By now you will have got sucked into the hype of Bourjois’s four new cream blushers – a first for the Parisian beauty brand. Is it worth the fuss? Hell, yes!
The pretty little round pot powder blusher epitomises everything that is Bourjois, and these cream blushers are rightfully something to get excited about. It’s amazing to believe Bourjois is celebrating it’s 150th anniversary this year.
Creamy in texture, they set to a soft, velvet finish and are packaged in Bourjois’s unique rounded pots. I also love the fact they are lightweight, sleek and easy to slip into a little make-up bag for on the go, which is why I took one for my travels.
My favourite is the darkest shade of the range, 04 – Sweet Cherry as it suits my skin tone beautifully. Number 3 Healthy Glow is another gorgeous one. I don’t pack on too much, just enough to give a soft and subtle flush to the cheeks as you can see.
The cream blushers cost slightly more than their powder version at £7.49 but the quality and results speak for themselves. I know Superdrug has a 3 for 2 offer on at the moment so this is a golden chance to reap the benefits of these blushers.
By the way, here’s a snap of Leanne of Do Not Refreeze and myself sunning ourselves on the French Riviera in celebration of Bourjois’s new launch. (This may or may not be a photo backdrop behind us as we shiver the cold, English weather.)
*PR samples
If you had a £50 voucher to spend at Topshop, what would you buy?
That was the question put to me by Sheenie recently, to which I replied without skipping a beat, “Make-up, obviously!”
I am in no way shape or form a fashionista, and frankly the clothes in Topshop are either not my style or out of my budget. Their colour cosmetics range on the other hand, is absolutely chock full of gems at surprisingly affordable prices.
Having bought a fair few Topshop make-up bits before, I knew you could get fair bang for your buck. But when Sheenie surprised me by actually giving me aforementioned £50 voucher* (knows how to treat a woman, that one!), I was still quite surprised by the amount of things I managed to add to my basket. Check ‘em out:
Eye Palette in Game On (£12.50)
One of my absolute favourite make-up items is cream eyeshadow – it’s so versatile and a real staple in my arsenal to use as a base for powder eyeshadows. Along with classic silver and gold, there are also two quite unusual shades in here in the form of a denim blue and a rosy mauve. The texture isn’t dissimilar to Topshop’s revered Cream Blush – soft and creamy on application, drying down to a smudge-proof, unbudgeable finish.
Cream Blush in Morning Dew, Afternoon Tea and Head Over Heels (£6 each)
Speaking of the Cream Blushes, I couldn’t resist adding three more to my blush stash. I am a big fan of these, for the easy-to-work-with formula mentioned above along with the cute polkadot packaging, handy mirror for on-the-go touch ups and most of all, their ridiculously purse friendly price. I mean £6, really? It would be rude not to. Morning Dew, the peach shade, is the perfect colour for my pale skin to see me easily through Spring and Summer.
Lip Liner in Ceramic (£5)
For someone who owns an obscene amount of lipsticks, I definitely don’t own enough lip liners to pair with them. This nude shade is very close to my natural lip colour, perhaps a shade darker, which makes it an ideal base for nude lip colours to prolong their wear and prevent any feathering. If you don’t own a lip liner whose colour falls into the ‘my lips but better’ category, you definitely need one and if you’re fair like me, this might be a good bet.
Lip Bullet in Heartbeat (£8)
I think these twist-up Lip Bullets are quite a new addition to the Topshop range, and this gorgeous hybrid of coral, orange and a hint of red is my favourite of the shades available. Leaning neither too cool or too warm, this should suit most skintones and is as long-lasting as it is easy to apply, not to mention it packs a serious punch in the pigmentation stakes.
Sugar Skull Mini Wipes (£1.25 each)
More of a basket-filler than anything else, I think I underestimated how useful these would be for me. I am the sort of person who can’t walk past Boots without wandering in for a swatching session, so keeping some wipes in my bag at all times is infinitely handy and I don’t know why I didn’t do it before. These cute little packets are the perfect handbag size (who wants to lug a bulky pack of Johnsons baby wipes around every day?) and let’s be honest, the sugar skull design is pretty much a dealmaker.
That brought my basket total up to £46 – add on £4 for standard delivery and bam, that’s my £50 Topshop make-up splurge!
So, I’ll finish where I started: what would you buy with a £50 Topshop voucher?
Leanne Do Not Refreeze
Well, this can become a reality as there is a £50 gift voucher up for grabs from the lovely folks at Appliances Online for one lucky person to spend on whatever they choose. It can be Topshop, Boots, Feelunique.com or ASOS – it’s entirely up to you if you win.
Just tell us what would you spend £50 on and why, and post your answer in the comments box below with your email address. The best answer will win a £50 e-gift voucher to spend on their wish-list. Sounds good? Get cracking then!
Appliances Online also has a fabulous lifestyle blog you might want to check out for ideas and inspirations.
*£50 Topshop voucher courtesy of Appliances Online
Competition rules:
- This competition is open to UK residents only – sorry!
- Multiple entries will not be accepted.
- Closing date is Sunday 2nd June 2013.
- No alternative product or cash alternative will be offered.
- Winner will be given 48 hours to respond, after which another winner will be selected.
- Email addresses supplied will NOT be used for marketing or mail-out purposes by Just Nice Things and Appliances Online.
I’m all packed, checked in and ready for Marrakech and while I intend to indulge in a much needed hammam over there, I do want to make sure I’m moderately prepped for maximum sun exposure for a healthy looking tan.
Timing couldn’t have been more perfect when I was sent SAI-SEI’s Mineral Invigorate Body Scrub to buff away dead skin ahead of my holiday. I’m only picky about one thing when it comes to scrubs and that is anything that leaves an oily or sticky residue after is not one I would return to using. Thankfully this isn’t the case with this offering from SAI-SEI. It’s not perfumed but it’s packed with water bamboo and sasa veitchii extracts for a gentle yet effective scrub, and it really is a lovely one to use.
A little on the indulgence side with its price tag so approach if you’re a serious spa queen. Exclusive to Space NK, SAI-SEI’s Mineral Invigorate Body Scrub costs £28 for 200ml.
*PR sample
La Collection De Grasse is the name of L’Occitane’s luxurious set of new fragrances. It’s the fruits of their new in-house perfumer, Karine Dubreuil who is no strange to L’Occitane having worked on fragrances for them previously.
Dubreuil has a portfolio to be proud of with the likes of Thierry Mugler’s Womanity, L’Artisan’s Mûre et Musc Extreme and L’Eau D’Ambre, Gucci’s Envy Me and for Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria range, Pivione Magnifica and Grosellina under her belt.
And Grasse? Well it’s the town where Dubreuil grew up in, and it is also considered the world’s capital of perfume.
There are four choice scents housed in elegant bottles and distinguishable by the spring colours yellow, orange, purple and green. Let’s take a closer look at them, shall we?
Jasmin & Bergamote has top notes of mandarin orange and bergamot; a heart of jasmine and lemon leaves; and base notes of sandalwood and cedar. It is a very fresh and citrusy scent, and would be perfect to spritz on during the daytime.
Magnolia & Mûre features notes of bergamot, blackberry, magnolia, rose, patchouli and moss. Quite a sensual and sophisticated scent, I would say.
Vanille & Narcisse features notes of blackcurrant and bergamot in the top; heart of narcissus and gardenia; the base includes vanilla and tonka bean.
Finally Thé Vert & Bigarade is a unisex fragrance, containing notes of orange, bitter orange, green tea, yerba mate, cedar, thyme and musk. It’s the lightest fragrance out of the four.
I couldn’t tear myself away from Jasmin & Bergamote and Magnolia & Mûre because I adore jasmine and roses, but after much deliberation, I settled for the latter as I have a strong fondness for rose scents like Ghost, Stella and Christian Dior’s Oud Ispahan. Also it struck me as a fragrance I could actually get away with wearing all year round.
These fragrances are available as 75ml Eau de Toilette, 175ml Body Milk, 175ml Shower Gel, 125g Perfumed Soap and as gift sets too. I was given the collection in miniature sized bottles, which is a great way to try them all for £28 and handy for travelling too. Find them at L’Occitane concession counters, L’Occitane’s shops or online.
*PR samples
