When I first met my husband I was at university and he was a restaurant review for a what's-on-in-London website and I thought he was incredibly glamorous and he used to complain that he was always having to do Valentine's Day reviews at Christmas and Christmas in July and I thought he was a moaning miny. Now he's a consultant and I am a blogger and so it's me that spent quite a lot of a very hot July going to Christmas events and trying to take endless notes and photo's so I don't forget all the festive wonder before it all comes out in July.
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| Some of the gorgeous palette's from Paul & Joe |
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| Limited edition Lipstick compacts from Paul & Joe |
I don't usually write about events that I've been to as I think it's a bit weird but Dowal Walker PR did such a fun Christmas preview last week that I thought it was worth a mention. A major perk of this job is you do occassionally get your hands on some fabulous samples to try out and this Christmas event was no different - we were given empty bags when we arrived and told to take anything we wanted from the huge glass bowls dotted around the rooms. Sadly I was on 'mum-time' so only managed to arrive half an hour before the end when there was hardly anything left (I have suggested goody bags be made up for those who have to do bath time before they are able to get out). However I still came away with some amazing things to try out and was blown away by their amazing client list and the products I tried out on the night.
I am a huge fan of
Paul & Joe Beaute, not just for the show-stopping packaging every product I've tried has been fantastic quality and worth the money I paid for it - it's rare to find a brand that does both so well. We got really cute kitten make-up bags to take away with us and a sneak peak at the up-and-coming products they have on offer this Christmas including new limited edition lipsticks and cases, lip concealer pencils (a must have) and Lip Liner duo's.
Nails Inc have collaborated with It Girl Alexa Chung to bring out a range of incredible nail colours for Christmas. I tend not to focus on nails so I probably wouldn't have noticed these had I not gone to the event but the sparkle colours are absolutely gorgeous, fun and sophisticated. Sadly I missed all the samples though did manage to get some Gel Effect Top Coat which I'm hoping will be a more reasonably priced dupe for the Dior one which was huge last year.
HealGel is taking the makeup and skincare world by storm and this was the first chance I'd had to actually try some out. For those who don't know
HealGel is an aqueous gel with active ingredients created by plastic surgeons and dermatological biochemists who wanted to create a range of skincare that actually worked to soothe, repair and protect the skin. They have just bought out HealGel Body and I tried their world-renowned HealGel face which seemed lovely (though applied to the back of my hand). Can't wait to try more of this.
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| Fell in love with this Japonesque palette |
Percy & Reed are by far and away my favourite company for haircare products - if it was easier to get hold of I would never use any
dry shampoo but theirs. One of the samples I did manage to pick up was the
Shine & Fragrance spray and this smells
divine. Perfect for the morning after the night before, giving your hair a spritz when you are going out straight from work or as a present for a pregnant friend - I hated my hair smelling of cooking smells when I was pregnant so this spray would have been a godsend.
So those were my favourite picks of the night from brands I do know. I was also introduced to
Grown Alchemist - a new organic skincare range and their
Vanilla and Orange Peel hand cream is to die for. Free from artificial chemicals their products focus on a whole range of needs from anti-aging, anti-blemish and dryness to redness, oily skin and uneven skin tone. Definitely a brand to try out.
Well that didn't last long did it. I still really like it but my god, from first second the Hand Chemistry Intense Youth Complex hand cream hit my skin I was completely in love. It had an immediate effect on my hands an they still look younger even though I haven't used it for four days. By younger I mean smoother, with more of a glow and generally healthier looking. Ever since my friend Lucy ('Hi Lucy' *waves at Provence*) said she never did the washing up without gloves because it made your hands look old I have been pretty obsessed with not letting my hands age. I'm going to send her a tube of this asap (coals to Newcastle I know, when she is living in France, but still)...
I have spent the last decade (more?) looking for the perfect hand cream. And I have tried some really great ones, some terrible ones too of course, but some that are so close to perfect and yet, just not quite good enough. This isn't a big announcement that I've found the Holy Grail of hand creams but this is as close as I've come and teamed with the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream my poor over-washed, over-anti-bacterialed hands have been in pretty good shape for the past couple of months.
I'm very fussy about hand cream. Partly because I have severe hand vanity and I'm sure that any day now I will wake up with the hands of an 80 year gardener and partly because I have such dry skin it's very difficult to find anything that actually works for me. I have incredibly dry skin and I'm constantly washing and drying them, either through make-up work, feeding my son or cooking. I use rubber gloves when I do the washing up but I can't wear them all the time and I refuse to be one of those people that goes to bed in gloves. So I need something that is going to be non-greasy, quickly absorbed and actually make a difference to my wizened old paws. 
ually apply the day before my skin will be all cracked in the mornings when I wake up. Not any more not only did my hands remain smooth and soft over the entire weekend without me needing to use any other hand cream (the Boots cream is on my desk at work) my nails are notably more shiny and strong. I don't know how they do it. Now even though this is the case and from now on I will always have some on my desk or at home, L'Occitane's Shea Butter hand cream is still technically my favourite - what's not to like the packaging is fantastic, it has the best smell of any hand cream in the world... OK so the £6.85 price tag isn't great (and that's for the travel size) but I think the overall package is worth it (I never said I was a rational girl). So you don't need to break the bank to smooth up this January - try it out, it's a miracle worker.
A really quick look at what you could win this month to celebrate the blog turning 10 this year.