L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil – my guilty pleasure

I’ve been using the L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil on and off for some time now, but haven’t thought of reviewing it until someone posted a question about it on Stace’s shower gels post recently. This shower oil is an amazing product and I love it so much I always keep a spare bottle in the cupboard in case I fancy using it, which is a lot lately!

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil, RRP £25 for 500ml

The oil consistency is fantastic, looks like an oil and feels like an oil:

Oily consistancy of the Almond Shower Oil

However, once it’s mixed with water it produces this wonderful and velvety to touch lather that envelopes my body with its softness! It’s an amazing experience, as the lather isn’t too bubbly or thick but very smooth and fantastically moisturising.

Perfect lather created with L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil.

Once I shower with this product I don’t feel the need to use any additional moisturisers afterwards as the skin is so nourished and silky! Hence, during the summer months (whenever we’re going to have any this year!) I only use the oil alone. However, I do use a bit of the L’Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Lotion in the winter to add the extra bit of nourishment to my skin.

The smell is fantastic! It’s a combination of almond oil, grape seed oil, fresh green apples and a slightly hint of rosemary that creates this fresh but subtle smell that lasts for a few hours after I use it, which is why I usually use it in the late afternoons or evenings to be able to enjoy the aroma for longer with no need to rush anywhere!

The versatility of this product is amazing, too! The lather creates the perfect shaving foam, which I sometimes use to shave my legs or underarms! It leaves my skin amazingly soft and smooth with no irritation!

Almond Shower Oil creates the perfect lather to shave with no irritation!

I absolutely love this Almond Shower Oil! It usually comes in 250ml bottles (RRP £16.50) but recently I’ve discovered that the L’Occitane shop stocks it in the mega 500ml bottles for £25 each! It may seem expensive, however the feel you get after using this product is worth every penny, and the huge bottle lasts a long time as you only need one pump to use over the whole body!

Have you used this L’Occitane product before? If so, what do you think? What other L’Occitane products have you used and would recommend? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Stay beautiful!

Mags xx

Magnetised with Magnetic Nail Paint by BarryM

A few weeks ago I reviewed two magnetic nail polishes and I thought I was in heaven when I’ve seen the finished look of both of them! However, I couldn’t be more wrong! A few days later, after chit-chatting on twitter, I’ve discovered that there is another, even more beautiful, shape to the magnetic nail polish family! Check out this little gem:

Magnetic Nail Paint by BarryM - RRP£4.99 in Superdrug

Magnetic Nail Paint by BarryM

 

This very pretty Magnetic Nail Paint is created by BarryM! It’s the best of the magnetic nail polishes I’ve yet seen! It has the most magnificent colour and finish:

Magnetic Nail Paint by BarryM - RRP4.99

The pretty finish

A close up of the magnetic pattern

The price is out of this world – £4.99 in Superdrug! However, it’s hard to get as it flies out of the shelves!!! So be quick if you want one! Otherwise, it’s available on the BarryM’s website.

Application

The application is pretty simple, too! I’ve applied one, thick coat on a nail and while the polish is still wet, I hovered the magnet over the nail, without touching it, and waited for a few seconds for the magic to happen!!! It’s amazing how quickly the iron particles form the beautiful pattern!

On the bottle it states to use a base coat, but to be honest I haven’t used any of the base or top coats and my nails looked really pretty for a long time. 

10 days later...

The colour stayed on for 10 days, and would probably still be on my nails, if I haven’t removed it myself! Check out my nails after 10 days of wearing the BarryM’s Magnetic Nail Paint. It didn’t chip too much, it looks more as it was slowly wearing out. 

Magnetic Nail Pain 10 days after application without using top coat!

If the photos here haven’t convinced you to purchase this nail polish, especially if you are a nail junkie like I am, I don’t know what will!

Please, let us know what you think about this colour and about the magnetic nail polishes available on the market? We’d really like to know! Leave a comment or tweet us @beautyu.

Stay beautiful!

Mags xx

Little superstars from Elemis

Hi all!
Hope you are enjoying your weekend! I thought I would carry on down the theme of pampering in today's blog post. Last month while visiting the Vitality show Mags and I both picked up the Elemis 'Little Superstars' box of products. I love the name of the box, and it is actually all superstars inside!

Box of exciting Elemis products!

We picked up this little beauty at a mere £20, the best I can find it online for is £37.50 at Dove spa website

So what pampering treats are inside?

Tranquil touch creamy body wash

I touched on this product in my last post, it is a really creamy, lovely smelling shower gel. This is 50ml in size, so perfect for taking on holiday.

Tranquil touch indulgent bath elixir

This is 100ml and has a lovely smell infused with cedarwood, a small amount can be added to a bath to make a lovely bubble bath.

Frangipani monoi body oil

This is one of my favourite ever Elemis products. In this box you get 35ml of this fantastic product. For those of you who are new to this body oil, the contents are actually solid, and before you use it you have to immerse the bottle in warm water so that it forms a silky liquid.

You can then apply to the body for an amazing silky, moisturising finish that smells like you've stepped out of a salon in the comfort of your own home.

Pro-radiance cream cleanser

I have not used this cream cleanser before, so excited that it came as part of this box. The size is 30ml, and it boasts many awards so I am looking forward to trying this when I next go away, as it is a perfect travel size.

Pro collagen marine cream

Probably Elemis' most famous product, the marine cream has been a favourite of both mine and Mags' over the years, so this was one deciding factor that made me buy the box. Mags reviewed this product in depth last year, so if you want to know more about this little superstar from Elemis please read her blog post here.

And the excitement does not end there!! All of these products came in a gorgeous pink make up bag, again perfect for my next holiday!

All the products came in this cute pink make up bag!

Little collections like this are a great, cost effective way to try out high end products, before committing a lot of money on one product without knowing whether you like it.

I love my superstars! Have you tried any of these products and what did you think? Are you an Elemis fan? Let us know by commenting below!

Stay beautiful!

Stace x

Liz Earle, Neal's Yard and Elemis - high end shower gels

Evening all!

Sometimes we all deserve a real good pamper. And what better way to treat yourself than with a high end shower gel. If you like me all to easily throw a £1 bottle of whatever is on offer when you're doing the food shop, then I guarantee spending a bit more on shower gel sometimes will make you feel utterly pampered.

Tonight I'm going to show you three high end shower gels I have been using this month.

Elemis tranquil touch, creamy body wash

You barely need any of this rich, luxurious cream to smother over your body. It has hints of almond oil, patchouli, cedarwood and vetivert, it smells like a spa day! A real touch of high end luxury.


I have found this on lookfantastic.com for £18.40 for 300ml.

Liz Earle orange flower botanical body wash

This is a lovely body wash, that boasts ingredients like yarrow and gerenium. The smell of orange instantly wakes me up in the morning, again you don't need much of this to cover your body, and it leaves skin feeling silky smooth and thoroughly clean. I love the smell of oranges and get nuances of the scent throughout the day when I have used this product.

You can buy this body wash on the Liz Earle website, and it retails for £11.50 for 200ml.


Last but not least is an offering from Neal's Yard.

Rosemary and Elderflower shower gel from Neal's Yard

It was my Mum who got me on to Neal's Yard shower gel after telling me how silky they left her skin with no need to moisturise after showering - I like a multi tasking product! I actually went in to buy the orange and geranium, but came out with Rosemary and Elderflower, I absolutely love the rosemary scent, and when I smelt it in the shop I had to go for this one!

The smell is divine, and it really does leave skin feeling silky smooth.

This shower gel retails for £9.30 for 200ml, and can be found on the Neal's Yard website.

These shower gels are one luxury I like to spoil myself with now and again, and I think they are worth every penny!

What do you do when you really want to pamper yourself? Do you have any high end shower gel brands you think are really worth the money and checking out? Let us know by commenting below or tweet us @beautyu

Have a beautiful weekend!

Stace x

Big, bright and brilliant - eye liners from bareMinerals

Good evening!

Firstly, a quick hello to both old and new followers, we are thrilled to now have over 100 followers! Hello to you all!

Today I am going to talk about my new eyeliners I purchased at the Vitality show.

Now as you probably know, we are both big fans of bareMinerals, and I have been using their eyeliner for a few years. When I saw this fab collection of three mini eyeliners I just had to have it!

The three colours that came in the pack were midnight moon, which is a bluey colour, black gold, which is a lighter black with a very subtle hint of gold and black diamond, which is a striking black. See below for swatches.

Left - midnight moon, middle - black gold, right - black diamond

I really like bareMinerals eyeliners. They are easy to apply as they glide straight on to either the bottom or top of the eye, depending on where you like to wear eyeliner. They really show off the eye colour, bringing out the whites of the eye. The colours have light reflective pearl which really glistens when it catches the light, the pictures really don't do the colours justice.

I have very sensitive eyes, and have often had to throw away eyeliners after one use because they have caused irritation, but with the preservative free formula of bareMinerals, I can happily wear these all day with no irritation.

My personal favourite is the midnight blue, as it really picks out the colours of my eyes.

I have tried to capture a better idea of the colour on the two pictures below, where I am wearing midnight blue:

Midnight blue is now my everyday wear eyeliner, and the other two are perfect for throwing into my make-up bag for nights out as they are handbag size.

I bought this set for £14, I have just tried looking for it online, and I cannot find it in stock anywhere, so it may have been a show only item.

What eyeliner do you use, and is it worth me checking out? Have you used  bareMinerals before and what did you think? Let us know by leaving a comment below or on twitter you can find us tweeting as @beautyu

Stay beautiful!

Stace x

Nails inc vs 17 – magnetic nail polishes put to the test!

As you may gather from my previous posts, I’m more of a ‘high-end’ product girl! If you’d visited my bathroom today, you’ll find products from Elemis, Decleor, Chanel, just to name a few brands. However, after a few conversations on Twitter recently, I thought I’ll go and rummage the High Street to find some suitable alternatives, with same or similar results… for less money! 

The first item I decided to try and put to the test is a magnetic nail polish! To do that I chose two brands, one more expensive than the other… a lot more! Here they are:

Nails inc. Magnetic Polish RRP £13 (!!)  vs. 17 Magnetized Nail Polish RRP £5.99

The idea of both products is virtually the same - Each polish contains magnetic/metallic particles to create a pattern on the nail when using the magnet which is part of the cap. When you applied the polish and it’s still wet, hover the magnet over your nail and watch the iron powder in the formula gravitating toward the magnet creating the wavy effect! 

Once I’ve applied the products I was happy to realise that both polishes create the same effect! Take a look at both of the photos below (Note: The colours are different as my local shops didn’t have the same colours for me to trial):

Nails inc Magnetic Polish (RRP £13)

17 Magnetized Nail Polish (RRP £5.99)

To make sure that the nail polishes will last longer, I’ve applied the same top coat to each hand. Apart from the difference in shades, the finish on both hands is the same so there is no point of spending more! I have to admit, I also had more pleasure in using the 17 nail varnish and found the coverage better than what Nails inc delivers. 

Nails inc Magnetic Polish (RRP £13) vs. 17 Magnetized Nail Polish (RRP £5.99)

I’ve learned a valuable lesson today! I found my beautiful nail product alternative for less, have you? What do you think about both of the finishes and effects? Would you pay more for something you can get for less, even knowing the quality is similar? Let us know by leaving a comment below or on twitter @beautyu.

Stay beautiful!

Mags xx

Liz Earle brightening treatment mask - brightening my day!

Good evening!

Hope you all had a lovely Easter, and hopefully some time off work.

If, like me, you over indulged over the weekend on chocolate eggs, large dinners and wine, then this is just the post for you! The weekend played havoc with my skin, and so I wanted to share with you a product I have just started using to help revive my skin.

The product is by one of our favourite brands, Liz Earle, and is the brightening treatment mask.

This starter kit comes in a
 little wash bag and it retails for £14.25

The 50ml bottle comes with a muslin cloth

Now what really appeals to me about this treatment is the the fact that you only have to leave it on between 30 seconds to 2 minutes, so it is excellent if you are in a rush but still want to treat your skin.

The pump action bottle is another reason I like this product, much easier to use than squeezy bottles I have used in the past.

Pump action bottle, only two pumps needed!

The product boasts ingredients such as witch hazel, camphor oil and almond oil.

The consistency is clay based, however once on your skin it does not go hard like some clay masks I have used in the past.

The mask has a clay like consistency

I use two pumps of this product and massage on to my face, leave it for about 1 minute, and then wash off with the muslin cloth.

The first time I used it after a breakout of spots, I really noticed they had gone down the next day. It leaves my skin feeling clean and noticeably softer.

The blurb on the back of the bottle specifies that ' you will experience a slight tingling sensation'. I did feel a slight tingle, but I think this is what makes my face feel so clean!

It also advises that this product is not suitable for sensitive skin.

I was really impressed with this product, I will be using it once a week as part of my skin routine, and this handy 50ml bottle, and the fact that you only need to leave it on for such a short time, mean I will be packing it on my next holidays!

I would really like to try some more of Liz Earle's face masks now. Have you tried any others and what did you think of the results? Let us know by commenting or tweet us @beautyu

Stay beautiful!

Stace x

Easter nails

Happy Easter!

I hope you all enjoy the time off as we definitely are! 

It’s nothing better than a few days off work when you can sleep in, eat a lot and not worry about tomorrow... well maybe I went too far but you get the picture!

As Easter is associated with 'being reborn' and I’m in the mood for colour, I thought I’ll recreate the Easter egg effect on my nails. What do you think about my Easter nails?? Aren't they fun?!

To get this effect I’ve used four different colours from BarryM’s range. Two of them being just regular pastel nail varnishes:

From the left: BarryM 307 Lemon I/C and BarryM 304 Mint Green.

And for the top colours, I’ve used the Instant Nail Effects varnishes:

From the left: BarryM 314 and BarryM 315.

To finish it all of, I used the Cristal Finish top coat by Leighton Denny, as I didn't have the BarryM’s one! 

What do you think about my Easter nails? Let us know below or on Twitter @beautyu.

Stay beautiful and enjoy the time off!

Mags xx

The New Neutralizing Primer from bareMinerals!

As the bareMinerals' products rule my make up bag at the moment (and will probably stay for some time – no point in finishing this affair while I enjoy it!) I have to let you on one of my recent purchases and a brand new launch - Prime Time Neutralizing foundation primer.

The new bareMinerals foundation primer - Prime Time Neutralizing foundation primer

To describe it in a few words – "it’s like a primer but it’s not a primer... it’s even better than a primer!" There are a few things that I question about the product: the colour and consistency; but the product itself, once applied, is fantastic! Delivers the results and works great with my skin!

The benefits:

This product works like a primer, even though it doesn’t look and feel like it. Its consistency is more of a lotion, so it takes a bit more of smoothing it onto the skin. Once applied and sunk in, my skin is completely smooth.  And the colour (sorry bareMinerals!) but it looks like a bird poo...  Have a look at the photo below:

Once I pass the stage of looking at it and apply it onto my face it does what it says on the tin! The colour helps to neutralise any redness on my face (spots and blemishes) and the skin feels nourished and ready for my foundation. However, before I apply the foundation, I wait about 3 mins as I think it goes better on once the product is fully absorbed, but don’t get me wrong the product sinks in really quickly leaving that nice smooth feeling – it doesn’t sit on your skin!

Last but no means least are the minerals that this product contains. Also, there is a fresh smell so it’s great to use. I’ve noticed an improvement on my skin when using this product; however, I also use the night treatment so I think it’s a case of all the products working in sync.

Have you been the lucky person to buy this product as a TSV from QVC (see Stace’s post about the TSV)? If so, what do you think about it? If you haven't though, would you buy it? Let us know by leaving a comment below or tweet us @beautyu.

Stay beautiful!

Mags xx

Amazing night treatment!

It’s Monday evening so it’s almost weekend! Ha ha, I’m very positive but this week will go in no time, especially when we’re looking at a nice longer break at Easter!

It took me some time to get myself down to write this review but I didn’t want to rush that one as I really LOVE this product! It’s all about transforming the skin during the sleep and waking up to more healthier and radiant looking me! If you haven’t guessed yet, I’m talking about the bareMinerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment! This product is amazing! 

bareMineral Pure Transformation Night Treatment

The idea of this product is to treat your skin with the proprietary 100% pure RareMinerals ActiveSoil Complex, which can only be used during the night! As we all know the skin rejuvenates best while we rest, and the cell renewal is greater at that time of the night, too! This innovative product helped minimized my opened pores, even out my skin tone and the cell renewal is amazing. If I feel I have a spot coming out and I treat that area with a bit more of this product, the spot is minimized in the morning and heals quicker than in the past!

The use

It’s in a powder consistency and comes in four different colours: Clear, Light, Medium and Tan. As I’m the Medium Beige/Medium Tan foundation lady I decided to go for the medium shade. I did want to look too tanned when in bed, ha ha. The brush that is part of the product is great, too; full and soft  which allows to apply the product without overdoing it! 

Pure Transformation Night Treatment in Medium

To be honest, I was a bit sceptical about putting a powder onto my freshly cleansed skin and lay down in bed. I was dreading the  clogged pores and worrying that my face may look worse in the morning with all the congestion that may built up during the night. However, to my surprise, you can hardly see the powder on as it blends well with your complexion (please, see the photo below – remember, you need to choose the colour closest to your skin tone!) and as you only need a couple of sweeps of the brush all over the face, you hardly feel the product on! 

Benefits

As I mentioned before, the benefits I’ve noticed while using this products are:

• minimised pores,
• even skin tone,
• clearer complexion, and
• fresher and dewier look.

I can also see how this product can work its magic not only by replenishing the skin but by being a good self-esteem boost to all those who can’t face their partners without make up on. As the bareMinerals statement chimes: it’s as good as you can sleep in it! 

Price

I know the price tag isn’t very shopper friendly - £45 for 4,2g even though the product goes a long way. However, if you get the same results as I do, it's worth it! I’d recommend to either look online, on QVC or in Debenhams when they have 10-15% off sale at times. And with the Debenhams’ Beauty Card, you can even get money off the product, when you collect enough points! Worth looking into that peeps!

Let me know if you’ve used this product and what do you think about it? If you haven’t and still have questions and doubts, please, leave a comment or ask on twitter @beautyu.

Stay beautiful!

Mags xx