NOTD: Chanel 'Frenzy'

31

28.8.12

Chanel's AW12 collection has been filtering onto UK counters since about the 24th August, and there is one item that has been saved on my Pinterest board since it was used in shows months and months ago - a new Le Vernis nail colour shade in 559 Frenzy.
Let's face it, nobody spends the (frankly extortionate) £18 price tag on a Chanel polish for their exceptionally long lasting formula. I fully expect this to chip in about three days, like every other Le Vernis besides Peridot - though I should add it applied nicely in two coats. What I'm personally after is their well thought out, unique shades. And maybe a little bit of the Chanel brand somewhere in my subconscious. 

Yes, there is probably a plethora of close dupes but even this shade, a seemingly pedestrian lavender-grey taupe, has caused me no end of problems to photograph and it still looks a little too warm on my screen. Next to Nails Inc Porchester Square it leaned a milkier grey, but photographed alone there are definite hints of nude-y tan. On my hands? It's paler and much nearer a nude than the grey I expected but the lavender tones are also quite prominent. It makes hands look clean, professional but also a little bit different. Definitely a future staple.

Most Worn Summer Things

16

27.8.12


On My Bedside Table

26

26.8.12





I posted about the products that have been living on my desk, so I thought I'd do one about my bedside beauty products too. Yes, that is a Neom candle. I'm a creature of habit. I wax lyrical (pun-tastic) about these so I'll skip over that and straight onto my eye cream, Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado (full review here). I'm not sure if it's just me, but I do my entire skincare routine in the bathroom except for my eye cream? I can only do that if I'm in bed.

The teeny tiny bottle is a sample of Darphin Chamomile Aromatic Care which is 'A concentrate of plant oils to deeply penetrate and act from within to calm and re-energise skin, soothing redness and clarifying the complexion. Ideal for sensitive skin prone to redness and irritations.' I'm swimming in skincare at the moment, so can't justify the splurge of £42 for the full size (although it's currently 20% off on FeelUnique), but it's a really nice oil to use in the evening. I just warm a couple of drops between my fingers and massage it into my face if I feel like I need it a couple of hours after my normal evening skincare routine. It sinks in rapidly and soothes the skin whilst giving my moisturiser a boost. I'm trying out the new Origins Spot Remover Blemish treatment pads* on a couple of stubborn breakouts. I've been using one pad every other night, gently wiped over problem areas and it has cleared up one area already without drying the surrounding skin out. A full review is on its way once I've tried them for a bit longer!

I'm also giving Dr. Lipp* a test so my usual bedside favourite, Balance Me Rose Otto lip balm, has stepped aside for a few nights. Originally a nipple balm, much to my boyfriend's amusement, it's a paraben free multipurpose balm with lanolin to soften and hydrate. Antipodes Saviour Skin Balm* is my current nighttime hand cream, cuticle cream and all around hero. It's antimicrobial, antifungal and antibacterial so you can put it on pretty much any ailment and the tin is beautiful, no?

What's on your bedside table? (keep it clean, please!)

Shopping the Stash #2

27

25.8.12

I did one of these posts last month and it seemed to go down quite well, so I've had a rummage through my makeup storage to pick out some products that either deserve or need some extra use. 



MAC's Haute & Naughty mascara is the only MAC mascara that I actually like, but it's still not one I reach for an awful lot as it can get a bit clumpy. It's coming up for expiry though, so I'm making a special effort to use it up before it goes bad. If you really want to try a MAC mascara, I'd recommend this one but I personally won't be repurchasing it when it does run out. The other two MAC products are eyeshadows in Quarry and Vex. Both gorgeous colours, but not my favourites as I find myself packing them on a bit to get any real effect. I also pulled out the Maybelline Color Tattoo in 40 Permenant Taupe which hasn't been used as much as the bronze shade, but I'm still a big fan. I think it might work well with the MAC shades too?


Next are four face products (two of which have almost reached the pan...although it doesn't look like it). Maybelline Dream Matte powder is one of my favourite highstreet powders, although it really bugs me that more than half of the packaging is taken up by a mirror and fairly unhygienic sponge. It's in 03 Golden Beige which is a smidge pale for me at the moment, but very yellow based and quite translucent which makes that less noticeable. Talking of favourite highstreet products, Rimmel's 004 Pink Rose blush, in its particularly unglamorous (ugly) packaging, is one of the most reliable blushes in my collection. You wouldn't think it from the swatch, but it goes with just about everything and has just enough sheen to liven up your complexion. The texture is pretty easy to work with too.

I'll never work out how Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Cream in Rose Gold finds its way to the back of my drawer so often, because it's beautiful. Maybe it's the slim, unassuming packaging, who knows...but it will be gracing my cheeks again for the foreseeable. Ending on a slightly negative note is BareMinerals Prime Time Brightening Primer. I own two BareMinerals primers and I haven't been blown away by either of them. The smell reminds me a little of a petrol station and they don't feel particularly nice either but I'm making an effort to get them used up.

Are you trying to use anything in particular at the moment?

Antipodes Hosanna H2O Intensive Skin-Plumping Serum

12

20.8.12

I'm sorry (kind of) for another skincare post. Frankly I've barely worn any makeup lately due to a rather flustered mix of hot weather and being effectively shackled to my dissertation, but I promise there will be a whole week of non-skincare posts very soon. I'm also on a bit of a writer's retreat at my parents' house and only brought the bare essentials and a couple of products to test with me. One of these products is a serum from New Zealand brand Antipodes. Continuing Saturday's theme of dehydrated but slightly oiler summer skin, Antipodes Hosanna H2O Intensive Skin-Plumping serum* is water-based, so hydrating without feeling heavy. 

The serum is even runnier than the other hydrating serums I own, REN Max Moisture and Caudalie SOS Thirst Quenching, and the water-based texture means it doesn't feel as immediately hydrating as those two and I definitely need a moisturiser on top. What it does seem to do more effectively is smooth and plump the skin, and it works particularly well applied alone along the orbital bone in the morning to wake up the under-eye area and smooth out fine lines. Antipodes' Global Brand Trainer, Stephanie Simeon, said she likes to mix the serum with a little mineral foundation to use as an under-eye concealer, which isn't something I've tried yet but sounds like a great idea.

The scent is quite strong, the primary ingredient is lavender flower water, which might not be for everyone but it hasn't caused any skin irritation for me and I find it calming and refreshing. The serum also contains Antipodes trademark grapeseed extract to protect against pollutants, and mamaku black fern to foster healthy cell renewal. Antipodes say Hosanna serum can stimulate the synthesis of Type I collagen (the one that decreases as we age and is important to skin repair) in human fibroplast cells by up to  72%, which to be honest blinds me with science a little, but they do receive a huge amount of funding for research (and conduct their tests on human skin cells in the lab) which is something a lot of our organic brands in the UK are lacking.

Antipodes Hosanna H2O Intensive Skin-Plumping serum £27.99 / 25ml

Ingredients: Lavender augusifolia distilate (lavender flower water)*, cyathea medullaris (mamku black fern) leaf extract, vitis vinifera (Vinanza Grape) grapeseed extract, naticide (natural preservative), caprylic/capric triglyceride, xantham gum, essential oil fragrances of French rose oil and cardamon: Benzyl benzoate+, cinnamyl alcohol+, citral+, citronellol+, d-limonene+, eugenol+, farnesol+, geraniol+, linanool+.
* = Certified Organic ingredient; + = Component of essential oil


I thought I'd take my photos outside today to make the most of the sunshine (if I'm going to be too hot to sleep, I want some benefit from it) and my mum's awesome hot pink hydrangeas. Unfortunately I also splashed my camera with water, which my photographer's assistant (the dog) started licking off the patio like it was some kind of youth elixir. She has a big bowl of water in the house obviously, but to be fair if I was a dog and saw a human pouring jugs of water over a bottle of serum whilst attempting one-handed photography, I'd probably think there was something special going on too.

FeelUnique Sale Edit

24

19.8.12






Feel Unique are having a sale which starts officially tomorrow until 2nd September. As (bad) luck would have it, I put a rather hefty order in before the sale started last week and now some of my favourite brands have 20% off, so I thought I'd round up some of my personal picks.

Neal's Yard Remedies has 10% off the entire brand, including the Bee Lovely Hand Cream which donates £1 per tube towards saving bees (sounds almost funny, but they're incredibly important little creatures...please don't squish them!). My all time favourite perfume, Stella Eau de Parfum, is 15% off. Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Balm is 20% off, and one of the things I bought at full price last week. Gutted! But I'm excited to try it and expect to see it in a big cleansing balm round up soon. 

YSL has 15% off, including their new Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation, which has received some rave reviews. Shades B20, BD10, B30, BD30, BR40, B40 and B60 seem to still be Selfridges exclusives however. 

bareMinerals Well Rested is a great setting powder for concealer when your under eyes resemble a luggage carousel and is currently 25% off. Elemis has 20% off the entire brand, including one of my favourite face masks, the Papaya Enzyme Peel (review here). One of my favourite highlighters, Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Cream, and the rest of the brand, is 20% off. Finally a brand that has intrigued me for a while, thisworks, are also 20% off and their Clean Skin 5-in-1 water is very popular. I'm also very tempted by their Deep Sleep Heavenly candle...I could do with some proper sleep!

Let me know if you get any bargains!

Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet

12

18.8.12











Much as I like La Roche Posay's Effeclar M as a summer daytime moisturiser, it doesn't do much for my dehydrated skin.  Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet* is one of a couple of delightfully light, yet impressively hydrating, products that I've been using everyday recently (post coming soon!). It's ideal for hot and humid weather as it actually feels quite cooling and soothing, with the same fresh scent as the SOS Thirst Quenching serum. Caudalie describe the texture as a 'gel-cream' but it leans more on the side of thickish cream and sinks in rapidly. It has done a great job at plumping out my skin and avoiding any skin tightness. I also find when my combination skin is hydrated, the oily areas don't get nearly as shiny!

It does contain fragrance, but does claim to suit sensitive skin and I haven't had any issues with breakouts.

£19.80 for 40ml with free delivery from feelunique.com


Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Water*, Dicaprylyl Ether*, Glycerin*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter Extract*, Hexyldecyl Laurate*, Behenyl Alcohol*, Glyceryl Stearate*, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Erythritol, Parfum (Fragrance), Tocopherol*, Lecithin*, Caprylyl Glycol, Mannitol*, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Palmitoyl Grape Seed Extract*, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Juice*, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Sterols*, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract*, Sodium Carboxymethyl Betaglucan, Sodium Phytate*, Potassium Sorbate, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Homarine HCL, Glyceryl Caprylate*, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-15.                                  
*Plant origin

Recent Purchases

24

14.8.12



On My Desk

26

13.8.12


As I've mentioned before, I'm currently battling my way through a Masters dissertation. Subsequently I'm spending a lot of time at my desk, and some of my current favourite beauty products have been keeping me company. 

I love having candles on my desk, but I tend to work best after 3pm and into the evening and struggle to find scents that are neither too stimulating, nor too relaxing. Neom's new Harmonise candle* sits perfectly in the middle and after burning it for a couple of afternoons I actually got round to reading the description fully. It is so accurate: ‘to treat tiredness and to encourage focus. A gently energising blend, perfect for helping clarity and concentration.’ 

I wasn’t sure about the scent when I first took it out of the box, as the notes of pine, cedarwood and eucalyptus reminded me a little of Badedas (which is a guilty pleasure, but not the most feminine or sophisticated of scents). However when it burns - 100% vegetable wax so it flickers nicely on my desk without chucking out soot - like all the Neom candles I’ve tried, it fills the room with an incredibly multifaceted, and in this case soothing, scent. I've loved all of Neom's fragrances, but this has rapidly become my favourite and as a 'treatment' it works very well. I can see this becoming an autumn/winter favourite for lots of people. 

Also on my desk are established favourites, Burt's Bees Banana Hand Cream (full post here) and NUXE Reve de Miel lip balm. A new addition is Aesop's Parsley seed cleansing masque, which I've been using to tackle some stress related breakouts. I'll be posting a full review in the next week or so, but I'll say now (tentatively) - it has been working wonders.

Do you have any desk favourites?

*PR sample

NOTD: Mavala Jeans for Genes

17

9.8.12


I remember Jeans for Genes day from school, where it was a great excuse to avoid our knee length woollen skirts (or trousers) in the name of charity. However now I have a bit more agency over what I wear on a weekday I think I've worn jeans about once this year. 

If, like me, you're not much of a jeans girl but still like to show your support for hard working charities like Genetic Disorders UK, you might be interested in this limited edition kit from Mavala. The set contains Denim Blue, a perfect metallic indigo polish, alongside a top and base coat. It is priced at £10 with £1 from each kit going straight to Genetic Disorders UK. Purchases also come with an automatic entry into a prize draw to win your entire office a manicure on Jeans for Genes day (Friday 5th October) by celebrity manicurist Jenni Draper. 

The kit is available exclusively through BeautyBay.com until 5th October.


This was a PR sample so I made a donation to Genetic Disorders UK via their Just Giving page, which you can find here.

Boots Botanics Rosewater Toning Spritz

23

7.8.12


I might not be a fan of some of the changes Boots have made to their Botanics line, but alongside the rebranding they have brought out some interesting new products. The one that caught my attention most is their new Rosewater Toning Spritz

Spray toners feel so much more refreshing than ones applied with cotton wool during the summer and they also cut down on waste. As I double cleanse using a muslin cloth, I'm not personally looking for a toner to remove excess makeup or cleanser so I skip wiping the toner off with cotton wool. Instead I just spritz it on, dabbing off any excess with a towel, to refresh and calm the skin before moisturiser. I wish the mist it created was slightly finer, but that's a small complaint.

I don't feel as though this toner is as calming or clarifying to my skin as the Caudalie beauty elixir, but it does contain less potential irritants and also glycerin, so this might be a good option for more sensitive or dry skin types. It's also a lot cheaper at £4.99. Still a bit of an unjustified hike from the range's previous pricing, but at time of writing it is on offer for £3.33.

The ingredients are super simple (Aqua (Water), Alcohol denat.*, Glycerin*, Rosa damascena flower oil*, Citronellol) and it's 100% organic.


Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains - Honey + Crush

32

5.8.12


You might have seen these balm stains in my last video. I've pretty much worn Honey non-stop since I got it (case in point: my goofball new sidebar photo) and I've already ordered a couple more shades now they have hit shelves in the UK, but unfortunately Charm, Precious, Smitten and Adore don't appear to have made it across the pond. 

Honey is a nude-pink with a hint of mauve, which is very similar to my natural lip colour making it ridiculously easy to wear. Crush is a rich berry-red and it reminds me of Revlon's Black Cherry lipstick, which is one of my favourites when smudged out under lip balm. The stain lasts for ages so once the original balm has worn off, I just top up with whatever lip balm I'm wearing that day. Doing that doesn't require a mirror, so they are incredibly low maintenance. Crush does highlight any imperfections in the lips a little more than the lighter shade, so it's worth exfoliating beforehand. 

It would be nice if the packaging reflected the amount of product (when you wind them all the way up, the crayon only fills about two thirds of the packaging) and they also have a slightly strange scent...minty which has slipped into Rennie indegestion tablet territory (a bit chalky!) but aside from that I can see both balm stains becoming everyday staples as I'm really impressed!

They are currently at an introductory price in £5.99 in Superdrug and Boots, so if you fancy trying them, now is a good time!

Lee Stafford SunKissed Lightening Spray

24

3.8.12


Ombré might be 'over' but I still love the look of slightly lightened ends, it's just so summery and my hair always feels a bit dull when it is a solid colour. But I generally can't be faffed to buy an entire box dye, don my gloves and wait 30 minutes just to lighten one part of my hair. Lee Stafford SunKissed Lightening Spray* is basically that whole process in a bottle, with a little bit of lemon-on-hair-sitting-in-the-sun DIY nostalgia thrown in for good measure. 

I like this spray - it's super easy to use and, as promised, lightened the ends of my hair - but do not, under any circumstances, follow the directions on the bottle! 'Lee's Top Tips' are to spray onto towel dried hair, comb through and blow dry. I tried this the first time and struggled to get a brush through my hair. The formula contains hydrogen peroxide and citric acid - both lightening but extremely drying ingredients which made my hair a little rough and brittle at the ends. Used before shampooing, however, I didn't have any problems. Spritz it on to dry hair before you want to wash it, wait about 15 minutes, wash as normal and follow with a conditioning mask for a few minutes. It took about 2-3 uses to bring my hair colour up to a noticeably lighter shade which I didn't mind, as it offers more control and a more natural finish.

You can use the spray to lighten all over, to ombré, to highlight or to touch up roots - so this is probably worth a try for naturally dark blondes who like to add subtle highlights or not so natural blondes to squeeze an extra week or two between colouring.

At £7.99 for 100ml it probably still works out cheaper (and easier!) than using a box dye, as you can keep whatever you don't finish in one use (I used about 1/3 of a bottle for 3 applications), so it's still a great product to have if you want to perk up your hair colour...just ignore Lee's 'Top Tips' and have a good conditioning mask handy. Available from Boots.

*PR sample
n.b. My hairdresser dyed my hair during my last appointment (pretty much through boredom - but he didn't dye it blue so it's all ok) a week or so after trialling this...so if you see me and my hair doesn't look lighter at the ends that would be why!

August

27

1.8.12



Happy August!

Apologies for the lack of actual clothes in this month's post. The shops (not that I've actually been in any lately) are at that weird overlap stage with wooly hats and sandals all jumbled up together. The dress from Monki looks a bit boring at the front, but definitely have a look at it on the website, it has an open back and looks so pretty on the model. I've just run out of my Xen-Tan Dark Lotion too (which I've been relying on to balance out my tanned lower limbs and pasty upper limbs!) and definitely considering a purchase of the Absolute Luxe version, as it gets rave reviews.

My MA dissertation is due in on the 29th, so I've been busy, busy scheduling lots of posts and videos for this month as I might not be around much. I'll see you on the other side! x

And here are some songs I've been listening to a lot:

Nick Drake - Place To Be
Jay Z & Kanye West - No Church in the Wild ft Frank Ocean & The Dream (...I know, curveball right?! But I love it. Illuminati or not. Can't help it.)


All rights reserved © Blog Milk - Powered by Blogger. All content and images © Lips So Facto unless stated otherwise. Please seek permission before use and include attribution links.