BritishBeautyBlogger

Pacifica

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:22:00 +0000

If you love the smell of holidays, then look a bit further at the Pacifica range which so cleverly taps into the scent of good times, hot, sunny days and exotic flora. The range is huge in the States and relatively unknown here but it's really beautiful. With gorgeously tempting smells such as Tahitian Gardenia, Brazilian, Mango & Grapefruit and Waikiki Pikaka, they just send you straight away to sun cream, cocktails and blue skies. Pacifica does a great job of tapping into the feel-good part of the brain with scent which triggers happy feelings; they use coconut quite a lot so there's an instant exotic connection. They're also beautifully packaged in bright, cheering colours. Find a selection in the UK at http://www.planetorganic.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?p=2&q=pacifica
Pacifica is made without parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, peanut oil and artificial colours.

I've also noticed that there is a really heft whack of vanilla in a lot of fragrances I'm smelling at the moment.. in fact, it's quite hard to get scents that don't slug in a dose of vanilla. For someone who can only tolerate that smell in very small quantities, it's a bit of a fragrance nightmare. But of course, if you want a perfume to be a best-seller, a shot of vanilla is a good place to start. It's a fragrance that is all about good things... your mum's baking, sweeties, biscuits, childhood birthday cake; moving on from that, being nurtured, treated and loved. These olfactory markers are imprinted on your brain from day one so thereafter, if you have a good association with a smell, your brain instantly recalls it at any time subsequently and says, yes, this is GOOD! So, for a mass fragrancer to go without any vanilla at all to tap those embedded sensations is a bit of a risk. Which is why everything has it. Simples.

Sulwhasoo Limited Edition for Bergdorf Goodman

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:24:00 +0000

Sulwhasoo is a premium Korean skincare range, currently being snapped up in Berdorf Goodman, NYC. I'm obessed by this beautiful limited edition packaging using the artwork of Shin Sun-Mi to highlight the beauty of traditional Korean costumes. Sulwhasoo First Care Serum uses medicinal herbal skincare to rebalance skin that's out of whack. It's not cheap at $80, but it sure is pretty!

Essie Spring : Navigate Her

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:03:00 +0000

The Essie Spring 2012 collection is a little hit and miss for me: I love the brights, don't like the coy pales. But, because there are so many neon shades in store at the moment, it really put me in the mood for a colour injection and I couldn't be more happy with ultra-bright pink Tour de Finance from the collection. It's a completely wow colour that is a total show-stopper. It's got a little bit of pearl in the mix but the overall effect is just a blaze of pink. I got the demi-gloves from the Karl Lagerfeld collection at www.net-a-porter.com and Tour de Finance looks amazing in combination.

With news that a 70 strong Essie diffusion range at £6.99 a bottle is launching into Boots and Superdrug in May, Essie's going to be making beauty news all year I think.

Dolce & Gabbana Make Up Charm Pencils

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:27:00 +0000


The Charm Pencil Intense Eye Crayon in Black

The Charm Pencil Intense Eye Crayon in Stromboli

The Charm Precision Lip Liner in Dahlia

The Charm Precision Lip Liner in Fire

I'm so impressed with these beautiful Charm Pencils from Dolce & Gabbana. I've been waiting a long time for them to do something really different with their make-up and this is definitely heading in the right direction. Four lip pencils and four eye pencils come complete with one of four talisman charms evoking D & G world; love, luck, femininity and fashion. They're £18.50 each and go on counter at Harrods (www.harrods.com) on 1st February.

Give Away Time! The Complete NARS Spring Collection

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:17:00 +0000

Here we are...the latest giveaway is the entire NARS Spring Collection. It's a mix of electrics and smooth, feminine shades that are perfect for chasing away the winter make-up cobwebs. Who doesn't want their cheeks that perfect, pretty pink for the onset of Spring?

As usual, a question. What's your spring fling? What gets you feeling spring-like and fresh after a long winter? For me, it's when the first crocusses appear as a sign that longer, lighter days are coming; they always put me in a good mood when I see them.

You can add your answer to the comments box with your twitter address or email me at britishbeautyblogger@gmail.com. This giveaway is open to UK and Europe and ends at 10pm on Saturday 28th January. The favourite answer will be chosen by a NARS representative and not by me.

Mock Croc Nails from LCN

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:14:00 +0000

I think we have another Marmite product here: it's the next generation crackle that breaks into a croc skin pattern, Crocofever Polishes. It's not that helpful to see it on the faux nails because it looks really over-the-top, but on real nails I can see this looking pretty fab, especially in red. Anyway, I've requested some samples so hopefully I can give you a few pictures on what they look like in 'real life'. In the meantime, if you want to try for yourself, you can buy them here: http://www.beautyconcepts.co.uk/direct/nails/details2.asp?ProductItemID=5566&DirItemID=8

Clinique Age Defense BB Cream SPF30

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:26:00 +0000

Clinque Age Defense BB Cream SPF30

Oh no! I really didn't get along with this BB at all. I think this is the ultimate Marmite BB!

Ok, so what I found with the texture is that it is so thick, and my coverage preference is always light. I found it really took some working into the skin, a bit like a high SPF sun lotion and after I'd applied it my skin felt, what I can only describe as, waterproofed. A little bit waxy, even. The colour, in Shade 02, was too pale for my skin and to be honest, I turned a teeny bit grey with it. On the skin, this BB leans heavily to matte, and I always like to be dewy, so all in all it is just not for me and I took it off almost straight away.

However, listening to the view of my beauty friend Louise at www.the-beauty-pages.com whose opinion I value, it's the opposite experience for her. She loves the matte finish and found the Clinique BB to be long-lasting too, which is always a bonus. Anything with a dewy finish tends to disappear. Others I've spoken to have also praised its coverage and perfect shades. To be fair, one of the main sells on this cream is that it gives oil and shine control and helps to balance the skin so maybe it's a salvation for oily skin. It's also got a hefty whack of sunscreens built in (and it feels like it too) as well as Vitamin E, caffeine and a whole host of anti-irritants. It's also good for brightening and enhancing but it had the direct opposite effect on my skin which looked like I'd risen from the grave.

This is like olives for me... I really, really want to like them because they look so delicious and stylish but no matter how hard I try, everytime I put one in my mouth I want to spit! I really hope that Clinique are doing some heavy sampling with this, because it's a try before you buy.

Moi Self Helpful Hankies

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:41:00 +0000

We all have that beauty crisis moment.. laughing too much so your eyes water and your mascara runs, or equally crying too hard as well... but I found these cute hankies that are just the job for mopping up and motivating. Lovely graphics and a great idea for stylish sobbing. £10 at www.mywardrobe.com from January 26th.

Posh Wash From Prada and Valentino

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:25:00 +0000

I loved everything about the packaging and presentation of both these fragrances, Prada Candy and Valentino Valentina when they launched last year; now they've both brought out body and shower products to compliment the range. Call me shallow, but I really like things to look pretty in my bathroom (stuff like dry heel balm is always consigned to the cupboard and not on display!) and even if it isn't entirely representative of daily life (like, I don't think I have a single Prada item in my wardrobe), it's just rather nice to pretend to live on the luxy side in the shower, at least. I know that all the brands like to suggest that using all the products, shower, lotion and then fragrance is a cool way to layer, but in reality it can all get a bit much. But in my view, there is nothing wrong with getting between the sheets with a bit of Prada on your skin!

Prada Shower is £28, Body Lotion, £30, and Valentina is the same price.

John Richmond Viva Rock Fragrance

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:16:00 +0000

There are a lot of new fragrance launches ahead, but this one, Viva Rock, caught my attention with the packaging because it's so in-your-face, and yet the scent itself is not at all shouty. It's a woody floral with key notes of mandarin, rose, cherry blossom and musks. It's available from February at Harvey Nichols and nationwide in March for £29/30ml.

I think this one will get a lot of coverage for the 'Brit' inspired packaging for our Olympic year.

Beauty Whispers

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:16:00 +0000

Nailphilia Exhibition coming to Selfridges? I hope it's true!

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor Collection

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:15:00 +0000

I really liked the samples I had of the Nicole by OPI polishes a while ago; they're OPI's younger sister and cheaper, too, than regular OPI at £8.50. The Kardashian Kolor collection is a collaboration with the Kardashians (of course) and they're all named as you'd expect from anything OPI. Kendall on the Katwalk is blue with green shimmer, Kim-pletely In Love is a soft, baby pink, while Kourt Is Red-y is a wow red.

You can find them at Look Fantastic here: http://www.lookfantastic.com/brands/opi-nailcare/nicole-by-opi/kardashian-kolor.list

Anna Sui Spring 2012 Cheek Palette

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:56:00 +0000

Another beautiful offering from Anna Sui from the Rose Fairy Spring collection: interestingly there is a blue and silver one shown here:

Image from: www.make-up.becomegorgeous.com

Which I really can't work out if it is for those who want a silvery-faerie effect on their cheeks or if it counterbalances high colour. Anyway, it's the stand-out piece from the spring range. You can get this on pre-order for shipping to the UK at Imomoko.com. Anna Sui Summer 2012 is a bit more interesting, with a pirate theme and you can see images here: http://rougedeluxe.blogspot.com/2012/01/anna-sui-summer-2012.html

Wild Romantic Body Butter With Shea & Marula

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:45:00 +0000

I was intrigued to try this pot of body butter because a) I love body butters and b) I have no clue what Marula is! Turns out that the Marula tree is Africa's most romantic of trees because you can get either male or female trees (no idea how you tell) and is linked to romance, love and fertility. In Africa, if a woman thinks she would like a son, she takes bark from the male tree and for a daughter bark from the female tree and makes it into a drinkable infusion. What is great about this story is that it is a win/win. If you get what you wanted, then much rejoicing, but if you don't then it is a double celebration because it is said you have a very special child who can defy the spirits.

That aside, Marula fruit and also nuts are rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and oleic acid.. which for skin translates to happiness. Romantic Body Butter is infused with Ylang Ylang, Patchouli and Lavender which translates to a delicate fragrance that is delicious. And, it hasn't been fragranced with a heavy hand so you wear it, it doesn't wear you. The cream is an easily blendable formula that disappears into your skin and leaves it really very softened and flexible. The fragrance reminds me of some Haus of Gloi products that I've had in the past.

Last things you need to know about Wild is that it uses fairly traded ingredients from Africa and is sls and paraben free. Romantic Body Butter is £14.50 and you can find it here: http://www.mywild.co.uk/all-products

Superdrug Nail Art Pens

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:25:00 +0000

I love nail art so anything that makes it a bit easier is fine with me - I've got high hopes for these Nail Art Pens from Superdrug launching in April. They come in two new shades; pink and silver and will cost £4.99.

Models Own Bottleshop

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:56:00 +0000

I completely love this concept store from Models Own, shaped like a bottle of nail polish and landing at London's Westfield Shopping Centre in April 2012. Basically, you'll be able to buy your polish from a selection of 200 at the world's biggest bottle of polish! Hurry up, Models Own!

Benefit Cabana Glama

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

There's more excitement ahead from Benefit with this gorgeous collection, Cabana Glama. Inside the airmail inspired box are mini sizes of Hoola, a cheek brush, Posietint, Some Kind-a Gorgeous foundation faker (in medium) and three mini eye shades in Peach Fizz, Bronze Buzz and Cocoa Pizzazz and of course, there is a reasonably sized mirror in the lid. It's all pretty perfect for those first-hint-of-a-tan days of a holiday, and I'm a big fan of all-in-one kits. Cabana Mama launches in March and costs £28.50.

Nina Ricci Limited Edition Nina Fantasy

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:19:00 +0000

In the pretty stakes, it's going to take quite a lot to beat the beautiful presentation of this limited edition by Nina Ricci. The fragrance is constructed by Olivier Cresp and Jacques Cavallier, two big names in the world of perfume. It's a fruity floral (bergamot, pear and mandarin) but has a very heavy base of vanilla and brown sugar. If you love vanilla, you'll adore this one. Once it's dried down, it's actually a very warm, rather lovely scent. Nina Fantasy costs £36.50/50ml EDT and is available from 6th February - right in time for Valentines!

Marks & Spencer and Ragdale Hall

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:54:00 +0000

Usually, I'm a big fan of M&S bath, body and make up ranges; they're well priced and generally do the job, and recent collaborations such as Hello Kitty and Marcel Wanders have been brilliantly executed. It's for a certain market and does pretty well for it. However, their newest collaboration is with fabulous spa, Ragdale Hall. Now you tell me how this:

could ever have translated to this?

As a creative collaboration, it scores zero. White tubes with pink labels do not imply, reference, inspire or infer Ragdale Hall in any way, shape or form. I'm baffled how this passed the creative meetings. But, having said that, I've tried the handcream and it's a really lovely cream, making the above effort sadder than ever.

Carmine Beauty Boxes

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:48:00 +0000

I've largely stayed off the subject of Beauty Boxes because I can't help feeling a little bit of a sceptic about them. I keep thinking they'll flash out some amazing content initially and then downsize to something not so great. And, if I'm totally honest, I got greatly put off by the pushy nature of one brand of boxes who were just a tad too in my face.

But I have had a look today at a Carmine box with this month's contents and it's actually pretty good value for a tenner. The box is smart, matte black with a bright green interior and the products are wrapped like a present..in tissue, with ribbon. Inside, there's a voucher for Benito Brow Bars for a brow thread, a Weleda full size Pomegranate body wash, a generous sample size of Institut Esthederm face moisturiser, a Bling Tone in a shimmery light brown, a Japonesque brush and small (I would call it 'holiday-size') KMS Shaping spray (to cut blow drying time... that's got to be good!). So, actually the contents are pretty impressive. If I had subscribed (it's £10 a month), I think I'd feel I had had very good value for money. My one criticism is that the box is really hard to open! It has some kind of vacuum going on so you have to be quite determined to get into it.

It's only in the long-term that we'll see whether product quality reduces or sizes diminish, but on the basis of this box, it's a pretty good way to try several different beauty products with the minimum of outlay. Actually, if you go on their website, it shows what has been in previous boxes as an indicator.

Lovely Lip Balms

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:56:00 +0000

With Valentine's Day coming up, I've spotted some pretty amazing novelty lip balms for perking up your pout. Here are my favourites so far (based on looks, not content as I haven't tried them).

Pucker Ducks at MAD Beauty, £2.50 each.

Stars = Blueberry flavour, Hearts = Strawberry, Purple Boa = Vanilla, Silver Tiara = Plum. Find them at www.madbeauty.com (from February)

Soap & Glory Great Kissers, £5 each.

Light Pink = Chocolate Cherry, Coral = Pink, Clear = Coconut. Find them at Boots.

MUA Love Heart Lip Balms, £2.50 each

Sweet Kiss, Hot Lips, Kiss Me, Sugar Lips and Great Lips (not sure if they are flavoured or not). Find them at www.muastore.co.uk from 4th February. Also in this range are some very cute nail colours.

Kate Broughton Nail Transfers

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:23:00 +0000

I bought these gorgeous nail transfers from Kate Broughton's shop on www.etsy.co.uk; I love anything to do with birds so they are right up my street.
However, they are really, really fiddly to put on.. they aren't like water decals in that they are simply stickers, but they're not papery or plastic-y.. more flexible than that. I found getting the backing paper away from the stickers really difficult - it nearly drove me mad, in fact. But, I persevered and it was well worth it in the end.

You definitely need some patience (and good, accurate cutting skills) but if you do love something a little different, then at £2.99 a pack of ten, they are beautiful on.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/katebroughton?ref=seller_info

DKNY Sweet Delicious Limited Edition Fragrances 2012

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:07:00 +0000

DKNY are the masters of re-inventing the wheel, fragrance-wise, but I haven't come across a bad one yet, so they're doing it well. I was slightly trepidatious about the Sweet Delicious launch because I am not a fan of foodie fragrances; I love sweet scents but need a decent dose of floral in there to make it to my taste. But, that's all my foodie phobia is, a taste preference.

DKNY Sweet Delicious Creamy Meringue

However, the three limited edition fragrances haven't gone so far down the gourmet scent route that they're sickly - in fact, they are kind of fresh and sweet at the same time. Starting with the one I like the least, DKNY Creamy Meringue, is real dose of vanilla-like tones and does have that back-scent of sweet, cakey pastry. It's also got floral notes but I can't get to them because of the top note of lemon cream. The one I like best is DKNY Tart Key Lime.. very fresh and very citrus.. full of lime, orange, bergamot and mandarin - a little bit Mojito-ish. DKNY Macaroon is exactly that; full of sugary almond notes and actually rather lovely. It's also got notes of nectarine, kumquat and pomegranate along with what DKNY calls 'rose marzipan'. The packaging is pretty in pastels and the usual DKNY apple shape. I notice while testing that you need to angle the nozzle on the apple accurately - I have just blasted my dog with Macaroon and Key Lime - because the spray shot over my arm where I was aiming.

DKNY Sweet Delicious Tart Key Lime

DKNY Sweet Delicious Pink Macaroon

The limited editions launch on 4th of March in Debenhams and then nationwide from 1st April and cost £36. I've a feeling these are going to sell really fast; when you look at them alongside the promo picks, they're going to be irrisitible.

Faith Lift

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:21:00 +0000

Ooh, this is a strange one! The Faith Lift is quite an experience...it's a formula that is organic, smells rather lovely (a bit like cakes) and gives your skin a definite perk using polysaccharides. It also contains shea butter, borage oil, whole leaf aloe, vitamin and vitamin A.

I'm always quite wary of things that promise a 'face lift' effect, and straight off, I'll say if you are expecting Joan Rivers after the Faith Lift you will be disappointed. It doesn't 'lift' in a dramatic way, but what it does do is give your skin a temporary, subtle tightening and brightening that is noticable. Skin is incredibly smooth and toned afterwards.

The formulation forms a film over skin after you've applied it with a brush (you don't need much at all) gets tighter, and tighter and then some more and you leave it there for half an hour before washing off with a warm cloth. It's a very good pre-party or special occasion prep and does improve the look and feel of skin beautifully. I'm slightly more dubious that progressive use will give more lasting results - your skin will probably look much better for using it because of the glow and softness it leaves but whether it responds in a tightening way that is meaningful longer term, I don't know. I've no particular reason to doubt that it does, but equally, haven't tried it myself longer term.

Faith Lift is a little coy about what exactly the 'Faith Lift' Herbal Extract is that gives the boosting, but nonetheless, it's impressive stuff for those times when you want to look like you but much better! It's £30.

MUA Glitter Quake Polishes

noreply@blogger.com (britishbeautyblogger) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:53:00 +0000

The MUA Glitter Quakes are a really good idea; sparkled up crackles to eke out the crackle look to its very last. However, when I tested them, they didn't crackle, which defeats the object entirely. The pink one crackled very, very slightly, but none of the others crackled at all. It's not all bad news.. the effect they gave was one of matte polish with some shimmer which is a look all on its own. Maybe I got a bad batch, I'm not sure, but crackle, they did not.

They're £2.99 at Superdrug.