Tom Ford A/W14 Limited Edition Collection

The high end luxury brand Tom Ford, require no introduction, and I'm sure you've seen the latest limited edition A/W launch from the brand. My Tom Ford collection is growing slowly, see unabashed review here, but I'm constantly intrigued by the brand despite the high end price tag.

Tom Ford Cheek Color Duo and Black Cherry Nail Polish

I picked up 2 pieces of the collection from the House of Fraser website, the contouring cheek color duo in softcore and a nail polish in black cherry.


Tom Ford Softcore Contouring Cheek Color Duo

Softcore cheek color duo contains 2 shades; a more matte shade to add definition to the face, although this shade I would say is not completely matte and has a slight sheen to it, especially as it catches the light. And a second pearlescent shade to highlight, these shades are extrememly pigmented and the highlight shade can appear a little frosty if applied too much, so I use a fan brush to apply. This isn't strictly a typical contour shade, I apply it slightly lower down on the cheeks and not directly in the hollows and blend upwards so it gives shape and colour to the face.

Tom Ford Black Cherry Nail Polish

The black cherry nail polish shade is my ultimate nail polish colour, I love deep dark plum shades. It's especially fitting for the autumn/winter season, although I can be seen in variations of this shade all year round. This is my first Tom Ford nail polish, and it's extremely pigmented, applied right you could get away with one coat, but I prefer 2 lighter coats.

These are selling out fast, and may prove difficult to find now, as they are limited edition. They may however still be available at your local counters, and as of writing this, both items were still available on harveynichols.com, the cheek colour duo costs £56 and the nail polish is £26.  

Have you or will you purchase anything from this collection? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for visiting the blog today

Alex.

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream

Here's a review I wrote for brownbeautytalk.com;

Bobbi Brown’s hydrating skincare range is infused with mineral water, to provide skin with the moisture it needs. The creams have a lightweight texture so they melt right into the skin, keeping skin soft and glowing all day; to make sure foundation and concealer glide on smoothly and evenly.

I received the hydrating face cream; it’s a rich yet lightweight texture that steadily releases moisture, skin conditioners and nutrients to the skin throughout the day. Make-up stays fresh due to a long lasting cushion of humectants and hydrating ingredients, it contains Algae extract to moisturise and condition the skin and caffeine to soothe. It can be used morning and night, but I prefer to use it in the morning as a good base for make-up and before primer.

This does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s great for my combination skin. It hydrates the dry areas without overwhelming the oily areas, it’s rich yet light, it moisturises without leaving skin greasy or shiny and foundation glides on. In my opinion I think it could be great for all skin types, but extremely oily may want something a little lighter and more fluid in texture and extremely dry skin may require something a little richer.

I love that it doesn’t make a million claims, and does the one thing it claims to do well, hydrate. It has a light inoffensive scent that Bobbi describes as a clean botanical fresh smell. It’s a bit on the pricey side at £38.50 for 50ml, but you only need a small amount, so should last a good while.

The post Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream appeared first on Brownbeautytalk.com.

Sleek Make-up’s limited edition I-divine in Arabian Nights

Here's a post I wrote for brownbeautytalk.com; I've added swatches, the palette is still available on sleekmakeup.com, enjoy.

Sleek cosmetics is probably one of my favourite drugstore brands, they cater to a wide variety of skin tones, affordable items that do what they say on the tin. I mean an eyeshadow palette of 12 shades that are pigmented and blend beautifully at £7.99, there isn’t a shade I do not like in this palette and it can serve for a variety of occasions from day to night. It comes housed in a gorgeously sleek black compact, with a double ended applicator.
Sleek state that this I-divine eyeshadow palette is inspired by Arabian fantasy, seduction and warm rich colours. The deep tones of green, blue and gold melt together, forming beautiful smoky effects, suited to all skin tones. I couldn’t agree more, if you are looking for an eyeshadow palette with some none neutral colours, I couldn’t recommend this highly enough. If you have oily eyelids, you may require a primer to increase longevity, but I find eyeshadows last well on me without one.

 

The palette contains a mixture of shimmer and metallic shades, with only one matte shade, which is stallion a dark brown burgundy colour. The stand out shades for me are; scheherazade’s tale a light medium golden beige with a metallic finish that’s great as an inner corner highlight. Genie a rich medium dark bronzy brown with a metallic finish, which is great if you want an all over wash of colour for a quick daytime look. Black magic a blackened navy blue with a satin finish, hocus pocus a gorgeous light emerald green with a metallic finish, Simbad’s Seas a navy blue with a satin finish and valley of diamonds a dark wine colour with gold shimmer shot through it. But to be honest, there isn’t a shade I wouldn’t wear in this palette, it’s bold but can be worn subtle at the same time and would be gorgeous to create a smokey eye.

As it’s limited edition I would grab this ASAP!!!

This post appeared first on brownbeautytalk.com.

black|Up Paris CC Cream; Multi-Action Complexion Correcting Foundation!!!

I have heard of the brand black|Up Paris for a while, but this is the first product I've actually tried and I love it. I don't have many CC or BB creams, as there are not many that cater to darker skintones, as some can have quite a grey cast to them or just not run dark enough. I was actually in the market for a tinted moisturiser, a light weight base I could use daily, so popped into Debenhams on my lunch break and came across this.

The black|Up Paris CC cream claims to hydrate, mattify, reduce excess sebum, rebalance skin, minimise pores, boost radiance, unify skin tone and have a lightweight finish. My initial thought was how can something hydrate and mattify, but as you apply this CC cream it feels like a drink of water to the skin, without leaving skin shiny or greasy. It lasts well during the day with or withour primer, even on my combination skin in these warm sunny days we've been having I can go all day without touching up, with only minimal shine coming through. Usually around my nose, which is typical for me.

This gives light to light medium coverage, you won't be able to build it up much more than that, so perfect for what I was looking for. It's a great colour match for me, it has a great amount of orange in the undertone that is very flaterring on darker skin tones. CC04 runs more red in the undertone, so this maybe more suitable if that describes your skin tone.

The black|Up Paris CC cream comes in 5 shades, I have CC03 and it cost £27. It's paraben, oil and fragrance free.

Have you tried anything from this brand before?

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

Alex

LatestinBeauty...Beauty Bible Loves Box (Giveaway)!!!

Latest in Beauty have brought out another great beauty box, collaborating with the authors of the award winning Beauty Bible Books, Jo Fairly and Sarah Stacey. You get a mixture of makeup, natural skincare and organic haircare, in total 9 products with a total value of over £70 for £19.95 plus P&P.

Firstly is the Bellapiere Volumising Mascara in black, which is full size, I've got so many tubes of mascara open at themoment that I will not be using it till I get through them. But I'm looking forward to trying it out and it's paraben free.

Next is the Crabtree and Evelyn Verbana and Lavender Hand cream (25g), it contain shea butter, macadamia nut oil and antioxidant rich vitamins C and E and smells gorgeous.

I love a good face mask so I was super excited (sad I know) to try the Dr Organic Dead Sea Mineral Bio-Plasma Mud Mask (100ml). An oil regulating, detoxifying, pore cleansing and anti-ageing bio-plasma face treatment. This is a lovely mud mask that is comfortable on the skin and not too drying.

The award winning Essential Care Creamy Coconut cleanser (30ml), is an 88% organic cream cleanser that blends plant oils to cleanse and remove makeup. This feels like you're applying a lotion to the skin, it cleanses without sripping the skin and is great for those with sensitive skin.

John Masters shampoo and conditioner (30ml each), provide you with your organic haircare treats. The shampoo is lavendar and rosemary, using natural ingredients and oils to leave hair healthy and shiny. The citrus and neroli detangling conditioner is a light weight that can either be rinsed out or left in, it contains 17 certified organic ingredients that won't weigh hair down.

There's also a 2ml satchet sample of the Merumaya melting cleansing balm. I used this up in one go, if you love cleansing balms, then this will be no exception, it cleanses and removes make-up well. Only wish it was a larger sample size to get more use out of it.

I'd never heard of the PitROK deodorant wipes (20 wipes), based on pure natural mineral salts, I'll be throwing these in my handbag should the heatwave weather return.

Last, but by no means least is the Rituals Miracle Scrub Ginseng and Ginkgo Biloba ultra softening Hand scrub, which is fab. Hands are one of the first places to show your age, and this is fab, it's oil based so exfoliating and moisturising at the same time.

If you would like to get your hands on this beauty box, I am giving one away on my instagram (Aallexxy), scroll through my timeline, make sure you're following me on both instagram and twitter, like and comment below the picture. Giveaway closes on the 21st August, good luck (UK only).

Revitalash and RevitaBrow Advanced Lash and Brow Conditioner!!!

I have been eyeing up these products for a while, but the price always put me off, so when I saw QVC had a TSV (todays special value) I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try them. I got the revitalash 2 piece Lash and brow conditioner for £76.98, usually £94 and I get a 60 day money back guarantee.

Revitalash & RevitaBrow

Starting with RevitaBrow advanced, an award winning brow conditioner, that is said to enhance the look of your eyebrows for a dramatic natural beauty. It delivers a proprietary blend of scientifically advanced peptides, revitalising extracts and nutritive vitamins to help beautify and enhance the look of bold defined brows. Ingredients include Bio tin complex, Calendula (natural humectant), Swertia, Japonica, Panax and Ginseng. It's housed in a mascara style tube, with a doe foot applicator and needs to be applied once daily, this 3ml size is said to last 4 months. It's great those who have overplucked brows over the years or brows that are thinning due to the ageing process, to buy this individually on QVC it will set you back £71.28.

Revitalash advanced is also said to enhance eyelashes for a dramatic natural look, which to me seems contradictory. It's said to be a breakthrough cosmetic formula that addresses the visual signs of eyelash ageing and stress, it protects against breakage, brittleness and improve flexibility, moisture and shine for more dramatic looking lashes. It contains a proprietary blend of scientifically advance technology along with natural botanicals, once a day application is required using the slim wand applicator at the base of the lashes without touching the skin on the eyelid. A 2ml size is said to last 3 months, so this 3.5ml supersize should last almost 6 months and will set you back about £80 if bought individually. It contains BioPeptin complex (biotin, green tea extract and peptides), Ginseng, swertia and Japonica (high in anti-oxidants and vitamin B), Saw and Palmetto (high in fatty acids and plant sterols) and wheat and protein.

I've been using these about 3 days now, so too early to comment on results, they are easy to apply and I will be updating this post once I start noticing result. I will be taking QVC up on the 60 day money back guarantee, so if I'm not happy they will be going back.

Have you tried either of these before?

Update: Absolutely love the RevitaBrow, definitely saw growth and thickness to my brows, not so much with Revitalash unfortunately.

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

Alex

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser

So I've had this cleanser for a while, I originally purchased it from spacenk.com back in September for £35, but it didn't suit my combination skin at the time, which can get quite dry in the colder months. I instantly regreted forking out that amount of money for a cleanser and as my first foray into Sunday Riley skincare products I was quite disappointed. It's a lightly foaming gel based clay cleanser, with vitamin C and essential oils that is geared towards normal to combination skin, that is in pursuit of ceramic smooth skin and minimises the appearance of pores. The refined french clay (montmorillonite) purifies skin, vitamin C ester boosts radiance, black pepper fruit oil stimulates circulation, sandalwood oil helps with skin irritation, is anti-inflammatory and promotes radiance, jasmine oil soothes and restores, frankincense tones. This all aids in balancing the skin and is paraben free.

Had to steal pic from cultbeauty.co.uk as my bottle looks manky now lol.

I recently decided to try and use up some products I've had lying around and this was one of them, and I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised. It makes my skin feel very smooth and clean, I use it in the morning as I prefer balms and oils at night, and massage it into my face. You have to shake up the bottle at each use as the clay and oils have a tendency to separate, especially if left for a while. I started by wanting to use the product up and now I'm dreading it running out. if you have dry skin don't go anywhere near this or use very sparingly, and obviously if essential oils don't sit well with you, then avoid this cleanser. But for my combination and oily skin girls and guys, if this is in your budget I'd say give it a go.

Have you tried this cleanser or any other Sunday Riley products?

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

BackBliss Lotion Applicator

Here's a review I wrote for brownbeautytalk.com, enjoy;

Caroline Wagstaff came up with the idea of the BackBliss Lotion Applicator, while on holiday with her partner, she had forgotten to ask him to apply sunscreen on her back before he went off to play golf and as a result spent all afternoon on her back. After placing a sponge to the end of a coat hanger to apply after sun in her hotel room, she came up with the ingenius idea of a lotion and cream applicator. Dragon's Den fans might remember Caroline as she appeared ont h show pitching the idea.  

My initial thoughts on hearing about this product was that it was a bit of a gimmick, but I hadn’t realised that only 20% of the population can reach the middle of their backs, who knew I was in the minority. If you’re not so fortunate, or have a bad arm or shoulder, then moisturising your back can be quite difficult, along with ensuring sun screen or medicated creams are evenly applied.

The product comes with one lotion applicator, two washable applicator pads and a swivel suction hook to hang it from. The backcliss lives upto the hype and does exactly what it says on the tin. Will I be reaching for it daily? No. But then I can reach the middle of my back, however it wil probably get a lot of use as a back scratcher - my poor husband will be relieved.

The BackBliss Lotion Applicator is priced at £11.99 for a single pack and £19.99 for a double pack. For more information please visit the website.

This article was originally published on brownbeautytalk.com.

 Thanks for visiting the blog today.

 

Simply Beautiful Collection (SBC) Vitamin ACE Day and Night Cream

I had heard the brand SBC banded about but never tried anything from the brand or even paid it much attention. Until now, when I recently got the opportunity to try the SBC Vitamin ACE day and night cream. My initial thoughts were, how can one cream cater for both day and night? Surely it’ll either be too light or too rich.

 

                                           

The cream contains tomato seed oil (rich in Omega 6), olive oil (powerful antioxidant), fennel oil (soothing and anti-inflammatory), Vitamin C (brightening), Vitamin E (moisturise, firm and brighten), Vitamin A (anti-ageing). SBC states that this product contains the latest in Oxysomes technology in advance delivery systems. Apparently normal topical application of vitamin C can require 6 hours for maximum penetration into the skin, but oxysomes deliver this within the first hour and increases absorption by 85%. These translucent acid resistant oxysomes are liposomes which deliver vitamins E and C quickly and effectively, with a membrane engineered for stability even in low PH environments (i.e. the natural PH level of skin).

Oxysomes are the little round pink balls in the moisturiser, which contain vitamin C and E, the vitamin A is within the actual cream itself. Ensure these little pink balls burst onto your actual face, and not between your fingers to get the full benefit of the vitamins, they completely disappear upon application. I love how hydrating this moisturiser is without being too heavy or greasy. It has a light fragrance, that is not too overpowering. This product is effective  for day and night, although those with oily skin may prefer a lighter lotion during the summer months. I would say dry, normal, combination skin types can use it for both.

The moisturiser is a little on the pricey side, but it is a 100ml tub, so will last a while and if you’re using it day and night you won’t need to shell out for a separate moisturiser. I certainly think it is worth the £29 due to the ingredients, effectiveness and size.

I will definitely be exploring the rest of the Vitamin ACE range due to be released soon on their website.

Have you tried anything from this brand? 

 

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

Alex

Fountain Beauty; The Hair Molecule.

Fountain have released a myriad of liquid food supplements, this one supports hair growth from within, claiming to promote strong healthy hair full of shine and is exclusive to selfridges.com. It contains 10,000ug of silicon, 200ug of biotin and hyaluronic acid, it cost £34.99 for 240ml and you take 2 teaspoons (10ml) daily meaning the bottle provides 24 servings. It can be taken neat or mixed with juice or beverage, even though the bottle says this is berry flavoured, it has quite a citrus taste to me, initially reminding me of sherbets.

Fountain Beauty The Hair Molecule

 I've taken a few hair supplements over the years, especially since going natural 2 years ago and Biotin is contained in most products designed to promote hair and nail growth, it can also help those who suffer with a dry scalp, 10ml of this provies 400% of your RDA. We've all heard by now how essential hyaluronic acid is for plump hydrated skin, so why not for hair. Fountain state that it regulates and preserves moisture within the tissues and delivers nutrients into the cells, enhancing tissues water retention capacity, we also have an abundance of silicon when we are young, but as we age we lose this.

Now this is a little pricey, because if you take it at the recommended dose it will only last 24 days, I try to take one teaspoon twice a day as I feel spreading out the dose gives the body 2 optimum times to absorb the nutrients. I mostly take it neat, but did try it in my coffee once and was shocked that I could still taste it. I used up this entire bottle and have not repurchased it, I think it's good to use as part of a healthy hair routine, but it's a little pricey and there are cheaper alternatives. I would however repurchase from time to time when on offer, and am very intrigued to try the Energy Molecule.

Have you tried this or any other molecule from Fountain?

Thanks for visiting the blog today.