Away for the weekend

I'm away for the weekend. I hope everyone has a good bank holiday.

Ellis Faas eye of the day E104 and E203

This is a very simple eye with Creamy Eyes 104 (dark brown cream) applied close to the lash line and then blended up onto the lid, with a little taken under the lower lashes too. Milky Eyes 103 (navy/blue shimmer) applied on lid and into crease. It give a sludgy, smoky eye, and when the light hits the lid in the right way you can see the subtle blue shimmer. This has become one of my favourite Ellis Faas eye combinations. 

I am still very much enjoying the Ellis Faas products I bought, although the dispensing mechanism can be a bit of a pain, particularly if you haven't used them for a while. I love the texture of the creamy eyes and the milky eyes, and I particularly like them layered together in this way. 

Ellis Faas products can be bought at Liberty, London, Dolly Leo Apothecary, Edinburgh, and online at www.misebeauty.com. 

REN Keep Young & Beautiful Serum, and free eye cream with £50 purchase

This is the new serum from REN, designed to keep skin looking radiant and smooth for longer. It has some pretty impressive looking ingredients:

Hexapeptides from yeast to stimulate skin renewal,
Peptides to smmoth expression lines and encourage collagen renewal,
Hyaluronic acid to plump up the skin,
Sirtuin to help promote repair from sun damage, and
Vitamin C to brighten the complexion.

This appears to replace the previous separate night and day anti-ageing serums from REN, and I'm very tempted, not least because a reader I email back and forth with on natural skincare has bought this and so far rates it pretty well, and I'm looking for a vitamin C serum for daytime use underneath my Chantecaille spf 30.

I'm also tempted because until 03 May 2010, REN will throw in a full size Lipovector Peptide Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream with any online order over £50 (the code is KEEPYOUNG).  The serum is £45, but I'm sure I could find something else to take me up to the £50. The website is at www.renskincare.com.

Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour - Apples

I'm no longer in the flush of youth, and neither are my lips. At 35, my lips are dry and not as unlined as they used to be. I'm constantly on the hunt for lip products to condition them. 

I first read about Lanolips products in this post on the excellent www.lipglossiping.com. When one of my favourite Australian bloggers, www.dempeaux.com posted about it here, my interest was again nudged, and Dempeaux very kindly offered to pick me up a gift pack containing the 101 clear ointment and two tinted lip balms. 

I'm loving this stuff. The 101 colourless ointment (100% pure lanolin) is as good as my Sisley lip balm, and it doesn't have the odd medicinal smell that lanolin products sometimes do. My favourite product from the gift pack is the Lip Ointment with Colour in Apples, a slightly pinkish red that gives me a healthy looking lip, as pictured below:

If you don't have a friendly Aussie available, www.adorebeauty.com.au stocks the line and ships internationally (I've ordered Invisible Zinc sunscreen from here many times in the past.) The Lip Ointment with Colour is Aus$13.95 for 12.5ml. 

Rococo Jaded giveaway winner

I've drawn the winner of the Rococo Jaded nail apparel. There were 22 names in the virtual pot, including one email entry at number 11, and the name/number drawn at 12 is Liz.

Liz, your blogger profile doesn't give me an email address, so please email me at londonmakeupgirl (at) googlemail (dot) com with your address and I'll send it out to you.

Thanks to everyone who reads this blog, I very much appreciate your interest.

Addiction Spring 2010 eye and lip

Writing about the Addiction Summer collection has reminded me to get out the things I bought from the Spring collection again.

I've tried to recreate the look from the promotional picture for the collection. As far as I can tell, there is no eyeliner or mascara used, just a halo of the Limoncello eyeshadow. I used Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy as a base, which really helped to get the colour to show up, but Limoncello is definitely on the sheer side. The promo pic for the Spring collection shows it as a very vivid chartreuse, and there's just no way I could get it to be that colour unless I layered it over a similar coloured cream product.

I can't make up my mind if I like this look or not. I can't decide if it looks interesting and modern or just really unfinished. I think the rms Beauty cream eyeshadows worn like this (without eyeliner or mascara) look better. I do quite like the colour though.

I'm really not sure about the lipstick from the collection on me at all. Poupee is a baby pink shade, pretty, and the texture of the lipstick is lovely, but I think it's a little too pink and too pastel for me.

Ormonde Jayne Perfume Portrait

Ormonde Jayne has recently launched the Perfume Portrait service, and I was given the opportunity to test out the experience at the Royal Arcade boutique with Linda Pilkington, the nose behind Ormonde Jayne; the picture above is of Linda and myself.

During the perfume portrait, you discuss what kind of fragrance you are looking for (e.g. summer, evening, signature scent etc), and what other fragrances you have enjoyed in the past. You can also detail any particular smells or fragrances that you don't like (for me, tuberose, sandalwood, and anything by Calvin Klein, which all seem to give me terrible headaches).

You then get to sniff 21 different ingredients/notes (from 7 different fragrance families, 3 oils in each), and all you have to do is say whether you like each note or not. When your perfume portrait is built up from the smells you like, you are invited to sniff the Ormonde Jayne fragrances that correspond with it and choose two to try on your wrists.

What I learned is that I like a lot of smells, or perhaps I just particularly like the notes that Linda Pilkington uses in her fragrances. There were very few that I didn't like the smell of and one of those was Orris, which surprised me as I love Orris Noir. Linda explained that this wouldn't necessarily rule out a fragrance; you might not like a particular note on its own, but if you like the other notes in a scent you may like it in combination with those.

The two scents that were selected for me to try, given that I was looking for a summer fragrance, were Champaca and Tiare. This was the first time I've smelled Tiare and you can read my first impressions of it after wearing it for a day here. I opted for Champaca in the end (my review of that is here) more than in part because Mr London loved it on me when I had a sample to try. I'm still thinking of Tiare though, and I will be putting it on my birthday list.

This is a lovely way to introduce yourself to Ormonde Jayne or to explore the line further. You receive a copy of your portrait, and a copy is kept by the boutique/counter, so it's very helpful for husbands or partners who aren't very good at remembering what fragrance their other half wears. Linda said that she quite often gets gentlemen shopping for a gift for their wives/girlfriends who, when asked what fragrance she wears, reply, "Oh, it's Ormonde Jayne." That's not very enlightening when there are 12 fragrances in the line!

I also had the privilege of being able to talk about perfume generally with Linda, who is passionate about the vision and integrity of her brand; the products are all manufactured in-house, she insists on the best quality raw ingredients and the bath and body products are paraben-free. She has no immediate plans to launch another fragrance; instead Ormonde Jayne is focussing on helping customers to understand which fragrances are likely to work for them and how best they can wear them. There are 12 beautiful fragrances in the line and Linda said that she is very happy with them and does not want to produce fragrance upon fragrance just to come out with something new. She explained that creating a fragrance is not something she can do on command and she won't compromise on what she creates;

"It's like, if someone said to you every year, 'Write a book,' and then the next year, 'Now another one, now another one...', you'd get to the stage where you'd say, 'No, I don't think I want to write another book right now.'"

Neither is there any ambition to rapidly expand the number of Ormonde Jayne stockists or counters; Linda is committed to ensuring that the customer service of her brand maintains its reputation for excellence. I've remarked before that I don't feel that the experience at Jo Malone counters is the same since Ms Malone left the company and the number of counters expanded quite rapidly a few years ago and so I was very glad to hear this.

The Perfume Portrait service is available at the recently opened Harrods counter, and at the Royal Arcade Boutique. The products are also available online at www.ormondejayne.com.

Disclosure: a bottle of the fragrance selected was provided without charge.

Guerlain Terracotta Loose Kohl - Black/Noir

Leaving a comment on www.Temptalia.com on her post about the new matte brown Terracotta kohl (Mirage) reminded me that I'd meant to write a post on these. The swatch above is of the classic black kohl. It's a very intense, creamy black loose powder with subtle shimmer.

Applying using the traditional method. You hold the wand horizontally against your lower waterline, then close your eye on it, and drag it gently along the whole waterline. By closing the eye, you can do both upper and lower waterline at once. If you don't like the idea or just don't get on with the technique, you can apply to the lower and then the upper waterline separately.

The trick to getting decent wear is to make sure that it's applied to the upper waterline too; you can see this where I've pulled up my eyelid with my fingertip. As well as helping to intensify the upper lashline, it helps to prevent the liner fading so quickly from the lower waterline. 

With mascara (Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic Aubergine) and cream eyeshadow (rms Beauty Seduce).

I do find this fades after a few hours; I need to reapply at lunchtime to keep the intense look, although it doesn't look horrible when it fades.

Guest post on Zuneta

I'm over at Zuneta again today - you can read my post on creating a layered eye with Becca products here.

Addiction Summer 2010 - Le Mepris

This is the line up for the limited edition Le Mepris collection from Addiction. As well as the Le Mepris compact with two eyeshadows and a blush, there is also an eyeshadow, Fanfare (pearl), a lipstick, Le Mepris (cream), a gloss, Shirley Temple, a blush, Cookie, and an eyeliner pencil, Fanfare. 

I love this look, but I doubt it would work as well on my pale, high-contrast colouring. The teal blue eyeliner is gorgeous.

Thankfully, I can pass on this collection, as the bronzey skin, nude lips look is not one that works well for me. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Addiction will do for its Autumn collection.

images are from www.Addiction-beauty.com.

Going grey - to dye or not to dye?

I dyed my hair various colours throughout my twenties, stopping only while I was pregnant and breast-feeding. I started having my hair highlighted in my thirties, and it's only since I stopped that a year ago that I've noticed I'm developing crops of grey hairs on my temples.

I'm not sure what to do about it; I quite like the idea of silver streaked hair, and I've had a white streak in my hair since the rest of it darkened as a child. I'm not bothered about looking young particularly, and I really don't like the look of obvious grey roots with the rest of the hair dyed dark (I know I'm too scatterbrained to have it dyed regularly enough to avoid this). If my hair was lighter, it'd be less obvious, but it's quite a dark chestnut shade, so the silver strands do stick out. I'm considering using a semi-permanent or a colour conditioner to tone them in a little, rather than a permanent dye.

Are you getting any greys, and what are you doing about them, if anything?

Chantecaille Firming Sun Cream SPF 30

After considering some other SPF 30s for the summer, I decided to stick with the Chantecaille that I know worked well for me last year.

What it says on the box:

Ingredients list. This contains a combination of chemical and both types of physical sunscreen:

The texture of the cream. It's quite a thick cream in the pot, but it melts into the skin easily and leaves a comfortable matte finish on my dry skin. 

Rubbed in. There's no white cast or shine.

I don't notice much firming action, but then my skin isn't particularly slackened yet. This is an expensive product, but it's worth it to me for a face cream with decent sun protection for the summer months that feels cosmetically elegant on my skin and doesn't clog my pores or leave my skin feeling dry. 

I bought mine from SpaceNK because I needed to buy it quickly, and there is also a Chantecaille counter in Fenwicks. If you can, I would buy from Fenwicks, as the Chantecaille counter there is very good with samples with a purchase, whereas SpaceNK are not. I asked for samples of other Chantecaille skincare when I was buying this, and was told that they had none, which I think is bloody awful service if you're spending this much on skincare.

Tom Ford True Coral Lip Color lipstick

This is Tom Ford True Coral, the last of the Private Blend Lip Color lipsticks I was given to try. It's the one I was most interested in from the article in April's Vogue, and it doesn't disappoint; it's a true bright coral. Although it's bright, it is a nicely balanced coral tone (neither too pink nor too orange) and is therefore very wearable.

On my lips:

In context of the rest of my face. The blush is Chantecaille Emotion, which tones nicely with the True Coral. I'm wearing Chantecaille Shale eyeshadow on my lid and black kohl pencil on my upper lashline.

I really can't make up my mind which I prefer out of this and the Pure Pink; I don't think I could choose between them. There are a lot of corals about this summer; this one and the Smile Lip2Cheek from rms Beauty are my picks of the season.

Disclosure: product was provided without charge for consideration for review.

First impressions: Ormonde Jayne Tiare

I was at the Royal Arcade boutique today to experience the new Perfume Portrait service (I'll be writing more about that another day, but if you like Ormonde Jayne, it's a must). I know a few people are interested in the most recent addition to the Ormonde Jayne stable, Tiare, and as that was one of the fragrances selected to be sprayed on my wrists, I thought I'd do a quick first impressions on that (I don't have a sample of this one yet).

Tiare is a fresh and sparkling white floral/citrus blend on first spray, and now, 10 hours later, it has left a creamy warm floral veil on my skin. If you like Sampaquita and Frangipani, I think you'd like Tiare.

I really wasn't sure I'd like it; I don't typically like Gardenia/Tiare fragrances as I find they either catch in my throat and trigger my gack reflex (where a smell is a bit sharp/plastic-y and makes the back of your throat go 'gack'), or they are too heavily wooded/tuberosey for me. It turns out I just hadn't been smelling the right Tiare; this is much more natural-smelling than other Tiare scents I've sniffed, but it's still very feminine. It's office-appropriate, would work in warm or cooler weather, and is altogether a lovely scent.

Tom Ford Pure Pink Lip Color lipstick

This is the second of the Tom Ford lip colours I was given to try out. Unsurprisingly, this colour is from the Bright spectrum of the Tom Ford Private Blend collection, which also includes Ginger Fawn (which did not work very well on me when I tried it on), True Coral and Cherry Lush. I did not expect to like this colour (I usually steer clear of pinks, which can turn very blueish on me), but I was immediately drawn to Pure Pink when I had the preview of the collection recently. When I tried it on, I was happy to find that it works really well on me; it really is a pure pink with no apparent blue tones.  This is a great shade for summer - it's bright and cheery, but it isn't garish, and it applies true to the colour in the bullet. This shade lasts very well too; it fades down to an even stain (but it isn't a pain to remove with my usual balm cleanser).

Applied to my lips.

In context of the rest of my face. I'm wearing very light make-up otherwise; Rouge Bunny Rouge Solstice Halcyon eyeshadow, a brown kohl pencil on my upper lashes and Rouge Bunny Rouge Vermeer cream blush. 

Disclosure: product was provided without charge for consideration for review. Tom Ford lipsticks are available from Tom Ford Private Blend counters from 24 April.

I want it for the name...Molton Brown Wilde Fairyfleur

I've just found out that Molton Brown have launched a new bath/shower gel and body lotion in the delightfully named Wild Fairyfleur fragrance.

It's inspired by the English countryside in bloom, has extracts of cowslips and cornflower, and is scented with citrus, amber and rose. The shower gel is £17 for 300ml, and the body lotion is £17 for 200ml.

I want them for the name, and I blame too much Cicely Mary Barker at an impressionable age.

Image is from www.beautyexpert.co.uk, who stock Molton Brown.

Tom Ford Pink Dusk Lip Color lipstick

Pink Dusk is the pinkest of the Nude shades in the Tom Ford Private Blend line. My lack of comfort in very nude shades is well-documented, but this has enough pink and is just deep enough not to make my lips disappear into my pale skin. 

Picture applied to the lips. On me, it's a nude pink, if you have more colour in your lips then it will read as more of a rosy colour.

Full face picture. I'm also wearing Edward Bess Intimate eyeshadow on my eyelid, Edward Bess Night eyeshadow to line my upper lashes, and Edward Bess Daydream bronzer.

This is as comfortable as I'll ever get in a nude lipstick; I don't feel like my lips have disappeared, but it's subtle enough to wear with a heavier eye look. The shades of nude in the collection cover beige, flesh-toned, brown and pink, so there should be a nude to suit everyone. If you'd like descriptions of any of the other nude colours (or any of the other colours in the line), please leave a comment below and I'll do my best to help.

Apologies for the convict-like expression. Miss London was giving me helpful modelling tips ("Look serious, but not sad, Mummy"), so most of the photos looked more like this:

Disclosure: product was provided without charge, for consideration for review. 

Francois, we're going to need a *lot* of primer....

The Nars Pro-Prime collection launches on 01 May, and the model for the promo images is none other than M. Nars' beloved pup, Marcel. 

The line up includes:

Skin Smoothing Face Prep - a solid, colourless balm that fills in lines and pores. 

Eye primer - a transparent, colourless primer for eyeshadows. 

I'm not bothered by pores or lines (yet!) but the eye primer looked very useful - I find a lot of 'flesh-toned' primers are pale and chalky, or too orange for my skin tone. 

Tom Ford Lip Color Lipstick - sneak preview

Left to right, Nudes (Vanilla Suede, Blush Nude, Warm Sable, Pink Dusk), Brights (Ginger Fawn, True Coral, Pure Pink, Cherry Lush), and the Darks (Smoke Red, Moroccan Rouge, Bruised Plum, Black Orchid). (Picture is by me, and is clickable for a closer look).

I was given the opportunity to preview the Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Color lipstick line by the PR officer for the line. Over tea, we had a chat about the line and the colours, and I also had an opportunity to swatch and try on some colours (the PR officer had very thoughtfully provided disposable lip brushes and make-up remover wipes.)

The colours are glorious. I was immediately drawn to the brights, but I can also appreciate the eye for colour that has gone into the nudes and darks. I can imagine that Mr Ford would be demanding to work for or live with, but perfectionism is sometimes a very good thing, and the colour selection here is an example of that. There is a good mixture of cool and warm shades in the line-up, which means there should be a colour in the line to suit everyone. These aren't shades that I could honestly say I've never seen anything at all like (it's lipstick, there are only a finite number of possible colours, particularly if you're going for flattering shades), but they are all incredibly well done, and there were at least a couple of shades that made the angels sing for me.

The texture and pigmentation are beautiful. The lipsticks have a subtle natural vanilla smell, and they feel creamy and moisturising without being smeary (for example, I find the Dolce & Gabbana lipsticks a little too slippery, as these can wander on me). The colour also lasts well without drying the lips.

The packaging is sheer luxury well-executed; the tube feels satisfyingly heavy in my hand, the ivory and old gold colour-scheme is distinctive, and the lid closes with a definite but cushioned click.

I was given three of the shades of my choice to try out, and I'll be posting pictures of those individually (they are Pink Dusk, True Coral and Pure Pink). So, are these lipsticks worth £35? Well, I thought that I was being given an opportunity to look at them, and I did not expect that I'd be given any to take away. Having seen them, I would have bought at least one at launch (probably Pure Pink, although I'd have agonised over that and True Coral). There are still a couple on my to-buy list, and I'll definitely put them on my birthday list.

I would not say that everyone out there needs a Tom Ford lipstick, or that life will be incomplete without one of these, but if you love lipstick and you are in the mood for a splurge (to celebrate passing exams, or a wedding or special anniversary, for example), these are worth considering. These are undoubtedly a luxury item, but if you love the Tom Ford Private Blend fragrance collection and you love lipstick, I don't think you'll be disappointed by the Tom Ford lipsticks.

The lipsticks are available from 24 April, from all Tom Ford Private Blend counters. In London, there are counters at Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. They will also be available online from Harrods.com and Selfridges.com.

Guest post on Zuneta

I'm guest blogging over at Zuneta today, asking if you're ever too old to wear unusual nail polish colours. 

You can read my post here - please do have a look. There are also lots of other guest blogs by some great bloggers. 

Rococo Black Pearl nail apparel

This is a picture of Rococo Black Pearl nail polish from the limited edition Spring 2010 collection, which was recently sent to me to try. Black Pearl is a very dark charcoal with shimmer; a beautiful colour, and a nice alternative to pastels, although it doesn't exactly shout Spring to me. Like the other Rococos I've bought previously, it applies very easily and gave full coverage with two coats. 

As I wrote, I was sent this by the PR for the company to try, and they also sent me the Jaded that I'd previously worn and loved in my recent pedicure. I've been extremely fortunate in the things I've been sent or given to try out recently without charge, and I'd intended to buy the Jaded anyway, so I've decided to share my good fortune and bought another bottle of the Jaded to give away as a thank you to the readers of my blog. 

If you'd like to be entered into the draw for the Rococo Jaded, please leave a comment below, and email me at londonmakeupgirl (at) googlemail (dot) com if you don't have a public Blogger Profile with an email attached (so that I can get in touch with you if you are the name drawn).  You will get the bottle with the nice box; the one next to it is the PR sample I was sent. I'll be posting a picture of it on my nails soon. 

Edit: D'Oh. I didn't give the closing date. I'll be closing the draw at midnight next Sunday, 25 April, and drawing the winner on Monday. 

Disclosure: products without boxes were sent free of charge for consideration for review. 

Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic Mascara in Aubergine

After a lukewarm start, I grew to love Le Metier de Beaute's Anamorphic Mascara. About a month ago, the time had finally come to replace the first one I'd bought, and I decided to go for one of the coloured mascaras after reading this post on thenonblonde.blogspot.com. As I was buying the plum/chocolate/gold Hypnotique kaleidoscope kit at the same time, I opted for the Aubergine Anamorphic. 

Pictured top, Aubergine on left, Black on right. Quite often in cosmetics 'aubergine' denotes a warm browned-plum type of shade, but this is the colour of a real aubergine; an almost black, cool-toned purple. 

The wands, again, Aubergine on left, Black on right. 

Swatched on kitchen paper, Aubergine on left, Black on right.

Swatched on skin, Aubergine bottom, Black top. 

The difference between the black and the Aubergine is very subtle, but that's what I wanted; I wasn't looking for a coloured mascara that shouts 'colour!' I find the Aubergine looks a touch softer than black and is also brightening and flattering to my sludge-coloured eyes. It's a nice option for a blonde/redhead who wants a mascara that is softer than black that isn't brown. 

Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic Mascara costs £22 and is available from Liberty in the UK. I like it because it doesn't make my lashes crunchy, it holds a curl nicely, you can build it without clumping and it doesn't flake or smudge. I still wish the brush was thinner though. 

Chantecaille Bourbon Rose Lip Chic Applied

I've been eyeing Bourbon Rose Lip Chic from the Chantecaille Spring 2010 collection for a while. I like the Lip Chic I already have (Amaryllis) , but none of the more natural shades in the line up quite worked for me. I have quite blue-based pale lips, so I turn a lot of natural colours that work well on other people into corpse lips. 

Bourbon Rose is just right for me. It has enough depth of colour, and the right balance of rose-brown-blue to make my lips look healthy. 

Bourbon Rose applied, outside in natural sunlight. 

Half applied picture, taken outside in sunlight. Lip Chic is applied on the left, my bare lips are on the right. I thought this might be helpful to gauge my base lip shade. If your lips are redder/less blue, that will affect how this lipstick looks on you. 

Picture taken indoors, with flash. I think this is the best representation of the colour when applied.

A picture showing Bourbon Rose in context of (some of) the rest of my face. I took a couple of fuller face shots, but they distort the colour of the lipstick. This gives you an idea of how it works with my complexion, although I think this sort of colour would suit almost anyone. 

Chantecaille products are at the higher end of high end, and the Lip Chic is £26, the same price as a Guerlain Rouge G, but the Rouge G is 3.5g to the Lip Chic's 2g.  I do like the formula of the Lip Chic, which gives decent coverage and lasting power for a glossy lipstick, and has a plumping, almost solid-jelly-like feel on the lips. It's very good for a more casual look, or for days when I can't decide what lipstick to wear. I do prefer the finish (very subtle shimmer) to the Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine (little sparkles.)  

This product was bought for me by Mr London as a gift. 

Paul & Joe Summer 2010 collection pictures

Here are some (blurry, taken on an iphone), pictures of the Paul & Joe Summer 2010 collection. There are 3 lipsticks in coral and pink shades, 3 nail polishes (I like the turquoise one), 2 loose powders and a shimmering body lotion/gel. There are also quite a few new glosses and lip pencils coming out, before the Summer collection.  The theme for the collection is a desert/Moroccan one, and I think the colours of the products and the packaging reflect it nicely.

Paul & Joe isn't a brand I tend to look at much, mostly because it's tucked away at the back of Fenwicks and I tend to get distracted by the Becca and Chantecaille counters before I get to it. I do intend to go and  have a closer look at this collection though.

Beauty Day on QVC 18 April

QVC are having a Beauty Day this weekend, running from midnight, 17 April, and throughout 18 April. The Today's Special Value is a Leighton Denny nail kit; there will be two choices (of colours, presumably) but there are no more details of the contents than that from the Leighton Denny facebook message.

Jemma Kidd Make-up School is also launching on QVC on Sunday, and is introducing these new Glosstick Spf 15 sheer tint/protection lip products in 5 colours. These are £13 each.

I'll be interested to watch the Jemma Kidd demos; I haven't been wowed by the products I've bought from the line so far. I'm definitely watching the Leighton Denny shows; he teases Alison Young and manages to live, and I have meant to try his polishes for a while, so I'm intending to buy a TSV.

Muji skincare looks rather good

Mr London is off for a boy's gaming session at his best friend's (who lives in Ireland) this weekend, and needed to pop in to Muji to buy an airline-friendly see-through plastic wallet and some bottles to decant his toiletries into. (Muji is a traveller's toiletries paradise; it sells a variety of bottles, jars and spritz bottles that you can decant into, and a handy decanting kit too.)

While we were there, I had a browse of the skin care. I didn't expect to think much of it, and I had just assumed that like many Japanese lines, it would be heavy with mineral oil, and therefore not appropriate for my skin. I was surprised to see that it's actually mineral oil-free, and uses some nice-looking botanical ingredients.

The Sensitive Skin range is also paraben-free and alcohol-free, and is priced between £7.95 and £9.95. The High Moisture Range does contain parabens, and the High Moisture pre-lotion did contain alcohol, although quite far down the ingredients list. This range is priced between £12.95 and £16.95.

I was particularly taken with the High Moisture Massage Cream, which is a massage treatment you don't have to remove. It smells lightly of peach, and feels beautiful on the skin. I love the Suqqu Gankin massage method, but unfortunately I can't use the Suqqu massage cream because of the mineral oil content; this is a very good alternative for me. For an excellent post on facial massage technique, have a look at this post on the new www.beautymouth.blogspot.com, by beauty industry insider Mrs Hirons.

Here are the ingredients (clickable for a closer view):

I'd like to see the parabens removed from across the skincare lines, but the skincare is definitely worth checking out if you have a local Muji.