La Vie est Belle - Lancome

Hey Ladies!

I have a treat for you today! I was invited to discover Lancôme's new feminine fragrance 'La Vie est Belle' in the presence of the lovely Anne Flipo, fine fragrance perfumer. The birth of Lancôme arose from the dream of an exceptional man with a love for women and French elegance. Armand Petitjean perfumer and cosmetician devoted his life to the dream of giving women the most beautiful things possible. So it comes as no surprise to me, that Lancôme's latest offering 'La Vie est Belle' which in literal translation means 'The beautiful life' proclaims everything I have come to expect from a Lancôme fragrance.

La Vie est Belle was created by the combined talent of three French masters of perfumery Oliver Polge, Anne Flipo and Dominique Ropion. Their aim was to create the first ever feminine tasty iris, a fragrance set somewhere between shadow and light. The notes of this fragrance are, iris, tonka bean, blackcurrant, orange blossom, patchouli, praline and jasmine. Pretty incredible. To me the notes of praline, jasmine and patchouli stand out the most. It is a very sensual perfume. This fragrance pulls you in, it's captivating. I am not kidding when I say a little of this goes a long way, I sprayed it on my wrist at 8pm last night and it was still there this morning. I have NEVER had a fragrance with staying power like this. I think this is thanks, in large part to the fact that it contains almost 50% natural ingredients, a proportion so huge it is scarcely attempted in perfumery nowadays, making this without a doubt Lancôme's most exceptional fragrance yet.

In 1949 Lancôme's founder Armand Petitjean challenged his artistic director to create a bottle that would symbolise the aura of women with that indefinable 'je ne sais quoi'. After many, many sketches George Delhomme finally captured the essence of happiness: the grace of a smile somehow cut into glass. The design would remain in Lancôme's archives for 63 years simply entitled 'Le sourire de cristal' (The crystal smile). Over half a century later we see it come to life in the form of  'La Vie est Belle' the finishing touch to the revered vessel is the most beautiful pearlescent grey organza ribbon tied around it's neck, like a dainty little neck scarf symbolising twin wings of freedom, which I feel is incredibly appropriate as the bottle has been waiting 63 years to reveal itself.

I think this fragrance is one of the most beautiful scents I have come across in a long time, the wear time is nothing short of incredible. It is very distinctive, I have not come across a fragrance like it before, and this coming from someone with well over 50 bottles of perfume is saying something. I wore it today and yesterday and received a multitude of compliments. I can't compare it to anything else Lancôme has released fragrance wise, this one stands out from the pack, it's deeply sensual and mysterious, and incredibly alluring. I am really impressed with what this fragrance has to offer.

So that's it for now ladies!

I hope you enjoyed...

Will you be sampling Lancôme's newest offering?

Tell me your fragrance of the moment!

Until next time

xoxo

Aundrea

La Vie est Belle (EDP), will be available as part of a worldwide exclusive from Brown Thomas on August 1st and from Lancôme counters nationwide from September 1st.

Clarisonic Mia 2 - First Impressions

Hey Ladies

I hope you are all well, I'm excited to share this first weeks review of the Clarisonic Mia 2! I know normally, you could never really give a full review of a product designed for your skin after one week, but honestly, I have been so impressed by this that I thought I would share with you my first impressions and give you the low down on my experience with this, the holy grail of skincare tools for women around the world.

I first thought about purchasing the Clarisonic about 4 years ago, but never went through with it, there was always something that put me off. I think the main reason was because I was never really that bothered about my skincare routine, and this, should I have chosen to buy it was a serious investment. And thats the thing about it, it IS an investment, if I had known then what I know now about skincare I would have had no hesitations. So a little over a week and a half ago, I decided to take the plunge and invest in this. It was always something I came back to looking at. I did my research, about two years worth, I watched YouTube reviews, I read blogposts, I spoke to some friends who had it, and thought this could be what I need to give my skin the boost it needs. If you are a regular reader, you will know the trouble I have had battling my dry skin. I was doing everything right on my part, I was drinking a tonne of water, using the best skincare and makeup but, things just were not working for me, or they would work and then suddenly stop, spending so much money on skincare, and then having it not work can be so upsetting, your makeup doesnt sit right and it can really knock your confidence. This was a last resort on my part, when really, it should have been my first.

The Clarisonic claims to cleanse 6 times better than using your hands alone, this includes any sort of microfibre or muslin cloths, the brush head ascillating over 300 times per second with its micro massage method works with the skin instead of against it, the sonic action removes impurities from the pores and gets rid of all the bad to let the good in. So what have I experienced in the past week? Well, ideally you use the Mia 2 for 1 minute, first apply the cleanser of your choice, wet the brush head, you press the on button and choose your speed, then use it in gentle circular motions for 20 seconds on the forehead, 20 on the nose and chin and ten on each cheek. It's not irratating in the slightest! In fact some days I will do it for 2 minutes, paying particular attention to my problem areas which are between my brows, around my nose, and my chin. after the first use my skin was incredibly soft, all my skincare sank in beautifully and my face just generally felt amazing. After two day of use, all that dry skin in the above mentioned areas? It was gone, I couldnt believe it, I almost cried! It was the most amazing thing, after almost a year of facials and expensive skincare, it was gone.

Another thing I wanted to mention was, that if you happen to be wearing makeup, you must remove it before using the Mia 2, I normally use a Micellaire water to remove my makeup before I apply an actual cleanser for use with this, and just let me tell you... You think your face is clean after removing your makeup? Its not. You would be equally surprised and kind of digusted to see how much remains in your skin after you've removed your makeup. So it just goes to show you, your skincare cant really do its job if it cant get passed that last layer of makeup. My cleansers of choice for use with the Mia are SkinCeuticals Gentle Cleanser and Bia Beauty's Orange & Grapefruit Facial Exfoliant and Cleanser. I generally use my SkinCeuticals 5 times per week, and then Bia Beauty's exfoliating cleanser maybe twice, just to give it that extra clean. The beauty of the Clarisonic Mia is that you can use whatever cleanser you want, it's fantastic. Everything sinks in so much better and you really feel you're getting the full benefit out of your skin care. In one week the difference in my own skin has been nothing short of remarkable. Some people, I have read, tend to go through a purge stage where they experience breakouts but fortunately, that has not been an issue for me, yet! I will keep you updated on that though!

So my final thoughts on the Mia 2? Well after one week I can say that it was totally worth the money, I have no regrets. It's not a chore to use, it's kind of fun. When you look at the good it's doing for your skin, really it's no contest. It's just incredible. I will keep you updated on my Clarisonic journey as it continues!

That's it for now ladies,

I hope you enjoyed,

What are your thoughts on the Clarisonic?

Are you tempted by it?

have you tried it?

As always, let me know below!

Until next time

xoxo

Aundrea

I purchased my Clarisonic Mia 2 from FeelUnique.com for €150.00

I believe it can also be purchased from ASOS.com x

Skincare Indulgence with YON-KA

Hello Ladies,

I hope you are all well, I have been more than a little obsessed with the brand I'll be talking to you about today. Ever since I purchased my Clarisonic, my enjoyment and love of skincare (yes, you read that right) has gone through the roof. Now that I have a better surface to work with, my skin seem to be loving my skincare products, and not only that but I'm feeling the benefits of these particular products on a level that I never have before, and I'm not going to lie, I'm excited. The brand in question? YON-KA.

I'm big on first impressions, and when I opened the box that these arrived in, the first thing I was greeted with was the most beautiful, aromatic scent, the packaging and fragrance literally had me at hello. YON-KA is brand that I have always had my eye on, it's just so luxurious and really, who wouldn't want to pamper themselves with these amazing products? The first of the two kits I was sent was the 'Hydration Kit', the second was the 'Vitality Kit'. The fantastic thing about these kits is that they are 21 Day Trial Kits, but they're also perfect for travelling. Now it says 21 days but I've been using these about a month and I have barely made a dent in them.

The Hydration Kit comes with a 75ml Cleansing lotion for the face and eyes, a 50ml Invigorating Toner, and a 15ml Creme 28 Hydrating moisturiser.The cleanser smells amazing, its a very thick lotion, and you only need about a euro size to cover your entire face and neck. It's beautiful, now I use this with my Clarisonic, and it does the job perfectly, it leaves my face feeling clean, soft and subtle. As I said above I have had this for about a month and with daily use I still have about three quarters of the bottle left. Amazing! The star of both kits for me has to be the Invigorating Toner Mist. If you have ever been for a luxury facial, where you come out feeling relaxed and pampered from the aromatherapy oils used, this is like that, in a spray. I have never had a toner that I just adore using. This smells sensational, the blend of oils and the general scent of it would sent you into a blissful sleep, its just.... to die for. The Creme 28 Hydrating Moisturiser is really lovely, it's luxurious and creamy and as with the others, you really feel like you're pampering your skin. The entire range really is just pure indulgence.

The Vitality Kit is perfect for normal to oily skin. I did give these a good try during our brief spell of good weather as whenever it is unnaturally hot here in Ireland, my normally dry/dehydrated skin seems to turn oily in my t-zone. The difference in the Cleanser in this kit aside from the fact that its targeted at oily skin is the fact that instead of being a cream cleanser its gel. Now, I have heard mixed reports about gel cleansers, that even with oily skin, they can dry out the area. I didn't find that with the cleansing gel, it controlled the oil without drying out my already dehydrated skin. Like all the other YON-KA products it smells fantastic. The toner as I mentioned before, smells absolutely incredible, one thing I love doing is spraying a few pumps of this into clean hands and taking a few deep breaths and then patting this all over my face. It's so good! YON-KA  need to make a candle of this scent, when you smell it, I know you'll agree! The moisturiser that accompanies this kit is the Vital Defence which is an antioxidant cream, which is just as nice as the Creme 28, but I just find that Creme 28 is more suited to my skin needs. I will keep this for travel, and weekends away, I think it will be perfect for that.

Last but by no means least is the incredible Quintessence Aromatic Candle, now I am a candle freak. I just adore them, I buy at least a candle a week and this has been a firm favourite of mine for the past month, the scent is hard to pin down. Now I have perused a few websites trying to find scent descriptions to give you a better idea of what it smells like, and a lot say its like spraying the toner, but I don't think so. When you first open it, a scent very similar to Arnica hits you, but when it's lit, the scent changes completely. There is a definite scent of lavender, geranium, rosemary and thyme. It's packed full of essential oils, and it has a great scent throw which is something I look for in a candle. The combination of essential oils make it a truly beautiful, invigorating scent, perfect for any room in your house, although I tend to favour it in my bedroom, as a little bit of a luxury treat!

So that's it for now ladies,

I hope you enjoyed!

What are your thoughts on the YON-KA range?

Has anything caught your eye?

As always, let me know below!

Until next time

xoxo

Aundrea

Liz Earle - My Top Products

Hey Ladies,

I hope this post finds you well. My love for Liz Earle began about two years ago. I stumbled across a review for the infamous Cleanse and Polish. I had to try it. I rang their customer service to ask for advice on what would be the best products for a first time customer. I purchased the Cleanse and Polish, the Instant Boost Skin Tonic and the Skin Repair Moisturiser.

Liz Earle skincare products will always be in rotation within my skincare routine. It is truly an incredible and unique brand. The products are packaged beautifully, they smell amazing, they contain naturally active ingredients and most importantly, they actually work.

I'll start with the Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. This contains rosemary, chamomile, cocoa butter and eucalyptus essential oil. It is a wonder product in my book and to be honest, I really believe everyone should try it. The smell is absolutely incredible. I find if I'm ever suffering from a headache or sinus infection, putting a generous amount of this on my face and massaging it in works wonders. It comes with a muslin cloth to gently help slough away all the dead skin and makeup. I use this twice, once to remove my makeup and then again to cleanse my face properly.

The Instant Boost Skin Tonic. I cannot stress the importance of adding an alcohol free toner into your skincare routine, it's really not enough to cleanse and moisturise. The great thing about the Instant Boost Skin Tonic is that it come is two forms. A regular bottle and a spray form, both are pictured above. I like to keep the spritz topped up and in the fridge for warmer days (granted they have been few and far between) Keeping your toner cool is a fantastic way to ensure you close your pores after using the hot cloth cleanser. It contains organic aloe vera, calendula, rose scented geranium, cucumber and natural vitamin E.

The Skin Repair moisturiser is a lovely product, it contains borage and avacado oil, echinacea, beta-carotene and natural Vitamin E. Although it did work for my skin two years ago, its not what my skin needs anymore. I think I may need to invest in the Superskin moisturiser at some stage when I have gotten through what remains of this jar.

The Gentle Face Exfoliator is fantastic, it contains eucalyptus, cocoa butter and jojoba beads. Why do I love this exfoliator more than any other? It's very simple. When you have stubborn dry skin, the worst thing you can do it use a scrub that is too harsh or over exfoliate the area. My skin just retaliates and decides to kick up a fuss. The beauty of this product are the Jojoba beads, they gently slough away the dead skin with out being too abrasive and then... they burst! Releasing jojoba oil onto the face. Amazing.

This is a holy grail product for me... The Brightening Treatment Mask. I briefly mentioned this in a previous post about finding the right skincare routine. This product contains organic aloe vera, witch hazel, and purifying white clay. I use this mainly when my skin is dull and has that dead skin look, it's the perfect pick me up I leave this on for 10-15 mins and remove with a pre-heated muslin cloth. The results are truly amazing. I will never be without this in my collection.

The Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask. I use this about once a week and i leave it on overnight for a bit of a moisture surge. It contains St. John's wort, Borage, comfrey and rose scented geranium. It can also be used as a mask but I tend to feel the benefits more when I leave it on overnight.

The Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion is very delicate in working towards revitalising and cleaning the eye area. I find it a lovely little pick me up when my eyes are sore and tired. I also keep this product in the fridge as I find it very soothing when used cold.

Finally on my must have list is the Hand Repair. I would be lost without this little gem. It contains echinacea, hops, pure essential oils and natural vitamin E. This provides my hands with just the right amount of moisture without being greasy. You only need a tiny amount and this pump has lasted me a long time.

So that's it for now ladies.

I hope you enjoyed!

Let me know if you have tried any Liz Earle products.

What's on your wish list?

Until Next Time

xoxo

Aundrea