, I quite like it now. Also, himself is delighted- this is definitely more man orientated than some of the sweeter candles I would often favour. I also really like the packaging- a heavy matte white glass container with the 'This Works' logo across it; minimalist and clean. Very nice. But does it work, I hear you cry?! Well, yes actually. I usually light this for about a half an hour while I read a couple of chapters of my book and sip my chamomile tea. A few minutes after I blow it out I find myself getting drowsy and my head getting heavy on the pillow. Again, the fact that I am more tired these days definitely helps but this really does get me over that initial hurdle of drifting off, which I found so difficult before. In conjunction with this fella I use the deep sleep pillow spray:

This again contains lavender but also wild chamomile and vetivert designed to promote rest and relaxation. I unsurprisingly spray this on my pillow about ten minutes before I turn off the lights and take a few nice deep breaths. Between this and the candle, I find I can get to sleep a lot more easily. 

I actually got this months ago and when I originally started using it I got frustrated and gave up. It wasn't curing my insomnia, you see. Then of course, like a big eejit I realised that it isn't designed to do that. It helps you sleep more deeply (hence the name) and for longer, so my nights of finally drifting off at 5 or 6am and waking up on the hour every hour (like Sky News but somehow with more journalistic integrity) are now over. Now, when I fall asleep that's that. Until the alarm goes off and I snooze on for far longer than I should, naturally.

I bought both of these from Asos. The candle you can find HERE for €35.12. The spray is currently sold out but they do have this limited edition one HERE for €42.14. Both of mine were on sale when I bought them but they're now unfortunately back to full price, as you can see. 

I also try and implement other tips for getting a better nights sleep; no caffeine at night time, nothing stimulating in the bedroom (mind out of the gutter, dirtbirds! I'm talking about TV, computers, phones etc), a nice relaxing bath before bed and chamomile tea. 

What are your tips for a proper snooze? Have you tried anything from This Works?

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Ziaja Men | A Review by Himself PLUS A Giveaway!

So I've finally done it, I've roped my long-suffering husband into doing a blog review. I say that but really I'm writing this, just using his words. I chose to grill him on his thoughts after he had worked a 24 hour hospital shift, which aside from being slightly cruel also meant that he was perhaps less able to form a coherent sentence. Hence me doing the whole writing thing. 

The products in question are the Ziaja Men range. If you read my review of Ziaja's SenSitive skin range HERE then you'll know I'm already a big fan so when the brand gave me the Duo concept products to try out, I couldn't wait to see how himself would get on with them.

Firstly, a little bit about my lovely hubster. He has a daily routine but ordinarily wouldn't go any further than showering, a quick shave to tidy up his beard, deodorant and maybe some hand cream for his poor dry hands. He would never bother with moisturising etc and the situation rarely arises that I am ready before him. Yes, we are that cliche. So both the face cream and the aftershave balm were new additions to his routine. Here's how he got on: 

The packaging itself is simple, clean and masculine. We both gave all the products a sniff and found they have a lovely fresh, citrusy scent. I actually thought that these would be good for women too, if you dislike traditional feminine scents and prefer something more masculine, these are a good alternative. They definitely smell "male" but are in no way overpowering. No sex panther here, that's for sure. 

Duo concept moisturising soothing shower gel

This has a gel-like consistency, it's not as liquid or runny as some other shower gels are which himself firmly approves of and it lathers well also so it's exactly what you want when you're hopping into the shower in a hurry before work. It also has 300mls of product which is a really good size, especially considering the price, which is only €2.99!! While he hasn't noticed any particular moisturising effect, equally it hasn't dried his skin out as other shower gels have in the past.  

Duo concept moisturising soothing face cream

Smells a bit like sun lotion but manlier! It absorbs quickly, is non-greasy and has some serious mattifying properties (no shiny faces with this fella). I tried this out myself and couldn't believe how effective it was. If you have oily skin and are looking for a good moisturiser, this is the bomb. Himself has normal skin and although this was mattifying, it also left his skin feeling soft and smooth, which is not an easy combination to find in a moisturiser. It also contains SPF 6, which we both think could be a bit higher (men burn too!) but it's still a positive that it's in there at all. This is €4.79 for 50mls.

Duo Concept moisturising soothing Aftershave balm

This is designed to provide a barrier function for the skin while reducing bacteria growth. While he doesn't have a lot of shaved skin on his face due to his beard, he used this on his cheeks and his neck, where he tidies up unwanted beard-hair (my words, no idea how else to say that) and he found that it did soothe his skin post-shave with no stinging. Again, it absorbs quickly and is non-greasy. This is €4.56 for 75mls.

Duo Concept Anti-Perspirant

Himself doesn't like roll-ons for practical reasons; he finds that generally they can be sticky and drying (like a crusty layer...eww) but this one absorbs quickly and doesn't leave a sticky residue (and once again, eww). He felt it was effective on trial but hasn't used it enough to be able to say how good it is long term. This is €3.79 for 60mls.

The final verdict is that the Ziaja Men range is effective and good value and himself has said that he will definitely be purchasing more when he finishes this lot. So there you have it, two thumbs up from Dr Fancy Pants!

He's also very happy about that pint.

You can find Ziaja in Shaws department stores, online from Original Beauty and selected pharmacies nationwide.

In more great news, the lovely people over at Ziaja have given me not one but TWO sets of the mens range to give away to two of you lovely peeps! This would make a great pressie for your other half, dad, brother, friend, or for yourself (for men reading this or women who need a damn good mattifying moisturiser!).
So there'll be two winners (one set each), open to Irish residents only and over 18's (if you're under 18 you'll need permission from a guardian as I'll need your address to send your prize out to you!).
Just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter widget below and leave me a comment letting me know you've entered! Best of luck!
XX

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Barry M Natural Glow Palette | Review

Last year, Barry M brought out a range of four eyeshadow/blush palettes designed to cater for "every occasion and every outfit". I'm a little late to this particular party but there's good reason for that- they've always been either out of stock or the stand has been a complete state any time I've seen them in Boots or Superdrug. I was in the UK recently however and by god, do they know how to keep a tidy make up stand. It was great to be able to swatch all four palettes and pick my favourite, which is clearly the Natural Glow Palette. There's also Smokin' Hot, Summer Love and Glamour Puss. And yes, overall I hate the names.

Speaking of which, the shadows/blush have no names which irks me slightly. I mean, it doesn't take away from it that much, it's just always nice to be all "hmm, I think I'll wear a mixture of rusty pipe and lizard trampoline this evening", or you know, whatever other insane names brands inexplicably give eyeshadows. But whatever. 

Packaging wise, it's actually quite a nice little box, made of hard card with a mirror on the inside lid and those god-awful sponge applicators. TWO OF THEM. I'd like to think no one has used those since 1989 but I suppose you never know. It has also been pointed out on my Instagram that this does bear more than a passing resemblance to a certain nude-y eyeshadow palette and I completely see that but the difference really is quality. 

So we have four shimmers and two mattes. That pink on the left is a shimmer, the next two are mattes and then the last three are shimmers. Two of the paler browns are basically the same colour but one is shimmery. The pink blush is a bit shimmery too and could easily be used as a highlighter as it is quite pale, almost too pale for me to use as a blush to be honest. It doesn't do a whole lot for me when it's actually on my cheeks. 

The shadows themselves are great shades but the fallout from some of them is just ludicrous. The darkest shade at the end in particular is a nightmare to put on. I think I'm probably a bit spoilt from using my Nars shadows so when I went to use this for the first time I did all the rest of my make up first before doing my eyes. That was indeed, a mistake. I pretty much had to redo all the make-up under my eyes and some of my cheeks too. Some of them are just super crumbly and I really don't have the time, patience or inclination for something that inconvenient. 

There they all are swatched, as they are in the palette, left to right with the blush on the end. 

While I do really like the shades and some of them are OK to use, for me this feels like one of those situations where you take your 40 quid, spend it on a load of cheap make-up which you may or may not get a lot of use from. You could take that same 40 quid and buy a more high end palette that'll be highly pigmented, a dream to apply and last for ages. This obviously is not always true but in this instance, I feel like buying the cheaper palette was a bit of a false economy. It was only six pounds but if I get practically no use from it then can you still consider it a bargain? 

So, eh, after that glowing review...have you tried any of the Barry M shadow & blush palettes?

XX

Viviscal Gentle Shampoo & Moisturising Conditioner

I've had these two since last Summer but only started to use them in January. I've been using both since then and have just finished them so I feel like I can, at last, give a proper review. 

Viviscal, if you haven't heard of them, have been around for the last twenty years doing research and clinical trials into perfecting their "hair growth' range, including the Gentle Shampoo and Moisturising Conditioner.  Aimed at those who want to reduce hair loss and increase healthy hair growth, their products tend to be free of parabens and sulphates, so although you don't get a lather, you do help to protect your hairs natural oils. My own hair is dry, coloured, thin and quite weak and I'm forever looking for a solution, so I was very pleased to be given the opportunity to try these out*.

The shampoo is designed to gently cleanse sensitised cells and hair with fruit extract to mildly exfoliate excess residue and dead/flaking skin, promoting cell renewal. It also contains panthenol which apparently conditions the hair from the root outwards and lavender oil to soothe and refresh.The conditioner meanwhile, contains argan and hazelnut oils, keratin and creatine, which all work together to return hair to health, add volume, smoothness and shine.

So that's what the brand says. Here's what I thought:

Firstly, it took me a while to get used to the scent. Both the shampoo and conditioner have a strong herbal, almost medicated-lavender scent (no, I don't know what "medicated-lavender" is either), which is fine, just not always the most pleasant thing to rub into your head. As we already know, the
shampoo doesn't really lather that much but it always felt like my hair was thoroughly cleansed after use. I don't feel like either product hugely conditioned my hair, if anything, it felt slightly more dry after use. I never noticed additional volume, health or renewal of my hair. I had the same amount of split ends, my hair still didn't grow past where it would've normally and it was still as thin as before- definitely no major hair growth.
The conditioner was fine, again I wasn't really sure it was doing that much for me and I never dried my hair and thought "wow, that feels great after using that" as I would have in the past with other conditioners. In fairness, I wasn't expecting a Rapunzel-like result but "cell renewal" etc seems a bit of a stretch where these are concerned.
In short, these are both perfectly serviceable if you're using them as regular, bog standard hair products, but if you're expecting wonder products that'll give you perfect hair then you could well be as disappointed as myself.

If you're interested in giving these a go for yourself, you can find Viviscal in Boots, pharmacies and health stores nation-wide. Both of these are €11.95 each.

Have you tried anything from Viviscal?
XX

*Press sample, gratefully received. All opinions my own, as always!

Spring Wishlist

This time of year basically means pastels for me so that check coat from Topshop is top of the wish list at the moment. It looks beautiful but as I haven't seen it in real life it could still be horribly disappointing..I don't always have the best luck with oversized coats. I have high hopes for this one though! 

Dior make my favourite perfumes and I've lately fallen a bit for Miss Dior, a beautifully pretty floral fragrance, perfect for Spring/Summer. 

I love, love, love the look of these cut-out shoes from Zara, super Summery and they'd go with loads. 

Equally lovely is the very cute daisy bag there from Acessorize. The want is strong for that one, I tell ya. 

Make-up wise, I have my eye firmly on that blush palette from TheBalm, the Naked 3 palette (still!) and that gorgeous pinky/purple polish from Essie. 

Check Swing Coat

Miss Dior Eau de Parfum

Zara Open Work High Heel Leather Sandal

TheBalm Blush Palette

Essie Splash of Grenadine

Daisy Cutout Bag

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

What's making your wishlist at the moment? Are you all about the pastels too?

XX