Holding onto Summer

Much as I love autumn I do love warm summer days. Here are the products which will help me hold onto the summertime feeling going into autumn:

A little bit of bronzer keeps me going into autumn days. This one by Bobbi Brown in Golden Light adds a light glow to the skin.

Olivine Among the Waves Lotion transports you back to the beach and summer living. It smells simply of the beach - salt air, coconut oil, tropical flowers and sea breeze. 72% organic with a cute little wooden reusable tag. It's just summer holidays in a bottle for me. 

Innovative Sun Drops* (£22) by Tropic Skincare are just perfect for holding onto summer skin and a light tan (all through winter!) Add a few drops to Skin Revive Moisturiser* for a tailor made tan with this gradual build up serum. The colour will develop leaving your skin lightly tanned and healthy looking.

Yes to Coconuts Ultra Moisture Conditioner which smells instantly of summer! The conditioner deeply nourishes the hair leaving it smelling of coconuts.

Do you use any products to help you hold onto summer?

*complimentary

Bath Time Treats

Here is my current bath-time stash. One of my favourite beauty pastimes is a long soak in a fragrant bath.

Therapie Himalayan Detox Salts - one of my all time favourites and always in my stash. They just work! See my review HERE.

Ravenscourt Apothecary Indian Jasmine Bath Salts - pretty pink Himalayan salts scented with jasmine petals and essential oil. Makes for a relaxing soak. See my initial thoughts HERE.

Humble Rose & Frankincense Bath Honey* - simply adore this. See my review HERE.

Senspa Himalayan Bath Salts - I picked these up at Waitrose when they were on offer. Makes for a relaxing soak. 

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil - this is my favourite REN product and I've mentioned it numerous times on the blog. Makes for a delicious rose scented soak and it's one I never tire of.

Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil - Tracey at Face Up Beauty sent me this. I'm a huge fan of the range. My all time favourites are Inner Strength and Deep Relax.

Weleda Arnica Muscle Soak* - one of my favourite bath products this year. See my review HERE. 

ila Bath Soak Pure Relaxation* - which came in the fab Naturisimo De-Stress & Unwind Discovery Box* it's already a firm favourite having used it several times before. It really does relax and calm and is perfect to use before bed.

Cowshed Moody Cow Balancing Bath & Shower Gel - I like to use this in the bath as it soothes and calms.  My friend Julie gave this to me at my birthday. It contains rose geranium, linden blossom and frankincense which help to unwind.

Salcura Bath Oil* - which soothes, calms and moisturises itchy skin. See my review HERE.

Jo Malone Grapefruit Bath Oil - I've had this for what seems like forever! One of my favourite Jo Malone scents it leaves the skin nourished and lightly scented.

Dr Organic Rose Otto Bath Oil - a perfect dupe for my favourite REN. This in its own right is pretty gorgeous too. Makes for a perfect rose scented soak.

Bloom Remedies Serenity Slumber Bath Oil* - Marie very kindly sent this to me when I was having trouble sleeping. Perfect to use before bed for a restful night's sleep. See my mini review HERE.

I nearly forgot Olivine's Love+Peace Sparkling Pink Butter Bath! See my initial thoughts HERE.

What's in your bath-time stash?

*PR samples

Shopping my Stash #65

I've been loving raiding my stash again on the spending ban and have found some great products! Here's what I've been reaching for lately:-

Fair Squared Lip Balm in Spearmint - a lush and supermoisturising balm. See my review HERE.

Shay & Blue Blood Oranges - a super sweet and juicy scent which captures ripe and fresh oranges perfectly. Brings a bit of summertime to autumn days.

Blue Labelle Hand Oil - which is a deeply nourishing oil for dry hands. See my review HERE.

Olivine Love+Peace Sparking Pink Bath Bath Salts (pick yours up at a beautiful world). I picked these up just before my spending ban kicked in. They are perfect to use before bed to calm and relax. The salts contain Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, Organic Cocoa and Shea Butters, Epsom salts and an essential oil blend of Lavender (quite heavy on the lavender), Ylang Ylang, Rose and Orris Root.  

Nourish Golden Glow Illuminating Face Shimmer - one of my favourite Nourish products. I use it before foundation (or add it to foundation) to add a glow. See my review HERE.

Nourish Protect Hydrating Moisturiser - I'm finding as the days are getting colder I'm needing something more nourishing to protect my skin.  This rich cream nourishes and hydrates (and is lovely!)

Neal's Yard Remedies Bee Lovely Body Lotion 100ml - this was free with Instyle mag this month. I loved the hand cream in this fragrance previously. This body moisturiser absorbs quickly and leaves the skin nourished with an orange-y scent. Love it! 

What have you been reaching for this week?

The Holiday Edit

I've been really ruthless on deciding what products I'll take on holiday. I've picked products I really love and know work for me.

Skincare:

Skyn ICELAND Glacial Cleansing Cloths x 10 - I don't use wipes that often but sometimes I use them after a night out for a quick cleanse and they are a holiday must have.

Skin & Tonic STEAM CLEAN 15ml - probably my favourite cleansing balm this year. I love it's minty scent and how quickly it gets rid of daily grime and make up.

The Organic Pharmacy Rose Facial Cleansing Gel 10ml (yep I picked up another mini set!) See my initial thoughts on this lovely cleanser HERE.

I'm a huge bodhi & birch fan and I'm packing the mini Rosa Rosa trio - Clarifying Cleanser, Hydrating Toner and Daily Moisturiser. All of these are 5ml. See my review HERE.

Also being packed are 3 Antonia Burrell minis - Forest Dew, Mask Supreme 7-in-1 (review) and Creme Supreme (review) (all 10ml). See my post on the discovery kit HERE.

For eyes it's got to be Josh Rosebrook's amazing Oculus Formula* 1oz which I love. See my review HERE.

Lastly, my favourite de Mamiel Summer Facial Oil 20ml which I simply adore. See my review HERE.

Bodycare:

bodhi & birch Mint Thé and Jasmine Falls Bath & Shower Therapy both 50ml - I picked two of my favourite minis which can be used both in the bath and shower. I'm thinking of a cooling relaxing bath after a day in the sun or sightseeing....aahh. See my reviews HERE.

Lj's Natural Solutions Organic Purity Rose Body Oil 50ml - I'm addicted to this stuff! One of my favourite body oils this year. I'm never without a bottle. See my review HERE.

Olivine Love+Salt Beach Hair & Body Mist 2oz - which is summer in a bottle. It smells deliciously of coconut and can be misted through the hair for beach waves or used as a body mist. This came in the S/S '15 a beautiful world box.

I love the shimmery Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse OR 10ml - for a light touch of summer shimmer.  My final item is a Dr Bronner's Lavender Shaving Gel sample.

Hair:

Philip Kingsley's Elasticizer 20ml - this came in the Latest in Beauty Awards Box (link). I'm a huge fan of this wonder product which makes my hair look healthy and glossy. It's a must have.  Also in there is another Philip Kingsley product Swimcap 50ml which can be used to protect your hair from the sun, wind, chlorine and sea water - it's a new try.

Another product from the #LIBawards box is COLAB Dry Shampoo in Monaco 50ml - I've been keen to try this after reading so many rave reviews.

Yarok's feed your ends leave in conditioner 2oz - is perfect for keeping dry ends conditioned and cared for.

I've also accumulated some sachet samples -

Perfume:

I like a little bit of choice:

Tom Ford White Suede EDP 4ml, The Library of Fragrance Salt Air 15ml, Creed Virgin Island Water vial, Miller Harris Coeur de Jardin vial, Diptyque Philosykos, Shay & Blue Watermelons 30ml* a delicious fruity scent (full review upcoming!) and a Travalo filled with Laboratory Perfumes Gorse (review).

What are your holiday picks?

*PR samples

Shopping My Stash #65

Olivine Love+Salt Beach Hair & Body Mist (2oz) - this delicious coconut scented multi-purpose spray came in the recent a beautiful world S/S '15 sampler box. It's the perfect product for summer - spritz it over your body or through damp hair for natural beach waves. Love this!

John Masters Organics Rose & Apricot Hair Milk 118ml - this is a staple in my stash. See my review here.

Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Stain in Forever Peach* - I'm a huge fan of Forever Pink. This new shade is perfect for summer. It changes shade depending on your body chemistry - on me it varies from light coral to nearly red. Expect a fuller review soon.

Bodhi & Birch Mint Thé Bath & Shower Therapy 200ml - this is my favourite Bodhi & Birch shower gel. I just love its invigorating scent in my morning shower (it's also perfect to use after a day's sightseeing or sunbathing). See my review here.

Bee Good Honey & Wild Flax Daily Moisturiser 50ml (normal/combination skin)* - this light and quickly absorbed moisturiser is just perfect for summer. It deeply nourishes the skin and is packed full of British wild flower honey, British propolis and beeswax which are combined with plant oils, botanicals and Vitamin E.

Odylique Silk Touch Cleanser 20g - this luxe gel cleanser turns to a milk when you add water to your skin before removing with a damp warm muslin cloth. It leaves the skin feeling clean and refreshed.

What have you been reaching for lately?

*PR samples

a beautiful world S/S '15 Sampler Box

I think I was the last person to receive their a beautiful world S/S '15 Sampler Box. Luckily for me, Liz tracked it down - thanks Liz! I picked it up at the Post Office yesterday morning.

The box costs a bargainous £20 plus P&P. I'm pretty pleased with mine. I think they sold out in 15 minutes or so! All boxes are slightly different. You can see what Ria got here and what Karen got in her box here.

I was surprised to receive a full size product of PLANT's Rosemary & Lemongrass WAKE UP Body Wash. I've tried the brand's CALM DOWN Body Wash and you can see my review HERE.

The next item to grab my attention was Olivine's Love+Salt Beach Hair & Body Mist (2oz) which smells of coconut. Love! Looking forward to testing this out. I also recently tried the brand's Love+Roses Beauty Mist see my review HERE.

There is a Schmidt's Natural Deodorant in Lavender+Sage mini pot which I've used before and loved. See my review HERE as well as new brand to me and a beautiful world (it hasn't actually launched there yet) COOLA - I received a 5ml tube of Classic Sunscreen SPF 30 - its not a huge sample but I'll give it a whirl.  I'm hoping a beautiful world will be stocking their Lotion Bars.

Huge Indie Lee fan, inside is a Brightening Cleanser sample tube which smells of strawberries. So looking forward to trying in my morning shower.

There's also a Josh Rosebrook sample size pot of his Cacao Antioxidant Mask which I can't wait to try. It brightens, detoxifies and firms the skin and smells delicious!  The final beauty item is by The Body Deli - Solar Day Cream in a mini pot which has SPF15 and protects against environmental and sun damage. Huge fan of this brand so looking forward to using.

The box also includes a cream coloured branded tote bag (always useful), a washbag size Tili bag and a cute pencil. Mine says "you are amazing" which made me smile and there is a voucher code for 20% off any future purchase.

What did you get in your box?

Olivine Love+Roses Beauty Mist

I'd recently tweeted Olivine's founder to ask if she shipped to the UK as I was desperate to try Love+Roses. I didn't get a reply but soon found out a beautiful world was stocking the very gorgeous Love+Roses Beauty Mist. It launched yesterday and costs £8.50 for 2oz or £18.95 for 8oz.  Get 10% off with code ROSE10.

It is simply divine! Use it to spritz your skin, body and hair. It has a glorious rosey scent and is made with a blend of anti-ageing beautifiers, essential oils, sacred flower essences and waters.

Cassia Augustifolia Seed Polysaccharide mimics hyaluronic acid which helps to retain water in the skin. Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract protects the skin from environmental damage and helps minimise fine lines and wrinkles. Moringa Seed Extract is an antioxidant and anti-inflamatory which helps to promote collagen production and firm the skin.  Rose Quartz Essence promotes self love, self esteem and confidence while Andean Orchid Flower Essence helps with cellular regeneration and vitality. Rose Damascena Flower Water and Oils refine and renew the skin.

It refreshes and tones the skin and hair and uplifts the spirits.  I can't stop spritzing it!  I'm packing the small size when I go on holiday in the summer. It is gentle enough for all skin types, is 100% Vegan and Animal friendly.

Do you think this is something you'd try?

Ingredients: Unconditional love*, Water, Glycerin, Rosa Damascena Flower Water*, Cassia Augustifolia Seed Polysaccharide, Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Phospholipids, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Panthenol, Phosphorus, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Calcium Pantothenate, Magnesium Salicylate, Zinc Gluconate, Moringa Seed Extract, Dextrin, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Oil*, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil*, Polysorbate 20, Flower & Gem Essences.

*Denotes organic ingredient.