Liz Earle Flight Essentials Kit review

As you know I went away recently to Spain and thanks to restricted liquid limits on airlines now I am unable to take my trusty The Body Shop vitamin E face mist as it's over 100ml. For some reason my normal/slightly dry skin doesn't get on well with aeroplane air and I always seem to develop spots/dry flaky skin within an hour of landing!! I also seem to go over the weight allowance every flight (me - surely not?! ;-)) so absolutely loved this new Liz Earle Flight Essentials Kit (£15.75) which includes four of the most popular beauty must-haves in cabin-friendly sizes. They include Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer 30ml, Skin Repair Moisturiser dry/sensitive 15ml, Superbalm 5g and Hand Repair 15ml. I'm a big fan of the Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer, which is similar to TBS Vitamin E face mist and is great in refreshing dry skin and giving it a boost. It also contains vitamin E and hydrating organic aloe vera and rose-scented geranium.

What other products do you use for air travel - any other tips to avoid dry skin?

Clarins Instant Sun Light Eye Quartet & Liner Palette

I have mega post holiday blues!!! This time last week I was on the beach in Spain - gutted :( I have got loads of blog posts planned for my favourite holiday make-up and skincare products starting from now! I absolutely love the new Clarins Instant Sun Light Eye Quartet & Liner Palette (£29.00) which has four gorgeous bronze eye colours : pearly ginger, iridescent cinnamon, matte cocoa, sparkling paprika and a metallic nutmeg eyeliner. I do love experimenting with new colours but always love shimmery bronze colours when I am on holiday and this palette accentuates your tan perfectly. The eye shadows are really pigmented and blend in easily - love love love this! 

I am ill.....:(

Sorry for the sad face, I have been poorly today and just diagnosed with gastroenteritis so feeling very sorry for myself! Any tips on how to feel better? I just have no energy and all my muscles are aching at the moment. I'm also off on holiday tomorrow so need to pack tonight and have no desire to do so - arhhh normally I love packing to go away!!!  Anyway have a good week or so and I will be back bright and happy next week!

Muchos love xxx

♥ My new favourite perfume ♥

How lovely and hot was this weekend? We had 28 degrees in Bournemouth so I have been to the beach both days which was lovely and even managed a brief swim in the sea - it was bloody freezing!!

Anyway I thought I'd let you all know my new favourite perfume for summer, which I have had for about two weeks now and absolutely love - YSL Parisienne Eau de Parfum. My friend Anita also has it and introduced me to it on a night out and I knew I had to try it! I do like stronger fragrances, like my all time favourite Flowerbomb,  - this one has top notes of cranberry and blackberry reinforced by the middle notes of Otto Rose and Violet, and the bottom notes of Vanilla. Musk and Cashmeran. If you like lighter fragrances then this isn't for you, but if you like long lasting, strong fragrances then you'll love it! It is pricey, which is to be expected for a EDP and costs around £48 for 50ml. 

Has anyone else tried Parisienne and what do you think? 

 ♥

My birthday!

I had a lovely birthday this week and was very spoilt by my friends and family, including this lovely handbag cake from my boyfriend! He knows me very well! I also received some lovely items from Accessorize which I thought I would share. I don't normally buy much from there (unless it is on sale) as I think it is very overpriced, but lovely. Well my lovely Mother bought me the gorgeous Belize Oriental Moulded Cup Bikini and the floral bandeau dress (see below) which I love and can't wait to wear on holiday this year. Looking at the website Accessorize have some gorgeous items out this summer & I am tempted to buy more stuff now!

Who else has got anything from Accessorize this summer & what do you think?

Garnier Fresh Essentials range

Garnier have some exciting new products out this summer & my pick of them is the Fresh Essentials range

for normal to combination skin. The products gently remove make-up, cleanse, refresh and offer a complete sensory pleasure, enriched with grape fruit waters and vitamin E. I love the face wipes which really make your skin soft after using them which normally face wipes don't do and are often regarded as a lazy way to remove make-up! The key skin softening ingredient is Grape Water, which also smells amazing too. I will definitely be re-purchasing these (sorry I can find them online anywhere to link to them?!) I got them from Tesco last week so check the range out there.

Who else has tried the Fresh Essentials range & what do you think?

PS it is my birthday today wooop!

♥ 

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess collection

I love last year's Bronze Goddess collection, especially the limited edition bronzer which is a firm favourite of mine so was really excited to be given the chance to check out the new collection. Estee Lauder describe their new collection as:

"Exotic, eye-popping colour and seductive bronze radiance create a sensuous look. Skin is luminous. Eyes sparkle with bold, metallic hues. Bright lips beckon. Take a walk on the wild side."

My first impressions are I love the gorgeous bright colours, even if the wild coral shade is a bit too adventurous for me (maybe on holiday!) I love the wild orchid colour in the lipgloss (£15) and nail varnish (£12), so these two products are a definite favourite of mine and match perfectly with all my summer outfits. I am also intrigued by the limited edition Eau Fraiche, which is a sensuous, sun-drenched blend of Bergamot and Mandarin, cooled with Tahitian Gardenia Petals and Coconut, warmed with Amber, Sandalwood and Vetiver. I haven't had a chance to try this out yet as the weather has been so awful all weekend but I will definitely be packing this in my holiday suitcase at the end of the month.

Has anyone else tried out the new collection - so far I am loving the bright colours for summer (when it returns!!) I also really want to try out the Bronzing blush as well as it looks gorgeous.

For YSL lovers....

I don't normally copy & paste press releases but as it's Friday and I am a HUGE YSLTouché Éclat fan I thought this offer may interest you all.....

CheapSmells have just launched a truly unbelievable offer starting today just in time for pay day! As part of the CheapSmells.com Massive Spring Sale they are offering a voucher code for an extra £2.00 off the must have YSL Touché Éclat (Radiant Touch No1) Concealer

So instead of paying their usual cheap price of £16.55 its now pay just £14.55 RRP £24.  This is a rock bottom price for a handbag essential and not to be missed!

Simply enter ‘ YSLNo1’ at checkout to claim the discount.

Offer ends at midnight on Monday 3rd May and while stocks of this incredibly popular line last. Maximum purchase of three items in any one order.


Happy shopping!


♥

Back from the dentist.....

Morning everyone! I have just got back from my new dentist after a routine six-month check-up and was given the all clear yay! My dentist also commented on how lovely and clean my teeth are looking AND she could tell I used an electric toothbrush. Wow! I must say before owning an electric toothbrush I was sceptical of the benefits and whether it was worth investing £50 - £100 on a decent brush. Now I have realised it is. I’m 23 (nearly 24!) and last year spent £50 on a filling which could have been avoided by using an electric toothbrush as manual brushes simply don’t get your teeth clean enough.

Boots have a great selection of brushes if you are thinking of getting one – my favourites are the Philips Sonicare Healthy White Electric Toothbrush (£99) and Oral B Triumph electric toothbrush (£159.99). They may seem pricey but if you consider the long-term effects on your oral health then it’s a no brainer for me. It is a preventative beauty product, rather than a cure! Boots also have half price offers on some other Oral B electric toothbrushes at the moment too, so you can get one for around £40.

Who else uses an electric toothbrush, is it worth it in your opinion?


(Photo from Flickr)

New release from Urban Decay - Stardust eyeshadows

If you're a fan of Urban Decay, you'll be excited to know they have some gorgeous new 'Stardust' eyeshadows out which are extremely sparkly - hence the name!! Boasting 40% more glitter than usual sparkly shadows, Stardust delivers a sheer wash of colour, topped with bits of iridescent sparkle that actually stay on your lids thanks to  

a pricey ingredient called reflex. The best bit is you can also add water for a more intense look, definitely one to try out for a night out. There are eight shades in total for everyone's tastes - I love the silver shade 'Moon Spoon' and purple shade '54' as they are a bit subtler for me. You can buy them for £13.50 from Debenhams and Look Fantastic - enjoy! Who else has tried these?

♥ Summer is here! TK Maxx bargains ♥

As summer is FINALLY here it seems I thought I would share with you my new sunglasses from TK Maxx! These beauties are Roberto Cavalli and cost £39.99! They were originally £330 so I think I have got a real bargain here. Unfortunately you can't buy them online, only in stores but worth going in and checking out your local store if you can. I have three pairs of Cavalli sunglasses now so think I am becoming a bit of an addict hahaha!

Has anyone else bought any bargains from TK Maxx recently? 


♥

Easter break!

Hope you all had a nice Easter break? I promise there are some beauty related posts to come but I thought I would post a few photos from my day out to Beer in Devon with my sister. As you can see from the photos, we were really lucky with the weather after having rain on Friday and Saturday! We had a great day eating loads of yummy Devon food - cream teas, cider and fish and chips! 

What did you get up to for Easter? 

♥

Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends review

If you're a fan of Herbal Essences, you'll be excited to know they have launched a new range called Beautiful Ends, which is targeted for people that have hair with split ends (who doesn't?!) Thanks to my straightening addiction, I do have a few split ends that I try to look after & ensure they don't get any worse. I recommend the Split End Protection Conditioner Red Raspberry & Silk which helps protect your hair against split ends and breakage. The smell is gorgeous, as you would expect containing raspberries, and also contains silk extracts to smooth hair. This is definitely my favourite range from the new Herbal Essence ranges (I LOVED the old ones a lot more) as it has a much more appealing smell and really helps keep my slightly dry hair smooth. The products are also priced under £4 so great value - thumbs up from me.

Who else has tried this new range - do you prefer the old-style Herbal Essences like me?

Nivea tinted day cream

Just a quick post tonight as I am off to watch a football game in ten minutes! I have been looking for a new tinted moisturiser for my holiday in a few weeks, and have found a great one from Nivea, my favourite skincare specialists. The NIVEA VISAGE Q10 PLUS ANTI-WRINKLE Tinted Day Cream is part of Nivea's proven Anti-Wrinkle Care System, working in two key ways to protect against daily external influences. What I love about it is it protects against sun damage with UVA + UVB protection SPF 15 and also works as a light foundation really brightening up your skin. I love the smell of this product, compared to other tinted moisturisers like Benefit's You Rebel which can smell a bit strange. It also really moisturises, which again other tinted moisturisers don't do so well. It's only £6 in Boots so I urge you to try this out - perfect for summer (when it finally arrives!)

xxx

Benefit Sugarbomb photos & review

I have read a few mixed reviews about Benefit's Sugarbomb, so was intrigued to try it out and have my say of course :P As I'm sure you know Sugarbomb has a mix of four gorgeous shades - peach, soft plum, shimmering pink and rose.  A few people have said that it doesn't provide good enough coverage for a blusher, but it's not actually a blusher it's a face powder, which is much better for me as blusher on my warm skintone can be a it scary!

I really love the gorgeous colour when all four shades are mixed together (see swatch above - sorry it's not too clear) which gives my face a nice, warm glow that blusher doesn't give me! I prefer Sugarbomb to other Benefit face powders like Dandelion, as it gives a stronger colour and shows up more, but is more subtle than blusher. Benefit products are pricey with this one costing £23.50 but it is unique and will last for ages, so well worth investing if you're not a blusher girl, more a highlighter girl like me! Plus the packaging is as cute as ever, which ALWAYS attracts me to Benefit products.

Who else is a fan of Sugarbomb?

Must have Liz Earle product - Instant Boost Skin Tonic

I know there have been loads of Liz Earle reviews as well on blogger, but I particularly love the Instant Boost Skin Tonic (£11) that I was sent to review which works great on my dry, dull skin this time of year! I must admit I don't also cleanse my skin correctly every night, as I am a bit lazy! I usually use face wipes (Tesco Vitamin E wipes) and then toner, followed by night cream. 

The Instant Boost Skin Tonic revitalises, soothes and brightens, is gentle and alcohol-free and adds a fine layer of moisture. I don't particularly love the floral smell BUT I love what it does to my skin so am happy to carry on using it!! It also contains conditioning natural source vitamin E, cucumber extract, calendula and organic aloe vera juice. Cucumber extract is calming, cooling and toning, calendula is ideal for sensitive skin and organic aloe vera juice moisturises, soothes and helps relieve sunburn which I can vouch for! As it has so many benefits for the skin, I definitely recommend trying out if you can only afford one product at the moment. The products also arrive beautifully wrapped, so would make a lovely gift for someone special. Apparently you can also buy it in a 30ml spritzer bottle, which would be perfect for long aeroplane trips. I also didn't realise Liz Earle is actually based on the Isle of Wight, which isn't far from me in Southampton! 

Who else loves this product from Liz Earle?

Vaseline Sheer Infusion review

I am loving the new Vaseline Sheer Infusion moisturisers, which contain amazing new Stratys-3 technology to give skin a hydration hit across all its multiple levels. Basically that means skin will stay moisturised for longer, will not appear greasy - as the cream won't sit on the top layer of our skin - so works deep down and really targets dry skin like mine. I really love how easily this can be applied to your skin and it literally melts in your hands - it is like silk!! It isn't thick at all, so is perfect for me! I have been using this for a month now to ensure that I have tested it thoroughly and have noticed a real improvement in my skin - especially how soft it is.

It is available in three varieties: Botanical Blend, Vitamin Burst, and Mineral Renewal for a bargain price of £3.33. I am hooked! What do you think?

Bourjois Healthy Mix review

I know there have been a few reviews of Bourjois’s Healthy Mix foundation and concealer, but as I love it so much I thought I’d write a short and simple post telling you to try this out! I missed the bloggers event a few weeks ago sadly, but was really keen in particular to try out this new foundation. The Healthy Mix foundation is Bourjois’s first radiance-boosting fruit therapy foundation, which provides flawless coverage but also looks after your skin and radiates it.

It contains four key ingredients:

Apricot > radiance

Melon > hydration

Apple > antioxidant

Ginger > energy

The foundation itself smells so good, just like apricots, which is so unusual for a foundation to actually smell nice! It also glides-on well and blends nicely into my skin, leaving a lovely natural, dewy finish. If you have oily skin, then this won’t be for you I would imagine as you may want more matte coverage. There is also a matching Healthy Mix concealer which I have been trying out – so far I am not as impressed with this compared to the foundation, as it is actually quite thick compared to my usual favourite touché éclat.

For £10 the foundation is great value and I will definitely be re-purchasing as my skin is looking much healthier since using. I can't wait to use this in summer too with a tan, as it is just as radiating as my favourite tinted moisturiser. Who else has tried this foundation and loved it? I have heard that Revlon's Photo Ready is also as good - what do you think?

New products from Jergens Naturals

American brand Jergens have introduced some new body moisturisers to their range - Total Nourishment and Cocoa Butter. I am big fan of Jergens, as their products are at least 95% natural and are priced under £5 so great value. 

My favourite is Total Nourishment, which contains 97% natural ingredients and is formulated with a healthy dose of yummy berries including cranberry, acai berries and blackcurrants known to promote skin health and fight against free radical damage. I love the smell of the moisturiser, thanks to the yummy berries and it really moisturises and nourishes dry skin like mine. It is also easy to rub into your skin and is not thick at all which I like, as thick body butters seem to take hours to rub in. For under a fiver I really recommend trying out - had anyone else tried Jergens and what do you think?

Aldi beauty products review - YSL Touche Eclat dupe!

I was sent a few products from Aldi to try out, which are all priced under £4. I thought I'd write a review about my favourite product from the range & the one I was most intrigued about before hand after hearing quite a lot about in the press - the Lacura Concealer Pen (£3.49) I am a Touche Eclat addict & swear by mine, but the £3.49 price tag, compared to £22 for Touche Eclat is too good not to try out. 

First impressions are the packaging is not as nice but I can deal with that as I don't always judge a product by its packaging ;-S According to the blurb, the light reflecting particles in this concealer pen are perfect for covering and concealing fine lines and dark shadows under the eyes - reducing signs of fatigue and tiredness. As you can see from my photo below, the concealer is actually quite thick and provides good coverage which I was really surprised at a I expected it to be quite thin and weak. It isn't as good coverage as TE but if you have young skin like mine then you don't really notice the difference.

Touche Eclat is available in three shades, 1, 2 and 3, where as the Lacura Concealer pen is available in two shades - Savanna and Cashmere. I actually have chucked the box out and the shade isn't written on the pen which is a bit frustrating if you can't remember what shade you bought This shade will be too light for me in summer, so I'll probably have to buy the darker shade then!

Overall I'd recommend this product as it costs £3.59 compared to £22 and the difference isn't worth £16! The real test will be too see how long the Lacura Concealer pen lasts, as my Touche Eclat does last quite a long time and doesn't dry up. So get down to Aldi and check out the beauty bargains - my boyfriend loves the anti-ageing night cream which is only £1.99. A couple of years ago this cream performed really well in a blind testing on a TV show (can't remember which one!) over all the expensive night creams!! 

Latest products from Maybelline

Maybelline have released a few new products recently, which haven’t actually been advertised as much as usual so you may not have heard about them. I love Maybelline mascaras usually, so have been looking forward to trying Falsies for ages after hearing about it a while ago. I love Colossus from Maybelline, but not Great Lash or Lash Stiletto as much but as Falsies is an extension of Colossus I knew I’d love it!

According to the Maybelline website, the Falsies Mascara delivers a false lash look; giving you a full set of voluminous, bold, fanned out lashes and the appearance of no gaps from any angle. The brush is slightly curved as well as you can see from the picture, so really helps to curl your lashes. I do prefer the slightly thicker brush of Colossus to build up lashes, but love the curled brush which is similar to Clinique’s Lash Curling Mascara. The Pro-Keratin and Fibre enriched formula is designed to deliver immediate results, distributing volume and visible intensity to your lashes. It’s priced at £7.99 and if you love Colossus you’ll love this mascara for thick lashes – I will definitely be re-purchasing.

The other product I tried out is the new Dreamy Creamy foundation, which looks very similar to Max Factor’s Miracle Touch Liquid Illusion Foundation. It promises to give 100% baby smooth skin, with up to 14hours hydration. Please note it has been specifically designed for normal to dry skin and is very moisturising so if you have oily skin then definitely do not try this or you will end up with a shiny face I’d imagine!!! I really love how soft this foundation is when applied to your skin and it blends easily when you apply it. Like a lot of Maybelline foundations, the coverage does ware of throughout the day but this is my favourite Maybelline foundation so far, simply for the hydrating element which suits my skin perfectly. Recommend for dry/dull skin types.

I have just seen on the Boots website as well they have 3 for 2 on all Maybelline products at the moment if you fancy trying out any of these products. Let me know what you think!

Bobbi Brown Make-up Facelift review

I was lucky enough to receive a complementary 'Make-up Facelift' from Bobbi Brown in Southampton a few weeks ago, which is available to anybody interested in finding out how to achieve a fresh-faced look. The Make-up Facelift collection has been designed to give women all the tools to look well-rested and bright eyed – in five minutes flat, so I was excited to find out how this could work for me.

I was greeted by the gorgeous Lisa, who first of all assessed my skin type and treated my skin with the Cleansing Oil, Soothing Face Tonic, and Hydrating Face Cream which left my skin baby soft. I was really impressed with the Bobbi Brown skincare products which I didn't know much about before this consultation so will definitely put these on my shopping list. When applying make-up on my face,

Lisa continually checked to see what shade suited me (See this great skincare colour chart to find your ideal shade.) I was really surprised that the Extra Light tint of the Extra SPF 25 Tinted Moisturising Balm, as I normally have medium toned skin, so definitely worth gaining professional advice before you splash out on a new foundation. I absolutely LOVE the Tinted Moisturising Balm which is a lightweight foundation alternative for dry, dehydrated skin. It smells amazing and doesn't feel like you're putting crap on your skin, it's just like moisturiser. The formula is ultra-rich, luxurious, and blends easily, giving skin a dewy, glowing look with light coverage. The SPF 25 helps protect skin against damaging UVA and UVB rays. Contains Glycerin, Shea Butter and Squalane, which deeply moisturise skin; Vitamin A and Carrot Extract, which help reduce the appearance of fine lines; and Angelica Seed and Chamomile Oil, which soothe and calm skin. If you only buy one product from then I recommend trying this out, I am a convert for life now!

Lisa also used some gorgeous, cult Bobbi Brown products in coral on my cheeks which I love. Firstly she used the Sheer Colour Cheek Tint in Sheer Coral on the apples of my cheeks, followed by the latest coral Nectar Shimmer Brick which was available previously in a mini size at Christmas. I normally go for more 'pinky' shades, so it was nice to try out some of my favourite products in new shades which I wouldn't have picked myself!

I really recommend visiting your local Bobbi Brown stand for a consultation, as the staff are extremely helpful and gave me some fresh ideas for my make-up as I usually go for the same colours and shades I am safe with. Admitally if you bought every product used you would be broke as they are not cheap, but it's still definitely worth paying a visit.

Has anyone else tried the new Facelift range and what do you think?

O My Rose from Lancôme

After reading about Lancôme’s Spring O My Rose range on British Beauty Blogger, I couldn’t wait to try some of the products out. It’s been out in stores since January and the key message from creator Aaron De Mey is extreme opposites, with camouflage green shadows mixed with peach blush as one example!

My favourite product which Aaron De Mey has uniquely created is the Khol Gloss which is available in three shades of the season: copper, sandy beige, and aqua green. Basically it is a blend of the strength of a khol and the shine of a gloss. I have been using the copper shade on my lower eye lids and I love how smooth and long-lasting the gloss is. At first I wasn’t too keen on the Orange Scopitone shade of the Colour Fever Gloss but it has grown on me a lot as it is different from my usual pink lipglosses in my handbag. The Colour Fever glosses are ultra shiny and have shine reflecting pigments in them which are gorgeous.

Although the snow may be making an unwelcome appearance still, spring is on the way and this collection definitely confirms this!!

Has anyone else tried products from the O My Rose collection and what do you think?

Clinique's Spring Collection 2010

Here are a few shots of Clinique’s gorgeous new Spring 2010 collection, which doesn’t disappoint. My favourite piece is the new limited edition Fresh Picked Eye Shadow, which comes in two must-have shades for the season, Fresh Picked Berries and Fresh Picked Pear. As a 'pink' girl, I love the Fresh Picked Berries shadow (£18.50) which has two gorgeous berry shades - I love the lighter of the two and wear it all the time during the day as it is so smooth. The darker colour is great for an evening look, applied on the top of your eyelids.

I am also going to try out the new High Lengths Mascara (£14.50) which looks a lot like Maybelline's Define a Lash and 'combs' lashes right to the end. I normally use mascaras that give lashes volume, so will be interesting to see how it fairs! Has anyone else used this mascara yet and what do you think?

No7 Natural Radiance Highlighter

As the evenings are getting lighter it is starting to feel a little bit more springlike(the cold temperatures aren't!) I thought I would review Spring collections this week from my favourite brands. No7 have some gorgeous limited-edition products that have just been released for Spring and I thought I'd share my favourite with you. The No7 Natural Radiance Highlighter (£13) is amazing and so lightweight and soft which you don't get with a lot of highlighter powders. The coverage is very sheer and contains minerals and brushes on beautifully to gently highlight and sculpt your face, neck and décolletage. The end result is a translucent, luminous finish that looks perfectly natural - perfect for a 'fresh' spring look. And it’s all wrapped up in stunning, semi-precious stone-inspired packaging which I hope you can see from the first photograph is beautiful! All the Spring Collection products are available in Boots stores until March and online here.

Has anyone else tried products from No7 for spring?