Atelier Cologne New Launch Pacific Lime

I am fragrance obsessed and love being able to play around with different scents, tones, layering and discovering new favourites. For me, a fragrance is something I need to have in my life, they can lift your mood, evoke memories, inspire or simply be a conversation starter. When I got the opportunity to spend some time in the vault of Atelier Colognes, I was totally within my element trying out everything I could whilst being told a wonderful story.

Having been surrounded by so many amazing fragrances, I was invited along to be introduced to the latest launch of Pacific Lime.

I am totally new to Atelier Colognes, I have walked past the boutique store in Covent Garden many times, but this was my first visit and I enjoyed absolutely every single part of it. The store itself has quite the historic boutique vibe with the dark wood and strategically placed bottles, which makes you want to try absolutely every single one, it is literally quite the place to visit. The brand came about through a wonderfully romantic story between the founders Christophe and Sylvie who met and fell in love back in 2006 and who wanted to not only keep their brand 100% French made, but also one which tells a story and evokes memories or as they eloquently put it "Memories in a bottle".

Pacific Lime lives within the Sunny Citruses family for Atelier Colognes and it is one which I absolutely loved at first spritz.  Think bright lime and coconut perfume, this fragrance is said to tell the story of an unexpected celebration on a dream beach. 

The scarlet fuchsia sunset was her only hint to their destination. He had spent months organizing this event in the greatest secrecy. Surrounded by everyone they loved, they savored the moment with joy and excitement. When the doors opened, she recognized the beach of her childhood. Everyone was dazzled by the vibrant colors, the exotic perfumes, and the exhilarating tropical heat. The party could finally begin!

The main ingredients of this unisex fragrance are limes from Mexico, lemon from Italy, coconut from the Philippines, spearmint from America and eucalyptus from China. As you can see, it is quite the story behind a fragrance and it is one which really does grab your attention. It brings about a mixture of sweet, soft and freshness alongside amber and woody notes which bring together all of those fragrances to create summer in a bottle.

What I love the most about this fragrance is the earthy notes mixing with the more zesty notes to give that fresh but sweet scent and ultimately the Lime and the Coconut just blew me away.  On the skin, it has one of the best-staying powers I have ever come across for a fragrance, it literally lasts for hours and I don't feel the need to top it up of an evening if I am going out.

Pacific Lime is currently exclusive to Selfridges HERE and the Atelier Cologne Boutique HERE and will launch nationwide in John Lewis in April. Gift Sets are also available and the brand also has a range of candles (which I really want to now try), Reed Diffusers (those too) as well as Bath and Body products.  Prices start at £30 increasing price per bottle size.

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

THE RITUAL OF NAMASTÉ GENTLE CLEANSING FOAM

For me, cleansing is part of my skincare routine that I really enjoy, I am aware that sounds a little odd but when you live somewhere like London with pollution, dirt and grime eating away at your skin, there is often nothing more satisfying than taking the day off and with it, all that detritus. It also helps that there are so many products out there that I want to try still!

The last product I absolutely loved using comes from Rituals and it is the Ritual of Namasté Gentle Cleansing Foam. I loved it that much that I used it all before realising I hadn't even finished writing my review.   I am a huge fan of Rituals products and have featured a few of them on my blog and it includes The Ritual of Ayurveda Body Mist (here) and The Rituals of Hammam (here). 

What I love about products from Rituals is that they are exactly that - a Ritual and with them is always an incredible back story and the Ritual of Namasté Gentle Cleansing Foam is no different.

Every soulful skincare ritual begins with a deep cleanse, and this gentle cleansing foam from The Ritual of Namasté has you covered. Using natural ingredients like holy lotus and moringa, this lightweight foam removes impurities, excess oil and traces of make-up. It reaches deep into the pores, leaving the skin feeling refreshed, calm and hydrated while also protecting against environmental stress.

The Ritual of Namasté is described by Rituals as being a new, advanced skincare range that shows the utmost respect for nature as well as your natural beauty. All of the products within the range have been developed with not only responsibly sourced natural ingredients but also with naturally derived ones too.  Within this Cleansing Foam there are two main ingredients which are:

• Moringa - The Moringa tree which is also known as the miracle tree comes from India and it contains a rich complex of nourishing substances that help make your skin feel moisturised and hydrated.
• Holy Lotus - Holy lotus is said to be a symbol of purity, beauty and wisdom and is known for its soothing and caring properties.

To use, you need to apply the cream, which smells just incredible, to a wet face and then massage it gently until it begins to foam, you don't end up with a whole load of bubbles on your face, it is quite a subtle foaming and then rinse off using warm water and a cloth or you can also use a hot cloth and give those amazing ingredients even more of a chance to work their magic.

I haven't been the biggest fan of foaming cleansers in the past because I do find some of them are quite drying on my skin and leave it feeling stripped of all moisture.  With this cleansing foam, all I am left with is clean feeling moisturised skin and having tried it, I now feel I need every other product from this collection which includes a Micellar Water, a Toner, Cleansing Balm, Exfoliator, Night Cream, Day Cream and a Glow Mask which really intrigues me, to name just a few products.  This Cleansing Foam retails for just £12.90 and is worth every penny!

Have you ever tried any products from Rituals before?

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

IT Cosmetics - Cult Beauty Brand of The Month

There is one brand that I am yet to get my hands on which so many of my fellow bloggers love and rave about, it is IT Cosmetics. I keep meaning to pop along to stand in Selfridges when I am on my K-Beauty mission to see what is new, but I either forget or it is always busy, so here we have my dilemma. If you didn't know, It Cosmetics was co-founded by Jamie Kern Lima alongside a team of leading dermatologists and as a brand, it boasts clinically proven, problem-solving products that combine skin-loving actives with innovative technology.

This month Cult Beauty* has chosen IT Cosmetics to be its brand of the month and what I like about this concept is that a different brand is chosen each month, so not too long ago it was Hourglass Cosmetics (my review here) and whilst they celebrate a brand per month, you also get free shipping and more often than not a free gift too, with this month offer, comes a free The IT Girl Deluxe Skincare Duo.

The first product I love the sound of is the Bye Bye Redness Correcting Cream - Neutral Beige ( 11ml £26.00) - I suffer from redness on my cheeks and between my brows and I use a few different colour correcting products to try and neutralise it as much as I can.  Having been seen by a dermatologist who assures me it is nothing to worry about, it tends to flare up when I am stressed or running a fever.  Having read 5-6 different reviews about it, I really like the sound of how it works with the skin.  Described as being colour-infused skin care, it starts its life as a hydrating, skin-calming cream that cancels out redness – all while delivering long-wearing, colour-correcting full coverage. 

The second product is Your Skin But Better CC+ Oil-Free Matte with SPF 40 (32ml £31) - This is possibly one of the most seen products on my Instagram timeline.  Described as being full coverage, sun damage-deflecting oil-free formulation which leaves a perfect matte finish. Created to improve the appearance of your skin’s texture, camouflage imperfections and minimise the appearance of pores, this formula leaves skin supremely smooth and even. Enhanced with SPF 40 and a host of skin-nourishing benefits

The third product is the Bye Bye Pores Poreless Finish Airbrush Powder ( 6.8g £22) - I love that this is a universal translucent shade, so there is no worry that you have bought the wrong one for you. Said to have been specially designed (with the help of plastic surgeons) to blur the appearance of pores and imperfections, this Airbrush Powder will leave your complexion smooth, even and ‘poreless’.  I love that you can wear this powder on its own or with your makeup. 

When it comes to makeup, I can never resist a Vitality Lip Flush 4-in-1 Reviver Lipstick Stain( 3.4g £18) - Described as being  a luxe treatment lip balm with a powerful stain that won’t dry out your lips, It is infused with plum oil, cherry oil, shea butter, aloe, jojoba, age-defying antioxidants, vitamins, green tea and white tea to treat, hydrate, condition and nourish your lips. That description alone draws me in!

Finally, if you are going to call a product the Superhero Mascara (£20) then as a mascara fiend, I want to try it.  Described as being like ‘skin care for your lashes’, the formula has been developed with plastic surgeons and clinically shown to give your lashes super volume, length and elastic stretch – all with just one coat. The formula is also said to be enhanced with lash-lifting polymers, volumising collagen, strengthening biotin, proteins and peptides combined with super black pigments for an eye-opening look.

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

Aldi Lacura Glycolic Cleansing Pads - Are they a Nip + Fab Dupe?

Everyone has their view on dupes and duping and those views are often scathing or on the opposite end of the spectrum, full of praise. Aldi has become well known for their own dupes - in recent times they have had dupes of Aussie Shampoo, NARS, Benefit, Elizabeth Arden, Liz Earle, Glamglow, YSL Touche Eclat, Jo Malone, Molton Brown, Beauty Blender and even Neom. But they are not alone, Primark and Revolution do the same thing too and again, for some people it is okay for one brand to do it but not another.   

I am a huge fan of Aldi and have one at the end of the road where I work and often pop in during the week to do a food shop top-up and more importantly browse the Gin section because Aldi has some fabulous Gin!   However, what caught my eye was the Lacura Daily Cleansing Glycolic Pads, something I had heard about on my social media feed but had never actually seen in my Aldi store.

The Lacura Daily Cleansing Glycolic Pads are a Nip + Fab dupe, there is absolutely no denying it. The packaging is similar to the point where I had to look twice to see which brand it was because if you look at the packaging then what you get are two plastic tubs featuring 60 Glycolic Acid Cleansing Pads with a similar shade of light blue and orange on the label. I am not a huge fan of Nip + Fab as a brand, I think they are overpriced for a highstreet brand especially when you can get better products for less money.

So, it is clear to see what the product is, what it does but there are a few differences and the first is that Aldi quite clearly displays the Leaping Bunny meaning they are Cruelty-Free, Nip + Fab do not have the bunny clearly displayed but do claim that they do not test their products on animals. Secondly, well we cannot ignore the price difference and Aldi Lacura Pads are priced at £2.49 and Nip + Fab costs £13.59 when they are not on an offer, so that is a huge £11.10p difference.

When it comes to descriptions they are both written very similarly, both brands state that their product is a Daily Cleansing Pad with the word 'Exfoliate' clearly visible.  When it comes to the descriptions,  Nip + Fab state that their pads are "Exfoliating Facial Pads to retexture + brighten skin" whereas Aldi Lacura state that their pads are "Exfoliating facial pads to improve skin texture and tone for a brighter & more radiant complexion".  Both pads have one side which is textured and the other which is smooth, but the notable difference is that the Nip + Fab pads are just ever so slightly thicker than Aldi Lacura, but they are the same size and the same shape.

So this then takes us to the ingredients, perhaps the most important component of whether or no a product is any good.  We have always been told that the higher up the ingredient list, the more of that particular one there is within a product, so this is what we have:

• Nip + Fab - Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Alcohol Denat. (SD Alcohol 40-B), Disodium EDTA, Globularia Alypum (Blue Daisy) Extract, Panthenol, Lactic Acid, Parfum, Limonene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral.
• Aldi Lacura - Aqua, Glycolic Acid, Glycerin, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Saccharum Offiicinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Lemon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Parfum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Panthenol, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzoic Acid.

So as you can see there are a lot of similar ingredients used (in bold) but the order within which they have been used differs. Notably Nip + Fab use Lactic Acid whereas Aldi Lacura does not make any mention of it.  Aldi Lacura makes no mention of the words Alcohol or Alcohol Denat.  So you can make your own mind up from the two lists which one you prefer.

When it comes to using the pads, they feel exactly the same on the skin.  As mentioned, one side is textured and the other is smooth and after using, my skin feels smooth but for me, at this stage, it is the Aldi pad that I prefer and that is because it feels slightly fresher on the skin with a little more liquid within the pad than Nip + Fab and my skin feels less tacky to the touch.  When it comes to the scent, those who are familiar with Nip + Fab will know what I mean when I say Citrus scent, because that is exactly the fragrance they have thought it is a bit on the sweet side.  With the Aldi Lacura version, I actually prefer the scent of these pads because whilst the main scent is Citrus from the Orange and Lemon, the use of Aloe tones it down a lot and the Witch Hazel isn't as strong. 

If you have never tried a Glycolic Cleansing Pad and have an Aldi near you, then these are well worth the £2.49 that they cost, if anything they could charge double the price and they would still be an absolute bargain.  For me, despite being the dupe, Aldi wins the war on texture, on effectiveness, on price, on fragrance, on how my skin feels after using and there is absolutely nothing I dislike.  As far as I am concerned, they are much better than Nip + Fab which I am just not a fan of and cost five times less for what is something so similar yet so much better!

Have you tried any of the Aldi dupes?

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