Winter skin saviours

The combination of a long flight, the big freeze in the UK plus a cold has meant my skin has gone a bit bonkers and stupidly dry. So these are the beauty saviours I've been relying on to keep it under control.

This Herbalife Skin Activator Lip Refiner is creamy and does the job - it tastes of mint too, but not strong menthol - a nice herbal mint flavour. It really has been saving my chapped lips from being really painful. 

My next winter skin saviour is then Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil from Clarins. I have professed my love of oils for skin - as cleansers and as moisturisers. This one is an absolute God-send for dehydrated skin. I've been applying a few drops to my whole face and neck (and sometimes hands too). The initial feeling is ok, sometimes it feels like I might need an extra moisture boost. But I resist the urge, sleep and then in the morning my skin feels amazing - like it's been pumped full of moisturiser overnight. 

For those of you who are worried that using an oil will cause a break out, I've been using this on and off since December as a skin treat and every day for the past week as my skin has been quite dry and have had absolutely no issues with congestion or breakouts. If anything my skin has felt more balanced with fewer odd spots popping up than they normally would.

If you have dehydrated skin or it's suffering in the winter cold, I'd definitely suggest checking out skin oils to help. It really makes a difference.

PR samples.

Beauty box stand-out products: December 2011

Before I launch into this post, I'd like to ask your views on something... beauty boxes. Obviously there are a load of them on the market now, but I wanted to ask what you think of how I am thinking of writing about them. I'm keen not to do just a post on 'What's in my...' each month, but rather wait a bit, use the products and then pick my stand out ones for the month.

This is what I'm doing here, the products are from a couple of boxes (Glossy Box December and Jolie Box December) and will include pictures of what's in the box, but I don't really just want to list what was in them, I want to highlight my favourites - after I've had a bit of time to actually play with the products and see what I really think. 


Let me know what you think on this approach, if you just want to see what's in the box then I can still do that, but figured that if you read more than just this blog you're likely to have seen a few similar posts by the time mine goes up! For this review there will be the pictures of what's in each of the boxes, but I won't be going into detail about each product. For potential future posts, I might just focus on my favourite product?

Anyway, comment below and let me know what you think! And back to my picks of the December boxes...


Jolie Box:

First up, my pick from the December Jolie Box (previously Boudoir Prive) has to be the full sized OPI shatter polish in Gold.

I normally really don't like shatter polishes - but something about the gold really appealed. So I tried applying it on it's own rather than as a top coat, and a few coats later I had lovely sparkly gold nails, without a crack or shatter in sight. Throw on a top coat and it's fabulous! The gold does dry to a bit of a matte finish, so needs a top coat. But overall, I have a gorgeous gold (full sized) OPI. Happy days.

I should mention that on first impression, opening my Jolie Box,  I liked the New CID lip gloss as my stand-out product. But when I used it I realised the wand/brush bristles were all frayed and sticking out all over, so it made it a bit of a mess to apply. So whilst the colour is lovely, I prefer the sponge style wands for lip gloss application. So that made my decision for me, my standout is the OPI (but as an all over colour rather than shatter top coat).


Glossy Box

Onto the next box, the December Glossy Box - my pick from the box has to be the Rituals Yogi Flow Shower Mousse. I was going to go with the Deborah Lipman, but I can't always choose nail varnish!

I do have to slightly caveat this stand out product... there were also some lovely Blinc and Go make-up palettes in some people's December Glossy Boxes. I got to try these because I spent an afternoon filming a video with Glossy Box and loved them, there's a gorgeous neutrals/shimmering metallic palette that's absolutely lovely. But I can't technically include it as my pick as it wasn't in my box!

So based on those decision making factors, my favourite is the shower mousse, I tried another of the Rituals mousses a month or so ago and loved it, and this one smells just as amazing - so I was very happy to find a lovely full sized one in my Glossy Box.

So there we have it... my stand out products of December 2011 beauty boxes:

Jolie Box December: OPI Gold Shatter Polish
Glossy Box December: Rituals Yogi Flow Shower Foam

Along with the products I loved, I should very quickly mention the ones I'd skip...  for Jolie Box it has to be the tea, I'm just not a tea-drinker and for Glossy Box it would be the shimmery Cargo lip gloss, just because I don't really like glitter in lip gloss. But as with any of these sample-delivery box things, there will always be ones you love and ones you are a bit 'meh' about!

Overall though, I was really impressed with the contents for both boxes this month... as always, curious to see what they include next! The surprise of opening them has to be the most exciting part of a beauty box delivery!


Both boxes were PR samples.

Topshop Parma Violet: NOTD

My first NOTD of 2012 wasn't exactly a traditional winter colour, but it is an absolutely one of my favourites. This is the lovely 'Parma Violet' from Topshop - a lovely little pale lilac.

I've said this before, but I love the Topshop packaging - cute but not in your face girly.

 I've also included the two other nail products I am loving at the moment - the No7 Base Coat does a great job of smoothing before application and staying. The other one I was using (think it was just a generic Boots one) was pretty rubbish and kept peeling. But this one works really well and is great value (especially if bought with the £5 vouchers).

The other one is Nailene Acrylic Strong Top Coat - creates a gorgeously glossy top coat that really lasts, staying glossy and keeps its fab (the green tinge doesn't seem to make any difference to the colour).

I was thinking about nail care stuff, I have quite a selection of products to try and keep my nails healthy as I've always suffered from dry hands and cuticles - so maybe I should do a post on what I've used, liked and what's not worked for me.

Natural Light

If you have any recommendations for nail or cuticle care products please let me know, it's a bit of an obsession for me!


All bought by me.

Bobbi Brown Christmas 2011

Bobbi Brown became one of my first high-end make-up items, when I was a teenager and my Aunty bought me a Bobbie Brown Shimmer Brick as a Christmas present - MAJOR brownie points for Aunty. Ever since then I've always had a bit of thing for all things Bobbi (and I still have that shimmer brick).

This year for Christmas, Bobbie Brown has some new slick packaging and some gorgeous products for the Christmas season and here's a little peek at them... 

A gorgeous silver and gold highlighter palette with party-worthy design.

A tiny little has-everything you need compact
(The £2 coin is to illustrate how small it is)

Inside there are two lip shades and a lip gloss.
Although I guess the lip shades could also be blushers...

On the second level of the palette there are three lovely eyeshadow shades
Silver, Purple and Purple-black.

There's also a small mirror in the lid and the lipgloss slots in nicely so it's easy to carry.

A gorgeous neutrals palette - very slim and nicely portable.

Dual Ended Eye Liner with black and silver

Swatches of the black and silver liner - the black is lovely and glossy.

That's just a sneak peak - I love the neutrals palette (as I would...so predictable) and the highlighter is gorgeous, but I'm interested to see how the gold and silver work on the skin together...

The little portable palette is amazing for it's size - very pretty colours (I like that it's purple shades of eye-shadow rather than typical smoky grey) and the lip colours are nice but a bit on the dark side for me. How amazing would it be if you could pick and mix a palette that was that size!?

Will report back again with swatches!

PR samples.

Festive TV ads

Earlier this week I went along for a preview of the new Boots Christmas ad. You would think that the preview of a new TV ad was pretty much a 'meh' affair, but no lie - I loved it. Partly because it makes me feel a little bit festive, even when the weather outside still feels almost as warm as it was in Summer...

But there were two moments in the ad that actually made me laugh out loud, have a watch and let me know what you think...



I wish I had James-Bond-esque sound effects for when I apply my perfume...

New Revlon...

More new bits that will be hitting the shelves of Boots/Superdrug near you soon...this time there are some really exciting bits coming soon from Revlon...

Gorgeous colours from the Christmas collection:

Gold Coin - is a smooth, shimmering light gold that applies like a dream. Two coats and it was smooth and opaque. I love the idea of gold nails with a purple 'accent' nail....

Facets of Fuchsia - something a bit different from Revlon, it has 'flakie' bits of purple glitter rather than little chunks there are pieces of glitter in lots of different sizes. This took about 2-3 coats to get the black base looking suitably thick. The purple glitter flakes do mean the finish isn't perfectly smooth and could definitely benefit from a top coat to smooth it over.

Another newbie that caught my eye from Revlon was the new Grow Luscious Eyeliners, there are three shades -brown. black and this shimmering 'Emerald' shade. I was already interested in these as I really love the original Grow Luscious mascara, the eyeliner has similar 'lash growth enhancing' type of ingredients which is lovely but it's actually the stunning colour - plus, once it's set this thing doesn't smudge unless rubbed really hard (and why would you do that?!)

PR samples.

Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude, Vera Wang Lovestruck and Daisy Oh So Fresh

It feels a little like this week has been all about fragrances for me... I think it's because it's 'Christmas in July' season, where I feel like everyone is wishing the Summer away so we can eat mince pies and curl up in front of the fire and fragrance is pretty much as important to Christmas as Santa is.

To be honest, I don't love the whole 'Christmas' thing in the middle of Summer... I'm still catching up with emails from two weeks ago - let alone thinking six months in advance. But that's a whole other thing.

So that being said, I'm quite happy with a couple of the discoveries I have made this week. 

Firstly, Estee Lauder's latest fragrance in the 'Sensuous' collection - 'Sensuous Nude'. It's best described as a clean, fresh fragrance, it's a fragrance that captures the whole romanticised image of slipping on a man's clean shirt and looking all sexy and tousled but smelling good at the same time. It has something powdery and fresh, but also really feminine. It's grown up without being old and I really, really, like it.

Next up I spotted a couple of fragrance gift sets from Coty that I think are worth a mention...

Firstly, the Marc Jacobs Daisy Oh So Fresh Xmas Set. I beyond adore this fragrance,  it's definitely my current number one perfume love. The Christmas gift set has the added bonus of a teeny tiny bottle of Daisy Oh So Fresh... and yes, simple as that, I'm won over. I like tiny things, especially if they smell good. Look at it, it's so cute!

At the Coty event I also got the chance to have a whiff of Vera Wang Lovestruck for the first time - the fragrance fronted by Leighton Meester of Gossip Girl (my favourite guilty pleasure).

I expected to smell something young, sweet and sickly. But instead I smelt something a little more grown up, not predictable and really nice. It's another fresh, but floral fragrance, I like it and want to give it another sniff to see if I like it as much as I think I do.  It doesn't hurt that the bottle is really pretty too.

Anyone else as easily won over by tiny things as me? Or have you smelt any of these fragrances, what did you think?

Sample of Sensuous Nude provided for PR purposes. Other products were previewed/sniffed at events.

Sponsored Post: Nivea Pure and Natural Range

This is a sponsored post


For the past month, I have been trying out the range of new products from the Nivea Pure and Naturals Range. I'm a bit rubbish when it comes to natural/organic/eco friendly type products, I don't really pay all that much attention and basically choose products based on how well they work rather than if they are 99% natural and all that. Not that I'm against natural products at all, I just don't find that it influences my choice of product at all.

Anyway, as I said I judge products on if they work or not. So it's with that in mind that I will be judging these products!

So as I mentioned, Nivea has a new range called Pure and Naturals that contain at least 95% all natural ingredients. In the range there are the following:

- Intensive Body Moisturiser
- Lip Balm
- Hand Cream
- Toner
- Anti-ageing day cream

I will do a quick round up of each but the two stand out products for me are the Intensive Body Moisuriser and the Day Cream. The others are ok, but didn't impress me all that much nothing in particular wrong with them at all but they didn't grab my attention in the same way as the body lotion and day cream.

The Body Moisturiser is the definite number one product from the range for me - I absolutely love it. It's so moisturising but really light weight. It soaks straight into skin, leaving it completely quenched but with no residue at all. It delivers the same sort of moisturising boost as a body butter but feels so much lighter.

The Day Cream was a 'grower' for me, I wasn't keen at first but over the last few weeks I've come around to it and have now decided I really like it. It's very moisturising and could be too heavy for some people but I have found this really good for my dry winter skin. My only criticism of this skin cream is that as a day cream I really think it should have at least SPF15. But there is no sun protection at all - which is a shame. I plan to continue using this as a night cream instead of day and replacing with a SPF containing cream for day.

One of the reasons this one took a little while to grow on me was the smell - and this will probably not make any sense, as it is the same scent as the body lotion - but I wasn't keen on it at all. I think I found it over powering being that near to the nose! But as I said, it grew on me and I actually quite like it now.

These were the two standouts for me, the other products are ok but I wouldn't in general re-purchase them. In particular I wasn't keen on the lipbalm as I don't like the 'milk and honey' smell/taste.  The hand cream is nice, moisturising and not too heavy but I don't really have anything else to add!

I would consider re-purchasing the toner however as it is really refreshing without being drying (in fact, it actually feels quite moisturising) the only reason I might not is because I don't feel that toner is an essential part of my personal routine and I don't want to overload my skin with un-necessary products. That said, if you like toner and want one that isn't drying - then this is a good product.

There we have my thoughts on the Nivea Pure and Natrual range. Definite stand out is the body moisturiser that I will 100% be repurchasing. Highly recommend if you have dry or very dry skin but don't like heavy products.


I'd love to know what your views are on natural products? Do you look for natural properties in beauty products you buy?


For more information go to www.nivea.co.uk 


**The Small Print**
This is a sponsored post via Handpicked Media.

One for the boys

Boys smell. The best way to stop them doing this is to follow these two steps:

1. Hide beer in the shower.
2. Buy them boy smellys for crimbo and birthdays.



Ok, so I am being somewhat tongue in cheek here, but every Christmas or birthday I can be safe in the knowledge that I will be able to find some sort of smelly to buy if my imagination for presents otherwise fails me. For example, last year I purchased Paco Rabanne 1 Million for the boyfriend. Hunting high and low for the gold bar gift set (basically the same as the normal bottle, but in a giant gold bar with a shower gel for about the same price as the normal bottle). Went down a treat.

This year the boyfriend has accumulated a few fragrances that he appears to be loving that I thought I would share with you in case you are looking for boy-present ideas. I'm not great at describing male fragrances so I am going to go all 'nose' on you and use the top/heart/base note descriptions to try give you an idea of what they smell like.

Marc Jacobs Bang

Love the ad for this (a naked Marc Jacobs) and the bottle (a chrome coloured thing that looks like it's been punched). The smell is a bit different than the usual male fragrance, with quite a peppery scent. Explained when I looked up the notes... top notes are pink pepper and pepper, heart notes are masculine woods, Elemi Resinoid (whatever the heck that is) and Benzoin (sounds like a type of medication) and base notes of vetyver, white moss and patchouli. Described as a 'peppery, woody spicy' fragrance, I'd certainly agree with the peppery.

Davidoff Champion

Another clever bottle, it looks like a dumbbell. Described as a fresh fragrance with top notes of zestful bergamot and lemon, heart notes of energising galbanum essence and aromatic clary sage plus base notes of cedarwood, durable oak moss allure... (not sure what the durable oak moss allure thing is, never been really that 'allured' by moss....)

Saying that, this is the smell that makes me go 'Mmm' the most - so my personal favourite of this post selection. This one has that special something that would male me shamelessly stalk a man wearing it, just to sniff him. Which is why it's a good job that man wearing it is my boyfriend.

Beckham Intimately Yours For Men

I was surprised, when given a selection of fragrances to play with this was the first one the boy went for. He's not a big Beckham fan or remotely interested in any sort of 'celeb' endorsement - so I was a bit bemused. Must be the smell?! This one is described as a citrus scent, with top notes of blood mandarin, crushed leaves and frozen lemon, heart notes of lavender, absolute sage and frozen basil and base notes of tonka beans, sandalwood and vetiver. I have no idea what vetiver is but I take this as a generally citrus scent, but with a few manly bits (sandalwood) thrown in to 'grrr' it up a bit.

The plus side of this one is that whilst I was reading up on the various notes, I spotted that there is a gift set available for under £20 from Boots. Bargain.

Emporio Armani Diamonds for Men

A 'woody' scent, apparently - this one has top notes of bergamot, guaiac wood, heart notes of vetiver, cedarwood, sichuan pepper and base notes of cacao and amber. I have this on my wrist as I type can smell something a bit powdery fresh about this one, but in a manly way - not a flowery female way although having said that - I'm wearing it and quite like it.... maybe could be a joint present?

Paco Rabanne 1 Million

Apparently this is a 'spicy' fragrance - top notes of blood mandarin and peppermint, heart notes of spicy masculine flower with rose and musk, base notes of sensual leather with amber and leather. I don't really get the 'spicy' thing with this, and if I was guessing I would have said there was sandalwood in there somewhere - but I'm not a nose so what do I know. All I know is that the boyfriend loves this one and wanted it again for this Christmas. It's probably partly because it's the closest to owning a gold bar he can get...

So there we have a bit of a round up of male fragrances. Apologies if the 'notes' thing is all gibberish - I thought it was the best way to describe the fragrances as my descriptions tend to be a bit silly (I described shea butter as reminding me of bananas recently...).

Also, and I hope the boyfriend doesn't read my blog any time soon. But this is a rather fabulous gift if your not 100% sure which fragrance the smelly boy in your life might like? I picked this set of 4x 15ml fragrances from the Ralph Lauren Big Pony Collection up from Boots for £28. Bargain. Plus, being the girl I am - I like the cute mini-sized bottles.

**The Small Print**
Paco Rabanne & Ralph Lauren Big Pony collection bought by me, other fragrances provided by PR.

Bio Oil: Review

Bio Oil isn't a new product by any means, but up until now it's not one that I had tried. I know loads of people absolutely swear by this and I can see why - I have loved this as a night treatment, especially around my often-dehydrated eye area.

It smells quite floral, so if you can give it a sniff before purchasing then I advise you do - as if you're anything like me, then the prospect of applying something that you don't like the smell of close to your nose will be a deal breaker for you.

I can't say how it's worked for scars/stretch marks/uneven skin tone/ageing skin as I haven't given it long enough or tried treating any of those concerns. But I can say that it works a treat on dehydrated skin. Love it.

I've been using it over night have have had no problems with greasy marks on pillow and suchlike, in case you are wondering.

Price wise, you can get Bio Oil for as little as £3.99 online (lowest price I found at a quick look)


**The Small Print**
PR sample.

Palmer's Body Butter: Shea Butter

I tweeted about this product when I first used it a couple of weeks ago, from first use I was really impressed. I love how moisturising it is (duh, it's a body butter...) but how it doesn't feel as thick and heavy as some body butters can do.

It applies so easily, melting into skin so easily making it feel seriously pampered and lovely. But not with a greasy residue, just baby soft skin.

I love the smell of this product - it is Shea Butter so I'm sure to most people it smells like but for some bizarre reason to me it really reminds me of banana. I know, that's odd and probably wont be something that anyone else finds at all - but as I'm always totally 100% honest I had to put it in there... even if that makes me appear a little 'nasally challenged/crazy'.

There are three more body butters in the range from Palmer's (Olive, Coconut and Cocoa) and will be trying these out over the coming weeks - although it will be a challenge to pull me away from this one as I'm loving it.

The Palmer's Body Butters cost £5.99 for 170g. from Boots/Superdrug/other shops.


**The Small Print**
PR sample.

Current moisturisers: No7 and Skin Doctors

Yet again I have been mixing up my skin care by changing my moisturisers (I have been using mostly Dermalogica for the past few months pretty consistently) and I'm currently using Skin Doctors Supermoist SPF30 (for daytime) and No7 Protect and Perfect Intense Night.

I'm really enjoying using both of these and have had no adverse reactions at all. Both feel lovely to apply and absorb easily and leave my skin quenched.

The Skin Doctors Supermoist leaves my skin mositurised but not greasy - which is my ultimate problem when it comes to finding a daytime moisturiser that has SPF but doesn't make my skin greasy. I don't know why but it's taken me AGES to dig this moisturiser out of the 'to test' pile - I've probably had it sitting around for close to a year (bad beauty blogger) but finally I did and I'm loving it. It's made me very curious to try more from the Skin Doctors Range - they seem to do a good range of products that aren't flashy, but do the job. Just my sort of thing. If you have tried anything from the range that is worth checking out, let me know!?

The No7 Protect and Perfect Intense is another one that I normally pass my mum's way, but I wanted something a bit more hardcore for winter so tried it out and love it. It is heavier (as a night cream usually is) but absorbs easily and has a very distinct fragrance that just makes me think of Boots Soltan... maybe just me though! I love how pampered my skin feels in the morning after using this. I would say that this is quite a heavy duty moisturiser, but I love it. It really helped this past week when I had a cold and my nose did that charming winter crusty thing. Two nights of this cream and it had gone. Plus I like the idea it's fighting lines as I sleep too...

The Skin Doctors Supermoist costs £24.95 from LookFantastic.com

The No7 Protect and Perfect Night costs £22.50 from Boots.com


**The Small Print**
Both provided as PR samples for review.

SPONSORED POST: Vaseline Intensive Rescue + GIVEAWAY

SPONSORED POST

Way back in June 2009 I reviewed the Vaseline Intensive Rescue Body Butter i my 'Battle of the body butters' post. On my oh-so-scientific scoring system I gave it a 26/30 - not half bad. In fact, I'm told that Vaseline Intensive Rescue Moisture Locking Cream is clinically proven to provide twice as much moisture as E45 cream...and the whole Vaseline Intensive Rescue range is designed to provide instant relief and long-lasting care for very dry skin. Just what I need at the moment (as I type this I am very aware of how dry my hands are feeling).

So when the opportunity came up to offer a complete set of the Vaseline Intensive Rescue products (worth £25) to a reader PLUS a £50 voucher to use at a dry ski slope I thought that's a pretty decent idea....

I don't know about you, but my skin tends to go a little haywire as the temperature drops. My hands feel constantly dry, my scalp gets incredibly grumpy (more on this in a future post) and my skin goes all scaly and gross (not attractive). Around this time I always switch from a standard body lotion to something a bit more hardcore such as a body butter - partly for the moisturising properties, partly because they feel a bit more 'pampering' than just a normal lotion.

But as an added bonus I'm including a few winter skin tips from a real life skin expert. Below are some pointers from Vaseline Skincare Expert Atoshi Ghosal, with some advice on how to keep your skin from turning into a covering of scales.

• Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to keep your skin well hydrated. It is also good to eat a high-quality diet rich in fruits, vegetables, oily fish, nuts, seeds and limit sun exposure.

• Washing can make your skin more dry. Wash your face no more than twice a day with a gentle cleanser and take short baths or showers.

• Pat your skin dry after washing. Avoid rubbing yourself dry with a towel, which can whisk away the skin’s natural moisture barrier needed to keep your skin healthy during the cold winter months.

• Apply a good moisturiser while your skin is still damp. Choose one that contains ingredients that attract moisture to skin (humectants) and lock it in (occlusives).

• Aim for a comfortable level of humidity in your home or office. Too much heat or air-conditioning can rob your skin of moisture.

• Keep a hand cream like Vaseline Intensive Rescue Soothing Hand Cream, rrp, £2.99 in your handbag to use regularly.

I have to add that I think the best tip is the one about the hand cream. I know it seems obvious, but as someone who has old-lady looking hands thanks to pretty consistent dry skin, this is an absolute must have for me. Normally the hand creams and body versions are the same thing but in different packaging - so if you find a body moisturiser that works then the hand one will do too.

So, if you fancy not having a covering of scales this winter then you should probably enter the competition to win the complete Vaseline Intensive Rescue set plus a £50 voucher to be used at a dry ski slope (details of valid locations below).

TO WIN:

Post a comment below with the answer to the following question...(just for fun)

What is your winter skin essential and why?


The Prize Details:

One winner will receive the full Vaseline Intensive Rescue set worth around £25 plus a voucher for £50 for use at dry skiing facilities in either Milton Keynes, Castleford (nr Leeds) or Braehead (nr Glasgow). The voucher can be used for slope activities, the bar and the on site shop.

RULES:

One entry per person.
Must be a follower of the blog or leave a valid email address for me to contact, should you win.
Closing date: MIDNIGHT (GMT) 07/11/10
Winner will be chosen at random and contacted by me - if there is no response in 48 hours a new winner will be chosen.
If you are under 18 then check with a guardian that it's OK for you to enter.
You must answer the question above or else your entry will not be valid.
UK only - sorry!

**THE SMALL PRINT**
THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. TO READ MY POLICY ON SPONSORED POSTS PLEASE VISIT MY BLOGGING POLICY PAGE.

Estee Lauder Xmas 2010: Extravagant Gold Eyeshadow Compact

Estee Lauder have another gorgeous palette for the festive season. Full of gorgeous golds and neutral shades - perfect for crimbo.

The gold and dark shades are all really pigmented, the palest shade not so much - this one is a little chalkier and with a bit of glitter fall out. The dark colour is fantastic for adding a bit of definition and toning down the golden shades for daytime.

I love these shades but would always pair them with browns or other neutrals as on my skin tone they do a little too much on the yellow side. I find the two bronze shades easier and more flattering to use.

What do you think? There's also a stunning nail varnish that I will blog about soon - it's worth the wait, it's beautiful!


**The Small Print**
PR samples sent for review.

All I want this Christmas...

So, it's getting towards that festive time of year again... wish lists are growing and I am already salivating at the thought of stuffing my face with Turkey and roast potatoes.

But before we get to the big day, there's advent - traditionally counted down with a candle, or a paper calendar with windows that open. Or of course, my old favourite - the chocolate advent calendar.

That was, until I received an email about this little beauty. A present in itself, this advent calendar doesn't contain small chocolate treats - but each window reveals a new beauty treat. Including a mini Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara, a 30ml Kiehl's Creme De Corps and a mini YSL Rouge Pure Shine Lipstick...amongst many other goodies.

Ok, so it costs a few more pennies than the normal advent calendar (at £60) but I *really really* want one!

The calendar is available now at http://www.selfridges.com/ (do you reckon I have a hope if I send this link to the boyfriend...?!)

Currently loving: Blue Nails

Following my pedi & polish at The Chapel I have a renewed interest in painting my nails less 'normal' colours - especially blue. I have two blue shades, both from Mavala, that I was sent recently and have been um-ing and ah-ing over how I felt about them.

But post-Chapel I can't get enough - especially of the darker blue ('flashy violet') a gorgeous deep royal blue with purple undertones and a shimmer. I love it - I think blue nails are meant to be a bit of a trend at the moment - with a few people picking up on pictures of Lauren from 'The Hills' sporting the look. Not sure if she has been spotted with it recently or not, but either way - I love the look. I think it's a great transitional colour from Summer to Autumn - not that there has been much of a transition in London. I will be sporting dark nails on a regular basis from now on.

Flashy Violet - no flash

Flashy Violet - with flash

The paler blue is also a gorgeous colour, with a very pretty shimmer. But feels a bit more summery than the weather at the moment. If I was jetting off on a late Summer holiday I would definitely get more wear out of this - but as the sun has decided to leave us early I will save this one for next Spring and stick to the darker blue.

Aqua Blue - with flash

Aqua Blue - no flash

What do you think of blue nails?

The Mavala nail polishes cost £3.66 and are available in Debenhams.

On a little side note, I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love the mini bottles from Mavala, such an easy and affordable way to try out new colours! I've included an image of the rest of the Summer range below, in case blues aren't your thing.

**The Small Print**


PR samples for review.