Madara is a range of natural, organic cosmetics for the face and body. They use flowers and herbs grown in baltic meadows during the northern summers. This makes the natural ingredients rich in active substances and therefore perfect for the skin.

I’ve been trying the flower dust which is a shimmering moisturising lotion designed to give the skin a golden radiance. It also helps to nourish and hydrate the skin making the most of that summer glow. As with all the other products in the range flower dust contains natural plant vitamins, minerals, bioflavonoids and other biologically active substances.

The flower dust lotion makes your skin feel lovely and smooth. It leaves a hint of a shimmer which I do think helps enhance a summer tan.  I used it the other weekend for a wedding and it gave my skin just enough of a sheen to look radiant without over doing it during the daytine.

I’m definately on a roll with the Clarins reviews this month! I stopped off the other day to stock up on my one-step cleanser and of course the Clarins counter was doing one of their offers. Buy two products and get a gift set free so of course how could I resist buying a second item to get something free!

I’ve decided to try Clarin’s gentle refiner as even though I still love the one-step cleanser when I’ve been wearing heavier makeup I feel my skin needs something extra to ensure its throughly clean.

The gentle refiner is a creamy exfoliator which contains microbeads to remove any dry skin and impurities. Its designed to be used once or twice a week alongside you normal skincare routine. I found the refiner left my skin feeling very soft without being too harsh or abrasive. I had a few areas of dry skin and the refiner gentle buffed those away.

I think this is the perfect product to use with the one-step cleanser as it gives your skin a more intensive cleansing and is perfect for removing heavy makeup.

As we’re in the sun months I back to my usual dilemma of which fake tan product to use. My skins so pale that I definately need a bit of colour of the fake variety as I have no chance of getting a suntan! I also no longer have the time with a little one to spend hours sun bathing and most of all I don’t want to damage my sun from all those harmful UV rays.

Last year I had been trying a few of the gradual fake tan products which are used daily to  build up a gradual colour. Though easy to use as I found that didn’t streak I’m now finding it hard to get round to applying the products everyday which leaves me with a very pale colour.

For that reason I’ve been looking around for a fake tan product that may take slightly longer to apply correctly but that only needs to be used once or twice a week. I’ve been trying this no-streaks bronzer gel from ambre solaire for light to medium skin. As its a gel its easy to apply and doesn’t leave you feeling sticky as with some of the lotions.

I used this product about a week ago and I’m very pleased with the results even 6 days after application! I applied it on 2 consecutive nights to givve a darker colour and did the exfoliating/moisturising rountine first. Its given me a very even colour and I haven’t got any streaks even on my feet and hands. The colour seems to last very well as a week later I’ve still got a nice brozed colour.

This product does take a little longer to apply that gradual tan products however as it seems to last so well I think its worth the time. I’ll be continuing to use this and topping up my tan with an application weekly!

I’m always very dubious about using a cleanser that does not require me to rinse my face with water! It always seems very strange to me to be getting washed but to not actually wash my face.

That said I still decided to try Clarins one-step facial cleanser which as the names suggests is an all in one cleanser perfect for busy mum’s on the go. It gently cleanses, tones and enhances the skins radiance and removes traces of makeup, impurities and pollution. Its applied simply using a cotton wool pad and does not require any water to rinse it off.

I’ve been using the cleanser for a few days now and I do feel that its leaving my skin clean and refreshed. Even in the evening when I have makup to remove I still like my skin is clean and fresh from any residues on makeup even without wahing my face with makeup!

It actually leaves my skin feeling a lot softer than any other cleanser I have tried. I think that definately is due to not using water as I know where I live the water is very hard so not the best for your skin. This isn’t my usual type of facial cleanser but I will definately continue using it!

I just love trying new products and this month I’ve been trying the new dual skincare system from Yllume. Yllume use an intensive face cream and skin supplement to illuminate your skin and give radiant, even skin tone.

Yllume claims to transform the skin in only two weeks by reducing hyper-pigmentation and blemishes, brightening and refreshing dull skin, protecting against UV damage and countering premature damage due to intensive treatments. Naturally derived Yllume contains antioxidants to help repair damaged skin.

The Ultimate Illuminating Complex Cream brightens the skin whilst also protecting against premature aging. The cream itself very light and easily absorbs into my skin without leaving any residue. It contains origanum, lavender and coriander essential oils which give the cream a refreshing scent. It also contains pearl extract which I think is what gives the cream a slight shimmer which immediately helps to make your skin look illuminated. Perfect for a tired looking mummy with limited time!

The second part of the dual system is the Ultimate Illuminating Complex Skin Supplement which contains a variety of antioxidants including phytofloral and CoQ10 to help brighten your skin from the inside out.

Available from mid July at yllume.