bloomzy /

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 Gifts 2

Some gifts from friends

I shall certainly be smelling nice for the rest of the year (not that I don’t already), with some gorgeous items from Lush. 
Little Green Bag includes: Squeaky Green Shampoo & Jungle Solid Conditioner, Sugar Scrub, Sea Vegetable Soap and Each Peach and Two’s a Pair Massage Bar and Tin.
Buttercup includes: Butterball bath bomb and Honey I Washed the Kids soap.
Some old favourites of mine, and some new ones that I can’t wait to try!
The Tea gift set is from the wonderful Teapigs online store and included: Yerba Mate, Lemon & Ginger, Super Fruit and Mao Feng Green Tea. All amazing teas that I adore – can’t wait to relax with this!!
You all know my love for Matcha (powdered green tea) by now, well you can also buy it at Teapigs!
Finally, an absolutely amazing present.
This t-shirt is from my friend Zak, we lived together in Tokyo and went to the same university there. Whilst we were studying in Tokyo we often came up with strange, random things on our commutes. This is one of those things – yep, it’s me riding atop a sting ray yelling “キモチィィィ” (Japanese for ‘wonderful feeling’). He drew and designed it whilst we were in Tokyo, and this year he put it on a t-shirt for me.
Thank you to all my wonderful friends ♥
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 /

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.
bloomzy /

Oh so ‘LUSH’ !

Recently I have become a bit of a LUSH addict so I wanted to introduce you to a couple of their products that I love right now.
Trichomania Shampoo Bar
Retread Conditioner
After the bleaching etc. my hair has been through lately, LUSH’s natural shampoos and conditioners have been welcomed with open arms. As you can see the shampoo bar which I bought about 3 months ago is still going – amazing Although it is on it’s last legs haha
Of course it does depend on the size you buy but when the woman told me that the bars last so much longer than regular liquid shampoo I wasn’t so sure…but it’s true! That’s probably my 3rd pot of conditioner but everyone knows you use more conditioner. Even so, I would say they still last about a month which is pretty good…and when you collect 5 pots & take them back in-store you get a free face mask. Bargain!
Since using both of these, my hair is the best it has been in years. I am sold!!
On the subject of showers/baths…

Whoosh Shower Jelly
The LUSH shower jellies always intrigued me so when my fiance’s sister gifted me with this one I was a very happy girly. I definitely think it will come in handy too, because this is perfect for jet-lag or general tiredness, and with my return to university fast approaching this will be needed
I have high hopes for it, if only for the smell alone. The smell, oh the smell, it truly is amazing. I can’t describe it but it’s so fresh and invigorating…it kinda reminds me of the fizzy sweets I used to eat as a child

Jackie Oats Colour Supplement
Next up is something for the make-up bag. 
I don’t currently use foundation as I am sure you’ve seen me mention. I did want to try out a tinted moisturiser though, so I shopped around at MAC and a few other places. However they were all either too dark or felt bad on my skin. So I popped into LUSH.
The colour supplements they offer are great because they can be used solely as a foundation or concealer, or blended to create a tinted moisturiser. I did some tests in-store and the palest of the supplements suited me best, no surprise there then
I’m not really a big fan of natural make-up products but this is very good. This feels so much better on my skin, it’s sensitive and it doesn’t break me out. I also love that I can create my own shades & consistencies by mixing it with a moisturiser. 
And last but certainly not least…

Heavanlili Massage Bar
I once had a member of the LUSH team treat me to a hand-massage at a TopShop lock-in (with the ‘strawberry feels forever’ bar), and the rest is history. I was so hooked by the smell and the softness of my skin afterwards that I had to have more!
I’m always pestering my fiance to give me a massage, because it helps relieve everday aches & pains, and is very relaxing~ So when I showed him the ‘massage bar’ section in The Lush Times, he went out and bought me one. Awww
The one above smells like Vanilla, and it’s so gentle on your skin. As soon as you hold it in your hands it starts to melt into your skin, but don’t worry it doesn’t really melt. You just work a little into your hands, or onto your victim, and massage away. This one is always supposed to be a bit of an aphrodisiac though, so watch who you use it on haha
I really love how LUSH use natural, vegetarian ingredients in handmade products that aren’t tested on animals…because believe it or not, there are still some companies that do nowadaysNot only that but their products are good on the body and smell awesome!!
bloomzy /

GETS!

Just a small filler post with some recent gets and some coords I put together with the items…
Sephora ‘lemon meringue’ body lotion 

I was drawn in to Sephora again haha. I also bought my boyf some products for his birthday as they had given me a special discount when I bought the above lotion – and was then given even more discount cards for their latest products. 
I can see why people such as Jenny love Sephora so much; they have great customer service and their products are reasonably priced. This lotion has really helped keep the moisture in my skin during the hot weather we’ve been having recently. It also smells AMAZING just like a lemon meringue. 
ZARA shirt 

Since I’ve been lucky enough to be placed in one of the more affluent areas (5min from Arc de Triomphe, 10min from Champs Elysees) in Paris there are plenty of shops for me to peak in. There’s a small Zara just down the road from me – I was surprised when I first went in as it was full of chic Parisian women in Chanel with their tiny dogs at their side, which is normal for this area…but not so normal for the Zara stores I’m used to haha
It hangs really nicely~ 
ZARA shirt 
[sorry for the poor picture]

This one is an off the shoulder shirt, but you can also wear it as a regular loose top, if you wish. 
Earrings: Shinjuku ALTA
Necklace: Liz Lisa
Top: Zara
EGOIST cut-out lack back shirt

Necklace: Swarovski
Shirt: Egoist
Shorts: H&M
This is another one of those shirts that is longer at the back. I really love the cut of this and the fabric is lovely. I’ve been pairing it with a black vest top underneath as I already draw too much attention showing off my legs haha – according to my French guy friend, that’s not normal for Parisian women so the men tend to get a bit leary when they see a woman showing some skin.
I’ll also be wearing this for my meet tomorrow with the gorgeous Ananya and Emmie – can’t wait to see you guys in Paris!!