Origins GinZing Eye Cream

I took my first dip into the Origins pool at Christmas. As a student, I never spent a large amount of money on skin care but since graduating, it's been a new focus. I am taking on board the thought process of the French: invest in products that will help your skin; not just cover up the problems.

With that in mind, I believe a good eye cream is an essential product. They say your eyes are the window to the soul and with none of us getting any younger, a product to help delay those tell tale lines is truly a girl's best friend!

I decided on Origins' GinZing offering I will admit, mainly due to 'blogger enabling'. I had read and listened to numerous reviews that sung this product's praises. I was entranced by its promise to de-puff via its caffeine-loaded formula and instantly brighten dark circles. As a sufferer of the dreaded shadows, it seemed like a potential HG product. 5 months down the line and unfortunately I'm not so sure....

I have to give GinZing its due - it does what it says on the tin. It's brightening and refreshing; it makes your eyes feel soothed and drastically more awake looking than when you first rolled out of bed. However, I feel it does this in more of a cosmetic way than an actual skin care way. The reasoning for this is that it is packed full of light reflecting particles which results in it being basically a creamy highlighter. Used sparingly it has the effect of brightening the eyes but if you apply too much, you look like you've smeared a cheap shimmery product all over your eyes in an attempt to cover your dark circles. Not ideal!

I find it also has limited moisturing power and by the middle of the day, my eyes look very dry - making those little lines a tad too pronounced for my liking! This is however, not really Origins fault as it never promises GinZing to be anything more than an instant fix.

Overall, this product is not for me. It doesn't live up to my new French ideals as it is purely a top layer product that will have no lasting results. I do like it, and with a four star rating, it's safe to say many others do too but at £21.00, it is nowhere near as heavy duty as I would like.

And so, the eye cream search goes on. I have been trialling a few different lotions and potions but that's for another day...!

NB Apolgoies for the stock photo; technology is proving to be a bit of an issue at the moment. Normal business will resume shortly!

In Style Peach Sorbet

Since my last haul of the nail polish variety, I was determined they would be the last purchases for a while.  Then I saw In Style's latest issue and well, the rest is history!

Nails Inc latest freebie offerings (they are so good to us!) come in 3 beautiful Spring-appropriate shades and as soon as I saw the selection, I knew Peach Sorbet had to be mine.  The name conjures up a colour that is delicate, pretty and feminine; and the result is just that.

As for the application, the first layer results in a surprisingly pigmented and opaque finish, although some-what streaky.  After a second coat, the colour is truly opaque and could well be left here - as I have done on my toes - but I did apply a third and final coat to ensure no streaks.  After a top layer with Seche Vite, you are left with a beautiful and glossy light peach shade that is nude in some lights and slightly pink in others.  It is almost like a peachy cousin of OPI's Mod About You; creamy and very light but with enough colour that it stops your hands looking like a corpse and will also look amazing offset with a deep tan.

I think this is going to have to be a shade that I will buy multiple copies of the same magazine for.  I want back ups of this and for the price of £3.80, it'd be rude not to!

xxx

Instagram Part 2

1.  My Essie Spring haul. Which contains my new all-time favourite shade - keep your eyes peeled for a post soon!  2.  Little blue box.  So cute it has to be out on display.  3.  Fan di Fendi.  My current favourite perfume.  4.  When caught in a downpour, Nero came to the rescue.  70% cream, 30% hot chocolate - just how I like it!  5.  Beautiful blossom in Camden.  6.  Girls' Night!  7.  Saturday night in wouldn't be complete without a Domino's.  8.  Cocktails  9.  Naughty maccas.  10.  Louis.  11.  Thursday's preppy styling.  Sperry Topsider - as seen on Rose aka The Londoner - dupes.  12.  Double Wear re-purchase and Summer appropriate yellow nail varnish.  13.  Trialling new Lauder skin care.  14.  Saturday night's face.  15.  Essie heaven in Superdrug's Marble Arch Store  16.  Prezzo's goats' cheese salad; food of the gods.

Please link me to your Instagram posts - I am truly obsessed!

xxx

Essie Spring Haul

Essie is by far one of my favourite nail polish brands.  Every so often, I log on to eBay and cannot resist placing an order from the states and then waiting for my new dainty bottles to arrive.

Thankfully, the UK's very own Superdrug has now started to stock the brand.  Although not in every store, if you are able to pay a visit to the Marble Arch branch, you will be in Essie heaven!  Now that I'm a London girl, my purchases will no doubt be from here.  The result?  Instant Essie gratification and a new redesigned brush meaning easier application and less streakage - what more could you want ;)

This will therefore probably be my last US Essie haul - but oh boy, it's a good one!

Van D'Go, Ballet Slippers, A Crewed Interest

As you can see, my nail polish choices this season are much like my fashion choices - neutral, delicate and pretty.  (I'm leaving the neon trend for the hipsters..)  So far, I have applied Ballet Slippers and despite the painstaking application - this will be one to buy with the new brush - the finished result is beautiful.  Simple and elegant - perfect for Spring!  Now, we just need for the weather to catch up.....

xxx

St Moriz Instant Self Tanning Lotion

Many moons ago, when my blog was a lot younger, I posted quite a few fake tan reviews with the most recent being St Moriz mousse. Since then, there have been no more reviews. Rest assured, I am still very much a serial faux-tanner but the St. Moriz gave me everything I looked for in a tan, so I didn't feel the need to branch out. At just a few pounds a bottle, my previous faves - Xen-Tan and St. Tropez were blown out of the water!

However, the time has come for a new favourite to take over!

Same brand; different tan.

The St. Moriz lotion, like it's mousse counterpart, is heralded as an instant tan. However, do not be fooled! On application, you will look like the mud monster but after a minimum of 4 hours and a quick shower, you'll look like a bronzed goddess for a good few days!

And here are the other reasons I love it so much and why it beat the mousse format to the top spot..

Application

This really is a dream to apply. It glides on effortlessly, skims over all those knobbly knees and elbows and makes you realise just how hard the mousse is to apply.

5 minutes and you're whole body is done - perfect!

Colour

I won't lie, the colour is quite dark but I would say is a happy medium between the original mousse and the dark version and is also much more of a natural olive tone. One application is perfect for me with my natural pale skin but I think it is definitely buildable if you want to be darker!

Staying Power

For me, this is probably the most important aspect of a tan. If I've spent a lot of time prepping my skin and painstakingly applying a product, I want to be happy knowing that it will have longevity; ensuring I don't have to go to all that effort every other day. I also want it to wear evenly so I don't have to worry about covering up unsightly patches or spending hours scrubbing it all off just to start again.

This lotion? Wins in both aspects. With a daily light exfoliation in the shower - which I do religiously - this tan wears beautifully. No patches; no stubborn areas. Just seven days of gradual fading before you're ready to start again. Also, if you do maybe feel like a full body exfoliation, it comes off easily without you having to scrub your skin until it is raw. This is where the mousse falls down, as does Xen-Tan.

Overall

A truly amazing tan. Beautiful colour, simple application and longevity which means it saves so much time and effort. If you are a label junkie like me - do not be put off. The affordable price is not relative to the result. I just stocked up due to the current selling price of 99p in Tesco - after all, it would've been rude not to..!!

Are you a St. Moriz fan? How do you rate the Lotion vs. Mousse? I'd love to know your thoughts!

xxx

H&M Spring Haul

H&M never fails to disappoint, does it?!  I find the quality lies somewhere between Primark and Topshop and thankfully, so does the price.  Zara is by all means probably my favourite high street store but H&M comes a very close second.  It has definitely come on leaps & bounds in the last few years and doesn't have the jumble sale feel it once used to have.  With the Conscious Collection also at the forefront of their latest campaigns - they are the biggest user of organic cotton in the world - you can also feel you're doing some good whilst purchasing your cheaper-than-the average garments!

I grabbed these boots as soon as I saw them as they are exactly what I have been after for some time; a relatively low wedge that I can tuck my jeans into and wear on a daily basis without looking ridiculous tottering around in my usual array of stilettos.  I wore these tonight with my trusty Topshop Leigh jeans and as well as looking stylish, they were ridiculously comfortable.

From the aforementioned Conscious Collection, these blouses are so pretty, beautifully flattering and a steal at £9.99 - so good, I had to buy in multiple colours; it would have been rude not to!

A few other bits also caught my eye - namely the gorgeous collection of bikinis they have this year which had me conjuring up images of sun drenched beaches and crystal clear sea - but I restrained myself; for the moment!

Now, where did I put that holiday brochure....

xxx

Instagram Part 1

1. My beautiful best friend made this for me for a new job/moving to London present.  The clever thing is so creative and talented - I cannot believe she did this for me.  She is an absolute star.

2. Chanel - no words needed..!

3. I cannot get crochet skirts out of my head after seeing this image splashed all over We Heart It/Tumblr/Pinterest.  I've found a yellow one in Zara but it's not quite right.  The hunt continues!

4. A good hair day - my trusty Boots tongs are still going strong.

5. The beautiful weather of last week.

6. Topshop Love bracelet.

7. Hollister and Chanel haul - naughty but oh so nice.

8. Fendi gift set - My favourite perfume of 2012 so far.

9. Dublin.  What is it that is so magical about a Ferris Wheel?

Please let me know your Instagram usernames - I have no shame in admitting, I am an addict!

xxx