Elizabeth Arden Spring 2012 Giveaway

Yesterday I popped along to see the new Elizabeth Arden 2012 collection and had some fun with the PR girls, they are a gorgeous lot, and got to try the new products which I will talk more about in another post. Luckily I was also given extra products so I could give some to my wonderful readers too, they aren't even in the shops til March! These are some truly amazing prizes, lets have a look...

(Pictures courtesy of the best friend as I left my goodie bag on the train home idiot!)

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream 

Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Highlighter - Rose Illumination

Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Bronze Powder - Soft Radiance 

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Ultra Lipstick  Tulip

Elizabeth Arden Bronzing Brush (Brand new launch)

This giveaway is open worldwide, and will run until the 18th March 2012 at 12am midnight in the UK. In order to enter you must be a follower of my blog on GFC (it's in the sidebar) and leave a comment below with your email address & your favourite trend for Spring/Summer 2012. GOOD LUCK !!

Clarins Instant Light Blush

Clarins launched their new Instant Light Blush with the spring 2012 Colour Breeze collection, I'm getting back into cream blushes and cheek stains right now so I was excited to try these out. The formulation is lovely the texture very light weight on my skin, it creates a nice natural sheen on the cheeks and has a satin finish once settled. The Instant Light Blushes come in three shades, Vitamin Pink (on the left in the picture), Coral Tonic (on the right in the picture) and Brown Fizz (not shown), there is a shade for everyone and every skin tone looking to add a touch of radiance. It lasts a fairly good amount of time, I applied this in the morning about 9am and when dinner strolled around just after 5pm the colour was holding strong and only just starting to loose the fullness. I was impressed at how well it lasted as it is such a creamy formula, so Clarins have really created a gem product with the Instant Light Blushes.

The packaging is typical Clarins sleek and with the classic gold lid, it almost reminds of a nail polish bottle with the size. As for the applicator I actually like it, it's a doe foot wand but the size actually makes it usable. I haven't been been using any brushes when applying the blush, I've found the wand great to blend the colours out with.

Definitely check these out if your near a Clarins counter, Coral Tonic would be my top pick.

Available from Clarins counters and on-line for £19.00

Soap & Glory A Great Kisser

Soap & Glory have launched 3 new juicy lip balms, A Great Kisser which comes in three scents/colours: Sweet Coconut, Chocolate Cherry and Juicy Peach. They contain mango butter which helps to moisturise, apricot butter to protect your lips from the elements and finally lingonberry oil to boost the skins natural barrier repair. The Chocolate Cherry and Juicy Peach are slightly tinted and Sweet Coconut is clear, perfect if your looking for a natural wash of colour if you are just running out the door. The scents are a big winner too, I love anything peach or coconut scented so those two were instant winners in my book, the chocolate scent wouldn't be my first choice but all three are really nice. As for the formula it's a winner too, not sticky, very nourishing and glossy, all round the new A Great Kisser lip balms are certainly worth a try.

Available from Boots for £5.00

Essie for Carolina Herrera

“In true Carolina fashion, the nail look is the epitome of sophisticated glamour. This ultra-feminine shade is the perfect balancing act to this season’s dramatic, jaw-dropping collection.” – Essie Weingarte"

Essie were backstage at Carolina Herrera and Ana Maria created a really pretty dusky pink manicure for the show using 'Not Just A Pretty Face'. I have seen quite a lot of pinks used on the catwalks, from sheer shades to vibrant vixen colours. This Essie colour really caught my eye, it's the kind of colour that looks very polished and elegant but obviously still trend led. The flattering opaque pink with lavender tones was used all over the nail with a finishing coat of Essie Good To Go to create this look, I like it looks very chic and fresh. I will be sharing some more nail trends from Essie over the next couple of weeks. 

A little FOTD

Face:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

Clinique Loose Powder

Elizabeth Arden Mineral Cheek colour - Sunkissed Coral

Eye:

YSL Shocking Mascara
Sleek Brow Palette

Lips:

Sleek Lip Paint (?) - Pinkini

NOTD - 17 Supreme Shine

Right now I am really enjoying not having acrylics etc on and just trying to get my own nails healthy. One thing I have found is that I am painting my nails a lot more than I normally would if I had false nails on, not sure why but at least my collection is getting some good use at last. 

The 17 Supreme Shine nail polishes are really impressing me right now, I was sent one shade and have since bought 3 more. This shade is 'Simply Pink' which is a lovely milky pink colour, it is a sheer formula so I had to use 4 coats to get this finish and to be honest it could do with another coat. Not all the shades are like this however, the red shade I have only takes one coat to become opaque, so I guess it depends on the colour you pick. It's very chip resistant I have had this on for 4 days now and not a chip in sight, hopefully I can make it to the 10 day claim they make. 

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream Fragrance Free

Elizabeth Arden for me is one of those brands that I can fall back on, especially the eight hour range, the body cream has been a favourite of mine for 4 years. I was very happy to see the brand release the new fragrance free eight hour cream, as much as I love the original I really disliked the scent, this is the first change to the formulation since it was created 82 years ago. It is a firm favourite amoungst beaty lovers for multi-use purposes of the product, you can use this on cracked lips, dry elbows, eyebrows, cuticles, insect bites, windburn or works as a gloss for lips, lashes and cheeks and even to add a sheen to hairstyles. Another new change which I really like is new packaging, the sleek silver tube which has the iconic '8' pattern feature across it and the red lid. 

Priced at £25.00 Available from April

Viva La Juicy Heart Pendant

Viva La Juicy is such a lovely scent, it is one of few perfumes that lasts on my skin and continues to smell great as it wears away. I have been using the gorgeous travel bottle that I received before Christmas, it reminds me of the holidays as it was the only one I wore. For Valentines this year Juicy Couture have launched a solid perfume heart pendant, a little bit of bling goes down well with me. It is certainly a statement piece and is perfect to wear to add a romantic touch to any outfit (especially for date night!). Viva La Juicy is one of my favourite scents and I'm so happy Juicy have released another solid perfume jewelry piece, I still love my Juicy solid perfume ring.

RRP £37.00 from Juicy Couture at Debenhams

Save The Nail & Seche Vite

This week I had to get my acrylics off they were causing my doctor endless frustration when trying to get me hooked up to the little machine things (good description I know). I have been known to bite my nails, hence when I rely on false/acrylic nails however this time I am on a missing to keep my nails long and healthy. So today I bought two shiny new nail products to help with that, Save The Nail Repair & Rescue Treatment (a nails inc brand) and Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. My hope is that with both of the Save The Nail treatment will keep my nails strong and healthy - they are pretty weak right now - and the Seche Vite will protect the treatment and my nail colour so it doesn't just chip off. I will update you in a couple weeks with my nail progress.

Save The Nail Repair & Rescue Treatment £7.50

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top coat £8.50

Both from Boots

Clarins HydraQuench Cream and Mask

I've spoken about these products before in my Carmine column, the range is fabulous when your skin is suffering from the elements hence why I want to mention them as the UK is freezing right now. The HydraQuench range is suited for dehydrated skin that needs a nourishing moisture boost, these two products in particular really help transform your skin and fast. I've been using the range for a while now when my skin starts to get dry and irritated, it is perfect for soothing irritated skin too as the products all have a lovely cooling effect. 

HydraQuench Cream Mask 

Clarins describe this as 'An oasis of comfort for dehydrated skin' and I totally agree, the soothing and moisture rich formulation helps to restore your skins moisture barrier and bring your skin back into it's natural balance. Like I said above it is also a great treat if your skin is irritated or inflamed, right now I'm suffering from breakouts again so I've been using this to help sooth and cool my skin. If you suffer from lack of radiance you might find that all your missing is a healthy moisture levels, so introducing a mask like this a couple of times a week will really help to improve skins texture and appearance. 

Retails for £31.00 from Clarins counters or on-line

Left to right

Creame Mask; Cream Moisturiser

HydraQuench Cream

This is such a treat to apply and my skin is soaking it up right now, the freezing weather we are experiencing in the UK right now is playing havoc with my skin. It's a cream gel texture that feels really light on the skin and is quickly absorbed, with no residue left afterwards. My skin feels hydrated and refreshed after using this, again it feelings cooling on my skin  leaving it smoother and plump. 

Retails for £33.00 from Clarins counters or on-line

Diego dalla palma nail colour

Excuse the ruddy state of my nails, I was off to get them filled in later that day hence why I haven't actually got the colours on. Never-the-less I am loving diego dala palma's latest nail colour offerings for spring, the two that really jumped out at me was these two gorgeous pink shades. On the left is shade 71 (don't think they have names!) which is a red pink shades and on the right is shade shade 73, which is the perfect pink for a pop of colour despite the grey weather we are having right now! The formulation is really good two, one/two coats for a creamy opaque coverage and I managed to get 6 days wear before I saw any chips - not bad. 

They retail for £10.00 from Tesco Stores, @DDPBeauty

Neom Restore Candle

Having had a very stressful month I've been on a search for products that aim to aid relaxation, anything from oils to lotions to candles. Neom Restore Home Candle is a relaxing mix of Jasmine, Ginger and Sandalwood coming together to restore that peace of mind and  bring your inner self more 'together'. Neom suggest this candle for anyone who feels a little frazzled or stressed, and they also suggest it is good for people suffering from nausea - I presume this will be down to the relaxing and restoring aroma the candle creates. I have to say this is one of the nicest candles I've experienced, the 3 wicks are clean burning and will last up to 55 hours. With sleeking packaging, it will fit in your house anywhere, I really love that despite all the different scents Neom offer their wax is a pure ivory shade - I cannot stand when brands put colour into the wax.

For £37.50 I think this is great for balancing your mind and helping your mental and physical recuperation.

Get it on-line at Neom Organics

Good Things Deep Pore Cleanser

When I heard Good Things were introducing their Deep Pore Cleanser I was excited, I had hoped they would bring one out. 'Superfruits for super skin' I am in love with this deep pore despite the fact I have only been using it for a couple of weeks, the thin formula is like water and really does take all my makeup off, leaving my face feeling clean. It's aimed for breakout and oily prone skin types, which is me all over right not, lots of medications and illness has caused my skin to freak out again - not a pretty sight. So this came at the right time, the two-in-one cleanser/toner formula  digs deep to clear pores and reduce sebum without being too harsh on skin. One of the things I love about Good Things is how hard the products work without stripping your skin and being too harsh for it. The strawberry extract helps to create a radiant complexion, while willow bark and licorice extract will help get rid of any nasty spot causing bacteria.

Overall I've been impressed, this certainly helped clear my skin up and help me on my way to getting my skin back to normal. I have a soft spot for Good Things, and recommend the brand highly.