New Stuff - Doo Gro, L'Occitane, L'Oreal, Palmolive

Yea I know usually I would say this is a haul or something of the like, but everybody is hauling something or another these days. So I thought New Stuff, plus I like to plan my hauls. I save up my money make a list of things that I need to purchase, search different websites and blogs for deals that are going on and then buy I buy products. These are just products I have accrued over the last week. 

£2.43 this was on half price offer and I  am getting bored of my Infisium 23 (been using it religiously for over a year/ 12 months) so I thought I would give this one a try.

£1.01 this was on half priced offer as well, I bought it to suppliment my REN Morrocan Rose Otto body wash (£16  for 200ml that ish is not cheap). It smells exactly the same as the REN for wayyyyyyy less

£5.10 the most expensive purchase this week. I bought his to replace my beloved Aphogee Green tea and Keratin Reconstrustor, after nearly 2 solid years of service it is finished.

£4.80 I picked this up in the L'occitane summer sale. it was 70% off  So I thought I would treat myself. Also I have a few rose scented washes, so a lotion would be a good way to layer the fragrance. Did I mention it was 70% OFF. original price £16 for 100ml 

£4.80 same reason as above, I wanted to treat myself and it was 70% off.





what lotions and potions have you treated yourself to lately?
write in the comments and let me know.

L'occitane the summer sale

The L'occitane summer sale has started, (whoo, hoo). I wrote about L'occitane previously on this blog when I did a review of their Shea butter han cream,. I still have my tube of hand cream and it is still going strong though I must admit I have two backups. So today when I saw the email advertising the sale I decided to treat myself to a few things. My nose and my pocket lead my purchase  I wont lie I bought the two most recessionista friendly products on the website. (I am not afraid to live within my means)

These body creams were originally £16 each (I remember when I used to think Body shop body butters were pricey). However at £4.80 the sale price was not bad at all and they were both limited edition items. Check out the L'occitane sale online or instore if you can, you just might find something you like. 

£4.80

£4.80

Summer Skin - the new way to glow

    Though the sun has been fleeting here in the UK, other parts of the world are enjoying blazing temperatures. Trips to the beach and pool parties are well under weigh with travels to foreign lands on the horizon for individuals. Below are just a few things which can be used to keep us looking great while we try to keep up with the summer festivities.

Clean and Clear Morning energy skin brightening daily facial moisturiser - well that was a mouthful, lol let me have a sip of water before I continue. This is a non greasy moisturiser that in chock a block with shimmer. When applied ot the skin the moisturiser sinks in very well and you are left with a very healthy, glowy complexion (not oily). It smells great too since it is full of lemon and papaya extracts (which are supposed to brighten the skin over time by eating away at the dead skin cells, similar to the Elemis  Try-enzyme face wash).

Soap and glory Sweet Almond Dry oil body gloss  with ultra subtle powder glimmer for sexy long distance shimmer.  - there you have it what more can I say? I use this product mostly on my legs if I am wearing shorts + heels to an event. It does what it says on the packaging case closed and good night. lol 

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish - These are great for providing highlight for the face and décolletage. They also can be used as blushes, and eyeshadows. 

MAC Mineralize skin finish natural in Deep Dark -  everyday face powder, with SUBTLE shimmer great for wearing to work if you do not want to wear foundation, a bit of this, some coral blush, mascara and you are ready for the day. Looks amazing on skin.  

L'Oreal Paris Glam Bronze Bronzing power Long Lasting - SPF10 - Bronzing powder great for use as a blush to give your cheek bones a bit of oomph. Can be used to create a contour effect on paler skintones. 

Sleek Blush in Coral - a hint of coral (peachy orange) colour and a wash of shimmery goodness, looks great when accompanied by a smile, great everyday blush, especially if you work in an office or a corporate setting, also great for lunch with your girlfriends or just to a casual party setting. Apply with a light hand a little goes a long way, take care not to put it on the apples of your cheeks.

Sleek Blush in Sunrise -   a hint of pink colour and a wash of shimmery goodness, looks great when accompanied by a smile, great everyday blush, especially if you work in an office or a corporate setting. Apply with a light hand a little goes a long way, take care not to put it on the apples of your cheeks. Lovely on darker skin tones, as well as lighter skin tones. 

MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Trace gold -  this is an excellent highlighter for cheeks and eyes, can be worn as an eye shadow if you so desire. 

Sleek Makeup Palettes in Jewels, Sunset and The Original - these 3 palettes contain all the eye makeup you will need. 

Eye Pen by H&M in Bronze -  great for giving your eyes a bit of colour.

Urban Decay  24/7 Glide on Eye pencil in Lucky -  great for giving eyes a hint of colour, excellent staying power.

Eyeshadow by H&M in Brown dust - A little pot of eyeshadow with great staying power, excellent for just a pop of colour or a wash all over the eyelid. 

Murad Skin Perfecting Primer (dewy finish) - This is a primer which contains very very fine particles of shimmer, best used under liquid foundation as it gives a natural glow to the skin and makes it appear nice and healthy.

Eyeshadow by H&M in Pearl dust -  A little pot of eyeshadow with great staying power, excellent for just a pop of colour or a wash all over the eyelid. When combined with Brown dust above gives a great Shimmery/bronzey smoky eye perfect for the summer. Great for providing inner corner highlight. 

Benefit High Beam - luminescent complexion enhancer aka its a highlighter, dab this along your nose and the top of your cheekbones.

The Body shop Shimmer Cubes - Shade 01 Pearly white found in Palette 18, Shade 02 golden sun found in Palette 15, Shade 02 Sea shell found in Palette 19. These are versatile litte nuggets, they can be used wet or dry and come in a cube containing 4 individually wrapped cubes of eye shadow. These three shades are great for providing inner corner/ brow bone highlight. they can also be used on the lid by themselves or combined with other shadows to create eye makeup looks.

Superdrug Vitamin E Shimmer Body Lotion - this is a moisturiser which contains body shimmer, excellent for giving your body a nice glow. Also this can be used to highlight specific areas, such as the décolletage, shoulders, arms, legs any specific area which you want to show off. The Superdrug vitamin E shimmer lotion is Tres fab, especially if you apply  fake tan on underneath it. What I do is if I have an event coming up I will apply the Palmers natural bronze body lotion for a few days before the event and then the day or night of the event I will apply the shimmer lotion on top…………the combo is positively amazing.   

Sidenote - The Body Shop also has a Coconut shimmer body lotion. I recommend that 4 friends/sisters split the cost of purchase, divide it into four equal sections. These four sections can be held in a small container with a cover until the shimmer lotion finishes. Remember a little goes a long way. 

Rimmel Sunshimmer Instant Tan makeup in medium shimmer - This is a fake tan and body shimmer 2 in 1 product makes your body look great, excellent for nights at the club which you are wearing shorts rub this on your legs wait 10 minutes so that it dries COMPLETELY and then put on your clothes. 

"That Gal" Brightening Face Primer by Benefit - great primer makes your face look lovely when makeup is applied over it. 

Get to Glowing

xx

What to Wear to Work - The White Shirt (TM Lewin 1898)

 At the request of one of my followers I have decided to start a series of blog posts highlighting some styling ideas (outfits) for Interview/work wear for ladies and if possible I will include some ideas for men as well.  

     Kicking off we have the White Shirt, as  I explained here T.M. Lewin white shirt sale The white shirt is an investment piece. The cornerstone of any professional work wardrobe. A white shirt is versatile in its use and can be styled as part of a casual, formal or semi formal look. A white shirt can be worn with jeans, trousers, skirts, shorts, under shift dressed or thrown over maxi dresses to ward off the sun or chill. 

     Fine shirt retailer Thomas Pink has a White Shirt Bar at the Jermyn Street location, where gentleman can go to the store and have a consultation and help picking out the perfect white shirt to suit the event or occasion they are attending. In this video they go over the particulars to look for in the perfect white shirt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxQkkbe1-uk.

     My white shirt of choice is the TM Lewin White Plain 2 fold Poplin Cutaway shirt #38171. The Cutaway refers to the cut of the shirt at the neck and poplin is the type of cotton used to make the shirt. TM Lewin shirts are great quality and price wise compared to other brands they are hard to beat. If you are lucky you may be able to catch a multi-buy offer instore 4 shirts for £90 for guys, or 3 shirts for £75. Recently they even had a 1 week long white shirt sale, where all white shirts on their website were priced at £20 for a whole week. If that is not value for money, I don't know what is.  Material is the most expensive part of shirt making and TM Lewin uses 100% cotton when making all of their shirts. Unlike some other retailers who use cotton blended with polyester and other synthetic fabrics. Also the buttons on TM Lewin Shirts are sewn using 2 threads to ensure that they hold well and do not pop off after a few wears or washes. 

Packaged 

Shirt on hanger

Collar - Cutaway

The Cuff

video demonstrating the white shirt on a live model.

Fine shirt retailers can be found here 

Thomas Pink

Charles Tyrwhitt

TM Lewin

"Fashion fades, but style remains eternal." - Yves St Laurent

Glamour Freebies August 2012

A happy skin essential set from Balance Me presented by Glamour magazine August 2012. Glamour will have 1 cover but 4 different freebies on offer for August 2012. 

Balance Me - daily essentials Balancing Face Moisturiser 

Balance Me - extra care Wonder Eye Cream

Balance Me - daily essentials Pure Skin Face Wash

Balance Me - treatments Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve

All of these products have in over 90% natural ingredients and are made in the UK.

xx

Instyle Magazine August 2012 Freebies

Do not miss the August issue of Instyle magazine. The only fashion monthly you can shop from is at it again brining you all your summer beauty essentials in the form of a Free Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara for every reader. Also a free Shiseido The Skincare Extra gentle cleansing foam for every reader. 

Instyle is doing it big this summer

xx

Mascara Stash, Soap and Glory, Body Shop, Clinique

Mascara Stash

Elle Magazine Feb 2012 Soap and Glory Thick and Fast mascara
Red Magazine November 2011 The Body Shop Volume mascara
Glamour Magazine May 2012 Clinique travel sized High Impact mascara
Aunty - Sample size The Body shop Volume mascara 


xx

Summer Summer Summer time Mango Haul

Just a few tops that I bought to wear now that the sun is fighting to come out. I have enough White and Navy blue vest tops.  I needed some colour in my life. These vest tops are great with jeans, shorts,  & chinos. They can also be used for layering under blazers and cardigans. 

Yellow, Coral, Red and Cobalt

Yellow 

Coral 

Red

Cobalt

Happy shopping my lovelies. 

xx

What I am reading: Personality Plus by Florence Littauer

It describes the various personality types and how understanding other personality types as well as your own can make you a better person.

xx

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

   Recently Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser was  voted most Revolutionary Beauty Product of the Last 20 years at the CEW (UK) Awards and Best cleanser by Sunday Times Style Readers. In celebration of the 20 year accolade Liz Earle released an incredible offer, she put 20,000 ( in total they sold 25000 due to demand) Hot Cloth Cleanser starter kits on sale at the original price of £9.50. 

Box with some Liz Earle information on her new line of makeup products.

my package - tres excitement!!!

Just opening the package 

 Tada

 I love these muslin cloths they are so large, they comfortably cover the entire face so that you can get a good steam/cleanse.

     Each kit comprised of one 100ml Cleanse and Polish pump and 2 muslin cloths. The offer was available on Wednesday 23rd May 2012. I was lucky enough to purchase 1 of the kits through the customer service centre after having some initial trouble with ordering on-line.  For referring my roomate (who bought 2 kits) I was even given a  travel sized product kit as a free gift. 

xx

Cocoa Butter Girl

I have a little saying its Cocoa butter they cant mess it up. Just peep into my stash of Cocoa butter lotions and potions that I have picked up. 

Since I took these pictures 1 of the bottles of Jergens Body moisturisers have already been used up and I have started using a second one. The Vaseline products however remain untouched. So far the Jergens has been really lovely on my skin especially with this menopausal weather we have been having over here in the UK. 

fight the ash, lol 

xx

Me chillin

This is my hair after a deep treatment, wash, blow dry and flat iron. Judging from the length of my hair and the fact i'm wearing acrylics these pictures are probably over a year old, lol . I found them the other day in my camera, stored on the internal memory.  Through trial and error I figured out how to transfer them to my memory card. 


Enjoy and excuse my old man pajamas -----------> I was comfortable


xx