L’Occitane Almond Delicious Hands Hand Cream

Hello beauties,

As you all know I am a hand cream fiend and today I have one beautiful offering from L’Occitane, Almond Delicious Hands Hand Cream.

This is a wonderfully hydrating hand cream with a base of sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, Shea butter and coconut oil as well as sweet almond protein that makes your skin feel silky soft without any grease (side note – if it does feel greasy, you have used WAY too much! You need the tiniest amount of this cream!) the scent is that of almond blossom which is beautifully warming and exotic. If you know the smell of the famous shower oil, this is exactly the same.

Almond Delicious Hands is a perfect hand cream for use during the day for me (I prefer the 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream at night) it’s light and without stickiness meaning you can pick your phone up straight after using it as I often do. I switch between this and Liz Earle Hand Repair as my day time creams they are my ultimate favourites and so pleasurable to use as well as functional.

This is a limited edition 150ml size I bought from QVCUK in a kit, it does retail at £30.00 individually so it’s not cheap! You can get a 75ml from L’Occitane directly which costs £16.50. I wouldn’t pay £30 for one hand cream to be honest with you, but as usual I got an excellent deal with the Q which saw another 150ml L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream in and some minis for around £34.00. It is a luxury hand cream but I do think it is oh so worth it!

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Soothing Skincare for irritated skin

Morning beauties,

A bit of a different post today, if you follow me on Instagram you’ll know what I have been experiencing a period of tricky skin lately. So I thought I would do a post on what was wrong and what products I’ve been using.

I have been quite stressed recently, it’s coming up to a very emotional time of year for me and this does take a toll on my skin. And it reacts by breaking out in tiny red pin head rashy type spots that can get itchy. A friend of mine Dr Michele Squire who is a skincare expert gave me some advice to help me out. Michele is a PhD qualified scientist who is able to cut through all the crap in the beauty industry and give good honest and brand neutral advice. Q8 is a subscription based advice service where Michele can go through your routine and your skincare goals and recommend products to suit you. Check out her site at http://www.q8list.com

Michele advised to cut out all fragrance in my skincare routine and make it extremely basic.

Firstly, let’s start with cleansing. I didn’t have ANY fragrance free cleansers in my stash at all so I popped online and ordered this La Roche Posay Dermo Cleanser that Michele advised me to use.

LRP Dermo Cleanser is a fragrance free very gentle cleanser and makeup remover that really helped to control the irritation. (£12.50 for 200ml from http://www.boots.com)

Another product that has been excellent with irritation has been Liz Earle Cica Restore Skin Paste that was sent to me by a dear friend of mine. I’ve been using this a bit more frequently than recommended as much as 3-4 times a week. It’s soothing, comforting and easy to use. I pop a thin layer after cleansing and go to sleep! In the morning my skin feels soft, comfortable and the redness disappeared overnight! (£29 for 50ml at http://www.lizearle.com)

Trizyme Treatment from Ishtarskinlights has been brilliant at refining my skins texture, taking down bumps and redness. It’s a clear light hydrating serum with Pumpkin, Pomegranate and Papaya with 1% Aspen Bark Extract (BHA) it’s very gentle but effective. (£14.00 for 30ml from http://www.ishtarskinlights.com)

Another product from Ishtarskinlights is Multi-Ceramide Concentrate. Another super light texture which I have been layering over the Trizyme Treatment. Extremely soothing and calming this is a great product to have that’s versatile to use. I’ve used this as a serum and a moisturiser and I have to say I love it. Full of ceramides to help promote a healthy skin barrier. (£15.00 for 30ml at http://www.ishtarskinlights.com)

These products have made a visible and dramatic difference to my skin during this time and very quickly too. Simple, effective and great value for money, these would be great to use when your skin is throwing a hissy fit!! Thank you to Michele for the advice and help, it’s very much appreciated.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipsticks

Hello beauties,

I have one of my fave makeup purchases of 2019 which was the Smashbox Holiday 2018 Always On Lipstick collection. I got it in the Feel Unique sale earlier on in the year, and I love these lippies.

All of these colours are right up my street, I’m sure you can guess my favourite?? Yep that’s right Maneater! They are fabulous long lasting formula, easy to use even if the applicator is a bit tricky to get to grips with at first.

I love the metallic shades, I love the shine they give while being super long lasting. That’s why I gravitate towards matte formulas to be honest, the longevity is great you don’t have to think about reapplying so no taking it out with you.

I paid £20 for the set which was half price, amazing value for an amazing set of lippies.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Beauty Pie Wondercolour Cream Eyeshadow Stick

Hi beauties,

More Beauty Pie makeup with Wondercolour Cream Shadow Sticks I have two shades here, Little Star and Wild Violet.

These shadow sticks are beautifully creamy, they are super easy to apply and blend. I apply to my eye directly from the stick and then blend with my fingers. No brushes needed, although there’s nothing to say you couldn’t use a brush of you wanted to. There is no creasing and they DO NOT BUDGE! They last for hours! I always have to remove them with my micellar water so for longevity they are perfect.

My favourite of the two shades here is Wld Violet, I love the purple tone in here which is great for my brown eyes. Little Star is more of a gold shade, which I do like, but both have a bronze tone to them. I always lean towards neutrals, browns and creams that brighten my eyes. These two are shimmer shades which again I lean towards because I love the sparkle!

As it’s Beauty Pie the quality is brilliant (in my humble opinion) and wonderfully affordable. Prices are under £4 which is fantastic value and well worth splashing out on.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Green Keratin Resurrection Reblossom Face Cream*

Hi beauties,

Another offering from Green Keratin today with Resurrection Reblossom Face Cream*.

This range has the resurrection plant extract which is known for surviving long periods of drought and “coming back to life” once rehydrated. This makes Resurrection Reblossom Face Cream beautifully hydrating and moisturising. Other ingredients include collageneer, coconut water, cucumber oil and extracts, Resveratrol, Hyaluronic acid and Coenzyme Q10.

Resurrection Reblossom is slightly too rich for me for the summer time, so when I was testing this I often used it in its own rather than with the serum. But as the colder weather has arrived it’s worked a lot better for me. It has a lovely light fresh cucumber scent (as all the range has) which makes it very pleasurable to use. I love the pump packaging that Green Keratin use, really hygienic and easy to use. You don’t need much, but then with GK products you never do it makes them so long lasting and great value for money.

Resurrection Reblossom Face Serum is £26.95 for a 50ml pump which is more than your high street moisturisers, however the ingredients they use are unique and often they use them before any other brands (at least in my experience) Anderson (the co founder) does extensive research on ingredients GK use. If you are looking for a luxury moisturiser from an independent UK company this is it. Big thank you to Anderson and the GK for the opportunity to try the range.

Till next time,

*gifted by the brand

Elemis Neroli Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm

Hi beauties,

Today is the turn of Elemis Neroli Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm, was launched in the summer and now back again on QVCUK.

I adore the usual cleansing balm, it is a luxury cleanser for me, it’s beautiful to take makeup off with as well as doing a skin cleanse, and this version is no different.

The base is the same as the original, the smell is completely different. Floral with the neroli and every so slightly fruity from the fig, it’s a really decadent version of an already gorgeous cleanser. I’m so glad I managed to snap this up, I’ve not been using it lately as I’ve had a skin flare up so have gone fragrance free (before then there was some cleansers I wanted to use up.)

For me this is much nicer than Emma Hardie Moringa Balm, prices are comparable but I prefer the Elemis. Also being able to split the payments is always useful, Elemis is a brand I buy a lot of from QVCUK as their collections are amazing. This is available now for £51.48.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Liz Earle Bergamot and Basil Beauty of Botanicals Collection

Hi beauties,

Today I have the recent Liz Earle Bergamot and Basil Beauty of Botanicals collection which was a recent Today’s Special Value at QVCUK.

You all know what a huge fan of Liz Earle I am so I jumped at the chance of buying a set when it came up for presale.

The kit contains:

• Bergamot and Basil Cleanse and Polish 150ml pump
• Original Cleanse and Polish 200ml tube
• Bergamot and Basil Instant Boost Skin Tonic (the first time in Liz Earle history the scent of Instant Boost Skin Tonic has changed)
• Skin Repair Moisturiser
• Bergamot and Basil Botanical Body Cream
• Bergamot and Basil Hand Repair

The fragrance of this collection is divine, it’s green citrus (not like lemon or lime it’s hard to describe!) which is herby and fresh. Definitely unisex that I think a lot of people would enjoy.

I’m hoping to get another set if I can, it’s still available at QVCUK for £59.96 and 4 easy payments of £14.99. Another gorgeous set from Liz Earle that would make a beautiful gift.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer

Hi beauties,

Today I have Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer which is a supposed dupe for Tarte Shape Tape. I haven’t tried that so I can’t compare but here are my thoughts on the MR.

This is a very thick concealer which is great for coverage. It really does cover well. I use the shade C1.

However, this cracks and falls into the crease under my eyes and to be honest with you makes them look worse. I used this and blended with my finger so perhaps using a sponge a la Shape Tape would be better even though MR don’t recommend that.

I wanted to love this as I’ve heard people rave about it, but it just didn’t work for me. I much prefer NYX HD Studio Photogenic Concealer which is a much better option and only a couple of quid more expensive. I bought the Makeup Revolution from Superdrug for £4.99 but I won’t be repurchasing.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Body Shop Amazonian Saviour Multipurpose Balm

Hi beauties,

Today I have a multipurpose product with The Body Shop Amazonian Saviour Multipurpose Balm.

You all know how I love my oils and balms, I want to try them ALL! I bought this a wee while ago and have been testing it in various ways. This is a fragrance free balm with a combination of oils and waxes, sunflower seed oil, wax, beeswax, babassu, andiroba oils bisabolol and Vitamin E.

I did like this balm, it’s very hydrating, wonderful for any type of dry skin, face or body. Great for my tattoos, the balm makes them look more vibrant. Wonderful for hands, cuticles and great for dry crusty feet! But this is a fragrance free balm (I am firmly on Team Smellies, fragrance free products don’t offend me lol) but Amazonian Saviour does have a weird smell to it. I know that’s down to the ingredients, natural oils do have a smell, and unfortunately I found it quite a sour smoky unpleasant smell. Such a shame as it’s a great balm and it really is effective.

If you are looking for a fragrance free balm however I would say give this a try, because it’s very moisturising and is brilliantly multipurpose. If you can try a tester before you buy, do. It’s also excellent value at £9.00 for a 50ml pot some balms are very expensive so this is a good high street option and easy to get hold of both in store and online. I won’t be buying this again because of the smell issue, but I can see that this is a great product and extremely versatile.

Till next time,

Lucy xxx

Orly Nail Rescue Kit

Hi beauties,

Nailcare today with something that has quickly become indispensable to me, Orly Nail Rescue.

I have one nail that splits vertically down the ridge I have in it and it drives me crazy! Some of the time it can’t be rescued, but when it can I use this kit.

The kit contains a bottle of brush on nail glue and little pot of nail repair powder. I’m not a nail tech yet I find this so easy to use, you brush on the glue over the split and dip your nail into the powder, it’s as simple as that. I use a wee little brush to get off any excess powder, wait for it to dry and then buff down the set powder so it’s smooth and I can paint over the top.

Can you tell which one has been repaired?

This is the after, stupidly I didn’t take a before but I suppose it makes you guess which one has been done!! I wouldn’t be without this fabulous kit, a repair generally lasts me a week to 10 days then I remove the glue and powder with acetone and start again. I’ve been able to grow out my nail using the kit as long as I am careful! I bought my kit from EBay for £12.00 and to be its worth its weight in gold!

Till next time,

Lucy xxx