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Sunday 26 July 2015

Clarins/Instant Concealer

You'll all know my hereditary dark circles are the thing that gets me down the most, and probably the thing I've spent the most money on trying to remedy, through creams or make up. 

I have to say after being sent the Clarins Instant Concealer*to review I'm actually really impressed with the results you can achieve with this. 

The concealer is a lovely creamy consistency, best applied from the back of your hand with a warm finger. For me the best results depend on the way it's applied, and in my case that means layering! Apply the concealer to the middle of the eye so you don't get too much directly under the eyes, for me this makes the blend out easier. Once I've applied the first layer I move onto the next eye, this allows the first layer to set and I leave it a good 2-3 minutes between layers, for me this avoids pulling off the first layer and allows it time to sink into the skin. 
I apply my concealer after my foundation, and I finish my application by setting my concealer with my trusty Ben Nye Banana powder and a dry beauty blender. I'd always advise to skip powder if you have fine lines around your eyes as it can enhance the crepeyness of the delicate skin. 
This is a must have in my opinion, staying power is all day and it gives a lovely cooling feeling on application, even popping it in the fridge can help reduce puffiness if this is something you suffer with. 

This is in the shade 01 although there are 4 different colours to choose from so definitely head into your local Clarins counter to get perfectly matched. 

Head over to the Clarins Website to shop now, priced at £21.50 for 15ml this will last you forever. If you've been on the hunt for your perfect concealer you need to give this one a go! 
xoxo
*PR Sample

Ted Baker/New Bath & Body Collection

I'm a huge Ted Baker fan, I own clothing, handbags purses and even jewelry. 
The brand new body product range has just launched and I've been lucky enough to try* both of the new fragrances on offer, they come in both full and travel sizes so you can even take them with you on your holidays. 

I adore the packaging, and in true Ted Baker style they are something you'd want to show off on your dresser, and of course in your bathroom. 

So what does the collection have to offer? 
Well you'll find body wash, body moisturiser, body mist, lip balm and bubble bath. 
The fragrances are: Pink & Mint. 

Pink is a gorgeous blend of grapefruit, mandarin and mango with subtle floral notes of neroli and jasmine, and base notes of patchouli sandalwood and musk complete the scent, it's fresh, sweet and gentle. I've been reviewing the body wash, body mist and body souffle in this collection and this is my fave out of the 2 fragrance selections. My must have product is the souffle, its a gorgeous thick creamy moisturiser that melts into the skin. The pot is stunning, its all cut into gorgeous angles and is a must have on the dressing table. 
The wash is as good as you'd expect didn't find it dried my skin out or anything and is packed with the same fragrance as the other products, as it's not overly strong it would be a good idea to layer with the wash, then the souffle and the mist to finish. The mist is great for a freshen up during the day so I always have mine in my handbag. 

The Mint fragrance is a blend of fruity top notes, and a hint of violet, and base notes of patchouli, vanilla & amber. It's not a minty smell that's purely the colour of the packaging and the fragrance is more fresh than floral so if that's more you then go for the mint one. You'' see from these pictures that I've got the Pink collection in the standard sizes and the Mint collection in the minis. 
These products are all exclusive to Boots here in the UK so head over the Boots.com Website to shop the range now. 

Each fragrance offers gift sets which are just perfect to give to your fave female friends, who wouldn't want to receive these?! 
xoxoxo
*PR Samples

Sunday 19 July 2015

Lush Oxford Street/Flagship Store

You haven't died and gone to Lush heaven, yes this place really does exist.

Three floors of Lushness, I was super excited to pay a visit to the brand new Lush flagship store in London. This is the brands biggest and best store to date and they've really gone to town on this place. 

I was actually quite restrained for me when shopping, probably a good thing for my bank card mind you but never the less I treated myself to a few things. 

This is the only Lush store to offer 'Oxford Street Exclusive' products, 200 of them in fact.
You could easily spend a good couple of hours in here, I loved the Oxford Street soap and all the amazing products I'd never seen before. The idea is many of these products will stay exclusive to this store, although some will roll out to other branches later this year.

Here's my mini haul, I was limited to what I could buy as I had to train it home, but I picked up 4 of the exclusive products......
The Experimenter Bath Bomb, The Karma Bath Bomb, Yuzu & Coco Shower Gel & Refresher Shower Jelly

I cant wait to use these goodies, as soon as I do I'll be sure to share my thoughts on them, keep an eye out on my Insta for updates.

I adore Lush and this has made our relationship even stronger :)
xoxoxo

Cocoa Brown/1 Hour Dark Mousse Review

I love a good faux glow I've reviewed quite a few lately, this is the Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan, in the new Dark shade. I always opt for the darker if there's an option too, I much prefer the darker results. 

This tan was developed by Marissa Carter, she launched Cocoa Brown back in 2012 and as a blogger I know its a tan we rave about in the beauty bloggers world, so It's been great to get a taste of what all the fuss is about. 

Things I love about the Dark mousse: 
Really quick and easy to apply, melts into the skin, no tan smell, suits all skin types thanks to it's paraben free formula, the colour is always brown ans never orange, and the value for money is unbeatable. 
You can leave the formula on the skin for up to three hours, like I did to get the darkest result, but it's really up to you how deep you want to go so just keep an eye on your colour whilst you develop. 
You get quite alot of product colour run off in the shower but you are left with a beautiful golden natural looking tan. 
The only downside for me is the fade off, it seems to be a little more patchy than some other brands although the colour fades loads so you cant really notice it, it wouldn't put me off buying it again. 

These products are multi award winning and this tan being under £8 is just fantastic. If your new to tanning and you don't want a deep result then opt for the standard 1 Hour version. 

Many tans don't offer skincare to accompany them, and for me this is a bit off putting as it's great to be able to have a prep and a maintenance step to use alongside the tan itself. 
Cocoa Brown has a whole wardrobe of products to offer and that includes varying tanners as well as body care products. I'm going to invest in the Chocolate Whip Body Lotion and the Tough Stuff Scrub. I am super impressed by the travel kit which comprises of a mini scrub, a small mousse, and the body lotion so you can tan while your on the go, so impressive! 

The products are stocked in supermarkets and Superdrug & Primark stores here in the UK meaning they are easily accessible rather than only being able to order online like some other brands. Here's a link to the full list of stockists in the UK, wherever you live you'll be able to find your closest retailer by heading over to the website. 

I'll definitely be using this tan again, are you a fan of Cocoa Brown?
xoxo

The London Edit/EdSheeran Shopping & Sightseeing

My Instagram followers will know I went to London last weekend after my better half surprised me with tickets to see Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium.

I had the best time, as I always do when visiting my fave city ever.

We travelled up on the Thursday, despite the train strikes we had no problems getting there. When we arrived the tubes were on strike, meaning we had a couple of hours to walk before we arrived at the hotel. Via Oxford Street this was no problem as it meant I was able to make some purchases en route.

We stayed at the Hilton Tower Bridge meaning we had the Shard to look out from our window and the stunning Tower Bridge out the back, it's a lovely area and full of historic landmarks and things to do. 
St Paul's Cathedral was beautiful, I've never seen it before despite all the times we've visited London so it was wonderful to see it , and of course just round the corner is the Paternoster Chophouse which you'll be more familiar with from the hit TV show First Dates. 

We had a cocktail each in there, i opted for the First Dates Cocktail, and my other half had a Summer Cup. 
Friday Night was the one we had been waiting for, Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium. I was blown away by the size of the place, what a great atmosphere. Ed was on stage for 2 hours straight and was joined half way through by musical legend Elton John, the place went crazy when Ed announced he was joining him. Ed is absolutely amazing live, pure talent. If you get the chance to go and see him, do it!
Saturday was shopping time, so we headed out to Knightsbridge and then to Covent Garden, lots of yummy food and of course Pimms on the Southbank made for a perfect day. I did buy a few things, and had a cheeky trip to Space NK which I'll be featuring in another post shortly. 
I have found my next pair of Louboutins, they are on my wish list! At around £700 they are mega money so think i'll save a bit longer before splurging on them. 
Cocktails up the OXO tower.....
Another fab weekend away in my fave city, I love this place and cant wait to go back again already! 
xoxo

Saturday 18 July 2015

Thierry Mugler/Angel Eau Sucree Limited Edition 2015


Thierry Mugler have just launched their second version of this delicious, limited edition offering of the cult classic, iconic Angel fragrance, I've been reviewing this over the past week* and I'm head over heels for this stunning scent. 

If you love sweet, berry fragrances, this is going to be a must have for you too. The smell is a wonderful blend of red berries, sorbet, caramel, and meringue. It reminds me of candy floss and I've had so many compliments on it. 

For an EDT it has pretty impressive staying power, I'd say 4-6 hours on me which is really good.

The bottle has been given a light dusting of sugar around the edges, and the box is a beautiful pastel design, of a pick n mix candy bag. 

This is only going to be around for a limited time so if you love it then grab it while you can, it's prefect for day or night times as the sweet notes help keep it light, perfect for this timke of year. 

Head over to the Thierry Mugler Website to shop the frangrance now, it retails at £45 for a 50ml bottle. 

xoxo  
*PR Sample

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