Review: L’Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream

I got a 15ml pot of this in the Latest In Beauty Skincare Stars Box. I was worried about using it as first; ‘hydration cream’ really put me off. I find that rich moisturisers are bad news for my skin – they make it feel amazing at first, but a few hours in and the oil is just dripping off of my face. Okay not dripping, but you get the picture.

What L’Occitane says:

Made with organic angelica from the Drome region of France, the fresh and silky smooth Angelica Hydration Cream efficiently moisturises and revitalises the skin.

L’Occitane's patented angelica complex reinforces natural skin hydration by stimulating aquaporines, improves skin elasticity and protects from free radicals. Skin is plumped, smoothed and more radiant.

  

I really like this cream. It’s really light and sinks into my skin really quickly. It’s rich enough for me to feel the benefits of it but not for me to turn into an oil slick. One issue I have with it is the smell. It’s not horrible; it actually smells like freshly mowed grass. It takes a while to get used to, but it does grow on you. It’s definitely not a smell I like, but I don’t hate it either.

I tend to use this mostly at night, it perfect after a skin peel or my home microdermabrasion kit as it gives a nice burst of hydration – definitely aptly named.

Would I buy it?

Hmm, I don’t know. At £29 it’s not the cheapest moisturiser, but it definitely does the job.

You can buy L’Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream direct from L’Occitane online or instore, priced at £29 for 50ml.

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Latest in Beauty: Skincare Stars Box

On Sunday, Latest in Beauty released their ‘Skincare Stars’ beauty box and I managed to get my hands on one.

I love LIB boxes. You always get to see what’s in the box before you buy it and they’re usually really good.

I know I’m always harping on about ‘my routine’ but I couldn’t help but want this box as it’s full of some amazing brands!

Say what you will about Glossybox, but their actual boxes are pretty useful. LIB on the other hand doesn’t bother so much with the box as the contents speaks for itself. However, I was really happy that they put the box inside a cardboard sleeve so it didn’t get crushed in the post.

I hate when beauty boxes are filled with leaflets and the usual junk, but these leaflets all have discount codes on them – my bank balance isn’t so happy about that but they’re a nice touch.

Anyway, I’m going off on a tangent.

Inside the Skincare Stars box was:

L’Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream 15ml 

Worth £8.70 

 Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate 4ml 

Worth £4.80 

 Melvita Youthful Day Cream 15ml 

Worth £9.60 

 Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser 30ml 

Worth £5.10 

 Etat Pur Micellar Cleansing Water 190ml (Full size) 

Worth £6.40 

 Balance Me Moisture-Rich Face Cream 10ml 

Worth £4.80

L’Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream – since I’ve got very oily skin I tend to avoid moisturisers that are too moisturising. However I think if I was having a no makeup day at home then this would be perfect for me as my skin took a break.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate – I love night treatments! They’re perfect for repairing skin and this product promises to do just that. Also it dispenses in a pipette, which I think is really cool (yes, I’m sad).

Melvita Youthful Day Cream – I’d never actually heard of Melvita before, but they are apparently the sister company of L’Occitane. I LOVE L’Occitance so I’ve got high hopes for this.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser – This cleanser has got little scrubby bits in it and I’m really looking forward to using it.

Etat Pur Micellar Cleansing Water – This is probably the product that I’m most looking forward to using. I really want to see how it fares against my Bioderma.

Balance Me Moisture-Rich Face Cream – balanceMe is a brand I’d never heard of until I started getting beauty boxes, but I really like their products. Again, I’d have to use this on a non-makeup day just to keep the oil at bay, but I’m looking forward to this. 

Overall I’m really happy with this box. I can’t wait to start using and reviewing some of these products. This box was £8.95 + £2.95 P+P, but it’s worth almost £40 so it’s more than worth it.

Did you get a Skincare Stars box?

Beauty Review: Renu Radiant Skin Peel by Monu Skincare

Project: FACE

This rather attractive picture of me was taken about 4 or 5 years ago and the only makeup I was wearing was lip balm. I had a very basic skincare routine – I didn’t do anything special, I just didn’t use soap on my face – yet my skin looked amazing.

Fast forward to now and my skin is a mess. I’ll admit that this isn’t the worst it has been, but it’s not the best either. Acne scars, blemishes, dark circles and the occasional group of whiteheads have sent my skin into a scary demise so I’m trying my hardest to find products and procedures (non-invasive) that’ll help restore my former skin glory.

SO …

A couple of weeks ago I was intrigued by Latest in Beauty’s Little Beauty Box. For those that don’t know what it is, it’s a mini beauty box where you can pick three different samples every month for just £1.50 P&P.

Upset by the demise of my favourite beauty box, Carmine (RIP, you’ll never be forgotten!) I decided to try some samples.

In my Little Beauty Box was:

Floris Sirena EDP – 2ml vial

Lavera My Age Concentrated Lifting Serum – 4 x 0.5ml sachets

Renu Radiant Skin Peel – 5ml tube

Perfume = Amazing! But the full size is £99 for 100ml, so the sample is the closest I’ll be getting to that! Haha

I’ll probably give the Lavera to my mum, as I’m not that into using anti-ageing products.

But I have used the Renu Radiant Skin Peel, so here’s my review …

What they say:

Powerful fruit enzymes reveal instantly radiant skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines and pores. Papaya Enzymes gently polish away dulling dead skin.

Skin feels rejuvenated and renewed, this product also enables deeper penetration of the ingredients from other products as dead skin cells are removed from the skin's surface.

What I say:

I was really excited to try this product. I love products that are slightly abrasive and strip your dead skin. I heard that this product felt slightly tingly, due to the fruit enzymes breaking down the dead layer.

It smells lovely, quite citrusy and it has a very creamy texture. It felt more like a thick moisturiser than a peel.

After 10 minutes. Lost it's opacity a bit. Didn't have full coverage to start with, but it wasn't so patchy.

The directions are to massage into clean skin and leave for 5-10minutes, then remove with lukewarm water and cotton wool. My skin is far from sensitive so I left it on for about 15minutes before removing it.

When I first removed it there was a bit of an anti-climax. Yeah so my skin was a bit smoother, but nothing to write home about. I skipped my toner, moisturised and went to bed.

But when I woke up my skin looked a bit different. Alas, my old face wasn’t looking back at me but there was no dry, dead skin. I have this pesky, dry patch on my chin that’s always giving me trouble and for the first time in ages it was gone.

Now I’m not hailing this product as a miracle product and I’m sure there are more out there that would yield better results, but this honestly did impress me. Not sure what it'd do for the 'mature skin' it's marketed at, but hey ...

At £32.50 for 100ml it’s not the cheapest product, but I’m sure it’d last quite a while as you’re only supposed to use once or twice a week and my 5ml sample was more than enough for one application.

However, Brand Alley is currently selling this product for £14 (less than half price!) so grab it while you can!

Have you tried any facial peels?

Latest in Beauty Themed Box: Editors Pick Box

Earlier this week LIB released their Editors Pick beauty box.

My box arrived this morning and here’s what I got:

L’Occiatane Immortelle Divine Cream 3ml – Worth £4

Emma Hardie Lift & Sculpt Plumping Serum 10ml – Worth £14

Eve Lom Rescue Mask 15ml – Worth £8.40

Miners Nail Colour in Marshmallow – Worth £2.99

AD Skin Synergy Nourishing Night Treatment 5ml – Worth £3.80

The box cost £5.95 plus £2.95 P&P, but with over £30 worth of products then you can’t really go wrong.

L’Occiatane Immortelle Divine Cream – looking forward to trying this but the sample looks a bit too small for me to really be able to make a decision on it.

Emma Hardie Lift & Sculpt Plumping Serum – not really interested in anti-ageing products, but this promises to provide ‘deep hydration’ to the skin. So we’ll see.

Eve Lom Rescue Mask – I’ve got really oily skin so I love clay masks. It can also be used to cure puffy, tired eyes so I’m excited to see if it lives up to that.

Miners Nail Colour – as an avid shellac’er I’m not sure how much I’ll use this. Cute colour though.

AD Skin Synergy Nourishing Night Treatment – again anti-ageing but I’m quickly running out of my current face oil so we’ll give this one a try.

As much as I love LIB Themed Boxes and the contents of this one, the full size products are a little on the pricey side and not very compatible with my student budget. However, I do love the fact that boxes like this give me the chance to try products that I wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise.

Bittersweet.

Did anyone else get one of these boxes? What did you think?

PS. The beautiful Nora over at BBS actually got this box for me, as I knew it would sell out before payday arrived. I’m trying to get her to start a blog but my attempts have failed. BUT you can check out her eBay here as she’s selling some amazing beauty products at low prices.

My First FOTD! ..

I’ve never done a FOTD post so I thought that I’d give it a go today.

Excuse my eyebrow! It happens every time I take a picture, can't control it! Haha x

I prepped my face with a L’Oreal toner, followed by Clarins Extra Firming Day Cream from January’s GB. Completely addicted now by the way!

I’m using Body Shop Matte It primer – AMAZing! – Works really well with mineral powders.

Foundation:

Maybelline Mineral Power Foundation in Dark 3 (used as a concealer)

BareMinerals Mineral Foundation in Deepest Deep

Brows: 

Black Kohl Pencil for definition 

Avon In A Blink Double Ended Eyeshadow & Eyeliner (Eyeshadow used to highlight arch)

Cheeks:

BareMinerals Blush in I’m Amused Rouge (Almost finished :()

Eyes: 

Essential Care Eye Pencil in Black (From Red Carpet Box) 

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara in Black (Top lashes only – From Red Carpet Box)

Lips: 

 Nivea Super Moisturising Lipstick in Big Berry

… And that’s it. This is pretty much my everyday look. I try to keep it as natural looking as possible as I don’t like cakey makeup. The lipstick is new and today is the first day that I’ve worn it, will definitely keep using it as it’s the first lipstick that actually looks okay on me!

What are you wearing today? Link me your FOTD posts! :)

Lola ..x

LIB: Red Carpet Box

My LIB Red Carpet Box came yesterday, and I like a lot more than I thought I would! BUT, firstly I’d like you to all share in my Internet huff about not getting the free Clarins cream that a lot of people got with their boxes. BOO!

The actual box itself was disappointing, I love the fact that I can keep my beauty boxes and use them for other things, but this was a plain box that I could have picked up from a cheap card shop.

… However the contents of the box were what did it for me!

SO.

IN THE BOX:

DR BRAGI Marine Enzyme Mask - Worth £10

MONT BLEU Glass Nail File – Mini

YOUNGBLOOD Mineral Primer – Mini Worth £5

ESSENTIAL CARE Eye Pencil – Worth £12.50

SMASHBOX Full Exposure Mascara in Black – Worth £20

SMOOCH Lipstick in Rocking Red – Worth £7.50

RICHARD WARD Couture Hair Energiser Styling Spray – Mini Worth £6

QMS MediCosmetics Hand Care – Mini Worth £10

DR BRAGI Marine Enzyme Mask

Not a big facemask user, but I’m really excited about using this one. I know price doesn’t equal quality, but at £10 each they must be doing something right!

MONT BLEU Glass Nail File

I’ve never owned a glass file before, but I can immediately see why people rave about them. This has gone straight into my handbag; I almost can’t wait to have to use it. Although it does looks a bit like a weapon, so I hope I don’t get scanned anytime soon!

YOUNGBLOOD Mineral Primer

I’ve recently purchased the Body Shop Matte It Primer, so I’m going to give them both a try and see which one I prefer. Haven’t used a primer before so I’m hoping they make a difference to my makeup. The little test I did feels super silky!

ESSENTIAL CARE Eye Pencil

Really looking forward to using this product daily. I often find that at the end of a long day my eyeliner has started to bleed out into black circles under my eyes. The swatch test I did on the back of my hand took ages to come off in the shower, so at least I know that this’ll stay put all day long – but might be hard to remove before bed!

SMASHBOX Full Exposure Mascara in Black

I’ve only just started to use mascara daily as I find that my lashes get clumped really easily. Having used this today I already love it. The wand is huge, and slightly intimidating at first, but coats my lashes really well without them clumping or sticking together.

SMOOCH Lipstick in Rocking Red

Sadly from the swatch on my hand I know this isn’t for me. I really wish I was a lipstick kind of girl, especially red. This one is really pigmented and vibrant and has a nice matte finish.

RICHARD WARD Couture Hair Energiser Styling Spray

I prefer serums or oils in beauty boxes so I won’t be giving this a try. I’ve got really damaged, dry hair so I need products that are softening. It smells lush though!

QMS MediCosmetics Hand Care

I’m a sucker for cute packing, so regardless of how good the product is if its got nice packing then I immediately want it. This has got awful packaging though, which is annoying as it’s such a nice cream. It leaves my hands feeling really silky, without leaving behind a greasy residue. I just can’t get past the packaging though, the full size product retails at £20 for 75ml so it’s quite expensive for hand cream, so why does it look so hideous?!

Overall I can honestly say I’m really pleased with this box. Obviously nobody can like everything but that’s part of the gamble I guess.

Will definitely be purchasing the next box that they say is coming out in a few weeks!

Anyone else get a LIB Red Carpet Box??

Lola ..x