L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Roll-On Eau de Toilette Intense

Last week I was killing time during my lunch hour and found myself browsing in L'Occitane.  I absent mindedly picked up the Cherry Blossom Roll-On Eau de Toilette and applied it and thought nothing more of it......until later that afternoon when I kept noticing a gorgeous smell was wafting under my nose!  I realised it was the Cherry Blossom!

This isn't my regular kind of fragrance in that it is floral and feminine, it is subtle though so doesn't overpower.  I also find it develops into something more powdery and musky which really appeals to me.  The fragrance is really long lasting which for some reason impressed me (maybe I wasn't expecting that much from L'Occitane!)

I love the bottle and rollerball application - its so easy and portable.  The lady at the counter gave me a velvet pouch to store this in which is perfect for when it is being carted around in my handbag.  I wish more companies would sell these roll-on perfumes - they are just so convenient!

Have any of you tried this or any other L'Occitane perfumes?  I really want to try the Cherry Blossom shower gel and body lotion now!

This cost me £14.50 for 10ml.

August Empties

Here are the items that I have recently finished and a little about what I thought of them.

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray (sample)

I got this sample in a Space NK goodie bag, it was a good little size, there was enough to use about 15 times   or so.  I really liked this, it contains essential oils of Lavender, Vetivert and Wild Camomile and I would spray it either on my pillow or sheets but found you only need one or two sprays as it is fairly strong.  I found the aroma really relaxing and it just made me get in the mood for sleep (if that makes sense).  I have to confess that I hardly ever having problems sleeping so I probably don't have any need for this product but I would definitely repurchase as its a lovely way to end the day.

Kerastase Bain Chroma Riche Shampoo

I bought this shampoo from Lookfantastic.com when there was a sale on and I have already repurchased!  Yep I really like it.  Its a shampoo for damaged, coloured, highlighted or sensitised hair and due to highlights and blowdrying my hair everytime I wash it!  I can't use this shampoo everytime I wash my hair as I find it weighs it down slightly but I use this every third shampoo and find it keeps the condition in good nick and my highlights have not faded.  It smells really nice and lathers up well and comes in a nice pink bottle - what more could I want?!

Vidal Sassoon Illumunating Restore Mask (sample)

I got this sample in a Glossybox a while back.  Its a weekly treatment which is meant to condition your hair and bring your colour back to life.  It is also meant to prevent breakage.  I really enjoyed using this and I did think my hair looked better afterwards.  After shampooing I smothered my hair (from the middle to the ends) in the mask and left it for about 10 minutes.  It felt more silky when it was dry but still manageable.  I would buy this again if the price was right - I am not sure what a full tube of this retails at.  If its reasonable I'd definitely buy it.

Space NK Beautannia Bath and Shower Gel in Brighton and Balfour 

Both of these shower gels were part of a gift set, they are a decent size for travelling but also last quite well as they really lather up so I just used them at home in the shower.  Both smell lovely but my favourite has to be Balfour - I was so sad when I finished this as it was so lovely.  Balfour contains English fern, oakmoss and vetiver - I found it a woody smell and would love to use this in winter.  However it costs £30 for a full size bottle so I will have to pass on it (sob sob).  If it ever goes in the sale though I shall be purchasing!!

Essie Jam n Jelly

Recently I have been trying to branch out with the colours that I wear on my nails.  For a long time I only really wore reds but recently I have discovered that reddy pinks look really nice (ok I know I am not being that adventurous!) so on Friday I decided to try Essie's Jam n Jelly shade.  It's a rich fuchsia pink that has some shimmer in it.  It looks gorgeous in the bottle so I couldn't resist it!

As normal, I am wearing a base coat, two coats of the colour and Seche Vite topcoat.

I think this colour is cute but I have to admit I don't love it on me.  I think my skintone just doesn't go with this shade!  Also I was reminded that the shimmer/metallic effect isn't for me - I think this is just a personal thing, I used to wear metallic colours when I was a little girl and now when I look at any metallic colours (especially a pink one) it just makes me think of the 1980s!!

So whilst I wouldn't choose this shade again I think it would look nice on someone with a different skintone to mine (pale with cool undertones).  

I am glad I tried this colour however, if you don't try you'll never know what you could be missing out on!

Review: Essie Exotic Liras

Today I tried an Essie colour that I didn't know existed until today but I have to say I am glad I discovered it, as its gorgeous!

At the moment I am loving pinky reds (last week I was wearing Essie Watermelon which isn't a million miles from this shade) and both colours do that thing where in some lights they look red and in others they take on a very pink hue.

As you can see from the bottle it is a beautiful fuchsia shade - I think its so pretty!

Above is a shot in daylight (without flash).  I am wearing a base coat, two coats of Exotic Liras and a top coat.

You can see from this photo (indoors) that it looks like more of a red shade but it it still lovely and shiny looking.  Yet another win from Essie!

Caudalie - Figue de Vigne Eau Fraiche

I really like the Caudalie brand (apart from the Beauty Elixir which I think smells like toothpaste) so when I was recently browsing in John bell & Croyden I was intrigued when I discovered there was a new Caudalie fragrance out.  I had a quick spray and left the store......well for the rest of the day I kept sniffing my wrist and just fell in love with this fragrance that I feel is the perfect summer scent.

Its called Figue de Vignes and on the Caudalie website they describe the frangrance like this "The inspiration for Figue de Vigne is a wonderful summer afternoon on the island of Lande, in the shade of the fig tree leaves where notes of citrus fruit and white wood mingle".   Now I don't know where the island of Lande is but the rest of the description is spot on - the scent is citrusy yet woody.  I can also detect fig notes in there.  The overall result is very fresh and light.

I really like the bottle, its simple and works well, the cardboard container is really handy too (more so that a standard box) as you can pack this in your bag if you are travelling and the glass bottle will be protected. 

The only downside to Figue de Vigne is that it isn't the most long lasting scent, maybe this is to be expected as its meant to be a light summery fragrance but it would be nice if it lasted a bit longer.  That said I adore it so much I will be repurchasing.

If you are still looking for that perfect summer fragrance I would definitely suggest seeking this one out for a sniff. 

I purchased a 50ml bottle at John Bell & Croyden for £26 but it is also available online for £23.40 here

Review: Alterna Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist

I received this sample sized bottle of Alterna Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist in my July Glossybox.  I always like to try these texturising sprays/seasalt sprays so was really chuffed to receive this item.  Its a fairly decent sample size too.

I currently own Oribe Apres Beach Wave Spray and Philip B Maui Wowie Beach Mist and I like both of these.  They both smell lovely and leave my hair looking tousled.  However I have found that both can dry my hair out if I use them too regularly so I tend to only use them on occasion otherwise my hair will resemble straw.

I have been using this Tousled Texture Mist for well over two weeks and I have used it nearly every day.  My first impressions - it doesn't have much of a smell, I meant it's pleasant but after 30 seconds you can't smell a thing - I don't mind this as it means there is no clash with my perfume.  I have sprayed it into my damp hair and also onto my second day dry hair and both times the results are very similar.....it gives my fine hair a lovely wave which seems to hold for the entire day, it also gives my hair much needed body.  

So that is all great but the best thing is that it doesn't dry out my hair at all and it doesn't seem to be damaging my hair!  I will definitely buy this mist as its the first one I have used that hasn't left my hair feeling dry and if I am honest it's given the best results - a tousled healthy look rather than dragged through a hedge backwards look!!

I have found it online at www.lookfantastic.com for £23 for 125ml, whilst it is expensive you don't need to use much so I think a 125ml bottle would last a long time!

Have any of you tried this spray or do you use a similar spray?

Review: Essie Watermelon

I loved the pink shade I had on my nails last week, see review here. So this week I wanted to stay with the pink theme - we are having such nice weather in London at the moment and I think I want my nails to reflect the brightness and light!

I had seen an Essie shade called Watermelon in Boots and thought it looked lovely so that's what I went for today.  In the bottle it looks pink but after it was put on my nails I thought "ah it actually looks quite red" but it depends what light I am in.  

However I think the best way to describe this shade is to say it is a raspberry colour!  Its a beautiful deep shade and really does feel summery - I really don't think I'd wear this shade in winter although of course you could but I know that I always tend to stick to deep dark reds come winter!  Yes I am a creature of habit!

You can probably see more pink in the photo above which was taken next to the window - its gorgeous isn't it?  I can't believe I have never had this colour on my nails before......I will definitely be sporting watermelon nails in the future!

Have a great weekend everyone!