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If you saw my recent May Favourites over on my channel, you will see I mentioned the Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate for Night (though, hopefully you got that far into the video... I do tend to waffle on a bit!!)
I'm a massive fan of facial oils as part of my everyday skincare routine, though I know many people are scared of oils as a whole. There is a massive different between synthetic mineral oils which clog pores and cause breakouts, and the natural plant based oils, which are actually incredibly beneficial to the skin.
I love a good facial oil either as a tiny drop mixed into my moisturiser for day or massaged intensely over my skin at night, incorporating deep lymphatic drainage whilst I'm at it.
The Liz Earle Superskin is the latest oil I have tried and I purchased the 10ml rollerball on a recent trip to Meadowhall.
With wonderful ingredients such as Rosehip Oil, Argan Oil, Neroli and Vitamin E it's one of the most plant-packed oils you can find, especially in somewhere such as Boots.
Over the last few weeks not only have I been surprised by how much a little goes a long way (I joked with the woman on the counter it would only last me a week!), but I've noticed my skin has felt softer and stubborn scarring has even started to fade.
I also like the fact that unlike brands such as Vintner's Daughter, Liz Earle give you a choice of 3 sizes to suit all budgets and even purposes such as travel. It can be daunting paying over the odds for an oil you haven't tried before, so being able to start small is a winner for me.
I'd recommend this product for anyone with dry skin, or equally those looking to brighten up their complexion. It hasn't caused any breakouts and can be used with a light moisturiser if you so wish, though is equally rich on it's own.
Top tip: For super dry skin, buff thick cucumber slices into the skin, let it dry and follow with hydraluron. Follow up with the Superskin oil mixed in with Embryolisse. Add in your eye and neck cream and feel the difference!
It has long been known that besides SPF being a daily essential to protect against sunburn, age spots, premature ageing and even some and skin cancers, it's also the best anti-aging secret on the market to future-proof our skin.
Did you also know that the paler you are naturally, the more likely you are to suffer the above effects? This is why everyone, but especially us fairer folk must protect our skin from the incredibly harmful effects of sun exposure especially if this is something we encounter on a daily basis.
I've been testing Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense with SPF 50 for the last few weeks, after purchasing it for £36 on a recent shopping trip.
Granted, it's not the cheapest SPF on the market and my worry is that younger beauty buyers would much rather spend the same on an Urban Decay palette or a few Mac Lipsticks, rather than an SPF which let's face it is never going to be a "cool" product in comparison.
That said, I hope more of you will start taking skin protection more seriously, and this product is a fantastic place to start. It's lightweight, sits great under make-up or on it's own with no sticky residue, peeling or white sheen left on the face. Infact it pretty much keeps itself invisible yet genuinely does a great job at protecting the skin.
It layers well against other products though I would still use a separate moisturiser especially if you have dry skin. It hasn't broken my skin out either or irritated it - both of which are massive pluses!
Check it out here on Kiehl's website and let me know if you buy it and how you get on with it. For me, I'm really glad to have this in my daily routine and I can't recommend it enough.
Today not only is it the re-launch of my blog with a brand new theme (did you notice?!) but also the launch of a brand new perfume by Guerlain, entitled Mon Guerlain.
I will be working to promote this new fragrance with my beauty agency which is being rolled out across stores Worldwide. I recieved a 50ml bottle as a thankyou for attending a training session for the promotion and this is the first time I've ever owned a beauty product that has not been released yet! Remember I am only a small-time blogger and youtuber and companies only send such items to the big guns.... well it's their loss because this is an incredible smelling product which I am more than happy to share with you all!
It has notes of Carla Lavender, Sambac Jasmine and Tahitian vanilla to name but a few. I can't think of a past perfume it compares to exactly, although fans of La Vie Est La Belle by Lancome and Blooming Bouquet by Dior will not be disappointed.
Most unusually, it has a light and fresh smell which has incredible staying power... this is never the case for such fragrances which typically fade out quite quickly and leave you reapplying within the hour. One spray on the blotter card in the training room filled my whole house with the smell before I had even unboxed the scent for myself.
Angelia Jolie is the face of the fragrance and is donating her entire fee to charity, so it's nice to know that her participation in this campaign will benefit those most in need in our World.
Typically Angelina does not front such campaigns and is not associated with any other brand or product, however it is the personal association she has and the memories of her Mother Marcheline using Guerlain when Angelina was a child, which made her want to be a part of it.
Marcheline used to have a powder by Guerlain which Angelina and her Brother like many children do, used to play with. It smelled of Lavender and used to comfort Angelina as the smell reminded her of Marcheline. One day, Marcheline gave Angelina the powder to take with her but being the busy traveler she is Angelina lost it.
During the making of Mon Guerlain, the company went into the archives and found a remaining powder identical to the one Angelina was given by her Mother. Angelina broke down upon receiving it and said it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her.
Mon Guerlain launches worldwide on March 1st 2017 so be sure to head instore during the month when we will be on hand to demonstrate and give out testers. If you do try it, let me know what you think!
You can also head over to my channel to see the unboxing!
Every Christmas it has become my tradition to work in Fragrance. Some of the stores I have worked include Boots, Debenhams, Tesco (we had Tom Ford I'll have you know!), House of Fraser and The Perfume Shop. The brands this encompasses are endless but every year I notice a similar trend as to what is popular, and what I manage to persuade people to buy when I think something that little bit different is actually better suited than the number one seller.
Here I will let you know the most popular fragrances and aftershaves I sell, as well as letting you in on some of my more unusual favourites not to be overlooked!
For this first post however we are concentrating on the men!
Paco Rabanne 1 Million
Regardless of what you think of this extremely popular Mens fragrance (also Lady Million is equally as popular!) there is no getting away from the fact that every year my customers are frantically calling the store to check if I have any left in the cabinet before making there way in after visiting every other store in the county who have sold out. When they make their way in it's like looking at the finish line of the London marathon. Infact I even point them in the direction of the free mince pies to get their blood sugars back to normal, after their breathless Yoda-like voice calls out "Did I make it in time?!" - Yes, it's that bad!
Now, where was I... Well, 1 million is warm and spicy with notes of citrus and leather. Of course it's also gold which is pretty much fool proof for anyone at Christmas! Just be aware if you buy it, it's extremely popular which can be a double edged sword if every bloke at work smells exactly the same. Unless you are copping off with one of them behind his back? In which case um let's swiftly move on!
Paco Rabanne Invictus
There is equally no escaping Invictus which is the one people buy when they are either fed up of the above or another relative has got in there first - and believe me I witness the squabbles every year!
Invictus is a little more sophisticated from the glaring gold of 1 million, and is more of a woody scent with notes of grapefruit and patchouli. Ideal for men in their early 20's-30's in particular those are just starting to get into aftershave after leaving their Lynx phase behind them.
Hugo Boss Bottled
Don't think I'm meant to say this but I'm just gonna put it out there - I got really fed up of re-stocking this when I worked at House of Fraser Belfast.
It just sells with pretty much no effort. It's one of those that people buy year on year without even questioning changing up. The bottled is extremely popular and has notes of apple and citrus fruits with bass notes of sandalwood and cedarwood. You can't really argue with something which gives me backache year on year, can you?!
Versace Pour Homme
Now whilst I can't promise you any encounters with a blonde who must surely be freezing after leaving her dress at home for the office Christmas party, I can guarantee you a scent which is clean and manly and rather unexpected.
The Versace fragrances don't have the glitzy tv ads and they don't scream and shout with bright packaging, however they are really divine and yet so often overlooked. I was selling this last Christmas and we went from having too much stock to selling out very quickly, just for spraying it on a tester card alongside firm favourites and getting people to smell it.
Pour Homme was also very popular with our store manager who kept coming for a top up on his wrist everytime he did a loop of our section! I highly recommend if you want something a little less mainstream but equally gorgeous.
Tom Ford Black Orchid
How can any fragrance guide be complete without a bit of Tom Ford?! Black Orchid is generally considered a Unisex fragrance. It's quite strong, powerful and imposing which I guess is exactly what you'd want from paying for such a luxury item.
It's notes include Black Truffle, Black Orchid, Black Plum, Noir Gourmand Accord and Patchouli. I once owned this myself and found it lasted very long on scarves which is one of my favourite ways to wear winter fragrances.
Whilst working for a makeup brand in Boots recently, a customer asked me for advice on finding a super pale pressed powder. I realised that the one I recommended to her was one I have been using for years and have yet to mention on either my blog or channel!
The product in question is Collection's Pressed Powder in the shade Ivory 18. It's brilliantly affordable too costing just £1.99 and is also available in a range of shades if you happen to be a different skintone to me.
What I like about it is that it's very subtle in what it does yet works really well at setting makeup and keeping everything in place. This is not the case with some powders as they can be very well... powdery! Leaving a caked finish which ruins the look. The Collection powder is very discreet and yet holds really well. I'd also agree on the 10 hour hold it boasts.
The powder also contains Vitamin E and UVA/UVB sunscreen which can only be a good thing! Especially on fairer skintones we need all the protection we can get.
The reason I have never switched to a more expensive power is that for me it just works. Similar to their lasting perfection concealer which I have on constant rotation....why pay more when something is brilliant as it is?!
I'd recommend to anyone looking for a product which will help set their makeup and keep everything in place without taking center stage.
A product I have been meaning to share with you is NYX's new range of foundation mixers which cost £7.50 and come in 6 different shades. I picked up the white shade for mixing the perfect pale shade that so few companies have yet to recognise we are in dire need of!
Mixing it with my Mac Studio Sculpt in NC15 you can see it lightens the colour beautifully without leaving it ashy or disrupting the formulation. It is super easy to do and can be done on the back of the hand prior to application.
Overall I am really impressed, especially at the price point as I have tried more expensive mixers that have left my foundation too thin or watery. The NYX mixer is thick and is of excellent quality.
You can buy it here for £7.50 from Boots.
