Revlon Lip Butter V L'Oreal Caresse

So I’m sure most of you have heard of the Revlon Lip Butters. They have been pretty hard to miss, very popular with US beauty bloggers and much anticipated here when it was announced they were to be released in the UK in March!

I was one of the many people eagerly awaiting their arrival to our shores!! However a very similar product seemed to slip the Beauty Bloggers radar until fairly recently, and that’s the L’Oreal Caresse Sheer Lipsticks. Maybe they weren’t advertised as well, I don’t know, but they certainly didn’t have the hype surrounding them like the Lip Butters did!

I have finally got my hands on both and thought I’d compare and give you my opinion on both.

L’Oreal Caresse Sheer Lipstick

I initially picked up the L’Oreal Caresse, purely because it was released first. I love the packaging of these, it’s sleek and stylish, I love the metallic colour on the top of the lid indicating the colour chosen. It’s also transparent, which I think reflects the sheerness of the product itself.
I have the colour ‘Cheeky Magenta’, it’s a beautiful bubblegum, Barbie pink. Although being so sheer it’s not as in your face and over the top as it sounds! These are very moisturising and feel very light on the lips, however being so sheer, a few coats are needed for decent colour pay off! I also found that they don’t have great staying power and easily come off when eating or drinking.

Pros – Packaging, Beautiful Colour, Very Moisturising

Cons – Very Sheer, Couple of coats needed, Easily rubbed off.

Revlon Lip Butter

For something advertised as a ‘lip balm’, these have amazing pigmentation and staying power, lasting on the lips around 4 hours. I have the colour Lollipop which is a hot fuchsia, in certain lights the tiniest flecks of violet glitter can be seen in the bullet but not so much on the lips. This colour would be great for someone who wants to be a bit more adventurous with bright colours without being too over the top! To me this is a muted down, slightly more subtle ‘Girl About Town’ by MAC. It’s not so intense a colour but enough to make a statement.......Can you tell I love it yet??

The packaging on these are quite nice, although not as stylish as the Caresse’s. They have the Revlon quilted effect on the lid which I like but the lid takes up about 90% of the outer packaging, leaving the base of the lipstick very small and hard to get a grip on when trying to take the lid off.

Pros – Beautiful Colour, Great staying power, great pigmentation, Quite moisturising

Cons – Awkward packaging, Not as moisturising as the Caresse

So I love both products, both have pros and cons. However I would say my favourite product are the Revlon Lip Butters, due to the pigmentation, colour and staying power.....I intend on getting more!!

Both are priced at £7.99 and are often 3 for 2 in Boots and Superdrug!!

The Vitality Show!

Yesterday Mum and I attended The Vitality Show . We set off nice and early, arriving at Earls Court for around 10.30.

OOTD To Come!

The Vitality Show is a beauty lovers dream, full with hundreds of top brands as well as unique brands you wouldn’t find on the highstreet. You will also find food, health advice, fitness classes and inspirational speakers at this event.

KMS California  were there doing product demonstrations, I love their Moisture Repair range, so had to take a look at the rest of the haircare!!

The Manuka Doctor stand was amazing, I have tried and loved the Skin Treatment Serum *, so had a browse at the rest of the range. Mille Mackintosh from hit show Made In Chelsea is a huge fan and brand ambassador for Doctor Manuka, she made a guest apperance at Saturdays show, so sadly I missed her!!

My favourite area was the Bomb Cosmetics  stall, although stall just doesn’t do it justice, it was huge! With beautiful, colourful bath balls, soaps, body creams, body scrubs and candles, it looked more like a sweet shop. ‘Bomb Cosmetics’ is very similar to Lush, just with a more pleasing pricetag! I treated myself to a foot scrub, body cream, 3 bath bombs and 3 soaps, only costing £20! These goodies will get a post all to themselves, they’re just too gorgeous for a quick mention!!

I also picked up some Narson Moroccan Argan Hair Oil , a Made By Zen Moroccan Rose Reed Diffuser , a stunning bracelet, Sally Hansen goodies, Lavender and Echinacea tea and 12 very tasty sausages!! 

There were also a lot of stalls selling  gimmicky makeup, ugly hair accessories, tacky jewellery and Tarot readers. I’m quite into all things spiritual, although women on commission offering computerised readings just doesn’t really do it for me!!

However there were some stalls which really stood out to me, the main stall being Alphabet Photography . Letters created from parts of beautiful (for want of a better word) things such as buildings, iron benches, flowers, church windows and deck chairs are chosen and framed . You can personalise your own frame with names and other meaningful words, such as ‘Love’, ‘Family’ and ‘Friends’. I love ‘Mr & Mrs’, this would be a wonderful wedding gift, so unique.

By the time I reached Alphabet Photography, I’d already gone over my budget, however I know in the very near future I’ll be ordering something online!!

I have had a fantastic day and only slightly went over budget....slightly!!




*Review coming soon!

Happy Mothers Day Ladies!!

Today we celebrated our wonderful Mums for Mothering Sunday! I tell my Mum everyday I love her, but Mothers Day is just another chance to show how much I appreciate her!!

My Mum is my best friend, my rock, she has been there through every step of my life, at the birth of my babies alongside my wonderful husband, she pretty much single handedly organised my wedding, and I had the most amazing childhood with some very special memories thanks to both my wonderful parents.

So to treat my Mum this year I bought her some yummy luxury products, I knew she'd love!! Mum just loves a good pamper, so on Thursday I saw this Champneys Spa Indulgence Mothers Day Collection! Inside there was a Watermint Shower Gel, Watermint Lotion Spritz, Hand and Nail Cream, Gentle Facial Polish and a Replenishing Moisture Mask!
As predicted she loved it all!!

I'm a Mummy too, so I got a lovely card and a beautiful bunch of pink roses, my absolute favourite flowers, they're very similar to my wedding bouquet! I've also got some money to spend at the Vitality Show next Sunday which I'm going to with Mum!

What did you guys to celebrate Mothers Day?

Spa By Car...It's Me Me Me Time

I love a good pamper and sitting in a beautiful, relaxing salon. However with 2 children, this isn’t always possible. So in the past I’ve used mobile therapists for the odd treatment.

So I was really excited when I was contacted by a new Company called Spa By Car , to try out their services.

Spa By Car are a mobile beauty company created in November 2011, they offer over 50 different beauty and spa treatments in and around London.
Spa By Car is the brain child of Jodie , a fully trained beauty therapist, who had worked in salons, large fashion campaigns and been a mobile therapist herself.

Jodie had seen first hand, while working with agencies that treatments weren’t being done at a high level and clients being squeezed in to fit as many treatments in to the day as possible.

Jodie wanted something different for her clients, a relaxed environment and to deliver the best possible treatment experience. So she did just that, her client base grew through word of mouth and so did the business, that’s when business partner Lauren got involved and Spa By Bar took off. So expect to see the girls and their therapists whizzing around London in their sign written Smart cars!!

Back to the treatments........

......I requested an Artistic Colour Gloss Manicure and a Spray Tan.

So on Thurs the Lovely Bernice arrived bang on 11.30 as planned with a lovely big smile, bags of enthusiasm and a very professional attitude.

She set up her work station in the dining room, which took around 5 minutes. We then sat down and began the first treatment.

A manicure can be a fun, chatty experience, unless you’re stuck face to face with someone who doesn’t speak to you for the whole hour, luckily Bernice was great and we chatted like we’d already met!

I have had an Artistic colour manicure before, check out my post here. . It’s a gel based manicure which can last up to 3 weeks!

Bernice showed me the colour selection which was pretty good, I chose ‘Royalty’ an Inky Blue/Indigo kind of colour!

The treatment took around 45-50 mins and the result was fantastic, a week on and my nails are still super shiny and chip free, Bernice’s application was great, my nails look perfect!!

So after the nails, Bernice set up the tanning tent in the bathroom upstairs, this took around 10 minutes. She supplied the hair net and the sexy paper thong!!
Applied barrier cream to my elbows, knees, ankles, fingers, palm of my hands and lastly the soles of my feet, which I’ve never had done before but totally made sense!!

Before we went began, we had discussed what sort of shade I like to go. Being very fair I like to be a good colour but not too dark, I have found in the past especially with Fake Bake that the light is ok but doesn’t always show up that well despite my pale skin and the dark can go patchy and unnatural quickly. So Bernice suggested mixing the two colours, seeing how the colour looks and having another layer if needed. That’s never been an option before, but the colour was perfect!!!!!

We decided for the two coats in the end. Again Bernice was very professional, I’m not keen on having my wobbly bits out and my modesty covered up by just a tiny paper thong, especially in front of a stranger, but she put me at ease, and away we went! The spray tan application was very thorough and precise......cold but you’ll get that anywhere!!!

I was then given all the aftercare advice for both treatments. Bernice then packed away the rest of her kit which took no time at all.

I’m writing this review a week later and I still have a little colour left, possibly the best spray tan I’ve had.

This is a fantastic option for busy Mums like myself, in under two hours I felt super pampered and hadn’t even left the house!

For this experience and fantastic level of service you are not paying ridiculously over the odds either. The spray tan is £30 or £40 for a second layer and £30 for the Artistic manicure. Take a look at the pricelist here!

Go check out their Facebook page now for any deals and offers!!

Boots & Superdrug Haul.....Bargain Style!!

I’ve been feeling a bit fugly lately, my hair has felt dry, my skin hasn’t been looking too good and my teeth aren’t as pearly white as I wish! So what was needed?? A trip to Boots and Superdrug of course!!

The first thing on my list was the new Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. It’s had rave reviews and claims to illuminate and brighten the skin, I’m a sucker for anything that promises to give me a ‘radiant glow’! I love the healthy dewy look, so I had to have it!

I knew I had around £10 of points on my Boots card and with it being only £8.99, I snapped it up absolutely free!!

The bargains don’t stop there! While picking up my foundation, I remembered I was almost out of mascara. For me it’s gotta be thick and volumising and being the makeup junkie I am, I’ve tried a lot! So when I saw Bourjois’ new Volume Max Definition Mascara, I was excited to try it!! Just as exciting was that was that at the moment it has an introductory price of £5.49 down from £9.49!

I’ve been using both VO5’s Give Me Moisture and Cylnol’s Colour Care Shampoo and Conditioner for around 2 months, both brands I loved initially, although I think my hair has got used to the formulas lately as my hair has started to feel a little dry and dull looking. So I fancied a change, when I saw Dove Intensive Repair on offer of BOGOF. I’ve used (and loved) the Intensive conditioner so I thought I’d give it a whirl these a go, and both for only £2.65! Result!

So as I spent over £5 in Boots, I was given a £5 off No7 voucher. It’d be rude not to use it, right?
Right, so I picked up this concealer for only £3! I’ve used this before, it’s a fantastic concealer, which turns to a powdery texture and gives great coverage! Result!

Then I wandered into Superdrug, where I saw that the new Colgate Max White One whitening toothpaste was half price, so only £1.95. When I got to the till, the assistant said I could take £1 off my purchase with my Beauty card points! 95p would hardly get you Tescos value toothpaste!!!
This claims to make my teeth one shade whiter after a week! Review to come!!! 

So I have the products to make me feel glamorous. Glossy hair, fresh healthy looking skin, luscious lashes and bright white teeth......Hopefully!!

Best of all though is that this little lot cost only £12.09, with a huge saving of £21.64! Result!!

17 Cosmetics Twitter Party

Back in November last year 17 Cosmetics held  Twitter Party celebrating the launch of their Magnetic Nail Polishes.
Due to its huge success another party will be held this Sunday to celebrate the launch of their new  mascara - PeepShow!

The fabulous Ree & May will be hosting the event. It’s a great chance to talk all things girly, make new friends and wait for it.......

....the lovely people at 17 Cosmetics will be giving away goodies bags for some of you lucky party goers!!

How do you get involved?

On Sunday 11^th March between 7-8pm get a cuppa and get comfy with your laptop, log onto Twitter and get chatting with other makeup addicts and beauty junkies.

@ReallyRee, @MaySmooch , 17s makeup artist @VanesaGuallar and of  course @17Official will be happy to chat to you about the cosmetics, their new products and all things fun!

Ree & May

The theme is makeup and music so make sure you follow Musician Beca (@BecaDreams) and chat with her, also head over to 17 Cosmetics Facebook page to listen to Beca’s song she wrote especially for 17!

Make sure with every Tweet you include the #17Cosmetics hashtag!

Of course I’ll be joining in, so hopefully I'll chat to you all too. Tweet me @FlossieBeautyL.

xxx