L’Occitane Arlesienne Fragrance and Skin Collection

L’Occitane have launched some absolutely stunning products this uear, including their amazing value for money Advent Calender which I reviewed here. The latest launch sees the beautiful Arlesienne Fragrance and Skin Collection which features three flowers which are described as being ‘full of character and depth’; so we have The Rose of Grasse, The Violet of Tourrettes-Sur-Loup and The Saffron of Provence. The collections consists of a fragrance which is the star of the collection, alongside many more bath and body products which all have the stunning Arlesienne fragrance.

The collection is described as follows:

Daring and gracious, the woman of the city of Arles encompasses the beauty of Provence. Elusive and attractive, she leaves a fragrant trail bursting with colour and life, that lingers wherever she goes. L'OCCITANE celebrates the beauty and refinement of this iconic woman with our Arlésienne collection; a subtle bouquet of rose for her grace, sweet violet for her mystery and saffron for her temperament.

Rose from Grasse, sweet violet and saffron from Provence come together in a floral fusion that reveals unexpected nuances. The Arlésienne fragrance evokes the woman of Arles - full of mystery, beauty and grace.

L’Occitane Arlesienne Eau de Toilette 75ml £49 - If you like your floral fragrances, then you will love this because it is just such a stunning scent. It belongs to the Musky Floral family and has Head notes of Bergamot Essense, Saffron Extract, Galbanum and Hawthorn Accord. Immediately when it is spritzed the bergamot note bursts into life for the citrus effect and is settled with Saffron and the slight almondy scent of Hawthorn alongside the greenness of Galbanum. The heart notes of May Rose Absolute and Violet Leaf Absolute brings to life the floralness of the perfume which is quite intense but as the base notes of Musk, Ambrette, Sandalwood and Ambrox settle the fragrance down, the floral and musk notes come together and this fragrance is feminine without question. 

As always with an EDT from L'Occitane, the longevity is amazing because it just lasts and lasts for hours and on clothes, you can still catch it the following day.

L’Occitane Arlesienne Beauty Milk 250ml £21. A moisturising body milk, fragranced with the irresistibly floral and deeply captivating scent of Arlésienne. Enriched with organic shea butter, it moisturises the skin and enhances its beauty. The velvety texture envelops the body in a delicate scent with hints of Grasse rose, violet and saffron from Provence. These three flowers, symbolic of Provence, exude both an innocent softness and a bold sensuality. Is the description given to this body milk and it is just as the description states.

The Milk itself is lovely and silky and on the skin it is just incredibly nourishing on the skin leaving it feeling soft and smooth to the touch. The fragrance, which matches the perfume, is just as stunning and of course when worn together, that scent becomes more intense and longer lasting.

This is for me, another amazing collection from L'Occitane and one worth looking out for is a musky floral is your kind of fragrance. With an entire collection which spans handcreams, shower gels, hair mists, lip balms and soaps to name but a few, there are gift sets that would make the most amazing present!

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

MUA Luxe The Art Of Illuminaton

My obsession with Highlighters has been further indulged with the release of this amazing MUA Luxe The Art of Illumination Highlighter collection. I was lucky enough to attend an event which showcased each and every product and gave a masterclass in using each product and how and where to apply it your own highlighter depending upon your face shape.

The collection is inspired by the highlighting phenomenon but with an Autumnal twist. Within the collection is a trio of new products aimed to give you that perfect highlight and with each product being totally different, there is something for everything depending upon your need. Designed to emphasise, minimise or balance facial features depending upon your face shape.  I love that there is a mixture of textures within this range and there is something for everyone depending upon your need.

For me the star of the show is the The Luxe Glow Beam Liquid Cushion (£6) which is a luxuriously lightweight, gold highlighter, it gives an almost rose gold hue when swatched and is so light and delicate it has been used almost everyday since it came into my possession.

As a liquid highlighter and cushion highlighter at that, it is different to anything else I have used to date and I love that I can use the accompanying sponge or my fingertips.

The one item which is totally different to anything else I have seen or own is the MUA Luxe Glow Beam Highlighting Powder (£5). Featuring a unique rotary compact which crushes the powder, a dusting of fine particles appear as it rotates creating a beautiful golden dust!  

This product can be used on the face and the body and it gives such an amazing colour payoff, you only need such a small amount.  Again, I found this easiest to apply with a blending brush and using the pot to tap off any excess powder, it also works well around the tear duct.

If a highlighter palette is more your thing then this MUA Luxe Radiant Illumination Highlight Kit #1(£5) is perhaps for you. The palette contains both soft and radiant powder highlighters in 6 shades which are both matte and shimmer formulas. The beauty of these shades is that they can be layered together or applied separately depending upon how much or little of a glow you want.

As you can see from the swatches, the top three shades are more matte with a cream, pink and slightly yellow shades and the bottom three take on a slight shimmer with a gold, beige and peach shade (right to left). 

So now I have my new products, I needed to know how to get the best use out of them. Thankfully I was provided with these amazing diagrams with a backlight to help me out and this is where I should be highlighting with a round face:

The card states that if you have a round face and want to add dimension then add highlight to the centre of the face to pull your features forward. You can also highlight your upper cheek bones and under your eyebrow arch. So where you can see on the facechart the white highlighted dots, that there is where I should now highlight.  There are also face charts for Oval, Heart and Square.

These are amazing items which you need to add to your stash and they will be much needed and used as the festive season approaches.  Available now at Superdrug.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Lipsticks

One brand I absolutely love is Too-Faced especially the liquid lipsticks, they are just amazing and have featured on my blog before. This time the liquid lipsticks have had a bit of a make-over and look super swish in their respective glass bottles. Not only have the packaging had a make over but so has the tube.

These Melted Matte Liquified Lipsticks (£20) have an innovative formula which glides over lips like a gloss but dries to an ultra-matte opaque finish and literally, they apply like an absolute dream. They are infused with a no-sting lip plumper and filler to give you that fuller lip look as well as Avocado Oil, Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Filling Spheres. Using what is called the Doe-foot applicator which is designed to coat the lips, the colour is always intense, bright, even and just absolutely stunning.

The two shades I have are called Mega Balls and Feelin Myself and both shades are truly just divine.

Mega Balls is described as being a Matte True Red.  It is a deep red with cool, blue undertones and a matte finish. It has great colour payoff and as soon as it is applied to the lips it begins to dry and settle down beautifully.  Once applied nothing is shifting this shade, it lasts pretty much most of the day despite eating and drinking and there is no colour transfer to your mug, glass or cutlery and should you be lucky enough to kiss someone, there is no colour transfer there either!

Feelin Myself is described as being a Matte Soft Peachy Pink.  It is one of those shades which is bright but has warm undertones, so you might detect a ht of coral in there too. Again it has a matte finish with great colour pay off and as with Mega Balls once applied nothing is shifting this shade, it lasts pretty much most of the day despite eating and drinking and there is no colour transfer to your mug, glass or cutlery and should you be lucky enough to kiss someone, there is no colour transfer there either!

The formulation is beautiful, not only is it incredibly lightweight to the point where it doesn't feel as though there is anything on your lips, it glides on, mattes down quickly.  I didn't find either to be drying, though I would advise you to exfoliate if you do have any dry skin!

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Dresses for a winter wedding

For someone who isn't a church-goer, I have spent quite a lot of time in a few this year attending 3 funerals and in the next 2 weeks, my third wedding! The one good thing about a wedding is the opportunity to dress up without trying to upstage the bride on her big day. But at this time of year knowing what to wear is an absolute nightmare, you can guarantee you will either be too cold or too hot and finding something that suits all occasions can be a nightmare. For me weddings are about wearing a nice dress with either a nice bolero jacket, a cardigan or even a pashmina, something to keep you warm but something you don't have to wear the whole time.

Choosing a dress to wear is the one thing I always find the hardest. My comfort zone is something black and whilst you can wear black to a wedding, it does need 'something' so you don't look as though are funeral bound. Sites such as Octer are ones I look too. An online shopping application which provides customers with a simple solution to shopping, allowing them to buy everything in one place - hundreds of stores and thousands of brands from high street to designer and brands such as ASOS, BooHoo, Debenhams, House of Fraser, John Lewis and M&S to name just a few, it cuts down the time spend browsing each site. Instead, you simply choose what you are looking for - Women's Clothing - Dresses - and then they appear before you. Or you can click on the store itself and take it from there.

The dresses above are all ones which have been sat in my basket for some time, seemingly perfect for that winter wedding setting. From left to right we have the multi-coloured Davinia Dress from Debenhams priced at £99. It features a striking placement floral print and flattering ruched detail at the waist. With a round neckline, it is fully lined and fastens with a concealed back zip. Next is the Chi Chi London floral print curve skater dress from Dorothy Perkins and it is priced at £57.99. It features a delicate floral pattern with a contrast belt and is fully lined. The Black Amber Floral Wrap Dress from Wallis is in the sale for £37.50 and is just stunning. The one plain dress in the mix is this Lands' End Purple regular jersey crossover midi dress, again from Debenhams and just £35. What drew my attention to it is the design of a wrap top and softly pleated skirt. The final dress is from Marks and Spencers a store which is capturing my attention more and more. What I love about this dress is the bold floral print pattern with the bodycon design and costing just £35, it is again an absolute bargain.

Anyone who knows me will know two things about my choice of dress. Firstly they are likely to be black or be predominantly black and secondly there will be a floral aspect to it. I am picky, I hate zips which run down the backs of dress or under the arm pit and I don't like dresses which sit on the calves. That said, with a choice of 5 dresses to choose between, I have 2 weeks decide which one to wear!

*this post contains PR samples/affiliate links unless indicated otherwise