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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Review: Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder

I have to confess that prior to purchasing this, I knew almost nothing about bronzing powder or how to use it.  It just never figured on my radar and living in Scotland, you get used to not looking bronzed!

I found this on Buyapowa and promptly snapped it up as I had heard many bloggers raving about it.  I thought that if so many people praised it, it must be super versatile and easy to use.  So were they right?

The bronzer itself comes in a standard box which is used by Benefit for all their blushes, bronzers and face powders.  Many people are big fans of Benefits cutesy 50s-style packaging but its not really to my taste.  I find these boxes bulky and impractical for transporting and would much prefer something sleeker.  It is also a major pain if the cardboard gets wet...  A brush is also included with the bronzer, however I rarely use the brushes that come with makeup, preferring to use my own tried and tested ones.  I did give this a quick go but it was promptly discarded for a bronzing / blush brush as I found it picked up far too much of the product.

The powder itself is a matte dark brown which you cannot see that well in these pictures.  Believe me when i say it is quite dark and if you have very fair skin, I can see that it could turn quite 'muddy' looking on you.  it is super pigmented!  I did find it quite powdery and dusty, although it blended easily.

The swatches above show one swipe with my finger and also a picture of it blended in.

I've experimented with a few different ways of applying this and eventually settled on just dusting a tiny amount on my brush and then tapping it off before applying.  A light, light hand is the best option for this.  I have been applying a slight dusting over my cheekbones and temples and following it with some blush and I have found it gives me a healthy glow.  When blended out this looks lovely, but I cannot stress enough that a little goes a long way.  I can see this bronzer lasting forever, which makes it seem better value as it is usually £23.50, although I think I paid around £17 for it from Buyapowa.

Verdict

Is it a holy grail product?  I'm not so sure and it is certainly not a must have for me, merely a nice product to own which adds an additional dimension to my makeup.  However, with practised application, I can see this becoming almost a staple during the summer and it will last forever.

4/5

Price - £23.50

Where to Buy - Benefit, Boots, Debenhams, John Lewis, ASOS, Feel Unique