Yves Rocher

Fragrance

Yves Rocher So Elixir Purple EDP

January 28, 2015

My very first Glossybox contained an adorable mini-sized bottle of Yves Rocher So Elixir Purple, and I’ve been lusting after a bottle ever since. Luckily Amie is amazing when it comes to picking me presents directly from my cosmetics wish list and she very kindly bought me a bottle for Christmas. As you can see I’ve already made a tiny dent in it, and honestly I’m such a fan of this fragrance I can’t see it lasting long at all!

So Elixir Purple is described as “an infusion of tuberose, essential oils of vetiver, bergamot, patchouli and benzoin extract“, conjuring thoughts of an incensey deep dark scent that fits very much with the feel of the packaging, however I think it’s a much lighter fragrance; fruity – and very heavy on grape/berry notes at first, and it takes a few hours to settle from the initial burst of sweetness.

There is something quite deep and mysterious about So Elixir Purple – oriental undertones and certainly some woody notes – yet on the surface it’s a very feminine and wearable scent.

The inner-geek in me lives in delight that the bottle looks a little bit like a magic potion, and is small and sturdy enough that I feel like I can put it in my handbag without worrying about it breaking. Not that I really have to though, because the scent is pretty long lasting in truth, and I could still pick up hints of it after a long day at the studio.

Yves Rocher were one of the forerunners in banning their cosmetics from animal testing, use no animal products in any of their ranges (with the exception of honey and bees wax) and go out of their way to try and keep their products as organic as possible, so I’m happy knowing I can indulge in their gorgeous fragrances without worrying my conscience.

So Elixir Purple is currently half price direct from the Yves Rocher website at only £16.75 for the 30ml bottle.

Totally hellbent for getting those gifts that you really really want!

Gem

Beauty Boxes

Glossybox October 2014 Review

October 29, 2014

It’s not secret that Glossybox and I have had our ups and downs over the last 6 months and despite cancelling my box I’ve somehow still ended up subscribing. Thankfully they’ve managed to win me over with this month’s Pop Art theme which has been absolutely fantastic and well worth my monthly sub.

This first thing that’s a little different about this month’s box, is that the product card you usually receive is now online. Great if you can keep your crummy hands off opening the e-mail until your box arrives, but unfortunately I peeked because I couldn’t help myself. There was also no glossy mag but I’m all up for saving the environment so I don’t mind.

NUXE – CRÈME FRAÎCHE® DE BEAUTÉ MASK – £19.50 for 50ml – Full Size Received

The first thing I checked was whether this was cruelty free and it seems to be after confirming with their FAQs. This is billed as a 24 hour moisturising mask which helps to soothe and reduce redness. The instructions say to leave the mask on for 10 minutes and then either rub it into the skin or wipe off with toner, so I’m quite excited to try this out. After trying a little on my hand although the smell is a little less than desirable my hand did feel quite soft afterwards, although I opted for rinsing it off under the sink. I’ll definitely be giving this a go sometime next week to see how my face gets on with it.

Website: uk.nuxe.com

ÊTRE BELLE COSMETICS – LIPLIFT PEEL – €12.95 for 15ml – Full Size Received

Again my research tells me this is not tested on animals and should be cruelty free. Brilliant news because I’m super excited to give this a whirl. I often get dried lips, especially in Summer and Winter so have a quick fix like this will really help. Simply massage onto the lip area and rinse. No nonsense, no fuss and hopefully lovely smooth lips!

Website: etre-belle.co

SO SUSAN COSMETICS – FLUTTER MASCARA – £14.95 for 4ml – Full Size

I do already own this mascara I have to admit and it’s been sat unopened in my “mascara” drawer (issues I know!). I’ve enjoyed all the So Susan products I’ve acquired over the past few months so I’m hoping this one will be no exception. The price is a little steep and I’m pretty good at avoiding paying full price for pretty much everything so I’m not sure that this is something I would actively seek out to buy but it’s been bumped up my “mascara to open next” list by quite a few so I’ll see how it goes!

Website: sosusan.com

CIATÉ LONDON – PAINT POT – £9 for 13.5ml – Full Size

One of the reasons this month’s box was so appealing was definitely this full size beauty. Both Gem and I have quite a collection (obsession) of these and they are definitely one of our favorite brands of nail varnish. The finish and look is so perfect and the longevity of the colours beats a lot of other products I’ve used in the past. I’d not owned a nice blue from Ciate so this gorgeous bright and bold colour named “Skinny Jeans” was a more than welcome addition to my collection. I’ve had it on my nails since it arrived and I’ll be hard pushed if I’m going to change it for another few days I’m so in love. Gem received a lovely green in hers which I also want!

Website: ciate.co.uk/glossy-box

YVES ROCHER FRANCE – QUELQUES NOTES D’AMOUR – £33 for 30ml – 5ml Sample Received

I’m always pretty so so about receiving fragrance samples. The reality is that even though they may smell nice, I never really repurchase them with the exception of Katy Perry which I instead asked for as a gift. Still, providing they smell nice, they are quite handy for when I go away, for festivals and gigs. This fragrance is quite pretty though and is a pretty great Autumnal smell with notes of damascus rose, guaiac wood and patchoul it’s not too heavy and very wearable for the day. £33 seems pretty reasonable for this though and it might be something I’d think about repurchasing at some point when I can justify it.

Website: yves-rocher.co.uk

RIMMEL LONDON – BB CREAM MATTE – £6.99 for 30ml – 8ml Sample Received

This is probably the least exciting out of the box. I’ve not really got on with BB creams since they became such a trend. Mostly because even when opting for the lightest shade, they still turn out a tad orange. Although I received a sample in “light” it’s still a little too dark for my skin but there is less of an orange undertone to this one. I reckon this is destined for my summer skin drawer where it should give me better coverage when I become a victim of tanned when daring to brave the sun for more than 5 minutes. In terms of application, I’m not sure how impressed I am with this. It’s a little heavy and I have the feeling it may dry my skin out if I use too much of it. Having tested it on my hand, it does give a pretty nice matte finish so a good dose of moisturiser may help with the heaviness when applying – unfortunately they only have this in Light and Medium, but a shade or two lighter would have been perfect for my skin!

Website: uk.rimmellondon.com

This month’s box has definitely made up for a bunch of bad ones and I love the theme, the box and the contents to go with it. I’ll still be subscribing for now and crossing my fingers that the next few month’s are equally as good.

You can subscribe to Glossybox for just £10 per month plus postage and packaging here. You can also buy 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions which are perfect for gifts especially around this time of year!

Have you received the Pop Art Edition yet? If so, I’d love to know what you received and what you thought!

Totally hellbent for a little art with my makeup

– Pants

Beauty Boxes

Birchbox Review June 2014 – Global Strikers

June 15, 2014

With a cheerful nod towards World Cup season, the June Birchbox has a “Global Strikers” theme and a cute bag emblazoned with the Brazil flag colours. I’m a huge fan of the World Cup, and in fact delayed writing this very blog post so that I could enjoy the England V Italy match fully (IE prepare many beers!). Unfortunately it was a loss for England, but I enjoyed every moment of it none the less!

Before kicking off (hur hur) the first impressions of what was in my box, I have to do a tiny whine and say that some people received a Beauty Blender in their boxes, which is a very desirable find in any box at £26! I didn’t get one, and of course that is the luck of the draw with beauty boxes, and it sort of took away from an otherwise great box knowing I -could- have received such a great item and didn’t!

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre

First up is a moisturiser from French brand Embryolisse (who I will admit I haven’t heard of before!). It contains shea butter, beeswax, aloe vera and soy proteins and can be used as make-up remover, repairing mask, after-shave care and as a baby-care product as well as being a moisturiser, so a very handy product! A quick swatch has left me with high expectations as it make my skin feel very soft!

5ml Sample

£12.99 from Birchbox.co.uk

Silk + Honey Shea Butter Hair Mask

The constant bleach/dye cycle I put my hair through means I need to use this sort of thing quite often to stop it going brittle and keep it in good condition, so I will definitely be giving this a try soon. When I looked this up on the Birchbox webstore I realised that this is the end product of a kit where you make this hair mask yourself, how awesome! I’m really into home-made beauty treatments so I think I’d definitely enjoy whipping up a batch.

Sample

£55 for the set from Birchbox.co.uk

O.P.I – Next Stop The Bikini Zone

I was very excited about possibly getting a mini-OPI polish when I saw the June Birchbox spoiler posts, I love the formula and I adore the tiny bottles (which look very cute lined up on display!). I got Next Stop The Bikini Zone from the Brazil Collection, a metallic purple with flecks of shimmer. It looks lovely in the bottle, but unfortunately I found it quite sheer and hard to build up colour on the nail.

In honesty it’s unlikely I will get much wear out of this particular shade as I tend to favour solid colours.

3.75ml Mini

£11.95 for 15ml from Birchbox.co.uk

Yves Rocher Sheer Botanical Lipstick in Marron Glace

Lipsticks are one of my favourite make-up items to find in beauty boxes as I rarely seem to end up with shades that I won’t wear! I actually adore this lipstick already, Marron Glace is a brown toned nude, very my-lips-but-better! It has a gorgeous scent from the infusion of cherry oil, and left my lips feeling amazingly soft and moisturised. Will definitely be looking for a few more shades from this line!

Full Size

£9.90 from Birchbox.co.uk

Naobay Body Radiance Lotion

Finally an organic body lotion from Spanish brand Naobay. Full of natural ingredients and with a lovely light lemon scent this will definitely be making it into my festival mini-products bag.

30ml Sample

£14.00 from Birchbox.co.uk

LIFESTYLE EXTRA: Birchbox Brazil Inspired Keyring

I do like the little lifestyle extras you get with Birchbox (but I totes like it best when it’s food!). This very summery keyring is quite cute and very fitting for a summer filled with World Cup excitement!

Overall I’d say this -is- a pretty good box, but I can’t shake being miffed that some people got a £26 Beauty Blender and I didn’t! If you’d like to get one of your very own, a monthly subscription costs £10 (+P&P) from Birchbox.co.uk!

Totally not hellbent for being green with envy!

– Gem