Estée Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer Heavy Petals

Normally I tend to go either super dark or beautifully Nude shades on my nails but when it comes to pretty Pastels, I turn all girly and quite frankly can't resist. 

These Esteé Lauder Pure Colour Nail Lacquers in Lilac Leather and Narcissist* are two of five in Estée Lauders new collection, Heavy Petals.

The collection is made up of Narcissist, Lilac Leather, Coral Cult which is a beautiful Coral, Dilettante a fresh looking Aqua Teal shade and Absinthe which is quite a bright shade of Green, all pictured above from my Esteé Lauder Christmas post. 

The shades have been influenced by Paris in Spring and Tom Pechuex, Estée Laduers Creative Make Up Director, took inspiration from the shades found in "amazing bouquets from the flower markets, the pretty pastels of children's carousels and the pops of colour from macaroons."

They're each boxed and packaged in beautiful, cubed, weighty glass bottles and I think they look so eye catching against the Gold lid.

I really like the finish of these polishes, although I must say they didn't dry as quick as I had hoped. I'm really lazy when it comes to my nails and although it wasn't unbearably long, they did take a minute or so longer that I would normally like, until I felt I could get on with things without smudging.

Two coats builds a beautifully opaque shade which I really like and I think these colours will be making an appearance on my nails quite often throughout Spring Summer, as will Coral Cult when I get my hands on it, I'm sure.

These Heavy Petals Pure Colour Nail Lacquers cost £14.50 each and are available on Estée Lauder counters now.

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Rituals Peach Cheek & Eye Glow

Though I have tried some Rituals bath and body products in the past, this Rituals Cheek & Eye Glow in Peach* is the first of their cosmetics that I have tried and I must say, I am pleasantly surprised at how nice it is and how often I have reached for it.

It's a multi-funtion product in that the shades included can be used both alone as eyeshadows or swept together as a blusher.

The five colours are super complimentary of each other and three of the five are beautiful Warm toned Peach shades with a shimmering sheen running throughout. The other two colours in the pan are a beautiful Brown Bronze shade that runs beautifully along the lash line and a frosted White shade, which is nice for highlighting although I find them both particularly great when used on the eyes.

 The shimmery glow that runs throughout each of these shades is quite heavy and isn't normally to my taste, but with the individual colours being pretty pigmented you really don't need to go too heavy with them which allows it to not be too over the top.

Used as a blush, with a brush swirled in the pan to blend the shades together, it is nice and a lot more subtle than I thought it would be, although I must admit it isn't really my favourite as I do like more of a matte Peach colour on my cheeks. I have been using it as a more of a highlight on top of my cheekbones for nights when I'm going for more of a Bronzed look and find it works an absolute treat.

When I got my hands on this my first impressions were that it would work better as a blush for me but I'm really surprised at how much I like the product as more of a highlight and on my eyes, and I think this will be a definitely go to for me in Spring/Summer. 

This Rituals Cheek & Eye mirrored compact costs £24 and is available on Rituals online here and in John Lewis.

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What's On My Bedside Table

 Sleeping mask*, Glass Jar with Bobby-pins, No7 Cosmetic Mirror, Bunny Lamps, Champneys Relaxing Pillow Mist*, Try Me Saucer, Laura Mercier Warm Roasted Chestnut Candle, This Works Deep Calm Pillow Spray (hotel sample), This Works Breathe In (hotel sample), Liz Earle Superbalm, Burt's Bees Beeswax & Banana Hand Cream, iPhone 4s

Ever since working as Cabin Crew, my sleeping pattern has been all over place and there have been many nights that I have lay wide awake through till dawn wishing there was something that would make me fall asleep.

A cosy, tidy space helps makes make the perfect environment for me drift off more than anything, so I try to keep my surroundings as neat and as pretty looking as possible in order for the perfect nights sleep. With that in mind, I like to keep my bedside table free of things that I don't really need there and instead home a few essential and cosy things.

I don't have too much space in my bedroom, so my No7 Illuminating Cosmetics Mirror sits there and with not being too bright but supplying a nice, warm bit of lighting to my bedroom of an evening, plays the part of the perfect bedside lamp. The Bunny Lamps that live next to it don't provide lighting as such, more of a pretty glow that I can't help but love.

My Laura Mercier Signature Votive Collection has the perfect sized candles to sit on my Little Diva Try Me Saucer, the scents are absolutely beautiful and the Warm Roasted Chestnut candle in the photos has been burning throughout the evenings of the past week making my room smell beautifully homely.

I'm not really much of a sleeping mask girl as I don't tend to find them that comfortable but for nights and even more so periods when I'm working nightshifts and my Blackout blinds aren't quite enough, this big "getting my beauty sleep" mask is the closest to comfortable I have tried.

In terms of products, I only really like to have the bare minimum. This means that at the end of a day, everything else is banished away to it's correct storage and all that's left is a hand cream and lip balm.
I currently have my Burts Bees Beeswax & Banana Hand Cream on my bedside because it's super rich and that's where it is most convenient. It's pretty chunky and is incredible heavy, so it's definitely more of an at home cream than a handbag one. Applied at night time and left to sink in while I catch up with my beauty sleep, it works perfectly and leaves my hands feeling beautifully moisturised and soft.
Though I must admit this Liz Earle Superbalm isn't my favourite scented balm I've ever tried, this too is a super convenient product in that it is multifunctional. Whether it's your lips, cuticles or skin that needs a little attention this works a dream, so it's a perfect for a bedtime pamper.

Other than than my pretty glass jar that stores my bobby-pins which is sat there for good measure, the rest of my bedside tables contents is any Lavender fans dream. I'm not really the biggest fan and don't tend to rate Lavender scented sleeping-aids too highly, but my Champneys Relaxing Pillow Mist and This Works Deep Calm Pillow Spray sit there for those just incase moments. I don't use them every night, but for the ones when I suspect a sleepless, sheep-counting night ahead of me a few sprays of either of these helps to do the trick.

What are your night time essentials? What's on your bedside table?


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Tresemmé Platinum Strength Event at Cirque Du Soleil

Last night I attended what was an absolutely superb bloggers event, held by Tresemmé all in the name of their new product range, Tresemmé Platinum Strength. 

A group of us were lucky enough to be invited to go to the phenomenal Royal Albert Hall for a splendid evening, to enjoy a Champagne reception and presentation by Tresemmé themselves, have our hair styled to perfection by the team followed by a few hours of pure luxury in the most fancy of boxes watching Cirque Du Soleils touring show, Kooza.

It really was such an incredible night and one I certainly feel extremely grateful for. The show was amazing and if you get the opportunity to see it, I highly recommend you go for it. It's full of such weird and wonderful things, all of which are extremely daring and had us all gripped on the edge of our seats.

Like I mentioned, we were there to find out more about the new Tresemmé Platinum Strength range, so I'll skip all of the Wheel of Death, Contortionist and Trapeze talk and get straight onto hair.

Tresemmé Platinum Strength is a range made up of five products all aimed towards giving you beautiful, healthy and strong hair- something we all want, but aren't all lucky enough to have after excessive styling, colouring and even environmental factors have taken their toll. 

With Tresemmés new Renewing Complex added into the ingredients, the Platinum Strength products work to replace the hairs lipids which have most likely been removed from the hair follicle whilst your hair has over time become more and more damaged making it feel rough and course. By replacing the lipids, your hair will look and feel both smoother and healthier and when using the whole Platinum Strength system together, the products will help to repair up to two years of damage in just five uses.

The five product system is made up of

-Tresemmé Platinum Strength Strengthening Shampoo, 500ml £4.99

-Tresemmé Platinum Strength Strengthening Conditioner, 500ml £4.99

-Tresemmé Platinum Strength Renewing Deep Conditioning Treatment, 180ml £5.50

-Tresemmé Platinum Strength Stay Soft Leave In, 125ml £5.50

-Tresemmé Platinum Strength Instant Rescue Shot, 15ml £1.49

Although I have been very kindly given the range to try, I'm yet to try all of the products though my first impressions of the Tresemmé Platinum Strength Instant Rescue Shot* is pretty impressive. It's so easy to use and after applying it to my ends (the most damaged part of my hair) for 60 seconds after shampooing, my hair feels incredible smooth and deeply conditioned.

I'll be sure to let you know how I get on with the system after using it a little longer.

The Tresemmé Platinum Strength range is being rolled out now and a little bird tells me it's already landed in Tescos.  

Do you like the look of this range? Is a deep conditioning, repairing product something your hair needs?

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Birchbox UK Launch

Following a huge success in the United States with more than 300,000 monthly subscriptions a month, today, Birchbox has landed and launched in the UK.

Offering a monthly selection of 4-5 personalised products to suit your profile, rebranded beauty box Birchbox (previously Joliebox) offer a range of beauty and lifestyle treats including make up, skin care and hair products, to give you the opportunity to discover and try products from both global and prestige brands. 

The monthly subscription is made up of the products along with a product information card, a pretty Pink drawstring back to home them, a 20% discount code to spend on the Birchbox E-shop and a fabulous Birchbox magazine, which I absolutely love and have already read front to back.

In this months box, I received

-Fresh Sugar Rosé Lip Treatment

-KMS California Free Shape Quick Blow Dry Mist

-Wei Juijube Age Control Serum

-Wild Romantic Body Butter with Shea and Marula

-I Coloniali Deep Body Massage Cream with Myrrh

-Teapigs Peppermint Tea

I'm really excited about this Birchbox UK launch and can't wait to see what they surprise us with in their following boxes.

Birchbox is available to buy online as a monthly subscription and costs £10 plus P&P.

Are you a fan of beauty boxes? Will you be subscribing to Birchbox?


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Bioderma Créaline H20

Back at the end of October when I visited Paris, I visited Pharmacies very frequently to try track and down the Bioderma Créaline Cleansing Water two pack. I was under the impression when I was inundated with french product "must haves" that this would be widely available in Paris, but it seemed the double pack was sold out everywhere and the only one I could find was the Green lidded Bioderma Sébium. I finally tracked it down on my way back to Gard de Nord, in what may have been the smallest Pharmacy ever and well and truly stocked up for my friends and I. 

Bioderma Créline is a Micellar lotion, meaning it's a mild cleansing water that doesn't require any rinsing or to be honest, any work. It's really gentle on my skin and doesn't take anytime to soak off my make up, which lets face it, is usually piled on! 

I tend to only use this to remove my eye make up, however it can be used to remove a whole face of make up and on occasion I do. I apply a small amount onto a cotton pad, place it onto my eye and my make up gently dissolves onto the pad. It works really well and with it's soothing qualities leaves my eye area feeling especially cool and fresh. 

The formula of Bioderma is hypoallergenic, fragrance and alcohol free so I would say it would probably suit all skin types.

Over in Paris I managed to get two 500ml bottles for €18 which is a great price and if you get the chance to, I really recommend getting it from there. I know most people from the UK tend to buy it on eBay because it is a lot harder to get hold of, I know I've only ever seen it in the Beauty Mart in Harvey Nichols where it costed a considerable amount more for a single, maybe smaller bottle.

I'm not sure how true this is, but a little bird tells me it will soon be available in Boots, if it is true then it is exciting but to be honest, I'm not sure it will come with a super appealing price tag.

Have you tried Bioderma Créline Cleansing Water? I would love to know your thoughts.

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Origins GinZing Eye Cream

Many of you are lucky that you don't have to reach for an eye cream aimed towards brightening and de-puffing unless you've had a heavy or sleepless night, but I personally feel it necessary to brighten, de-puff, refresh and pretty much do anything else that is going to make my eye area look and feel more awake day to day and after trying out quite a few different creams recently, this Origins GinZing Eye Cream* has been the one that I reach for most often and actually lives in my make up bag.

It isn't a miracle worker and certainly hasn't banished my dark circles and bags for good (I'm pretty sure they are a permanent feature) but it does work beautifully to make them appear lighter whilst brightening up the area, leaving them feel more refreshed and look less tired.
It has Salmon- like metallic colouring with reflective particles running through it which I'm assuming is what makes the area look brighter. The colouring taps out and blends clear so don't panic that you will have a shimmery reflective coating around your eyes, as it's pretty much invisible.

This eye cream actually has a caffeine ingredient from Coffee Bean, Panax Ginseng and Magnolia Extract and although this isn't going to wake you up like a cup of coffee might, it does help to awaken the area by restoring brightness and radiance.

I apply this with my ring finger under my eye, inwards towards my tear duct being careful not to get too close to the water line and then outwards on the top of my eye lid and down my brow bone, in a tapping motion being careful not to drag any areas.

The eye area is extremely sensitive and I'm always a little weary about what I use, but this has been a pleasure and a great factor is that it is also suitable for all skin types.

This 15ml tub costs £21 which does seem a lot, but minimal product is needed for each application and so I don't see why it shouldn't last its recommended shelf life of six months.

Origins is available online and at Origins counters in House of Fraser, John Lewis and Selfridges.


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