Recent repurchases - Rahua and Live Native

The Live Native Essential Mist MSM Corrective Toner has converted me to the use of a toner. I do feel like this does more than just splashing my face with water: it adds extra moisture/comfort and makes my skin feel more balanced. I missed it on the couple of days between running out and the new one arriving. I love Live Native and I'm still using mostly Live Native products, but some of the formulations are unlike conventional skincare and require a little more faff than conventional skincare to use. The MSM toner is not one of those products, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

I'm testing and liking a couple of shampoos and conditioners from Less Is More at the moment, but Rahua original formulation is still my absolute favourite shampoo and conditioner, and I recently purchased my third bottle of the shampoo (I find it runs out a bit quicker than the conditioner for me). This is really expensive as shampoo and conditioner goes (£26 for the shampoo) but it suits my medium  thickness wavy hair very well, giving shine without weighing it down, and it does last me for several months used every other day.

I bought both of these from www.beingcontent.com.

Beauty Spotlight What's in my....

This week's What's in my... is from Modesty Brown, and its 'What's in my Mum's Perfume Archive?'

Modesty Brown loves nothing better than a good snoop. On a visit to her Mother's house earlier this year, she went on a scouting expeditions and unearthed three generations worth of perfume. It's an eclectic mix of old and new, including some memorable old favourites. Let's pay Modesty a visit to find out what's in her Mum's Perfume Archive.

Click on the picture to go to Modesty Brown's blog and find out more:

Jo Malone London celebrates London landmarks

From today (27 July) until 12 August, artists will be present in selected Jo Malone London stores to customise a Jo Malone London box with a sketch of a London landmark when you make a purchase. They are in the London boutiques and Selfridges nationwide, but may not be available everyday so it's best to give the shop or counter a ring to check if you are making a special trip.

I work near Westminster, so I'm particularly fond of this sketch. The fragrance that arrived inside my box is Lime, Basil & Mandarin; perfect for the sudden heatwave.

PR Sample.

Less Is More Tangerine Curl Balm

One of the drawbacks of organic hair care is that the options for styling products can be limited. Less Is More's origin as a salon brand sets it apart in this respect; it has as many different styling products as shampoos and conditioners, designed to work across the spectrum of hair textures and desired effects.

Most products designed to enhance curls are quite rich and can be too heavy for fine hair. On its own, the Less Is More Tangerine Curl Balm isn't quite moisturising enough for my medium thickness, wavy hair, but I do like it mixed with the Mascobadogel (to give a bit more hold) on humid days, when Flower Whip (which I reviewed here: Less is More Flower Whip) can feel a little heavy. It's also a good leave in conditioner for Miss London, whose hair is getting a little oilier these days.

This product would be ideal for fine curly hair, and also for shorter haircuts (to about a shoulder length bob, I'd say) who can use it as a combined leave-in conditioner/light styling/heat protector, instead of using a rinse out conditioner and a separate styling product.

Not surprisingly, Tangerine Curl Balm smells of tangerine, which is one of my favourite scents. It is combined with some other light citrus essential oils in the formula to give a fresh and clean scent to the hair.

In the UK, Less is More is available from www.beingcontent.com, and costs £22 for 150ml.

Disclosure: PR sample

Nac Mac Feegle

These were a cracking birthday present, purchased by Mr London from www.etsy.com/shop/LunasCrafts. Without looking at the shop, can you name the Feegles? :)

She also makes some excellent Song of Ice & Fire/Game of Thrones figures (the Renly & Loras listing actually make me laugh out loud).

Suti Rejuvenate Organic Face Oil guest review

Today's post is a guest review from Claire, who has been trying out the Suti Rejuvenate Organic Face Oil for me. 

A few weeks ago Grace asked me to undertake a guest review for her. As an avid blog follower (not all beauty related) I was most excited to get a chance to write my own review so here goes!

By way of background and to help give my comments some context I am in my early 40s with normal/dehydrated skin. I don’t suffer from breakouts provided I cleanse really well. My main skin problem is that I suffer from cold sores, as any sufferer will tell you they really are horrible things.

 The product I am giving my thoughts on is the Rejuvenate Face Oil from Suti.

As soon as I opened the bottle I knew I was going to like this product. The oil comes in a solid glass bottle with a nifty glass dropper to facilitate accurate dispensing of the product (white lab coat optional!). Fragrance wise the oil is divine; the initial notes are Rose, Frankincense and Tangerine which fade to leave a pleasant earthy aroma. The active ingredients in the oil include rosehip oil which helps prevent wrinkles and helps with scarring (my saviour! see below), evening primrose oil which is good for smoothing and hydrating the skin and argan oil which is a powerful antioxidant and also revered for its anti aging properties. The recommended dosage is 2-3 drops massaged into the skin on face and neck after cleansing.

I have always been a bit of a fan of oils for both face and body, but find oil on my face twice a day is a bit too rich for my skin so in keeping with my established regime I applied the oil in the evening after cleansing and before my night cream. I also found myself using 4-5 drops per application; my skin really seems to drink it up without leaving a greasy residue.

The Suti Oil has been part of my skin care regime for about 4 weeks now and I think my skin is looking great. In this time I have had a particularly vicious cold sore outbreak and I think the oil has helped the residual red marks on my face disappear more quickly than normal which is a huge plus for me.

The oil is £28 for 30ml which I consider great value; I have been using the oil for about four weeks once a day and in this time I have used maybe an eighth of the bottle. I think this bottle would last about 6 months.

I would definitely purchase this product in the future.

Thanks to Claire for her thorough review. 


Ingredients: Rosa Rubiginosa (Rosehip) Seed Oil*, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil*, Argania (Argan) Spinosa Kernel Oil*, Limonene**, Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Peel Oil*, Tocopherol, Santalum Austrocalendonicum (Sandalwood), Olibanum (Frankincense)*, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Extract*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil*, Linalool**, Geraniol**, Citral**

* Certified Organic ** Naturally occurring in essential oils

PR Sample.

Beauty Spotlight Weekly Round Up 21 July

Here's this week's Beauty Spotlight round up. Lots of good posts to read...

The Pink Sith’s July Birchbox has arrived. This month's theme is the 5 senses. Does that make sense?

Is your holo polish not holo enough? Not to worry, Jessika from polish insomniac shares with us the return of GOSH Holographic!

Pammy Blogs Beauty channels her inner "Palette Princess" as she embarks upon a new Palette Review Series with her review of Jemma Kidd's Backstage Palette.

There’s a new natural brand on the market, Visionary Beauty look’s at what the raw, pure, skin and body care range from Ambre Botanicals has to offer.

Buying makeup online can be a tricky game. Modesty Brown tries a Shiseido Perfect Rouge lipstick and finds that, although the colour isn't perfect, the formula is!

Is the Yves Saint Laurent Palette Couture really the star accessory for autumn? Check out her review for Perilously Pale’s thoughts on this much anticipated release for Fall 2012.

L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows keep getting prettier and prettier. Beauty Info Zone wants to share some of the Fall 2012 shades to see if you'll "fall" for them too.

Prime Beauty continues her love affair with Kiehl’s. This time it’s the new fragrant Aromatic Blends that has her swooning.

London MakeUp Girl reviews Soapwalla Deodorant Cream, an all natural blend of oils, powder, clay and essential oils that promises to keep your armpits smelling fresh. Does it work? Read her review! 

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed loves a tinted lip balm during hot weather - moisture and colour that won't melt off your face! Check out the swatches of what she's been sporting on these lazy, hazy summer days!

If you have thought about doing your own gel polish manicures at home, Paula from Older Girl Beauty, shows us what is included in the "Mally Beauty 24/7 Professional Gel Polish System" as an example of one kit.

Oskia Signature Glow facial with Abigail James

I don't generally like people I don't know well touching my face. The only facial I've had that I've gone back for again is a Suqqu Gankin Massage (preferably given by Noriko, who was my absolute favourite Suqqu lady and sadly left the counter a few years ago).

I do like Oskia as a brand though, and when I was invited to experience their Signature Glow facial this post by Beauty Mouth had me replying to that with an enthusiastic yes please. The Oskia Signature Glow Facial (and particularly Abigail James, who administers it) is really all that plus a bag of (organic, vegetable) chips.

Oskia balances effective actives with natural botanical and nutritional ingredients in its formulations. I like that it doesn't go mad with essential oils and the products have a very gentle, clean natural fragrance; I find that overly fragranced products, even from essential oils, can be just as irritating on the skin as artificially fragranced skincare.

The Oskia Spa Rooms are in the Good Vibes Exercise/Yoga Centre in Covent Garden. The rooms are immaculately clean, nicely decorated in a quiet and peaceful style, and smell lovely. Abigail James is amazing. She has the poise and posture of a dancer and a calm and soothing speaking voice.

The facial uses Oskia products, and began with a thorough cleanse, with hot damp flannels (waves at Mrs Hirons), followed by steam (good for the sinuses too), exfoliation, massage (Abigail's hands are magic), extractions if you want and need them, mask and then finally moisturiser and a back and arm massage.

I could feel the tension draining out of my face, neck and jaw, and my skin was smooth, even and glowing after the treatment. I have quite good skin anyway - I use good products, I follow a routine every morning and evening without fail (if I have the flu I still clean my face and apply a serum/oil in the evening), and I'm quite lucky genetically; both my parents look a good deal younger than they actually are.  My skin looked great after the facial no doubt, but for me the de-stressing effect was the biggest positive. I had to go back to the office after the facial, and I could deal with the most vexing emails in my inbox without grinding my teeth.

If you like facials anyway - this is brilliant. If you are stressed out and in need of some serious nurturing and de-stressing - this is brilliant. I'd particularly recommend Abigail James to anyone suffering from facial tension; a couple of weeks later and my jaw still doesn't feel tight. I'm going to book myself in for a deep tissue massage to properly sort out the tension knots in my back.

I was given some of the products used in the facial to take home and try; I'll write a full review in a month or so, but I'd already say that the Renaissance Mask and the Rose De Mai Massage Candle are seriously, seriously good.

The Oskia Spa treatment menu is here www.oskiaskincare.com/SPA/TREATMENT-MENU.

Being Content has a good offer on with Oskia at the moment : www.beingcontent.com/filter/brand/oskia-.html/1, giving away a Renaissance Mask with any Oskia purchase over £50 until the end of July. I'd recommend one of the moisturisers (both work for day and night; if you have dry skin get the Bedtime Beauty Boost, for normal to combination skin go for the Nutri-Active Day) to make the £50, or a combination of the Perfect Cleanser (I've reviewed this here: Oskia Perfect Cleanser) and the Rose De Mai Massage Candle (which works for a body oil or for facial massage; it's what was used in the facial).

Disclosure: I was a guest of Oskia for this treatment.

Paintbox Soapworks Sky Blue Sky Sorbetto

I'm afraid I've left it too late to publish this and it is now a 'scrub you can't have' review*. Paintbox Soapworks does tend to bring popular scents back though, so I'm optimistic this will make a comeback next Spring, and (if I remember) I'll remind you about this review next year when you can actually buy it.

Sky Blue Sky Sorbetto is pretty much the only blue sky we've been seeing in the wet and dreary UK for the last couple of months. It's a fresh and pretty blend; the notes are Cold Spring Water (now that we've been seeing a lot of), Honeysuckle & Magnolia. It is lightly floral, but mostly smells of clean with a gentle evergreen bite; to my nose it's the Spring version of Winter's Yuletide Mariner.

If you're after something similar from the Summer range I'd suggest Gooseberry Beach, which I'm about to buy myself.

*With much love for, and inspired by, the evil genius that is Pink Sith's Taupes You Can't Have review series. 

NATorigin Lipsticks in Fig and Coral

NATorigin is an Ecocert certified organic brand that uses naturally sourced ingredients for their products. The brand is available in the UK from their website www.natorigin.co.uk. 

I chose the two red lipsticks in the range to review; Coral (left) and Fig (right). 

Swatched on hand: Coral on left, Fig on right. The texture of both is very glossy from the natural plant waxes and oils in the formulation. Fig is sheerer than Coral, but both are on the sheerer side, rather than being a full block coverage. They have a light fruity fragrance.

Fig applied. Fig is a sheer browned plum and on my lips, this reads as quite a natural, polished sort of lip shade.

Coral is an orange based red, somewhat brighter than Fig. It's still quite a translucent colour; it doesn't give block coverage, although the colour density is higher than Fig, and it gives more coverage.

Ingredients list: 

These are £15.50 each, and are a nice option for a cleaner/natural sheer lipstick. Fig is my favourite shade of the two; it's quite hard to find a natural shade that doesn't look too pale or washed out on me and this one works well.

Disclosure: PR sample.

Soapwalla Deodorant Cream review

Being Content sent me a pot of Soapwalla Deodorant Cream to try back in April/May, and I'll confess I was sceptical as to whether this could possibly replace my Boots-standard-issue roll-on anti-perspirant/deodorant. I've tried other natural deodorant before (Avalon Organics, JASON, and more recently one from The Body Shop) and found with all of them I ended up smelling like a lion enclosure at the end of the day.

I waited until a weekend (back in May) to test the Soapwalla out, and have been using it ever since. It's a minty-smelling thick yellow paste that you rub in to your armpit and let absorb before dressing. I find a five pence piece sized dab for each armpit is enough, and it rubs in easily. I don't smell sweaty, even at the end of a very hot and humid day, and I also find I actually sweat a little less with this than I did with my usual anti-perspirant roll-on. Of course, this is very much a your-mileage-may-vary type of product and I wouldn't claim that it'll work for everyone as well as it has for me. If you are looking for an aluminium-free alternative to mainstream deodorants though this is the only one I'd recommend from those I've tried, and the only one I will repurchase.

Picture to show texture:

A couple of usage tips:

If the weather is very hot (remember we had that one week?) it does liquify and separate a little. Stir with an orange stick and stick in the fridge if the change in texture bothers you; I just stir and apply as normal without refrigerating.

Don't apply it directly after shaving. Really don't. Even if you think you have super tough underarm skin that never stings when you apply a normal anti-perspirant after shaving. I've switched to shaving my armpits in the evening now.

Soapwalla is available at www.beingcontent.com in the UK and costs £14 for 2oz, or directly from Soapwalla in the US on Etsy www.etsy.com/shop/soapwallakitchen. I'm about halfway through my pot (used every day) after 2-3 months.

Ingredients:
Organic jojoba, sunflower, and rosehip seed oils; shea butter; a combination of all-natural and gluten-free vegetable clays and powders; aluminum-free sodium bicarbonate; organic vegan kosher glycerin; a combination of organic lavender, peppermint, sweet orange, bergapten-free bergamot and tea tree essential oils.

Disclosure: PR sample

Beauty Spotlight What's In My...

The Pink Sith is in the process of transferring most of her makeup to her new Helmer and purging old cosmetics to give away to her family so her makeup organization looks...well not organized at all. 

However the one thing that she always has organized is her "Emergency Makeup Kit". She carries this kit with her at all times. She figured she would show you the kit because she's always looking for suggestions on what else to carry in there! She would love to hear your comments and suggestions at the end of her post.

Click on the bag to go to the post.

Kjaer Weis Blossoming, Divine and Passionate face

Mr London was very generous for my birthday this year and gave me the Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Blossoming and Lip Tint in Passionate to go with the Eyeshadow in Divine. (I might have put stars next to them on my birthday list.)

Divine is a neutral medium-dark grey that has really grown on me, especially worn in the crease and next to the lashline rather than all over the lid.

Blossoming is a rosy pink with some warmth to it, and it gives me a very natural flush. If you're looking for a cooler pink I'd suggest going for the newer shade, Lovely, although I haven't seen any real life pictures of it.

Passionate is a sheer, warm red. The level of pigmentation is similar to RMS Beauty Lip Shines, but the Kjaer Weis gives more of a semi-matte stain finish. Passionate oomphs up my lip colour and knocks back the mauve tones, but still looks like a very natural lip on me. I'm tempted to try the darker burgundy Goddess shade.

Swatches left to right: Blossoming, Passionate and Divine

All three applied, with concealer, brows and mascara. It's a better-than-naked-but-still-quite-natural look on me.

Close up of the lips. 

The packaging of these is beautiful but really heavy - the Cream Blush is particularly weighty. Mr London bought these from www.slowfashionhouse.com, who ship in Europe. In the US, Kjaer Weis can be purchased at www.kjaerweis.com.

Ambre Cupuacu & Nut Oils Rich Moisturising Body Butter review

I liked the Ambre Mango & Carrot Seed Hand Cream I was sent so much that I immediately bought the Cupuacu & Nut Oil Body Butter myself.

The Ambre Body Butter is a fondant texture - it's not completely solid or waxy-feeling, but an oil-rich balm texture that melts on contact with the skin. It smells beautiful: bergamot, mandarin, lemon, rosewood and ylang ylang essential oils give a citrus with a slightly floral/woody twist scent that smells lovely on its own but works well underneath any perfume I've worn with it.

It's extremely good at dealing with my very dry skin, although I have found I'm using it up quite quickly; I've switched to making sure that I use on damp skin to eke it out further without compromising its effectiveness. Used every other day on dry skin, I'd use the 120ml jar up within a couple of months. This is £25 for 120ml so it is a reasonable price to me for a very high quality product: a tenner a month isn't a huge price for non-itchy skin that smells and feels lovely.

I bought this from www.beingcontent.com.

Ingredients:
Cupuacu Butter (Theobroma Grandiflorum), Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii), Avocado Oil (Persea Americana), Apricot Kernel Oil (Prunus Armeniaca), Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus Amygdalus), Sunflower Oil (Helianthus Annuus), Safflower Oil (Carthamus Tinctorius ), Sesame Oil (Sesamum Indicum), Hazelnut Oil (Corylus Avellana). Non-GMO Natural Vitamin E (D-alpha Tocopherol), Rosemary Antioxidant (Rosmarinus Officinalis). Pure essential oils of: Bergamot (Citrus Bergamia), Mandarin (Citrus Racemosa), Lemon (Citrus Limonium), Rosewood (Aniba Rosaeodora), Ylang-ylang (Cananga Odorata). Components naturally occurring in essential oils: Citral, Limonene, Linalool, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate.

An Electronic Heart outfit of the day

This was what I was wearing yesterday for a very lazy day at home. I bought this t shirt from the fabulous Fushigi Shop www.fushigishop.bigcartel.com. I love anatomical heart prints, and this one has been enhanced with a splash of colour, flowers, birds, fish and other oddities.

The leggings are Black Milk Circuit Board Red leggings. These are now sold out in everything except an XS size, but are rumoured to be coming in a green version soon. I love these. They're a bit Tron-meets-Borg.

I like this for lounging about it (for going out I'd add some sort of plain black skirt - can't quite go with leggings as trousers, even with Black Milk ones).

Beauty Spotlight weekly round-up 06 July

Love Chanel polish, but don’t want to spend the moolah? Jessika from polish insomniac shows you a new dupe for Chanel Paradoxal!

Get matchy-matchy with Prime Beauty and the new Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Glosses!

It is Giveaway Time on Pammy Blogs Beauty! Enter to win the RoC® MAX Resurfacing Cleanser and the RoC® RETINOL CORREXION® MAX Wrinkle Resurfacing System.

Edward Bess has added some new shades to his ultra slick lipstick line up, Visionary beauty checks out the shade that most of the neutral lip lovers will home in on, Lotus Bloom.


Modesty Brown takes part in a colour challenge and is surprised to discover that purple is the most purchased colour in her collection.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed tried to beat the heat by trying out products from Yves Saint Laurent fall - check out her swatches and see if they cool you down!

Perilously Pale shows us why the Chanel Lumiere d'Artifices Beiges Illuminating Powder with Shimmer from the Les Essentials de Chanel Fall/Autumn 2012 collection is not only a beautiful highlighter but also a fabulous subtle bronzer for those with fair skin.

London MakeUp Girl reviews the new Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne Intense. It is every bit as delicious as it sounds.

Have you ever wondered what your makeup has done for you? Beauty Info Zone has found the answer with Tarte.

The Pink Sith does not have a constipated face but she is putting Phillips Milk of Magnesia on her face to control oil. She's weird but she's shine free!

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic has some great tips for how to keep your hair looking great despite all of the time in the sun and at the beach!

Paula, from Older Girl Beauty, finally get to show us the NARS Fall 2012 "Undress Me" Multiple she first told us about during NYFW back in February.

Ellis Faas Creamy Eyes E116

Ellis Faas have recently launched seven new shades of Creamy Eyes, and I was sent a couple of them to review. One of those was E116, lilac.

Swatched on its own, E116 looks quite neutral and greyish. I've swatched it here next to the grey/beige E107 (on left) and the lilac tone of E116 (right) becomes more apparent.

I'm still not crazy about the pen dispenser mechanism, although the brush is undoubtedly better than the showerhead for the eyeshadow formula as it tends to clog less (the Creamy Eyes and Lights always came with the brush, and the Milky Eyes now come with the brush too). These are still products I would only recommend to someone who knows they will use them regularly (at least once a week, but preferably more often than that). I find that after the initial priming, four clicks is enough to dispense eyeshadow for subsequent uses, and I sometimes use a click or two more for more coverage.

On the positive side, when you've applied these they do not budge, making them great for summer and also good as a base for powder eyeshadows. The finish is not shimmery but has a gentle luminosity; even the more pastel lilac isn't flat or chalky.

Applied as a very simple wash over my lid to show the colour when worn. My natural olive tones tend to drab the colour a little more.

When Bobbi Brown suggested matching eyeshadow to hair colour, I don't think she envisioned this. 

The Ellis Faas website www.ellisfaas.com has just been completely redesigned, and now has swatches of the shades applied on skin. It's much improved for choosing colours. Edited to add: to celebrate the website redesign, there is a free shipping code valid for July: SHIPPR (enter at checkout).

Disclosure: PR sample.

Neom Luxury Organics Inspiration Body Cream and Hand Cream review

Yesterday I spotted that Harper's Bazaar is giving away a Neom Hand Cream with this month's magazine, so it seems like a good time to review it and another new Neom product I've been sent recently.

The Neom Body Cream feels rich and luxurious. It has some very good organic ingredients, moisturises well, leaves a gentle sheen on the skin, and the Inspiration scent is extremely pretty - it's a light floral/herbal scent. I'd love to see this offered in more of Neom's scents (lemon & basil Refresh would be excellent) but at the moment it's available in Inspiration only. The Body Cream compares very favourably to luxury scented body creams from more mainstream brands in both scent and feel. This is £35 for 200ml.

Body Cream ingredients:

The Neom Hand Cream is a light and fluffy texture that sinks in quickly, but moisturises well. I find the Ambre Hand Cream I reviewed recently more effective for my very dry hands as an overnight treatment, but the Neom smells and feels very pleasant. If you are looking for a hand cream to reapply through the day (e.g. if you wash your hands a lot) I would definitely recommend buying a Harper's Bazaar magazine this month and trying the Neom Hand Cream out. It is also available in the rose scent - Complete Bliss. This is £20 for 75ml.

Hand Cream Ingredients:

Both products are available from www.neomorganics.com.

Disclosure: PR samples

Chicken Etouffee

This is only beauty related by the most tenuous of links: Brittany from www.poshbrats.com posted a photo of Crawfish Etouffee served on fries on Facebook and I decided I really needed to try to cook Etouffee myself.

Unfortunately Mr London won't eat seafood or fish of any kind, so I had to swap out the crawfish for chicken.

The recipe is quite easy:

Brown some chicken in a little oil, and stir fry until cooked through. Add a sliced and quartered courgette, and cook until softened. Remove chicken and courgette and keep covered to side while you prepare the sauce.

Melt a generous tablespoon of butter. Add a finely diced celery stick, onion and half a green pepper. Fry for a bit until softened.

Add a tablespoon of plain flour and 1-2 teaspoons of cajun seasoning (I like Bart's). Cook for a couple of minutes until brown. Add half vegetable or chicken stock and half tomato passata (chopped tomatoes, a few squirts of tomato puree or even some chopped fresh tomatoes would all work as substitutes for the passata) bit by bit, to make a sauce. It should look like a thickish gravy.

Add the chicken and courgettes back in, and simmer for 10 minutes. In the meantime, cook the rice.

Sue Devitt Lash Intensifier Treatment & Lengthening Mascara in Golden Triangle

Sue Devitt's Lash Intensifier Treatment & Lengthening Mascara is the latest instalment in my quest for the perfect mascara, and it's really very good indeed. Unfortunately, it's also really very expensive at £40, but that is because it comes with a Lash Intensifier peptide treatment. Honestly, I'd rather buy these separately at £20 each because I remember to apply the Lash Intensifier about every other night at best.

The Lash Intensifier end has a fine brush applicator which is used to apply the Intensifier along the lashes in the evening, after cleansing the face. This is a peptide treatment that is designed to condition and strengthen the lashes. I don't notice a huge difference, although I don't remember to apply every evening, and I have quite decent lashes to begin with. 

I love the brush that comes with the mascara. It is quite narrow and straight (my favourite mascara brush shape) and the alternating long and short spiral brushes grab and separate the lashes well. I find this easy to apply and I don't splodge mascara on my lids with it. 

I decided to go for the dark green Golden Triangle shade instead of the more usual black (Pointe Noire) or brown (Kenya). Golden Triangle is a shimmering dark green. 

Mascara applied (to top lashes only). This is quite a natural mascara, which is the look I prefer. The green isn't much darker than my natural lash colour, so it adds little definition but a pretty and subtle flash of colour, particularly in sunlight. 

Looking down, you can just see the hint of green. 

I like the formula a lot; it is flexible and doesn't leave the lashes crunchy, doesn't flake or smear and removes easily.

I'm not certain I'll repurchase this, but only because of the cost of buying it together with the Lash Intensifier. The mascara formula is quite similar to Le Metier de Beaute's Anamorphic Mascara, which is £28 from Zuneta, and which also comes in some black-with-a-hint-of colours. I don't like the LMdB mascara brush as much though (it's a thicker, slightly tapered brush).

I purchased the Sue Devitt Lash Intensifier Treatment & Lengthening Mascara from Fenwicks, Bond Street. The only online stockist that I can find for this product is www.lookfantastic.com.