L'Occitane Limited Edition Shea Butter Collection & Giveaway

L’Occitane  are one of my favourite brands. I know they’re slightly pricier than a lot of other brands out there, but you definitely see the quality in their products and you absolutely get what you pay for.

For a limited period L’Occitane has decorated its Shea Butter range with colourful and graphic patterns which have been inspired by the bogolan cloth, a traditional fabric from West Africa.

The three Limited edition ranges have drawn inspiration from three native flowers with delicate and natural scents and come in my three of my favourite items, their Ultra Rich Body Cream, Shea Hand Cream and Lip Balm.

The Cocoa flower which has a gorgeous, rich, sweet and milky scent with a hint of cacao.

Egyptian Hibiscus with its slightly floral, warm and sensual aroma which awakens the senses.

Desert Rose from Morocco which has a gorgeous, floral and unmistakeably delicate hint of rose scent. 

Limited Edition Cocoa Flower Body Cream

The body butter is luxuriously rich, calm and soothing on the skin- idea for dry skinned people like me! It soaks In leaving your skin lovely and soft.

Limited Edition Hibiscus Flower Body Cream

 

I don’t have a bad word to say about the hand cream and I am never without mine! Moisturising, non greasy and long lasting, it is one of my absolute staple products.

Limited Edition Hand Creams in Coco, Hibiscus and Desert Rose

The lip balm is a little odd. Despite being in a tube, I expected it to be a semi solid balm a little like Carmex I suppose. The balm is more the consistency of a gloss but without the heavy, sticky feeling. It is a clear, runny liquid which actually feels lovely on your lips and gives them a pretty shine. 

Limited Edition Lip Balm in Cocoa & Hibiscus

The collection is available from October 6th , the Body Cream retails at £16, the Hand Cream  at £7.50 and the Lip Balm at £8.

Alternatively you can enter my competition to win the Hibiscus Flower collection, which includes the Body Cream, Hand Cream and the Lip Balm.

To enter please ensure that you do the following:

Follow my blog via Google Friends Connect

Comment Below with your contact details

Follow I Am Fabulicious on Facebook & share this link on your page

And/Or

 RT the following on Twitter:  @sarah_berryman1 I've just entered a #giveaway 2 #win some Limited Edition L’Occitane goodies. Head here to enter http://iamfabulicious.blogspot.com/p/competitions.html

The competition closes on the 31st October & is open Internationally. Good luck! 

Laura Ashley New Eau De Parfum Collection

 October 3^rd sees Laura Ashley launch three gorgeous fragrances, Pink Petals, Green Meadow and Floral Heart. They have teamed up with the Perfume Designer Azzi Glasser to, in their words ‘Add Artisan back into perfumes of today’.

The fragrances very much embrace the luxurious lifestyle that Laura Ashley are so well known for, from the design of the bottle, to the fragrance itself.

 I need to make this very clear- I LOVE the bottles. They are so simple, elegant and the diamond-esq appearance of the lid really does evoke images of classic Hollywood glamour. The bottle would not look out of place on the dressing table of a 1940’s starlet!

The three fragrances are very different in their scent and therefore span a wide range of tastes and preferences.

Green Meadow is by far and away my personal favourite. 

Green Meadow

Evoking memories of a green meadow with wild flowers is not far off what I could picture when smelling this perfume. It’s a lovely delicate, subtle, fresh and soft smelling fragrance.

Floral Heart has a stronger scent, with notes of Violet leaves, plum, Rose de Mai and Magnolia. 

Floral Heart

Pink Petals I found the sweetest smelling of the three, with heart notes of Rose, Frangipani and Muget and with musky, sandalwood base notes. I found this fragrance a little heady for me, but fragrances are so subjective that one person’s cubic zirconium is another’s diamond!

Pink Petals

I think its fair to say that the three fragrances are so varied in scent that they are likely to appeal to a huge range of women of all ages, and who wouldn’t want something as pretty as them adorning their dressing table?

Laura Ashley’s new Eau De Parfum Collection is available from the 3^rd October online and in store. 

Eau de Parfum 50ml  £36, Eau de Parfum 100ml £48 and a gift set of all three fragrances, 30ml each £48.

Boots 17 Bring out their own BB Cream

Boots 17 range is the latest brand to jump on the BB Cream bandwagon.

At £6.99 and available in two shades, Light & Medium, they are offering a cream which is slightly cheaper than the Garnier one (reviewed here)yet promises the same results.

Like other BB creams, 17’s version is said to conceal imperfections, brighten your complexion and help to control oil whilst providing you with a very respectable SPF of 25.

I got on this with cream far better than I did Garnier’s, perhaps because the formula felt much more light weight on my oily skin.

Don’t get me wrong it still had the lovely, creamy feeling, just without being too heavy.

One thing I would say is that I found this version slightly iridescent (though I’m not sure if you can tell this from the images) which whilst giving a lovely ‘glow’ to the skin, would probably be something I could do without as a fan of the matte look.

All in all I’m pretty impressed. It gave a lovely delicate coverage, was light and luxuriously creamy yet natural and created the illusion of flawless skin.

Boots 17 BB Cream is available to buy from November 2^nd. Will you be trying it or are you over the BB hype?

Beauty Talk with Rachel Shenton

Yes your eyes are deceiving you and No this is not Cheryl Cole.

Fans of soaps will recognise this gorgeous girl as Rachel Shenton, otherwise known as Mitzee from Hollyoaks.

Rachel’s character in Hollyoaks is a wannabe glamour model and she states that Mitzee is completely the polar opposite to herself in real life.

We chatted with Rachel to find out what her take on beauty is and find that unlike her character, she is very much a natural beauty.

Hi Rachel, what’s in your make up bag today?

There is a lip stick (red) some tinted moisturiser, a bronzer and a blusher

Have the products you use and the way you look after your skin changed since starting on Hollyoaks?

I use a stronger moisturiser now as my skin has make-up on all day as well as is under the lights all day

Do the girls on set ever share beauty tips with each other?

If someone discovers something new that they think is great, then yes of course we all share and then report back

Who’s the biggest beauty queen on set?

 They’re all beauties

Rachel on set as Mitzee

When do you feel most beautiful?

  

I feel most beautiful when my hair isn't styled and i have minimal make-up on.

What is your all time favourite beauty brand and why?

Benefit i think. I have lots of bits from there range and they seem to last forever.

Do you have a beauty Icon?

No don't have an icon as such, there are lots of women that i think are beautiful probably too many to mention

Have you ever used your uncanny resemblance to a certain Ms Cheryl Cole to your advantage?

No (I am Fabulicious: I Would!)

Rachel is a natural beauty

Would you ever leave the house fresh faced and make up free?

Yes i do most days

Can you share with us one of your trade secret beauty tips? 

I take my make-up of with vitamin E oil instead of make-up remover

Have you ever had a beauty disaster?

Probably far too many to mention. I remember wearing a very pale almost white lipstick once. Not a proud moment

What was the best piece of beauty advice you have ever been given?

 To put warm water on your eyebrows before plucking, it doesn't hurt as much

Vicious Lips Temporary Lip Tattoo

Be honest, how much did you love Jessie J’s lips in the video for ‘Do it like a Dude?’

You know the ones i mean, the shot where her lips are covered in tiny, black, diamond looking, glittering jewels.

While perhaps not totally practical for a night out- think trying to drink your favourite glass of vino and the diamante's clinking on the glass or worse still, falling off into it, they are stunning.

Jessie J's Lips in Do It Like a Dude

I have found a far more practical and sensible alternative for you in the form of Vicious Lips from Lynx Nails & Beauty.

Vicious lips are a range of temporary lip tattoos which are available in 8 different patterns. For £6.95 you can grab a pack of 3 different styles.

They are FDA approved, are non toxic and made with vegetable dye so they are not full of anything nasty and won’t cause irritation to your lips.

So, how do they work? Well its actually really simple and they work in the same as temporary tattoos which you would use on your skin; place against the lips, wet the paper with water and peel off. Simple!

While i appreciate that these will not be suitable for every night out, for a big party, fancy dress or just to impress your mates they are a great idea. They look incredibly professional, have amazing lasting power (up to 8 hours) and they won’t come off when you have a drink.

See below for a step by step guide of how to apply the lip tattoos- im rubbish at DIY instructions but this is really simple.

This is how the lip tattoo looks to begin with

Cut in half horizontally

Apply a brightly coloured gloss or lipstick to your lips

'Kiss' the paper side of the lip tattoo sheet to leave the shape of your lips visible

Cut around the template of your lips left by the gloss or lipstick

Remove the plastic layer from the coloured side of the sheet and place firmly against your lips. Wet the paper side with water until the transfer is on your lips and the paper slides off

Repeat with bottom lip and voila!

You are now sporting a unique look on your lips!

Ojon Damage Reverse Shampoo & Conditioner Giveaway

Ojon are offering their customers the chance to take home a full sized Damage Reverse Shampoo & Conditioner simply by trading in any empty shampoo and conditioner bottle from any brand. 

Head to your nearest John Lewis store on September 29^th to take part in this 1 day event, but get there early as stock is limited and you wont want to miss out! 

These babies are £20 each to buy normally so put this in your dairy and do not forget, you will kick yourself if you do.

How do I know? Because ive been using Ojon Damage Reverse shampoo for the last 3 weeks.

The shampoo and conditioner both contain the miracle ingredient within them, which as their name may suggest, is Ojon Oil.

Ojon oil has been clinically proven to penetrate deep within the hair shaft to help repair and seal the cuticle to restore damaged hair- and I have damaged hair, I only get it cut twice annually (I know I know that’s so bad, but I have a fear of the hairdressers!), I blow dry it and straighten it every other day and I subject it to being pulled, sprayed, tugged and abused on pretty much a daily basis.

My hair deserves better than this, it deserves some love, and so onto Ojon’s Damage reverse shampoo and conditioner.

Firstly I love that the shampoo and conditioner lids are different colours, making it easy to differentiate between which is which.

Secondly is the gorgeous, creamy liquid which smells fresh, clean, and for want of a better word, ‘warm’.  

I’m told that the products are rich in essential lipids and the Ojon oil penetrates the hair shaft repairing and sealing damaged cuticles, helping to restore shine, softness and manageability. 

My hair certainly was soft, check. Shiny, check. Manageable- I was actually able to run my fingers through it effortlessly, check! 

The jury is out on repairing and sealing damaged cuticles, after all I don’t have a magnifying glass to check and I do still have spilt ends. To be honest, that’s more to do with the mistreatment of my hair than the shampoo not doing its job, only this morning someone made a comment about how ‘healthy’ my hair looked.

So put this in your diaries now. September 29^th, and don’t forget to let me know what you think of it!  

Topshop Metallic Nail Polish

I’ve always loved Topshop for their clothes, but now days I love Topshop for something else. Their make up range. In particular, their nail polish’s.

Their latest addition to their polish range are these fab 4 metallic polish’s which will be perfect for the fast approaching Christmas Party season ( yes, yes I know its only September, but these next 12 weeks will fly by!)

Mercury Miasm

 

Heart of Gold

 

Moonshine

Treasure

I tried out the gorgeous Moonshine. The polish really did look like liquid Moonshine, with a  shiny, pearly, dazzling  liquid which looks as if it has been captured and poured into a little glass bottle with a pretty dotty lid.

 

The polish was a sleek and light consistency but the colour was so intense after one coat that I found I didn’t need another.

 

The long lasting formula ensured that my nails stayed immaculate all week and the metallic shine was incredibly pretty.

The magnetic Polish collection is available now from Topshop priced at £6.

Cosmo Blog Awards! I Am Fabulicious is Shortlisted!

For those of you who aren’t on twitter and didn’t see my over excited tweets last night, I am absolutely over the moon to say that I Am Fabulicious has been shortlisted in the category of New Beauty Blog in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2011!

Thank you so much to everyone who nominated me, to say I’m chuffed would be a huge understatement!

There are hundreds of amazing blogs out there so I am completely shocked to have been shortlisted, especially with there being so many other fab blogs in that category.

And so now I ask you to please spare just a few minutes to support me just a little more and Vote for me to win in the category of New Beauty Blog. 

I don’t expect to win, there are some massive heavy weights in the category but if you love my little blog then please consider showing it some love- any votes will be hugely appreciated.

To vote, please click here. You need to enter your email address, then select the New Beauty Blog category. Click on I Am Fabulicious and then click Vote. You will see a little green tick sign, then your done!

Thank you so much once again and good luck to everyone who has been shortlisted!

Kleenex Facial Cleansing Range

Cleansing wipes are one of my favourite beauty items.

There is literally nothing better than after wearing your make up for 12 hours or so, coming home, removing a wonderfully damp cleansing wipe from its packet and gliding it over your face.

I love feeling the soothing cool of the wipe removing my make up and refreshing my skin ready for a relaxing evening.

Given my love for these wipes i was most excited to see that a brand new range is hitting our shelves this month courtesy of Kleenex- Yes, the very brand that brings you the tissues which you rely upon for when you have the sniffles, to wipe away your tears and perhaps in your teen years, to stuff your bra’s with....perhaps.

There are 4 new products in the range;

Facial Cleansing wipes and Eye make up remover wipes which are wonderful. Unlike many wipes which feel quite dry and rough, the wipes are lovely and damp, quilted and contain natural fibres which are gentle and effective at removing your makeup mask at the end of the day (Hence the pretty masks on the packaging, duh!) 

Suitable for sensitive skin, the eye make up remover wipes even get rid of waterproof mascara and their unscented, delicate formula doesn’t dry your skin out.

Their Facial cloths are something which i haven’t seen before.  They are large, gentle, quilted, soft sheets made from natural fibres  which you can use instead of cotton wool to apply cleanser or toner and are strong enough to sue dry or wet, so you can use them to remove face masks and even nail polish.

I like this item as i have a nasty habit of getting cotton wool fibres in my eyes after carelessly using it on my face!

Their fourth and final item is brilliant. Their Shine Absorbing Sheets are an item i have been looking for for about 10 years after Clean & Clear got rid of their blue, oil controlling sheets.

The sheets are a gorgeous purple on one side and lovely patterned purple on another. Gently dab and hold the plain side of the sheet to your face where you experience excess oil and grease and see it appear on the sheet and leave your face, all without disturbing your make up. Genius. 

I know that there are other shine absorbing sheets out there but most of them include a thin layer of powder to help blot the grease away, which is you use too often leads to a build up on your skin, and your make up ends up looks cakey.

These do nothing but remove the oil and leave you looking matte-nificantly gorgeous!

The range is available now from Superdrug. The wipes are a very reasonable  £2.99 for 24 wipes, the Facial Clothes are £1.99 for 30 and the Shine Absorbing Sheets are £2.99 for 30.

TOWIE's Lydia Bright talks Beauty

 Lydia Bright is one half of the much loved TOWIE couple Lyd and Arg.

The nation has taken them into their hearts and when they’re not entertaining us on screen with their on/off romance and foray into ‘parenthood’ with their not-so-micro pig Darcy, Lydia is dazzling us with her beauty and fashion sense in numerous TV and Magazine appearances. 

Ahead of the launch of season 3 next week, I caught up with the gorgeous Ms Bright to grill her about things all beauty.

 What is your all time favourite beauty brand Lydia?

My favourite beauty brand is Mac they have such a wide range of make up that is so professional and used by many make up artists. The results create a flawless coverage that doesn't looked caked on.

Who is your beauty Icon?

A typical beauty icon would be Marilyn Monroe I love the seductive, feminine look of big red lips and fishtail eyeliner. I think it is a great way to glam up any look. A modern day beauty icon would be Abbey Clancy, her skin always looks effortless and she achieves the smoky eye look perfectly.

Lydia with her TOWIE co stars, Amy, Lauren and Sam

        

What is your favourite make up item?

My favourite make up item would be my eyelashes (mascara).  It really brighten up my face and I feel like a zombie without it. 

     

 Do you have a favourite beauty look?

My favourite beauty look would be smoky, oriental, fishtail eyes. They create a really sexy vamp look. 

        

Do you find yourself influenced by the latest beauty and make up trends, or do you prefer to make your own?

 I would say I prefer my own I play it very safe with my make up and stick to what suits me best. I usually stick to a natural clean base, smoky our neutral eyes and neutral or red lips.

      

 If you were stranded on a desert island, which 1 beauty item would you miss the most and why?

 If I was stranded on a desert island I would miss the most my moisturiser the most. I apply cream to my body and face twice a day as I love soft flawless skin. 

          

Lydia with the loveable Arg

What skincare, cosmetics and hair care item could you not live without?

 I could not live without Decleor creams, MAC make-up, Eylure lashes and Moroccanoil shampoo and hair masks. 

     

Can you share with us one of your trade secret beauty tips?

When you have applied lipstick leave to dry for 30 seconds then cover your lips with a tissue and blot over with loose blotting powder to help lock in the colour. 

       

 Have you ever had a make up/ beauty disaster? What happened?

My biggest make up disaster was when I appeared in my first ever episode on 'the only way is Essex.' The party was 80's themed so I had huge lashes, lots of gold shimmer and lashings of lip liner. Although when I watched it back I looked more like a drag queen then an 80's party girl. 

Lydia is a fellow blogger and you can catch up on her  blog, The Runway Towards the Glamorous Spotlights here.

This September's GlossyBox

You may well remember back in June me telling you all about a fab new beauty related product called GlossyBox.

Three months on, Glossy Box is going from strength to strength and this month I took a sneak peak at their September box.

For those of you who missed my post, GlossyBox is a monthly subscription service where for the reasonable price of £12.95, you will receive in the post, in a beautifully packaged box, a mix of five carefully selected, high-end miniature beauty samples.  

 

It’s a great concept, allowing you to find out about and try a huge range of products which you perhaps wouldn’t normally try. Further more, if you find that you love the products and want to buy them yourself, GlossyBox provide you with exclusive discount codes to use when purchasing the full size product.

The September Box sees GlossyBox maintaining their high standard of products with a range of items from make up to haircare, skincare to fragrance.

 In my box this month there was:

HD Brows Eye & brow Palette

Dead Sea Spa Magik Salts

Neal and Wolf Glow Super shine spray

Moa The Green Balm

Plum by Mary Greenwell

I was very surprised and somewhat delighted to see that there was a FULL SIZE  HD Brows kit in this months box- Not only do I already use HD Brow’s Eye & Brow palette every single day, it is one of my absolute staple products that I cannot live without!  The multi-use palette contains four matte eye brow colours that can double up as eye shadow and eyeliner and last 24 hours- these bad boys wont leave your eyes or brows unless you want them to!

Im a sucker for body scrubs and loved the Dead Sea Spa Magik salts- a blend of Dead Sea Salts, Vitamin E & Coconut Oil paired with a lovely fresh citrus aroma. A lovely, refreshing body scrub for all those of you who like to have silky smooth bods!

 Neal & Wolf Glow Super Shine Spray smells divine and gave my hair a wonderful shine. The smell reminds me of baby powder, not overpowering or chemical smelling and can be used to smooth hair, control frizz and tame static as well as adding shine.

 Moa The Green Balm is something ive never heard of before and am delighted to have found. Moa is a natural skin care balm with ‘miraculous’ healing powers to soothe, nourish and renew dry, itchy skin conditions, bumps, bites, grazes and minor burns. 

It feels nourishing, has a pleasant natural smell is incredibly cute- Am a big fan of products which have multi uses- especially in a recession!

 

The fragrance I received was Plum by celebrity make up artist Mary Greenwell. Plum, a contemporary chypre, blends top notes of peach, blackcurrant, plum, bergamot and lemon. Harmonious heart notes of Gardenia, tuberose, orange flower absolute, rose absolute and jasmine absolute. Followed by delicious Dry down of Precious Woods, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Amber, and White Musks.

I have to be honest, I wasn’t that keen on the fragrance, but fragrance preferences are so personal im sure many will love it.

So there you have it, GlossyBox delivers once more!

What do you think about GlossyBox? Do you subscribe? Do you think for £12.95 you are getting value for money? Let me know!

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