Category Archives: beauty news

I think you’d say about the Bourjois Swimming Cool Collection that it’s about colour nuance rather than blazing, full on shades. Putting that in context with Parisian Summer which focusses on a warm glow complexion it works so well for fresh, rather than intense spring and summer looks. The Sweet Kiss Glosses are colour whispers on the lips – light feeling, transluscent and shiny. If you’re afraid of red, this is the way to do it with Carton Rouge (above) because it gives you red in a low key way. The downside is that they’re not long lasting, so you need to be okay with topping up (I am – I don’t mind it at all).

Sweet Kiss has followed the trend for oil-based lip products – there’s a slick of vegetable oil in these that gives lips a soft, conditioned feel. They’re £7.99 each. The shades above from bottom to top are: Sandsation, Rose Qui Peut, Incognirose and As De Pink.

The Aqua Blush from the Bourjois Swimming Cool Collection has stolen my heart – they’re exactly the kind of blush I love to use; super-light in pigment, extremely blendable and cool feeling on the skin. I’ve been using them with a kabuki to give a wash of colour that’s completely seamless on the complexion. I have found that you need to build the colour though – start with a small amount and keep brushing on a little more until you have that ‘flush’.

The shades are: Berry Nice, Pink Twice, Inge-Nude and Cocoricorail. They’re all colours that sit naturally but give a pop of freshness. I’m obsessed with these – on my tone, which is light olive, I can wear all four colours. There’s a 12 hour last claim on these which on me didn’t work for that long, but they’re well worth £8.99 of anyone’s money! The collection is available from June.

Another box from Naturisimo, you know how much I love these. Being able to see the contents fully before you buy is a big win for me, and not having to actually subscribe, so you can choose a box as and when you please is another. This month Naturisimo have released their Brilliant Body Discovery Box, just in time for the warmer weather and holiday season. The box costs £12.95 but is worth £37 and features 9 items. They are:

The Hydrea London Exfoliating Bamboo Mitt – This soft mitt costs £7.50 and is made with eco-friendly bamboo. It’s gentle but still extremely efficient and can be used on both face and body.

Dr Bronners Rose Soap Bar – Who doesn’t love Dr. Bronners? This smaller sized soap bar is perfect for travel, or just cleaning your makeup brushes. If you haven’t experienced a Dr. Bronners clean makeup brush, you’re missing out.

Lola’s Apothecary Sweet Lullaby Bath & Shower Oil – My first time trying this brand, finally! This oil is beyond lush and smells divine. I love the little touch of some real lavender in there too.

Green & Spring Relaxing Bath & Shower Foam – This pairs with the Lola’s Apothecary oil incredibly well, they have similar lavender scents and I can’t wait to use them together in a bath for the ultimate lavender relax sesh.

This Works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle – Another product I’ve wanted to try for quite some time without having to splurge on the pricey full size. This tinted lotion gives a little colour to legs and helps even the skin tone (great for hiding any bruises apparently) for summer ready pins.

Pai Comfrey & Calendula Calming Body Cream – This huge sachet contains a generous amount of product, at least two uses I would say. Perfect for travel and especially good for emergency sunburn situations.

Inlight Food & Leg Balm – 100% Organic and extremely luxurious, this balm will turn even the ugliest of duckling feet into swans ready for sandals.

Jurlique Rose Hand Cream – One of Jurlique’s best selling products, this light cream sinks in quickly without any residue but leaves hands feeling quenched and soft.

Balance Me Rose Otto Body Cream – And finally, this rose scented cream is rich and hydrating, perfect for dry patches and keeping skin soft and smooth after sun, sea and sand.

All in all a great box for trying lots of new products before deciding on full sizes. I especially love the mitt, bath oil and soap and am really pleased I get to try the This Works product! What do you think of the contents? Would you rather have just 2-3 full sizes or lots of minis in a beauty box?

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I’m rarely seduced by the idea of a body scrub. It’s all a lot of hassle, isn’t it? If you’re relaxing in the bath then why would you want your finale to be a weird, standing-up scrub-applying dance routine? With your body in the cold and your feet still in the deliciously warm water? And you certainly don’t want to scrub before bathing, because then you have to lie with all of the grit at the bottom of the bath. And if you’re in the shower, there’s never enough room to manoeuvre about without crashing an elbow through the glass screen or stubbing a toe on the edge of the tray. No, scrubbing is a palaver I can do without, most of the time.

Unless, unless, unless. Give me a richly oily scrub that sticks to the skin and doesn’t slide off, one that is beautifully scented and that leaves you feeling uplifted and new-bodied. Give me one of those and I will make the effort to do the post-bath dance. I’ll even stand in the shower, hose myself down a first time, turn the shower off and stand there like a berk as I rub in the scrub like some kind of demented, narcissistic self-pleasurer. (I always think that it would be incredibly embarrassing to be caught scrubbing: all of that weird circular massaging and gyrating makes it look like you’re silent-dancing to a sexy Madonna track.)

NEOM’s Great Day Wild Mint & Mandarin Body Scrub (I got to the point in the end!) is one such rich and oily scrub that I will happily silent sexy-dance for. The consistency is just right; very scrubular but with just enough oil to keep it on the skin rather than the shower floor. You can massage it in for ages, should the urge take you, and it leaves skin incredibly soft. But the absolute high note with this product has to be the way that it moisturises your skin at the same time as exfoliating it; even after a very thorough rinse (I was in tester mode) I was properly oiled up, as though I’d had an hour-long massage. So it’s kind of like a spa treatment in one, this: massage it in, rinse off and you’ve had the full body works. My skin was soft, sheeny and smelt lovely – really minty and zingy.

More body care reviews…

It’s definitely a treat purchase (I know you can make great scrubs at home using brown sugar and oil for next to nothing!) but it’s one that does deliver and if you’re in the mood for a pamper session, it feels suitably luxe. You can find NEOM’s Great Day Body Scrub at Selfridges.com – it’s £34.

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