Mojito Loves | Champneys Wild Rose Hand Wash

Hmm, hand wash. Not the most exciting of products but a perfunctory one nonetheless. We all need to wash our hands, right? I usually make do with whatever’s on offer in the supermarket but recently I tried this, the Champneys Spa Treatment Wild Rose Hand Wash, and I’m a little bit in love.

In my post about the ‘La Rose’ perfume by Lyn Harris, I outed myself as a rose-scent-loving granny. Whereas the perfume has a fresh, contemporary edge to it, this hand wash is an unashamed, big old blousy hit of the familiar sweet, rosy scent. Like what sniffing a big bunch of brightly coloured roses should be (is it just me or do roses not actually smell of roses anymore?). One pump leaves your hands feeling well cleansed and the fragrance lingers on the skin for AGES.  If rose is your thing, you’ll love it

I’m quite the fan of the Champneys range at Boots. Offering a luxe feel at a good price, they make great gifts. There’s currently a third off the entire range, so the Wild Rose Hand Wash comes in at £4.00 (it’s usually £6.00). I shall be stocking up.

 

 

Daytime bold lips

Things are still looking a bit, well, pasty after emerging from the depths of winter. My go-to remedy for this is always a bold lip. It quickly and easily brightens a tired face and instantly makes you look that little bit more polished. Hell, a pop of colour even lifts my spirits on grey rainy days. Whilst it may not be for everyone as a daytime look, it's worth giving a go if you want an easy to achieve make-up look with a little bit of oomph.

My current favourite bold lip colour is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm in On Fire. The design is very similar to the hugely popular Clinique Chubby Stick, but IMHO, this one is better. The Chubby Sticks are lovely, but their wear time lets them down. On application the Colour Rush Balm is neither sticky nor glossy. It feels comfortable and lightweight on the lips and even once the initial moisture hit has dissipated, it leaves a lovely stain that isn't at all drying.

On Fire is a pretty coral colour that reads a little red and a little pink in different lights. Orange lips are a big look at the moment and this is a much more wearable take on the sometimes unforgiving trend. I particularly like the contrast of it against my pale skin but it would look pretty with a tan, and would suit darker skin tones too. Wear time is really good. So good in fact that I even awoke with coral lips this morning after wearing it yesterday. Here I've paired it with really simple make-up which took just ten minutes to achieve. I happily sport this look for work and it's more than do-able when I'm still bleary eyed and in a rush.

At just £5.99 for the Rimmel balm and £17.00 for the Clinique offering, it's a bit of a no-brainer. Best of all, there's currently a 3 for 2 offer on Rimmel products at Boots.

Get the look

Lips: Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm, On Fire, £5.99
Face: No.7 Instant Radiance Foundation, Cool Vanilla, £12.50
Under eyes: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer, Light Sand, £18.50
Cheeks: Nars Blush, Deep Throat, £21.50
Eyes: Mac Eyeshadow, Patina, £12.50
Lashes: Max Factor Masterpiece Max, Black/Brown, £9.99
Brows: Mac Eyeshadow, Concrete, £12.50

So there you go, my current favourite daytime look. What do you think? Is a bold lip something you already wear during the day? Or would you not even consider it for work?

Odd one out nails

I've been experimenting with nail varnish lately. Inept when it comes to nail art, picking out an alternate colour on the fourth finger of each hand requires zero skill but adds a bit of fun to an otherwise standard mani.

Nautical but nice

I'm quite the fan of navy and red attire with it's nautical French feel and figured it could work on nails too. I used trusty Max Factor here. Their polishes are great - they're easy to apply, last well and they have a wide range of colours. I chose Red Passion and Cobalt Blue.

Dark neutrals

Neutral nails are brilliant for their ability to work well with a range of outfits but they can sometimes feel a bit, well, beige. Enter black polish! I love it for it's ability to be both bold and go-with-everything. Combining black with a bit of grey sparkle on the fourth digit still feels sufficiently neutral, but with a bit of an added edge. I liked this look a lot. The varnishes I used here are Nails Inc New York Noir (a Glamour magazine freebie I recall), Barry M Grey and OPI Pirouette My Whistle.

The possibilities are endless here. Next up I plan to try clashing red and pink, then pastels. I also like the idea of mixing up matt and glossy textures. So much fingertip fun to be had! What do you reckon, is this a look you'll be trying out?

A Fast Dry Top Coat That Actually Works

Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat over two layers of Essie Mojito Madness

I love wearing nail varnish but for some reason, it never seems to dry properly on me. I tend to paint my nails of an evening, a couple of hours before I go to bed. Enough time for them to dry, surely? But no, nine times out of ten I'll go to bed with glossy talons and wake up with a smudged mess on my fingertips.

When you think about it, once you've factored in a base coat and a top coat, plus a couple of layers of colour, that's four layers of gloop that need to dry. Or perhaps it's just the way I sleep...

Anyway, I've tried lots of different 'quick dry' offerings from the likes of Revlon, Rimmel, Sally Hansen and Avon to try to resolve this, with varying success. Most of them improve the drying time, but none of them have actually eradicated the problem entirely. I just wake up with fewer smudges.

Does what it says on the bottle.

Enter Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat (£9.00). My nail varnish obsessed friend Zoe told me about it a while ago. Since then I've read lots of good reviews online, but the cynic in me thought it was going to just be another waste of not-so-quick-dry money. Wrong! This stuff is an absolute revelation.

The first time I tried Seche Vite I followed the instructions to apply a thick layer onto freshly polished nails. In this case, I used a base coat and two layers of the now discontinued Essie Mojito Madness (as shown in the top image) just one hour before I hit the hay. I was sceptical when they didn't dry immediately as promised in the blurb, but the next morning I awoke to gorgeously glossy emerald green nails with not a dint nor a smudge in sight. They remained chip free for four days.

Next up I used Rimmel Salon Pro Nail Polish in Oh, Mr Darcy! (4.49) a mere forty minutes before bed and again, they looked as good in the morning as they had the night before. This time they lasted for a full week before chipping, which is pretty much a record for me. I've tried Seche Vite a few other times since and it's yet to fail me.

In summary, Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat is a product that does what it promises to do exceptionally well (if only we could say the same of all beauty products). As well as massively shortening the drying time of pretty much any polish, it delivers a long-lasting, high gloss sheen and increases wear time. I couldn't ask for more. I've not done scores on The Beauty Scriptures before, but if I did, this product would get the full five out of five.

Have you tried Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat? Some reviews I've read have said it reduces wear time of their nail polish but I've found it to have the opposite effect. I'd love to know your thoughts.

x

Review | Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

My journey to finding the perfect base has been a long one and many a mistake has been made along the way. I’ve tried tinted moisturisers, BB creams, stick, compact and liquid foundations at every price point from pretty much every brand on the market. This one trumps them all.



The lightweight, practical packaging is easily transportable and makes for minimal wastage.

Before: Hello blotchy skin and thread veins!

Just a small amount is needed to give flawless coverage.



After: This was taken after applying a small amount of the foundation, before powder or blusher. You can see the luminous finish it gives to the skin. 

Why do I love it so?

• The lightweight, squeezy tube packaging makes it ideal for travelling or carrying around in your handbag, and there’ll be very little wastage when it starts to run out.
• I’ve never really got to grips with fuller coverage foundations before, finding them too heavy and tricky to blend. This one offers medium to full cover which can be built up without ever looking cakey. 
• It’s very densely pigmented, so only the teeniest of blobs is needed to give amazing coverage. Even though it's not cheap this makes it good value for money.
• It blends beautifully and easily - perfect for when you’re in a rush. I find it applies best using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush (from their Core Collection).
• The finish is neither matt nor dewy, but somewhere in between. There's a luminosity to the skin whilst wearing it with not a hint of shimmer or sparkle.
• It doesn’t contain SPF so can be used at night when flash bulbs may be popping. It would make a gorgeous bridal base for the same reason.
• I get a good seven hours wear on my combination skin - even longer when used with a primer, though a dusting of powder doesn't go amiss halfway through the day.
• It would work well on those who need more coverage, and on mature complexions I reckon. It certainly doesn't settle into the fine lines that have started to appear since I hit my thirties. 
• Did I mention the coverage? It even disguises the pesky red thread veins around my nose meaning I can skip concealer. Remarkable given the small quantity I use.

You get the point - I really like this foundation. 

I do have one niggle though: There are ten shades to choose from and my closest match, Rose Ivory, is a tad too warm for my pale skin. Under normal circumstances that would immediately place it on the REJECT pile (you know I have a fear of Orange Face), but because everything else is just so damn good, I was willing to hand over my cash for it after trying a sample.

At a not insubstantial £34.00, that makes it one of the more expensive face products I've bought, but I think the quality, longevity and coverage are worth it overall. In summer, I'm hoping it'll become a perfect match too.

So, not quite the holy grail of foundations for me, but certainly the best one I've tried so far. 

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation | £34.00



Photography outtake

It's impossible to get any work done with this dude around!


Buddy the budding beauty blogger perhaps?

​Face Masks That Work

My second column in Toast magazine is out today and here's an extended version for the lovely readers of The Beauty Scriptures. It's all about face masks. I'm terribly impatient and I want products that work without having to linger in the bathroom and I've found these to be effective. 

Take ten minutes out of your week to slap on one of these masks and your face will be forever thankful. REN’s Invisible Pores Detox Mask (£18.00) does a fine job of minimising pores and decongesting skin without being at all drying. I'm a big fan of the Superfacialist range and thirsty faces will love their Rose Intense Moisture Mask (£8.99) for its ability to leave skin looking plump and feeling quenched. I adore the scent too. Alpha-H’s Smoothing & Perfecting Mask (£46.00) may be prohibitively pricey but it’s just the ticket for dull complexions. Skin looks indefinably better after each use and the effect lasts a good few days. An investment buy. At the other end of the price spectrum Lush’s fresh mask, The Sacred Truth (£5.95) is packed with natural anti-ageing ingredients to nourish even the most sensitive of skin. Storing in the fridge results in a pleasingly refreshing application. For a super quick treat in the morning, I rate the Liz Earle Brightening Treatment Mask (from £5.50). It takes just two minutes to wake up a tired face.