I received a very cute package in the post this week from Benefit Cosmetics.
Seriously, they do the cutest packaging in the business! The Hoola family has expanded and there is also a new box highlighter in the mix too. I thought I would give a closer look at them, and of course swatch all the products here too.
I am a big fan of the original Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzer.
It’s just a really good, build-able matte bronzer. You can find it on the Debenhams website here. At €34, it is pricey, but they do last a really long time.
They’ve now released a new version, Hoola Lite.
 As the name would suggest, it’s Hoola, but lighter 🙂 It is matte and slightly cool toned. Definitely more suited to paler skin tones.
It is in the same box format, containing 8 grams of products. You can find it on Cloud 10 Beauty here.
The second new product being welcomed into the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola family is their Quickie Contour Stick.
This is a cream stick version of Hoola.
 It’s super creamy and easy to blend. I think I would personally use this for warming up the face or for layering colour to help with longevity.
You can buy it online from the Debenhams website here.
The last newbie on the scene is Dandelion Twinkle Highlighting Powder.  Packaged the same as any of the boxed products. You get 3 grams of product within.
 Benefit describe it as as, ‘delicate strobing powder’. It is a really soft light pink shade with a silvered sparkle running through it. It gives a very subtle highlight to the skin.
Dandelion Twinkle is available from for €34 from the Debenhams website here.
And now, you’re up to date with the all the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola news 🙂
Any of the products tickle your fancy? Have you picked up any of them yourself?
I was very kindly invited to the very beautiful Galgorm Resort & Spa a few weeks ago. If you follow me on social media, you would have seen myself and John being treated like royalty to celebrate their Wellness Day and their new extended facilities.
We were blown away the minute we stepped out of the car in all honesty. The grounds of Galgorm Resort & Spa are so beautiful, our candid snaps do not do it much justice.
Galgorm cater for weddings and big occasions too, so they have two Rolls Royce casually parked on the grounds for when they are needed. There was actually a wedding on that day so one was away on duty 🙂
The foyer.
There was a small group of us including press and bloggers, so we partook in the Wellness Party Package. Here’s a link to it on the website. It includes: • Celtic Sauna Ritual • Body & Mind Class • 1 course lunch in Gillies • Private use of the group treatment suite for 3 hours • Smoothie & fruit on arrival • Thermal Village Experience • 25 minute treatment each £90 per person Mon – Thurs/ £100 per person Fri – Sun Based on a minimum of 10 people
I’m just going to include all the pics I took to give you a bit of an insight. We did spend alot of the day in the water so I couldn’t bring the camera too close, but it might give you an idea of what to expect.
The spa uses products from both Aromatherapy Associates and Voya.
The Galgorm Resort & Spa Thermal Village contains an Orangery, the Celtic Sauna, a snow cabin, a Sanarium, snail showers, waterbeds, and an indoor pool. Then, the River House is situated in the middle of it all where the private treatments take place.
We did some exercise to begin with and then went and experienced the Celtic sauna Ritual, which was like nothing I have ever done before. I’ll quote Galgorm here if that’s ok to describe 🙂 ‘Originating in Finland and now practised world-wide this is Galgorm’s unique presentation on the Aufguss sauna ritual. Your Sauna Master will guide through this meditative experience where a ritual with towels is used to agitate the air, lessening the intensity of the heat and allowing you to breathe in the essential oils infused into the air. You will complete the ritual with a meditation session in the River House followed by rejuvenation and refreshment in the Orangery where you can float away into a state of utter relaxation.’
After lunch, it was time for our spa treatments. I opted for a back and shoulder massage, that made me feel like bubble wrap. All my knots and tension was taken care of. John opted for a eye treatment and was so relaxed he actually fell asleep on the bed 🙂
And then, we just spent the rest of the day in the sauna, pool and hot tub hopping. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon, right?
Our room for the night was one of the newly built deluxe room that overlook the Thermal Village. This was our view for the evening.
Because we were so darn relaxed, we forgot to take some pictures of the room before we messed it all up. Here’s some from the next day, but you get the gist 🙂 All the formal info of their deluxe rooms is here.
The bed felt like a king size marshmallow and I wanted to bring the light up mirror in the bathroom home, not going to lie 🙂
The room comes with a complimentary mini bar which is a really nice added extra. It has some snacks and drinks, and includes Galgorm’s very own craft beer. This can only be gotten in the resort. John being the beer connoisseur that he is, really enjoyed it.
In the evening we were treated to a really tasty meal in the on site Italian restaurant Fratelli’s.
After undoing all the wellness of the day with lots of delicious grub, we ended the night in the Gin Bar. A gin lovers paradise.
The next morning, we had breakfast before we left, which was a sit down affair with a buffet full of fruit and pastries and then whatever you want from the menu. It was the perfect way to end a beautiful and relaxing break at Galgorm.
We ended our stay in Northern Ireland with a trip to the Giant’s Causeway. The weather was pretty miserable, but it’s such a beautiful part of the country, so it was worth it 🙂
Overall, our experience in Galgorm Spa & Resort was an amazing one. Neither myself or John had ever been on a spa break and after this, we’re already planning our next one.
If you are looking for somewhere to go as a treat to unwind and relax, I would hand on hear recommend it.
 As the name would suggest, it’s Hoola, but lighter 🙂 It is matte and slightly cool toned. Definitely more suited to paler skin tones.
This is a cream stick version of Hoola.
 It’s super creamy and easy to blend. I think I would personally use this for warming up the face or for layering colour to help with longevity.
 Packaged the same as any of the boxed products. You get 3 grams of product within.
 Benefit describe it as as, ‘delicate strobing powder’. It is a really soft light pink shade with a silvered sparkle running through it. It gives a very subtle highlight to the skin.
