Very Exclusive Sale: Further Reductions

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It seems that nothing can cure my online shopping addiction and I have been whiling away spare, quiet moments organising my summer wardrobe. Because by the end of this week I will have a brand new figure to clothe, which is rather exciting, after months of wearing exactly the same rota of outfits day in, day out! I can wear jumpers! Shirts! Trousers that aren’t leggings! I’ll do a lookbook video if time permits over the next couple of months, but here’s what I have in my basket from the Very Exclusive Sale* – mostly summer treats, but a couple of great autumn/winter investments, including a faux-fur gilet that I’ve had my eye on for ages and a chic evening dress. Loads of items now have up to a whopping 60% off and the sale runs until the 30th June.

To browse the designer sale click here.

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First buy – very important – denim shorts. I need separates at the moment rather than dresses and denim shorts are always handy to chuck on with vest tops and jumpers. But so many of them are cut like hot-pants! I can’t do hot-pants! No way, José. These Boyfriend Shorts from Rag & Bone are just the right length and I like that they are pre-distressed and a bit battered up. £160 down to £64 here.

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And my favourite colour to throw on with distressed denim? Navy. Or grey. So I can’t go far wrong with navy and grey, especially in a heart print! I’ve actually already ordered and received this and it’s beautiful – the quality from Cocoa Cashmere is brilliant. A bit of a long-term investment, but when it’s reduced down to £62, it’s not that far off a high-street price. You can find it here.

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A simple but flattering t-shirt (sorry if these choices aren’t the most daring or fashion-forward; there are loads of amazing and directional pieces in the sale so just keep browsing!) and I’m still liking the Zoe Karssen vibe. Soft fabric, nice drape (flattering on the boobs) and simple prints and logos. I have three bat t-shirts now so thought I’d swap to stars for a change! Find this pink version here, £30.

very exclusive promo code

Investment dress choice: beautifully-cut black number from By Malene Birger. I have another black dress from the same designer and it’s one of the most versatile things in my wardrobe. Though I’m still very sorely tempted by this McQ one I think that maybe the Malene Birger will be more useful for smart, chic functions. It also looks as though it might be a bit forgiving in the tum-tum area! The price is down to a very pleasing £107 from £215 – you can find it here.

very exclusive promo code

Investment jacket/outdoor garment choice? This little faux-fur gilet from Unreal Fur. Unreal make brilliant fake furs and I have wanted a nice gilet for years but have never taken the plunge. I’d pop this on over a black jumper (I’m not into gilets with bare arms!) to bridge that summer-into-autumn weather transition. Find it online here – it’s £70 down from £140.

very exclusive promo code

 I love this Missoni bag. Lurex. Chain strap. So seventies, and a refreshing change from leather, especially for the summer months. I’m not overly keen on the logo tag, but I’m sure I can get that off with a bolt-cutter! It’s £170 down from £340 (hurrah!) here. There’s also a smaller clutch version, that has 60% off and is down to £84 here.

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Finally: I may succumb to this leopard t-shirt from Joseph now that the price, after a 60% reduction, has just tipped below the £100 mark! I wouldn’t usually spend so much on a t-shirt but I seem to have mislaid my favourite Maje one and have been struggling to find a replacement that is beautifully cut and has a good, non-tarty leopard print. This could be the one! Made from 100% cashmere it’s a bit of a posh piece rather than “just a tee” and would look great tucked into a pencil skirt as well as with jeans. There. I’ve pretty much convinced myself! It’s £98 here.

*UPDATE: I’ve just noticed that the best maternity jeans in the world, Paige’s specially-adapted Verdugo, are in the sale. I mentioned these in a fashion post a while back, rather apologetically I think because they were a whopping £210. Not any more – try £84 on for size! You can get them here.

*this is a sponsored post.

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Body Cream for Dry Skin

body cream for dry skin

My designated body parts for testing out dry skin creams are my shins. Without proper care, they go scaly and shiny and weird, and if I wear tights or jeans then the problem escalates and I might even get some itchiness. The latest thick, balm-like body creams for dry skin that meet my approval are below – if you like the butteryness and deep moisturising effect of a balm but the convenience of a tube, then keep reading…

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Body Treatment: £26 or £18.99 at Amazon. Worked a treat on flaky left leg (I was testing Clinique out on the right one!) and didn’t smell of Eight Hour Cream, not like the hand cream does. I have no problem with the smell of Eight Hour, because it makes me very nostalgic (see this vintage post here) but some people find it a little medicinal. Whatever, this smells fine and dandy and does a great job of intensely moisturising the skin.

Clinique Deep Comfort Body Moisture: £20 at Boots. No fragrance at all in this one, just a bouncy, sumptuous cream that melts into the skin but leaves it feeling nourished with a nice protective residue. Not a greasy residue, but that lovely sheeny kind.

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP: £12.50 at Escentual.com. Possibly my all-time favourite body balm, this one has the sub-title “anti-irritation anti-scratching” which I find very reassuring. And it is brilliant if you are itching and scratching away in the shin region, as I so often am. Contains Niacinamide, which if you read this you will know is a good think, and also a whopping 20% shea butter. So truly restoring and moisturising. I’ve recommended this to so many people and the feedback is always brilliant…

Loving Care Body Balm from Le Couvent des Minimes: £13 for 200ml or £16 for 400ml (no brainer!) here. Great for delicate skin (as are all of the above, really) and with 15% shea, Calendula extract to help soothe and “Galen’s Wax” to protect and repair. The Couvent formulas have been based on very old, traditional recipes that were used by the monks who inhabited the convent that this brand is named after. (It’s now a very lovely luxury hotel, South of France, surrounded by fields of flowers. Take a look here.)

If it’s a body oil you prefer, then please do take a look at some recent reviews – you can always layer them up with a cream for twice the effect. I do oil first, wait a few minutes and then in with the cream…

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M·A·C How-To: Coloured Smoky Eye Holiday Look

1. Curl lashes.
2. Apply a light veil of Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder under the eyes to help catch any fallout.
3. Using a 268 Brush, line the upper lash line with Fluidline in Blacktrack, and blend the colour upwards over the eyelid with a 217 Brush.
4. Apply Eye Shadow in Performance Art from the Nutcracker Sweet Cool Eye Compact with the fluffy side of the 213/214 Brush, also from the palette, to the centre of the eye and blend outward.
5. Using a 224 Brush, apply Eye Shadow in Absurdly Pretty, also from the palette, to the crease, inner and outer corners of the eye, connecting the colours and blending through the crease in circular motions.
6. Line the waterline with Eye Kohl in Prunella and gently apply along lower lash line.
7. Using a 219 Brush, blend Eye Shadow in Absurdly Pretty along the lower lash line.
8. Apply Eye Shadow in Sugar Plum, also from the palette, with a 266 Brush to the outer corner of the upper lash line, then blend with a 224 Brush. Repeat this step on the outer corner of the lower lash line.
9. Tap Pigment in English Gilt from the Nutcracker Sweet Gold Pigments and Glitter Kit to the inner corner of the eye, using a 219 Brush.
10. Contour the face using a mix of Powder Blush in Blunt and Sincere with a 168 Brush, focusing under the cheekbones and around the hairline.
11. Using a 129 Brush, apply Extra Dimension Blush in Pleasure Model from the Nutcracker Sweet Copper Face Compact to the cheeks and above the eyebrows to give a lift to the face.
12. Highlight the face using Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Whisper of Gilt from the same palette, applying to the top of cheekbone with a 224 Brush.
13. Apply In Extreme Dimension Lash to the upper lashes.
14. Fill in the brows using a 263 Brush and Eye Shadow in Concrete. Brush out the brows using a 204 Brush.
15. Finish the look by adding Vamplify in Tuned In to the lips.

What a LoveLeigh Package!

It’s no secret that we’re totally obsessed with our Nice Package! kit builder. It’s the best way to get the Benefaves we love for a price we love even more… and a super-cute makeup bag to boot! So what’s even better than building a custom kit of our makeup must-haves? Learning what our favorite beauty gurus put in their kits!

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We recently caught up with the fabulous Kayleigh Noelle to find out what her Nice Package looks like, and we’re loving her picks. For her complexion choice, she went for the POREfessional. POREfessional is her go-to primer because it “smooths down the skin for a flawless look every time,” and we couldn’t agree more. Fine line disguising & pore zapping liquid velvet for the skin? Uhm, yes, please!

Kayleigh’s cheek choice is another classic—dallas face powder. The perfect outdoor glow for an indoor gal (uh, US!), Kayleigh loves dallas because it gives a nice flush of color to the cheeks & subtly adds warmth. Bonus about dallas? It’s both a blush & a bronzer—it can be used just on the apples of the cheeks for a flawless flush or all over for an even glow!

For her eye pick, Kayleigh went for—what else!?—they’re real! mascara! With its unique wand & ah-mazing formula, they’re real! is beyond mascara. Kayleigh loves it because “adds drama to the lashes as it curls & lengthens simultaneously.” We couldn’t agree more.

She finishes off her nice package with her free gift choice—hydrasmooth-lip color in nice ‘n teasy, our gorgeous rosy neutral shade. Kayleigh loves nice ‘n teasy because it “enhances natural lip color & gives shine,” which couldn’t be more on point. Nice ‘n teasy is the perfect everyday shade for those of us who like the enhance our natural beauty without going over the top.

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It’s official—we didn’t think we could adore Kayleigh any more than we already did, but we definitely do! She chose all of our fabulous favorites & created a nice package right out of our dreams! The best part about nice package? You can create one just like Kayleigh’s, or one custom-designed just for you, with a full-size complexion, cheek & eye choice, plus a full-size free gift & a totally adorbs makeup bag, all for only $79! It’s the best of Benefit all for a steal. What are you waiting for, Benebabes!?

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