Bronzing Glow Powder by Rouge Bunny Rouge £41 at Zuneta – I’m longing for a sun-kissed look and love that packaging.
Tonic Moisture Mist by REN Skincare £18 – love REN Skincare products and I can’t wait to try their first toner.
Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balms by Clinique – ads make these look gorgeous and reviews have been great.
What’s at the top of your wishlist this week?
BADGal Lash Mascara has become an iconic product, so there’s a lot of buzz around Benefit’s new mascara: They’re Real. The results shown in the before/after pics that have been released are really promising and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Launches 12/08/2011 on Benefit‘s website.
Wake Up Eyes Palette by Pixi £10 exclusively at ASOS – so many pretty colours!
Vinosource Quenching Sorbet Creme by Caudalie £20 at Boots – my skin is desperately thirsty after my vacation and this looks like it’ll do the trick.
Pur Monoi Tiare Oil by Hei Poa £9 at Zuneta – a summer classic to keep beach hair fragrant and healthy.
What’s at the top of your wishlist this week?
A bit unusual of an unusual post, but as I am a bit of a design, branding and event planning nut, I just had to share my love for the super-cute event that Illamasqua put together to launch its new Skin Base Foundation. My favourite part: the skintone-like macarons!
The Skin Base Foundation will be available from Illamasqua’s website for £25 from Thursday 23/06.
Fired Up Lip Gloss by Lipstick Queen
Fired Up Lip Gloss by Lipstick Queen
At a Glance: Red lip gloss
The Promise: “Fired Up! Power Gloss is designed to enhance all skin tones and is so sheer, even those who shy away from red lip colour can pull it off with aplomb! The easiest way to wear a red lip, Fired Up! smoothes and moisturises with vitamin E, line-filling film formers and emollients, leaving behind zero stickiness whatsoever. It’s easy-to-wear, shimmer-free formula is instant confidence in a tube.”
The Truth: I have to admit, I was first attracted to this product for very superficial reasons: its packaging. I like how sober and sleek its lines are, yet it still screams its name. The picture really doesn’t do it justice.
I had been looking for a nice red gloss for a while as I have always been afraid of red lipsticks but still wanted to find a product that would pack in the colour. After flirting with it for some time, I took the plunge one day when I was missing ££s to get free delivery (false economy, I know). And I am very glad that I did.
Application is fairly unusual for a gloss (comes out on a brush) and the taste is average, but I am very satisfied with the colour. This lip gloss enhances your lips with a strong but sheer red, and I can see how it would suit most skin tones and lips. 4/5
Available from Space.N.K. for £15
Smooth Sphere Lip Balm by EOS £5.01 at Zuneta – for its fun and original packaging.
Blusher Brush 002 by Rouge Bunny Rouge £47 at Zuneta – why do beautiful brushes have to be so expensive?
Denim and Rose Face Palette by Bobbi Brown £45 at Selfridges – love the zip and interesting mix of colours.
What’s at the top of your wishlist?
boob job by Rodial
At a Glance: Bust toner
The Promise: “Always dreamed of a fuller bust but dreaded the thought of going under the knife? Rodial introduces a revolutionary formula in boob job.
Boob job works with your natural fat cells. As the fat cells move around the body after eating, boob job “blocks” the fat into the area where the product has been applied, so the bust and décolleté areas. You will see a gradual increase in cup size within 56 days as well as gaining an instant lifting and firming effect. Increase in cup size by 8.4%.”
The Truth: The first thing to say is that this product is incredibly expensive for an average beauty budget. But I do think that I am in the majority when I say that if I know that a product is really efficient and delivers what it promises, then I am prepared to save up for it. And this is part of why I am doing this blog, to let you know what works and is worth spending some extra £££s on.
In terms of the packaging, I would’ve expected a better looking container for a product this expensive. It’s a bit bland and boring, and would be better suited for a £20-worth item. The other thing that I found really annoying, was that the pump didn’t work from the get go. Worth £125 and the pump doesn’t even work? Needless to say, my first impression wasn’t too good! Do read on though, as it gets better. 😉
The application is really quite pleasant. I absolutely love the texture of this bust toner – it’s half-way between a gel and a cream, just melts into the skin, and smells fantastic. I’m not sure what makes it smell so good, I know the product has pomegranate in it, but I don’t think that’s the explanation as it is the key ingredient in all Rodial products. Maybe it’s the myrrh, maybe not, but the bottom line is that it smells lovely.
Boob job promises an increase in cup size, something I wasn’t interested in as I don’t need it, but also toning, which was what appealed to me. I only used one 100ml bottle and I’m happy to report that I saw a difference! While I didn’t notice an increase in cup size (which is fine by me), I definitely observed an improvement in toning and that’s exactly what I wanted. So what more can I say? It’s a product that delivers. I would definitely recommend Rodial boob job to anyone looking to improve bust tone and give it a 4.5/5.
Available from Rodial‘s website for £125
Goodbye Cellulite Gel by Nivea
At a Glance: Anti-cellulite gel
The Promise: “Its unique formula has a cooling effect, which stimulates your blood circulation in the area. And its added moisturisers help ensure that skin feels smooth and soft. Smooth NIVEA body Goodbye Cellulite on problem areas such as thighs, buttocks and stomach once or twice a day and you could be enjoying visible results in just 4 weeks.”
The Truth: I really enjoyed the texture of this anti-cellulite gel and its cooling effect was very pleasant. However, the main reason I bought it was obviously to help reduce cellulite and I can’t say that this gel helped in any way. I used up two tubes, and so can sadly say that this product doesn’t work. 1/5
Available from Boots for £10.09
Power Berry Daily Moisture by Neal's Yard
At a Glance: Moisturiser
The Promise: “This lightweight, easily absorbed daily moisturising lotion containing antioxidant-rich acai, bilberry, goji berry and rosehip, supports the skin with hyaluronic acid to boost skin moisture levels, whilst a synergistic combination of buddleia and thyme, containing antioxidant flavonoids, and anti-inflammatory saponins and triterpenoids, acts as an anti pollutant to help combat ‘city stress’ and promote skin radiance and vitality.”
The Truth: I really, really wanted to like this product. Sadly, I don’t have anything positive to say about it, except that it has a pretty packaging. First of all, it smells very strange. Secondly, it doesn’t melt into the skin properly. While I know that there are no parabens or silicones in it, it truly feels like I have wax on my face or something similarly unpleasant. And that feeling lasts for quite a while after application. 1/5
Available from Neal’s Yard website for £22.
Free in this month’s Marie Claire
All Over Clear by Dermalogica Clean Start
At a Glance: Blemish-fighting toner
The Promise: “Tone up and clear out! This refreshing mist splashes over skin to control shine and keep breakouts away. Invigorating extracts will never leave skin dry or tight. Instantly cools. Instantly refreshes.”
The Truth: I really like Dermalogica’s Multi-Active Toner and had just run out of it when I heard about the launch of the company’s new range aimed at teens, Clean Start. While I am (sadly?) not a teen anymore, I was quite curious to try some of the products for the purpose of this blog—and because I still do get the odd breakouts fairly regularly. First impressions first, the packaging is much more appealing than Dermalogica’s usual white and grey one, and it is also much more functional. As for the toner in itself, I found spraying this pleasant mist quite enjoyable—it smells nice and what I particularly enjoyed is that it didn’t make my skin feel dry or tight, but rather refreshed. However, I haven’t noticed a difference when it comes to reducing breakouts. 4/5
Available from the Dermalogica Clean Start website for £12.30.
Best Beauty Buys 