Rimmel: Scandaleyes Reloaded

One item I never leave the house without wearing is mascara. I am a total mascara fiend and make my way through tubes of the stuff, usually before its best by date!  When the new Rimmel Scandaleyes Reloaded dropped through my letter box, there was a bit of a squeal. I have been quite a fan of Rimmel mascara right through adulthood and when something promises to  give long-lasting lash drama, it is the only drama I want and need in my life.

The most scandalous mascara is back with a breakthrough – enter a new dimension of extreme volume without clumping, now with unstoppable, sweat-proof, smudge-proof, 24HR wear.

Rimmel London ScandalEyes Reloaded Mascara features a clump-free formula which give extreme volume, extreme wear and is easy to remove with water. All of this comes courtesy of the new Formula with First to Market Patented Technology. This formula which has special flexible polymers builds volume fast onto every single lash in an intense, deep black mascara from root to tip and it is said that you can apply 11 years of mascara without causing a single clump. Using a specially designed tapered max-density brush which works to capture every single eyelash, even those teeny tiny ones right in the corner of your eyes.  

Now I have only been so bold as to apply 2-3 layers and impressively it does not clump, I happen to think 2 coats is more than enough for me, but others may wish to test the 11 coats theory! It is certainly sweat-proof having been squashed on a tube at rush hour when it gets quite sticky, I was glad to find that after a bit of a sweat I didn't end up looking like a panda and even wiping my face, it didn't smudge, not one iota!

The biggest claim for me is that you can remove it with just water, well guess what? yes you can and yes it does.  One wet cotton wool pad with luke warm water wiped across the eye and it removes the whole lot, just like that. No need for make-up remover!

Alongside these two mascaras is also two rather fabulous felt-tip liners. Now, it is no secret that I sometimes (read most of the time) struggle with eyeliner, I have no patience which doesn't help but I can somehow manage to do a half decent job with these!

The Precision Micro Eyeliner which as you can see has a really ultra-thin felt tip, makes drawing that flawless and precise line that really helps to define your eyes. Of the two, this is the one I find the easiest to use. The Thick and Thin Eyeliner has a uniquely engineered, 3D slanted felt tip and this is said to help draw a flawless thick or thin line owing to its shape and I have almost, but not quite, got the hang of this one.

Like the mascara, both are designed to stay put for up to 24 hours, are waterproof, smudge-proof, heat-proof and humidity-proof and really easy to remove!

I have become an instant of these products as you might have guessed but as well as being good products, they are both amazing prices with the ScandalEyes Reloaded Mascaras priced at £6.99 and the ScandalEyes Liner £5.49 and you can find them here.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Introducing Soaper Duper

Soaper Duper has recently launched at Liberty and I was lucky enough to go to the launch event where I had lots of fun and bubbles.  Soaper Duper which is described as follows:

With a passion for soap that could move mountains, Soaper Duper are unconditionally dedicated to creating bath and body products that tick all the boxes. Luxurious, fragrant and ecologically friendly, each innovative concoction is created with a blend of the finest naturally derived products, capturing the essence of modern living in a gloriously guilt-free fashion, all the way down to its packaging.

Now the packaging is very snazzy and has been designed by none other than industrial designer Ross Lovegrove, whom you might know has designed some packaging for Kiko Milano makeup with the snazzy gold packaging!  Curvacious, easy to grip and bright green, the bottles of body wash and hand wash stand out.

The range which states it is uses 90% natually sourced ingredients, uses no animal by-products or damaging chemicals, it instead uses recycled plastic for the bottles. Also, using plant dervived formulas you will find no nasties lurking.  So with all this green goodness are the products any good?  Well actually yes, they are Soaper Duper as the name suggests.

With 8 products currently within the range, I have the three pictured above. The Fruity Green Tuberose Body Wash features Natural soap bark, Shea Butter, Aloe Vera Juice, Coconut Water, lemon, pineapple, and grape alpha hydroxy acids. it foams into a lather, but contains no SLS, it smells just absolutely incredible, like something I would quite happily drink rather than wash with. Kind to the skin, it leaves it feeling just amazingly soft, smooth and incredibly moisturied and it costs just £7.50 for a 500ml bottle.

The Zesty Lemon Body Lotion uses sweet Almond Oil, Lime Butter, meadowfoam seed oil, borage oil, kukui oil, cotton seed oil, peach oil, lemon butter, vitamin E, aloe vera, and shea butter. A lovely thick luxurious cream which is as you can imagine incredibly fruity smelling and just an absolute pleasure to use. On the skin it begins to absorb incredibly quickly and it leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth and just smelling so so good.  This tube contains 250ml and is priced at £8.50.

The final product, and something I can never have too much of, is the Zesty Lemon Handcream. Packed full of amazing ingredients such as shea butter, macadamia oil, cotton seed oil, baobab oil, peach kernel oil, camelina oil, wheat germ oil, orange, aloe vera, green coconut water and kukui oil.  To me, it smells so different from the body lotion but is equally amazing. Again it softens, soothes and moisturises those hands and elbows (a great place for left over cream) and is a bargain at £6 for 100ml.

Currently available from Liberty, Soaper Duper was creatived by the fabulous Marcia Kilgore whose name you might be more familar with from the likes of Bliss and Soap & Glory this is a range that is fun, green, fruity and gives back. Soaper Duper supports both WATERAID™ and CLEAN THE WORLD™ which you can read more about right here.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Learning to Flat Lay with Burt's Bees

I am a huge fan of Burt's Bees and the story behind the brand, so when I got the chance to go along to a masterclass with Burt's bees and food stylist and Chef Anna Jones for a flat lay masterclass, I was really quite excited. One aspect of blogging that I know I need to work on is my photography, sometimes I wing it and hope for the best, sometimes I can spend hours just getting one shot I am happy with and other times, I just go for the easiest shot available to me without experimenting.

We all know that bloggers do love their flat lays and some do it so amazingly well I am green with envy, so the chance to be given hint and tips was something I looked forward too and enjoyed. Designed to give the present a chance to experiment, we learnt about fresh ingredients that go into making the Burt's Bees lip balms and it was those ingredients that we were to use to create that flatly. Being taught that textures and shapes can give a photo that little something extra, Anna told me not to be afraid to mix colours and textures and that there is no right or wrong way. Start with what you think will show off the centrepiece and then add or remove other items until you are happy and take photos as you go along so you can see how the photo takes its shape.

Using one of my favourite Burt's Bees lip balms as inspiration - Blueberry and chocolate, I chose a few textures and patterns and then chose the items that I felt would work and this is my end result:

Along with the table of food and getting to meet Anna we were gifted with an amazing box of all the current Burt's Bees lips balms which included a video about the brand which is just such an education in itself. I love the philosophy:

Your skin is beautifully alive. It’s a living, breathing thing—your body’s largest, loveliest organ—and when it’s healthy, it shows. Just as the right mix of foods from the earth nourish your body, the right mix of ingredients from the earth help nourish your skin, giving it a fresh vitality that comes from balance.

If you have never tried anything from Burt's Bees then you need too, it is an amazing brand and though Burt Shavitz himself sadly died last year, his memory lives on.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Joan Collins: Timeless Beauty

Timeless Beauty is the moniker given to a range of makeup, beauty and fragrance products from Dame Joan Collins and coming from the lady herself:

“Beauty is not just for the young. I believe with a little care and attention any woman can look good through her 40s, 50’s, 70’s and beyond.”

Joan Collins Timeless Beauty is a new international luxury beauty brand, created by one of the most glamorous icons of our time. It aims not just to inspire women, but to provide them with the tools to feel and be beautiful at any age. The collection features some beautiful products any one could own from nail polishes, eyeshadow quads, palettes and lipsticks alongside skincare, fragrance and accessories. 

Today, I am sharing what’s new in from Joan Collins Beauty.

I AM WOMAN Dry Oil Body Polish £18 - With a blend of mineral rich Himalayan Salts, Avocado, Olive and Jojoba oils and Kiwi seeds.which have some amazing properties such as:

• Kiwi seeds contain several skin friendly nutrients such as vitamin C, E and antioxidants which are essential for boosting and rejuvenating your skin’s health. 
• Himalayan Salts have high mineral content and helps to draw out toxins within the body 
• Avocado Oil - Has a high vitamin E content and helps to soothe the skin, prevents inflammation and itchiness, anti-ageing, UV protection. One of the most important avocado benefits for skin is its ability to soothe dry and itchy skin. The oil is easily absorbed by the skin and can act as an excellent moisturizer. 
• Olive oil is packed with anti-aging antioxidants and hydrating squalene, making it superb for hair, skin, and nail an antioxidant. It is also rich in vitamin E and A and helps prolong youth, hydrates the skin, maintains its elasticity and softness. 
• Jojoba Oil is a great nourishing oil which has a composition similar to the skins own oils. It contains myristic acid which also has anti-inflammatory action, it acts as an emulsifier with the skin's natural sebum and gently unclogs the pores and lifts grime and embedded impurities and an excellent moisturiser and ideal for all skin types.

This scrub does a fantastic job at leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth to the touch. Perfect for removing dead and dry skin cells, this body polish is a really lovely treat and a perfect addition to your pampering session.

TEN EFFECTS Skin Treat & Makeup Fixer £20 is designed to revive and rejuvenate skin whilst keeping make-up in place. I always used a setting spray or powder having applied my make up, even as the weather turns cool because I have combination skin with an oily t-zone and my make up can often just disappear part way through the day.  But Ten Effects is more than just a makeup setting spray because as well as working to keep your make up in place, it also has ten skin benefits (hence the name).  From one spritz these products is said to minimise your pores, hydrate and firm your skin, refine your wrinkles, improve the tone of your skin, add a pH Balancing Layer, soften and calm any redness, lock your makeup in place and cool your skin!

The product contains a blend of seven natural ingredients which are organic rose water, Pomegranate, Comfrey, Mango, Hyaluronic acid, Glycerine, Vitamin E and red algae gel all of which work together to rejuvenate, calm, soothe and hydrate.

With a pump action bottle, one spritz is enough to cover your entire face without leaving it soaking wet, a delicate rose fragrance is the first thing you smell and since using this, I found it to be really hydrating on my skin and it doesn't smudge or budge your freshly made up face but does help to keep everything firmly in place for most of the day. I love that I can spritz this when I also feel like a splash of hydration in an afternoon, especially if I am feeling that midday slug.

I have been impressed with both of these products and they are a lovely edition and a delight to use. 

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise