Desires and Deals

In the first of an occasional series, I thought I would highlight a few of the products that have been recently launched that have caught my eye, along with some fantastic deals I've spotted this week that may take your fancy.

Desires

The Sanctuary Skin Perfecting BB Cream SPF15 - £14.99, The Sanctuary, Boots

Available in two shades, this is the latest BB cream to hit the market.  I really like The Sanctuary products and at at this price, I will certainly be up for giving this BB Cream a try.  Sanctuary products are also currently 3 for 2 on their website.

 

Benefit Cabana Glam Kit - £28.50, Benefit, Boots, Debenhams, Look Fantastic, House of Fraser

Benefits Kits are always a great way to try out some of their star products.  This Spring / Summer kit contains the much praised bronzer Hoola (reviewed by me here), Some Kind-a Gorgeous, Posietint, 3 neutral eye shadows in Peach Fuzz, Bronze Buzz and Cocoa Pizazz, a cheek brush and eye shadow brush.  A great gift for someone special or for yourself!

Jo Malone White Lilac and Rhubarb Cologne - £72, Jo Malone

I popped into a Jo Malone store this week hoping to have a quick sniff of the three new colognes in the London Blooms collection.  They did not have the fragrances available to purchase (although they are now available on line), but I was able to have a brief sniff of the three testers they had and it was White Lilac and Rhubarb which attracted me instantly with its fresh, Spring smell, reminiscent of a country garden.  I believe these are limited edition for the Spring / Summer season and unfortunately they are currently only available in 100ml bottles, which makes the cologne a rather pricey investment.  If they come out with smaller, more purse-friendly bottles, I will be there instantly!

Deals

L'Occitane Enchanting Cherry Princess Collection, was £58, now £39

I had a quick sniff of the new Cherry Princess Fragrance in L'Occitane last week and it is so lovely and fresh.  I'm not always a fan of overly floral scents but this has a sweetness added to it which lifts it slightly.  The set contains 50ml EDT, 250ml Shower Cream, 75ml Body Gel and 30ml Hand cream (I adore L'Occitane Hand Creams!) making it a great buy if you like the scent, or it would also make a great Mother's Day gift.

Daniel Sandler Makeup Case, was £80, now £40

If you are looking for extra storage for your makeup, this Daniel Sandler Makeup case is currently half price and will hold heaps of products.  I'm very tempted by this as I have lipsticks hiding everywhere at the moment!

Lip Expert, By Terry, Space NK, was £21, now £10

For not much more than the price of a drugstore gloss, this is the chance to snap up some By Terry products for less than half price.  I haven't tried any of By Terry's glosses previously but I have heard so many raves about their products, I will certainly be having a closer look at these. 

Hope you are having a fab weekend,

Victoria

x

Saturday Samples: Estee Lauder BB Creme and Nicky Clarke Volume Shampoo / Conditioner

Today’s Saturday Samples are a quick look at Estee Lauder’s new BB Crème and Nicky Clarke’s Volume Shampoo and Conditioner

Estee Lauder BB Crème SPF35

You have probably seen reviews of this already on other blogs so I will keep this fairly brief.

This is the newest offering to the array of BB creams available within the UK market and at £32, it is one of the most expensive too. As I am sure you are aware, BB creams are meant to provide a halfway house between a tinted moisturiser and a foundation. They generally give a light-medium coverage, moisturising properties and include an SPF as standard.

Estee Lauder’s BB Crème is only available in two shades, light and medium and the light is not particularly light so those with a fair skin may find it too dark. I found it quite thick to spread, especially over my dry areas of skin. I would say it gives a fairly light coverage though as it sheers out quite a bit. It also smells fairly strongly of watermelons which is fine if they are to your liking but it is rather pungent if you are not a huge fan!

Quick Verdict

Its good to see BB Creams becoming more widely spread within the UK and I have no doubt that there will be many people who find this works fabulously for them.  For me, it is a little too thick and unforgiving on my combination skin, especially my dry patches.  The price for a full-sized tube is also way too high, comparable with a high-end foundation. 

Nicky Clarke Volume Shampoo and Conditioner

As someone with fine, coloured hair, I am always looking to add more volume to my locks and I don't always feel like tipping my head upside down at 6am whilst using the hairdryer in order to achieve volume!

This shampoo and conditioner are fairly lightweight to use, and leave my hair feeling clean and easy to manage without any flyaways.  I managed to get 4 washes out of these sachets (I had two each of the shampoo and conditioner) so I felt as though I gave them a fairly good test over the past week.  Whilst I didn't see any major volume improvement, my hair didn't feel limp either, so I felt this did a reasonably good job.

Quick Verdict

If you have fine hair, this shampoo and conditioner are a good option to try.  They will not give you major volume (only a good blow-dry and / or some heavy-duty volumising products can achieve this) but they will stop your hair looking lank and give some much-needed body. 

Have you tried either of these products?  

Have you tried any good BB creams?