Happy Halloween

Fabulous nails courtesy of J at www.makeupmerriment.com.

The t-shirt was a design by Miss London, bought from www.streetshirts.co.uk, a custom t-shirt site. They deliver quickly, and it's decent quality.

Mu London Organic Rose Moisturiser Review

I suspected I'd get on with Mu London's product as soon as I opened the box it arrived in. The jar arrived in a box that was exactly the right size (huge boxes for small items is a personal bugbear of mine) and was wrapped in bubble wrap and then bright pink tissue paper inside the box. I appreciate someone who appears to share my wrapping neurosis.

Mu London products are simply formulated with a small number of effective, natural ingredients. In the Organic Rose Moisturiser these are: shea butter, coconut butter, jojoba oil, rose otto essential oil, rosehip extract, rosemary extract.

All the ingredients are certified organic and there is no water in the formulation. As a result, the Organic Rose moisturiser has a very thick, solid, balm texture in the jar. The best way to apply is to use the Creme De la Mer method; warm a bit between the fingertips to melt, then press onto the skin to distribute evenly. I use a small pea sized amount for my face (avoiding my chin area, which doesn't need the extra oil) and another small pea sized amount for my neck and decollete.

Using the appropriate amount does not leave an oily feeling on the skin after application, and it sinks in quickly to my dry skin. I wouldn't recommend this for an oilier skin type, but it suits my dry, reactive skin very well and it would also make a good eye cream even if you don't use it as a general face cream (I'm not using a separate eye cream, I'm just dabbing a little extra of the Mu on my orbital bone after applying generally to the rest of my face).

I have been using Mu Organic Rose Moisturiser as a night cream (sometimes mixed with a treatment oil I'll be reviewing soon on particularly dry nights) and also as a day cream if it's not particularly sunny. It feels protective in cold, windy weather without feeling heavy or cloying and it also smells beautiful (from the rose otto oil).

The texture is quite unusual for a moisturiser, but if you are looking for a gentle, effective moisturiser that doesn't cost a fortune Mu London is worth a look. I bought the 30ml for £10, and it is also available in a 60ml size for £19. The website is at www.mulondon.com and ships internationally.

Beauty Spotlight weekly round-up October 29

Our makeup mavens have more exciting beauty news this week; giveaways, reviews and a new website with a weekly podcast to discuss makeup and trends!







Is your makeup doing a disappearing act in the middle of day? Keep your makeup fresh and glowing all day long with Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray. Prime Beauty is giving away two, enter now!

Beauty, Bacon and Bunnies warns us it's getting cold outside and soon the holidays will be upon us. Always in the know, Joey brings us Part 1 the Holiday 2011 Limited Edition Collections.

Paula, from Older Girl Beauty, talks about her new site "It's Just Lipstick", where she and Meredith, from Retrodiva's Beauty, discuss makeup & trends in their own irreverent way in their weekly podcast & Spreecast.

Modesty Brown shares her small but perfectly formed collection of NARS eyeshadow duos. Well, perfectly formed if you're a fan of taupe!

Have you found the L’Oreal Paris Project Runway displays yet? Beauty Info Zone wants to you to see some of the gorgeous Watchful Owl products available. They are worth a search.

Can pale people wear gold lipstick? Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed sadly finds out that the answer to that is "no" but feel free to come and mock her anyhow!

Have you had a chance to try any Kiehl's products yet? If not (or even if you're already a fan!), stop by Lipstick Musings to enter the giveaway for a Kiehl's "Favorites" Kit. It's got something for everyone!

Visionary beauty takes a look at the Perle delight of the Guerlain ombre-eclat-4-shade palette in Les Perles.

Juicy! Juicy! Juicy! See what gorgeous Rouge Bunny Rouge lipstick has Perilously Pale drooling.

London Makeup Girl has a weakness for Chantecaille Lip Chics, and succumbed to one of the new shades from the Autumn collection. Have a look at it on her here: Chantecaille Calla Lily Lip Chic applied.

Looking for great quality professional brushes at a good price? You might be interested in Kim Professional Makeup Brushes. Pammy Blogs Beauty scopes them out!

Everyday Beauty reviewed Glazed Lips L301, the final red in the "Ellis Red" trio.

OCC Anime & Katricia Lip Tars - alternative to Tom Ford Violet Fatale

If you like the look of Tom Ford's Violet Fatale lipstick but don't want to drop the £36 on one (or don't like the wheatgerm/gluten in the formula, or some of the dodgy names in the rest of the line) I have an alternative for you from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I had the Anime and Katricia Lip Tars already, although I've never worn the Katricia out of the house. Anime is an almost neon bright pink, and Katricia is a slightly greyed purple. Mixed together (probably about 3 parts Anime to 1 Katricia here) they give this season's violet tinged fuchsia pink lip. 

These cost about £9 each in the UK (I bought Anime from, and Katricia was a PR sample from www.cocktailcosmetics.co.uk, who have the Lip Tars on sale for £7.95 each at the moment) and you can adjust the mix to make it more or less purple depending on your mood and preference. It is less convenient than carrying a lipstick around, although with the Lip Tars the need for reapplication is minimal. Jenny from MyFunnyValentineBlog.com has a good idea for how to store and carry OCC Lip Tar custom mixes without spilling. 

Picture in context of the rest of my face. I'm just wearing concealer and brow pencil, and the Lip Tar mix. 

Disclosure: Katricia was a PR sample, Anime was a purchase.

Fate and The Great Frog Skull Ring

My go-to girl for all things Rock Chick is Helen from www.just-nice-things.co.uk and she recommends The Great Frog for rock jewellery - scroll down this post on Pirates of the Caribbean nail polishes to see a picture of her Bones bracelet: The Great Frog on Just Nice Things.

I recently developed a hankering for a larger skull ring. I had a look in another rock jewellery shop in Covent Garden which has some very nice stuff last week, but was in London today and decided to have a look in The Great Frog shop. I dragged Mr and Miss London along, but as she'd just cost us an arm and a leg in a haircut she bore it with reasonable grace (and there are actual skulls and bones in the shop, which perked her up no end).

I went with the intention just to have a look and find out what ring size I would be, but I tried on the Medium Evil Skull Ring they had on display. As the lady staffing the shop said, 'Well Cinderella, that fits perfectly.' Fate. So I bought it. It's nicely weighty, but comfortable on the finger, and beautifully made.

The website is www.thegreatfroglondon.com. If you get the chance, I'd recommend visiting the shop; it's off the back of Liberty in London in Ganton Street. The lady in there today was very nice indeed; ridiculously cool, obviously, but friendly and approachable too.

Chantecaille Calla Lily Lip Chic

I find the Lip Chic formula from Chantecaille very comfortable and flattering, so I was keen to have a look at the two new colours released with the Autumn 2011 collection, Calla Lily and Violetta.

Calla Lily is a deep browned rose, with reddish undertones. It's not quite in the red spectrum in my opinion, but it's darker and noticeably warmer than most of the other deep shades in this formula (apart from Ceylon, which is definitely brown). Violetta is a blue-based, raspberry pink. I bought Calla Lily, which gives me a slightly sepia-toned rosy lip when worn. The Lip Chic formula is one of the easiest and most comfortable to wear on my naturally very dry lips.

Picture applied (please bear in mind my lips are a pale mauve naturally, and Lip Chics are quite sheer. On a person who does not have corpse lips, this colour may appear darker and warmer).

Edit: I had mixed up my right and left. Thanks to Klara for spotting this. Now corrected. Swatched, Bourbon Rose Lip Chic on the left for comparison, Calla Lily on the right. Calla Lily is deeper and warmer, with brown tones that Bourbon Rose does not have. 

In context of the rest of my face. This isn't a great photo (and you should have seen it before I cropped it) but it shows the colour and tone of the lipstick against my skin well. The dark and slightly sepia rose gives a nod to an autumnal gothic lip look, without being as lip-diminishing as a dark, opaque colour can be. 

Roxana Illuminated Perfume Hedera Helix revew

Hedera Helix is Roxana Villa's fragrant tribute to Ivy; evergreen, tenacious, survivor of the plant world.

The Illuminated Perfume signature chypre scaffold is recognisable at first sniff; the citrus/bergamot head notes flow into the jasmine/rose heart and then the oakmoss/woody base seamlessy. Smooth, elegant, Hedera Helix is a sister to Greenwitch, but of the forest instead of the sea. A number of green plant essences were used to invoke the smell of Ivy and Roxana Villa has captured the intensely green, slightly bitter/sharp scent of freshly crushed Ivy sap perfectly. It's hard to separate out the different notes and essences, but I thought I could sniff galbanum in it and it is listed in the notes.

I was sent sample sizes of both the solid and the liquid versions of Hedera Helix to try. The green sharpness is more apparent in the liquid than the solid (the solid is a touch more mossy to my nose). They layer beautifully together, and the scent lingers all day for me worn this way even with my drier skin. I also like the liquid Hedera layered over Illuminated Perfume Q solid, which weaves in more dry, woody notes.

Ivy was traditionally used in Winter celebrations to invoke the feminine principle as Holly invokes the male. This would be a lovely bridal fragrance, particularly for a winter bride and/or one who doesn't like overly floral fragrances.

A set with the sample of both liquid and solid can be found in the Illuminated Perfume Etsy shop here: Hedera Helix fragrance sample set. Full sizes are also available.

Disclosure: samples sent for review purposes.

Beauty Spotlight Mystery Makeup Bag - it's my turn

It's my turn in the Beauty Spotlight Team to show you what's inside my makeup bag. This is the bag that I carry around in my handbag, and I keep it packed with my basic essentials plus whatever lipstick I'm wearing that day.

I'm not a minimalist. Inside it I have:

Brushes:
Becca cream brush for concealer.
MAC 239 eyeshadow brush. I use this for most eyeshadow application, and particularly for the one-quick-wash-from-lash-to-crease I do most days.
Beaute Smudge brush for dense colour close to lashes, and smudging eyeliner
Bobbi Brown eyeliner brush. I use this interchangeably with the Beaute, mostly I use this one to line under my eyes with eyeshadow for a softer look than using a pencil there.
Shu Uemura brush 17 for blush. I like this brush because it isn't too big, so I don't get clown cheeks, but the pony/squirrel hair combination blends and diffuses a blush application well.
MAC 316 lip brush. This has flat, firm bristles for precise applications. The lid/handle covers the brush when it is chucked in a bag too.

Lanolips 101 ointment
Suvana PawPaw honey balm (no mineral oil)
RealBodyCare shea and rosehip cream. It's a shame, RealBodyCare no longer stock the small travel pots, only the big 100ml pots (although now at a lower price of £10). I use this mostly as an eye cream, but I like to keep this in my bag for any particularly dry bits.

Shu Uemura Mark Cealer concealer for blemishes. This knocks those red annoying spots out totally. I don't use it very often, but I always have it in my bag.
W3LL People Narcissist Foundation/Concealer in #1 - I use this as my everyday concealer around nose and under eyes.
Tom Ford Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe - my newest eyebrow defining discovery. This is really good, and the taupe has no red tones to it. I will be writing a review of this soon.
Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicata blush, Solstice Halcyon eyeshadow and Lola eyeliner. My fall-back shades. If I don't have time to think in the mornings, these are what I apply.
rms Beauty Living Luminizer. Beautiful highlighter, and helps to nourish the skin too. I reapply in the afternoon if my cheeks are feeling dry or I'm looking tired.
rms Beauty Lip2Cheek Illusive. This is a natural plum rose shade, perfect for instant healthy cheeks and lips. Also nourishing and soothing on dry skin.
Ilia Pure Lip Care in Arabian Knights. A berry lip tint/balm.

Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress Muscle Bath and Shower Oil

If you do any kind of strenuous exercise, this bath oil is a blessing (albeit an expensive one at £37 for a 55ml bottle). I practice a martial art and after a particularly vicious session a bath with this stuff enables me to walk like I haven't been kicked by a horse the next day. Mr London likes it for after gardening (he's a lover, not a fighter). 

Aromatherapy Associates Bath and Shower Oils are a blend of essential oils in a light coconut oil base. They disperse in warm bath water or can be sprinkled on a flannel or body sponge for use in a shower, although I think a bath is the most effective way to use them. I add a capful to a running bath, then relax in the water and breath in the steam for half an hour. 

De-Stree Muscle is a warming blend of lavender, rosemary and ginger which helps to relax abused muscles. I find it works best if I have a bath immediately after exercising instead of waiting until I've stiffened up, although it does a good job of smoothing out kinks if I haven't used it straight away too. 

I bought mine from Liberty. There is an online store at www.aromatherapyassociates.com with details of other stockists too.

Skull and Crystal Ring from Mercurios

After a long week at work, I recently treated myself to this two finger, raw crystal quartz and skull ring from Mercurios. You can get a two finger crystal quartz ring without the skull, but in my opinion there is very little in the way of adornment that a skull can't improve.

The workmanship is impeccable, as ever. It is a custom piece so expect to wait a while for it to be crafted and shipped, but the wait is worth it. There's only one problem with this ring:

Miss London wants to nick it.

A listing for this ring can be found here on Etsy Mercurios Skull and Crystal ring.

Tom Ford Violet Fatale Lip Color review

I visited the Selfridges Tom Ford counter with a friend last week, and inevitably I ended up making a couple of purchases. One of them was the Lip Colo(u)r in Violet Fatale.

Swatches of Violet Fatale compared with three similar shades from the original Private Blend lipsticks (all three now discontinued). Violet Fatale sits somewhere between Pure Pink and Moroccan Rouge in the colour spectrum, although it is more blue (violet) based than either of those. It is a more vivid pink and less purple than you might expect from the colour in the bullet.

Applied to my lips. This is one relatively light coat; the intensity can be built up further although it never gets as dark as it looks in the bullet.

In context of the rest of my face. I'm wearing a light dusting of Wicked Cheek Colo(u)r on my cheeks, the Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe (review coming soon) and W3LL People Narcissist foundation as concealer. No other cosmetics used. This is probably the closest match to Pure Pink in the new lipsticks, although Pure Pink is a bit warmer and a little softer. My review of Pure Pink is here: Tom Ford Pure Pink Lip Color.

Beauty Spotlight weekly round-up October 15

This week the Beauty Spotlight Team is in a wild mood. Not only are there some gorgeous cosmetics for you to drool over but there are giveaways galore. Check out all of our teams posts, you won’t regret it.

Beauty, Bacon, Bunnies investigates the Real Techniques Starter brush set to see how it compares to other brands. Find out what she discovered.

Beauty Crazed loves the Maybelline fall collection so much they feel compelled to share it - come visit them for a chance to win it!

Beauty Info Zone has a one of a kind giveaway from Dan Read Cosmetics. The winner will have a phone consultation with Dan Read who will help her pick out a customized look to win from his brand. You’ll want to check this one out.

At Everyday Beauty, Zuzu's Petals was surprised by how much she liked Alima Pure's loose mineral eyeshadows.

This week, Shannon at Lipstick Musings finally got around to checking out one of the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre shadows in #86, Ebloui. Better late than never, right? See what she thought and take a look at her EOTD!

This week, London Makeup Girl decided that rules are made to be broken and used sparkle everywhere with Kose Addiction. See how it turned out here: Kose Addiction Sparkly Face.

Makeup Merriment shares three new treasures from Le Metier de Beaute that are sure to make you blush!

Modesty Brown talks about her makeup hoarding habits and set herself a weekly challenge to get those neglected items back in circulation.

My Beauty Bunny is giving away a cooling Polar Pillow ($99 value)!

It’s time for Monthly Favorites again! Check out what made Pammy Blogs Beauty's list for September 2011 Star Products.

Perilously Pale has been seduced by the stunning, natural beauty of this Edward Bess Highlighter .

Styrch at Pretty in Dayton indulges in Chanel once again and is not dissapointed.

The leaves are changing color, the air is crisp and Prime Beauty tells us about her 5 must-have beauty products are for fall.....so far.

Visionary Beauty has a look at the mostly matte, bold Vol. 6 Neo-Classic eye palette from Hourglass.

Tom Ford Foundation swatches

I swatched all the Tom Ford foundation shades in the cream stick formulation today. I'm MAC NC20, Bobbi Brown Warm Ivory for reference.

01 Alabaster - palest, pink toned. Too light and too pink for me.
02 Pale Dune - fair, yellow toned. I could wear this one.
03 Fawn - neutral fair. I could also wear this shade.
04 Bisque - pink toned, fair to medium.
05 Natural - yellow toned, fair to medium depth (slightly lighter than Bisque).
07 Tawny - medium beige (second picture is most accurate in terms of colour, first picture has quite a lot of sun reflecting off this particular shade because of angle).
08 Caramel - warm, orange toned.
09 Toffee - neutral undertones.
10 Praline - more yellow undertones than toffee, a touch deeper.
11 Warm Almond - deepest shade.

There is no shade 6 in the stick foundations, and I didn't see one in the liquid formulation either. The pictures are clickable to enlarge.

Trick or Treat with Elemis

I think this is the first email from a press office that actually made me laugh out loud. The Elemis press office team have some suggestions for products to stop you looking monstrous (their pun, not mine!) this Halloween. 

The Aching Muscle Super Soak is extremely good for sore muscles, but I'm not entirely sure it could actually bring a zombie back to life. I like the Lavender Herbal Mask (good for spot-prone skin that's sensitive) and the Devil's Mint Body Scrub too. I've used all of these products in the past, and I would recommend them myself.  

Speaking of Halloween, I've just read a good zombie romance (really!), Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. It's your typical zombie meets girl, zombie eats girl's boyfriend, zombie falls in love with girl story. There are no sparkles in it. It's currently being made into a film with Nicholas Hoult as the zombie lead, and it's worth a read if you like zombie fiction. 

Disclosure: no samples were harmed in the writing of this post. I just thought the email was very funny and I've bought the products mentioned myself in the past, so I can recommend them.

Addiction by Kose - sparkly face

Clockwise from right: Stardust eyeshadow, Dream Pillow lipgloss, Crush blush, Secret Night eyeliner.

One of the Bobbi Brown rules from a decade ago was that if you're going to use shimmer, you should only use it on one feature at a time (and never on the cheeks *cough* shimmerbrick *cough*). I pulled out some Kose Addiction items yesterday, and every single one of them was sparkly. The colours are all quite neutral though, so I don't think I looked too much like a christmas bauble.

Secret Night on its own.

Secret Night with Stardust pressed over the top of it. 

Applied - it's hard to capture in a photograph, but you can see hints of the sparkles. It's quite subtle unless you really pack Stardust on. 

Dream Pillow applied - which also isn't as sparkly as it appears in the tube, although if you enlarge the photo you can see the sparkles. 

I bought my Addiction from www.mihokoshop.com, or via a friend who had a friend visiting Japan (it's currently not available in the US or Europe). The underlying textures of Shiseido products are quite similar in my experience, if you don't want to shop online.

What beauty rules do you like to break?

Paintbox Soapworks Smiling Jack and Moundshroud Sorbettos

Autumnal scents are my favourites, and with Paintbox Soapworks being a relatively new discovery this year I was looking forward to seeing what Hayley from Paintbox would concoct for Halloween. 

Smiling Jack - The notes listed by Paintbox are: A warm, glowing blend of spiced pumpkin, dripping beeswax & amber, with a devilish jolt of coffee. To me this smells like fresh pumpkin guts (i.e. not cooked and sweetened), with a subtle darkness and warmth behind it.  The coffee note is not overpowering and I have to sniff and hunt for it in the pot, although it blooms more in the warmth of the shower. 

Moundshroud - The notes listed by Paintbox are: A vaguely luminescent, unsettling blend of freshly-dug grave loam, shadowy patchouli, ancient leather, pimento, balsam & a twist of black licorice. Treat... or trick? I'd say the description is pretty much spot on; this is a clean, freshly turned earth scent. It's not as smoky as Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground to my nose. I can clearly smell the leather in this, but the liquorice just adds a subtle green snap, rather than an obvious liquorice note. 

I've written about the Sorbetto scrub before here and here. It's one of my favourite scrub formulations; a bit scrubbier than Haus of Gloi Bubbling Scrub but not scratchy, it cleans well and leaves a good (but not overpowering) scent behind. 

Paintbox Soapworks products are available from the Etsy shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/paintboxsoapworks. 

Completely un-makeup related

Candace the guinea pig had a wash last weekend. I think she's just forgiven us.

Beauty Spotlight Mystery Makeup Bag

It's a mystery....is Prime Beauty a high maintenance gal with a makeup and beauty gadgets galore spilling out of her makeup bag? Or is she a minimalist and only carries the basics? Find out if you guessed correctly in this week's (cue scary music)......Mystery Makeup Bag!

Click on the bag to go to Prime Beauty and find out what is in it. (Incidentally, how pretty is the bag itself? I love Paul & Joe bags).

Interesting brands at Nutribeautyproducts.com

I was recently invited to a launch event for a relatively new beauty retail website, nutribeautyproducts.com. Nutribeauty is an offshoot of the Nutri Centre specifically for beauty products featuring natural brands, many of which I hadn't previously heard of.

There are a number of interesting ranges on offer, and I'll be reviewing some of the products which were provided in an event box as I use them. There are a few brands and products that really grabbed my attention at the event that I'm highlighting in this post.

Heaven Bee Venom Mask - this is the famous Bee Venom mask by Deborah Mitchell. I managed to shower myself in glory by saying 'Oh, you're the Bee Lady!' when I was introduced to her. The mask claims to help lift, firm and tighten the skin, smooth wrinkles and soothe and hydrate. It has lots of good ingredients like manuka honey and shea butter as well as the bee venom. I've used this twice, and my skin has felt and looked remarkably perky afterwards each time. I'll do a full review on this later.

Antipodes Skincare - from New Zealand, this brand has commissioned independent laboratory blind study tests on human skin cell samples to back up the claims for their products. I like the look and the feel of the Saviour Skin Balm (which was in my event bag, and is pictured above) and the Joyous Serum for night time use.

Sappho Organics - yes, the name engaged my giggle-reflex too. The foundation formulation was really quite impressive though; an aloe vera base with no silicones, and ingredients including DMAE and MSM which are both found more commonly in skincare than foundation. I think my best match is Leisha, although I could probably wear the paler, cooler Mia at a push (this was not in my event bag, but I am buying the foundation to try it out).

Flower Essences of Australia - I can't see these up on the Nutribeauty site yet, although I can see some products at the Nutri Centre site. I have been using the Dynamic Recovery Combination Essence Oral Spray from my event bag in the morning to help get me going, and although the results might be psychosomatic I have felt less tired and more bouncy, even without coffee.

Genki - at the moment, I can only see the Konnyaku sponges from Genki on the Nutribeauty website. What really impressed me from this brand were the Haramakis - stretchy cotton back/tummy warmers, which are meant to be good for helping to keep warm generally, as well as some more specific purported health benefits (relieving period pains, support for stomach post-pregnancy). I always suffer from a chilly back, so I bought two of these online directly from Genki as soon as I got home from the event. I love them.

Disclosure: products pictured provided without charge as part of event. Link, as always, not an affiliate link.

Guest interview at Lady of the Lane

I've answered questions about some of my favourite things for Charlie over at www.ladyofthelane.com. You can read them here: Lady of the Lane Beauty Blogger's Best Things.

Rare Elements Shampoo & Conditioner

I wouldn't have bought these if I had half full bottles of Rahua and I wouldn't say that if you're using haircare you're happy with you need to replace full bottles with Rare Elements either (I'm watching you, Victoria. I know you and haircare).

However, Mise Beauty sent me some sample sachets of Rare Elements shampoo, conditioner and treatment oil when I was just about to run out of my Rahua shampoo & conditioner. I used them and liked them enough to purchase the full size shampoo & conditioner, and I'll be buying the treatment oil when I run out of the sample vial.

The range is formulated without sulphates, parabens or silicones. It uses natural ingredients from around the world to clean and condition the hair. Rare Elements has a luxury feel; I'd compare the products texturally to the Philip B White Truffle range or the Alterna Science of Ten range. The shampoo is a rich pearl texture, the conditioner is a buttery texture, and both smell beautiful (a mix of ylang ylang, rosewood and rose geranium). Rare Elements also leaves my hair in extremely good condition; moisturised but not weighed down and with definite bounce and lift at the roots.

The treatment is an oil-based pre-wash treatment. It's also useful to protect hair before a chemical treatment, and I gave it a good trial by using a tiny bit to protect my hair before bleaching some more of it. I found the hair pre-treated was in much better condition after the bleaching than hair that I had previously bleached without using anything to protect it.

If you have normal and not-abused hair, this is a lovely and indulgent shampoo and conditioner but you would undoubtedly get good results from less expensive ranges (the shampoo is £25 and the conditioner is £30, although you do need to use very little of both each time you wash your hair). If you do chemically treat (and particularly if you bleach) your hair, then I'd really recommend this range. I am still using my Rahua Finishing Treatment after washing and conditioning.

Available in Europe from www.misebeauty.com and from www.rare-elements.com in the US. Mise have a full ingredients list for each product which is probably easier to read, but here are the pictures of the ingredients from my bottle and tube for completeness.

Shampoo ingredients

Conditioner ingredients

Jo Malone new Red Roses Body & Hand Wash supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Red Roses was my first Jo Malone cologne, and I'm still very fond of it. The Jo Malone brand has just launched Red Roses in a Body & Hand Wash, and during the month of October will be donating £5 from the sale of each Red Rose Body & Hand Wash sold in UK boutiques to Breast Cancer Awareness. If you need an excuse to buy this, this is a very good one. 

Red Roses is a pretty rose scent, with lemon and honeycomb notes that add freshness and sweetness to the rose. 

disclosure: PR sample. 

For Strange Women Coyote Natural Cologne

For Strange Women recently introduced the Fauna trio of fragrances; unisex colognes made with botanical ingredients, inspired by specific creatures; the horse, the sand dollar and the coyote. Like the other For Strange Women fragrances the Fauna are in a base of jojoba and coconut oil, and they are a little more concentrated than the other For Strange Women fragrances. I'd love to see the other fragrances ramped up to the Fauna concentration.

Coyote is the most traditional 'masculine cologne' fragrance of the three For Strange Women Fauna to me. It's a fresh, woody blend of orange citrus notes, bay leaf and patchouli.  My skin tends to eat smoke in fragrance unless it's a very strong note so I don't get a lot of smoke from the base notes; the patchouli lingers for me instead. Coyote isn't a literal fragrance in the way that Horse is (Horse smells like a clean stable filled with worn leather tack and healthy horse) but there is something about it that reminds me of the dry, comforting smell of a big dog's coat on a warm day. I've been wearing this a lot since I bought it in August, and the Fauna fragrances are a good option for anyone who finds some of the original For Strange Women fragrances a little too sweet.

As well as the full size of Coyote, I also bought a sample kit with the other two Fauna fragrances; Sand Dollar and Horse.

Sand Dollar is a marine fragrance, but it's not ozonic. Instead, it uses a blend of jasmine, lime and seaweed to give the impression of the smell of the sea. I loved this one in the summer (such as we had) and I'd buy the full size next year.

Horse is a blend of dry hay, musk and leather. It quite literally smells of a clean stable.

A sample kit of all three fragrances is available here: For Strange Women Fauna Samples. 

Beauty Spotlight weekly round-up October 01

It's hard to believe how quickly September flew by and that October is upon us. It must be because the ladies from the Beauty Spotlight Team were having so much fun testing all these amazing products that they didn't notice that 30 days fled. Read to find out what's been kept them so busy in September.


Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed goes glittery with the OPI Muppet Show inspired line of polishes - come check out her swatches!

The bloggers from Beauty Info Zone are fighting again. In the ring with them are Napoleon Mascaras. Read to find out whether Mesmer-Eyes or Peep Show Madame Fantasia wins this battle.

Everyday Beauty tested a couple red blushes to see if her cheeks could stand the heat.

Have you heard about Dior's new trio eye shadow palettes? Well, Shannon over at Lipstick Musings had to see them, and has discovered that smoky eyes aren't just for evening anymore with the 3 Couleurs Smoky Eye Palette in Smoky Khaki. Plus, the packaging is to die for!

London Makeup Girl pulled out some of her favourite products for an Old Hollywood red lip look. You can see what she used here in her Julie Hewett Face of the Day.

Makeup Merriment has fallen in love once again with the Rouge Bunny Rouge line. This time it's the eye liners that have her enamored.

Modesty Brown shares new pretty, Rouge Bunny Rouge Long-lasting eye pencil in Lola and ponders the merits of automatic versus regular liners.

Paula, from Older Girl Beauty, had breakfast with Mally Roncal, from Mally Beauty, and tells us about Mally's latest bulletproof kit available on QVC.

Ever wondered what skincare is safe for use in pregnancy? Be sure to check out Pammy Blogs Beauty's review of Belli Skincare!

Do your eyes suffer from fine lines, puffiness, and dark circles? Perilously Pale thinks this eye treatment is worth checking out!

Styrch from Pretty in Dayton visits her local Benefit Brow Bar and learns all about "brow mapping".

Prime Beauty discovers that Hard Candy isn't just for kids and it's low calorie too!

Visionary Beauty shows us the earthy toned nude palette from the fall Becca Lost Weekend collection.