No.7 Luxurious Foaming Shower Oil Review

I am mad about oils! If oils don’t already feature somewhere in your beauty regime, they should! For me it started with face oils, then body oils, even hair oils and my current obsession... shower oils.

I received a mini L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil in a birthday gift set, which I immediately fell in love with (really, really GORGEOUS) but at £16.50/200ml I needed something a little more purse friendly.

Which brings me on to.... No.7 Luxurious Foaming Shower Oil. If you have a £5 off No7 skincare voucher, you can bag this lovely product for £4.95.

“With a combination of nourishing Argon and hydrating Grapeseed oils, packed with Omega 6 and 9, this gentle - foaming oil transforms your everyday shower into a spa experience in the comfort of your own home, conditioning the skin as it softly cleans and moisturises. The silky lather gently cleanses the skin leaving it feeling soft, supple and hydrated all day long”.

I agree with all of the above except the “foaming” part. If you’re not familiar with shower oils they don’t yield the same lather you’d expect from a shower gel. The L’occitane one does a little, but this one, not so much. When the oil comes into contact with water it produces more of a milky emulsion. Still, it’s very luxurious and leaves skin silky soft and supple. There’s not much of a scent, for some that will be a good thing, for me I was expecting a nice aromatherapy fragrance.

If I hadn’t tried L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil first, I’d probably be very happy with this product... the evil of comparision huh! Now I wouldn’t pay the full price tag, but at £4.95 it’s a nice treat that won’t break the bank.

No.7 Luxurious Foaming Shower Oil £9.95/200ml from Boots – link Currently included in 3 for 2 promotion.

In Love with.... YSL Rouge Volupté Lipstick in Peach Passion

This is more than a lipstick, it’s a little gold stick of heaven! I’ve been lusting after this lipstick for a long time, the only thing stopping me... the price tag.

Yves Saint Laurent's Rouge Volupté Lipstick in Peach Passion (13) is a beautiful (I’m going to use this word a lot) brightened peachy coral, more peach than coral, but there’s definitely a hint of pink in there. It’s got to be the creamiest lipstick I’ve ever tried (and I wear MAC cremesheens). Creamy, dreamy and buttery soft, it glides on like a dream and is fully opaque.  It’s super comfortable to wear – no drying or staining. Of course with it having such a creamy formula it’s not the most long lasting lipstick in the World, it hangs around for 2-3  hours, but I’m always eating and drinking so very few lipsticks last long on me.

All encased in a beautiful gold packaging with a band of intricately carved YSL logos – as shallow as it sounds, it’s serious dressing table candy.

A dupe? The closest comparisions I can draw are MAC’s Costa Chic, which is brighter, more orange and has a faint shimmer and Ever Hip, which is more peachy.  



MAC Costa Chic, MAC Ever Hip, YSL Peach Passion



MAC Costa Chic, MAC Ever Hip, YSL Peach Passion

 I love it so much, I fear this may be the start of a very expensive habit. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté lipstick £24.50 available from Boots, House of Fraser, John Lewis etc and £23.50 from Feel Unique

Barry M Peach Melba

I was rummaging through my nail polishes at the weekend trying to match my nail polish to my outfit (I don’t mean literally, just something in the something that “went” ) and I discovered I didn’t own a single peach nail polish. Something I quickly remedied with Barry M’s Peach Melba.

I loved Peach Melba’s as a kid and this is exactly the shade I remembered them. It’s a pale, milky peach.  It has an opaque coverage and creamy finish. I applied three coats together with Leighton Denny’s All For One as a base and top coat. Two coats would have sufficed but I wanted to make sure they lasted a few day.... it’s been four now and they’d still going strong. It applies easily, dries quick and is a bargain at £2.99.  It’s a perfect summery pastel shade and will probably the first of many peaches in my collection.

Available in the UK from Boots and Superdrug - currently 3 for 2!

It's the Pearl Lowe Glossybox April 2013

It's the one I've been waiting for and probably the cutest Glossybox to date... The Pearl Lowe designed Glossybox....

I'm really feeling vintage chic right now (who isn't) so when Glossybox tweeted out a sneak peak of this floral design earlier in the week, I was super excited. The Pearl Lowe designed box is inspired by all things vintage and floral and contains.....

Richard Ward Couture Hair Optimiser Style Reviver 50ml
Finally, Glossybox have read my beauty profile and sent me something for my fine hair! Lightweight, non-tacky reviving spray with Wheat Protein and Kukui Oil to refresh and volumise hair between washes without residue or stickiness. Full Size 150ml £19.

Balance Me Radiance Face Mask 15ml
This is about the third Balance Me product they've sent me, but there's always room in my life for another face mask, especially one that gives radiance. Full Size 75ml £18

Essie Nail Lacquer 13.5 ml £7.99
I was soooo happy to see a full size Essie Polish. I love Essie! But I'm let down by the shade - Adore-a-Ball is a sheer soft white/pink aka, boring! Perfect for a French Manicure.

Yves Rocher France Nutritive Vegetal 24hr Nourishing Cream 15ml
A face cream for dry skin. Full size 50ml £13.50

Nip + Fab Mango Smoothie Body Butter
I love this brand, I have a few of their oils and cleansers so this will be a great edition. Perfect overnight bag size. Full size 200ml £9.95

I'm really happy with this box, bit disappointed with the Essie shade  (especially after seeing some of the vibrant shades other people received,) other than than it's fab and Pearl's design is exquisite. I've a feeling it will be the centre piece of my dresser for a while.

Glossybox is a monthly beauty subscription service, find out more here. Check out the Glossybox blog to read an interview with Pearl Lowe.

LUST HAVE: Topshop Grizzly Studded Heels

Whilst perusing Topshop online a couple days ago looking for wedding shoes (guest, not bride) I stumbled across these beauties. After gasping with excitement I didn’t hesitate to hit the magic “add to bag” button.... twice! Not a million miles from Louboutin’s infamous Pigalle Studded Pumps £695, but a fraction of the price. Shoes like these don’t hang around too often and I couldn’t decide which ones I loved more so I got the black and the nude.

Topshop Grizzly Studded point courts have a leather upper, razor sharp 4'5" heel, and stud embellishment front and back. Available in nude, black and coral for a very reasonable £60 per pair. I picked them up next day in store and they’re just as gaw-jus in the flesh. The leather’s very firm, I’ll look forward to them softening a little and they’re true to size. Be careful with the studs, they’re not the soft plastic kind, they’re full on ball-busting metal spikes.

Available online and in selected stores now £60. Whilst you’re there, the Topshop sale starts today.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful

When I asked for some US beauty recommendations last month there was over whelming love for Tarte Amazonian Clay blushers. And having already seen them featured on Essie Button I knew I had to "get on it", so as soon as I hit Sephora in NYC I headed straight to Tarte.

Infused with natural clay harvested from the banks of the Amazon River and naturally baked by the sun, this nutrient-rich blush benefits all skin types for a fade-free flawless finish for an amazing 12 hours. Tarte is a US brand (not currently available in the UK unfortunately). I’ve seen a lot of people calling them very pigmented, but for me, that’s just what they’re not. I really struggled to swatch them in the shop – the usual rub of the finger yielded very little colour. I had to track down a MUA to help me out. For that reason I only picked up one... Blissful is described as a warm peach. For me I’d say it’s more of a coral, pink... in fact more pink than anything with a gorgeous, but very fine, gold shimmer. 

Now the formula I love - a very finely milled, silky soft powder. It blends and layers very well without any build up or caking. Although very pigmented in the pan, it takes a lot of heavy swatching for it to translate on the face. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, perhaps there’s a special brush or application technique? But I’m really struggling to get the colour pay off, I had to go heavy for the photos and it still doesn't show up much! Wear time is pretty decent, around 8-9 hours for me, although it does fade a little.

Blissful, swatched VERY heavily 

Don't get me wrong, I do like Tarte blushers and would try another but they haven't quite lived up to my expectations and at that price (£17) I’d rather go for a MAC or Stila blush. I actually picked up a Sephora blush (review to follow) and found that to be much better.

The lowdown...  A natural looking blush that’s probably better suited for fairer skin tones. A nice fine powder with long wearing results. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush $26 Sephora. 

Indian Ocean

I'm finally the very happy owner of Models Own Indian Ocean...

It's one of those things I've admired many times in the shop but for some reason never bought, until now. Indian Ocean is inspired by the beautiful wings of a beetle, mimicking the complex colour-shifting with flashes of vivid tones and ethereal hues. It really does look different in every light - flashes of blues, silvers, violets, pinks with a gorgeous shimmering duo chrome finish.

The polish itself is fairly sheer so I layered over one coat of Sephora's Havana Dreams - a perfect match. It makes for a gorgeous summer shade.... Just wish I hadn't waited so long.

Models Own Nail Polishes are available from Boots £5 each, currently buy one get one half price!

Blast from the past... Nars Turkish Delight

Look what I dug out of the archives this morning... An oldie but such a goodie.

Nars Turkish Delight was one of my first non-Juicy Tube lip glosses (remember when we were obsessed with those). It was also my first Nars product and quite a splurge at £17 ish. When Kim Kardashian revealed she was a fan it became an instant cult fave.

It’s a beautiful semi sheer milky pale pink. It looks great on its own or layered over a pink lipstick like MAC Angel or Creme Cup. It’s the texture that I love most about this gloss, it’s not sticky or tacky, just very creamy.  There’s no shimmer, just a lovely natural sheen. 

It used to be a staple of mine; unfortunately it’s slipped down the list in recent years as my love for lipsticks has grown. Still there’ll always be a place in my collection for some Turkish Delight.

US Beauty Swap Haul

I'm very excited to share with you my very first US beauty swap. I've hooked up with the lovely Yessie (from Cinnamon and Zoey kisses) to share some of the best beauty goodies our country’s have to offer. Yessie and I have been friends on Instagram for a while now and after lots of mutual beauty adoration she suggested we do a swap. Here's what she sent me...

Eyes

Jordana Mascara, NYX eye pencil, Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palettes and Maybelline Color Tattoo

Lips

eos Lip Balm, Wet n Wild Lipstick x 3, Milani Lipstick and NYX Lip Pencil

Milani Rose Hip, WnW Think Pink, Smokin Hot Pink and Dark Wine

Face

The package arrived just before my holidays so I haven't had the chance to play with all these beauties yet but I immediately fell in love with the lipsticks.... Yessie has chosen the perfect shades for me. I took the Wet n Wild Think Pink on holiday, it's a perfect baby doll pink. The eos lip balm is really cute but my sister nabbed it. The Jordana mascara is really good too. She also sent me some nail polishes but the nasty Royal Mail confiscated them (furious, don't get me started). 

I'm really happy with my American beauties and I'm so glad we did it... I've a feeling this will be the first of many. I’ll show you what I sent Yessie... after she’s received it, don’t want to spoil the surprise. 

Revlon Strawberry Cream... Love at first sniff

Cuteness alert! This could be the cutest nail colour ever... plus it's scented! No wonder I couldn't resist. 


Strawberry cream is one of Revlon's limited edition scented shades. It's an unusual and striking colour - a bright milky pink with a touch of coral, a perfect summer shade. 

As for the formula, it's very opaque and gave a decent coverage from one coat. It did take three coats to achieve even coverage (two was still streaky), just as well I love painting. I finished off with a quick coat of Leighton Denny's All for One for a glossy finish.

So I mentioned it was scented and that it's called Strawberry Cream but that's not what it smells of. It actually smells of, and it took me a while to put my finger on this... strawberry hubba bubba. Remember that pink bubble gum from when you were a kid? Well it smells just like that. I'm loving it, can't stop sniffing my nails.

The photos don't do this polish justice, it's brighter in real life and very striking. I predict a future favourite! Revlon Scented Nail Enamel £6.49, out now and currently 3 for 2 at Boots.