Ilia Beauty

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to a make up masterclass on the luxury organic beauty brand Ilia. If you have never come across the brand before, Ilia is a multi-award winning brand founded in Canada by Sasha Plavsic and they are gluten free and up to 85% organic. You are not likely to find them on your high-street in Boots but they are available at places such as Fenwicks and Fortnum & Mason as can be found online.

At the event, we got to see a live demonstration with make-up artist Emma McRae showing those present, how best to use the products and beauty expert, Nikki Taylor, talk about the products in much more detail.  During the demonstration, each of the products was passed around to be swatched and played with, which I found fascinating and you might have seen some of the products on my Instagram that evening.

After the demonstration, I jumped at the chance to have a makeover, who wouldn't want their make-up professional applied! This gave me more opportunities to ask for more information about how to correctly apply products, discuss which products I felt suited me and make a note of what was used for future reference.

By the end of the evening, makeup applied and general questions answered, I felt I had come to know a lot more about a brand I had only seen referenced on social media.  So having had a nice introduction, it was great to be able to take away some products to try out at home.

I brought home four gorgeous products pictured and I absolutely love the packaging, it looks just so luxurious alongside other brands and I like that it all matches.

Starting with Neon Angel, a beautiful pink lipstick which is described as being a Magenta shade, I was pleased to find it wasn't a hot pink or barbie pink, neither of which I can never pull off. I find it is much more subtle than that (swatches below) and it glides onto the lips so effortlessly, it is a dream. 

It has a semi-matte finish and lasts, once applied, for around 4-5 hours before you need to re-apply.

All of Me is a Multi Stick and is such a beautiful shade. Described as being a Watermelon shade, this product is designed to be applied to your cheeks, lips and eyes for a sheer blush of color. 

It is enriched with cocoa seed butter, shea butter, vitamin E and orange butter to heal, nourish and hydrate the skin.

Polka Dots and Moonbeams is an illuminator which is just absolutely stunning. This one works as a really subtle highlighter, adding dimension and vitality to the skin. I love that it uses organic ingredients with healing properties of Rose Hip Oil to bring out your best features.

You can apply to cheekbones, brow bones, inner corner of eyes, bridge of nose and pout of lower lip for a fresh, dewy glow.

Shell Shock is a tinted lip conditioner and it combines organic ingredients to soothe and condition the lips. Each shade carries a sheer touch of color that increases in intensity when applied liberally. This shade is a light coral shade, not too dramatic but one which I feel I can wear comfortably. 

These products can be layered with others to make a unique shade, which excites me.

Given that they are organic/green beauty products, they swatch just as well as any other brands I own and are just as their description gives them and swatches below show just how beautiful they are in and out of the sunshine:

From LtoR we have Neon Angel, Shell Shock, Best of Me and Polka Dots & Moonbeams

So it is fair to say I absolutely love my introduction to Ilia and it is a brand I look forward to discovering more about. I love the ethos that whilst you wear a product it works for your skin.

Have you ever tried anything from Ilia?

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

LIBBIE CLUB – JULY 2016 BEAUTY OFFERS

This month’s Libbie Club offers are live and feature some great products from Cowshed, New CID Cosmetics and Bean Body.

The Cowshed is a brand that always makes me cackle, give a product a quirky name and I am guaranteed to love it. Wild Cow is a really lovely body lotion which uses an amazing mix of energising Lemongrass, invigorating Ginger and reviving Rosemary essential oils and is one of those products which kicks you awake when you are still feeling a bit sleepy in a morning.  

• Lemongrass is known to have antiseptic properties as well as working to tone the skin and open blocked pores. 
• Ginger has energising properties and helps with poor circulation and 
• Rosemary oil, which is one of my favourites, helps to ease congestion, puffiness and swelling on the skin as well as improving blood circulation. 
• There is also the inclusion of the finest quality Shea and Cocoa Butters help moisturise and nourish the skin.

Cowshed products are made in England using natural ingredients. This months Libbie Offer £5 off the Cowshed Wild Cow Invigorating Body Lotion when purchased with Bean Body Scrub using code BODY5 (300ml, £20)

I am obsessed with Coffee Scrubs right now and have a post coming shortly dedicated to some amazing ones. This is my first interaction with Bean Body and it definitely will not be my last.  It is described as being an 'Organic Coffee Scrub with Robusta Coffee Beans, Organic Cold Pressed Coconut Oil, Himalayan pink rock salt, Demerara Sugar, Organic Cacao and Vitamin E oil' and working together those ingredients do the following:

• Caffeine stimulates blood flow and helps reduce the appearance of cellulite eczema, stretch marks, age spots, varicose veins and psoriasis.
• Demerara Sugar and Himalayan Salt exfoliate your skin, removing dead skin as well as whiteheads, blackheads.  It also helps with breakouts and other skin blemishes.
• Coconut oil hydrates, smooths and moisturises your skin.
• Cocoa and Vitamin E are both high in antioxidants which helps to nourish and protect the skin, promoting cell repair and rejuvenation.

This scrub is tough enough to remove that dead and dry skin to improve imperfections whilst at the same time, leaving your skin feeling softer and smoother than ever and of course smelling just absolutely amazing.  So if you are tired of using the same body scrubs and want to try something a little bit new and amazing, this is definitely one to look at. This months Libbie Offer - £5 off the Bean Body Coffee Bean Scrub when purchased with Cowshed Body Lotion using BODY5 (220g, £14.95)

Finally in the makeup section we have New CID Cosmetics i-smoulder Smokey Eye Pencil and Shadow and I have shade Silver (the other two available are gold and ember). A dual ended Smokey eye pencil with complementing eye shadow. A twist up eyeliner at one end and a matching cream eye shadow with sponge applicator on the other, making it perfect for multi-tasking. 

The eyeliner pencil gives really good colour pay off in one simple stroke, whilst silver isn't a colour I would wear, it is a really lovely colour and the eyeshadow is again easy to apply and doesn't crease, so that gets a big thumbs up too.  I love that it contains the properties of coconut oil offering a soft application without feeling harsh on the skin.  This months Libbie offer is a saving of 10% off New CID Cosmetics in smoulder Smokey Eye Pencil & Shadow (£16.65)

This is a seriously amazing box.  All products are full sizes and if you like the sound of any of them, then the great thing about the Libbie Club, is that as a reader, you can benefit from the offers by visiting my page right here.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

L'Occitane 40th Anniversary Limited Editions

L'Occitane* is a brand which continues to excite me, the products, though luxury are priced so competitively it is hard not to want them all. It is also L'Occitane which reignited by love for all things Lavender and opened my eyes to many products that I can now not be without. It has now been 40 years since Olivier Baussan began distilling Rosemary essential oil to sell to local markets and since 1976 Oliviers passion for nature continues to strengthen and with over 3000 stores open worldwide, L'Occitane has an amazing history of Provencal beauty.

So,to celebrate its 40th anniversary and the generous natural heritage of Provence, L'OCCITANE has created a limited edition with a unique spirit. Its design, featuring striking green, diagonal lines, evokes fields of verbena seen from the sky before harvest time.

Lavender Rough-Cut Soaps £10

You can grasp the scent of Lavender before you even open these soaps and gosh they are divine. 

Enriched with lavender essential oil from Haute-Provence and Lavender flowers to help gently exfoliate the body,  these soaps inspired by authentic handcrafted soaps gently cleanse the hands and body, leaving them delicately scented.  

Verbena Moisturising Body Mousse £18

If you need a product to kick you awake in a morning, then this body moousse is just that product.  It is enriched with an extract of organic verbena from Provence and refreshing active ingredients, this moisturising body mousse, with its light-as-air texture, gives an intense feeling of freshness while leaving skin delicately scented with the fresh and sparkling notes of verbena.

It leaves your skin not only feeling hydrated and moisturised, but the fresh scent is just absolutely lovely not to mention long lasting. Perfect for all skin types too.

Lavender Foaming Bath £20.

If you have trouble sleeping, then this is a product you need in your life.  I absolutely love the Lavender foaming bath, it is just divine.  Formulated with a vegetal cleansing base, the Lavender Foaming Bath leaves the skin clean and supple. The A.O.C. lavender essential oil from Haute-Provence has both calming and soothing properties and there is a subtly about the scent in so much as it isn't over the top and won't make you smell like your Grandma, but if you have ever smelt fresh Lavender, then this is what perfumes your bath water to soothe and relax you.

The final product is Verbena Eau de Toilette (£42) which is described as being 'A bright and dazzling' Eau de toilette with verbena from Provence to awaken the body and mind.

With this EDT there is something quite special about it.  There is  a beautifully fresh lemony scent which is immediately noticeable and then the earthy freshness of the freshly picked green leaves of Verbena, rosy base of geranium and lemon tree add a little kick.  This is a scent which is perfect for a hot summers day, it is long lasting, smells just incredible and I absolutely love it.

So here is an amazing line up of products which come together to make an amazing 40th anniversary limited edition list.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise