Skincare of the Week 13.09.15

Last Sunday was a very stressful day, so I ended up giving myself a mini-facial in the middle of the day.  Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel was soothing with its rosy softness, then I slathered myself in Aveda Intensive Hydrating Mask for the rest of the day.  I love this stuff, oil-free, it is instantly cooling and soothing (I keep mine in the fridge.  That reminds me, I need a bigger fridge), and leaves you plumped up and less red and angry-looking.  As I'm approximately 2/3rds sheer grumpiness, this is a minor miracle, I'm sure you'll agree.

After a stressful Sunday, I needed a treat come Monday morning, and when that happens, I reach for the Zelens:

I've been trialling the Intense Defence serum for a few weeks now, there's a full review of it upcoming, but I like this.  I like this a lot.  If you have tendencies towards sensitivity and redness (as I do), you'll probably like it too.  I paired it with the Z Recovery Intensive Repair Balm, as that is probably my second-favourite Zelens product of all time.  A non-greasy balm (actually more of a rich gel-texture) this nourishes and just makes skin look fab after using.  Any time my skin is a bit stressed, or dried out, or over-stimulated with active products, I reach for this, and my skin is usually much the better for it after one application.

A tiny catastrophe on Tuesday when I couldn't find either my Bioderma Crealine spray OR my beloved La Roche Posay Serozinc, so I had to dig out my Caudalie Grape Water.  I actually like the grape water, but the other two are much better for my rosy-redness, so it wasn't really the end of the world.  I added in the Ren Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Water, as, for some reason, I woke up with mascara smudges.  My waterproof eyemakeup remover has gone walkabout, and I paid the price on Tuesday.

More about this routine (and why it was so special) after the break ...

Burberry Kisses Gloss in 77 Tangerine and 97 Plum Pink

There's no joy much more fun than a brand new lipgloss, and, as I love a bit of Burberry, and a bit of lipgloss,  so when a couple of them were included in a recent delivery from the now-iconic British brand, I was happy indeed.

The perspex tubes that make the glosses look like test tubes, and the lovely pewter packaging all add up to a lovely package, and these two new shades, Tangerine (No.77) and Plum Pink (No.97) are both lovely too.  Tangerine is a hot orange that looks almost neon in the tube.  I like the shade a lot, as many orange lip colours have a lot of white in them, which make them difficult to wear, but this is a relatively clear shade, and one that's easier to wear than you might expect from the tube.  Plum Pink is a lovely deep pink with a hint of blue.

As you can see, Tangerine on the left there is quite sheer, and subtle on swatching, whereas Plum Pink, on the right is slightly more opaque.

On my lips, Tangerine is very subtle indeed, which surprised me as it is so vibrant in the tube, but I actually like that it's so sheer as it makes it very easy to wear. It's a nice, glossy formula that slicks on easily, unscented and unsticky.

Here you can see Plum Pink has more pigment, and is again a more wearable shade on the lips than you might expect from the tube, lending a berry-ish brightness to my lips, which I really like, and is ideal for the more autumnish weather we've been having this ... year.

More from the Burberry Autumn 2015 collection later this week, but you can find the Burberry Kisses Gloss in store now, and they cost £21 each.

The Fine Print: PR Sample


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Joan Collins - I Am Woman Review

Early last year, I was obsessed (and I do mean completely obsessed) with this perfume to the extent that I carried both the eau de parfum and the fragrant essence around with me, and forced all of my perfume pals to smell it at every available opportunity.  I was so happy and delighted to have found a beautiful, and clever, celebrity fragrance at last.  Everyone loved it (and I know a few people bought it as a result), but then my sense of smell disappeared for a while, and sadly, so did my ability to write, or even think about fragrance properly.

But now my sense of mell is coming back, and there's no better way to celebrate than with a spritz (or three) of Joan Collins I Am Woman, and finally getting to write about it.  I Am Woman opens bright and slightly citrussy, with subtle bergamot giving it a sense of sparkle and fizz which quickly gives way to a fuzzy and warm peach-effect.  The peaches in I Am Woman smell like they have been soaked in an expensive wooden brandy barrel for some time, giving them a slightly boozy tone, and then dusted with a little baby powder, which lends them a little softness, taking the edge off the booze.  Once you get past the peaches, there's a rich and dark wooded base, which  is smooth and silky with sandalwood, and there's just enough cedar in there to stop the whole thing being too sweet and ladylike.

Whilst the perfume is rich (not to mention replete with powder, booze and fruit, and bearing in mind that it bears the name of Joan Collins), you'd almost expect this to be a HUGE fragrance, but it's actually surprisingly subtle, and the sillage stays close to the wearer - it definitely does not enter the room before you do.  It's sophisticated, and the first time I smelled it, I knew, this is exactly what a perfume from Joan Collins should smell like.  That what is essentially, boozy peaches and baby powder, should smell so sophisticated is the real wonder.

I love the peripherals from the range, too, which is unsual for me.  The body lotion is very subtly scented and a very light formulation which makes a great layering base for fragrance - any fragrance - as it is very subtle, and moisturised skin holds fragrance better than drier skin, plus this is a good moisturiser too.  The darker bottle in the top picture is actually a "Fragrant Essence", which has a slightly deeper scent than the spray eau de parfum as the oily formula doesn't hold onto the citrus notes as well, but it can be used to scent baths, linen sprays, and my own personal favourite; diffused in a scent diffuser.  A brilliantly simple idea!

You can find Joan Collins I Am Woman at Urban Retreat in Harrods, on QVC (where you'll also find the rest of her makeup range too), and online at Joan Collins Beauty.  I Am Woman scented products begin at £12 for the fragrant essence (bargain!) and go up to £50 for the full-size fragrance.

The Fine Print: PR Sample


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Skincare (and other stuff) of the week 06.09.15

Because I'm knee-deep in the middle of a proper skincare testing period, the only things I've really been changing around at the moment are my cleansers, and the four in these pictures this week really are amongst my most favourite cleansers of all.  From the slightly minty-fresh (but not overpowering or drying) balm of Zelens Z Pure Cleansing Liquid Balm to ...

The fragrance-free, industrial-strength, but still silky and gentle Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil to...

 ... the rosy deliciousness of Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel (which I always think is a little misnamed, as it's actually a lovely nourishing balm-texture)

To the luxuriously decadent and divine-smelling Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm, which is, without doubt, a desert island product of mine.    The two products I'm actively trialling at the moment are the Zelens Intense Defence Serum, and the Omorovicza Blue Diamond Eye Cream, in case you were wondering.  The Elemental Herbology Calendula and Rose Damask Sensitive Skin Facial Moisturiser is a oldie, but a goodie that I rediscovered on riffling through the beauty cupboard recently.  I like it a lot.

Over on Instagram (where you can find me here, btw), I've also been sharing my lipstick and perfume choices for the day.  I always think of both fragrance and lipstick as the real finishing touches to my outfit (and beauty routines!)  and so they go together in mind.  These are the main ones from last week:

I had a meeting with the Jo Malone London team last week so I went with what is one of my most favourite Jo Malone London fragrances: Vanilla and Anise. For those occasions where you want to smell like a sexy dentist, this is a must.  There are cloves alongside the anise, and this is an unusal and spicy cologne from the range.  I had a sniff of Mimosa and Cardamom in my meeting, and keep an eye out for my thoughts on that soon.  The lipstick is Laura Mercier Lip Parfat in Raspberry ripple, a lovely pink-nude shade on my lips.

 I've been a bit obsessed by Juliette has a Gun Gentlewoman since June, when I got my bottle.  The smell of a hot and soapy body fresh from the shower, sweetened by a tiny bit of marzipan in the base, this is a gorgeous fragrance.  I paired it with Charlotte Tilbury Red Carpet Red, because I could.  And that's that.

This was Succus Eau Arborante by Liquides Imaginaires. Inspired by woods, this is a bright and lovely but still warm woody floral, and the opening reminds me hugely of rhubarb.  I like it a great deal.  I paired it with Laura Mercier lipstick in Healthy Lips as that always reminds me of rhubarb (cooked though, this time) too.  A lovely pairing.

And finally, because it was Friday, and Friday is the beginning of the weekend, I wore Fresh Sake.  I'm surprised at how much I like this one, I admit.  It's quite a simple floral fragrance, quite fresh, a bit clean, all the things I usually like, but don't love, but whenever I wear this I can't stop sniffing myelf.  And it lasts really well, too.  Lip colour was Laura Mercier Lip Parfait in Cherries Jubilee, which has rapidly become a new favourite!

How has your week been?


 The Fine Print: PR Samples and purchases, all mixed up.  Like their owner.


This post: Skincare (and other stuff) of the week 06.09.15 originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

Laura Mercier Lip Parfait Creamy Colourbalm - Raspberry Ripple and Cherries Jubilee

There's one trend not going anywhere at the moment, and that's the seemingly never-ending launches of sheer lipstick formulations.  Now, don't get me wrong, I do like a sheer lip colour, but I also like a lot of pigment, and the two aren't always that compatible.  The new "creamy colourbalm" from Laura Mercier may have tickled my fancy, however.

Housed in the signature brown livery of the brand, the Lip Parfaits are rather slimmer than a normal Laura Mercier lipstick, but they do still contain 3.5g of product.

 One the left there is Raspberry Ripple (one of the least raspberry-looking colours I've ever seen frankly) and on the right is the glorious Cherries Jubilee.

On swatching, both shades are sheer, but not unpigmented, and that made me very happy.  Laura Mercier is the queen of bright but natural pinks and these colours (even the raspberry that is actually a nude) are both lovely.

The reason why I don't like unpigmented lipsticks is because I have naturally unevenly pigmented lips - something you'll see in more detail in another blog post later this week - Laura Mercier Lip Parfait in Raspberry Ripple, even though it is both quite sheer, and a pink-nude shade actually contains enough pigment to cover my my uneven lips, and be pink enough not to make me look like a corpse, too.  Hoorah!

Cherries Jubilee is a little sheerer in coverage, but the stronger shade also helps cover  up my naturally uneven pigment.  Both colours are glossy without being sticky, and I haven't had any problems with transfer or staining. They're unfragranced too, so that's nice.

Laura Mercier's Lip Parfait Creamy Colourbalms are available in 12 different shades, are in-store at SpaceNK, Selfridges and John Lewis now and will cost £19.50 each. 


The Fine Print: PR Sample


This post: Laura Mercier Lip Parfait Creamy Colourbalm - Raspberry Ripple and Cherries Jubilee originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

Skincare of the Week 30 August 2015

 

You'll notice a certain "samieness" about my skincare routines this week, mainly because I am trying the new Zelens serums, and that means sticking to things I know.  But a couple of exciting new things have popped up too, so I'll show you those as well.

The Oskia Perfect Cleanser is one of my favourites (and was another cleanser that I was hoarding the very last bits of, but I thought it was time to dig it back out and enjoy it.  Used alongside the Clarins Gentle Exfoliant and Bioderma Crealine spray it's a lovely rich balm that left my skin nice and soft and ready for the Intense Defence Serum from Zelens.

Shopping my stash again meant my Oskia (now nearly empty!) Renaissance Gel made another re-appearance this week.  I'm going to need to replace this, it's really lovely.

This was my routine on a day when I needed some brightness - I was tired and feeling like crap as a result - so I swapped out the Zelens Intense Defence for Zelens Z Luminous and added in the Vichy Idealia Life Serum (which has wonderful pigments for a real glow - but sadly also contains a lot of fragrance, stupid in a range for sensitive skin) and some Suti Coconut and Rose moisturiser to give a real nourishing boost.

Two new products arrived too this week, the Omorvicza Blue Diamond Eye Cream (the beauty of the bottle made me squee a little bit, I'm very sad like that), and the Josie Maran Argan Milk, which I bought after being impressed with the Bright and Beautiful TSV from QVC recently.  It comes highly praised all over as a hydrating treatment but I'm reserving judgement for a while as I've only used it once.

A (rare) night out on Saturday meant a trip back to brightening and softening, so I began my routine with Sunday Riley Charisma Creme, and tried out the Josie Maran Milk.  

I think this was my favourite routine of the week though, beautiful-scented cleanse with the Omorovicza, Clarins Gentle Exfoliation, Zelens Intense Defence, the Bioderma Crealine, the Omorovicza Blue Diamond cream - which I can't deny I'm bitterly disappointed that it's a white cream, and not blue like the bottle suggests, dammit - and the Suti Coconut and Rose face cream.

I'll have more in-depth analysis of a few of these products soon, but in the meantime, what's been on your face this week?

The Fine Print: Mixture of PR samples and purchases.


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Josie Maran Bright and Beautiful Collection

You know those nights when you're accidentally awake at 4am and find yourself mindlessly perusing QVC?  Well that happened last week, and two days later, I found the Josie Maran Bright and Beautiful TSV (today's special value) on my doorstep.  I've been pretty impressed actually, and thought you might like to see it too.  Click to read more: