Kate Somerville - Exfolikate

Kate Somerville is a brand I am absolutely loving getting to know right now and if you have yet to use anything from the range then Exfolikate would be one of the first I would recommend. One of the most amazing people I have met, Kate Somerville believes that everyone deserves beautiful skin and promises to guide you there with some amazing products. If you didn't know, Kate has been caring for people’s skin for over 25 years and she opened her iconic skincare clinic in the heart of Hollywood glamour in Los Angeles, where you can find the most cutting-edge skin treatments while feeling right at home.

Known as ‘The Hollywood 2-minute facial’, ExfoliKate is Kate Somerville’s bestselling, dual-action exfoliator which exfoliates and polishes skin, revealing a smooth, healthy-looking, glowing complexion. I hadn't expected the formula to be as bright as green as it is, instead, I expected it to be a creamy colour, so it was a nice surprise when the lid was removed from the tube.  We all know that exfoliating our skin helps to remove dead and dry skin cells, clean out our pores and make, what looks and feels like dull, rough skin much smoother and better at absorbing those creams we all spend so much money on.

Exfolikate uses natural exfoliants to help to deep clean pores, while Fruit Enzymes help to clarify and renew skin, balancing hydration, without over-drying. Ingredients such as:

• Lactic Acid which is a natural AHA “chemically” exfoliates skin.
• Silica which is a natural exfoliant works to “physically” exfoliates skin.
• Papaya, Pineapple, and Pumpkin Enzymes help enhance skin exfoliation.
• Salicylic Acid helps improve the appearance of pores.
• Aloe Vera and Honey help to soothe and condition skin.
• Vitamins A, C and E provide antioxidant benefits.
• Soy-Lipid replenishes skin’s natural barrier function.
• Rosewood and Cinnamon extracts combine to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

As advised, I have been using Exfolikate twice a week, both morning and evening with my personal preference using it in the shower so that the steam opens up my pores, giving me the chance to properly clean my skin. To use, you simply apply a thin, even layer to a clean, wet face, massaging in a circular motion for 30 seconds. Leave it on for up to two minutes and then remove using your flannel, muslin cloth or whatever it is you choose to use. Since using this, I haven't suffered from any reaction but it does tingle when being used, so the advice is that if you do have sensitive skin, then only leave on for up to a minute.

Priced at £72 for a 60ml tube, it is on the more expensive side but you more than definitely get what you paid for and you can find Kate Somerville Exfolikate right here at Cult Beauty

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Elle L'Edition Eau De Parfum

When this bottle of Elle L'Edition Eau De Parfum dropped through my door it was quite the surprise because I hadn't been expecting it, but what a pretty package it is. Described as being playful, inspired by careless and bold femininity, under the influence of the brand's Paris heritage.

The Bottle is one I really like, it is of simple cutting and a modern silhouette with the white stripes that overlay the fragrance inside, which as you can see is a beautiful dusky pink.  It sits within the floral family and is best described as being a fresh delicate floral fruity fragrance.  It opens with notes of Mandarin, Lemon and Pear but added to that is Freesia and it was not quite as I expected it to be.  Having assumed it would be manufactured and not have much of a scent, I was very wrong in that assumption because it is absolutely stunning, the kind of fragrance I would wear in the Spring for sure.  The Heart notes of Jasmine, Peony, Lily of the Valley, Rose and Peach again make for a wonderful addition to the top notes, giving it that wonderful fresh floral fruity scent before it dries down with Sandalwood, Cedar and Musk to give it that more earthy finish.

One spritzed onto the skin, it lasts a good 5-6 hours before you can barely detect it, which I actually think is fairly reasonable for a fragrance.  I always decant my fragrances into my Travelo products so I can keep one in my handbag should I need to top up. Elle L'Edition is available as a 30, 50 and 100 ml with prices starting at £29.99 here.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Cremes

One of my very first lipsticks as a teen was from Revlon and since then, I have become a real big fan of the Ultra HD Gel Lipsticks (review here). The newest launch to come from Revlon is the Kiss Plumping Lip Cremes, which until they arrived, I had heard very little about, but they have now launched in the UK and Boots and Superdrug and are priced at £6.99 each.

Available in 5 shades, the Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Cremes come with the following description: 

Get fuller, smoother looking lips in one gentle, easy step. Formulated with Volulip™ to visibly enhance the size of lips over time. 

What I like is that all five of the Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Cremes that are available are all fairly neutral shades, there is no bright, bold or stand out colour. Each one is said to:

• Visibly enhances size of lips over time
• Formulated with Volulip 
• Pleasant cooling sensation for a gentle plumping effect
• Cushiony soft formula with a creamy shine finish

Each of the Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Cremes are packaged in colour coded elongated tubes which makes it much easier to tell which shade it is you are likely to pick up but they also do feature the shade name on the back of the tube too. Unexpectedly though, each one the shades is much darker when they swatched than the original shade might lead you to believe it to be.

What I love about these Lip Cremes is that they as the name suggests, a creme and they feel lightweight on the skin with the minimal amount of stickiness. They are non-trying and apply like an absolute dream, without sticking to any dry pieces of skin on your lips.

The five shades are:

• Cashmere Cream which is a light peach shade and from the five, it is the lightest
• Nude Honey which is a warmer peach
• Peony Buff which is a medium Pink shade
• Barely Blush is a pinky brown shade
• Velvet Mink is a deep mauve shade and my favourite of the five.

The tube within which the lip cream sits is pliable so you can squeeze it but there is also an angled applicator which has a hole to dispense the product.  With this, you can apply it directly to your lips but my personal preference is to use my finger and smooth it on.

As you can see from the unedited swatch photos, one squeeze of the tube gives you quite a lot of Lip Creme, so I have had to learn to squeeze a little more lightly!  From top to bottom is Velvet Mink, Barely Blush, Nude Honey, Peony Buff and Cashmere Cream.

I have worn Velvet Mink the most, it works great on its own or with a Mauve coloured lipstick to which I add it to over the top.

Have you tried any of these Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Cremes yet?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Maybelline Be the Big Shot Gift Set

As Christmas has been and gone, the emails for Boxing Day and January sales hit my inbox long before the clock struck midnight, in fact, it was the beginning of December I had new offers emailed over to me every single day and that didn't stop on Christmas Day itself or even now as we approach the New Year.

If you have party plans for New Year's Eve or even New Years Day then Maybelline have a gift set that is worth looking out for.  Called 'Be The Big Shot' it sits within the Christmas Gift Sets but actually, it makes quite the gift at any time.

Be the Big Shot with this bold set from Maybelline New York. The perfect Christmas gift... Give it away... Or keep it all for yourself!

What I love about this gift set, other than the actual makeup contents is the sparkly clutch bag which on its own is great for dressing up outfits for going out. The Maybelline Be the Bit Shot Christmas Gift Set contains the following:

Burgundy Bar Eye Palette (£11.99) - Now this is one of the best highstreet palettes I have used in a very long time and admittedly, I wasn't expecting to like it. 

The palette comes with a reasonable twelve shades. Ten shimmer/metallic and two mattes. The colours range from light gold to cranberry to deep burgundy and they are all so wearable too.  In fact, I am so impressed with this palette, it has a blog post dedicated to it all on its own and it is there you will see the swatches.  The brush isn't that brilliant, but it is rare I would use an accompanying brush anyway, I prefer to use my own eyeshadow brushes.

The Colossal®️ Big Shot Volum' Express Mascara 9.5ml in Very Black (£7.99) - This is one of my favourite mascaras from Maybelline and it is all about the wand for me. 

The colossal brush is designed to deliver the collagen enriched formula, coating the lashes from the root to tip of lashes for fully loaded volume. What I love about this mascara is that you can build it without clumping and it doesn't flake or smudge.

Hyper Precise Eyeliner (£5.99) in Black - Eyeliner and I have a love/hate relationship and I have to be in the mood to wear it and even when I do, I don't wear a lot of it. 

This is a waterproof and smudge-resistant eyeliner which has an exclusive tip for mistake-free application and even for someone like me who has issues with eyeliner, this one is easy to use and apply. It uses Ink technology to keep the pigments super-saturated and it is safe for sensitive eyes and ophthalmologist-tested.

I think this is an amazing gift set and it costs just £19.95 which is an absolute bargain when you add up the cost of buying each product separately. You can find this one on Feelunique.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.