Oriflame- The One

New product launches from Oriflame always excite me as I can pretty much guarantee it’s going to be good. Recently they launched a range of products called “The One” and although I couldn’t attend the launch event I was lucky enough to be sent some products from the range to review.
The One brings the latest fashion and beauty trends from around the world with three ranges that cater to all your makeup needs. With names such as High Impact, Everyday Beauty and Longwear it’s easy to pick and choose products that suit you and how you choose to live.
The products I was sent came from the High Impact range, designed to create a bold statement and impressive finishes. This is the range I was most interested in to be honest, I like my products to make a bit of a statement, although Longwear and Everyday Beauty also appeal. Basically, I want everything.
First up was the Colour Impact cream eyeshadows in Beige Pearl and Intense Plum. These are really lovely and apply like a dream both with a gentle finger tip or an eyeshadow brush. Beige Pearl made a brilliant base for powder shadows and also looked great alone with a flick of black liner. Intense Plum is a stunning purple shade and initially goes on quite sheer so you can build it up to get the look you desire. My only gripe was that these did tend to crease towards the end of the day, but I find that with every cream shadow on me so I don’t hold it against this specific shadow.
Next came the Power Shine lipstick in Red Ovation; a lovely orange toned red that is so on trend for Spring/Summer. I’m always a bit shy when it comes to red lips but this built up from a really sheer gloss to a much stronger colour with ease so I could take baby steps in to the world of a bold lip.
Last but not least came the Volume Blase mascara. I didn’t actually hold out much hope for this as I’m not a fan of this type of mascara brush at all. It was a pleasing surprise when this turned out to be up to the usual Oriflame standards though and two coats later I had dramatic, volumatic lashes with no clumping. I love it when a product exceeds expectations and this one certainly did!
Overall this is another stunner of a range from Oriflame, is there anything they can’t do? I’d love to try some products from the other two ranges, and if I do I’ll share my thoughts on the blog. Which products would you most like to try? Oh, and any tips for wearing cream eyeshadows without creasing?

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Lip Colour from Burt’s Bees

Any long time reader of my blog will have seen Burt’s Bees get frequent mentions and rave reviews. I can’t get enough of their fabulous lip products so when I was sent samples of their new Lip Colour products I was pretty excited!
I was sent three products from the range of Lip Colour products- Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus, Lip Shine in Whisper and Lip Gloss in nearly dusk. Already a huge fan of the un-tinted lip balms I was eager to give the coloured version a go, Hibiscus is a lovely pinky colour with quite orange undertones to it making it perfect for this time of year. You get a sheer, buildable colour that protects your lips in the same way as the non tinted version, no compromises here! I’ve been wearing this on a daily basis as a more subtle shade for work, rather than my favoured full on weekend orange!
I’m not much of a lip gloss wearer so I wasn’t sure how well these would hold up against my expectations. I love the look of a glossy lip but can’t stand stickiness at all (I hate certain textures in general and sticky is one of them!) so it was to my delight that I found both the Lip Shine and Lip Gloss both very un-sticky indeed. The Lip Shine in whisper was such a pale pink that it was almost clear and looked lovely layered over the Lip Balm as well as on it’s own/with some of my other lip products. The colour lip gloss was again a super subtle shade but provided the perfect touch of pinky colour and shine for a toned down and natural look.
In general I’m quite fickle with my lip products and ditch them after one or two uses in favour of something else (only to repeat the cycle days later). I’ve owned these products for just over two weeks now and have used each of them pretty much on a daily basis, which is something that has only happened with one or two other products in the past. I know a lot of you blogger beauties love yourself a bit of Burt’s Bees so I won’t hesitate in telling you to get hold of at least one of these wonders in at least one of the shades. To find your perfect shades you can visit the Lip Shade Finder on the website and get discovering!
Price wise, the Tinted Lip Balm retails at £5.99, the Lip Shine is £6.99 and the Lip Gloss is £8.99 so pretty standard high street prices! I literally only own one other Lip Gloss so you can guess what I’ll be stocking up on when I get paid! According to the Shade Finder I need to own Sweet Sunset, so there’s my starting point!
Tried any of these? Let me know what you think and what shades you’d recommend below. Not tried them? Let me know if you do and how you get on.

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A Solution to Cellulite

Cellulite, no woman likes to admit to it but I’ll hold my hands up high and say “I has it”. I never used to, but with age, weight gain from anorexia recovery and a few months forced inactivity due to my back I began to notice those pesky dimples mocking me from the backs of my thighs. When I saw a tweet from Oriflame introducing their Bioclinic Cellulite Reductor I popped myself first in line to give it a try.
Even at it’s introductory price of £20.95 (will be £30.95) this is one of the pricier beauty products I’ve ever used. I know as well that there is a no quick fix to cellulite but I was still hopeful that this would help get my legs looking lovely again…if my legs could ever be described as lovely!
The leafelet suggests using this roll on gel for a month for best results but I thought I’d start my review just a couple of weeks in as I am actually seeing some results. This is a clear gel that you roll on once a day and massage in. As well as using this I’ve increased my activity levels, my fluid intake and healthy foods as well as cut down on smoking- all key in being dimple free. I’m sure that even without the gel I’d be seeing some results, but just a fortnight after starting daily application I am seeing some real results and feeling loads better about myself.
It’s really hard to review a product like this but what I will say is that I like it and for anyone who wants to see speedy results who is prepared to put in some physical effort as well then I’d really recommend this. I’m going to carry on using this on a daily basis until the tube runs out by which time I’m sure I’ll be feeling brave enough for a pair of shorts come some sunny weather. I’m not one of those who believes in beauty products as a miracle worker but this has been a real helping hand, I had high hopes to start with having being constantly impressed with Oriflame’s products and I’m pleased to say this hasn’t let me down.
If any of you have some top tips for reducing cellulite and for overall improving the physical condition of my body- especially now I’ve been offically discharged from neurosurgery care with my back op being a success and my weight being restored to healthy, I’m well up for some physical activity and getting a healthy and toned looking body. Leave your hints and advice below

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HealGel Face Review

So, finally at the grand old age of almost 27 I have developed a skin care regime that I can
stick to. I honestly don’t know how, or why it took me so long to want to take care of my skin but right now I am having a lot of fun discovering new products and really feeling the benefit on my skin.
One of the products I am really enjoying at the moment is HealGel Face, kindly sent to me by the lovely folks at find me a gift I started using this immediately and it was love at first use.
First up, I LOVE the packaging for this. So minimalistic and yet really eye-catching at the same time, this looks really chic sitting among my other products. The label is brilliant- telling you what the product is, what it contains and how to use it. I’m always wary of trying new products as my skin is so sensitive so it was really handy to see exactly what ingredients I was going to be putting on my face before I actually used it.
The gel is very lightly scented, which I love in a product. Designed to rescue unhappy skin with it’s anti-ageing formula which smooths, brightens, firms and replenishes the skin it’s hard to imagine only needing the smallest amount for it to work. I literally use a pea sized blob of this after I’ve removed my makeup at night and massage it in gently. After a few days useage my skin is noticeably brighter (I’ve struggled with dull skin lately) and far less dehydrated which were the two things I was especially looking for in a skincare product.
A 50ml tube of this will set you back £48 which does make it rather pricey but I can see this lasting me ages with the small amount I use each day. I think over time I’ll notice the firming and anti-aging effects a bit more- a week is a bit early to see those and this is going to be on my re-purchase list in the future as it’s hands down the best skin product I’ve used to date.
I think anyone with dull or really dry skin will really benefit from this and I quite fancy trying some more products from the range such as the HealGel intensive that also gets rave reviews. If you’ve tried any of the HealGel range I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Home&Beauty- Luxury Bathroom Wish List

Well look at me on a roll with the beauty posts, although this one also includes a little bit of my other current non-fashion obsession- interiors. I’m spending an unhealthy amount of time browsing online for both homewares/furniture as well as beauty products, both of which are so far outside of my current budget I don’t know why I do it to myself.
I’ve always wanted an illuminated bathroom mirror, I’ve used them in hotels and they are brilliant for makeup application and general beautification. Right now I’m loving the idea of having a bathroom cabinet that doubles up as an illuminated mirror, such as this HIB Tissano Silver Illuminated Bathroom Cabinet which would look pretty snazzy in any bathroom worth bathing in and is space saving too as it’s both storage and functional
The Space.NK. website has become a bit of an unhealthy obsession of late. My recent foray in to some higher end beauty and skin products has left me wanting more and everything in the images above comes from here (hover over the images for details of each product). Haircare is usually an area I prefer to save in, having picked up some recent gems in 99p shops but my hair is feeling a bit battered lately and not looking it’s best since switching from red to purple so in an ideal world I’d be investing in something a bit more luxurious for it.
I’ve fallen out of the habit of long, luxurious soaks in the bath, having had a bad back for months and months they have become purely functional but I’m now finding myself craving an hour of peace and quiet with candles burning and a good book, leaving me feeling fragrant and refreshed. I’ve used Laura Mercier makeup in the past and loved it so I have pretty high hopes that gorgeous looking bath and shower products are to the same high standard.
Let me know if you’ve used any of the products I’ve featured, or what others I should be dreaming of owning, maybe later in the year I might be enjoying pampering myself with some of them- the cabinet however will have to wait for some time yet!

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