5 under £6: Bloom Remedies, amie, Bee Good & Salt of the Earth

I'm always on the lookout for great budget beauty products which really work. Here are my current favourites which are under £6:

I'm a huge fan of Bloom Remedies and these little trial size moisturisers are great! I use the Daily Detox Moisturiser 30ml when my skin is feeling hormonal and spotty. It is really light and contains palmarosa and anti-bac tea tree. It gives the skin the light hydration it needs. I use Daily Revive Cream 30ml when my skin is needing a little bit extra nourishment. These are fantastic value at £5 each (inc P&P) and would make perfect travelling companions too.

I'm been trialling amie Morning Clear Purifying Facial Wash 150ml* (£4.95) and am really impressed with it. The wash smells gorgeous and is creamy and moisturising. It was initially created for troublesome teenage skin but the range actually suits all ages. It leaves the skin clean, fresh and comfortable and it's one I'll definitely buy again.

I'm simply loving Bee Good's White Chocolate & Raspberry Lip Balm 10ml* (£4.75) see my review HERE. It really is good enough to eat!

Newish launch Salt of the Earth Natural Deodorant Foot Spray 100ml* (£5.99) is perfect to use after exercise or if you have been standing for a long time. With a cooling menthol scent and soothing aloe vera which helps to leave feet refreshed and comfortable. It's 100% natural and suitable for men and women.

What are your favourite budget products?

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A scented journey around London

As you'll know I simply adore perfume and loved stopping by some of my favourite places in London last weekend.

My highlight was stopping by Shay & Blue and getting to smell the perfumes in the range that I haven't tried yet - Blacks Club Leather (bit too masculine for me) along with Oud Alif and Suffolk Lavender - both of which I loved!

I did pick up a Jo Loves perfume - which I was planning on doing. See my post HERE. 

Stopping by Les Senteurs was also a must to smell the delicious and much loved Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose and yes it's on the wishlist!

At teeny tiny Bloom Perfumery I specifically wanted to try RIMA XI by Carner as I'm tempted by the Voyage Set. Let's just say I love it! I'm already a huge fan of TARDES see my review HERE.

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Stopping by Diptyque on Marylebone High Street the assistant very kindly gave me some sample vials to try.

We also stopped by Covent Garden and I popped in to try Miller Harris's Rose Silence - it's a beautiful rose scent and now firmly on the wishlist!

We stumbled upon Angela Flanders where I fell head over heels for the new The Columbia Rose Trilogy a simply stunning collection of rose perfumes each one represents a decade of Angela Flanders' Life as a perfumer. 

I didn't manage to stop by Ancienne Ambiance but they recently sent me their very fabulous new Colonia Collection Gift Set* to review which was really kind and I'm enjoying trying them out - expect a review soon!

I also quite by accident came across Perfumer H (Lyn Harris's new line). It's really beautiful. You've guessed it I loved "rose".

Have you tried any of these perfumes?  What's your favourite beauty shops to visit in London?

*PR sample

London Trip 2015

Last weekend we had a fabulous trip to London. The American Football Team that hubby supports - Miami Dolphins were playing again at Wembley so our trip was centered around that (unfortunately, they lost!) See what we got up to in London last year HERE. Look out for my shopping trip (mainly of the window variety later this week - lots have been added to the wishlist though!)

We stayed at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate and were thrilled to get an upgrade to a two bedroom suite (with two bathrooms!) It also had a kitchen/diner (with nespresso machine) and living room area. It really was a home from home (maybe a bit posher!) and lovely to relax there at the end of the day.

I was absolute made up by this lovely gesture from the hotel. It made me smile LOTS!

On the Thursday we arrived in London we dined again at Adam Handling at Caxton Grill opting this time for the Tasting Menu (with matching wines) which was fabulous.  Below are a few of my favourites:

Nibbles -

Doughnuts, dressed crab

Beetroot, beetroot and more beetroot

Cracker, cured mackerel, yuzu

Crab

Apple, dill, sea herbs

Yuzu

Meringue, crumble, milk ice cream

The food was really delicious (although some dishes were the same as last year).

Friday saw us trawling the shops (mainly perfume ones!) and I bought a Jo Loves perfume which I adore. See my review HERE.

On Friday night we caught up with Nardine (@Miss_Nardine) and Sam (@HoneyGo_Lightly) and had a really good catch up and lots of wine!

Saturday saw us head to Maltby Street Market (a bus ride from the centre) and well worth a visit (Sat/Sun). We ate some delicious food and had a cocktail or two.

a super spicy bloody mary and negroni from Little Bird Gin

soap from Stella Says

delicious salt beef on rye at Monty's Deli

yummy cakes at Comptoir Gourmand

Before heading off the the American Football we had a massive room service breakfast at the hotel it set us up for the day!

There was a great atmosphere at the game even although the team didn't win! 

On the way home stopping by Plane Food at Terminal 5 was a must for a delicious Caesar Salad - one of the best I've ever tasted!

Ahh...a great trip can't wait to go back!  What's your favourite things to do when visiting London?

Giveaway #4: Kate HH Studio Bracelet - It's Over!

Sorry I'm late with my final giveaway (due to London trip last weekend) for 4 years of blogging. I chose a gorgeous Kate HH Studio bracelet which I picked up at Present Boutique, a quirky little gift shop in the Old Town, Edinburgh - it's full of unusual gifts and lovely cards (Bunty, the resident pooch is pretty gorgeous too!)

The bracelet is hand made using materials from modern biscuit, tea and cake tins along with sterling silver, Swarovski crystals and pearls.  See the full range available here.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment - what is your favourite type of blog post to read.  The winner will be picked at random and the giveaway is open internationally.  It will end next Saturday at midnight.

Good luck!

You can also still enter my Weleda Giveaway #3 - see more details HERE.

Complement Your Health: Fragrance Experience

10 years ago Alison at Complement Your Health created a wedding scent for me. Perfumes I loved back then were Angel, Angel Innocence, Dior Addict, Jo Malone Grapefruit Cologne and Issey Miyake - some of these still make it onto my dressing table today!

My wedding perfume consisted of top notes of Citrus, Green and Fruity, middle notes of gentle floral with a musky base.

Alison invited me back to see if I'd create a similar perfume* or to see if my tastes have now changed.

You can book for an individual one-to-one which is a real luxe experience (£80 - link) or buy a voucher to attend a group session - see more info here. I've done both the individual sessions and the group session - both are a lot of fun!

What happens next is that you get to smell all 18 perfume notes which are designed by Francois Robert, Master Perfumer at the Perfume Studio. The idea is you smell and decide if you love, hate or are unsure. The coffee beans are great to clear your nose in between.

Alison will help to guide you to create your perfect scent. Perfumes I listed as currently loving were Shay & Blue Watermelons, TARDES by Carner and Tom Ford Santal Blush.

The notes which I ended up loving were - Top: Citrus, Middle: Fresh Floral, Rose Floral and Spicy with Base notes: of Woody, Balsamic and Amber. After some deliberation and elimination the perfume I created had no top notes and is comprised of:

Rose (double amount) (M), Fresh Floral (M), Spicy (M) with Amber (B). It really is a stunning scent and contains notes I really love. I think you will see my tastes have changed since 2005!

And here is the finished result! 

See more information here

Follow Complement Your Health on Facebook here

*complimentary

Olverum Bath Oil Samples

I was recently sent a few single use sachet samples of Olverum bath oil* to try.  The brand, which is now under British ownership was re-launched in 2015 and the original formula has remained largely unchanged for over 8 decades.

It's a highly concentrated, therapeutic blend which is made with 10 essential oils which are blended for their synergistic ability and help to relieve stress and calm aching muscles.  The bath oil is also perfect to use before bed for a deep and restful night's sleep. I packed a couple of sachets for my recent London trip and found them great to use after a shopping trip and sightseeing around town.

Sunday Times Style magazine described the bath oil as "bath nirvana". The oil is made with Eucalyptus, Lavender, Juniper, Lavandin, Lemon Peel, Siberian Fir Needle, Exotic Verbena, Lime, Geranium and Rosemary essential oils and is free from artificial colours and preservatives. There is also no animal testing.

125ml retails at £23.50 (25 baths) and 200ml retails at £36.95 (40 baths) buy online at https://www.olverum.com/ or from Harvey Nichols, Fenwick and House of Fraser online.

I have found it great for a relaxing soak as the aromatics de-stress and calm leaving the skin silky soft, smooth and heavenly scented. Full size is on the wishlist!

*complimentary

Naturisimo: De-Stress & Unwind Discovery Box

An absolutely fantastic Limited Edition Discovery Box is launching today at Naturisimo the De-Stress & Unwind Discovery Box, which contains 9 calming and relaxing full sizes and travel sizes. Costing only £9.95 including P&P it's an absolute steal!

Inside you'll find:

FULL SIZE: Scentered Stress Less Therapy Balm (5g - £14.50) - I've wanted to try one of the Scentered balms for ages! This one is great to calm and de-stress in a chaotic life. A full review will follow.

FULL SIZE: Hydrea Stress Spot Massager (£4.50) - great to massage the skin where you feel stress and strain or to ease muscle fatigue and unwind. Looking forward to trying this out especially on my shoulders.

TRIAL SIZE: Ila Bath Soak Pure Relaxation (50ml - £2.95) - this is one of my favourite products to use in the bath. It contains calming vetivert and Petigrain and soothes and calms both the body and mind.

TRIAL SIZE: This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray (5ml) - I'm a huge fan of their Sleep Plus+ Pillow Spray (review) which I loved! Looking forward to trying this one out.

SAMPLE SACHETS: Dr Hauschka Calming Lavender Body Cream (5ml) and Almond Soothing Lavender Body Cream (5ml) - these soothe and calm the skin leaving it moisturised.

3 x single use Pukka tea bags: Relax, Love and Serene Jasmine Green.

Use code UNWIND at checkout for 15% off any of the items in the box.

Do you think you'll pick one up?

*PR sample

Jo Loves: White Rose & Lemon Leaves

I'm just back from a long weekend in London - we had an absolute ball! I'd always factored a London spend into my spending ban and I was keen to pick up a Jo Loves Perfume (I also bought a soap from Stella Says at Maltby Street Market (more on this soon!)

After much deliberation I chose White Rose & Lemon Leaves (30ml - £45) and it's simply gorgeous!  Bottle sizes have just this week changed with the new packaging and 50ml will cost you £55 making it better value.

The scent blends Norma Jean White Roses with citrus and cedarwood. It has notes of White Rose Oil, Lemon Peel, Rose Absolute, Petigrain, Honey and Amber.

It's a really feminine scent with the lemon giving a fresh note to the heady rose blooms. I love it!  I'm after Pomelo next - I first tried it in Jane's BBB box way back in July 2013.

What's your favourite Jo Loves scent?

Petits Rituels: Floral Sensations Candle & By the Fire Melts

Petits Rituels is a gorgeous new range of luxury candles and wax melts. The packaging is simply exquisite and ideal for gifting. The wax melts come in their own drawstring bags (and I think they'd make a thoughtful small gift).

I was sent a candle in Floral Sensations Scent (£35 - 200g)* which will burn for approximately 40 hours. It is packaged in a beautiful illustrated box and the candle comes in a branded glass jar.  A blend of organic Turkish Rose, Geranium and Lavender essential oils with 100% natural waxes.  The scent is gentle floral which calms, relaxes and de-stresses the mind.  Perfect to use while relaxing in the bath.

The wax melts are super cute! They are packaged in a simple drawstring bag. I chose By the Fire scent* (£10 for 2) and they smell good enough to eat! The blend is festive with Cinnamon, Clove, Orange and Lemongrass and perfect for burning in your oil burner from autumn until Christmas time.

See the website HERE

Follow on Twitter @petitsrituels 

*PR samples

Think Pink - Against Breast Cancer: Jane Iredale: Smell the Roses

I've been testing out Jane Iredale's Smell the Roses Hydration Mist* (£23) a limited edition spritz with 100% of net profits from the sale of the mist being donated to benefit breast cancer charities in the UK and Ireland.

Jane Iredale distributor iiaa is supporting Against Breast Cancer for the 5th year. Against Breast Cancer funds pioneering research to improve detection and increase survival rate after diagnosis. Ultimately the aim is discover a vaccine against breast cancer.

The Smell the Roses Hydration Spritz is gorgeous! It contains Organic Rose Damascena Flower Water and Rose Damascena Flower Oil which calms, nourishes and tightens and is suitable for all skin types. It refreshes, uplifts and has an intoxicating rose scent.

The range has ECOCERT certification which promotes the use of ingredients derived from renewable resources and organic farming as well as using production processes which are environmentally sound and safe.  100% natural and 30% organic.

See more info at www.janeiredale.co.uk

*PR sample