Category Archives: beauty products

I’m a sucker for an eye pencil, and the new Revlon PhotoReady Kajal Matte Eye Pencil is exactly the kind that I love. Super, super pigmented, bold lines and a soft formula. I think the fact that they’re matte is neither here nor there – a good kohl pencil is a wonderful thing, no matter what the finish! You can tell it’s cold in my kitchen again! Goosebumps. I need a room like a cigar humidor that’s just exactly at the right temperature at all times! For a really good kajal or kohl, pigment is all – these are plenty full of pigment. I’ve used Espresso (dark brown) on my inner rims and can’t say that it has outlasted any other kohl I’ve ever used but it’s not bad at all. If you want to use them on the outer edges of your eye, the pencils have a smudger – personally I prefer a good, clean line. If you want bold definition, that’s definitely here. There are 4 shades – above, you can see Matte Espresso, a deep, rich brown, Matte Coal, a deep black and Carbon Matte, a smoky grey shade. I don’t have a launch date yet, but they’re… Read More

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Online purveyor of the coolest and most covetable luxury items, Very Exclusive, has it’s mid-season sale running with 30% off selected items. Timely, as I have now moved back into my house and have an actual wardrobe (just about) and am also in need of some serious treats-to-self in the fashion department. Though I’m limited, admittedly, to things I can breastfeed in. And that are a good size or two bigger than I’d usually wear…

Here’s a little roundup of my sales picks – some stuff that I’ve ordered for myself and some “fantasy purchases”. You can shop the sale here.

Wildfox For President Star Sweater: you’ll know if you’ve read my Very Exclusive sales posts before that I like a bit of Wildfox. Slouchy, soft sweaters that are brilliant for just chucking on when you can’t be bothered to think about what to wear. This one is cheery and bright – £63 down from £99 here.

Black Score Cocoa Channel T-Shirt: I have a canvas bag with this design on and thought that it was very witty, so I was pleased to see that it also came on a pristine white t-shirt. £28 down from £40 here.

Peter Jensen Rabbit Dress: yes, it’s expensive, but LOOK AT THE RABBITS!

I want this so badly, but to breastfeed in it I’d literally have to take the entire thing off and sit in my pants and bra. Which wouldn’t be the best look. Possibly. It’s £227 reduced from £325 here.

Another thing I desperately want but wouldn’t be able to squeeze my giant bangers into: the A Corps Perdu bra from Heidi Klum Intimates. A whisper of lace that would look every-so-sexy peeking out from beneath a silky shirt or little black dress. My favourite nursing bras have been from Heidi Klum Intimates (used to be Elle MacPherson Intimates) and so I think I may be building up a bit of brand loyalty in the lingerie department… £42 down from £60 here.

Oh the irony: I searched on an almost daily basis for a lovely pair of nude sandals over the summer months, but these from Ancient Greek completely slipped through the net. I love the superhero thunder bolts on them yet the sandal shape is otherwise very classic. An injection of humour that very much appeals to me. You can find the Fontini sandals here – they are £84 down from £129 here.

And now for a beauty bonus: would these Anna Sui lipsticks not make the most brilliant little Christmas presents for makeup aficionados? The shade, Paris Pink, looks to be one of those universally flattering kind of tones, and the star-shaped bullet and incredible outer casing will definitely be a crowd-pleaser. The lipsticks are £16 here.

Browse the Very Exclusive Sale…

*this post is an advertorial for Very Exclusive

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The latest Naturisimo Discovery Box is, as usual, well worth your time and money. This haircare themed box is packed full to the brim of luxe haircare samples for just £12.95 but is worth £37.

I’ve had the box for a week or two now and have had a chance to use almost everything on my hair before and after it was bleached (uhhh, more on that another time…) and have been really impressed with everything. The box contains 3 new releases and everything is generously sized from the beefy 10ml sachet to the 60ml styling spray.

Evolve Organic Beauty Superfood Shine Shampoo & Conditioner 60ml each – These are my favourites from the box and are brand new releases from Evolve. I have used them twice so far and love how soft and manageable they left my hair, especially now it’s a lot more damaged than usual. The conditioner is nice and thin so it rinses out clean, but still detangles and smoothes well, whilst the shampoo bubbles up nicely and really cleans without irritating my fussy scalp. Both use the superfoods baobab and pomegranate to add shine, strengthen and reduce frizz.

John Masters Rose & Apricot Hair Milk 30ml – I already have the full size of this and just love it. I use it both as a quick pre-shampoo nourishing mask and as a leave-in conditioner on the days when I don’t condition my hair in the shower. It’s the perfect lightweight cream for all hair types and leaves it feeling silky and soft without any grease or heaviness. Love.

John Masters Sweet Orange & Silk Protein Styling Gel 10ml – Styling gels scare me, aren’t they for boys who want to spike their hair up like a hedgehog? I decided to brave it anyway and give this a go when I lightly curled my hair the other day- I added a pea sized amount to my hands and scrunched it lightly through the curls and roughed up the roots a little for volume – and I think it worked! More testing needed on this new world of styling gels but my hair had extra bounce and shine so that’s got to be good.

Swell Ultimate Protect & Renew Serum 30ml – This is a very generous travel size as the full size is £20 for 50ml! This clear gel is designed to be used on wet/damp hair to protect it from heat styling and smooth away any frizz, it’s silicone free and very lightweight. My hair is quite short so it’s hard to say how well this works after two uses, but any heat protection at all is welcome in my books.

Intelligent Nutrients Volumizing Spray 60ml – I love the Intelligent Nutrients line but have never tried any of their hair styling products before. This spray is meant to be a styling and curl activator spray on wet hair and a finishing spray to add volume and hold on dry hair. I didn’t even read this before using it and just sprayed on my roots before drying my hair for a little lift, I think it worked and it didn’t make my hair greasy at all like some volume sprays can. I will have to get back to you once I’ve actually used it properly.

What do you think of this box? They usually sell out at top speed so be quick if you fancy trying out some new organic haircare! Get it here.

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When I tweeted about Estee Lauder EE Cream there was a collective eye-roll, so I thought I’d tell you a little more about this alphabet stretcher. The alphabet is totally up for grabs on the back of BB creams (we’ve had CC, we’ve had DD – and I’m pretty sure there are other EE creams floating about somewhere) and mostly they bear no resemblence to the BB origins. However, Estee Lauder EE Cream – full name Even Effect (see what they did there?) Skintone Corrector SPF30 actually does have some strong connections to BB cream.

I did test this at launch – but there were only lab samples available so it was a quick dab on the back of my hand rather than on my face – and while it does contain colour, it’s super-light. Estee Lauder EE Cream is part of the new Enlighten Skintone Correcting Collection; three products that help to prevent hyperpigmentation. Used in combination, it forms a 3-step system for hyperpigmentation that, unusually, does its best work at night. Enlighten Dark Spot Correcting Night Serum and Enlighten Even Tone Correcting Creme are the sisters to EE Cream in the 3-step. I’ve got to admit that I’m pretty tempted by this, not least because the Night Serum has claims of significant improvement in two weeks. I think I’ll be putting it to the test.

So, back to EE – it’s got a good level of SPF at 30 and colour correcting pigments, as well as ingredients to counteract pollution (this is something, by the way, that all the major brands are focussing on), and while it does give a very natural look on the skin, it also definitely adds something in the way of glow.

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