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Your Choice: Winter Skin Saviours

I was recently sent a variety of skin care products to try out, all of which are aimed at helping fight against the harsh effects of Winter. I will need to use them for a little while before I hopefully start to see any effects, so whilst I am testing the above three items, I’d like to know which item you would like to see reviewed first?


Bio-Oil (Boots)
“You can use Bio-Oil all over, including on the face, to provide daily protection and to perfect your skin. Or, use it as an intense treatment for delicate areas that are most at risk from damage caused by exposure to the elements, such as hands, nails and cuticles, face, neck and décolletage.” – Bio-Oil skincare expert Kirsty Mawhinney

Bio-Oil’s concentrated formula is enriched with Vitamin E to protect against dehydration and Vitamin A to keep skin supple and smooth. These essential skincare ingredients are important on their own, but in Bio-Oil they are combined with PurCellin Oil™ to take them deep into the second layer of the skin for gold-standard targeted treatment.

Manuka Doctor Apinourish Repairing Skin Cream (Holland and Barrett)
This lightweight non-greasy cream delivers a perfect balance of intense hydration and purified nutrients that accelerate skin regeneration. In turn, repairing the skin’s natural balance and assisting in the reduction of the appearance of fine lines and scarring.

Trilogy Gentle Facial Exfoliant (Boots)
“It’s even more important to exfoliate once or twice per week during colder winter months. Especially with a non-abrasive treatment such as Trilogy Gentle Facial Exfoliant. When the winter comes the skin produces less natural oils due to the cooler temperatures and central heating so the skin can lose some of its natural moisture. Regular exfoliation will remove the build up of dead skin cells and allow the skin to absorb extra moisture, as well as ensuring that skin retains radiance and vitality.” – Catherine de Groot, co-founder of Trilogy

Which product would you like to see reviewed first?
Bio-Oil
Manuka Doctor
Trilogy
Results
bloomzy /

Review: Bobbi Brown Eye Cream

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream – £28

I had to do a review on this cream, as it has been such a life saver through the Winter months.
I originally tried it before Christmas and fell in love with it, which someone remembered because I ended up getting it as a Christmas present.  Bobbi Brown’s Hydrating Eye Cream is specifically for the area around the eyes, and helps keep away dry skin whilst keeping it smooth and refreshed.

Pros:
+ Hydrates the eye area immediately; it was like my skin had changed overnight.
+ You only need a little bit for application, so it goes a long way.
+ Once dried, concealer goes on easily and smoothly.
+ I love the packaging, so simple and chic.
+ Keeps the area smooth and supple
+ Made with natural ingredients

Cons:
– It only has a life of 6 months, once opened, and I worry I won’t get through it in that time, even using it every other day. However you can expect this of most eye creams, especially those with natural ingredients. Not really a con, but should be mentioned.

Notes:
– This is not a primer. Some people have said it’s good enough to be one, with others saying it actually is. I wouldn’t suggest buying this to use as one, however I have found applying concealer underneath the eye area is easier with it.
– Some reviewers have claimed it didn’t work for them, so I suggest going to a Bobbi Brown counter and asking for a sample. They’re always happy to help, from my experience.
– Some online reviews have claimed it helps dark circles under the eyes. Bobbi Brown do not claim this, and I haven’t noticed much change there either.

If you liked the look and sound of Bobbi Brown’s Hydrating Eye Cream then you can pick up your own here.

bloomzy /

Birthday Weekend

Birthday gift from The Body Shop

It’s my birthday on Sunday, so the lovely people at The Body Shop sent me a voucher to spend in-store, as I am a member of their loyalty card scheme. 10% off in-store and online, special offers through email and then a special gift on your birthday month. Amazing!
– sign up here –
Anyway, the subject of this post; I shall be away from the blog this weekend as it is my birthday on Sunday, so I plan to relax and enjoy my time with friends and the fiancé. I shall be back next week, no doubt with pictures and tales of my weekend.

In the meantime, check out these latest posts:
Karl, by Karl Lagerfeld Collection
Style Crush; Eriko Nakao
Discuss; Katy Perry Eyelashes
Murua S/S Collection 2012

♥
bloomzy /

Discuss; Katy Perry Eyelashes

Oh, My! Lightweight, but full of texture for a dramatic eye.

Oh, Honey! Fuller, slightly more natural lashes, for day or night.

Cool Kitty Fuller lash for more dramatic eyes.

Sweetie Pie Sweet, subtle and feminine for everyday use.

Katy worked with Eylure (she wore their lashes all throughout her tour) to create 4 sets of eyelashes (cost; $6.99) that she felt were gorgeous and great quality. 

We’re all used to celebrities bringing out their own perfumes by this point, but we don’t get to see too many false eyelashes being endorsed by celebrities, maybe because they’d like us to believe they’re all natural? 
Anyway, I think Katy Perry has made a good choice; previously we saw Girls Aloud bring out several ranges with Eylure, which sold out in-store and online. We already know Katy wears falsies, and her make-up is always flawless, so I think fans of Katy and false eyelashes alike will want to snap these up!


As I said before, I like the idea and I think it will work well for Katy. However, I’m not too impressed with the looks of the lashes myself; I was expecting something a bit more elegant, or unique. Still, I will leave my full judgement until I can see them in person.

Will you be grabbing a pair?
The Katy Perry range by Eylure will be available in ULTA stores and online from February 14th, Valentines day. For those outside of the USA keep your eyes peeled, hopefully they will be coming to a store near you soon!

Source; 1, 2
bloomzy /

Review; Pop Beauty & Barry M

Pop Beauty; Twinkle: Electric Glimmer | Barry M; Red Glitter NP150

For Christmas I received some gorgeous nail polishes from the fiancé and family. They know just how obsessed I am with my collection, so thoughtfully they added a little something to it. I choose 2 of my favourites to review here. The reason I took videos as well as photos is because I found it hard to show the effect of the polish in just a simple photo – this being most true with the Pop Beauty polish.

The Pop Beauty polish featured in this first video has to be my favourite by far. I’ve not seen another polish like it. I can’t describe how much I love it! Pop Beauty offer some amazing shades and glitters in their nail collection. The bottles are attractive and come with 15ml/0.5floz, which is more than your usual bottle. It took a couple of coats for me to achieve my desired look, nothing more than a regular polish.Being a glitter polish it is prone to chipping more than a regular one. This did happen a couple of times on my thumbnails but was easily remedied by filling in the spaces, which surprisingly were not very noticeable afterwards. Even though Pop Beauty polishes cost a little more than your regular polish, you’re receiving some amazing, unique shades/glitters. I will definitely be buying more from their range – I’ve even made a wish list for my birthday.

Pop Beauty is available online and in selected stores.

Barry M offer a great selection of polishes and I own quite a few of them already. They’re cheaper than PB but then you receive a regular size 10ml bottle, and their shades are often copied by or from other brands. This means it won’t be as unique, but the quality and look is great so there’s no complaints here! This polish took about 3/4 coats to achieve an opaque, strong colour but I have found this with a lot of Barry M polishes.As mentioned before, glitter polishes are prone to chipping and the Barry M polish was no different. I did try to fill it in like the PB one, and it worked but was definitely more noticeable, which is probably due to the shade more than the quality of the product.

Barry M is available online and in most UK Boots & Superdrug stores.

bloomzy /

Instagram Weekly 1

I love how Eki updates once a week with photos from her Instagram.

I think it adds a new twist to the ‘photo diary‘ portion of blogs.
Therefore I decided to take a leaf out of her book, as I realised that not everyone has Instagram, nor do you all follow me on Twitter and sometimes I don’t even post my photos there.

This first post will be a catch-up of my favourite photos from previous weeks, then I shall continue with the weekly updates.

Click ‘read more’ for the full post.

I hope you will enjoy this new weekly feature.
Thank you for the inspiration Eki!

bloomzy /

Candy, Candy


Back in November I tweeted about a very big order from The Body Shop.
Candied Ginger; body lotion, shower gel, body butter, lip balm and hand cream. Spiced Vanilla; body lotion and shower gel. Rose; lip care stick. Facial massager.
I fell in love with their Christmas collections, namely the Spiced Vanilla & Candied Ginger range. I can’t explain how much I love the smell and taste of ginger, so I was beyond excited to see this range. The vanilla products also won me over with their subtle but yummy scent!
I’ve only just started using the shower gel and body butter, thanks to a backlog of products I need to get through, but I already love them. Let me know if you fancy a review.