Review: Nura Skincare

Way back in August I tried Nura Skincare's Mini-Me Skin Essentials an exquisitely packaged sample set. I've been trying a few more product from the range which the founder and formulator, Julia very kindly sent me.

The products are beautifully presented (I just love the ribbon embellishments) and they'd make perfect Christmas gifts. 

See the beautiful gift sets available HERE. 

Pure Nutri Lip Balm (£4.50 - 4.5g)* would make the ideal small gift/secret santa present. It deeply nourishes and soothes the lips. With no added fragrances it's suitable for both men and women.

To use: apply to the lips as often as required.

Soothing Dry Body Oil with Calendula Flower Oil (£14 - 100ml)* is an aromatic treat for both the skin and senses. It's a luxurious skin loving blend scented with Lavender, Bergamot, Rose Geranium and Ylang Ylang. It absorbs quickly leaving the skin delicately scented and deeply nourished.

To use: massage over damp skin after your bath or shower.

Nourishing Hand Cream with Vitamin B3 & Calendula Flower Oil  (£9 - 50ml)* which is a real treat for the hands. It deeply nourishes and cares for the hands and nails.  Skin tone and pigmentation issues improves with extended use and the cream is scented with Rose Geranium, Frankincense and Petitgrain.

To use: apply as often as needed paying particular attention to the backs of your hands.

Have you tried any products from the range? I've been really impressed with all three products. Pick yours up HERE.

*complimentary

Moroccan Shine Argan Oil

I've had the real pleasure of trying Moroccan Shine Argan Oil (30ml)* £12.99 (there are Black Friday deals with 20% off at the moment - just send a message on the Facebook group to find out more) All orders are beautifully gift wrapped and the oil is made in Morocco and Moroccan Shine is a Scottish company.

The Argan Oil is presented in a glass spray bottle, is 100% Organic, Vegan and certified by ECOCERT and USDA. I've tried a lot of Argan Oils and this one has a light and nutty scent, absorbs quickly and is a great multi-tasker.

Use it on the face and body including face and neck, body skin, hair as a deep treatment before washing or to tame flyaways, on hands and feet including cuticles, for massage and it also works as a great beard oil - I love a multi-use product.

Have you tried Moroccan Shine?

*complimentary

My Top Reads - January - June 2018

And....breathe...I've completed my 100 book challenge on Goodreads, while it's not going to stop me reading for the rest of the year it does take the pressure off! In the January - June period I read 57 books and chose my top 16:

January:

Follow the Dead - Rhona Macleod #12 by Linn Anderson - I absolutely adore this series and have book #13 nestling on my kindle right now. 

Dark Game - DI Kelly Porter #1 by Rachel Lynch - oh this new series with feisty Kelly Porter is just fabulous. See my review in January book round up HERE.

February:

Everything Love Is by Claire King - so loved this sensitively written tale which has so stayed with me all these months later.

Anna - One Love, Two Stories by Amanda Prowse - oh I just loved lovely Anna. A great start to an amazing series.

Bring Me Back by B A Paris - I just loved this story (and still think of it now). I was given the chance to read an alternative ending but the one chosen for the book suits me just fine.

The Missing Ones - DI Lottie Parker #1 by Patrica Gibney - I just adore this series and Lottie Parker.  See my February reviews HERE.

March:

Star of the North by D B John - I read this amazing book in March but reviewed it when it was published in May - it was interesting and fascinating at the same time. Highly recommend.

Deadly Secrets - Detective Erika Foster #6 by Robert Bryndza - this again was not published until later and I reviewed it in my April book round-up (it's fantastic). See my March book round-up HERE.

April:

Mark of the Devil (Inspector Jim Carruthers #3) by Tana Collins - this series just keeps getting better and better. Roll on book #4.

Restless Coffins - Detective J T Ellington #3 by M P Wright - Ever since I read Heartman (the first in the series) way back in November 2014 I've had a good friendly relationship with Mark - he always sends me first proofs and I get a mention in his books (makes my heart sing!) See my April round-up HERE.

May:

Absent - DS Coupland Four by Emma Salisbury - I absolutely adore this series and was made up to be invited to Emma's book launch along with Joanne and Kelly in North Berwick.

Songs by Dead Girls (HET #2) by Lesley Kelly - I can honestly say I'm chuffed to know Lesley also in real life. This series is absolutely brilliant and I highly recommend it. I also loved The Art of Not Being Dead (A Health of Strangers Short Story) which featured in my March book roundup.

Dying Truth - DI Kim Stone #8 by Angela Marsons - I just adore this series. This one has an almighty twist which I wasn't sure there would be any coming back from!

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan - I loved this carefully researched and painstakingly drawn book (in fact I could quite easily call it my book of '18 - that's how much I loved it). See my May book round-up HERE.

June:

Tubing by K A McKeagney - a brilliant debut novel which had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Looking forward already to Kerry's second novel.

The Quaker - Duncan McCormack #1 by Liam McIllvanney - a great new series which I loved. See my June book round-up HERE.

Have you read any of these? Do we share any favourites?

Free with Elle Magazine - Bella Freud Close to my Heart EdP

You'll know how much I love a magazine freebie ooh and a perfume freebie - bring it on! I just picked up Elle Magazine (in a double pack with Cosmo) for £4.99. The freebie this month is Bella Freud's Close to my Heart EdP (10ml - worth £19) (the link is for the full size bottle - 50ml - £95).

The perfume is absolutely stunning and would make a great Christmas or Secret Santa gift if you can bear to part with it (buy 2!)

The scent is "oriential" and has a sensual heart of tuberose with neroli, rose de mai and jasmine. It's a really beautiful feminine scent and can be used both in daytime and into the evening and it was created with her long-time friend and perfumer, Azzi Glasser.

To use: apply to pulse points or spritz a cloud in front of you and walk into it to be enveloped in a delicate veil of scent

I adore Tuberose and Neroli so think this perfume is absolutely beautiful. It has powdery top notes which mellow into creamy florals with woody and musky base notes.  It's a beaut! And a keeper. Do you think you'll pick it up?

Blog Tour: Settlement by Anne Stormont

Today I'm on the blog tour for Settlement by Anne Stormont* with #LoveBooksGroupTours which is a fantastic read. I recently read the first in the series (although both books can be read as standalones - see my review of Displacement in my book round up last month HERE).

Can love truly heal old wounds? Can the past ever be put peacefully to rest? If you like a complex, grown-up romance with lots of raw emotion, dramatic and exotic settings, all mixed in with some international politics and laced with elements of a crime thriller, then this is the book for you. 

Falling in love is the easy bit. Happy ever after requires work, commitment and honesty. 

She wants him to be her friend and lover. He wants her as his wife. Can a compromise be reached? Or are things truly over between them? 

When former Edinburgh policeman Jack Baxter met crofter and author Rachel Campbell at her home on the Scottish island of Skye, they fell in love. It was a second chance at happiness for them both. 

But after Jack proposes marriage, it becomes clear they want different things. 

Then, as Rachel prepares to return to the Middle East to work on a peacemaking project that's close to her heart, and as Jack's past catches up with him, it seems their relationship is doomed. 

Can Rachel compromise on her need to maintain her hard-won independence? 

Can Jack survive the life-threatening situation in which he finds himself? 

Will they get the chance to put things right between them? 

Settlement is the sequel to literary romance novel, Displacement, but it can be read as a stand-alone. 

My thoughts?

Oh wow oh wow I just loved this! It was great to catch up with well loved characters and see where their lives were taking them.

Rachel is pleased to be with Jack but still wants her freedom to do what she pleases which he doesn't understand. There are things from the past Jack needs to work through but he doesn't want to tell or worry Rachel (and there is a good and loyal friend waiting in the wings for him, Morag's hubby, Alasdair).

She hopes she'll be able to reach her daughter and work through her feelings for her son. There's even signs that she can move on and forgive her ex-husband. 

When she heads back to Israel, Jack is beside himself as he thinks she'll want to have a relationship with charming and attractive Eitan, her brother's friend.  To take his mind off things he takes a investigator job with Police Scotland working on unsolved crimes. Rachel comes back to Scotland and her life on Skye and it seems like Jack's past has finally caught up with him...

An absolute brilliant read which I adored (I'm hoping against hope there will be a book #3).

*I received a complimentary e-copy for taking part in the blog tour

Organic House Skincare: Relax & Sleep Body Oil 30ml

Relax & Sleep Body Oil 30ml* from Organic House is part of the Relax & Sleep Gift Set* ( 2 x 30ml - Relax & Sleep Body Oil and Relax & Sleep Room Spray  (see my review of the room spray HERE) (£32).

The blend is rich and luxurious with a sleep inducing blend of oils - lavender, marjoram and vetivert which helps you to relax and unwind, while hazelnut and baobab oils soothe and soften the skin.

To use: apply after your bath or shower in the evening massaging into neck shoulders and arms to encourage restful sleep.

What's your favourite product from Organic House Skincare?

*complimentary

Review: Awake Organics Sea Quartz Crystal+Algae Cleanser

I've had the real pleasure of trying one of Awake Organics latest launches - their amazing Sea Quartz Crystal+Algae Cleanser* (you can buy this as a 6g sample or full size at 40g (£2.70/£31.80). Look how beautiful the packaging is!

"Amplify your daily cleanse with the power of clear quartz crystal, spirulina and hemp".

Isn't it a gorgeous colour! The Vegan blend slough dead skin cells, brightening and refining the skin. You can use daily or a couple of times a week (I use it two to three times a week).

Formulated with ingredients such as organic turmeric and brown rice each full size pot contains a carat of artisan milled clear quartz powder which infuses the product with positive energy.

It's ideal for all skin type although those with oily or very sensitive skin should use it once or twice a week. 

The gentle scrub cleanser has a sweet scent. Inside is organic blue chamomile, sweet orange, cannabis sativa oil and coconut milk.

To use: add a small amount to damp face and neck gently massaging onto the skin. Activate the milkiness by adding a few splashes of water. Rinse.

My skin looks great after use - bright, glowy and healthy.  It's definitely a keeper! Have you tried it yet?

*complimentary