First Impressions... L'Occitane, Laura Mercier & Toms

Hello!

Today's post is going to be my first impressions on a few products that i have tried within the past few days. All of these products are ones that you can pretty much tell after the first use whether you like them or not and whether they are going to work, so i thought i would share my thoughts after just a few days use. 

L'Occitane Vanille & Narcisse Shower Gel 

On Friday i purchased the L'Occitane Vanille & Narcisse shower gel which retails at £11.00. First of all i really want to comment on the customer service while shopping within a L'Occitane shop, you are made to feel really welcome and on arrival you are asked if you would like a drink while you are having a look around. The two girls working in there were really lovely and friendly and very 'smiley' and enthusiastic. However once you say you are happy browsing they do leave you alone and don't follow you around the shop like some people can do! 

Anyway onto the product...

First of all, i had a sniff of pretty much every product in the shop but this really stood out to me. In my last post i mentioned i like really sweet fragrances and because of the vanilla ingredient this is really sweet and warm. However it is actually quite a uni-sex smell, it could easily be used by a guy as although its sweet it's not necessarily 'girlie' and has a sense of warmth and musk to it which always smells amazing. It actually reminds me of something or someone which is possibly why i was drawn to it. Probably not a man however, i haven't been lucky enough to have been involved with a guy who was mature enough to wear aftershave, which makes them alot easier to forget, smell amazing and you will have my heart forever. 

Anyway... once used in the shower the smell becomes alot richer, although not too overpowering. To create a creamy lather you need to take the gel and rub it into your hands before applying it to the body as first of all i just applied it straight onto the body and was wondering why it wasn't foaming up. When using the gel you can tell that it is cleaning the skin and once you have dried off you can still smell the fragrance on the skin which is nice. However because i physically cant go on with my life without moisturising after a shower, the scent was masked by my moisturiser, which at the moment is the Johnson's Soothing Naturals Baby Lotion, so i really want to purchase the matching body lotion which retails at £16. 

There is also a matching perfume which i also really loved and this was sprayed onto the tissue paper that the shower gel was wrapped in which was a really nice touch, the carrier bag was pretty too! 

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation Primer 

The next product that i used for the first time yesturday is the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer which is a gel formulation that is applied after a facial moisturiser (or on its own) and before your choice of foundation. I was given this 30ml tube by my sister which usually retails at £18.50. This particular formulation is designed for oily/spot prone and sensitive skins and my skin type falls into all of these categories. When applied it to my face i first of all thought it was too much like any old moisturiser but then once it was massaged into the skin a little more i began to feel it creating a mattifying effect. If i am going to use a primer i usually use the No7 Beautifully Matt Make-up Base which is pretty good at keeping the skin matt all day but is a little bit 'chalky' and can make it a bit difficult to blend in your foundation, i didn't have that problem with this one.  

I applied this at about 8.20AM yesterday morning and I think using an 8 hour day at work is quite a good test to whether this is a good product and I have to say that this did keep my skin shine-free. At the end of the day i could feel my skin being slightly oily to the touch but the appearance of shine on the skin was significantly reduced and i did not have to re-powder as much as i normally would, so all in all a good product and much better than just applying a foundation straight after moisturiser. 

Toms Shoes 

The final product that i am going to review are my new Toms shoes. I have seen these around for a while and have always thought that i like the look of them. I know they are a bit of a "marmite situation" as some people don't think they look good and others do, but i needed a comfy pair of shoes to wear at work and thought i would give these a try. The ones that i thought were cute were the Women's Woolen Red Polka Dot Classics. Prices of Toms can vary depending on the style and where you get them from but I've seen them be around the £35, £40 and £45 mark.  

 Now with Toms you need to go two sizes up from your usual size, i brought a size 6 which is actually a size 4. I'm not sure why this is and I'm sure you would be told this like i was in the shop but it is definitely something to bear in mind if you are ordering online without trying them on first! I think they are a really good fit and i wore them properly for the first time yesterday at work. I work in boutique and a full day starts from 9.20 and finishes at 5.30 so around 8 hours on my feet with a 20 minute lunch break is again a really good test for how good a pair of shoes are and i have to say i am really impressed... 

I usually wear flat sandals and within a few hours normally the balls of my feet are so painful that it's all i can focus on and i just want to leave as soon as possible. However these didn't give me any problems at all and i came home yesterday with no pain and no blisters which i think for wearing a new pair of shoes all day is pretty good! The only downside to the style of these is that i probably wouldn't wear them with a skirt or dress, it would depend on the style but I'll probably wear these more with jeans.

You can find Toms directly on their UK and international websites as well as on the high street and there are loads of pretty patterns to choose from. Another thing about Toms is that for every pair you buy they give a pair of shoes to a child in need which is lovely!

Hope you've enjoyed reading about these products, check back at the end of the month for my May favourites. Happy Sunday x

Mid-week Pamper Routine

Hello! 

Today's post is going to be my mid-week pamper routine. This is something that i do during the middle of the week as a bit of a 'pick me up'. I also start work again for the summer on Sunday and would rather not look like this last term at University has totally ruined me. This week i did my pamper session last night, on a Thursday but i also tend to do it on a Wednesday. Below are all of the products that i used in the order that i used them in. Obviously the products change depending on what I'm liking at the time but the routine tends to stay the same.

Hair 

First i washed my hair using the Kerestase Restistance Bain De Force shampoo and the Ciment Anti-Usure conditioner which is specially formulated for weak and damaged hair which my hair definitely is as it is naturally curly and i blow dry and straighten it almost every day (we're never happy with what we've got are we?)

I then thought i would use a sample of the Aussie Miracle Shine 3 Minute Miracle hair mask that has been lying around my room for months and I am so glad i did because first of all this smells incredible! It wasn't the 'classic Aussie' bubblegum type smell that i was expecting, as I've used that before and assumed this was the same thing but it was totally different, it smelt like a really expensive perfume or something. It made my hair so soft once blow-dried and although i didn't fully straighten my hair last night i can tell that it would have given a really sleek finish if i had, so i think I'll be picking up a full size bottle at some point. This is only £4.99 a bottle at Boots so its a bargain!

Body 

While i was letting the hair mask soak in for a few minutes i used the Philosophy Sweet Talk shower gel which smells lovely as do all Philosophy products and this one smells exactly like Love Heart sweets which are my favourite. This actually came in a set with a body lotion and a lip gloss. The shower gel lathers up really nicely so I used this for shaving my legs and underarms too for which i use the Wilkinson Sword Quattro which is a really good quality razor, i hardly ever get any rashes or soreness while using this! 

I then used the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Scrub, which contains brown sugar and lime, to exfoliate all over. I wasn't crazy about the smell when i first used this product but i have grown to really like it and it leaves your skin really soft and smooth and almost has a firming effect which i love! This is also perfect to use before using a self-tan. I then rinsed off the Aussie hair mask.

Feet 

Once i got out of the shower i dried off and put the Sally Hansen Pedicure In A Minute scrub onto my feet once they were dry to get rid of any rough bits and to make my feet all nice and soft. I then just put my feet into the shower and showered it off once i had given them a good scrub. This was again for the benefit of work because I tend to wear sandals alot so my feet need to look half presentable!

Post-shower 

I then used the Kiehl's deodorant and anti-perspirant cream which i am loving at the moment. This has a roll-on application where you squeeze a little bit out of the tube and use the tip to distribute the product under the arms. This really does work, it keeps you dry and smelling fresh although i was disappointed that this does not have a fragrance. However this is probably more beneficial to the skin under the arms as fragrance can sometimes irritate the skin. I've had really sore underarms recently from epilating too often while there wasn't much hair there which created horrible dry patches (lovely) and this cleared it up so well. 

While i was waiting for that to dry i used the Garnier Summerbody Lotion in 'deep' rather than 'light'. This is because although i have pale skin i find i achieve better results using a deeper lotion for only a few days rather than a lighter lotion for a few weeks. I don't always include this step as I've come to terms with the fact i am pale and am never going to be some golden goddess so I'm only going to use this for two days to get a subtle, healthy glow. I then put some of the Vo5 Heat Protection Serum into my hair before blow drying. I then roughly straightened my hair and just put it up in a top knot, (was feeling lazy). 

Toes 

To finish off i painted my toes using the O.P.I Nail Lacquer in Koala Bear-y which is such a classic summery pink colour and then added a coat of the O.P.I  Nail Lacquer in I Lily Love You which is a fun, girlie pink glitter that is best applied over a base colour. I then used the Avon Foot Works Beautiful Foot Cream in the scent Berry Vanilla. Last night was the first time i had used this and its made my feet so soft and the smell was so yummy that I'll be using it alot more! 

To finish off...

I then put a little bit of SeeBy Chloe onto my wrists which is the fragrance that i am trying out at the moment as i was given a sample by my sister. I like this fragrance but i cant say i love it as its not very 'me', it smells slightly too 'soapy' and i like really sweet and musky perfumes so although its not my thing its nice to try new things every once in a while. I do however LOVE the original Chloe perfume by of course Chloe!

I hope you enjoyed this 'routine and review' style post! Happy Friday x 

Amie Morning Clear Review

Hello! Today i thought i would review the Amie Morning Clear Purifying Facial Wash. I LOVE this product and i think i'm on my third bottle of it so its something that i have repurchased over the years. 

Amie is a brand that uses only natural plant and botanical extracts, with this product in particular containing 96.8% natural ingredients which is great! This wash contains orange blossom, may blossom, elderflower and raspberry and it smells absolutely amazing. This is a brand that is generally marketed at sensitive skin but also skin that is dry, oily and prone to break outs and my skin falls into all of those categories and this seems to be the only product that keeps my spots away as well as keeping my skin soft. I have tried so many of those harsh 'spot fighting' washes that just end up making my skin so dry and impossible to put make-up over! 

As you can see from the swatch above the consistency is really creamy and when you add water it does not foam like most facial washes. This is because Amie does not contain sulphates which is an ingredient that is used to create those tiny bubbles and can actually strip and dry your skin. Instead a creamy lather forms which still gets the skin really clean. 

I use this product every morning and night and it really does do what it says on the tin, it gives you skin that feels soft and smooth and keeps any nasty blemishes away, yay! I actually don't think there is anything bad i can say about it! For more information on this product, where to buy and more from the Amie range you can visit the website here: http://amieskincare.com/. 

I have tried a few of the other products from the range but have run out of them totally but i think i will review them when i re-stock so i can photograph them. 

Thanks for reading, happy Monday x