Caudalie Body Butter

I have loved Caudalie as a brand for a good few years now. I am a little biased when it comes to their products as I stock them in my salon - but for a very good reason as they are wonderful products with a great ethos to their brand.

This little review though is about their new re-formulated body butter. They have a had a body butter for as long as I have known the brand but it used to come in a foil squeezy tube which wasn’t very practical - as it is so thick, it was really hard to get lots of the product out so when I found out it was in a tub this made me very happy indeed.

The consistency of the product has changed - it is a lot creamier and sinks into the skin a lot quicker and it doesn’t leave a residue on the skin like the old one used to. Once massaged onto the skin it leaves you with a veil of satiny softness.

The scent has also changed - a delicious cocktail of orange zest, peach pulp and iris. To me, I can smell a subtle scent of mango for some reason - must be the orange and the peach mixed together. 

I would highly recommend this to anyone who suffers with dryness, rough spots or anyone who wants to deeply nourish and repair their skin (plus smelling ultra divine!)

My Top 5 Body Washes!

I know this may seem like an odd blog post to write about. To some people, shower gels might be a bit of a boring thing and you don't really see them as a luxury product. For me though, this just isn't the case! I am a real fuss pot when it comes to shower gels, so I have made up my Top 5 to share with you all if you have a slight addiction to them like me!

First of is Boots Fair trade Cocoa Butter Body Wash. You will notice from the photo that I have the Mango scented one as well but I will talk about the Cocoa Butter one first. The smell is incredible. It smells so good! Really rich and full of chocolaty-goodness! The consistency is lovely too and a bottle seems to last me roughly about three weeks so it's good for 200ml. Boots normally have these on offer on 3 for 2 so it’s are a good way to pick up a good deal. The Mango one on the other hand is just as beautiful. I always use this one in the Summer as it is just so fruity and tropical! I also have the body butter in the Mango scent and that is incredible too! Holiday must have's for sure! My score: 10/10

Next is Caudalie’s Fleur De Vigne Shower Gel. Ok, this bottle has lasted me soo long! I usually have two shower gels on the go at the same time as I like to use an uplifting one in the morning and a richer one in the evening. So, I have been using this one in the morning's and it just seems to go on forever. Sadly, I have just finished it (hence why it looks a little sad compared to all the other ones!) but, I would say this has definitely lasted me a good few months. The smell is gorgeous, the consistency is more of a gel formula which I don't mind, but I prefer a more creamer body wash. My score: 8/10

A new one that I have been enjoying is ESPA’s Lemon, Ylang Ylang and Tonka Bean Body Wash. First of all, I love anything citrus scented. It is the ultimate scent that reminds me of relaxing in a spa and being pampered, so this is a major plus! The next pro is it has a very lovely formula that lathers up really well so if you like a foamy shower gel this is for you! Not on the cheap side, but it is paraben free and ESPA is a very prestigious brand so you know you are getting a very good quality shower gel. This is for sure my ultimate morning shower gel as it really gets me going in a morning and ready to take on the day! My score: 9/10

Last but certainly not least is the Laura Mercier Almond Coconut Milk Body Wash. I received this as a gift for my birthday in July last year. It came in a beautiful gift set with the body scrub and the body soufflé. It only took me to December to use it though as I had some more body washes to use up before I started on this one. I have used this more or less every day in December (when I haven't been using my Caudalie one!) and I still have just under a quarter of a bottle to go - so in lasting terms this is seriously good! The wash is more of a lotion which I prefer, and the smell is beautiful. I find with Laura Mercier's products the smell lingers on your skin for the rest of the day. The only thing I'm not too keen on is the packaging and the price. It looks lovely, but it is really hard to get the product out as it's not a squeezy bottle and it is a square shape. The price however is a bank crippling £27! Not cheap, but I will definitely use this line of body washes again, I am dying to try the Pistachio one! My score: 8/10

What’s your favourite body wash?

Two little mircale workers..

Just a little blog post for you all this morning!

In my stocking.. (yes I am 24 and I still get a stocking) :) I discovered this little duo which I have had my eye on for a while ever since I saw it in my local SpaceNK.

It’s from the company this works which I have always admired and looked at in my local boots store. I read things about the brand all the time but they are just a little bit high on the price for my liking. So, when I got this in my stocking I was thrilled to bits!

They are the mini sizes but they are lasting really well as you only use a small amount when you need to. 

First is the roller ball 'deep sleep stress less'. I pop this on my wrists and on the back of my ears and it really helps me relax. I love anything aromatherapy blended so this set is perfect for me! The deep sleep pillow spray is lovely too, just put 2-3 sprays on your pillow and inhale as you go to sleep and it is the best thing ever! It smells so amazing and sends me to sleep in no time!

This little set cost £10 but you can get the larger sizes for a better deal, which I will be doing in no time once I have used all of these up! 

If any of you have trouble sleeping then you won’t be disappointed if you try these!

My December Favourites

Bath time! (Winter Edition)

Well hello everyone!

This week I thought about blogging about what products I use in the bath! I love taking baths, especially after a long day at work and I just want to chill out.

So, the first thing I do when I get into the bath I use my ESPA Restorative Bath Oil I first purchased this last year from liberty’s when I was going through a pretty stressful time at work and needed help relaxing. They have about six different scents of oils and the resorative one is most beneficial for relaxing and de-streesing. I put this on just when I’m about to get in the bath so when i’m in there I can really smell all of the beautiful aroma and can truly relax. I also have the restorative candle and it smells incredible!

Next up, I use Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub. This is beautiful - just like all the SS products are! Even though it’s a salt scrub, it has a oil resedue on the top so it doesn’t dry out your skin. (Like some salt scrubs can do!) This leaves my skin feeling really soft and supple!

After that I like to use my favourite body wash which at the moment is Korres Vanilla and Cinnamon . This is my ultimate christmas body wash as the combination of the vanilla with the cinnamon creates the ultimate warming and spicy scent.

Then to finish with I have two favourite body moisturisers at the moment which I love. I tend to alternate between these hence why I couldn’t choose!

For a lighter body moisturiser I love the John Masters Blood Orange and Vanilla. The scent of the ‘blood orange and vanilla’ is literally to die for! I have loved this for over three years and always make sure I have one in my bathroom.

For a richer body cream it has to be Laura Mercier Almond Coconut Body Butter This will make your skin feel so soft and nourished, perfect to pop on just before bed!

Hope you all enjoyed this blog post! What’s your bath routine at the moment?

Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation Review

So, I have been in the market for a new foundation for a long time after being a firm lover (& still am) of the bareMinerals original foundation, I still enjoy using the foundation, I was just wanted something a bit more nourishing on my skin and to make it look extra healthy and glowing!


I didn't really know what brand to go for though, I have had a sample pot of YSL touché éclat and really liked it, however the coverage was just slightly too little for me. Nars sheer glow has got some good reviews but I wasn't near a counter and wanted to be colour matched. Hence the search continued

I went to my local pharmacy which have a Clarins and a Lancome counter. I have been a lover of Lancome for a very long time (stealing my mums hypnose mascara in my teens!) 

I have used the BB Hydra Zen tinted moisturiser for two years and love it.

I used to wear it as a base for my make-up some days but the wear time wasn’t great, after a few hours it would need touching up, so hence my need something new!

Just a few facts for you so you know what my skin is like:

*I have normal-combination skin

*I don’t really suffer with blemishes (apart from that time of the month)

*I don’t have fine lines/creases

The colour that I have is 005, which is the lightest that they do. Normally i’m somewhere in the middle in colour ranges in foundations, so I was suprised that I was the lightest shade.

I put two pumps onto the back of my hand, use my real techniques expert face brush and just buff away. I would say that this foundation is light-medium coverage but very hydrating and illuminating. Any redness areas and small blemishes are concealed instantly. 

The wear time is unbelievable on me - better than any foundation I have used before! 

I do set it with bareMinerals Ready Mineral Veil and pop it mainly on my T-Zone after applying my bronzer and blusher and it sets beautifully. 

The price of the 30ml bottle is £27.50, which, for a foundation is quite a lot but I would be prepared to pay for this foundation at that price. After all, I think i’m actually saving money the amount of times I had to touch up with my concealer after using the BB cream!

All in all, a fantastic foundation that gives a healthy, radiant glow, still looks like your skin - just perfected.

Have any of you felt the same way with this foundation?

My November Favourites

Hi everyone!

I can’t believe the 11th month of the year has gone by in a flash and now it’s only 3 weeks until Christmas day!

With that being said, I’ll get down to my November favourites.

The first favourite is Lancome Teint Miracle - i’m not going to say too much about it as I’ve already done a review in my last blog post so go and check that out, but I really do love this foundation!

Next favourite is my Urban Decay Naked Palette. I have had this palette for about a year and I use it almost every day. I love all the colours as they are so wearable. The pigmentation is incredible on UD’s eye shadows, just one sweep and my lid is full of colour. The colour that I have been wearing most on my lid’s recently is 'half baked’ a shimmery gold colour - perfect for this time of the year!

Now moving onto skincare, I have been loving St Ives Apricot Scrub for normal/sensitive skin. I used to use this all the time in my teens, then stopped and went onto other things. I was on the look out for a new scrub and saw this in Boots and i’m so glad I did! It’s so quick and easy to use, makes my skin feel super clean and soft, without stripping it and making me blotchy (which can happen sometimes!) I use this in the shower about three times a week and my skin has been really happy with it.

Frangrance this month I have been loving Chanel Allure. I got this for Christmas last year from the other half. I only really use this in the colder weather as it’s very musky and quite heavy, but I have really been liking this. I put some on in the morning and it stays on my skin all day (even my scarf smells of it which I love!)

Last but not least, Origins Drink Up 10 Minute Face Mask. Even though I have normal/combination skin I still like to use a hydrating mask especially in the winter as with the cold air, the wind and central heating your skin can easily become de-hydrated. This goes on really nice, it as apricot kernal oil in it (smells incredible!) which is really hydrating. I normally pop this on in the bath after cleansing, or if my skin is really suffering I will put a really thin layer on and sleep in it so it sinks in nicely while i’m sleeping.

What products have you been liking this month? 

Kirsty xx