La Collection de Grasse Figuier & Osmanthus

I am quite picky when it comes to perfumes, I either like them or I don't and it is rare I come across one that I am on the fence about. When I was introduced to Figuier & Osmanthus which is L’Occitane’s newest addition to their La Collection De Grasse fragrance range, I immediately loved it. Inspired by and named after the famous town of Grasse in the South of France 'the world capital of perfumery'. 

Designed exclusively to celebrate L’Occitane’s 2015 Chelsea Flower Show Garden – ‘A Perfumer’s Garden in Grasse’ with the help of garden designer James Basson, for which they won the gold medal!
A unique and exclusive scent is described as being "a delicious mouth-watering fragrance that captures the essence of Provençal summertime, it unites the sun-warmed fig tree from Provence and the sparkling osmanthus from the Far East" and it is one I loved as soon as I was introduced to it earlier this month.

The fragrance opens with top notes of bergamot and blackcurrant and unsurprisingly there is also a ripe, fruity fig. The heart notes of fig leaves and the Osmanthus flower. Finally there is a warm base of cedar and musk.

As soon as I tried this in the Covent Garden L'Occitane store, I liked the scent. As soon as it is spritzed the warm fruity floral tones of the blackcurrant and fig are immediately noticeable with the cedar and musk also there lingering in the background. Once it has settled on the skin, it is those warm fruity floral tones which remain noticable and for me it is the perfect summery scent which on my skin lasts pretty much all day, I felt only a need to re-apply when leaving work to go on to a meeting, function or out to dinner just to top it up. 

Launched this month, Figuier & Osmanthus retails at £28 for 30ml which is great value for money and definitely a scent I would recommend.

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June Birchbox with French Sole

So June has arrived much quicker than I thought it would and that means I am only one month away from getting another year older (sobs).  To put a smile on my face though the June Birchbox has arrived and it is just so pretty.

This month Birchbox have collaborated with French Sole for this box which features the most stunning Bassett Allsorts kind of design which really jumps out at you and it is one of the brightest boxes I have seen from Birchbox so far.  French Sole is the flat show of choice for celebrities such as Poppy Delevigne and Olivia Palermo and are described as being comfy and chic!  If you want to get your hands on them, the check out the Birchbox flash sale on June 16th!

Inside this months box are products that are designed to help you make feel fresh faced, cool and down with it!

Firstly is the Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle Leave In Conditioner which is described as being a 'wonder spray detangler' which minimises frizz, safeguards colour and add shine.  The first thing I did was spritz it and it reminds me of Lee Stafford Poker Straight in scent, which I actually quite like, so I am looking forward to giving this a try.

The fabulous brand Cowshed are next with their Knackered Cow Relaxing Body Lotion.  I love Cowshed because whilst their product names a little bit tongue in cheek, everyone I have tried, I have loved.  Knackered Cow contains a lovely mix of essential oils such as lavender and eucalyptus which are not only incredibly relaxing but also beautifully scented too, so your skin is left soft, smooth and smelling amazing.

I was really happy to see a Penhaligon's pefume sample in this box, anyone who knows me will know I love a good perfume sample because it is nice to try a perfume on your skin away from department stores and boutiques to get a really feel as to how it smells. Iris Prima Eau De Parfum is described as being "an elegant fragrance which mingles fresh bergamot top notes with musky Sandalwood and sweet Vanilla". Once it settles on the skin, it smells absolutely divine and is a scent I could happily wear on a night out, or for a special occasion.

The next product is the Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in Honey Nectar. I did have a different shade in my October Birchbox, but as I am a fan I am more than happy to add another to my growing list. Described as being super nourishing with ingredients like Shea Butter and Vitamin E, the lip balm adds a pop of colour to your lips as well as leaving them feeling soft, smooth and supple.

I was delighted to see a product from REN in my box too and it is one I was lucky enough to sample a few months ago. The Instant Firming Beauty Shot is a liquid matrix of hyaluronans and phycocolloids which instantly life and firm leaving your skin looking dramatically smoother, lighter and more youthful.

The serum is gel like, only it is a little runnier than your average gel, so you only need a small amount on the top of your finger to cover your entire face. When I used it for the first time, I was quite surprised to find that within half an hour of applying it, my face felt slightly tight and much firmer than usual and these effects lasted all day, 7 hours.

The final product inside the box is a packet of the STYL London Temporary Tattoos.   Whilst they are not really my thing, it isn't going to stop me from trying them out because they are little bit cool. 

If all of that isn't enough, then hidden at the bottom of my box was a drawstring shoe bag in matching print to my box and whilst it is perfect for carrying around a pair of flat shoes in your bag.  Anyone who lives in London will know how heavenly it is to carry a pair of flats around with you in times of need and this bag is perfect for the job, I love it.  If you don't use it for your shoes, it would also double up quite nicely as something to store in your make up, your make up brushes and so on.  

I think this is a fantastic box from Birchbox, it has a nice mixture of products to try and they are all really good sizes too.  There is not a single product in the box that I dislike and I cannot wait to give them all a try properly.  If you like the look of this box and want to get your hands on it then as you know

Birchbox is a monthly beauty box subscription which costs £12.95 a month.

What do you think to this box? 

Welcome to The Libbie Club

Today I want to tell you all about a brand new beauty box called The Libbie Club. Latest in Beauty (LIB) have recently launched The Libbie Club – described as being a community of influential beauty fans who are rewarded for reviewing, sharing and referring beauty products.

So, every month members of The Libbie Club are sent a free of charge box of full sized beauty products to try out, you then write your honest reviews about each product on their site and if anyone makes a purchase via any of your recommendations, you will then be sent another box the next month to review again. However, with each product comes an offer, more of which you can read about below with what was in my box.

I was kindly sent the June box which had some amazing products:

Vintage Cosmetic Company Essential Face Brush Set (£33)

I am a big fan of Vintage Cosmetic Company, I love the whole vintage theme to the packaging and love how the products are packaged.  This set of three face brushes consists of a Powder Brush, Blusher Brush and a Foundation Brush.

Each brush was really soft natural bristles and is lightweight when holding.  My favourite brush of the three is the powder brush which I use for both fluid and powder foundation as well as for my setting powder because I love the finish it gives.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer 75ml (£16)

This product was said to have been originally created by Philip Kingsley specifically for Audrey Hepburn, who wanted a super-moisturising treatment that would repair her hair and keep it in great condition throughout the frequent colouring and styling done to her hair on movie sets. So if that isn't a reason to give it a try, then I don't know what is. 

As a pre-shampoo intensive moisturising treatment I love how soft and smooth this makes me hair feel and it is  product I use on occasions when I feel my hair needs a little treat and some TLC.

Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan: Medium 125ml (£41)

I am on the fence with this product.  Whilst the tan in my box was medium making it too dark for my own super pale skin, I have tried the fair tan in the past and liked it, but didn't love it.  It does claim to be easy to apply, which it is and naturally you do need to use a tanning mitt.  The whole process in fact was incredibly stress free and easy, I just wasn't a fan of the after colour. 

So, I gave this product to a friend of mine who has incredibly lovely olive toned skin and it suits her perfectly and she loves it.

What do you think to the Libbie Club?  Are you a member?

Brand Focus - Deciem

For those of you who haven't heard of DECIEM , they are a boutique and exciting umbrella of many amazing beauty brands. Products such as Fountain, Grow Gorgeous, Hand Chemistry and Inhibitif to name just a few. For me Deciem was the first brand to give me a big break in the blogging world with Inhibitif, a product that I am still using today and it is just as good now as it was to begin with and a post which is my most popular with almost 100,000 hits.

It wasn't until I started using some of these products that I truly understood what ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid did because it is quite complex to explain.  What Deciem have done, is take the science and make it easier to understand, not just what it is, but what it is designed to do and in doing so they have created some amazing products which I couldn't be without.

I am yet to try a product from Deciem and not love it straight away and I thought a post showing some of those products that I love, which you might not have heard of or ever come across would be a good introduction to the brand.  There are full reviews coming on each of them, so this is just a brief insight.

Hylamide is the newest product by Deciem that I have been using. Described as being "Clinically-advanced serum for multi-depth rehydration, visible plumping and texture regularity". Give me a product with a pipette and I am going to be excited by it.  As a serum, this product aims to work on:

• Surface hydration
• Below surface hydration
• Fine lines
• Wrinkles
• Dynamic lines
• Sagginess
• Textural irregularities

The idea is that you apply it both morning and evening and you should begin to notice changes within 10 days!

Grow Gorgeous is all about the health of your hair and the three products I have been using are - Back to the Roots, Cleansing Conditioner and Overnight to Gorgeous Hair Masque.

• Cleansing Conditioner - It is free of sulphate and parabens and is designed to replace the need for separate shampoo and conditioner to leave hair looking clean, healthy, thick and lustrous. It works to rebalance the scalp and restore hair to flourish and realise its full visible potential
• Back to the Roots - This is a 10 minute scalp masque with vitamins, caffeine and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid. I absolutely love how cooling it is once applied and it is a great pick me up for hair when it just feels yucky and in need of a treat.
• Overnight Masque - To be applied whilst you sleep, a combination of high- and low-molecular weight forms of hyaluronic acid, purified mushroom and Amazonian açaí and palm oils work hard to visibly hydrate, strengthen and smooth your hair . Now this masque I adore and use at least once a month.

Hand Chemistry - One of my all time favourite handcreams, Hand Chemisty is made by Deciem and you can read about it right here. Within the Hand Chemistry range is a whole host of products which are designed for the hands, body and feet.

• Heel Chemistry - Not just for feet but also hands, specifically those which are dry and cracked. It is designed to repair the skin rather than remove/make it peel by hydrating the cracked skin whilst rebalancing below-surface hydration.
• Hyaluronic Concentrate - Just the world Hyaluronic and I get excited. My skin loves it in all forms. This product is again for the hands and body. I use this straight after being in the shower or bath and it absorbs into the skin incredibly quickly leaving behind incredibly moisturised skin which is soft to the touch.
• Hyaluronic Body Mist - I absolutely love this and it is my second bottle. It is a light refreshing mist which is actually a non-aerosol, yep mind blown! The mist is really really fine and as soon as it settles on the skin, it disappears and leaves my skin feeling really hydrated.  

Each of these products has a full review coming up on my blog over the next few weeks, so look out for them.  In the meantime, you can find all of these products in Boots and read more about them HERE.

Have you tried any of these products?