Wild Organics

Honestly, I am not a summer person. I know there are a million people out there going 'ooh, I know it's hot but if it were raining, you'd be complaining.' Not me. I cannot cope in anything over 21 degrees. Mew.



And so, when times are tough for BeautyLover, I turn to the most refreshing products I can find. Of course there are lots of lovely, fresh body products out there but one of my recent favourite finds is the really rather wonderful Wild Organics range. Aside from the fact that the Fresh Lime Flower scent sorts me right out, even after the most humid night of NO SLEEP and that the Wild Willow products make me want to have a little cry they smell so pretty, everything in the range is 99.6% natural and certified by EcoCert so I can merrily slather myself in this stuff without having to worry about what it's doing to me or anyone else. Check me out being all eco conscious. Don't get used to it.
And if great products with a responsibly sourced wasn't enough for you, a percentage from each sale goes to CHARITY. I KNOW.

Anyhoo, I'm ALL OVER the Marshmallow Butter Sugar Scrub, the Spearmint Handwash and anything Fresh Lime Flower. My only concern now is how I'm going to get hold of this stuff in the states... It's alright for you, you can get it at wildorganicsbeauty.com or QVC - what about me, huh? WHAT ABOUT ME?

Too Hot

My god I'm lame.
I'm sorry, it's just too hot to do anything in this office right now let alone blog about the wonders of Beauty. I'm constantly hosing myself down (in a very ladylike fashion) with an Avene Eau Thermale spray and hoping my Lee Stafford Shine Head spray will prevent the humid frizzies.

Promise to be back on top BeautyMecca form tomorrow. And if not by then, at Wednesday at the very latest as I'm only getting bloody eyelash extensions.
Oh yes, you heard it here first.

Off to inhale a Magnum.

I Heart New York!

So my New Year's resolutions in 2007 were to pass my driving test, lose a load of weight and write every day. Obviously, the weight loss nonsense went out the window by the third of January but I was determined to have a proper crack at the other two.

I passed my driving test in July and have driven about eight times since then - it's not a talent of mine. The writing thing went a bit better. I started writing a journal, a book and a new blog all at once to make sure I had enough to keep me occupied. Tragically, my life was terminally dull and so the journal sat in my bedside drawer looking pretty but empty and a tad tragic. Happily, the blog was a much bigger success (ahem) probably because my life was terminally dull and I was trying to fill it with pretty things.



As of today though, the biggest success, it turns out, was only the bloody book. What started out as something to pass the time is now an actual real life book! No, really, as of today, it's in shops and everything. Someone saw it. In a Tesco.
You can check it out here www.iheartnewyork.co.uk if you feel so inclined. I would if I were you, the site is really pretty...

Sorry this isn't terribly beauty oriented - if it helps, I'm wearing Stila foundation in 10 watts, Benetint, Touche Eclat and lots of Volum' Express mascara today.
Ta-da.

Burt's Bees Aloe & Linden Flower After Sun Soother

Bah, first sniff of proper sunshine in ages and I get sun burnt at lunch. I am wearing SPF, honest, but my poor forearms weren't expecting the onslaught of such potent rays...


Luckily, I'm armed with Burt's Bees Aloe & Linden Flower After Sun Soother and praise be, it does exactly what it says it will. When was the last time anything/one did that? (Yes, that was a really poor joke about boys. Truly I am a great wit.)

Anyway, it's packed with soothing aloe, anti-oxidant rich linden flower and moisturising coconut oil so it's ideal for sun-singed limbs. And since it's Burt's Bees, it's got no nasty bad things in there.
And I like the packaging.
And the cut of Burt's jib.
Whatever a jib is.

Elemis Anti-Aging Amnesty

Okay, I need you to stop what you're doing and listen up.

Whatever plans you think you have after work today or tomorrow have just been changed - you need to get your pretty little backside to a John Lewis Elemis counter, hand in your crappy old moisturiser and get 15mls of Elemis' amazing Pro-Collagen Marine Cream ABSOLUTELY FREE! That's worth £22.50!


I feel a little bit like your friendly neighbourhood crack dealer, you know, a bit 'Go on, I'll give you the first hit for nothing' because you will be addicted once you've tried this. It is AMAZING. I'm two pots in (and I hardly ever repeat purchase) and am freaking out that I can see the bottom of the pot I'm in now. I've tried everything there is to try and I just can't beat this. I know I was previously hooked on Creme de la Mer but once I started breaking out with my hilarious adult acne in December, it just started messing my skin right up. Even the lotion was too heavy and the cream was just super icky. But the wonder/witchcraft that is Pro-Collagen Marine Cream has sorted me right out.

So I'll see you at the front of the queue with my half used Creme de la Mer in hand, seriously, I would trade in my mother for free Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, so Creme de la Mer will not be hard to part with.

Stores participating in the event are:

Bluewater, Kent

Basnett Street, Liverpool

Victoria Centre, Nottingham

Wilmslow, Cheadle, Cheshire

10 Downing Street, Cambridge

Peter Jones, Sloane Square, London

Oxford Street, London

WestQuay Shopping Centre, Southampton

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil

I know I've blogged about these bad boys before but really, they're incredible.
Because I'm awkward, I like to start off lining the upper and lower lash lines (inner and outer rims) with the Coffee pencil using quite a thick dense line that flicks out at the outer corners but goes more lightly on the inner lower rim and then I smudge the Onyx into the roots of my lashes and the outer corners of the inner rims.
Does that makes sense?



No?
Oh.

Well, how about the fact that they're pretty, they go on easily, they DO NOT MOVE once they're on and they last for ages. I've worn them in New York humidity, sweaty gig, hot office and (sorry) overnight and they did not budge. Which all equates to Buy Buy Buy.

Elemis Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules

Eurgh, I'm so sorry, I've been shit again lately BUT with good reason - I was in New York apartment hunting last week and here I am, three hours off the plane, sat at my desk and posting to you. And not entirely looking like the crypt keeper while I'm doing that...


I believe this is due to my in-flight slathering of Elemis' fabulous Cellular Recovery Capsules. These tiny little wonders are perfect for planes. They're wee enough to fit in any ridiculous airline approved sandwich bag of fluids, they come green (with lavender) for nighttime and pink (rose) for daytime so you're covered for all your flying needs and most importantly, they're PACKED with revitalising, skin quenching goodness so you don't dry out on the nasty, nasty plane.

And, you know, they're in those cool little twisty plastic capsule thingies that are so satisfying to use... Get yours at Time to Spa or at Elemis counters.

Oh, and I found an apartment by the way. Wee!

Prescriptives AnyWear Foundation Sticks

I am a complete mug for anything dinky and over the moon with a foundation that is the right shade for me, so imagine how freaking happy I was with the Prescriptives AnyWear foundation sticks.



Awesome foundation? Check.
Excellent range of shades? Why yes!
Super cute-slash-cool dinky mini sticks x 2 in each pack so you can keep one in your travel bag and one in your handbag? Bugger me backwards, yes, there is!

I love these.
Go and buy them now.

Eve Lom Radiance Cream

I just can't stop contradicting myself today. I think I've caught it from boys... serves me right for touching them in the first place, right?

I was just about to start this post by saying, 'now I'm not one to get excited about things' but it's not true, I'm ABSOLUTELY one to get excited about things. I'm forever jumping about like a complete twat over the smallest, most pointless things. However, I have every reason to be excited today because Eve Lom is launching a new product and a) she hardly ever does that and b) I live and die by that Rescue Mask so this is all good news.


I haven't had a go on it (yet) so I'm just going to pass on the info that I've had and as soon as I've got a review, I'll slap it up.

A must-have product for skin of all ages Eve Lom TLC Radiance cream takes it’s heritage from the cult Eve Lom TLC cream, the super hydrating properties and performance are the same but this product boasts a far lighter, lifting formula for daytime use on the areas of the skin that need it most. In particular, Eve recommends it’s use on the more delicate skin around the eye and along the jaw line, which over time loses natural elasticity and firmness.

This new TLC RADIANCE CREAM is naturally fragranced with Bulgarian Rose Otto and contains an exclusive blend of highly effective ingredients to provide skin with:

HYDRATION

Hyaluronic acid provides instant moisture to the skin and longer lasting hydration.

RADIANCE BOOSTING

Vitamin C, Vitamin A from Rosehip Seed Oil and Arctic Raspberry Seed Oil rich in Vitamin E, combine to boost the collagen production, to help reduce skin inflammation and to prevent environmental free radical damage. Silica Mica acts as an optical diffuser to soften lines and imperfections. The result – the complexion is energised, even toned and radiant.

LIFTING

A unique cocktail of skin firming and rejuvenating ingredients including Oat Kernel to help restore the firmness of the skin, preserve skin’s elasticity, protect against free radicals and smooth away the first signs of winkles and crow’s feet.

You can get your Radiance on at evelom.com or at Eve Lom stockists.
I have a big weekend coming up so I'll be needing all the help I can get...

Goodness from The Body Shop

To apologise for my general rubbishness as a blogger, I lay myself prostrate before you and present an offering of 20% of The Body Shop's awesome Shimmer Cubes.



These babies are perfect for summer, they're solid so you can take them in hand luggage, they're teeny tiny so they don't take up a lot of space and they're super multi-purpose.

I love the pale pink as a highlighter and the minty green makes great daytime eyes. Combine the grey and the silver for uber drama night time eye looks. And they remind me of snooker chalk which is fun.

Click here to bag the Shimmer Cubes for just £12.52 using the code BLOG_SHIM but do it soon, they're limited edition!

This week I will mostly be...

Sorry I've been so crap for the last couple of days.
Monday was manic and yesterday, ahem, I was at a photo shoot for Grazia. No, really! Sadly it wasn't BeautyMecca related, it was to do with the joy that is my book. I think I might have mentioned that I have a book coming out soon - well, it's now officially super soon, as in 25th June soon. See, it's real!



They even have it on Amazon and everything.

Anyway, I was doing an article for Grazia to promote the book and hurrah, I got to play with an awesome make up artist, Martin Carter (see his website here) and not only did we share a love of Stila, he also taught me lots of fun tips. Hands down, best make up artist I've ever had and through BeautyMecca and now the book shenanigans, I've had a few.

But I digress, basically this is an apology for my being a bit shit at posting in the last few days but I promise to pull my socks up. I've got loads of gorgeous stuff to tell you about and super helpful tips to share so bear with me.

MWAH,
BeautyLover x