L'Occitane Shea Butter Discovery Collection

Every year as soon as the weather starts to get a bit cooler and the central heating goes on, my skin starts to suffer. I generally don’t have too many issues with the skin on my body – it’s not sensitive or fussy and I can normally get away with using any old body moisturiser to add a little bit of extra hydration. In the winter though, it becomes dry and dehydrated and feels irritated, so something heavier and more hydrating is normally needed. This year, I picked up a fabulous little trial kit from L’Occitane, which contains a selection of four different products from their Shea range.

Included in the set is a shower cream (75ml), body lotion (75ml), soap (50g), and two tiny tubes of the brands hand cream (2 x 10ml), and they all come packaged in a rather pretty wash bag. 

Before purchasing the set, the hand cream is the only product I’d actually tried from L’occitane. It’s a product that I’ve purchased many times because I’m always extremely impressed at how well it soothes, hydrates and repairs my horribly dry hands in the Winter. My hands really have been in some horrific states, but L’Occitane’s dry skin hand cream always manages to sort them out, and it does this without leaving a greasy residue (I can’t stand greasy hand creams!). The discovery set contains two small 10ml tubes, the perfect size for popping into your handbag.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

The brand’s Ultra Rich Shower Cream is a detergent free formula and contains 5% Shea Butter, a natural coconut foaming base, and soy proteins. It can be used on both body and hair and it’s designed to leave skin feeling soft and supple. This stuff is an absolute joy to use in the shower. The texture is thick and rich, and it feels incredibly luxurious, smells lovely, and leaves my skin feeling clean, comfortable and hydrated. 

L'Occitane Ultra Rich Shower Cream & Body Lotion

L’Occitane’s Ultra Rich Body Lotion contains 15% Shea Butter (derived directly from the African Shea tree), natural honey and apricot oil. It’s designed to nourish and protect and lift the senses with subtle essences of jasmine and ylang-ylang. Again, the scent of the product is lovely – it’s fresh, subtle and very clean and actually lingers for quite a while after it’s been applied. Like the hand cream from the range, it feels really hydrating as you apply, but doesn’t leave any sort of greasy/sticky residue behind. It sinks in quickly and leaves skin feeling moisturised, soothed and supple. This is probably my favourite product in the set, it’s one of the most hydrating lotions I’ve tried and it even leaves problem areas (knees and elbows) feeling soft and silky smooth.

 

I’m not much of a soap person, so the soap I received in the set was the last item I actually tried. It’s described as extra gentle, is formulated with a 100% vegetable base and is of course, enriched with Shea. Like the other products, this also smells great, creates a lovely creamy lather and leaves skin feeling soft and comfortable. I’ve mainly been using this for hand washing and applying the brand’s hand cream after, and I’m happy to be report that my hands are in great condition at the moment. The two products used together have made a huge different to my hands – no more horrible, red, dry knuckles! 

L'Occitane Shea Butter Extra Gentle Soap

I really have enjoyed using all of the products in the Shea Butter Discovery Collection and have already ordered full sizes of both the shower cream and the body lotion. They really have helped to sooth and moisturise my dehydrated, winter skin and the scents and textures have made them an absolute joy to use. I think the set is pretty good value for money, and the generous mini sizes are a great way of giving the products a good test before purchasing full sizes.

The Shea Discovery Collection is available from escentual where it costs £18.00.

BeautyBay Limited Edition Beauty In Demand Box

I noticed yesterday that BeautyBay.com are offering their own limited edition beauty boxes. The Beauty In Demand Box costs £14.95 and is packed with at least 4 full-size products from the range of brands available on the site. I had a little search around at what was in the previous box (December's) and it looks like were some nice goodies included. 

As far as I can tell, unlike GlossyBox and some of the other boxes currently available, there's no subscription involved with the Beauty In Demand Box, you just order when you choose to. According to the site though, there are very limited numbers of February’s box available, so they recommend ordering soon if you want to receive this month's box. 

I cancelled my subscription to GlossyBox last year, because I found I wasn't actually using a lot of the products that I was being sent, and I have to say, I haven’t missed it at all. I am kind of tempted to give the Beauty In Demand Box a go though based on what was included in the last box. 

Have you tried the Beauty In Demand Box?

Chanel Eye Shadow Quad: 37 Variation

After recently rediscovering and really liking Chanel Joues Contraste blushes, I decided to give the brands quads another go. I'd actually been eyeing a couple of items from the Spring collection (Frivole and Raffinement), but passed on both of them and instead decided to go with a couple of other shades I'd had my eye on for a while, Rose Ecrin and Variation. 

Chanel Les 4 ombres: 37 Variation

Variation was released last year as part of the Les Expressions de Chanel collection and contains four pretty, shimmery shades. A light pink highlighter, a soft taupe, a mauve-y rose, and a dark, rich aubergine. 

Chanel Quad: Variation

Variation is the first palette I've tried from Chanel for quite a few years. I don't even remember the name of the quad I originally tried, but I do remember the shades in the palette having very little colour payoff, being quite hard in texture and generally difficult to work with. While Variation contains some very pretty colours, I have to say, I am also a little bit disappointed with the texture and colour payoff with this one, too. 

Chanel Eye Shadow Quad: Variation

The light pink highlighter shade and dark aubergine both apply quite well, but I find the taupe and mauve-y shades quite difficult to work with. Both contain a lot of glitter and neither are particularly pigmented. I've experimented quite a bit with different application methods, but I always end up with a very sheer and very glittery wash of colour. I've also found all of the shades to be slightly powdery texture wise and fall out has been a bit of an issue. Wear time hasn't been very good either actually. Applied on top of my regular shadow base, which normally does a pretty good job at keeping my eye shadow in place (Becca's Vicuna Eye Tint), I found I had some pretty bad creasing and fading going on at the end of the day. 

Chanel Variation Swatches

Used together, the colours look a bit wishy-washy and meh, so I've mainly been using them separately alongside other shadows from different brands. The aubergine colour makes a nice liner shade and works well applied and blended as a crease colour, and the pink-y highlighter looks really pretty paired with quite a few other shadows I have in my collection, the other two shades are quite disappointing though. Particularly the mauve/rose shade.

Variation contains some lovely colours, it's just a shame a couple of them don't apply particularly well and colour pay off is quite poor. I love Chanel's lip products and really am liking loving  their Joues Contraste blushes at the moment too, I don't think I'll be making any more eye shadow purchases in the near future though. The brand's quads aren't exactly cheap at £37.00 and I think there are much better options available from other brands. I'm loving Le Metier De Beaute and Rouge Bunny Rouge shadows at the moment, which are far better in terms of quality, application and colour payoff.

Leighton Denny Swatches

Last year, I started a little series of Leighton Denny swatch posts, which I unfortunately didn't get around to finishing due to my little blogging break, so I thought I'd finish up with a kind of round up post of all of the colours together. I've also added a few pictures of what some of the shades look like applied. 

I've already mentioned a few times how much I like the Leighton Denny formula, so I wont ramble on about it again. I will say that the brand is one of my favourites for nail colours though. There's a lovely range of fairly unique shades available, they apply well, and are pretty long lasting too. 

Whatever: A shimmer free, creamy mauve shade, which is slightly streaky after the first coat, but the pretty colour evens out well with a second. 

Crushed Grape: is a soft, creamy burgundy and applies perfectly. 

Stormy Weather: A beautiful purple shot through with tiny, delicate silver shimmer. 

Rebel: A really rich, dramatic purple shot through with tiny micro shimmers. Looks quite sheer after the first coat, but is rich and opaque with a second. 

No Comment: A really deep iridescent plummy shade shot through with tiny red sparkles. Again, application is slightly uneven with a first coat, but the colour evens out nicely with a second. 

Supermodel: One of Leighton Denny's best selling shades. An elegant creamy, mink/milk chocolate colour which applies perfectly. 

Little Minx: A pretty, metallic bronze/beige shade. This one applies well, but requires three coats for completely opaque colour. 

Steel Appeal: A dark grey, shot through with tiny silver shimmer. Again, this one applies nicely, but I find it needs three, thin coats for a completely opaque colour. 

Vamp: A deep, dark, glossy red, which is very similar to Chanel's Rouge Noir.

Provocative: A glamorous, bright, classic red, which applies perfectly and dries to an amazingly shiny finish.

Viva La Diva: A super glossy, vibrant orange-y red. A perfect, summer-y manicure or pedicure colour. 

Feel The Burn: A warm, earthy, terracotta shade. I actually wore this one a lot during the colder months, but the colour also works as a summer shade, too, and looks great against slightly tanned/darker skin. 

Rampant Rose: A rich, creamy, berry-ish/red shade, which is very similar to Chanel’s April. 

I Love Juicy: A vibrant, rich orange/coral cream. One of my 'go to' summer manicure and pedicure shades. 

Do Me A Flavour: A bright, juicy orange. Applies well, but I find it takes three coats to get complete coverage. 

Lolly Pop: A bright, berry/pink.Another fantastic summer shade, which works well on fingers and toes. 

Some Like It Hot: Is described as a sassy, summery red, but I'd say it's more pink. it applies well and dries to a gorgeously glossy finish. 

And some swatches of some of the shades applied. All two coats of colour apart from Little Minx and Do Me A Flavour, and no top coat applied.

Leighton Denny Stormy Weather, Whatever, Crushed Grape & Rebel

Leighton Denny No Comment, Little Minx, Vamp & Supermodel

Leighton Denny Lolly Pop, Do Me A Flavour, Provocative & I love Juicy

All shades available from helenmarks.co.uk  (free postage on orders over £20.00) & from the Leighton Denny site (£11.00 for a 12ml bottle)

A Few Current Wishlist Goodies

Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks are described as full coverage liquid lipsticks delivering up to 14 hours of continuous wear, with a velvet matte finish. There's a lovely range of pretty shades available, but there are two in particular that I have my eye on, Canvas and Edition. 

Clarins Face & Blush Powder. I've been eyeing a few things from the Clarins Spring collection, including the limited edition Palette Eclat, which contains a trio of fresh, complexion boosting shades, which are supposed to even out skin and create a natural finish. Plus, it's embossed with a beautiful iris flower pattern, which is incredibly pretty.

Burberry Mallow pink Lip Glow. I'm not much of a lip gloss fan, but that hasn't stopped me lusting after Burberry's Mallow Pink Lip Glow. The vibrant coral red shade looks gorgeous in all the swatches I've seen. Review and pretty swatches here on Cafe Makeup.

NARS And God Created The Woman Palette contains 6, lovely shimmering shades of shadow (Alhambra, Bellisma, Kalahari, Galapagos and Coconut Grove) in a handy palette, and also comes with a mini smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base and brush. I think it's quite reasonably priced at £40.50 (Space NK).

DJV Beautenizer Volume Mascara. According to Cult Beauty, Volume lash does for your lashes what donuts do for your arse. As the name suggests, it's a volumising formula, which is so budge-proof, you can sleep in it without it smearing or smudging, yet it removes easily with a soak of warm water, so it's gentle on lashes. I've read a lot of positive reviews on this recently and am dying to give it a go and see what it can do for my sparse, delicate lashes.

What have you been lusting after lately?

La Mer The Powder: Translucent

NARS Loose powder has been my setting powder of choice for years. It's always done a pretty good job at keeping the oilies at bay, feels quite light and comfortable and offers an extra bit of coverage on top of foundation. Last year though, my normally oily skin changed and became slightly drier and I found my beloved NARS powder was no longer working for me. It started to emphasise dry areas and pores, looked a bit heavy and chalky and throughout the day, it would settle into lines I never even knew I had. After experimenting with various different application methods and with different moisturisers and primers underneath, I finally admitted defeat and went on a hunt for a new setting powder.

I'd already tried a huge amount of different powders from various brands and hadn't been happy with any of them, so I was kind of unsure what to try next. After reading through countless reviews and forums, I narrowed it down to three options, Chantecaille's Loose Powder, Suqqu Nuancing powder, and La Mer's Loose Powder. In the end I went with La Mer, as I was unsure about the colour options for the other two and since La mer offer a translucent option, it seemed like the safest bet.

Here's Creme De La Mer's description of their powder:

This luxurious finishing powder is so incredibly light it appears to float. Developed with symmetrically shaped, uniquely coated particles, it magnetically attracts to the skin for a perfect fit. Airspun seaborne particles – some of the lightest materials on earth – create an imperceptible finish that leaves skin looking flawless. Translucent coverage.

The powder is packaged in a large and slightly clunky plastic tub, which looks and feels quite luxurious, but can be a bit cumbersome. I find the sifter holes to be a little bit too large, so dispensing the right amount of powder can be a bit tricky sometimes. A slight and slow tilt of the tub it's all that needed to dispense enough powder into the lid (a little bit goes a very long way).

Creme De La Mer Loose Powder: Translucent

The powder itself is absolutely beautiful. It's incredibly finely milled and feels ultra light and smooth. In fact, it's unlike any powder I've tried before in terms of texture and feel, it really does feel weightless and silky. The translucent shade I purchased has a pink-y iridescence to it, which creates a really pretty glow on skin. In the tub, the shimmery particles look quite obvious, but applied, they give the most beautiful angelic glow-y finish. Actually, since I started using La Mer's powder, I've found myself reaching for highlighters a lot less often, as the natural glow the powder gives does a brilliant job on it's own, and looks a lot more subtle than any highlighting powder or cream I've used in the past.

La Mer Loose Powder

As I said at the start, my oily skin has changed quite a lot over the past year, and has become a bit drier. Certain areas do still get oily though (t-zone), and I find the powder does a pretty good job at keep shine at bay. I do have to touch up during the day, but overall, the powder wears really well and I've no issues with my base make up looking cakey or settling into and emphasizing lines or pores.

La Mer Loose Powder Blended

Out of the loose powders I've tried, La Mer's is absolutely the best. It feels unbelievably light and looks incredibly natural. The translucent shade creates a gorgeous, subtle glow, and unlike other translucent powders I've used in the past, doesn't lighten my face or give it that ashy kind of white cast. It perfects my skin, sets my foundation perfectly, and unlike the NARS powder i was using before, it doesn't leave my face looking flat and overly matte.

The powder certainly isn't cheap at £55.00 a tub (25g), but a little bit of product really does go a very long way. I bought mine around 6 months ago and even with daily use, it's still almost three quarters full. In my opinion, the feel, texture and beautiful finish the powder gives make it worth every penny and will definitely be replacing my tub when it runs out. 

Available from the Creme De La Mer Site & House Of Fraser (£55.00)

A Few January Favourites

 

I’ve been favouring sheer, hydrating lipsticks this month and Chanel’s Antigone and Chatecaille’s Bourbon Rose have both been colours I’ve reached for often. Antigone is a pretty raspberry red/berry shade and Bourbon Rose is a natural, cool rose pink. 

Laura Mercier’s Sweetheart Lip Glace has also found a home in my make up bag. I’m normally not much of a gloss fan, but I’m actually really liking the non-sticky formula and pretty hint of pink glossiness this adds to my lips. 

Laura Mercier Sweetheart Lip Glace, Chanel Antigone & Chantecaille Bourbon Rose

Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicate Hummingbird and Laura Mercier’s Caviar stick in Twilight have both been firm favourites in the shadow department this month. Delicate Hummingbird is a beautiful purple taupe and Twilight is a fantastic dark metallic grey, which works well as a base for other shadow shades and as a liner. 

Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicate Hummingbird & Laura Mercier Twilight Caviar Stick

Becca’s Romanticism Eye Tint is a product I’ve used frequently since purchasing last year. It adds a hint of sheer, bronze-y, mauve colour to my lids, and like the other tints from range, creates a perfect base for other shadow shades. 

The mascara I’ve been favouring this month is, Laura Mercier’s Lash Building Mascara. It separates, adds a little bit of volume and darkens lashes well, but still looks fairly natural.

Laura Mercier Lash Building Mascara & Becca Romanticism Eye Tint

Blush has been a pretty boring affair throughout January. I’ve stuck to one colour almost everyday, Chanel’s Orchid Rose. The shade adds a touch of peachy colour to my cheeks and leaves a pretty, subtle glow. On the days I haven’t worn this, I’ve used NARS Douceur. 

Chanel Orchid Rose

What products have you been enjoying this month?