All Natural Bath Time with Isla Apothecary

*this post contains press samples. all views are my own

When I was contacted by Isla Apothecary I was immediately fascinated to hear that the whole range is handmade by it's founder Kate Protopapas in her London studio. At a time when as much as the consumer is more keen to learn and buy more plant-based and natural products I welcomed an opportunity to test for myself a product that isn't just using a clever choice of words in their marketing campaigns but indeed stands by their commitment to use 'natural, ethically-sourced, and where possible organic ingredients'.

Their philosophy begins with their product packaging which to my mind balance a vintage apothecary vibe versus the modern day love of rose gold and makes them perfectly instagramable. Beyond aesthetics products are housed in jars and bottles which can be reused and recycled and there are is no excessive packaging such as a box in a box.

The products I received were the Himalayan Salt Soak and Blood Orange and Vanilla Scrub products that clearly draw on Isla Apothecary's desire to deliver an aromatherapy experience as soon as you open the jars and smell the scent.

Starting with the Himalayan Salt Soak which does come in at a somewhat pricey £21 designed to create an 'aromatic bathing ritual' and 'coax radiance from the outside and cleanse from within'. It seems everyone is sharing stories of late about epsom salts and their restorative properties.

Isla Apothecary Himalayan Salt Soak contains Patchouli Oil which as well encouraging cell grown is well suited to 'mature skin' which sounded fantastic (read wanting to believe I'd step out of the body of a Victoria Secrets model). Unfortunately Patchouli is a scent I do not enjoy and and Isla Apothecary haven't convinced me otherwise. Not have the benefits of 'improved circulation, balanced body pH' as such convinced me that I enjoy bath salts of any kind. For me I found that the salts sat at the bottom of the bath and whilst not enough to be too unpleasant I would be aware they were there so this product was a thumbs down only due to my personal preferences.

The Blood Orange and Vanilla Sugar Scrub I loved and referring back to my earlier comments this is 100% Natural and 99% Organic. Without stating the obvious the blood orange scent is strongly evident and as a big fan of citrus scents it was a major tick from me.

Organic raw cane sugar is used to create this product and it feels luxuriously homemade in comparison to the body scrub I am familiar with. At bath time I scoop a handful and buff at my skin and despite it's raw qualities the additions of Shea butter and oils such as Coconut, Peach and Vitamin E condition skin whilst providing a barrier against water loss and avoid the exfoliation process feeling unpleasant.

It is a gloriously luxurious product and one I've certainly enjoyed using but at £13 I'm not certain I would hit 'buy now' to replace but were I to come across it in person I would definitely consider picking it up again.

If you're looking for products which really do tick the 'all natural' box and indeed are a fan of a luxury bathing experience Isla Apothecary is certainly a brand to look into. 

2017 FAVOURITE FAVOURITES | PART 2

*this post contains affiliate links and/or press samples

If we can all just overlook my New Year 'announcements' about my posting schedule and indeed the lack of any posts since that very announcement and instead dive into Part 2 of my yearly favourites. Yes it may be woefully overdue but it is (April!) favourites time.

Once again my review of 2017 favourites features items that were very much staples throughout the year. Everyone approaches their yearly favourites different whether only speaking of new releases from that year or items that featured in monthly favourites. For my review I like to reference the products that were picked up repeatedly, not just over one or two months but over the course of that year.

All that said my first two favourites were a 2017 release, They're Real Double The Lip from Benefit*. A quirky innovative product that features a teardrop shaped bullet in two complimenting shades. The darker tip provides your liner and the fuller end fills in your lip. Admittedly I haven't paid much attention to the application process and it's been the shades Revved Up Red and Nude Scandal that I've enjoyed. Revved Up Red is the perfect everyday red shade, not too bright but enough pigment to have my favoured red lip in evidence. The 'USP' of this release was it's method of tilting the lip bullet to apply your lip liner and then using the fuller part to fill the lip. For me I tend to just apply in one go and find it works well enough although as wear has applied the teardrop shaped has rounded so even if I were to use the application method (and indeed my application is reason enough for the shape to change) it wouldn't quite work. And more sadly as I reached for Revved Up Red last week the bullet, which is thinner than your regular lipstick actually snapped leaving me devastated. Now I'm slightly torn with whether to replace or rely on the other 3973729576 red lipsticks I own!

Another favourite which is reached for when the Autumn season arrives but is still being reached for as recently as last week is Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Plum Rose. This Milani lipstick feels oddly nostalgic in so much as it feels like the traditional lipsticks I knew and loved in my younger years. The packaging isn't anything special and the lipstick formula is rich and creamy. Not matte, not a liquid lipstick just a good old lipstick. The shade Plum Rose is described as a rich mauve but on the pink end of the scale. You're wearing lipstick but its an obvious subtle shade which I find more wearable than a nude.

When I did want a nude it was Burts Bees Lip Shimmer in Peony I'd reach for. I think I saw this on Alessandra Steinherr and was instantly taken with it as if I'm wearing a nude lip I like a pink tone. On that note Mac Syrup has been another and longterm favourite and recently repurchased. Both shades are easy wearable Pinks. The cliched 'your lips but better'  and really I'm inclined to abandon any other nude shades and stick with these. Burts Bees as the name suggests has a shimmer whereas Mac Syrup whilst a lustre is more subtle. Both these shades compliment the rare occasions I wear a heavier eye look or more likely the days I wanted to wear lipstick but didn't want the full impact of a red or similar.

The final in the lip pick for 2017 is a strange one because its a favourite on one hand and troublesome on the other. To explain the Clarins Lip Comfort Oil hit the beauty scene and everyone was in raptures and I was somewhat bemused at 'how good could it really be'. I then received a sample and first couple of uses I felt that it was nice but still didn't join the bandwagon. As I'm in the continued state of wanting to use what I have before I'm able to purchase others I had this sitting atop my dressing table and would apply as part of my morning and evening skincare regimes and watched my lips transform from a dry mess that I finally saw what everyone was raving about.

So impressed was I that I decided to purchase in it's full size, picking Red Berry to add a tint to my lips and I once again swayed from loving and hating the product in equal measure. I certainly found Red Berry stickier than the one I'd previously used and in part due to my lip colour found it didn't so much as add any colour apart from some pooling around my lip line. I also wasn't a fan of the large sized applicator, prefer a more traditional size, the larger seeming to make far too much mess and cause wastage. I still found the quality of the product itself and the benefits to my lips outweighed any of my gripes and I would buy again, just perhaps in the traditional 'shade'.

Perhaps my stand out product of 2017 and even into 2018 has been Milani's Luminiso Blush. A cult blogger favourite that I've myself mentioned many times on these pages it's a fail safe blush which accompanies any make up look. On appearance it's a peach shade but leans enough to the pink to make it a colour I enjoy to wear. There is a shimmer but not sparkle that suit my mature skin and it's pigmented enough to make a statement without being overbearing. On my trip to the US last year I picked up a replacement as unfortunately the product outlasted the packaging and it was making transporting it cumbersome and I didn't want to find myself in a situation where it became damaged and I was left without.

Finally it's my mascara favourite, all from L'Oreal who have become, if not always been my go to brand for mascara and last years picks were; Volume Million So Couture, False Lash Sculpt and Lash Paradise. Volume Million and False Lash Sculpt were a duo I enjoyed together, the former a fave alone for simple looks. The favourite for long volumised lashes was Lash Paradise and I agree with all the rave reviews but for the fact on me it does have some fall out but there are few mascaras that I don't suffer that fate with.

Sorry this post took so long for me to hit publish on and indeed I do hope I can pick up with some more regularly blogging in coming weeks - I've missed it.

2017 Fragrance Favourites

If you were to ask my holy grail fragrance it would be Chanel Coco Mademoiselle but two favourites this year that always make me smile and bring about a waft of memories are those that I reach for as the seasons change.

As the leaves turn orange and a chill in the air beings I bring out Jo Malone Ginger Biscuit and I am instantly ready for the fun that Autumn brings and indeed the festive season. Original released in 2013 as part of the Sugar and Spice Collection it was an instant hit but alas Limited Edition. Thankfully my prayers were answered when it was added to the line up of returning fragrances available only in London's Regent Street store.

I defy anyone to not find themselves licking their lips at the description of Ginger Biscuit from Jo Malone website 'Just-baked biscuit. Spiced with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon, melting into caramel. Butter crumbly with roasted hazelnuts. Warmed by tonka bean and vanilla. Irresistible.' literally good enough to eat.

This scent certainly has a sweetness but with an spiciness that makes it mature and warm and just perfect for this time of year. It's strong without being too overpowering and lasts well into the evening after it's first spritz. I am slowly coming to the end of this bottle so I will look forward to marking the arrival of Autumn this year with a trip to purchase a new bottle.

Summer still seems so far away but when it does indeed arrive I will be jumping straight back onto the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess bandwagon. I first picked up a bottle two Summers ago and have finished off one bottle already but I'm lucky enough to have a new bottle lined up ready to go but will once again make a plea that they offer a travel sized version.

It's everything cliched about scent for the Summer months yet with an anything but cliched finish. Again like Ginger Biscuit it's different from the fragrances I'd usually wear but it just works so perfectly for the warmer months and reminds me now of so many holidays I have been on.

What scents have you loved in 2017 or indeed are you looking forward to trying in 2018?

*this post contains affiliate links

2017 FAVOURITE FAVOURITES | PART 1

Today's review of favourite make up products from 2017 is quite interesting as 2017 was very different for my due to spending half of the year not working and the other half finding my feet in my job and getting back into waking to an alarm and getting myself into the office on time.

For those reasons the type of make up products I was using varied more than they would usually depending on what I might be doing beyond the routine of 'office make up' and also the fact I spent much of the time putting myself on a spending ban of sorts and committing myself to using the products that I actually owned or decluttering them.

I also looked back on my 2016 Favourites (Part 1 and Part 2) and there were one or two duplicates so rather than repeat them here I'll be doing a 'Where Are They Now' post next week so please look out for that.

I tried one or two new primers in 2017 including GOSH Primer Plus and Lottie London Insta Filter Power Eraser Stick but it's Benefit Porefessional I've returned to for the most part of the year. Whilst I know many aren't a fan due to it's silicone texture it's one I find that works best for me and smooths out the appearance of my pores before applying foundation. In the latter months I've been using this combined with a small sample of Wet n Wild Focus Photo Primer which despite being the Matte Version feels hydrating to my skin and gives the boost of moisture I need as my skin leads to dry at this time of year. I'm still keeping to my 'spending ban' in 2018, certainly until I visit the US again in April, but Benefits new release, Porefessional Pearl Primer may be the product to break it.

As I mentioned above my make up choices changed whilst I wasn't working and none more so than with the products I'd reach for as my base. When working full time of a weekend I will happily pop to the supermarket without a stitch on but whilst I was 'unemployed' I found my errand running and the fact I had some time on my hands did call for a little more coverage but certainly not one that would be too heavy and unnecessary. As part of my decluttering I decided to return to ByTerry Light Expert Click Brush* which if you refer to my initial review will possibly shudder at how old.

I had actually purchased this product in its original version and was then invited to it's relaunch event but due to the products light coverage it wasn't a product I would reach for day to day when working and again as I've said at a weekend I tend to be make up free but that meant it was the perfect product for those days when I wanted 'that help'. Interestingly the more I've used it on those days of 'unemployment' I've reached for it even on days in the office when I just wasn't interested in bothering with make up but didn't want to scare anyone! It really does give a velvety look and feel to the skin and if you want to fool people into think you're fresh faced this is the product to look at.

I'm torn between suggesting it's overpriced at £48 and then looking at the product I have left to use (just under half) and acknowledging it's had some very regular usage over the past year (in fact it was my base of choice for this past weekend celebrating New Year with friends at an AirBnb) and last such a long time when you consider it made an appear in March 2017's favourites post.

Last month I hit publish on a blog post featuring some new favourites under £6, one of which was The Ordinary Coverage Foundation, and if I had indeed published a December Favourites this would have been in it. Since I purchased it has been my go to foundation for daily use and looks natural with a medium coverage. It doesn't particularly last long after a day in the office so for those evenings I'm heading out, or indeed when I was running around London all day on job interviews or more recently when I knew I'm heading out for Christmas drinks I'll apply Chanel Le Teint Ultra Tenue Ultrawear Flawless Foundation, one of Chanels fuller coverage and long lasting foundations. For this reason it's not something I want to wear every day nor take the time to apply it as easily as I can the two previous products I've mentioned (those work well just using fingers) but it's my go to since they reformulated Make Up Forevers HD Foundation which was my original holy grail.

Finally are two products that I didn't instinctively think to include because I've allocated them in my own filters as 'Summer products' and certainly two that work as a duo, Bare Minerals Foundation in shade Medium Beige and B. Pro Contour Stick* in Universal Shade.

Bare Minerals Foundation is an old favourite with the B. Contour Stick being a new introduction this year. I favour the contour shade rather than the highlight and like that it is thinner than other contour sticks I've used in the past so ideal especially for contouring the nose. Applied first I then blend with the mineral foundation and it creates the perfect coverage and base for warmer days - it's just unfortunate I find it cumbersome of travelling with.

That brings part one to a close, what favourite products featured in your 2017 round up?

*this post contains press samples and affiliate links

Happy New Year | 2018

Happy New Year - is there anything more satisfying than it beginning on a Monday?

I'm not typically one for reflective nor goal setting posts for my blog and I have sat in front of the laptop trying to put something of it's sort together and it does not appear to be happening. Yes I could offer some platitudes about my intentions for these pages but quite simply my only goal is to return to the more frequent blogging of previous years.

The good news for me is that whilst I've not found myself actually writing and hitting publish on posts I have still been working in background taking photos with the intention of sharing them so some of the hard work has been done.

For the next month I hope to publish on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as I think that will work well with my lifestyle - time will tell and before I fail on the aforementioned schedule and the final hours of the first day of the new year slip away I shall hit publish and wish you all the best for 2018 - lets see where it takes us.