Voya Even Pure

Voya Even Pure is called a "light calming moisturiser" which it is but so much more. To start at the beginning the packaging is beautiful and really intricate but with a simplicity about it ,it is essentially a lot of quotes relating to the voya brand all intertwined to look like a wave , how amazing is that concept! 

This as with anything I've ever tried from voya smells amazing it instantly transports my mind to a spa setting, it just oozes relaxation. 

This is primarily aimed towards oily skin but as I have combination skin I can vouch that it is suitable for all skin types. In fact with it's lightness I'm finding it the perfect skincare for daytime under makeup. 

The texture for me is very serum like it melts into skin like a fluid gel type loveliness (lol can you tell there isn't accurate words to describe this part) 

It has worked really well at mattifying my t-zone while still being hydrating. I find it can be really difficult to find a product that is genuinely suitable for combination skin and even though it's not exclusively marketed towards it, it should be as voya have really hit the nail on the head with this offering. 

Global wellness day

I don't normally just share press release info like this but it seems like a really wonderful way to spend a day and VOYA are an amazing irish brand. I hope some of you find this info useful and get to join in :) 

Wellness Influencers Gather to Support

 GLOBAL WELLNESS DAY IRELAND

Strandhill Co. Sligo

#GlobalWellnessDay

 

 

Saturday 11^th June will mark the fifth Global Wellness Day (GWD), set to be celebrated around the world. With an international network of over 70 Global Wellness Day ambassadors, Kira Walton, Co-Founder of VOYA, has her paddle in hand, as she ‘SAYS YES!’ to universal wellness.

 

With planned activities set to promote wellness for the mind and body, those both near and far are invited to join Kira, the VOYA team and a variety of local wellness experts. Commencing at 9am on Saturday 11^th June, VOYA will meet participants at the Sligo Enterprise Centre, where the day will start with a mindful meditation practice. This will be led by Noeleen Tyrrell from award-winning eco retreat centre, Ard Nahoo. Meditation helps to reduce stress, increase brain productivity and further aid a good night’s sleep. Taking a few minutes each day to reflect and gather your thoughts will allow you to instantly feel the benefits of a healthy body and peaceful mind.

 

Following this, renowned ‘Personal Change Coach’, John Graham, will be giving talk with helpful hints, tips and tricks on how to enable you to switch off your mind at night, for maximum energy and productivity the next day. Anne-Marie O’Halloran,founder of Yoga Meon will host a yoga session tailored for all levels. The practice will incorporate mindful breathing, whilst gently increasing body flexibility for a sense of overall wellness.

 

Having reset both the mind and body, VOYA will also host their annual 10,000 Step Challenge, where a gentle walk across the bays of Sligo perfectly work up an appetite for lunch. After a light lunch, Sarah Middleton, dance instructor and choreographer, will be welcoming all levels to partake in a Dance Wellness class, where fun and laughter are guaranteed for all ages. Fitness 4 All will be holding ‘Rebounding class’ and then kid’s activities will be hosted also further promising to keep children active, engaged and most importantly away from the Xbox in the afternoon. With a wide range of exciting activities, fitness will be improved without anyone even noticing. Those participating in activities will also have their name automatically entered into an exciting prize draw, where one lucky winner will receive a hamper full of VOYA goodies – the ultimate at-home, gift of spa!

 

To encourage awareness both locally and nationally, VOYA has created a GWD Ireland Facebook Page to get individuals thinking about their wellbeing and the small steps they can take personally to achieve a healthier and happier lifestyle. Through this page, VOYA will be engaging with people across Ireland with the intent of ensuring that they feel supported within their journey. As well as supporting others, VOYA has already received great support from their spas, as they come together to celebrating Global Wellness Day to promote happier and healthier lives.

 

For further information please visit

www.globalwellnessday.org  or www.voya.ie

 

[Above from left: Francis and John Brennan, Irish Hoteliers & TV Personalities | Kira Walton, Co-founder of VOYA & Padraig Harrington, Golfer | Eimear Hutchinson, Irish Times]

 

Beautiful Irish Brands: MONDSS

Today's Beautiful Irish Brands is spotlighting Jane McTernan and her brand MONDSS.

In MONDSS Jane has created an innovative product designed to fill a gap in the market. Jane has told me that before the creation of MONDSS she had previously tried to wear tissues under her arms to prevent perspiration marks on a warm day, now when I heard this I thought I have actually done this too! If like me you have tried this you will know that It does not work very well and so after searching in pharmacies and online for a dedicated underarm wear product Jane found out that no such product existed and so in a very entrepreneurial manner set about creating one. 

Jane came up with the name MONDSS as she wanted link her products with girls best friend diaMONDS with the most amazing tagline of  'Women Don't sweat, they sparkle'. The word  MONDSS is also a catchy short word that Jane hopes to achieve 'SPANX' status with where they would be universally associated with underarm wear! 

MONDSS are exclusively available on www.mondss.com and cost €9.99 for a box containing 10 mondss which is enough for 5 wears.

As always with my Beautiful Irish Brands series I have tried out MONDSS so that I can review them for you.

When I first saw MONDSS they really reminded me of odd shaped plasters that just looked slightly more breathable. The rules with MONDSS are simple, your underarm should be clean, dry and free from hair. You can wear them alone or with roll on deodorant so I tried them both ways for review purposes. I don't sweat that much but in some clothes it doesn't take much to give you a gigantic sweat patch so for my testing days I strategically chose silk tops that are awful for creating patches and deodorant stains etc. They can really only be worn underneath clothes with t-shirt length sleeves or longer.  I found the MONDSS really simple to apply as there is a diagram in the pack that is easy to follow. 

At first you could feel it under your arm like wearing a plaster and my initial thought was I wouldn't be able to wear this for very long. I was really pleasantly surprised when only about 2-3 minutes later It was as if I had nothing on I couldn't feel It at all!

I was worried that there would be a little whiff without deodorant as Its something I wouldn't even walk around the house without wearing normally. I wore the MONDSS all day and tried to do as much activity as possible, I did my weekly shopping, played with my dog and did lots of housework. 

The MONDSS really kept any odour that was there locked in and my top was kept completely free from any patches. I did feel more comfortable wearing them with deodorant on but I didn't notice a difference in odour just a mental reaction I think. 

I was really impressed with MONDSS and think they are a really clever solution to combatting sweat patches and could become a staple for interviews and any special occasions. 

Get yourself a pack of MONDSS and lets help Jane achieve 'SPANX' status with her innovative Underarm Wear. 

Beautiful Irish Brands : Holos

Welcome to today's installment of Beautiful Irish Brands a series spotlighting Irish brands in the beauty industry as always I will begin by telling you about who is behind the brand followed by a product review. 

Holos is an Irish natural beauty brand from Wexford to be exact creating hand made natural products made with essential oils. Their belief is that the beauty products that we use are absorbed by our bodies in the same way as our food. so they have created these natural, healthy and environmentally friendly products that also have the bonus of luxury.
Holos have got seven different product ranges Love your skin: A range suitable for all skin types but aimed towards dry and mature skin. Good Morning: A quick fix, minimal fuss skincare routine Good Night: Aimed toward balancing and relaxing you at the end of the day Blossoms: A feminine range made with Neroli, ylang ylang and my favorite smell in the world jasmine (I have my eye on this range to be my next treat) Woodlands: range for men, Happy Baby: An oil for use in the bath or massage onto babies skin and Happy Momma: products are safe to use during pregnancy and nursing.
Niamh Hogan is the creative force of the brand whilst her partner Paul is the man behind the scenes. Niamh is a practicing aromatherapist and natural lifestyle practitioner, her vocation led to a passion for a natural lifestyle and essential oils which led to her creating the Holos brand initially for her own use followed by the decision to share with all of us!

For my review section I was sent and have been testing Anti-Ageing facial oil from the Love your skin range. The oil combines Rose, Palmerosa, Benzoin & Frankincense with Argan oil which aims to reduce appearance of wrinkles by restoring the lipid layer of skin! -very scientific after writing that I feel like Im after travelling back to Leaving Cert Home Ec. The Rose and Benzoin are there to reduce inflammation and the Frankincense and Palmerosa keep the skin looking young by reducing fine lines.
I have been using this oil every night for the last two weeks and I am really loving It. First off I adore the packaging It is in a glass bottle with a dropper for the oil so no mess yay! I really like the smell of the oil It has a beautiful rose scent that's in just the right place between subtle and overpowering. I have found that It has been aiding in me relaxing at night and Its even quite therapeutic to just apply it every night.
I noticed a difference in my skin from just the first use and the effects have been magnified over the course of the two weeks. What It has done is make my skin plumper especially on my cheeks I feel like my face isn't dragging down anymore It has really lifted It. My forehead wrinkles have visibly eased and my forehead is no longer dehydrated. My whole face has been glowing, just really radiant! This was my first time to trial a facial oil and I will never be without this again. I cant believe how much better all of my skin looks and feels after just a short time. The oil retails at €22.20 and in two weeks I have used just about a quarter of the bottle this works out around €0.40 per day for spectacular skin a complete steal!
Its a credit to Niamh and Holos that a product that does so much can be all natural too I'm looking forward to seeing this brand explode across the market as It deserves.

You can purchase the full range on www.holos.ie and a number of health stores nationwide.
I hope you have all loved today's post please leave a comment to let me know.
You can also find me on twitter @clareken86
Instagram: sparkleblossombeauty

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Beautiful Irish Brands : NIA Skincare

Hi everyone

Welcome to my new post series Beautiful Irish Brands. There is an amazing array of Irish beauty brands in the market right now and I want to put a spotlight on some of the best. I am so excited about starting this series and I hope you will love it too. Every week I will post and review a different brand starting today with nia.

Nia was founded by a lady named Celia O'Grady.The goal of nia is to create 'natural, easy and cost effective solutions that will integrate mind and spirit'.
All nia products are hand made in Limerick  and the brand believes that it is important to eliminate peoples contact with as many chemicals as possible. Following this all of the ingredients used in nia products are Natural and where possible organic. Nia balms are the first 100% Natural formula of their kind and here comes the science bit!!  they are formulated like a cream but without using water so they dont need emulsifiers, preservatives or chemicals which also gives them a longer shelf life in turn making them better value for customers :)
For my testing section of this post I have tried out some small pots of Just Balm and Intensive Restoring Facial Moisturising Balm. I have been sent these as samples and as always put a * next to them, opinions are honest and my own.

Just Balm* were told is a fragrance & steroid free moisturising balm aimed towards treating ecczema, dermatitis and psoriasis to name a few. I myself suffer from a horrible skin condition called pompholyx eczema on my hands where at any time for unknown reasons my fingers swell up and all of the skin turns scaly dry cracks and becomes very painful. When I read the info card that I got with this I knew exactly where to test this out. Im very aware of what I use on my hands because Im not sure what sparks off the eczema. I was happy enough to trial this as I am a bit of a believer in Natural things not causing as much harm as chemical filled counterparts. This balm felt more like a souffle to me It was really light and fluffy and melted into my skin. Once it is on it sits on the skin like an oil for a while before it dries. Its the type of product that you need to use when you have a little time for it to sink in  rather than applying it on the go. After a few days of trialing this It definitely gets the thumbs up from me It was very gentle and really improved the dry skin on my hands especially underneath my rings. I can imagine that this would be the perfect product to use for babies with eczema or other dry skin conditions because it is unfragranced and so gentle. I would most definitely not only purchase this for myself but also reccommend others with dry skin conditions to try this out too. 150ml retails at €12.95.

Intensive Restoring Facial Moisturising Balm* we are told this is a blend of natural butters, oils and herbs for the care of dry,sensitive and irritated skin. This balm like the Just balm is in texture more like a souffle light and fluffy.It has a very earthy smell  which is not unpleasant. The facial balm is less oily on the skin and the first time that I put it on my skin sucked it up very quickly as It was a little dehydrated oops! It says to use the balm morning and evening however after the initial day I did find It was slightly too moisturising for me during the day and so I used it as a night time treat instead. I also loved how gentle this balm was on my skin while it gave great hydration. The facial balm retails at €24.95

Nia has also got a great range of other products one especially that caught my eye was the Hot Oil Massage Candle R.R.P. €19.95. I love relaxing and de-stressing and this looks like such a fun way to do this the fact that you can relax with the aromas of the candle before your massage has me sold and this item has made its way onto my wishlist.
All of the products are available on www.nia.ie and there are a list of stockists on their website.
Well done to all at Nia for creating such a Beautiful Irish Brand.
I hope you have loved reading as always please leave a comment.
Clare x