Friday 29 April 2011

Snowberry Bright Defence Night Cream

Having been so impressed with the Bright defence Day cream, I decided to buy the night cream (£61.50 for 50ml).
The Night cream is meant to improve "night time hydration and helps to gently reduce the causes of skin discolouration in all skin types at any age".
It comes in a pump dispenser, the cream has a medium consistency and like the day cream it doesn’t absorb into the skin straight away so you do have to massage it in a bit.
I have a very bad success rate with night creams as I always seem to get congestion from them.
This cream is going firmly on my re-buy list. I get no breakouts/congestion from it. In fact I feel like this calms down irritated skin, I recently had a bad skin reaction when I was trying a different cleanser and I do feel this made a significant improvement to my sore and inflamed skin. My skin hydration has definitely been improved. What I have noticed most is how smooth this has made my skin feel and this in turn has made my foundations apply better.
Ingredients:
Another success from the luxury anti-aging skin care range from New Zealand, my expectations of Snowberry are very high now. I am also pleased to note a lot more sites are stocking this brand now ( escentual.com, lookfantastic.com).

I bought this from salonskincare.co.uk, they have free UK delivery with orders over £40 and it always arrives really quick.

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Rouge Bunny Rouge Select Crown Jewels Gift Set

The Select Crown Jewels Gift Set Box was featured in the beautiful Spring/Summer look Isola Bella, so I was delighted when I noticed that Zuneta stocked the set.
Its costs £45 but if you bought the products individually it would cost £52.
The set contains the Decadent Duo in Tango Argentino and Big Lash Mascara in Pure Obsidian.
The Decadent Duo consists of a liquid blush and and lip gloss. Its a very lightweight,travel friendly product. Tango Argentino pairs a terracotta cheek shade with a shimmered infused pink lip gloss.
As I am very pale and cool toned I tend to avoid terracotta shades however although this is pigmented it can be easily blended down, and the overall effect, while undeniably warm, gives a really nice flush of colour perfect for the summer months.
It blends beautifully, feels lightweight on and doesn’t have a sticky feel once applied, it also lasts very well and has not caused me breakouts.
The lip gloss feels comfortable and quite hydrating, it does have a bit of tackiness to it but not overly so and this does mean its quite long wearing.
Swatches below L-R: blush swatched, then blended in, lip gloss, lip gloss with a touch of blusher added in.
The Big Lash Mascara really does make the lashes look thick and full, it reminds me of the effect I get from YSL Faux Cils but with a bit less lift.
It doesn’t feel drying and doesn’t flake. I like it but I tend to prefer a more natural looking mascara.
Product ingredients:
I bought this from Zuneta.com (they ship internationally)

Sunday 24 April 2011

Cochine

Cochine is a luxury collection of 4 scents available via candles, hand/body lotions, hand wash's and reed diffusers.
All the products are made in Vietnam and the scents are meant to be reflective of Saigon’s culture. I don’t recall ever having come across a brand that has been made and centred around Vietnam.
Zuneta.com is creating a strong brand portfolio of luxury, high quality and exciting brands. I feel confident in new brands that Zu brings to us which she believes in.
*Picture above from Zuneta.com*

The products look sleek and elegant. There is a sense of ambiance and clarity about the range.

The brand has a good ethical/sustainability stance. The candles are made using a botanical palm oil wax using renewable resources and they use lead-free cotton wicks. The hand wash and lotion bottles are made out of PET recyclable plastic and the outer packaging is made from over 90% recycled card. They also support sustainable farming projects (such as the Agarwood Project founded by The Rainforest Project in southern Vietnam).

I bought the hand and body lotion in Water Hyacinth & Lime Blossom (£19 for 300ml)
Its a light clean floral scent with subtle woody notes. I think it would be the perfect scent as a present as I couldn’t see anyone disliking this.
The lotion is lightweight, sinks in quickly leaving no residue or stickiness. It contains natural extracts of sweet almond oil, orange oil and aloe vera. It moisturises very well and makes the skin looks smooth, even more impressive is it causes my intolerant skin no problems at all.
Ingredients:
This is definitely a brand I will explore more, I’m leaning towards trying something in the Agarwood & Amber scent next as that's described as a "warm and all encompassing fragrance combines the deeply sensuous aroma of Agarwood with the rich warmth of White Amber, Tuberose and Patchouli".

I bought this from Zuneta.com

Friday 22 April 2011

A Scent by Issey Miyake

A Scent is described as a “green and feminine fragrance, drawing inspiration from nature's essentials: leaves, flowers, wood”.

It comes in a chunky glass bottle, the design is simple, pure and modern.
It contains notes of verbena, hyacinth, jasmine and galbanum. On initial application I found this quite sharp, my husband has used quite a few Issey Miyake scents and says you always need to let them dry down for about 20 minutes before you get the true scent. I waited the 20 minutes and it settled down into a fresh, crisp,very grassy scent with floral and woody hints.
I think this is a clean, lightweight fragrance suited well for the spring/summer months however its just not me. For reference my favourite fragrances are Jo Malone Blue Agava & Cacao, Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche and Jimmy Choo.

This fragrance is currently on offer at Escentual.com, with over 45% off the RRP of the 30, 50 and 100ml sizes

Disclaimer: This was sent to me for free for review purposes.

Wednesday 20 April 2011

Chanel L'Ame d'un Regard collection: Ombres Essentielle single eyeshadow in Fauve and Twilight

The L’Ame d’un Regard is a mini collection recently released, at the moment I think its only available in Europe. The collection consists of Les 4 Ombres #29 Lagons (blue tones), Stylo Yeux in Marine and Espresso, new eyebrow pencils, the new mascara Sublime de Chanel and the two single shadows I picked up.
Fauve is a mauve silvered taupe with micro glitter.
Twilight is a sheer candyfloss pink with micro glitter (£19.92 each).

Both shadows, albeit most noticeable with Twilight, have a slightly more powdery/dryer feel and are not as smooth as the majority of other Ombres Essentielle’s I have bought. This may well be due to the micro glitter.
Although Twilight is a shade I should have passed on, I think if you are a fellow taupe lover you will find it hard to pass up Fauve. Even though its not the best texture, I think its a really pretty colour.
Picture below is Twilight as a wash with Fauve applied over it.

I bought these from John Lewis

Sunday 17 April 2011

RMS Beauty 'Un' Cover-Up

The second product I bought from the organic, mineral brand RMS Beauty, is the 'Un' Cover-Up concealer. It comes in 3 shades and I went for the lightest one, shade No.11 (£28).
The colour is slightly too dark for my face and under eye area and has quite a strong yellow undertone.
The texture is really good, extremely easy to apply and blend and when used on the face it makes the area look smoother.
It lasts well and the finish is very natural. Its not drying, so does not emphasis lines, nor does it cake.
The coverage is light to medium so if like me you have a very discoloured under eye area and acne scarring this is not going to provide you with enough coverage.
To show you the coverage, the eye on the left of your screen has nothing on, the eye on the right has Un Cover up only (I didn't use an eye cream underneath it).
Unfortunately I have to concede that this does not work with my acne prone skin and I do get congestion from this, so I can only use it for my under eye area now.
Swatched on the left, blended in on the right:
I think for dry skin types that are not acne prone this would be a great product if you don’t require heavy coverage but want something that will make you skin look more healthy and radiant.

Ingredients: *Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, *Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, *Cera Alba (Beeswax), *Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, *Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopherol (non-GMO), *Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, and may contain: [+/- Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Iron Oxides CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499]

I bought this from cultbeauty.co.uk

Friday 15 April 2011

Aromatherapy Associates: Renewing Rose Cleanser, Rose skin tonic, Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil

Aromatherapy Associates is a skin, bath and body care brand that is based on the therapeutic benefits of essential oils. Going by what I have read, its a very well regarded brand and many attest to the physical and emotional benefits the products give.

The range omits the following: Mineral oils, GM ingredients, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Petrolatum, Propylene Glycol, Synthetic colours/fragrance and Parabens. They also do not test on animals nor use Ingredients that have been tested on animals.

I bought 3 things from the brand,
Renewing Rose Cleanser (£22): the cleanser contains damask rose, jojoba and geranium. It removes all makeup (apart from mascara) with ease. Using a toner afterwards I can see that no bits of makeup are left behind.
Its delicately fragranced and my skin did look fresh after use, however for my dry skin this did not provide enough moisture and I did experience breakouts from this. I think this is due to the lack of moisture, my skin requires a balancing act to keep it under control (not too much moisture/nor too little).
Although this wasn’t right for me, I do think this is a very efficient makeup removal for skin that is not dry.
Ingredients:

Rose skin tonic (£22): Is made from pure damask rose water. This leaves my skin feeling fresh and comfortable, with no residual left behind.
I have since re-bought this and I alternative between this and Elemental Herbology for my toner.
Ingredients:

Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil: There is always a stand out product from a brand and this oil seems to always get glowing reviews. It costs £37 for 55ml, however you only require a tiny amount. Its meant to help “calm a whirring mind and encourages peaceful sleep. Perfect if you're feeling overtired or having trouble sleeping”.
Its a blend of pure essential oils, sandalwood, vetivert and camomile. Unfortunately I cannot use this in the bath or shower as it gives my sensitive skin a reaction. I can only use this very lightly on my pulse points before bed and it makes me feel more relaxed. I wouldn’t say it gives a “deep sense of peace and tranquility” as per its description but it does make a difference.
Ingredients:
If you like relaxing products this might be a nice one to try but I would be hesitant to recommend this if you have sensitive skin.

Overall my stand out is definitely the Rose Skin Tonic, I think it might be a good one to consider if you have sensitive skin.

I bought the toner from SpaceNK and the other two items from the Aromatherapy Associates website.

Wednesday 13 April 2011

YSL Dessin Du Regard Waterproof - Long Wear Eye Pencil & Pure Chromatic Palette Eye Looks

YSL released the new waterproof eyeliners, Dessin Du Regard Waterproof, at the same time as the Pure Chromatic palettes. I was very taken with the deep green #6 Amazon Green, however sadly not in stock, I settled on #6 shimmery burgundy (£18).
The smoky plum is rich in colour and has a slight shimmered/metallic finish.
The texture is very soft, I can use it as an all over base with absolutely no tugging whatsoever, the upshot of this softness is I have had the tip break off a few times when sharpening so I can see myself getting through this quite quickly.
The pigmentation is excellent and it wears all day, with no fading. The only thing I would say is that because of the softness I am unable to get a fine line with this.

I thought I’d show you another eye look using my Chromatic palette in shade #3. This is a lot more natural compared to the blue look I did, I used all colours dry apart from the liner.
Lastly, I used the two blues wet (I'm also wearing the #6 shimmery burgundy as a liner) to see what colour intensity I could get.
This look is too intense for me to wear out personally and I really needed to buff the edges more but I think it shows the versatility of this palette.

I bought all these from John Lewis.

Sunday 10 April 2011

New Dior Addict Lipsticks

The recently released newest formula of Dior Addict Lipstick come in 44 shades. I felt somewhat overwhelmed with the choice, so went for the more natural, sedate shades.
The lipsticks have a high shine, glossy finish, they feel hydrating and the texture is soft, it feels quite balm like. The colours give good coverage and are mainly semi-sheer.

Rose Deshabille is a sheer, very cool toned pink
Blush is a perky pink/rose with a hint of warmth.
Miss Dior is a sheer peach
Createur is a natural soft rose.
Picture below Blush on Top, Createur below.
Picture L-R:Blush, Createur,Rose Deshabille
Pictures below: Miss Dior and Rose Deshabille.
They cost me £22 each.

Swatches below (I swiped them all 3 times) L-R:Rose Deshabille,Miss Dior, Createur, Blush.
As these have been released around the same time as the new Chanel Coco shines I’d thought I do a quick compare. For me the Dior Addicts’s are more pigmented, have a shinier finish, feel more balm like (the Chanel has more slip) and less scent. As such I do think the formulas are very different and I really like both of them.

Friday 8 April 2011

Serge Normant Meta Silk Shampoo

A relatively new haircare line, Serge Normant, "legendary hair stylist to the stars" offers a concise line up of eight products. The range is said to offer “an entirely new dimension in hair care: one that produces lush volume and manageability, while protecting every strand of hair from damage”.

The ingredients are meant to be a mix of organic and natural enhanced by cutting-edge bio-tech advances in hair strengthening (named Keravis). Keravis, is meant to be a "vegetable-derived hair strengthening complex proven to dramatically improve the condition of even the most damaged hair".
I bought the Sulfate Free shampoo in the range called Meta Silk Shampoo (£23 for 236ml).

It is not a harsh shampoo so it never feels like it strips the hair, however nor is it heavy and feels like it coats or weighs the hair down.
It makes my hair feel smooth and look shiny and I found my hair easier to straighten when using this shampoo and my hair stayed straighter longer than normal.
Here are the ingredients, unfortunately they are not that clear but this is what it looked like when I got it:
However there is a drawback, it makes my very sensitive head itch. Its not unbearable but its there, I should mention that over half of every shampoo I have ever tried has caused itchiness so I am a bit particular.

I think if you do not have sensitivities and not overly dry hair this would be a great shampoo to try, especially for those wanting to avoid sulphates.

I bought this from SpaceNK.

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Bonheur, Monte Carlo and Sublime de Chanel mascara

Showing my usual formidable makeup resolve, I had to pick up some more Coco shines. I opted for brighter shades this time.

Bonheur is a berry with a hint of fuchsia and Monte-Carlo is a strawberry with a bit of warmth.
The first two Coco Shines I bought had a shine finish, however with these shades there is a bit of shimmer, more notably with Bonheur which contains visible micro glitter, for which there is a bit of silver sparkle left on the lips after the colour wears off. It is very subtle but I thought it worth mentioning.


These are easily my favourite Chanel lipstick formula, they feel comfortable, lightweight and quite hydrating.
I thought I’d give you my thoughts on their new mascara as I got a sample of it with my first purchase. The mascara is meant to give you Sublime length and curl and I have seen some really good reviews of it.
However for me I found it gave some length and thickness, not much curl, and was prone to clumping and looking a bit dry. I think this is one to try and get a sample of first before laying down the money.
The lipsticks cost me £22.50 each, which is nearly the same as the newly relaunched Dior Rouge Addict (£22 each) which I'll be showing you soon.

Sunday 3 April 2011

Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad Nude

The Nude quad (£36.50) contains a matte warm tan, matte dusty mauve, a shimmery peach and a shimmery aubergine.
The shadows have the great smoothness and pigmentation I’d expect from D&G, apart from one. The aubergine feels somewhat grainy, it doesn’t blend well and has a lot of fall out so I can only use this wet as a liner, which is a shame as the colour looked really nice in the crease.
The combination of shades is quite interesting, the aubergine makes a great definer and the two matte shades combine for a nude no fuss look and the peach adds a bit of interest to it.
However, as I suspected this predominately warm palette is too much on my cool toned skin so I cannot wear all the shades together.
It really is a shame about the performance of the aubergine shade, however as I have a few D&G shadows now I do not think this is reflective of the brand so am hopeful its just unique to this quad.

I bought this from Harrods.
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