PERSONALISED VITAMINS REVIEW / THE PERSONALISED CO

Hey guys! So if you read my post on "10 thing's I've loved during lockdown", you might have seen I mentioned I was trying out some personal vitamins. I've been trialling a set of personalised vitamins from The Personalised Co for 30 days and I thought I'd share my views!

So I'm a total novice when it comes to vitamins and what the hell you are supposed to take. There are thousands of different types out there for sale, but very little guidance when it comes to what is worth the money. After some heavy googling one night, I stumbled upon The Personalised Co and saw that they had a quiz you could take, which would recommend the best-suited vitamins for you. Finally, a vitamin website that isn't confusing as hell! They chucked a cute water bottle in for good measure and the deed was done.

The Quiz

The quiz was super easy to take and didn't have any overly complicated health questions in there. It took me just under 10 minutes to complete the quiz and I was given a set of recommended vitamins, all ready to purchase as a one time offer or by monthly subscription. It was great to see they weren't pushing you to subscribe with overly cut down prices - both options are priced the same. 

Here are my results: 

Magnesium (23p a day)

• Your Magnesium can help with your stress, a restful night's sleep & support muscle recovery.
• The stress relief supplement. Essential if you are stressed, mentally, emotionally nutritionally or physically.
• Strong research

Collagen (20p a day)

• Collagen supports your healthy skin and nails as well as tendons, ligaments, and bones.
• The queen of anti-ageing and Biohacking your body into tip-top health. Collagen supports healthy skin and nails as well as tendons, ligaments and bones making it a top choice of athletes too.
• Moderate Research

Lemon Balm (20p a day)

• Your daily Lemon balm will aid anxiety & help to sleep.
• A calming herb for anxiety. An afternoon lemon balm tea can often help bring calm and serenity.
• Moderate Research 

Multi-Vitamin (20p a day)

• Your Multi-Vitamin is for your overall wellbeing.
• A great support to the stresses of life.
• Moderate Research

Zinc (16p a day)

• Your Zinc helps with your immunity & can promote healthy facial skin.
• Zinc the antisocial mineral. It likes to be taken at night alone. If you feel nauseous when taking zinc, take with food. Nausea may also be an indication you are lacking digestive enzymes.
• Moderate Research

All of the recommendations made sense based on how I answered my quiz and the website has really good explanations for each vitamin and the research behind it. The quiz seems to recommend items that would come to a round figure of £30, most likely so it's easy to price subscriptions. 

Delivery

Delivery took around 10 working days. As soon as I placed my order, I received an email informing me it may take up to 14 working days to arrive due to the coronavirus causing issues. I think this is totally understandable, especially for a small business. 

Packaging 

Check the Tik Tok video below to see me unboxing them!

Rebecca on TikTok

Rebecca (@_too_far_tony_) has created a short video on TikTok with music drugs. Personalised vitamins delivery ✨ #selfcare #blogger #fitness #foryou

I love the packaging and the fact that there is a little packet for each day (fully recyclable and eco-friendly). The daily quotes are also really cute, but a few of them were faded. I love the free water bottle I received and it was a really nice way to welcome first-time customers.  

Results

It's really hard to review whether vitamins truly work, as it could be a combination of things making you feel and look better. But since I've been taking them daily, I think my skin has been clearer, I can sleep better and I just feel a little healthier. Taking that many a day can be a bit challenging if you aren't used to it, so maybe keep that in mind if you are ordering a box. 

Since I first made my order, The Personalised Co have added some really nice updates to their site. Now you have your own dashboard where you can easily re-order and see your results. You can also earn rewards for being loyal, which is an amazing incentive. 

I have re-ordered another box, but I swapped Lemon Balm for Omega 3, as this has strong research claiming to "help with inflammation, muscle recovery, heart health and promote optimal brain development". This also made it £1 cheaper, which is always nice. 

Now you can easily add each vitamin separately if you prefer, rather than go with the quiz results. However, I should have probably ordered these a little earlier as my current box will run out before the new one comes (I guess this is where the subscription option is handy!)

Overall, I am impressed with my experience and I think this is a really cool concept. It's also great to support a smaller, upcoming business, especially under the current circumstances. If you fancy picking up a box for yourself, here's a link for £10 off*.

Love Rebecca Ashley x

* Reward link

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REVOLUTION PRO CC PERFECTING FOUNDATION REVIEW: IT COSMETICS DUPE?

Hey guys! So I've wanted to try the It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream, since the old days of beauty guru youtube, when it seemed to be the only foundation people raved about. However, at the time it was quite hard to find the product in the UK and it slowly drifted into the back of my mind when other foundations took over the beauty world. 

So, I was so excited to see that Revolution Pro had come out with the CC Perfecting Foundation, which looks suspiciously similar to the famous It Cosmetic one - and we all know Revolution is the queen of dupes. I thought I'd share my thoughts on this cruelty-free foundation and whether it lives up to the hype. 

More about me

Now before we begin the review, its best to know exactly what I am dealing with, as foundations respond differently to every skin type. If you have read my blog for a while, you'd know I used to have dry/normal skin, but recently my skin has changed a lot - meaning my preference has also changed. 

My skin type is combination & blemish-prone with some redness, so I have to make sure my foundation choice can cope with oil production, as well as dry skin patches - whilst covering up and spots & redness, yikes. 

Revolution Pro CC Perfecting Foundation SPF30 - £10.00

Packaging

I really like the style of the bottle & pump on this foundation. It's nice and easy to fit into a makeup bag but still has a convenient pump to stop things from getting messy. Although I prefer the silver design on the IT cosmetics version, the packaging on the Reolvution dupe is pretty cute and clearly resembles the foundation it is inspired by. 

However, when you start to use the product, it feels like there is a lot of air inside and not a lot of product. If you check the bottle, you'd see Revolution gives you only 26ml, instead of the standard 30ml. Although it is very reasonably priced at £10, just be aware that it may run out quicker than expected. 

Shade Selection

I bought the shade F6.5 for my natural skin tone, after watching a review from sophdoeslife and seeing how light the shades are. This is described as "for light/medium skin tones with a yellow undertone" which I would agree with. I usually buy shades F6 in other revolution foundations and this shade is similar. Shades run on the light side, but it seems to oxidize ever so slightly after application.

Application

I tried this foundation with a brush and a sponge and the best finish I could get is with a sponge. It's a thick formula, so using a sponge helps it sink into your skin and look less cakey. I use two pumps to cover my whole face and to build on any areas which might need extra coverage.

Formula & Finish

It's quite hard to blend - especially just using a brush. I've used this a couple of times now and I find it can break up and look a little weird on certain areas of my skin - especially on my dry areas. It looks a bit cakey to begin with, but after a few minutes, it starts to warm up to my skin and sink in.

Photo of the foundation applied to my skin

I'd describe the coverage as medium-full and covered well. The finish was surprisingly matte, as I expected a product like this to be a lot dewier. It looks nice when it has had a chance to settle, but after a few hours of wear, my oily spots look very shiny and the foundation starts to further separate on my skin.

The reason I wanted to try this product is because of the skincare benefits and SPF30, but to be honest, I don't think this foundation agrees with my skin and I break out after using it. I think if you have normal, unproblematic skin with not a lot of texture this would look really nice, but for me, I'd give it a pass.

Pricing

This foundation is really affordable at £10, but personally, I think Revolution make a lot better foundations. However, if you want to try it out, it won't break the bank!

Overview

My Shade: F6.5 (Light with yellow undertones)
Shade Selection: 20 shades
Coverage: Medium-full
Price: £10
Finish: Matte, but becomes dewy throughout the day
Overall rating: 5/10
Cruelty-free: Yes!
Lasting Power: 5/10

Love Rebecca Ashley x

DYING MY HAIR PINK! BLEACH LONDON REVIEW

Hey guys! How's lockdown going? Well for me, I think I've started to go insane and out of boredom, I decided to dye my hair bright pink because - well, why not?

I've seen so many people dying their hair on TikTok and the colour that's stood out for me is Bleach London's Super Cool Colour in the shade "The Big Pink". So I decided to order it and try it out.

Bleach London Super Cool Colour in The Big Pink

Here's my TikTok showing the before & after:

@_too_far_tony_ I promise I’ll apologise to my hairdresser after lockdown ##hair ##hairdye ##bleachlondon ##lockdown ##pinkhair
♬ original sound - areyouevenforeign

I ordered the dye on a whim, at approximately 12am when I should have been sleeping. Bleach London delivered to my door 2 days later, beating the delivery of my Amazon Prime orders. I couldn't recommend the delivery enough, so I am glad I ordered it directly from their site.

The dying process, however, was a hell of a lot messier then I expected. Because the dye is so bright, it's very obvious if you spill it everywhere and I spent a lot of time rubbing my skin with a makeup wipe to remove stains from my face, neck and ears Make sure you wear gloves with this one!

I used a full bottle, as I wanted to make sure I covered every single strand to prevent it from looking patchy. The formula is easy to apply and has a nice scent. You could mix this colour with conditioner if you wanted a less vibrant colour - but I thought "fuck it" and applied it straight on. I left it for 30 minutes as the bottle suggested, then rinsed out. My shower looked very interesting.

I took my hair out the towel and to my shock, my hair was luminous pink. It almost looks a bit like one of those highlighters in the sun. But I absolutely love it. I feel a bit like a shit anime character, but I am living for it.

I am going to see how the shade fades over time, but I think I'll definitely buy this colour again. I've seen a few tips saying to use Bleach London's Rose Shampoo & Conditioner to prolong the colour, so next time I might buy those too to see if it makes much of a difference.

if you are thinking of dying your hair, take this post as a sign and just do it - fuck it, it's not like we are going anywhere!

Love Rebecca Ashley x

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THE WORK FROM HOME EDIT: LOCKDOWN EDITION

Hey guys! So like many others, I've taken to working from home during the UK lockdown (fucking coronavirus). I've been working remotely for over a month now, as I am super lucky to work for a cloud-based business. 

This whole "working from home" thing is pretty new to me, but I've picked up a few helpful tips that I thought would be worth sharing for anyone who is in the same boat as me. 

Useful Tools 

There are some amazing tools out there that can really make working from home a lot easier. 

Here are my top 5:

1. Canva

I have used Canva for years, most of what I design for this blog is designed via Canva. This is a free editing tool many businesses use to create beautiful content. 

Now is a great time to concentrate on content for your business, as people are more active on social media, so get creative. 

2. InVision

This is a new discovery for me! This is basically an online whiteboard that you can use for hangout meetings. This makes training from home a lot more interactive and fun - providing everybody behaves. 

3. Project Management Tools

My job is usually made up of lots of different tasks that need to be completed for a set period of time. I use a project management tool to help me schedule these tasks and keep track of everything in one place. 

My workplace uses Wrike, which has a lot of amazing premium tools you can use to increase efficiency, but I have heard Trello is a great alternative. 

4. Slack

Communication is key to a successful team, but remote working makes this difficult. I'd recommend finding a strong communication channel where you can all keep each other up to date. I use slack, which is perfect as you can integrate many useful applications to increase communication abilities. Plus the banter capabilities are A*. 

5. Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts is the perfect platform to host online meetings. I personally don't enjoy Zoom much, as there always seems to be technical difficulties! Google Hangouts is also a great tool to use to stay in touch with friends and family as it is simple and free to use! 

Managing Work/Life Balance

Tools are great, but the biggest struggle remote working creates is the negative effects it can have on our mental health. This, on top of lockdown restrictions, makes it a difficult time mentally for many of us. 

Here are my top 5 tips to stay sane:  

1. Separate workspace 

If you can, find a different room to where you sleep to work in. If your workspace and rest space are the same, it makes it really hard for you to switch off and get some quality sleep without stressing about work. 

I know this can be difficult, even for me its a struggle living in a one-bedroom apartment and not having an office space to escape to. However, the more you can separate work and life, the better. 

2. Set working hours

It can be very easy to blur the lines between work and life. Make sure you give yourself set times to start and finish work, as well as a set lunch break. This will stop you from over-working, or from procrastinating.

To make sure you stick to this, schedule some time in for a hangout call with colleagues at the beginning and end of your working day, to discuss what you've got planned for the day. 

3. Pick up hobbies

A lot of hobbies you may have enjoyed previously are probably put on hold for now (pub, I miss you too). If that's the case, try and pick up a new hobby to keep yourself entertained after work. Personally, I've taken to blogging again and doing some Yoga in the morning. 

4. Listen to music 

I hate working in silence! When I am in the office, it's never silent - so why should it be at home? Put on your favourite playlist for a serotonin boost, or listen to some Lo-Fi music when you need to concentrate on tasks. 

5. Stay in touch with work friends

It can be really easy to lose touch with people when you are secluded to your own space. Make sure to schedule some time to catch up with your work friends, just like you would when you go to make a cup of tea in the office. Company culture is so important to any business, so try and keep the culture going outside the office too! 

Do you have any useful tips to share? 

Love Rebecca Ashley x

10 THINGS I'VE LOVED DURING LOCKDOWN

Hey guys! I've seen a trend going around where people are talking about things they have been loving in lockdown, in the attempt to spread some positive vibes. 

So here we go, here are my top 10 random things I've been loving!

1. Yoga

I would have never, ever of thought Yoga would make my top 10 of anything, but lockdown is doing strange things to me. 

I missed the feeling of going to the gym and I heard that Yoga was a nice way to re-energise in the morning, so I YouTube'd "Yoga for beginners" and stumbled upon SarahBethYoga's 10 minute morning yoga. 

Next thing you know, I have a yoga mat and personalised vitamins delivered to my door (blog review pending...)

2. Disney +



I think this will have made quite a few people's top 10 list because Disney could not have timed the release of Disney + anymore perfectly. As I write this post I am watching The Princess Diaries, an absolute classic. 

3. TikTok

I have no shame. I am still technically a Gen Z after all? 

4. Tame Impala



There is something about the bass in "The Less I Know The Better" that is just pure vibes. 

5. Skins



I have no idea how many times I have rewatched this show, but the increase in Skins memes on TikTok made me want to watch it again. If you have never seen it, please spend your time wisely in lockdown and give it ago. 

Also, if you never went through an Effy phase in your teens, you haven't lived. 

6. Lo-Fi Beats



I am working full-time at home and Lo-Fi beats are the only thing keeping me sane. I can't work in silence because it drives me crazy, but Lo-Fi offers distraction-free music, perfect for when you need to concentrate on tasks. 

7. Cooking

Now I actually have the time to pay attention to what I am doing, cooking has become a nice highlight of the day. Baking has also made a reappearance, even if I am really bad at it.

8. Tea

My addiction to Yorkshire tea was already pretty bad working in an office, but now I am a few meters away from my kettle, things have escalated. 

I make a banging cuppa tea though. 

9. Skincare

If you haven't seen my latest post, you should check it out because I am really enjoying looking after my skin at the moment. Taking some time out of your day for self-care is really important. Don't forget about you, boo. 

10. Xbox 360



So I am too broke to buy myself a Nintendo Switch and join the Animal Crossings hype, so I've taken it back to old school times. Yes, that's right, Star Wars Lego is back in action. 

What are the things you have been loving in lockdown?

Love Rebecca Ashley x

SHRINE DROP IT: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Hey guys! So if any of you are on TikTok, you've probably seen a bunch of people dying their hair every colour in the rainbow using the new SHRINE drop it semi-permanent hair drops.

Since I've become accustomed to Barney coloured lilac hair, I thought it would only be right to share my first impressions of using these drops in the shade "Purple". 

Barney Hair using Crazy Colour in Lavender

See the video below of my own version of a cringey TikTok hair video, to see my first impressions in action...

@_too_far_tony_ These hair drops are so cute 😍 ##hairdye ##haircolour ##fyp @thegypsyshrine
♬ original sound - edits.a.r

I started by adding conditioner and a good squirt of hair drops and mixed until it looked like an ideal shade. What's great about these drops is the ability to choose the shade you want by adding more or fewer drops. You'll need to make sure you have plenty of conditioner on hand for this and if you have longer hair, add more. 

I loved the silicone bowl and applicator that came with the set as it made it super easy to see how much to mix and to apply. It would be good if they sold the drops separately, as I can't imagine I would need another bowl when this runs out and it would be great to save some money without having the mixing bowl included. Make sure you wear some gloves to prevent some questionable looking stains on your hands. 

SHRINE Drop It in Purple - £12.99

I left the mixture on for 20 minutes instead of the recommended 10 minutes, as I didn't think that sounded long enough considering I usually leave my semi-permanent dye for 30 minutes. 

I usually use Crazy Colour dye in "Lavender" and I don't dilute it at all, as I find when you start mixing conditioner it doesn't take very well. 

I think I could have added a few more drops to make the colour more vibrant, but I was in love with the pastel lilac result I got - the video really doesn't do the shade justice. 

I think my favourite part of the drops is the colour, it's a beautiful shade of purple and I like it a lot more than my usual Crazy Colour shade. I guess the only downside to the product is that it didn't last too long before washing out, but I could have added more drops for it to last longer. 

What I think is great is that you can mix together your own "purple shampoo" with these drops, to help in between washes to keep the colour vibrant. The flexibility is really unique for a hair dye product and what I imagine has made these drops so popular. 

These drops might not be as cheap as what I usually use, however, you can get quite a few uses out of the bottle and it is a really cute set - not to mention the amazing shades available. 

I can't wait to use these drops again and potentially try out the pink drops if they ever come back in stock! 

Love Rebecca Ashley x

MY LOCKDOWN SKINCARE ROUTINE

Hey guys! Long time, no see... Jokes aside, I thought since the UK is stuck in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, now would be the perfect time to pick up blogging again...

So why not kick it off with an old fashioned, beauty orientated blog? 

So if you are a long time reader (p.s. sorry for ghosting), you will know I've always reviewed skincare and makeup with the "disclaimer" that I have normal/dry skin. Well apparently a lot can change in the space of a year - and since then my skin has had a massive freak out. 

My skin is now combination/oily and pretty damn problematic. This means all the products I used to use are basically, absolutely useless, so I've had to change some things up. 

Now my skin is far from perfect, but I have definitely seen some improvements since swapping to this skincare routine and giving makeup a bit of a rest whilst I've been stuck inside. So if you are looking for some new products to add to your collection, stay tuned. 

1. My favourite cleanser - Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - £15.50

So maybe not everything about me has changed - yes, this product is STILL in my favourites. I've used this cleanser since I was 15 and I still swear by it as "the best cleaner on the market", regardless of your skin type. 

Pop this bad boy all over your dry face and eye area (it even removes makeup) and wash off using a muslin cloth. Double cleanse to make sure you are squeaky clean. 

2. The newcomer - Face Theory Colloidal-C Anti-Redness Toner T3

Face Theory Colloidal-C Anti-Redness Toner T3 - £14.99

Toner is probably one of my favourite parts of my skincare routine because I love how soothing it feels when you use it. I've been using this Face Theory cleaner recently, as I've always struggled with redness and sensitive skin. I've only been using this product a week or two, but so far I've been loving it and have noticed a difference in reduced redness. 

Drop a few drops onto a cotton pad, or reusable bamboo cotton round if you want to be more environmentally friendly. 

3. The gamechanger - Face Theory Regenacalm 2% Retinol & Vitamin C Serum S1

Face Theory Regenacalm 2% Retinol & Vitamin C Serum S1 - £18.99

This guy is the real star of the show and is why I am buying more and more Face Theory products. I've been using this product for over a month now and since I've seen fewer breakouts, acne scars starting to fade and reduced redness. I can't imagine my skincare routine without this product anymore! 

Use a few drops on areas of concern after toning and before moisturiser. Make sure you use SPF if you are leaving the house.

Use this discount code for 20% off Face Theory.   

4. The dupe - Lacura Facial Cream (Aldi)

Lacura Facial Cream - £3.99

Oh yes, we all love a dupe. This Aldi addition is a copy of the Khiel's Ultra Facial Cream, which used to be my GO TO before I tried to be cruelty-free with all my skincare products. Better yet, this cream is literally £3.99! This is literally amazing for the price and great if you are on a budget. 

Scoop some up & use all over the face after the other steps. 

5. The darkhorse - Lacura Rose Facial Oil (Aldi)

Lacura Rose Facial Oil - £3.99

Yep, another Aldi product! I bought this on a whim one day, but I noticed after I started using this, my skin looked visibly radiant the next day. The only issue is I think this has been discontinued for now, but I would look into adding Rose Oil to your routine. 

I add one drop to my moisturiser (a little goes a long way). 

6. The saviour - Elemis Herbal Lavender Repair Mask

Elemis Herbal Lavender Repair Mask - £33.50

Last but not least, this is a great multi-use product. I was recommended this after getting a facial once, to be used as a face mask, but even more interestingly used as a spot treatment. This is amazing at drying out breakouts overnight and lasts forever as its such a big bottle!

Either use as a face mask or use as a spot treatment overnight to dry out nasty breakouts. 

And that's everything - better yet, all these products are cruelty-free! Let me know if you have any recommendations for me to try out and subscribe to be notified of my future posts. 

Love Rebecca Ashley x