Fab Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Offer!

Readers of Beauty Swot will know that my all time favourite cleanser is Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, so as soon as I saw this offer arrive in my inbox I had to share.

Cleanse & Polish is a true beauty phenomenon and has won over 80 awards and accolades. At the recent CEW (UK) Awards 2012, considered the “Oscars” of the beauty industry, it was announced that Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser was voted Most Revolutionary Beauty Product of the Last 20 Years by 600 independent beauty industry 'insiders'. Cleanse & Polish has also just scooped the Best Cleanser accolade at the prestigious Sunday Times Style Beauty Awards 2012.

To celebrate these achievements Liz Earle will be selling Cleanse and Polish at its original launch price of £9.50 (Cleanse & Polish 100ml plus two pure muslin cloths) instead of the current price of £14.25! This offer launches on Wednesday 23rd May and is available online at lizearle.com and via their Customer Centre (01983 813 913) and is available until Friday 25th May, or while stocks last.

So if like me you love Cleanse and Polish or you have yet to try Cleanse and Polish, there has never been a better time to buy it.

Elemis Tranquil Touch Body Polish - Review

Elemis Tranquil Touch Body Polish is from the sp@home body exotics collection and is quite simply the nicest body polish/scrub I have ever used.

Just take a look at some of the ingredients:

Mandarin
Cedarwood
Ginger
Patchouli
Vetivert
Rice Scrub
Capuacu Butter
This is an ultra gentle smoothing body scrub containing a natural rice exfoliator to sweep away impurities and soften the skin.

Without a doubt this is a luxurious scrub and it comes with the sublimest of scents, using this I feel transported to an exotic and faraway spa. The scent is heavenly, sensuous and lingering. Utterly delectable, I love sniffing my body long after my bath ritual has ended. It is not often I get THAT excited about a scrub but this isn't just a scrub, it is a scrub that ensures bath time is the most enjoyable and relaxing of past times.

Elemis is one of my favourite skincare brands, for me scents are one of the most important things in liking a product and yet again they have managed in my eyes to combine performance with a glorious scent and fabulous ingredients. It is pricey but in my eyes it is worth every penny.

The Elemis Promise - This product is free from parabens, SLS, SLES, DEA, mineral oils, artificial colours and silicones.

Elemis Tranquil Touch Body Polish costs £20 for 150mls


*PR Sample

Avene Hydrance Optimale UV Light SPF 20 Protective Hydrating Cream - Review

Still on my quest to find a moisturiser with a high SPF that would suit my skin and leave it nicely moisturised I purchased - Avene Hydrance Optimale UV Light SPF 20 Protective Hydrating Cream.


Last year I filled in a form on the Avene website where they would suggest products to suit your requirements and send out tiny samples to try. This was one of the products sent.

Claims -

This moisturiser is listed as being suitable for normal to combination sensitive dehydrated skin. A hydrating moisturiser to protect the skin from daily aggressions and help prevent skin ageing caused by the sun. It also has a light mattifying effect. As with all Avene products, the ingredients include Avene Thermal Spring Water. Paraben free.

My thoughts -

This is a bit of a product rave..

In short this is perfect for my skin type, It doesn't irritate or make it react at all.

The product comes in a squeezy tube container. The scent is so gentle, it is barely detectable but is similar to the soapy smell of the Gel Cleanser I recently reviewed. Texture wise it is a light fluid that absorbs into the skin immediately leaving my skin feeling hydrated and soft all day. As it has a mattifying effect, the skin doesn't glow (though it is bright) but on the upside I don't get an oily t zone as the day goes on. For an SPF product I am so pleased it moisturises whilst protecting. I would definitely repurchase.

I bought the Avene Hydrance Optimale UV Light SPF 20 Protective Hydrating Cream 40ml at Boots, I cannot find my receipt but I am sure I paid around £14 for it.

PIXI Beauty Succulent Lip Twin and Illuminating Tint and Conceal - Review

I have seen the Pixi brand stand whilst out shopping for makeup, curious but not quite enough to actually pick anything up, I revisited the brand recently when I was looking at high street products for paraben free makeup for my mum who is allergic to parabens. Not all products from Pixi are paraben free but the Lip Twin is.

The philosophy behind the brand, taken from the Pixi website - 'Pixi is about multitasking, flaw-fixing, youth-enhancing products for women on-the-go with no time to spare.'

I was sent two products from Pixi for review - the Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Coral Camellia and Pixi Illuminating Tint and Conceal in Bare Glow 

Illuminating Tint and Conceal with SPF20

When the weather is warm and sunny I do prefer to use a lighter foundation or tint during the day, it is hard to remember the last time we had a truly hot and sunny day but I was using this then and as shades go this was pretty much spot on for my skin if giving a very subtle warmth  (it is the second from lightest). It felt moisturising and had the high SPF of 20 for protection.The product is sheer so this is probably one of the lightest tints I have used on my skin, if you prefer more coverage this will not be for you. It made my skin ooze radiance and glow ( it has very slight shimmer particles) and evened out skin tone. I did have to use the concealer for my redness, the concealer is a good coverage concealer that blended nicely into my skin. A good multi-tasking product.

Succulent Lip Twin in Coral Camellia 

Coral sums up Summer for me and is really flattering on pretty much all skin tones. The Lip Twin is a duo of liquid lip balm (in the tube) and in the cap a solid lip and cheek crème.  The lip and cheek crème gives a pretty flush of colour but it is quite sheer so needs to be layered, on the lips I like to pop the balm on top to give a stronger and glossier colour. This has a pleasant sweet smell. My only disappointment is that I can see that I will be finishing the crème before the balm.

Pixi Illuminating Tint and Conceal is available in 4 shades and costs £21.50.

Pixi Succulent Lip Twin is available in 5 shades and costs £12.

NOTD - Orly Hot Shot

Get Ready for a Summer of Love 

As soon as I saw what my sister had purchased this morning I had to apply it and make it my my nails of the day... Orly Hot Shot is a bright (almost neon) orange shade ideal for a Summer's day. The sun has rarely shone these past few months and this was the perfect pick me up for the first glimpse of Sun we have seen in a long time and to get me in the spirit and warmth of Summer.

I think it is a great shade to wear at this Summer's music festivals and a brilliant beach bright.

Keen eyed readers will notice that my ring finger has a slightly different shade on it, but I will save the details for another post!

I applied two coats and a top coat.

Trevor Sorbie Beautiful Curls Curl Cream - Review

Whilst I absolutely love my hair sleek and straight, I like to give it a break from all the heat and styling and go au naturale and let it dry naturally. Unfortunately my hair which is naturally thick and wavy/curly tends to dry into a frizzy mess with a few pretty strands of perfect waves if left to its own devices. Consequently I am always on the look out for products that help with low maintenance styling.

I was recently sent Beautiful Curls Curl Cream from Trevor Sorbie to review and have to say I was pleasantly surprised with how little effort it took to achieve the desired effect of perfect, non frizzy curls.

Claims - 

Curl Cream is a leave-in styling cream to enhance natural curls, adding moisture - leaving you with well defined, bouncy curls. The Beautiful Curls regime uses the latest technology to tame wavy, curly, frizz prone hair, leaving it shiny and energised. With shine-enhancing and heat protection technology. Suitable for all types of naturally wavy/curly hair. Can be used on colour-treated hair.

Directions of use - 

Apply to damp or dry hair. Dispense a small amount of product onto palms and distribute evenly onto naturally curly hair. Scrunch or twist sections of hair to help form your desired curls. Allow to dry naturally or diffuse with a hairdryer.

Results

After washing and conditioning my hair I applied a small amount of the leave-in cream to my towel dried hair and let it dry naturally, simple as that. The cream smells gorgeous and has the relatively thick texture of a face cream. Although the directions say scrunch or twist sections of hair, I had to actually do very little.

I was really pleased with how my hair dried, the frizz was gone and in its place I had defined, shiny curls which were not weighed down by product. My hair remained soft to the touch too. The Curl Cream worked so well my mother in law asked me if I had had my hair curled....

The next day, I added a bit more cream to my dry hair where I had slept on it and it worked just as well to define the strands and keep the style maintained.

So to sum up - this really works.

Trevor Sorbie Beautiful Curls Curl Cream retails for around £5.10 for 150mls

Statement Nail Using Nails Inc Burlington Arcade Nail Jewellery

Burlington Arcade- no flash

Burlington Arcade - with flash

My sister couldn't wait to try it out

Not a huge fan of glitter polishes but two coats of Nails Inc Burlington Arcade Nail Jewellery makes a really rather pretty statement nail.

Predominately silver this multi faceted diamond nail jewellery, glistens and twinkles as the light hits it mimicking dazzling diamonds. Instant love and appealing to the magpie in us all.

Looking forward to trying it over black and nude polishes now.

*This product was included in a press day goody bag