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Thank you Nude by Nature for the chance to try this at the Best in Beauty event. This is a liquid blush given the fancy name of serum blush drops - accurate because it has drum-like ingredients, is a blush and dispenses in drops! NBN is an Australian company, is PETA certified and many of its products are vegan. This product is made in Thailand and has quite a lot of ingredients, some of the goodies are hyaluronic acid, Jojoba seed oil and Kakadu plum extract. A few of the ingredients are listed as “may contain” which could be an issue if you have a problem with any of them. This may just be because it is made on equipment or in premises where those ingredients are used so they can’t guarantee they aren’t there (like the may contain nuts warning on some foods). The blush comes in a cute little gold and pink pack which reflects the colour I have - Pink Petal. The lid feels secure enough that it is unlikely to come off in your bag. The colour when I put a drop on the back of my hand is not the same as the packaging colour - more warm salmon than the cool pastel pink of the pack. The dropper easily dispense just one drop. You warm this on your hand then apply with fingers or brush, I also tried with a sponge. I’m not a big blush user as I already have quite pink cheeks so I was a little nervous about trying this. When I put it on the apples of my cheeks it gives me more colour than I want. Apparently though you should put it there if you have prominent cheekbones which I don’t so that was my first mistake! I tried again on my cheekbones and was much happier with result, I was definitely very light with it so I can try using more in future. It gave a nice hint of colour without looking like I’d actually applied blush. While it contains some good ingredients I don’t think you’d put enough on to really see any benefit. It seems to come off quite well although the finger I used to apply it needed a bit of a scrub with makeup remover to come clean. Would I buy it ? No, simply because it’s not part of my routine; however, I will enjoy using it, and perfecting how to use it, and recommend you give it a try. It has a 6 month lifespan and it would probably last about that long if you’re using it frequently.

I received this in colour 20 at the Best in Beauty event as it seemed the best match ( there are 8 shades available but the rep only had 4 I think). I’m not a big makeup wearer so it’s been a bit of a challenge trialling this. I like Maybelline so I knew I’d at least be trying something of quality. Maybelline is owned by L’Oreal so is not animal friendly. The product is smooth and quite pigmented. When I used it around my nose and chin I found it sank into my pores and was very noticeable so I didn’t like that. Like someone else commented, when I used it as a blemish concealer blending it in meant the blemish was still visible. However when I used it under my eyes (which don’t have too much in the way of dark circles) I did like the effect and was able to get subtle coverage. So this is how I’m going to use it in future, although I also did find it makes a good lipstick base. I will still experiment with other uses for it. I also found it not too difficult to remove. I think this would last a long time however be aware that the product itself is less than an inch “long”, about a third of the actual tube length

Remington gave us their new AIRvive dryer to trial at the BH Best in Beauty event. The range includes straighteners and curlers. This range all comes in a dusky mauve and use Ionic air technology to help reduce static and frizz. This dryer has a 3m cord, spins 5x faster than their standard dryer and is lighter and smaller. Compared to their Dry and Style dryer, it is about 80g lighter. The barrel is much smaller in diameter but the handle is longer. There are 12 heat and speed combinations. I’ve used this a few times to dry my shoulder length, fine hair (fine but there is a lot of it) and like the results. It does dry quickly and it does help reduce the frizziness, at least initially. I find the long cord really useful as my socket is not next to my mirror and I’m short sighted. I usually like to not spend time drying my hair so this has been great, I usually use it on full heat and full blow but have investigated the other settings, these would be useful if you also style your hair. It comes with a diffuser and concentrator but I haven’t used them yet. I’ve just read the cleaning instructions and apparently there is an internal cleaning cycle which comes on after 800 minutes of use (that’s a way off so I’d better keep the instructions!). All in all this is a great dryer and when I need a new one I would definitely consider this.

Remington are always so generous with their products at BH events so thank you. The American company is owned by Spectrum Brands who also own such brands as Russel Hobbs and George Foreman (of grill fame). Most of their products, at least the hair care ones, are made in China. There are a few hair products in the AIRvive range, all a dusky mauve and using “Ionic air technology” to help reduce static giving (hopefully) smoother results. This 2 in 1 styler is designed to be used on wet and dry hair which is quite unusual I think. It’s quite clunky as it also contains a blower function so is probably heavier than a lot of straighteners, potentially an issue if it takes you a long time to straighten. It has a nice long cord and a hanging hook, though this looks like it could break quite easily. It also comes with a silicon mat to put it down on. It switches off after 60 minutes though that would be long enough to start a fire, however as it blows and is therefore noisy you’d be unlikely to forget it. I’ve been able to use this a few times on my wet hair, you really need to do a good towel dry or use a dryer first as it would take a long time to go from wet to dry. This means you wouldn’t use it as a dryer but as an extra. On towel dried hair it does a good job of finishing off the drying and straightening without seeming to fry my hair (though I’d recommend a heat protection product), my hair is shoulder length and fine, but there’s a lot of it. The nice thing is you don’t need to completely dry your hair before straightening it which can definitely be a time saver. You can also use it on dry hair (it still blows) and I found it seemed to work well and definitely reduced the frizziness, at least for a while. It says you can curl with it (I tried to no great success) but this means you wrap your hair over the vents which may not be a great idea. A quick web search seemed to show this is available at a good price for this type of product. I don’t think this would replace your straightener, especially if you use it mainly on dry hair. However I think it is a very nice addition to your hair care tools and I will certainly enjoy using it, albeit infrequently.

I was interested to try this Justice scalp scrub as I can suffer from a congested scalp. This is a vegan product and is made in Australia. It contains lots of oils (all natural ingredients listed use the Latin names) but the main scrub is salt (sodium chloride). It’s thick and white with a slight smell, it does not contain anything labelled as “perfume” or “fragrance”. I find that this is so thick it’s hard for me to get it to my scalp and I don’t feel like I’m actually scrubbing. When I put the scrub on the back of my dry hand I can feel the salt particles but on my wet hair I think the salt dissolves too quickly before it can scrub. My scalp is currently in good condition so I can’t really know if it would work when my scalp needs it. It does rinse away really well (can be a problem with some scalp scrubs) and the oils don’t leave my hair feeling greasy so I will keep trying this. I will be interested in how it works when my scalp is congested but I will use it once a week anyway in case it is helping maintain my scalp health. With my experience I can’t really recommend this but if you do have scalp issues it could be worth you giving it a try.

Thank you BH for the chance to try this at the Best in Beauty event. I’ve always liked Clinique but it is usually a bit out of my budget although I have used some of their products. While they say they do not test on animals except where legally required, they cannot be considered completely animal friendly. This serum is made in the UK and has a two year shelf life after opening. It comes in a signature Moisture Surge pink glass bottle with a dropper. It’s an opaque white light lotion with a light smell that doesn’t linger. I’ve been using it morning and night after cleansing and before moisturiser on my mature combination skin. It absorbs quickly without feeling sticky. They do mention that you should use sun protection while using this and for a week after (but of course we are all doing so anyway!) so this must contain something that can potentially cause sun sensitivity, probably the lactic acid. This feels nice on my skin and I hope it’s doing some good, however it is probably too early to tell, which reflects my score. I will keep using it and hope I see some benefits with time. I recommend trying it if it’s in your budget.

I already keep a tube of this by the sink where I wash my hands after gardening so I knew I was getting a good product from the Best in Beauty event. It’s made in Australia and does not test on animals, and some products are vegan. I have been using this product on my legs and feet after showering so obviously my hands get it too. My legs, which can get a bit dry after shaving, feel nice and soft and smooth but the main benefit I’m seeing is the softening of the hard skin on my heels, it’s not as good as using a specific heel treatment but this does contain urea. Of course my hands feel soft too. It is a white cream with a slight smell, it absorbs well and doesn’t leave your hands feeling greasy. You don’t get the nice smell from a perfumed hand cream (though it does contain parfum) but it definitely works to keep your skin soft. It suggests using it a few times a day for a week then as and when needed. I’d definitely recommend this product, especially if your hands need some TLC. It will be particularly useful for those who wear gloves a lot or have their hands in and out of water. And as a bonus, it is very well priced.

Burt’s Bees and BH Best in Beauty gave us this in Red Dahlia, it looks like a dark burgundy in the tube but doesn’t actually give much colour. On my lips it’s hard to see that it adds any colour, which I find is very common with Burt’s Bees lip tints. Having said that, I do like wearing these lip balms as I find them quite moisturising (it contains Shea butter) and like the taste. I usually have one in my bag for use during the day and the untinted ones by my bed (the tinted ones do have enough tint to stain your pillow case). I think if you have pale lips you probably would see some colour but for me I wouldn’t buy them just based on the tint. So I do recommend them as a nice lip balm but not as a lip colour. They are however quite pricey.

This Australian night cream is designed to hydrate, firm and renew skin all while you sleep. It’s not tested on animals and the company is Australian owned. The white cream has a lovely smell and feels nice on your skin. I’ve been using it every night after cleansing and serum and have been using the excess on one arm to see if I can see any difference between my arms. It absorbs quickly without feeling greasy or tacky. My facial skin is mature combination and in generally good condition, the skin on my arms is probably a bit dehydrated. While I have really enjoyed using this product I haven’t seen any improvement in my skin, maybe because my skin is pretty good anyway. The arm I’ve been testing on does feel more hydrated than the non tested one although I don’t think there is a visible difference. It does claim to show visible effects in 8 hours. As a reasonably priced nice night cream i would buy this and I recommend it for anyone who wants more moisture in their skin.

This is something I’ve used in the past so happy to get to trial it from the Best in Beauty event. Dermal Therapy is Australian owned and the products are made here. They do not test on animals but not all their products are vegan. This Original ultra moisturising lip balm comes in updated packaging with more subtle use of their signature blue and red colouring, I actually prefer the original design but obviously that doesn’t affect the balm itself. The applicator is nice and easy to use (it’s a squeeze tube) and the balm is thick and opaque. You can taste the camphor and/or menthol which does give a little tingle (though I think less than the previous one). It definitely leaves my lips feeling moisturised and I don’t need to reapply too often. I use it before bed and wake with my lips still feeling hydrated. My lips are in good condition so I can’t really comment on the effect on very dry lips but I think it would be good for them. I have a huge stash of lip balms but I would definitely recommend this and buy it should I ever need more.