Archive for July 2011

Whilst in search for a new concealer and bronzer, and deciding to take advantage of the regular 3 for 2 offers at Boots, I picked up a few bits from the Bourjois stand.

So I'll start with my favourite of this little trio.

Delice de Soleil bronzer

I'd read great things about this bronzer, and although I was determined to finally try the Delice de Poudre 'chocolate' bronzing powder, the shiny and very fancy packaging of the new Delice de Soleil bronzer distracted me way too much! It actually took me a little longer than expected to figure out the swivelling packaging, however I was certain that once I did I'd actually love it. I don't mind the packaging, however it's often a little inconvenient when all you want to do is just quickly pop open the lid and apply a little bronzer.

This is a really lovely bronzer, it has a faint smell of chocolate orange... my favourite type of chocolate! And the tiny little flecks of shimmer are just about as much as you would want when contouring your cheeks. I chose number 14, for tanned / olive skin, which is the colour I go in summer, but I doubt I'll be using this bronzer much come winter when I turn whiter than white!

Bio Detox Organic Concealer

This concealer claims to have anti-puffiness properties and massaging effect due to it's roll-on applicator... to be honest I wouldn't know cos I think that this most likely the worst concealer I've ever tried in my life! I've tried the Healthy Mix concealer, which I liked, so I've nothing against Bourjois, but this concealer just is not fit for purpose. Firstly, it comes out through the roller ball in thick clumps, which due to the roller action, don't necessarily land where you want it. Secondly, it dries almost straight away and this makes it really tough to blend... and the under-eye area is not a place you want to be rubbing just to get a product to work properly! Plus, when trying to blend, all this concealer does is smear. So, I've not had the best experience with the Bio Detox Organic concealer. I suppose if I had, I'd be talking about the massaging roller-ball cooling the under-eye, or the benefits of the organic ingredients, but... beh!

Swatches (top to bottom): Delice de Soleil bronzer, Bio Detox Organic straight after application, Bio Detox Organic with a lot of blending... very drying, not great in area where fine lines easily crop up!

10 Day No Chip Nail Polish

If you want to see what this polish looks like on, it actually features in a few of my previous post, such as this, or this. A perfect colour for summer, though I'm still not certain what it is... number 16?? It's easy to apply and dries relatively quickly. It does not last 10 days, but if you read the small print on the back the 10 days 'includes touch ups'... surely this is the case with any old nail varnish? I managed to go around 2 days before needing a 'touch up'. Oh well. Forgetting the 10 day claim, this a great, though average, little nail polish.

Have you tried any of these products?
Let me know what you think about them in the comments below.

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P.S. I forgot to mention in the post above, but on top of the 3 for 2 offer, in boots (and probably other stockists in the UK too) you can also get a free pair of sunglasses when you spend over a certain amount on Bourjois. Sorry there are no pictures, the sunglasses are a simple, largish frame with handy little brown silky pouch to store them in... mine are currently being carried around with me for the odd 10 minutes the sun decides to come out! Last I checked this offer was still on if you want to check it out!

I've been using Liz Earle products religiously since I bought the Summer Skincare Essentials kit at Victoria Quarter's Mad Shoppers Tea Party back in May. Now I have to a admit that I've finally jumped on the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish bandwagon, and I'm loving it!

The Summer Skincare Essentials offer is £41 and includes the following products:

2 muslin cloths

Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, 100ml

Your choice of Instant Boost Skin Tonic, 200ml

Your choice of moisturiser, 50ml

Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer 30ml

Skin Repair Moisturiser Dry/Sensitive 15ml tube

Hand Repair 15ml tube

Superbalm 5g

The shop assistant also threw in a 50ml bottle of the Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion, which was nice!

So, my reason for checking out the newly opened Leeds Liz Earle store? Months of reading amazing reviews of in particular, a little product called the Cleanse & Polish. Here's mine... :)

Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser 100ml pump + 2 muslin cloths

I'm sure you all have read approximately 3748578 reviews on this wonder cleanser! I certainly had, and that's why I was so excited to try it on my oily-combination, spot prone skin.

Liz Earle says that the Cleanse & Polish works wonders on every age and skin type. The plant-based cleanser has a 2-phase action, phase 1 is the cleansing. Free from mineral oil, it has a rich and creamy texture and swiftly removes all traces of face and eye make-up, even stubborn mascara. Phase 2 is the polishing. Polish off the cream using the pure muslin cloth to help gently dislodge dead skin cells and help reveal clean, soft and radiant skin. Naturally active ingredients include eucalyptus and cocoa butter for smoother, clearer skin.

I noticed a difference to my skin from the very first use. The cleanser itself instantly left my skin feeling lovely and soft, with a deeply penetrating clean feeling from the eucalyptus, the ingredient which gives this iconic product it's well know 'medicine' smell. At the same time, the muslin cloth left my skin soft and nicely exfoliated. I have to admit however, that after a few day sof use my skin started to feel too overly exfoliated and even started to break out. I decided not give up on Liz straight away. I instead, deciding that my skin wasn't used to being enthusiastically exfoliated twice a day, just used a much lighter hand with the muslin cloth!

I'm pleased to say that this did the trick! I obviously was just so pleased with the instant improvement I saw to my skin from the first use, and having never used a muslin cloth in my cleansing routine before, got carried in scrubbing my skin! Having quite oily skin, I think this over the top scrubbing just caused my skin to produce even more oil, which then resulted in the spots! I'm pleased to say that this is all behind me now, and I love Liz Earle! Having the skin type I do, I still get the odd spot from time to time, but I havn't been this happy with the overall texture and look of my skin in AGES!

Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer 200ml

This toner comes in either a standard bottle or tonic spritzer. I have never been into using toner religiously, and so to try something different I decided to select the spritzer. At the end of the day the products differ only in packaging, so I figured I could always unscrew the nozzle and pour the product onto cotton wool if I wanted to use it in a more traditional way!

What Liz Says...This heavenly floral-scented, non-drying toner refreshes, soothes and brightens your skin. Gentle and alcohol-free, it also adds a fine layer of moisture.

Pour onto a cotton wool pad and sweep over face and neck after using Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. Alternatively spritz over face and body to revitalise at any time.

Naturally active ingredients include organic aloe vera to revitalise and soften and calendula, chamomile, cucumber and natural source vitamin E to soothe and refresh the skin.

This is a really lovely toner and definately very soothing. I don't use it everyday but I often like to spritz my face with it before bed, and because it's quite moisturing I sometimes use it alone, when I don't want to apply a moisturer just before bed. The only time I've felt the need to use it to revitalise my face during the day is when I've been travelling. I actually found it incredibly refreshing to be able to sprtiz this on my recent long car drive down to Normandy!

Skin Repair Light Moisturiser - Combination/oily 50ml pump

I chose the light moisturiser in the hope of balancing out my oily skin.

Here's what Liz says... Light and gentle, this easily absorbed moisturising lotion is ideal for combination, oily or problem skin.

This finely balanced blend of naturally active skin-conditioning ingredients includes borage oil (a rich source of the essential fatty acid GLA), echinacea, hops, avocado oil, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) and natural antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin E to replace lost moisture and help protect your skin, leaving it soft and smooth with a naturally healthy glow.

Massage into face and neck, morning and night, after Instant Boost Skin Tonic.

Includes borage and avocado to lightly moisturise and balance the skin.

I really like this moisturiser! Despite my oily tendancies my skin generally feels physically dry and my skin is generally quite 'thirsty', so I'm always wary that moisturisers geared towards oily skin won't actually moisturise my skin enough! This Liz Earle product definately does that, and despite being described as light, it is actually a lot heavier than other brands I've tried for oily skin... I like!

So, included in the summer skincare essentials kit is a lovely and very handy little travel kit and bag...

Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer

Liz says... Our handy travel size spritzer is the perfect size for on-the-go refreshment, spritz whenever you need an uplifting boost. The perfect handbag size! :)

Skin Repair Moisturiser

Liz says... Gently massage Skin Repair Moisturiser into face and neck, to help replace lost moisture and protect the skin from the drying effects of the environment, leaving it feeling soft and smooth.

To be honest, I ahven't actually tried this yet as it just doesn't suit my skin type. I'll probably save it for the time I do get dry skin, which I can do it from time to time.

Hand Repair

Liz says... Enjoy a mini hand treatment wherever you are. Massage this potent, non-greasy cream into hands and nails, to offer instant protection and relief for dry, chapped hands.

The lavender smell of this super softening hand cream instantly seems to instantly relax me... perfect for in my handbag and on the desk at work!!

Superbalm

Liz says... Follow your mini hand treatment by massaging our ‘emergency’ skin salve, Superbalm, into nails and cuticles to help condition and soften. This on-the-go must-have also soothes lips, softens dry or chapped skin and even helps to tame fly-away hair.

To be honest, I haven't used this balm for much of the recommended uses above, particularly not fly away hair... not quite fluid enough for me to enjoy as a lipbalm, I can imagine using this to tame my eyebrows or much in the same way I currently use my beloved Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour cream.

Eyebright™ Soothing Eye Lotion

As I mentioned at the start of the post, I received the Eyebright Lotion free with my purchases (I think this was perhaps part of the promotion for the Mad Shoppers tea Party event). I'm so glad I did get this though, it's an absolutely amazing lotion.

Liz Earle says...Wake up and revitalise eyes with cotton wool pads soaked in this gentle, soothing herbal lotion before using Cleanse & Polish.

Non-oily, it is ideal for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Apply to a cotton wool pad to clean and wake up your eyes first thing.

Naturally active ingredients include the grassland herb – eyebright, witch hazel, organic aloe vera and cornflower to help tone, cool and refresh tired, puffy or sore eyes.

This lotion has the same effect as a cooling cucumber straight from the fridge does. Some how the lotion, which I don't store in the fridge, remains fabulously cool when applied to a cotton pad and left on the eyes! I regularly take 10 minutes out on an evening to sit back and relax with a cotton wool pad resting on each eye, the extra bonus over a cucumber being that when done, I can use the product to gentle remove light amounts of eye makeup! Perfect!

The Liz Earle Essentials offers change regularly, so this particular one may not be available when you come to read this review. However, they are always being replaced with a similarly great offer so it's aways worth checking out the Liz Earle Website.