Stella and Dot Spring/Summer 2015 Favourites

You probably already know I'm a big fan of US jewellery and accessories brand Stella and Dot. I have a few of their pieces in my collection and have also given them as gifts to my friends and family who have all been very impressed.

I went to the Spring/Summer press day back in November for the new collection which launched last month. There were so many beautiful pieces on display, I thought I would share my picks from the new collection with you. 

The gorgeous rings really caught my eye, I loved the Zinnia Split Ring, it's so pretty with the seafoam coloured stones and vintage gold plating but the split gives it a modern touch. The Rebel Ring is one of the new additions to the Rebel family, this is a bit more wearable than the other two rings. The pavé stones around the centre are a nice little detail that makes it a piece you could also wear as part of a more dressed up outfit. The Eva Cocktail Ring is very dressy, I love the shape and the stones, it's so pretty on. 

I loved the Remy Wrap Bracelet which also came in white leather with gold detail. It's one of the more "edgy" (I hate that word) pieces in the collection, I think the white one would be a great to wear in the Summer. The other silver piece I loved was the Silver Sutton Necklace, which originally came in gold. You can wear the necklace five ways making it very versatile and the perfect day to night necklace. It looks amazing on! 

The Bianca Earrings are another versatile piece, the spear part is detachable from the small hoop so you get two pairs of earrings in one, again perfect for day to night.

The Rebel Cluster Necklace is a great layering necklace, each layer can also be worn alone. It consists of crackled quartz fragments mixed with the gold and also comes in an all silver version. Finally the Lottie Necklace is a beautiful cobalt blue with vintage gold plating that once again looks great by itself or layered with other necklaces. 

You can see above what some of the pieces look like on, I had so much fun playing with them and trying them on. They all look so much prettier in reality, the photos don't really do them justice.

Is there anything here that caught your eye? What's your favourite piece of jewellery at the moment?

Emma x

A Lasting Finish

As you've probably noticed I'm a huge fan of bright lipsticks and although I do wear bright lipsticks almost every day, I do love a good nude/ natural lip colour too. I think it's harder to find the right nude than it is the right red. 

I recently bought two Rimmel lipsticks from their Kate Moss Lasting Finish range in the shades 03 and 08 because I was looking for some everyday natural shades that I could wear to work when I felt like a more subdued make up look. I've gotten quite good at choosing shades to suit me and I think that these two are amazing nude and natural lip shades for my skin tone. 

03 is a great nude shade for fair skins. It's a peachy/brown warm toned nude that I think suits me well because it's not too pale. I've been wearing this a lot in work with some brown/bronze/taupe eyeshadows and/or some gel or liquid eye liner. 

Top- 08, Bottom- 03

As you can see 08 is more on the pink/brown end of the scale and it's quite similar to my own lip colour. I have two lipsticks from the matte Kate Moss range and I really love the formula, this was my first time trying the original range and I love this formula too. It's so easy to apply because of the creamy texture and yet lasts incredibly well throughout the day. 

It does have a scent which could bother some people, but I don't mind it at all. The packaging is sleek and practical and at €6.99, these lipsticks are affordable and great value for the quality and lasting power. I'm incredibly impressed, so much so that I've been wearing these as much as my bright lipsticks which is very unusual for me.

Have you tried any of these lipsticks? What's your favourite neutral lip product?

Emma x

theCream

A few months ago I received an email telling me about the "World's First Living Cosmetic" which immediately sparked my interest. I was invited to meet the team behind The Pink Cow Brand to learn about the revolutionary, 100% natural product, theCream. 

I met with Denie Hiestand and his colleagues and he told me the story behind the brand and why he decided to spend so much of his time and money developing these products. Denie told me about how he was a natural healer to thousands of cancer patients and recommended his female patients (mostly breast cancer patients, which is where the Pink in the brand name comes from) to just use natural beauty and skincare products. After struggling to find natural products that would replace the ones his patients had removed from their skincare regime, he decided to create something himself as there was a space in the market for natural skincare products that would bring life to his patients skin and would eliminate the use of any products containing harmful ingredients.  

Denie worked as a dairy farmer in New Zealand and knew about Colostrum, the first milk that all mammals produce in the 72 hours after birth, and it's incredible properties. He wanted to find a way to incorporate this into skincare as it had never been done before. 

To cut a very long story short, Denie combined his knowledge from working as a natural healer, a dairy farmer and an author and after extensive research, he found a way to harmlessly and ethically collect the excess Colostrum from the cows. Using advanced technology and airless vacuum containers, it is packaged along with numerous other natural ingredients and without any preservatives to make theCream. 

As you can see from the ingredients list, theCream also contains cold pressed oils, naturally occurring vitamins, folic acid, and minerals. 

Having researched the amazing properties of Colostrum, I personally can see why it is an effective ingredient for skincare.  It contains a concentrated amount of antibodies and nutrients that help to protect newborns from bacteria and viruses and kickstart their immune system. It's basically the first and ultimate 'Superfood'. 

I was given the Nourishing Face Cream which comes in a 50ml size pump bottle and contains 75% colostrum. I used it morning and evening all over my face, neck and décolletage including my eye area (I made sure to ask Denie if it was ok for the eye area and he said it was absolutely fine). It lasted over a month which I was very pleased with. It has a very mild scent which I really loved and the packaging makes it easy to use and great for bringing with you if you're travelling.  I used about 2-3 pumps each time, you can use less of the product because it's more concentrated than most other moisturisers and therefore lasts longer.

I am a huge fan of natural skincare products, I've seen how well the work on my skin. My skin is usually quite clear but last year I was suffering from constant breakouts and nothing I used was helping. I honestly believe this is what cleared those up because I wasn't using anything else on my skin. I'm definitely going to keep using theCream in my skincare routine, there is so much good in it compared to other moisturisers I've used in the past.

My sister has been using the Repair Cream, a concentrated version of theCream with 80% colostrum, on her newborn baby and she and her husband have both commented on how good it is at reducing redness and irritation, so if any parents are looking for something gentle to use on their children this is a great option as there are no nasty ingredients in it.

If you have any other questions, there is a very thorough FAQ section on The Pink Cow Brand website.

theCream is available to order online and now in selected stores in Ireland:

Down to Earth Health Foods, 73 South Great Georges Street
Well and Good, Broderick Street, Midleton, Co. Cork
Full of Beans, Ardkeen Shopping Centre, Waterford, Co. Waterford
Dolans Pharmacy, The Bridge Shopping Centre, Tullamore, Co. Offaly
Mack Hair, Aiden Street, Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo

At the moment, UK customers can order online from Natural Origin.



What do you think of natural skincare products? Are you more inclined to buy them?

Emma x