L’Occitane Christmas Beauty Advent Calendar for 2016

If you hadn't guessed by now, Beauty Advent Calendars excite me, I am obsessed with them so much I dedicated an entire post (here) to them ALL. So imagine my excitement when the L’Occitane Christmas Beauty Advent Calendar for 2016 arrived at the door! Now this calendar is usually an instant sell out, so if you want it get it, if you are debating buying it - Get It, if you haven't see it yet, well I am sharing it with you now.

Priced at £42 with contents worth over £80 it is amazing value for money and if like me, you are a huge L'Occitane fan, then it gives you a chance to further explore the brand, reacquaint yourself with some favourites and stock up on some essentials. Alternatively, if L'Occitane are a brand you have always wondered about, know little about, have been meaning to try, then this is a great introduction to the brand.

This is one huge Calendar with 24 doors to open it gives you everything you need as a fan or as someone looking to get to know L'Occitane. 

This 2016 advent calendar has been illustrated by Kanako, a renowned French illustrator from My Little Paris, who has managed to captured the festive atmosphere of a L’Occitane Gift Workshop. Untying the red bow which fastens the Calendar together, it opens up to reveal a further insight into L'Occitane from the gathering of flower petals, to the making and mixing of products before getting to the bottom tier which details a shop floor and then carrying on the Christmas theme of someone laden with gifts.  

I absolutely loved last years Calendar which you can see here, but this one looks to be even bigger and better.  Unlike other reviews, I have chosen not to open all the doors so you can see what is inside, instead opting for one which shows you a travel sized handcream which is perfect for your handbag.  

If you do want to see what is in this Calendar, then the contents are all revealed HERE at the L'Occitane website.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Michael Bublé - By Invitation

When it comes to perfumes I am obsessed with them, I have ones which mean a lot to me, I love discovering new ones and there is a firm list of ones I detest. It is a personal thing. I keep saying that I am not a fan of celebrity fragrances but every now and again, one comes into my life and I adore it - Meet By Invitation from Michael Bublé.

With most perfumes it is often the packaging that does a lot of the selling and I am guilty of wanting to try a scent because it looks pretty and then you get brands like Chanel who use classic packaging and they are just cult items. For me By Invitation has the wow factor and I would definitely pick it up in the store to try it out. The gold pull off cap and circular design of the bottle which is then suspended in a gold bracelet definitely catches the eye, it looks elegant and is stylish.

Does the scent live up to the design of the bottle? Admittedly this was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting By Invitation to be overly sweet and overly smelling of Vanilla... thankfully it is not. Described as being a crisp floral oriental fragrance, it has top notes of bergamot and red fruits which give a hit of fruit as soon as the perfume is spritzed. The heart notes of lily of the valley, elegant rose, wild jasmine and spice peony are are just stunning and mix really well with the top notes to give that crisp scent. As it settles on the skin, the base notes of sandalwood-musks mixed with vanilla praline give it that hint of vanilla which whilst evident doesn't overpower the entire scent, it is there in the background as the florals take control to create an absolutely beautiful fragrance.

Once on the skin this perfume has amazing longevity, it is one that you can spritz in a morning and it lingers throughout the day and what I love is that a it begins to fade, the floral notes come through to just give you enough of a whiff to remind you it is still there.

By Invitation Michael Buble is available for £55 for 100ml, £39 for 50ml and £29 for 30ml.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers

Lip Lacquers are a thing right now, whether you like them or not.  I got to see the new MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers at a recent event and became quite obsessed with them. 

The formula glides onto your lips, is really quick to dry and it leaves behind a lovely matte finish. However, once it does dry, it does not budge. So having been told this is like telling a child not to touch wet paint... you have to try it out, so I did. 

One swatch of each colour up my arm and yes they do dry quickly, infact each swatch dried before I had started the next and once all 5 shades had been completely swatched, they didn't budge at all. I washed up, cleaned the bathroom, wiped my arm with a face wipe, used Micellar water and still no colour transfer. Eventually, I removed all trace of each shade with makeup removing gel from L'Occitane and a few cotton wool pads.

As you can see from the swatch above, the five shades are incredible shades from left to right you can see Firecracker, Hustle, Splash, Posie and Flair, so there is everything you you need from a bright vibrant red, two differing neutral shades, a berry shade and for the daring among you, the blue which is just a beautiful shade.

So yes they are really long lasting, smudge proof and the colour pigmentation pay off is just stunning. Did I mention they cost just £3 each .



*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise