Skyn Iceland skincare review

A few weeks ago, I indulged in a little beauty hauling in my local M&S after they revamped their beauty hall.  One of the products I picked up was the Quench Kit for Thirsty Skin (£34) by a skincare brand called Skyn Iceland.  Just so you know, I tend to have fairly boring normal skin with the occasional outbreak at that time of the month, but I do like to use richer products at this time of year.

For those newbies to the brand (myself included), their products are "specifically formulated to treat the effects of stress on facial skin using pure and potent natural ingredients from Iceland."  They are free of parabens, sulphates, mineral oils, phthalates, synthetic fragrance and dyes.  Oh, and they're 100% vegan and cruelty-free.

I always like carefully curated kits like this; I think they're the perfect way to try out a new brand, without the guilt of wasting much product if you end up hating it.  This one was ideal as it contained all you needed to cleanse and moisturise day and night for a month.

In this kit, you'll receive try-me sizes of their Pure Cloud Cleanser, Arctic Hydrating Balm, Oxygen Infusion Night Cream, and their Icelandic Relief Eye Pen, plus one muslin cloth (although this was about the size of a postage stamp!)

Pure Cloud Cleanser:  Doesn't that sound comforting?  This is a gentle, but effective no-frills cream cleanser.  It will easily take off my all my day's makeup (although I cannot attest to waterproof or heavy eye makeup, as I don't do either).  I think its supposed to smell citrus-y, but I reckoned it smelled like cardboard (!)  Once massaged in, you just rinse off with a wet muslin cloth.  I have to say that my skin definitely felt softer after, not tight, and felt clean.  I used this morning and night, and I have to say that this tube only lasted me a fortnight.

Arctic Hydrating Balm with Cryo-Protective Complex:  I think the word "balm" is a little misleading here.  Although this is meant to be deeply moisturising and used in the day, do not think of this as your typical thick greasy ointment.  This actually feels quite light on, but does make my skin feel nourished and prepped for any makeup.  It didn't really have any fragrance to it either, so great if you have sensitive skin or hate strong smells.

Oxygen Infusion Night Cream:  The texture of this is lovely, like Greek yoghurt!  It has quite a fresh floral scent which soon disappears.  I liked to use this after massaging my face with a facial oil for an extra pampering treat, and my skin felt plumped and glowing the next day.  Nice.

Icelandic Relief Eye Pen:  Comes in a click-pen device with a handy applicator-tip.  Does feel cooling going on, but don't think it really did anything noticeable for my dark circles, or fine lines.  Nothing too special about this one really.

All in all, I thought this was a really lovely fuss-free kit, great for travel (especially in winter), and I think my skin has loved me for it.  I think there's something to be said for keeping your skincare regime quite simple.  With the exception of the cleanser, the products have actually lasted me a month (I'm still going on the night and eye creams).  None of the products have caused me to break out in any way.

Would I re-purchase any of the items?  Well, I do now own a full-size of the Arctic Hydrating Balm.  I think it could be used day or night really, plus I've also got their Pure Cloud Cream (couldn't help myself - like the cleanser, it just sounded so comforting and gentle!)

Have you tried any new skincare brands lately?

Apivita Pomegranate Lipcare

Not long ago, I hauled a load of products from the M&S beauty hall.  Apivita was one of the newer brands purchased.  Since 1979, Apivita was one of the first natural cosmetics companies in Greece.  They claim that all their products have at least 80-100% natural ingredient content.

I'm always a sucker for a tinted lip balm, so I chose their Pomegranate Lipcare (other variations include: blackcurrant, propolis, chamomile, pink rose and cocoa butter).  It contains nourishing beeswax and organic olive oil, has a pleasant fruity scent, and leaves a delicate (read: barely there) tint to the lips.

You can barely see the pink tint on the back of my hand (try screwing your eyes up a little!)  And I swatched this really heavily!

Lack of tint aside, this did feel pleasantly moisturising, but staying power was pretty poor: no more than 2-3 hours, at best.  Another sticking point was the hopeless packaging.  It's pretty flimsy, comes open easily in your bag, and the barrel keeps swivelling back down every time I try to pop this on my lips.  (That's why I had to photograph it on its side).

Would I repurchase?  No.

Now, if only Terry de Gunzburg made a tinted Baume de Rose...

M&S Beauty Hall

On a recent trip to my local Marks and Spencer's, I was pleasantly surprised to find they had refurbished their beauty section (about time too, some of the major London branches had this re-vamp months ago!)  Apart from the usual M&S range, they had a whole host of other makeup, skincare and haircare brands that were both well-known and some new to me: Bliss, Nuxe, Filorga, Tara Smith, to name but a few.

Clockwise from top left: Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cream, Quench Kit, Arctic Hydrating Balm, Pure face oil, Apivita tinted lip balm, Apivita Express Beauty Masks (sorry for poor photo!)

I was particularly intrigued by skincare brand Skyn Iceland, since I was on the lookout for some new products for the autumn/winter season.  Apparently, their products are designed to treat the effects of stress (SOLD!) on the skin using natural ingredients from Iceland, and are free of most nasties (parabens, petroleum, sulfates etc).  I purchased the Quench Kit for Thirsty Skin: a kit of try-me sizes of four of their hero products which would apparently last you a month.  I thought this was a good introduction to the brand.  I also bought full sizes of their Pure Cloud Cream (£41) and Arctic Hydrating Balm (£25).  Hopefully, I'll get to try these out in the coming weeks, and let you know how I got on.

The Anti-Ageing Super Active Overnight Oil (£6) from Pure also found its way into my basket as I find facial oils to be quite effective in the bleak mid-winter.  As its name suggests, it too is free from nasties.

Another brand (skincare again) that caught my eye was APIVITA.  I had never come across this brand before but, according to their website, they were the first natural cosmetics company in Greece.  As a Korres fan, this piqued my interest.  I picked up 2 of their Express Beauty Masks which, starting at £3 for a dual-sachet, was a nice little treat.  I'm also a sucker for tinted lip-balms, so the Pomegranate Lip Care (£5) found it's way in my basket too!

Overall, I was quite impressed by the range of goodies on offer by M&S.  They had even stocked fragrances by Fragonard which took me back to lazy summers in the south of France...  Admittedly not all of the brands are easy on the pocket, but there's something for everyone, and if you're looking for another way to try alternative brands then this is a good place to start (once you've finished browsing for your knickers!)

You can check out the beauty range in M&S here.