bloomzy /

Review: Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Balm

Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lipbalm
 
It was my good friend Alanna who convinced me to buy Nuxe’s Rêve de Miel.
I had been umm-ing and ahh-ing and finally after chatting with her, I was convinced.
I was after a lip balm to help keep my lips from drying, especially as I wear lipstick everyday.
You know, something to help combat those annoying bits of dry skin you bite off (I know I shouldn’t).
Was Nuxe the brand that could help me do that?
Pros:
+ Smells divine
+ Stops my lips drying out
+ A little goes a long way
+ I love the packaging and glass pot
 
Cons:
– Expensive
 
Notes:
At £9.50 it’s safe to say this is the most expensive lip balm I’ve bought.
I thought about it for a long time but decided to take the plunge as I’d heard wonderful things.
This lip balm is super concentrated (if that makes sense), and is much more substantial than others I’ve tried, and smells absolutely amazing! As I mentioned above, a little bit on my fingertip helps hydrate all of my lips and makes them feel lovely. I’ve only been popping some on in the morning and evening (unless needed during the day) and I love it already. My lips are much more nourished now and they don’t feel dry at all. It also helped me out when I had chapped lips recently – gone in a matter of days! As for lipstick drying out my lips (yep, even high-end brands such as Chanel dry mine out), Rêve de Miel has definitely helped combat that. In the last week I haven’t found myself feeling as if my lips were dry or that I needed to bite at dry skin, and that’s coming from someone who wears lipstick everyday. My lips are softer and more hydrated. This is definitely an investment lip balm and worth saving the pennies for if you happen to suffer from dry/chapped lips, or just think yours could do with a pick me up.
You can buy Nuxe Rêve de Miel in Space NK stores, or online here.
bloomzy /

Review: Born Pretty Holographic Nail Polish

Born Pretty Holographic Nail Polish*
Another nail polish to add to my ridiculously large collection!
This time it is a gorgeous silver holographic shade, with a very futuristic feel to it.
Left: After 2 coats, Right: After 4 coats
 
Pros:
+ Great shade
+ Applies easily
+ Amazing holographic finish
+ Can be worn sheer or opaque
 
Cons:
– 3+ coats are needed for an opaque finish
– Small bottle
 
Notes:
I love the shade of this polish, it’s so much nicer than other holographic polishes I’ve tried.
It applied very sheer to start with and it took me 4 coats to get an opaque finish (which I prefer).
However that does mean that this is kind of a 3-in-1 polish, meaning you could use to just add a bit of glitter to your fingertips, layer it with other colours, or you can wear it opaque. I was pretty impressed with the selection of shades available on the store too so I’ll definitely be checking out more of the collection.
You can purchase Born Pretty’s Holo Polish here, and view the other shades here.
bloomzy /

Review: Yuko Lock In Colour Shampoo & Treatment

Yuko Lock In Colour Shampoo & Treatment*

I’m a fan of Asian beauty products, as most of you will probably know by now.
When I was living in Japan of course I used Japanese shampoo and I quite liked it.
However after returning from Japan I switched to natural shampoos/conditioners instead.
So I was interested to try this Japanese shampoo/treatment duo when it arrived at my door.
I still use natural shampoos 99% of the time but I like to mix it up every now and again.
Founded by a Japanese hairstylist in 1996, Yuko is a well known brand for hair straightening techniques.
They have now branched out to include other products in the range such as shampoos & conditioners.
I was sent the Yuko Lock In Colour Shampoo & Treatment to try out.

Pros:
+ Plenty of product
+ Lathered well on my hair
+ Washed out easily

Cons:
– Dried my hair out
– I didn’t notice a scent

Notes:
I was so looking forward to using this but it just didn’t work out for me.
Naturally my hair is quite dry after washing but natural shampoos have remedied this.
However this duo dried my hair out and left it very frizzy. I’d like to say some of this is due to the lovely hot weather we’re having but these products are meant to help target that. It just seemed to be down to the shampoo and conditioner, which is a real shame. This is probably due to the fact that my hair hasn’t dealt with non-natural products for a long time (apart from dye). I also didn’t notice a scent, which is a shame because I love it when the fiancé comments on how nice my hair smells (slightly creepy, I know). I may give this another go at some point but unfortunately it just proved that natural is the way to go for me. This would be better suited to someone who uses non-natural products regularly.
bloomzy /

Review: Witch Mattifying Moisturiser

Witch Mattifying Moisturiser, with SPF15 for Oily/Combination Skin*

At the Pegasus Live event I spoke with a representative of Witch.
We spoke about how I prefer not to use a primer, and how my skin dislikes certain moisturisers.
She was confident in recommending their new mattifying moisturiser and thought it would be perfect.
So you can imagine I was very happy to find one in my goodie bag, so I could try it out for myself.
Pros:
+ Moisturising
+ Doesn’t break me out
+ Works well as a primer
+ Fits well into my daily skin/make-up routine

Cons:
– Not great for the current Summer heatwave

Notes:
My skin can often feel dry after cleansing if I don’t use a moisturiser.
This solved that problem, and also worked well as a primer when applying make-up.
It didn’t break me out either, which can often be a problem when I use a new moisturiser.
The only problem I had was that it felt slightly oily on my problem areas, which wasn’t great for applying concealer/foundation on top of. That said, I think the current heatwave may be contributing to that so I’m hopeful that it won’t be such a problem when the weather cools down again.
You can buy Witch Mattifying Moisturiser in Boots stores, or online here.
bloomzy /

Results: Escentual Micellar Water Trial

Remember the Micellar Water Blind Trial I did for Escentual?
(If you don’t remember it you can view it here)
Well 100 Bloggers voted and the results are in, and I was very surprised at the final scores.
It’s obvious by the results that what worked for me, didn’t necessarily work for others.
I think this trial is the perfect example of how everyone’s skin is different.
My favourite? Dior’s Micellar Water.
My least favourite? La Roche-Posay.
It’s funny how my favourite was in the bottom 3, and my least favourite was in the top 3.
Straightaway after using Sample A I knew that it had to be Dior, don’t ask me how.
Maybe it’s because I have expensive taste, or I could feel the quality?
Which would I buy again? Dior and Caudalie.
I loved the trial and it has helped me discover some great products.
Micellar Water is my thing so I’ll definitely be investing in some of these in the future.
bloomzy /

Pegasus Beauty Showcase

Snaps from Pegasus Beauty Showcase, and the contents of my goodie bag*

Yesterday I attended Pegasus PR’s Beauty Showcase at One Marylebone.
The ladies (are there any gents? I’ve not met one yet) at Pegasus PR are always so lovely.
I am always happy to meet and chat with them as they genuinely love what they’re doing.
They also represent so many wonderful brands, a lot of whom I own and buy regularly.
So I knew there would be some amazing brands at the showcase and I couldn’t wait.
I was literally one of the first to arrive – that’s how eager I was to check it out!
The showcase itself was set out very nicely, making it easy to notice (and chat) with each brand.
Some of the brands I know and have worked with thanks to Pegasus were there: Trilogy, Avène, Klorane, Dr Organic Australian Bodycare, and Holland & Barrett. It’s always nice to see tried and tested favourites. I was also happy to see a few new brands being represented such as Collection (formerly Collection 2000) and Witch. Even though I was impressed by pretty much all the brands there were several that really stood out to me. What were they?
+ Trilogy Sensitive Range – sfor those with sensitive skin. The serum was as light as a feather.
+ Dr Organics Snail Gel – sounded weird enough for me to try it, and smelt heavenly, like lemon sherbet.
+ Holland & Barrett Aromatherapy Oils – over 35+ oils in the range, each with its own purpose & properties.
SHOWCASE WINNER: Collection Gothic Glam Lipstick & Polish
I will be investing in literally all of these when they’re released later this year (apart from #1 Dramatic polish as that was in my goodie bag). The lipsticks are the exact colours I love and I know I would wear them everyday. The polishes also came in 4 brilliant shades that remind me a bit of crushed velvet – love it!
Thanks for such an amazing showcase Pegasus!
I can’t wait to try out the goodies in my bag and review some on the blog.
bloomzy /

Review: Black 15-in-1 Miracle Shampoo & Conditioner

Black 15-in-1 Twice A Week Miracle Shampoo & Conditioner
The beauty section is always a favourite of mine in TK Maxx.
So when I recently paid a visit to the new TK Maxx in St Mary’s Axe (opposite The Gherkin), I was excited to check out their beauty section. My first impressions were that it’s quite small and it didn’t really carry many brands that I was interested in…in fact I barely noticed any well-known name brands. Anyway, I still had a peak at what they had to offer and one item that caught my eye was the Black 15-in-1 Twice A Week Miracle Shampoo & Conditioner which they had in large and small bottles. I was intrigued by the claim that this shampoo/conditioner was a ‘miracle’ treatment for hair. Not only that, but the original price tag (£20 per 600ml bottle) told me that this wasn’t kiddy’s stuff. TK Maxx were selling the 600ml bottle for half price, but I still didn’t want to spend £20 on some shampoo & conditoner that I’d never even heard of, so I went for the smaller 200ml option and paid £6 for both bottles. That’s less than I’d pay usually, so I was happy.
The ingredients include:
Panthenol B5 – protects and adds shine to chemically processed hair. 
Prodew 500 Amino Acid Blend – repairs surface damage & strengthens hair, preventing moisture loss.
Sunflower Seed Extract – UV protection, heat protection & protects hair color from fading. 
Argan Oil – nourishes the hair strands and helps reduce frizz and flyaways.
– It’s also Sulphate & Paraben free –
After using it, my hair was:
+ Shiny
+ Smooth
+ Soft
+ Tangle free
What did I think?
It pretty much did everything it said on the tin…or should I say bottle.
I didn’t feel that it was a ‘miracle treatment’ but it was certainly a good shampoo.
One major downside though is that this is an American brand, and I can’t seem to find a UK stockist.
There are plenty of sellers on eBay, but they’re selling it for extortionate prices, so I would avoid that.
Sure you might be able to find some at TK Maxx but for those who want to continue using it, a lack of stockists within the UK doesn’t make this a practical option. I enjoyed my love affair with it, but I think I’ll have to say goodbye for now.
Source; 1, 2 (No original photo as TK Maxx used a massive sticker, which ripped off the labelling when I tried to take a photo, and left the bottles looking like this).