Friday

Quick review: Argan+ Dry Body Oil

Argan 5 Dry Body Oil 200ml £14.99 & 100ml £9.99 available from Boots

The launch of the Argan 5 range was one I was highly looking forward to trying out, I know a few bloggers love the range too easy to see why. this was the first product I wanted to try and it has been a favourite since (I have 2 back up bottles). I love oils whether it is for my face, hair or body, the formulation makes this oil sink in very quickly. No waiting around for anything to sink, it really is a 'dry' oil so you can get dressed straight away. My skin is kept hydrated and nourished all day long, feels very silky afterwards and the gorgeous warm scent lingers on the skin too. The blend of oils Argan 5 use as a base in their products are: Moroccan Argan Oil, Baobab, Kukuin Seed, Moringa and Sacha inci oil, full of fatty acids and anti oxidents to protect, nourish and repair the skin. The other way to use this is by pouring one-two cap fulls into a hot running bath and let the aromatic scent fill the air, whilst the oil sinks into the skin creating a mini spa like experience at home.

This is definitely worth the money, I haven't found another body oil that locks in moisture all day whilst feeling so lightweight and smells fabulous.

Have you tried any of the products in the range? Let me know your fave!

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant priced at £30.80 from Dermalogica retails or Lookfantastic

This product review is definitely well and truly overdue, it immediately fell into my skincare routine and sometimes special products just miss out on the blog in the start. Better late than never though! I have been using Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant for around 6 months now, I use it between two or three times a week, depending on what my skin feels like. You can use it daily, hence the name, but don't always use the product how the retailer recommends judge it by what your skin needs. I love the feeling of this on my skin, you really feel it buffing away all those nasty dead skin cells and revealing glowing, soft skin. The rice based powder that contains, papain and salicylic acid all help to unclog the skin and dissolve dead skin cells and the licorices and grapefruit help to brighten the complexion. If that wasn't enough goodies in a skincare product, oatmeal, ginkgo and green tea help to calm the skin down, so even those with sensitive skin should be ok, my therapist uses this on my mum and she has a lot of redness on her face if it works for her I'm sold. My skin always comes away clearer, more radiant and clean - obvious perhaps but this really does take squeaky clean skin to another level. 

It comes out of the bottle as a white powder, you simply wet your hands and mix it into a paste and again you can add more water to make it creamier or less so it's a little thicker. I like it a little thicker so I really feel the particles, when it comes to scrubs I like to feel like they are working hard. Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant last's a really long time too, I've had my mine over 6 months and it feels like I have over half left, so if the price puts you off I would say you will easily get a year out of this. My skin has loved this products, I'm left with a smooth texture and glowing skin, that will make my moisturiser work harder and leave me feeling more confident. 

Have you tried this out? Tell me your fave scrubs or treatments in the comment box too..

Clarins Bronzing Duo SPF15 Mineral Powder Compact

Clarins Bronzing Duo SPF15 Mineral Powder Compact, priced at £26.00 from Clarins, in 'Light/Medium/Dark'

When the Clarins summer makeup collection launched I was pleasantly surprised to see that the brand had introduced a couple of new bronzer's in their line. The new bronzing duo palette has become a firm favorite in my makeup bag, as it allows me to adjust my skin tone subtly with a sunkissed glow. It can be quite tricky to find a perfect match in a bronzer and now Clarins has created a product where you can mix both sides or just use one depending on what you need/want. The darker side has a very fine shimmer through it which when buffed in gives a gorgeous glow to the cheeks and in fact I have been blending both and using it as a blusher, I am obsessed with the 'light' shade for this. The formula contains 100% natural mineral sunscreen that will protect against UV damage, pollution and free radicals, as with most mineral powders the pigments in this compact create a lovely soft focused look to your skin. The finish helps create a diminished appearance to any fine lines, pores and imperfections, whilst perking up the complexion making it appear brighter. Both sides of colour have great pigmentation, you can layer them without fear of caking thanks to the fine pressed powder. 

The Clarins Bronzing Duo feels light-weight and silky on the skin, like I said depending on what I need that day I use this to contour, as a blush and to set my makeup in place to last all day. As with all Clarins palettes it comes in a velvet pouch and housed in a glossy gold/bronzed palette, with a large mirror inside for those on the go touch up's. Overall I have fallen in love, yet again, with another product from Clarins and it is one of the best bronzer's to have been launched this year.

 

Have you tried the new Clarins Bronzing Duo's yet, let me know what you think!

Especially Escada by Escada

Especially Escada by Escada available nationwide, priced from £32.00 for 30ml

"Especially Escada is the gorgeous new fragrance from the House of Escada; a luxurious and feminine scent inspired by the 

spirit of today’s joyful, spontaneous and glamorous woman. Her attitude is positive, she lives to have fun and her happiness is 

her strength but she always remains true to herself". 

This was a new launch at the start of the year for Escada and was launched with Bar Refaeli as the face of the Especially Escada perfume, I think she the perfect fit for the brand. With heart notes of rose and ylang ylang, top notes of pear and ambrette seeds, sealed with a base of mush, the overall perfume is light and floral. Striking the perfect balance of sophistication and a pretty feminine scent, it was love at first sniff and it is a great perfume to carry you from day to night. This lasts all day so you need only a couple of sprays, the rose comes across really well and is very true life, then it all settles to a warm rich musk. When it comes to perfume bottles I am extremely picky, silly perhaps but for me the packaging is everything and the simple yet elegant. With the subtle pink frosty glass bottle and finished with a gorgeous gold lid featuring the Escada double E logo. It's striking yet not in your face, which I think sums Escada up well. 

If like me you are a fan of flirty floral scents that have a richer base, then I think you will love Especially Escada too. Let me know if you are a fan or have this on your Christmas list already

#LFW London Fashion Week

Have you missed me guys? I'm finally back and I jumped straight into London Fashion Week, I took far too many pictures so I think they will slowly spill out onto my blog over the coming weeks but for now I wanted to share a small snippet. This season was definitely the best, the past few seasons where fab but being more involved and getting to go backstage made the whole fashion week experience that much better. I want to say a huge thank you to Handpicked Media, UGG/Halpern PR, Toni & Guy, MAC cosmetics, The Body Shop, Ted Baker and everyone else who made this week so fun for me, I'm hanging my heels up now and collecting my thoughts on the trends & shows I have seen. It was great to see so many familiar faces too having had the past few months away from my blog, that also meant I kept away from events in London so it has been lovely to have a cocktail and catch up with so many fabulous faces. 

Did you attend #LFW?

Kerastase Cristalliste

Kerastase Cristalliste range prices from £13.90, find out more HERE

There are so many different hair care ranges out there, with endless options for shampoo's and conditioners, it can be quite daunting trying to decided on a new range to try. Kerastase launched their Cristalliste range aiming to inject all hair types with plenty of shine without weighing your hair down. The new line up offers two shampoos; one for fine hair that adds some extra body and another for those of you with thick hair, one conditioner and a serum treatment, so this range cuts out all those different and mind boggling combinations as you just have to pick the shampoo for you and the rest is sorted. I've been using the shampoo for fine hair, conditioner and serum for the couple of weeks and have been left impressed with how healthy, shiny and nourished my hair looks with just these 3 key products. My hair isn't left feel heavy or weighed down, apart from a couple of styling products that I always use, my routine has been simplified and my hair more manageable. Being a blonde I do find that it is hard to maintain a natural glossy shine to my hair, however since I started using the Cristalliste products I cannot stop looking and touching my hair - I think I have found my new must have shampoo & conditioner! 

Have you tried the new Kerastase Cristalliste hair range yet?

Lee Stafford Argan Oil from Morocco Miracle Shine Spray

Lee Stafford Argan Oil from Morocco Miracle Shine Spray, 

available from Boots priced at £9.99

This little gem from Lee Stafford has swiftly nudged it's way into my every day hair routine, providing my hair with soft silky and shiny hair in a few seconds. I have never been a big fan of shine sprays, on nights out I might add one but in general I rely on hair oils to keep my hair glossy. The Miracle Shine Spray is a really easy to use spray that not only adds shine, but tames frizz and gives my hair an overall conditioned feel. I like the fact this is a really light mist, so my fine hair isn't weighed down by it. I apply this last once my hair is styled, I use it mainly mid-length to ends trying to use a tiny amount on my roots, the end result is glossy groomed hair. Lee Stafford's entire Argan Oil range is great quality for the price, I also recommend the Argan Oil Deep Nourishing Treatment from the line too, just once or twice a week will keep your hair highly nourished and silky smooth. 

Have you tried this or any Lee Stafford products?