Daily Skincare

These are the products I use everyday (or most days):

In the morning I use Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Cottonseed. It has a really nice smell of fresh cotton and foams up well. I then use either Daily Energizer or Witchhazel Toner. 

I moisturise with Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream which I love!  Elemis is my favourite skincare brand though I try to buy when there are offers on, ask for it as gifts or buy from QVC which offers great value sets. I usually buy when 30ml size are offered in sets (same for the night cream). I'd never buy it at full price. 

I use either Elemis Eye Serum or Elemis Lip & Eye Contour Cream. I love Burt's Bees Lip Balms and my current favourite is Lip Shimmer. 

At night I firstly use Gatineau Floracil to remove eye make up (received this as a gift from my lovely mum) and then I'll use either Elemis Cleansing Gel or Pai's cleanser with camellia & rose, a gorgeous creamy cleanser for use with muslin cloth, smells heavenly. I'll use the Balm Balm toner at night and either Ila Spa's Face Oil for Glowing Radiance which is absolutely gorgeous scented with rose.  I won this little beauty in a Naturismo Facebook Friday competition and currently retails at around £50 or I'll use Elemis Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream and I'll finish with eye cream/serum.

I also love to use, about twice a week Dr Nick Lowe Menthol Face Scrub which retails at £11.22 (at time going to press), I try to buy when you get the £5 off voucher from Boots.  Love this, scented with menthol and tingly and zingy on the skin, a real wake up call!  It's a creamy scrub with "spherical micro beads to smooth skin".  Its fab, love it and use it twice a week. It's the best scrub out there! (well in my opinion!)

What do you use?

A cake of soap

Here are my current favourite bars of soap:-

I know bar soap is quite old fashioned now but I've got a healthy addiction!

My current favourite L-R:- Sedbergh, Arran Aromatics, Temple Spa, another Sedbergh soap and Planet Soap.

I came across the brilliant Sedbergh soap last year in the Yorkshire Dales, its a family business based at a sheep and cattle farm in Sedbergh.  The soaps all smell divine and its hard to choose.  The first little bundle is 5 assorted mini soaps - a good try before you buy or present.  My favourites are Lemongrass, Geranium and Sweet Orange.  You can also buy online and your order is delivered next day.

Arran Aromatics Exfoliating Bath Soap 200g - scented with After the Rain.  Nice gritty bits of oatmeal make this a great exfoliating soap.

Temple Spa Keep Calm Bar 50g - with essential oils.  Mr BB and I stayed one night at Northcote for a gourmet break, which was amazing and I'd highly recommend.  The products in the bathroom were Temple Spa.

Planet Soap - Minted Fennel & Nettle Soap 100g - Planet Soap is a small business based in Winchburgh, Scotland.  The soaps are handmade by Jill in her home workshop.  Other favourites include Lavender & Geranium and Lavender.

Haul #1

I love REN's products.  Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil is my most favourite bath product of all time!  Retails at £30 for 110ml.  But it's worth it!  Great for stress relieving and pampering. I also got two samples Active 7 Radiant Eye Gel (3ml) and T-zone Balancing Day Fluid (5ml).

I love hand cream, I've got it in the bedroom, in the car, in my handbag and desk drawer. Looking forward to trying this Herbfarmacy Hand Cream with marshmallow, comfrey and calendula, made with 97% organic ingredients.  I got this from Naturisimo.  I use this company a lot as it stocks lovely organic products.  You can chose up to 5 samples per order (some you have pay a nominal fee for).

Lastly, from Must Have, a travel sized pack of Caudalie products.  These products are made using grapes and smell heavenly, with a light floral and fruity fragrance.  This pack includes - 30ml cleansing water, 30ml shower gel, 30ml shampoo and 30ml Body Lotion (and a 4ml sample size of anti-wrinkle fluid). You can ask for up to 3 samples.

I asked for a sample of Paestum Rose EdT which has top notes of black and pink pepper, coriander and davana, middle notes of Turkish rose, incense and osmanthus and base notes of myrrh, opoponax, papyrus and wenghe.  On me is smells of incense and woods.  Its an interesting scent.

I'll follow up with reviews of these items once I've tried them.

Signature Scent - Sycomore EDT - Le Exclusifs de Chanel

I have always been a lover of perfume usually with 10 or so on the go!

I recently visited the Chanel Fragrance & Beauty Boutique in House of Frasers, Glasgow.

Since reading a lot about Le Exclusifs and Sycomore in particular, I was keen to test it.

Sycomore was inspired by the tree and was created by Master Perfumer Jacques Polge in 2008.

Sycomore's heart is Vetiver (if you don't like Vetiver you will hate this scent) along with Sandalwood, Cypress, Juniper and Pink Peppercorn.

On me is smells woody, mossy, lemony, musky.

I love it!  It cost.....gulp....£100 for 75ml.

I think I'll love it forever.

What's your signature scent?

Latest in Beauty

Each month it costs £1 by mobile, for postage and packaging costs, plus usual network rates and you get to choose three sachet samples from Latest in Beauty.  There is not a huge selection to choose from but I thought I'd give it a try. 

You choose three samples from three categories:- skincare - make up & fragrance - hair & body.

You chose your selection online once you've set up an account.  A code is sent to your mobile phone which you then add to your order.  About a week later your samples arrive in a small pink branded box.  After you have tested them you can rate them on the website.

I chose:-

• 5 x 1ml sachets Dr Bragi Age Management Moisturiser.  The full size of 60ml retails for an eye watering £120.  It contains marine enzymes to help reduce the signs of ageing.  It is marketed as a serum, moisturiser and eye cream in one.  I found that I could use each sachet twice.  It had an interesting gel like texture which at night melted into the skin.  Using it in the morning I found it sticky and didn't enjoy the feel of it on my skin.  On the website it says to allow 15 minutes before applying make up - as if I would have time to do this running out the door to work!

• 1 x 1.5oz/44g sachet Burt's Bees Therapeutic Bath Crystals. A 453g tin retails at round about £10.99.  Contains salt crystals and essential oils of rosemary and eucalyptus and has quite a medicinal smell.  On the packet it suggests using after a workout. I like Burt's Bees products especially the lip balms but I found this a bit boring. I prefer bath products that smell nice! 

• 0.5ml Crabtree & Evelyn Lily EDT carded vial sample and 5g sachet Lily body lotion.  Also included was a voucher for £5 off if you spend £25 instore or online.  Nice enough scent but a bit too flowery for my taste.  Body lotion was good quality and sank easily into the skin.  On website it says "a floral with musky undertones, greens, mosses, musk, hyacinth and Ylang Ylang.

Would I buy any of these items?  The answer is no.  It was nice to try them out though and I'll give next month's mini box a go.

Also on the website you can buy a themed box which is out several times a year and retails at £4.95 inc P&P but worth over £20 and currently contains sample sizes of Clarins, Dr Organic and Balance me to name a few. 

You can also buy luxury samples from brands like Abahna, BioEffect, Cowshed, Murad and Dr Lewinns.

Beauty Boxes - Amarya, Feel Unique & Boudoir Prive

I have recently subscribed to 3 monthly beauty boxes and receive my first ones in October - can't wait!  I have subscribed to Amarya, Feel Unique and Boudoir Prive.  

In the early 1980s my mum used to get a monthly beauty box from The Universal Beauty Club.

My sister and I (and I guess mum too!) eagerly awaited the arrival of the monthly box, so I am now excitedly awaiting the arrival of my first monthly beauty boxes. 

Reviews will follow.

L'Occitane Lavande Body & Massage Gel 200ml

I recently joined L'Occitane's mailing list and received a 20% off voucher through the post which you can spend instore or online.

I felt I could now justify buying Lavender Body & Massage Gel which retails at £20 for 200ml.

It's gorgeous! A lightweight cream-gel which is easily absorbed and scented with calming lavender oil.  It can also be used for massage.  I've been using it before bed which results in a great night's sleep!

L'Occitane will send money off vouchers and offers throughout the year and I've been told there will be some good offers coming up in the run up to Christmas.

Estee Lauder Gift With Purchase - Harvey Nichols

For those Estee Lauder fans out there Harvey Nichols has a luxury gift with purchase offer running from Thursday 29 September to Saturday 15 October.  You need to buy 2 items, one being skincare to receive your gift. 

Included in the free gift is:-

Re-Nutriv Hydrating Creme Cleanser 30ml, Re-Nutriv Softening Lotion 30ml, Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Age-Correct Creme 15ml, Eye Shadow Palette with 7 colours (Pink Flash, Peacock Blue, Tempting Mocha, Ivory Slipper, Wild Sable, Ivy Envy and Hot Cinnamon), Pure Color Gloss in Simply Pink, Sumptuous mini mascara and a navy weave tote bag with matching cosmetic bag.

I am especially excited about the Re-Nutriv trio!

Hello!

Just a post to say hello!
I am unable to edit my profile at the moment due to a technical glitch but I will be blogging mainly about beauty but also some shopping, books, food and lifestyle.
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