Molton Brown: The Patisserie Parlour Gourmand Collection

March 23, 2017February 15, 2018 - Vicki Leave a comment

London’s fragrance experts Molton Brown have released a beautiful limited edition collection just in time for Mother’s Day. The Patisserie Parlour is made up of three Gourmand scents, including

Exquisite Vanilla and Violet Flower
Delicious Rhubarb and Rose
Comice Pear and Wild Honey

All three scents have been expertly crafted with the very best seasonal ingredients sourced from the English countryside, celebrating the brand’s proud British heritage.

I’ve been trying out the trio of hand creams from the Gourmand Collections that are available in a beautiful Spring Indulgences Hand Cream Gift Set* £25. All three hand creams smell incredible and are perfect for Spring / Summer. This non-greasy formula feels very hydrating and leaves your hands feeling soft, smooth and comfortable. These 40ml sized tubes are an ideal size and will mean you will be able to leave one on your desk, by your bed and of course in your handbag.

So let Molton Brown take you on a journey through the English countryside this Spring.

Comice Pear & Wild Honey / London via Gloucestershire

‘An Orchard of pear trees, ripe with plump fruit. Rambling wildflowers scattered in the grass. The charming hum of honey bees. Melt into the warmth of sun-drenched English meadows.’

This has such a sweet, crisp scent and it very much reminds me of warm Summer evenings.

The fragrance opens with green leaves refreshed by hints of bergamot and layered with petals of gardenia. The heart reveals a juicy pear embellished by jasmine and lily of the valley, evolving into a base of mouth-watering honey, caramel and biscuit.

Delicious Rhubarb and Rose / London via Yorkshire

‘A crimson summer tart. Freshly picked roses. Bowls of sugar, spice and all things nice. Treat your hands to a recipe of tart rhubarb with a citrus twist.’

This has a richly floral scent with a lovely zesty layer.

‘Rhubarb spikes a bitter top note assty fruits fizz with a citrus twist. These contrast with the sweetness of sugary tart in the base while gentle rose extract and vanilla bring to life the buttery pastry of dessert.’

Lily of the Valley & Star Anise Hand Cream / London via Cornwall

‘A luxurious moisturising hand cream blended with white truffle extract and scented with floral notes of lily of the valley and magnolia.’

I live in Cornwall so I feel like this is the scent for me, it’s a pretty mix of Spring floral notes that are quite light but have a classic timelessness about them. This is going straight into my handbag.

This indulgent fragrance is blended with lily of the valley and star anise, enhanced by floral notes of magnolia and ylang-ylang for instant hydration.

Why not Indulge your Mum with something from this limited edition Gourmand Collection, featuring a hand wash £18, hand lotion £23, hand cream £10 and a fantastic selection of gift sets available now at Molton Brown

Molton Brown is also stocked at John Lewis and larger Boots stores

•This post contains PR Samples.

Decleor QVC TSV Skin in Bloom Collection

March 22, 2017February 16, 2026 - Vicki 1 Comment

Mark your calendars, people! I’m excited to give you the heads-up on this incredible Decléor 4 Piece Skin in Bloom Hydrating Collection.

QVC are renowned for its Today Special Value (TSV), they always manage to offer big brands with incredible savings and on Sunday 26th March (for 24 hours only) QVC will be launching a fantastic TSV from one of the world’s leading professional aromatherapy skincare brands, Decléor. They’re offering a fantastic 4 Piece Skin in Bloom Hydrating Collection* with a saving of £88. It is a fabulous collection for Spring! This would make a lovely belated Mother’s Day Gift or a treat for yourself.

Combining nature’s purest and most potent active ingredients, DECLÉOR scientifically selects and masterfully blends premium Essential Oils to deliver for each skin need, targeted and proven skincare solutions. Understanding that beauty and well-being are intrinsically linked, DECLÉOR offers a unique sensorial experience that visibly enhances the skin’s natural health and radiance.

This collection features some of decléor’s hero products and one of them is in their new supersize bottle! The great thing about this collection is you get a great selection of skincare and body care so you can refresh your routine ready for spring.

Included in this collection you will get

Micellar Oil – I am a huge fan of this for removing my makeup and have spoken about it on my blog in the past. It effectively cleanses the skin and removes makeup including waterproof mascara, leaving skin clean and clear, comfortable, soft, supple, radiant and hydrated. A great product to help skin look radiant and refreshed. Skin loving ingredients include, sweet Almond Oil, rich in essential fatty acids, helps to strengthen and soothe the skin, and Vegetal Squalene (derived from Olive Oil) maintains optimal hydration levels for deep moisturisation and suppleness.

Adolescence Néroli Serum – This is an elixir of 100% pure and natural essential oils specially formulated to comfort and treat skin exposed to daily stress from the environment. It’s beautifully luxurious on the skin, and it feels like your skin just drinks it up. With a NEW triple efficiency of the bitter orange tree; Aromessence Neroli Amara uses essential oils from the flower, fruit, leaves and twigs.

Hydra Floral Rich Cream – This has a lovely rich but lightweight formula and is the perfect moisturiser for spring. It helps your skin look bright and smooth. As with all Decléor products it has a cocktail of skin loving ingredients including, Wild Pansy Extract, Samphire Extract and Neroli Essential Oil to provide your skin with 24 hour hydration, whilst Moringa Oleifera Proteins and Sunflower Extract gives protection against free radical damage and environmental aggressors.

Then you get a choice of either

Aroma Comfort Systeme Corps Moisturising Body Milk – I have used up a couple of these body lotions these past few months. I find it’s lightweight enough to use in the morning and I don’t get that awful, heavy, icky sticky feeling under my clothes. Although it is lightweight, it is still intensely hydrating and smoothing and a fantastic lotion to use on your legs after shaving because it is cooling and very calming. It has some lovely ingredients including coconut oil, meadow foam oil and vitamin E. This is a huge supersize 400ml bottle so will last you ages.

Aroma Comfort Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk – I love a gradual tan and this is going to be perfect for giving my skin a healthy subtle glow for spring. Not only does this give you a golden glow, but it’s also very hydrating. It includes, Magnolia Essential Oil to soothe the skin and help protect it from free radicals, Narcissus Bulb to help prolong a natural or fake tan and preserve the skin’s youthful appearance, and Vanilla Extract to protect the skin against external irritants. DHA – a sugar obtained by biotechnology. This is also in a 400ml supersized bottle so it will last you well into Summer

This set is worth £148 but will be on offer for just £59.98. Which is a saving of £88!

*This post contains PR Samples

BalanceMe Rose Otto Mothers Day Gift Set

March 19, 2017February 7, 2018 - Vicki 3 Comments

As Mother’s Day gifts go this beautiful Rose Otto Gift Set from balanceMe is the perfect trio of indulgent, pampering skincare treats. Mum’s can be hard to buy for so I always think products that encourage them to take some ‘me time’ are a winner.

These 3 products have been handpicked by balanceMe founders Rebecca & Claire and are packed with their signature blend of Rose Otto, Rose Geranium and Palma Rose essential oils.The delicate scent of rose is well-known for its stress-relieving qualities. So not only do they smell incredible they also soothe, calm and hydrate the skin.

Balancing Rose Otto Gift Set £40

Rose Otto Body Wash 280ml

Ideal for even sensitive skin this sulphate free body wash is both moisturising and soothing. The beautiful rose aroma and essential oils make for an indulgent treat for both your skin and your mind. The trio of Pure Rose Oils helps to strengthen fragile skin and deeply hydrate to smooth away fine lines. It is a lovely way to relax and pamper after a long day. The packaging is really nice too and it comes in a lovely apothecary style bottle with a simple pretty twist and the game changer for me is the fact it has a pump. I love body care that comes with a pump it makes applying it so fuss-free.

Rose Otto Body Cream 280ml

I adore this body cream, it feels so luxurious on the skin and very hydrating. The scent isn’t overwhelming, it’s quite delicate so if you’re not always a fan of classic rose products don’t overlook this range. It leaves a light scent on your skin and I like that because it is a calming scent. It has Aloe Vera and Rosehip Oils which soothe and Antioxidant Arctic Cloudberry which plumps and helps skin look smooth and healthy. This body cream has the same handy pump packaging as the body wash.

Rose Otto Hand Cream 100ml

I have used quite a few balanceMe hand creams over the years and they’re so good at hydrating, smoothing and also protecting your hands. I like that the formula isn’t greasy and it has the same delicate rose scent as the body wash & body cream. It contains some great skin loving ingredients like, Camelia and Kukui Nut Oils help to smooth away dry patches and also Rose Otto and Palma Rosa Essential Oils which help to soothe and strengthen skin in distress. In this gift set, you get a generous 100ml size which will last a good couple of months

Your set will come beautifully packaged ready to gift, which is very handy.

balanceMe have a lovely selection of Mother’s Day gifts available at www.balanceme.co.uk & balanceMe is also stocked at M&S, John Lewis, Waitrose and Feel Unique

*This post contains PR Samples

5 Beauty Products From Jurlique

March 16, 2017August 24, 2025 - Vicki 5 Comments

Jurlique Activating Water Essence

I discovered this product last year, and it was the first Essence I had tried. I’d heard using an Essence was a very popular step in Asian skincare routines, but was dubious whether I needed to add another step to my already quite rigorous regime. After using it for a while, I realised that it was that perfect step for refreshing and hydrating your skin before going in with your serum. Just to be clear, an Essence is not a toner, nope it’s used after both cleansing and toning, it can replenish moisture, balance skin’s PH levels and help skin look glowing, and it is now one of the steps in my routine that I look forward too.

At the centre of the Jurlique Activating Water Essence is their star ingredient – Marshmallow Root Extract, which is great for deeply hydrating skin and improving its ability to retain moisture. If you have yet to try an essence, I highly recommend trying one.

Rose Moisture Plus Balancing Serum

Jurlique are well-known for their incredible quality rose products, they have an Organic Farm in the Adelaide Hills of Australia where they grow many of the herbs, flowers (including their roses) and plants for their products. This serum is part of their Moisture Plus range, and it is fantastic at reviving tired, dry skin. It combines rosehip fruit oil, evening primrose oil and green tea extract to protect the skin’s barrier and provide extended moisture to keep skin cushioned, fresh and looking radiant.

PurelyAge-Defying Firming Face Oil

LOVE this product, in fact, I really like the whole Purely Age Defying range, if I was pushed to name my must-have product from Jurlique it would 100% be this Face Oil. I have used up so many bottles and always have one on the go. I use it at night, and it performs nothing short of a miracle because when I wake up my skin looks well rested and healthy, it also works to even skin tone and keeps skin looking plump. It is infused with a trio of potent anti-ageing ingredients; Blackcurrant Seed Oil helps to improve elasticity and firmness, Buriti Oil reduces fine lines and wrinkles and Rock Samphire Extract helps to support collagen synthesis and promotes a firmer complexion. So your skin is in good hands with this, and my skin always feels incredible after I have used it.

Jurlique Rose Silk Finishing Powder

Most people are unaware that Jurlique does finishing powder, I think it is the only makeup product they stock, but it is one of my absolute favourites. This loose powder is so fine & lightweight that it never feels heavy or drying on the skin. It’s a translucent powder so it’s not going to add coverage or leave a white cast on your skin. It is great for setting makeup and keeping that oily t zone in check. I like to apply this with a big powder brush & sweep the product across my t-zone & chin, it has a really nice floral scent and my go-to powder for eliminating that dreaded shine but leaving the skin with a slight matte velvety smooth finish.

It contains the key ingredients Corn Starch & Rice Starch which act as natural substitutes for talc, while Silican imparts a smooth texture on the skin, Glycerin helps to moisturise and prevent moisture loss and Arnica helps soothe and cool the skin. If you like your setting powder to leave your skin with a slightly matte finish without looking flat, then this would be a great product for you.

Jurlique Purely Age-Defying Ultra Firm and Lift Cream

This moisturiser does feel quite thick and rich when you first apply it but give it a minute and your skin will have absorbed it to leave you with a velvety soft finish. It’s so nourishing and instantly smoothing. It contains powerful natural ingredients such as Yeast Extract to help promote collagen synthesis, Amino Acid Lipid Complex promotes skin remodelling and contraction of collagen fibres, Rock Samphire Extract supports skin density while reducing the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles and finally Beech Tree Bud Extract accelerates the production of fresh new cells. For me, the one thing I noticed almost instantly from using this is my skin looked smoother, which is why I think it makes the perfect base for foundation. It helps give you that flawless base.

Have you tried any products from Jurlique that you would recommend?

Let's talk beauty

Unbiased beauty product reviews & tips

Skincare