Hannah & Hugh Rosehip and Calendula Baby Cream Review

For just over a week I have been trying out a brand new cream suitable for babies and beyond. Hannah & Hugh have produced a natural skincare range perfect for youngsters (and all those above too!) with any skin type, but most importantly to us, a range which is ideal for sensitive and delicate skin. The whole family can benefit from the natural ingredients and delightful aroma of Hannah &  Hugh rosehip and calendula baby cream.

Before I continue, here's a little bit about Hannah & Hugh:

*This skincare range was inspired by Hannah and Hugh’s founder and product developer Pamela Orji, whose desire to find a solution to her daughter’s eczema propelled her business.  Their mission is to educate people to make better choices when deciding on skincare products; especially for babies.

Hannah and Hugh’s skincare formulations have been carefully chosen for their safe and beneficial qualities and are free from parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate, PEGS, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances or colours.

Passionate about the ingredients she uses, which include natural butters such as Cocoa and Shea butter, and essential oils such as lavender and chamomile, Pamela said, "All our ingredients are proudly sourced locally and manufactured entirely in the UK which reduces our carbon footprint. Our children are our future and as such we owe it to them to preserve their world."

Midge has been my very willing volunteer for this review as Little A is pretty stubborn at the moment with showers let alone creams! Both of my children have sensitive skin and both are prone to dry patches in certain areas. Our biggest skin related problem has been their cradle cap and dry, dead skin on their necks. Myself and Midge were very keen to see if Hannah & Hugh's rosehip and calendula baby cream could help.

First things first, we looked at the product itself. We both loved the design thinking it was simple and fresh looking, exactly what you would expect really from a natural product in my opinion.

When we opened the lid I was pleased to see a second cover in place to prevent the cream from going all over the lid itself and causing a mess. Every cream product should have one of those I think.

The cream is a lovely consistency. Not really too thick but certainly not runny which means Midge could do all the applying herself and not make too much of a mess. I'm not sure if it was just us, but Midge couldn't really smell much just by taking a good sniff of the cream. I did get a feint whiff of calendula though. When we applied the cream however that beautiful scent really came out (it reminds me of something from my childhood but I still can't think what!) Midge wasn't too keen on the scent at first so I'm glad you don't get the smell straight away once opened because I don't think she would've applied it so willingly! Once she got used to the aroma (it is a great smell honest!) we found the cream was definitely a 'less is more' type of product which is ideal.

We've been using Hannah & Hugh's rosehip and calendula baby cream after showers and applying several times a day in between to Midges upper arms where the skin is a little rough and to her neck. After just a week there has been a big change to the skin on her neck. The dead skin is finally disappearing (other creams either haven't worked or have been wiped off leaving her skin red and sore) she's so pleased to not have a 'dirty neck' anymore! (Unfortunately I don't have a photo because Midge wasn't comfortable with me taking one.)

I've just started applying the cream to Little A and I think, as his is a little worse, I'll be giving it a little longer and update this review with the results which I know are going to be promising! 

I would definitely recommend this product to any parent (actually my Mum loved it!) and I'd be 100% happy to have this baby cream in my cupboard not just for my older two and myself, but also for even the most delicate newborn skin.

If you'd like to purchase Hannah & Hugh rosehip and calandula baby cream (£12.99) or any other product from their natural skin care range

I was very kindly sent the Rosehip and Calendula Baby Cream by Hannah & Hugh in exchange for an honest review of their product. All photos and words (except * which has come from a Hannah & Hugh press release) are my own.  

Cupcake Mumma

The South West Blog Social with Yves Rocher

I recently blogged about the South West Blog Social, my very first blogging event held in Exeter. I was super excited about going, had a really good time and came home with a very generous goody bag. I'm still to blog about my goody bag (and make my way through most of the contents!) but today I'm sharing with you some items, perhaps we'll call it a review, of one of the main sponsors: Yves Rocher.

Yves Rocher is a top beauty brand. I have used various products before but not for a long time so what a treat to find not one, not two, but FOUR full sized products in my goody bag. The products are pictured below with the goody bag, also from Yves Rocher.

First of all I want to share with you this gorgeous exfoliating shower gel. It is 200ml of 100% natural fruit seeds and raspberry scented goodness. 98% of this product is made of natural ingredients and the seeds are so gentle on my skin I feel like I'm having a lovely, relaxing shower rather than feeling like I'm rubbing sand into my skin. I have very sensitive skin but I have been able to use this shower gel every day so far which is unusual for me when it comes to these particular shower products because sometimes they irritate my skin. I'm very pleased with this product!

The second item in my goody bag was this Yves Rocher Elexir 7.9 This doesn't smell as divine as the shower gel nor the Argon Oil Balm, but it still gives off a pleasant aroma. This product I have used almost every day (a question of remembering rather anything else) and I can definitely feel the difference to my skin. Whilst I'm not quite ready to testify to how it works on wrinkles (but I'm getting there!) I can say without a doubt my skin feels smoother and looks brighter. When applying the cream, which isn't too thick nor too runny (so the perfect consistency) the product simply feels wonderful to gently rub in, making my skin feel smooth and soft.

Again, this product has more than 90% natural ingredients mainly made up of a combination of 7 plants with 9 patents which are recognised for their anti-ageing properties. The cream is developed for normal and combination skins which suits my skin just perfectly.

Next we have Nourishing Argan Balm which is amazing. Honestly, it's the best smell ever. Yves Rocher select organic argan oil from Morocco, which is then used with orange blossom oil (the reason behind the beautiful smell as soon as you open the lid) There are other ingredients listed in this balm such as Shea butter, olive extract and rose water which are all known to be very good for the skin.

I have been using the Yves Rocher Argan Balm after my long, hot showers and it's the perfect way to end my me time. I don't use a lot of the balm because I believe a little goes a long way with this product and after a few weeks I still have a fair amount left.My skin feels smooth, fresh and I feel incredibly relaxed thanks to all the wonderful scents (which don't fade straight away might I add.)

I love how the packaging and product reflects the colour of freshly crushed argan oil (gold if you couldn't guess) and is in keeping with where argan oil originates. The product is actually titled 'Tradition de Homme' which I think refers to the women in various countries extracting the oil in a very traditional way, even until this day.

Finally, last but by no means least, I give you the best mascara I have honestly ever laid my hands on. I have incredibly long eyelashes and even a good eye lash curler and all the tips and tricks have failed me. However, Yves Rocher's Sexy Pulp ultra-volume Mascara has ended my beauty problem! The mascara itself is thick and jet black. The wand is slightly shape to ensure no lash is left behind and you can get right to the base of your lashes, giving you the volume that this product promises. Below I give you my wonderful face with one eye made up and the other left in its sad, long lashed state so you can see the difference (without curlers) and another photo once I had applied the mascara on both eyes.

As I said, I have absolutely not used my curlers to add anything to these photos and that is why I am raving about this product so much. It looks good and it does good and I'm over the moon.

A massive thank-you to Yves Rocher for getting behind such a brilliant event and for providing us with such wonderful and generous items to take home with us. I feel spoiled rotten! 

Top 5 Beauty Products!

This weeks Listography is to list our top 5 beauty products. Mine is nothing like the other blog posts I've seen this week and that's because I don't really wear make up! Anything looks orange on me so I live with those pesky eye bags (that don't really get hidden in my opinion anyway!).

1) Vaseline

I love this stuff it's great for many things. Okay so it's not great stuff (check they ingredients) but hey, my lips always feel great, it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg and a bit on the eyelids also makes them look pretty!

2) Lacoste Hand Cream

I love Lacoste products they smell so, so nice. In 2010 Other Half got me the perfume and I fell in love with it. For Christmas 2011 I got the whole set and I love the handcream. A little goes a long way and my hands smell divine.

3) Stargazer Pink Nail Polish

Yes it has to be pink! I love having pink toes and sometimes i'll paint my finger nails the same colour which is awfuly pretty. Superdrug sells this cheap nail polish but even though it's cheap it isn't total crap. Does it last as long as more pricey brands? Okay no but I still like it!

4) Eye lash curlers

Not essentially a beauty product in terms of something I can cover myself or make myself feel lovely with but I have really long eye lashes so eye curlers are the number one for me when I feel like feeling a bit better about myself and brightening my eyes up. It surprises me how big my eyes can look...I have a Cosmopolitan eyelash curler but I'm open to recommendations please!

 5) Nivea body cream

I have a tiny little tub I use on my face when it feels dry. Wonderful stuff!

Check out Kate Takes 5 for more beauty products!

Wedding Prep- 5 Months To Go!

And so it begins!

Today I had a hair trial for my wedding day with my sister and my Mum. My Mums friend is kindly doing all of our hair which is so nice of her and with what we have come up with today i am super excited! I did take photos, but I won't be placing them up on here after having second thoughts! However, I have found the style I love, very simple, pretty and elegant which matches my whole idea from the tiara to the shoes!

My Mum was also pleased with her hair trial and all she needs now is to find a lovely comb to slip into her hair to finish it off beautifully.

My sister chose a nice style which suits her well too. Again, she didn't want it shown off just yet so I went for a prep photo which she won't be pleased to see. Good job she doesn't read this then!

In the middle of back combing

My hair was back combed to high heaven, smoothed out and then pinned like I couldn't believe. Apparently this is only the beginning of pinning, combing and hair spraying. I think I used half a can of hair spray on my locks but I think on the wedding day my hairdresser friend has said there is more than where that came from! 

Now on to shoes! My shoes and my bouquet arrived on the same day! That was terribly exciting as you can imagine. Here, my lovely readers, is a photo of my lovely shoes. My sister will also be getting a pair for her dress. They're quite a bargain at just under £20 (cheap when you look at 'wedding' shoes online) so thanks Amazon!

My theme is roses so I am so pleased I found these online by an off chance. They're ivory and match my dress perfectly. I'll be adding a touch of sparkle in the way of flower pins to my bouquet as it isn't quite 'sparkly' enough for me. It's a beautiful bouquet and also a gift from my Uncle which makes it even more special. I'm so grateful to everybody who is making a contribution.

Still to do:

* Bridesmaids shoes need to be found and bought- I'm really struggling to find something I like

* Rings! I'm having recurring nightmares of not having the rings so I need to buy my rings asap!

* Some very nice underwear *wink wink*

* I need to get something 'blue' and something 'borrowed'

* Button Holes need to be made. My sister-in-law to be and myself are making some guest ones

* Discuss the buffet selection 

* Consider my reception decoration. I know I want balloon decorations so need to sort this out

* Design my center pieces (giant cupcakes!)

* Find some entertainment! A big worry for me right now!!

* Hand out the final invites to local friends

* Book appointment for Other Half and his Best Man to sort their suit preferences

* I also need to get some thank you gifts as well

I'm sure there is a few more things, and I do have them written down but if you think of anything please let me know! Don't let me forget the small things!

Right, I hope I haven't bored anybody, if you've got this far well done you! I purposely write staggered posts on my wedding prep because even I get bored of weddings and this is my own!

Anyone else planning a wedding? Their own or helping a friend? Let me know how you're getting on!

Cupcake Mumma x