Orofluido Shine Spray Review

Since I received a beautiful bottle of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Hair Mist for my birthday last year, I have been slightly obsessed with the very idea of hair fragrance. Perfume? For my hair? Amazing!

I very recently went for the big chop and had a lot of my hair cut off, but before I did, I spied the Orofluido Shine Spray on Feel Unique and was very quickly convinced by the reviews gushing about the luscious scent. Truth be told, I didn't really care about the 'shine' part, it was more the promise of delicious amber and vanilla scented hair that had me sold.

I've had the shine spray for about two weeks now and rarely walk past it without having a cheeky spritz. I tell no lie - this stuff is scrumptious.

On the box they say: Beauty shine spray for all hair types that gives your hair an incredible luminosity of pure gold, extraordinary silkiness and control. A radiant and immediate sensual finish. Its light texture allows for a rapid absorption without weighing down your hair. Its delicious amber fragrance with a vanilla foundation will transport you into a fascinating world of oriental perfume.

Ok, while I don't feel that the fragrance transports me into a fascinating world of oriental perfume (that would be kind of terrifying) this product does smell 100% delectable. If, like me, you're a fan of foodie scents, you will love it.

In terms of its central function - adding shine - it certainly does that too and it is quickly absorbed and nothing like spraying on that old school leave in conditioner that saturates your hair. It's more like a fine mist that you can chuck in your handbag (though the bottle is glass) and freshen up your hair any time you like without feeling like you're overloading it with product. It doesn't seem to have magnificent staying power but does keep my hair smelling edible for a good few hours.

This is my first product from Orofluido; though if the rest of the line smells like the Shine Spray, I doubt it will be my last. I got it from Feel Unique where it retails for £11.90, though it was on sale when I ordered it so it was a bit cheaper ;)

Creme de la Mer - Exclusive Smaller Size at House of Fraser

Call me old fashioned but I love me some Creme de la Mer. It's such a thick, luxurious moisturiser and if money were no object, I'd probably have a big pot of the cult cream on my dressing table.

However, at over £100 for a jar of the stuff, it has been a product reserved for true devotees - until now.

I was browsing the House of Fraser site the other day and came across a new, smaller pot of Creme de la Mer at the slightly more affordable price of £60. 

Creme de la Mer 15ml

This new jar is 15ml and previously the smallest jar you could buy here was the 30ml jar for £105. While the 15ml at £60 May not be the best value per ml, it's still a bit more accessible and affordable if you're keen to try the cream!

I'm not sure how long it will be exclusive to House of Fraser but for now it's the only place online I've managed to find it without delving into the unpredictable world of eBay. 

You can find the 15ml pot of Creme de la Mer at House of Fraser here.

Have you tried Creme de la Mer?

Bobbi Brown Extra SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm Review

First of all, if you're reading this I hope you had a great Christmas and New Years Eve celebration! I didn't do that much myself as I didn't have much time off so I pretty much just drank quite a few elderflower gin and tonics and did some much needed hibernating.

Like every good consumer, I took advantage of the recent sales - 10% off beauty at Selfridges to be precise and bought myself one thing - the Bobbi Brown Extra SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm. I've had one beady eye on the balm for aaaages but wanted to wait until it was good and frosty outside before I added it to my basket because I knew it was going to be very, very hydrating and thick.

This tinted moisturiser has an SPF of 25 - though you probably guessed that from the name, so was probably developed for use in the summer though I'm not sure it will suit my skin if I'm a bit sweaty (though I will put this to the test once ice cream weather is upon us).

This is what I would call a true tinted moisturiser. Definitely not a foundation in disguise, it is in fact a moisturiser with a subtle tint. I reiterate this because there are so many 'tinted moisturisers' on the market that completely cake your face the same way a good old fashioned foundation would and you have to be careful to get an exact match or risk looking like you're wearing a mask.

For me, the Bobbi Brown Extra Tinted Moisturizing Balm blends pretty seamlessly and just 'kisses' my skin with colour, so I think I could have gotten away with a few shades darker or lighted than the colour I opted for - Light to Medium Tint.

In terms of texture, the balm feels like a pretty luxurious, thick moisturiser and is designed to use in place of your regular moisturiser. It doesn't stick to any dry bits (though I have gone exfoliator-crazy lately) or sit in pores and just adds a healthy tint to my face, leaving a dewy finish, which could be counteracted with a bit of translucent powder if the dewy look isn't your thing.

Also it smells really, really lovely. Kind of herbal and not very dissimilar to the Vitamin Enriched Face Base.

If you have dry skin, I can't recommend this enough. You don't need to use a lot of product at all (though it is slightly buildable), which softens the blow of the horrendous £36 price tag. The Bobbi Brown Extra SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm is available in 7 shades from Alabaster through to Dark Tint and can be found anywhere that peddles Bobbi Brown. ETA - As of 2019, this product seems to have been discontinued. I will update with links if it comes back!

Nourish Argan Beauty Collection

Ah what a beautiful Christmas gift set! The Nourish Argan Beauty Collection is perfect for the skincare lover in your life and acts as a lovely introduction to this natural brand too.

Containing three skincare treats, Nourish describe the Argan Beauty Collection as ' A luxurious collection of shimmering gold, rejuvenating frankincense and revitalising myrhh, with omega-rich organic Moroccan argan oil and a stellar array of ultra-moisturising and radiance-boosting bioactives, to enhance your natural beauty.'

I've got to say, their product copywriter has got it pretty spot on with this description!

A very clever play on the Gold, Frankincense and Myrhh aspect of the story of Christmas, the set contains a 15ml pot of Argan Skin Renew cream, 5ml of Argan Skin Rescue treatment and 15ml of Golden Glow illuminating face shimmer.

The Skin Renew is a super-hydrating cream with Rose of Jericho and Frankincense that's applied after cleansing and toning. This cream feels quite dense at first, but melts away effortlessly when massaged in and has quite a heady frankincense scent that disappears pretty quickly once applied, which is good for me because I'm actually not that keen on the smell of frankincense. The Skin Renew cream sinks in quickly and you only need to try a little on the back of your hand to feel how baby-soft it makes your skin.

The Argan Skin Rescue is essentially an oil-serum that smells delicious and is designed to enhance collagen and natural skin lipids to protect against signs of ageing. 5ml is not an awful lot of product but one little pump is enough for the whole face (and I have a pretty big face!) so I don't see the size as a negative at all. It's recommended the Skin Rescue is applied to slightly damp skin for more intense hydration too, so you can smooth it on straight after your shower.

The third product is the very beautiful Golden Glow Illuminating Face Shimmer that evens out skintone instantly and imparts a slight shimmery glow. This is full of skin-loving ingredients so acts as a skincare/ makeup hybrid that's perfect for the festive season and would also be ideal for setting of a summer tan. It's not a scary, sparkly cream by any means, rather it adds a subtle shimmery sheen to the complexion when applied sparingly and is a fantastic highlighter for cheekbones and décolletage.

The Nourish Argan Beauty Collection makes a fantastic gift this Christmas and is complete with pretty, festive white and gold packaging that is bound to delight! So grab it for your sister, mum, friend or treat yourself :)

The *Argan Beauty Collection is available for the purse-friendly price of £25 from www.nourishskinrange.com, feelunique. liv.co.uk, Planet Organic, and selected Debenhams stores.

Experience: Nourish Facial at Beauty Works West

Beauty Works West in Notting Hill has become my little slice of paradise in London. The staff are warm, friendly, knowledgeable and some of the best massage and facial therapists I've come across in my time.
I was therefore more than thrilled to be invited back to Beauty Works West to experience one of the Medi Spa's latest offerings - the Nourish Facial.

This intensely hydrating, swoon-worthy facial uses Black Chicken Remedies products - a luxury organic Australian brand quickly making a name for itself due to its gentle, effective products that virtually send you off to a higher plane when you use them. They're that good.

Black Chicken Remedies

The facial was actually created by one of the therapists at Beauty Works West, Elize Moritz, and combines these gorgeous, all natural products with acupressure and reflexology to create an experience as good for the soul as it is for the complexion.

My facial took place in one of the dimly lit therapy rooms at Beauty Works West - a little nook of comfort and relaxation filled with the soft scent of organic candles and complete with a heated bed.

The ritual began with gentle yet thorough cleansing using the Cleanse My Face cleansing facial oil that is a deeply calming cleanser containing 14 medicinal oils to purify, soothe and remove make up without disturbing the skins natural oil balance.

Next, the Complexion Polish was gently applied to exfoliate the skin. Complexion Polish is one of my favourite Black Chicken products - it's made from 100% natural finely milled ingredients including rice, argan shell and kaolin clay to gently buff away dry skin and flaky bits. The Complexion Polish is a dry formula that's mixed in with cleanser to form a delicious paste - a little touch that I love in skincare products

My skin was then closely examined for blemishes and steam applied to encourage the dirt and general yuckiness to make its way to the surface, ready for extractions.
A face, neck and décolletage massage followed, which I have to tell you was nothing short of incredible. The massage incorporated Love Your Body Oil which includes coconut, hazelnut, sandalwood, geranium and lavender oils to name a few.

The most memorable part of the whole experience would have to be the Cacao Revelation Mask. Hydrating and plumping, the antioxidant mask was applied with a brush and left to work while I enjoyed a beautiful arm and hand massage. The mask has a rich yet refreshing dark chocolate scent that sorted of reminded me of an after dinner mint and it was incredibly decadent. If you book in for the facial just to see what all the fuss is about with the mask, I wouldn't blame you for a second!

Once the mask was removed, a hydrating mist was spritzed on, eye serum was applied and Love Your Face Serum was gently worked into my skin. Containing oils including jojoba, Argan, rose hip and ylang ylang, the facial serum plumps, hydrates and smells just as stunning as the rest of the products. After 80 minutes of laying there being unashamedly pampered, indulged and invigorated all at once, I simply did not want to get up. A part of me wanted to cry when I was gently told that I was done. 

After the treatment I was so utterly Zenned out I walked  to Notting Hill Gate station in the rain, somehow got lost and didn't even care. That's how blissful the Nourish Facial is.

This facial left me seriously impressed and now I'm more in love with Beauty Works West than I was before. The Nourish Facial is perfect for this time of year when the weather sucks the goodness out of our skin so I really recommend you go ahead and treat yourself or hint heavily at a Beauty Works West gift voucher for Christmas.

The Nourish Facial at Beauty Works West is £130 for 80 minutes of pure loveliness.
P.S. Stay tuned for an in depth look at some more products from Black Chicken Remedies.

* I was lucky enough to experience the Nourish Facial as a complimentary treatment. Words and opinions are my own.