Xmas 2015 / Frosted Plum Collection from The Body Shop

Like every year, we're spoiled for choice when it comes to The Body Shop Christmas selection; established lines include the Frosted Cranberry and the Glazed Apple (you can read more here btw) that come beautifully packaged in fruit shaped tins, or the fragrances gift sets - like White Musk or Italian Summer Fig.

The new scent for 2015 is the Frosted Plum which smells delicious and features a tantalising, purple packaging.

The trademark scent is sweet but not too sweet - with plum extracts from orchards in Turkey, mixed with elegant notes of peony and magnolia.

The range has an healthy selection of items to envelope the body with this inviting fragrance from tip to toe, from morning to night.

One of my favourite products is The Body Shop Frosted Plum Shimmer Mist* which is a perfume with silver shimmery particles in it; it's a real decadent addition to any collection and it comes in a glass bottle, making it a very special gift for anyone.

If you're a glitter lover, The Body Shop Frosted Plum Shimmer Lotion* is the one for you; whilst the mist is subtler and you can use it on focused points, the lotion covers the body with a veil of sparkle. The Community Fair Trade shea butter from Ghana leaves the skin velvety to the touch and  Perfect for the party season!

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Lip Balm* comes in a classic tin and it contains Community Fair Trade beeswax; it's the prettiest shade of purple in the tin, but it applies clear and glossy on the lips.

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Body Butter* has been keeping me company every evening after a shower, in the last couple of weeks; I love a good The Body Shop body butter and this new fragrance is putting me in the right festive mood.  It also contains Community Fair Trade organic Babassu oil from Brazil which leaves the skin moisturised and conditioned.

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Bath Fizzers* are any bath-lover dream; they will fill the bathroom with this juicy scent and the bathtub with an indulgent milky water. A real treat!

There is also a festive selection of cute bath sponges like the cute fellow bear below to complete any gift bundle.

The Body Shop Frosted Plum Collection also includes: Shower Gel, Hand Cream, Soap, Sugar Scrub, Candle and Home Fragrance Oil.
Have you tried this range from The Body Shop yet? What is on your wishlist?

Christmas Presents

A bit late with a Christmas presents haul but I'm always in two minds when sharing gifts 'cos there's always the risk of people thinking you're bragging; personally, I love reading these posts - I'm noisy like that - and it's a great way to get ideas and find undiscovered gems. :)

Gorgeous DKNY bag - the colour is in between brown/grey - smart looking and I will definitely save it for special occasions.

People know me well and they have been certainly feeding my pugs & owls obsession! :)

Check out these pugs salt&pepper shakers - Awesome or what?!!!

I love watching American Pickers and my husband got me a t-shirt from the States - love the rooster logo!

The frame with the wire is an handmade jewellery holder; the shabby-chic feel is right up my alley and it will look perfect against the purple wall in the bedroom.

Basilur Tea is a tea brand that I discovered few years ago and my mum sent me a new selection book over the holidays; I don't normally like fruity teas but their selection are delicious/yet not too sweet. I'd definitely recommend to check their website http://basilurtea.co.uk if you're a tea junkie - prices are average and their packagings are beautiful too.

Beauty related goodies: Especially Escada Eau de Parfum is a fragrance that I've been liking since it came out few years ago; it's described as joyful and light-hearted and I couldn't agree more - definitely not overpowering.

My sister also got me this Laura Ashley Fig Tree & Cassis Hand Wash & Hand Lotion Gift Set because she knows I love fig scents; this smells like proper fig leaves with a sweet twist and the hand lotion is also very good quality and light. I don't shop in Laura Ashley often enough, they are currently having a massive sale and I will make sure to pop in and check it out.

Finally… Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette! Yes, I couldn't resist and asked Santa for it. I will do a dedicated post with swatches soon. 

Liz Earle Advent Calendar / 9

9th December - Liz Earle Botanical Essence Eay de Parfume No1

Oh man, just a quick spritz of it and I'm already in love.

I really like the new fragrance but I like this one even more - already residing in my purse! :)

Liz Earle Botanical Essence No.15

Botanical Essence No.15 is the second fragrance from Liz Earle.

As the name suggests, it is the result of the careful selection of 15 plants and 90% is directly derived from natural ingredients.

I love the packaging - on the box you get the images of the 15 components of this eau de parfum and it opens up to reveal a beautiful satin finish square bottle and the list of all 15 plants.

You definitely don't want to throw away the box that perfectly embraces the bottle and fastens with a wee magnet.

This scent has been carefully crafted by award-winner perfumer - Alienor Massenet - which is particularly skilled in creating essences that have the power to evoke places and surprise your senses.

Alienor describes the collaboration with Liz Earle rewarding and challenging and Botanical Essence No.15 has a olfactory jewel that should be treated as a gem!

I couldn't agree more - this fragrance is elegant and sophisticated. Patchouli and bergamot create an oriental spicy bite, whilst sandalwood and Bourbon vanilla add a dimension of warmth.

It's the ideal perfume for chilly autumn nights with its sensual notes but at the same time, vetiver and cedarwood add a fresh feminine undertone that makes it wearable for daytime too.  

I read people arguing that it's probably more suitable for a more mature clientele but I have to disagree: I'm in my early 30s and I've been enjoying wearing it, the past couple of weeks. I can appreciate the blending skills and commitment that created this unique fragrance and how it evolves on my skin during the day.

Also, my sister is in her 20s and totally fell in love with it! 

Christmas present, me think *hint hint* ;)

Random Catch-up

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Protective Sun Lotion SPF 15

I got this through the post; you could enter a draw to receive a sample on the Hawaiian Tropic website, months ago.

This sunscreen lotion has moisturizing ribbons that, apparently, keep you hydrated during sun exposure. It arrived quite late for me to try out now, plus the SPF15 is nowhere near enough to actually sunbathe, in my opinion.

I will save it for next spring and use it as a city spf protection - smells lovely!

I'm a big fan of both the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain & Clinique Chubby Stick - and I want to get another one... the problem is that I can't decide on which colour to buy... so I went a bit swatch-crazy in Boots. ;P

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains

Clinique Chubby Sticks

I also want one of these Clinique holders that you could get in June (when the new colours came out)... anybody knows if they're still available and where??

Lancome New Hypnose Star mascara

The lovely Sandra from Beauty Balm heard me complaining that I couldn't find a Tatler magazine with the free mascara anywhere, so she kindly posted one to me - she's such a sweetheart! :)

I love this mascara - it's really become one of my favourite, I'm just not a fan of the floral scent.

Still, I like it so much that the smell doesn't put me off from using it.

I got both these parfumes from Boots.com - you can often apply for a free sample and I usually find out about these on Twitter.

Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire is not to my liking: it's too sweet, coming from the cherries and berries in it, and gives me an headache.

Lancome La Vie Est Belle, instead, is lovely! This is warmer and powdery and grown up, which I prefer.

I just realised that's the one with Julia Roberts in the advert... she looks pretty amazing in it, don't you think?!

I'm pretty obsessed with trying new foundations - lately, there are just too many coming out all the time that I don't have enough hours in a day to try them all, really... the most hyped have been YSL Le Teint Touch Eclat and Urban Decay Naked Skin.

They are both very very nice foundations but I have to give the edge to Urban Decay Naked Skin!

The consistency of UD one is just right up my street - it's nearly liquid and disappears into the skin. 

I got the shade 3.0 which I think it's a tad too light for me but still, It's performing really well.

YSL also gives a great, natural finish... but I now tend to compare all foundations to my favourite - NARS Sheer Glow - and that baby still comes up on top!

Finally, I won Raffles Bizarre giveaway - YAY!!

A huge collection of diy goodies, note paper, stickers, postcards... I'm obsessed with stationery as well so I was thrilled to see this parcel in my letterbox. I'm sure it will come in hand to prettify Christmas pressies, too. ;)

 

What have you been up to lately? :)

xx

What's in My Handbag

www.whatsinmyhandbag.com is another website which is becoming popular, lately...

You'll find a pick inside other women's bags, which is great if you're noisy by nature and it's also great for discovering new products.

You can share your own bag content, have the chance to add items to your wishlist plus create your beauty cabinet with products that you own yourself.

Every week - they, also, offer a product to try: you can register very easily on the website and if your name is drawn, you'll receive your sample in the post.

I was lucky enough to be picked and received Miller Harris Citron Citron - both a parfume sample and a body lotion.

lovely personal message on the wrapping

 I'm pretty picky when coming to scents but I'm liking this sample - it's very fresh and citrusy and I think I will enjoy wearing it, this summer.

The body lotion - well, this is going to waste with me as I don't do 'plain' body creams so I will not be using it. I will, probably, add this to my swap box and try to exchange it with something else.

Have you signed in to wimh yet?

xx

This week I'm in love with...

L'Occitane Eau Universelle Citrus Cologne

As soon as I sniffed this cologne, I was in love!

It's the perfect scent for the summer - refreshing, invigorating but sensual at the same time.

The yellow version is unisex and I will have to put it under lock as the husband is showing signs of liking it too much!!! ;)

 ...then, there's Eau Captivante - especially for men & Eau Ravissante for women.

They all come in 3 formats: a 300ml dressing table bottle, a more demure handbag version in 50ml and shower gel.

The bottle, also, is so beautiful and well thought: the herringbone motif is based on the stonework columns of Provencal fountains; the Avignon lettering recall the cast-iron signs of the villages in Provence.

The bottle is HUGE - apparently, with colognes, the pleasure is in the abundance. 

I haven't had a cologne in a long time - probably because many brands don't release them anymore and they tend to stick to eau de toilette and parfum. 

I'm so glad that this format is getting a revival - I'm notoriously too sensitive to smells and I have to shy away to wear a scent, sometimes... these times are gone now!

This is one of the most exciting releases that I've seen, recently... I want them all!!!

Curious much?! :)

*pr sample*

GlossyBox - Harrods Edition

Bliss Blood Orange + White Pepper Body Butter: first things first - love that it is paraben free.

This is a beautiful body butter - the consistency means you need to work it in the skin a wee bit but once absorbed, it disappears.

It's, also, very refreshing and smells divine.

A definite pampering body product - shame it hasn't added benefits as anti-cellulite or firming.

ReVive Intensite' Creme Lustre SPF30: unfortunately, this is too thick for me; so thick that I found it even hard to get it out of the jar. I tried few times, at night, and it just doesn't suit my skin type but I read nice reviews from other users. 

I will pass it over to my mum, I think, as she has dry skin.

Versace Vanitas Eau de Parfum: I'm not a fan of perfume samples as they are so personal - and I'm so fussy - that I rarely liked the ones that I was sent before.

Exception to the rule, I suppose, as Im really liking this scent; also, it's a deluxe sample - the bottle is quite big and very pretty - love the engravings on the cap.

Clarins Entra-Firming Body Cream: this cream is just right up my alley - exactly what I look for in a body cream. The tube is too small to really see any improvement in the toning department but I have faith in Clarins and I might give a full size bottle a go.

Leighton Denny nail polish in Honey Trap: I was sent another Leighton Denny varnish before but I didn't like it very much as it took ages to dry.

This looks better: love the colour, it has a very glossy finish and it's not streaky at all... liking the mini bottle, too.

Everything's available to purchase from Harrods

Which box did you receive? Happy with the content?

xxx

Debenhams 3/6

MAC Blush Ombre in Azalea Blossom

Finally, I managed to get my hands on this blush. Originally, It was a limited edition in the Spring Forecast Collection 2010 but I missed out. Luckly, it has been recently re-issued in the Daphne Guinness Collection.

Disappointed about the packaging as, although it's a limited editon, it's nothing special but the ordinary black Mac pot.

The product itself... ummm, I'm not sure either. I like the ombre' mix between pink and violet, resulting in a cool pink tone... but it feels a bit waxy and it doesn't write too well... I might just have to try and scratch the surface and see if it improves. 

Is anybody else's having the same problem with this blush?

Bare Minerals High Shine EyeColor in Vapor

I've only recently been discovering this brand... I think the mineral foundation is excellent so I have high expectations for other products too. :)

I decided to try the eyeshadow: there are sooo many pretty colours, they are all vibrant and with dimension. I picked Vapor as I don't have anything similar in my collection; it's a rich, high pigmented blue-ish grey.

I really like it: it's very cream and goes on beautifully without creasing. Being a powder, tho, application can be a bit tricky and definitely not something I reach for when in a hurry. 

Also, I'm not a fan of the packaging - it's very messy and feels like there's not much product in the tube. Apart from that, I'd like to try other colours too - have a look at Meteorite or Moonshine... aren't they gorgeous?!

Finally, I was so thrilled to receive a sample of Especially Escada eau de parfum as I love it!!!

Btw, I don't know what's the deal with Debenhams freebies with online orders: sometimes they send you a sample, sometimes they don't and doesn't even seem to be connected to how much you spend... boh!