Haus of Gloi Olde Cider Haus and Pixie Sorceror review

(I forgot to take a picture before I'd used up the Pixie Sorceror)

Pixie Sorceror is described as 'They look cute, but beware! Deceptive pomegranate candy floss, beneath that a spiteful blend of coffee CO2, vetiver and myrhh.'

Pixie Sorceror an interesting mix of sweet and bitter notes, and smells like sweetened fruity coffee in the pot. On the skin in the shower the sweet pomegranate is more apparent, but the scent that lingers most on the skin afterwards is the coffee/incense note. It reminds me of Who Needs Love from the Valentine's 2011 collection, although without the chocolate. I like this a lot in the Bubbling Scrub, but it would be too sweet for me in the Pumpkin Butter. If you liked Who Needs Love, this one is worth trying.

Olde Cider Haus is described as 'Old Oak, sweet drying hay fields, crushed apple pulp and vanilla husks.'  

Olde Cider Haus gets a surprise thumbs up from me. I ordered it out of curiosity in the trial size Pumpkin Butter, not expecting to love it; I'm not a big fan of apple scents, and Hearth from last Yule's collection wasn't a favourite of mine.  Olde Cider Haus is a dry cider; the apple isn't candied or too sweet and gives a freshness to the overall blend, nicely supported by the dry wood/hay notes. The vanilla adds subtle warmth and creaminess without sweetness. I'm wearing this with Horse Cologne from For Strange Women (which is a hay/leather/smoky musk blend) and it's a lovely combination; I smell like the end of summer, and as summer seems to be having a last hurrah in the UK it's very appropriate.

Haus of Gloi products are available from www.hausofgloi.com. The Autumn collection is usually up until the end of October, and products are re-stocked until then.

Tom Ford Espresso Eye Defining Pencil review

Tom Ford Espresso Eye Defining Pencil is a deep cool brown, with no shimmer. This is a basic, dark brown eye pencil. The texture is quite creamy, giving excellent colour saturation, but it is prone to smudging; it's best for a smoky eye look rather than a clean, sharp line. It comes with a pencil sharpener.

Blended out. It makes a good base for powder eyeshadow worn this way too, and this is how I prefer to wear eyeliner; I apply it next to my lashline before applying eyeshadow over the top, which softens the look of the liner. 

I do like it and I'm glad I bought it, but this is £8 more than The Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Eye Pencil I reviewed here Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Eye Pencil 12 (the Armani is £17 for 1.05g to the Tom Ford price of £25 of 1.36g - £16 per g v £18 per g respectively). If pressed, I would say the Tom Ford is more pigmented and give more saturated colour than the Armani.

There is also a lighter brown with shimmer in the line; Metallic Mink. This is a more interesting shade and I shall probably purchase that at some point (or put it on my Christmas list). I think Espresso is a more useful colour for everyday wear though.

RGB nail polish in Buff

According to my husband and daughter, RGB Buff is the Emperor's New Clothes of nail polish. It is sheer, but I can see a creamy beige glaze to my nails. They don't see a colour at all.

This is with two coats, and it applied evenly and dried quickly. I wanted something a little more creamy and less peachy than RGB Beach, and Buff is exactly the colour I was looking for. It is an intentionally sheer polish, like Beach and the more pink toned RGB10.

Here's a comparison with my bare fingernails. The difference seemed more obvious in real life, but Mr and Miss London both maintain it looks like a clear polish. 

Personally I like this very much, even though I will concede it's not the most exciting of nail polishes. It gives a clean, well-groomed look. It would be good for a french polish too, although my nails are too short for that (and I wouldn't wear a stark white nail tip even if I had longer nails). 

Can you see the difference, or am I just trying to convince myself I didn't spend £11.50 on a practically clear nail polish? I'll get a lot of wear out of it, at least! 

RGB is available in Europe from www.misebeauty.com who are in Ireland and ship to the UK.

Beauty Spotlight Mystery Makeup Bag

My Beauty Spotlight Mystery Makeup Bag post is a day late as I've been away this weekend. There won't be any new posts for a couple of days, but I'll be back to normal posting later this week.

This week we take a peek into the twisted mind of Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed via her makeup bag. What crazy-ass stuff will we find in there? Click on the bag to take you to her blog and find out what is in there.

Sisley GWP from 22 September to 08 October at John Lewis

Sisley are running one of their gift with purchase bags at John Lewis counters at the moment. If you like Sisley it's the best time to buy from them, as the gift with purchases are usually quite generous and contain their top products - this one has the 15ml of Ecological Compound (moisturiser), and 2ml each of Daily Liner Reducer and Supremya. 2ml may not sound like a lot, but the 50ml full size of the Supremya costs £450 (at that price perhaps it's best to hope that you don't like the sample, but it's still interesting to try something so expensive just to experience it).

The gift with purchase comes with two items, one to be skincare (the lip balm used to count as skincare, I don't know if it still does).

Full contents of GWP:

I also had a sample sachet of the new Black Rose mask. It contains shea butter, and I'd say it's more intensely hydrating and nourishing than the Express Flower Gel mask. Slightly disappointingly, it's pink, rather than black (black rose just refers to the type of rose in it).

These are the ingredients for anyone interested in it. I couldn't properly review or recommend it after just one use, but it did feel nice and leave my skin feeling soft. If I do decide to go for the GWP, this might be my skincare item.

Pai Lotus & Orange Blossom Bioaffinity Toner review

I don't routinely use a toner in my skin care routine. I pick cleansers that rinse away with water, and I leave my skin slightly damp from the water before applying my serum or moisturiser. A toner is just an extra step that I don't often bother with (to the extent that when I was writing this post, I found I didn't actually have a post label for 'toner'). I find many organic toners still contain alcohol (and even organic grain alcohol manages to dry out my skin and make my t-zone oilier at the same time), or a lot of essential oils which can be irritating to sensitive skin.

I was interested though when Pai launched their two Bioaffinity Toners (one for dry skin and one for combination skin, both suitable for sensitive skin).  Pai is a brand I have a lot of time and respect for: they don't make outrageous claims for their products, the formulations are simple (to avoid irritating sensitive skins) but use effective natural ingredients. I've had (consumer) samples of the cleansers and moisturisers before, and liked them a lot.

The Lotus & Orange Blossom Bioaffinity Toner comes in a 50ml spray bottle, which sprays a fine mist without wasting the toner on cotton pads (which is a good thing - it's £30 for 50ml so you don't want to waste it). It doesn't contain alcohol, and the orange blossom and lotus waters are, according to Pai, living waters extracted directly from the plant. It also contains aloe, vegetable glycerin and two plant extracts (the ingredients list is at the bottom of this post). It smells lightly of the orange blossom; a subtle honeyed orange scent.

My skin is in generally good condition, and I use a vitamin C serum from Skinceuticals and a moisturiser with sun protection every morning. In the evening, I use a cleanser and moisturiser (currently both from Stem Organics). I'm not using any other serum or treatment in the evening. I've added a spray of the Pai over my face and neck after cleansing in the morning and evening, before moisturiser (pm) and serum (am) and have been using for a bit over a month.

My skin has been less reactive to sudden changes in temperature (going from cold air outside to warmer air inside, or vice versa) and I've noticed that I haven't had any dry flaky skin on the sides of my nose either. I do think the Pai Lotus & Orange Blossom toner has provided additional hydration to my skin and is more effective than splashing my face with tap water.

This would be an excellent product for skin too sensitive to tolerate most serums, or skin that needs additional hydration but that experiences congestion using oils or serums underneath a moisturiser. Although my skin is generally good anyway it has converted me to the use of toner (as long as it's this one) and I will repurchase when I use this PR sample up. I'm interested in the Rice Plant and Rosemary Toner for next summer too, when my skin can be a little more combination than dry.

Pai products are available from www.paiskincare.com as well as a number of other retailers, including www.beingcontent.com and www.BeautyBay.com.

Disclosure: PR sample. Links, as always, are not affiliate links.

Julie Hewett face of the day with Rouge Noir

I haven't done a red lip face of the day for a while, so I pulled out some of my favourite Julie Hewett products this weekend. 

The lipstick is Rouge Noir, the classic balanced pure red in the Julie Hewett Noir range, the Cheekie (cheek and lip tint) is Rosie, a bright reddish pink, and the Hue (cream eye colour) is Rue Burgundy, a bronzed plum/burgundy. 

I've applied a light smudge of the Rue Burgundy on my lid past my crease over a little brown eyeliner smudged into my lashes. Rosie on the cheeks, dabbed on and blended with fingertips, and Rouge Noir on the lips (applied with a brush - these lipsticks are seriously pigmented). 

In the evening I decided to see how it would look with  Julie Hewett Java powder eyeshadow applied over the Rue Burgundy. Java is a medium/dark brown with some golden/copper shimmer. 

Swatched:  right Rue Burgundy (quite a light swatch, as I applied to eyelid), left Java 

Left swatch as before, right with Java applied over the Rue Burgundy.

It's a more dramatic look, and I don't think I'd go this heavy on the eyes with a red lip for daytime. I looked glam for watching Dr Who though! The light is different from the light in the previous picture, although it is still natural light. 

Julie Hewett makes some of the best red lipsticks available in my opinion. The colours are great, they last well, the texture is an authentically retro semi-matte, but they don't dry out the lips. These are available from www.misebeauty.com in Ireland, who ship to the UK, and from www.juliehewett.net in the US. 

Chanel nail polish in Peridot applied

I resisted Peridot for a while, but when I saw it still in stock at John Lewis in Cambridge this weekend I finally caved.

Viewed straight on, Peridot is a metallic old gold shimmer. The picture above is the typical colour you see when you look straight at your nails.

As you move your nails away from you at an an angle, the green appears, as shown in the two pictures below.

The coverage was perfect in two coats, which is exceptional for a duochrome nail polish. £17.50 is very expensive for a nail polish but it's a lovely colour for autumn and winter. 

I'm on Facebook

I've started a London Makeup Girl page on Facebook. I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing with it, but at the moment my vague plan is that it's quite a good way to keep up with the news from brands I'm interested in, chat to other makeup/cosmetics fiends and I can do quick snippets on stuff I'm using/liking/not liking that aren't quite full post worthy.

The page is here, if you are interested: www.facebook.com/pages/London-Makeup-Girl/112856612148374

Beauty Spotlight weekly round-up September 17

This week our beautiful beauty bloggers bring you a few insider tricks of the trade, some killer red lipsticks, keep you smelling sweet, give you bat-worthy lashes, explore orange blush and have some goodies to giveaway! Read on for all the dish....







This was week one in the Prime Beauty series "Mascara Madness." Look for a mascara review every Monday for the next few weeks. This Monday I discovered the brand spankin' new IT Cosmetics Hello Lashes! and this mascara really did have me at 'Hello'--see the pics for yourself!

At Lipstick Musings, Shannon may have found the ultimate true red in the new Fall 2011 Rouge d'Armani lipstick #406, Scarlatto. See if you fall in love with her new obsession, too!

Have you been on the hunt for a base and top coat system that dries fast and leaves your tips shiny for days? Makeup Merriment's latest giveaway is for two sets of the fabulous Lumos system. Have you entered yet?

Modesty Brown takes on a challenge to wear seven lipsticks over seven days and muses on the mood altering effects of colour.

Do you have sensitive skin? Well, you are going to want to enter Pammy Blogs Beauty's Lara Beauty giveaway for the entire Lara Beauty line for Sensitive Skin (worth $100)!

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed explores the weird and wonderful world of orange blush - is she a convert? Come check out her swatches and help her decide!

Styrch over at Pretty in Dayton gets in the mood for the Vampire Diaries season premiere by trying Eau de Verveine by Penhaligon's Ltd, an addicting fragrance that leaves her conflicted to say the least.

Are you interested in the tricks of the trade? If so then Beauty Info Zone has an amazing product, Senna Light Tricks, that you need to learn about.

Paula, from Older Girl Beauty, went backstage at Fashion Week and saw that anything can happen when famed hairstylist Ted Gibson gave a model an impromptu haircut before the Carmen Marc Valvo S/S 2012 show.

Perilously Pale thinks Deborah Lippmann's Brick Road from the Fall Collection is the perfect colour to to take us into Autumn.

London Makeup Girl reviews the new Jo Malone Wild Bluebell Cologne. Find out what she thinks of it here : Wild Bluebell Cologne Review.

Once again Guerlain are out to entice with their new ombre éclat 4 shade palettes, Visionary beauty shows us the soft smoky Les Fumes palette.

At Everyday Beauty, Zuzu's Petals tried out Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Color in Smoke Red and fell in love with red again for Fall.

Jo Malone Wild Bluebell Cologne review

Wild Bluebell is the latest fragrance launch from Jo Malone.

Bluebells sadly don't give up their fragrance (like sweet peas, another favourite flower of mine) so fragrances have to try to replicate the smell with other ingredients. Jo Malone's new Wild Bluebell does this with lily of the valley and hyacinth with a little clove, a slightly fruity heart with some deeper florals (jasmine and rose - eglantine is the posh name for briar rose) and a clean musk base. There's a watery quality/chord to the top note, but it isn't overdone and adds freshness rather than the washing powder note that ozone over-used can give. The clove note is more subtle than the clove in Penhaligon's Bluebell and a lot more subtle than the cinnamon/clove in Boudicea The Victorious' Delicate, which isn't delicate at all to my nose. The overall effect of Wild Bluebell is of bluebells in their natural habitat; a cool early spring morning walk through a bluebell wood after a night of rain.

Although the imagery for the advert is a departure for the brand (a blue-haired girl and some bunnies, rather than a montage of ingredients) the juice itself is a classic Jo Malone, which would fit in seamlessly with the original colognes. It's linear, but pretty and well-behaved, and plays well in combination with other fragrances, so will make a nice addition to the Fragrance Combining stable. I think the Body & Hand Wash will do well, particularly in spring, and Wild Bluebell will appeal to Jo Malone customers who like the fresher florals in the range like the (discontinued) Honeysuckle & Jasmine and French Lime Blossom (not discontinued). If you loved Honeysuckle and Jasmine, Wild Bluebell is definitely worth a sniff - it's a bit more spring to Honeysuckle and Jasmine's summer, but there's something very reminiscent about it to my nose.

Wild Bluebell is extremely pretty without being sugary, and it lasts quite well on my skin although it doesn't have a huge sillage and wears quite closely to the body. It's a good one for anyone who wants a fresh fragrance (my sadly missed mother-in-law would have loved it, and I'm going to have to hide this bottle from my niece and sister-in-law).

I've been trying it in combinations with some of my other Jo Malones - it's lovely with Red Roses and Orange Blossom, and works surprisingly well with Vanilla & Anise. I found Ginger and Nutmeg overpowered the Wild Bluebell to my nose.

Wild Bluebell launched on 01 September (2011) with a 30ml and 100ml Cologne, the Body Creme, the Body & Hand Wash and the 200g candle. I rather miss the more staged Jo Malone launches of old; it was quite exciting to buy and sniff a new cologne and then wonder if it would make the grade to become a Body Creme or Body Wash later on. I think it built up the excitement of a new Jo Malone fragrance and made that excitement last longer. Wild Bluebell is more of a spring than autumnal fragrance to me, so it might have been nice to launch the companion body products in the Spring when the bluebells will begin to bloom. Do you like having the whole range launch at once, or do you miss the old way of the Cologne launching first, then body collection later?

Disclosure: Wild Bluebell is a PR sample. Other Jo Malone products mentioned are my own purchases or gifts from Mr London.

Fill in a survey for a 10% discount at Illuminated Perfume

I like to read Roxana Villa's Illuminated Perfume Journal; it often contains sneak peaks of good things to come as well as nice snippets of Roxana's life and thoughts.

Yesterday's post has a quick survey on fragrance preferences attached in a google document. If you complete it, you can claim a 10% discount off an Illuminated Perfume purchase, so if you were considering a purchase this is a useful discount to get. The post is here: Illuminated Perfume: The Winged Messenger.

Stem Organics Gentle Cleansing Milk review

Stem Organics is an Australian brand available from www.beingcontent.com. I was first introduced to the brand through the recommendation of a friend on EMMU (now www.beautygrapevine.yuku.com) for the Exquisite Face Fluid, an organic face cream with Niacinamide (vit B3) and other good ingredients. 

I'd been meaning to try the Cleansing Milk, as the ingredients list looks like something my skin would get on well with (being aloe, glycerin and jojoba based). I put this on my birthday list and received it for my birthday in July; I've been using it every evening since then. 

Stem Organics Cleansing Milk has a pleasant citrus smell (from the mandarin and tangerine essential oils) and a light milky texture that provides good slip for a massage while cleansing. It removes make up thoroughly, including eye make up, normal mascara (I haven't tried it on waterproof mascara as I don't use it) and foundation (I have worn foundation a couple of times in that period, and this has cut through it). It doesn't leave my skin feeling tight or coated in a layer of oil/wax, and it rinses off easily with water, living up to the 'gentle' in its name. I apply a pump or two to dry skin, massage in to remove makeup and grime, then rinse off with water. 

It is quite expensive for a smallish tube at £25.50 for 125ml, but I'm only a bit over halfway through it after 2 months of using every evening. I would repurchase, as I don't believe it's worth spending a lot of money on a moisturiser if a cleanser doesn't clean effectively or starts off a skincare routine by irritating the skin. 

Ingredients list: 

Illamasqua Taint nail polish and guest hand at Just Nice Things

I'm really not sure about this colour at all. I look at my nails and try to think 'chocolate' but I'm afraid that's not what immediately springs to mind. Illamasqua call it Stone Brown. Let's go with that.

Taint is one of Illamasqua's new rubber texture nail polishes, from the Autumn/Winter 2011 Theatre of the Nameless collection. The texture is not just a plain matte, it really does feel rubberised and very slightly bouncy if you press on it after it has dried.

Picture is with two coats applied, the first coat was streaky but the second coat evened everything out. I found the formula dripped down the brush quite a lot, so you do need to be careful to wipe off excess before applying. It dries very quickly, which is useful as a top coat would ruin the effect of the texture.

I'm guest handing over at Just Nice Things with this today, and the Just Nice Things ladies have swatches of the other polishes from this collection too at www.just-nice-things.co.uk illamasqua.

Do you like the brown, or not?

Disclosure: product received without charge for review purposes.

Manic Panic Lie Locks Semi Permanent Hair Colour Cream

Those of you who follow me on Twitter are probably quite familiar with the lilac hair saga. I got back from holiday in August with an inexplicable yearning for lilac hair. Twitter didn't talk me down from the edge, but did persuade me to go with a lilac streak rather than a full head of lilac hair.

I bleached the heck out of about the front inch of hair from my parting down to my ear, and then realised that the purple permanent dye I'd bought was probably a bad idea. I tried using an ash brown colour conditioner that looked a bit purple, and ended up with a grey/blue/green streak.

One of my Twitterers (what do you call people you interact with on Twitter?) suggested Manic Panic, and the website www.hairbomb.com to purchase it from. I dithered between Ultra Violet and Lie Locks (do you see what they did there?) but went with Lie Locks as I wanted a more pastel lilac shade.

It's quite subtle when I tuck my hair behind my ear (the way I usually wear it).

When I tie my hair up, it is less subtle.

The hair does need to be bleached to a pale blonde before using this colour, and I refresh the lilac once a week. I assume this goes without saying, but you DON'T need to bleach each time - you only need to bleach regrowth, and not before it's at least half an inch or so long. It's important not to go over already bleached hair with bleach again, or it will get very damaged indeed. 

I put the Manic Panic in dry hair, twist it up with a grip, put an old towel over my pillow and sleep in it before washing out in the morning. You do need to be careful not to get it on the skin or it will stain - I use a Real Body Care Cream (as reviewed by me here) as a barrier cream. 

I love the lilac - there's something immensely cheery about a streak of lilac hair. 

Tom Ford Beauty Face of the Day

I waited until the weekend to get stuck into my Tom Ford Beauty purchases so I had the time to have a good play with them.

The Eye Color Quad and Eye Defining Pencil applied. I deliberately didn't use a base to see how the shadows perform without one. I got good colour pay off without having to work hard for it, and Silvered Topaz gives me a buildable and smokeable taupe eye without effort. I used the grey taupe shimmer shade all over my lid, the brown taupe shimmer in my crease, the matte mauve brown in the outer corner of my mobile lid and taken into the crease, and the golden sparkle shade over the silver grey taupe in the middle and inner corner of my mobile lid.

The texture of these eyeshadows reminds me most closely of Suqqu, Addiction by Ayako or (old style) Shu Uemura. The combinations are undeniably Tom Ford; tastefully glamorous in a very grown up way. The individual eyeshadows themselves aren't anything you couldn't find in other good quality lines, but the combinations are put together very well indeed.  I found on my normal to dry eyelids the eyeshadows lasted well, and still looked good at 8 o'clock in the evening after applying at 9 o'clock in the morning.

Is it worth £62? Well, Suqqu is £40 for 8g, so the price is on a par gram for gram (the Tom Ford quads are 10g). The quads are only worth the money if you know you'll use every colour in them though; if you don't like sparkle I'd pass on this one and get one of the neutral quads without a sparkle shade. I love Silvered Topaz and will be putting another of the quads on my Christmas list.

Casablanca Lip Color. This sits in the spectrum between Pink Dusk and Moroccan Rouge, closer to the Moroccan Rouge end than the Pink Dusk. It's a rosy mauve shade. The formulation appears to be the same as the original Private Blend Lip Color collection, which I'm pleased about.

Picture of my complete face, also with Wicked Cheek Color applied. I've used a fairly light hand (and my trusty Shu Uemura 20 brush) to apply, but the pigment is nicely translucent so doesn't overcook, even though it's a vivid rose.

Ingredients of the Cheek Color for Replica. 

Beauty Spotlight Mystery Makeup Bag

This weekend's Beauty Spotlight Team Mystery Makeup Bag member is teasing us with a slightly see through bag.

What does Pammy have in there? Click on the bag to go to her blog and see!

Tom Ford Beauty purchases sneak preview

I went to the Tom Ford counter 'just for a look' while I was in Harrods on a mission for a friend. This happened.

I'll be putting up swatches and photos worn later on, but this is a sneak peek (I need to get as many posts out of these as I can - this is September's whole fripperies blown in one big hit).

I bought Espresso Eye Defining Pencil, Silvered Topaz Eye Colo(u)r Quad, Wicked Cheek Colo(u)r and Casablanca Lip Colo(u)r.

Future Primitive Soap Co Dust Witch review

This post should be subtitled (....or Ana made me do it) as I heard of Future Primitive Soap Co from Anastasia of Lipsticksandlightsabers.com.

I like independent bath and body products, and was keen to give a UK indie a go. The scents looked interesting and distinctive and a thumbs up from Ana is a good recommendation, so I bought Dust Witch from the Autumn collection in the Bubbling Sugar Scrub and the Body Whip body cream (and a White Witch soap, because Ana told me I had to).

Dust Witch is an absolutely fantastic scent. The rhubarb is the first note that hits when I open the jars, and blends beautifully with the orange citrus. When I use the scrub or apply the body whip the incense/patchouli notes bloom alongside the fruit/citrus, and by the end of the day it's all softened down to a spicy vanilla. I was a little concerned that this might be a bit foody for me, but took a chance basically because I liked the name Dust Witch. It's not too foody at all; it's warm, autumnal and has a quintessentially English feel to it, which I love.

The Bubbling Scrub is more scrubby and a bit less bubbly than the Haus of Gloi Bubbling Scrub. I'd recommend making sure you apply it to thoroughly damp skin, rubbing with caution on more sensitive skin and not using more than a couple of times a week. There is a Whipped Soap and a Bar Soap available if you want to wash with this scent more often than that. The Bubbling Scrub does leave skin extremely smooth after a shower.

The Body Whip is thick and nourishing, but sinks in quickly. Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter is my gold standard for body cream and the HoG does have a bit more slip and leaves my skin with a little sheen than the Future Primitive Body Whip doesn't. On the flip side, the Future Primitive Body Whip does sink in more quickly. Honestly, Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter is still my favourite formulation, but if I couldn't get it for any reason (touches wood) I would happily get on with the Future Primitive instead, and I would buy the Future Primitive in any other scents that take my fancy in the future. The fragrance  level isn't overpowering to my nose but the cream holds the scent well all day.

Ingredients Bubbling Scrub

 Ingredients Body Whip

I'd recommend these to anyone looking for a distinctive and different spicy citrus scent for Autumn, and particularly for UK people who don't want to order from abroad. The shop is at www.futureprimitivesoap.bigcartel.com. 

Skinceuticals AOX 10 serum review

This serum combines 10% L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) with ferulic acid. I prefer this to the more lauded Skinceuticals CE Ferulic serum, particularly for summer, as the vitamin E gives the CE Ferulic serum a heavier texture - the AOX 10 is only very slightly thicker than water, and sinks in instantly on application. I have used and liked the CE Ferulic in the past, but I prefer the feel of the AOX 10 in the summer and I have not noticed that it is less effective on my skin than the more expensive CE Ferulic. I was also more prone to clogged pores with the CE Ferulic (my skin is quite fine textured and has small pores, but it does tend to clog easily with certain ingredients, Vitamin E being one of those).

I would recommend this because the ferulic acid and vitamin C combination is shown to help boost the protectiveness of sunscreens applied over it, and helps to prevent damage to the skin. I also notice that my skin seems to heal well when using this serum - any small red marks from blemishes fade quickly, and my skin looks brighter and fresher (to me) than when I don't use it. This may not make this a desirable product for some people, but I noticed that some pigmentation/tanning I acquired (unwillingly) on holiday also faded quickly with the use of the AOX 10.

This is expensive at £67 for 30ml (though not as bad as the CE Ferulic at £129 for 30 ml) but I bought it in mid June and I still have about half of the bottle left. I use 3 or 4 drops in the palm of my hand, then press onto the skin of my face, neck and decolletage before applying my day cream/sunscreen, and I only apply in the morning. There are other vitamin C serums on the market, but this one suits my picky and reactive skin, and I appreciate the addition of the ferulic acid.

If you wanted to target your skincare spending the most effectively/economically, I'd recommend using this between May and October, although a vitamin C serum is a useful addition to a daily skincare routine all year round. The active ingredients of the serum also claim to remain on the skin for 72 hours, so you could apply every other morning instead of every day.

If you fancy a challenge, it is possible to make your own CE Ferulic serum at home - there's a step by step description on the My Funny Valentine blog here: My Funny Valentine DIY CE Ferulic serum.

I bought my AOX10 from Beauty Expert, the day before they had a 20% off code, typically.

Ingredients:

rms Beauty face for Autumn

Clockwise from top left: Living Luminzer, Myth Cream Eyeshadow, Illusive Lip2Cheek, Bloom Lip Shine.

I haven't written about rms Beauty in a while, even though I still use it regularly. I have no new colours or products to show you, but hopefully some better pictures since I featured some of these last, and you may not have seen my earlier posts on this line.

My loyalty to products that I like is not an advantage as a beauty blogger; it means I seek out new products less and when I find something I like I tend to stick to it! I also favour a very simple makeup look, so there are no complicated tutorials here. I admire the artistry of the many bloggers who do these, but complicated makeup doesn't fit in with my lifestyle or my personal preferences.

rms Beauty suits me very well as a brand. The baby of makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift, the products are raw (not heated above body temperature) and made from natural organic ingredients. If I have to get ready in a hurry, or if want a very casual, natural look, these are the products I reach for. I also tend to use rms Beauty if I have a cold and need to look halfway human, as the products feel soothing on sore skin.

Products applied: Myth on lids and below lower lashes, Illusive on cheeks, Living Luminizer on cheekbones and Bloom on lips. I'm also wearing W3LL People Narcissist Foundation Stick as concealer. Myth is probably one of the most challenging colours in the rms Beauty eyeshadows, as it has a lot of copper/red tones to it but I like it a lot, particularly in Autumn/Winter. Illusive is a burnt plum/rose shade. Bloom is a clear rosy pink, which probably would read as a warmer pink on most lips - my lips' natural mauve undertones turn it into a cooler pink shade.

I buy rms Beauty at www.beingcontent.com, although there are a couple of other UK stockists now.

Beauty Spotlight weekly round-up September 03

It's hard to believe that September has arrived. For most of us July crawled by while August just flew away. As we head into the 'back to school' season let's see what the Beauty Spotlight Team has to share.





Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed is a living doll thanks to Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara - go check it out, she promises that's the only part of her that's plastic!

Beauty Info Zone went to Chicago and shopping was in the plans. See what “candy store” they visited.

At Everyday Beauty, Zuzu's Petals stepped out of her red/rose lipstick comfort zone and tried the unusual and complex Laura Mercier Shimmer Lip Colour in Amaretto.

Over at Lipstick Musings, Shannon takes a look at Chanel's Sophisticated Eyes Collection with a review and an EOTD with the Vanites Quad. See how she interprets the look!

London Makeup Girl made a video showing the application and finish of a selection of products from Vapour Organic Beauty. See how she got on with them here: Vapour Organic video.

My Beauty Bunny has just joined the team and starts off with an amazing giveaway. Check out the amazing Leaping Bunny prize and enter.

Over at Makeup Merriment, Jeanie shares her thoughts on Josie Maran's SPF 40 protect moisturizer. Could this SPF be the *one*??

Modesty Brown gave us a first look at the Lost Weekend palette from BECCA's Fall collection. There's also a useful comparison to the popular Enigma palette, released earlier this year.

Paula, from Older Girl Beauty, talks about all of the ways that MAC's "Prep + Prime" line can help prep your skin to be the perfect palette for your makeup.

Madonna's Material Girl line at Macy's Launches Material Girl Cosmetics! Pammy Blogs Beauty tests out this fun and flirty line.

Perilously Pale tempts us with the new Illuminating Powder Gelee from the Estee Lauder Fall 2011 Collection. Come see why this highlighter is almost too gorgeous to touch!

Over at Pretty in Dayton, Styrch falls in love with Page 14 of the latest Sephora catalog and attempts the exaggerated Wing Liner look.

Hair looking dull after all the summer abuse? Prime Beauty has an awesome giveaway for 2 lucky readers! Enter to win a Kelly Van Gogh, hair colorist to the stars Luxury MASTER BLEND hair colour kit (a $49 value)!

Visionary Beauty shares an eye look of Rouge Bunny Rouge shadows, a change from the normal neutral/taupe looks-this has a bit of darkness with a hint of colour.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume To Bee review

Inspired by Roxana Villa's beloved bees, To Bee is a tribute to the warm, musky smell of the bee hive. It's not a straightforward sweet honey smell, although there is a honeyed sweetness to it. There's a good deal of smoke and spice too, and a clover note that smells of summer lawn at dusk, as well as the musky, animalic base note, redolent of the smell of the hive itself.

This is a perfume for Queen Mab and drinking mead on a midsummer's night. To Bee is quite dark (in its scent profile, although it is also incidentally quite a dark juice, from the all-natural ingredients) for an Illuminated Perfume, and has a rich, almost boozy feel to it. I absolutely adore it. The solid is slightly smokier and the clover/musk is more prevalent on my skin, whereas the liquid brings the honey/boozy side of the fragrance to the fore, and I like to wear them layered together on my dry skin.

Roxana Illuminated Perfumes are available from the Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/illuminatedperfume.

Disclosure: samples were provided without charge.