Category Archives: beauty news

Moss. Modern.Organic.Sacred.Skincare.

Moss is definitely a brand that has been at the top of my radar for well over six months now. You may remember back in September I posted an interview with Celestyna the creator giving you an in-depth look at this innovative line. Since then I’ve made two orders and have loved every single thing I’ve tried.

Whilst skincare takes time to review and form a real opinion on, I thought I would write up a post on the Bacio Di Miele lip balm today as I’m quite smitten with it and have been applying it morning, noon and night for nearly two months.

Described as a ‘couture lip healing treatment’ Bacio Di Miele is a rich, buttery balm that instantly soothes and softens dry, chapped lips. I’ve used countless lip balms, but never one like this. The unique ingredients come together to create a balm that is creamy feeling and extremely long lasting, but not at all sticky or tacky.
You know those lip balms that you apply to your poor peeling, chapped lips and they just sort of sit there, offering little comfort whilst the skin peels off your lips? yuck. BDM is totally different, it’s instantly softening, even flaky patches disappear, appearing healed in just a few seconds.

Muru Muru butter, Kokum butter, honey and extra virgin olive oil infused with marshmallow, rose, calendula and more all combine to make this special pink toned balm to heal, soothe and protect. The result is a lip balm that smells like lemon and chocolate, feels like silk and tastes slightly sweet.

After two months of use, I’ve used about a quarter of the balm which is pretty good going because I really do use this every single day. Sometimes I slather it on and sometimes I apply just a thin layer but it keeps my lips in tip top condition regardless. I bought mine during a sale and got it for about $19 I think, and it’s current price is $28. Not at all cheap for a lip treatment (it really is no regular lip balm and definitely earns it’s title as a lip healing treatment) but I think it’s really worth it. It makes sense to use a good treatment to take care of our lips when we apply such expensive lipsticks, right??

I’m in a fortunate position to be sent lots of beauty products to try these days, and thankfully I’m not in my teens anymore spending £15-20 a week in Boots. So when I do really want to try something luxe once every couple of months I don’t feel so bad splurging. My boyfriend spends £50 a time on a new game for his xbox near enough once a month, so why can’t I buy nice things for my face?! 😉 *pats self on back for totally justifying spending on beauty*

I’m back on the dry body oils for that sexy, summer sheen sans grease. When it’s hot and sticky, there’s nothing worse than being coated in a thick oil – it makes you feel like you’re basted and ready for the oven! An unctuous, nourishing body oil is great when the weather’s cooler – you really get a good massage going and it’s wonderful for giving your skin a silky feel – but on those balmy summer nights when you’re floating about in your kaftan (yes, I like to imagine that everyone lives in Ibiza and/or on the set of Absolutely Fabulous) a light spritz of something easily absorbed and beautifully fragrant is preferable.

I’ve been indulging in a bit of Bois d’Orange Huile Sublime, which has a sexy orange blossom scent and a nourishing feel. In fact I’ve photographed the wrong thing above, that’s Roger & Gallet’s water spray fragrance with added gold flecks, but equally lovely! The Huile Sublime is £21.65 – smells and feels far more decadent than the price would have you believe.

I once described Aurelia’s Dry Body Oil as being “Best in Show”  and I still don’t think I’ve found another one that quite compares. It’s dry (hence the name) but feels as deep-down moisturising as a proper, massage-it-in-all-evening sort of oil. Really very, very hydrating and with the most beautiful neroli, rose and mandarin scent. A true treat. It’s £48 at Cult Beauty.

L’Occitane’s Almond Supple Skin Oil became a favourite of mine post-pregnancy, though I still haven’t managed to write a proper post about it. I actually stole a whole bottle from my Mum’s bathroom when I lived with her for a month after the baby was born (our house was still being renovated – goodness, I do not miss those house-less days). I only intended to use it once and then sneak it back onto the shelf, but it turned out to be quite addictive, both scent-wise and in terms of what it did to my skin! “Supple” is about right – silky and smooth, too. You can find it online – it’s £34.

Continue reading →

; ; ; ; Milk bottle shapes are a ‘thing’. Even in cafes, you get your milk served up in mini-milk bottles, and I don’t know if Emma Bridgewater created the trend or rode it, but either way I love … Read more

The post Emma Bridgewater Feels Like Home Collection appeared first on British Beauty Blogger.

; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Continue reading →

Strange coincidences aplenty this week, one of them being that I needed an extra “something that smells of violets” for a post and along came – well – something that smells of violets. I have this odd habit, when it comes to compiling blog posts, that I can’t just ever think about a singular product; I have to find similar things, alternative versions, products that are (sometimes quite tenuously!) linked by virtue of scent, ingredients, effects or even the colour of the packaging. I think that this habit is an annoying hangover from my university days when I was continually encouraged to compare and contrast! Compare and contrast! 

So yes, I was looking for an extra “thing” that was violet-scented for a post – a post that will likely never see the light of day, because I’m quite useless like that, lots of thinking and not much doing* – and what popped through the letterbox? The new Orris & Sandalwood Cologne Intense from Jo Malone. A beast of a scent, if I may call it that, considering its floral nature. A beast because it’s a Cologne Intense and so has a bit more bravado and staying-power than the flimsier Colognes, which last all of about ten minutes on me. Give me the Intense any day of the week.

Orris & Sandalwood, then. A floral, but not as we know it. Sweet, sugary violets to start with (Parma Violets, yes please) and then the Orris, which I had never heard of before but is the root of the Iris plant. The “tasting notes” describe the Orris as having a “unique duality”: both “woody and powdery, floral and deep”. That just about sums up this fragrance nicely, for me; along with the Sandalwood, which I always find to be a beautifully soft and gentle kind of wood, reminiscent of long summer evenings somewhere hot, the Orris is just superbly sultry and come-hither. Warm and enveloping without being overpowering or “talcum-powdery” and then these gorgeous flashes of sweet violet spiking through when you least expect them to.

If you like your florals non-girly and warm then this, scent-hunters, is for you. The notes recommend to layer with Mimosa & Cardamom (didn’t like that one) and Dark Amber & Ginger Lily (I’m struggling with that at the moment after spending a year burning candles of the same scent – wearing the fragrance makes me feel odd) but I say it’s just perfect worn alone. It has enough heft to cut it as a winter perfume, but I imagine it will be equally as irresistible once the summer kicks in.

You can find the new Orris & Sandalwood Cologne Intense at Selfridges here – it’s £105 for 100ml.

Read more fragrance reviews here…

*by the way, just in case the aforementioned post never materialises and you’re a Violet-Lover, the other products were the Guerlain Meteorites Oxygen Care Moisturiser (20% off here with code ESCENTUAL20), the Alex Simone Violet & Blackberry Candle (here) and the Patisserie de Bain Sugared Violet Hand Cream, £3.99 here.

**the paper in the background of the photograph is Cole & Son Hicks Hexagon in Gold/Taupe, find it here.

Continue reading →