Lifestyle and Parenting blog based in Surrey.

Monday 31 October 2011

Max Factor & My Wardrobe Collaboration

Ever struggled tying to match your lipstick with your outfit? Well ponder no longer and click over to mywardrobe.com as Max Facotor's award winning makeup artist Caroline Barnes has selected lipstick tones to compliment dresses in three of mywardrobe's fabolous trends.



Until the 1st November, if you order one of these dresses, you will also receive the Colour Elixir Max Factor shade to complete your look. We just need Caroline to help us with the rest of our wardrobe now!
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Purity Organic Skincare

After my gorgeous facial at Gina Conway Spa using lovely organic Aveda products, my skin felt so spoilt and pure I didn't want to undo all their good work by my smothering my skin in products made from petrochemicals.

Thank goodness Purity Organic Skincare had sent me their range to try; with 98% of the ingredients from natural origin and 82% from organic farms I wasn't in danger of polluting my pampered skin.


The Anti-Ageing and Regenerating Overnight Moisturisers (both at £7.99/50ml) are luxuriously thick in texture, containing sweet almond oil, Aloe Vera and beeswax to soften the skin, in addition, the day cream is also loaded full of anti-aging ingredients. Both leave the skin feeling hydrated and super-soft.


I am also a big fan of the Anti-Aging Serum and Mask, its consistency is thin, so you need to slather on a thick layer to prevent it drying off before the10 minute recommended application time. It is reasonably priced at £8.99/50ml, especially when a recent trial showed that 90% of women tested preferred this product to a leading premium organic serum and mask coming in at £160 for the same quantity...


As impressed as I am with Purity Organic Skincare's moisturisers and serums, I was slightly disappointed with their cleansing products. The Facial Wash (£4.99/50ml) whilst removed cosmetics effectively didn't give me that squeaky-clean feeling I get from other non-organic products.

The range is all non-perfumed and is free from all petroleum derived and chemical ingredients, all of which will help to avoid irritating your skin. The packaging is all fully recyclable and the ingredients are sustainably sources and GM free, so you feel like you are doing you bit for the environment whist looking fabulous.

Overall, I'm impressed at getting hardworking organic product with such a reasonable price tag.

Purity Organic Skincare is available from Superdrug stores nationwide.
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Friday 28 October 2011

Gina Conway Aveda Facial

Writing a beauty blog, you might expect my skin care ritual to be long winded and self indulgent. However, working full time, blogging and wedding planning, my skin is often neglected. Luckily the gorgeous Alexis from Gina Conway invited me to their Wimbledon Aveda Lifestyle Salon and Spa for a bit of pampering.


Reception at the Wimbledon Lifestyle Salon and Spa


After a quick questionnaire I was taken to one of the treatment rooms, where I slipped into a dressing gown, sipped my coffee and soaked my tooties while my therapist Lorenza chatted to me about what I wanted from my treatment.
The lovely Lorenza recommended their Aveda Skin Renewing facial to promote firmness and reduce the appearance of fine lines using a 5 phase massage and the Aveda Tourmaline skincare range. As Aveda's products are all made using the purest ingredients infused with organically grown flower and plant extracts, I was in for a treat.

The products all smelt and felt fabulous whilst being applied with high precision, I really felt like I was in the hands of an expert. Whilst the mask stages were applied Lorenza massaged my shoulders, neck and scalp and with her healing hands the knots and tightness melted away.


how beautiful are the treatment rooms!
The only un-enjoyable process was the extraction (which I had asked for!) of tiny white spots I get around my eye area and find near impossible to remove myself without severe swelling. These were eliminated with a tiny needle and soothing oils were used to prevent inflammation. Whist I did have little red dots where the extraction had occurred when leaving the spa, this morning they have faded away - well worth it.

My skin felt dewy, plumped out, radiant and most of all, thoroughly spoilt. The spa and salon is stunning and I would thoroughly recommend a visit.

The hour long Skin renewing Facial with Lorenza is £78 (from £73 with other therapists), and a promotion is currently running where you can save £20 off any treatment over £50. Spa treatments are also available at the Westbourne, Fulham and Chelsea spas. See website for details.

Aveda Tourmaline range is available to buy at all Gina Conway Aveda Salons.


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Thursday 20 October 2011

handbag.com beauty awards please nominate me!

beauty

Your chance to win a bundle of beauty goodies and support your favorite beauty blog (hopefully this one!) all in one go, as the fabulous handbag.com is looking for nominations for their beauty awards.

To nominate just click here and please add my URL for the 'best beauty blog' catergory: http://www.blog-me-beautiful.com/ then for your chance of winning the stash go to handbag.com's face book site, and write on their wall to tell them you have voted. Easy.
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Monday 17 October 2011

Clarins autumn make-up collection

As much as I love summer, the beginning of a new season feels me with promise. The shops are full of luxurious jewel colours, leather trims and cashmere knits, but it is the new collections on the cosmetics shelves that really excites me.
Clarins new autumn collection recently hit the shelves and being the spoilt girl I am, I was sent a sample to test out for you. The look is a flawless complection (when isn't it...) highly defined eyes and softly coloured lips.

The collection begins with six eye shadow quartets in toning shades. They formula can be applied dry for a subtle look, or dampen the applicator before sweeping across your lids to increase intensity. The shadows last all day and are silky to apply.

I love natural shades, so my favourite is Rosewood, but the Graphite quad gives a sophisticated look, perfect for the start for the party season.

Modelling the Rosewood Quartet for you...

As you'd expect from Clarins, the packaging is super chic, in a signature pale gold compact, but what delighted me was a mini instruction manual on the back of the box, giving fool-proof instructions for the perfect application. (£30)

The autumn range has also seen two new additions to their Joli Rouge Lipsticks in Grenadine and Fig, which not only look fabulous, but contain yummy mango butter and vitamin E to nourish and soften your pout.(£16.50)

Left: Grenadine Right: Fig

The Rouge Prodige Lipsticks have also been added to with Peach Sorbet, Rosy Coral and Creamy Toffee. These iridescent shades add a hint of colour and shine to your lips - my fav is the Peach Sorbet. (£17).

Left to right: Peach Sorbet, Rosy Coral, Creamy Toffee.
Next is the Limited Edition Colour Definition 3D Radiance Face Powder, the product I was most looking forward to road-testing. It looks gorgeous, embossed with a four toned colour pixel motif. It promises to illuminate skin tone and add a fresh youthful glow, but whilst being a pretty face powder, I didn't notice a marked improvement after sweeping across my face. (£30).

Clarins Instant Liner 1.8ml

The collection finished with a liquid eye liner - I'm much more of a kohl girl, but the liner is long lasting and pen allows for precise application and a dramatic finish. (£19.50).
Offer alert: If you buy 2 Clarins products from Feel Unique you also recive a free travle size Clarins Wonder Perfect Mascara, as as always, P&P is free.




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Tuesday 11 October 2011

Clinique turnaround overnight radiance moisturizer

Summer holidays seem like a distant memory and my skin is starting to look dull and drawn from stress and the reduced amount of slumber.
Luckily the gorgeous girls at Clinique have sent me a sample of their new Turnaround Overnight Radiance Moisturizer. This pot of loveliness promises to result in 'moist, comfortable skin that exudes a radiant glow, almost as if it was lit from within...' I had to give this a try!

clinique_turnaround_overnight_radiance_moisturizer_ad

Thick night creams make me feel like I'm clogging up my pores but this feels light and sinks into my skin quickly leaving my skin feeling hydrated and delicatly fragranced.

View photo.JPG in slide show


I'm not sure my complexion looks like I'm lit from within, however my skin does have an increased radiance and feels super-soft, a definite improvement. My skin is combination, with very dry and oilier areas and luckily this product is suitable for all the skin types.

The mixture of ingredients including chestnut seed extract, help to boost you skin's natural exfoliation process which brightens the complexion, and the trehalose attracts and binds moisture to the surface of your skin to soften.

At £34/50ml it isn't a bargain, but it has made a vast improvement on my skin compared to a much cheaper night cream I was using previously. The launch on the 1st October was combined with a serum (£32/30ml) which would also be worth a try.
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Thursday 6 October 2011

Free Benefit Skincare at Boots!

In all beauty-addicts bathroom cabinets are lotions and potions that have been cast aside for newer models, but I can never bring myself to throw them out.

Now is the perfect time for a skincare clear out as Benefit & Boots have announced The Great Skin Care Swap. All you need to do is take any used skincare product to the Benefit counter at your nearest Boots for a free consultation and a sample of of of there best selling facial products: either Triple Performing Facial Emulsion (8.9ml) or It's Potent (3g).

Benefit-The-Great-Skincare-Swap

The oil-free, light weight Triple Performing Facial Emulsion moisturiser contains SPF 15 and promises to hydrate, protect and comfort the skin, Whist their It's Potent eye cream helps to fade away dark circles and smooth fine lines for a youthful appearance.
it's potent eye cream
Choose wisely ladies, and get down to Boots quick, as the event is only on until 18th October, while stocks last....
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Monday 3 October 2011

He-Shi Tanning Range Review

I had finally resigned to the fact summer was over. I had banished my sundresses to my out-of-season wardrobe (my parent's house) and stocked up on opaque tights. So at the end of last week, excitement was high at the promise of a glorious weekend, but I had allowed white-winter-legs to creep in, so I was in need of a tan quickly to get my pins ready for the Indian-Summer.

Luckily the lovely He-Shi had sent me some samples of there range to try out, so on Friday evening I checked it out.

I'm always slightly dubious when a tanning range has their own exfoliator, they tend to be over-priced and no better at the job then more affordable brands. However, I was blown away by He-Shi's exfoliating gloves, teamed with their strawberry scented Exfoliating bodywash, left my skin super-smooth and soft. In fact the gloves were so exfoliating that they are just as good with any body wash.

The next surprise was that, unlike many other tanning ranges, you don't moisturise before applying the tan, so speeded up the process nicely. So directly onto my towel-dried skin, I applied the Express Liquid Tan. I must stress that the tan is a thin liquid, I was half expecting a lotion, so manage to make a mess when I first went to apply the tan to the Tanning Mitt.

The tinted formula means that you can see where you've applied you tan, so you can rub any streaks away and prevents any 'missed' patches. The Tanning Mitt is great to use, as it is slightly foamy, there isn't any risk of fibers being left on the skin and prevents staining of your paws.
The instructions told me to wait 2 minutes for the product to dry before re-dressing, but I did feel slightly 'sticky' so waited a little longer. You are also advises to avoid contact with water and perspiration for 6 hours, so I'd recommend applying just before heading to bed. The blurb from He-Shi tells me there are 'no chemical smells' however, a few hours later, the tell-tell fake tan aroma is obvious to me.

I do love the results, a natural sun-skissed bronze with no-streaks or white patches (although I do pride myself on being a top-notch tan applicator) and no transfer onto my clothes or bed-linen.

He-Shi is marketed as a tan for both men & women, however, whilst the Tanning Mitt. was a perfect fit for my small hands, Mr blog-me-beautiful struggled to get them on his - this was as close as he'd get to the products, apparently rugby-players don't fake tan....

I'm not the only person to be impressed by Ireland's leading self-tanning range, its also the winner of a Cosmopolitan Beauty Award in 2010. Why not try out this range for your self in their 3 Step Discovery Kit which includes a mini (50ml) Exfoliating Body Wash, Express Liquid Tan and Day to Day Gradual Tan along with a Tanning Mitt for only £14.90.

Tanning Mitt £3.40
Exfoliating Bodywash 150ml £9.39/150ml
Express Liquid Tan 150ml £19/150ml
Express Liquid Tan 300ml £33.25/300ml
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