Beach hair

One of the best things about summer is that it is acceptable to make minimum effort, or at least to LOOK like your making minimal effort (don't get me started on the efforts of waxing, scrubbing and tanning).... Of course, by minimal effort I mean look 'naturally beautiful' which actually does take some effort (or at least the right products) for most to get this look.

One of the must-have or most wanted looks for summer is the beach-babe hair. Meaning soft tousled matte waves- not wind-blasted and streaked with sea-weed. In an effort to help you find the best products I have been testing out a selection of sprays that promise to deliver this beach-babe-look, without the necessary trip to the seaside.

Before I launch head-first into the reviews I have to point out that I wont be reviewing any of the products on their ability to turn hair into waves. This is because this effect will be totally subjective to individual hair types- and as my hair is naturally straight I found none of the following had any wave-inducing effect on my hair.

This isn't meant to sound bad at all, it's not the products fault, but I don't think it would be reasonable to expect a spray to turn my poker straight hair miraculously into soft waves.

But for those of you blessed with naturally wavy hair- I would love to hear your thoughts -have your tried any of the below? or other beach-hair products? Please go ahead and leave a comment below to let me know what you think.

Each of the sprays will be reviewed on the following:

• Smell (nice or nasty?)


• Packaging (I'm a packaging magpie)


• How does hair feel? (Does it feel dirty/weighed down/sticky/smooth/shiny....you get the idea)

John Masters Organics Sea Mist (£15.66 at http://www.buyorganics.co.uk/)

Smell: Smells like fresh lavender, not exactly a seaside staple but lovely all the same. All organic, so good for eco-conscious beauty junkies.

Packaging: Simple and stylish transparent brown bottle.

How does hair feel? A couple of spritzes and hair feels OK, slightly matte but still healthy.

Lee Stafford Sea Salt Spray (£5.86 from Boots or Boots.co.uk)

Smell: Smells powdery, and reminds me of the perfume Angel.

Packaging: Bright pink transparent bottle that is a neat size so easy to carry around with you.

How does hair feel: This was probably the best product if you want your hair to still feel smooth and clean after application.

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray (£14.87 from http://www.wantthelook.com/)

Smell: The smell reminds me of towels on holiday that have dried in the warm sun! Conjures up holiday feelings.

Packaging: The trendiest packaging of the five- matte back with a chrome silver pump.

How does hair feel: This spray does give hair that salt-water feeling adding texture and a matte effect instantly.

Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Beach Waves (£TBC)

Smell: Smells fresh with a hint of citrus.

Packaging: Bright orange transparent bottle is really summery and warm- perfect for a beach product.

How does hair feel: Creates a matte texture but doesn't feel weighed down.

Osmo Essence Matt Sea Spray (RRP £7.99)

Smell: Smells as fresh as the sea breeze, the lovely smell is the best thing about this spray.

Packaging: Simple blue packaging, not one your would be rushing to have on show.

How does hair feel: Does feel a bit weighed down after application, definitely provides a matte texture.

Apologies for all who want to read about the effect these sprays have on hair, I really wish I could report that my hair was transformed into mermaid-like cascading waves but it's not the case and it would be unfair of me to judge them based on this.

Beautyjunkielondon: tell me what you think!

Thinking about upcoming content for beautyjunkielondon and want to know what you think- good and bad!

• What do you like about the blog/reviews?
• What don't you like?
• What would you like to see more/less of?
• Any suggestions for upcoming content- I want to hear your ideas!

Please leave your comments below, many thanks!

ELF Studio: Now launched

The much-anticipated e.l.f. studio range has now launched. I've not seen as much excitement surrounding a make-up launch in a long time, so there are high expectations of the range.

To read a beautyjunkielondon review of elf studio blush/bronze click HERE to see a twitpic of the blush/bronze duo click HERE

To stock up on elf studio then visit http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/

Have you tried e.l.f. studio? What products are you desperate to get your hands on? Comment below.

My Vintage Glams By Lauren Luke

If you are a beauty junkie and haven't heard of Lauren Luke then you must have been living under a rock.

Lauren Luke is a You Tube superstar who started out producing make-up tutorials under the name of Panacea81, creating looks with products she was selling on eBay and generally sharing her passion for make-up. Her friendly and down to earth manner has earned her a huge following and even a regular column in The Guardian- all on top of keeping up her regular YouTube updates.

To take her success a step further Lauren now has her own range of make-up 'By Lauren Luke'. Currently available online in the UK (http://www.bylaurenluke.com/) and with a huge launch coming up at Sephora, Times Square on 31st July the range is really set to take off. If this isn't inspiration enough for all you You Tube-ers out there, then I don't know what is!

Now, onto the important details: is the make-up range any good?

Yes, it's fabulous.

The range includes a selection of five palettes, all coordinated by colour. Including 'My Fierce Violets' - based around a gorgeous deep blue, 'My Luscious Greens' - pretty shades that would really flatter green, amber or brown eyes and My Vintage Glams, which I have been lucky enough to test out.

My Vintage Glams contains beautifully coordinated shades of grey, purple and pink. With a warm rose blush and two lip-colours that are perfect for day and night- 'champagne kiss', a pretty day time coral with shimmer and 'love bite', a perfect night time deep berry.

My favorite shade in the compact is the 'petticoat pink' eye-shadow. A shimmering dusky pink that is pretty without being too girly. This suits-everyone colour is one of the largest compartments of the palette, which is ideal. All too often the best colours are too small and run out too quickly.

But the sizing of the shades isn't the only clever aspect of the palettes design, it is stylish and cleverly done with a decent sized mirror. The palette is also large enough so that the colours can be spread apart- it's a pet hate of mine when compacts are too small and all the colours blend into each other!

If all that wasn't enough, it also contains a cream eye-liner and a shadow primer (in dark and light so it works for all skin tones) to put the finishing touches to your 'Vintage Glams' look.

Priced £23.99 the palette is good value and there really is a set to suit everyone. Based on the quality of this launch range I predict more good things for Lauren Luke and I wish her all the best- she really is one of those people that you can't help but wish good things for.

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I have embedded Lauren's video tutorial for how to use the colours below, to give you an idea of the shades in action- enjoy!

Beauty sleep: night creams

Night is a good time to make the most of your lotions and potions- make-up free and sleeping, skincare has a chance to really work. So beautyjunkielondon has been going through the laborious process of testing out lots of night creams and here is the full report.

Of those that I tested I have two favorites, which both happen to be from the same brand- Vie at Home. I have been really impressed with all of the products I have tested from Vie at Home, all have been really great quality with great results and really good value for money. What I don't understand is why I don't read about the products more often? If you have tested Vie at Home products let me know what you think? Comment below!

Vie at Home Skin Glow Radiance Night Cream (£18.50 for 40ml)

Comes in a gorgeous royal blue pot, this cream feels like a bit of luxury. A transparent peachy skin cream that melts in easily and leaves skin instantly quenched. After a good nights sleep skin really does feel like it's glowing- this pot is now taking pride of place on my bed side table for nightly applications.

Vie at Home Clear Thoughts Soothing Night Cream (£18.50 for 40ml)

Again, this cream comes in gorgeous packaging- like the whole Vie at Home range. This soothing cream contains soothing Swiss glacial water and moisturising shea butter this balm-like cream has a slightly less smooth texture than the Skin Glow but still absorbs easily leaving skin instantly softened, but not slicked with grease. This is packed with soothing elements this is ideal for dry, tight or sensitive skin that really needs a bit of a boost to make it look and feel it's best.

Now, don't get the wrong idea- this isn't a 'I'm the biggest fan of Vie at Home ever' post, I also tested out Dr Tuhin Dev Core Rejuve- Night (£84 for 30ml)

A couple of months ago I tested out the Dr Tuhin Dev cleanser, which was another beautifully packaged product that had decent results but I found it smelt very artificial and 'plastic'. The night cream comes in equally good-looking packaging and smelt of herbs, not plastic- which is obviously good news! The texture was surprisingly light for a night cream, almost gel-like it soaks straight into skin. The benefit of this is that skin is left soft and moisturised but not greasy with product overload. Because of the texture I would suggest this product would be good for oily skin.

Fake Bake @ Benefit

The celeb-fave fake tan, Fake Bake is now available as a spray tan treatment at Benefit Boutiques nationwide. Priced £25 for a full body spray, not bad to get glowing in no time.

I had to give this a quick mention as I am lucky enough to live about a five minute walk from one of Benefit's fabulous Boutiques and personally- I'm delighted to see their treatment selection growing.

Getting Naked again....

If you read beautyjunkielondon regularly then you will have read my post on Clinique Sparkle Skin, which is an amazing product, but not cheap- it is good value for money but sometimes it's just a fact of life that no matter how much value for money a product is, you just need to find a cheaper option.

Well, in my extensive product testing I have come across a good alternative- Naked Bodycare Sea Minerals Body Renewing Scrub (£8.80 for 500g). The refreshing scent offers a similar cooling sensation to the menthol of the Sparkle Skin and the tightly-packed scrub does a good job of sloughing off dead skin, leaving you glowing.

Now, don't get me wrong- I'm not saying this is a like-for-like replacement but it is an excellent credit crunch-friendly scrub, that smells good and comes in a huge tub so will last for ages. Not bad for £8.80?

Quick post: Slendertone, progress so far....

I have been lucky enough to be given a Slendertone Abs System machine to test out, and review on Beautyjunkielondon.

So far I have been testing out the Slendertone for three weeks now (so I am half way through the suggested six-week programme) and thought I would do a quick post on the progress.

Firstly, the electrical impulses don't hurt- but they do tingle and then you feel your muscles engage, it just feels like when you are doing a sit-up (but without the effort). I will go into more detail on things like the programmes and intensity levels on the main review post.

So far, three weeks in and so far I am thoroughly impressed. My stomach definitely feels more toned, although I do have some way to go before I am beach ready... check back for the full report in three weeks!

Wonders of Wahanda

The wonders of the Internet never ceases to amaze me. One amazing website I fairly recently discovered is Wahanda, packed full of health and beauty offers for all over the UK. I took full advantage of one of these offers this Sunday, when I went along to Destination Skin in House of Fraser, Westfield for a skin consultation and freebie facial- worth a whopping £90, this was a bargain.

The facial was based around the application of a gentle acid peel (alpha-hydroxy acid) to remove dead skin and leave skin looking fresh and glowing. I have fairly sensitive skin, so it did tingle and leave my skin quite pink but the lovely therapist applied a layer of skin-healing cover-up so I could walk around the shops without looking strange.

My skin looks and feels fantastic today so I would recommend making the most of the offer, which run till July 31st- visit wahanda for more information.

ELF Studio

I haven't been this excited about a new make-up launch in quite some time, let alone this excited for a launch of a range which average price is less than £5 but E.L.F's new Studio range really does get my heart racing!

I have been a fan of E.L.F.'s current range of products for some time, I think they are amazing value for money- great quality for such a cheap price. With the launch of the new Studio range at the end of this month I really think the brand could explode in popularity, my only concern is that the prices might go up now that everyone knows about it!

I have been trialing the blush/bronze duo compact, which is a dead-ringer for a similar (and far more expensive) Nars product. A neatly packaged compact with both blusher and bronzer that can be used separately for different effects, or if you swirl a big fat kabuki brush over both shades you can achieve a nice healthy sun-kissed glow. Both shades contain a hint of subtle shimmer, so both sides compliment each other. The texture is fine, with high levels of pigmentation so a light swirl of the brush picks up a decent amount of colour. The compact is slick and contains a nicely sized mirror for on-the-go application.

The colours are darker than they appear in the picture though (will try and get a twitpic up to show you what I mean) but still, definitely worth forking out a whopping £3.50 for.... but remember, the danger with the E.L.F. site is that there is no way you can stop at just one product.

Next on my list are the gorgeous looking skin perfecting powder... the multi-shade bronzer...the under-eye concealer/highlighter... the concealer pencil........the list could go on and on, but I don't want to bore you. When the range launches you will be able to find me at the nearest computer, filling my virtual shopping bag!

To see a twitpic of the blush/bronze duo click here

17 relaunched

Boots recently re-launched it's 17 make-up range, and not just the packaging either- they re-vamped the formulas and shades too. This is a pleasant surprise as I am often sceptical of re-launches as they all-to-often extend to the just the packaging and not the contents.

My personal history with 17 goes back to my early teens, when 17 was one of the make-up brands I started out experimenting with. I spent my pocket money on (to be frank, hideous) shades of lipstick before I had any idea of what suited me, or how to apply make-up. But, if it wasn't for 17 I wouldn't be here today, writing about make-up and still obsessing over shades, formulas and textures....

Having now tested out a few of the re-launched 17 products there are a couple that I think are particularly note-worthy. Firstly, the Skin Perfecting Shine-Free Foundation SPF 12 (£5.49 for 30ml) The texture is light, absorbs easily and leaves skin with the ideal mixture of matte and glow- I was really impressed with the results of such a bargain foundation. I am also pleased to see that the foundation contains SPF, as it's really fantastic to instill good skin protection from the very first point of experimenting with make-up.

The other product I have been impressed with is the VaVaVoom Volumising Mascara (launched 15th July) available in a wide range of shades, from natural-looking Brown/Black to Aqua and Electric Blue this mascara is ideal if you are looking to go natural or something a little funkier. The big fat brush helps to deliver a good, even coating on lashes that you can build as many layers as you like without clumps. To get a really natural look then one or two coats is enough but it's worth building them for full effect- go for three or four if you really want the most impact.

17 is available from Boots.

The epitome of glamour: The Saturdays front Tampax Pearl campaign

Just read a press release announcing girl band, The Saturdays becoming the faces of Tampax Pearl.... they must really feel they have hit the big time now!

Is it just me, or are there somethings that you just cant make glamorous- no matter how hard you try?

Tried and tested: Tinted Moisturisers

I tend to switch to a lighter make-up routine for the Summer months in an attempt to pull off the 'natural and glowing' look, without having to resort to inches of make-up. The foundation for a minimal make-up routine is tinted moisturiser, to replace a normal foundation or alternative heavier base. Over the past few weeks I have been testing out a selection to bring you some feedback on some of the formulas available on the market at the moment.

To narrow down the judgement process for the moisturisers I have been testing I have split the 'testing criteria' into three categories:

Texture: how does it feel? Light/greasy/smooth....

Coverage: How effective is the coverage? Does it leave skin even?

Moisturisability: This is the category I used for my body butter testing, and seems ideal for tinted moisturisers too. Does it leave skin soft and moisturised? Still dry? Or too shiny?

For each of the above I have rated the following products out of 10, with a brief description of why I have given it that rating.

Vie at Home Sheer Protection SPF 15 Tinted Moisturiser (in light) £3.67 for 30ml

Texture: This tinted moisturiser has a really light and smooth texture and melts smoothly into skin. 9/10

Coverage: Fairly light coverage, but does leave skin even which is ideal for a tinted moisturiser. 8/10

Moisturisability: Left skin feeling moisturised all day, although did need a dusting of powder to remove a little excess shin later in the day. 8/10

No 7 Dual Protection Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 (in medium) £10.50 for 50ml

Texture: I would probably describe this texture as 'medium', not as light as would expect a tinted moisturiser but not as heavy as foundation. Would suit more mature skin looking for a light summer base. 7/10

Coverage:The slightly thicker texture than the other formulas means it does offer more coverage, so this is good if you have slightly problem skin or want to conceal fine lines. 7/10

Moisturisability: Skin felt well moisturised and didn't need to mop up shine. 9/10

Perricone MD Cosmeceuticals Active Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 (in light) £49 for 50ml

Texture: Like the No 7, this had a thicker texture than I am used to for tinted moisturisers. 6/10

Coverage: Good coverage, left skin even and with a healthy 'glow', rather than a sheen. 8/10

Moisturisability: Really moisturising at first, but as the day wore on I felt like my skin was dryer, but it didn't leave skin shiny so this would be a good alternative if you have oily skin and want something lighter for summer. 7/10

Guinot Institut Paris Tinted Moisturiser (in golden) £34 for 30ml

Texture: The texture of this one was fluid and light, and felt like I was barely wearing make-up. 9/10

Coverage: Despite the deceptively light texture the coverage was pretty good. The 'golden' shade meant meant I could skip bronzer and left me looking healthy and sunkissed. Perfect for a summer holiday- this one is coming away with me! 9/10

Moisturisability: Skin felt soft and smooth, with no sheen all day long. Ideal. 10/10

Of course, this review only covers the four that I have tested- do you have a favorite? What other brands would you recommend?

Post comments below for your personal recommendations.

For a twit pic of the packaging for each of the above, click here.

Anatomicals Deep Conditioning Hair Pack

As a sucker for cute packaging, I can't help but love the Anatomicals range. The packaging is simple and fun and doesn't take it's self too seriously: especially with the tag line "we only want you for your body".

Last night I decided to have a lovely long pampering session, with face masks, hair masks, home pedi etc...credit-crunch luxury. As part of my home-spa I tested out the Anatomicals Deep Conditioning Hair Pack, which has left my hair smooth, bouncy and glossy- I love it!

I was a bit surprised how liquid the conditioner is as most hair masks are quite thick in texture to make sure it 'clings' to hair, but the Anatomicals one is really fluid. It smells luscious and soaks straight into hair. Having left it on for about 10 minutes it rinsed out easily.

I went to bed with wet hair and let it dry over night and this morning have woken up with smooth, glossy hair that is surprisingly bouncy when normally my hair is flat and lifeless after sleeping on it- I am very impressed, and plan to stock-pile the sachets for regular hair-boosting emergencies.

On the website you can get 6x15ml sachets for £5- bargain. If you are a social-networking nerd like me you can follow anatomicals on twitter (@anatomicals) and become a fan on facebook.

Want the look festival pack competition

One of my favorite places to stock up on beauty goodies, Wantthelook (www.wantthelook.com) is running a fab competition to offer one lucky person the chance to win a fabulous Festival Pack worth over £240!

This pack includes a 120GB iPod Classic and a Summer Festival pack of hair and beauty goodies, including - Tigi Rockaholic Dirty Secret, Dermalogica Wipes, Redken Wool Shake, Tigi Bed Head Eyes Love It Mascara & Tigi Bed Head Dumb Blond Lip Gloss. Everything you could need to stay looking glam at a festival.

The competition closes on 5th August '09 and you don't need to buy anything to enter!

All you have to do is go to the wantthelook site (http://www.wantthelook.com/competition/) and answer the following easy-peasy question:

In which month is the Summer festival Glastonbury held?

• February
• June
• November

Fill out you name and email address and you could be the lucky winner! There are five runner up prizes up for grabs as well, so even more chances to win!

Cult product: Clinique Sparkle Skin Body Scrub

In the vast world of beauty products there are a few that stand out from the crowd and perform well enough that they earn the status of 'cult product'. Only a select few are really deserving of the prestigious status based on their consistently effective performance and results, yet there are many pretenders who claim to be a 'cult product' in the hope that the label will stick.

One product that truly deserves the label is Clinique's Sparkle Skin Body Scrub. Scrub products tend to vastly vary in quality and the results they offer, with a range of textures from sparse chunks in shower gel, to particle-packed sugar scrubs in oily formulas which will have varied effects on different skin types but wont work for all. But I challenge anyone to try the Sparkle Skin and not be left feeling soft, smooth and refreshed.

The texture is ideal for a really effective scrub- packed with small particles in a thick, creamy base. The thick base means the scrub can be used easily in the shower without being washed away (as can happen with more fluid bases). The small particles are rough enough to slough off dead skin cells without damaging the healthy layer. Sparkle Skin also has a minty/menthol scent that really refreshes and keeps skin feeling cool. I started testing this product out last week during the heat-wave that hit London and the cooling effect was just what I needed.

One of the great things about this product is that it actually represents really good value for money- at £18 for 250ml it doesn't seem so, but having used this regularly for about a week and half I have barely made a dent in the large tub and I am confident that the scrub will last for months. Because the scrub is really effective so you don't need to use huge handfuls to get the results you need, a little goes a long way so for cost-per-use, this scrub is fab.

So, what do you think of Clinique Sparkle Skin? Have you got a favorite body scrub- what is it and why? What products do you think deserve 'cult' status? Comment below!

Mineral Make-up: Proto-Col

The trend for mineral make-up continues, with every brand launching their own mineral line to varying success. I have tried a few different mineral foundations, both powder and minerals and can vouch for the fact that there is a huge range in the texture, quality and results of different formulations.

The most recent testing experience I have had is with Proto-Col's mineral starter kit (£34.20 from the website). The starter kit is the ideal way to test out different ways of using mineral shades in ways other than just as foundation. The kit comes with a foundation (available in four shades), a blusher (in Rose or Cinnamon) a finishing powder and best of all- a fabulous kabuki brush to apply it all with.

Proto-Col's formulas are the finest-ground powder minerals I have tried, especially the finishing powder. Using a kabuki brush to apply the minerals is the best way to get an even and glowing complexion. As the starter kit pots are quite small this was a little awkward as the pots are smaller than the brush so it was a little fiddly to load the brush with enough product to get the desired amount of coverage. I found tapping the product into the lids made this easier.

My favorite piece in the kit is the mineral finishing powder and have taken to using this as a finisher to other bases as helps to 'set' make-up, leaving skin semi-matte and even. The kabuki brush that is part of the set is also really useful for applying bronzer, so well worth the investment just for that!

Summer is the ideal time to start testing out mineral make-up as it lets skin breathe and helps to keep skin from becoming an oil slick in the heat.

The scent of a teenager....Impulse Romantic Spark

Impulse was one of the brands that I took my first foray into the world of beauty with, so I will always have fond memories of it's scent.

Romantic Spark is the newest scent in the range but despite this, one spritz and the memory-evoking scent still brings back images from my teenage years and in the blink of an eye I smell like I am 13 again.

The smell isn't at all offensive, with a mixture of wild violet and 'white wood' Romantic Spark smells really sweet and young. The smell is fresh and would be a good bargain (only £1.74 from most shops, and only £1 at Tesco till 15/07) for freshening up your self and your tent in festival season.

Having tested out Romantic Spark the conclusion I have come to is that your sense of smell changes and develops over time, and I will just have to face the fact that I am not a teenager anymore.

Institut Esthederm Bronz Repair

Institut Esherderm is a top-end skin care brand which includes a range of specialist sun protection products. One of the unusual aspects of this range is that it doesn't include SPF ratings in the packaging, instead the products are labeled according to the intensity of sun they offer protection against (normal/strong/extreme).

The Bronze Repair product I have been testing offers protection against extreme sun, with the added bonus of being packed with skin-repairing formulas to help prevent aging. Available for £29.00 from Selfridges, London this is not cheap sun protection, but if you spend a significant amount of time in strong or above sun then for the sake of your skin it is worth investing in a high-level skin protector.

The texture of this lotion is light and absorbs really easily leaving skin soft but not too greasy. the smell is fairly non-descript. The sleek shimmering orange tube is pretty and small enough to carry in a beach bag. As this only comes in a small tube it is probably best saved for the face which (as is always exposed) needs the greatest level of protection.

Neutrogena Wave: Review

The Neutrogena Wave is something I have been curious about for some time. My sensible head tells me it is a gimmick, but my sucker-for-advertising head tells me it is amazing and needs to be tried.

Having now tried it out I am of a bit of a mixed opinion of the Wave. On one hand I think it does a good job of thoroughly cleansing skin, with disposable soap pads that are discarded after each use. On the other hand I don't really feel the vibrations added anything to the cleansing process.

But bravo to Neutrogena for an excellent gimmick! Worth a try for a daily cleansing routine that is more thorough than face wipes, but just about as easy, just don't expect miracles.

Silky Mit: Review

Silkymit is a product I have always been curious about- having seen it in the shops since I was in my early teens (and first became interested/curious about removing hair). I wondered how something that essentially resembled sandpaper could effectively remove hair. I assume it must be fairly effective as it is still available in shops today (with the same dated looking packaging) so I decided to give it a try and bought one from a Savers store this week, at the bargain price of just over £1.

The packet contains three 'silkymits' which, as mentioned above, can only be described as find sand paper in loops that you slip your hand in before gently rubbing in a circular motion across areas where you want to remove hair. I decided to try this on my forearms, which I have always felt are a bit too hairy (albeit fine and blonde hair). It felt like it took a while for the process to get going, initially feeling like it wasn't doing anything, but then I realised that an area of my arm was now smooth and hair-free so I persisted.

Having now completed the hair removal on both forearms I am left with wonderfully smooth (the silkymit exfoliates too) and pretty much hair-free arms. I say pretty much as it has left some 'downy' hair behind so the overall effect is natural.

I stick by my assertion that the silkymit is just glorified sand paper though, as immediately after using them my arms felt like they had been sunburned with one of them still feeling sensitive today. So if you are planning to use this product do so with caution, be gentle to avoid sanding off the top layer of your skin.

To soothe my sensitive post-silkymit skin, I used Vaseline Aloe Fresh to moisturise and cool skin.

***UPDATE*** (10/07/09)

Following using this last Friday I have decided to definately NOT try silkmit again, the 'sanding' that left my skin raw and sensitive has meant that for the last week my skin has become dry, scaly and generally unpleasant despite repeated applications of my favorite moisturising body butter. Basically, I think that my skin was so damaged by the 'exfoliating' of the silkymit, that it has formed scabs as it trys to heal itself.

Sorry if that is too much information but want to make sure that others are aware of the results of using a silkymit. If I was you, stick to hair removal cream for the same results without the pain and gross-ness.

Arrogant Cat: fragrance launch

Fashion label Arrogant Cat, worn by everyone from Paris Hilton to Victoria Beckham is set to launch it's premier fragrances this September.

The fragrances have been designed by Firmenich to complement the attitude an image of an 'arrogant cat' woman. The fragrances are both called "I", to represent both the "I" as in individual, and the 'eye' of a cat- which explains the exquisite bottles, both designed to look like cats eyes.

The two fragrances individual names are 'Dawn' and 'Dusk' with their own distinct blue and red bottles. Obviously with names like 'Dawn' and 'Dusk' it is clear that they are designed for day and night.

What is unique about these two fragrances is that they have been designed to contain the same notes, but in different intensities to create different, yet similar effects. Containing orange and macadamia nut combined with hints of milk, lily, plum, cedar wood and vanilla each fragrance is a mixture of fresh citrus and modern musk.

Launched exclusively to Selfridges in September they will also be available in Arrogant Cat stores and launched to prestige fragrance stores nationwide (UK) from October. Both "I" fragrances will cost £69 each.

Clinique Almost Bronzer: Review

The gorgeous sunny days and pretty amazing heat wave that has hit London recently calls for a pared-down make-up routine as part of this I have been testing a series of tinted moisturisers (will post on this later) and some other goodies to give a sun-kissed and natural glow.

As I have previously mentioned, I have the naturally pale English complexion and struggle to get anywhere near a tan- even in the middle of summer, without the help of a bottle. With having pale skin it can also sometimes be hard to find a suitable bronzer that doesn't leave me looking grubby. So imagine my happiness when I was introduced to a fab product from Clinique-'almost bronzer' (£21.50).

The almost bronzer comes packaged in a cute little bronze compact that contains a mirror bronzer and brush that are neatly separated into layers to reduce mess and product waste when not in use. The bronzer is dual-toned with one pale and one slightly more bronze and available in different shade, I tried the '01 light/medium'. Both colours have fine gold flecks to add a subtle glow.

I applied the almost bronzer using a kabuki brush, rather than the brush that comes with the product as I find kabuki brushes are more effective for an all-over glow. The bronzing effect is beautifully subtle, literally looking just as 'sunkissed' as I would after a long weekend in the sun. The gold flecks are really subtle and not at all 'glittery' as some bronzers can be.

One of the best features of the almost bronzer is that it also contains SPF 15 so your skin is protected, although you should probably still use an all-over SPF.