Essie Carry On ~ Fall Mini Collection 2011

‘Carry On’ is the third in my series featuring the four shades in Essie’s Fall Mini Collection 2011. Incase you missed them, the first was Very Structured and the second, Lady Like.  Carry On is a blackened burgundy plum, which I adore.  It’s darker than I expected… in the bottle I didn’t expect it to be that much darker than Essie Angora Cardi (I’ll do a comparative post some time) but there’s a world of difference.

Like the first two shades I swatched, Carry On is much deeper in tone than it appears in the bottle.

This shot ^ was taken by the window (and highlights the less than perfection application, sorry about that!) but you can see that it’s a definite plum. 

Move away from the window just one metre ^ – and already it looks darker.

In the shade, above and below, it’s almost black, (looks the same in evening light) but I know it’s not – and I love it! To me this colour looks rich and glamorous and is 100% perfect for AW.  It’s also wonderful as an accent with any of the other shades and I know I’ll wear it a lot.

I try not to wear this on days when I visit my mum… to her, it would be black and she would thoroughly disapprove!  (She offered to buy me new jeans last week when I wore a distressed pair *sigh* bless her!).

Carry On is available as part of Essie’s Fall Mini Collection 2011 (4 x 5ml) at Beauty Bay for £11.95 inc UK p&p.

Any of you tempted to Carry On?

Essie Lady Like ~ Fall Mini Collection 2011

Lady Like is the second swatch in my Essie Fall Mini Collection 2011 series.  You can see my intro to the range and swatches of Very Structured here.

This is the second time I’ve done this post.  I painted my nails with Lady Like just before I started writing it this afternoon and as I composed all my lovely pics, glanced down at my nails and thought omg it looks like a totally different colour.  So I started again… took new pics and while these are still not 100%, they are a much closer representation of the shade, particularly the main pic above.

I wasn’t sure how this shade would look on, but I like it a lot.  It’s a dusky, mauve toned pink, but the pink tones are slightly deeper in real life than they appear photographed.  It’s a very gentle, easy to wear, yet stylish colour. Perfect for every day wear and more interesting than a standard nude or pale pink.

Above I’ve compared the pic I took today (left) with one of the originals (right) to show how it can look more lilac-grey toned in certain lights.  It is a shade warmer in real life and like I said earlier, the first pic above is the closest to reality. The accent nail above right is ‘Carry On’ from the same series, which I’ll be swatching next!

Lady Like is part of Essie’s Fall Mini Collection 2011, available at Beauty Bay for £11.95 with free p&p

Would you feel Lady Like in this shade?

 

Essie Fall Mini Collection 2011 ~ Very Structured

I couldn’t resist treating myself to the Essie Fall Collection after reading about it on British Beauty Blogger.  I do love gorgeously rich Autumnal nails and these colours fitted the bill perfectly.  Plus the shades are named after handbag styles: Carry On, Lady Like, Very Structured and Power Clutch…  how could I resist?

• Carry On - dark blackened burgundy
• Lady Like - dusky mauve toned pale pink
• Very Structured - rusty tan
• Power Clutch - dark dusky green

I was going to include them all in one post but as it would be very pic heavy I’ve decided to split it into the four shades.

First up is the colour I expected to like the least. In fact I thought there was no chance I’d even wear it and only applied it for the swatches. Ironically, I think it may be my favourite!

Very Structured

This looks like an ginger toned rust in the bottle, a colour I hate. This comes from being forced to wear rust a lot while growing up, as no doubt other redheads have experienced.  Thick rust cords, a cream jumper and a body warmer. Hair tonged into a page boy. Yuck!  I know this colour is very in this season, but these are my memories of it – and hence my assumed hate of this polish. 

So how happy was I to discover that it actually looks like little glossy milk chocolate drops on my finger tips! Look…

To me it literally looks like I’ve dipped my fingertips in a chocolate fondue!  This polish is deliciously glossy and pigmented and I could almost have got away with one coat, though did apply two. I also used Orly Top2Bottom as a topcoat for a little extra shine, though it wasn’t really necessary.

The one issue I did have was with application. Perhaps it was just a mini brush on these mini bottles, but it took quite a bit of effort to apply with precision and I know it’s still not perfect.  Have any of you had the same issues with Essie?

These last two pics show the polish in the shade, where it still looks very shiny and slightly deeper in colour. In the evening light it looks a little darker but still a very definite brown and very glamorous – I had lots of compliments when I wore it out last weekend.

The colour reminds me of the milk chocolate shade from Nubar’s Chocolate Collection, which I bought in Swiss Chocolate, a dark bitter chocolate shade that I adore.

The accent nail in these swatches is the Lady Like shade, just to give you a little teaser - and because I love pink and brown together!

I bought this set from Beauty Bay for £11.95 with free delivery. Each bottle contains 5ml.

So what do you think… you like Very Structured? Do you have the Essie Fall Collection and if so, what’s your favourite?

Purity Organic Skincare

Purity Organic Skincare includes a wide range of purse-friendly, environmentally-friendly and skin-friendly products designed to offer beautiful, intelligent skincare at an affordable price.  Produced in Britain, it is Ecocert certified, with 98% of ingredients of natural origin and an average 82% processed from organic farming.  Available at Holland & Barrett, it is priced between £5-£10.

“Purity Organic Skincare is free from parabens, GM or petroleum-derived ingredients, silicones, SLS and
synthetic fragrances. Purity Organic Skincare contains no chemical ingredients to avoid irritation to the skin.”

I was sent a number of products for review and while not all were for me, the majority knocked my socks off! 

I’ll start with my favourites…

Purity Anti Aging Moisturiser (omg I’ve always thought aging had an ‘e’ in it, no?!!)

This was the stand out product of the range for me.

Have you ever tried Clarins Extra Firming Night Cream?  Yup the one that doesn’t leave much change out of £50. It’s probably the most expensive skincare item I have my husband has ever purchased. Purity anti-aging moisturiser reminded me of this product. It feels absolutely beautiful on my skin. It feels rich, soothing and deeply moisturising and my skin felt very soft and happy after using it. Unsurprisingly, as the ingredients list is pretty impressive…

“Rich in Cranberry Seed Oil, with Omega 3, 6 and 9 the essential fatty acids
your skin needs to help prevent ageing. Also contains Rosehip Seed Oil, Vitamin E, Ceramide 3 and
Rose Flower Water…. Blended in Sweet Almond Oil, Shea Butter, Beeswax, and Aloe Vera and combine to boost the skin’s own functions and help prevent premature aging.”

Anti-Aging Moisturiser 50ml, £8.19
98% natural, 75% organic

I have a confession… 

I’m a bit of a skincare snob.  I’ve used expensive skincare for as long as I can remember and I do tend to equate price with quality, but Purity has honestly changed this for me.

Purity Conditioning Cleansing Lotion

Nothing sing-y or dance-y about this cleanser, but the amount left in the bottle speaks volumes.  It feels super gentle; it doesn’t irritate my skin; it effectively removes makeup (inc basic eye makeup); it doesn’t leave any residue on the skin. Ingredients include Sweet Almond Oil, Aloe Vera, Oats, Avocado Oil, Euphrasia and Rose Water.

Conditioning Cleansing Lotion 150ml, £5.15
98% natural; 83% organic

Purity Facial Wash

This product was a pleasure to use.  It has a bubbley, liquid gel texture which feels really refreshing on the skin and is especially lovely to use in the morning. Although the range is fragrance-free, this did have a natural clean, fresh smell, probably due to gorgeous ingredients including Sweet Almond Oil, Aloe Vera and Coconut.

Like the cleanser, to use this product you press down on the top of the bottle, part of which pops up to release the product (just as well I have a pic, eh?).  I like not having a separate lid, but found this mechanism a bit flimsy… it felt like it would break quite easily if I wasn’t gentle. But I was. And it didn’t.

Facial Wash 150ml, £5.19
98% natural; 70% organic

Purity Anti-aging Serum & Mask

This product confused me from the get go. Serum & mask in one?  The texture is quite unusual – as you can see it has a gloopy gel-like texture, which is fine I guess… kind of refreshing, kind of odd.  The directions said to apply a thick layer for 10 mins before rinsing off, or leave on overnight. My issue was that it dried with a crispy film on my skin, almost like egg white, which I personally wouldn’t want to keep on overnight.  I think this product could be improved by dropping the word ‘serum’ on the label and thickening up the texture.

Anti-Aging Serum and Mask 50ml, £9.29
98% natural; 95% organic

Purity Facial Exfoliator

This is a cream exfoliator in a flip lid tube containing exfoliating grains to deep cleanse the pores.  I know lots of people like coarse, grainy exfoliators, but I’m not a big fan, especially on my face. 

These grains are made from ground coconut shell, which I found quite abrasive. I prefer lots of teeny, smooth, rounded grains and less cream for gentle, thorough exfoliation. 

This is it smoothed in a little to give you a better idea of the texture.  I passed this on to my husband who enjoys using it!

Facial Exfoliator 100ml, £6.19
98% natural; 89% organic

Overall I was really impressed with this range and have recommended it to many others since testing (apologies as this review is overdue).  I have returned to it when my skin felt stressed, overworked or in need of some tlc as it’s so incredibly pure and gentle - and genuinely feels and behaves like it costs much more than the price tag.

Find out more at purityorganicskincare.co.uk & get yours at Holland & Barrett 

Have you tried any Purity Organic Skincare?  Does it appeal to you?

Online Beauty for Breast Cancer event

My very lovely fellow blogger, Nicoletta of Nicoletta’s Beauty Space is holding a fantastic online event to raise £1000 for Breast Cancer Care.  A range of amazing prizes have been generously donated including gorgeous makeup, perfume, skincare, hair and beauty products.

Nicoletta was inspired to organise this event following the extremely sad loss of her own mum to breast cancer. You can read her heartfelt words about this experience on her blog.

This is a great opportunity to win some beautiful prizes while helping a very worthy cause. If you’d like to enter, you can do so now by making a donation to the Breast Cancer Campaign via Nicoletta’s Justgiving page.

Cowshed, L’Occitane & Molton Brown November Magazine Freebies

I’ve been pretty gutted at the lack of magazine freebies the past couple of months. I think we were spoiled over the Summer with so many good ones, so my ears pricked up when I read tweets about the gorgeous hand creams available with November’s UK editions of Marie Claire and In Style, both of which I like to read anyway.

I wouldn’t buy a rubbish mag just because it included a freebie, but if it’s a freebie I’d like and the mag is a good one: win win! I’ve used L’Occitane hand cream before and know it’s great. Cowshed is a brand I’ve heard quite a lot about and really wanted to give it a go.

So what are the products like?

Cowshed

Cowshed is available in two types: moisturising or soothing. I chose soothing ‘cow slip’, because I liked the sound of the fragrance: ‘essential oils of sweet orange and peppermint’.

The moisturising version contains essential oils of grapefruit and coriander, which admittedly also sounds delicious. Which is more than I can say for the name of the cream ‘cow pat’ (not the first thing I’d choose to smother my hands in.)

The texture of Cowshed hand cream is a thickish lotion, which rubs in easily. 

The fragrance is quite minty (in fact it reminded me of toothpaste at first) but soon mellows and isn’t overpowering.

I like different types of handcream at certain times of day… for example I hate anything too perfumed when I’m cooking and prefer something with a gentle fragrance last thing at night, when I’ll be sleeping with my hand beside my face (I do have two; I just keep one beside my face, princess style).

L’Occitane

Like I said earlier, I’ve tried L’Occitane hand cream before (with another freebie actually!) and loved it, so knew this was a safe bet.  I chose the Cocoa Flower, as I imagined it to be the richest option.

Three others to choose from are: Desert Rose from Morocco, Egyptian Hibiscus, or the original Shea Butter (which is the one I used before).

You can see the much thicker texture of L’Occitane in this pic.  The fragrance is of a mellow, slightly sweet cocoa butter.  It’s nowhere near as strong as Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, for example. It sinks into the skin leaving a nice sheen, without any tackiness.

I must admit the L’Occitane feels more nourishing, but then I did choose the soothing version of Cowshed, so the moisturising one could be quite different. Oh dear I may have to purchase another…

If you decide to get these, Sainsbury’s gives £2 discount when you buy 2 magazines. Rude not to really.

The third offer, which I haven’t acquired (yet) is £10 off any Molton Brown purchase when you buy the November edition of Red magazine.

Anyone else a sucker for magazine freebies?

Beauty Supports Breast Cancer Care

 

October 2011 is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and many beauty companies and High St stores are donating a percentage of their profits in aid of Breast Cancer Care, the leading charity providing expert information and skilled emotional and practical support to anyone affected by this life-threatening illness.

These are my top picks from the pink products on offer:

• Aveda Hand Relief
• Warehouse pink lace top
• Origins Make a Difference
• Estee Lauder lipstick and matching pouch
• Jo Malone Red Roses Body & Hand Wash
• M&S pink bra (part of matching set)
• Clinique key ring with mini lipglosses
• Darphin Intral
• Elemis set with matching washbag

This is a cause that’s very close to my heart. You can find lots of information about breast cancer and fun ways to raise funds at the Breast Cancer Care website. 

Or you could just treat yourself or a friend to one of the above with an easy conscience this month!

Nailtiques Formula 2 & Orly Cuticle Oil+ ~ Nail Rescue Mission

My nails were in serious need of some lovin’. They had become dry, thin and peeling and the cuticles were raggedy and untidy looking. Nice.

On spotting my tweets of woe, a kind PR lady swooped to the rescue with Nailtiques Formula 2 and Orly Cuticle Oil+ which I have been using consistently ever since – and thought I’d share the results.

Here comes the embarrassing bit…

Before…

It gets worse…

And worse…

Ewww… my ugly split nail, which had been split for more than a year. Grosstastic huh?!

The Solution….

Step One: Nailtiques Protein Formula 2

Formula 2 is a paint-on protein formula to treat ‘soft, peeling, bitten, weak or thin nails’. It applies as a clear polish, bonding and strengthening the nail layers.

“The salon-tested formulations offer special combinations of ingredients, including hydrolysed keratin and protein in combination with gelatin and calcium to build a healthy nail foundation. The protein immediately acts to help bond nails that are splitting or peeling…  resulting in long, strong and healthy nails.”

Usage - For a couple of months I have applied Nailtiques Formula 2 daily (when I remember – ie at least several times a week!). I love that this can be worn alone or under nailpolish, but most of all I love how quickly it dries… this makes it so quick and easy to use and a perfect basecoat for polish. By the time I’d painted both hands, the first hand was ready for a coat of polish. The formula is also quite thin, which is great as I hate the feeling of lots of thick layers on my nails.

Results - It took a little longer than I expected for my nails to feel really strong again. I’d say 3-4 weeks, although if I’d been more diligent about daily application it may well have been less. I know that’s not actually a long time, but I’ve used other formulas that worked quicker; however the long term effects of Nailtiques have been preferable. My nails feel strong, but there is still some flexibility; they don’t feel thick and hard, just like a strong, natural nail. I’m genuinely impressed and plan to switch to Nailtiques Formula 1 to maintain my new healthy nails.

Step Two: Orly Cuticle Oil+

This was the second step in conditioning my nail area. My cuticles had never recovered after being snipped off in a manicure about 18mths ago (no kidding) I didn’t even want them snipped off.  It was my first ever mani (yes really!!) and I didn’t know this was part of the process!  My cuticles have always been  unobtrusive and would have happily been left alone (plus the manicurist snipped my skin and made me bleed while she was at it!) Nice. So, for the first time I had cuticle issues.

‘Cuticle Oil+ professional-preferred nail & cuticle conditioner is formulated with orange blossom and wild cherry extracts to moisturise, heal and refresh problem cuticles. This nutriment formula ensures longer, stronger nails.’

This is the bottle after a couple of month’s use, so you can see how little is required!  Literally one teeny drop at the base of each nail is more than enough, in fact it’s quite difficult to use a small enough amount. I massage it into the cuticle, nail and surrounding area, then leave it to soak in. If I’m in a rush, I keep massaging it in until there’s just a fine sheen. It’s a little messy as you can imagine, so I tend to keep it by my bed and apply each night before I go to sleep, allowing it to soak in.

Soooo… fast forward a couple of months, following the above routine – and voila!

After…

Note former ugly split forefinger nail, finally healed!  Now I have tried EVERYTHING to try and restore this nail: little bits of teabag stuck on with clear polish, nail glue, plasters, erm – well that’s it really! But it’s been vertically split for 18months, so this is one serious result!

Now my nails are not yet perfect – as you can see the edges look a little scratched/ worn, which is actually my fault. This has happened because I’ve just had a nail bitingly stressful week  and while I don’t actually bite my nails, I do have a shameful habit of chewing at them. Awful I know, but that’s why they’re a bit battered again - and yes I’m gutted I didn’t take these pics a week earllier – but still, a massive improvement on the original I’m sure you’ll agree!

Orly Cuticle Oil+ costs £11.30 with free delivery from Feel Unique

Nailtiques Formula 2 costs £9.95, 7ml or £15.50, 15ml (free del) from Beauty Bay

Have you tried Nailtiques Formula 2 or Orly Cuticle Oil+ ?

Prada Candy Perfume - a hug in a bottle

I expected to hate Prada Candy.  The name, the picture on the box, the colourscheme… it all seemed a bit twee to me.  I’d used several Prada fragrances in the past and the whole branding of Candy seemed such a huge departure.  So love at first sniff came as quite a shock…

I thought this would be a young girl’s fragrance – and I’m guessing that part of the branding was an attempt to draw in a younger clientele.  I expected sickly sweet, candy shop, make-me-choke type scent, but no.  It is a little overpowering at first, but please don’t let that put you off as it settles on the skin like it belongs there – and lasts very well on me.

The Notes: A cocktail of musks, an overdose of Laotian Benzoin, an explosion of caramel

To me, Prada Candy is a grown up scent.  It’s vanilla; it’s caramel; it’s warm; it’s powdery. It reminds me of my favourite elderly aunt in her fur coat, who would always produce a powder compact and shocking pink lipstick from her snap-shut handbag.

[The same handbag that usually contained a bag of sweets (in the days when they came in quarters in paper bags) – Cherry Lips or Mint Imperials – and she’d sneak me a few in the back of the car when mum and dad weren’t looking. Yes I digress…]

I may not like the image on the box, but I LOVE the girl in the ad above and HOW gorgeous is the bottle…

‘The pure indulgence and enjoyment of Prada Candy lies in its excess. Prada Candy is a fragrance with a novel olfactory balance combining exceptionally high-quality ingredients in excessive proportions. Magnified by White Musks, noble Benzoin comes together with a modern Caramel accord to give the fragrance a truly unique signature.’

Prada Candy is a marmite perfume: you’ll either adore it or hate it.  Personally I fell head over heels with it immediately. I wanted to inhale it. I walked around town sniffing my arm getting the strangest looks from old men.

A hug in a bottle, a little bit vintage, (even verging on a little old lady – but don’t let that put you off!).  It’s sweet - but warm, pudding in the oven sweet - not sickly sweet (I HATE sickly sweet smells).  It’s soft, sensual, seductive, comforting and perfect for Autumn-Winter. Oh and the bottle is Deeee-vine and I shall not rest ‘til it adorns my dressing table!

Yes I’m heartbroken to inform you that I still don’t own this bottle of gorgeousness, though I do have a couple of precious sample vials. I’m a bit odd about buying perfume for myself, so it’s on my Christmas list and I’ll be sending my husband a link to this post (if I can bear to wait that long, which is debatable).

Prada Candy Eau de Parfum costs around £40 for the smallest size, 30ml/ 1 FL oz.

~ Many thanks to Louise for providing me with the original images for this post ~

Tommyguns Jasmine & Wild Nettle

TOMMYGUNS hair products are designed to help protect against the ravaging effects of the climate. I tested the new Jasmine & Wild Nettle range for thirsty, dry and coloured hair (not that my hair has actually been coloured for about a year, which I must rectify soon!).

These aren’t high end products, but are on a par with quite a few that I’ve tried.  Priced at £4-5.99, I guess they could be described as middle end!  Using these for around 6 weeks hasn’t diminished all frizz from my hair, but has ease it a bit, and made it feel clean, soft and shiny – without weighing it down.

I like the packaging – simple, clean and stylish, though their biggest selling point for me is the scent, which is absolutely divine! I adore jasmine anyway and love smelling it on my hair.

The only downside for me was the consistency of the conditioner, which is very runny, not much thicker than milk… I found it difficult to use for this reason, as I’m used to a more creamy conditioner that doesn’t spill through my fingers.

The Colour Save Intensive Masque is lovely and rich – you can see the lovely thick texture in the pot above.  I tried leaving this on my hair for about half an hour but didn’t find this made much difference, so went back to just leaving it a few minutes while in the shower and rinsing out.  I used this once a week and found it very nourishing.

Tommyguns products contain Abil® T Quat 60, an advanced new special conditioning agent with hair fibre protection properties…

“A clever new technical silicone with
no build-up effects, it has the ability
to stick to the hair shaft just where
it is damaged (and not to itself)… improves
detangling by 50% and adds
great shine. It can also provide
impressive heat protection and impart
improved colour wash fastness to
coloured hair – truly a Hair Hero
ingredient of the future.”

Tommyguns hair products start at £4.99, which I think is very reasonable for such large 250ml bottles of good quality product - and are available at Waitrose, John Lewis, Ocado, and tommygunshaircare.com

You can buy the same set of 3 Jasmine & Wild Nettle Tommyguns products that I used here for £17.00

Sample