Victoria's Secret coconut passion Fragrance mist

This was a bit of an unexpected love for me as I'm not too interested in Victoria's secrets as a brand and because I haven't used a body mist since secondary school which, for those of you that are interested  interested was 12 years ago. I always thought mists were a bit dated anyway, a few months back my local PAKS (hair and beauty shop) started to stock these VS mists I decided to give into the hype. I think I was in one of my "I need to buy something stat!" moods and just randomly picked up this scent on the basis that I love coconut and vanilla. I'm so glad that I did as it smells amazing and lasts a surprisingly long time.  This pretty much smells as its supposed to (coconut and vanilla) I'm not great at describing smells! I have had a lot of people complement me when I'm wearing this which is always nice. This would be ideal for a holiday instead of using perfume.

I paid around £7 for this, I have seen it on Amazon for the same price (£5 for p&p!), ebay (various prices)  pretty sure these will be available in VS shops. There are also perfumes  and body lotions available with this scent that I will be trying out!!!

Be warned not all fragrances are nice. I had the misfortune of picking up the Apple blossom and ylang ylang mist. Definetly not a mist have (ha.sorry)

What do you think of VS body mists?

                      Monday's Child

Clarins Eau des jardins

This was a love affair that almost never was...

I received this as part of a gift set for Christmas that was never opened and remained in my office draw for 6 months. Sacrilege, I hear you cry but I have good reason. Clarins has always been a brand that has confused me. None of the products have ever really appealed to me. One of the brands most popular products (Flash beauty balm) really goes over my head so I honestly could never have imagined. I finally dusted this off and realised perfume was involved. A quick spray of this and I was hooked. To me this was like summer in a bottle.

The product is described as a treatment spray which incorporates
essential oils such as wild rose, beech and plant extracts of blackcurrant buds and sorbier (a French fruit). The result to me is a very zesty, slightly fruity smell. This is  supposed to relax, refresh and moisturise the skin. I can't really vouch for any moisturisation claims as my skin doesn't feel any more moisturised then usual but I don't feel really refreshed and strangely relaxed which is an effect I've never felt from a fragrance. In terms of lasting power this is similar to that of Eau d'toilette so doesn't last all day but for a few hours.

When I eventually got this home I  did a little research and found some other treatment sprays including Eau Dynamisante  which I have seen on many occasions and tested. Coincidently its also celebrating its 25th year! I also came across two other fragrances Eau Ressourçante and Sunshine fragrance which is an online exclusive but is not currently available.

Eau des jardins retails at £29.00 for 100ml (loads!) You can purchase it from Clarins beauty counters and the Clarins website.

What do you think of treatment sprays?

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My 1st beauty buy

I've trying to think where my obsession started and I would have to thank my mum not because she had an interest in make up or skincare..my mum has had the same beauty regime for as long as I can remember simple facewash and moisturiser followed by black kohl. We did have one beauty day out where I convinced her to get a MAC foundation and some YSL products but her regime never really took off and with the exception of the foundation (too dark) I became the beneficiary of her first and last beauty haul. I remember my mum would religiously buy cosmo and Marie Claire (for the articles! What am I adopted?) which I would then devour and make into my own magazines or collages..they sure loved to waste make up in those shoots loads of smashed up eyeshadow and crushed lipsticks (the idea!). I couldn't wait until I could get my own make up which at the time was whatever freebies cane with Mizz, Shout! J17 or Go Girl or my Barbies ..so lots of blue eyeshadow and frosty pink lipsticks..not exactly groundbreaking.

My first product was was a 13th birthday present and was L'oreal Le Grand Curl mascara. I was delighted and whilst this is now discontinued and I really can't remember if it was any good I like that after 13 years my HG mascara is also by L'oreal (Telescopic). On a side note I also got my first fragrance which was CKone I have since discovered that I prefer floral & fruity scents but I did get a CKShock for my 25th birthday which bought back memories.

What was your first beauty product?

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Ren glycolic lactic radiance renewal mask

REN is one of those brands I had heard about but never really investigated. I tend to buy from brands I have come across in shops. I'd read a few reviews so thought i'd give the brand a go. I'm always on the lookout for facial masks especially those aimed at skin with blemishes, they tend to be clay based which I find to just be too messy and too much of an effort, this is much more hassle free so for a lazy cow like me is perfection. This mask contains AHAs which stands for alpha hydroxy acids which have an exfoliating effect.

This is what REN says about this mask:

"A potent bio active peel mask designed to renew the complexion, reduce the appearance of fine lines and dramatically improve skin to A potent bio active peel mask designed to renew the complexion, reduce the appearance of fine lines and dramatically improve skin tone.

Results:

Removes dead skin cells to renew the complexion

Skin looks brighter, healthier, more radiant

Helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

Combats congestion, blackheads and blemishes"

Lets start at the beginning. The packaging is is quite spa looking, not at all flimsy. It has a pump which dispenses a very small amount of the product which is great as this is not cheap!!! The product itself has thwarting smell of a sanatogen multivitamin I used to take, if you're not familiar with that is a sort of sweet orangey smell. It doesn't bother me but it is quite strong so might be off putting. The texture is VERY thick, this is like a balm. When I initially applied it I didn't feel anything, not even a tingle as the packaging suggested may happen however, on a couple occasions where I had a spot and had my eyebrows threaded this definitely stung!!! I wouldn't recommend this for people with sensitive skin as it is pretty strong.

The instructions say "Apply a generous amount onto clean skin over the face and neck. Leave for 10 minutes  and gently wipe off mask". I do just this but remove with a warm washcloth as I find this removes the mask much more efficiently with no residue. After using this my skin feels very soft. I am prone to dryness but this doesn't seem to bring that out at all. Overall my skin is a lot clearer, I believe this is due to my routine and this mask is a happy edition.

I use this once a week as part of a.mini facial. I would definetly purchase this as I love the feel of it and really think its helped to improve my complexion. Also this is free from those nasties such as parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, petrolatum, synthetic fragrance and colours, TER, DER, glycols, silicones, PEGS etc. Have to admit I didnt know what three of those were but its nice to be able to cross a lot of those ingrediants off the list as they can be responsible for breakouts!

The only "con" is the price as this is quite pricey at £30.00 for 50ml!!! Skincare is something I don't like to skimp on as I think its vital although I know not everyone can afford to have higher end products. I mix and match drug store  & luxury brands as long as they work and think of the expensive products as an investment as in I'm saving myself thousands of pounds in surgical procedure fees and knowing my luck reversals/corrections.

I purchased mine on ebay for £20, I can't find this seller anymore but have seen this on various occasions under £30. This is also avaliable  from ASOS, REN skincare, look fantastic, Amazon  and Space NK

What do you think of REN? Have you used this mask?

Treasure Hunting #1 : Benefit Dallas

I love those shopping the stash posts on blogs who doesn't like finding an old favourite or a product we were considering buying and didn't even remember we had? Dallas is one of these and in this micro summer I have used this EVERYDAY (no exaggeration). This is like a blusher/bronzer hybrid that gives skin such luminosity which comes from the finely milled shimmer in it, don't be alarmed you will not come away looking like a Christmas tree! I think my skin looks so glowing and healthy when I put it on. I find that bronzers look too muddy and unatural on my skin so this is a great alternative. I fond this looks good with or without a tan and is very buildable. Benefit describe it as "plum" it looks dusky pink to me but whatever! I usually pair this with Moonbeam (highlighter) for a bit of an extra boost or if its daytime my MAC strobe cream is enough. As with all Benefit Blushers/bronzers we ditch the brush...which lets be honest is pretty crappy unfortunately Benefit have quite cottoned on to this yet..they'll get it eventually. Apart from the brush the two other cons for me are the price as with Benefit is a bit high, yes the packaging is cute but not enough to warrant that price..that aside I overlook this. The second con is hitting pan!!!

You can find Benefit Dallas at your local Benefit counter priced at £24.50  for 12 grams.

Do you wear Dallas? What do you think?

What's in My Handbag

What’s is my handbag is a neat little site for us nosey biatches out there. I'd describe it as an online magazine/blog where you can read articles on beauty products, interviews with beauty experts, try samples of the latest products and most importantly view what’s inside lots of ladies bags. This has become my new past time.

You must sign up to be able to use this and in order to try products you have to answer a short questionnaire. For anyone who is dubious I received a sample of L'oreal Mytic oil so the system works. You can also upload your own bag for us nosey parkers.

I love the variety of this site and any freebie is a winner. Since I started using this its developed a lot, looking forward to what they have instore.

 

 

                                                        http://www.whatsinmyhandbag.com/

                                                           What do you think of this site?

Broadway Impress Nails (French Manicure)

 

 

 

I'm not a huge fan of false nails for a few reasons:

a) Because of the damage they do 

b) I'm constantly changing my nail colour

c) Most importantly, I'm too lazy to get them filled in.

That said there are certain occasions they are acceptable. I purchased these for a friends wedding and was very impressed. These are basically stick on nails, not the kind you would give to your 3 year old sister to play around with , no these are for big girls. They come in a nail polish shaped bottle which is pretty sweet (sucker for packaging). Each nail comes with an adhesive tab which you remove and then apply to your own nail. The whole process is pretty idiot proof, I applied them in my car in under 15 mins.

 A couple of points to remember:

1) Match these to your nails properly before application! I had a slight mishap here.

2) Make sure you push the nail into your cuticle so you can't see any joins.

3) If you have long nails then I wouldn't get these or be prepared to cut yours down as they are in false nail vocab Active.

I removed mine on the same night I applied them but, a friend had hers on for a full week and they were still going strong when she removed them. Obviously, if you are doing manual labour then these are not your friend. I noticed some felt loose but I still had to apply considerable force to get them off. To remove them you just pull them off from one of the sides. I doubt you'd be able to use these again. My nails looked and felt perfectly normal afterwards, no dents, residue etc.

I purchased mine from Superdrug for £7.99 but they are also available from Boots in a variety of designs and colours.

Would you wear these? What do you think of this brand?

Instagram obsession!!!

I admit it I am an absolute Instagram addict! During the great Instagram outage of 2012 I was one of those saddos checking to see when service had resumed. What can I say I love filtered pictures of make up and cakes :)

 

 

If you are an addict yourself and not quite ready to join Instrammers Anonymus then follow me for hundreds of pictures of me slowly bankrupting myself.

Follow me @mondayschild