Check It Out - Cult Beauty Pop-Up Shop at Selfridges!

Ok, I know I said I wasn't going to write any blog posts until Sunday, but this deserves a mention and is the reason why I'm breaking my own self imposed rule.

Online beauty boutique Cult Beauty is home to a wide range of beauty and skincare brands, many of which are exclusive and can't be found anywhere else in the UK and Europe. Well now they've only gone and launched a pop-up shop in the shopping mecca that is Selfridges!

Up and running until Monday 31st January, founders Jess and Alexia are showcasing some of their best-selling brands. Within the pop-up shop, you'll discover hard-to-find brands such as Ginvera, Face Atelier, and Paw Paw Ointment by Lucas Pawpaw - you'll also find a brand to suit every budget.

Cult Beauty industry insiders will also be on hand to offer skincare and beauty advice to accompany your shopping experience, so be sure to make use of their expertise whilst you can. I stopped by the launch yesterday evening and it was simply buzzing in Selfridges main beauty hall attracting a LOT of attention from browsing shoppers.

 The lovely Cult Beauty ladies!

Cult Beauty's in da house!

Make sure you sign up to the Cult Beauty newsletter, as you'll receive a coupon which you can redeem at the pop-up shop, for a free Como Shambala Invigorate travel set (shower gel and lotion).

Normal Service Shall Resume ...on Sunday!

I'm fully aware my blog posts haven't been as frequent as they usually are for the past fortnight. I've been ridiculously busy lately and have just had NO time to post as much as I'd like to.

I'm off to The IMATS this Saturday, so I'm hoping my blog posting will resume at some point on Sunday afternoon. I have loads to share with you!

*Waves* to my new followers! Thanks for the follow, I'll try not to disappoint!

Using my Clarisonic - Week 3

It's that time again, time for another update on how I'm getting along with the Clarisonic. My Normal brush head arrived on Monday and I prefer it hands down to the Sensitive head. It's more abrasive on the skin and I feel it's actually cleansing it better. Don't worry, it doesn't feel painful in comparison to the Sensitive head, just firmer. I still use it on the highest speed level and I enjoy using it more now. Unless I break out in boils all over my face, I can't envisage myself reaching for the Sensitive brush head again! 

The congestion on my chin is still refusing to shift completely and if anything has worsened a little this week. It's not blindingly obvious to see, but if I point out the small cluster of pimples on my chin, then you'll most likely respond with "Oh yeaaah...". I also have four small spots on my forehead which have popped up. I've had not one, but two facials this week, so perhaps they're connected, although I haven't suffered from any other sort of adverse reaction to the products that were used in both treatments.

The information I gained from one of the facials was interesting as I was really keen to get a professional analysis on the condition my skin and discover the effect that using the Clarisonic has had so far. My skin type was confirmed once and for all - and it's apparently combination. I kinda knew that already though, so the info I was given made sense. More on that in an upcoming post.

I fell asleep in my make up last night (argh!), and I paid the price. My skin looked really dull and grey when I woke up this morning. My excuse? I was up at the crack of dawn to catch the Eurostar for a day trip to Paris yesterday morning, and was absolutely shattered when I stumbled through the front door after 11pm last night. It's funny because it's taken sleeping in my make up to notice what a difference cleansing twice a day has made to my skin.

I would often collapse into bed with the remains of my make up on, which is bad I know, but I can't go back to doing that now. I've run out of wipes and need to stock up for the odd day where, for whatever reason I can't take my face off. There's a marked difference to how my skin looks the morning after cleansing/moisturising (I'm not using toner very much at the moment), as opposed to sleeping in my make up and being greeted by the lacklustre, grey skin I see in the morning and I'd obviously not see the latter.

I made sure I cleansed (with the Clarisonic) and prepped my skin treating it with a creamy mask as soon as I woke up today, even though my eyes are closing as I type this and I'm going straight back to sleep when the Eastenders omnibus is over. I've guzzled far too many fizzy drinks over the past 48 hours, so water will be the only liquid passing through my lips over the next few days if I can help it too.

Oh, that moisturiser I mentioned I was going to start using last week for my pigmentation marks has been ditched after its first application. It was sent to me about three mths ago, is called Super Skin Lightener, and is hydroquinone and steroid free. I have to use a separate SPF cream for daytime use but I really didn't the texture of it which didn't absorb very well. It left an annoying white cast on my face and I haven't used it again this week. If you want more info, you can view it here. If you have any product suggestions for clearing pigmentation marks, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Overall, my skin still feels polished and super-soft, but I feel I need to get on top of the slight breakout on my forehead (four annoying teeny spots which are in a horizontal line spanning my lower forehead) and tackle my chin before I can progress further.

Nailgirls Now In Selfridges

Remember this post? I attended an event at the Nailgirls salon in Islington, last April. The brand is going from strength to strength and they can now be found in Selfridges. Check out their current winter collection 'The Black Revolution', next time you're in there.

Click to enlarge

(L-R)

Brown #2 - Lacquered glossy chocolate brown, combined with the intensity of black.

Blue #5 - Blue-violet tint through a blackened base

Burgundy #5 -A black base saturated with deep plum tones.

I quite like the sound of Brown #2 as I'd like a rich, glossy blackened brown in my nail polish collection. I've made a note (in my Filofax - ha!) to check it out next time I'm in Selfridges. It'll need to be pretty special for me to fork out £10 on it, although I was very impressed with the staying power of the polish used in my manicure at the event.

How much are they? £10 each

Where can I find them? nailgirls spa, online at nailgirls.co.uk and at Selfridges

Using my Clarisonic - 2 Weeks In

A fortnight in and the congestion on my chin has improved greatly over the past week,  although I can see feel slight abrasions. The breakout along my jawline and under my ears has totally disappeared though, which I'm pleased about. I've been using the device to clean my face twice a day and I haven't defaulted once on this routine which is quite a feat for me!

My skin I think, is looking a little brighter sans makeup, although not by much. I'm still waiting for the Normal brush head that I ordered, to arrive - maybe tomorrow, fingers crossed. My cheeks are feeling super smooth and soft, as is my forehead. Despite the blustery weather, my skin isn't suffering from any dry patches at all, which is a plus. 

This week I plan to start using a moisturiser I have which is aimed at brightening pigmentation marks. I think these are what are disguising any prominent improvement to the clarity of my skin tone and hopefully over a prolonged period of time I'll see a marked difference in them as I continue to use both the moisturiser and Clarisonic. Time will tell. I also have a facial booked for Wednesday which I'm hoping will help my skin further too.

I've noticed that the Clarisonic doesn't work so well with one of my cleansers. Neutrogena's Fresh Foaming Cleanser just doesn't foam up the same way it does when I use my hands to cleanse my face, so I've replaced it with Neutrogena's Pink Grapefruit Wash, which I've wanted to try since reading a review on it a few months ago here on Imo's blog, Its a London Thing. I'll continue to alternate between this and Dermalogica's Special Clearing Gel as both have the gel formulas that I love.

I'm still not convinced that there's any change in my pore size - maybe they're at the stage where they can't be helped. I don't know, I'm not a dermatologist. All I know is that the teeny dots on my skin that are either side of my nose, still look exactly the same as they did a month ago and I don't need to be an expert in order to distinguish that!

The biggest difference to my skin so far now, is its overall texture. It feels amazingly soft and supple, which I'm extremely pleased with and hope to maintain.

Roll on week 3!

ETA: My normal head brush arrived this afternoon, so I'll be putting that to work this evening.

Nails Inc Lucky Dip Offer - 5 Full Size Products For £10. TODAY ONLY!

Nails Inc have (another) fab offer today - for just £10 you will receive a Lucky Dip selection of products which will include a full size bottle of Chelsea Park Gardens (iridescent pink), a top or base coat and three shades from the range chosen at random. P&P will set you back £3.95.

If you don't mind taking a chance on what you'll be sent, then hurry onto the Nails Inc site as this offer will only run today while stocks last!

Check the offer out here

Because She's Worth It!

Gwen Stefani has become the latest female celebrity to sign on the dotted line with cosmetic giants L'Oreal Paris. Stefani joins fellow showbiz sweethearts Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Eva Longoria to become a spokeswoman for the brand and her first campaign will be for its Infallible Le Rouge Lip Colour - which is well suited as everybody knows Gwen can rock a killer red lip! It's her trademark!

I adore Gwen Stefani, I really do. I love her! I think she's the epitome of swagger - and she ooozes it effortlessly! (Cher Lloyd take note). In fact I think she's way too cool for L'Oreal. I hope they realise just how lucky they are having her bring some edgy credibility to the brand.

What do you think of L'Oreal's latest poster girl?

Throb - The Valentine Collection from Illamasqua

With just a month to go before Valentine's Day, Illamasqua have got their bases covered with the release of the new Throb collection - which will consist of three new nail polishes, an intense lipgloss and a new lipstick.

Nails polishes:

Throb - Blood Red

Load - Rich Cream (no filthy innuendos please LOL)

Scorn - Matte Black

Lipstick:

Sangers -Blood Red

Lipgloss:

Succubus - Blood Red

A collection preview is currently up on the website and if you've fallen in love with the image below, then keep reading to find out exactly which products were used to create it.

How gorge is this collection image? I heart it! (no pun intended)

To recreate this look, use the following Illamasqua products:

Cream Foundation 100
Rich Liquid Foundation 115
Powder Foundation 105
Powder Blusher in Disobey

Powder Blusher in Intrigue

Pure Pigment in Furore

Powder Eye Shadow in ‘Heroine’ (on cheeks and eyes)
Powder Eye Shadow in Sex

Cream Pigment in Emerge   ** NEW for SS11 collection! **
Eye Liner Cake in Mislead

Sealing Gel (for eyebrows)
Precison Ink in Abyss

The Throb collection will be available form January 17th in Illamsqua's flagship store in Soho, Selfridges stores nationwide and online at www.illamasqua.com

Review: Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara

I've been a fan of the original Estee Lauder Sumptuous mascara ever since it was recommended to me on an old beauty forum I used to frequent a few years ago, so I pretty excited to be given a sample of the new Sumptuous Extreme pre-launch back in November.

I reach for this most days at the moment (I can't quite let go of Lancome Hypnose Drama just yet) and I LOVE it. The brush is larger than the original, yet still has that familiar triangular shape that the mousse-like formula works so well with, enabling it to reach all your lashes easily, despite its size. 

Lauder have named it the Extreme Backcomber and it has two types of bristles - flexible ones which allow the brush to pick up more product and solid fibres which comb the lashes, allowing them to separate and give clump-free definition. To look at the brush you'd never know it, but hey, it works!

What I love so much about Sumptuous Extreme is that you can take your time to perfect your lashes. Two coats in and you're left with well separated, voluminous, flirty looking lashes using a lightweight formula that won't leave you struggling to apply a second coat or leave you with clumpy lashes after five seconds! 

It comes in four shades:

Extreme Black (what I have)

Extreme Brown

Extrem Violet

Extreme Indigo

Before

After - wearing two coats of Sumptuous Extreme

This mascara really frames my eyes, widening them and making them a focal point of my face. I love the effect it has on my lashes - it dramatises them, yet still makes them wearable for daytime make up looks. I don't suffer from 'raccoon eyes' halfway through the day either.  The formula is also enriched in Panthenol (Vitamin B5) to condition lashes, which perobably explains why they don't feel hard and crunchy when I touch them. Finally, it's fragrance free and suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

If you're looking for volume, length and a little luxury for your eyelashes ..step forward Sumptuous Extreme.

How much it it? £22

Where can I get it from? Estee Lauder counters, Estee Lauder online and larger Boots stores

Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks - For Ethnic Skin?

Montagne Jeunesse, whose face masks have frequented the likes of Superdrug for as long as I can remember, recently launched two new ones which are specifically aimed at those with ethnic skin. I'm sure many of you are well aware that darker complexions have higher levels of melanin than most. 

Uneven pigmentation and flaky skin can often show up more easily than on those with paler skin and the new masks aim to remove dead skin cells and leave skin feeling supple and radiant. I was a tad bemused, yet curious to discover what could possibly be so different from their usual line of masks (which stands at over 50 by the way), that would justify new ones being created for ethnic skin. 

On Friday, I tried the new Amore Rose Ultra Deep Cleansing Masque - a light pink coloured cream mask which contains African Marula Oil as a natural moisturiser to leave your skin feeling soft and smooth, as well as shea butter and cocoa butter. It was easy to apply, was thick and creamy and importantly didn't drip! 20 mnutes later and it had dried on some parts of my face but was still wet elsewhere. I don't like the fuss of trying to rinse off a hardened mask, as it's just not typically achievable in under a minute, but it was all removed by around the two minute mark so wasn't too bad. Despite containing a blend of rose germanium and Damask rose essential oils, I didn't really notice a distinctive rose scent at all.

Last night it was the turn of the Lemon Zest Peel Off Mask. Featuring a combination of lemon juice (from Sicilian lemons no less), Green Tea and pure root Ginger it promises to leave your face feeling revitalised, deeply cleansed and radiant. A sticky gel mask, it applied easily enough and as I sat watching television, I almost forgot I had it on. Now came the testing part. 15 minutes later, I pulled a couple of funny faces to make the mask 'crack' and the mask pulled away from my skin quite easily. However it tore as I pulled it in places and it was the remainants of the mask around my nose, along my jawline and on the edges of my face that proved difficult to remove. So awkward they were, that I had to resort to giving my face a quick rinse and once-over with my Clarisonic to remove the debris left behind.

Both masks initially left my skin in the same condition. My face was dry in appearance, which didn't leave me feeling confident of the mask's effects, although my skin didn't feel tight. I applied my nightly regime of serum and moisturiser as normal and to be honest my skin didn't feel much different after I'd tried the Amore Rose mask Ultra Deep Cleansing Mask. It did however feel incredibly soft once I'd prepped it after using the Lemon Zest Peel Off Mask. I may purchase this again if I can get over its annoying removal.

Both masks cost a bargainous 99p and be found on their website at www.montagnejeunesse.com, Superdrug and Savers. For the price, I certainly can't grumble too loudly and if anything trying these had made me more curious about the other 50 odd masks they offer.

Montagne Jeunesse masks contain natural ingredients and are not tested on animals either.

Make Up For Ever Launch Lab Shine Lip Glosses - in 35 Shades!

I currently own Make Up For Ever foundations, concealer, HD blushes and Aqua Creams so I'm sure I'll eventually purchase one of these new Lab Shine lipglosses at some point.

New MUFE Lab Shine lipglosses comes in three finishes - Diamond, Star and Metal - and 35 amazing shades, covering pretty nudes, pinks and corals and also including a funky purple and even black lipgloss.

The Diamond Collection features 12 new shades and is formulated with the brand's Diamond Powder in more natural-looking colours with a touch of shimmer and glitter.

The 14 shades in the Star Collection are blended with their much loved Star Powder, which adds an iridescent mother-of-pearl finish.

Finally, the Metal Collection is home to nine shades and contains their Metal Powder for an intense chrome finish.

All 35 shades contain pearl pigments that reflect light for super shine. A combination of ingredients including Camelina oil and beeswax aim to add moisture to the lips and improve elasticity, while tetraester creates a non-sticky texture for easy application.

MUFE fans in the UK can find them stocked at both Guru Makeup Emporium and P.A.M

who'll also be present at the upcoming IMATS!

What's your favourite MUFE product?

Free Models Own Make Up Kit with Fabulous Magazine

You do? Well make sure you buy this Sunday's copy of the News of the World. Models Own have teamed up with the free Fabulous magazine you find  inside to offer its readers this free make up set.

The kit includes: liquid eyeliner, tweezers, an eyelash curler, mascara and eyeshadow with all items secured in a clear plastic makeup zip lock bag.

In order to claim your free gift, all you have to do is collect TWO tokens from magazines dated either the 9th (hmm you may be too late for that, unless you can find a copy lying around), 16th or 23rd January and take them to a participating Tesco store (excludes Tesco Express, Tesco Metro and Tesco petrol stations).

You have until January 24th to claim your free free gift, whilst stock lasts. Technically you'll only spend £2 as the newspapers costs £1 - not bad if you're a Models Own fan or fancy bagging yourself some freeness!

Using my Clarisonic - 1 Week In

Well I've been using the Clarisonic for just over a week now, so thought I'd do a quick update post.

I currently use this in the morning with my one of my current cleansers of choice and again in the evening. I find it easier to wet my face and initially rub the cleanser over my skin first, before continuing to cleanse with the Clarisonic. Although it beeps to let me know when to move onto the next part of my face, I move on when I'm ready and ignore its beeping, sometimes cleansing 'twice'. It died on me Saturday morning, but at least now I know that I can get seven days use before I need to recharge it. I left it on charge Saturday morning and it was ready to go again by the time I was back home in the evening.

What has come as the biggest surprise is just how gentle this feels on my skin. I had expected it to feel more powerful and to feel more pressure, but it's so gentle that I often wonder if it's cleaning my face properly. I've since purchased the normal brush head to compare the way it feels versus the sensitive head - as I've read that for many, this gives a better cleanse. I received my dispatch email this evening so hopefully that should be here soon. To be honest, I do find the sensitive head too gentle for my liking and I'd have more confidence in the device if I could 'feel it' a little more against my skin.

Despite my hesitance, what's impressed me most so far is the excess dirt it removes from my face after I've wiped what I believe to be my make up thoroughly off with face wipes. After using say, three face wipes, I'm shocked to see the filth that still comes away on the brush. It's alarming to think that I've slept with so make up still on my skin, after what I've always considered to be a deep cleanse!

I've also broken out around my chin and right by my ears (random) - not massively, but considering I'd only just managed to get rid of the breakout that occurred as a result of my festive gluttony, I know this latest outbreak is connected to my new skincare device. I was prepared for the possibility of my skin breaking out after my intial use of the Clarisonic, so this hasn't come as a huge shock to me. I've done some research and realise that this breakout may also be down to my moisturiser's absorbing a lot quicker. Both my day and night moisturiser are quite rich and as of this evening I'll be using less product to see if that helps. 

For the record, the rest of my face feels very soft, but after a week's usage I've not noticed any significant change in pore size or distinct brightness to my skin as yet.

The Clarisonic challenge continues ...

25 Years of Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil - FREE GIFT

Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month.

To mark this occasion and to say a big thank you to customers who have supported them over the years, customers will receive a complimentary gift bag containing travel sized hero products with any purchase of the Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil. The bag will contain:

 Rose Body Cream (40ml)

Revive Body Wash (40ml)

De-Stress Muscle Gel (15ml)

Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil (3ml)

I've become a huge fan of this brand since being introduced to it last year and this is a great way to try the brand and some of its most popular products for a fraction of their RRP.

The offer is available at participating spas and retail stockists as well as online at www.aromatherapyassociates.com

Crabtree & Evelyn - Iris Collection Bath & Shower Gel and Body Lotion

Crabtree and Eveylyn's Iris collection launched late last year taking it's scent straight from the root of the Iris flower, blended with sandlewood, patchcouli and a splash of fresh vetiver.

It didn't smell as 'old lady' as the ingredients would have you believe. It's quite pleasant and not too heavy on the nose. Put simpl,  a light fragrant scent which didn't overpower the bathroom when combined with the heat of hot water.

Body Lotion - £15

Bath & Shower Gel - £14

Unfortunately it didn't work too well in the bath, failing to create many bubbles and generally falling quite flat. It lathered up slightly better in the shower, but I didn't find it particularly moisturising.

The body lotion started off promising, with a different texture to your standard body lotion. It was almost like a balmy lotion, which initially leave me feeling hopeful of its moisturising properties. However a quick glance of my arms 10 minutes later, revealed ashiness I haven't seen since my days of rolling in the sandpit at school! It had basically 'dried' and then proceeded to dry my skin out. 

Not to be deterred, I used it again the following evening after a shower finishing off with Soap & Glory's body exfoliator, Flake Away. I realised that the lotion held better to my skin when it already had moisture of some sort on it. Flake Away leaves a light moisturising, oily film on the skin and the body lotion adhered to this a little better than when applied directly to bare skin.

However, I don't use Flake Away every time I have a bath/shower so this body lotion isn't going to work for me in the long run. Those with skin which requires far less moisture than my own may get along better with this body lotion. Hey, you may even like the bath & shower gel. For me personally, neither made the grade.

You can find these products in the Iris collection, along with other products in the range over www.crabtree-evelyn.co.uk

BTW their sale is currently on so if you're a Crabtree & Evelyn fan, check it out for some beauty bargains.

Julien MacDonald Styles It Up with Comet

wJulien MacDonald recently teamed up with Comet, electrical specialists, to create a limited edition hair styling range by well known hair styling brand Babyliss. I can't say I'm a fan of the man himself, his behaviour towards some of the girls on the last season of Britain's Next Top Model made me raise an eyebrow on more than one occasion. 

However, I am fond of his apparent obsession with butterflies which he regularly interprets in his designs, so my first glance at the hairdryer and hair straighteners that he's slapped his name on were met with mild bemusement.

The hairdryer comes with a heat nozzle, heat mat and is powered by a 2000w motor which eliminates frizz and helps to seal in moisture.

The ceramic coated hair straighteners come with three heat settings for all hair types which quickly reaches an impressive 230 degrees.

Originally priced at £49.99 and £59.99 prior to the VAT increase, they've both now been reduced with the hairdryer retailing for £25.52 and the hair straighteners at £30.63. Christmas may be over, but they'll make a pretty gift nevertheless.

They can find them here on the Comet website.

Just In Case You Didn't Know ...

...The Body Shop have released body butter and shower gel faves in limited edition 400ml tubs and 750ml bottles.

Instore and online you can find the following:

Body Butters: Coconut, Shea Butter, Mango and Satsuma (£12.50 each)

Shower Gels: Satsuma, Pink Grapefruit, Coconut, Strawberry, Moringa and Olive (£9.50 each)

400ml tub of Shea Butter Body Butter

I'm tres disappointed Sweet Lemon shower gel didn't make the size upgrade. I can't get enough of that stuff! There are a number of body butters currently in the sale for £6 at the moment but technically you're still getting 100% free with the £12.50 400ml tubs too if you were to buy two £6 tubs. I bought Shea Butter, which should last me a good while as I wasn't keen on the scents in the sale.

I don't know how long these larger sizes will be stocked for, so take advantage now if you want them, to avoid disappointment.

YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch - Worth The Hype?

To me, YSL Touche Eclat is one of those 'Hall of Fame' beauty products that is seemingly adored by beauty insiders, celebrities and make up artists alike, not to mention the neighbours cat, but once purchased, makes you question whether it is worth the hype (and expense).

When I started to take an interest in beauty magazines Touche Eclat featured heavily, I realise now that this was down to advertising fees, but it still didn't stop me from wanting to test out this 'wonder product' for myself.

Often described as a concealer, Touch Eclat is in fact a highlighter, which when used in the correct way, be it under the eyes, at the top of your cupid's bow, on your brow bone and or wherever else you see fitting is meant to give a radiant glow and banishes dark shadows with a click of a button. 

Now available in seven shades, it was a while before I was able to get my hands on #4 a couple of years ago which was best suited for my skin tone at the time. In the end I bought it off Ebay as I couldn't find it anywhere!

Happy New Face?

Happy New Year everybody! It feels nice not having a hangover on the first day of the year (for once). I hope you all had great nights last night, whatever you chose to do.

So anyway, back to beauty business. I've wanted to try the Clarisonic Plus for a good while now, and by my own admission, I initially slated it as being nothing more than "a glorified face brush". However, after reading endless reviews which sang its praises, I figured there had to be an element of truth to some of them and changed my mind. In fact it was this review by Resha, which made me do a complete 360 and then the splits!

Not entertaining the idea of forking out £175 on this plastic contraption, I scoured Ebay for months looking at listings which I deemed were a suitable asking price and was all set to take the plunge a week before Christmas, when I was offered and sent one for review at the 11th hour. Now if that wasn't the Beauty Gods at work, I dunno what was, but I fully intend to get the most out of my 'last min Christmas present'!

Click to enlarge

A quick read of its features and it's clear that the Clarisonic Plus promises a lot. A professional calibre brush that uses a gentle oscillating micro-massage action to cleanse deeply which claims to:

*Remove six times more make up than manual cleansing 

*Be twice as effective as manual cleansing 

*Allow skin care products to absorb into the skin better 

*Reduce appearance of pores, fine lines and improve skin tone