Luxury Beauty Lust List

As per every other beauty blogger, I'm lusting after a hell of a lot of things. Whether it's skin care, make-up or hair care, I've got my purse at the ready and my bank card trembling in its broke boots.

Just so you know, all of these items are at least £10, so if you are not one for premium beauty, it might be best to turn away now!

OPI Jade Is The New Black

I love bold colours for my nails and I'm always drawn to greens, blues and reds. This one from OPI looks like a wearable, sophisticated green and I need it in my collection.

Kiehl's Midnight Concentrate

I'm really intrigued by night creams, oils and serums at the moment, as I've been using Trilogy's Rosapene night cream and have seen a difference in the appearance of my skin. I don't know if it's the pretty packaging speaking to me here, but Kiehl's Midnight Concentrate looks like a great one to try and it's always getting rave reviews on beauty blogs.

Noble Isle Rhubarb Rhubarb Hand Wash

Noble Isle is such a fantastic brand - I first came across it in a beauty box circa 2010 and thought the shower gel I received (Summer Rising) smelled fantastic and oozed English elegance. Rhubarb Rhubarb sounds fun and fruity, but it is a little expensive at £18, so it might stay on my lust list for quite a while!

Jurlique Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator

If there's one brand I can't stop lusting over, it's Jurlique. I have wanted to try a fruit enzyme exfoliator for ages and this one looks really good.

Cane + Austin Retexturizing Pads for Body

Even though these cost a bomb and a half, they look incredible. We always hear about retexturising products for facial skin, but not really for the body, so I'd love to put these to the test!

Becca Resurfacing Primer

Resurfacing primers are generally amazing - not only do they enable your make-up to last longer than usual, but also they create a fresh, even base to start off with. I saw a fab review of this the other day, so I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it.

Sacha Juan Ocean Mist

There's loads of rave reviews about this product and it looks so pretty! There's lots of buzz around salt and texturising sprays right now, and I reckon this one is at the top of the list.

Ole Henriksen Lemon Strip Flash Peel

I'm all over at-home peels at the moment - they do an amazing job on my skin! After seeing this in Selfridges a while back, I have been waiting til pay day to make a purchase.

FACE Stockholm Blush-On in Shamballa

This is the item that has caught my eye every time I've been to BeautyMART. It's such high-quality, gorgeous pink blusher and looks like a perfect cheek product for this time of year.

What's on your luxury beauty lust list? xxx

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit EDT & Beautifying Oil

Whenever I have breakfast in a hotel or browse the supermarket fruit juice selection, I'm always drawn to pink grapefruit juice. But the truth is, I don't like it. I've tried so hard to train my taste buds to convert to its bitter taste, but it just won't work.

But it wasn't until I sniffed the new selection of The Body Shop's EDTs that I realised why I am so interested in the fruit - I just love the smell.

It was like one of those eureka moments, but with a fragrance. I'd tried and tested the Satsuma EDT, which was far too sweet; the Brazil Nut EDT, which didn't quite match my taste; and the Shea Butter EDT, which was frankly a little bit strange. And then Pink Grapefruit came along and instantly made the grade.

Pink Grapefruit EDT
The thing I love most about the Pink Grapefruit EDT is how much it smells like the actual fruit. As much as I adore the scent of the Strawberry range (childhood memories much?), it has a sweeter smell than strawberries do themselves. The same goes for the Satsuma range, which smells as if 100 spoons of sugar have been mixed with it.

The only down side about the EDT in particular is its staying power - if you applied it in the morning before leaving for work, you would have to spritz yourself with it another two or three times throughout the day to keep the scent alive. But given that the smell of pink grapefruit is invigorating and fresh, I actually like the idea of reapplying at my desk to awaken my senses.

The EDT only costs £8.50 for 100ml, which is a total bargain. You could treat yourself to at least three from the range and it would match the price of a high-end product. Variety rules!

Pink Grapefruit Beautifying Oil
I love that the Pink Grapefruit Beautifying Oil is a dry oil and doesn't leave my face, body or hair feeling greasy. Also, unlike other oils, this one doesn't leave too much of a shine but leaves the skin soft and smelling great.

It's made with a lightweight blend of nut oils, including marula oil (which is one of the ingredients in Clarins' Pure Melt Gel Cleanser).

 At £9 for 100ml, it's a multipurpose beauty bargain.

What do you think of The Body Shop EDTs and oils? xxx

Pay Day Haul: Westfield London

Friday was the best day ever. It was pay day, it was pub lunch day, and it was shopping day!

As some of you may know, I am (attempting) to go on a spending ban for 2 months starting on the 5th of May, so I thought I would treat myself to a final splurge. And I brought the lovely Saskia with me so we could talk about make-up and skin care for hours without anyone saying 'I can't believe you like that stuff'.

BOOTS: REAL TECHNIQUES & LA ROCHE-POSAY

The first stop was Boots, where I got myself two Real Techniques brushes to go with my stippling brush. I got Blush Brush (£9.99) and Shading Brush (£7.99) so I could freely mix and match face and eye looks.  

Then I bought a new can of my current go-to skin care product - La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water (£7.50). This does wonders to moisturise the skin and is really refreshing to spray onto your face before going to bed or in the morning to wake you up.

DEBENHAMS: CLARINS (INC GIFT WITH PURCHASE)

Then we went to Debenhams, where Saskia dragged me to the Clarins counter so I could buy a Pure Melt Cleansing Gel. But of course I ended up buying more than that - especially as there was a gift with purchase promotion going on, plus a 10% discount.

If you bought two full-size products, including one skin care product, you got a large beauty bag and four mini skin care products to go with it. And if you bought three full-size products, you also got a smaller bag with body care bits and bobs.

So after being sold by several pitches and Saskia's love for the products, I bought a Pure Melt Cleansing Gel (£17.55) and a Face Treatment Oil (£27) (Lotus - for oily/combination skin), and Saskia got a Pure Melt Cleansing Gel so we could step up to the next gift.

I used the cleanser the night I bought it and I am definitely impressed. The marula oil is nourishing and the gel it's so soft and warming. It's like a skin care special treat. 

Then we have gift one - four products and a large Clarins by John Rocha beauty bag. I chose the Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch, Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser and Super Restorative Night Wear cream. 

Gift two included a Moisture-Rich Body Lotion and a Tonic Bath & Shower Concentrate.

I think you'll agree that's pretty damn amazing!

MODEL'S OWN

Then I was totally tempted by the Model's Own bottle shop offer of 6 polishes for £20. Saskia and I got 3 polishes each and I opted for Luis Lemon (Ice Neon), Hedonist (Hed Kandi) and Banana Split (Fruit Pastel), which only cost me £10.

What do you think of my haul buys? xxx