Merumaya's 4th Birthday!

I cannot believe that Merumaya is four years old. Congratulations Maleka - what an achievement! To celebrate their anniversary Merumaya are running a gift with purchase and offering all of the above free with any purchase over £25.00.

The offer is available now until 21st October from www.merumaya.com. If you're looking for somewhere to start with the brand I would investigate the Melting Cleansing Balm and Iconic Youth Serum.

Five New (ish) Eye Creams I'm Enjoying

Some eye goodness that's made its way into my inbox recently - and a quick head's up on whether it may be for you or not.

Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Gel Yeux
Brand new extension to the Hydra Beauty range. Lovely light texture, superbly hydrating without being sticky, and finally a fragrance free addition to those of you wanting to use this Hydra range but have problems with scented products.
Best for: dehydrated eyes, the quickest 'fix'
Any downside?: No
£44.00 for 15ml available from feelunique.com: http://bit.ly/1Z2Wa5V*


goop Perfecting Eye Cream
Much talked-about new line from Gwyneth and her goop brand and one of my favourites texture-wise. It's a really lovely cream, but I haven't used up the entire pot so therefore can't say what the benefits are long-term, although if noticeable lines and wrinkles (esp 40+) are your main concern I'd reach for the chemical, not the plant. I will use this all up though, the texture is beautiful.
Best for: organic obsessives and people who used the word 'toxic' when talking about skincare
Any downside?: $90 for an organic product in jar packaging? That tells you it may well be organic but it will need to be loaded with good preservatives to keep it intact. I'd have put it in a pump myself, but I'm not Gwynnie.
$90.00 for 15ml available in the US only from goop.com


Kate Somerville Goat Milk De-Puffing Eye Balm
Another new addition to the Goat Milk range, this is more of a cooling balm than a traditional eye 'cream'. It's a gel-like balm stick that feels cool in the packaging.
Best for: puffy, tired eyes. Travellers, people in warm climates or stuffy offices and hayfever people. Easiest for application.
Any downside?: Contains a synthetically derived menthol so not great if you're really sensitised in the eye area.
$38.00 for 8.5g exclusively to Sephora.com*


First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy AM Gel Cream
More newness. This time from First Aid Beauty, who are quietly taking over the middle market with good, affordable products that play a big game. This is the lightest texture after Chanel, and more of an all-rounder if you are worried about lines specifically.
Best for: lines, wrinkles, morning puffiness
Any downside?: Not that I can see
$36.00 for 15ml from Sephora.com*


Merumaya Intensely Youthful Eye Cream
Although not new, probably the most 'anti-ageing' of the five. Lots of active ingredients designed to target all the traditional eye concerns.
Best for: someone wanting an affordable, all-rounder eye cream
Any downside?: Smells of the echium oil, but that dissipates quickly.
£26.50 for 15ml from merumaya.com 

Budget Week - Day 3

Bit of a hotch-potch today, contains good and disappointing ones...

Bio-Essence Miracle Bio Water - £16.00 - weird one this. I personally found it wasn't great for waterproof mascara - but my friends tell me otherwise, however, it was perfectly acceptable for lips/other..
It is lovely and cooling on the skin though, and I imagine a sensitised skin would appreciate it.

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleaning Butter - £12.00 - I've spoken about this many a time, In essence, a great affordable balm cleanser that annihilates makeup and leaves the skin soft and refreshed with no sticky residue or tight feeling.

Merumaya Exfoliating Toner - sample - I don't know what I can say about this as I have no information on it! This is literally a lab sample and part of the brand's testing so I don't know what's in it or how much it will be.. what I can say is that it is totally non-stinging (is that even a phrase?), exfoliates gently and softly and leaves the skin comfortable. As for everything else, watch this space!

Caudalie Grape Water - £6-£10 - leftovers from the grape harvest, sprays in a fine mist, softer that normal water and feels like it absorbs more efficiently.

Vichy Liftactiv Serum 10 Eyes & Lashes - £24.50 for 15ml - see yesterday's post 

Merumaya Iconic Youth Serum - £35.50 for 30ml - this is over my intended limit of £25 - £30 for serums but I thought it was worth mentioning as I am always asked about appropriate ones for oily/acne skins. Whilst this is not particularly aimed at those skin types, it's certainly one worth checking out if you are a woman of a certain age with adult acne (I feel your pain, been there), if you're just a person with problematic skin or if you want a product that contains a lot of the same ingredients as serums that are 5 times the price...

Superfacialist Rose Peaceful Skin Night Cream - £16.00 for 50ml - a frankly bargainous £16.00, this is great for all skin types including combination. It contains shea butter, but it's not heavy/cloying at all. The only thing I would say, is try and check the smell before you purchase. To me, this is proper, old lady rose. It doesn't linger, and you do wake up looking refreshed with a glow, but it is strong on application.

Merumaya trial - Exclusive for CarolineHirons.com readers

Right! Lovely opportunity for the exfoliating toner lovers out there. Last month a few eagle-eyed readers noticed that I was using a non-descript bottle with no label - to be honest it looked a little like a 'sample' bottle IFYOUKNOWWHATIMEAN? (second from left above).

The lovely Maleka from Merumaya is offering 20 readers the opportunity to trial the same exfoliating toner that I am using. It's literally a lab sample so you'll be right in there from the beginning.

Merumaya are looking for all skin types and conditions, so whether or not you are oily/acne, combination, sensitive, normal, mature, dry or dehydrated, this is for you.

Just to give you a little background on the product so that you know what you're signing up for, this would be used at the first toning stage after cleansing. It contains 15% AHAs but has no sting. None. It's loaded with hyaluronic acid, brown and micro algae, witch hazel and natural betaine - designed to hold 1.5 times its own weight in water. If you are OK with the above ingredients I don't think this will cause you any issues.

So: this is not a first come, first served offer, if you are reading this in the morning email I would still apply. Because they are looking for a cross-section of people, you will be contacted if you fit the profile, not if you apply first.

What to do:

Simply go to this link: http://tinyurl.com/kpkw4zj and fill in the information making sure to add: HIRONS TONER TRIAL in the 'How did you hear about us?' section. As you fill it in the 'errors' will disappear don't worry. :) 

Due to overwhelming demand, if you have previously subscribed to Merumaya leave a comment below this post and they will add you in to the mix. You can make the process simpler by stating your skin type/conditions. 
If you are successful, Merumaya will be in touch with further instructions etc. The trial is open to UK readers only.

That's it. Let me know what you think if you do get your sample!

Exclusive Merumaya sampling offer for readers

Regular readers will have seen this post about the brilliant Melting Cleansing Balm back in January. Merumaya is the brainchild of Maleka Dattu and the lovely Maleka has offered UK readers of this blog a sample of both the cleansing balm and this....

brilliant Iconic Youth Serum. Both products are regular recommendations during my skin consults for both affordability and efficacy.

To have the opportunity to try both of these products simply fill in this form on the Merumaya Facebook page and type 'HIRONS' in the 'Where did you hear about us?' section.

There are lots of samples available so don't be shy - it's a great opportunity to try something that you may not yet have seen.

www.merumaya.com

UK only please.



*non-sponsored

Merumaya launches on QVC today

Merumaya - the lovely affordable range I posted about recently launches on QVC today with the above kit while stocks last:

Melting Cleansing Balm™ FULL SIZE (100ml)
Iconic Youth Serum™ HALF SIZE (15ml)
Youth Preservation Moisturiser™ SPF15 HALF SIZE (15ml)

QVC PRICE: £24.95  -  VALUE: £46.50  -  SAVING: £21.55

This range is recommended both for its efficacy and its price point - and with QVC's returns policy there is no reason not to try for yourself.

Further show times are listed below.

QVC Show Times:
Friday 17^th January:  
The Morning Show 9-10am
Lunch Time Special 1pm
Friday Night Beauty 9-10pm

Saturday 18^th January: 
Beauty Showcase 1am

Wednesday 19^th January: 
Everyday Beauty 12-1pm

Tuesday 21^st January: 
The Morning Show 9-10am
Everyday Beauty 4-5pm

Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm

This review is so overdue that it's borderline embarrassing. Merumaya launched just over a year ago and is the brainchild of Maleka Dattu, a force in the industry and a woman who many, many years ago interviewed me for a job - I didn't get it, how rude quite rightly.

The range is perfect for those looking for good results without a high price tag, incorporating proven ingredients with a signature ingredient, RevitElix and a lovely, distinctive signature fragrance. 

RevitElix is Echium oil (derived from borage) and full of omegas - crucial for barrier repair and especially important at this time of year when your skin is flashing through hot and cold extremes of temperature.

INCI:

CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, GLYCERIN, PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS (SWEET ALMOND) OIL, AQUA (WATER), SUCROSE LAURATE, GLYCERYL DIBEHENATE, ECHIUM PLANTAGINEUM SEED OIL, PHENOXYETHANOL, SUCROSE PALMITATE, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), SUCROSE COCOATE, SUCROSE STEARATE, CITRONELLOL, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, GARCINIA MANGOSTANA FRUIT EXTRACT, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CHLORPHENESIN, TETRASODIUM EDTA, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, HEXYLENE GLYCOL.

Suitable for all skin types and all ages - I use this and would be equally happy with my 12 year old daughter using it. There is no reason to avoid this if you are acnaic or alternatively suffer from eczema/psoriasis. It is extremely gentle and leaves no greasy residue on the skin.

If you like products that you can splash off, this will emulsify and is therefore a major point of difference compared to some balm cleansers - theoretically giving you the best of both worlds.
Equally: if, like me, you prefer to use a cloth to remove, it lifts away easily while also giving great massage resistance.

The cherry on the top is the pricepoint:
Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm is £14.50 for 100ml and available on www.merumaya.com and in John Lewis stores.