Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle

I'm in a Deborah Lippmann mood and yet this is the last of my latest polishes.

(sad face)

It came with Decembers Glossybox.

Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle. 

 Isn't it lovely, doesn't it make you want more?

(It's also far more sparkly in real life, it also has hints of red in there) 

This is two coats of Razzle Dazzle and I'd say it needs a generous dose of topcoat to smooth out the bumps of glitter and to make it really shine. 

Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

I've been spamming twitter with photos of my latest acquisition recently so I thought it would be better to actually blog (what's that word..... it's been ages) about it.

Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe. 

£16 from House of Fraser.

 Isn't it stunning, this is a clear blue (as in it's blue but not opaque) gel polish with blue and green hexagons suspended in it. I found it better to apply a colour first (Nails Inc Downing Street, a steel blue) then layer this over the top, as I feel trying to build this to opacity on it's own would take many layers.

As you can see it's gone from the steel blue of the Nails Inc base to a deeper, richer blue speckled with the multi hued hexagons. 

Very mermaidy, and it invites a lot of compliments. 

Glossybox's December Special.

Did I tell you about Novembers glossybox? 

Probably not, because I thought it was a rather fail box to be honest, the best thing from that box was the Illamasqua Freak perfume sample. Other than that I have enough hair masks, face washes and foot scrubs to last a life time and don't get me started on those nail wrap things.

But Decembers box has made up for November sucking so bad (I guess they can't get it right all the time for everyone)

The first thing I saw with this box was that it is red, now you all know me, I love red so this box made me very happy before I even opened it. And once I had opened it my eyes were instantly drawn to the mini Deborah Lippmann polish in Razzle Dazzle along with a nail polish removing mitt.

Deborah Lippmann....... in a GLITTERY PURPLE PEOPLE!!! 

(It's official, I'm happy) 

 There's also a full sized foaming shower gel that sounds very intriguing and I look forward to trying it out. (Another) face cream, a Cargo Cosmetics lipgloss (see how pretty it is below) and a Mascara by Blink, which I at first mistook for a marker pen. 

 The thing that made this box for me, Deborah Lippmann. But I really like the look of the shower gel, lipgloss and mascara so this months box gets good marks from me.

I will be bringing swatches soon, when I get better light, and on that note I apologise for my photos been taken using flash, it's pitch black outside at 6.10pm.

I've also noted that Glossybox have bought out a box for men, quarterly (not that my man would be interested). And that they are bringing out another limited edition box for Valentines Day which means there will be a slightly longer wait for your January box. (Don't say you weren't warned) 

Did you get Decembers Glossybox, and if so did you like what was in it?

* Received for review 

Purity Skincare. The full range.

I decided a while ago that I was going to try use natural skincare without the wide range of chemicals that appear in a lot of products these days, mostly because my skin can't decide if it's having a good day or bad day but also because I sometimes wonder if all the stuff we put on our skin actually creates the problems their meant to be solving.

Because I'd been harping on about this on twitter (Twitter is king btw) I was contacted by a company called Purity who creates organic skincare with an offer to try out their skincare products. 

Naturally I jumped at the chance and was amazed when I had pretty much their entire range through my door. (I thought I'd get one or two items, how generous are they?)

I received;

Facial Wash

Fragrance free for sensitive skin

150ml, 98% Natural; 70% Organic

"A blend of softening, moisture retaining and conditioning Sweet Almond Oil, Aloe Vera and Glycerine is combined within a gentle Coconut and sugar-based foam to cleanse, soothe and protect skin. Added Citric acid controls skins PH Levels.

The Aloe Vera is sourced in the Dominican Republic and the Sweet Almond Oil from Spain."

Facial Exfoliator

Deep pore cleansing

Fragrance free for sensitive skin

100ml, 98% Natural; 89% Organic

"A deep pore cleanser uses rounded, ground coconut shell to exfoliate within a blend of softening, moisturising retaining and conditioning Coconut Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Glycerine and Aloe Vera to leave your skin cleaner, softer and brighter.

Added Xanthum Gum thickens and stabilises. The Coconut is sourced from the French Republic."

Facial Moisturiser

Fragrance free for sensitive skin

50ml, 98% Natural; 85% Organic

"A light whipped-mousse moisturiser with a blend of moisturising, softening and moisture-retaining Coconut Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Shea Butter, and anit-oxidant Vitamin E which helps condition the skin, leaving it soft and balanced. Added Beeswax soothes, softens and protects the skin.

The Shea Butter is sourced from West Africa, the Vitamin E sourced from the UK."

Anti-aging Moisturiser

Fragrance free for sensitive skin

50ml, 98% Natural; 75% Organic

"A powerful moisturiser to improve and protect the skin, rich in Cranberry Seed Oil, with Omega 3, 6 and 9 the essential fatty acids your skin needs to help prevent aging. Also contains Rosehip Seed Oil, renowned for its powerful skin-conditioning and restorative properties and Vitamin E as a protecting antioxidant. Ceramide 3 limits the loss of water from the skin and Rose Flower Water acts as a skin toner. These hard-working ingredients are blended in Sweet Almond Oil, Shea Butter, Beeswax and Aloe Vera and combine to boost the skin's own functions and help prevent premature aging.

The Cranberry Seed Oil is sourced in the USA; the Rose Flower Water is sourced in the Middle East."

Anti-aging Mask and Serum

Fragrance free for sensitive skin

50ml, 98% Natural; 95% Organic

"A powerful treatment to boost your skin's natural regeneration process.

Sweet Almond Oil and Aloe Vera combine with Cranberry Seed Oil, rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9 to help repair the skin and assist with moisture retention. Rosewater tones the skin and antioxidant Vitamin E improves and protects the look and the feel of the skin."

 Conditioning Cleansing Lotion

Make-up remover, fragrance free for sensitive skin

150ml, 98% Natural; 83% Organic

"An effective skin conditioning cleanser with a blend of clever ingredients which effectively break down and gently remove the day's grime and make-up. Special ingredients combine with the softening, moisture retaining and conditioning Sweet Almond Oil, Aloe Vera and Glycerine base: Oats condition and restore, Amino Acids help skin to absorb moisture, Avocado Oil conditions the skin, and Euphrasia and Rose Water tones the skin.

The Oat Kernel Flour is sourced in Sweden, the Avocado Oil is sourced from South Africa."

Regenerating Overnight Moisturiser

Fragrance free for sensitive skin

50ml, 98% Natural; 76% Organic

"A deep, repairing and healing cream, Sweet Almond Oil, Beeswax and Aloe Vera soften and protect the skin. Ceramide 3 reinforces the moisture barrier of the skin and improves long term moisturisation, protecting against sustained daytime environmental damage. Added Vitamin E improves the health of the skin, leaving it restored, regenerated and ready to face another day.

The Beeswax is sourced from France.

Phew, did you get all that?

Anyway I've been using the products since I received them and I can say I like them quite a lot. When they say fragrance free they mean fragrance free, the only scent to the products I could smell was (I'm assuming) the actual natural ingredients themselves. So if you're allergic to fragrances (as some are I know full well) then this could be for you.

As you can probably tell from my photos I prefer the facial wash to the cleansing lotion, but that is because I prefer wash off cleansers to cotton wool cleansers, both work a treat but I'd say the lotion is more moisturising.  

The scrub is lovely, it contains quite a few 'gritty' bits to really scrub your skin clean, but contained in such a rich cream that it's a luxury sensation to use. My skin always feels baby soft after use.

The day cream, is fairly thick in consistency but still a soft cream. While the night cream is very thick, set almost in consistency and very rich, takes a little sinking in but will eventually settle. (it's the shea)

The serum is... interesting, lets put it this way, after applying it I felt like I'd had botox as I couldn't move my face around. I used it overnight, and in the morning the lack of movement had worn off, I'd say this was great for reducing expression therefore reducing expression lines.

The most expensive item in this list is only £8.99 so you have a good range of products at an affordable price.

Go check them out on Twitter, and their website. 

Haus of Gloi Winter Reverie

In Haus of Gloi news.    Winter Reverie goes live Tuesday the 13th at Noon PST!

Boreal  A note about Boreal: If you're wary of camphorous notes associated with eucalyptus, fear not! This variety is smooth, woody and clean - not at all sharp or medicinal. *   Pale lily, South African eucalyptus, white champa, petitgrain, white grapefruit, rosemary and a bit of white cocoa co2 to take off the bite. (Perfume, Pumpkin Butter, Whipped Soap)      Winter Divinity  Sugary white vanilla divinity with a surprising jolt of peppermint. (Perfume, Pumpkin Butter, Whipped Soap)    Hot Cocoa  A simple cup of hot cocoa with a few mostly melted marshmallows. (Perfume, Pumpkin Butter, Whipped Soap) Peppermint Cocoa   Hot cuppa cocoa infused with peppermint.  (Perfume, Pumpkin Butter, Whipped Soap)    I thought my fellow Haus of Gloi lovers would like to know when the next collection is out.

17's BB Cream in Light

Hands up if you've heard of BB cream.

Me too.

Now hands up if you really understand what a BB cream is.

No me neither.

I don't think it helps that in the UK every company has bought out a 'BB' cream which are more like tinted moisturizers than the holy grail of make-up they appears to be in the East.

Anyway moving on from that I got sent 17's offering of BB cream, available in Medium and Light. Yes, only two shades to choose from.

Reading the back of the box it sounds like it should tick all the boxes for amazing make-up;

Covers skin imperfections with full coverage and oil control.

Enhances, smooths and evens skin tone for a flawless finish.

Protects and promotes healthy skin with SPF 25.

 Sounds wonderful. 

So how did it work out I hear you asking me.

Well.. the cream is very thick and you don't need a great deal to cover your face. And it does 'sink' into the skin fairly well, so you get a 'no obvious make-up' look.  

(Spot the slight orange cast to my hand in the bottom picture) 

BUT it doesn't cover imperfections, I needed my concealer still while wearing it, and the colour choices aren't varied enough. I've heard girls saying that medium isn't dark enough for them, well light isn't light enough for me.

Also my skin tone didn't look even, mostly because it didn't cover my imperfections (as they put it) and I didn't get a flawless finish. Added to the slight orange tinge around the edges where you could see the contrast between my natural skin colour and the cream it's not amazing.

It's also not horrid if you don't expect it you work wonders, if you're after a barely there look with a decent SPF then this could be for you. 

I have it on here, along with stripped hair colour (more about that another post) 

 And a close up. 

 Have you tried it, would you try it?

£6.99 from Boots 

Clarins Figure Shaping Body Treatment

Source

"It’s been 4 years since Clarins introduced a new body treatment and 8 years since Clarins first created it’s PRO formula products for professional use only, making today a significant milestone in a 56 year heritage of developing and practicing serious beauty therapy treatments.

As defined by founder Jacques Courtin-Clarins, the Clarins treatment objective is always to deliver the very best results for your skin, as efficiently as possible and for that experience to give pleasure and restore wellbeing.

The TriActive Body Treatment is for all skin concerns. There are 8 CLARINSPRO body products – botanical-rich deep exfoliants, supplements and masks – and depending on the personalisation of the body treatment, up to 3 will be used on each client.  

Each body treatment begins with a cleansing and refining exfoliation using CLARINSPRO intensive peeling lotion. 

Next, the therapist selects one intensive supplement from a choice of Contouring, Hydrating and Firming, each one formulated to reactivate a specific function in the skin and then an intensive mask is selected from a choice of Body Contouring Gel-Mask, Body Nourishing Balm-Mask and Body Firming Cream Mask. 

The therapist selects one of three 100% pure plant body treatment oils to facilitate the full body massage from a choice of contouring Anti-Eau, Firming Tonic and De-Stressing Relax."

  Sound's delish doesn't it?

Well this is what I had the very good fortune to try out courtesy of a voucher sent to me by Sam the lovely Clarins PR lady. This voucher entitled me to one free body treatment and I chose to have the Figure Shaper treatment, mostly because it promises to; 

'Refine the appearance of skin, perking up overall tone and helping your body to look smoother and more streamlined. Circulation is boosted, reducing fluid retention.' 

Alas the picture at the top of the page is not me having the treatment as I took no photos, plus I don't look that skinny/perfect/young.

The treatment started with the lovely lady explaining what she does during the session, during which I opted out of the boobie massage (for perking your boobs up but I'd rather remain covered thanks very much and all that) but opted in for an additional oil added to the massage cream to give me softer skin.

I then stripped and put on a very fetching pair of paper knickers (sexy) and got under the fluffy white towels to begin.

It started with an exfoliation treatment, a 2% Glycolic peel if memory serves, applied on mitts all over. Then the treatment begins, each limb (and your stomach) is uncovered one at a time and the creams applied and massaged in using lots of lovely light and deep movements. You even get your hands and feet massaged at the same time, all the while relaxing music is playing. I admit, I nearly drifted off.

You get to choose a body part that is your most troublesome (thighs) and an intensive mask is applied and wrapped up for a time while you get your head massaged. Yes they really go to town on the massage (Bliss) After that another cream is then added to your troublesome areas, (a caffeine rich circulation booster in my case, it felt cold and tingled but the feeling didn't last long) and you are given time to get up and re dressed while the masseuse goes down to the front desk.

At this point you realize just how much you need to pee.... (truth all that massage, helps water retention after all) 

I was a bit worried with the amount of thick creams used on me I'd be all slippy and greasy and cover my clothes in goo, but not so.. They had all sunk into my skin and all I felt was soft and smooth. And that feeling has lasted all week so far, it's been five days since I had this treatment and I still feel smooth and soft.

The treatment lasts 1hr 15min and normally costs £45. Which is a bargain I'd say.

I went to the Clarins Gold Salon at Central Pharmacy Cardiff. 

And I would totally recommend this place to others.

Illamasqua Freak

I have been a bad blogger *sad face* my last post was over a week ago and the only excuse I have is that my mojo had packed its bags and gone away for a while.

But I'm back, and with this little pretty.

 The best bit from Novembers Glossybox. (Sorry Glossybox, the last box pretty much sucked)

"The first fragrance from Illamasqua, Freak is a concoction of dangerously exotic unconventional flowers that Illamasqua has unashamedly blended together to celebrate the night. The intoxicating scent includes notes of Black Davana, Belladonna, Poison Hemlock and Queen of the Night." 

First things first, I LOVE the perfume, it smells like something I would buy, although £59 is a bit steep in my book but I guess for 75ml it's okay. (Note, Illamasqua, bring out other sizes) but freaky... is this perfume freaky? 

Well no, it isn't. My very first thought when I sprayed it was 'it's an older womans scent'. I would assume that's not the reaction Illamasqua wanted, it was only as the scent 'matured' (PUN) on my skin I came to love it.

It reminds me an awful lot of another perfume I have smelt but don't own. I sniffed all mine to try and find it too. I have been told it smells like Narciso Rodriguez For Her but I've never tried that so can't comment. But this tell's me that Freak really isn't as unusual as they are trying to make it out. It's also not that unisex, I wouldn't give this to a man unless they liked feminine scents. It fairly screams WOMAN to me, not unisex at all.

As for me trying to 'detect' what 'notes' I can smell in this perfume.... dream on, my nose isn't that good. But it is the kind of perfume I could see a business woman wearing, or a stronger woman. It's not one I think a shy woman would want to wear.

Another plus point, the scent lingers all day and smells better and better.

Will I buy it?

If I get a spare £59 yes, but I won't rush out and spend money I don't have to own it. Even for this bottle.