Desires and Deals - Models Own, Benefit, Armani, Elemis and more!

I hope you have all been having a lovely weekend in the sunshine.  It has been gorgeous today and really felt like Summer was on its way when I went for a run through the park.  I hope it stays like this all week as my knee high boots have been firmly packed away until Autumn now!

Desires

Models Own Beetlejuice – Tropical Sun, £5, Models Own

I like Model’s Own polishes as they tend to have some interesting colours at a great price. They have just launched 3 new shades as part of their Beetlejuice Collection and I really like the look of Tropical Sun. It looks like a gorgeous iridescent coral duo-chrome that would be perfect for Spring!

Benefit Hello Flawless! Oxygen Foundation, £24.50 - Benefit

I'm always on the lookout for a new foundation and Benefits latest offering purports to be an oil-free, lightweight formula with SPF 25, and promotes the appearance of healthy, youthful looking skin. With a light-medium coverage this could be exactly what I need for Summer.

Armani - Summer Ecailles Collection - New Eyes to Kill, Ecailles and Obsidian Grey, £26, available soon on counters

I love Armani's Eyes To Kill Shadows as although pricey, they are long-lasting and blend like a dream.  I've got my eye on Obsidian Grey in particular and it is a welcome departure form all the pastels and corals we have been seeing lately.

Deals

Cult Beauty free gift with all offers over £60 while stocks last 

Cult Beauty have a current deal on for this amazing free gift when you spend £60.  The gift contains products from Bliss, Becca and Alpha H amongst others.  I'm off to have a look at their website right now!

Time To Spa - Elemis Shower Duos 2 for 1

Time to Spa have a deal on Elemis Shower Duos including the gorgeous Exotic Fragipani scent for £20.50 for two full-sized bottles.  I particularly have my eye on the set of 6 100ml bottles of scents and fragrances across the whole collection at only £25.  They would be perfect for short weekend breaks away!

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, 50ml £17.99 from £25 at Beauty Expert 

This is a classic staple for me and I always have a tube of it on the go.  Its perfect for any scaly knees, elbows or lips - in fact it can be used almost anywhere!  It does smell a little odd the first time you try it but you quickly get used to it and at a 1/3 off the usual price, this is a great deal.

Desires and Deals #3

Happy Mother's Day!  I hope you have had a lovely weekend.  I live a few hours from my mum so unfortunately will not get to see her this weekend.  I did however send her a card and some gifts and am looking forward to catching up with her in two weeks time when my dad and her are coming to visit.

This week, the buzz in the blogsphere has been all about the release of the Revlon Lip Butters so I have chosen some other new releases to highlight - although I am also planning on picking up some of the lip butters over the next couple of weeks too!!

Desires

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24 Hour Cream Eye Shadow, £4.99, Boots, Superdrug

I really enjoy wearing cream eyeshadows these days and these new shadows from Maybelline are supposed to be very similar to the more expensive Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream Shadows.  I don't think I would be wearing them for 24 hours but I am always on the lookout for hard-wearing cream shadows and I will certainly be taking a look at them.  They are currently out of stock on the Boots website but they should be available in store.  Superdrug should also have them available, and all Maybelline products are on 3 for 2 there at the moment.

Max Factor Flipstick Colour Effect, £8.49, Superdrug

These new offerings from Max Factor feature a double-ended product with one rich creamy colour and one iridescent shade.  This allows you to wear each colour separately, blended together or to wear the stronger colour underneath with the iridescent shade just blended into the centre.  I like the idea of this but I will need to take a closer look at them before purchasing.  There are six shades currently available from light pinks to bright red.  I particularly like the look of Gipsy Red (yes it is spelled this way, not Gypsy!).  They currently have £2 off in Superdrug and are £6.49.  I can't yet see them on the Boots website but I'm sure they will turn up soon.

Etat Pur Skincare

I love the sound of this new skincare range which promises to work in tandem with your skin to provide 'pure and active solutions'.  There are no amazing promises of looking 10 years younger whilst using it (who really believes all that advertising blurb anyway), just the belief that you will be taking care of your skin and not pumping it full of chemicals.  By filling in an online questionnaire, they suggest the best products for your skin type and the great thing is that none of the products are overly pricey either!  I'm certainly going to be investigating these as my skin has been going through a stressed, tired period recently with numerous breakouts, so going back to basics will hopefully help it.

Deals

Dolly Leo - 45% off 

Dolly Leo is unfortunately closing down, and as part of their closing down sale they are offering 45% off everything until 25th March.  There are items from brands such as Pixi, Suqqu, Becca and Nude. The code is dollyleoforever. 

Escentual - 1/3 off all French Skincare Brands until 31st March

Escentual is offering 1/3 off brands such as Vichy, Avene and La Roche-Possay until the end of March.  The discount will automatically be taken off at the checkout. 

Jimmy Choo EDT and EDP - Cheap Smells

Both the EDT and EDP are being sold at up to 35% off this weekend on Cheap Smells.  I've only had a quick spray of this in Debenhams and I liked it a lot. I found it quite fruity but not overpoweringly so.  I have to say I'm very tempted by it!

I hope you had a lovely weekend, whether you were with your Mum,  being pampered as a mum yourself, or even just out enjoying the sunshine.

Have a good week.

Victoria

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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

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