May empties

We all have our little "rules" for when it's ok to buy and use new products and although those rules may not make sense to everyone, the main thing is that they make sense to ourselves. Some people are really disciplined and don't buy anything until they've finished up something else, so the net amount of products really remains the same. I can't claim to be that good; I have a huge stash of things that I can't wait to use, and my excuse is that I don't want to risk running out of something - well, there's no chance that will EVER happen... At any given point I probably have 5-6 hair care items on the go, 6-7 skin care products and as for makeup - well let's just skip that part, BUT I am very good at keeping this modest (hrmmm...) level of products, and I don't open anything new, until I've finished something else. So this month is a great month for me because I have emptied 9 different products,  just imagine how many new ones I can finally start to use, happy happy joy joy!

You'll know by now that I usually have at least one dry shampoo in every monthly empties, so let's just get this month's product out of the way straight away. Although I am a big fan of Batiste I do like to try other brands as well every now and then and the Dove Style + Care Dry Shampoo (£4.59) is a good alternative to Batiste. It has the same oil controlling qualities, it adds a nice texture for a tousled look and it has a lovely light and fruity scent, but the biggest difference is that the formula is less powdery so there's less of the white fall out when you massage it in the roots and brush it out. If you're tempted to try a dry shampoo but concerned about the powder, then this might be ideal for you. When it comes to body butters there are not many brands that can compete with The Body Shop and as you probably know they have a wonderful range of sweet, savoury and fresh scents to choose between. One of my favourites is The Body Shop Body Butter in Chocomania (£5), a deliciously indulgent, yummy and authentic chocolate scent which is pure bliss! The consistency is not quite as rich and buttery as a lot of the other body butters but it's still creamy and makes the skin feel very nourished and pampered, so if you're a chocoholic, then treat yourself to this little guilt free pot of cocoa heaven. As much as I like a luxurious shower gel, a shower gel is after all only a shower gel and you really don't need to spend a fortune to get a great gentle, moisturising and gorgeous smelling product, which Radox Berry Burst Shower Cream (£1.99) certainly proves. It has a lovely smooth and creamy consistency that cleanses without stripping your skin of moisture and it smells amazing of warm sun kissed summer berries - budget buys just don't get any better than this.

If you read my post about Herbal Essences Moroccan My Shine Nourishing products, you'll know that my faith in Herbal Essences is slowly being restored and it's thanks primarily to the absolutely amazing Bee Strong range that uses honey and apricot as its main ingredients, both well known for their moisturising properties. I've used the Herbal Essences Bee Strong Mask (£4.79) regularly every week and it's really helped to keep my hair silky soft, smooth and detangled and although it could be my imagination, it also feels as if I have fewer split ends after using this for a good few months. I love the heavy rich golden consistency and the light tropical scent and would highly recommend it if you're looking for a great hair masque on the high street. You may have noticed that for the past few months I've had a fragrance included in every Empties post since I've really focused on finishing up a lot of those bottles with just a tiny little bit left in them, and this month I have a scent that isn't very well known, but that definitely deserves mentioning. If like me you love to flick through glossy fashion magazines, you'll know that DSQUARED2 is famous for its whimsical outfits combining glam rock chic with lumberjack, but what you might not know is that the fashion house also has an interesting range of perfumes. The DSQUARED2 Potion for Women EdP (£36), like the other Potions from DSQUARED2 (available both for men and women) is inspired by alchemy and days gone by when perfumes were blended and created with a specific purpose in mind, and this modern version of a love potion is a very feminine mix of traditional seductive scents like vanilla, rose, jasmine, amber, patchouli and musk. It's a sensual floral fragrance with a slightly green and fresh undertone of blackberries and a nod towards the oriental with the amber. It's a very distinct fragrance and what I call a Boudoir scent with its unmistakeable powdery vanilla notes, in the same vein of Jean Paul Gaultier's Classique. For me this EdP is at its best on cooler days since the ingredients are quite pronounced and on a warm day, they're just a bit too much for me - but if you love warm, feminine vanilla based scents, then this is the one to try!

One of my staple items is the cult classic, Caudalie's Beauty Elixir (£10.95). Not only do I love the aromatic and calming herbal scent of rosemary and mint, but the fine mist is a wonderful and easy way to refresh your skin throughout the day in any climate to add some moisture on the go. I have gone through more bottles of this than I can count, and I always make sure that I have one with me in my handbag when I'm out and about. It's a luxurious little treat that will make you feel special, and your skin will thank you for it, so if you haven't already tried it - add it to the top of your shopping list for next month. I am a firm believer in the benefits of using a serum as part of your skin care routine, and you can find one of the best ranges of serums from the lovely high end French skin care brand Gatineau which offers products for all skin types and needs, in combination with effective anti-ageing ingredients. One of the best serums for my dehydrated skin is the incredibly refreshing Gatineau Aquamemory Moisture Replenish Concentrate (£48.50), which is a lovely Tiffany blue serum with a fresh marine scent in an almost gel like consistency that absorbs instantly into the skin. You only need the tiniest drop under your moisturiser for an immediate intense hydration boost, making your skin feel plump and smooth. The technology behind it is intended to not only add hydration but to help the skin retain just the right level of hydration for your specific skin needs as well. Even though I mainly use the concentrate as a serum, I also sometimes use it as an intense masque, applying quite a few pumps of it on my face, and then letting it absorb naturally over night and in the morning the skin feels perfectly restored and revitalised and I will definitely reinvest in this amazing product again very soon.

Another product that has a firm place on my bathroom shelf is the gorgeous Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter (£6.50) which I have mentioned several times before so I apologise for repeating myself. This wonderful rich whipped butter is amazing for nourishing your hands and nails, and the zesty sweet lemon scent is so enjoyable that I just can't stop smelling my hands when I've massaged it in. I have used this daily for well over a year and have noticed a big difference on my nails and cuticles; they are stronger and healthier and my nails even seem to grow quicker, although that could also be because of the Sally Hansen Miracle Nail Growth that I use. or maybe these two products just form a nail dream team. Last in this fairly long line of empties is the Seventeen Falsifeye Mascara (6.49) which is a brand I hadn't tried before. I am a very fussy mascara wearer and Falsifeye promised a lot - volume as well as long flared lashes, my absolute favourite look so I was cautiously optimistic when I bought this. Unfortunately this mascara and I never really got on; first of all the wand is absolutely massive so it's quite chunky and with the squared shape it's also a bit uncomfortable to hold in your hand, secondly the brush is probably the thickest brush I've ever seen and because it's also so stiff it's very difficult to reach all the lashes for an even coverage without a lot of smudging, in addition the consistency was very wet and unusually so even towards the end of its life, and last but not least while the mascara might give length to the lashes the volume was definitely missing. As you can tell there were a lot of things that didn't work out, and even though I am open to take a risk with unknown products, in this case it didn't pan out and I definitely wouldn't repurchase it.

So nine items in total in May's empties - not bad if I may say so myself, and since I have actually been really good and not bought very much, you could probably say that I'm on plus this month, although I'm not placing any bets on that it will last into June...

Survival kit for insomniacs

The best beauty advise in the world is to make sure that you get enough sleep since not only do you rest and heal your body and mind when you sleep, but the skin regenerates and it's during the night that your skin is most recipient to treatments. Some people don't need a lot of sleep to still function properly, but I'm not one of those people and if I don't get my required 16 hrs of sleep (no wait... that's koalas...) I'm cranky, can't focus, feel almost hung over even though I haven't touched a drop of alcohol (honestly!) and I'm so peckish I could eat a cardboard box, if I don't have any yummy goodies at home. Getting back into a healthy sleeping pattern can be difficult and it takes time, but today I'll show you some products that have helped me through those horrible times of sleeplessness.

Some common advise when you find it difficult to fall asleep is to avoid tv, laptops, alcohol and food a few hrs before bedtime and to take a hot relaxing bath. For me it works best having a nice long soak with aromatic scents, and traditionally scents like lavender and camomile are supposed to work really well to relax you. Lately I've been using St. Grape Exotic Pink Bath Salts which are made from Himalayan salt. The bath salts have a lovely sweet, and light lavender scent with a menthol punch to it and the salts are wonderful for softening up your muscles and detoxing your body at the same time as they make the skin feel very soft and nourished, which is great since the last thing I want to do after a relaxing bath is to start moisturising.

Just in case I don't manage to get a lovely night's sleep I'll also apply the Gatineau Age Benefit Ultra-Regenerating Nigh Elixir (£90) that at least makes my skin look like it's rested. The formula is a very intense anti-ageing treatment for night use only that revitalises the skin by targeting fine lines and wrinkles. The texture is lovely and silky with a slight glowing tint to it and it has a lovely clean and fresh smell. You only need a small pump of the serum to cover your face, and when you wake up in the morning the skin looks smooth, radiant and energised as if you had had a really good night's sleep. When it's eventually time to go to bed to try and fall asleep I'll spray Avon's Planet Spa Sleep Serenity Pillow Mist (£1.30) which is an aromatic and light scent with camomile and lavender over the bed clothes and in the room to make the bedroom a nice, peaceful and relaxing space. I also use the Avon's Planet Spa Sleep Serenity Balm (£0.90) on my pulse points - so on my wrists, on my neck and on my temples, although the balm smells a lot less of lavender than the pillow mist and I mainly pick up on the very subtle and harmonious scent of camomile that should help to send me to the land of nod.

Hopefully the bath and the relaxing lavender and camomile scent is enough to help me relax and get a good few hrs sleep, however if in the morning I haven't managed to get what I need and I'm feeling and looking tired I'll use The Body Shop Elderflower Unperfumed Eye Gel (£7) on the eye area. It's a fabulous eye gel that cools and soothes the eye area, and the elderflower helps to get rid of the build up of fluids under the eyes that cause dark rings. I keep mine in the fridge to enhance that refreshing sensation when you apply it and within a few minutes you should see how the eyes look less puffy and those pesky dark circles starting to fade. The last must have product for insomniacs is Dermalogica's Total Eye Care (£37) which I've mentioned a few times before, but it's such a great product that it deserves to be mentioned often. It has a light consistency that hydrates and smoothes out the eye area and since it has a slight tint to it and light reflecting particles, it works like an under eye concealer, making you look much more bright, fresh and rested. What do you use to help you fall asleep and do you have any tips on how to at least fake 8 hrs sleep?

The Body Shop Rainforest Volumising Shampoo & Conditioner

As part of Operation Rapunzel, I have tested a lot of products the past 6 months to help my hair grow, to improve the quality and overall I am very happy with the results and along the journey I have discovered products that now have an honorable place among my staple items e.g. the Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment. So what's next in Operation Rapunzel? Well, while I may have a lot of hair, I would have also like to have that amazing lift and body that lasts all day long, so let the search for the perfect volume creating products begin! The first volumising products I've tried are from one of my favorites stores - The Body Shop. I've been a big fan of The Body Shop for as long as I can remember, and what initially attracted me to the brand many moons ago was their campaign Against Animal Testing, which is one of their core values that I deeply admire. Since then I've learned more about the other values: Support Community Fair Trade, Activate Self Esteem, Defend Human Rights and Protect The Planet, which all underpin the ethos Beauty With Heart: "Beauty is much more than a pretty face. It's about feeling good and doing good too". It's a wonderful mission statement which I completely agree with, and also think it's important to be reminded of, especially in the world of beauty blogs.

Let's look at the products, starting with the The Body Shop Rainforest Volumising Shampoo (£4.50) which is specially developed for fine hair, and the shampoo is supposed to boost the volume, making the hair looking shiny with lots of body. Neither the shampoo nor the conditioner contain any silicones, sulphates, parabens or colourants and it has a gorgeous fruity strawberry smell. However, I thought it was quite difficult to work up a good lather, which I quite like when I wash my hair which is also why I ended up using perhaps a bit more shampoo than I would normally use, and if like me you like a good bit of foam another way of doing it of course it to double wash. The shampoo gave a really good deep cleanse, but I felt that it was a bit harsh on my hair and it did feel just a tiny bit stripped of moisture afterwards so I loaded up on the The Body Shop Rainforest Volumising Conditioner (£4.50) and left it in for quite a while before rinsing. The conditioner is of quite a light consistency but it still has creaminess to it, but since I'm used to quite rich and heavy conditioners again I used a lot more of the conditioner than I usually would have done. This scent is also nice, although it's sharper than the shampoo and more on the herbal side. The conditioner did make my hair feel quite soft, although not nearly as restored and nourished as I would have liked, so I will only use these two products together every now and then, and I will probably replace the conditioner with a very hydrating masque. I usually let my hair towel dry before I style to minimise the strain on it, but after I'd used my BaByliss Pro Perfect Curl my hair felt light, volumised and with a nice light bounce to it, and I imagine that had I also used a blow dryer, the effect might have been even more noticeable.  

All in all, I've got mixed feelings about the Rainforest Volume range; the shampoo gives a superb cleanse and adds volume, although it doesn't lather enough and worse - it a bit harsh on my hair, and unfortunately the conditioner isn't rich or nourishing enough for me to be a great match with the shampoo. It seems like the hunt for a great volumising shampoo and conditioner continues, so which products would you recommend that I try to get lots of volume?

Beauty with Heart http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/content/beauty-with-heart-infographic.aspx

When life gives you lemons...

Some natural products seem to be the cure for a little bit of everything. Just look at how many uses there are for honey, ginger, avocado and my personal favorite, the happy sunny lemon. Lemon is exceptionally rich in vitamin C - nature's own antioxidant that neutralises free radicals which is important to fight of colds and infections, it also has a calming effect and can help to get rid of nervousness and tension, and of course it has lots of uses when it comes to beauty. Lemon oil and citric acid is often used in beauty products to treat skin conditions like acne or eczema, but it also has strengthening and shining effects that are useful for hair and nails and with just a few lemons from your closest grocery store you can make all sorts of wonderful home remedies yourself. I'm far too lazy to make my own beauty treatments but since I love to use products that contain lemon, not only because of the healing qualities but also because of the amazingly zingy and zesty smell, I'm lucky that there is so much to choose from in most stores, starting with a great shower gel from The Body Shop.

The Body Shop shower gels are all soap-free, so they're gentle on the skin but at the same time it's easy to work up a good lather for a lovely foamy shower or bath. The Sweet Lemon shower gel contains essential oils to help sooth and moisturise the skin and it has the most amazing sunny, soft and fragrance without the usual tangy sharpness of lemons and instead it's creamy like a lemon mousse - yummy!

For a proper pampering session you also need a rich and indulgent body butter to finish with and for the most amazing range of scents, there's no other brand like The Body Shop. Regardless of which scent you prefer they all have the same ultra rich and creamy consistency enriched with shea butter that will soften even the driest of skins. What I love most about the body butters is that they blend into the skin almost immediately when you massage it in, and that they seem to lock in the moisture for a long time afterwards, making the skin feeling luxuriously smooth. The Sweet Lemon body butter is perfect to use in the mornings to vitalise and prepare you for the day ahead, and the creaminess of it made it a lovely base for both fresh and floral scents. This was one of my favorite ranges from The Body Shop and it's such a shame that they don't sell it in the shops anymore (the closest you can get to this zesty and creamy fragrance is with the Satsumas products), but if you're interested in this gorgeous Sweet Lemon scent you can easily get hold of these products on ebay.

As you probably know by now, I love to surround myself with scent and go through quite a lot of candles, and most of them are from Lily-Flame. I have reviewed several of their candles before since they have a great range of scents with something for everyone, and they usually burn really well for about 35 hrs or so. One of the first candles I tried from them is the Lily-Flame Citrus Crush Scented Candle (£8.50) which is a beautifully fresh tangy and summery mix of lemons and tangerines that is so invigorating and energising. It's a perfect mood booster - it always makes me feel very harmonious and refreshed and I absolutely adore it.

A product that I had read a lot about and was really looking forward to trying is the EOS Organic Lip Balm (£5.99) and the first one I got was in Lemon drops. It's a 100% natural and organic product with SPF which is rich in vitamin E, shea butter and jojoba oil to help keep your lips moisturised and smooth. For me the biggest selling point is the adorable packaging - it looks like a yummy little candy egg and it comes in loads of different tempting flavors, one more delicious than the other. It has a very subtle and fresh lemon scent and flavor that unfortunately doesn't last very long on the lips, but it adds a lovely natural sheen to the lips. What I really need from a lip balm is for it to also add long lasting deep moisture that nourishes the lips, but the texture of the EOS lip balm feels more waxy than moisturising or creamy and I find that I have to use quite a lot of it to get that sense of hydration, and I also have to reapply it very often for that feeling to last. Overall it's a cute product, almost a novelty type of lip balm - great as a gift for someone and if you're curious about these little pots, Naturisimo has a great range of flavors and they also offer free delivery worldwide.

The last lemony product in this zesty collection is the Lush Lemony Flutter (£6.50) which is one of the must have products that are part of my hand and nail care routine. It has a lovely rich buttery consistency with lots of nourishing oils from soya, avocado and coconut and. Take just a tiny bit of the butter, heat it up between your fingers and massage it into the cuticles and hands for an intensely moisturising and creamy treatment, and you're left with a gorgeous soft and sweet scent on your hands. Since it is such a rich cream it does leave a very slightly oily feel and sheen on your nails that I personally just leave to sink in over night, but if you want to do a manicure afterwards - you need to wipe the nails clean. I use this fantastic product at least four times a week and I'm convinced that it's helped to make my cuticles stronger and healthier.

So when life gives me lemons, I prefer to put them in beauty products and enjoy the delicious fresh and sparkling scent of warm summer days - at least it's a lovely reminder until we get there in a few months time. Do you make your own beauty products - or if you're more like me, preferring it to be served to you - which are your favorite products with lemon?

January favorites

First bunch of favorites for 2014 and even though I'm slowly shedding my winter clothes and makeup for lighter and more colorful Spring looks I still feel a strong need to nourish and comfort my skin and body, to keep the cold and darkness away. It's been a bit of a wet and miserable start to the year so I've craved warm, soft perfumes to heat me up from the inside and luckily I've had two amazing scents to help me with that. To start off I've literally bathed in the lovely Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist ($14) in Warm Vanilla Sugar. If you like foodie, cookie type scents you'd probably love this. It's a very harmonious and well balanced mix of light and sparkling vanilla sugar, subtle coconut and tonka bean - gorgeous! A lot of body mists don't last very long after you've sprayed it, but the warmth of this makes it last surprisingly long and when you've sprayed it, the whole house smells as if you'd been making vanilla cookies, oh yummie! It's also worked really well in combination with the Jo Malone Rose Water & Vanilla Cologne (£100) from the sophisticated Cologne Intense range. This is another warm and vibrant scent that makes me think of expensive truffles or Turkish delight - the rose water adds delicacy and freshness while the vanilla makes the cologne creamy, refined and luxurious. I love this extravagant and lush scent that lingers on your clothes and hair long after you've sprayed it, and it seems I'm not the only one since I've received so many compliments for it.

My skin has behaved quite well this season, for which I'm very grateful but instead I have struggled a little bit with finding the right lip balm and some of the products that I've used previously, all of a sudden aren't doing it for me anymore so the past months I've to turned to my trusted Gatineau Defi Lift 3D Revolumising Lip Care (£28). This product is so much more than a lip balm - it does contain lovely smoothing and moisturising ingredients like shea butter and jojoba oil like many other balms, but it also has a collagen stimulant to create a subtle plumping effect and which helps to redefine the natural lip contours so you'll find that in addition to a moisture boost your lips have a little bit more volume for a few hrs. It's an amazing silky and light product that you can use as a primer or a lip gloss on top of lipsticks, and I also use it as a mask on the lip contours, letting it sink in for about 15 mins or so. Since it's quite an expensive lip care product I usually use this in the morning as a lip primer to plump my lips and as an overnight treatment, however since I've really needed something deeply hydrating lately I've also used this generously throughout the day and I love its plumping effects.

Next product may not be very exciting but for me it's an absolutely essential part of my nail care routine - Sally Hansen's Miracle Nail Growth Treatment (£9.99) which is applied every other day to bare nails to help them grow longer and stronger in no time (apparently you should see a 30% increase in nail growth in 5 days). A lot of products promise the moon and more, and I'm always very skeptical towards marketing fads, but I have used this strengthener a couple of times every week for well over a year and it actually does work - and if you use it as a base coat you'll treat your nails with minimal effort every day under whatever lovely shade you're wearing.

 Violet Freeze

Passionate Pink

If you read my recent post on some of my latest purchases from Avon, you might be surprised to find that one of my favorites this month is the Avon Color Trend Color Me Pretty Wet-Look Shine Nail Enamel (£3) in Violet Freeze. You may remember that we got off to a very rocky start because of some very misleading color swatches, however I won't hold that against this innocent little polish and after we passed that initial hurdle I actually really LOVE this shade. It's a wonderful shimmery light lavender blue and for me it's got just the right depth of color that at the same time gently nods to the pastel trend that I'm completely embracing this Spring. This shade turned out to be an unexpected little ablessing in disguise!

The last product this month is a wonderful creamy lipstick that has really cheered me up these rainy days and it's the The Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick  (£10). This range has an impressive 26 different shades to choose from, and Passionate Pink is a gorgeous shimmery juicy and highly pigmented rose color with a slight blue undertone that packs enough of a punch to brighten a look, but is still versatile and soft enough that you can easily wear it during the day. The lipstick is very moisturising and gives a velvet long lasting smooth satin finish and I'm looking forward to pick up another shade from this great range this Spring.

That's the end of the favorites for this month. When I first started doing these posts last year, I fully expected them to be quite repetitive and that I would stick with the same old products month after month, but every time I think back at what I've actually really used the most - I surprise myself by how much the favorites change from month to month and I'm already curious about what goodies I'll be drawn to in February.  

Kiss from a winter rose

Christmas time is the season for all things party, and it's a chance not only to dress up in glamorous outfits but it's also a time to be creative and have fun with makeup, trying on some looks that you might not normally go for. I'm definitely not a professional make up artist but I love to experiment and try on different looks, and since berry and plum shades are on trend I wanted to do a smokey rose eye look using some new shades that are a bit richer and darker and which would work well for an evening winter look. 

Usually I would start by applying my foundation however since I did a smokey eye, I actually left this to after I'd finished my eye makeup to avoid fall out and tedious corrections under the eye, so let's go straight to the eye shadows that I used. I started with applying a wash of The Body Shop Colour Crush Eyeshadow* (£7) in Grape Expectations all over the lid and even a little bit winged on the outer eyelid. It's a great silky eye shadow, that's very rich in pigmentation. You only need very little of this eye shadow, so I would recommend that you start lightly and then build it up and blend it out, which is nice and easy to do because of the lovely texture. The shade Grape Expectations is a beautiful truly matte, deep plum purple with a faint red note that I think would work for most eye colors. I also used what was left on the brush after all the blending and used that to line the lower lashline. To deepen the look I then added DAMS eyeshadow* (£16) in Damson Black to the socket line and also to the wing I created with Grape Expectations for more contrast with my blue eyes. The DAMS eye shadow is another creamy and very pigmented product where you only need very little for a dramatic impact, and I was positively surprised that there was hardly any fall out at all, despite all the blending that I did and the finish turned out very even and intense without looking heavy or cakey.

For definition I added Avon Glimmerstick Eyeliner (£3) in Blackest Black which is a wonderful smooth eyeliner that is long lasting and waterproof so you can also use it on your waterlines for even more impact. I applied the eyeliner on both the upper and lower lashlines and then it was time for the key to the smokey look - the smudging. In a way a smokey eye will hide all sorts of make up sins if you just smudge it enough and unlike blending which softens everything - smudging adds an edge, an attitude: "I slept in my makeup and I look fab" kind of feeling... I used The Body Shop Smudger Brush* (£9) which has a generous soft foam tip that is so flexible to work with and it creates that wonderful fused and slightly messy smokey eye look. I was really impressed by this brush and as much as I love my Real Techniques brushes I will definitely try some of the other brushes that The Body Shop offers. To finish the eye area I had to use the amazing butterfly effect mascara False Lash Flutter from L'Oréal (£10.99). I've mentioned this so many times before so I'll just say that it adds length, volume and flares the lashes all at the same time - perfect when you're going for a heavy eye look.

Having finished the eye area, it's time for foundation and I used The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream* (£12) in shade 3 Beige. I had never used a BB cream so I don't have much to compare with, but it contains hydrating qualities as well as pigmentation to even out your skin, in short it combines skin care and make up in one products. From the tube the cream looks white, but as soon as you start massaging it in, the pigmentation is released and this will adapt to your skin tone. When I first saw the pigmentation appear on my skin - a rosy terracotta, my heart almost stopped because that is as far away from my natural skin color as you can get. Luckily it did somehow miraculously adjust and gave a light-weight even coverage that not only felt very pleasant and natural on the skin but it also looked very natural. It lasted well throughout the day without transferring onto white clothes and when I removed it, my skin felt hydrated and smooth, as if I'd just moisturised. The only thing I'm not keen on is the scent which gets quite distinct as you work on getting an even coverage partly because I don't find it quite synthetic and  also because it changes into a more dry and powdery scent. I do however like the BB cream and since the scent is fades quite quickly it won't stop me from using it.

I didn't apply any blusher because I wanted the eye makeup to all the talking, but that of course is a personal choice and you could easily wear a berry shade to match. For my lips I used The Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick* (£10) in Innocent Pink which is a light pale delicate pink with a slight shimmer that gives an almost nude look, great for contrasting a heavy eye. The lipstick feels very moisturising and it fades well and evenly after a few hrs, without any horrible dry patches. 

A smokey eye isn't always easy to carry off in the day time, but depending on which shades to choose, it's less of a vampy look and using the berry shades give depth, without being too dramatic, so for me the look works in the day time as well. If you're looking for inspiration The Body Shop has a wonderful series of mini tutorials to create different Smokey Eyes; Intense, Nude, Subtle, Jeweled or Rose. What do you think - do you like a smokey eye and a nude lip or have you created another look recently that's your new favourite?

Silver edition

As we move into the party season it's a great time to indulge in over the top sparkly and glamorous outfits but for a more subtle on trend look, you've got the lovely metallic shades to play with and my metal of choice is silver. Silver is a cool shade that to me is sleek, contemporary and graceful and it always gives a very deluxe and stylish impression, and you only need to use silver as an accent to add elegance to any outfit or look. Today I'll show you some of my favourite silver products and perhaps some of them will inspire you for the festive season ahead.

The first product is going to be invaluable for my hair during the festive period to try and limit heat styling at least a little bit - it's John Frieda's 3-Day Straight Spray (£6.99). This spray acts both as a heat protectant and as a help for straightened hair to stay nice and sleek for up to 3 days, using keratin protein. The spray is very light so it doesn't weigh down the hair and it doesn't make the hair feel sticky or as if it's covered by a thin film, like some products do and it has a lovely, fresh scent to it. I usually spray on about 12-15 pumps of it straight after a shower since I find that it also works well as a detangler, and when my hair has dried - either naturally or using a blow dryer I straighten my hair. When I've used this, I notice that my hair looks very shiny and healthy and even though it's perfectly straight it has a heavy thick feeling to it, that gives the hair a lovely movement. On me the effect lasts for almost 3 days, if I don't use any hairbands or put my hair into a scrunchy, and you can easily go over the hair again with a straightener without having to apply more of the spray

At this time of year I love to add a little sparkle to my makeup when we go out in the evening or to a party, and if you're not brave enough to wear a glitter eye shadow you can still get a glitter fix with the help of  sparkly eyeliners. I picked up a gel based eyeliner packed with glitter in Body Shop last year, and I like to dot a little of it over a black eyeliner or even wear it on it's own. It adds a lovely dimension and depth to the mascara. I haven't found this eyeliner on the Body Shop site, however you can find lots of very affordable liners in different colored glitters on the High Street by e.g. Collection 2000.

For more color intensity and less shimmer, I would recommend the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Liner (£3.99) which comes in several lovely shades, and silver is perfect to create a truly metallic look. It's a wonderful smooth formula that glides on with minimum effort and there's no pulling or tugging on the eyelid at all. The color is so easy to blend or to layer with other shades for an interesting look and I like to add this as an unexpected finish to neutral shade. Since it is waterproof and very long lasting it also works really well to wear on the lower waterline.

The last eye product in this glimmering selection is the L'Oréal Colour Appeal Eye shadow (£5.99) in shade 150 Real Silver. The packaging is a bit plasticky and flimsy and it doesn't make a very good first impression - looking at it you wouldn't believe that in fact the formula is one of the best ones I've ever tried. It's incredibly silky, smooth and fine, almost to the degree that it feels like a cream in it's consistency. You only need to barely touch it with your brush and you get a good dusting of the very highly pigmented shade, more than enough to cover the whole lid. Personally I prefer to only use a light wash of this over the lid, however it is easily built up and you can create a very dramatic and strong look. Even though the texture is so fine and light it doesn't cause any fall out and it sits nicely on the lid all through the day. If you're tempted to try this but aren't keen on the metallic look, there are several other lovely shades to choose from.  

From left to right:

Body Shop Glitter Eyeliner

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Liner - 010 Silver 

L'Oréal Eyeshadow - 150 Real Silver

As you know I love nail polish and for me one of the best high street brands is definitely Barry M because of their brilliant range of shades, effects, great formula and price. One range of products I particularly love is the magnetic polishes. When I first saw them about a year ago it was love at first sight and I quickly bought all the shades I could find. The formula is more or less the same as the normal Barry M in terms of wear, ease of use etc, but the main different is that it contains powder that creates a pattern when it's put under a magnet. There are several different shades and patterns to choose from and it's very easy to create. Make sure that you shake the bottle well before you apply the first coat. After that I would recommend that you work on one finger at a time, so as soon as you have applied the 2nd coat on a nail, you hold the magnet that's built into the top of the lid over the nail for a few seconds and you will see a pattern appear straight away - it's fascinating! The shade in the photo is Multi Sparkle (£4.99) which is a lovely glittery silver, and the effect creates a beautiful contrast between the light silver and the steel gray. I always apply a high shine top coat over this to create a mirror like finish and I think the effect is more eye catching that way. I absolutely ADORE the finish and I can't stop looking at my nails every time I wear it. Other brands have also picked up on the magnetic effect and although this isn't a new look anymore, I still love it as much as I did a year ago.

Barry M Magnetic - Multi Sparkle in artificial light

Barry M Magnetic - Multi Sparkle in natural light

The last item in this shiny silver edition is a perfume that means more to me than I can describe - it's Amouage's Reflection EdP (£175). Amouage is a very exclusive perfume house from Oman recognised for their rare and exquisite perfumes and I discovered their stunning scents when I was on my honeymoon, and I was fortunate to visit their factory. Before I talk about the scent, we have to take a minute to admire the stunning bottle. All perfumes from Amouage have the same shaped bottle, and what differs is the color and finish of them. This one is so beautiful with it's reflecting mirror shine and it deserves to take pride of place on a dressing table. The scent is an amazing soft and spring like blend of delicate crisp white flowers - magnolia, jasmine, water violet and freesia, and sensual white musk, golden amber and spicy woods. 

Reflection is a very unique fresh scent and despite being so rich with white flowers it's light, cool and has a water character to it that reminds me of cucumber and watermelon. Wearing it makes me feel so harmonious and peaceful - it's simply magnificent. I know that it's a ridiculously expensive perfume, but the memories and feelings so closely linked to it for me are priceless, which is why Reflection will always be part of my perfume collection.

Silver is so much more wearable than you might think, and by just adding a few touches to your look, you'll feel as glamorous as an actress on the silver screen. 

Be my honey

When I was a little girl, every morning my dad would insist that I ate a teaspoon of honey saying that it would be good for my immune system and it would keep me healthy and strong. At the time I didn't particularly care about that bit, I was more interested in getting a yummy sweetie after having finished my breakfast - no wonder I was bouncing off to school every morning on a sugar rush from the natural sweetness. But in addition to keeping me happy and energetic as I left for school my dad actually had a very valid point, since honey contains antiseptic and antibacterial properties and has been found useful to fight off infections. Honey is also a well known natural ingredient for nourishing, soothing, rejuvenating and hydrating skin and hair so today I thought I would show some of my favourite honeypots.

 

Up until a few weeks ago I hadn't used anything from Herbal Essences for a very long time. Their shampoos have always smelled amazing, but completely stripped my hair of hydration and turned it into a tangled nightmare of a mop. Having read some great reviews of the Bee Strong range, I thought I would risk it and see if the Herbal Essences products had improved so I got the shampoo, conditioner and the mask. The Bee Strong Shampoo (£3.89) is specially formulated for dry and damaged hair and it contains extracts of honey and apricot to repair the individual hair strands as well as strengthen them. The shampoo works ups a generous lather that gives a great deep cleanse, but without leaving the hair in a tangled mess and compared to the Herbal Essences shampoos I've used previously, it feels wonderfully hydrating and nourishing. The Bee Strong Conditioner (£3.89) contains the same strengthening ingredients as the shampoo but also has a serum to add extra moisture, and the richness of it makes the hair feeling super soft and cared for. If I haven't used the conditioner after the shampoo, I've applied a generous amount of the Bee Strong Mask (£4.19) which is a strong and intensive mask that feels quite heavy on the hair. It's a really lovely mask and it leaves your hair feeling very luxurious, nourished and detangled - as if you were using a much more high end deep repair mask, so it's incredible value for money. All the hair products have a nice and creamy golden consistency but to my surprise neither of them really smell of sweet honey at all, instead the scent is much more of a fresh tropical scent of warm mango, papaya and delicious apricot. I love this new formula from Herbal Essences and they have certainly redeemed themselves a lot in my book and I might even consider trying some of their other shampoos too. I may not look as fabulous as Nicole Scherzinger, but my hair certainly likes the Bee Strong range, and so do I

A few days ago I did a post on a wonderful plumping lip balm from Gatineau which admittedly is a little bit too expensive to use more than as a prep in the morning and a treatment in the evening, so in between I'm using an old classic, Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm (£2.99) which I slap on a good few times every day. It's made from 100% natural ingredients and in addition to honey also contains beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter and lanolin. It's a fuss free, cheap and cheerful product that you can afford to be generous with and there's nothing like it to keep your lips soft or to heal chapped lips. Burt's Bees also do tinted lip balms, but since I like to use this under a lip stick or lip gloss, this sweet honey balm is just right for me.

For a long luscious bath you need a Lush product, and when you're skin is feeling a little angry or sensitive, the Honey Bee Bath Bomb (£3.25) is just wonderfully soothing. It's a gentle and almost therapeutic bath bomb with honey (obviously!), rhassoul mud and aloe vera. The rhassoul mud softens the skin, scrubs away dead skin cells and helps to rebalance the oil production and tightens the pores, while the aloe vera and honey adds plenty of moisture. The bath bomb isn't as colorful and pretty to look at as many of the other Lush products, but it turns the water into a lovely warm yellow color and it's gentle enough for even the most delicate of skins. To me it doesn't smell anything like honey or even particularly sweet, and instead it's a nice and refreshing scent of very faint orange, bergamot, and gardenia which together form a very light floral that has a subtle sweetness to it.

Having indulged in a lovely relaxing bath, your skin will need a little treat in form of a rich and moisturising body butter and the Body Shop Honeymania is absolutely wonderful. It's very similar to most of the Body Shop body butters with it's smooth and almost "fatty" consistency that melts into the skin as it's heated up between your hands when you massage it in, and it really soaks the skin with hydration that lasts almost all day making the skin feeling very silky and soft. As with the hair care products, I was surprised that this doesn't smell particularly of honey. It's a harmonious scent that does have a noticeable rich and sharp sweetness to it, but it's of a floral kind and it reminds me a little of the Moringa scent as it's quite strong in a slightly artificial way, and if you're not keen on florals - you might give it a miss.

All of the products I have mentioned are pampering and indulgent to use, although most of them haven't really smelt that much of honey. But what they have lacked in terms of honey scent, the L'Occitane Immortelle Eau de Parfum makes up for with exuberance. This wonderful EdP comes in a beautiful but plain heavy glass bottle which has a very exclusive feel about it, that makes me think of bespoke perfumiers where the scent does all the talking, not the packaging. When Him Indoors bought this for me, it was a horrible cold and blustery day and when I tried this on it took me to a sunny, scorching Mediterranean filled with aromatic scents and I was completely bowled over. It's a very warm and luxurious scent that blends essential oils from rich honey like immortelle, powdery rose, deep animalistic musk and sweet iris - all vibrant and strong scents in themselves. This is not a fragrance for the faint-hearted or for anyone who wants to blend in and there is nothing girly, light or playful about it. It's a very womanly, intriguing, sensual and fascinating scent that creates an air of warm golden nectar - it's definitely a statement and I absolutely LOVE it.

I have been waxing lyrically (ha, ha - see what I did there...) about these wonderful honey products, but for good reason. Honey is the ultimate all in one beauty product - it hydrates, soothes, nourishes and smells wonderful and is definitely worth getting now that winter is coming to help keep your skin soft and smooth. But Behive and don't spend too much ... sorry - I blame it on the sugar rush from the honey I just had...

Tame your mane with hair oils

One of the most frequently sold hair care products in the world is hair oils and you can't open a magazine without there being some promotion about the latest miracle in oils. The reason oils are so great for your hair is that they contain essential fatty acids, vitamin e and anti-oxidants from various types of oil. Essential fatty acids help to control your hairs hydration and elasticity, vitamin e helps to heal damaged hair and anti-oxidants helps to reduce discoloration. Most hair oils are multi-tasking and can be used on both wet and dry hair; as a pre-cleanse, intensive conditioning, heat styling product or for finishing touches but regardless of how you prefer to use a hair oil it will sink into your hair, treating it and conditioning it at the same time.

There are so many types of oil available so I wanted to do a comparison to see if there was much difference between them, and how they worked on my hair. Most oils target different types of hair so it's definitely worth while doing some research beforehand to make sure that you get a product that is right just for you, and the products I've tested are all aimed at dry and/or damaged hair. As usual when I do a product comparison, I have a selection of products from different price ranges so let's get started - bring on the oils.

First out of these oils is Kérastase Elixir Ultime which contains ingredients that actively repair and nourish damaged hair. It comes in a large plastic bottle with a pump, and for me it's always a bonus when a product has a pump, so it's easy to get exactly the right amount of product - particularly important when it comes to oils since we don't want greasy hair! I use about two small pumps of oil - no more, heat it up between the palm of my hands so it absorbs better into the hair and comb it through my hair with a detangler, but never anywhere near the scalp. Elixir Ultime is a very light oil and it has the most amazing, sophisticated scent of exotic moringa which luckily stays on your hair for a while. Since the consistency of it is so light, it works great both as conditioner, treatment, detangler or as a styling product without leaving any greasiness or dullness at all. When I've used a tiny drop of Elixir Ultime, my hair feels silky and smooth and more well behaved, and it stays that way for several days afterwards. 

 

The second oil in this line up is a product you'll find on the high street, and I had some high hopes for it - it's the L'Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Oil, which is suitable for all hair types. Reading about it before I tested it, it sounded like a more affordable alternative to the Kérastase Elixir Ultime. It's marketed as a 5-in-1 "miracle hair perfector" which is supposed to give hair a glowing shine, nourish, make your hair silky and soft, smooth and perfect your hair. It comes in a stylish and heavy glass bottle which looks very nice, but may not be very practical and I'm worried it'll break on the floor of my bathroom at some point... Anyway, it comes in a very generous size and with a pump that dispenses exactly the amount you want, which is great. Another bonus for me is the gorgeous warm and floral scent of white flowers. So far this oil is reminds me a lot of Kérastase, but this is where the similarities end. The texture of L'Oréal Elvive is quite strange - it's definitely an oil, but to me it's much more like a serum with its gooey, syrupy consistency. I've used this as a conditioner and a detangler and it feels lightweight on the hair, distributes easily and it does add shine. Unfortunately I don't find it non greasy at all - it makes my hair look matte and unwashed and I just can't get used to the texture. Out of the oils I've tried this was the one I least enjoyed using, and to be perfectly honest I doubt that I will use up the bottle.

Next up is a product from one of my favourite hair care ranges - Macadamia Natural, and it's the Healing Oil Treatment which I got in a Macadamia Get Hooked package. This is a wonderful rich oil with quite a strong, but lovely nutty and slightly masculine scent. Because it's so thick I really enjoy using this particularly as a nourishing treatment before shampooing or added to a masque for that extra boost of hydration. I absorbs beautifully into the hair without leaving a greasy feeling and it's also light enough to use it as a styling oil for some extra finishing shine. Using this makes your hair feel silky and light and I've even surprised myself with how much I enjoy using it. The travel size also makes it very practical to bring in a handbag for any touch ups when you're on the go.

The last oil I've tested is the Body Shop Coconut Beautifying Oil which is a multi purpose oil, so it can be used both for your hair, face and body. It's a fairly light dry oil, which means that it absorbs straight into the skin so you don't have to worry about staining your clothes if you use it as a moisturiser, and it has an amazing warm soft authentic scent of coconut - delicious. I must admit that I find it difficult to understand how one oil can be multi purpose since at least my hair, skin and body need different things, and this is why this product doesn't work for me. As a body care product this is a lovely hydrating oil that illuminates your skin and I will definitely continue to use it like that, however I really don't like to use it either on my face where it feels far too heavy and almost fatty or my hair. I tested it using a tiny drop of oil at the ends of my hair and also to smooth down fly aways and kinks, but I felt as if it made my hair greasy, matte and weighed down and unlike the other oils this doesn't work for me as a product to perfect your styling. I still think it's a gorgeous body care product that I would buy again, but I wouldn't use this for hair care when there are much better options available.

Out of the different oils I've tested there are two products that stand head and shoulder above the others; Kérastase Elixir Ultime and the Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment, and I would repurchase both of these products faster than you can say follicle, however if I had to pick just one favourite it would be Elixir Ultime. 

It's a gorgeous, light and beautifully scented hair oil with just the right consistency for you to use it both on wet and dry hair. I have used Elixir Ultime since Spring time, and even though I found it difficult to get my head around all the different ways I could and should use it, it is now an essential item in my hair care routine. I also feel as if it's made a real difference to the quality of my hair and it's more nourished and tamed. As you may know I have long hair that gets put through a fair bit of wear and tear, but I have fewer split ends than before and it looks less frazzled after heat styling. I thoroughly enjoy using this oil and for me it's definitely the Ultimate Elixir.

The blue edition

If I was to ask Him Indoors what his favourite color is - he would without a nanosecond of a doubt say blue, just like most men and even women. Blue is a color often associated with harmony confidence, trust and loyalty. It's also very often linked with natural elements like the sky, sea, and coldness - all of them with a slightly melancholy note, but to me that doesn't give blue as a color full justice since it can range from the light, soft and cuddly baby blue to dark, vampy golden, glorious blue. I know that for many, even the idea of using blue as part of your makeup screams 80's garishness, but the updated and modern version of blue is cool, sleek and unexpected and today I'll show you some of my favourite blue products.

The first product in this line up of blue items is the The Body Shop Shower Gel in Blueberry. For me most shower gels are pretty much the same. If it offers a gentle cleanse without stripping my skin and leaves a lovely scent that lingers for a long time afterwards, I'm happy - and that's exactly what this one does. This shower gel is soap free but still manages to work up a good lather for that ultimate shower experience and the delicious sweet and sour scent of blueberry, very slightly reminiscent of the old classic Dewberry but with less musk, is uplifting and it lingers on your skin for a decent amount of time.

As usual I have to have a matching set of scents - shower gel and body lotion/butter so of course I've also got the Body Butter in Blueberry. As with all the Body Shop Body butters, the texture is wonderfully thick, rich and luscious to use. I love to scoop out a dollop, heat it up between my hands and then to massage it in. I find that doing this will release the oils, enhance the scent and help to effortlessly blend the butter into the skin for hydration that lasts a good few hrs after you've massaged it in. The blueberry scent is fruity and piquant, but without any sweetness to it at all. Instead it's slightly sour, crisp and very refreshing.

Let's move on to makeup and one of my favourite high street brands this year - Bourjois. This is an example of a palette that does the whole "painting by numbers", i.e. giving you instructions on when and how to use which shade - it's the Smokey Eyes Trio Eyeshadow in Bleu Rock. I love a smokey eye, and I don't know about you but I sometimes think that to always use dark natural shades gets a bit predictable, and to instead go for blue shades adds an extra little something. This trio contains shades of blue that includes pale alice blue with a subtle warm grey undertone, warm bondi blue with a golden undertone and matte UCLA blue with a slight teal-green shade. The eyeshadows are lovely and light, smooth, buildable and easy to work with. For me this is one of the best Bourjois trios and the combination of matte and slightly shimmery shades works really well for a twist on the classic smokey eye look.

My next item is another budget buy, it's an Avon Glimmerstick Diamonds Eyeliner in Twilight Sparkle. The glimmersticks are very popular products from the Avon range, and no wonder - it's a lovely creamy formula that is so smooth to apply, it's longlasting and waterproof. This particular shade is a dark steel blue with a metallic and sparkly element to it. This looks wonderful as an alternative to black eyeliner for a feline flick or even to fill in the lower waterline. Even though this is currently listed in the most recent Avon book, unfortunately I couldn't find a link to it for Avon online, so my recommendation is to either check with an Avon representative or go to eBay, where I know for sure that you can get it at a very low cost - so go on, treat yourself to an amazing sparkly eyeliner that will look stunning for the festive season!

From left to right:

Bourjois Smokey Eyes Trio Eyeshadow 07 Bleu Rock - Illuminating shade

Bourjois Smokey Eyes Trio Eyeshadow 07 Bleu Rock - Blend & Stretch shade

Bourjois Smokey Eyes Trio Eyeshadow 07 Bleu Rock - Sculpting shade

Avon Glimmerstick Diamonds Eyeliner - Twilight Sparkle

For me to pick just one single nail polish in blue is simply impossible. Partly because I am always on the hunt for that PERFECT blue shade which is why I have loads of them, and also because there are so many different shades of blue, all beautiful in their own right. As a compromise I have therefore chosen two different shades of blue from our old friend Barry M, which is probably one of the most budget friendly brands on the market that offers not only a polish range in all the colors of the rainbow, but also a great formula. The Barry M Nail paints as they are called, are easy to work with to get a streak free finish, they're fast drying and long lasting. Seriously, there are not many brands,  about which you can say all those things regardless of price point. Not only that, but Barry M really keeps up with the trends and you can find any type of effect you want - plain, shimmer, sugar-coated, crackling top coats, metallic, magnetic, foil, matte or concrete - you are spoilt for choice.

The first shade I have chosen is Navy which is an amazing, vibrant, true blue shade with a slight golden undertone to it. It's a stunning, timeless shade of blue with a lovely satin sheen that would work with any outfit or occasion and for me, this is a must have in a nail polish collection. So if we started at the classic end of the spectrum, now we'll move to the other end with more playful effects. The second shade I have chosen is Atlantic Road which is a light, soft and warm powder blue with a textured effect. With this type of polish you really need to apply at least two coats to create that interesting, raspy, grainy and raw concrete effect. I also find that even though it sets very quickly on your nail, it takes a few hrs for the effect to really come into its own. It's a fun way to add a lighthearted and spirited edge to a look or an outfit. 

I've mentioned some wonderful products already, but for me the real gem (if you'll excuse the pun) amongst these blue pickings is the fragrance from La Prairie - Life Threads Sapphire EdP. La Prairie is probably best known for their highly scientific and luxurious top of the range skincare, but they also do some amazing fragrances. First of all, let's take a few seconds and talk about the bottle. It's a gorgeous, strict geometrical shape with whimsical web like threads throughout it, and scattered gems in brilliant white and sapphire blue trapped in the web - it's like a tiny sculpture that deserves to be displayed on a dressing table.

The scent itself is a lovely warm, sensual and elegant floral with a very slight oriental twist to it. It's a rich mix of faint orange flowers, balmy rose, sweet and fresh lilac, seductive jasmine, soft animalistic, golden amber and dry, spicy wood. You might think that these are all too over powering, but the combination is so well balanced and subtle that none of the notes dominate or over power the others. For me this is a one of a kind scent that really stands out, and it's the height of sophistication. Since this is a high quality EdP, you only need very little to make it last all day and this captivating scent is perfect for this time of year, warming you up from the inside out.

This was a small selection of my most loved blue products, but of course there are so many shades that probably deserve an article of their own, e.g. teal, baby blue etc. Although plum and berry shades are all of the high street at the moment, I hope this has inspired you to perhaps introduce a few elements of blue into your A/W beauty and makeup routine, and that you're not left feeling blue.

Also, just a reminder of the international giveaway that is going on at the moment, which is open until Oct 25.