Charlotte Tilbury Film-star Bronze & Glow - My thoughts!

I won a blog competition last month and the prize was none other than Charlotte's Film-star Bronze and Glow!!

This bad boy has been on my wish list for absolutely ages!! I always see it mentioned on blogs and you tube videos and I was desperate to try it for myself however the price steared me away. Imaginge my surprise and excitement when I got an email from Laura who blogs at laurzrah to inform me I had won!!

Gorgeous bronzer perfect for attempting - (if you are me!) a contour. The bronze shade goes in the hollows of your cheeks to create the appearance / enhance your cheek bones. Then the highlight shade goes on the tops of your cheekbones to add radiance and draw the eye.

Both shades are so pretty and the packaging is stunning, I smile every time I get this out to use.

Do I think it is worth the price tag? I think that if you are over due a treat to self, have a voucher or a birthday / Christmas fast approaching then it is definitely worth popping on your list. It is such a luxurious face palette to own and gives you the appearance of cheekbones in no time! 

Have you tried CT Bronze and glow? x

Trilogy Rosehip Oil - My thoughts!

I've been using this little gem for a while now and have really noticed the difference in my skin. So much so I never want to be without it in my skincare routine!

It's a lovely light nourishing oil containing Rosehip, that I use after toner before moisturiser.

I add 2-3 drops in my hand rub together lightly and press onto my skin. Feels lovely to apply and helps you to relax and unwind.

I remember the first time I used this in my night time routine, I woke up the next morning with noticeably soft dewy skin. I was hooked!

Rosehip oil is fantastic for scars, imperfections as-well as fine lines and wrinkles too. Rosehip contains Omega 3,6, and 9, Vitamin E and Lycopene - an anti-oxidant. Which are all known for their abilities to repair, rejuvenate and hydrate the skin. 

Can be used both morning and night and can either be added to your moisturiser or used before hand. It's nice to apply, not greasy or overly oily. It sinks in nicely without leaving a residue and I really can tell the next morning when I use this before bed as I know my skin will feel lovely and smooth!

I highly recommend this amazing oil especially for the up and coming winter months where skin can feel dry and often needs the extra hydration.

Trilogy is an Australian brand which is available at Feel Unique, John Lewis, LookFantastic and their own website. 

Have you tried any products from Trilogy? xx

A mini Elemis order

Following my amazing Elemis Spa Facial experience I was keen to try some of their products, especially one or two of the ones recommended. However the price put me off. By coincidence when I got home I was checking my emails and lo and behold there was a massive sale on Elemis products at lookfantastic.com.

I was able to pick up the Papaya Enzyme Peel Full size 50ml for just £19.19 usually £32! 

and the Soothing Apricot Toner 200ml for £13.13 usually £22.50

Having previously tried and thoroughly love the papaya enzyme peel from a sample with a magazine I wanted to get the full size as I have all but run out! I use this once or twice a week depending on how my skin is behaving. It is such a gentle exfoliator mask which you leave on for about 10 minutes then rinse off with a flannel. It truly leaves your skin feeling baby soft and doesn't irritate my sensitive skin.

The apricot toner feels lovely and refreshing to apply. I use this both morning and night after cleansing. It helps to soothe and settle my skin ready for the next step serum, oil and moisturiser.

Have you tried any Elemis products you would recommend? xx

Elemis Spa Pod Facial - My Experience!

Elemis Spa Pod Facial

I treated myself to a facial. I've only ever had one facial before and that was years ago. So here's my experience with Elemis at John Lewis in Liverpool One.

First of all, I sat down with the therapist and I filled in a small questionnaire about my skin type and any medical conditions.

Then I had to place my chin on a chin rest whilst the computer took a photo of my face and analysed my skin's condition. It came up on screen in sections, so first it showed any parts that needed a deeper cleanse, then areas of dehydration, next any sun damage, etc. Based on the computer's analysis the therapist then chooses products from their range accordingly. The products chosen for my face were for targeting redness, sensitivity and providing hydration.

First of all you go into a secluded room, which is set up for relaxation. You sit in the chair, which by the way is no ordinary chair it is a fancy massage chair. At first I thought it would just sort of 'buzz' but no it actually physically massages your back, legs, shoulders and neck. It feels strange at first but after a while your muscles sort of relax into it. You can ask to have the chair off if you prefer. So whilst the chair goes to work on all the knots and tense muscles the therapist starts the treatments. I was so relaxed I forgot to look to see what she was using! But I can tell you it was all very gentle and soothing and smelt great. In the middle she placed a hydrating mask on my face (you know those strange jelly like ones) it felt lovely and cooling. Whilst that was soothing my face she used warm oils on my neck and shoulders.

The whole experience was incredibly relaxing, hard to believe it was in the middle of John lewis with shoppers outside the room!! Calming music and dulled lights set the mood with incredible smells from the products too. And the chair is genius, it magically knows the right pressure to use and feels so good. If I ever win the lottery it is first on my list!!

I drifted out of that room on cloud nine. It was amazing! 

One thing I was impressed with, was she recommends the products to you, but you don't at all feel pressured to buy them there and then, you have the option of course but it's not forced upon you. She gave me a sheet with the products that she recommended and I'm so glad she did as without I probably would have forgotten.

I was recommended the following skincare:


Soothing Chamomile Cleanser
Soothing Apricot Toner
Daily Redness Solution
Papaya Enzyme Peel









So if you ever get the opportunity to get a Elemis spa facial I highly recommend it you won't regret it.

October's Cohorted Beauty Box - Unboxing

What's in this month's Cohorted Beauty box, well stay tuned to find out!

Bare Minerals Purifying Facial Cleanser

Bare Minerals Purely Nourishing Cream

Peter Thomas Roth Mascara

Ciate Nail Varnish

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss

Bare Minerals Purely Nourishing Cream 30ml (r.r.p £10.00)

Bare Minerals Purifying Facial Cleanser

60ml (r.r.p £15.00)

I have already tried and loved both of these skincare items before. The cleanser is a lovely gentle wash off cleanser which smells of lavender and makes a soothing face wash for removing make-up and impurities from the day.

The moisturiser, similar to the cleanser smells and feels lovely on the skin, providing gentle non greasy moisturising and sinks in quickly. 

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in 'Hypnotist' (r.r.p £16.99)

This is the most unique lipgloss I have ever seen. It gives off a duo-chrome almost holographic shade which changes from a peachy gold shade to a slight lilac shade depending on the light.

Looks quite subtle on, has a slight tingly minty fresh scent and taste. I think this will be ideal to put over the top of lipsticks to change the shade slightly and create you're own unique and bespoke colour!

Ciate Nail Polish (r.r.p £9.00)

in the shade 

'Serendipity'

 I love the film Serendipity, it is one of my favourite films ever! So I really wanted to love this nail varnish, however I found the glitter in this to be far too chunky making it difficult to apply and get a nice smooth finish. So I'm afraid I can't recommend this nail varnish because of that reason.

Lastly it contained:

Peter Thomas Roth

'Lashes to die for' Mascara in Black (r.r.p £15.00)

Having never tried any of Peter Thomas Roth products, I am actually impressed with this mascara. I love the look of the sleek comb like wand and the mascara is nice to apply looks nice too.

 So that was this month's Cohorted Beauty box xx

Vichy Dermablend Foundation - An Update

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Fluid Foundation* has had a sleek new make-over! 
Plus new shades added to the line-up!

Over a year ago now I reviewed the original Vichy Dermablend foundation, previous review can be found here. I made no secret of my love for this foundation, simply for its amazing ability for covering my skin when imperfections (spots) and redness were playing up.

Vichy got in touch and sent me their new improved sleek designed packaging for their foundation. So I thought I'd do an updated review, show you the new design and let you know my thoughts.

You will be happy to know the new version is still the same formula and still has all the great qualities including an added SPF 35.

Spf is a must for me, I wear it ever day when going outside even if I don't have any make-up on. So an in built spf35 is great, means I can skip a step hopefully less time getting my make-up done in the morning!

The foundation however now comes with 3 extra shades added to the line-up. 
So it now comes in a total of 8 shades with Porcelain being the lightest. Opal, Nude, Sand, Gold, Bronze, Coffee and lastly Espresso.

Still provides the long lasting stay power of up to 16 hours. Can't really comment on that as I don't wear foundation for the full 16 hours, but I do know it stays on and lasts several hours. It is still in place at the end of the day. 

What I also love about this foundation is it's not perfumed. I find some foundations can irritate my sensitive skin, this however is also non comedogenic which basically means it won't block your pores.

I love and highly recommend this foundation as it blends beautifully into the skin whilst still providing the medium to high coverage helping to conceal imperfections, scars, acnes and other problematic areas such as dark circles.

It doesn't feel cakey or overly thick which is surprising as it really does a fantastic job of hiding imperfections. You would be forgiven for thinking it would end up looking and feeling like a mask like due to it's high coverage however it feels nice and lightweight when blended in.

It has a light silky texture with a matte finish but doesn't feel drying at all and also doesn't cling to any dry areas, which I find other matte foundations have a habit of doing.

Once I have buffed the foundation onto my face I then go in with a powder brush loaded with their amazing setting powder, Vichy Dermablend setting powder review. 

It looks white in the container but trust me it goes transparent once blended in and helps keep oily shinier areas matte throughout the day. Not only that it helps prevent smudges and actually makes your face water-resistant! Although I've not yet tried this yet but I'm sure with the british weather I will get to in no time - It has a tendency to rain!. Basically it sets everything in place for the day / night ahead, providing that extra reassurance. I still stand by my claim that this is the best setting powder I have ever tried!

My blog post of how I apply and use Vichy dermablend foundation and the setting powder can be found here.

Overall I am really impressed with the new sleek make-over of the packaging for the foundation. And with the addition of 3 extra shades there is bound to be one for you and if not there is always the option to mix two shades to create your own bespoke shade! I have been using this non stop and once finished I will definitely be re-purchasing. 

If you have sensitive problematic skin and find that foundations just don't blend or sit well on your skin then try Vichy. It covers yet gives you a natural looking finish. Can be found at Boots.com online and instore. As-well as Escentual.com 

* This blog post contains a PR Sample

Hand Chemistry: The ONLY hand cream you NEED!

Hand Creams: To say I am picky is an understatement, when it comes to hand creams I hate the feeling of greasy slimy sticky hands. I want a cream that nourishes and moisturises but sinks in FAST. No waiting around with your hands mid air!!

Soap and glory hand food is my go to .... that was until I discovered HAND CHEMISTRY. Completely by accident too, on the shelves of boots!

Oh my, this is a truly amazing hand cream. I can't believe I am raving about a hand cream, but if you haven't tried it, you need to!! Especially with the colder months rolling in. I find my hands get quite dry and chapped. Not only does it moisturise thanks to the mushroom, tremella fuciformis sporocarp (4x more moisturising than Hyaluronic acid!), but it also targets 8 signs of ageing....

Brightness, Smoothness, Firmness, Density, Elasticity, Hydration, Texture and Evenness. 

It has a lovely scent to it, not too over-powering and sinks in so quickly. You feel as though your hands have had a drink of water. They feel silky smooth and not at all greasy or icky. I find I am able to get on with typing or whatever I was doing more or less straight away.

As for the ageing, I can't really comment however it is nice to know I am taking steps just like in my facial skincare for ageing hands.

I highly recommend this hand cream.  You can get it from boots sometimes on a 3 for 2. They do a small 30ml size and a big 100ml.

The 30ml size is just the right size to pop in your bag and best of all it's a plastic tube so won't burst or get squashed like the foil tubes.

Have you tried Hand Chemistry Cream? What were you're thoughts xx

Marc Jacobs New Decadence Perfume - My thoughts

Marc Jacobs New 'Decadence' Perfume - My thoughts ....

Let me start by first saying that I love Marc Jacobs perfumes. They smell amazing and last and best of all look so pretty on your dressing table with their fun bottle designs. I have Daisy, Honey and Dot all of which smell delicious.

That said, the new Decadence Perfume - You know the one with the gold chain that looks like a clutch handbag .... well it's not for me.

I am very sensitive to scents and find that strong over-powering 'in your face' fragrances do cause me headaches. 

I received a mini sample with a feelunique.com order and I just wanted to share my thoughts. In case you were considering purchasing based on previous perfumes from Marc Jacobs. Assuming it would be a similar scent family, it's not. I highly recommend that you go to boots or a perfume counter to smell this fragrance as it is in my opinion quite strong.

The best way I can describe it is heady, musky and unmistakeable. Don't get me wrong it is a lovely perfume, but it's not for me and I feel it is quite a unique taste.

When googling for the notes of the perfume, I came across the description "His first Mature fragrance" and I'd say I agree, it is a grown up, sophisticated perfume.

Top notes: Italian plum, saffron, Iris, bulgarian rose, sambac jasmine and orris root 

Base notes: warm liquid amber, vetiver and papyrus wood.

If you like woody musky indulgent perfumes that last a long time and radiate before you i.e the scent enters the room before you - then this is the one for you. I sprayed the sample in the morning on my wrists and I could still smell it at night so it really does have longevity!

Soap & Glory 'Purple Rain' Gloss stick Swatch & Review

Soap and Glory Sexy mother pucker Gloss stick 
in
"Purple Rain"

When per-using boots as I do, I noticed that a new gloss stick hit the stands of soap and glory, possibly to replace the old gloss sticks as I couldn't see them. This at first made me sad because I love the gloss sticks so much and always have one in my bag or close to hand. 

But then I spotted this new shade 'Purple Rain' and at the bargain price of £3.50 I was sold!

Sexy mother pucker gloss sticks are so moisturising and provide just enough pop of colour. They aren't tingly like the lip-glosses and feel really comfortable to wear.

Nudist is my all time favourite of the old version and I'm happy to say that they still have that shade in the new version. 

As-well as being lovely to apply it smells gorgeous too, a vanilla cupcake scent!
I love the new slanted tip, makes it easy to apply.

So on to the swatches;

On the lips:

As you can see this is a gorgeous berry plum tone, perfect for autumn. Gives enough colour without it looking too bright and in your face, so if you are a bit scared of colour then these are perfect. 
They are lovely and moisturising and apply like a dream, in fact I can apply without using a mirror.

Unlike traditional lip-glosses your hair doesn't get stuck to this in the wind and it doesn't feel gloopy or stick to wear.

I have been wearing this non stop since I bought it and I have barely made a dent so I can see this lasting a while even though it seems to be a smaller tube, it just means it will now also fit in my coat pocket!

Have you tried the new gloss sticks from soap and glory? What is your favourite shade? xxx