Holiday Time again!

Hi guys,

I'm off down to Cornwall for the week so there won't be heaps happening on the blog but look out for a guest post and of course Thursday's Beauty Blogger's Best Things!

I'll be back next weekend so I hope you all have a fantastic week and please, pray for great weather!

Lauren's Beauty Bloggers Best Things

Here's Lauren... look at that skin! It looks absolutely flawless so I'm really looking forward to reading what her tips are!

Lauren's blog can be found at http://laurenlovesblog.com  and is well worth a follow for fab fashion and beauty posts.


So lets start with some easy questions!



Can you talk me through your daily skin care regimen, which products you use and why?
Every morning, I cleanse with Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser, Tone with Liz Earle Toner and moisturise with Liz Earle Moisturiser for greasy skin! I tend to be very brand loyal, especially to Liz Earle. I have such sensitive skin so this is perfect for me – it’s the only skin care that I don’t break out with. Plus the moisturiser for greasy skin is mattefying which means it works as a fab primer!

What shampoo and conditioner are you devoted to?
I’m a Tigi Bedhead girl! I alternate between the ones I use, I used to use Headshot moisturising shampoo and conditioner but they discontinued it! (I called them to ask why, they said they follow haircare trends and I asked them when moisturised hair went out of fashion!!). I’m currently using the curlesque range which smells like sweeties!

What about your top three make up brands generally speaking?
I love Barry M for nailvarnish and lipstick, I love MAC for lipstick too and have a few, and I also really like Collection 2000 for their foundations and eyeliner.

Ok some specifics now!


What is your favourite foundation and why?
I’m currently using Collection 2000 perfect finish foundation which I reviewed here (http://www.laurenlovesblog.com/2011/01/the-collection-2000-spring-releases-review.html) at the time I wasn’t very impressed as I had awful skin and this wasn’t thick enough so I chucked it to the back of my drawer. Now the summer has arrived, I had to stop using my Dior Nude Skin foundation as it’s far too oily and I re-discovered this which is perfect for the hot weather as it doesn’t slide off and has SPF!

What is your favourite mascara and why?
I’m loving my Boots No 7 Exquisite curl mascara. I was sent it to review (see here - http://www.laurenlovesblog.com/2011/02/new-no7-exquisite-curl-mascara-and-gel-eyeliner-review.html) and I’ve rebought it several times! I hadn’t tried curling mascara before because firstly I was scared of the curved brush (I’m a klutz and was bound to poke my eye out) and I thought it was a gimmick but it actually works so well!

What one product do you think every cosmetic aficionado should have in their collection?
Everyone must own MAC Girl About Town! (review and dupe here! - http://www.laurenlovesblog.com/2011/02/mac-girl-about-town-dupe-barry-m-145-punky-pink.html) It’s the perfect Cheryl Cole pink that everyone must own for a pop of colour. I adore it!

I love finding new blogs so please before you go, please recommend three of your favourite bloggers.

I love hey gorge (http://www.heygorg.com/) which has inspirational wedding pictures. I’m not sure why I love this blog because I’m not getting married…
I love Blah Blah Becky (http://www.blahblahbecky.co.uk/) for her fab content, plus she’s a really lovely blogger and commenter
Phoebe at Peluxe (http://peluxe100.blogspot.com/) write an amazing, funny blog and again is a gorgeous girlie so check her out.

Plus so many more blogs, check out my interactive blogroll (http://www.laurenlovesblog.com/blogroll) for a handful of self-selected bloggers and add yourself to my blogroll too

Thanks so much for taking part Lauren. Firstly I don't follow any of those blogs so I'd better get on and check them all out. I too am a sucker for Mac Lippies... I don't have Girl About Town though... I'm wondering if I should add it to the list or if I have enough hot pink lippies... I have quite a few!

As always, BBBT is open to everyone so please if you'd like to take part, please just drop me a line at this email address charlie@ladyofthelane.com. All welcome!

Decleor Circulagel Refreshing Leg Gel - A Review

Oooh this product really feels really luxurious and I suppose it is! A Decleor product for tired legs. I might as well just be honest and say from the off that I would never have bought this product. It's one of those things you don't actually know you need until you try it!

Using Arnica, Witch Hazel, Camphor and menthol, Circulagel revives, refreshes and energises tired  and heavy legs... And it really does.

I've never considered my legs feeling tired before really, other than the rare occasions I do a lot of walking (haha!) that said...I've come to realise I actually do a fair amount of rushing around and standing. Anyone who has met my 2 year old Lola, and seen us out and about will confirm... she keeps me on my toes.

I've found this product slots into my evening routine brilliantly and makes a massive different to my legs! They really feel awake!

This is a fab product. It's certinaly not a necessity for everyone, maybe its not a necessity for anyone, but for anyone who is on their feet a lot or gets heavy legs, this is a really nice product to have... or even it'd be a lovely gift for someone!

£30 for 150ml

Disclaimer - PR Sample

Big Skincare Overhaul

I've absolutely had it with my skin. I'm 37 and quite frankly fed up of the gaping pores emphasised by anthing other than polyfilla, I'm sick of the lumps and bumps and I've had it with the spots. ENOUGH.

A long time ago, before I started blogging I was a Decleor devotee. I swore by the range and loved it. Since blogging however, I've mostly stuck to Estee Lauder for it's miraculous line reducing qualities and chopped and changed with other brands when I've been sent them for review purposes and I think my skin has had enough. So thinking back to the past and in consultation with the extremely knowledgable Caroline Hirons I've just started a new regime in the hopes of fixing my face.

I will be using the following:

Cleansers: Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser every evening and I have a sample sized bottle of Nuxe Cleansing water to get through but thats just for emergencies. I will always use a clean cloth and hot water from the tap, never from the bowl. My only problem with this is not having a mixer tap...ouch, it gets hot, but so far so good!
Moisturisers/oils: Decleor Aromessence Ylang Ylang and Aromessence Ylang Ylang Night Balm, both for combination and oily skin (although I am neither... I certainly lean that way rather than dry), Decleor Expression De L'Age Radiance Smoothing Cream, specially formulated for women in their 30's.
Eye Care: Decleor Expression De L'Age Relaxing Eye Cream. Again specially formulated for women in their thirties.
Special Treat: Decleor Source D'Eclat - 10 Days Radiance Powder Cure. I'll review this product separately after the given 10 days but this is a radiance booster with pure Vitamin C so we shall see!

Some of these items are PR samples and some of them I have bought myself. I have previously had the Alpha H Cleanser as a sample but finished it, this bottle I have bought myself. I have also purchased the Eye Cream and Moisturiser myself, whilst the other three Decleor products were PR Samples.

So what am I trying to fix? Well lets have a look! I am largely make up free in the following pictures, except for eye make up. There's nothing else. There was tinted moisturiser first thing in the morning but this was about 10 hours later so nothing remained.

Doesn't look bad here does it?

 So lets go a bit closer. Eeek!

Here's a closer look at my lumpy bumpy chin area, I know, it still doesn't look terrible in this pic.

 So what about this? You see I get spots around my lips, mouth and chin area and along my jawline are those bumps.. so many horrible little bumps... when I have make up on, it just looks like acne.

 And this was supposed to show you my nose and its horribleness but erm.. it's out of focus...

So thats that! I've already started with the cleanser and the Aromessences duo but am waiting for the moisturiser and eye cream to turn up and when they do I will start the 10 day radiance powder cure as well.

So I'll see you 10 days after that point for a review of that product and an update and I suppose in about 4-6 weeks for a closer look at all the products and they are working out for me!

Wish me luck! And a huge thanks to Caroline for the advice. xx

Lancome Renergie Yeux Multiple Lift Review

Lancome Renergie Yeau Multiple Lift (Ultimate Rejuvenating Eye Duo) is a clever little product. I'll start with telling you how much I LOVE the packaging! I don't know why it appeals to me so much but it really does. As you can probably see from my picture the top of the lid pops open revealing a mirror and a pan of concealer like product, but then the whole of the silver bit unscrews like a you would expect a normal screw top lid to come off revealing a pot of moisturising cream.

The product contains two formulas, as explained above for 6 benefits.

Dark circles appear reduced

Bags appear reduced

Eye contour looks more luminous

Eye contour looks smoother

Eye contour feels firmer

Fine lines around the eye appear smoother

So the it promises a lot in some ways but I notice that mostly it promises to make things "appear" more so and so, rather actually have an effect, other than to feel firmer. Thats not a criticism, if products are honest about what they achieve thats fine! I'd rather be told up front something will look much better but not promise to permanently remove all signs of aging!

So the first thing to talk about is the concealer-like pan on the top. It's not concealer, its Illuminating Protecting Care rich in highlighting pigments and with skincare benefits to fade dark circles, deflate under eye bags and illuminate. I did try to swatch it but it just melts away into nothingness and is impossible for me to capture. On the eyes though it brightens beautifully and hides redness but yet somehow remains undetectable, its magical stuff reall and I love it. You can of course follow with your usual concealers/foundations. And you can of course use it at night.

Then there's the cream section. The cream (sort of) acts as a base onto which you put the highlighting product, it absorbs quickly, feels light and moisturising, non-greasy. Included with the product are directions, which you really do need to read and use because each product is applied in quite particular areas, to target specific issues.

Unfortunately I didn't carry on with this product for long enough to really give you a great idea of it's effectiveness. Nothing to do with this product at all but my skin has been freaking out lately so I'm in the process of going back to basics with my skin care which means no more chopping and changing with samples. I just need to stick to some natural gentle products for a while.

What I can tell you is that these products seem pretty good with "highlighter" bit being really quite fab and immediate effects are certainly good for the use of both products!

This product is a pretty pricey £44.50 which if you were feeling flush, would probably be worth spending!

Aromatherapy Associates Offer not to be missed!

I don't usually do posts like this unless I think they are spectacular offers and in this case I really do! Between now and the end of August if you buy a full size Bath and Shower Oil (any, but I'd recommend the Relax) from http://www.aromatherapyassociates.com/ then you can select a FREE full size Body Gel or Body Serum, such as De-Stress Muscle Gel, Renew Rose Hydrating Body Gel or the Enrich Body Serum.

This really is an amazing offer so if you were considering buying one of the beautiful oils, which I love, then now is a great time to do so!

Illamasqua Skin Base - my thoughts

So there have been a lot of posts about the brand spanking new Skin Base Foundation from Illamasqua so I'm not going to go into great detail about it, but for the benefit of those who've not heard anything about it it here's the low down.

So Skin Base is Illamasqua's take on the cult Beauty Balm Creams so popular in Asia. It professes to be easily blendable and to create a perfect complexion... as well as providing your base it smoothes, softens and conditions your skin while proving natural, buildable coverage. It can be used as a primer, concealer or foundation and is available in 18 shades, and retails at £25 for 30mls as of now.

Now I was sent three shades to try. 05, 06 and 07.

And this was a little problem for me. 07 was far to dark for my skin.  05 was a good match for my skin, but when applied all over my face I looked pale as a ghost... which left me with 06... which was a good match and at first looked perfect....more on that shortly.

I didn't find this terribly buildable but generally speaking I did like the finish, it was natural and glowy, certainly no dull finish with this stuff but as the hours progressed I found it started to look a bit patchy and a bit orangey on me...as if I'd applied the wrong colour only in some places of my face, and badly at that! I persevered and  tried applying with fingers, brushes, on primer, without primer, setting with powder, without powder.... it all ended up the same... the other problem I had was one that is almost certainly to do with me and not the product is the horrible clumping and patchiness on my nose. I recently mentioned it in my Shiseido review and I didn't manage to get any photographs but Lipglossing appears to have the same problem as me and I couldn't beat her pictures, so go take a look... this is a problem I have with LOADS of foundations, the ones that don't really do it are powders or heavy foundations, anything light causes me clumping and flakiness on my nose, even if the flakiness isn't apparent without foundation on.

So...Skin Base... it's not for me sadly but some reviewers have loved it. Like Lipglossiping I'd recommend trying before you buy.

Available in store or from http://www.illamasqua.com/.

Larie's Beauty Blogger's Best Things

This week we have the very lovely Larie from http://eyeheartit.blogspot.com/ taking part in Beauty Blogger's Best Things. Contrary to what you might expect, Larie is not actually a small cute dog, she is however a little camera shy so on the left there is her Mum's adorable dog!

So lets get on and see what Larie has to share with us this week. Starting with the easy questions!

So lets start with some easy questions!



Can you talk me through your daily skin care regimen, which products you use and why?
I have normal to combination skin – occasionally oily through the T-zone, but dry in the winter. I’m afraid that I’m one of those Clinique girls! I started using their 3-step system right after high school, and it really calmed my skin down and kept it balanced, so I figured, why change? Every morning, I wash my face with Clinique’s facial soap, and then apply the moisturizing gel right afterward. Then it’s the Clinique Even Better moisturizer (especially during the winter, when I get dry and patchy skin) and Clinique Super City Block SPF 40 all over my face. Then I pat some of the Bliss eye cream right under my eyes to brighten the panda eyes I usually have in the morning.

In the evening, I remove my eye makeup with an oil-based product (lately it’s been Origin’s Well Off), and then use Boscia’s cleansing oil to take off everything else. I finish with Clinique’s facial soap again. Once a week I use my Clarisonic MIA (with the Clinique soap), and I also exfoliate twice a week with Dr. Brandt’s. After cleansing, I use Clinique’s toner (#2 – the purple one) and then moisturizing gel, and Boscia eye cream. If I need it, I use a spot treatment (usually a drugstore one, like Clean & Clear) at this point.

What shampoo and conditioner are you devoted to?
I’m actually not devoted to any; I pick up whatever’s on sale at the drug store! Usually Aussie, or Herbal Essences, or something like that. They get the job done, and I don’t usually have problems with damaged hair or anything like that. I do make very regular trips to the salon, though.

What about your top three make up brands generally speaking?
Dior, MAC, and all of my eye shadows recently have come from the indie brand Shiro Cosmetics.

Ok some specifics now!


What is your favourite foundation and why?
It’s not exactly a full-coverage foundation, but lately I’ve been loving Dior’s tinted moisturizer: Dior Hydra Life Pro Youth Skin Tint SPF 20 (mouthful, right? Sheesh.) It’s moisturizing, and offers a little more coverage than your average TM. It’s also SPF 20! I wear it in 1, Natural. It has a beautiful, dewy finish.

What is your favourite mascara and why?
I’m actually not big on mascara and don’t wear it every day, but when I do, it’s Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes or Tarte’s MultiplEye.

What one product do you think every cosmetic aficionado should have in their collection?
An instant pick-me up product! Whether that’s your favorite eye shadow, the va-va-voom mascara, or a date night lipstick, you should have something that instantly picks up your mood and makes you feel fabulous!

I love finding new blogs so please before you go, please recommend three of your favourite bloggers.
Rae @ theNotice (http://thenotice.net/ ). She is hilarious, takes beautiful photos, and often posts photography and blogging tips.
Dani @ http://callitbeauty.blogspot.com/ ). Her photos are also gorgeous, she has great fashion photos, and she does stunning EOTDs – neutrals, show-stopping colors, everything.
MnG @ http://ohsillymng.blogspot.com/ . She has perfect swatches, and her posts are so much fun to read.

Thank you Larie! There are some new blogs for me to follow there so I'm  off to check them out now!
Also I'm loving the sound of that Dior Tinted Moisturiser so I'm going to go and google that too!

Love your gorgeous doggy too :)

So the final word, as always, is please drop me a line if you'd like to take part in BBBT, all are welcome, just send an email to charlie@ladyofthelane.com.

I think the questionnaire could do with a little revamp so I'll be changing some of the questions soon!

Ojon Dry Recovery

Ojon is one of those brands I've heard a lot about but never actually tried so I was pretty pleased to get the opportunity to give the brand a whirl.

For the unitiated, Ojon  have recently introduced five new hair care rituals that contained naturally derived ingredients in recyclable packaging... the new five rituals are Damage Reverse, Dry Recovery, Volume Advance, Color Sustain and Full Detox.

I was sent the Dry Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner to try out.

I sadly didn't get on with it too well. My hair is dry, but perhaps it's just not dry enough to really benefit from this product, I don't know... the positives are that it smells divine, lathers brilliantly so you don't need much and that the conditioner slipped beautifully from my usually tangly hair...

Sadly thats where my positives end... it left my hair a bit crispy and dry feeling, usually something I only experience with Lush shampoos (mores the pity).

I'm not undaunted by this foray into the brand really as a quick google before writing this post confirmed lots of people had the same problem but still love other Ojon products... so I'll give another line a whirl at some point I should think, but this was a bit disappointing.  I don't know, I just have funny hair that reacts badly to some brands, Kerastase is another that did the same thing sadly.

If you do fancy trying this for yourself you can find it at John Lewis and QVC. The shampoo is £18 and the conditioner is £19.50.

What you should know about Fish Pedicures....

So, fish pedicures, one of the biggest things to hit the beauty industy in the last year or so. I've never had one, but they sound pretty fabulous, if not a little icky. Stick your feet in a fish tank and let the fish eat away all your dead skin leaving you with soft feet free from callouses and dead skin.

Sounds great?

Well it doesn't really appeal to me to be honest, but I probably would have been willing to give it a go  should the opportunity have arisen...but now I'm not so sure.

I'm not going to discuss hygiene, I know there was recently a scare about disease spreading, but thats not what I'm here to write about.

Lets start by talking a little bit about the amazing Garra Rufa fish aka the Doctor Fish. Amazing little fish, from largely the Turkey area, they consume dead skin, but even more miraculous is the fact that in their saliva contains a healing enzyme which is largely why they are called Doctor Fish. They can really help in skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.

With the recent explosion of popularity in Fish Pedicures around the world Turkey has had to legally protect the species from commercial exploitation. What does that mean? It means that Garra Rufa fish are harder to find and more expensive. Other important details are that the Garra Rufa is a toothless fish. It never bites, it nibbles and because it has no teeth and relies on suction it can be used on any part of the body without pain, or risk of any damage, it simply can't remove healthy skin.

So I'm waffling on but what is my point and what does this information mean to you? Well, what it means is that a some salons are using "fake" Garra Rufa's. They may be entirely unaware that they are using them, but it is still the case... in the search for the cheapest suppliers they are often unaware that what they are actually buying are Chin Chin fish. They look the similar for the most part. But there are important differences. Firstly they are less hardy and die easily.  Secondly it has teeth. Whilst still young, it's unable to damage you but once it reaches approximately 6cm you can look out. At this point they need to be discarded (I shudder to think how) and of course this relies on the salon knowing this information, and acting on it.  The Chin Chin is an aggressive and cannibalistic breed of fish... put your feet it at your own peril. In addition, there are no healing benefits to be had from the Chin Chin, it's not a Doctor Fish. what it does is peel skin, good or bad.

Now, having read a considerable amount about fish spa's in the last few days I've decided I'll never be having one of these, and I have been unable to find any numbers to substantiate how prevalent these fake Doctor Fish are in the UK, but I know from talking to people online that they have experienced being bitten.... so I'm guessing it's not just a US problem.

If you really want to go and get yourself a fish pedicure then make srue you can tell the difference between a Chin Chin and a Garra Rufa before you put your feet in that water...

Garra Rufa:

 Chin Chin

EDIT: when I found this out I thought I'd uncovered some great controversy that no one had heard of but alas, on googling further I see a few other bloggers have covered this too! Sorry!

China Glaze Metro for Fall 2011 Swatched!

Really excited to swatch this lot for you! This is China Glaze's Fall collection. Metro. 12 shades including creme's and shimmers in a variety of shades perfect for Autumn. Lets just get onto it shall we? You can see the deterioration of my skin and cuticles as we go through the pictures. After swatching the 12, my fingers weren't pretty!

In no particular order!

City Siren

A gorgeous red creme. Ever so slightly deeper than it appears in this picture. There's not much more I can say, I love reds and love this one! Gorgeous.

Trendsetter

Mustard yellow shimmer according to the blurb, but there's a good chunk of green in there for good measure. Sadly my fingers are a little red from the previous polish so it's not shown to its absolute best, but its a great colour, not one thats really in my comfort zone, but I like it, and I'd love it on someone else!

Brownstone

Sorry this is a little blurry, my daughter got hold of the camera and I didn't notice until I'd taken off the polish that the pictures were blurry. Brownstone is a Burnt Terracotta creme... reminds me of conkers. Very rich and shiny, not especially my cup of tea, but its one I think my Mum would love as she loves chestnut colours.

Skyscraper

This is gorgeous. Unfortunately for some reason I entirely forgot to put a second coat on three of my fingers, so only my thumb and index finger really show the true colour of two coats. A gorgeous full coverage blue and silver glitter which was surprisingly easy to remove. Result! Love this one.

Midtown Magic

This is gorgeous. A burgundy, but nearly black base with flecks of green and gold shimmer. The picture doesn't do it justice, this is beautiful! My second favourite of the lot after Skyscraper.

Street Chic

A little patchy this one. A beige creme, classic colour, I don't like these shades and haven't liked them for a long time (I did them to death about ten years ago), but I know this is a popular kind of colour, it's just a shame it went on a bit patchy...

Urban-Night

Clever name. A rich purple creme with a heft dose of berry in there I'd say, looks more purple in the bottle than it does on the nails...but this was so streaky on me unfortunatley. With a little care though, I think this would be absolutely fine, it wasn't a nightmare to work with or anything, I was just rushing to get my swatches done while I still had light.

Lofty-Ambitions

Burgundy shimmer... classy, sophisticated, gorgeous, these shades always make me think of Christmas parties. Nothing terribly new or exciting, but its very nice.

Traffic Jam

Swoon. I love this so much. I love these raspberry pinks. It's a creme, and its gorgeous. Love it.

Concrete Catwalk

Steel grey creme. Similar to China Glaze Recycle on a touch darker by my reckoning. Will have to do a comparision at some point. Nice enough, but nothing special.

Westside Warrior

Gorgeous rich camo green creme. Super shiny and looks really lovely on. I never think I like greens, and then I try them and love them! This is no exception. My fingers are starting to look really dry and stained now though eh?

CG in the City

A glitter, with dusty purple, tiny speckles of bronze and silver...definitely not full coverage as the blue one is, but pretty regardless, would probably look nice layered over a lovely dusty purple creme.

And there we have it, thats China Glaze's Fall Collection...any take your fancy?

Christina's Beauty Blogger's Best Things

Another week and another fantastic blogger willing to share their favourite products with us all. I love these posts so much and I hope they never end!

So anyway, this week is the lovely Christina from Lovesongformylipgloss.blogspot.com. Another fairly recent discovery for me Christina's blog is a fab look at mostly high end brands creating more than a few items to be added to my list of must trys.... lets see if any of Christina's answers here get added to the list too!
 
So lets start with some easy questions!



Can you talk me through your daily skin care regimen, which products you use and why?
I have combination, acne prone and sensitive skin. I am still in the fight to completely clear my face but here is what I’m using at the moment.


AM:
Wash: bulgari foaming cleanser- gentle but good for combo skin
Serum: chantecaille vital essence with arbutin- pretty much just using this up really. I didn’t see any pigmentation decrease with the added arbutin
Treat: clindamyacin phosphate lotion- prescription from my derm
Sun screen/lotion: josie maran protect daily sun protection infused with argan oil spf 40- I have a chemical sunscreen sensitivity and physical blockers sometimes break me out. I went for a while not using any sunscreen because of this until I stumbled upon Josie’s. It really is a life saver.
PM:
Wash: same
Treat: acanya gel- prescription from my derm
Hydrate: pure jojoba oil- it doesn’t irritate my skin


What shampoo and conditioner are you devoted to?
I don’t really have a favorite right now. I’m just using up some crappy ones until I try something new.


What about your top three make up brands generally speaking?
Le Metier de Beaute, Chantecaille and Becca


Ok some specifics now!


What is your favourite foundation and why?
Chantecaille future skin is my all time favorite. It feels amazing going on, the shades blend in with my skin and it creates a my face but better look.


What is your favourite mascara and why?
I really love Giorgio armani’s eyes to kill mascara, but lately have been having issues with it smudging on me (will have to try the waterproof). Its basically the perfect all around, lengthens, separates, gives volume, holds curl. I think Estee Lauder’s original sumptuous is awesome as well.


What one product do you think every cosmetic aficionado should have in their collection?
Laura Mercier eye kohl in brown copper. I love her kohls, which actually stay put on my eyes. All the colors are lovely, but brown copper is my favorite.


I love finding new blogs so please before you go, please recommend three of your favourite bloggers.
The Black Panties- She reviews more obscure brands, which I love, and provides a really thorough review complete with awesome swatches.
Product doctor- great reviews of all the products I love  Plus shes really sweet.
Perilously pale- shows you her products in action via face of the day posts. I admire her because I tend to hide and not post my face much :P

Ok so now I have some eyeliners and a mascara added to my list...at least! Thank you very much for taking part and love your blog choices! All regular reads of mine!

As always, if you'd like to take part in Beauty Bloggers Best Things, please drop me a line to Charlie@ladyofthelane.com. All welcome!

Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation

Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation is a smooth, light liquid foundation designed to erase conspicuous pores, acne scars, rough skin for king wearing coverage all day long.

I was sent shade B00 to try out which is the palest shade on offer out of many shades. It has a built in SPF of 15.

First observation, I love the packaging and the bottle, really different from usual foundation packagaing and the dispenser is a little spout kind of thing, you squeeze the product out of, making it easy to get just the right amount.

The shade is just a smidge too pale for me but with a touch of bronzer and blusher it's more than alright and in winter I would think it'd be even more suited to my skin tone.

I really like this foundation but I don't love it and I'll tell you why. I think if you look at the blended out swatch on the above picture you can see how flawless and smooth the back of my hand looks. It's absolutely perfect. And so it is on my face....except my nose! My cheeks, chin, forehead all look flawless when wearing this but it seems to just really get all claggy on my nose, all my pores become super obvious and I just can't blend it properly at all. I've moisturised thoroughly first, I've applied with a brush, I applied with my fingers, always with the same results sadly.

I musdt point out that this isn't exclusive to this foundation, I have this problem with quite a few foundations, there's just something weird gonig on with my nose!

So, to summarise, I love it, it looks amazing on my skin, but I just can't really make it work on my nose!

This foundation is not cheap at £34 but if you don't have a weird nose then I do highly recommend it. It does create a flawless finish and it lasts ALL day, literally. I'm just sad it's not perfect for my skin.

A Look at Rituals Cosmetics

I have to admit I know very little about Rituals. I had it in mind as a high end brand and as it's not one thats sold locally to me I hadn't given it much thought.

So it was a nice surprise to be sent a box of goodies to be sent to have a play with. It's always nice to be introduced to a brand that hasn't crossed your path before. So I hit Google to find out what they are all about. In brief, Rituals have been around since 2000 and develop high quality products from body and facial care to candles, perfumes, gemstone make up and even tea! All the products are inspired by Eastern rituals, Hammam steam bath rituals, Samurai shaving rituals and the gemstones make up ritual are all examples of a long line of beautiful traditions.

The range is not tested on animals, and claim to use natural, renewable and organic ingredients for their products, using safe alternatives for anything that nature doesn't create.

So lets have a closer look at some examples of the make up.

Nice plain black packaging with silver print. With the exception of the Eve's Kiss lip treatment. I also wanted to show you a couple of examples of what you might find on the inside of your packaging as it's a nice touch.

I'll talk about the products individually now, starting with the  Eve's Kiss.

 A gorgeous liquid balm with apple flavour. It's like the most delicious crisp Granny Smith and I can't get enough of it. Usually with lip balms I'm terrible, I just forget to apply, but I love this so much I'm putting it on throughout the day. Also doubles as a clear gloss. It's a bargain at £4.90.

Next up is the Line Up Eyebrow Pencil. A snip at £7.50. I'm sorry the first pic is blurry, very shoddy of me.

 Oh my word. My second holy grail discovery in as many weeks. I LOVE this pencil. A brush attached to the lid, a pencil for filling in the shape of your brows and a highlighter. Amazing and only £7.50. Available in three shades, Hazel, Blonde and Brunette (I have Brunette), I've not reached for anything else when it comes to my brows. This is fantastic!

Ruby Lips in Nude:

Gorgeous colour, lovely texture and full of moisturisers.Worn this a fair bit, and it lasts a long time on my lips as it's quite a dry consistency... but not too dry, I didn't need a balm underneath... I have my eye on the colour Sunset. Very nice. £11.50

Perfectionist Eyeliner:

Just about the finest point I've ever had the pleasure to use. I'm useless with liquid eyeliner, I've virtually given up on it altogether but this is one of the easiest I've ever used. I'm by no means perfect with it but its pretty easy to use. I had a bit of transfer to my upper lid after a couple of hours of wear unfortunately but the line itself stayed perfect until I removed it. I ust wish I was better at putting the stuff on! £9.50.

Precious Foundation. You can see the bottles up there in that first shot. I was sent two shades, No1 and No2. No2 was far too dark for me and No1 wasn't quite right either. Although looking at the pictures at the end of this post it doesn't look too bad, but I distinctly remember looking in the mirro later in the day to see a patchy, slightly shiny and ever so slightly orange face looking back at me... could it be oxidisation? Anyway, it looks nice enough of my skin, it just wasn't quite right sadly, but it has SPF10. £17.90

Swatches of the Precison Line, Brow Pencil & highlighter, Nude Lipstick and Precious foundation in shade1.

Saving the best Item til last I give you Sunglow Peach:

 A shimmer powder suitable for cheeks or eyes. I've been using it religiously on both since I got it. It's GORGEOUS!  For cheeks I tend to swirl my brush around the outside, going back in for the centre colour after to add a highlight. I love this so much, and its gorgeous on eyes too. £22.90.

I won't go on about it. Here's some swatches and pictures of it in use.

 This one shows the Sunglow Peach on my cheeks as well as a closer look at the foundation in use.

 I can't rate this product highly enough, it's just perfect for holidays. A multi-use compact for your bag. I love it.

And for reference here are ALL of the above products applied on half my face. Don't ask me why its only half my face, it just is!

So Rituals, not as high end as I thought it was. Some of the products are a little pricier like the palette and the foundation but others are complete bargains like the lip balm and the eyebrow pencil. And that eyebrow pencil is my favourite eyebrow product ever. I'm completely smitten. I'm tempted to go buy another three of them right now in case I lose one or some disaster should strike!

This is a brand well worth checking out. I can't say the whole issue of the precious stones is one that has any meaning to me, I don't really care if my eyeliner has sapphire in it or if my lipstick contains rubies, but as a brand the products seem really good for the prices and I'm looking at the site now and  the body products are really calling my names in particular the Hammam Hot Scrub, Sunrise Scrub. And then theres the fragrances... I'm liking the sound of the Sandalwood and Wild Rose Perfume and the Violet and White Lily Parfum.

So I'm glad this brand has come to my attention, I'll be looking a lot closer from now on.

All the above products are available from http://uk.ritualsstore.com/ and http://www.johnlewis.com/. Well worth a little look. 

Disclaimer: PR Samples