Beauty

New from Models Own: GlitterGels and Twilight Hypergels

October 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

You can always rely on Models Own to nail a seasonal release, and they’ve done that with both their new Twilight Hypergel shades – moody, autumnal hues with just enough colour – and the Razzle Dazzle GlitterGels, which will get you thinking about your Christmas party nails.

Starting with the new Twilight Hypergels, of which there are thirteen new shades added to the hugely successful Hypergel collection. There’s a great mix of everything a little bit Autumn, with earthy tones, muted nudes and pretty pinks, as well as more traditional red shades for the festive season.

The three shades I have are Everyday Grey – the most perfect mid-toned grey that will be going on my nails very shortly; as a slight sidenote, I just cannot get enough of grey at the moment! The other two shades I have are Loganberry, a lovely berry shade that will look particularly beautiful on elegant, long talons or as a Wintery pedicure shade, and finally Deep Sea, which is a deep green shade that’s a little murky, which I personally like, but I realise others might not. These are the usual bargain of £4.99 a go here – link.

Now on to the lovely Christmas nails, otherwise known as the GlitterGels; I quite frankly like pretty much everything about these polishes, from the multi-use – one coat’s a topcoat, more than that builds to a full coverage – to the fun names and even the word GlitterGel appeals!

The five shades are, starting with the sheerest, are Sheer Sparkle – a beautiful, pretty gold that’d work as a subtle hint of glitter; Crystal Pink – a pink version of Sheer Sparkle, which provides minimal coverage in a gentle, pretty shade; Petunia Glitz – oh my gosh this is a gorgeous, gorgeous pink that is going on my toes next pedicure time; Red Carpet – a typical, sparkly red that’ll no doubt be a bit of a crowd-pleaser, and finally Starburst – a deep grey that’s actually a little disappointing coverage-wise, but with three coats it’ll look clean and edgy, with just the right hit of glitter. These beauties are £4.99 here – link. All out now online and in Bottleshops.

*PR Samples

Fragrance Week: Penhaligon’s Blasted Bloom

October 26, 2015 2 Comments

There are so many recently/soon-to launch fragrances in my stash at the mo that I’m really excited about, so I thought I’d share one every day this week and make it my unofficial Fragrance Week! Penhaligon’s recently launched two fragrances, Blasted Bloom and Blasted Heath, which are both inspired by where the sea meets the shore. I’ll be posting about Blasted Heath later this week, but for now, let’s have a closer look at Blasted Bloom.

I’m always very excited by a new Penhaligon’s launch, as they always tell a story rich in inspiration that only full make sense when you get to experience the fragrance yourself. Blasted Bloom is very loosely aimed at women (with the same being said for Blasted Heath aimed at men – both can go either way quite comfortably) and the notes are Wild Berries, the amazing Aquatic Accord and Green Leaves at the top, Eglantine Rose, Pink Pepper CO2 and Hawthorn at the heart, and Alaskan Cedarwood Essence, Clearwood, Moss and Musks at the base. The note formations in Penhaligon’s fragrances are always so wonderfully crafted and constructed, and as you can see, Blasted Bloom is no different. Blasted Bloom focuses on the sea meeting the land, hence the floral and musk notes alongside the moss and Cedarwood. The really exciting note is the Aquatic Accord, which gives it a that fantastic hit of sea air that takes you straight to the water as it hits the green shores – it’s the most fantastically evocative note that really does transport you to the inspiration behind the fragrance. I love Blasted Bloom so much, and each time I smell it, I love it a little more…and it isn’t even my favourite of the two! For me, Penhaligon’s Blasted Bloom isn’t an every day fragrance, instead it’s more of a breath of fresh air when you fancy a change and want to spend your day imaging what it’d be like to live next to the sea. It’s a beautiful, neutral fragrance that would smell amazing on both boys and girls, and can be purchased here – link – for £90 for 50ml, or £124 for 100ml (pictured).

*PR Sample

bareMinerals The Royal Court Fan Favourite Face Color Trio

October 23, 2015 2 Comments

I saw the bareMinerals The Royal Court palette at the recent Christmas press day for the brand, and I remember thinking that it was going to be a very popular product – who doesn’t like a palette of glow-givers? – but that it probably wouldn’t be my sort of thing. It turns out we got it in our goody bags, but even then I didn’t really give it much attention until I had a bout of poorliness a couple of weeks ago, and boy did this trio of stars come into its own!

The bareMinerals The Royal Court is a trio of fan favourites in a “READY” format, so pressed, rather than loose. You get the Clear Radiance Highlighter, the Blush in Golden Gate and the All Over Face Color in Warmth. Clear Radiance is a lovely, pinky, “suits-most”shade that glimmers rather than glitters. The Golden Gate shade of the blush is real surprise, as it looks rather dull and almost bronzer-like in the palette, whereas on the skin it comes alive as a warm, deep, peachy blush shade that’s fabulously natural.

Warmth is quite a big product for the brand and it’s what I’d call an almost bronzer; by that I mean, it lifts skin and gives it that warmth that the title suggests, but I don’t think it’ll take you all the way to sunkissed, which is a very good thing as at this time of the year I think sunkissed looks horrendously unnatural!

Top to Bottom: Clear Radiance, Golden Gate, Warmth. Left without flash, right with flash.

As I said, I was pretty poorly and my skin broke-out, dried-out and just generally freaked out – it looked awful. I dragged the palette out and thought I’d give it a go, and it really did make such a difference – I’ve used it every day since and I can easily see myself hitting pan on this, which is very unusual for me. Clear Radiance and the blusher are getting the most use, although I am tending to use the full trio, but if Warmth fell out then I wouldn’t be too worried, whereas if any of the other two did, I would replace ASAP.

The bareMinerals The Royal Court is your one-stop-shop for giving skin incredible glow, warmth and light that looks very natural in an extremely flattering finish. The packaging is fine, although it might not hold up for travel, however, it comes in a pretty sturdy box which you can keep hold of if you’d like to take this out and about. It also has a mirror for on-the-go application. This palette is £25 which is just SO good! It has an apparent value of £52, but regardless, it’s a total bargain at £25 and I will have to nab another since it’s annoyingly limited edition. If you think this trio is for you, you might want to pop over to the site today (23.10.15) to pick it up as there’s currently 10% off for their Christmas preview – use code “ENCHANT” at checkout. You can find The Royal Court here – link.

*PR Sample

Micro Pedi Nano

October 20, 2015 Leave a Comment

Honestly, there are often launches that I think are so poorly timed, and the Micro Pedi Nano is one of them, since they seem to have literally just launched in time for Winter, a time when none of us care too much for our feet (although I still tend to go for pedicures, but that’s mostly because it’s a time I get to check out of life and just sit there doing nothing for an hour!) whereas if this had launched just a few months earlier, it would’ve no doubt become a Summer staple for many.

The Micro Pedi Nano is a dinkier, travel-friendly take on the cult Micro Pedi original device, which, to put it bluntly, is basically an electronic device for buffing rough skin off your feet. It’s very good and it deserves it’s reputation, but I have to say, I think the new Nano version is just as good, whilst also being smaller and available in three bright and appealing colours – the one pictured is the Orange version, but there are also very pretty pink and blue versions too.

The Micro Pedi Nano has one job and it does it very well – I forgot how great these devices are at removing hard skin; they really are fantastically effective, quick and easy and you literally just move the roller over the hard skin for painless removal. It does create a little cloud of dust (grimness – foot dust) that you can easily brush away with the enclosed brush, but that’s probably the only downside of what is an extremely handy little tool, that I think will be especially useful for holiday travel. It’s also decently priced at £19.95 here – link.

*PR Sample

New Launches from I Love…

October 20, 2015 2 Comments

I Love… is a brand I’ve basically ignored due to the fact that it’s so purse-friendly, so I expected lots of cheap, synthetic-scented products that were most suited to the young teen market; but how wrong was I? I’m thoroughly impressed with the I Love… products I’ve recently tried – not only are they a huge range, they’re also amazingly well-priced – so it’s safe to say I’ll be keeping an eye on their new arrivals from now on. Speaking of newness, let’s have a look at some of the most recent launches from the brand:

I think I Love… are probably most famed for their range of Bubble Bath & Shower Cremes, of which they have a massive selection of flavours. There are two new scents, Cherry Almond Sparkle which is a Bakewell Tart in a bottle and a Superdrug exclusive, and Chocolates and Oranges, which, as you might expect, leave you smelling like a Chocolate Orange. Prices start at £2 for 100ml of the Bubble Bath & Shower Creme.

The I Love… Cleansing Hand Gels are just ridiculously fab! Four flavours – Strawberries & Cream, Mango & Papaya, Raspberry & Blackberry and Coconut & Cream – all of which are lovely scents, nothing sickly or overpowering, in a travel-friendly bottle priced at £1.25! See? Ridiculous! Even better, not only are the anti-bacterial, they also contain jojoba esters to keep hands soft and stop the product drying out. Here we have very good proof that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a good product.

Finally, the most impressive and exciting out of all the new releases, the I Love… Tinted Moisture Balms. Regular readers will know that I really do struggle to say no to a tinted lip balm, so I count myself as quite the aficionado of anything in the tinted, balm-like category. These tinted balms from I Love… are fantastic; pigmented, extremely hydrating, great little collection of colours and each one has its own flavour to match the colour. The cute, heart-shaped lid makes them easy to locate in your hand bag and I understand there are more shades coming soon – CANNOT WAIT. I’ll do a more thorough feature on these soon with swatches, but these arrive next month for £2.99 a go. Everything here is either already available or soon to launch the I Love… site here – link.

*PR Samples

Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Indulgent Bathing Range

October 19, 2015 2 Comments

I’ve had this trio of bathing loveliness for a few weeks now, and every time I’ve used one of the products, I’ve thought to myself that I really must write them up, but I kept getting distracted by the sexier bits and bobs I have to review, like palettes and masks and beauty boxes. Let’s face it, bathing products aren’t that interesting, even when done really well like these newbies from Boots No7, but they’re still worth talking about, so here’s a litte look at the new No7 Beautiful Skin Indulgent Bathing range, which joins the existing Indulgent Bodycare line.

The three products I’ve been trying are the Foaming Shower Oil, the Blissful Body Wash and the Pampering Dry Oil Body Spray. Firstly, let me apologise for the picture fuzziness – as I said, I’ve had these a little while and I was having problems with the viewfinder on my camera, which meant that I had to guess the clarity of the pictures, which, as you can see, didn’t go very well! The first product, the Pampering Dry Oil Body Spray, is a very easy product to use, you spray it on, rub it in, and within moments it’s absorbed leaving skin feeling hydrated. It’s quite a strong scent – very Summery, which is strange considering these were Autumn releases – but that doesn’t hang around too much, although it’s definitely still there after half an hour or so, so give this a whiff before buying if you have an aversion to strongly scented products. It’s £11.50 here – link.

view

The No7 Beautiful Skin Foaming Shower Oil is a lovely, light shower oil that feels nourishing without any oiliness or greasy residue. It foams into a light lather that has a similar scent to the dry oil spray above, but this is less overpowering and instead just smells nice in the shower but without any lingering. It leaves skin feeling soft and clean and is £12, but I can’t seem to find it on the Boots site for some reason.

Saving the best ’til last, we have the Beautiful Skin Blissful Body Wash which is just amazing; honestly, as I’m writing this I want to jump in the shower, squeeze a little of this on to my exfoliating sponge and get into a lather as this is just a joy to use. It feels like working a thick, creamy, lathery moisturiser all over your body, and your skin feels like it’s been treated to a generous helping of hydration after use. Seriously, this teamed with an exfoliating sponge (or glove, or anything that exfoliates really) will give you amazing skin that feels and looks smooth, polished, clean and nourished. I will definitely be repurchasing this, especially as a little goes a very long way, so it’s very well priced at £9 here – link.

The range also includes some great bath products which I’ve avoided due to the fact that I only have a shower in my home (SO ANNOYING) but if you like a good pampering bath – and who doesn’t? – then this is a great and affordable range to check out, most of which you can view here – link.

*PR Samples

Mask Monday: Murad Intensive-C Radiance Peel

October 19, 2015 2 Comments

I’m currently having a bit of a moment with Murad, mostly due to the fact that every time I use the Exfoliating Cleanser (review here) I like it that little bit more, but also due to the effectiveness of this Intensive-C Radiance Peel, which was extremely handy for my post-poorly skin.

The Murad Intensive-C Radiance Peel is a brightening and exfoliating mask containing glycolic acid to exfoliate, vitamin C and Indian fig to enhance skin clarity and luminosity and myrtle extract to support collagen production. You use by applying a thin layer, leaving it on for 10 minutes, then washing it off.

This is a lovely, gentle yet effective mask that really does leave skin looking brighter, clearer and glowing. It’s perfect for anyone who’s been a bit neglectful with their skin, stressed, poorly or just generally under the weather as this removes all signs of fatigue and dullness in a quick and simple fashion. It does mention that there might be a bit of tingling during application, so sensitive skin types will want to patch test, but I think most skin types would be okay with this. It also doesn’t dry or strip skin, so it’s a great option for dry skin types too. If you’re in need of a quick, brightening treatment that’s easy to use and leaves skin both looking and feeling much better after just 10 minutes, the Murad Intensive-C Radiance Peel is an extremely good choice. It’s £49.50 here – link.

*PR Sample

Fragrance Friday: Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium EDT

October 16, 2015 Leave a Comment

If confidence had a scent, it’d be Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium. This gloriously and unashamedly sexy fragrance is the one I reach for when I need to feel feminine yet strong – it’s the ideal first date perfume as it really does boost the way you feel, rather than just hanging around and smelling pretty.

This is definitely more of a night fragrance than a day-to-day scent, which is clear from both the deep notes of coffee, vanilla and patchouli, right through to the slender, misty bottle adorned in black glitter. The top notes are pink pepper, orange blossom and pear, the heart notes are coffee, jasmine and vanilla, patchouli and cedar sit at the base. These notes sound like they could be quite heady and overpowering, but the fragrance remains surprisingly light whilst maintaining strength.

It’s quite tricky to put into words the impact this fragrance has, but it’s kind of like when you have a song that you listen to to instantly make yourself feel more confident (mine’s Strict Machine by Goldfrapp, if you’re interested), in a similar way, the moment I smell YSL’s Black Opium I immediately feel like I’ve just inhaled a confidence boost, so I can’t wait to crack this bad boy out when I next go on a date. Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium EDT starts at £39 for 30ml, pictured is the 50ml for £52, plus there’s also a 90ml bottle available for £77, all of which you can find here – link.

*PR Sample

Glossybox October 2015

October 16, 2015 Leave a Comment

Clearly October is the month for beauty boxes as the Glossybox October 2015 is a scorcher, with all five products being full-sized and a very good mix! The RRP of the contents of the October 2015 Glossybox is over £80, so this month subscribers are getting serious value for money.

As you can see, it’s a decent mix of products with two make-up items, two skincare items and one tool. All of these will get used and I’m genuinely struggling to put these in order of favourites since they’re all such great products from some fab brands.

The So Susan Haute Light Highlighting Pencil is a pretty, peach shade in a creamy and easy to blend formula. This is at the top of my list as I’ve been on the hunt for a decent pencil highlighter that isn’t too sparkly or in-your-face, so I’m very happy this is included. The Nicka K Airbrush Blending Sponge is a very welcome addition to the box, as I love to use a sponge for blending concealer and it’ll be interesting to see how this compares to the Beauty Blender. The Lanolips Golden Ointment Dry Skin Salve is going to be a lifesaver for many now the colder months have arrived, as this multitasking product can be used for any kind of dry areas on the hands, feet or even face apparently!

I have a real soft spot for Talika as I remember whiling away an afternoon mooching through their collection at Fenwicks. To be honest, I wasn’t aware they were still available in the country until very recently, so I’m very happy to try their Photo-Hydra Day cream and put it through it’s paces. Finally, the Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Curl Mascara looks and sounds like a very promising mascara that I’m looking forward to trying. Normally the last product on the list is the least I’m excited about, but I think this is the first time ever that there are no products I’m not really keen to try! You can subscribe to Glossybox here – link – with prices starting at £8.50 for a 12 month plan.

*PR Sample

Beauty

Footer

Join Our Mailing List

Categories