Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot

During London's recent heatwave, my face suffered from an attack of the shiny t-zone!  Not a good look!  So I decided that I needed to carry around with me a face powder that would allow me to get rid of the shine throughout the day.  I didn't want to carry a super high end item that would cost a fortune and make me cry if it smashed in my handbag so I set off to Boots to look for a reasonable but well performing powder!

I found myself at the Soap and Glory stand where there was a 3 for 2 promotion going on (this offer was on a lot of the make up brands - L'Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon, Rimmel etc) but the Soap and Glory products really drew me in, the products seem innovative and the packaging is really cute!  Eventually after applying to the back of my had several times I decided to buy One Heck of a Blot!

As you can see the packaging is really cute and its different to everything else that is on the shelves.

This is a translucent mattifying powder.  It comes in one shade which suits all.  I have to say it does what it says on the tin!  It gets rid of shine but (and this is very important) it doesn't look powdery or cakey at all.  At home I apply with a large brush but when out and about I use the puff that it comes with, I prefer a brush but the puff does the job fine.  It also comes with a mirror - very handy!

I bought this a few weeks ago but have been using it almost daily, this is an item I would definitely repurchase and I think it performs just as well as some of the higher end products.

One Heck of a Blot is £12 at Boots but I got this as part of a 3 for 2 promotion (I also bought the Kick-ass concealer and Glow All Out which I will be reviewing soon - watch this space!)

Diptyque Lait Frais Fresh Lotion for the Body - My new favourite body lotion!

I love Diptyque candles, they are the most gorgeous smelling, luxurious items ever and if I was rich I'd have them burning constantly!  As I love the brand so much I had previously bought friends and family Christmas gifts of Diptyque's body products but I had never used any of the body lotions or washes myself.  I needed to rectify this!

Recently I was browsing in Space NK and applied the Lait Frais Fresh Lotion for the Body to the back of my hand and "Wow" it smelt gorgeous!  For the rest of the day the gorgeous aroma kept wafting and I knew then I would have to buy this lotion!

As with all Diptyque products it is packaged beautifully and looks really classy.  The ingredients are listed on the back:

I quite like that the bottle is plastic (meaning you can travel with it) and I love that their is a pump dispenser meaning its easy to use and you get just the right amount of product out.

I would say that this lotion is perfect for summer.  Its light in texture, absorbs quickly and the fragrance......it is so good, I absolutely love it!  Orange Blossom and the fresh green citrus of petitgrain is what makes this so special, and it really lasts too, I can still smell it hours after applying it but it is in no way overpowering.....in fact I find the smell comforting.

I will definitely repurchase this lotion - I would say its become one of my new favourites.  I think we can safely say that my foray into Diptyque body products has been a massive success! 

I bought this for £31 at Space NK (but I was able to put £10 that was on my Space NK NDulge card towards the cost - bonus!)

Review: Benefit World Famous Neutrals Palette in Easiest Nudes Ever...

For quite a long time I have been reading other beauty bloggers raving about Benefit's Creaseless Cream Shadows and the general consensus was excellent and the shades looked gorgeous.  

A couple of weeks back I found myself at a Benefit counter swatching all of the cream shadows (yes my hand was a mess afterwards!)  Typical of me I was drawn to the taupe shades and was narrowing down which to choose when the assistant said to me that for £23.50 I could get one of the Eyeshadow Palettes which contain four powder shadows and two cream shadows.  That's quite a good deal as one cream shadow costs £15.50 each.  So I decided it was a much better idea to get one of the palettes!

I plumped for World Famous Neutrals in Easiest Nudes Ever...

As you can see, the packaging is very cute if a bit bulky.

I have to admit the packaging did seduce me!

I really liked the colour of the two cream shades and that is why I chose this palette over the Sexiest Nudes and Glamourous Nudes.  Here are the colours and their names:

r.s.v.p. and no pressure! look lovely don't they?

The case opens up to show a Tips and Tricks leaflet which opens out to show you two looks you can create, I find this a good idea especially if you are unsure how to use the colours.  There is also a mirror.

So........I got home and excitedly tried the shades and that is where my disappointment begins!  I found the pigment in both the cream and powder shades really poor.  I tried to use the shades on my eyelids both with and without primer but in both cases I didn't get the colour payoff that I wanted.  

The cream shades were really disappointing as I had read so much about them and how good they were however I just found that the colour was wishy washy and they felt really quite greasy.  My Laura Mercier Caviar Stick leaves these in the shade in terms of pigment and texture.

I also had a similar problem with the powder shades, simply they were not pigmented enough.  I had to layer and layer to get the colour to show up - it seemed like a lot of effort for not much of a result.  Whereas I have other eyeshadows that I merely sweep on my eyelid and get a great wash of colour.

I am afraid I also found fault with the packaging.  I would open it up so I could use the colours but the lid kept snapping shut - pah!  Not a big deal I know but it irritated me.

I feel like this was a waste of £23.50 and I feel slightly perplexed as other bloggers seem to love this palette. I guess it just shows that we are all different and what works for one person may not work for another.

I may have to do a blog sale soon and this will be the first item for sale!!

I bought this from Boots.

*************UPDATE!!!!!**************

Over a year later I revisted this palette and whilst I am still not that keen on the powder eyeshadows, I am starting to really like the cream shade in No Pressure!  I think I was being too light with it when I first used it but the key is to get quite a lot on your ring finger or brush and to keep building until you have a decent amount of colour going on.  

I was going to get rid of this palette last month as I hadn't gone near it in a year!  However, I am so glad I gave it all another chance as the cream shades are not too bad and it is a lesson to me to play around with make-up if at first I am not keen on something!  There you go, that's my lesson for today!

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!