Nivea Soft and Giles Deacon Competition

It's been a bit of a struggle getting everything done since the return from the hols as I went back into the fabulous weekend that opens London Fashion Week. We hosted a suite at One Aldwych for the great and good of the blogging world to come for some R&R between shows and that meant that lots of brands wanted to be there too to meet and greet and get them to trial their products.

Boy it was busy but it's always great so see so many people and the hotel were fantastic too - even sending us up a complementary Charlie and the Chocolate Factory High Tea with champagne (reserve your place for this it's quite amazing).

One of my favourite beauty products for years now if Nivea Soft - it's a greatly unsung moisturiser to my mind, so it was really nice to see it make a fresh appearance with a set of three, limited edition pots designed by Giles Deacon. Just what every fashion clad body needs especially now we are entering into centrally heated hell which plays havoc with skin for the next 6 months at least.

Giles has created the Catwalk Pot, the Backstage Pot and the Photoshoot Pot and to celebrate the launch Nivea are giving us all the opportunity to win a styling session in London with Giles Deacon and a night at a hotel. They are also including £200 spending money. There are also 60 Deacon cosmetics bags, each featuring an exclusive design, to giveaway to runners up.

Fancy it? All you need to do is take an outfit of the day shot on your phone and send to Twitter or Instagram with #niveasoft. Those outfits that get the most votes by 2nd Oct will win the styling session with Giles and Nivea will be picking 'outfits of the day' throughout the campaign to win the cosmetic bags. Best entries will also be uploaded to the Nivea page on Instagram! So go on get snapping, all entries need to go live by September 25th - you'll find all the details here...

   

St Ives Invigorating All Over Body Scrub

Another not expensive but really effective product that I have been asked to put to the test is the St Ives Invigorating All Over Body Scrub, £5.49 for 300ml.

All skin needs to occasional bout of exfoliation, and not just on your face either, and I like to do this at least once a week as part of my all-over skincare regime. This St Ives body scrub has 100% natural exfoliators and is more gentle than some I have tried over the years. Taking a generous handful and massaging it onto my body I found that it worked well but also rinsed off easily too - pretty important bonus as I hate having to clean the shower after exfoliating if I don't have to!

It smells okay too - not overly scented but a bit 'fruity' and afterwards I didn't need to much body moisturiser as I found it did leave my skin soft and moisturised - a real bonus! It has also prepared my skin for suntanning on my holiday next week which I can't wait for!



   

Clean & Clear for clearer young skin

Some teenagers go through puberty and beyond with the occasional blemish or skin problem but for many it's a bit more of a problem. If you have a teen with a problem then you might be interested in him or her trialling the new Clean & Clear Advantage Clear and Smooth range of foaming wash and daily scrub.

I found a willing teen to try out this affordable skincare routine and he reported back that it was really easy and quick to use, and his skin did look much better after a couple of weeks of using the products. The Foaming Wash is £4.99 and is a light product featuring salicylic acid and natural aloe vera to remove dirt, oil and impurities. The aloe vera leaf contains nutrients, vitamins, amino acids and active enzymes, all great for clearing up skin and leaves skin feeling soft and moisturised.

The Daily Scrub, also £4.99, has lots of tiny exfoliating micro-beads to effectively remove dead skin cells that can block pores too. It is gentle and also contains aloe vera to help sooth skin.

All in all an affordable package to help teenage skin recover and fight that horrible spotty stage.



   

Lush - an ethical environmentally focussed beauty company

I rather like the ethos of Lush and I was made to revisit them when they sent me a catalogue in the post this week. They only buy ingredients from companies that don't ever test products on animals and they tend to test on humans instead. They invent all their own products and fragrances and avoid excessive packaging and preservatives and they obviously really enjoy coming up with new and innovative products that are really good value. All products are fresh and organic so if you haven't visited this brand in a while why not familiarise yourself afresh!

Here are some of the more unusual ingredients

BB seaweed fresh face mask

The key ingredient to the BB seaweed fresh face mask is Toothed Wrack Seaweed, found at all British coastal areas. This seaweed grows densely on the seashore and is added to this ultra soothing mask made specifically for men with sensitive skin (though can be used by women too). £5.95 for 75g, this mask is fresh so needs to be kept in the fridge.

'Great for anyone with sensitive skin – and fantastic on faces that go through the rigors of shaving every day and need a cooling treat sometimes.'

Buffy Body Butter

Buffy Body Butter is great for buffing up your bum getting rid of dead skin cells and making sure you have all-over soft skin. The unusual ingredients in this bar are ground rice, ground almonds and ground aduki beans which aren't too harsh but are still tough enough to really clear things us. I have tried this and it is a wonder as your skin feels beautifully moisturised too because of the addition of cocoa and shea butter alongside the lavender oils which give it a heavenly smell. £10.75 for 200g. 

H'Suen Wen Hua hair mask

This amazing hair mask (and yes I've tried this too) has a whole raft of ingredients to bring back shine to totally wasted hair. Bay leaf infusion really is the key ingredient alongside watercress infusions, balsamic vinegar, rosemary oil and fresh free range eggs. There's lanoline which moisturises naturally and olive oil to give strength plus cinammon leaf oil with all it's antiseptic qualities. H'Suan Wen Hua hair treatment is a bargain for £8.95 for 225g.

'This product is intended to be piled on generously and left for 20 minutes, preferably whilst sitting in the bath or somewhere steamy, to go about its work of putting back into your hair all that modern day life and habits take out.'

New Clinique All About Shadow and All About Shadow Primer for Eyes

Clinique sent me some smoky eye shades from their latest All About Shadow range to go alongside their All About Shadow Primer for Eyes and as I rarely get my makeup to stay on throughout the day I decided to really put them both through their paces

I didn't go for full on night-time smoky eye (using Jenna's Essentials palette) but chose a more subtle effect having used the primer as a first step and found that it really did provide the perfect base for the colour. And it is a subtle colour in itself so for a more natural day-time look I will definitely turn to this!

The wand made it easy to put on and then I used my palette colours over the top which really seemed to blend easily and the depth of colour without using too much was impressive.

The All About Shadow range is large and comes in singles, duos and quads. The colours range from Nudes and Golds to Greens, Pinks, Blues and Violets - in fact there are 31 shades to choose from. They contain Astrocaryum Murmuru Seed Butter and Vitamin E which creates a creamy, silky powder texture and some colours are shimmery and some softly matte.

The All About Shadow Primer is available in four shades, Very Fair, Moderately Fair, Medium and Deep (I tried Medium which was perfect for me).

I finished the whole look off with a sweep of Quickliner for Eyes Intense in Intense Truffle - it too was long-lasting and seemed to stay put the whole day even in the heat which was impressive. This is available in 6 new shades as well as two limited edition shades of Intense Sable and Intense Aubergine which I will definitely look out for.

All collections are on sale from August 2nd so keep an eye out for them at Clinique counters and online.

All About Shadow Primer for Eyes, £20
All About Shadow Singles, £16
All About Shadow Duos, £22
All About Shadow Quads, £28
Quickliner for Eyes Intense, £14.50

Almond Shaping Delight from L'Occitane

I need a bit of a boost in terms of toning up the skin on my thighs and getting rid of a bit of cellulite. They are not bad in terms of muscle but inner thighs need a bit of a lift before I bear all on the beach. So I am going to test out Almond Shaping Delight by L'Occitane en Provence.

It has been developed to concentrate the powerful active ingredients into a cool body gel which will help the body to look slimmer by accelerating the release of existing fat cells with the use of draining flavonoids, and feel firmer by strengthening the skin with a tightening almond extract and collagen fibres.

I am hoping that my skin will be more toned and plan to use this religiously every day after my shower as part of my skincare regime, so that in a month's time everything will look a bit better than it does today.

I already love the smell and the fact that it is absorbed almost immediately into my skin - so it's perfect for using before rushing out the door to work in the morning.

I will definitely let you know how I get on - I hope it works as well as it claims too as I have a month before I hit the beach in earnest!

Almond Shaping Delight, L'Occitane en Provence, £32 for 200ml

Honey from Marc Jacobs

Image from www.parfumerie.nl

We've had a rickshaw at the office and every bus seems to have the yellow and black polka dot bottle and packaging of the new Honey fragrance from Marc Jacobs, so with my love for honey fragrances, fresh citrus smells and all things to do with bees, I had to swing by John Lewis and squirt myself.

Okay it was a very hot day and the sales assistant did catch me putting some behind my ears which was a bit embarrassing but I have to say I really love it.

It's more citrus-y than overly honeyed which is a good thing as I was a little concerned it might be too sweet and cloying. Far from it - it's fresh with a subtle tang of honey. I felt I was walking a lane through fields of flours on a Greek Island.

The notes that make up the fragrance are

Top Note – Pear, Juicy Mandarin

Mid Note – Orange Blossom, Peach Nectar, Apricot, Honeysuckle

Base Note – Honey, Golden Vanilla, Smooth Woods

I want some!

Honey from Marc Jacobs, 50ml £49.50

Stila All Over Shimmer Luminiser - perfect to set off a tan

Now I've got a nice, brown, base tan (and no longer a fake tan hurrah!) I want to enhance the shimmer. Not glow from sweat (well if I can help it) you understand, but a twinkle and highlight to my skin that will make it look youthful and glowing.

I grabbed a little file of Stila All Over Shimmer Luminiser in Kitten Shimmer (there is a more bronze, pink and rose gold version but I quite like the pinkiness of this shade) and have been using it to enhance my cheeks, forehead and neckline to great effect.

It's creamy, easy to use and minimises lines and wrinkles really well.


Here is how to use it properly.
   

Stila All Over Shimmer Luminiser, £16. 

New Formula Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+ from Clinique - on sale today!

Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion from Clinique is probably one of the first moisturisers I ever used and it has often been part of my skincare regime across the years. I was therefore really interested to try out the New Formula Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+ which has changed the product slightly to allow it to fall in line with the many changes in skin care technology which have taken place.

On sale from today, no less that 6 and a half years and 3 formulating dermatologists, 53 researchers and 100 formula trials have gone into getting this Lotion+ just right. They put in new ingredients, tested and tested again with over 1,600 women from different ethnicities and across 5 countries and the final product got glowing reviews all round.

I have been using it for a week and I must say my skin feels soft, moisturised and looks really much brighter. Even though it ways it's for very dry to dry skin (which my skin isn't really) it is a light formula which is easily absorbed.

I've given this to my girls who use it regularly too so can't really say more than that. 

If you'd like to know the new ingredients they are

Hyaluronic Acid which helps skin to retain water

Glycerin which attracts water to the skin from the surrounding air.

Urea which is a naturally occurring component in the production of the skin's own natural moisurising factor so mimics what our healthy skin does on it's own.

It is allergy tested, 100% fragrance free, oil-free and non-comodegenic. New Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+ from Clinique is £29.50 (125ml with pump) or £28 (125ml without pump).

Sleek Make-Up blush by 3 Sweet Cheeks palette review

I was recently sent a palette of mouthwatering, eye-popping colour for eyes and cheeks from Sleek Make-Up so today I am going to review the Blush by 3 Sweet Cheeks  palette which is really all you'll ever need.

As you can see the tones chosen for the palette will take you through from 'no-tan' to 'high-tan' so is perfect for your summer make-up bag. The three pan blush palette features different finishes including blush in shimmer, cream and matte in a variety of candy pink shades. I used a soft, wide brush to layer and build up the effect and found that the make-up colour is beautifully translucent and stays put for ages. A real bargain at £9.99.

D&G nail varnish - perfect for a pedicure

Gosh the colours that make up the D&G nail varnish palette are rich and vibrant and gloriously indulgent. Twenty-eight nail varnish shades in all they glide into place and give sheer vibrant colour to your nails and toes. I have Lover which is a true red and I have just painted my toenails ready for peep-toe sandals this week. Well I can pretend it's summer can't I?

Believe it or not, that isn't fake tan on my feet but the colour I picked up in Cornwall - must fake tan my toes I reckon. Great colour, great coverage and a full range of fantastic colours to get toes and fingers zinging this summer.

D&G nail varnish, around £18.50.

3 top talc-free dusting powders

Gosh it's hot and sticky today and I so wish I had some dusting powder to make me feel less like a boil-in-the-bag ready-meal. As the temperatures soar and we look for ways of keeping cool the Daily Mail website has the cheery news that talc causes ovarian cancer. This is not news and the debate has been around for ages and I can't find anything on any cancer sites (either here or in the UK) that states that talc causes ovarian cancer and that we should all panic. But the Daily Mail loves to cause worry and angst especially in women - it's their daily sport really, or that is how it appears to me. If you do want to completely avoid dusting powders that have talc then there really are lots on the market - here are a few that I think I shall be considering as I am of the age when a dusting powder isn't something my grandma used but something I really quite like.

 Burt's Bees Baby Bee Baby Powder, £7 - if it's good enough for a baby then it's good enough for me I reckon. And I do love Burt's Bees beauty products as you all know... It's 100% talc-free and also phthalate and paraben-free. Lightly scented with fragrant herbs and flowers it will add some much needed freshness.

Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Dusting powder, £18 - I adore the scent of rose - it's one of my favourites and this powder is lightly scented with violet, florals and musk so is a must really. It is completely talc-free and has corn-starch to absorb moisture plus silkening minerals to help keep skin soft.

Youth Dew Dusting Powder, Estee Lauder, £27 - this classic fragrance sits firmly within the spicy/oriental family of fragrances so is a great contrast to the other two featured here. It comes with a pampering puff too and will leave you heavenly scented and soft skinned. It's been a favourite fragrance for over 50 years so generations of women have loved it for it's top notes of rose and lavender, middle notes of jasmine and spices and bottom notes of vetiver (I love it when my man wears vetiver) and patchouli. 

I've just joined Bloglovin' - join me there?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Have just joined Blog Lovin' so I can not only follow my favourite blogs but also you can follow me there too. It's so easy to do simply go to the bloglovin site, sign up with your email and start your list of favourite blogs so you don't miss any updates. This will be replacing Google Friends really soon so best to do it and be prepared before all your favourites are lost - I certainly have!

Beauty News - EX1 for exotic skins

By 'exotic' EX1 means Asian to far eastern with middle eastern and Mediterranean in-between so I reckon that means me! The range includes 5 foundations, 5 mineral powder foundations, 3 powders, 3 concealers and 4 blushers so the whole range of skin-colours is pretty much covered (well within this target group anyway). Specially formulated to mimic the natural yellow/golden pigments found in exotic skin these don't have the usual premium price tag that you normally have to pay for this type of skincare product. All will help with skin colour correction for a perfect finish.

I haven't bought any yet so can't do a review but thought it worth flagging up as a new products for all my Turkish/Greek/French/Iranian friends and readers out there (and anyone else who falls into this category). Check out the EX1 range on the Look Fantastic site - liquid foundations are £10.50 for an idea of price range.

Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution from Kiehl's

I have been using this for about a month, once a day, every day. It's about the most dedicated I have ever been but I thought it might just help with the redness I am getting on my cheeks as time passes. I cover it up with make-up but there is no mistaking it without so I am prepared to go the extra mile with this.

And do you know what I think it has had an effect. Not a major effect admittedly but an effect all the same. The redness is nowhere near as obvious as it was and although it's not gone completely (now that would be asking a bit too much) there is definitely some improvement. And after a month of using it there is still just under a bottle left so it is good value too.

It does say give it 8 weeks so I will keep going for another month as I think it will have an effect which will be great if it does! I use it in the morning after my moisturiser and in the evening when I remember....

Key ingredients are Peony, active vitamin C and white Birch which combine to create an antioxident effect and brighten the skin. If you have age spots or flushing like me then I can recommend it highly....

Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution, £49 for 50ml.

#bootsmakeithappen on Pinterest - join in the fun!

I had such fun at our recent Twitter Party where we all chatted (and trended on Twitter I might add) about our beauty goals and questions. Using the #bootsmakeithappen hashtag I gained new followers and new friends and got some great ideas some of which have influenced my Pinterest board which you can see here!

Join me on Pinterest and create your own #bootsmakeithappen board - they will be choosing the best and posting them on their Facebook page for everyone to see - I love pinning as it really is the perfect aide memoir for me to scrapbook ideas and to-do lists as well as just being inspirational.

What is the Boots Make It Happen campaign? According to new research, three quarters (84%) of us are feeling positive about achieving our health and beauty goals throughout 2013 - I've already started juicing and eating more healthily in time for summer and getting my skin in great shape for baring all too! So I was interested to read about  Boots 'Let's Make It Happen' which is set up to help and encourage us all to reach our goals!

I know that just a few small changes can have real impact - whether it's regular exercise (use that gym membership people) or taking much better care of our skin, it doesn't really need a whole lot of effort to feel a whole lot better about yourself. Identifying what you want to change is where you have to start so Let’s Make it Happen will help you identify what you want to achieve and in the context of Boots is about what you need to do to get to grips with those health and beauty goals, with lots of information on services, support and must-have products.

Boots currently have a partnership with Mumsnet and various radio stations and everything is hosted on The Feel Good Forum on Mumsnet - all shows are fully accessible now so have a listen. 

So get pinning on Pinterest and check out the Boots Let's Make It Happen site to really turn around your beauty goals in 2013!

Waterproof Mascara - perfect for hayfever days

This is the glossy image for the New High Impact Waterproof Mascara from Clinique, arguably one of the best make-up houses in terms of making mascaras that don't clump. I love my Lash Doubling Mascara which separates every lash perfectly and lasts a really long time, so I have really high hopes for this new one which is out now from Clinique. Instant volume and length that resists flaking, clumping and smudging, I shall be getting my hands on one and giving it a thorough workout during hayfever time.                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                       
High Impact Waterproof Mascara, £16, Clinique.                                    

Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Cream

Okay, it almost feels like I do a monthly update as I discover new Burt's Bees products but I am a proper bona fide fan who thinks if you don't turn to them for chapped lips, dry skin or general making everything that  little bit better then you're a bit of a numpty. Okay?

I was at a friend's house the other day and her hands were in a very poor state due to her being a stained glass artist and keeping chickens. This product is on it's way to her for sure as she needs it more than me and apparently she's a fan too!

This cream is made with sweet almond oil and vitamin E plus soothing beeswax which helps to seal in moisture while allowing skin to breath naturally. I think this is the key to the efficacy of the products, the ability for the skin to act natural underneath a layer of product. I also smells heavenly. Have a pot handy, you won't regret it! Thanks Burt's Bees for sending this one over.

Burt's Bees Almond  Milk Hand Cream, £9.99.

Make it happen! Get into good habits and join us on Twitter...

According to new research, three quarters (84%) of us are feeling positive about achieving our health and beauty goals throughout 2013 - I've already started juicing and eating more healthily in time for summer and getting my skin in great shape for baring all too! So I was interested to read about the new initiative from Boots 'Let's Make It Happen' which is set up to help and encourage us all to reach our goals!

I know that just a few small changes can have real impact - whether it's regular exercise (use that gym membership people) or taking much better care of our skin, it doesn't really need a whole lot of effort to feel a whole lot better about yourself. Identifying what you want to change is where you have to start so Let’s Make it Happen will help you identify what you want to achieve and in the context of Boots is about what you need to do to get to grips with those health and beauty goals, with lots of information on services, support and must-have products.

Boots currently have a partnership with Mumsnet and various radio stations and everything is hosted on The Feel Good Forum on Mumsnet - all shows are fully accessible now so have a listen. 

Come and join top bloggers Beautyandthedirt and Thehighteacast at a Twitter party on May 2nd between 1-2pm using the #bootsmakeithappen hashtag to discuss your own goals (and theirs) and to ask questions of the always helpful Twitter community. Follow them on @beautyanthedirt and @thehighteacast

I will be taking part on Thursday lunchtime so join me @scaredcrows and the others to talk all things beauty! There will be some beauty goody bags to win for a few lucky tweeters too....

Philosophy Microdelivery Peel kit reviewed

I was given a voucher for my birthday recently to decided to buy myself the Philosophy Microdelivery Peel kit which I had tried out a few years ago and been longing ever since to replace. Yes this product has been on the  market a while, yes it works.

The word 'peel' always makes me a bit worried as I think of horrible red skin afterwards but this peel is gentle and really lovely to use even though it does contain both lactic and alicylic acid. First off you apply about a teaspoon worth of  the microdelivery peel vitamin c crystals to clean, dry skin. Once covered you gently massage the face avoiding the eye area for up to 60 seconds. The smell is an overwhelming one of oranges and is quite delicious. You then add, with your fingertips, about a teaspoon of activator which turns the granular mask into a gentle white foam as it by magic. This activates the vitamin c and peptides and you leave it on your skin for 1-2 minutes then simply wash off.

It's recommended that you use it once or twice a week before applying other beauty products but as it is so simple and quick to use (the whole process takes 5 mins max) this is no chore and the results are quite dramatic. My skin feels really really smooth and after a couple of weeks looks brighter and younger (less noticable lines).

This is not a cheap product but a little goes a long way and it is just as effective as a salon facial (in my opinion anyway). For those who want to liven up winter skin in preparation for the summer it is a must!
The Microdelivery Peel from Philosophy £59.