InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015

- Vicki 7 Comments

InStyle Magazines Best Beauty Buys of 2015

InStyle Magazine this year have partnered with John Lewis to announce their Best Beauty Buys of 2015. Judged by a panel of 105 industry experts, which included Liz Earl, Leighton Denny, Charlotte Tilbury and Philip Kinglsey. This extensive panel of experts know the ins & outs of all things beauty and most importantly know what is worth spending your hard earned money on. So these awards are a great way of showcasing the products that really work and it gives us all a beauty bible to the best products on the market today.

The InStyle Best Beauty Buys of 2015 are split into four categories including skin, makeup, body and hair so it covers all bases. There are so many wonderful brands and products amongst this years winners. A few brands I know & love but also one or two that I have never tried anything from, so I have enjoyed reading about all the winning products & have made a mental note of a few that I am eager to try.

Instyle Best Beauty Buys 2015

John Lewis were kind enough to send me a selection this years InStyle Best Beauty Buys so I can put them to the test & see if I think they’re worth their crowns. My hamper included these 13 award winning products,

Origins Super Spot Remover* – BEST SPOT TREATMENT 

Origins No Puffery Cooling Roll on for Puffy Eyes* – BEST EYE DE PUFFER 

Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector* – BEST AGE SPOT TREATMENT

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector* – BEST FOR DARK CIRCLES

Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask* – BEST HYDRATING MASK

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant* – BEST FACIAL EXFOLIATOR

Organic Pharmacy Discovery / Travel Kit* – BEST ECO / ORGANIC RANGE 

Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil* – BEST BODY OIL 

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash* – BEST SHOWER GEL

Lancome Hypnose Mascara* – BEST MASCARA

Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder* – BEST BRONZER

bareMinerals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder* – BEST MINERAL BASE

Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation Primer* – BEST PRIMER

InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015 Winners

I simply can’t wait to try the beautiful Guerlain Bronzer, even the packaging is stunning. The Organic Pharmacy is also a brand I’m looking for trying for the first time. Keep your eyes peeled for reviews of all these products over the next few weeks & please let me know if you’ve used any of the products in this post & if you think they deserve their awards.

So thats a brief look at a fraction of the InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015 winners that were in my hamper. As I said there were 104 awards handed out, to see the full list pick up the March issue of InStyle magazine or visit www.instyle.co.uk

You can also download the InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015 for 79p

*Thank you to John Lewis who kindly sent this selection of winning products from the InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015.

My Favourite Scented Body Products

- Vicki 6 Comments

Favourite body products

I was sorting through my skincare box I I realised that most of my body products smell SO good. I thought I would share with you my favourite ones.

Original Source Pineapple & Coconut Shower – The lovely Hayley bought me a bottle of this for my birthday last year & I have been hooked ever since. I’ve been through so many bottles & always have a spare one waiting in the wings. It smells sweet & fruity and leaves my skin so soft. It has the consistency of an oil (not too thin & runny thought) but still lathers up. Its the perfect morning shower gel.

ESPA Optimal TriSerum* – This is such a treat for your body, its so luxurious & feels incredible on the skin. Not to mention it smells like an exclusive spa (and is just as relaxing). As it is quite luxurious I like to use it sparingly & tend to use it once a week, I very much look forward to it and love how It keeps my body hydrated & feeling pampered. I have written a post all bout this Optimal TriSerum so if you want to know more about the skin benefits click through & have a read.

Nip & Fab Mango Body Smoothie – I’m sad to say I think this scent has been discontinued but I know Nip & Fab have other scents available. This mango one smells summery and fruity, the scent lasts for ages on my skin. The formula is lovely & thick as you would expect from a body butter so it is perfect for giving your skin a boost of hydration. I love using body butters & this one is so good. If you like fruity scents then this is for you, its smells like being on a tropical Island.

Laura Mercier Creme Brulee Souffle Body Creme – This stuff smells incredible. I can’t get enough of it. It has a grown up warm sweet smell, not a sickly sweet scent but a luxurious creamy sweet scent that lingers on my skin all night. I tend to use this after I have had a long soak in the bath & I can smell it all night long. Heaven in a pot. I love that it is in a glass jar too it looks pretty and luxurious in my bathroom.

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter – Such a favourite in the blogging world & a firm favourite in my household too. You get so much product for your money & that sweet scent is so familiar. I love applying a generous amount of this after shaving my legs & it leaves them soft & looking great. Its a staple in my skincare stash & I always have a tub on the go. I feel like it never lets me down & although I use other products (like the ones in this post) I always go back to this!

Roger & Gallet Fleur de Figuier Ultra Nourishing Oil* – Now there is one thing you should know about me, I love Fig & anything Fig scented I’m completely addicted. This Roger & Gallet Body Oil is incredibly nourishing and leaves your skin with a healthy glow & so hydrated but most importantly the Fig scent in this is beautiful. Its so long lasting and smells divine. It has that Fig scent that I love but it has a slight sweetness to it too & I think this makes a really nice Spring / Summer scent.

Let me know what your favourite body products are & if you like sweet, fruity or more grown up scents.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

Current Favourite Lip Balms

- Vicki 9 Comments
current favourite lipbalms

Current Favourite Lipbalms

To say I have a slight obsession for buying lip balms is an understatement. I use them all the time & like to have them on hand, so I have them everywhere like in my car, on my desk, handbag (every handbag) you get the picture, I am never without one. Most of the ones I have are very affordable but there are a few luxurious treats amongst them too.

Whenever my brother visits America he always gets me a few of the eos lip balms, they have so many flavours & I love them all. Right now I have 3 open & they are Lemon Drop which smells zesty & has SPF15, Coconut Milk and Summer Fruits. They all smell incredible & I totally love the quirky packaging.

Jurlique Rose Love Balm* – This is a natural salve that moisturises, softens and protects dry or chapped skin. Infused with the natural scent of roses. This balm is a great product for combating the dryness, its hydrating but not greasy & has that lovely natural rose scent. I love it.

Blistex Happy Lips in Mouth Watering Mango – This smells so fruity & almost good enough to eat. They’re a new Spring release from Blistex & although they don’t have SPF they’re still hydrating & feel lovely and smooth on the lips. So inexpensive too. I wrote a post all about the Blistex Happy Lips so if you’d like to know more pop over & take a look.

The Body Shop Born Lippy Pot Lip Balms in Raspberry & Watermelon – These are handy to have on my desk & they smell incredible. I have quite a few flavours but these are the two I’m currently using.

ESPA Mandarin Lip balm – This is a really lovely lip balm & it smells fruity but not overpowering. It has lots of nourishing ingredients like wild mango butter to condition, soften and smooth, pomegranate to increase hydration and rosemary to protect against environmental damage. The packaging is also pretty and its the iconic purple ESPA colour. It also comes with a mirror inside too which is so handy!

Current Favourite Lip Balms

By Terry Baume de Rose – This was in the wonderful Advent I Won from Laura Lou Beauty & I have been treasuring it ever since. I use it when I am going out somewhere special & I want to prep my lips. It is so luxurious & feels amazing on the lips. I use it before applying lipstick so my lips are nourished and smooth. Just look at how cute that mini pot is, I never want it to run out.

Crazy Rumours Black Cherry Lip balm* – OMG this stuff is so good, it smells identical to cherries & I love that scent. The product is so creamy on the lips & is incredibly hydrating and leaves your lips feeling soft for hours. You hardly have to reapply this. This brand has a huge selection of flavours & I really need to get a couple more.

Chapstick Mixstix Lemon Berry Sorbet, I bought this whilst in San Francisco and it is a double-ended Chapstick with one end being a sweet lemon scent and the other a delicious berry scent. This smells so good and is good at keeping my lips feeling hydrated. I wish I’d bought a couple more as they are fun. They say you could mix the flavours but I like to keep the lemon & berry separate. 

Rajeunir Lip Serum – This is the first lip serum I have tried & I like it. You need such a small amount & I like to massage into my lips as well as on the skin around my mouth. It is quickly absorbed and non-greasy, it is also fragrance-free. It feels so nice on the lips & helps them look and feel smooth, moisturised and healthy. This serum also contains SPF15. I like to use this as a treatment twice a day, morning & night and think it does a good job at locking in moisture and protecting my lips from drying out.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

Hand & Nail Care Products

- Vicki 6 Comments

Hand & Nail care products

One of my resolutions (for want of a better word) was to take more time to look after my hands & nails. I never forget to cleanse my face or look after my hair but my hands always got overlooked. As I approach my 40’s I don’t want my hands to be the thing that makes me look older than I am. So I thought I would share with you a few of the products I have been using to keep my hands & nails in a better condition.

I have a fair few products to help my very very dry cuticles, they always look so terrible that I have really been focused these past couple of months on keeping them hydrated and  pushed back. So the numerous products I have been using in no particular order are –

Nailtiques cuticle and skin gel which has a very lightweight formula that is quickly and easily absorbed into the skin to leave the area hydrated and smooth. Its a handy little pot to keep by your bedside & I try to use this every night.

I have two Essence cuticle pens the orange one is a Express Nail Oil Pen with vitamin A & E this has a brush nib which makes it easy & precise for applying the oil to the cuticles. After I have applied a generous amount of oil to each cuticle I like to massage the product in & I find this really helps hydrate and nourish the skin. This is a little more greasy so I do this when I have more time to spare. The yellow one is a Cuticle Softener and it also has vitamins A & E but it is also enriched with mango. This one has a sponge tip & that is quite handy at pushing back the cuticles too. I did find this dried out quite quickly but it was effective. The e.l.f Nourishing Cuticle Pen is very similar to the yellow Essence Cuticle Softener but it didn’t dry out as quickly. I find these cuticle pens so handy to travel with as they’re slim and are easy to use on the go.

A few hand and nail care products

I have two Cuticle Remover Gels one from Sally Hansen which I bought in TK Maxx, it is enriched with Jojoba and Kiwi Extracts & the Essence 2 in 1 Cuticle Remover Gel. These are both identical & do the same job. I put the gel on each cuticle leave it for 10 minutes then rinse it off with warm water & my cuticles are soft & easy to push back & trim back. These gels can be quite messy but they do a great job and I would recommend either of these.

Wilko Cuticle Sticks – not glamorous in the slightest but a necessary tool in the fight to keep my nails looking tip top. These are so cheap & cheerful but I use them each time I give myself a manicure & these wooden ones are fab.

Avon Cuticle Conditioner – This is on a similar vain to the cuticle pens I have. You just brush the product over your cuticles and massage it in to keep them hydrated and moisturised. I haven’t used this Avon one a whole lot but it seems to do a good job.

A few nail & hand care products

Avon Nail Experts 24k Gold Strength. I use this when I don’t want to wear a colour on my nails. It has a tiny flecks of gold shimmer in which looks pretty & subtle. It also helps strengthen your nails.

Essence Quick & Easy Sponge Nail Polish Remover – These are a god send for taking off nail polish, not really a product that helps my hands look better but I just love how easy these are to use. This Essence one is a bargain too.

I have to use a hand cream throughout the day as my hands are horrendously dry & this Merumaya Hydrate & Protect Hand Cream* has been in my handbag since I received in back in February. Its extremely lightweight and not at all greasy, once you massage it in the cream is totally absorbed. This hand cream has SPF15 to help protect from UVA & UVB rays. It also contains Hyluronic Acid to help lock in the moisture & keep hands looking and feeling smooth. So a handcream that is hydrating & helps look after your hands.

A girl can never have enough topcoats right!? That is why I currently have 3 on the go. I love them all & even use them as clear nail polish when I am being lazy and I’ve not painted my nails. The three I’m using currently are Essence Better Than Gel Topcoat, Orly Glosser Topcoat* & Sally Hansen Super Shine they all make my nail polish look glossy & last longer.

The Body Shop Body Cocoa Butter Scrub – Someone on Twitter suggested that a good way of keeping hands looking healthy was to use a scrub on them every now & then. Well it has become a weekly part of my routine as I love how it removes the dead skin and keeps them smooth and looking so much better. Its a simple step but one I was completely missing out.

The Burt’s Bees Cuticle Butter & Hand Salve are two products that I’ve had for such a long time. I love the cuticle butter & the tin packaging make it perfect for taking on the go. The hand salve is less of a favourite. I am just trying to use it up (hate throwing things away).

Let me know what products you have been using to keep your hands is perfect condition.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.