Archive for the ‘Product Reviews’ Category

23 November 2011: 13:40

A sensitive man comes to Westfield London

For all you sensitive men out there (come on, we know you’re out there… ) there’s a special new product coming to Westfield London but it won’t be available in stores – oh no – you’ll have to buy it from a special automated retail outlet (think vending machine for beauty).

So here’s the scoop (excuse the pun) on the Scoop Sensitive Man range: it’s a 100% natural, fairtrade grooming range for men.  The range is comprised of a shaving soufflé (£15.50), exfoliating face mask (£25) and moisturising calm balm(£25) and includes shea butter, cocoa butter and avocado.  The essential oils of patchouli, sandal wood, rose, jasmine and carrot oil have antiseptic, skin firming and de-stressing properties.  There’s also olive oil and calendula extract which deeply nourishes skin and deliver anti-inflammatories to soothe during and after shaving, providing a total skin care experience in one.

Expect to see the unit installed on the 1st December 2011!

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10 November 2011: 15:07

Confidence in a little blue bottle from Chanel

Product: Le Vernis Nail Colour in Satin Blue, Chanel


Available from: House of Fraser

Price:£17.50

What it claims to do:
Intense colour and high gloss polish designed to be a real nailcare product, it respects the fragile nature of your nails. The original formula ensures rapid drying and lasting hold. LE VERNIS has an original formula, exclusive to CHANEL, composed of special resins. 

Review:
I don’t go for dark colours on my nails preferring to go for pinks, oranges and nude shades as darker shades tend to make me think of teenagers experimenting with that gothic phase but, as a teenager I didn’t experiment with Chanel.  The blue satin is so dark in the bottle it looks like black, but when on the nails the colour (which requires just one coat) is a deep, dark midnight blue with a delicate pearlescence that makes it feminine, but bold.   For me a nail polish is meant to complement your outfit but I found myself wanting to dress to match the mood of the nails.  The shade is strangely empowering and just beautiful.  I can’t recommend it enough to those who want something special in their make up box.

Final verdict
This is my go to power colour.  For important days when you need to exude confidence turn to Chanel.

Reviewed by Anna

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25 July 2011: 09:56

Who needs a beach? Holiday at home essentials

It’s July, very nearly August.  We should be basking in the sun, making sandcastles and wearing floaty dresses.  Alas, last week we wore umbrellas and, some of us even resorted to coats and tights.  Tights.  In July.  Wrong.  So, we’ve come up with an ingenius way to fake the holiday at home.  Here are some of the delights in store that make us think we’re somewhere far prettier than reality.

Bobbi Brown Beach, £21, House of Fraser. 
A blend of aloe vera, olive, jojoba and Sunflower oils plus green tea and antioxidants, this moisturiser reduces peeling and prolongs the life of the tan if you are lucky enough to be on holiday.  If not, the scent of beach will make you feel like you are.


Beach Walk Yankee candle, £18.45, Debenhams.   Refreshing salt water and sea musk warmed with sunny notes of tangerine and orange blossom take your living room out of England and imagine just outside your door the sea is lapping up to a sandy beach.

India Hicks Island Living Lotion, £20, House of Fraser.    Pretend you’re in the tropics with Crabtree & Evelyn India Hicks Spider Lily Body Lotion silkens skin with tropical mango seed oil, hibiscus flower and honey extracts and leaves it delicately scented with a refreshing tropical green fragrance. 

 

Tropical Tranquility Radox Summer Smoothies, £1.40, Boots.    The tropics in a £1.40 tube has to be the best bargain holiday in a tube we’ve seen. The luxorious coconut shower smoothie with crushed almonds and myrrh is just delicious.

 Beach Bars, £5.50,  LushWith Sandstone, to make you think of cocktails at the beach, and a slice of Sea Vegetable, which takes you to the calm of the cool seas with seaweed, lavender and lime these beach bars are holiday at home essentials.

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17 July 2011: 09:50

Handbag essential: Mocha rose lip balm

Product: Rosebud Mocha Rose Lip Balm 

Available from: House of Fraser

Price: £8.00

What it claims to do:

Rosebud Perfume Co. Mocha Rose Lip Balm is a trade secret blend of Essential Oils, Shea Butter and Vitamin E in a special Petrolatum base. Infused with the coffee shop flavours of mocha, chocolate, and vanilla. Its aromatic properties practically burst out of the tin when you open it.

Review:

Lip balm, like hand cream is a handbag and bedside table essential.  I live in fear of dry hands and lips and admittedly panic a little when I find there isn’t any to hand.  But I’ve never been fussy, as long as it moisturises and isn’t too gloopy I’m happy.  This lip balm though is something I love carrying around in my handbag, not just as a necessity and something I love using, not just something that stops me getting dry and angry.  It does the job but instead of looking medicinal and boring, the retro packaging is gorgeous and the smell is delicious. 

Final verdict

A side table and handbag essential which smells and looks so much prettier than any other pot out there.

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1 June 2011: 13:00

The perfect skin illusion. Thanks Clarins.

Product: Clarins Skin Illusion

  

 

Available from: House of Fraser

Price: £24.00

What it claims to do:

A light reflecting hydrating foundation that perfectly combines mineral and plant active ingredients to create a natural looking complexion. The unique blend of active skin care ingredients continuously hydrates and protects. Your skin, only better.

Review:

I’ve never been big on foundation for the day.  I’m more of a tinted moisturiser with a little concealer, maybe some powder for the day kind of girl with foundation as the base for more full on evening make up.  But I’ve been looking to change that for a while since, well, it seems the right thing to do toward the latter end of my twenties. While tinted moisturiser won’t cut I don’t want to look too made up. 

I’ve always liked Clarins skincare products but have to admit they weren’t massively on my radar for make up so I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried this foundation.  It feels light and needs only a pea-sized blob to cover the entire face.  It’s mineral which feels better on the skin and it blends perfectly.

So the ultimate test: I wore it to lunch with friends keeping the rest of my make up light.  Not one of them commented on how great my foundation was.  All of them commented on how great my skin looked.  I pretended it was plenty of water and good diet.   

Final verdictAn excellent foundation for natural-looking but very effective coverage.  A little goes a long way and it lasts all day, is a very good base for concealer and blush and feels like a second skin.  A real beauty investment.

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31 January 2011: 10:52

Bobbi Brown launches Extra Repair Serum

Your grandmother will probably tell you that in her day all she used to wash her face with was a bit of soap and water, none of this mambypampy stuff you get today.

Yes, well while she may be wise, until we’ve found a soap that contains toner, moisturiser, exfoliator and pumps our skin full of vitamins and antioxidants as well as being a suitable cleanser there’s just no way that advice is going to stick.

We’re beauty product addicts in the Westfield office, trying out creams, cleansers and make up to our skin’s, if not our granny’s, delight and when we hear of a new product on the market we get a little excited.  Currently exciting us is Bobby Brown with news of a serum to add to their already substantial skincare offering.

The Extra Repair Serum rolls out nationwide next month at House of Fraser, priced at £60, and contains Vitamin C and a peptide which supposedly can help soften the look of lines and wrinkles over time. Our beauty panel is on the case.  Will report back as soon as we’ve tried it!

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27 January 2011: 10:37

Winter TLC from L’Occitane

While our livers and waistlines are quite enjoying January, our skin absolutely hates it.   The central heating is making it dry while the lack of sunlight also means our make up has got that little bit heavier, something our pores are not too happy about. Too cold outside, too hot inside: our skin is confused and craving a little love. Thankfully, L’Occitane has come up with something which goes along way to appeasing it. 

One of our favourite products has always been the Ultra Rich Face Cream from L’Occitane. With its silky smooth texture and pleasant, not overpowering, scent it keeps skin moisturised for hours thanks to the high concentration of shea butter. Now L’Occitane are including a scrub with it as as part of a Magical Face Care Duo which makes it the perfect combo for confused skin at winter at a very reasonable £35.

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6 January 2011: 17:00

Transitional nails: nude

As you may know we love our bold nail colours here at Westfield HQ but sometimes we do like to keep our fingernails a little more understated.  Rather than forgoing nail colour altogether we’ve decided to invest in some understated colour for the inbetween season we like to call Winter-Spring.  Complementing this season’s camel and mink shades while working perfectly with next season’s all whites and brights, here are some of our favourite nudes.

Dior Vernis in Nude Chic, £17.50, House of Fraser, Nails Inc in Basil Street, £11, Debenhams, Revlon Nude Chic, £3.99, Boots

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24 December 2010: 12:29

Four festive beauty tricks

We have to admit that while this month is doing wonders for our social lives it’s playing havoc with our beauty regime.  Too much partying, not enough nutrients – mince pies, mulled wine and big festive red cup lattes contain none of your five a day and more than your recommended daily allowance of everything bad – and all part and parcel of the holdays.  But rather than be antisocial or celebrate the festive season with water and carrot sticks we’ve decided to fake it.  Here are three of our best seasonal beauty tricks.


Estee Lauder Spotlight Skintone Perfector, £25, House of Fraser

This sheer lotion is designed to make you look healthy and glowing so even after Christmas Eve’s frivolity you can face the family on Christmas Day looking rested and serene.  Apart from the one-off effect this product has the added benefit of working over time to give you even more of a glow with its high dosage of anti-oxidants.

Charles Worthington mineral hair rescue, £5.49, Boots

We might not have time to get to the salon for a full makeover but we’ve got 15 minutes to give our hair a little TLC.  Charles Worthington’s mineral hair rescue is a bargain at £5.49 and, when combined with a hot towel treatment – directions: take one towel, heat it, wrap it on head – this is a real treat for your tresses.

This Works Tired Eye Serum, £30, Boots

One of the most obvious signs of a late night or a series of late nights is of course the tell-tale dark circles under the eyes.   Sleep and plenty of water are one way of battling the dreaded dark eye but if that’s not an option we’ve found something which is almost as good. 


Bobby Brown, Treatment Lip Shine, £17, House of Fraser

While winter has its obvious high points, few will avoid the dreaded cold particularly as our immune systems get a bit of a battering at the hands of the parties and if, like us, your body sees a holiday coming and says – aha, that’ll be my cue to get ill now – chapped lips are a given so a moisturising lipstick that stays put without drying out is a must.  We love Bobby Brown’s Treatment lip shine, lipstick which doubles up as a moisturiser for lips.

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20 December 2010: 09:43

Clinique Super Moisture Foundation

Product review: Clinique Super Moisture Foundation

Available from: House of Fraser

Price:  £20

What it claims to do:
Ultra-creamy yet refreshingly lightweight formula goes beyond flaw-fixing, acting as skin’s undercover moisture agent for a dewy look. Disguises unevenness with sheer-to-moderate coverage. Instantly puts drier skins at ease. Skin looks soft and radiant all day.

Review:
I spent years searching for a foundation that offered coverage but didn’t look caked on; that stayed put throughout the day but didn’t dry out your skin.  This one, for me, does everything I need it to.  It makes the skin look flawless while looking natural. There’s no residue and it does indeed leave a dewy but not greasy look.   While the tube looks small for what you pay, you only need to use a tiny pea size amount for all over coverage which lasts all day. 

Final verdict
This has become one of my essential items and I haven’t yet found a foundation that compares.   Worth every penny.

Reviewed by Anna

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